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Despite the captain's destructive nature, he often moved like a cat. His limbs would carefully wrap around Zoro, curling up behind him, resting his head on the green haired boy's shoulder, body snaking around him as curiosity hummed in his eyes. The first time the captain completely violated Zoro's unspoken rule of zero human contact, he felt the hairs on his arm dance, his skin shiver with the contact as he tried and failed to jump away from Luffy.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
Zoro was leaning over the rail of the Going Merry, basking in the warm breeze of sunset tickling his face when rubber boy decided to attach himself to his backside, limbs twisting around limbs, latching on like an octopus.
“I was bored, wanted to say hi.” The boy simply shrugged, his face only an inch or so away from Zoros. His gaze was seemingly empty, but the swordsman knew better than to think that. The captain saw no absurdity in his actions, deciding to twist his body around Zoros in what seemed to be an act to morph their skin into one, like it was a rather obvious move to make.
“Well, you didn’t have to latch onto me like this.” Zoro muttered, turning his head back towards the sea, the reality that he could feel each exhale leaving luffy's mouth left a knot forming in his stomach, hands half heartedly pushing the other away. For whatever reason, he didn’t have it in him to use any serious amount of force to remove Luffy from his personal space.
“Aww, but that’s no fun! besides, you’re like a giant heater, you always complain about running warm and now it's like I'm wrapped around some warm rock or something.” He giggled, his face snuggling closer into Zoro's shoulder.
“I feel like a lizard laying on some giant rock all cozy and stuff.” He laughed again, his voice muffled in Zoro's shoulder, the laughter sending a thrum throughout his skin. Zoro turned his gaze back to look at him and as the other snuggled closer, giggles reverberating throughout, every thought of pushing him away felt futile. Zoro looked out at the horizon once more, the mess of stretched out limbs encapsulating his torso quickly becoming comfortable, and even welcomed (but he’d rather not think about that thought). All the swordsman could do was muster up a grunt in response to the others musings, relaxing into the situation while trying to hold an air of reluctants. For once, Luffy was quiet, his gaze fixed on the rhythmic waves reflecting the orange. Zoro wanted to be wary of the others' content because the idiot never quiets down unless he's eating but even that's never a quiet occasion. It was then that Zoro heard the clanking of his swords; he looked down to see an outstretched, rubber arm trying and failing to grasp onto Wado.
“Can I play with your–” Zoro didn’t let him finish the sentence before swatting his hand away.
“No.”
Luffy's hand retracted, melting in disappointment around him as he let out an exasperated whine.
“Awwww, c’mon, please?”
Luffy had squished his forehead against his, the distance between their faces becoming non-existent as he gave Zoro his classic puppy dog eyes, dark pupils shining.
“No,” Zoro pushed his head back, the other slinking back to pout on his shoulder.
“You don’t play with swords, idiot, they’re not toys. No one touches them but me.” Zoro felt Luffys grumble more than he heard it, his face squished on the back of his shoulder,
“Ugh, whatever, but can you teach me how to use a sword?” Zoro thought for a moment,
“Maybe.” He felt the other giggle, humming throughout his skin.
“YES! I’ll learn how to use a sword from the greatest swordsman alive.” Zoro didn’t hide the smile that crept onto his lips,
“I said maybe. Sword Fighting requires restraint, grace, and calculation. Things you very much lack.”
“I think grace is pushing it for sword fighting requirements.” Luffy's head was perched on his shoulder once more, eyes entranced by the sea. Zoro huffed at the boy's response, rolling his eyes.
“Sword fighting takes lots of grace, you can’t be reckless.”
“But you don’t fight gracefully.” he retorted, eyes darting to him, piercing into his soul.
“W-what do you mean?! I fight very gracefully.” Luffy shrugged, resting his head back down on his shoulder once more, eyes leaving him and tracing the sun.
“I dunno, graceful never comes to mind when I see you fight, it’s more like–” he stilled for a beat,
“Mesmerizing. It's easy to get lost in.”
Zoro ignored the burning of his skin, the knot in his stomach tightening that the words still sitting in the air between them. He looked at the boy, tracing the pattern of the remaining sunlight spattering his face, the small freckles that are only visible this close. He turned away, scared of getting lost like always and grunted.
