Work Text:
Zoro is beginning to regret his decision to join Luffy on his adventures.
It had seemed like a good idea at the time, him and Luffy fought together well against Axe Hand Morgan and he didn't have anywhere else to go after being freed from the Marines, so joining Luffy had seemed like the next best option. He resolves that it had nothing to do with the fact that Luffy's laughter had made him smile for the first time in he can't remember how long. He also pretends that it had nothing to do with how he had never felt more free in his life than fighting alongside Luffy.
He had loved every second he had spent with the rubber man, the decision to join his crew was easy, even if it was just the two of them for now. It was an exhilarating experience, watching Luffy bounce around and laugh as he fought like he could never be restricted by such a stupid thing like the laws of physics.
Zoro smiled a little as he reminisced on the last couple days of his life, feeling as if it had now changed for the better. Luffy was talking about nothing in particular, relaying the story of the fight as if Zoro wasn't there. The swordsman had let himself zone out to the surprisingly comforting sound of Luffy's voice.
They were now on a tiny boat in the middle of the sea a couple days out on the water now, having been successful in their fight and saying goodbye to that pink haired Marine boy. His name was Koby, if Zoro remembers correctly.
The biggest problem that Zoro can see right now is that they have no clue how far they are from land with barely any food and water left. And just to make matters worse, the sun is currently trying to boil them alive
This must be a new, never before experienced temperature high because Zoro has never been so hot in his life, the little boat providing absolutely no protection from the sun on their journey, no inside cabin to help them shelter from the sun's oppressive heat.
Zoro sighs, wiping the sweat from his forehead just for it to reappear a few seconds later running down the side of his face. He just about manages to stop it from going into his eyes, wiping at it with an equally sweaty arm.
It takes him far too long to notice that Luffy, who hasn't actually shut up since getting Zoro to join his crew, has been deadly silent for a while now.
The swordsman looks over to his new Captain and freezes, taking in the sight before him with a sudden nervous energy.
Luffy does not look good.
His cheeks and forehead are flushed heavily, an angry red that comes from heat exposure covering the skin under his eyes and along to his nose, colouring the bridge darker to the point it almost looks painful. Luffy's ears and the back of his neck are very much the same where visible from his position, slumped against the side of the boat, arms dangling over the edge so his fingertips are skimming the surface of the water.
"Oh shit." Zoro exclaims, moving over to where his captain is and pulling him up a little. Luffy just sags, eyes half lidded and gaze unfocused as Zoro pulls him up and into a sitting position. He quickly moves, placing his hand over Luffy's forehead before pulling back with a hiss, clutching his hand. Too hot. Far too hot.
Luffy is practically pouring sweat, his flushed skin clammy and boiling to the touch in a way that makes Zoro begin to panic. This isn't just normal exposure to the sun, this could be heatstroke.
Zoro leans Luffy against the side of the boat and grabs his captains wrist, placing his fingers on his pulse point. The swordsman curses again when he feels Luffy's pulse jackhammering under his skin.
Luffy suddenly sits up and turns so he's leaning over the side of the boat and heaves, throwing up the food he ate earlier, much to Zoro's dismay. His captain doesn't need to loose any more fluids.
Zoro pauses and tries to think as Luffy heaves again.
He could give Luffy some of their dwindling water supply, but he would likely just throw it up again and that would just be a waste as Zoro has no clue when they will reach the next island.
He could try and give Luffy something to eat in the hopes that it would perk him up but the problem remains the same. Would Luffy be able to keep it down or would it just waste their supplies?
The swordsman is shaken from his thoughts when he hears a mumbled call of his name.
"...Zoro..." Zoro turns back toward Luffy who is reaching a hand out towards him, panting heavily. Luffy falls forward, clearly off balance, and lands against Zoro who wraps his arms around his, now shaking, captain and pulls him closer.
"'M cold..." Luffy mumbles, leaning closer to Zoro as if seeking his body heat and Zoro really starts to panic. Luffy is displaying far too many symptoms of heatstroke for this to just be a normal reaction to the hot weather.
Luffy needs to be cooled down but they're nowhere near any land, no islands visible on the horizon and no way of turning back to the previous island with how far they are now. Zoro can now just hope that they are close to another island but it's impossible to tell without a map and with his own, admittedly shitty, sense of direction.
Zoro shifts, settling Luffy as best he can in the shadow cast by his body, anything to get him out of the sun even a little.
The swordsman wonders for a moment, as Luffy retches and vomits over the side of the boat again, if his new captain is susceptible to heatstroke considering they weren't even out on the open water for more than a few days.
As a pirate you'd think he'd be better at dealing with being out in the sun. Zoro already starts to make a plan for if this happens in the future, but for now, what the hell is he supposed to do?
Luffy is still shivering in his arms as Zoro tears a bit of the bottom of his own shirt off, dipping it into the cool seawater and placing the now wet rag on Luffy's forehead.
