Are you–[fucking serious. Zoro spins around, arms out, the bottle still in one hand.] –Yeah! Yeah! You're supposed to believe it now and you were supposed to believe it back then!
[because it's not like anything's changed on his side. he's just had to shift his affection from that hazy zone of romance to purely platonic. it was hard–it hurt a frustrating amount he'll never admit to–but he managed it because he had to. because that was the answer baren had given him.
or that's the answer zoro had thought baren had given him.]
And you call me the idiot. [did this mean his rejection hadn't been truly sincere? does this mean there had been a chance. a maybe, a what-if? never once had he wanted that. never once did he want to stay up late thinking about what he could have done to make it work out. especially not now, when it truly could never be.
but now? that was pretty much all he'd think about for the rest of the night.
zoro downs the rest of the whiskey and throws the bottle on the deck. it shatters but he doesn't care. he'll clean it up later. when they were back on shore. when baren was gone. he starts the boat back up again.]
There's a furrowing of his brow because - even after throwing the option out there, even after asking for direct confirmation that Zoro was in love with him - he never expected the answer to be yes.
In what universe does that make sense?
Zoro is kind. He's dumb, loud, boorish, and runs into both danger and delicate situations the exact same way: without thinking. But he's kind. He's kind, loyal, dedicated, and does everything Baren asks for and more. Baren has known that. The search for the strawhats has been the attempt, the meager, tiny, step by step attempt at repaying Zoro for everything he does for Baren. Has done for him in the small span of three years.
And Baren's existence is still a mistake.]
Z.
[He's not sure what he's gonna say but he feels like he needs to say something.]
Ryouta - hey, shut up and look at me. I'm taking you seriously.
[That's it. That's all Baren's getting for the whole trip home. They come up to the docks in silence. Zoro turns off the boat. If Baren's not the first one off, he is.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[because it's not like anything's changed on his side. he's just had to shift his affection from that hazy zone of romance to purely platonic. it was hard–it hurt a frustrating amount he'll never admit to–but he managed it because he had to. because that was the answer baren had given him.
or that's the answer zoro had thought baren had given him.]
And you call me the idiot. [did this mean his rejection hadn't been truly sincere? does this mean there had been a chance. a maybe, a what-if? never once had he wanted that. never once did he want to stay up late thinking about what he could have done to make it work out. especially not now, when it truly could never be.
but now? that was pretty much all he'd think about for the rest of the night.
zoro downs the rest of the whiskey and throws the bottle on the deck. it shatters but he doesn't care. he'll clean it up later. when they were back on shore. when baren was gone. he starts the boat back up again.]
Screw this. We're heading back.
no subject
There's a furrowing of his brow because - even after throwing the option out there, even after asking for direct confirmation that Zoro was in love with him - he never expected the answer to be yes.
In what universe does that make sense?
Zoro is kind. He's dumb, loud, boorish, and runs into both danger and delicate situations the exact same way: without thinking. But he's kind. He's kind, loyal, dedicated, and does everything Baren asks for and more. Baren has known that. The search for the strawhats has been the attempt, the meager, tiny, step by step attempt at repaying Zoro for everything he does for Baren. Has done for him in the small span of three years.
And Baren's existence is still a mistake.]
Z.
[He's not sure what he's gonna say but he feels like he needs to say something.]
Ryouta - hey, shut up and look at me. I'm taking you seriously.
no subject
[That's it. That's all Baren's getting for the whole trip home. They come up to the docks in silence. Zoro turns off the boat. If Baren's not the first one off, he is.]
Let me know if you hear anything about them.
[and. that's it. he's ~*gone into the night*~]