Work Text:
Nico Robin is not a soft person. Not a soft woman. Life robbed her of the possibility to ever become soft, tender, even affectionate.
She never expected that to change after choosing the path of piracy.
Yet, becoming a member of the Strawhat crew, life surprised her.
They are all rough around the edges, her nakama. Very rough, in varying forms and shades.
Painting a picture of their stories would require immense amounts of dark colour, and crimson. Robin knows she is not alone with her experience of loss, solitude, fear and anger. It’s so hard to learn that this is only her past, not her entire existence.
Yet she feels herself gradually growing.. aware. Aware of her emotions, the relative safety around her allowing her to open up to stuff that has been buried deep. It’s painful, sometimes.
They start getting under her skin.
The small, furry reindeer-doctor gently and considerately taking care of her scrapes and bruises, allowing for a tad more than brief effectiveness.
The young navigator accepting her into her private space and allowing her to stay, to safely sleep beside her.
Somehow, it’s all this is about for Robin: gradually easing into warmth, into softness.
And it’s so, so weird, because at the same time, she feels much more powerful than she has ever been in her life. Much more powerful than she has been on her own, with all kinds of emotions crammed down.
___________
There is no trace of softness around her new captain, and somehow, it’s all there is.
He does not wear a mask. His emotions show clearly on the surface because somehow, this absurdly strong, noisy, tenacious kid has no need or desire to hide them from the world.
The amount of pain and damage he can endure during a serious battle is immense, his small wiry body may be shaking from exhaustion, yet he never stays down. He gets back up, again and again, roaring at the enemy, punching and kicking and never giving an inch, panting for air, until it is over.
But once it is over, he lets go. He has blind faith in his crew to take charge, to carry him home to safety. Easing into warmth and softness, like that’s the simplest thing to do.
At first, it appears strange to Robin that the Strawhat crew keeps such close tabs on each other. How the small reindeer doctor remains in the infirmary with his unconscious captain in the aftermath, even though it is clear that he will be out for hours or even days. And, once Chopper is worn out and needs to rest himself, someone will take his place by the bed, keeping watch. It is not strictly necessary, but when he asks Robin for the first time, she still accepts.
Feels alien, because bedside manner has never been in her repertoire.
She takes to reading books while she waits, listening to Luffy’s soft breaths, looking up when they become strained.
It has become utterly impossible for her to turn back, she cannot revert to being cold and impassive like she used to be. She keeps reading in her chair, but hesitantly sprouts another hand from the pillow, gently flattening his wild hair, frowning when she feels feverish heat radiating from his slightly damp forehead.
Sometimes it’s much, much easier to be all alone, not worrying about anyone. And yet. She is ready to kill anyone that dares to lay a hand on her captain by now.
„R’bnn“ he says, voice hoarse and feeble, but somehow full of contentment.
She blinks away unexpected tears. „I’m here. Sleep.“
He gives in. She gives in.
_________________
Chopper is her own personal gateway drug for kindliness.
Not because he trusts her right away (he does not) or because she mistakes the furry little doctor for some cute kid (she does not).
It’s more like she observes the way he interacts with the other crew members. The way the first mate will protect him from harm at any cost even if he acts gruff, or Chopper will cuddle up to Nami even after she has just scolded him for some shenanigan he pulled off with Usopp.
The lonely, scared kid that is buried inside Robin might ache for someone to treat her like that.
When Zoro’s life hangs by a thread after Thriller Bark, it’s tough on Chopper. The stoical first mate is like a rock for him, as he is for the rest of the crew.
Around them, a huge celebration is starting, with music, food, and booze. Chopper, at a distance from the party zone, grits his teeth as he mends flesh, skin and bone, anxiously watching over unstable vital signs. Other than Robin, he does not have a clue what actually happened, but the evidence that it must have been bad is right in front of him, bloody and beaten. The pressure of responsibility must be hard, but the small reindeer remains unwavering and steady in his job to save a life.
Only after Zoro resurfaces the land of the living for not even a minute – blinking owlishly at Chopper, compliantly sipping at whatever he is given, painkillers and water, and a calm exchange of „It’s alright. We got you.“, only after that Chopper folds and allows himself a medium-sized meltdown. He is exhausted, and Nami is by his side to pat his head until he calms down.
Later he is found dancing on the tables and cheering, all previous strain and horror vanished in the cheer of their victory, in the relief of Zoro being alive . Usopp swings him around until he squeals with glee.
It’s not like Chopper is the one being protected all the time because he’s weak, or small. He is protecting his nakama all the same, but he does it with his own gentle force.
All horrors aside, Robin is smiling at the thought.
_______
When the crew is suddenly apart for two years, her old habits are shockingly close below the surface. Travelling alone with the revolutionaries, she can almost feel the traces of softness dissipating. She’s not trusting, or caring, or giving a shit about anybody’s feelings. And she will not stay below deck with a bunch of strangers, accepting a warm cabin when there’s no door to escape. The cold wind and the ice-blue, open sky are preferrable once more.
She smiles softly, expertly cramming down emotions: feeling homesick for the ship, longing to see her crew, wishing for warm food and hot tea that the cook lovingly prepared, her breath almost hitching at the thought of worn blankets around a bonfire, boisterous laughter, a small, furry body in her lap. Not here, not now. Vulnerability might get her killed here.
