Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Zoro didn’t really mean for this to happen.

He didn’t bother dodging as the chimera charged towards him with a thunderous roar, Zoro simply stood tall and gripped his swords tightly, so hard that his knuckles turned white. In a single, solid slash, Zoro cut the beast down, its ram-like horns rolling past his feet from where he had dismembered them.

Its body resembled that of a dire wolf, yet its claws reminded him of the birds of prey he would watch swarm above the chicken coops back home. 

To be fair, he never really means for it to happen- whenever he ends up in these situations, it's always because of a very absurd series of events that have occurred. Surely, whatever deity is watching over him is either majorly slacking off or hoping to lead him to his early demise.

The loud thud of the unnatural creature slumping to the floor reminded him of where he was. Zoro didn’t dare drop his guard even as the beast lay motionless beneath him; Zoro stabbed his sword right between the eyes of the animal and turned to its friends. He thought chimeras were solitary creatures, and yet here he was, surrounded with little chance of escape. His eyes darted towards the foliage, which always makes for good cover, but mentally backtracked when he met the glowing reflective eyes of more magical creatures.

“This seriously bites,” He flicked the blood off his sword, and it landed with a gruesome splatter onto the ground. “Any chance you all would just let me walk outta here?”

He took the chorus of growls as his answer. It's not like he expected them to start speaking in human tongue, but it was worth a shot, he'd seen weirder things.

The noise of thick paws and chicken feet and whatever other monstrous amalgamations stalking forward warned him of his imminent doom. Zoro felt the pinching of his previous injuries scream underneath his clothes, he knew that he wasn’t in condition to fight any longer, and therefore, he was seriously screwed. Zoro probably should be more afraid, but he had grown an insensitivity to being in grave, potentially deadly scenarios.

It gets old, fast.

When he left his village to fulfill a literal soul-binding promise, he didn’t mean to drift all the way to a new continent in his third-rate dinghy. But it was where he had ended up, so there was nothing much more to do than to just go with it. After spending the only coin he had on directions to 'a place I can get strong, fast' from a traveling merchant, he began his journey to the capital.

He’s sure that damn scammer ripped him off, because instead of some bustling, prosperous city with plenty of opportunities to grow his skill, he had found himself here.

Hungry, broke, and hacking away at the wild wilderness reaching out to him with comically large leaves, clinging to his limbs as he struggled to make his way through the dense forest. He had been stuck in this cursed, monster-infested forest for days. He was wounded and weak, and had only his swords and the desperate ambition to survive swirling within his eyes as company.

It was safe to say Zoro was quite used to the whirlwind of his life, and as Kuina used to tell him, when there was nothing left to do, you simply suck it up and do something. Zoro, using the burning of the intricate design on his back as a reminder of what he still had left to do, stood tall and faced it head-on, as he always did.

Magical beasts be dammed, he refused to die here in this humid dump.

The sun had been beating down on his shoulders all day through the thick canopy above, its warmth seeping in through the black cloak he wore. The sweat upon his brow dripped down his chin, and he felt peaceful as he slowly unsheathed his third sword, slotting it within his mouth as he was increasingly outnumbered as beasts stepped out of the shadows.

It was because of that constant warmth that he was immediately aware of when it was suddenly blocked. His shoulders instantly felt colder as the rays of the sun weren't on him for the first time since the crack of dawn. The thick cover of trees above him was violently torn open by something so incredibly large it blocked the now would-be visible sky completely.

Before Zoro could even process what had just occurred, he found himself being scooped up in large claws and carried off into the sky. 

His mouth being covered by his sword, he couldn’t even scream; all he could do was make terrified, muffled noises, which were ultimately just drowned out by the deafening noise of flapping wings. The painful sensation of claws digging into his back made him bite down harder onto the hilt of his sword.

He was helpless, the wind was so strong that he couldn’t fight against the push of it, and he struggled uselessly to swing his swords upwards and against the legs of whatever type of mythical creature had abducted him. His limbs flopped uselessly in the sky, and despite his best effort, Zoro’s precious swords slipped from his grasp to the concealed ground below. 