“Where’d you even learn the word ‘mesmerizing’ anyway. That's a big one for you.”
“Hey! I know lots of big words! I can even write my name!” Zoro couldn’t help but laugh, throwing his head back as the weightless breath danced from his lungs. Luffy’s face was scrunched, nose wrinkled as his chin rested against Zoro's shoulder.
“Man, you can write your name too? Didn’t know I was the presence of a genius.”
“Hey, at least I know which direction north is.” Zoro looked at Luffy, eyebrows raised and a smirk etched into his face.
“Really?”
Luffy stared back at him, eyes clawing at his own, fighting tirelessly to win before slumping once more.
“No.”
“Hey dinner’s ready, dumbass, surprised you weren't up here already grabbing for it.” Sanji called out from the upper deck, shouting more towards Luffy than anyone else. If he had any comments on how his captain was twisted around his first mate his face didn’t show it. Luffy's head spun around and in an instant he was gone, launching himself into the kitchen, the sounds of pans hitting the floor and Sanji's shout erupted.
Zoro stood, the tight grasp of the others arms still ghosting his side as he looked up to the chaos only Luffy could cause. For once, he felt cold.
~ ~ ~
Luffy twists around him and Zoro doesn’t flinch, rather his body morphs into the touch, welcoming every brush of skin against his own. The sun has only just taken its final place in the sky for the day, the chill of the night escaping from the air. Zoro was slouched against the main mast for a post– watch nap when Luffy made his way around him.
“Heeey, wake up.” Luffy's lips were grazing his ear, each word punctuated by their proximity. He jolted, eyes fluttering and wincing at the new found daylight. He groaned, letting his head bounce back against the mast as he settled into comfort once more, ignoring the pleas of his captain.
“C’mon, Nami said we’ll be at the next island soon.” his arms had somehow maneuvered themselves around Zoro's torso, the rest of his body clung to his side, squishing his swords into his thigh as his head found its way to its final destination: Zoro's shoulder.
“So?” he closed his eyes, exhaling deep as he tried to guide himself back to the wonders of sleep.
“Wake me up when we get there.” Luffy deflated, sighing dramatically around the swordsman. His captain was always one for the dramatics.
“You’re no fun.” he mumbled into the boy's skin, sulking like a dog forced to stay in the rain. All the other could do was hum in response, the warmth of the other a welcomed feeling. Zoro knew the routine, he knew how his captain was around him. Luffy would latch on, mumble pleas of wanting adventure or anything to occupy his mind until he was bored with it. But, he never let go of him. Once Luffy curved his body into Zoros, he made a home in his warmth, basking in the comfort of his first mate until food, adventure, or danger called louder.
With the wind lapping at their skin, the two boys curled in on one another. To the untrained eye, Luffy was giving and giving with nothing in return, wrapping limbs around stone, shouting his affection into the void with no response, but this was far from the truth and the captain knew it. Luffy gave and Zoro received the love with open arms, muscles melting against the touch of his captain, relaxing for the first time in days .
~ ~ ~
“Hey, can you go make sure our captain doesn’t drown?”
Zoro looked over to Nami who was sitting on a rock on the beach, head over a map with all her navigating tools. In the gentle warm breeze of the ocean, Zoro had planned to nap in the shade of a palm tree that still held the warmth of the sand. He dropped his backpack, the worn satchel sliding off his back into the white sand.
“Why do I have to do it?”
Nami looked up, glasses perched on the bridge of her nose and gave the swordsman a knowing glare.
“You’re his first mate, aren’t you?”
The phrase hung in the air, the sound of Sanji and Usopp bickering in the background as they carried supplies from the ship to shore. Zoro scrunched his face, preparing an insult to fly from his tongue but nothing came. Nami looked at Zoro with a raised brow, a common look of annoyance grazing her face. There was a hidden blade within her words, impaling him just as he grasped its meaning.
Zoro huffed in response, spinning on his heels to the trail of large, jutting rocks leading out into the sea. Luffy was squatting on the last rock, leaning over looking at something exciting (exciting to Luffy) in the water. Zoro could see the waves nipping his toes poking out from his battered sandals. Zoro stalked his way over, taking his time, keeping a knowing eye on his captain.
