Happy Birthday Zoro!
Nov. 11th, 2006 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dethoratsTitle: Belonging
Rating: PG
Pairing: Zoro and Luffy
Word Count: 1716
The stars overhead certainly looked different when seen from the middle of the desert. That stray thought had just barely skittered through the overwhelmed mind of the swordsman and he strove desperately after it but he was too late. It was gone and he was left with no choice but to deal with the overwhelming reality wound so tightly around him he was having trouble breathing. His breath had been knocked out of him with the unexpected elastic tackle and Zoro found himself flat on his back, dizzily staring up at a spinning sky and wondering what it was like to breathe. There was no air in his own lungs but hot puffs were being panted against his neck, close enough that the tiny gusts were moist in contrast to the aridness around them.
Hair tickled his nose and a straw brim scraped against his chin. Zoro, still caught up in the surprise of the pounce, patted absently at what little of the warm, robe-covered back he could reach with his trapped hands and hoped it would be enough to get rubber limbs to loosen their grip. Instead his actions only seemed to encourage Luffy, for the younger pirate somehow managed to coil around him even more tightly, muttering a very odd-sounding ‘Zoro’ into the line of his jaw.
“O-Oi.! Luffy, lemme breathe already.” Zoro did his best to tug at the rubber captain but he was hampered by the long arms wrapped snugly around his own, pinning them firmly against his sides. “You’re crushing me.”
For a moment the full body embrace impossibly squeezed even closer and then the tensile strength relaxed enough for the swordsman to worm an arm free. Awkwardly, for while Luffy was certainly prone to jumping on him without a moment’s notice, he didn’t usually attempt what Zoro was certain was a kind of desperate snuggling, the older boy slid his hand up to slip beneath the ever-present hat. And when his fingertips snuck into the soft short fuzz of hair and crept higher to weave into longer strands, a sigh left his captain and rubber limbs relaxed even further.
Zoro kept his fingers buried in messy black hair and let his thumb curl around the slender column of Luffy’s neck, rubbing very lightly as he waited. The younger pirate would speak when he was ready and, although he had a fairly good idea what the unexpected cuddle attack was about, Zoro couldn’t always figure out what was going on in Luffy’s head. It would have something to do with Ace though, of that much the swordsman was positive. Having his older brother around had sent Luffy straight into bratty younger sibling mode almost as if on instinct and it hadn’t helped that the desert heat and tempting, psychedelic cactus juice made the rubber pirate’s behavior even less responsible than normal.
Finally the captain huffed and squirmed, resettling himself so that his head was tucked more beneath Zoro’s chin rather than resting on his shoulder. Luffy was hiding himself, burrowing his way into the swordsman’s robe. His other arm now free, Zoro settled it carefully over the younger boy’s waist, squeezing once in the kind of reassuring hug he would normally have been too embarrassed to even give Chopper had anyone else been around. “Luffy,” he prompted, knowing he needed to say nothing more than his name to remind the captain of what he was doing.
“Zoro.” His name came out more strongly than Zoro had expected it would, Luffy’s tone determined and just a little irritated as he spoke into the hollow of his swordsman’s throat. “You think I’m pretty cool and strong, right?”
It wouldn’t have been a good idea to laugh at the question and he was already past the state of surprise. Zoro settled on a quiet snort and “I think you’re a pain in the ass” for a response but made sure to keep his grip on the younger boy. Luffy was quiet, no agreeing chuckles bubbling up to pop with tiny explosions of warmth against his skin, and Zoro let out a sigh.
“Of course you’re strong. You’re going to kick Crocodile’s ass, right? And you’ve kicked plenty of other ass already. Don’t ask stupid questions.”
Luffy seemed to be considering this, although Zoro didn’t see why thinking had to involve wriggling against him. Acting strange was nearly what he would call typical for the rubber boy but his behavior at the moment was definitely off. If there was one area Luffy never had problems with, it was confidence.
“What about cool? I’m cool.”
“Nobody’s cool in the desert, captain.” The bad joke was out before he could stop himself, and it too had been the wrong thing to say because Luffy stiffened against him and bumped his chin with the top of his head.
“Zoooro.”
At least his whining voice was back to normal. The swordsman chuckled and gave the younger boy another squeeze. “I think being a pirate is pretty cool. And since you’re the captain, that makes you the coolest out of all of us.”
