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thetempleofthemasaigoddess · 2 months

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Marriage of convenience and public sex with Roronoa Zoro

Reader can't join the crew unless she gets married; Zoro decides to help... but they have no idea what such a commitment actually entails.

Roronoa Zoro x reader. NSFW!!!

*****

💚 Having previously been invaded by various foreign armies, your island has voted itself to complete seclusion, in order to protect its people and avoid being attacked again. Even friendly relations with nearby lands have all but been abandoned, and while foreigners have been prohibited from entering, another law dictates that the natives are prohibited from leaving, even for commerce or asking for help in case of famine or natural disasters. In short, your island is a little self-contained world: no one comes in, no one goes out, and in time, knowledge of its very existence has almost been lost.

💚 You are a young warrior, tasked with patrolling the village and keeping peace among the population; you are dedicated to your duties, having sworn to protect your people and your island with your life if need be, but in the privacy of your heart you can’t help wanting more… to explore the world beyond your shores, meet people and lands different from your own, leave the quiet and predictability of the village where you have been born and are probably destined to die, know adventure and even danger. You know your ancestors had the best intentions in choosing a policy of isolation, since foreign armies had brought death and destruction, but you can’t help wishing they had at least allowed the natives to travel freely; while you are generally satisfied with your life, and feel accomplished in your role as a warrior and with the friendships and interests that fill your existence, sometimes you feel suffocating, not unlike a prisoner kept in a tiny cell. By the time you were fifteen, you had already met every person on the island, and seen every little corner of it; you always found a way to keep yourself occupied, training and working and making yourself useful in some way, but at the same time you felt so bored.

💚 Luffy and his crew are the first foreigners who arrive on the island in three centuries, having reached the island in the course of their travels, completely unaware of the deadly fate reserved to trespassers. You meet them when your team is tasked with finding and apprehending them; a battle ensues, in the course of which you and Zoro fight each other, and in the end the Straw Hats are captured and brought to the village. They spend a few days as prisoners, and while most of your people keep away from them, mistrust and tradition making them fear those few, clearly well-intentioned young people could bring about the Gods only know what catastrophe or devastation, you find them fascinating, aware that they mean no harm and found the island completely by accident, after the tide had pushed them to your shores.

💚 You offer yourself to keep an eye on them, patrolling the village’s tiny jail to make sure the prisoners don’t escape and bringing them food, which allows you to become familiar and even friendly with them; Luffy and the others in turn take a liking to you, and gladly tell you about their travels and adventures, which you listen to intently, both awed and envious, and wishing you could do the same, no matter how dangerous it could be - wishing you could be free, as you have always wanted. You find yourself confiding your desire, and your frustration, in Luffy, who is sympathetic, and urges you to follow your heart, instead of allowing a centuries-old law to dictate how to live your life. You explain that, as a warrior part of the village’s guard, you can’t very well defy the rules you have sworn to uphold, even in the remote case you did find a way to leave; but the straw hat-wearing captain simply smiles in return, undeterred by the fact he and the other might be sentenced to death in a matter of days. “If you want you can join my crew; you are a good fighter, and you’re doing your best to take care of us. Instead of just listening to our adventures, why don’t you come living one of your own?”

💚 That night, sleeping proves impossible; you toss and turn in your bed and stare at the ceiling, imagining a future in which you accept Luffy’s offer, and join his crew in taking to the sea, seeing a different dawn every day, meeting people you haven’t known since the day you were born, escaping that mortally boring routine that makes your life feel unworthy to be lived. You can’t, of course; the law is very clear, and no matter how much you wish you could run away, you won’t become a criminal in the eyes of your own people, defying the law you were tasked with enforcing.

💚 While you like listening to Luffy’s stories, and find his enthusiasm and determination in the pursuit of his dreams very endearing, Zoro is the one you feel at ease with the most; you are both trained warriors, and have developed a mutual respect for each other’s strength in the course of the battle. He looks nothing like the men of the island, but you do find him attractive, even though you had never cared much about that sort of thing. Once you are done with your duties, instead of going back home to rest, you sit out of his cell, hand him a drink you have purchased with your own coin (just like you have bought better food for them all, and clothes for Nami, since hers had been torn in the course of the battle and yours don’t fit her; you’d be in serious trouble, or at least accused of a suspicious confidentiality with the prisoners, if you were found out, but that doesn’t stop you) and spend long hours discussing your best fights, the training you received, and the differences in fighting with his swords and your own weapon. Perhaps, you think, you could convince the village’s council to let the others go, if Zoro remains and joins your team: he’d be a great addition to the troops, and you’d be happy to fight by his side. But you doubt he would ever leave his friends, especially Luffy, to whom he has sworn allegiance; that is a thing you can respect, even admire, and in your heart, you pray your Gods to spare them, so that they can return to their ship (the largest you have ever seen, a giant compared to the small dinghies used by the island’s fishermen; after all what use could large ships be, if you are forbidden from sailing more than a few yards from the shore?) and to their wandering, exciting life, while you remain at home.

💚 In the end, the day before the village’s council is meant to gather to decide what to do with Zoro and the others, an enemy army invades the island, its general aiming to conquer the treasure they believe your village is guarding. The councilmen insist the treasure has been stolen already, by the last enemy that invaded you centuries ago, but the army wreaks havoc in the village, destroying your houses and taking the people prisoners. You and the other warriors oppose them valiantly, but everything would be lost if not for Luffy and the others, who you have taken the initiative of freeing, begging them to help you; thank all the Gods, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji weren’t lying when they told you about their fighting abilities, and Usopp and Nami find a way to destroy many of the enemy’s weapons. You and Zoro fight side by side as you had hoped you would, defending each other and joining forces to face a large number of enemies. In the end, the enemy army is forced to flee and the island is saved, largely thanks to the Straw Hat Pirates’ intervention.