In the warm sun, Zoro could see the boy's widening smile, how his hair danced in the wind. He gripped the straw hat with one hand on his head, the other holding his weight as he peered closer and closer into the sea. The breeze carried his laughter, the simple melody bristling past his ears in a tune he had memorized long ago.
“ZOOOOROOOOO!”
Luffy was waving to him, bright eyes becoming saucers, waving Zoro down with both of his hands flailing in the air. The boy wobbled, Zoro rushed toward the rocks, but Luffy caught his balance, falling back to sit on the large rock, laughing with ease. Zoro stopped, he was now halfway across the rocky path due to the scare Luffy gave him. Zoro ignored the tensing in his chest, the anchor that plummeted in his stomach.
“Idiot.”
“Hey! Come over here! Come see the hermit crabs!” Luffy gave Zoro a look of pure joy, sending a bolt of lightning through his skin. Zoro contemplated his choices like he hadn’t known the answer from the start.
The swordsman made his way across the rocks, leaping and hopping to and from. When he joined Luffy the other had his face in a small, isolated pool of sea water trapped between the rocks.
“Look here, this one is huge!” Zoro stood over the tide pool, eyes looking to see the surprisingly large hermit crab making its way across the small pool. A hand grabbed his that was resting at his side, lurching him downwards until he was next to Luffy.
“Take a look at this guy, I think it's a sea slug or something.” Zoro once again ignored the knot that began to tie in his stomach at the brush of Luffy's skin against his own, how their shoulders were flushed against one another, how Luffy squished his body against his, excitement humming on his skin. Luffy snatched something out of the water, arm reaching in front of Zoro, all thoughts and comprehension skills disappeared in the swordsman's mind.
“See, it’s definitely a sea slug.” Luffy held the limp, brown, floppy creature up to his face, Zoro moved his head back, nose scrunching.
“Ew, what is that?”
“I just told you, a sea slug.” Luffy brought the slug closer to himself, examining the animal.
“I thought they were called sea cucumbers.”
“This is not a cucumber Zoro, you need to get your eyes checked, geez. This is clearly a slug.” He held the slug up between them, the poor creature wriggling between Luffy's fingers but to no avail.
“Pft, please,” Zoro rolled his eyes, “Like you know what a vegetable looks like.”
“I know what a cucumber looks like and it’s not this.'' The slug jiggled and flailed in the rubber boy's hands as he pushed the creature into the swordsman’s face once more, as if to prove a futile point. Flopping helplessly against his skin, the creature wriggled less and less with each attempt of escape. The thick aroma of salt and algae filled Zoro's nose.
“I think it’s dying, put it back in the water, dumbass, it probably can’t breathe.” Luffy's eyes glanced upwards, shooting a pointed gaze of confusion before looking down once more, bringing the slug inches away from his eyes, scrutinizing the creature the same way he did with every bug that crossed his path.
“But it’s surrounded by air, why wouldn’t it be able to breathe?”
Zoro opened his mouth to speak, a rebuttal fresh on his tongue but molding in the daylight as his mouth hung open without a sound. How do they breathe under water?
“Can we eat him?” Luffy asked instead, eyes peering over the creature, probably already thinking about what the perv cook would season it with.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Just don’t, Luf’.” Luffy's eyes were trained on the slug, he hummed, unsure of the swordsman's answer as he reluctantly placed the creature back in the water, standing up with a yawn, arms stretched wide. He looked down at Zoro who was still crouched over the pool, watching to see if the slug would move. He could feel the mischievous pair of eyes looming over him.
That damned look, accompanied by a knowing smile. Zoro wriggled under the gaze, his body tensing in the crouched position. Luffy was quiet, staring down at Zoro, this only ever brought trouble.
“Let's go in the water.”
Zoro shot up, face contorting into one hued in disbelief.
“No. You can’t swim, dumbass.” Luffy looked up at him, wide, toothy grin, eyes chiseled in confidence.
“I know, that’s why I want you with me, you can carry me. I’ll sit on your shoulders.” Zoro stilled, pushing out the image of Luffy wrapped around him, laughing into his ear as they waded into the rhythmic waves.
“No.”
“Why not? It’ll be fine, I trust you.”
Luffy looked up at Zoro, hands on his hips, staring at him like he didn’t suggest going to the one place that will kill him.
