tampered | Log, finished

Log, finished

When; January 21st
Rating; PG/-13
Characters; Nico Robin [

maten_rou]
Summary; They see each other the first time after that massive "He beat you up and I beat him up for that!"-stuff that's going around lately
Log;

This was the first time he went to the hospital by choice. Not that he had another choice while almost bleeding to death with that frickin' hole in his neck. He let the doctors patch him up that far to be at least out of life danger, for the rest he'll find some kind of healer. Getting back home was a bad idea. Staying outside was no option either. Well, there was still that second apartment he shared with Robin.

He spent the night with drinking a bit to numb the pain, uselessly sitting around, thinking about this and that and recovering a bit from his injuries after he washed all the blood off himself. That apartment wasn't fun without Robin at all. The last thing he remembered was the sight of the moon from the window, merely visible as a thin silver sickle, in the slowly approaching morning before he fell asleep on the couch.

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Now that she was out of the hospital and she had been tended to by Isane, the first thing Robin wanted to do was see Jyabura and tell him about what had happened. But she was pretty sure that Sanji already had told him in some way, so it was mostly just to see him. Her overly caring nakama didn't really help in making her stay at the Going Merry, either.

She first tried opening the door to see if it was locked or not, and much to her happiness, it wasn't. She silently stepped inside and smiled upon seeing him sleeping on the couch, but that smile faded when she noticed the bandages. So he had already fought Lucci. Idiot.

She approached the couch and leaned over him, closely inspecting the wounds. It didn't seem too bad, but the fact that he had already been in a fight made her angry. Hadn't she told him that she didn't want to get him into trouble? She grew a hand on his chest and started poking him in the cheek rather harshly, wanting him to wake up quickly.

It took him quite a while to wake up. He still had some fever and all the blood loss made him really tired, to say at least.

With inscrutable mumbling he got up to sit, rubbing his eyes and not getting the whole situation for another moment. Someone was obviously very weary. He had to recall what the hell even happened and that weren't some pretty memories. Sleepy he ran a hand through his black hair and just now noticed another's scent and that someone actually stood next to the couch. For the split of a second he thought it might have been that freaking cat, until he noticed it really was Robin.

"What?!" he said almost shocked and tried to get up, but a sudden sting of pain avoided that. Fuck. "What are you doing here?! I thought you were injured?!" he added and though Robin's expression wasn't very inviting, he was utterly happy to see her.

Robin snorted and smiled sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at him. "Yes, I was, but not as bad as you are right now," she said, crossing her arms and looking at him coldly.

"You really are stupid, aren't you? I told you not to fight him and yet here you are, covered in bandages and blood. Do you have any idea what could have happened?" she asked a lot quieter, not wanting to show how worried she would've been.

Well, he didn't really expect her to react any other way. All that bitching around was some weird way of showing affection or the like, though he would have prefered the oldschool way that included hugging or something.

"Yeah, well" he said a good bit intimidated, leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head, "you said that love makes people do stupid things, right?" He checked her for any kind of injury with his eyes, but couldn't find a single scratch. Clearly Isane's work. "And I know better what could have happened than you, kicking people's asses is my damn job. Doesn't stop me from ripping that fucking cat's throat at all, sorry."

"This so-called love of yours also means listening to each other, something you apparently aren't capable of," she said impatiently, tapping her foot on the floor and getting more annoyed with the second. Just why did he have to go and risk his life while she was in the hospital? She would've never forgiven herself if something horrible had happened to him.

She had a good point, he'd always do what he thinks is the right thing. And punching the cat was always the best option. Out of everything. Ever. If that meant that he had to bleed to death - fair price, really.

"Come on. Did you really think I'd hide at home, crying and whining and shaking my fist at that bastard from a distance after he attacked you?! That fucker should be glad he had the chance to get away." Grim he had to think of Naoto's interruption, that also saved both his and Lucci's life the same time. "Next time he's fucking due."

"No, that's not what I thought," she snapped, tired of the utter stupidity he was babbling. She just wanted him to realize how idiotic it had been to face Lucci, even though he had attacked her. She didn't care. She just wanted Jyabura to stay out of trouble, her trouble. "That's what I hoped."

Oh God dammit, why was she so angry?! He didn't really get it anymore.

