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It was mostly silent on the Sunny, rain pattering on the roofs and the deck, lulling Luffy into a light doze as he took watch. Luffy liked the early morning watch, where he could see the sunrise and enjoy it to the fullest (before knocking out once again for about another 3 hours)
The rain was light, yet the cloud cover was brutal. Luffy felt slightly jilted, with the lack of sun to watch. It was his only thing to look forward to on watch, other than possible islands or challenges to see.
"Luffy?"
A voice pulls Luffy from the view of the expanse of the Grand Line, and he turns toward the ladder entrance with a yawn and a stretch as he blinks the sleep out of his eyes. In his slightly drowsy state, it takes him a minute to register that the green haired person pulling himself into the crows nest is his own First Mate.
"Ah, Zoro." Luffy smiles when his vision isn't blurred and he can see Zoro clearly now, "Why is Zoro up this early? He's usually asleep right now."
"Can't sleep. S'why I'm up here." Zoro grunted, and Luffy noticed with a slight snicker that Zoro had brought his pillow along with him, hooked under one arm. Luffy easily read this as a sign that Zoro was going to stay up here with him until his watch was over, and adjusted himself on the bench so that he could still look out the window but have Zoro rest on him.
Zoro, most likely half asleep, trudged over to where Luffy was sitting and practically collapsed on the bench, pillowing his head in Luffy's lap. This was a regular thing for them, a position that Zoro fell into easily, liking the feel of Luffy's hands combing through his hair and trailing down his neck. It was easy to get him to sleep from that, and Luffy was happy to oblige with helping his swordsman get more rest.
Luffy hummed to himself as he played with Zoro's hair, feeling the swordsman's head get heavier with sleep as he relaxed under the touch. He liked this past time. Contrary to other beliefs and what his personality showed, Luffy loved the quiet and liked when he could get a moment's peace with Zoro. It was relaxing, to sit and just be there with Zoro. Luffy knew Zoro liked it too, as Zoro preferred quiet most of all, due to his love of sleep and his tendency to sit a bit aways from the group when there's a party or banquet of some sort.
Though, something was off about this situation. Sure, Luffy loved and appreciated Zoro's company and Zoro himself, and the whole idea of Zoro wanting to sleep by Luffy wasn't exactly new or exciting, but there was something putting Luffy on edge.
"...Zoro?" Luffy looked down at his first mate, who just grunted a response, showing that he was still awake...mostly. "Why did Zoro come up here to sleep? My watch is over in a little longer, and I know Zoro can sleep without me there."
Zoro tensed up, and Luffy narrowed his eyes. Ah ha. There it was. Something Zoro wasn't telling him.
"Is it something bad?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.
Zoro flipped onto his back, so he could stare up at Luffy. "...Maybe I just sleep better when you're by me. It is something I've gotten used to, you know."
Luffy shook his head. "It's more than that this time. Zoro's hiding something!"
Zoro silently cursed that strange mental connection that they had, that allowed them to know almost every emotion the other one felt and allowed them to communicate without words or signals. It was a blessing and a curse.
When Zoro didn't answer Luffy and just frowned more, Luffy started to run his hands through Zoro's hair again, sighing. "Is it something Zoro can't say?"
That was a line Zoro had heard many times when he was stubborn and refused to talk about his feelings or anything. Like when he was in pain, or upset, or the topic of Thriller Bark comes up. Luffy would always look at him with those upset eyes that screamed he was used to this, yes, but that doesn't mean he liked it. Zoro would always feel like he could crack under those eyes, and set his mouth into a thin line each time to stop himself from letting out his emotions and what was bothering him at that moment. He wasn't a fan of doing that. Luffy would oblige to his wishes, usually with a "Zoro can just tell me later, right?" and a smile, leaning up and kissing Zoro's cheek every single time before moving on with life.
"I just..." Zoro started, gritting his teeth and cringing at the sound of his own voice. "...just needed to be by you again."
"But why?" Luffy pressed, ever the nosy one.
Zoro knew he was losing this battle, and fast. He was going to be pressed into telling Luffy about his reasoning behind being up here anyway, so why not just clear his mind now and get out what he was freaking out about. (Easier said than done, however.)
"Luffy, You..." Zoro started, hesitating for no reason, not even one that he could come up with, "You love me, right?" (Zoro couldn't help but stumble with his sentence when he said love, that whole concept was still new and embarrassing for him, something that he wasn't sure he wasn't ever going to feel until the boy with the straw hat smiled at him on the other side of that small, too small, boat and explained his dreams and the beauties of having a musician on their future crew, while Zoro desperately tried to fight that strange, unfamiliar warm feeling in his chest)
Luffy tilted his head, confused at this question. "Of course I love Zoro. I love Zoro more than anything!" Luffy said that second line with enthusiam, louder than it needed to be. "I tell Zoro almost every day that I love him. Why would he think that I don't love him?"