💚 Grateful, the councilmen decide to allow Luffy and the others to go, but when the captain asks them to allow you to leave with them, they refuse; the recent invasion has demonstrated their ancestors were right in believing the outside world could bring nothing but trouble and danger, and they are reticent to let one of their own leave the safety of the island; what’s more, you are one of their best warriors, and they need you to stay and protect their people. Helpless angers fills your eyes with tears, frustration and disappointment heavy on your heart, when suddenly one of the council members (the only woman, a sort-of friend of yours) tells you in confidence that there is a way for you to be allowed to leave, using a different law to oppose the island’s isolationist policy. According to your rules, when a couple marries a woman has to move in with her husband, either in his family’s home or in a new one he has built for them; until a few centuries ago, when your homeland still enjoyed close relations with other islands, many women moved to it to live with their spouses. “Now, a ship is not properly a house, but your pirate friends do live in it, and among them there are four men; do you think one of them would be willing to marry you, (name)? In that case, you would be free, even required, to move in with your husband, and depart since the council has ruled to let them go!”

💚 It’s a good idea; a very ingenious one, and while you have always found it unfair that your law puts a woman under her husband’s (or her father’s, her brother’s, or even her son’s) authority, strongly limiting her autonomy and rights, it feels appropriate to use those very customs and traditions to realise your dreams of freedom. On the other hand, marriage is no small matter: even if the union were in name only, and your husband left you free to live your life as you liked, pledging yourself to a man you have only known for a few days feels… weird. Wrong, even; you are usually not the romantic type, and have never given much thought to the possibility of marrying and raising a family, but what if one day you do want to do it, after meeting the right person? And what if one day your husband falls in love with someone else, and is unable to marry them? He would probably come to resent you, and regret his decision to help you, and for that you could never forgive yourself. Also, even if you asked them, you’re not sure your new friends could help you; none of them has ever mentioned a spouse, and in that case why aren’t they living together?, but perhaps either Luffy or one of the others have their eyes set on someone…

💚 You’re sitting on a large rock on the outskirts of the village, mulling over your problem and feeling too embarrassed to even just ask your new friends for help, when suddenly you’re no longer alone. “Scoot over.” Zoro tells you, his attitude not brusque but direct, just like you like it, as he approaches, and you obey, making space for him and his swords on the rock. “How is your arm?” you ask, referring to a superficial, but still dangerous for a swordsman, wound he had received during the battle; Zoro shrugs and explains that one of the village’s doctors has already seen him, and that the wound will heal perfectly in a matter of weeks. “The lady from the council came to talk to us.” he adds after a moment, which you should have expected; you and Zoro may have become friendly, but he doesn’t seem the sort of man who simply looks for another’s company without having something important to discuss “What are you planning to do?”

💚 You have no idea; but you know what you are doing right now, that is, blushing furiously. No matter how grateful you are for her help, you wish the councilwoman had let you deal with the matter, embarrassed and even humiliated of having to ask for the help of the pirates your people are already so much indebted to. “I am so sorry, this is… this is a nightmare.” you admit with a sigh “The truth is… getting married to one of you is my only chance of leaving this island, and living the life I have always wanted; but it would change the life of one of you as well as mine, and ever since you came here, we have been giving you nothing but troubles, I can’t…”

💚 “It’s all right, (name).” “No, it’s not. You don’t understand, I don’t even want to get married, I can’t ask a person I have only known for a few days to…” “It’s all right, I tell you; I… I can do it. I can marry you.”

💚 Zoro, sure of his decision and still slightly tense, looks at you, waiting for your reaction, but for a whole minute you simply stare at him, too flabbergasted to utter a single word. “... are you serious?” you whisper in the end, and Zoro shrugs. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t really care for marriage either, I don’t think I’ll ever want a wife or children, and this would be… only a formality, right? We wouldn’t have to… live like a couple, sleep together and all that. So in the end it doesn’t really matter, right?” he points out; you nod, because strictly speaking he is right, and whatever the two of you will do once the Straw Hat Pirates’s ship has left the island’s shores won’t matter, but at the same time, even though Zoro is old enough to decide for himself, you feel guilty for all the trouble you’re about to cause him. “And you would do this for me? A week ago you didn’t even know me…” “We fought together; where I’m from, that counts for something. I have left my village as well, in order to improve as a swordsman and become the best; I can’t imagine what I would have done, if I had been forced to remain. So in a sense… I’m doing it because I wish someone had done the same for me, were I in your place. I know that… sounds weird…”

💚 It does, perhaps, but not for you, it makes perfect sense and it’s a decision worthy of the man you had already perceived Zoro to be; neither of you is used, or inclined, to physical contact, but you can’t help it, and a moment later you have thrown yourself in his arms, holding him with a sudden, fierce affection you had never experienced before. Give me just a year in the world, you ask the Gods in your heart, just a month, even; and then I’ll give my life to save this man’s, if he needs it. “Thank you.” you whisper, aware of how small those words sound compared to what you feel, the gratitude so deep and encompassing it hurts “I… I can’t begin to tell you how much this matters to me; you are literally saving my life. Whatever happens, I will be in your debt forever; I’ll never forget this, Zoro. I promise.” Zoro is not used to being hugged, by a woman even less, but after a moment of embarrassment he rests his hand on your shoulder; it’s almost as if you were hugging each other. “It’s all right; after all, it’s just a ceremony. Can we get this over with quickly, so we can depart?”

💚 You’re so excited, and anxious to depart before some other obstacle prevents you from fulfilling your dream, that you wish the two of you could call Zoro’s friends to act as witnesses and get married right now; in the end, the wedding is scheduled for the next morning, and while aware he’s only doing you a favour and the marriage will be all but forgotten once you leave the island, Luffy and the others are enthusiastic about it, and insist on doing things as is appropriate in a situation like this; the boys bring Zoro to a tavern to get him drunk, while Nami accompanies you to the island’s hot springs, to pamper yourselves and make you look your best. That night you couldn’t sleep even if your life depended on it; you spend it preparing a bag with the few things you intend to take with you, and taking a night walk to say goodbye in your heart to the places that have seen you be born and grow, and that despite everything you will always carry with you.

