Work Text:
If you asked Zoro, he wouldn't be able to answer when it was that he fell in love with Luffy. In fact, it took him awhile to even realize that what he was feeling even was love. He knew he admired the other. And he knew that he was devoted to him. But love? That he just couldn't answer. After all, he hadn't spent much, if any, time thinking about love, having had ambitions far greater than a wife and kids.
Regardless, Zoro knew there was something different about what he felt for the boy in the straw hat. He chalked it up to a deep friendship, the kind where two people just seemed to connect on a level that surpassed the known universe. The kind of connection a captain and first mate had. He still refused to say that fate played a part in their meeting, though, preferring to say it was all Luffy and the way his brain did—or didn't—work.
For several days Zoro was content with his internal assessment, refusing to look any deeper at it. Him and this strange rubber boy were friends. They both had ambitions that would place them at the top of the world. It was natural for them to fall so in sync with each other that, within a day, Zoro could reach out in his sleep to stop Luffy from falling overboard.
It wasn't until Luffy latched onto a giant bird and, literally, flew across the ocean that a part of Zoro suggested there might be something more to his emotions. It made sense to be worried about your captain and friend. And it made sense to try to find them. It didn't make sense for him to desperately paddle after the boy, shouting for him to come back. And it didn't make sense for him to charge into a fight he knew nothing about and take a knife to the side to try and rescue someone he had only known for a few days. Not that much about Luffy made sense to Zoro's brain.
“Zoro should rest,” Luffy said almost quietly, watching Zoro with those dark eyes as they fixed on the blood pooling from his injury.
“And you need to get out of this cage,” Zoro grunted back, still hauling the cage that his idiot captain was currently trapped in. Only Luffy would get trapped in a metal cage....after getting carried off by a giant bird. Maybe this is all a hallucination and I'm still in that Marine courtyard tied to that cross. It would make a lot more sense than whatever the hell is happening right now.
It wasn't until Zoro all but collapsed that he finally relented, being physically incapable of dragging the cage anymore. The pirates at least seemed to be leaving them alone for the time being, the orange-haired girl excluded. Her sharp eyes raked over Zoro with apparent disdain, weighing his worth and finding him lacking. Zoro wasn't sure he liked her. He had spent a long time hunting pirates and he knew when someone was hiding something, something big that had the capacity to destroy lives.
But there was no time to dwell on the strange girl, not with men riding giant lions and badly aimed cannonballs fly through the air. Zoro was at least happy that he got some rest in, the sleep doing him a world of good in terms of healing. Though, he was a bit confused as to why he woke up in a pile of rubble, having been sure that was not what it looked like when he had fallen asleep.
“Zoro! You're okay!” Luffy shouted, launching himself at the confused swordsman and wrapping his rubbery limbs around him, heedless of his injured side. “Someone blew the house up! With you inside!”
“It'll take more than a cannonball to get rid of me,” Zoro assured him, absentmindedly patting the boy on the head. His hair was surprisingly soft, considering how greasy and full of salt it was. Huh.
A scoff drew their attention, Nami sitting nearby with a raised eyebrow. “I think cannonball defeats just about everything.”
“Not my Zoro!” Luffy assured her, finally releasing Zoro from his grip. He didn't miss the possessive word in front of his name, the sound making his heart flip a bit. He thought about saying something, about reminding Luffy that he is his own man and that he was only following Luffy until he gets in the way of his goal. But his mouth remained close. The words feeling more and more like a lie with every passing moment. And honestly, he didn't think he really minded being his Zoro.
If there was one thing following Luffy was proving to be, it was unpredictable and bat-shit insane. Zoro didn't want the mayor to try and help them fight the clown pirate, he knew it was a bad idea. But punching the man and knocking him out was certainly not what Zoro would have done. The orange-haired girl's horrified expression said it wasn't what she would have done either. Fighting a man that cannot be cut and can split himself into a hundred pieces was another thing Zoro had never thought he'd see. Anyone else would have looked at the situation and said “fuck it” and left. But not Luffy. Not his captain. No, his captain went charging into the other man's area, shouting for him to fight him himself. And not only did he fight him, he somehow beat him. Zoro would be lying if he said he wasn't proud of him in that moment.