He could only watch as the forest became further and further away, everything appeared smaller, and each tree looked stunted as he got higher and higher. His eyes burned furiously from the assault of air they were being subjected to, yet he refused to shut them.

From up here, he could see how he had stained the forest floor red with the blood of magical beings, and he almost felt guilty about staining the once-white wildflowers dancing between thick tree trunks. Almost. He could also see the huge ass clearing that had just been made with the arrival of whatever had him in its claws. 

What could possibly be capable of such strength? 

Zoro hadn’t seen many magical creatures in his life, and he was anything but educated on the topic. Since arriving at this strange new land so different from where he hails, he had encountered all sorts of strange creatures. He might’ve found it within himself to remain composed before within the thrill of battle and adventure, but now, Zoro was simply scared shitless. He couldn’t even start to search through his very limited catalog of information on just how one possibly could deal with this thing.

Now with just one sword left- the one Kuina had left him- he truly felt the peril he was in sink into the veins thrumming beneath his skin, clouding his brain with a thick fog of panic. He couldn’t tell what was louder, the furious beating of his heart or the wings hauling them through the sky.

He held his jaw shut, lest Wado Ichimonji fall. Zoro only then realized he couldn’t even see the edges of the forest below, and he definitely saw no capital. It was just a plain sea of green covering miles upon miles of land. Damn it all.

As the creature reached increasing heights and Zoro’s ears popped, he finally allowed his body to go limp and for his eyes to squeeze shut. He didn’t know where he was being taken, but he doubted struggling the entire way there would do much of a difference; instead, he prayed he wouldn’t be dropped and tried to conserve the little strength he had left. 

It was a short while later that he felt the beast glide into a current of air, the bumpy ride of terror turning eerily smooth as the beast spread its wings and caught the draft. It was such a large creature, and because of the way he was caught and being held, all he could rely on were context clues to avoid going insane from the anticipation of a horrendously painful fall to his death.

He cracked his steely grey eyes open and blinked away the fuzzy spots dancing within his vision, nearly forgetting he had his sword in his mouth, Zoro only just avoided gaping at the sight before him. It was gorgeous, a mountain peaking above the horizon loomed over a glistening blue body of water, a gentle haze of yellow wildfires spreading like a wildfire as dense greenery made way to a rolling meadow. A large waterfall cascaded down a sheer cliff in pooling layers, deadly sharp rocks decorating its front, and of course- Zoro realized with a jolt of pure agitation- that the damn creature was heading straight for it!

Was this a hunting strategy?! Did this clawed beast pick up its poor victims and bash them against the rocks?! 

He broke out of the trance that the natural beauty of the area had put him under as his muddled mind desperately searched for solutions. Zoro flopped around in an attempt to be released, but the tight grip held him tightly, his confines grew excruciating as his wounds reopened, and the beast tightened its hold on him in response to his struggle. As it dawned on Zoro that he was utterly defenseless, he felt the crushing emotion that came with it. 

Is this really how it would end? Would Zoro die before he became the man he promised he would become, would he really meet his demise so soon into his journey? Had he been nothing but a big fish in a small pond?

Was Zoro really that weak? 

Zoro continued to uselessly squirm in his prison, because maybe he would admit defeat, but death before completing his promise was just simply not an option. “When there is nothing left to do, you suck it up and do something.”

Zoro steeled his eyes and came face to face with a raging, incredibly sharp wall of water, and he admittedly did lose his nerve as they picked up speed. He flinched out a muffled shriek as the hulking figure he was being carried by was easily consumed by the flow, his body being spared the brunt of the pressure, yet still feeling as though a hundred buckets of well water had been dumped upon his head.

He was stunned by the frigid temperature that forcibly enveloped him, and as soon as he could collect his thoughts enough to realize he wasn’t dead, he was even further shocked by the fact that he hadn’t been essentially obliterated against the rocks. They were easily sharp enough to shred him into the perfect snack-sized meat kabob for his captor. Zoro found himself drenched, cold, and probably bleeding out in the pitch black darkness.