Luffy seems to relax slightly at this but Zoro can't tell if it's helping of if it's just because Luffy is a devil fruit user and the seawater is making him weaker. Either way, his captain has stopped shaking quite so violently, faint tremors still running up his spine, and now seems more comfortable in the shadow Zoro's body produces.
Zoro looks towards the setting sun and tries to gague how long it'll be until nightfall, hopefully it'll be cooler then. For now, he just settles into the routine of keeping Luffy in the shade of his shadow and dipping the rag back into the water every time it gets too warm.
Night time is easier.
Zoro doesn't sleep, watching his captain all hours of the night to make sure nothing is going to happen to him. He keeps the rag cool and watches as Luffy sleeps fitfully, whining and shifting as if he can't get comfortable, even while unconscious. He's still panting, clothes now soaked with sweat, and when Zoro checks his pulse again it's still racing, jackhammering under his skin just as it was earlier.
They haven't eaten in who knows how long at this point, Luffy because he can't keep anything down and Zoro because he refuses to eat if his captain can't, it just feels wrong.
Every now and again Luffy shifts in his sleep and wraps his arms tight around his stomach like it hurts, maybe from the lack of food or maybe because heatstroke can cause muscle cramps, Zoro doesn't know. What he does know is that it is definitely not good.
He needs to find an island and fast.
Zoro begins to scan the horizon, reluctantly taking his eyes off of Luffy to do so, searching for an island off in the distance. God he would even take a navy ship at this point. They would lock him and Luffy up but at least they might help him. Zoro looks back down to Luffy when he makes a noise.
Luffy's breathing is still concerningly fast and Zoro doesn't even want to check his pulse anymore, he already knows how fast it's beating. Luffy shuffles closer to Zoro in his sleep and the swordsman has to resist pulling his captain closer in a gesture of comfort, knowing it would only heat him up more.
Luffy looks so feeble like this, completely unlike how he was back when he saved Zoro, shaking as he wheezes in a breath with sweat pouring down his face even in the slightly cooler air of the night. His skin is still an angry red, visible even in the darkness of the night.
Zoro looks back up to the horizon, searching a little more desperately this time for an island. When he finally spots a small shape in the distance he nearly cries with relief.
The swordsman moves quickly, moving Luffy carefully so he's laying against the side of the boat, hesitant to leave his side even if it's to get to land quicker. Zoro grabs the oars and starts rowing the boat manually, eyes flicking between the island he can see in the distance and his captains face.
They reach the island in what must be record time, still under the cover of darkness, and Zoro ties the boat up to the dock he sees. The island must be inhabited then. He moves back over to his captains shaking body and lifts him gently, carrying him in front of his own body, an arm supporting his back and one under his knees.
Zoro pulls Luffy closer to himself as he moves through the dense forest this island has, hoping to find a town somewhere in amongst the trees.
Luffy's shivering picks up again, the rubber man whining uncomfortably as it does so. Zoro can't resist pulling him closer. It works a little, Luffy stops making uncomfortable noises and instead presses his burning face into the space where Zoro's neck and shoulder meet.
Luffy suddenly shifts, bringing his arms up and around Zoro's neck to hold on as he slowly starts to regain consciousness.
"Zoro... where are we..?" Luffy asks, not moving his head, the words far too slured for Zoro's liking.
"On an island, gonna cool you down." Luffy nods slightly at these words before going limp once again in Zoro's arms. Zoro starts to move a bit quicker.
After a couple minutes of walking Zoro finally spots the dim lights of a town. He goes as fast as he can without jostling Luffy who is scarily limp in his arms, searching desperately for a doctors or just anyone who could help.
Zoro practically kicks down a door when he sees a sign with a red cross on it, there's text underneath that probably says something like 'doctors' but he can't read it.
The swordsman stumbles into what looks like a waiting room and sees a man come running towards him, probably startled by the bang of the door, dressed in a doctors coat.
"Help him, please." Zoro says to the man who nods before calling out for some help. Several more people rush in and take Luffy from Zoro, who is very reluctant to let go, but he knows these people will help.
The doctors take Luffy into a separate room and now Zoro is left alone in the waiting room. He spends the next five minutes or so pacing back and forth, looking up to the door they took Lufy though every now and again. He worries his fingernails between his teeth, he's probably going to have bitten them all off by the end of this.
He startles when the door opens and a doctor he hasn't seen yet steps out. He doesn't look like he's just seen someone die so that's always positive.
The doctor spots Zoro quickly and walks over, chart in hand.
"Are you the one that bought him in?" He asks and Zoro nods, not trusting that his voice won't shake if he speaks.
"Well I'm very glad you did. A few more hours and he wouldn't have been with us anymore." The doctor says. He then goes into an explanation of Luffy's symptoms and what's wrong but it all sounds like white noise to Zoro. Just a few more hours and Luffy could have died? Zoro catches a few words, 105°F fever, heatstroke, food and water, but it all sounds muffled, like he's listening through a wall. He hears one sentence loud and clear though.
"He's going to be fine."