I trust you .
Luffy placed his life in Zoro's hands like that was where it lay. Luffy saw Zoro's shape not as just a swordsman, a cold–hearted demon, but as the keeper of being. He trusted Zoro, looking up at him with warm, welcoming eyes, a siren call beckoning him to his side.
If he said no, it would just be like saying he didn’t trust Luffy's trust in him, which is like saying he didn’t trust Luffy.
Like always, his heart and mind only argued to stall, the answer being agreed upon long before the words left his captain's mouth.
Zoro broke their eye contact, looking over to the rest of the crew lounging on the shore, knowing he’d be getting an earful from Nami later.
“Fine.”
—
“ What the hell are you two doing?”
“Zoro’s gonna take me into the water.”
There it was.
Zoro was rolling up his pant legs up above his knees, his swords and shoes already resting in the sand next to Luffys hat that Zoro convinced the other to take off in case he lost it. He could feel the navigator's eyes glaring into his back. He kept his head down, focusing on rolling each pant leg like it was the most important task in front of him. Just once he didn’t want to deal with her nagging.
“Gee, wonder who thought up this genius idea.” Usopp mumbled from beneath the shade of a palm tree a few feet away, eyes closed and body stretched into the gentle sand.
Nami’s brow arched higher than humanly possible while Luffy gave her his usual blank stare.
“If you drown, don't blame us.” she gave the captain a flick in the head as she passed by the straw hat, destination Zoro. Once again, his pant leg rolling became an intricate art.
“If Luffy drowns we blame Zoro.” Sanji chimed in, sprawled across a towel, sunglasses on and cigarette in his mouth.
“No one asked for your opinion, blondie.”
“And no one asked for you to be such a pushover when it came to Luffy, mosshead.” Pant legs be damned, he can’t ignore the nerve that was struck. Zoro stood up, shooting daggers at the cook,
“Oh we’re talking about pushovers now? Ok, so why don’t you tell everyone about how you let a certain navigator make all the midnight snacks she wante–”
“Oi! can it, dumbass!” Sanji stood up, marching over to Zoro, tossing the remnants of his cigarette into the sand, “Nami can do whatever she wants in my kitchen with my–”
The smack to the side of his head and the perv’s spoke multitudes, silencing them both as Nami glared at the two. Sanji’s eyes tore into Zoro before looking at the girl, immediately folding into a squabbling mess.
“I’m so sorry Nami dear! Please forgive me, I shouldn’t have tried engaging in an average conversation with this neanderthal, I knew it would just lead to this–”
“Oh shut up Sanji,” She pushed the blond away who inevitably found himself creeping far too close into her personal space. She turned her gaze to Zoro, jabbing a finger into the mans chest.
“Don’t go out far, there's a riptide here, only up to your knees, at most . You understand?” She leaned in closer, presence alone towering over the swordsman despite their height difference.
“If you get caught, swim with the current and then go immediately towards the shore the second it lessens, got it? I know I can’t stop you two, let alone gumbo over there from his little quest but be careful, ok?”
“I’m not gonna drown, I have Zoro.”
All eyes turned to their captain whose face was plastered in a grounding smile directed towards his one and only navigator. Nami was quiet, gears turning in her head as she studied the straw hat, shooting a quick glance to Zoro before sighing, tossing her hands up in the air in defeat as she marched towards the Merry.
“Yeah whatever, just don’t go past your knees, riptides, got it? They’ll kill both of your dumbasses.”
“Ripple tide, got it! C’mon, let's go.” He grabbed one of Zoro's hands, dragging the other along, the captain leading the two closer and closer to the sea's edge on the sand. Zoro could hear the faint sound of Namis groans about how stupid they were. Zoro grasped Luffy's hand as he was dragged deeper into unknown depths, water barely splashing his ankles but he knew he was already in too deep. Luffy laughed, kicking rubbery limbs without care, watching the salty sea splash beneath his touch.
Luffy pulled his arm, grip never wavering as he waded into a beckoning grave. The sea clawed at tattered denim, wetting the worn jean shorts as Luffy stepped forward into the very place that despised him with a blinding smile.