Maybe he did die, and that stusemblancemous bird had gone down with him. The second Zoro felt himself be released, he threw himself out of reach, hoping the dark would cover his position because, who was he kidding, the damn animal was so big that everywhere was in its reach.

Just as he had staggered into some sort of crevice in the rough wall, a blinding light forced his strained eyes closed on instinctive self-preservation. The heat of what he now recognized as fire met his skin in a blazing flurry, and the previous chill was chased away by an almost comforting warmth that quickly turned to bordering on painful as he was exposed to tremendous temperatures.

Just as quickly as it had come, the inferno of fire sizzled out, torches on the cave wall now lit, the flickering illumination painting hues of warmth onto the ground. It had revealed a grand, open cave, bigger than he had originally thought, and it was consumed by a surprisingly cozy living space. The soft puff of moist breath against the nape of his neck made him freeze, remembering the full grasp of the situation he was in, Zoro pulled the sword still tucked into his mouth into his hand and spun around to meet a golden eye the same size as his head.

His first reaction was to try and stab it. He swung a muscular arm down in a brutal attack, but the creature simply raised its head, too tall for Zoro to reach. He dove to the side, and all the air he had managed to greedily suck into his lungs left with a miserable noise as he took in the largest being he had ever seen. An elegantly and deadly winged animal covered head to toe with glittering golden scales, horns as tall as him, and a jaw so powerful it could chomp houses clean in half. 

A dragon. 

Zoro almost tripped in sheer shock, but he regained his balance and slid underneath the belly of the beast. There, he had noted that the scales turned to a more vulnerable-looking armor of tough skin. But instead of the familiar sensation of piercing something with his sword, his violent and desperate swing met air, and Zoro stumbled forward for the third time into the now-empty space he had been launching his entire body weight towards. Into something. Into somebody.

A voice that wasn’t his rang out in the echoey space as Zoro crashed onto the floor, bringing a smaller body down with him. “What the heck!” 

A surge of confusion spread through Zoro as he instinctively tried to climb back to his feet, only to find with growing frustration that his wounds had decided to make themselves known. Agony lit his veins as he weakly moved to shield the body beneath him, he has no idea what possibly could have occurred just now, but somewhere in this cave was a god damned dragon and although he didn’t care to perish here, Zoro couldn’t stand to watch somebody else die in front of him due to his own weakness. 

“Get down and shut the hell up! It’ll hear you!” Zoro hissed his words as he shoved the guy's head into his side. The pain Zoro was in was clear within his voice, even to his own ears, and despite his best efforts to remain quiet himself, his words were still almost comically loud within the cave. The person under him wiggled out from where Zoro was practically suffocating him, and he almost yelled in infuriation as the guy spoke casually, which was to say, loudly, as if there wasn’t a fire-breathing, overpowered lizard in here somewhere with them. 

“What's gonna hear us?” The boy sat up and looked around, as if he could’ve possibly missed the beast that was just here a moment ago.

Zoro, pain be dammed, dove right back over him. “The dragon?!” 

Zoro groaned as pain pulsed through him, and he almost had an aneurysm when the maddeningly daft boy had either the gall or the stupidity to laugh. “Oh, you don’t gotta worry about that.” As his comment sank in, Zoro paused in his overwhelming urge to stangle the mysterious boy as he struggled to comprehend what he was being told.

“What?” 

He felt as the boy crawled over him, pressing onto his wounds with his weight, ignoring any semblance of decency or personal space. In the dim lighting, Zoro gulped as the guy looked at him as if he were an imbecile, all smiles and cheer as his face pressed closer to his, fire dancing in those raven eyes.

“Shishishi! You dummy, I’m the dragon!”

Chapter Text

“Shishishi! You dummy, I’m the dragon!”

Zoro was forced to meet dark-hued eyes, the intimate position they were in causing their bodies to be almost completely against each other; all he’d have to do was move a hair's breadth forward, and their noses would be touching.

