Title: Midnight Cat
Theme: #23 - Cat
Pairings: Zoro/Robin
Setting: AU. That University phase of life.

Thank you for the reads and reviews (: This is based on some camp I joined a while ago – blame those nostalgic pictures. Writing stories in AU is fun. Especially making Zoro and Robin two classmates whom everyone in the college seems to 'ship'. I personally think it's cute. Might be a three-shot if I'm not lazy (:

It has always been those two. Zoro and Robin. Robin and Zoro. Despite the two introverts being classmates who awkwardly talk to each other only in between classes, everyone said Nico Robin and Roronoa Zoro would make a great pair. One spends her time being a bookworm, rather studious and hides romance novels inside her reference books, the other spends his time secretly in the gym, iPod earphones plugged into his ear purposely to avoid unnecessary interruptions of those typical university boys who wants a little of his popularity smeared on their faces. Every boy in campus wants to carry Robin's books to the next class, and every girl in campus secretly takes Zoro's pictures from behind walls and lockers with their smartphones.

"Zorobin, have you seen my cat?"

"What kind of name is Zorobin?" Zoro raised his grouchy face upwards. The long haired ginger dressed in her singlet and skinny jeans – everything pastel, everything including her worn out sneakers – bent downwards in between Zoro and Robin, who both sat on the cold hard ground, facing the lake. It is three thirty in the morning; Robin managed to stay awake through the cold night, while Zoro had his eyes closed a couple of time in silence, always had woken up at the sound of a bunch of young freshmans groaning and moaning in their dirty pyjamas and sweatpants, screaming, "okay, what to do now?"

"Zorobin," Nami emphasised again. "Zoro and Robin. It's your couple's name, don't you know?" Of course he knew. Robin and Zoro are, to the rest of the campus, as if two famous TV characters on a Saturday night sitcom-drama that everyone seems to ship so badly.

Robin laughed politely, while Zoro choked. "You and your stupid ideas, Nami." He avoided Robin's gaze. "And anyway since when do you have a cat?"

"I dyed pinwheel henna to its white fur," she replied. "I'm supposed be on patrol anyway, I'll see you guys at the hall later, okay?"

"Stay safe, Nami," Robin said, as they watched Nami left. It was still three in the morning, Robin and Zoro are both extremely tired. The lake was extremely calming, being assigned to take care of the lake checkpoint for a surprise explorace game in the middle of the night together isn't helping either. Robin and Zoro, Zoro and Robin. Lake Checkpoint. Why? Because it's always Robin and Zoro, Zoro and Robin. They don't talk much, but when they do, it's like watching an Academy Award winning movie from the seventies.

"Crazy Nami," Zoro said to himself, sighing. He crossed his legs on the ground.

"I think it's a funny idea." Robin said, after being in silence for quite a while.

"What idea?"

"Zorobin."

"I don't really care what people think."

"That's a little sad," Robin said, teasingly. From the corner of her eyes she stole a glance at him, wondering how he would react. To her disappointment, the muscular young man had his eyes closed, yawning, as if Robin had just said a very boring commentary about local football games. She couldn't blame him, either. Zoro and Robin had been classmates for two years, and they had silent library conversation during study weeks and coffee on weekend mornings, regularly. They were no more than two strangers with a strange bond – the one where you seemed to be comfortable with, yet you don't really hang out like best friends, but only as good acquaintances. Though so, Robin knew Zoro well enough, or at least, she could interpret his expressions, and to be honest, Zoro isn't that good in expressing what he thought, anyway.

Zoro stretched his hands, and got up on his feet.

"Where are you going?"

"Refreshing myself. I'm sleepy."

"Looks good." Robin followed Zoro closer to the lake, both taking off their shoes, sitting side-by-side on the solid bank of the lake. Their legs dipped into the cold lake water up to below their knees. Despite only being illuminated by dim light bulbs on old wooden poles, the surface of the lake is as clear as the mirror, their reflections are beautiful.

Zoro and Robin, Robin and Zoro. That's what everyone said.

"Did you feel them, Zoro?"

"Feel what?"

"The fishes. They're tickling my feet." She said, letting out a little giggle.

