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Wado’s edge drew a lazy trickle of blood from the throat of their latest threat. Zoro was breathing hard. It had taken him fifteen minutes to subdue the three-dozen men that comprised of the attacking pirate crew, which was fourteen minutes longer than Zoro would have preferred. In true Grand Line fashion, the enemies were outlandishly powered, each seemingly unremarkable grunt somehow stronger than the next.
He could already tell that coming down from this fight would take some time. He wasn't in his twenties anymore, and going against seven Devil Fruit users plus armed reinforcements took its toll.
Nonetheless, as Zoro surveyed the clusters of bodies littering the ground of this once halcyon village, he felt a grumble of dark satisfaction. At his feet, the enemy captain cursed him to hell and back while sobbing for the crew he just lost. The young pirate's tears drove Zoro to press his blade deeper, by barely a whisper, but that was enough for Luffy to chide from somewhere behind him, “That should be enough. Koby is on his way."
Zoro snarled without looking back at his wayward captain. He could not control the beast latent in his battle-roughened gruff. "Get back inside, Luffy. I told you not to come out under any circumstances."
"I stayed inside this whole time!" Luffy whined, airy as ever. Neither age nor the title of Pirate King succeeded in bestowing any sense of gravitas unto him. "I only came after the battle was over. You did good, Zoro. I called Koby and he's on his way to collect this guy."
I want you to rest now, was what Luffy meant. Selfish bastard didn't care about what Zoro wanted, which was to skewer their attackers and hand over the corpses to Koby's precious Senate to be strung up as a warning for all those who thought they could harm the Pirate King.
But Luffy was still his captain, and for most matters, his words commanded obedience. Zoro wiped the blood off Wado and sheathed her. This practiced motion served to allay a smidgen of his blood-lust. He remained looming over their captive, his body blocking Luffy from view.
The old Luffy would've peeked his head around and chatted up a storm until Koby's arrival; perhaps the last seven months had finally made enough of an impression on Luffy that he at last learned to stay out of sight.
For seven months, Zoro kept sane by hyper-focusing on the singular goal of keeping his captain alive. Zoro had not rested from the moment their crew realized that the flirtatious Devil Fruit eater at that nondescript bar had rendered the Gum Gum Fruit useless with a simple touch. The following five weeks had been spent frantically trying to hunt down the culprit, calling every known ally for assistance, and ending up with nothing but disappointment. While Luffy rejoiced in his newfound freedom in seawater, news of the recently crowned Pirate King's sudden vulnerability was leaked to the press, and every criminal mastermind slunk out of the shadows. The crew inched gradually into a defensive position against all those aiming for Luffy's title, and along the way, Zoro's sanity was stretched to its limits.
It was Zoro alone who made increasingly defiant decisions against the wills of his rather willful captain, who was no longer stretchy but refused to leave the front lines, all while the monstrous rogue wave that was the pirating world came crashing down on their crew. Zoro put his life and oath on the line when he made the call to Cabinet Minister Koby and accepted the sanctuary offered to them. None of their crew argued; and to his surprise, neither did Luffy.
Said rising star of the new World Alliance quickly landed, as promised, and was marching toward them with three companies of marines and Vice Admiral Helmeppo in tow. Forever and always Luffy's friend, Koby approached them first to check on Luffy's well-being while Helmeppo directed the marines to clean up Zoro's mess.
Koby's concern was apparent. "Luffy, are you -"
"Where the fuck was the barricade you supposedly set up?" Zoro's disdain was equally unmasked.
Those big, all-seeing eyes twitched. Koby begrudgingly shifted his glance to Zoro. He said, suitably contrite, "I'm very sorry about this. The Senate wouldn't budge on the one ship agreement, and that just wasn't enough to keep the entire island shielded. The Spearhead Pirates got through a hole in our defense."
"This was the fourth time, Minister." Zoro bared his teeth. His hackles were still raised from the fight, and his blood had not yet cooled. "We've had to move to three different islands already. If your barricade is this full of holes, your World Alliance needs to fill them with more ships."
A blond head appeared in his peripheral. Zoro could hear the animosity through the man's sneer. "Leave Koby alone, Roronoa. You wouldn't even have my ship if it weren't for Koby putting his career on the line for Straw Hat. Besides, Koby personally comes here every breathing moment he can spare to help patrol the waters. Maybe instead of growling at him like a bratty house pet, you could try saying thank you."
Zoro missed the days when Helmeppo was scared of him. Times changed. Gone were the days of them butting heads over ego. Just as the world was no longer subjugated by the all-powerful marines and their masters, Zoro found himself lost, in a way, without the oppressive yet familiar structure of the old world order. Nowadays, Zoro didn't know how to respond to Helmeppo's jabs, how to rely on the new marines, or how to navigate these political waters. Worse still, he didn't know how to keep his captain safe.