Luffy saw his potential coffin as a poetic wonder, stepping through each push and pull of salt and sand that recited its rhythmic dance in the hopes of catching Luffy in the undertow. But each crashing of the waves on their skin of enticed bubbling laughter form the devil fruit user. He would tighten his grip as the melody tumbled from his lungs, destroying any murderous intent rumbling from the water below. The ocean would snarl, all bite and scowl and Luffy would laugh in response, loud enough to drown out the terror.
Zoro couldn’t help but look at the boy, entranced at how his hair moved with the breeze, the smile that looked close to permanent on his lips, the sun kissed tan skin shimmering in the sunlight. A thumb rubbed gentled circles into the swordsman's hand.
“I’m gonna jump on your back, then walk in deeper, I wanna be able to feel like I’m swimming.” Luffy was already scaling Zoro's back by the time he spoke, feet finding footing on the lower dip in his back, hoisting himself up from stability on Zoro's shoulders.
“I- wait, lemme–” But Luffy had already made himself at home, sitting himself on the others shoulders, legs swinging aimlessly, Zoro becoming all too aware of how terrible the others feet smelled. The smell was suffocating, daunting in its sudden attack, spilling into Zoro's senses until he swore he could see it, the sour aroma blinding his vision.
“Get those fucking things away from my face–” He coughed, shoving his feet as far as he could from his nose, Luffy looked down at Zoro with a curious eye. The captain had decided his hands were going to rest in Zoro's hair, scrunching green as he saw what all the fuss was about.
“Wha–oooh, these guys? Smell? I don’t know…” he shoved both feet back in the other's face, causing another coughing fit from the swordsman, eyes watering as he bat away the horrid limbs.
“Luffy, Lu-” he hacked up a lung, wheezing while his captain snickered.
“You have a real problem here with these, I,” he caught his breath, hooking Luffy's feet underneath his armpit, clean air a sweet relief.
“You need new shoes.” The fists in his hair tightened, tugging his head back, his eyes gazing upwards and Luffy peered down over him, grin ever wider.
“Never.”
Zoro ignored the thrumming in his chest at the answer, the stark grin and concrete answer, a Luffy answer. Instead, Zoro laughed, the air tickling through his lungs, racing towards starlight and the sun above. Zoro also ignored how the sun haloed his messy black strands, illuminating his beauty that can only be caught in the light that reveled him.
Zoro wondered if Luffy found him beautiful in the nighttime.
Luffy's eyes seemed to twinkle at the simple sight and sound of the swordsman’s laughter, his eyes shining bright enough for a solar system of their own. He could feel the others' gaze and Zoro met brown eyes with an embarrassing amount of hesitancy but he did it nonetheless.
“What?” the word left his lips with a gentle breeze, brushing against the other tanned skin with a softness that’s only reserved for his captain.
“It’s nothing, I just like watching you laugh.”
Nothing Zoro could say would be fitting in response, for he has never been dragged into unknown territory like this before. Here, Zoro's heart hammers against his ribs, his skin burns from the inside out and he can’t stop thinking about how right it feels to have Luffy this close to him, to have him look at Zoro like he was something beautiful. The swordsman was a confident, reckless man, unknowns were not deterrents, rather quite the opposite. Simply put: Zoro never backed down from a fight.
But being held within Luffy's gaze, to be trapped under scrutiny of the man he swore his life to had him searching for exits. There was a tremble in his hands and the sweat beading on his neck wasn’t from the sun. His captain had a way of just looking at someone, and all authority was taken. Whether the boy knew it or not, one glance into his boundless gaze let anyone who dared to look at him know just how much power he held.
Instead of speaking, Zoro let his muscles melt, he breathed out a sigh, skin softening beneath the others touch. Zoros closed his eyes, hummed a smile, tugging of green hairs affirmed his reply.
“Let's go deeper.”
Zoro did so without complaint, walking into the push and pull of the sea, Luffy's laughter tingling throughout his skin. The sun shone without a cloud in the sky in front of them, a beacon calling them. In another lifetime, Zoro may have followed the paths of the sun's rays, but here, his heart listened to the laughter echoing through him.
