She's not sure what port they're at, or how far away they are from Punk Hazard and the remnants of another failure, staining her and settling deep in her gut like Marine Ford, and Alabasta. She finds herself not really caring at the moment, as she settles her mug back down on the counter and closes her eyes as she remembers just a few days prior.
She's always so painfully aware that she's limited in her strength, and her rank's too low to be a step ahead of the atrocities she's starting to uncover, laying eyes to sins being committed by Monsters, because there's no way these acts could be committed by mere mortals.
Tashigi isn't so sure when her world tilted exactly, or when gray started to bleed into her worldview. She's not niave enough to believe that a large organization like The World Government and the corresponding Navy could be all good, but the level of corruption she was witness spoke of decades in the making and with firm hands guiding towards an even darker future. Punk Hazard wasn't the first, and it surely wasn't the last.
She's taking a deep gulp of the mug of warm sake, the sting a pleasant distraction from the worries plaguing her thoughts. She had left Smoker with the children they had rescued, needing a few moments to collect herself away from the prying eyes of children… To soothe her wounded and tired pride.
Vergo hadn't always been an enemy… And he hadn't always been evil.. Or was he just truly that duplicitous? And how could none of us see through it?
Her thoughts drift to The Strawhats, the merry-go lucky round of pirates that challenged every pirate stereotype and the sheer definition of "good" and "bad." She didn't really know how to handle their unique blend of piracy, and she was pretty sure even Smoker wasn't exactly sure what to do moving forward.
It's not every day that Pirates step in to save countries from impending doom, or rescue children from military bases with government laboratories and it wasn't every day that she was defeated not once but twice, and by a harpy and Supernova none the less, and of course he had to bear witness to both of those startling failures. But would it ever be any different?
She's pouring more sake into her mug as a warm settles into the stool beside her at the otherwise crowded bar. She's settled in the far right hand corner, where the shadows keep her hidden and otherwise in her own world of grief, anger and frustration.
Not that the man who sat beside her cared. He was a pirate, after all, Roroanoa Zoro, and her rival, even if that rivalry was one sided.
He's stealing her freshly poured cup of sake in a gulp, and refills the mug without batting an eyelash, the sound of his sheaths clicking against each other as he moves and the rustle of his coat seems to echo in her ear. She doesn't find it in her to be surprised to see him, they're always stumbling into each other most recently in Punk Hazard a few weeks ago. She's not inclined to fight, so she just lets a deep sigh out. The minutes pass as the warm presence at her side drinks two more cups of sake before filling the mug one last time and placing it in front of her, offering a quiet support as the noise of the bar settles into the background. She grips the edges of the table as she feels Zoro take a deep breath as if it's painful to even sit beside her and then-
"Strength isn't always determined by who wins the fight. Strength can be determined by how many times you fall and get back." A deep sigh and then, "Kindness isn't weakness, though it can sometimes hold someone back… " She glances at him through the curtain of her hair failing in front of her face and shielding most of her from his view but he's not shy of staring straight at her, making sure she feels the weight of his words. "But there's a strength in being kind.. in conviction. "
"Your body can grow weak, your senses dullen as you age, but your conviction?"
"That stays. No matter your body, your senses; no matter what."
There's a firm tone in his voice, though not noticeable at first but the more he kept talking.. She thinks he might actually believe what he's saying. Might actually think she's strong, even if it's not physically.
Moment's pass and then she feels him poking her in her arm, growing more agitated as he starts yelling at her, "OI woman, I didn't talk to you just to be ignored. Did you hit your head? Are you seriously getting beat up by kids?" And before she knows it, they're shouting at each other because "NO I DO NOT get beat up by the kids thank you very much but it's been a rough week!"
During the course of their usual bickering she figures out what he's done since leaving the base- good Lord, is he… becoming friends with Law? Do they truly believe to start a war with the Emperors? And she's lamenting about the care for the children and the extent of Vergo's betrayal.
In between shouting, they're finishing one bottle of sake, and going through another, and then a third bottle before they're laughing their asses off as they remember the ceasefire party not even a week or more ago.
It's not often that their Captain's get together without fighting, let alone get together and sing but oh, if only she had gotten it on video-snail. She doesn't bring up the fact that by the end of Bink's Song, that everyone on the island had joined in. Not a single person, whether it be marine, pirate or civilian, wasn't joyfully taking part in singing, including Zoro who had managed to lock eyes with her mid song, staring deep without blinking and her voice had faltered while the blush rose up her cheeks. She remembers looking up and feeling the breath knocked out of her at the small grin he's throwing her way as he stands tall and proud with his crew, barrel of sake in hand as he belts out the refrain and he looks so happy that she feels her heart skip a beat.
Zoro's glancing at her as her knees bump into his and she's blushing, and she's not sure if it's the alcohol or the dark corner they find themselves in, but she think he looks beautiful right now. Comfortable and relaxed, sitting in the stool with his back against the wall of the shady bar on another seedy island, with his hands resting comfortable astride his lap and on the bar, his eyes twinkling with amusement and a slight flush to his skin from their quickly consumed rounds of alcohol.
She's never seen Zoro amused.. Angry, annoyed, frustrated, hopelessly lost… But amusement isn't an emotion she usually inspired in him. It's… Interesting, and delightful. She can't help herself before she places her hands on the edge of her knees and jerks herself closer to his body to get a better look at his eye. His eye widens, but the amusement doesn't fade and his eye gets darker.