All the pain he was under, all the confusion and adrenaline coursing through him came to a screeching halt as his brain processed the incredulous words which had reached his ears.

“A…dragon?” The words left his mouth before he could control himself, each syllable lined with deep skepticism. Even Zoro knew what that was, infamous for the terror they caused, there was little chance that there was anybody around who didn’t know what dragons were. Dragons were the most mystical and feared creatures; they were bedtime legends and a looming threat alike, a shadow lingering beyond one's wildest imagination. They truly were the most well-known magical beasts that roamed the lands, and yet Zoro had been under the assumption that they were long gone. Brave adventurers who traveled across the oceans had risen up to the daunting task of hunting them to their near complete disappearance. Homes and villages being razed to the ground overnight on the whims of an overpowered beast were a thing of his parents' age. His generation was simply left to listen to the gruesome tales of when it was the biggest issue around. With the top predators being defeated left and right, the levels of mana in the area decreased, and monsters became weaker and weaker, making them easier to fight for the average mage or knight. It caused a domino effect that caused the prevalence of beasts, and the problems they cause, to drop dramatically in just a span of around fifty years.

Now, the only place where you would find strong foes was in the outskirts of big cities, because of the large presence of people practicing magic. Even then, as long as you lived within the city's walls, you were entitled to a comfortable life where you were free to practice your craft, protected by the abundance of strong magic users and an army of skilled knights parading around the streets. He couldn’t imagine that being afraid every single day of things like dragons was humanity's norm for centuries before him. So, of course, his luck took a turn and decided to introduce Zoro to what he’s missed out on.

The boy blinked owlishly at him, watching as he sputtered and racked his brain for any reason this man he didn’t even know had the nerve to jest in a situation like this. It was only for a second that Zoro floundered, searching for an appropriate response to the ridiculousness of what was happening to him, and yet it felt like it could’ve been an entire candle mark.

“You,” Zoro was at a loss for words as the boy leaned closer, he could feel his warmth against Zoro's shivering, damp body. His hair may have been singed and his eyes dry, but he was still soaking, a pool of cool water collecting around him as he opened and closed his mouth in search of words to speak. “A dragon? You seriously expect me to believe such an obvious lie?” Zoro used the remaining strength he had to pull away, the proximity to a stranger lighting an uncomfortable heat in his face. He startled as his back met the wall he had previously cowered behind when he first encountered the dragon; instead of taking the damn hint, the man just took his opportunity to box him in and lean even closer than he had before. 

He was shocked by the sheer lack of manners from the man entirely too close to him. It was certainly telling, because Zoro himself was considered to be something of a barbarian. Zoro cringed when he started to spot the details of the man's face, like how his hair was the same shade of midnight black as his round eyes, and how a small crescent scar adorned his tan face underneath his eye. 

He didn’t appear to be a fighter, despite his bulky frame and scarred appearance; his stance was too open, his demeanor strikingly naive, and his boyish face curious as if he found no qualms about this situation despite them having never met before. 

Flustered and increasingly agitated, Zoro shoved the man away from him. This man may not be a fighter, but Zoro was, and there was nothing a warrior detested more than being cornered and vulnerable. Especially in front of a stranger who made such terribly timed jokes. 

The anger he was feeling surged through him with waves of protest from the reopened gashes across his skin. This time, Zoro was the one who closed the distance between them. He lunged over the smaller body that was now sprawled across the floor and gripped the strings of his red cloak- because, of course this nut case was wearing nothing but a cloak above his bare skin in this cold ass cave. 

“Who are you? What happened to the dragon? Don’t even think about lying,” Zoro used his bigger body to trap the man beneath him with his weight and spat out his demands with a venomous glare. The face beneath him didn’t even flinch at the fact that this strange man was threatening him in what Zoro assumed to be his own home. The man simply smiled at him curiously as if he were intrigued by his outburst of violence; there wasn’t any fear present in those swirling dark eyes, which really only served to piss Zoro off. Before he could receive his answer, Zoro felt the room spin, his eyebrows furrowed as his head began to feel alarmingly fuzzy, and his body suddenly felt weak, too weak to support himself. Zoro slumped down onto the man under him, who only responded with an oof, and Zoro was out before he could do much than croak out in confusion.