"Lucky I'm not as ticklish as you."

"I hope they're not one of those snakes that roams in the water."

"You and your morbid thoughts," Zoro said, elbowing her.

Robin giggled again. "Funny, I don't think those tickling my feet are fishes!"

"You're so slow," Zoro sneered jokefully. "Those are my feet." He wiggled his toes around Robin's feet, making her giggle louder out of being ticklish.

"Stop," Robin said, pushing his shoulders annoyingly. This Roronoa Zoro, an emotionless brick on the eyes of strangers, but somewhat fruit cocktail when no one else is looking – sweet, sour and soft. Nico Robin is glad to be that person who had stepped on that other side.

"You're ticklish and you're slow."

"I'm ticklish, and I'm slow," she admitted, and he jumped into the lake, making her shriek a little.

"Can you swim?"

She shook her head. "I'm like a hammer. I'll sink immediately."

"I'll teach you."

"No."

"Fine."

"It's funny, the Zorobin idea."

Zoro dived, and reappeared again on the surface. He purposely rose a little higher, just in case Robin would be impressed by the curve of his chest sticking on the wet fabric of his white t-shirt. He would normally care less, but at the mention of 'Zorobin', he thought Robin might have some idiotic thoughts in her head, regarding that sort of things. Zorobin things. "You could just ignore it, if you want to. It's Nami. She dyed her pinwheel tattoo on the fur of a cat."

Robin smiled.

Zoro swam to reach her knees, keeping it steady. "What?"

"You never said you didn't like that idea."

He gripped onto Robin's knees, keeping himself steady in the water. "I don't really care what people think," he repeated.

"Do you feel it?"

"Tickling fishes?"

She wanted to joke, by saying the 'spark', those feelings you have when you looked into the eye of someone you think about every night before going to bed. Those feelings that songwriters write about, saying your heart 'skipped a beat', without knowing it literally missed a beat. But she didn't want to seem like she was really serious about the whole idea of Zorobin, Zoro and Robin. She wasn't that eager do so, anyway. Her friendship with Zoro, currently, was one of a kind. Like two ignorant people who reunites once in a month to exchange wild thoughts and bizarre hopes of their own future instead of personal stories. "The tickling fishes," she finally said.

But Robin wasn't a good actor either. "You seemed disappointed."

"I'm just annoyed with the fishes."

"Come into the water."

"I told you, I can't swim. Unless you know mouth-to-mouth."

"I do know mouth-to-mouth. Come into the water, Robin."

Robin's fingers caught the firm soil of the bank strong, gripping on them just in case Zoro would do something crazy such as pulling her leg into the water. Zoro removed his hands from her knees, and pushed his palm to the bank on her sides. He rose higher, relying on his strong firm arms, and held himself closer to the raven-haired sweetheart whom he would meet for coffee on weekend mornings. He pushed his lips towards her.

She felt drips of lake water fell from his soaked hair to her pale skin. Cold, she thought. But his lips was a giant distraction. Warm. Soft. Manly. And after a while, she felt those lips left hers. Her heart dropped, fast, deep, it felt like her heart plunged into the bottomless pit of her insides.

"I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to." Zoro pushed himself away, and climbed up to the ground from beside Robin. He avoided her gaze, again, but all she saw was Zoro's confused face. He threw himself on the ground, even though he knew he would get dirty from the wet soil beneath him. Zoro held his arm on his face, shutting his eyes, as if avoiding any form of further interaction between him and Robin.

"It's okay," Robin replied with a calm yet shaky voice, and stared blank into the air. The boy kissed her. The boy kissed her. She repeated in her head. Speechless, to be exact. Clueless of what to do next.

"Law! We arrived first!" Loud Bonney was heard, and Robin turned. Two groups of young adults – their juniors – appeared in their wrinkly pyjamas, ready for the next act. Robin got up on her feet, and walked towards them.

"Team Law and team Bonney?"

They all nodded, and shortly, Zoro got up too, standing beside Robin. "Welcome to checkpoint number seven. We're Zoro and Robin, your seniors."

Zoro and Robin, Robin and Zoro. That's what everyone said.