~ ~ ~
For the first time in a week, it wasn’t raining. As Zoro took watch in the crowsnest as stars danced across the sky, the moon waltzing on the ocean waves, he felt his skin and bones drying in the gentle breeze. Night had fallen hours ago, the rest of the crew meandering their way to sleep in the early dawnings of darkness. Silence on the Going Merry was a rarity, only found in forgotten hours like this one. He reveled in the quiet routine of night watch, here he was able to refocus his mind, meditate, and calculate new sword techniques, and workout routines.
But, over the past several months, he has been joined in the silence, a lanky form slinking its way up into the crowsnest with surprising stealth and ease.
Zoro could hear a gentle rustling making its way up the crows nest, sure enough, a battered straw hat popped into view, the weathered accessory announcing his visitor. A tired smile tugged at Zoro's lips as he turned to see Luffy throw and tumble himself into the small space, flat on his back, eyes gazing up into Zoros and the most Luffy smile Luffy could give accompanying his dreamlike gaze.
“Hey,” the captain spoke in a softer tone than usual, the tone and volume reserved for times like these, for a certain swordsman. All it took was that damned smile and greeting to ease the green haired boy. His shoulders slumped, body becoming a putty like state as he leaned against the mast, stretching his legs out as far as they could go.
“Hey.” He hoped his face talked for him. He prayed his captain could see the relief lining his features, the way every sharp edge dulled into something gentle at the mere voice of the other. Zoro prayed his body spoke louder than him, more honest than his words.
Luffy looked back at him, taking in each shadow of his face like it was the last time he'd see it, memorizing each scar, crease and curve with great calculation. Despite what the boy portrayed, Luffy was diligent, far more aware than others gave him credit for. He heard the confessions falling from Zoro's shape and replied with swift movement, crawling to settle his head on the other's lap, placing his hat on his chest. Ink spilled onto the dark green of his pants, careless locks of hair falling wherever they pleased and without concern. It was only natural for Zoro to reach down and card a hand through the sea softened hair. Luffy preened at the touch, sighing into the others touch, eyes fluttering shut.
As he caressed the other, combing fingers through each hair, he couldn’t help but think of the juxtaposition of his existence in this moment.
Zoro: the demon swordsman, an extension of Luffy, an arm for him to direct with a tethered voice, cutting when told to cut, killing when told to kill. Zoro had slaughtered hundreds with these hands, more than a decade of calluses covered each digit, and yet–
Luffy melted with each caress, meeting him halfway with each motion. Here within the grasp of his hands, was a life, chasing the touch of him, finding solace in instruments groomed to destroy.
He must have stilled his movements amidst his contemplation, for the other reached out a hand, wrapping it around his which was still entangled in black. Zoro looked down and was met with the curious eyes, studying each feature once more with a soft smile. Without breaking eye contact, Luffy took the hand Zoro had entrapped within hair and took it in his own, clasping their hands together, a gentle thumb rubbing a rhythmic patterned into battered skin. He looked at Zoro like he could hear every thought that passed through his mind moments ago, he heard each word and held on tighter in spite of it.
No.
Luffy clasped their hands together reveling in the knowledge of what those hands have done and will do— for his have done the same and worse. With his other hand, Luffy reached up to the swordsman, resting his palm against his cheek with a delicacy no one has ever given him. The gentle touch caressing his face forced a gasp from the swordsman's lips, inhaling quickly, looking down at Luffy to see that he still wore that soft, oh so Luffy smile. Zoro squeezed his captain's hand, words losing their worth in the quiet air between them. Luffy caressed his face, his thumb brushing the delicate skin beneath his eyes, looking up at him with wonder. Zoro fought the urge to hide, letting his face flush and skin dance at the touch of the other, forcing his gaze to stay on him, only him.
Nothing was said for an unknown amount of time, both losing themselves in the simple touch of one another. Luffy let out a small, dry laugh, eyes of wonder twinkling in the twilight. Zoro felt his cheeks warm even more if that was possible.
“What?” his voice came out in a quiet rasp, just audible to Luffy to earn a widening grin, fingers moving to brush stray green hairs away from your face.
“Nothin, you’re just pretty, and I remembered my dream from last night, you were there.” Zoro didn’t have time to process the first half of what Luffy said before the other went off on a ramble about his dream, mindlessly stroking the others face and hair as he pleased, lounging in his lap. All Zoro could do was stare in awe, trying to focus on the words Luffy spoke but losing himself in the ease in which Luffy touched him. Luffy touched him without hesitation, loving without fear. He ran his hand against Zoro's three golden earrings, fascinated with how they clanked and danced in the moonlight, going on and on about how they were bugs, people like beings but in actuality just a tower of Atlas Beetles disguised as humans.
