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It's not his fault.
It's the circumstance, Zoro thinks. It's the warm sake and the warm bath and the cool night and the gentle music and the low lighting. And if anything is to blame, it's definitely the low lighting. The candles that surround the onsen, tiny, sweet smelling, red, and twinkling, are the only reason Luffy even noticed his earrings. The gentle breeze makes the little flames dance and he happened to be sitting too close to one.
The gold sparkled at just the right time and Luffy noticed.
It's not his fault.
Luffy stands suddenly, water splashing everywhere. The cook complains immediately, Torao sighs, and Usopp and Chopper who have more sense, simply move out of his way. Luffy crosses the pool in an instant, stretches an arm out to the lip of it near Zoro and pulls himself close. That leaves two big waves that splash over the edge and dim a few of the candles.
“Zoro has earrings.” Luffy says as he dumps himself into Zoro's lap.
The towels they have around their waist are not long.
He chooses to focus on Luffy's hands instead, because they're in the process of turning Zoro's head every which way so that Luffy can see his earrings in greater detail. They jingle against each other, and that makes Luffy even more enraptured with them. His hand feels weird, but it's a weird Zoro has long grown used too. Rubbery, for sure, but somehow still human skin soft.
“I've had them for a while.” Luffy just hums at that, keeps turning Zoro's head. Luffy is straddling him, bony knees at both of his hips, boxing him in. Barely there weight on Zoro's lap. Black eyes shining with excitement and discovery. Zoro feels lightheaded from the heat of the water. “Never noticed them before?”
“I did but I didn't.”
“What a normal thing to say.” Torao mutters somewhere else. It seemed normal to Zoro. He got what Luffy meant, easy.
“They're fun. I like them.”
His chest heats.
From the sake.
“Do you want one?”
Well, maybe it's his fault a little.
Luffy's eyes saucer, frantic immediate nodding, huge brilliant grin on his face. His excitement is infectious. Zoro would give him anything. His swords, his life, the skin off his back. One earring was basically nothing. He put a hand on Luffy's hip to settle him and his captain stills quickly. Zoro tilts his head to him one last time, and Luffy understands that Zoro wants him to pick one.
Luffy's fingers brush against all of them before settling on and giving a gentle tug on the middle one.
His eyes sparkle when Zoro reaches up to undo the closure.
He can't really remember the last time he took them out- did he ever? - so it takes longer than he wanted to admit getting them out. Luffy sits still, patient, watching the entire time. After what must have been only a minute, even if it felt like a year, undoes the closure and gives Luffy the earring.
Luffy lifts it up, twists it around in his hands, and then turns to Zoro with a big grin.
“Can you put it on for me?”
Zoro has to dip his head back and take a deep breath to control himself. He didn't know why he didn't think Luffy would want to wear it. Of course he would- obviously he would- but Zoro really thought he'd just keep it somewhere. Luffy wearing his-
“You have to get your ear pierced first.” Torao says, helpful. He sounds tired.
Luffy spins around to him and Zoro has to take another deep breath as Luffy decides to just use Zoro's lap as a chair.
Sure.
Okay.
Luffy's back is a lot of muscle. Smooth lines interrupted by scars. He spreads his palm out flat against his captain's back, tipping his head forward until his forehead is pressed to the back of Luffy's neck. He closes his eyes, ignoring whatever conversation they're having, just to focus on this. The texture of his skin, the rise and fall of his breathing, his smell, his warmth, his everything-
Zoro decides in that moment that he's never going to wear an earring there again. The hole will close up, because his captain was going to wear the jewelry that was supposed to keep it open.
The lack of something could be a mark too, right?
“I want Zoro to do it.” He only perks up at his own name- “You'll do it, right?”
“Sure.” Do what?
“See!”
“It'll get infected.” Torao starts, but Luffy's off Zoro's lap and in Usopp's space begging for a needle.
“Torao can fix it!” He shouts it over his shoulder and Usopp sighs, long suffering to get out of the bath and go did through his stuff, muttering under his breath about something Zoro can't make out because of all the other noise.
The cook and Torao both look like they're trying to talk Luffy out of it, like it's their first time ever meeting him. When he gets an idea in his mind, that's it. That's why Zoro's first mate. Because he knows things like this.
“Here.” Zoro looks up and Usopp drops the needle into Zoro's palm.
“At least disinfect it first!”
Luffy cheers, back in Zoro's lap so fast it's a miracle the needle doesn't go flying.
“Which ear, captain?”
“Hmm-- left. Like Zoro's.”
Zoro holds the needle over one of the little candles until the metal is red hot. Torao and Chopper both crowded around them, like they're worried Zoro would actually hurt him somehow. As if he ever would, even by accident.
They're face to face again, and Luffy is flush with excitement. Or maybe from the heat of the water.
“Deep breath.” As Luffy sucks in way too much air, Zoro pinches his ear and pushes the needle through. Luffy yelps-
“There was a pop!”
“That's normal.” Torao says over Luffy's shoulder.
“Probably.” Chopper says over the other.
Zoro readies the earring, and when he pushes the needle all the way through, he's fast to fix it to his captain's ear, closing the clasp before they have to repeat the process.
“You can't take it out for a while,” Zoro tells him. Luffy nods, and then pokes at his own ear, hissing.
“Be gentle-” Chopper tries, but Luffy is up again, sprinting out of the water to the changing room to look at his new piercing in a mirror.
“It's so cool!” He shouts, undoubtedly bothering every other person in the building. He runs back- slipping straight into the water- straight into Zoro's lap again, wide grin on his face. “We match!”
Zoro nods, smiling back.
He loves to see him happy.
Luffy blinks and then the grin gentles into something way more serene. He leans forward and his lips are against Zoro's mouth.
There's shouting from the others, but who cares- who cares. Who cares.
His captain is kissing him.
It's awkward- his lips are gentle but his tongue is pushy, and when Zoro opens for him, it's like Luffy's trying to taste everything in his mouth. It feels amazing- warm- hot even- and Luffy's body slumps against him as the kiss drags on. Zoro hasn't kissed anyone in a long time- he doesn't think Luffy's kissed anyone at all. It's kind of messy. It's kind of the best kiss he's ever had.
Luffy kisses him lightheaded, dizzy, until he finally pulls away and Zoro has to remember how to breathe again.
“Thank you!” And then it's that big grin again. “I love it!”
“Yeah.” Zoro barely manages to get out. “I love it too.”