💚 And then, almost sneaking up on you, the sun rises, and it’s your wedding day. You meet Zoro at the council house; knowing the potency of the island’s alcohol you were afraid he would feel sick after a drunken night, but he seems in excellent health, and extremely handsome in the black wedding attire prepared by the island’s men, his three swords by his side as usual. “You… look very good.” you murmur, suddenly shy like you have never felt in your life, and “You too. I mean, not to say that… you usually don’t, just… ah, you know what I mean.” he whispers back, which makes you smile; you’re wearing your mother old wedding dress, and while you’re not the famed beauty she was known to be, you do feel unusually pretty and you’re glad your groom approves. After all, even though you’ll have left the island behind you in a few hours, you don’t want to make Zoro look bad, having the men of the island say his bride is not attractive.

💚 Your fellow warriors and Zoro’s crew surround you as witnesses as the councilwoman leads the rite; you and Zoro use a ceremonial weapon to cut the palm of both your hands and then press them against each other, mixing your blood with his. Your heart is pounding, and even though you keep reminding yourself this is not a real wedding, not a real marriage, that Zoro is only doing you a favour and the moment you depart from the island you will be free to forget the whole ordeal and even begin a new relationship if you so desire, it doesn’t feel like it; after all, you’re calling your Gods as witnesses of your union, promising in front of them to love, protect and support Zoro for the rest of your days - which you do plan to do, you’ll be happy to, just in a completely platonic way. You know in your heart you will be forgiven for the sort-of deception you are carrying out, exploiting what should be a ceremony focused on love to fulfil your wish to get away from the island and explore the world, but then why do you feel like this? Why is your heart full of… trepidation, in a sense, excitement and a sliver of fear, as if you were committing yourself to something you don’t know the full consequences of, destined to change your life much more than you expect…?

💚 Looking at Zoro doesn’t reassure you, since he looks even more shaken than you feel; he is pale, almost struggling to breathe and apparently unable to meet your eyes while you formally pledge yourselves to each other, but his voice is confident as he speaks the words, and when he takes your hand to mix your blood his grasp is firm, not so much it hurts you but determined, and that is enough to make your hesitation disappear, and an happy smile blossom on your lips… until a moment later, when the councilwoman invites you to share a kiss to seal your union. You and your groom share a look, and for a moment you are sure he’s about to dash, leaving you and your broken dreams behind him… and then his eyes fill with determination. “May I?” he murmurs, and you nod silently, and then his cool, chapped lips press against yours, and that is not your first kiss (even though the list is embarrassingly short) but it’s your first with him, and it’s your wedding kiss, and that makes it special beyond any possibility of trivialisation. Your friends are clapping, the councilwoman is binding your hands together with a cord, but you have become blind, and deaf, to all of it; the only thing you perceive in this moment is Zoro, and your heart racing in your chest.

💚 “The claiming ceremony will take place in the square in an hour.” the councilwoman announces, and the other warriors rejoice once more, while Zoro’s friends look perplexed - just like him. “What is the claiming ceremony?” he asks in a whisper as you depart from the council house, the short procession of your friends following you “Isn’t the wedding over?” “Of course; now it’s time for the second part, where we demonstrate our commitment to each other.” you explain to a more and more perplexed Zoro. “You mean it’s… some kind of test? Do I have to face your father in a fight to the death to prove I am worthy of being your husband or something like that?” “Of course not; we have to sleep together in front of the whole village.” you explain, equally surprised you need to; this is how weddings are conducted on the island since time immemorial, unless the spouses are advanced in age or in the case of a physical impediment, and the possibility that other places in a vast, diverse world might do things differently hadn’t even crossed your mind. (It does now, for what it’s worth.) “In this way our bodies will be one as well as our minds and hearts, our flesh married just like our spirits.” “And… we really can’t do without it, can we?” “Of course not; the vows and the blood mixing are little more than a formality, it is the claiming ceremony that makes a marriage valid; you… you didn’t know? Isn’t this how weddings are conducted where you lived?”

💚 You are now standing outside the council house, your friends having left you to enjoy a moment of privacy before the ceremony. Zoro looks appalled, shocked, and while he didn’t betray, and feel, an ounce of fear while, during your recent battle, he found himself surrounded by eight enemies thirsty for his blood, now… now he’s terrified. Making a huge effort to remain calm, he explains to you that no, this is nothing like the weddings he was used to in his village, and any marriage ceremony he has ever heard of; usually the physical part of the affair is conducted privately, and is technically not necessary for the validity of the union. He had no idea this would happen, you realise with horror; how could you not think about it? Your island, its traditions and way of life, are everything you have ever known, and Zoro hails from a very far away land. How could you not realise that what is ordinary and common for you might not be the norm in other places, and that your idea of marriage, and of wedding, could not perfectly match his? This poor man simply expected to have to utter a few words, a chaste kiss at most, and now finds out he has to… to perform in front of dozens of people, virtual strangers and his friends both! No wonder he looks horrified!

💚 “Listen, if you want to… reconsider, I’ll accept it.” you tell him; knowing that the prospect of having sex with you outweighs Zoro’s evident strength of character and determination would be more than a little embarrassing, but still, you will not force this man to have sex with you against his will. No dream is worth that; not even your freedom “It must be… traumatising for someone who wasn’t expecting it, not to mention you barely know me; if you feel uncomfortable with it, Zoro, I understand…” He looks at you. “Won’t it be uncomfortable for you? I mean, maybe for your people this is normal, or even pleasant…?” he asks, curious, and you admit that no matter how in love with their partner, and proud of their body and sexual prowess, they are, most married people do not think back fondly to the claiming ceremony, which is usually an uncomfortable, embarrassing obligation, to carry out simply because it can’t be helped, as quickly and simply as they can, reserving the rest for a more intimate setting. Most couples sleep together before the ceremony, because no one wants their first time with their spouse to be witnessed by the whole community, and while it is normal and even appreciated for friends and family to be present at the claiming ceremony of a loved one, most spectators feel no pleasure in it. “Listen, let’s… let’s forget the whole matter, alright? This is absurd, I don’t know why I accepted… you don’t deserve this, Zoro, this will be unpleasant in the best of cases and traumatic in the worst, I can’t ask you…”

💚 “I’ll do it.” “... what?” “Yeah, it doesn’t matter; I mean, it’s weird and I’d rather not to, but I don’t want to let you down, and we’re already halfway there.” Zoro points out; he’s not looking at you, again “After all, like the whole wedding, it doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s not like doing it with… with your partner, or a person you care for.” You nod in response, overwhelmed, and then the two of you part, Zoro to talk to his friends (who have just been briefed by yours about what the claiming ceremony entails, and who wear matching expressions of shock and horror) and you to the closest solitary place you can find, to fight a sudden panic attack.

