Hallo and welcome back!

As always a huge thank you to Rexica for betaing, this story would be only half as good without her!

Last time Robin had doubts and Sanji tried to talk some sense into her (as Rexica said during betaing: poor guy will need more cigarettes)

This time we'll see what Zoro makes of Robin's recent behaviour and what glorious plans Sanji had inspired in the archeologist. A little heads up, I'm taking some liberties with Robin's ability

Never assume anything, golden rule of BDSM. He had internalised it ages ago. Or rather, it had been beaten into him very early on in his journey. He was glad for it, even though he hadn't shown it to the woman back then, his pride way too wounded to see the merit in her actions and teachings…

Well, he rarely acted on assumptions in social interaction, but he did assume a great deal of things.

For example, he assumed that the shit cook was an idiot… scratch that, he knew he was an idiot, but he assumed that him fawning over everything with a pulse and a cunt between the legs was to compensate for something. After the 2 years, it had almost become palothogical.

He did assume that Nami used their debts to bind them to her, and that she liked him best because his debt was the highest. Well, his and Luffy's, but the boy was an idiot who had probably earned every single berry on his tab.

He also assumed that their captain wasn't as naïve as he seemed. He had spent two fucking years with the Kuja, after all. The empress seemed madly in love with him, and he had mentioned that they had shared a bath together at some point. There also was that Alabasta bath house incident. Just like the others, the boy had gotten a nosebleed at the sight. Fucking idiots should have expected Nami would react like that… maybe not her flashing them, but they should have definitely known that she would charge them. He had known. It was the reason he hadn't been up that wall with the other fools, not because he had gotten lost on his way or something, most definitely not!

He did assume that Chopper was aware of his occasional escapades, because he knew about his keen sense of smell, he just couldn't bring himself to actually admitting it, or think too hard about it because… Chopper was Chopper. The boy who would hide behind him or come snuggle against him whenever a dream from his rough past ripped him from his sleep. Or when the idiot skeleton told him a horror story before bedtime...

And as of late, he assumed that Robin loved him. No, he knew she loved him. He assumed that she was in love with him, even though she seemed to struggle with accepting it.

Even with marines or other ships nearby, she would come up to the crow's nest without a book to even pretend to read. He assumed it was just so she could fall asleep and wake up with him next to her.

Even when the others were around, he caught her watching him with a fond smile on her lips that made his heart swell with emotion. It was a strained smile sometimes, but he didn't care about that. It was like her to worry, after all.

For all the talking they had done, they had never talked emotions. Mainly because she had made clear from the beginning that she wasn't ready for it. Instead of dumping all his feelings on her, he waited for her to breach the subject - as hard as it was sometimes, shown in his latest fuck up. He just hoped she would do it soon, because the way she was acting around him, it didn't really take a genius to figure out. And he really wanted to get their story straight before getting cornered by the few of the crew still blissfully unaware.

He didn't mind that she took her time to evaluate. Was sure enough that things would turn out in favour for him, just like the freak meeting with Emilia. Things were clear for him, and there was nothing to hide, nothing that could sneak up and bite him in the ass. All he could do now was make her confident and comfortable enough to admit it to at least herself.

Just like he had ages ago. From the realisation in the bar that no other woman would do, the first kiss where he'd still been afraid to crush her, to the first stray thought of love right before going berserk on that flock of marines... When they'd first made out on Karni, fuck, he hadn't even cared that she probably wasn't into the same things he was. Oh sweet, sweet surprise. If only he'd found her with such books sooner… he might still have a bed of warm wood instead of the cold steel one. Not that it mattered. He did spend most of his nights up here with Robin after all, play or not, they'd gotten used to sleeping with the other around. Felt wrong sleeping alone… he assumed it was the same for her.

It didn't matter that she had tried to break it off just now. Feelings were complicated for her, and he knew he couldn't change that. He'd just have to wait and hope that his luck would be enough to take on the demons holding her back. He leaned his swords against the couch, hand lingering on Kitetsu.

He had meant to ask Franky for a swordrack one of these days, but… over the past months the idea of a wooden rack had lost its appeal. Now, he preferred if he could finally test a more… organic one.

Damn, this was not the time to flee into fantasy, he should clear his mind. Had seen what it had done to her the last time he had slipped. How had that even happened? It was unlike him to question things, either they happened or they weren't meant to happen. He could try his best to change them, but even then, there was no use in questioning the outcome, no use wrecking his mind over it. Or Robin's. He took off his robe and haramaki, readied himself for a few hundred reps of weighted pushups. They usually got things in his head in order.