And Luffy had a point there. Luffy made sure that Zoro was extra-positive about his feelings for him, integrating those three words into their every day life. He would mumble the words before bed, half asleep and being carried by Zoro into their bunk, and Zoro would snort and say that, yeah, he loves Luffy too. Luffy would shout it when Zoro would stay back on the ship at new islands, as Luffy took off without him, yelling that he loved him and he would see him later. That action usually got an embarrassed Zoro waving halfheartedly as some of the crew snickered and one just shook her head and smiled. Luffy absolutely adored saying the words when they kissed, pressing their foreheads together and sighing in pure bliss when they separated, tightening his hold on the swordsman and saying those three words, to which Zoro would smile and just kiss him all over again. It had become so natural by then and so appreciated that Zoro would lie awake on Kuraigana, missing the warmth at his side and the mumbles before sleeping, while Luffy (too far away to count miles on an island with too many seasons) stared at stars, holding his arms around himself and thinking about what he was missing and what he wanted to hold, until Rayleigh told him for the ninth time to rest, for training wasn't going to stop tomorrow and that rest would prove quite useful.
Zoro sat up now, taking Luffy by surprise as the first mate faced the Captain, sitting cross legged on the bench, green pillow still in his arms, scowl still on his face.
"Zoro...?" Luffy turned toward him, scooting closer. Zoro stared bitterly at the bench, grip on his pillow tightening, making Luffy wonder if it'll pop and make the feathers go everywhere (Which would be a hilarious sight, Zoro attacked by feathers!), but quickly made sure to readjust his focus on Zoro.
"I had a nightmare." Zoro said bluntly, but quietly.
"A nightmare?" Luffy repeated. He knew everyone on the crew had those from time to time, as he usually was one of the first ones to wake up and hear whatever crew member was having night terrors, immediately pushing himself off Zoro (which would usually wake the swordsman) and making his way over to whoever it was that day, waking them up to pull them out of the dream. Luffy had some hellish sixth sense with this, as he would even know when the girls were having the bad dreams, and they were all the way in their own room.
"Well...not like a nightmare but more like doubts, I guess." Zoro shrugged a shoulder. "Just...In this dream I had there was a lot of yelling and punching and you said you had hated me and such." Zoro rubbed the back of his neck while Luffy watched carefully, knowing that there was probably more to this. "Everyone hated me." Zoro continued, "Nami, Usopp, Chopper...Everyone. Especially you."
Luffy nodded slowly, telling him to go on, knowing there was more.
"Everyone left. That's all there is to it. I was alone. And I guess..." Zoro paused for a second, running a hand through his hair. "I guess some part of me kind of flipped a bit when I woke up and didn't see you there. Probably, or something. I don't know."
Luffy smiled, laughing suddenly, hiding his mouth behind his hand and being reduced to fits of giggles, while Zoro glared, smacking him with his pillow.
"Dont laugh, you asshole!" Zoro growled, trying to ignore the heat on his cheeks and the small giggles Luffy was still doing.
"Sorry, Sorry, Zoro!" Luffy wiped tears from his eyes, still smiling. "I'm just happy! Zoro must really love me if he freaked out about a dream me saying that stuff, huh?"
Zoro blushed harder, avoiding eye contact. "I thought that was obvious already." He muttered, and Luffy just grabbed his shirt and used it to pull him forward, hugging his first mate tightly.
"Zoro's so weird. I'd never ever say things like that to Zoro! I couldn't ever hate Zoro, either."
"Really?"
"Really really." Luffy nodded against Zoro's shoulder, as Zoro wrapped his arms around the smaller captain, sighing in what sounded like relief. Luffy nuzzled into his neck affectionately, making a happy content noise as he tried to curl closer, wondering if they could stay like this on his whole watch shift. Zoro pulled back slightly, which made Luffy pull back too, pouting. What the hell, he wanted his Zoro cuddles and he wanted them now!! Luffy didn't have time to voice a complaint, however, and Zoro cupped Luffy's cheek in his hand and ran his finger across the scar below his eye. Luffy leaned into the touch automatically, staring at Zoro, conveying his confusion with his expression.
"What did I do?" Zoro wondered out loud, "What did I do to deserve you?"
Luffy gave him a small smile, reaching up and covering the hand on his cheek with his own. "You were Zoro."
That seemed to be the line to break the swordsman, as he leaned down and kissed the Captain slowly and lazily, the remnants of sleep tugging back at him again. Luffy kissed back with eager happiness, just as the clouds in the sky parted slightly and the sunrise was visible, another day rearing its head to the two in the crows nest and to the others asleep.
Before Zoro goes to sleep again, leaving the crows nest with Luffy in tow and Sanji nodding at them both as he left the boy's dorms to get to the kitchen, he lays in his bunk with Luffy playing with his earrings and singing something quietly, making a cocoon around the Captain.
When the song's over and Zoro's almost dead asleep, he hears those three words mumbled into his ear once more with a kiss to his chin following them.
"Love you, Zoro."