💚 An hour later, you and Zoro are face to face once more, on a slightly raised altar that has been quickly prepared in the village’s main square; your friends, and relatives, and literally anyone who you have ever known since birth surround you, and while it is true that no one present will take advantage of the occasion to look at your intimate parts and you will all feel happier and relieved once the whole ordeal is over, you feel… how? Upset? Excited? Simply anxious to get over it? Perhaps all three things together, a peculiar, nameless sensation you had already felt, years ago, before your first battle, when the fear for your life mingled with the joy for the moment you had trained for since childhood. This is a battle as well; and you will bleed, but your comrade in arms will be by your side, and the two of you will protect each other like you have done already. Drawing strength from that thought, you walk to the centre of the altar, where Zoro meets you; complete silence has fallen on the square, your people respecting the moment’s importance and sacrality. You look at each other for a moment, and then Zoro takes off his robe, that falls on the floor around his feet, and you hurry to do the same, and then you are both naked like the day you were born, and all you can do is look at each other. Many of your fellow warriors are strong, athletic men, but you have never seen any of them like this, and you feel yourself blush as you admire Zoro’s strong, deliciously masculine body, a shiver running through you as you see it reacting to your nudity, his dark eyes set on the area between your thighs.

💚 “I… I am not sure what we should do.” you confess in a whisper, and a smile brushes against Zoro’s lips. “Me neither.” he admits, and those words, the admission that this is the first time for both, fills your heart with an unexpected, fierce feeling of tenderness, a protective instinct you didn’t expect to experience towards a man who can clearly hold his own against the most dangerous opponents “Maybe… maybe we should simply go with the flow, you know? Let our instincts guide us.” You agree, and when in a whisper Zoro asks permission to kiss you again, you nod, eager and even relieved, and a moment later your bodies are pressed against each other, your mouths made one once again; you can feel Zoro’s erection pressed against your thigh, and this is already miles beyond what you had ever done before with a man, beyond what you had ever wanted to do, but knowing that that very part of his body will be inside you in a matter of minutes makes you feel… well, desirous, almost hungry, for things you don’t even have a name for. You moan out loud when you feel Zoro’s lips descend to your throat, sucking and gently biting, and instinctively wanting to return the courtesy you slip a hand between your bodies, quickly finding his erection; perhaps you should have asked permission, just like he did, but you don’t have the time to consider your own inappropriateness because Zoro is whimpering against you, rutting his hips against your hand in a wordless invite not to stop, please, keep going, this is so good…

💚 You feel the crowd murmuring around you, approvingly or with some other sentiment you don’t care; long forgotten are the embarrassment and self-consciousness you had feared you would feel now, you don’t care about them, you don’t even care if your friends and compatriots were to spend days discussing the attractiveness of your body and your skills as a lover. All you care for, all you can focus on, is Zoro, who you were already grateful for the way out he is offering you from the restrictive prison of the island, but who you never thought would also give you something so special and precious. You want it to be good for him as well, you decide as you palm his heavy, hard erection, suddenly feeling yourself burning for it, for him; you want to be good for him, you want to give him pleasure and joy and make the whole matter worth it. “Fuck, (name)...” Zoro whispers, and then he moans again when he sees you kneel, meet his eyes for a moment to make sure he is alright with it (it is) and then awkwardly but hungrily take him in your mouth. He tastes acrid, vaguely pungent, and delicious; you feel his hands in your hair, and while he utters no more words, his groaning and moaning reassure you you are doing a good job.

💚 The altar has been furnished with a bedding made of soft blankets and pillows; it is on that that Zoro gently lays you down, his agile but strong body quickly covering yours, a hand on the back of your head to protect it. Your hands move on his body, Zoro’s skin hot and taut, as if he were straining to control his impulses and not simply devour you and fuck you to the ground, his chest and shoulders and hips, and he is so handsome and sensual and masculine, you can’t wait to be one with him; you want him, you realize, the feeling both terrifying and inebriating, you want Zoro to take you and share his pleasure with him. You want him to scream your name, to make him harder than he has ever been… and to make him come so hard he will never forget this moment. Yours is not a love match, not a proper wedding; but this is real, genuine and a source of joy, and you want it to matter.

💚 Emboldened, you open your legs, letting Zoro observe what exactly his generosity is earning him. “Take me.” you whisper; you can see his hard cock standing proudly against his belly, and you feel a sort of exciting, until-now-unknown sense of pride knowing that it is you, your body and the way you were able to stimulate him, that is responsible for that transformation “Zoro, please… I want you. I want you so much.”

💚 Zoro roars.

💚 He’s kissing you again, hungry and lascivious, while he clumsily tries to find the right position to enter you. You instinctively find a way, lifting one of your legs around his hips, and Zoro is murmuring your name as he finally takes his hard cock in his hand; a moment later you can feel his head pressing against the opening between your legs. You would have imagined both of you were beyond words at this time, instinct and passion having overcome the capacity for intelligible speech, but he meets your eyes and “If I hurt you…” he whispers; he’s already struggling to control himself “Just tell me… I can stop…” He’s clearly sincere, even worried his impetuosity and ardour could end up harming you, and tenderness fills your heart. You kiss him once more and “I don’t want you to stop.” you whisper; you are soaking wet, much more than on the few occasions you have touched yourself in the privacy of your home, and you feel happy, even proud, that he can feel it - feel the effect he has on you, like you have seen and tasted the one you have on him “Zoro, please, I’m yours… make love to me, I want to feel you...”