When Zoro awoke, he still had the taste of Kuina's name on his mouth, ash on his tongue in a way only bittersweet memories could ever be. He came to consciousness slowly, lazily like how summer turns to fall. He was so warm, an overwhelming sense of comfort washing over him after days of sleeping within the wilderness and at sea. His mind clung onto sleep, savoring every sip of the forbidden drink it had been denied. For a moment, he struggled to separate dream from reality, for one brief, beautiful moment, Zoro was sure he had fallen asleep after training again, that his teacher would come and wake him any second now, that he would open his eyes to to meet a smiling face and blue hair peeking down at him from where he’d fallen asleep at the tree he would often laze at.

Instead, Zoro’s groggy, sleep-addled brain slowly registered the thick, soft hide covering his body. Certainly a luxury they’d never had back home. The foreign sensation of something tugging on his ear became clearer as the fog in his head lifted. His eyes fluttered open gently, and it took only a second for him to blink up at the unfamiliar ceiling to realize where he was. With a startle, Zoro shot up, only to be yanked right back down by the ear. He felt instant relief when he saw the hilt of his sword lying beside him.

“Ow! The hell?!” Zoro floundered at the pulling hand and curled right back over in on himself when a sharp pain spread through his torso at the exertion. 

A vibrant laugh exploded from atop him, and Zoro was irked to note that the odd man had continued to violate his personal space in his sleep. “Who climbs on top of a sleeping man?!” 

Zoro let out a groan of both pain and exasperation as he swatted a curious hand away from his earlobe. The pure mischief in the other man's laugh set his nerves alight with an annoyance he had never quite experienced to this degree before, he felt as if he were aflame with it. As Zoro stopped wiggling about, the pain subsided to a dull throb as the man above him looked at him as if he were from a distant planet, as if he were something to dissect and study. 

“Sorry! It’s just, your earring is so shiny.” 

Had he never seen gold before? Zoro guessed that if this fool truly lived in this cave, it would explain his odd demeanor and his reaction to his jewelry. Peeking down at his body, Zoro noted that the half not covered by the blanket and the man was wrapped in pristine white bandage. It was done half-hazardously, but Zoro could tell an effort had been made to dress his wounds. He stared at the other man silently, perhaps for a moment too long. With their gazes locked, Zoro focused his intense eyes, scanning for any sign as to why a stranger would treat him as this one had. The man was grinning, his own dark eyes searching Zoro’s for something he felt he didn’t have. The waterfalls' roar was dampened, Zoro realized that they had moved further in the cave, and its gentle rush of moving water fell gently as background noise while he gathered his thoughts. Carefully, Zoro’s lips moved before he could convince himself not to speak at all. 

“Your name. Tell me your name.” Zoro felt breathless as he uttered those words into the peaceful atmosphere of the cave around them. It felt as if he were sharing a secret with the other man, words for only them to hear.

A small huff of amusement escaped the others’ lips, and Zoro found himself staring at the other's mouth as he said each syllable that tied his soul to the human tongue. You could gather a lot about a man based on the way he said his own name, Zoro reasoned. 

“Luffy. My name, it’s Luffy,” Zoro gasped as he was pushed into the plush blankets he was lying upon by a sturdy shove. The man's hand, Luffy, his name is Luffy. Luffy’s hand found itself sneaking back down to his face, giving a slow, loving caress to his earnings.

Zoro’s face flushed, the frozen state of his mind thawing as he staggered up to push the man, Luffy, off of him. He was surprisingly shocked by how strong the other was, his hand met firm muscle and it didn’t budge underneath his force. “What is with you?!” 