“You're insane!” Was the girl's helpful commentary as they ran from enraged townspeople following their victory over the pirates. They weren't mad about the pirates being defeated—at least, Zoro was pretty sure they weren't. No, he was pretty sure they were mad because a certain somebody in a straw hat had to go and knock out their mayor before loudly announcing they were pirates themselves.
Luffy merely laughed in response to her as they ran, his grin growing. Zoro should mind. He should mind a lot. But all he could do was grin right along with him, even as the wound on his side pulled and blood trickled down his skin with every step. Yeah, this was exactly where he was meant to be, right at Luffy's side and falling into the most insane plots.
They reached their boats without incident, Luffy jumping into their dinghy with a grin as Zoro lowered the sails, the boat inching away from the dock. The orange-haired girl glowered at them as she got into her own boat, eyeing Luffy's stretched out arms that held their boats together. “What are you doing?”
“You're going to be our navigator!” Luffy reminded her, his grin brighter than the sun. His eyes scrunched up from how much room the smile took up, his toothy grin nearly blinding to look at.
“I did not say that,” the girl retorted, also lowering her sails. “I said I would help you. Back there. With those pirates.”
“You just wanted their money,” Zoro chimed in, reclining against the side of the boat. Brown eyes glared at him, the girl subtly flipping him off when Luffy turned back to face him.
The wind filled their sails, pushing them further away from the island, the townspeople's shouts fading into the distance. “But isn't she great!” Luffy pressed, crowding against Zoro. His arms snaked around his shoulders as he plopped himself into his lap, his grinning face only inches from Zoro's.
Zoro faltered for a second, momentarily forgetting what it was they were talking about with the other so close. His warm breath was fanning against his face, his hands burning holes through his shirt where they dug into his shoulders. “Huh?”
“She's the best!” Luffy said, seeming to take Zoro's noise for agreement. He turned back towards the girl with another blinding smile. “And she's going to be our navigator!”
“Am not!” she countered, crossing her arms. But her expression seemed to have softened, something that wasn't annoyance fluttering behind her brown eyes.
“Then why haven't you let your boat drift away from ours?” Zoro asked her, deciding he didn't care enough about her at the moment to try and decipher what it was she was feeling. She would either stay with them or she would go, he honestly didn't care which one it was. Sure it would be nice to have a navigator, but he wasn't going to kidnap someone and force them into that role. Not to mention, she was still guarded, keeping something pressed close against her chest that she didn't want to share.
Annoyance reared back up in her eyes, though she didn't make a move to steer her boat away. Letting out a huff, she stalked into the small cabin on her ship, coming out a moment later with a rope that she tossed towards a surprised Zoro. “Tie the boats together,” she grunted, turning back towards the cabin. “And don't mess with the course. I already have it all set for the nearest island.”
Luffy grinned back at Zoro, still sat comfortably in his lap. “Told you Nami was the best.”
Deciding not to answer that, Zoro nudged Luffy off of him and tied the boats together. He made sure the knots were secure before settling back down, closing his eyes in the hopes of a nap. A warm weight pressing against him made him grunt, but he didn't open his eyes. The weight was already a familiar presence, it's owner already well known to him like his own body was.
“Napping, Zoro?” Luffy whispered, or at least, attempted to whisper. He didn't have much volume control, Zoro had learned.
“Mm.” Was Zoro's response, his mind already drifting off. The warmth against him shifted a bit before it sprawled out on top of him, arms wrapping around his neck and legs tangling with his own. A nose buried itself into the skin covering his collarbone, a soft breath leaving it in a gentle sigh.