💚 He does, and you do, so much and so hard in the end you are screaming, and Zoro screams with you, he screams your name, as he pounds into you, his messy and hungry kisses leaving a trail of fire on your mouth and skin as you cling to his biceps (he has well-muscled arms, as was to be expected from a swordsman) and circle his hips with your legs, your embrace so tight you can barely perceive where one ends and the other begins, and still you’re not satisfied, because you want more, you want to be one with him, not for a few, magical minutes, a joyful, pleasurable experience you already know won’t happen again, but forever, viscerally, so that neither of you will ever forget this, the intoxicating, intimate feeling of giving oneself completely and uncompromisingly, a complete exchange from which you are both made richer. Zoro is more than well-endowed, and this being your first time it does hurt, no matter how wet you were for him, but that pain is only a drop in the sea, even pleasurable in its own right, and you barely notice it, too engrossed as you are in the intense sensations Zoro is gifting you. Push after push he gets closer, to what you could not describe but you feel it, you feel you are approaching your climax, your body already singing, and you both can’t wait for it and wish this would last longer, just a minute more, because you’re not satisfied, not yet full, and you want him more, you want all of him and you want him to have all of you…

💚 All around, the whole village is witnessing your union, with Luffy and the others in the front row. The Straw Hat Pirates are among the very few aware of the true nature of your and Zoro’s pact, while most of the others are convinced you and the swordsman have fallen madly in love with each other after fighting side by side and he asked for your hand to have you follow him in his travels with the crew; but even they, aware (or perhaps just convinced?) that he’s just doing a person he has fought with a favour, can’t deny what they are witnessing is completely different… awkwardness and fervour mixed in one, two people grappling with feelings they did not expect to experiment but that they can’t help to follow, passion born of an instinctive empathy and the raw desire for a person offering themselves completely to them. Would you feel the same if, say, Luffy were in Zoro’s place, or he with another of the village’s women? You don’t know, you have no way of knowing; what you know is that he is with you, and you with him, and you have never felt so happy and blessed in all your years.

💚 Zoro moves relentlessly inside you, claiming your body and at the same time offering himself to you; you are both sharing a piece of your very soul with each other, and this is precious and terrifying at the same time. He moans when he feels your hands move on his body (his muscled shoulders and arms, his soft hair, the firm roundness of his backside) and “Yes, touch me.” he whispers between a sloppy, ardent kiss and the other “Touch me, (name)... it’s… it’s so good… so warm… I’m getting close… I-I am gonna… (name)...”

💚 Maybe it is the undaunted pushing of his hips inside you; maybe it is the simple sensation of his sweet mouth worshipping yours, kissing every inch of your body it can reach; maybe it’s the sound of your own name falling from his lips, because no one has ever pronounced it like this, with so much passion, with awe and jealousy, as if you were something precious he didn’t intend to share with anyone. Whatever the reason, the last ounces of self-control leave you, and your first true orgasm hits you, violent, irresistible, and utterly satisfying. You cry Zoro’s name, holding on to him in the instinctive fear the wave of pleasure might destroy you, and feeling your body tremble around him is enough to push your groom beyond the brink as well; a satisfied, relieved moan, a last look of his awed, sweet eyes, and you feel Zoro spill inside you, his whole body shaking. He falls on you, his cheek pressed on your breast, and remains like that, savouring that sweet sensation of intimacy, your fingers in his hair and the warmth of your body surrounding him, for what seems like hours to both. In the end, he lifts his head to smile at you; no one has seen him smile like that since he was perhaps seven, the childlike wonder that something so amazing could happen to him. “Hello, wife.” he murmurs, and your laugh is pure happiness.

💚 The whole village, not to mention the other Straw Hat Pirates, have witnessed the whole event; no one speaks, most of those present aware it would be inappropriate, almost blasphemous, to disturb what is clearly a magical, intimate moment. In the end, the councilmen approach to inspect the two of you, an essential part of the ceremony but that, on the two of you, has the same effect of a cold shower: you stiffen, suddenly aware of how exposed you are, while Zoro looks away, the intimacy of a moment ago already forgotten. Embarrassment falls on you both while he slowly, carefully pulls back, separating the two of you; someone hands you the robe you gratefully accept, because suddenly you are cold, too cold for a warm summer night, and you felt no pain, so why do you suddenly have to fight back tears?

💚 A minute later you are both standing, and clothed, once more, on either side of the councilwoman as she declares the ceremony complete and valid, to the exultation of the village and the cautious, awkward approval of Luffy and the others, who are wondering how they’ll be able to look Zoro in the face from now on. You are married, you think numbly; you can feel his semen drip down your thigh, still dazed with the intensity of your shared, already distant, passion. You are Zoro’s wife and he is your husband, and whatever happens from now on, whatever path the two of you may take, this is a truth that you will never be able to forget.

💚 The next morning, you and Zoro meet with the council, and you are formally permitted to leave the island together with your husband. Your life dream is finally becoming reality, you should feel happy, and you are, you are delighted and excited, but you cannot ignore the awkwardness between you and Zoro, a perhaps normal situation given the circumstances, but still unpleasant given the quiet harmony that had existed between the two of you until last night, a silence neither felt the need to fill with words or actions. Having left the council house, you take a little walk together, tacitly deciding you need a moment for the two of you. “So… is everything alright?” Zoro asks in the end, unsure, and you nod. “I have met with the islands’ doctors and made sure I did not get pregnant last night.” you explain, which Zoro admits is a good thing; absurd but true, the possibility of getting you pregnant had never even crossed his mind, but a child is obviously something you are both unprepared for. “Actually, I meant to say… I didn’t hurt you, did I? I’m sorry, I… perhaps it’s stupid, but I had never… done it before, so I don’t know…”