“It was so weird, I thought you were you, but when I went to hug you, you tumbled into Atlas Beetles.” He was still fixated on his earrings, batting each one like a cat, gold reflecting in the endless warmth of his brown eyes.
“At first I was like ‘oooh! Atlas Beetles! There's so many in one place!’ but,” he paused, eyes looking back to Zoro, the wonder and curiosity was gone. He looked at Zoro the same way he dealt with tragedy, all brutal honesty and an open heart slathered on his sleeves. Zoro's free hand was back in his hair, he stilled the mindless caresses and looked back, hoping to withstand the words that would fall into the open air. Luffy squeezed his hand.
“You were gone, I was left with the beetle I had been searching for for like, years, but you weren’t there anymore.” Luffy looked away, eyes shifting to their hands which were still clasped.
“I had what I wanted, but you disappeared, and that made all of it worthless.”
The world could crumble, the wood beneath him could fall away, sending the two of them into the endless ocean, hell– they could be attacked by marines, cannons smashing them into fragments and he couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. All Zoro could do was stay in this moment, Zoro squeezed Luffy's hand, leaned into the gentle touch of his hand on his face, burning this moment into his mind. If this crowsnest were to become his coffin he could die in peace for he now knew what it meant to be loved.
“Promise me,” Luffy spoke, bringing their clasped hands to his lips, the back of Zoro's knuckles brushed by the warmth of Luffy's breath.
“Promise me you’ll never turn into a mound of Atlas Beetles.”
There it was, this was who he wanted to share his soul with. Zoro welcomed the dry, airy laugh that escaped his chest, the warmth of joy swelling in his lungs until it was released into something beautiful.
“Hey!” Luffy bit Zoro's knuckles in retaliation, pouting behind their joined hands. The swordsman's face scrunched, a smile still plastering his lips as he looked down at his captain.
“What was that for?” The words came out as a laugh as he looked down at a dejected Luffy who shot up, sitting upright, maneuvering himself to straddle Zoro's thighs, moving his hand from his face to clasp the one he was already holding. He pressed his forehead against Zoros, the air growing increasingly thin. He held Zoro's hand like a prayer, clasped tight between determined disciples.
“Promise me.” his voice was barely a whisper, zoro felt the words more than he heard them, his breath was shallow, mixing with the other. Their noses brushed against one another and Zoro felt himself falling into the touch, his body lurching into it with ease. He felt the brush of Luffy's lips.
Zoro prayed Luffy heard every word his body spoke that he didn’t know how to say, he hoped the other would understand that the hand grasping the back of his head, the press of his lips against his was not an attempt to suffocate, to take, but to give. With every grasp of his hand against soft locks of hair and every press of their lips was a promise, an oath to stay, a vow to give until there was nothing left to take from.
He knew. Luffy always knew what Zoro was thinking and never gave any inclination to it. Luffy waited, only patient when it involved others' emotions, letting them crawl out of their shell and into the blazing light of his silhouette.
Luffy responded with enthusiasm, jumping head first as always, wrapping both of his arms around Zoro's neck, engulfing the swordsman until their end and beginning were blurred. Luffy's lips were soft, the taste of barbecue still fresh despite dinner being hours ago (that meant he snuck into the kitchen and ate leftovers). Luffy kissed Zoro the same way he approached a meal, all fervent teeth and, joy and greed blurring into something undefined. Zoro carded a hand through the others hair while the other explored the expanse of the others back, reveling in the power that he held.
Even to the untrained eye, if one were to see the captain and his first mate in the crowsnest, they would see two people giving. Luffy gave the same way he did everything else, with all he had and more, without restraint and shame, kissing every freckle on Zoro's face with a laugh bubbling through his lungs. Zoro gave the only way he could to his captain, without a second thought, with all of his being. Zoro gave without order, without the need for command falling through his captains lips. He didn’t need to be told, this wasn’t an order, it was a pleasure and a privilege.
They were alone that night, awake while the world slept, but if any were to see, they never uttered a word.