It really didn't matter that she had tried to break it off, not to him, but what did matter was why. Did she really think she couldn't love him? Or was she afraid to love him ? First option didn't bother him the slightest. She already did, so who cared if she realised it just yet? The second, however, was something else. If for whatever reason she wouldn't allow herself to fall deeper for him, he'd have to tackle that problem, which he couldn't since she wouldn't tell him the reason. Fucking infuriating. Nami might know what her problem was, but he couldn't ask her and neither would she tell him… What could be the reason? What did she fear would happen if she fell in love with him, consciously? For a woman like her it would probably make her feel vulnerable, but she should know that he wouldn't hurt her. Did she still fear he would leave her? He had told her he wouldn't, so that couldn't be the reason. He already knew about her past, so she couldn't be afraid he'd dislike her for whatever the fuck they had done to her. He didn't know all of it of course, and not too many details, but again, he had told her that he didn't care about that, wouldn't think less of her because of it. Damn it.

He was on pushup 729 when she came through the latch, smiling and with an air of determination around her that had him feel like an idiot for searching the possible reasons for her denial. Right now, she didn't seem to want to deny him anything.

"I have a proposition for you, once you're done, Kenshi-san," she announced with a huge smile that one rarely saw on the devil child Nico Robin. He grunted an affirmative before finishing his reps at 1500 while she made herself comfortable on the couch, no book in hand. If she called him by that stupid nickname, it really could go either way. But she did seem quite optimistic, so he assumed - again- this time it wasn't meant to distance herself.

When he righted himself to dry off with the nearby towel, she beat him to it, rubbing the rough fabric along his torso with a hunger in her eyes he had missed the last few weeks. She seemed like a new person. Whatever had happened between them talking on deck and her coming up here had made all the difference, and he hated the thought of it being the damn cook who had made her this… positive. His rival had been the only other one awake when he'd left her.

She walked around him, leaving one cool hand on his chest as she scrubbed his back dry with the other. He could get used to this. Her long fingers played with the scar Mihawk had left on his front, her nails scratching along the edges every now and then.

"You know, I don't have any of those," she said, dropping the towel to press herself against his back, "scars I mean. You must have noticed…"

He gave her a firm nod when she rested her head on his shoulder, her breath tickling through his earrings. Since their last encounter, she had taken to approaching him on his blind side more and more.

"With all I told you, did it make you wonder? Shouldn't my body be littered with scars?"

He nodded again. "It should."

"Until a year ago, it still was," she said and buried herself in his neck. She didn't want to talk about this, which maybe explained why she had chosen his blind side this time, too. Didn't make sense though, scars did not disappear. And fuck, he sure as hell would have noticed scars on her even before they had become intimate. Wasn't like her outfits had left much to the imagination… Had… she didn't wear quite as revealing clothing as she had before, was that because of him? He honestly didn't give a single fuck about what she wore in front of others as long as he was the only one who could bury his cock in her at the end of the day! He shook his head, not the time.

"How? Luffy's dad have some mystery potion?"

She laughed, making his earrings chime against one another… wasn't that funny… who knew what people came up with these days? He had no time to sulk though. His scar started tingling, and he jerked back into Robin when he saw it disappear before his eye. Holy fuck? That couldn't- he had earned that, how could- no, it didn't actually disappear. There was that tingling warmth that always came with her grown limbs, but it was around the scar, not on it. That bit of skin was still as numb as it had always been. It was still there, just hidden.

"It's how I hid them. A sheen of tiny hands, artificial second skin, if you will."

He let out a breath he had probably been holding since he'd thought his precious memento had just been healed out of existence. "And now?"

"Now you don't have to worry about scarring me for life if you cut me, Zoro-sama."

Fucking damn. Her words had run straight to his cock, and it took him every ounce of self control he had not to take her then and there. Fuck. She would look beautiful, but what the bloody hell was she thinking? He turned, put some steps between them and did an admittedly horrendous job at reining in his irritation. "Have you lost your fucking mind, woman? I can't cut you!"

She raised one of her delicate eyebrows at him and crossed her arms under her chest, and he wasn't quite sure if she was pouting or trying to persuade him by drawing attention to her glorious tits.

"And why not?" she asked. "You didn't seem to have reservations when it came to Emilia, did you?"

Definitely pouting. And fuck him for thinking it a good idea to let the two talk. So much for nothing there to bite him in the ass. No, it had been a good idea, letting her talk to another sub… giving her a chance to ask questions he probably couldn't answer. But fuck, this really wasn't something he wanted to have to discuss with her. It had been so easy not to do it, not want to do it with her when she had shown no interest at all, but now… fuck. That wasn't the safe or sane thing to do to begin with, but for them… They were pirates for fuck's sake!