💚 You look at him, your heart once more full of tenderness and fierce affection for this brave young man, whose kindness and generosity are carefully kept hidden but you have already perceived. “I am fine, thank you.” you answer; you are about to say you feel more than fine, actually, since you can’t stop thinking about what the two of you shared last night and given the way your husband blushes every time your eyes meet you are pretty sure he won’t be able to forget your wedding ceremony anytime soon either, but a moment later you realise the less you talk about it, the better you will both feel. The fact that you enjoyed what happened on the altar is a good thing, not to mention probably natural given the fact sex is meant to be pleasurable, but your union was a necessary requirement, not something you had chosen willingly, and considering you and your husband (you and Zoro; you need to stop thinking about him like that!) will be travelling together from now on, you need to remember you are comrades in arms and friends, and nothing more, or life on the ship will be unbearable. “Zoro, I… I can’t thank you enough for this; you have made my greatest dream come true, and for that I know I’ll be in your debt forever.” “I haven’t done it because I expected something in return.” “I know; I’m sorry, what I’m trying to say is…” you begin, and then you hesitate, because you don’t fully know either “... that I think we can remain good friends forever; and that whatever happens, I’ll never forget what you have done for me.”

💚 For a moment you could swear you have seen disappointment filling Zoro’s brown eyes; but then he smiles, briefly but genuinely, and answers that being friends sounds good, and having another trained warrior in the crew is even better.

💚 An hour later the ship is leaving the island’s shores. You wave your hand, saying good-bye to the people and the land that have been your world until now, the wind playing with your hair; Zoro is standing with you on the Merry’s deck, and finds himself unable to look away. “No regrets?” he inquires after a while; you shake your head, because it’s a little early for a change of mind, but even in a month, or a year, or a decade, you know you’ll never doubt you have done the right choice… nor the deep, sudden affection for the man by your side. “None.” you reassure him; you are smiling, and Zoro has never seen something so beautiful in his nineteen years “I can’t wait to see what the future may bring.”

💚 The next weeks are hectic, and often dangerous, as you finally begin your journey into the world. You quickly become fond (well, fonder) of the rest of the crew, who easily welcome you in their midst; the hypothesis of leaving to travel on your own, which is what you had planned on doing if you ever found a way to leave the island, is quickly, tacitly set aside, and soon you consider yourself a Straw Hat Pirate in all respects, utterly devoted to your captain and your new friends. You fight side by side with your crewmates, explore new places, meet new people; you feel happy, hopeful, satisfied, maybe for the first time in your life as an adult. Really, you couldn’t find a reason to be upset or saddened even if you tried, except for a tiny, mostly irrelevant but still hard to ignore detail… that is, your relationship with your - with Zoro.

💚 Most of the time things are fine between the two of you. You have tacitly decided never to speak of your marriage, and your wedding ceremony specifically, again, and to simply consider each other a comrade and a friend, a sibling in arms you enjoy fighting side by side with; you sleep in different rooms (you with Nami, he with the other guys), help each other with your training and immediately look for each other in times of danger, making sure you are both ready to defend your comrades. At night, when the others are sleeping and darkness envelops the ship, you like to sit on the deck, a drink in your hands and your eyes lost in the immensity of the starry sky above you (different from the one you admired in your village, but equally breathtaking) as you reflect on the events of the day and enjoy the freedom of the sea, that after months you are still unable to take for granted. You like those moments, and you like them even more when Zoro joins you, sitting by your side, and as you pass the bottle sometimes you talk, discussing matters of the present and of the past, but mostly you keep silent, simply enjoying each other’s presence as your shoulder brushes against his.

💚 He tells you about Kuina, and about Mihawk, who he fought shortly before meeting you; in turn, you tell him about the loss of your parents, a painful subject you had been unable to share with anyone until now. Having spent your entire life within the familiar, limited borders of the island, you are sometimes too inexperienced or naive to understand the events or the people around you, and when it happens Zoro intervenes to help, but you never feel belittled or treated with condescension. You trust him, respect him, sincerely enjoy his company, and more importantly you know he feels the same for you; you’re not the sort of people who discuss feelings, but you soon come to consider Zoro your dearest friend.

💚 Which at one point proves to be a problem, because as far as you know people don’t lust after their friends, do they?

💚 You simply can’t help it. After all you couldn’t forget your wedding ceremony, and the passionate, intense sex it entailed, even if you tried, and while the embarrassment between you is fortunately soon forgotten and your friends are kind enough not to joke about it, you sometimes struggle to ignore the memories that moment brings. A few weeks after you joined the crew, at the beginning of a particularly hot day, leaving the girls’ cabin you find Zoro training on the deck, his shirt discarded on the floor. His torso is already bathed in sweat, a view you never thought you would find enticing; and yet, you suddenly feel unable to look away, your eyes avidly drinking the sight in front of you: his muscles tense with the effort, his flat stomach, his strong arms and shoulders… you had seen that already, and much more, as you lay together on the altar, but nonetheless you find yourself swallowing, caught by a sudden desire to just reach for him and touch, to feel the firmness and warmth of Zoro’s skin under your hands, to caress it, maybe even to…

💚 … and then suddenly Zoro, until now focused on his pushups and who seemed not to have noticed your appearance, turns to look at you, an eyebrow raised as if he were wondering what you are doing, just standing there; a moment later his eyes, and his mouth, open wide, as if he had perceived the lurid, less-than-friendly thoughts you are entertaining. You feel blushing furiously, blabber some kind of excuse, and quickly retreat, opting to remain out of his way for the next two hours. When you meet later, you once again pretend nothing happened, and you desperately try to forget it; unfortunately you can’t, but in the end, should you really be surprised? Zoro is an objectively attractive man, and you have already been intimate; it is normal that you still feel attracted to him, and instinctively wish you could… repeat the experience, preferably in the more private setting of the spare cabin on the ship. Who knows, perhaps… perhaps he feels the same about you…

💚 Determined not to ruin your and Zoro’s friendship, you decide to ignore that uncomfortable-but-sort-of-pleasant urge, which at first simply means keeping away from him when he is even partially unclothed. You still occasionally feel your eyes linger on him, even when he’s fully dressed (on the tight fit of the shirt on his shoulders, on the expressive beauty of his eyes, and how come you never noticed what a lovely, firm little bottom he has…?), but otherwise you are fine, and as your bond deepens, as you get used to his quiet, comforting presence by your side, Zoro’s hand brushing against your arm when he wants to quietly attract your attention on something or that way he has to ask you if you’re alright with a single glance, without the need for words, you feel happy and grateful that he’s part of your life… and think that one day, when he’ll finally give his heart to someone, there won’t be a more blessed person in the world.

