Archive of Our Own

"Yes, Franky?"

"I, uh, had a question for you." Intrigued, she set aside her book and delicately placed her chin in the palm of her hand. Her face remained as still as stone while she waited for him to continue. Behind his dark sunglasses, Franky's eyes nervously flitted to the side as he ran a large hand through his pompadour. "...in private." Robin couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow up. Just what could he want?

"Of course," was all that she said, standing up and waiting for him to lead her to the privacy he requested. He stole her away into his workshop, quickly shoving some projects aside, making just enough room for her to comfortably sit at his desk.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Franky and Robin talking, then leaving the deck together.

"Wonder what that's about," you thought. Before you could think too hard about it, Luffy jumped onto your back, begging for you to join his team on the water gun fight. "Alright, alright! Get off me!" You laughed, catching a filled water gun Usopp tossed your way.

-

"So," Robin began, leaning forward in her seat. "What do you want to ask?"

"Do you know how to dance?" Robin was a little surprised at his inquiry. Franky was already brimming with confidence about his dance skills—why would he need her for something like this?

"What kind of dancing are you referring to?"

"Uh...the one where the guy holds the girl...and they kinda...move side to side?" Franky once again had a look of embarrassment as he elaborated. Robin's lips curled up into a smile.

"Yes, I believe I know what you're talking about." Abruptly jumping up, Franky burst with excitement, his chair knocking over in the process.

"Really?! That's SUPER! Can you teach me?"

"Of course." Robin stepped out of the way so Franky could clear out more space for a makeshift dancefloor, the harsh scraping of tables and boxes across the floor catching your attention above deck.

"Just what is Franky up to?" You wondered, glancing in the direction of his workshop. Right as you were about to call it quits on your water gun fight to investigate, you got blasted in the face. Water now soaked the front half of your hair and chest, the cold droplets slowly trickling down your neck to meet the collar of your dripping shirt. Slowly and menacingly, you turned your head in the direction it came from. Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy were pointing at each other (Usopp more frantically than the other two) and you aimed your gun.

"YOU GUYS ARE SO DEAD!"

-

Franky tweaked his music player a bit until a soft melody began to play. As the song drifted through the air, Robin approached the much taller cyborg. There was a pause, Franky expectantly waiting for her to begin the instruction.

"If you want a lady to dance with you, you must ask her first," she said with a light giggle.

"Oh! Right!" Franky exclaimed, clearing his throat afterward. "Robin, will you dance with me?"

"Of course," she smiled before getting straight to business. "Now, the man places his hand on the woman's waist..." Robin said, taking one of Franky's hands and gently resting it on her side. "...like so." Franky nodded. "The woman places her hand on the man's chest," Robin continued, leaning her hand on the front of Franky's shirt. "and the other two hands hold each other." Franky soon found his fingers laced with Robin's, arm slightly bent as they got in position.

"Now what?" Franky asked, looking down at the archaeologist.

"Now...we move side to side." To the slow rhythm of the music, Robin began to lead Franky into dancing with her. There they stood, under the lights of his workshop, swaying back and forth while the music played.

After a minute or so had passed, Robin asked the question that was nagging her from the back of her mind.

"What made you want to learn to dance, anyway?" Franky stiffened, his previously smooth moves becoming off beat and clunky.

"I—uh..."

"If you don't want to say, it's alright, I was just curious."

"No, I gotta tell someone, it's been killing me to keep it a secret!" Franky exclaimed. "...It's just a little embarrassing."

"Well, you can whisper it then," Robin teased.

"S-Sure."

-

After finally extracting revenge on your crewmates, you tossed your water gun aside.

"I'm gonna go change, you boys have fun!" With a wave, you headed for the girl's cabin. After putting on a new outfit, you patted your hair down with a towel and headed to the aquarium where Sanji informed you a snack was waiting. Opening the door to the service elevator, you squealed at the dessert Sanji had sent down and began to dig in. Just as you were about to finish it, a hint of a song passed by your ear, and you stopped in your tracks.

"Music? Who's playing music from below deck?" Deciding to abandon the food and follow the sound, it led you down the stairs and straight to Franky's workshop. The door was cracked open, and a wave of uneasiness hit you. You chewed on the inside of your cheek as you mulled over your options. It wasn't very nice to pry into other people's business...

Alas, you couldn't help yourself. Quietly padding to the door frame, you peeked through the opening, heart dropping at the sight.

There in the middle of the room, Franky was holding Robin flush against him, his head slightly tilted down as he whispered in her ear. The two moved in unison to the beat, rocking gently side to side. After Franky pulled away, Robin giggled at whatever he had said, bringing a rosy tint to his cheeks.