Zoro really should mind that Luffy was laying on top of him. He wasn't a mattress, after all and there was such a thing as personal space But, well, he really didn't mind. It was much too warm under the setting sun for another body against his but Zoro wasn't going to ask Luffy to move. He knew he was going to wake up sticky with sweat and probably soaked through his clothes, but this was Luffy.
His half-asleep brain pointed out the fact that it shouldn't matter who it was that was laying atop of him, he should kick them off. Had anyone else ever dared to try Zoro probably would have cut them for it. But with Luffy....he was just....Luffy. Zoro really didn't know how else to explain it. The other was a tactile person, preferring to always be within reaching distance of each other. Even on land, he preferred to crowd next to Zoro instead of sitting away from him. And Zoro....Zoro didn't mind. He should. But he didn't.
And maybe....maybe that was the first time he knew something was different about what he felt for this boy. About the way his rules seemed to change for him with no real discernible reason. About the way he was driven to protect him, to keep him close as well. Sure, Zoro had never really had friends before so he didn't have much to compare these feelings to, but even he could tell there was something different here. Something different that he hadn't felt with Kuina or his bounty hunting partners. Something he had never felt before.
This feeling was sharper, nesting into his chest and burrowing into his heart. It constricted until he almost couldn't breathe when the other was hurt, when he thought he wouldn't make it. It warmed him from the inside when the other laughed, the sounds falling across him like a waterfall of melody. He could feel it all the time, coiling around his heart in gentle loops much like rubber limbs wrapped around his body. A sense of protection went with it. Devotion. Loyalty. And other words, words that Zoro didn't have to describe it. Words that he knew, but words he didn't know how to apply.
But right now, Zoro was tired. His side ached and he was pretty sure the weight atop of him was letting more blood trickle out—not that he cared. He was tired and just wanted to sleep. His confusing thoughts and strange feelings were something he could think about at a later date, or perhaps, never at all. They weren't getting in his way of his goal and they didn't seem to be putting either him or Luffy in any danger. Maybe they weren't worth worrying about.
Letting his body relax more, Zoro curled his arms upwards, gently repositioning Luffy atop him into a more comfortable position for both of them. The boy above him let out a small grumble, his own arms curling tighter around Zoro as he continued to sleep, his even breaths fluttering across Zoro's skin. Yeah, sleep was a good idea. And if Zoro's arms kept their hold of the boy above him, keeping him pressed firmly and securely against him, well, he was already drifting into sleep. His body must have moved on its own.
—
This was not how Nami wanted her day to go. Not only had she been forced into an alliance with pirates—pirates!—she had lost most of the treasure she had stolen and was now stuck with said pirates out in the open ocean. She snorted at the thought, wondering what her family would think of her if they could see her now. Though that thought was quickly pushed away, memories too painful to entertain bubbling up at the thoughts.
Deciding that perhaps sleeping wasn't going to work out, Nami kicked her blankets off and left the small cabin, relaxing instantly at the cool sea breeze that raced to rub against her warm skin. The sun was low on the horizon, it's final rays casting a blood-red glow across the sky. The first stars were beginning to appear, their small pinpricks of light gaining in strength as darkness set in.
Turning away from the ocean before her, Nami stopped short at the sight in the other boat, a small laugh doing its best to work its way out of her mouth. She had only met these two that day, one of them falling, quite literally, out of the sky and the other one showing up, on his own, and armed with just his swords. They were quite the pair—not that she would tell them that. But seeing them curled up together, well, that was something else. Despite her best efforts, a small smile wormed its way onto her face, pulling at her lips and forcing them upwards.
The two pirates were laying together on the hard, wooden floor of their boat. Luffy was atop the other, his limbs completely entangled around him as if he was afraid he might disappear into the night. And Zoro—pirate hunter and demon of the East Blue Zoro—lay happily beneath him, his own hands securely holding the other against him as if he too feared what might happen should be let go. A small puddle of blood had formed on Zoro's injured side, the liquid turning black as night set in. But both pirates seemed oblivious to it, lost in the realms of their dreams.