💚 Speaking of potential partners, Zoro never seemed interested in relationships, and doesn’t even notice the looks of admiration he regularly receives. “I don’t have time for a partner.” he curtly explains when you ask him “And since we never stop in a place for more than a few days I couldn’t maintain a relationship in any case, right?” His reasoning makes sense, even though, for some reason, you feel suddenly shy… as if you were the one who had been propositioned. A few nights later, Zoro meets another swordmaster at a bar, and the two of them spend hours talking about their weapons, past battles and the like - and flirting, at least on the other person’s part, since they keep touching Zoro’s naked arm and pressing their leg against his under the table. Your friend doesn’t notice, as usual, but you do, and that makes you feel… weird; lonely, abandoned, even, and while you tell yourself it is simply because you and Zoro usually hang out together when your crew goes out for drinks, your hearts tells you otherwise, and you can’t help wishing you were in the swordsman’s position, Zoro’s attention focused on you… and brave enough to be so brazen in expressing your interest. “What’s wrong? You seem upset.” Zoro points out later when you’re all going back to the ship; you simply shrug, both unable and unwilling to share the reason for your bad mood, for the instinctive but petty resentment you feel towards your friend, and that fills you with shame since Zoro has done nothing to earn it.

💚 The next night, the town is celebrating a festival. To avoid being left alone again, you ask Nami’s help and buy a new dress to wear for the occasion; it is much more daring than what you are used to, and while the others compliment you, Zoro simply looks away, and you’re pretty sure you’ve seen him blushing. At the festival, your dress does have the desired effect, because a few people show interest towards you. A young man seems especially taken, since he asks you to dance, escorts you to a stand to grab something to eat and then invites you on a walk to a nearby pond. He’s good company and his clear interest flatters you, but in the end you gently reject him when he tries to kiss you, aware that your heart is not into it. Nevertheless, you feel happy when you go back to the others… and meet Zoro, who is fuming. “Where is your boyfriend?” he sneers “Gone to get you a drink?” You see regret in his eyes as soon as those hurtful words leave his lips, but the damage is done, and the two of you don’t speak or look at each other for the rest of the night.

💚 You spend an almost sleepless night (again), grappling with feelings that have never been so clear, and terrifying, in your mind. You do care for Zoro, you feel happier and content when he’s by your side, you can’t help feeling attracted to him and fantasising about repeating the experience of your wedding day, and feel jealous when someone else expresses an interest in him; you like him - really like him, as much more than just a friend and a comrade in arms, and while you’d feel happy with a purely platonic relationship, you can’t help wishing for something else. Does Zoro feel the same? You can’t rule that out, especially given how annoyed he looked after you had spent the evening with another person, but what if you want different things? Maybe he only does consider you a friend, but still hasn’t forgotten what you shared that night on the altar; you couldn’t resent him for that, even though the possibility of being desired, as a sexual partner and nothing more, would paradoxically break your heart.

💚 When you join the others the next morning, you are not particularly surprised to discover Zoro has left soon after dawn, announcing he’ll be back in a while and wants to be left alone. “What happened? Did you two have a fight?” Luffy asks, and you shrug helplessly in reply, not quite sure of it yourself. You spend the following hours hard at work, helping your crewmates repay the damages the Sunny had sustained during a recent battle, and then preparing a speech for when you’ll face Zoro - which will have to be soon, since you are set to sail in the morning and then avoiding each other will be impossible. Having grown up without a mother or another close female relative, you don’t really know how to approach the subject, but after reflecting on it for a while you admit to yourself that no matter how close the two of you are and how much you trust him, you are not ready to confess your feelings to Zoro, not until you have strong reason to believe they are reciprocated, both because that would ruin things between you, potentially forever… and because you simply lack the courage to, and would rather face a hundred enemies unharmed than risk being turned down. On the other hand, it will probably be impossible to pretend you don’t feel anything for him, both because you have always been a terrible liar and you can’t very well make a fool of yourself any time Zoro takes his shirt off. The only possibility, you decide in the end, is something warriors like you are often unable to do: to compromise… and hope things develop from there.

💚 It is mid-afternoon when Zoro finally returns, reaching the small harbour you are docked at; he ignores Nami, who is chewing his ears off for leaving the others at work while he went who knows where, and waves at you. “Can you come down for a minute?” he asks “I have something to tell you.” You obey, both relieved and nervous, and follow Zoro away from the most crowded area of the harbour; he doesn’t talk, but you notice he’s hiding something behind his back, making sure you cannot see what. In the end, and after you had to retrace your steps twice, you reach a small berth, almost hidden among overgrown bushes. Zoro turns to look at you, more serious than you have ever seen him, and suddenly you are sure this is the day you are going to lose him forever, that he’s going to tell you that while he cares about your friendship he feels too uncomfortable with being reminded of your wedding ceremony, and perhaps, since he was there first and he’s the Straw Hat Pirates’ first officer, you should leave the crew and go your own way, like you had planned to do initially… “Wait!” you stop him when Zoro is about to speak; you have never felt fear in battle, not even when the odds were overwhelmingly against you, but right now you’re shaking, utterly terrified you are going to lose the person you love (yes, love; you couldn’t say when you have fallen for him exactly, when he offered to help you realise your dream no matter the commitment and the embarrassment required of him or in some other moment, but it is true, you would wage your life on it, and while you haven’t given up hope that Zoro will one day return your feelings, you would be ready to do whatever it takes in order to keep him in your life) more than any other you have ever met “I… I have something to tell you as well; something important. Please, may I go first?”