He jerks in surprise as he grips her hips, she'd stumbled when in her endeavor and she blinks owlishly as she realizes just how close they are to each other.
He lets out a small breath and then holds her stare at her firmly, "Where's your ship?"
When she tells him in the harbor around the corner, he's standing and gently guiding her by the arm as he mummers, "Then let's get you back before it's too late."
"W-Wh-What? Okay." It only takes a quick glance at the pirates and a quick but uneasy calculation of the amount of cups she's drank to not argue against his offer. But she can't help but laugh as she says "But do you even know where the harbor is?" She doesn't miss the angry retort he throws at her under his breath as he glares at her.
She's still laughing at him when she takes the lead.
Despite the quiet port they're at, the citizens and pirates docked there are rowdy enough to fill the streets with shops even at this late hour. She's surprised but delighted, taking in the town and the man walking quietly beside her. She's not sure why her keeps straying back to him- it isn't proper; Marine's and Pirates didn't get together, as friends or anything more but that didn't stop her from thinking.. Or the want not to seep into her.
It's only worse when she takes in his tall, strong form and she's almost missed a step when she's taking in his body – firm and muscled; imposing with his green hair and tanned skin, his 3 earrings clanking softly in the night along with his swords, still strapped to his side. For the second time that night she's blinded by how handsome he is and her breath is stolen, again.
She sees the harbor in the distance when she feels it, the slight pressure of his hand on her shoulders and she's being turned when she hears a soft "Oh fuck it" and then there's lips on hers, and she's lost.
She feels the hard length of him, pressed so close and his warmth seeps into her, an inferno of heat and strength and his right hand holds the back of her head and tits her head to the side to deepen the kiss. There's a soft whimper that escapes her mouth and it'd be embarrassing if she could even remember herself.
He tastes like steel, sake and something so delicious that she thinks she's addicted. She's kissing him back, gripping his coat as his hand slides down to the base of her throat as his palm settles there, his fingers brushing where her crazy beating heart lies under chest and she feels the rumble of his chest, a growl leaving him as he bites his lips softly and pulls back.
His eyes are soft as he looks down at her.
She looks up and tightens her grip on his coat before he's dipping her head down and claiming her lips in another kiss, brushing his tongue across the seam of her lips and she lets out as a gasp that he takes as an invitation, winding his around hers and she can't think anymore.
She feels warmth pulling low in her stomach, tightening the muscles there and she feels an itch beneath her skin, a physical reaction to her deep want that she's never felt before. Zoro's grip on her arm slides down to her hip, his hand large and spanning across the back of her back, his grip strong and fingers clenched. He keeps sucking her tongue, stealing her breath and all she can do is moan as she becomes acutely aware of the firm muscles of his abs brush her chest, his height forces him to town her and shield her from the view of potentially prying eyes and she's pressing herself tightly against him, breathes in his groan as she's intimately pressed against him.
Zoro's body is hard in all the places that she is soft and she almost doesn't feel his hand grasping her bottom, his other hand abandoning her throat to quickly tease a finger down her breast and brush over her nipple as his hand settles directly below her breast, pushing it up and spilling over the splayed hand underneath. She gasps again as she feels the heat in her engulf her and she can't breath as he grinds his hips against her slowly for a second, letting her feel every delicious inch of him pressed against, gripping her hard and nipping her throat as he leaves her lips to mummer, "So… Soft."
Their breaths are loud as she gazes at him, her eyes soft and Zoro lifts his head from her neck, giving her one final soft kiss, a chaste meeting of lips as he gently tugs on her hear. She doesn't think anything could ruin this surprisingly tender moment, and she's having a hard time grasping the unexpected kisses and the heat but then-
"Don't let yourself get beat up the kids anymore, Glasses."
And she can't help but laugh as he grips her close to him again and kisses her deeply, flicking his tongue around her, and makes sure her feel every inch of him pressed against her, his hands pulling at her hair and tilting her head back to receive every kiss. Each kiss is deep and she feels in them the words he doesn't say out loud but shows with every gentle press. But her skin feels pulled tight and she can't help the stuttering breaths he's swallowing as her hands creep to his wrists and she feels how wildly his pulse is beating. He lets out a low noise in his throat that makes something in her clench and her want is a palpable force as his hands grip the back of her head and she feels the strength coiled in his arms. Her hands are a striking, pale white and small against his wrists, and Zoro takes a slight step back as he pulls away, eye dark and roving over her form.
He's wearing a proud smirk, taking in her tousled hair, blushing cheeks and her breasts heaving with each breath she's taking. He tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and she realizes that her hair's come undone and flowing over her shoulders and down her back, her eyes hazy and she drops a hand from her wrist to touch her lips, still warm from his.
Her eyes look up in question and he hums, "Go to your ship and go to bed, Captain Glasses." She blinks once, twice, and then and nods. She makes her away across the narrow plaza to the dock her boat is at, but she still feels him there, at her back watching and she can't help it.
When she turns back, she doesn't seem him right away but as her eyes scour the shops, she sees him by the entrance to the harbor, having no issue blending into the shadows but the lamps illuminate the striking green hair and he catches her eye as his smirk widens, looking completely satisfied with himself.
An hour later, she's resting in her bunk looking at his wanted poster on her wall and touches her lips, feels them still tingling and how her body aches for something that she's not really sure of.. His time, his presence… His body?
She thinks she's foolish to want anything with a pirate but she remembers the soft glint in his eyes, how he'd settled himself beside her at the tavern, and the ease in their conversation when they weren't with their captains, their crews.
Maybe, just maybe…