Title: Happy Trail
Summary: The cyborg will certainly lead you on, but he'll never leave you hanging.
Rating: K+
Additional Pairings: Zoro/Sanji
A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! I'm not entirely pleased with this, and I might come back to tweak it later on. Please thank hwc for beta-ing and just being patient with me in general. *huggles hwc*
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"Robin! Look! Look what I made you!"
The archaeologist dragged her eyes up from her book to see her captain holding up red piece of paper before her face. It was shaped like a splodge, covered in glitter and, she noticed as she looked closer, bore an illustration of Luffy and Robin herself.
All in all, she thought her depiction was quite accurate, albeit a little too generous around the chest area.
"It's a Valentine's card!"
Robin took the proffered heart—or so that's what she supposed it was—gingerly. Not that she didn't appreciate Luffy's gift, but glitter was obscenely hard to remove. She gave him a typical smile to show her appreciation; he must have worked on it all day to make it so special.
"Well thank you Luffy-kun. It is...lovely."
Beaming widely, he flung one rubbery arm around her neck and planted a neat peck on her cheek, knowing she didn't like big slobbery kisses.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" he chirped before bouncing off to tackle an unsuspecting Brook.
Robin smiled fondly after him, giggling a little as Brook was given the wet, smacking smooch she'd been spared, and conjured a line of hands to pass the card to the women's cabin before getting back to her book.
She turned the page, and a small slip of folded paper fell into her lap. Not sure what to expect, Robin picked it up and read it anyway.
"Luffy stole a snack,
Curly cook's hopping mad,
But go on to the galley,
Or else I'll be sad."
The over-sized scrawl was instantly recognisable and Robin shook her head at the elementary poetry. All the same, she stood and did as the note said.
She stopped before the partially open door, listening carefully to make sure she would not be barging in on something private. The crack in the door revealed Sanji at the sink, peeling vegetables for dinner, with Zoro behind him, clasping the blond's hips with his big hands and pressing insistent kisses to the nape of the neck before him.
"Aww, come on love-cook. Say it for me. Just once."
"No. I refuse."
"Just one time?"
"No."
"I'll do that thing you like..."
Robin watched as Zoro leaned in to nibble on the cook's ear and whisper something heatedly with a smirk. Sanji's neck and ears flushed and he grinned widely before assuming a nonchalant expression and turning in his lover's arms to face him. With a resigned sigh, he blew a stream of smoke towards the ceiling.
"Alright fine. Oi, shitty marimo, you gonna be my valentine or what?"
Zoro's feral grin almost split his face.
"Hah, like hell I am dart-board."
"What?! I...but...you...!"
Sensing now was as good as any other time to intrude, Robin knocked on the door and entered, amused when they didn't spring apart as they would have done months before.
Of course, that could have been because Sanji was currently strangling the swordsman.
"Ah, Robin-chwan!" the cook gushed upon sighting her, his grip not loosening from Zoro's steadily purpling neck. "How wonderful of you to grace me with your divine presence! Please please, tire yourself not; take a seat at the table...the minute I am done removing this scum from this world, I shall wait on you until my dying day..."
Her gracious angelic smile made up for her curt interruption any day.
"Thank you Sanji-san, but really, I require nothing. I just wondered if someone was waiting here for me..."
Sanji blinked cluelessly, his cigarette in danger of slipping from his slack mouth. Always the opportunist, Zoro freed his neck from the chokehold and pinned the cook to the wall, glancing over his shoulder at the woman.
"There's stuff for you on the table."
"Thank you Zoro-san."
Oi, bastard, get the hell off me!"
On the table was a steaming cup of coffee—black, just the way she liked it—and a plate of dark chocolate and ginger biscotti...her favourite.
"Heheh, sucker, try getting out of-DON'T BITE PEOPLE'S NOSES BASTARD!"
Deaf to the sound of Sanji's bizarre laughter, Robin picked up a piece of biscotti and, after daintily dipping it in the coffee, took a bite. Exquisite flavour exploded on her tongue, and she was hard-pressed holding back a moan.
She whipped round.
"Sanji-san...did you make this?"
The boys halted in their banter mid-glare and both turned to her with twin grins.
"I think you'll find..."
"...all you need to know..."
"...on the plate."
"Don't finish my sentences for me, asshole!" they howled in unison at one another.
And they were off again, but Robin didn't care; she was busy perusing the second note, craftily hidden under the biscotti.
"Cook helped me make these,
Sure hope that they're nice,
Now go find Nami-sis,
No need to think twice."
Zoro and Sanji were too busy wrestling on the floor to notice hands sprouting from all available surfaces to cover the biscotti and hide them in the fridge for a later date as Robin went in search of the navigator with her coffee and unfinished biscuit.
She found Nami at the foot of the main mast, ordering Usopp up the rigging with a load of blankets strapped to his back, while Brook and Chopper stood next to her and spectated.