💚 A moment of uncertainty, and then Zoro nods, tense and… vaguely hopeful? “I… I know we had sort of decided to forget what happened that day on the altar, and that we are married, to simply be crewmates and comrades in arms; believe me, these last months have been the happiest in my life, in no small part because of you, Zoro. I…” I love you, fully and desperately. I want to be important for you, I want to be your partner, as well as your best friend and fellow warrior. Zoro, I want to be your wife. “... I have never cared about anyone like I care about you, and… while I’d be happy with being your friend forever, I can’t deny I am attracted to you, I think you are very handsome and… I fantasise about us kissing and touching each other and making love. If I have to keep hiding my feelings, and the fact I feel my heart tremble every time you smile at me, I’ll go crazy. So I wanted to propose… well, I don’t know if you feel the same, but we could… be together, you know? Have sex, to relieve tension and simply have some fun; there would be nothing wrong, and since it was so amazing the first time, I trust it would be the same again… and our friendship wouldn’t necessarily be ruined, perhaps it would come out… strengthened, even…”

💚 You hold your breath, waiting for Zoro’s reaction; you force yourself to meet his eyes, because you have opened your heart to him and have no reason to feel ashamed for it, and the emotion you feel reflected on his handsome face is the last you could have imagined. Not excitement, not embarrassment, not relief… but disappointment. “Is this what you want?” he asks after a while, a touch of disbelief in his voice, as he searches your eyes “What would really make you happy? To sleep together… to have sex, and then pretend nothing happened and we are simply friends?” The contempt in his voice is both discouraging and surprising; you never guessed Zoro would be the judging type, but perhaps it is not a matter of morality… “... yes.” you lie in the end; while a sexual relationship with Zoro would probably make you happy, at least for a while, it is not what you want, not even remotely “I mean, I think it would be… convenient for both of us…”

💚 “Convenient…” Zoro repeats, shaking his head, as if he had never heard a more absurd proposition; he laughs softly, but there is no trace of amusement in his tone. You bite your lip, suddenly uncomfortable, and since he doesn’t seem inclined to give your proposal an answer, you dare to ask: “What did you want to talk about?” “It doesn’t matter anymore; you… you sort of answered me already. Listen, I’ll see you later, all right? And these… these are for you, for what it’s worth; you can throw them away.” These are a bunch of colourful, sort of messy but for this even more beautiful flowers, that Zoro must have picked himself in the fields behind the harbour, and even tied with a ribbon found who knows where.

💚 He brought you flowers. Oh, for all the Gods, Zoro brought you flowers!

💚 Left utterly speechless as you admire the bouquet that has been shoved in your hands, you don’t realise Zoro has left, turning on his heels and walking away. “Zoro, wait!” you call him, starting after him, but it’s useless; your friend, who has never run from a fight and would gladly face ten enemies on his own, pretends he doesn’t hear you, picking up the pace until he’s almost running - running away, from you, because of the catastrophic misunderstanding you have inadvertently created. “I’m so sorry… please, let me explain, you got it wrong!” you beg him, but Zoro is deaf to your protests and, even worse, can run much faster than you, and he can’t obviously avoid you forever, since you are part of the same tiny crew, but you know you have to explain yourself here and now, and you will, if only he would listen… “Zoro, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” and then, finally fed up with running after him like a parent with an unruly child: “Husband! Stop right there and let me talk, dammit!”

💚 He does.

💚 You both need a moment to catch your breath, and you use your free hand to grab his and stop him from running again. In the end you look at each other, alone in the middle of a tiny meadow, and you just know, without the need to touch his chest with your hand, that your hearts are beating as one. Zoro looks at you, almost scared. “You called me husband.” he points out softly “You… you had never done it before.” “I haven’t.” you agree “And you don’t know how much I regret it. Thanks for the flowers, they are beautiful, but… what have you given them to me?” “Well…” he begins, rubbing a hand on the back of his head “It is tradition in my village that a man offers flowers to the woman who he… he wants to court. I know it doesn’t really make sense between the two of us, but I thought it could be… well, a statement of intentions, if you want. If… if that’s what you want as well…”

💚 You quickly inform him you have no intention of beginning a courtship with him. “Because.” you add still holding him by the hand, as you use the other to leave your bouquet on a nearby rock; you are blushing furiously as you look at him, but at the same time your heart is soaring, higher than the cloudless sky above you “There is no reason; you don’t need to woo me with gifts or compliments, because… because you have already won me over. I love being your friend, but that is not what I really want, not even if we sleep together on the side. I… I just want to be with you, like couples do. I want you to be my husband, and I want to be your wife. In a sense, I have always been, ever since that…”

💚 The rest of the sentence is pushed back in your mouth by Zoro’s lips, his scorching hot kiss making you forget your words; his arm is holding you by the waist, his free hand already lost in your hair, and only a moment passes before you are kissing him back, your open mouth greedily welcoming his tongue, your hands running on any inch of Zoro’s skin they can find, covered by his clothes or, even better, naked. “You know.” you murmur after a while, as Zoro is busy sucking a bruise on the side of your neck, the sensation so sensual and delicious you have closed your eyes to better savour it “There is technically a way for our marriage to be declared void, and for us to divorce. So, if you wanted to… change your mind…”

💚 You can feel Zoro’s grin against your throat. “The only reason I would divorce you is to court you again from the start.” he murmurs “I… I have wanted to ask you to be together since we left your island; I told myself it was only that, only sex, but I knew it wasn’t true, and I never found the courage to tell you how I felt, and when the other day at the festival I saw that guy dancing with you and it made my blood boil…” He takes your head in his hands, smiling at you; a more than throughout repetition of your wedding ceremony awaits you that night, but in that moment the purest, most inebriating joy fills both of you. “I promise I will never dance with anyone but you.” you murmur, locking your arms behind Zoro’s head, and he smiles again.

💚 “You better not forget your promise.” he points out before kissing you again “Wife.”