"I dunno with what kind of people you usually hang around with. But if I say I'll kill everyone who dares to hurt you, I actually mean it. And if I can't do it, I'll fucking try it. And that's what I did, period. I'm not scared of that fucking cat at all" he said a bit angered. Because, damn it, he never was and never would be.

"I don't think you'd be happier if I didn't give a fuck at all and just let that motherfucker go through with that. That is my way of being worried, just like that weird shouting at me is yours."

"You may not be scared of him, but I am. And I'm scared of what he could to you when he sets his mind on it," she said, massaging her temple with her fingers, trying to keep herself from yelling at him. "Just... don't do something like that anymore without asking me."

She sighed and her arms fell to her sides, suddenly very tired of it all. The situation would become a lot easier if Lucci just left the City, but the deities apparently liked to be cruel.

"He couldn't do anything!" he said, loud but not loud enough to count as shouting. But damn close to it. "Someone had to save his pathetic useless life yesterday, otherwise I'd bitten him to pieces, just so you know" he added a bit quieter.

He said nothing for a while, a bit scared that he lost his temper that way. "You know, when I beat up that giraffe, you barely cared at all. And now you're scared like nothing. What kind of lies did this bastard tell you to frighten you that much?" Jyabura'd damn himself to hell if he wouldn't know that Lucci not only hurt her, but also kind of blackmailed her. It was part of his job, and well, they just happened to have the same job, what coincidence.

"If I'd tell you, you'd try to take him on again and that just happens to be exactly what I don't want to happen," she said with some satisfaction; if he was going to be childish, then she was going to be too. "I don't care who you try to beat up, as long as it isn't Rob Lucci. He's able to kill you, for God's sake, so are you really that surprised that I'm frightened?"

She turned around and paced to the window with an irritated huff, not being able to stand it anymore. Why did men always have to be so damn stubborn?

Jyabura'd always try to kill Lucci. Hell, he didn't even need a reason, if the mere fun of it didn't count. The lovely 'bond' he had with Lucci was very special.

"I know what he told you anyways. It's the oldest trick in the world. He'll make you paranoid and the only one who'll put you in hell is yourself. By the thought that he's constantly after you, while that bitch was reading the fucking newspaper in his goddamn kitchen" he told Robin grim and coldly. "Don't fall for that, Robin. And don't forget that I am able to kill him, too. If that fucker's going to die in that City, than by exclusively my hand." he added, staring at the ceiling.

"Cook-san would beat you to it," she said cruelly, knowing that any mentioning of Sanji towards him could piss him off really good. If that would make him realize the extent of her feelings, then so be it. If not, too bad. He'd have to live with the fact that there were more people she loved.

Silence. Silence of that very uncomfortable kind, not to say slightly dangerous.

Slowly he got up, ignoring the pain and looked thoughtfully into nowhere. Well, some things needed to be done, it seemed. He stood up and grabbed his jacket, heading towards the door out of the apartment. "Have fun with your cook then. Seems like he's as good as Lucci in whispering interesting things into your ears that make you turn your back on me."

Robin's eyes widened and she turned around, knowing that she had said something wrong, something horribly wrong, especially considering the way he was interpreting it. God, why did she have to be so daft at times like these?

"I-I didn't mean it like that..." she spoke quietly, almost begging. "Please don't leave..."

He avoided to look at her, instead he looked at the floor while he put on his jacket. He didn't even know what to say as his decision was made.

"No, look. It's better that way. I never intended to get between you and your pirates. At all." He started to button up his jacket, but for some reason his hands started shaking. Fuck, what?! "If you think he's the better man for you, I'm fine with that...", but his voice made it very obvious that it absolutely wasn't.

"I'll go to Dorian again. I'll sell all my positive feelings I have for you. Again." He had to pause for a while. "I'll be gone for a while again and you can sort things out. When I'm back, all your problems are solved. If my feelings for you grow back in our world like they did last time..." He gave up on buttoning up his jacket. "...than that's entirely my problem."

He wanted to tell her more things, but it felt like his voice vanished and he never felt any weaker in his entire life.

Robin stare grew even wider, but now, her expression was also filled with dread. This wasn't happening, it really wasn't...