Faced with Zoro's silence, Helmeppo merely rolled his eyes. He ordered his underlings to drag the Spearhead Pirates' captain away. Luffy moved from the safety of Zoro's shadow to give his old friend a welcoming embrace.
"It's all good, guys. I'm fine! I have Zoro with me." Luffy smiled. Luffy never stopped smiling, but these days, his grin seemed weaker. Zoro could tell, even when he tried not to notice, that Luffy's smiles were no longer as bright as the rising sun.
Zoro closed his eyes to stop himself from lashing out. It was pointless. The feeble sanctuary promised by the Senate was just the World Alliance's blandest attempt at feigning concern for collateral damage. The average citizen would never know that the government’s contribution to preventing an all-out war between pirates was one single ironclad. It was a convenient show of generosity that Zoro had ceased to appreciate long ago. And the more Luffy stayed compliant -- the more he seemed content to put his trust in Koby -- the more Zoro wanted to steal him away and hide him in a dark cave on an uninhabited island.
He blamed his irritability on the lingering effects of battle. His head was tired but his body wasn’t ready to let go. He wanted to cut and slash and maim, but there was no one left for him to vent his frustrations on, not when Luffy wouldn’t even let him yell at the marines properly.
No one tried to stop him when he left.
Back in the hut he’d been sharing with Luffy since Helmeppo's ship first dumped them on this island a month ago, Zoro couldn't sit still. He grabbed the lone satchel from under his bed and quickly stuffed it with his meager possessions: tools for cleaning and sharpening his swords, two changes of clothing, his favorite mug, and the mini transponder snail Nami had given him before they’d split up.
Packing took no time at all, and once he was done, restlessness once again swept him under. Zoro held on to Wado for balance. He wished the cook was there for him to pick a fight with. He wanted to hurt someone.
Luffy chose that moment to return. His straw sandals slapped dully against the dirt-packed ground. One wouldn’t believe him to be the Pirate King at first glance, not with the way he meandered around the village like a vagabond in tattered shirts and food-stained shorts, shoulders perpetually hunched from insouciance. While patches of grey in Zoro's hair added dignity to his mien, somehow the same shading only made Luffy look scruffy and unreliable.
But when Luffy walked in and stood wordlessly behind his incensed Swordsman, it was impossible for Zoro to dismiss the onslaught of Luffy’s spirit -- the unmistakable, concentrated will of a King. Zoro, who was an unquestionably dominant figure in his own right, quivered.
Suddenly, it felt dangerous to expose his back to Luffy. Not because he was worried Luffy would hurt him, but because the urge to go to his knees right then and there was already overwhelming.
Zoro turned. The familiar sight of his captain's kind eyes restored the metaphorical ground beneath his feet. He gave in to his darkest thoughts.
"Let's leave, Luffy. I shouldn't have trusted the government. Too many marines know where you are; that's too many potential leaks. I'll find a place this time. Somewhere safe, I promise. No one will be able to find you."
He wasn't afraid to admit his mistakes, but he was terrified when Luffy's perpetual smile disappeared. That commanding spirit returned in full force, even as Luffy reached up to brush the wisps of grey above Zoro's ears and cup his stern jaw within gentle palms.
Zoro trembled. "Luffy... please. Start packing. I'll keep you safe this time. I swear -- "
Luffy shook his head. As though he was speaking to a child, Luffy enunciated slowly, "It's time, Zoro. I want to go back to our crew."
And Zoro had known that. Zoro knew the marines had countless safehouses on deserted, uncharted isles where they could've stuffed Luffy until the rest of the Straw Hats found the woman responsible for taking away Luffy's powers, but Luffy always had to be where the people were, had to walk among smiling faces and be surrounded by happy communities. It was the one compromise he demanded as a substitute for his precious, invaluable crew. He despised being alone. Some days Zoro thought his sole companionship might have been enough for Luffy, and it killed him that it wasn't.
The Pirate King's eyes were clear and honest. His decision was made. Short of rendering him unconscious, Zoro knew Luffy would never agree to being hidden away so completely, not when his acquiescence to Zoro and Koby's combined scheme must've already pushed the limits of his tolerance.
The adrenaline was leaving his body, and Zoro's hands could not stop shaking. A madness was bubbling up from within. Months of running and hiding and dodging confrontations -- he had resorted to doing everything he despised in a fighter, and it still wasn't enough. Pirates -- strong and young with vitality to spare -- were going to keep coming. Luffy's Devil Fruit wasn't ever a deterrence -- not exactly -- but to all those ambitious souls, the lack of it seemed to have opened a path to the throne, however narrow it might be. The old guard and young blood alike could never let go of this slim chance at glory, fame, and power. And one day, despite the rest of his devastating powers, Luffy would slip up again, or Zoro would, and something as stupid as a stray bullet, like the one that got lucky all those months ago, could take away Zoro's everything.
