ᴠᴏᴛᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ
╔══ᴬ ⁿⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵃⁿᵏᶠᵘˡ ᵒᶠ══╗
↪ 🇪🇬🇾🇵🇹
"L-lord Zoro ?"
You froze in spot, like a child caught stealing candy from the jar. The bird flapped back to you, standing behind your legs and observing the God that stood in front of you.
"What are you doing up" He wanted to make it sound like a question but it turned out to be a demand, and he scolded himself mentally for it.
"I...couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a night walk" You lied through gritted teeth and turned away from his view, not wanting for him to catch onto your lie. "I hope you have a goodnight, Zoro"
As you began stepping the opposite way that he came from, you felt your wrist grabbed and twirled around.
"You know, you are a really bad liar" He sighed and when noticing you wincing from the grab, he let go. "Why don't you tell me the truth ?"
He deeply wanted to know. A part of him had a good idea of what you were really planning on doing, seeing how you stood in front of the entrance door of the temple. When he had picked on your lie, a part of him felt bitter. Did you not trust him ? So far, you and him have gotten along well. Take the example of the morning stroll in the garden. You had shown him a side he could clearly tell was personal and unwanted to the eyes. Or so you make it seem.
"I, well" You felt suffocated under his gaze, and dared not to look in his mask's eyes. They truly terrified you at times.
You heard him sigh, and then felt a hand placed on your right shoulder.
"I am not going to hurt you. All I want to know is the truth. Do you trust me ?"
"O-of course I do, that's one of my solemn purposes"
"Then why do you avoid my eyes so much ?" He wondered aloud, waiting for you to speak once more.
But no words left your lips. Seeing you weren't going to respond, he decided to let go of the matter and bored his eyes at the door instead. An idea clicked in his head.
"What if I took you outside, and in exchange, you tell me what bothers you"
"Pardon ?" You felt a need for him to repeat those words. Perhaps your tired mind has started to play tricks now.
Instead of repeating himself, he grabbed your hand- gently- and led you through the doors. You started to panic, ready to tell him that you are forbidden, but all your worries washed away when you saw the lit streets.
Colours ignite the dark blue sky. Garlands intertwined with each other, dancing above the citizens' heads. Cheering, screaming, laughter played along with the musicians of the streets. The kids played like warriors trying to poke each other with dried sticks. Adults walked and stood all around the corners. Some drinking. Some looked at the small displays from the stands. All of your senses were heightened, from the vibrant, warm colours, to the strong smells of spices. You couldn't focus on one thing and your eyes flicked from one side to the other.
As you gazed it all from close for the first time, Zoro hadn't let go of your hand, nor broke his gaze on your form. It lingered dangerously too long, almost suffocating when noticed, if it weren't for your mind blowing right now with imaginable adventures.
Unknowingly to you, you had moved further, the divinity beside you catching the eyes of the commoners. They all admired with sparkles or their eyes grew as big as saucers as they took steps back. Zoro was not surprised by the commotion he had created, nor the prying eyes that bored in the back of his head. Something else, however, did bother him. Greatly.
Some of those eyes were directed at you too, and this left Zoro being conflicted once again. He bit his tongue. In a way, a part of him was glad, euphoric even, that he could bring such emotions to your face. But this also left him tense, his fingers from his free hand twitching accidently. There were two reasons for his bitter mood.
One, the bird was perched atop your head, nestling and rubbing his head lovingly on yours. This obviously caught attention, especially due to the bluish feathers that glowed faintly. Secondly, the men staring at you had a dark, dangerous glint. It may have been impossible or hard to distinguish, but as a God, a look into their soul was enough to know what intentions they had in mind. A reason- or more of an excuse- to bring you closer to his side.
"Stick close to me, (Y-"
"Zoro, look ! It's a puppet show !" You had left his side a few seconds prior when noticing a group of children surrounding a small, wooden stand with a small stage on top. A man, middle aged, with a long brown-gray beard, mimicked the voices of the puppets. It raised from high pitched to low and scary.
You were sitting among the children with glistening stars reflecting in your stars, and your hands clapping at a fast speed when the small puppets would move in a silly way. You laughed along with the younger spectators when one of the marionettes hit the other on the head with a stick.
Zoro could only stand still and awkwardly in the middle of the streets, people watching curiously with raised eyebrows. His eyes stayed on your sat form and the melody laughter that left your lips.
He was in a trance, a trance he couldn't break. His mouth was agape and his fingers twitched at his side again. Yet he didn't move. Only stared at your enthusiastic expression and swaying body from side to side. That was until you felt his stare on you.