"Wh-what do you mean with again?" she asked, confused and scared like never before, only having a vague idea of what he was going to do, of what he was planning to do. "So you want to leave? Just like that?" Her voice trembled while she said those words, it was just too much. Too much agony in such few days, but then, hadn't her whole life consisted of things like this? If she were the old Robin, she wouldn't have cared. But now, she was crumbling inside, almost dying at all the choices people were forcing her to make. And this one was by far the hardest.

She stood in the middle of the room, lost, broken, at a loss of words. Finally, she buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking while a restrained sob managed to escape her mouth.

For a few moments he just stood there and stared at her, knowing absolutely nothing anymore. If someone asked him for his name right now, he wouldn't have the slightest idea. He really thought that Robin wanted to be with that stupid cook and the time she spend with him was... well, he had no idea. He only knew it would crush him mentally if she'd chose the cook over him, and if he sold his feelings, they'd both have something useful from it.

But when she started crying, he felt that he maybe was wrong. And that hugging time was damn fucking due. He approached her carefully, as he was simply scared to his bones and just hugged her, no matter if she wanted it or not. Making her cry was the least thing he wanted.

"Didn't you know? If you want to leave the City, you have to pay a price. And back then, I thought you'd be happier without an assassin who's in love with you." he whispered, he couldn't talk any louder even if he wanted to. "But well, didn't really help much. Wouldn't help this time either." he added with weak voice. "But you could be happy with your fucki-, with your cook and yeah..."

He only hugged her a bit tighter and buried his nose into her silky hair, not knowing what else to do.

Robin didn't move when she felt that she was being hugged, she just didn't really have the strength anymore to do something. She just wanted to vanish and leave all the people she loved alone, for their sake. "You're such an idiot," she whimpered, barely able to talk, even, "I love Cook-san too, of course I do, but definitely not in that way. I really have no brains, saying something like that..."

Gosh, she felt utterly stupid for being so damn tactless around him; she should've known how he felt about Sanji, how he felt about her. It only made her cry even more; she was probably going to be covered in snot and tears like this if she'd keep it up.

"And now I'm making you all dirty too with my wailing..."

"That makes us both idiots then, I like that" he said with a sad smile and felt guilty for the first time in his life. "And don't worry about that, I like getting dirty" he said and wiped off her tears with his sleeve, more in an effective than in a gentle way. "Uh, and you can interprete that in any way you want" he added after he realized the amusing subtext of it.

Carefully he cupped his hands around her face and leaned his forehead against hers. He couldn't look into her eyes though, the tears simply broke his heart. "Robin, I don't want you a bad thing. I love you, God dammit, I want the complete opposite of making you cry." He sighed wearily. "But you make my aim of making you happy a damn hard job."

His words made the crying worse, but now, Robin was also smiling through her tears. She grabbed his jacket just to have something to hold on to, that he wouldn't leave, not again, not now.

She frowned and snickered nervously, feeling like a dumb schoolgirl in all of her actions. Maybe it really was better that he left, maybe it'd do both of them so much good. But she banned those thoughts out of her head and decided to be selfish, to be horribly selfish and knowing that her nakama would definitely not approve if she spoke those words -- words that meant that she did want to be with him. She couldn't care less at this moment.

"I'm so sorry..."

Carefully he took her by the hands. At least his stopped shaking, but he didn't feel a bit less nervous and uncomfortable. "No reason to apologize" he said and kissed Robin's cheek, not minding the tears because she just wouldn't stop crying.

As it would take her hours to do so, but he felt in need of it so badly, he laid her arms around his neck and embraced her again. "I can't help you if you don't let me. Don't reject me. Please." There was much more he wanted to say, but he had no idea of how to tell Robin what was going on inside of him.

He was weary, both of the fight and what just happened and put his chin on her shoulder. "Would you mind staying a few days with me here? It will do me good."

She wiped her tears away on her own now, smiling and burying her face in his neck, fearing that she'd start to cry again despite her relief. She didn't need too many words to know how he felt, and she was content with that, because it meant they were growing closer. And that was what she wanted, had wanted all the time, really, but her fear of being abandoned yet again kept her from it. The fact that he wasn't going to leave unless she wanted him to filled her with so much happiness, it was like a bubble was growing inside her chest which was about to burst.

Still, she couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling of her nakama being that bubble that was almost bursting, that she was bound to choose in the near future, something she dreaded with every fiber in her body.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes, that sounds nice..."

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Log, finished

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