10.

Welcome back and thank you all for the comments and kudos and favs! As always a huge thank you to Rexica for beta-reading this, she just posted her newest chapter for disinhibition and let me tell you things get steamy over there… at least in Zoro's dreams and fantasies.

As for this story, we're getting there… Next chapter, I promise!

Last time Robin finally emerged from the infirmary to present Zoro with the fruit of her research, he sure can't tell her she's uninformed anymore, so now it's time to take a relaxing bath - or as relaxing a bath you can take when you have to worry about drowning.

When she reached the bath, steam was already billowing through the room. "Mind if I join you, Chopper?" she asked, knowing that he was the only one not locking the door. He didn't, so she tiredly undressed, wrinkling her nose at her own stench. There was no chance Zoro hadn't noticed this odor. God this was embarrassing, although she had a hunch that he hadn't really minded. He wouldn't have called her out like that if he did, right? She hadn't planned to go to him in her state, but she simply hadn't been able to resist the situation. When she'd heard them talk outside the door… she really was sorry for worrying Nami so much. She hadn't known how concerned she had been, not only about her withdrawal but about the possible ramifications of this relationship. Would it be a problem for the rest of the crew, too?

She sat down next to Chopper on one of the small stools in the shower.

"Do you want me to wash your back? Don't take this the wrong way, Robin, but you reek." the little doctor offered. She had probably ruined his bath. "That would be nice, thank you, I'm sorry, this must be hard with your sense of smell."

He squealed, called her an asshole for worrying about him like that; he was a doctor after all, he was used to unpleasant smells. For a moment, she relished in the slight scratches the sponge left on her back. Inhaled the faint fragrance of roses and black tea, felt her taut muscles relaxing even before she sunk herself in the hot bath.

"Thank you for letting me borrow your workspace," she broke the silence.

"Hm, you're welcome, I know how parochial you humans can be with your sexuality, so of course you wouldn't want to work where everyone could walk through." he answered and started massaging her back.

Parochial… Zoro hadn't seemed to be narrow minded at all, seemed quite outspoken and open about this topic. Could one really talk about narrow minds in this crew? She wouldn't know- before this thing with Zoro, she'd only ever talked with Chopper about this. Did the men talk amongst themselves about it, or did they too only ever confide in their doctor? Did they even do that? The way Nami had reacted some weeks ago, she doubted she'd talk to him about anything even remotely sexual. Zoro probably too, most of the time he viewed the reindeer as a kid. "Ne, Chopper, you do keep your emergency kit around, right? Should Zoro have a heart attack upon learning that you co authored," she asked as she rubbed the grime of 6 days from her arms.

"Of course I do, Robin, but do you really expect him to read the whole thing?"

Fufufufu, "He better, he's the one who told me to research." It still stung, the fact that he had been acting all mature while she'd tried to rush into adventure. How had that happened?

"It's good he did. He actually has experience with this stuff. You don't," he reprimanded her, as his tiny hooves pressed into the tight knit muscles of her upper back. She huffed, even the kid had had more knowledge than her. Now, that wasn't fair. She did not even see him as a child most of the time but a scholar, just like her. He was her equal. "So, he actually talks with you about that?" she digged.

The boy giggled, "No, he never does, always thought he was too shy, but apparently that wasn't the problem. I..." he fidgeted behind her, uncomfortable with how this conversation was turning out. He idolized Zoro greatly, she knew that, looked up to him, bordered on reverence.