"Well, maybe that was because she wasn't a fucking pirate that could be attacked any fucking second of the day? Damn it, woman, you should know that every wound we sustain could mean our death, and you want me to cut you? Are you crazy?" he tried to reason, knowing full well that he would never win a verbal fight against her even when he was right. This really was a waste of time, there was nothing he could say. She knew the dangers, knew that if she wanted a scar like Emilia -as he assumed, since she'd brought the woman up- she'd have to nurse an open wound for quite a while. He couldn't even stall because she was uninformed. Hadn't read the whole book she'd written, but he knew there was a risk assertion section for any form of play she'd covered, and cutting unfortunately was one of them. She had done her homework, and now she was standing before him fully aware of all the risks involved and still consenting, requesting. Fucking hell.

"You know I'm aware, Zoro," she summed up his own thoughts for him.

"I know…" he admitted and sat down on the couch with one deep breath, "but for fuck's sake, woman, I don't want to be responsible for you getting killed or captured because you aren't in top fighting condition. What if you get an infection, or I accidentally cut a nerve? That shit is dangerous." But fuck, did he want to cut her. Carve his mark into her body for everyone to see, paint that pale skin red with her blood… Gods be damned, as much as he wanted to, he wouldn't. Couldn't.

"Ne, Zoro…" He froze, she didn't usually use that type of girlish speech, did she? And that high pitch? Oh the gods help him, the woman was going for the kill. The last time she had only put pictures in his mind, it had taken him weeks to get rid of… Luffy's absolute lack of modesty really hadn't helped the issue... This time, he wouldn't be that lucky. This time, she'd use a weapon he and the government alike feared way more than any devil fruit… logic and knowledge. He refused to acknowledge her, but she continued anyway. "Are you not becoming the world's greatest swordsman? Have you not long since mastered the art of cutting everything and nothing? Don't you prove that ability whenever you fight marines? I can't possibly imagine a man of your proficiency to accidentally cut something important, and while yes, I could flinch into your blade… you could always immobilise me with that rope of ours."

She fucking had him, and she knew it. Showed him with that hungry glint in her eyes and barely restrained triumphant smile on her face. It wasn't like catering to his strength and abilities particularly swayed him, that would be so, so weak of him, but it really was the only part they didn't have to worry about. Even back with Emilia, when he hadn't even known it possible for people to want to get cut, and he hadn't known how to not cut, his mastery over the blade had not been the issue. He knew anatomy, too, Koshiro had made it a point to sit him down and study. After all, one could not master the blade if he didn't know where to cut. The actual problem was the wound. He didn't mind sending her to Chopper with random cuts here and there, surely she could come up with some excuse, but if she wanted his mark, there was no way in any hell that he would let the kid get involved. They could probably wait for Law to stay with them for a while and then do it? At least for the initial care, to make sure everything was fine? He did know how to dress a wound himself of course, but with their life as pirates, it was better safe than sorry.

"About Emilia…" It felt so weird addressing her like that, knowing it wasn't her real name. "She already had scars by the time I met her. She knew what she was doing and what she was asking, so don't expect me to just carve you up like that."

She looked surprised. She really shouldn't be; it should have been obvious to her that even if he consented they wouldn't rush into things just like that.

"She was already scarred? How? I thought she was your age?" she asked.

That explained her confusion. He scoffed. "Right, she was 21 back then, and I have a feeling she will be for a while."

She huffed, probably irritated that she'd been fooled like that. Then she took a deep breath. "Doesn't matter, it doesn't change anything, I still want you to cut me and I want you to leave a mark. I won't show it to anybody but you, and I can heal it should I get captured. I'm aware that we will work our way up, and I know about the risks involved. The wounds may have to be reopened to ensure the proper scarring thus prolonging the healing process, but that shouldn't be an issue. Your wounds never get infected, and you don't even try to heed Chopper's warnings. I'm sure he can provide care for an extended amount of time without it being too much of an inconvenience."

Had he heard that right? Chopper? She truly was out of her mind if she thought about going to the kid. She must have seen his thoughts on his face because he could swear he saw her eyes roll before several arms of her bloomed into existence, opening one of the compartments under the couch.

"You really don't give him enough credit. He's a doctor," she said while her arms passed her manuscript over to him. Before he could even think to ask her what this was about, another arm opened it to reveal the cover page.

A guide for the negotiation of non-normative sexual practices: Exhaustive terms and conditions for consensual transfer of power and risks therein.

By Nico Robin and Tony ...Tony ...Chop...

Oh boy, what could have happened here? When will we find out? Let me tell you with my least favourite quote from my favourite manga: Shōganai "[...] will be on break next week. It will resume [...]" on April 17th!

Drop me a comment to let me know what you think about this one!

I'm well aware that we're starting to tread into territory that definitely isn't for everybody, but unfortunately I made up my mind. We're still a few chapters away from that and I will definitely give you an explicit warning beforehand so you can just read the chapter on ffnet or skip altogether.