๐๐ถ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ก: roronoa zoro/reader
summary: after being rescued by zoro during a raid in whisky peak, you find yourself joining the straw hat crew. slowly you begin to notice the quiet, unconventional ways zoro shows he cares โ whether he admits it or not. when he takes it upon himself to teach you how to fight, you never expected to need it so soon. and when things go wrong, it turns out you weren't the only one who had caught feelings along the way.
cw: live action!zoro. slowburn, hurt/comfort, violence, blood & injury, town raid, canon divergence, slight angst, fluff
You found yourself craven into a dark corner in your room. pirates invaded your town and you were preparing for bloodshed. screams and chaos could be heard from outside your small cabin and it only seemed to be getting louder as the rogue pirates approached the cabin
Thud the cabin door came flying down and a body thud onto the floor above the door. a rogue pirate knocked out. and a mysterious figure behind him stepping in. Green hair. three swords attached to his hip. sharp jawline and dark, concentrated eyes.
His eyebrows furrowed as he looked around for something, someone. As his eyes trailed around the room they finally landed on a figure, you. He walked over with determination and confidence. I cowered even further if that was possible, trembling as he stood in front of me, towering over me. As he crouched down, I clutched my chest. That's when his voice spoke.
"Get up, it's not safe here" His deep, commanding voice echoed.
I looked at him confused, wasn't he also a rogue pirate?
"What?" I spoke in a soft, meek voice.
"Get up." His voice echoed more assertively.
I blinked once, twice. "Okay.." Pause. "Who are you?"
His mouth quirked ever so slightly, almost amused by the comment as if he was used to people knowing who he was. He extended his arm as an offer of help. I hesitated for a moment, cautious of his intentions. Still not knowing if he was a rogue pirate. But something in my gut told me I could trust him.
I followed behind him, staying as close as possible. As we stepped foot out of the cabin I looked around and destruction was visible everywhere. Rubble was piled on top of broken houses, people crying everywhere. What caught my eye was the bodies, I was mentally preparing myself to see my neighbours, friends. I wanted to close my eyes. But the more I looked around, the more I realised the bodies went of people I knew. It was the bodies of the rogue pirates.
My train of thought was interrupted when a surprisingly joyful man came rushing over "Zoro! Are you ready to go?" The cheery voice spoke. Zoro stayed silent and looked over at my direction. "The rest of the civilians are gathered over there" He nodded towards the area.
I turned towards the group over civilians huddled near the edge of town. I looked towards Zoro, before walking towards the group. But a voice interrupted my movement "Hey, you're coming with us right?" The cheery man spoke, his eyes filled with complete sincerity I turned around surprised. I opened my mouth slightly before closing it.
"We're leaving soon" He spoke again, already seeming distracted as he turned towards the ship. "Actuallyโ Sanji is probably cooking up a meal right nowโ"
"Luffy." Zoro's voice, flat.
Zoro didn't say anything else, he looked at me once, briefly before heading back towards the ship. Luffy gestured a "let's go" and that's how I found myself following the straw hat pirates.
Months went by since my town was raided by rogue pirates. It was the worst time of my life, my village was destroyed and many lives were lost, it took weeks for my people to even restore an ounce of their once trusted economy. But while there was many bad things that happened, the best thing happened to me as-well. Meeting Roronoa Zoro and his crew.
His captain Luffy and Usoppโstill confused about thatโinvited me with open arms, Luffy is so charismatic and made me feel right at home. His other crewmates Nami and Vivi felt like the sisters I never had, they taught me everything I needed to know about navigation and especially how to stand my ground.
Nami gave me lesson on the dynamics of a ship and I tried my best to contribute to the crew, although I was mainly in charge of caring for the ship while they went out to islands. Sanji, oh Sanji, he is such a romancer but he is a damn good cook, he is able to whip up the most delicious meal possible from scraps. One time when we were lacking in supplies he made the most incredible soup. I'm still craving it as we speak.
And chopper, the most sweetest little deer. He is quite the emotional character but he can make anyone's day better. And Usopp tells the best stories, the crew are lucky to have a brave warrior like him on board.
Lastly, Zoro. He's very nonchalant. He keeps to himself, doesn't talk much but he's around. Whether training or bickering with Sanji he's always close by. We hadn't spoken much since he had found me but I feel his presence near me when we're around.