"...for God's sake, will you watch it! LUFFY! Do not tickle him!"
"Yohoho! Luffy-san, I have bacon!"
"Woohoo!"
Luffy dived off the rigging and grabbed onto Brook with an outstretched arm, reeling himself in to cling to the skeleton like a bizarre rubber monkey, and almost swallowed Brook's hand as he lunged for the proffered bacon. Where the musician had gotten it exactly was a mystery.
"Thank you Brook."
"At your service Nami-san...but perhaps if I might be allowed to glimpse..."
He trailed off quickly upon sighting the murderous sheen in Nami's eye and her readily clenched fist. Meanwhile, Usopp dropped back down onto the deck and laughed.
"All done. The crow's nest is officially ready for the sleepover of a century!"
Chopper cheered at this and started prancing around with his arms in the air, an act in which Luffy was quick to accompany him until he picked up the little doctor and started dancing around with him on his shoulders.
"Sleeeepover, we're having a sleeeepover!"
"Sleepover of the century?"
Brook, Nami and Usopp jumped, having been unaware of Robin's presence.
"Sleeeepover, we're having a sleeeepover!"
"Oh Robin, yes, sleepover. Nami, Brook, Luffy, Chopper and I are going to be spending tonight keeping watch together."
"Sleeeepover, we're having a sleeeepover!"
"I see. Why is this?"
"Oh but of course you must have anticipated this..."
"Sleeeepover, we're having a sleeeepover!"
Without warning, a mikan was shoved between Brook's grinning teeth and the musician skilfully punted out of the way by Nami.
"Sleeeepover, we're having a sleeeepover!"
"Oh you know Zoro and Sanji. On a night like this, they'll make so much noise it'll be impossible to sleep elsewhere."
Robin blinked.
"Sleepover, sleepover, sleepover!"
Perhaps she should explain to Nami that that was no reason the redhead had to join the boys in what would obviously become a night of extraordinarily little rest.
But the navigator just smiled innocently and nudged Usopp who started and fumbled.
"Ah yes yes, of course. Brook, your hat please?"
"Sleepover, sleepover, sleepover!"
Without waiting for an answer, the sniper swept the top hat from the musician's afro, whose only response was to laugh and incline his head. Waving it about for a bit, Usopp seemed to be taking on the role of a street magician, a fact he confirmed when, with a practiced flourish, he produced a bouquet of flowers and held them out to her.
"Sleepover, sleepover, sleepover!"
The seven lilies, all carefully carved out of wood and beautifully painted, were tied together with a lilac velvet ribbon and smelled faintly of real flowers. Holding them up to her nose, Robin vaguely wondered where on earth the scent for them had come from.
"How delightful."
A rustle of paper caught her attention, and she plucked it from its spot between the wooden petals.
"These will last longer,
Than any other flower,
Do come to your bedroom,
Within the next hour."
Her heart beat seemed to speed up just enough to drown out the surrounding noise with a gentle 'lub-dub, lub-dub' in her ears.
"SLEEPOVER, SLEEPOVER, SLEEPOVER SLEEEEEEEEPOVER!"
"SHUT UP!"
By the time Nami was satisfied her captain and doctor were nothing more than bruised bloody smudges on the deck, Brook and Usopp were clinging to one another quivering, and Robin was gone.
There was a book on the nightstand. It was thick and quite obviously old, the binding worn and pages yellowed, but well-taken care of.
Gazing at the title, she recognised it as a rare-edition collection of diaries she'd salivated over—or would have, were she the type—in a bookstore catalogue some islands back. Unfortunately, she'd been informed that the one and only copy they had had been sold that very day.
It looked like she knew now to whom it was sold.
A slip of paper stuck out at the top. Smiling, she took it out and read:
"I've read all these accounts,
And they all lie; it's true,
Cuz none of these princesses,
Are quite as hot as you."
Robin couldn't help but chortle.
"What? It's true!"
A large hand settled on her hip and a kiss was pressed to her cheek. Robin put the book down again and turned to face her lover.
"My my Franky, I had no idea you were such a romantic."
"Me neither babe, but like you're one to talk."
"Now whatever could you mean by that?"
"A whole new tool box of toys and a crate of gourmet cola...you spoil me, babe."
"You liked them then?"
"I love them."
A devious smile crooked Robin's lips and she stepped closer, swinging her hips sensually against his as she did so.
"You know, Nami-chan has been sweet enough to evacuate this room for the night...something about not wanting to be around for the racket cook-san and swordsman-san will kick up tonight..."
"Oh?"
"Indeed."
She placed a dainty hand on his chest and pushed him back until his knees hit the bed and he fell down atop the sheets, grinning.
Robin straddled him smoothly.
"Happy Valentine's Day, babe."
"No pillow talk darling; that can wait until after your speedo comes off."