Two-Track Heart: Zoro x Reader (Sequel)

Chapter 4: Awake

“You look like a wreck.”

“Thank you Zoro I knew that already,” you spit with disgust, eyelids heavy and darkened in color like a bruise on the canvas of the human body. You couldn’t help but to rub your eyes with a groggy yawn that stabbed your throat like a cold.

Everyone at breakfast snapped their heads in your direction with eyes enlarged with astonishment. "Wow... Brat alert!" Usopp comments with a shy snicker.

"Yeah that's the first time I've ever heard you get hostile," Robin hums directing her sapphire gaze back onto her foreign book while she multitasked between reading and having her duplicate arms spoon feed her. Lazy, yet something to get envious over.

Sanji clicked his tongue, setting out your plate of breakfast. "All comments aside... Any luck?"

Oh you knew what he meant. "I heard it," you sigh.

"Heard what?" Luffy sat forwards in his seat at the dining table with a truly crossed expression and cute bulging chipmunk cheeks filled with food.

"Y'know," you rolled your hand trying to come up with the right explanation. "Something's been keeping me up for a few nights so I pulled an all nighter to figure out what it is."

"So what'd it sound like?" Sanji resumed the conversation.

"Like..." You bit your lip deep in thought for a second time. "Like Luffy whenever he jumps really high or stretches out his limbs." Well that's one way to describe it...

"A spring?" Franky took off his shades cocking his brow.

"Sure?"

"You don't sound sure," Zoro snorts.

"That's because I'm not," you pout. "I'm tired of figuring this mystery out... Literally," you dropped your head to go ker-plunk! Onto the table. Sanji reacted quickly and moved your plate of food out of the way in record time to avoid what could've been a sticky mess of eggs and cheese.

"Ouch..." Chopper cooed.

Zoro rolled his eye, getting up from the table and rubs your backside gently. "Skip breakfast, take a nap... You clearly need it."

"I think we can all agree," Usopp tagged on and everyone seemed to agree. It was mighty weird that only you have been unable to sleep at all lately. Clearly the facts are there, but there's little to no help for a problem like this.

"That sounds lovely..." You yawned again. "Take me to bed Zoro."

"Whatever," Zoro rolled his steel eye, throwing you over his shoulder without warning. You squeaked, flailing about his death grip but gave in soon after.

"Could've warned me you asshole..." You grunt hitting him over the head, not very well, you could barely hit the Mosshead to begin with.

"Sorry, not sorry," Zoro shrugged. "I'll take night watch again, this time I'll actually stay awake. I'm tired of seeing you beat yourself up-"

"Zoro that's so cute!" Chopper giggled with rosy cheeks.

"Not as cute as you Doctor," Robin hummed.

"Awe I'm not cute you Bastard!"

-----

Hours later, your body practically demanded that you needed to wake from slumber besides the full bladder. Your body just didn't want to sleep anymore, so you followed the demand and sat up in bed. It was pitch black in the girl's dorm besides the dim yellow glow of a candle sitting atop a desk. "Wow I really took that nap too literally..." Outsleeping the entire day? Was I that exhausted? Well I need to find something to do now, no way I'm getting back to sleep now.

You passed by the desk to blow out the candle, beside it was an open book and white mug of steaming hot coffee. "Robin you night owl," you snickered leaving the candle lit taking a step out onto the deck. It was unusually cold tonight, breath crystalizing into mist within the air. You shrugged it off, venturing forth, there were low grunts off towards the back of the Sunny.

"Wow you're really committing yourself to the whole boyfriend and staying up all night thing," you giggled finding out that Zoro was doing one handed hand stands with his chest bare. Was this some sort of exercise to keep him focussed or warm? That idiot...

Zoro fell onto his face, scrambling to his feet. "Hey I told you to sleep tonight!!!" Zoro snapped in such pure anger you felt like you just invaded on his privacy.

"I slept all day you Old Man," you tut crossing your arms. "I can leave... But just so you know, I highly appreciate that you're staying up all night again for me. I didn't even ask," Zoro's tanned cheeks turned a faint shade of pink to your words.

"Well..." Zoro gulped the lump in his throat. "You've done so much for me and the crew, I've done nothing for you. It's the least I can do."

You frowned playfully. "Can't you just swallow your pride and admit you love me?"

"I wasn't lying," Zoro comments quickly. "And... I love you."

"Awe was that so hard to say?"

"It wasn't," Zoro claimed with confidence.

"Yeah right..."

"When we lived at the mansion, I learned to keep my mouth shut around Hawkeyes... It became habit to speak little of myself," you awed, keeping your mouth shut there after. Zoro made a brilliant point. You were punished often back at home for muttering curses or simply staring a Zoro, it were too immoral even for your father to handle.

After about an hour into the night watch, Zoro began nodding off. It wasn't hard to catch on that Zoro hadn't napped at all today. So, you sighed and waved him off. Instead he crawled up to the crowsnest for a better look of the surroundings, and more than likely fall asleep on the couch up there. But that was expected.

Not so long into the night however, it got really boring. The sounds of the whistling winds and rolling waves were peaceful, but not enough to keep your attention. "Oh yeah... I forgot about the song Shanks taught me..." You hummed the tune, trying to remember the words until it clicked. "Am I stronger now than I were before compared to back then?
I go lone for short, what do I do? My voyage will not end!
No matter what's next, I'm walking straight ahead!
So... Let's Go!
There's nothing that can stop us now-"

Bo-iiiiing!

Bo-iiiiing!

Bo-iiiiing!

It was that noise again... That noise from last night! This time you closed your eyes and let the haki do all the work. The setting went black with a white presence bouncing about the ship like a rabbit. Whoever it was, it could jump as high if not higher than Luffy could. That's the thing... Whatever it was, didn't have Luffy's body type. It was a man, he was really thick in build with spaghetti like limbs? "W-what?" You muttered stepping out from behind the Sunny's Captain's Wheel. And there it was, a man bouncing around the Sunny with his tongue hung out like a dog. His arms and legs were grey and stringy just like you saw. But instead those limbs were springs.

"Hey!!!" You growled, the landed a few meters away from you with his back turned. "How the hell did you get on my ship?"