Zoro tried to bite down the wince that worked it way up onto his face, but he couldn’t hide the physical pain his body was in. Luffy climbed off of him, and for good measure, Zoro smacked him lightly on his shoulder. Luffy went dramatically sprawling, that same bright laugh exploded from Luffy, the force of it sending his head back, his pale neck on display from where Zoro had shoved him away. Luffy laughed and laughed like there wasn’t anything else he’d rather be doing. On the other hand, Zoro mentally took note of his more than sorry state. He’d already known that he had put himself through a rather extreme endeavor, with his rocky voyage across vicious storms and his unfortunate time spent in the woods, but he hadn’t realized how wounded he truly was until now. 

Over his fit of childish behaviour, the giggles coming from the other man died down as he wiped his eyes and jumped back up to his feet. That ugly feeling of being cornered surfaced in Zoro’s chest again with the difference in elevation between them. How easy would it be for Luffy to attack him while he was down? He ignored the nagging voice that whispered how easy it would have been for Luffy to simply end him while he was asleep, how if he had wanted him dead, Zoro’s carelessness had already given him plenty of opportunity to have killed him.

Stubborn, Zoro threw the blanket off himself and braced his weight on his spent arms, all he managed to gain from his efforts was to reignite that same intense burn in his muscles and fuzzy-headed feeling that had come over him when he’d passed out. He refused to yell out like a damsel, and so Zoro bit down on the scream that had attempted to surface and tried to stand again. Before he could even attempt to right himself on his own feet, two hands shoved him right back down to the cushioned covers. His ass hit the floor, and Zoro took a second to breathe through the near-excruciating pain he was enduring. The tanned hands on his shoulders were just as strong as they were earlier, and Zoro wondered what kind of beast this Luffy was to man-handle such a heavy person like Zoro. A warm body pressed itself against his back, and Zoro felt like his hands were burning holes through his tunic. Zoro tried to adjust to the new position, but Luffy’s firm touch stilled his labored movements. Luffy’s voice sounded soft for the first time since Zoro had been in his presence as he whispered into his ear. 

“What’s yours?”

Zoro shivered at the sensation of hot breath fanning his neck. He swallowed dryly, unsure whether to be on guard or not around this strange man. He felt safe in his presence, yet his personality agitated him to no end. His mind was on edge, yet his body relaxed against his will. Under no other circumstances would he ever allow somebody he didn’t know to be at his back, especially when he was so injured. But, there was a mysterious pull tugging him towards the other, as if he was hanging on to each word the other spoke, and it seemed to whisk away any common sense Zoro may have had.

“What do you mean?” Zoro could barely hear himself speak, his low muttering drowned out by the hesitance rolling out of his mouth, the waterfall behind them consuming his words like it’d been washed away. He couldn’t see Luffy from where he lingered behind him, his warmth and grounding touch the only signs of his presence. 

“I meant, your name. Who are you?” Arms snaked around his shoulders and spread a trail of body heat in their wake, and to his inquiry, Zoro only had one response, spilling out of him as if Luffy plucked it out of his throat himself.

“Zoro.” 

Luffy leaned impossibly closer, leaning his head on his shoulder, peeking at him through long lashes. Zoro could be nothing but a statue, still and unbreathing, as he felt like prey about to be consumed. “Zoro.” That same unique laugh was huffed out right against his ear, and this time Zoro couldn’t find it within himself to be disgusted. It was if he were testing the taste of it on his tounge. “That’s a good name. A very good name.”

Zoro was at a complete loss for words. Here he was, being treated as if he were some sort of dog, feeling the most comfortable he had in his life with the strangest man he’d ever had the displeasure of meeting. He didn’t know if he wanted to flee or stay, and the mere thought of that terrified him. Why in the world would he want to be here? With Luffy? 