__________
„Say, Robin…“ Nami asks, wearing a chunky knit cardigan over her flimsy sun dress now that the evening turns chill. Her thick mane of red hair is piled up in a messy bun on top of her head.
„Have you ever been in love?“
Blue light wafts across the aquarium lounge. They have fancy drinks with little cocktail umbrellas, skillfully mixed by the ever-subservient Sanji.
Robin smiles, looking down on her glass, musing how on earth her defenses have been vaporized since joining the Strawhat crew.
It seems like yesterday that she was feared, ruthless, and fiercely independent. Now she worries, she listens, and apparently has sleepover conversations like a teenage girl. Which is nice, because she never had that before.
The young navigator, shifty and greedy as she may be, behaves like a younger sister with her. They share drinks, shopping trips, clothes and secrets.
Robin shrugs and takes a sip of her drink. It’s strong and not too sweet, just the smallest hint of juniper. Their cook / bartender knows her damn well.
„If you ask me about romance in general – sure, there’s a few stories to tell. But love? I don’t think so.“
Nami pouts and wraps a loose thread of hair around her finger. „How do you know? Maybe you fell for somebody, though?“
Robin is pretty sure that during a life on the run, killing and avoiding being killed in return, love is hard to come by.
„Not quite. Seducing a target person, sure. Why not enjoy it before you have to do your job, right? Also, if you travel a lot, you meet a few people. Get to know them, spend the night. Then you leave them. Or they leave you.“
If Robin expected a shocked reaction, Nami disappoints.
„Yeah, same for me, I guess. It’s useful to look cute, if you know what I mean. But you don’t get attached. Right?“
Robin takes another sip. „Yes. That’s exactly right.“
She sets down her glass, gets up to stand behind Nami’s chair and, with a contemplative hum, pulls the elastic tie from her hair. With deft fingers Robin untangles the tousled mess, combs and smoothens the red mane with inexhaustible patience. When she comes across a few persistent knots that the stiff breeze left in the fine hair at Nami’s neck, she sprouts another pair of gentle hands to loosen and sleek them. It’s nice, the bit of human touch. Nami’s skin is warm and her hair soft.
Nami slumps a bit in her seat with a satisfied little hum. Sure, turning her back to the Devil Child could get her killed in a second. But instead, just like kids on a sleepover, Nico Robin uses four deadly hands to braid her long red hair, gently brushing and pulling until she is satisfied with the result. They watch their reflection in the fish tank and giggle like two little girls.
How will Robin ever again survive in the wild, now that she went soft like this?
_______________________
Franky is...loud and proud, and much like the captain, he wears his heart on his sleeve.
More than once he calls her beautiful, but not in an overly lecherous way like the cook does, more like he is surprised at himself for noticing.
Robin knows she seems unapproachable sometimes, and she might be stronger than him in a fight. More cruel, that’s for sure.
She knows he must have heard some nasty rumours about her by the time they become nakama on the island of Water 7. And he saw her at her lowest, being desperate, bound in seastone, ready to give in and die.
But that’s not what he is about. He does not give a flying fuck who is more dangerous, or what people say about her, or about her darkness. He simply cares, in his own loud-mouthed, somewhat blunt way, and tries to be close to her.
The first time he decides to try and wrap his massive arms around her, she feels troubled. Her instinct is to run away, only to find that she does not want to. Maybe Luffy’s selfishness has rubbed off on her.
During a cold and windy night watch, she enjoys the warmth from her mug of steaming coffee, from the well-worn blanket in the crow’s nest, from the massive cyborg that decided to join her at a late hour. Wrapped in his hug, she feels something in her body soften. Tentatively leaning back against his chest, a small sigh escapes hers.
She never took him for the cuddly type, but well, that’s not the weirdest thing that can be said about him.
He is so huge that there is scarcely anybody, beside a giant maybe, that can fully wrap him in a hug. Unless someone possesses her unique gifts, that is.
She sprouts a mass of extra arms, enshrouding him as he is enshrouding her. Safe. Warm. Soft. Keeping the loneliness at bay, giving zero fucks about rumours or appearances. They survived so far, but gods, did they miss this.
He gently rests his chin on top of her head, and she closes her eyes for a bit. Listens to his heartbeat of gears and wheels. Out of all the new adventures that found her, this might be her favorite one.
__________________________
They finally meet in Wano, and it is...intense.
The cook screams her name, asking her to safe him. Entrusting her with his life, asking her to fight a battle that he cannot.
She knows from this point that, similar to herself, Sanji is starting to ease into the same warmth and softness that has absorbed her. Little by little, at least.
No need to fight alone.
No need to hide your pain, your anger, or your fear.
She suspects he has been learning it the hard way on Whole Cake Island. The lesson is far from over, but by putting his faith in her strength, relying on her to come for him, he takes a great leap of faith.
Does she give a flying fuck about what people say, the insults they spew? Hell no.
But she’ll give hell to whomever made him scream like that.
And now she is so, so powerful. Not hiding her darkness, but embracing it, she becomes a fierce fighter, confident, ferocious. She is not hiding. Not scared. Not alone. A skeleton swordsman has her back and fights alongside her, which is kind of fitting for the Devil Child that is allowed to run free now.
When the battle is over, all her energy spent, she allows her nakama to catch her when she falls.
She trusts. She lets go, for now.
Like that’s the simplest thing to do.