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Zoro wasn't oblivious. He was dense, sure. Sometimes when a girl flirted with him, or sometimes a man on the rarest of occasions, he couldn't tell unless they really came onto him. He could tell an innuendo when he heard one, but he never anticipated someone to hit on him or actually like him. He just never expected it, and sometimes the crew made fun of him but he didn't think it was a bad thing. Meant he didn't care enough what the other person wanted.
(Y/n) wasn't dense. She was oblivious though and that was much worse because she couldn't tell at all when someone tried to flirt with her. She would just smile and tilt her head. It all sounded so weird how people spoke to her sometimes. Why did they compliment her so much anyways? But when it was explained, she could see it, she just couldn't paint the picture herself.
Zoro liked her. A lot. He wasn't oblivious to the way she twirled a strand of (h/c) hair around her finger or how she smiled a little different at him but he was too dense to know what it meant. They just had a different relationship than the rest of the crew, whatever that meant.
(Y/n) liked Zoro so much more than she ever thought she could but she didn't get why or what started it all. And he could never like her back. He didn't seem to do anything special for her. Not that she noticed anyways. Did he do things different for her?
"Of course he does! He's always giving you special attention. The other day, he let you have some of his sake! That's like the closest you'll get to a declaration of love from him."
The girls were all sitting out in the sun, though (Y/n) was hiding under the shade of the umbrella to fight off the heat. She had shorts and a cute top that Nami had leant her, matching the other two quite well and looking very beautiful, as Sanji had told her. He was always so nice!
She didn't notice that the swordsman had been stealing glances at her through out the day. Robin and Nami had, and were giving him looks while also trying to keep their friend from noticing, not that she ever would. She was as oblivious as Luffy sometimes!
"Well, let me ask this," Robin began, not looking up from her book but she hadn't flipped a page in minutes, but only Nami had noticed of course.
"Who comes to your aid any time we get into a fight."
"What? Luffy, Sanji, Franky, Brook-"
"Who always does it?" That got the girl thinking and she looked around, trying to see where the others were on the ship, if maybe they could help her out but all she saw was Zoro looking at her and then looking away really quick. Weird, usually he'd have something to say.
Then it clicked.
Sort of.
"Oh, Zoro helps me a lot in fights!" She said in an innocent tone that had Sanji falling to his knees with their drinks in his hands. The blood pouring out of his nose shocked the poor girl, like it did everytime, but Nami and Robin both shrugged it off and continued to question the girl.
"Who gets you when you fall into the sea?"
The (h/c) girl brought a hand to her chin, happily accepted the glass from Sanji. She was thinking hard about it when she heard a splash and a shout of Luffy's name before Zoro jumped over the edge to get their captain. Something she had been on the other side of many times. She sipped at the drink Sanji gave her while trying to put the pieces together.
"Zoro does." She said quietly, watching him put Luffy back on the ship and both of them coughed up water. She wanted to get up and help, but Chopper was already at their sides. She couldn't do much but get in his way. She was oblivious but she knew that.
"Who opens things for you or gets things that are much higher than you can reach?" Her immediate response would be Franky, since he was the one who did it for everyone on the crew but when she really thought about it, it wasn't Franky. Zoro would get her favorite cup off the shelf, or grab the box of tea, or grab the volley ball they played with. It was always Zoro.
"Zoro." She said even quieter, very slowly standing from her seat as Chopper deemed him okay but took Luffy away to the infirmary.
Zoro wasn't looking at her but that helped her out a lot more as she looked over just how perfect he looked. Even after being apart for two years, she still thought he looked incredibly handsome.
He felt eyes on him and looked up to see her looking at him. It was that weird expression she got sometimes when looking at him and he couldn't quite get it, but he didn't turn away from her. She turned away first.
"Robin, why is it always Zoro?" She asked, a blush on her face as she felt Zoro looking at her this time. She didn't want him to look away but she felt so weird being looked over like that. Now that she knew, it made her heart beat fast and her face felt so warm! Was she dying?!
She pouted and reached for Robin, who let her into her space and pet the girl's hair while she came to terms with all the information she was putting together.
"Maybe Zoro finds you special. He treats you unlike everyone else. What do you think that means?"
She didn't know, but she would definitely have a lot to think about.
Zoro walked to the kitchen later for his evening sake only to come to a stop at voices.
"I just- What if he doesn't like me and I'm thinking too hard Sanji? I don't want to humiliate myself like that."
Zoro was at a loss for what to say. Who could she be talking about and why did she sound like she had been crying? He looked through the window and saw her with a blanket around her shoulders and the love cook handing her a cup of hot tea.
"My dear, I have known him longer than you have. I have seen the way he looks at everyone. He doesn't look at anyone like he looks at you though. It annoys me greatly. I have picked fights with him over it numerous times, (Y/n)-chwan. If anyone would know, I would."