"Lord Zoro, would you like to watch this man's wonderful show ? His stories are one of a kind" You stood up with your hands clapped together behind your back and the biggest smile on your face.
As much as Zoro would like to share this moment with you, the eyes became more overcrowded. And without another word, he dragged you away from everyone else. You were confused by his behaviour, not to mention, his face was unreadable.
'He really is hard to figure out...'
Once you had reached a quieter place, more precisely, a dark empty alleyway, he extended one of his hands and you only looked at him curiously. Suddenly a long fabric appeared in his hand, and when he stretched it, it displayed a long cape.
"I believe covering ourselves would be a smarter move" He suddenly spoke with an indifferent tone. He then handed you the cape, or more like the other one that was hidden.
"Thank you, Zoro, but you didn't have to." You looked down at the black and smooth textile before looking back up at him. "But, if I may ask, why do you want me to hide as well-" Your breath hitch at the sight.
He wasn't wearing the mask anymore.
Instead, you had a view of his green short hair. It looked soft for its spiky form. One eye was half closed in shape and his pupil a pure black. The other eye, however, was completely shut by a long scar that ran in a vertical line. Just like the royals, he too, wore makeup. A black eyeshadow circled the top lid of his eyes, with tints of dark greens and mascara to compliment the look. His cheek bones were accentuated beautifully, making him look charismatic and older. But most importantly, he was devilishly handsome.
"Something wrong ?" He raised one of his eyebrows at you as he had finished placing the cape around his shoulders.
You blinked a few times before pulling your hood up to cover your face. You could feel your skin warming up and spreading through your cheeks.
'You idiot, absolute idiot. What despicable thoughts are you thinking right now ? Stop, stop, idiotic heads of mine' You were very tempted to just slap yourself uncontrollably, but were brought out of your thoughts when you saw Zoro's smirk close up.
The God had a good idea of why you were reacting like this. After all, it wasn't new to him nor does he have a child like innocence.
"Are you alright, (Y/N) ? Does my face mesmerize you that much ?" He tilted his head teasingly, your eyes catching onto his peculiar earrings that dangle from his ear.
"O-of course, after all, you are a God, it is only normal for you to be handsome. And your makeup would obviously be just as perfect as you are, Lord Zoro!" You shut your mouths when you knew you were speaking too much. "I am deeply sorry for making you uncomfortable by my words, but...I just couldn't bring myself to lie" You felt absolutely embarrassed, wanting to just rot in a whole 'I must have made myself sound like a huge flirt. So inopportune of me...'
Zoro only laughed, roaring so strongly his stomach aches. Never had he laughed so much, unless it was the times with his dear friend. Especially not a woman who just so happens to also be a mortal. His smirked had turned into a smile, his pearly white teeth displayed.
"Thank you for the compliment (Y/N), I was afraid your shocked face was speaking the opposite" He joked before pulling his hood up as well and bringing his hand up with his palm facing upwards. "Perhaps we should walk out of here before the decomposed smells makes us gagge"
Walking in front of him, you observed the quieter part of the city, the sellers yelling aloud their products. The blue bird that once settled on your head was now held close to your chest, mindlessly caressing your fingers through its feathers. You kept watching how the people around you talked with such familiarity.
It made your smile falter a bit. 'If only it was the same in the temple'
You were brought out of your thoughts by a jewelry stand and you bored your eyes and the different sparkling and vivid stones.
"Hello there. Anything catching your eyes, young lady ? Over here are some smaller minerals, in all colors and shapes ! I believe they would sit better on you and frame your face gorgeously !" The vendor blabbered on as he presented the different necklaces.
You were left to stare at all the crafted works. The seller believed you were contemplating on what to pick, but in reality you were wondering how to get out of this. You haven't brought money and seeing the prices, they weren't given.
As for Zoro, he watched you from the side, his cape hiding his upper face and leaving only his lips to the eyes. He directed his eyes to the merchant's.
"We will take this one" He pointed to a dark green gem, small and surrounded by bended golden strings to hold it to the necklace.
"Wonderful choice, Sir. Your wife will look stunning in it !"
You nearly choked on yourself at the mention of the word 'wife'. In contrast to your reaction, Zoro seemed unbothered by the mistake and pulled out instead a pouch of golden coins, clinging onto each other.