The memories returned. The madness boiled over.
Zoro yelled, his voice hoarse like that of a caged, damaged beast, “Nami and them still haven't found her! Do you have any idea how vulnerable you are right now? I know you are strong. I know you can still fight. But there's a limit to your strength without the Gum Gum Fruit’s powers. Why can't you understand that? You're already the Pirate King. There's nothing to prove! Why did you agree to this in the first place? Why did you come with me if you weren't going to see it through?"
The expression on Luffy's face changed into one Zoro did not see often.
"Because Zoro was scared," his captain replied.
Zoro realized soon enough that expression was pity. He moved to pull away, to remove Luffy's hands on him. He was done. The high of battle had left him utterly drained, and what remained was an urge to vomit.
The more he dodged and squirmed, the firmer Luffy held on. Those hands that upended the world migrated to Zoro's slumped shoulders, and softly, dropped down to grasp Zoro's hands.
Luffy did not need to use much force. Zoro was powerless to resist him anyway. He took Zoro's right hand and moved it gently up his own left leg. Under the frayed cuff of Luffy's shorts, Zoro's fingers felt that hardened patch of skin. He immediately flinched. He wanted to provide comfort, but he also needed to pull away.
"Zoro was scared," Luffy repeated. "I know I'd lost consciousness and don't remember much, but just before I passed out, I remember seeing you trip over your own feet, trying to get to me."
That wasn't something Zoro could deny.
"It hit you in an artery," Zoro murmured. He was so tired.
More pity oozed from Luffy's eyes. He wasn't done. "Zoro was so scared that a puny marine captain left a scar on your back."
The three-inch scar that connected his left triceps and shoulder burned. It was an unforgiving brand of shame, for Zoro had not earned it in defense of his captain, but had received it when he lost focus.
Under his fingers, the round-shaped scar on Luffy's thigh warmed.
Luffy brought Zoro's other hand to his lips to be kissed. "You needed me to come with you, so I did. But you're still scared. Only now, you're angry too, like all the time. That wasn't the plan."
"The plan is to keep you safe until we find that witch."
Luffy grimaced. "Actually, the plan was to let you get used to this and not be scared anymore when bad things happen to me."
One day Monkey D. Luffy's audaciousness was going to kill him.
Zoro was tired from the fight and tired from his captain's gaze. He closed his eye and slumped forward, burying his sigh into Luffy's neck. His captain smelled clean, untouched by the smoke and grime of battle.
"Luffy, you can't... I can't..." Zoro squeezed the scarred thigh beneath his grip. He must've used too much strength, because a tiny, nearly imperceptible groan fell into Zoro's ears.
"Let's go find our crew, Zoro," Luffy said. "We'll deal with everything together. You don't have to be scared."
“Stop saying that! I’m not scared of anything!”
If wounds on the back were a swordsman’s shame, then being called out for being a coward was nothing short of absolute disgrace. Zoro couldn’t handle it anymore; he wasn’t brave enough. Luffy was just so damn good at poking at open wounds. Zoro needed him to stop talking.
Zoro wasn’t proud of it, but he shoved him. Luffy staggered back and almost fell over their dining table.
Zoro followed, not giving Luffy time to recover. He fell atop his captain and the two of them brought the whole table down. Before Luffy could catch his breath, Zoro leaned in and stole it with a devouring kiss.
It wasn’t often that he was allowed this. In fact, there were days, months, even years when Zoro was certain Luffy could not love him the same way and that their physical bond was forged half out of pity. Nearly twenty years they’d been together and Zoro could count on one hand every time the two of them kissed in such a famished, heart-rending fashion. Usually, the kiss was one-sided, with Zoro trying every move in his limited bag of tricks to elicit a response from Luffy, and Luffy lovingly yet calmly coaxing Zoro’s tongue to meet his. It was never enough. Zoro wanted Luffy to lose his mind like Zoro always did, wanted him panting and salivating out of control, wanted him so desperate for Zoro that he’d forget to breathe.
For seven months Zoro had been telling himself that he was only playing the hand life had dealt them, that it was temporary, that their friends would track down the witch who'd done this to Luffy and kill her, and Luffy would return to his old self and everything would be back to normal. But things hadn't been normal since Luffy became Pirate King. Or perhaps even before that, all the way back to the East Blue, when they fell into bed together at Coco Village and Zoro understood he would never be in full possession of his heart again.