Zoro let's a small smile overtake his face before the world suddenly goes dark as he drops to the floor unceremoniously.
Zoro cracks an eye open, harsh white light making him shut it again as a headache rushes to greet him. He lays for a moment, since when was he laying down?, becomes sitting bolt upright, both eyes opening wide and taking in his surroundings.
There's a couple wires attached to his chest and something is making a steady beeping noise but all Zoro can think is that he can't see Luffy.
The swordsman rips the wires off of his chest and stands, wobbling for a moment as the world spins. Something starts beeping loudly in the background but he can barely hear it. He needs to find Luffy.
He stumbles over to the first door he sees and yanks at the handle. When it doesn't budge, he rams his shoulder against it, knocking it wide open with a bang. He practically falls forward into the room, catching himself on unsteady feet, immediately scanning around for his captain.
Zoro's eyes eventually land on a familiar straw hat and he almost cries in relief. Luffy was there, standing in the centre of the room, engaged in an animated discussion with a couple doctors like he didn't just nearly die. His face is still slightly flushed from the heat but other then that he looks fine.
Luffy's wide, curious eyes land on him as a smile breaks out across his face and everything feels right with the world again. Zoro rushes forward towards Luffy and crashes into him, looping his arms around Luffy's neck. It's a little awkward considering Zoro is a few inches taller but Luffy doesn't seem to care as his own arms quickly find Zoro's middle.
Luffy reciprocates easily, laughing joyfully as he wraps his arms several times around Zoro's torso, lifting him off the ground momentarily in his excitement and spinning them once.
When Zoro's feet touch the ground again, he can't hold in the sob at the back of his throat anymore, pressing his face against Luffy's neck to hide it as tears he can hold longer hold back spill down his face.
Luffy just hugs him tighter and Zoro can't help but be embarrassed, they've only known each other for less than a week but nearly losing Luffy had felt like the sun itself was going out. Zoro doesn't understand how he got so attached in such a short amount of time but he can't complain when Luffy unwraps his arms from Zoro's torso to hold his face, pulling gently so it's no longer buried against Luffy's shoulder.
Luffy smiles when their eyes meet and Zoro can't help but stare. Luffy's smile is so bright. It radiates joy and happiness and comfort and Zoro finds himself laughing despite everything. Luffy laughs along with him, the noise ringing like bells in Zoro's ears just making him laugh harder, pulling Luffy closer as they hug again, Luffy's hands easily finding their way back to Zoro's middle.
Zoro distantly notices how the surrounding doctors are struggling to hold back their own laughter, Luffy's infectious joy getting to them too.
When Luffy's laughter eventually dies down an older doctor with a prominent hunchback comes up to them.
"So, about payment." The doctor says and Zoro pauses, of course they would need to pay, but Zoro hadn't exactly been thinking about that when he was bringing Luffy in.
"Oh we don't have any money." Luffy says confidently and Zoro rolls his eyes, groaning as he rubs his palm down his face. Instead of yelling at them or demanding they find some other way to pay, the doctor just laughs before speaking.
"Don't worry about it. As long as you guys are feeling better, that's all that matters." The doctor says, waving his hand dismissively. Luffy beams at this and clasps one of the doctors hands in both of his own, thanking him sincerely as the doctor just laughs it off.
Zoro's eyes flick to their connected hands and, just for a moment, he swears that Luffy's palms seem to glow. It's very faint, so faint that Zoro just closes his eyes and shakes his head. When he opens them again, the glow is gone. Must have been a trick of the light.
They make their leave after that, Luffy thanking the doctors once more on their way out. As they go through the door, Zoro hears the doctor who's hand Luffy grabbed speak.
"Y'know it's funny, but my back suddenly feels a lot better." Zoro pauses for a moment before dismissing it, not thinking anything of it, the older man's hunchback had looked like it would be slightly painful so who knows, maybe it just randomly felt better, pain comes and goes like that sometimes.
When Zoro snaps out of his thoughts, Luffy is already several metres ahead and he has to rush to catch up, not wanting to get lost on his way back to the boat.
They stop in town for a while to stock up before leaving the island with a decent amount of food that they may or may not have stolen. They need to eat too, it's not Zoro's fault they don't have any money.
They have to run back to the boat, getting chased through the woods by a particularly angry butcher, but Luffy is laughing and that makes Zoro laugh so the situation doesn't seem that bad in retrospect.
They set sail again, quickly taking to the open waters once more and Luffy immediately seems to relax, standing at the front of the boat with his arms wide and taking a deep breath of salty air. He sits down cross legged at the front of the tiny boat and smiles, eyes closed, up at the sun.
Zoro can't help but watch his captain for a bit, he looks so relaxed, so free that Zoro can't help but want to stick by him.
The swordsman smiles and lays down, arms behind his head and swords at his side, and closes his eyes too, trusting Luffy to keep them safe while he naps.
Right before he falls asleep, Zoro makes a mental note to keep an eye on Luffy in the sun from now on.