Respite 2/2
Wholesome oneshot where Zoro is y/n's protector, and refuses to rest while keeping watch until y/n finally convinces him.
Part 1 (coming)
Tags: fluff, sfw, reader’s gender is unspecified
Also: we’re going to suspend belief about the sleeping arrangements on the Thousand Sunny and pretend that the crew have private rooms, because I can’t write a romantic scene if Usopp is snoring in the corner.
Zoro hadn't slept — really, properly slept — in about five days, you realized.
Having made a promise to be your protector for the duration of the sea voyage and keep you safe from the ghostly monsters of your past that were chasing you, he had taken to keeping watch all night outside your room. More than once you had opened the door to your quarters in the morning to find him sprawled asleep on the floor in the hallway, having dozed off when the sun rose. He only stole naps on the deck of the Thousand Sunny during the day, when he knew the other crew members were around to keep an eye on you.
"You can keep sleeping," you tried to tell him that afternoon, as he stirred himself awake on deck. "I'm just going to be sitting here mending holes in some clothes for Luffy and Usopp. I'm not going anywhere."
But he shook his head and clambered to his feet to survey the horizon.
"I don't need to," he replied, and you knew you wouldn't be able to persuade him.
That night in your quarters as you fluffed the blankets preparing to get into bed, you heard a soft thump outside your door, the now-familiar sound of Zoro settling in to keep watch. You hesitated for a moment, already in your silk PJs, then made a decision to at least try.
Wrapping a shawl around yourself, you opened the door and peered out at Zoro. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the hallway, head tilted back against the wall, and looked up at you quizzically.
"Do you need to go somewhere?" he asked. You shook your head no, and crouched down beside him. It was drafty in the ship's hallway, and you drew your shawl closer around you.
"Zoro, you don't need to stay awake out here every night," you said softly. "You should get some rest."
He shook his head firmly and leaned back against the wall again, gaze returning forward. "I'm fine. I slept enough earlier."
You leaned closer to him, forcing him to look at you in the semidarkness.
"The only reason you slept at all is because you face-planted onto your dinner plate from tiredness," you said. "I'm worried you're not taking care of yourself and that it's all my fault"
"Y/N, look. I made a promise to protect you," Zoro said, reaching out and catching your hand. For the second time in a week you were caught off-guard by how natural his casual touch felt. "I chose to do it. You didn't make me, so it's not your fault." He looked at you earnestly. "Do you feel safer?"
"I—yes, for the first time in a long time I feel completely safe," you answered. "But—"
"Then that's enough for me," he said.
"But what I'm trying to say is that surely one night you can take off and rest," you said. "If it's impacting your ability to be okay."
"But if these monsters that are after you catch up to us during the one night that I'm asleep in my room on the other end of the ship, then it's too late," Zoro said. "I'll have broken my promise and I'll never be able to forgive myself."
His brow was furrowed with feeling. Despite his stubbornness, you couldn't help but feel warmth glow in your stomach at his desire to keep you safe from harm.
You reached out and laid your hand against the side of his face. He relaxed into your touch and his eyelids fluttered closed. He really was so tired, you could tell.
"How about a compromise," you said. "Sleep in my room tonight. You can get some rest, but you'll still be aware of my whereabouts, and you'll be here to defend me if a threat arrives."
He hesitated, considering this.
"You'll be able to defend me even better in there than out here in the hallway," you suggested.
That convinced him. He got to his feet and followed you into the small room, lit only by the glow of your bedside lamp, closing and latching the door behind you.
You got under the covers and scooted over close to the wall, to allow him room to settle his large body onto the bed beside you. He removed his boots and hung his swordbelt from the bedpost within easy reach, but left his clothes modestly on.
"Should I turn the light out?" he asked. You nodded. You felt so safe with him beside you, a big barricade between you and the dangerous world. Already the warmth of his body in your bed was making you so sleepy.
As you started to drift off, a sudden pressure across your ribcage startled you. Zoro had laid his big arm across your body pinning you cozily to the mattress.
"I'm going to sleep now, and I can't have you escaping to run off anywhere dangerous," he mumbled into your hair. "This is to keep you in place."
"Hardly necessary," you told him, but you secretly enjoyed the feeling of his arm around you, and turned to face the wall, snuggling yourself against the curve of his body.
That was how you both drifted off to sleep like two spoons, rocked by a calm sea, no enemies in sight.