His hands couldn't stop their exploration of Luffy's body. They stripped Luffy bare, then went on to squeeze and pinch, satisfying a decades-long desire to leave bruises on Luffy's body, a feat that couldn't have been accomplished until now. His lips moved as well, in a meandering trajectory of want that left a trail from Luffy's mouth to thigh, finally stopping at the scar, at which point Zoro set anchor and went to work, sucking and licking and biting at that sensitive patch of skin. Before long, Luffy was moaning through tears, his manhood standing at full attention inches from Zoro's face.
Zoro didn't let up. Mouth still occupied, Zoro reached into his satchel and retrieved the expensive oil he splurged on for his swords and upended a generous amount into his palm. Luffy moaned again so prettily when Zoro began to open him up. Out of concern for his lover, Zoro had been afraid to do this since Luffy lost his rubber body. The sensation was unsurprisingly different now that Luffy couldn't stretch. But the heat that engulfed his fingers and rushed down to his toes was familiar and provocative.
Starved, Zoro gave in to the only way to sate his appetite and took his rightful place within Luffy's body.
Luffy's arms were steel around Zoro's neck; his knees pressed between their chests as Zoro declared possession over and over. The slide of his cock against Luffy's warmth shot explosions of stars behind Zoro's eyes. Broken, abortive grunts of pleasure-pain danced their way out of Luffy's bitten-through lips, and Zoro bent down easily to collect them.
"Never... It's never this tight." Not one for dirty talk, Zoro found he had no control over his professions this time around. "Fuck. Captain! Fuck! I want..."
Luffy squirmed deliciously when Zoro called him "captain," and both the motion and the knowledge drove Zoro's hips to a stutter. His body picked up the pace, chasing a release that he had been afraid to ask for, and his blessed captain met every one of his thrusts with equal enthusiasm.
He wasn't able to last. "Luffy, Luffy... I'm…"
And that was when his wretched, selfish, beautiful captain ceased moving.
"Zoro, stop," Luffy said with enough push behind his words that Zoro knew them to be a command. "Not allowed," he moaned, "Zoro's not allowed to finish before I let him."
A shocked and dazed Zoro met Luffy's hooded eyes. Despite the blush that covered Luffy from head to chest, he was clearly not joking.
"Are you punishing me?" Zoro asked. His voice was almost entirely gone, for lust had replaced the post-battle adrenaline, and Zoro was now more animal than man, his words traded for a blinding desire to rut and bite and claim.
Luffy didn't answer him. Instead, he added a second command, "Zoro is not allowed to move."
At multiple points in their seafaring journey, Zoro had been called a dog for the way he bared his teeth at anyone who threatened Luffy and for the way he stayed undeterred by Luffy's side no matter the challenge. The comparison took on another level in the privacy of their love life; but even so, despite the years Zoro spent panting after his captain, Luffy had never commanded him like this in bed.
His cock throbbed again, and he knew he could come with just a few more thrusts.
But Zoro didn't move.
Long, limber legs wound around Zoro's waist. Two bony ankles locked in place behind his lower back. Still, Zoro did not move.
Using his legs as leverage, Luffy started a tortuous grind against the body above him. Zoro could do nothing but drink in every minute expression floating across his lover's face. For Luffy to take initiative, for him to take his pleasure on his swordsman's cock, was everything Zoro had been afraid to dream of.
Zoro didn't move. Even when he so desperately needed to kiss Luffy, Zoro did not move. Even when his desires were threatening to burn him from the inside out, Zoro did not move. He watched Luffy writhe with abandonment, newly calloused hands finally shifting down to console his own weeping manhood, and Zoro did not move. Half-crazed, Zoro obeyed while Luffy lost himself in a tear-wracked orgasm that gripped Zoro's cock ever tighter.
Thirty seconds passed; then forty. Luffy caught his breath. He smiled lazily up at his green-haired pet and whispered, "Zoro, you can finish now."
Zoro fell upon him without grace or rhythm or dignity. When he came, he did so moaning nonsensical oaths of devotion into Luffy's mouth. There was no escaping the stranglehold that was Luffy's ownership of his soul.
Bliss enveloped him like a blanket. He wrapped Luffy tightly in his arms and did everything in his power to stay inside Luffy for as long as possible.
When the chill chased away their happiness and rational thought returned to roost, Zoro's embrace tightened.
"What if we never find her?"
Luffy shrugged. "I don't need the Gum Gum powers to be Pirate King. But I do need my crew." He patted Zoro's hair. "Don't be sad anymore, Zoro. Don't be scared either. These last few months with just you and me? I have no regrets."
It clicked so easily for Zoro then -- why Luffy, who never backed down from a fight, had agreed to the government's sanctuary. The Pirate King had given Zoro six months of himself. How could Zoro ask for more?
He sought Luffy's lips again. And again and again and again. They could never have world enough, or time. There was only moving forward and the promises of dreams.