Work Text:
"Hey, Zoro?" You asked, cracking an eye open to look at him. He tilted his head down, not bothering to stop playing with your hair. You both were on the old, worn-out couch, Zoro sitting down and you laying your head in his lap.
"Hm?"
"Can we get a dog?" He responded without missing a beat.
"No." This caused you to sit up.
"What? Why not?" Zoro's hand went to scratch his head as he answered you.
"I don't wanna deal with having to take care of a dog. It's just too much."
"What if I take care of it?" You pleaded, desperation seeping through. Zoro deadpanned.
"No." Pouting, you slowly laid back down in your previous position. As you closed your eyes, you muttered out a deflated "fine."
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*bzzt bzzt*
Zoro instinctively reached for his pocket to grab his phone. The screen was lit, a single notification telling him there was a text from you.
(Y/n) 💚: hey babe
Zoro: yeah?
(Y/n) 💚: I have a surprise for you when you get home (;
Zoro's lips curled into a smirk.
Zoro: oh really? what is it?
(Y/n) 💚: you'll see (;
"Roronoa!" A gruff voice called out, snapping him out of his stupor. "I need the latest case file, ASAP!"
"Yes, Smoker!" Zoro barked, shoving the phone back into his pocket. He returned to his work, but his brain was flooded with thoughts of you.
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"I'm home!" Zoro called out, tossing the keys onto the table next to the door. He heard you call out to him.
"In the bedroom!" Loosening his tie as he made his way over to your shared bedroom, his heart was pounding with excitement (though he didn't show it). As he opened the door, his brain nearly short circuited.
There you were, on the bed. Holding a small brown dog.
"Isn't he the cutest?! His name is Chopper~" you cooed, snuggling into the dog. Chopper licked at your face and you giggled.
"...What?"
"I know, right?! He's so adorable you can't even think straight!" Zoro finally snapped.
"Why the hell did you get a dog?!" You froze, an innocent, oblivious look on your face as you still held Chopper in the air.
"Because I wanted one...?"
"We already talked about this, I don't want a dog!"
"It's okay, I'll take care of him! You don't have to do anything. His owner died recently and no one could take care of him anymore..." Shoving Chopper into Zoro's face, you whined. "Look how cute he is! You can't say no!"
"No." Setting Chopper down on the bed, you looked to Zoro, pleading look on your face.
"Please?" Zoro felt his eye twitch in annoyance. You really were worse than Luffy sometimes. With a groan, he ran his fingers through his cropped hair.
"...Fine." You squealed and ran to Zoro, hugging him and covering his face in kisses. "But!" He said, pushing you away slightly. "We need to lay some ground rules. He's not allowed on the furniture, only uses the bathroom outside, and I am not in any way taking care of him."
"Deal!"
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"(Y/n)!" Zoro yelled, stomping into the living room. You paused your TV show and turned to your boyfriend.
"What's wrong?"
"That dog tore up my sock!" Fuming, Zoro pointed to Chopper, who was wagging his tail, oblivious of the consequences of his actions. A laugh escaped your lips as you went to scoop up the puppy in your arms.
"Aw, it's okay, Zoro, it's just a sock. Chopper didn't mean to hurt your feelings, did you, Chopper?" You cooed, scratching the back of said dog's ear. Chopper yipped in delight, and you laughed and continued your baby talk. Zoro, still holding up his ruined sock, stormed off in annoyance. He did not like that dog at all.
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Zoro couldn't focus. That damn dog was staring at him. Every time Zoro glanced up from his book, Chopper was looking straight at him as if expecting something. It made him uncomfortable. You were out of the house right now, meeting up with Nami and Robin for your weekly outing, so Zoro couldn't ask you to do something about the sorry looking dog. His gaze reluctantly flicked to the leash by the door, and he let out what felt like the biggest sigh of his life. Shutting his book, he strode to the door and picked up the leash. Chopper immediately scrambled up from his dog bed, nearly tripping over from running so fast. His tail wagged violently, painfully slapping against Zoro's legs whenever he spun around in joy. Zoro put the leash on the brown puppy, grumbling to himself for deciding to take the dog on a walk in the first place.
Once out the door, Zoro looked around, trying to figure out which way to go. He didn't have much time to think, since Chopper immediately started leading the way. Zoro just wanted the walk to be over as soon as possible, so he let Chopper lead him. He was impressed by how well-trained Chopper was. The dog never tugged on the leash or strayed far. Zoro made a mental note to compliment your training skills later. His mind continued to wander as Chopper led the way, and only snapped out of his stupor when he heard the small dog bark. Shaking his head a bit to regain his composure, he saw that Chopper was looking up at him. They were in front of a lawn.
A lawn that just so happened to have fresh dog poop on it.
"Alright, I'll pick it up," Zoro said, a little surprised at how Chopper had known that his messes needed to be cleaned up. Once he shoved a hand into his pocket, Zoro froze. He patted down his other pockets, fear creeping into his blood.
He had forgotten to bring plastic bags.
In a panic, he looked around the street for a solution. During his scan of the street, Zoro finally realized what house he was in front of. A devilish grin grew on his face, and he snickered to himself. Without a second glance at the house and the mess on the lawn, Zoro lightly tugged on the leash to get Chopper's attention.
"C'mon, Chopper, let's go home." Chopper began to lead the way home (which was a good thing, since Zoro had no idea where he was).
An hour or two after he came back home, Zoro felt his phone buzz. He glanced at the message from the group chat and smirked.
☠️ Straw Hats ☠️
Shit Cook: WHAT THE FUCK SOMEONE LEFT THEIR DOG CRAP ON MY LAWN
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The room was silent except for the soft whimpers coming from Chopper. You set down your phone to watch him for a bit. As his leg twitched and he whined, you mused aloud.
"I wonder what he's dreaming about." Zoro lowered his book to look at Chopper before answering.
"Maybe he's chasing some squirrels or something."
"Maybe." After a few seconds, Chopper barked in his sleep, waking himself up. You giggled as the puppy stretched and walked over to you as if nothing happened. Chopper tried to jump up on the couch in the space between you and Zoro, but you quickly (and gently) pushed him away.
"No, Chopper."
"It's okay, he can come up," Zoro said out of the blue. You quirked an eyebrow up at his statement. Chopper leapt up onto the couch, walking in circles for a bit before lying down. One of Zoro's hands automatically went to Chopper, stroking his soft fur while he continued to read.
"What happened to no dog on the furniture?" You teased. Zoro just blushed and turned the page.
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"I'm home!" You hollered out, kicking off your pumps and setting your bag on the table.
"In the kitchen!" Following the voice to the kitchen, you paused in the doorway, noticing something was off. Zoro was facing away from you, and seemed to be wearing a back brace of sorts.
"What's with the—" You began, cutting yourself off when Zoro finally turned to face you fully. He had a puppy carrier strapped to his chest with Chopper inside of it.
"What in the world are you wearing?" Zoro looked down at Chopper strapped to his chest and looked back to you.
"It helps him see better."