Zoro felt a little bit of anger rise up in himself and began running through interactions between her and other men. Who could've hurt her like this? Who could've ever made her feel this lost and scared? He would absolutely cut someone down if it meant she would smile again.
He didn't want to hear anymore so he stepped through the door and walked to get his favorite sake.
"Whoever it is, you shouldn't worry so much. Love cook might be stupid but he pays attention to a lot of things. He's probably right." He said casually and missed the way she froze up and stared down at her tea in shock.
He couldn't have heard the whole conversation could he? He wasn't being overly forward in a not-Zoro way, was he? She couldn't even think straight when Sanji placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to show her that no, Zoro did not realize it yet.
"Well, if the marimo himself agrees with me, maybe you should trust in us and finally tell him how you feel?" Sanji felt like crying out how unfair it was that his lovely (Y/n)-chwan had fallen in love with another man, but no one was better fit for her and he had seen this coming since she joined the crew.
"I... I guess..." She whimpered, holding her tea cup tightly in her hand, seeking comfort from the warmth. That Zoro noticed as he went to walk out. He placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair a little before walking back out. Even if he left feeling a little hollow, nothing a little extra sake couldn't fix.
Zoro sat in the crow's nest for his turn at nightwatch and stared out at the ocean without even thinking about training. He had so much going on that only meditation and deep soul searching could give him the peace he needed to work out and sleep effectively.
Who was the man? Why did she sound so sad? Did she not realize just how amazing she was? Everyone on the crew told her every day just how amazing she was! Sure, Zoro didn't, but he didn't do that for anyone. She wasn't some exception.
When he heard a small knock on the door to the crow's nest, he almost didn't hear it. But he did and it could only be one of two people, so he called out for them to come up. It was either (Y/n) or Brook to relieve him from night watch. Considering he had only been up there for ten minutes, he had a good idea of who it was.
She popped up into his view and placed her arms on the floor and whined that her shoe had gotten caught and Zoro let out a soft chuckle as he got up and helped her up, being as gentle as he could with her. She wasn't Luffy or Sanji. He couldn't just use his full strength.
Once she was safe on the ground, though they had let her shoes drop down to deck after tossing her other shoe down to get it loose. Now she stood barefoot in the crow's nest and Zoro couldn't quite figure out why she was here.
"Zoro, when you said what you said earlier, did you mean it?" She asked quietly, shuffling her feet so she could pay attention to that instead of Zoro calling her an idiot for believing him.
"Of course I did. When have I ever lied to you? You seemed so upset about it, I had to say something. I do think Sanji knows what he's talking about when it comes to things like that. He pays attention. If he thinks you've caught someone's eye, then listen to him."
There was silence for a moment and Zoro wasn't sure if he said something wrong or not because the next thing he knew, she was openly sobbing and falling into his arms to hug him tight.
She couldn't exactly knock him over, but the way she sought him out for safety and comfort, obviously having been looking for it before coming up to him. It made him feel weak and felt emotionally unprepared for this.
She had her face buried in his shirt and he could do nothing more than wrap his arms around her and pat her back while she cried. He hadn't seen her like this before and he wondered if maybe Sanji had seen her like this before. Obviously she went to him for things she couldn't come to Zoro for.
"Why do you care what I think so much? Or what that guy thinks? There's no one who compares to you, so I don't see why you'd ever need our-"
Then she kissed him.
Now, Zoro is dense. He knows people do things, he even watches it happen. He sees Chopper steal candy from the galley, he sees Franky tie Sanji's shoe laces together, he notices things all the time.
He just never knows why.
He really doesn't know why she kissed him.
She pulled back and looked up at him, that sad look on her face that he saw in the galley and he couldn't even think straight enough to find the answers he needed.
"Why did you-"
"Oh, for god's sake Zoro. I'm in love with you ." She grumbled, letting go of him and taking a step back.
"I get it if you want me to leave. I just had to tell you. I'll leave-"
Following the only instinct he could think of, he pulled her back into his chest and held her there. Why she thought he would tell her to leave, he couldn't understand but all the things she did seemed to click into place all at once. All the things she had done differently, all the words she said.
She held onto him tight and he felt her shake, though whether she was relieved or crying again was anyone's guess. He didn't even care, just held her until the shaking calmed down and the two just took comfort in each other.
Eventually she pulled back and rubbed at her eyes, crying it seemed had been the case. She smiled weakly at him and turned back to the door to the crow's nest.
"Thanks for not letting me leave like that. I would've cried for hours over you not liking me back."
He tilted his head in confusion before he realized.
He never said anything back.
What an idiot. Ero cook was going to kill him.
"Wait, (Y/n), before you leave. I just want you to know, I like you too, okay?"
Confusion swept across her face and she looked down at her hands, almost silently counting something and he leaned forward a bit to try and see what she was doing.
Turns out she was counting to ten so she didn't kill him. He learned that years down the line though.
"SAY THAT NEXT TIME, IDIOT!"
It was Usopp's favorite story to tell at their wedding.