Nami had instructed me to tie a knot near the deck of the ship as the crew were on a nearby island scouting for supplies. She had helped me previously, giving me step-by-step instructions but I had always fumbled on the last part, the actual tightening of the knot. I sighed frustrated, my fingers kept getting caught in between the rope. I could feel myself getting more and more frustrated but my train of thought got interrupted when someone grabbed the rope and tightened it in one swift motion, I looked up it was Zoro. Before I could even have a chance to thank him he walked off as the other crew boarded the ship. Nami made her way over, her face gleaming with proudness. "This is a really good knot, you're learning well"
Another incident was with Sanji's cooking, he handed the crew his new recipe including some new exotic fish from the deep blue. I looked down at the bowl, and gave a polite smile thanking Sanji for his efforts. I stared at the bowl and there was a beat, then two, I've always had a distaste towards fish. Just as I was about to pick up the fish, my bowl was removed and then replaced a bowl of chicken. I smiled and looked up to Sanji to thank him for remembering but it wasn't Sanji, it was Zoro. He didn't even provide acknowledgement of the situation, just prodded the fish and ate it in one go. My shoulders slumped in relief as I ate the chicken.
Sanji walked around and noticed Zoro's bowl and uttered a small "Hey, Mosshead. I thought you hated Fish?"
I was training with the mast of the ship, using a wooden stick and smacked the mast with the most inexperienced skill. I tried to use Nami's fighting technique but I was no where near flexible enough. I was panting and sweating as I hit it over and over again but I was exhausted.
I had my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath when a small cough alerted me. I stood up, sweat pooling down the side of my forehead.
I gave an awkward smile as he had his hand on one of his blades.
"Training?" He spoke, his eyes darting away before returning to me.
"Attempting" I lightly joked. He didn't smile though, just acknowledge my poor attempt at humour. He stepped down from the ship and walked towards me.
"Your posture is wrong. You need to straighten your back, like this" He walked over boldly and gently placed his hands on my back straightening it. I froze as I felt his hand on my lower back adjusting my posture. I could feel the warmth spread from his hand and I furrowed my eyebrows, a nervous habit and planted my feet down, my back now straight. He stepped away, eyeing my new posture.
I paused for a second, losing train of thought before adjusting my wooden stick clumsily, it felt stupid. I struck the mast, swinging the stick left and then right after I felt like the demonstration was over I turned around and gave a something smile.
He cocked his eyebrow and looked away before returning his gaze, he unfolded his crossed arms, grabbing one of the other spare wooden sticks nearby. "You're doing it wrong." He spoke plainly. "You're pulling from the wrong place. Loosen your grip, stop acting like you're afraid of dropping it. If you're using all your strength just on the swing you'll be useless in ten minutes."
"Like this." Zoro swung with precision, his skills were unmatched as he swung the wooden stick. I watched in awe as the stick thumped and thumped. The stick hit the mast, sending a vibration across the ship. My eyes began to drift from the stick to his bicep, the way the curve of his shirt would crinkle as his muscle flexed every time he struck. I felt my mouth dry slightly as I gulped. After he felt like it was enough he withdrew the stick.
Incoherent words mumbled as I lost track of focus. I blinked before looking back up at him. Oh god, was I staring? "Sorry, what did you say?"
He shook his head slightly before speaking again "Spar with me"
I did a double take. "Spar? with.. you?" I let out a nervous chuckle politely declining. "I couldn'tโ I can barely hit the mast properly there's no way I can keep up with you"
"Prepare your sword" My stomach flipped as his deep voice rung assertively, leaving no room for an argument
"Okay." I spoke ever so softly.
As I prepped my sword, I straightened my posture and positioned it, mirroring Zoro's position. Then our swords clashed, I stumbled back a bit from the intensity of his strength. "Woahโ"
He seemed to notice he went a bit too rough before speaking
"You need to hold your ground more." I blinked for a second before nodding my head.
"Hold my ground, okay, yeah."
Our swords clashed again and I was able to parry some of his moves, but as he manoeuvre around me I lost my footing and tripped. I was almost convinced I was about to faceplant onto the ground but a tight grip held around my waist, pulling me up. His grip didn't loosen as I stood there, his around still wrapped around my waist as we regained our breath. I could feel the panting of his chest pressed slightly against my back. After a what felt like a long silence I finally mumbled. "Thank you" I stood there slightly frozen. The stillness of his breath unphased "should've held your ground"
We headed towards a new island, a marine base, to restock for supplies before heading to Alabasta but things went south. Our crew got split up when we were attacked by some Baroque work agents, Nami and Vivi were split one direction, Sanji, Usopp and Luffy and Chopper and Zoro. I was left alone to fend for myself. It's not their fault, there was a big explosion blast and none of us could see through the thick cloud of smoke. I was just unlucky enough to head into a direction no one else was going.
I found a nearby cave and stumbled inside, still coughing from the heavy cloud of smoke. My hand held onto the wall of the cave as I steady my breathing but that wave of calm was shortly interrupt. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? A straw hat pirate coming right into my cave?" A Baroque Agent? Great, just what I needed.
I grabbed onto the sword holstered on my belt, before he could speak another word I swung immediately. First rule, don't let them strike first, catch them off-guard. My sword skills were still new, I was no where near good enough to hold against my own but I was somehow doing okay. My sword clashed against their own.