"That should be enough" He took the jewelers from the flabbergasted man and nudged from the back to continue walking. "Here. I believe it is yours now"
You looked up at him after being silent for so long. Looking back down at his hand, you hesitantly brought the necklace to your face, while the other arm was holding the bird to you. You rubbed your tub along the stone, admiring it shine when you direct it to a source of light.
"This is beautiful, but why offer me, a simple woman, such a gift" Was it guilt you felt ? Maybe. You always felt a need to have proven yourself to earn anything. Even birthday gifts never felt like something you deserved. "But...Zoro ? May I ask you something ?"
The God tilted his head down at you and observed you with his one eye.
"Aye"
"Why are you spending time with me ? Surely, a God like you has duties, even other matters that are much more important than my small existence. I feel so guilty to take up your sleep tonight and make you walk with me" You look down in shame.
A huge part of you has felt that since the morning in the garden. It is true, and you wouldn't deny it, that he made you feel better just by his sudden arrival. You had feared he would be such a hassle or rude and cruel.
But he shone in a light you had never seen before. He was calm, composed. Most importantly, he was gentle. He was quiet and didn't speak much, for sure, but he could crack a few laughs and joke there.
"Is that why you've been so awkward around me ?" He asked.
You stayed quiet. Instead, you looked down at the bird that slept peacefully in your hold.
"Lying would be a great sin towards you and I could never bare looking at myself in the mirror every morning if I ever did" You sigh and take a gentle breath in "That's why I will speak the truth. For as long as I know you, being only a day and a moon, I've noticed you would pay more attention to me. Was that encounter this morning a coincidence ? Maybe. Maybe not. But what I know is that I've never done anything deserving of such attention and a part of me is selfish enough to think I deserve it. So to answer your question, yes, I felt awkward around you because of the sudden notice by the likes of you. But maybe I am overreacting and it's that selfish part that I speak of who is pulling my words out so boldly"
The God stayed silent again and you kept on walking along the streets, with your new disguises. Suddenly, you felt a touch on your head and it began moving like a caress.
"To be honest, the minute my eyes fell on you, you piqued my interest, more than the others. The way your eyes looked down on your plate, spoke a thousand words. Words that describe pain, and a sense of...loneliness. Perhaps, this heart stone of mine cracked in a sense of worry. Ever since that, you had been stuck in my mind and I couldn't sleep. That's when I met you again that morning. Maybe it was a coincidence or not that I saw you again. But what I do know is that I felt free for the first time. As if I didn't have to hide behind a strong facade. And perhaps, I am sure you felt the same too"
You replayed his words in your mind, carefully picking on every detail you could. He was right. It was something you noticed about his mysterious personality. He had a sharp eye for things. You smiled gently at him and he swore his heart quickened a bit.
"Thank you, Zoro. You really are a wonderful God"
He coughed in his fist and immediately looked away, not wanting you to catch on onto the blush that crept on his cheeks.
"Yea, yea, happy it made you feel better"
"I was wondering as well..."
"Hm ?"
"Why did you ask me specifically to not call you by a title ? I remember you mentioning it was because of a bad memory but I felt there was more to it"
"..."
He was silent for a bit and you tried to find his gaze that wouldn't meet yours.
"Because just like you, I didn't feel deserving of it"
Yes. It was clear as day that the both of them shared a common life. The only difference would be they lived it in completely different worlds and different ways.
With a knowing smile, you kept your eyes on the path. You could see the temple again and dreaded entering it again.
But it has gotten late, and you must rest for tomorrow.
Zoro had walked you to your room, even if you told him it was supposed to be your job. He bid you goodnight and you did the same and closed the door.
The blue bird opened his eyes and jumped out of your hold and bounced towards your window. He cawed at you and took flight once again. You watched from your window as it disappeared from view.
You took the cape off and let it fall down to the ground with a faint thud. Pulling the sheets up, you snuggled in the embrace of your bed. Tonight you slept with a smile, for the second time since his arrival.
No tears were shed and the Moon who had witnessed their conversation, also felt a nagging sensation in her. It was similar to the Sand's. However, she could see the change of the God's behavior, as minuscule as it was.
Not to mention with the intertwined connection of the other God who owned the flying animal.
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Imma go sleep now. Too tired (sorry for the grammar mistakes in advance !)
Sorry if Zoro comes off as very ooc, his character is really hard to write when it comes to showing affection. I do feel like he would be really stiff when he does, so yea...hope you guys are enjoying it tho (I can never tell cuz no one really comments TvT)
I wonder who that other God is ??? And why he sending a bird to keep an eye on you ?? I do wonder...