Feeling like you'd seen enough, you spun on your heel and slowly made your way back to the girl's cabin. You couldn't say that this was unexpected—Franky and Robin always had a unique chemistry. Them becoming a couple just seemed like a natural progression of their relationship. As you laid down on your bed and stared at the ceiling, you decided to squash your feelings out of existence. You just wanted Franky to be happy. If he was happy with Robin, who were you to get in the way of that?

———————————————————

A few days had passed, and you had tried your best to distance yourself from Franky. You'd stopped visiting in his workshop, opting to spend more time on the deck. During meals, you sat away from him, assuming that Robin would sit next to him. She never did, which you found odd. Wouldn't they want to sit together if they were dating?

You sighed. The sun was shining brightly, making the sea sparkle with every rise and fall of the waves. Despite the beautiful view, all you wanted to do was go back inside. Behind you, you began to hear a familiar sound—Franky coming up the stairs—giving you all the more reason to go back to your room. Quickly snatching the book you were reading, you speed-walked to the girl's cabin, closing the door behind you right when Franky poked his head out of the stairway.

"Hey, where's (Y/n)?" He asked, pushing up his sunglasses. Robin, who was sitting right next to you before you wordlessly left, spoke without looking up.

"She went to the girl's cabin, though I don't know why." Franky scratched his head in thought before making his way to your room, music player in hand.

"Hm. Alright, thanks, Robin!"

You jerked away from the window as soon as you saw Franky coming your way. Pacing the room, you began to think. The way that Robin acted didn't seem very...affectionate. Franky as well. When you pictured Franky as a boyfriend (n-not that you've been thinking about Franky being a boyfriend in the first place), you imagined him to retain his eccentric energy. Maybe Franky and Robin have a different dynamic than you've been imagining? And why did he have a music—

Before your thoughts wandered any further, you were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hey, it's Franky, can I come in?"

"S-Sure, go ahead," you said, a little startled by the knock. Franky opened the door, closing it softly behind him. He set down his music player on the desk near the door.

"What's that for?" You asked. He didn't respond—he just fumbled around with the settings of the machine. When he had finally got it playing a soft melody, he stood up, hand stretched out to you.

"(Y/n), will you dance with me?"

Your heart stopped. Was this real? Shouldn't he be dancing with Robin? Despite your heart and mind racing a mile a minute, you slowly reached out your hand to meet his. Just as your hand ghosted over his however, you jerked your hand back, causing Franky to look at you in confusion.

"We...We shouldn't." You said, turning away from him. Franky's eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's not right."

"(Y/n), look at me." Franky said, a new tenderness in his voice. You stood still. "Please." Inch by inch, you turned to face him once more.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked. "You've been avoiding me for the past few days and I can't help but feel like I'm the reason why...I've been really worried about you." The concerned look on his face broke your heart.

"No, Franky, you're fine, it's nothing really..." you tried to brush it off, failing miserably.

"It's obviously not nothing, please just tell me what's wrong..." You stayed quiet. Franky stood before you, hand still outreached. It fell to his side once he realized you wouldn't take it. He stared at you a bit, watching you study the wall just to avoid his gaze. Franky sighed. He just wanted to make sure you were okay. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's alright. Just know that I'll be here for you, okay?" Carefully, you turned your gaze back to Franky and saw the sad, defeated look in his eyes and it shattered your heart to pieces. You couldn't go on hiding it from him any longer.

"Wait, Franky, I—" you said, grabbing hold of his arm as he began to turn away. He looked down at you with expectancy. "I—Well—What's wrong is that..." You trailed off, your words getting caught in your throat. You took your hand off his arm and began to fidget with the hem of your shirt. "I like you. As more than a friend." The words were no louder than a whisper, and you winced slightly as you waited for his response.

"Well that's SUPER!" Franky said with a grin, catching you by surprise. "Because I like you too."

"What?" Were you hearing things? "But what about Robin?"

"What about Robin?" Franky repeated, looking just as confused as you are.

"Aren't you two dating?" Cue an even more confused look on his face.

"No? What made you think that?"

"I saw you with her in your workshop the other day! You guys were dancing very...intimately." The last word had a hesitant air about it.

"(Y/n), you got it all wrong, I promise!" Franky said. "It's just that—Well, I know how much you like to dance, so I asked her to teach me." With a tint on his cheeks, he added, "So I could finally tell you how I feel."

"Really? You learned how to dance—for me?" Franky nodded bashfully. "No one's ever done anything like that for me," you blushed. "Thank you." Quickly, you added, "I'm sorry I avoided you, I thought it was the best way to deal with my feelings..."

"It's alright, what matters now is that we're all feeling SUPER!" Franky said, smile back on his face. "So, now that everything's cleared up..." Franky cleared his throat and held out his hand once more. "(Y/n), will you dance with me?" A grin erupted on your face as you took his hand wholeheartedly.

"It would be my pleasure."