I felt him stumble slightly, it wasn't much but it was something. Our swords met against with a harder clash. He was stronger than me, I could tell from the first clash. I planted my feet on the floor, trying my best to regain my balance and hold my ground. I spread my feet a bit wider, adjusted my posture and lowered my weight. If I couldn't defeat this pirate with strength, I had to use my wits instead. I moved around instead, parrying his heavy attacks. I let him come forward, so I could try and redirect his attack elsewhere.
It was working. Until it wasn't.
He feinted left, and I went with it until he caught onto my strategy and before I could defect, his blade struck. I hissed through my teeth, losing my balance. But I couldn't stop, there was no room for error here or I would be dead. So I used my remaining energy and struck. This seemed to catch him completely off guard as I knocked the weapon out of his hand. My eyes widen when I watched it hit the floor and that's when I landed my final swing, slashing it against his chest. I watched his body immediately slump to the floor.
I held onto my fresh wound as I glared at them on the floor, I groaned from the burning sensation. I should've seen that feint coming, Zoro had used the same move on me twice prior and I had fallen for it both times. I looked down at my hand and it was covered in blood, I cursed myself for being stupid enough not to see it coming.
I put my sword back in the my holster and limped to the entrance of the cave. That's when I heard the bushes rustle. I mentally prepared to either fight or flee, if that was possible. As I was contemplating my options a familiar green haired man appeared. My body sighed with relief as I stumbled forward. "Zoroโ"
Zoro's eyes widened as he rushed towards me. "What happened?" He held onto me, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist keeping me upright. Chopper followed shortly after sprinting over to inspect the wound, Chopper opened his pouch, shuffle through his medical supplies without hesitation. "You should of waited for back up." He scolded. I held myself together for as long as I could but the wave of tiredness hit me and before I knew it, I passed out.
I woke up in the familiarity of the ship, I groan slightly looking down at the patched wound. I looked to my left and there was a beaming chopper. "You're awake!" He beamed, he grabbed my hand with his tiny ones, staring at my through glass eyes. "Zoro, she's up!" before my eyes could even adjust to the light I watched Zoro sit up, scooting the chair across the wooden floor bringing it closer to the bed.
The chair was close enough that it must have been there for a while, there was no other explanation for where it ended up. Chopper was already rambling, lifting the edge of the bandage to inspect the his work, a concealed sense of pride gleaming through him. I sat up slightly uncomfortable as readjusted the bandage. My eyes slowly trailed to Zoro as I noticed his eyes staring intensely.
Chopper's rambling continued "It was deep but clean, you're going to be fine, you just need to rest and not do anything stupidโ"
"So tell Zoro that too" I murmured, still feeling his intense gaze on me.
Chopper giggled at the sentence, Zoro's expression didn't change but something shifted slightly around his jaw.
"I should go tell the others you're awake" Chopper announced, already halfway to the door on instinct, the way Chopper always seemed to know when to leave a room even if he didn't know why. The door clicked shut behind him.
"We checked the cave." Zoro finally spoke. His elbows were on his knees, eyes on the floor somewhere near the bed. "You handled yourself."
I smiled despite myself. "Was that a compliment?"
Another silence. This one was different from the first โ it had weight to it, the kind that meant something was sitting just underneath the surface of the conversation. I watched him turn something over in his head, the way you could always tell with Zoro because he went very still.
"You should have waited." He said it quietly. Not a scold this time. But an undertone of something else.
"There wasn't exactly a waiting area in the cave."
He looked up at that. Held my gaze for a moment longer than necessary. Then he looked away.
"The feint." He said. "You fell for it."
I blinked. "...how did you know that?"
"Because you fall for it every time." His voice was even. "I've done it to you in sparring. Twice."
I stared at him. He'd thought about the fight โ reconstructed it, figured out exactly how I'd gotten hurt, traced it back to something specific he recognised. He'd been sitting in that chair running through it while I was unconscious.
I didn't know what to do with that so I said nothing.
"Next time" He said, standing up slowly, like the conversation was concluding on his terms. "Don't fall for the feint."
I didn't really have a plan for what came after saying his name. I just knew I didn't want him to leave yet and it had come out before I could stop it. I could feel my own heartbeat doing something inconvenient.
"Thank you." I said. "For staying."
He didn't answer right away. He looked at me for a moment โ that long unreadable look โ and then something in his expression did something very small and very brief that I almost missed entirely.
"Get some rest." He said.
He left the door slightly open behind him. He always closed doors fully.
I stared at the ceiling for a long time after that.
Author's note: hii everyone!! this is my first fanfiction & i'm very nervous about how it's going to turn out. if this goes well i'll end up making more! any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated as i'm open to learning and perfecting my craft. as many new writers know, so many drafts have been made and deleted so being able to even just post this is achievement yay. semi proof-read