"I'm telling you this as a friend, not as his doctor. I can't tell you anything about that, so don't even ask!" he squealed, "I could smell it on him sometimes, when he'd come back from land, or when he'd suddenly disappeared during some celebration and we all thought he'd gotten lost while sitting on a chair…"

It made sense. He got lost so often, he had more than enough time to hook up with somebody without her seeing. He'd probably just always been careful whenever the rest of the crew was around. She could understand. Luffy and Usopp would make fun of him or ask questions he didn't have the patience to answer, Sanji would maybe try to protect the fair maidens from the uncouth gorilla and Nami… From the exchange she had witnessed earlier, she'd say he wanted to keep her away from these things altogether, protect his little sister. They were unbelievably cute like that, ripping their heads off more often than not, and then.. something like this…

She turned to Chopper, encouraging him with a smile to move on. He furrowed his brows in something similar to irritation. "It was.. strange, at first. I was familiar with the scent of sex or arousal, and the smell of blood, but… he used to smell like all of that. It wasn't like he had gotten in a fight. Usually, when he came back from a fight, the blood on him wouldn't be saturated with endorphins. It was different. I must admit that I don't specialize in this area, I just assumed it had to be personal preference. Sanji never smelled of blood when he came back, he only smells of sex. But Sanji also only ever smells of women." He rambled on, having seemingly forgotten that she was still in front of him, washing her hair and still very much listening to everything he said. Did that mean Zoro also smelled of men? Now wasn't that an interesting turn of events? It would certainly explain all that tension between him and Sanji, fufufufu. Now, that was probably one of her guilty pleasures speaking. In all seriousness though, it did make sense, sexuality aside, with his sense of direction - or lack thereof - he surely couldn't be too picky, could he?

"I'm not sure what was up with that, though, it's like he has never sex with them but doesn't mind hurting them? This is so confusing! How is that even a thing? It would be so much easier if you'd only mate for procreation, like any other normal animal!" the little doctor ranted.

Fufufufu. "Now where would be the fun in that, Doctor-san?" she asked and plucked the reindeer boy from his stool to carry him with her into the bathtub, to the shallow end where they were submerged just enough to relax some muscle but not enough to render them completely immobile. He snuggled against her chest like he always did, normally preferring Nami, since she wouldn't drown with him, but he obviously had to make due.

"Do you think Zoro will mind this, us bathing together like this?" he asked after some silence, a hint of sadness in his usually jovial voice.

So Chopper worried about their potential relationship as well… She scratched him between antler and ear, just like she knew he liked it, "I doubt it. In fact, I'd plead to take him with us, then we could bath in the deep end of the pool like grown ups."

He giggled, mood immediately elevated, "Yeah, that would be nice, he never lets me drown for too long."

She pat his fur, as it kept soaking up more and more water, draining his energy with every minute. Sometimes he really was just a boy, even if he was already 17. Maybe it was his devilfruit that had altered his lifespan so much that now he matched neither reindeer nor human. It was really easy to forget, since she could discuss things with him like she could've discussed with all the old archeologists back on Ohara. Had it been the same for them? Had they too sometimes forgotten that she had been just a kid? She assumed not, they had always been way too adamant that there were things not suitable for her age. She had hated that, had wanted to know everything there had been to know. Maybe that was why she would talk with Chopper about everything. She saw herself in him…

"You shouldn't worry about Zoro though. He's a swordsman, I administer every vaccine and prophylaxis anyway no matter what he does in his spare time." he muttered drowsily, at the very edge of consciousness.

She hummed in appreciation, not that she'd been worried about that, Chopper monitored their health tightly. Together with Law's Heart Pirates they were most likely the healthiest crew to sail the seas. She closed her eyes.

"Hadn't smelled of anybody since we're back together. 'Cept for you."

Hm… that had a nice sound to it. Relaxed.

"I like how you smell together."

Sweet. They'd have to talk another time.

Sleep claimed her.

Finally.

So, I hope I didn't lose you all over Zoro's preferences or lack thereof, I just figured a man with his directional issues has to be lucky if he stumbles across a human in general and one with the same kink, too...can't be too picky, right? right? Anyway, from here on it will be just Robin sooo ... please keep on reading?

heads up: Next chapter will be different on ffnet and ao3
On that topic, do you prefer a detailed warning on what to expect or is it enough to know that there will be kink in some way?