“Zoro,” The man in question jumped at his name being spoken. It sounded foreign in Luffy’s mouth, each sound gently pronounced as if he were some fancy wine. “You hungry?” He hadn’t noticed when Luffy pulled away, yet Zoro felt colder than he had when he was soaking wet. He turned his focus to where Luffy sat down with a dull thud, using a log as a seat to stoke the rising flames in a well-loved fire pit. No wonder Zoro had been so pleasantly warm, the area around them had been tended to, made for minimal yet more than necessary comfort. Thick hides of all kids hanging from the walls to create a makeshift room, muffling the lulling noise of the waterfall and conserving heat, the walls were lined with various pieces of clutter, things Zoro couldn’t even begin to name.

Luffy pulled away a curtain to show the deep shadows that ran through the mouth of the cave, daylight having burned its course long ago. “You’ve been sleeping away for a while now, you must be starving!” Luffy pulled a wooden stick off the fire and crouched to his level, not leaving any argument for Zoro to stand. The fire made Luffy appear ethereal, and Zoro couldn't help but wonder who this man was and what circumstances he was under to live in a place like this. Luffy was the kind of man who belonged underneath the affection of the sun.

A more vulnerable emotion worked itself into his heart as he was silently handed a skewer with a rather generous portion of meat. The grin on Luffy’s face was wide as he dug in, tearing chunks of roasted meat with an innocent kind of delight. Zoro couldn’t help but be utterly confused as to why somebody he didn’t know, as to why Luffy, would ever spend what must be precious resources to patch him up and feed him.

He chewed silently and watched as Luffy ate, all the burning questions dying in his throat before he could voice them. The charred flavour burst onto his tongue as he pondered. It was when Luffy handed him a waterskin to drink from without being prompted to do so that his curiosity bubbled over.

“Why are you doing this?” Zoro watched the flames lick at the wood, painting the waterskin lingering in his hand in a hundred hues of warmth. He dragged his eyes up to meet Luffy’s. “If you believe you owe me for what happened with the dragon, you don’t. I didn’t land a single blow on it, and my attempt at doing so was pitiful.”

A playful smile overtook that boyish face again, and Zoro wondered if there was any other expression he could make. “Does kindness always come with a price for you?” Luffy exaggerated his words with a big, obnoxious bite into his food.

Zoro drank the refreshing liquid and only realized then how parched he had been. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and couldn’t meet Luffy’s eye again as he spoke. “In this world, nothing ever comes for free. You can trust nobody. What is it that you want from me?” Zoro tossed the waterskin over, half empty. “What reason could you possibly have?”

Luffy exhaled through the food in his mouth and didn’t bother to wait until he swallowed to speak. “That’s the way you go about it? What a sad way to live, Zoro.”

Zoro prickled at the casual way Luffy called him out on his paranoia, and felt something in him squeeze at how Luffy said his name like he’d been saying it all his life. 

The other man continued, taking a swig of water to gulp down his dinner. “Then how about I ask you this,” Suddenly, it seemed all the light in the room had been absorbed by Luffy’s dark, intense eyes, his face turned serious as he crawled over to look Zoro face to face. “Why did you try to protect me earlier?”

“What else could I have possibly done?” Zoro didn’t think before he spoke; he realized he’d never had such trouble with his words until he tried speaking to Luffy. The words simply rushed out of him, as if there were no other choice but honesty when faced with Luffy’s big, round, curious eyes. 

“You could have run, left me, and never looked back. Like anybody else would have.” In that moment, Luffy looked deadly serious, and yet Zoro began to think that maybe there was a particular loneliness swimming in his soul. A painful, old, and festering wound that someone as blunt and careless as Zoro should never have been able to reach.

“Well, for me…There was no other choice.” Luffy stared at him, and then the seriousness melted off his face just as quickly as it had come; in its place came a gentle smile. Why did this man offer such kindness on a silver platter? What had he gone through to become the man he is? Somebody who can so easily show compassion to a person he’d never met until now? Zoro felt the itch to know, to know who Luffy truly was, and what his story is.

“You’re a good man then, Zoro.” Luffy carefully laid Zoro back, and placed the covers over his body once more. “Sleep, you’ll need energy.” 

For the second time, Zoro was lost to the world. A distinct feeling of fingers in his hair lulling him to a sleep free of pain or hunger.