It was hard to untangle fact from legend but the longer Nami—begrudgingly, she must add—spent time with the swordsman, the harder it was for her to match the flesh and blood man up with the fearsome legend that stalked his steps. Oh sure she had seen glimpses of it in battle. She had seen the way he, having just been stabbed and actively bleeding, had picked his captain up, cage and all, and acted like it was no big deal. Even with Luffy pleading for him to rest he hadn't until he had been physically unable to take another step. And even then, it was only hours later that he was walking out of a destroyed building, shaking rubble off him with nothing but a confused look. And in battle itself, she could see why they called him a demon, his swords slicing through the air with a surety that only masters had. And yet, here the man was, laying contentedly beneath another man, his captain no less, in a position that was clearly causing him pain. Yet, he slumbered on, having evidently made no effort to move the other to a better position to sleep in. Or even, moved him to the side.
And Luffy....she couldn't figure him out. Nami prided herself on being able to read people well, it was an essential skill, after all. But the rubber boy....she didn't know what to make of him. Since the moment he crashed, literally, into her life earlier that morning, he seemed to throw one curveball at her after another. He was a pirate, but he didn't care about treasure. He was a pirate, but he didn't want to hurt others. He didn't want to hurt others, yet he had knocked the mayor of the town out for his own protection before going to beat up the Buggy Pirates and kicking their captain, literally, in the ass.
The two of them together just provided another enigma. Here was this boy that seemed to be just about indestructible—falling from the sky and walking away without a scratch, fighting a giant lion and winning—and yet he seemed to have his own protector in the form of this quadrant's most feared bounty hunter....who was now working for him and calling him ‘captain’. She didn't get it because Zoro didn't seem to care for treasure either, making his decision to flip sides completely beyond her understanding. Nor did she understand the devotion and loyalty he showed to the other, especially since, according to them, they had only known each other for a handful of days.
They were a puzzle that scratched at her brain, demanding to be understood. But try as she might, there weren't many conclusions she could come too. At least, none that made sense. Or at least, none that made sense and were possible. Because the only other thing she could think of was that....was that they loved each other. But that couldn't be. They had only known each other a few days. You couldn't fall in love in that short of an amount of time. No, Nami was sure there had to be more. There had to be. Because if not.....
Well, it wasn't any of her business one way or the other. No, it wasn't her business the way Luffy grunted in his sleep, his eyebrows drawing together and pitching downwards. It wasn't her business that Zoro's hand immediately rubbed against the boy's side, the body part closest to him. It certainly didn't matter to her the way Luffy instantly quieted, his body relaxing and his breath returning to its deep, even pace.
Feeling that perhaps this was an intimate moment that she shouldn't intrude on—or at least, not intrude on any more than she already had—Nami turned away, heading back into her little cabin. She left the door propped open, the salty ocean breeze following her in and gently ruffling her hair as she slid back beneath the blankets on her mattress. She couldn't name why, but she felt safe. Safer than she had in a long time.
She had a few guesses, and she even felt that a few of them could be right. But her best guess, the one she was most sure of, was that she felt safe because she was safe. While they might be idiots and jump into things without thinking, the two boys in the boat next to her's clearly cared about each other in some way. Loved each other even, perhaps. And she had seen what happened to those who tried to come between the two of them, who tried to hurt one of them. So yes, she was safe. She was safe as long as she stayed by their sides.
Nami didn't understand the two pirates out there. Nor did she understand why she was so sure she was so safe with them. But she decided that those were problems for the morning, when her mind was more rational and not running on empty. Perhaps then she would reassess the situation she found herself in and make different conclusions. But she had a feeling that, no matter how she looked at it, she would still see the same thing in those two as she saw that night. She would still see the devotion and the loyalty. And above all else, she would see the love.