“Ha!” The triumphant explosion of laughter warmed his skin even through the fabric of his shirt, chased away a little of the cool desert night that had been settling on him as he sat watch over their camp. Zoro smiled into Luffy’s hair. “That’s right. I AM the captain. Me.”
“Yup. You’re the captain. And we’re out here with you.”
Luffy smiled into the hollow of Zoro’s throat and shifted his head out from beneath the swordsman’s chin. Propped up on his elbows, he peered down at the other boy. He felt almost silly saying what he was going to say, but it had been bothering him all day and had kept him from going to bed.
“Hey Zoro. Ace is pretty cool too, huh?”
Carefully keeping his expression calm, Zoro nodded his head. This was what he’d been waiting for. “Yeah. I’d say your brother’s pretty cool.”
Warm brown eyes flickered away from the swordsman’s face to look blankly at the sand beneath one broad shoulder. Luffy licked his lips and swallowed. He didn’t want to ask. “If Ace asked you, you wouldn’t go with him, would you?”
It was easy to lift his hand off of the middle of the captain’s back, where it had slid when the younger pirate had risen to his elbows. Even easier was the smack to the head he administered. Luffy yelped, more out of surprise than anything else, and rubbed at his head while glaring resentfully at his suddenly serious swordsman.
“Idiot.” Zoro was almost angry for even being asked but he supposed it was a younger brother’s feelings at work. Ace was a powerful guy and his…management…style was certainly far different from Luffy’s. But Luffy had a family for his crew and with all of their strong personalities, nothing less would have ever worked. It was one of the things the swordsman liked the most about his rubber captain. He commanded their loyalty because they loved him, and Zoro at least could admit it to himself, respected him. Ace was someone he could respect but never love, because Ace himself was too caught up in someone else’s dream. “I followed you this far. I went with you in that rowboat, didn’t I? I’m not going anywhere. Not with Ace. Not with anybody else.”
The grin that would have split a face not made to stretch like rubber flickered like lightning over Luffy’s face before he swooped down to drop a large and somewhat sloppy kiss on Zoro’s mouth. The swordsman didn’t even have time to react before the captain’s weight dropped back onto his chest and limbs once more coiled about him tight enough to make it hard to breath. Lips tickled beneath the curve of his ear as Luffy mumbled into his hairline and jarred his earrings. “My Zoro. My swordsman. My ass.”
Zoro would have believed oxygen deprivation was effecting his hearing if Luffy hadn’t stopped cracking his ribs to sneak a warm, dry hand beneath his haramaki to start tugging his shirt free of his pants. The swordsman was pretty sure he had missed something and he found the creeping fingers and gently closed over them. “What was that about my ass?”
“Mmmrr.” Luffy nuzzled deeper against Zoro’s neck, biting lightly once when the older boy restrained his fingers a second time. “It’s mine. Ace was lookin’ but Zoro is mine. You said so.”
His thoughts seemed to want to follow the path of the absurd that night. Zoro brushed aside the notion that it was practically impossible for anyone to see his rear beneath the heavy robe and tried not to think about Luffy noticing someone else noticing him. It was kind of disturbing although, considering it was someone the captain considered a rival, not entirely surprising. They didn’t ever really talk about it, but the swordsman was pretty sure Luffy didn’t seek out their other nakama in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep or when something bothered him or when he wanted something more than just a hug or a laugh. Falling into it had seemed natural and just thinking about being in his captain’s situation was enough to make a tiny burst of jealousy spark in Zoro’s chest. He LIKED being the person he was to Luffy and he wouldn’t ever want to share his role or surrender it.
Freed rubber fingers finished pulling on the swordsman’s shirt and crawled beneath the worn white fabric to splay possessively across a flat stomach. Zoro turned his head, sought out his captain’s mouth. Murmuring, lips grazing against lips, he couldn’t help smiling as he spoke.
“I did say so. I’m right here, aren’t I?”
“Yeah. Zoro’s right here. With me.”
“With you.”
It was just right. Warmth and softness that faded perfectly into nips and Luffy’s muffled laughter when rubber triumphed as usual over Zoro’s normal tongue. The swordsman tucked an arm under his head after he adjusted their robes, pulling them close so the dry chill of the desert night couldn’t touch them. Gentle, even breathing washed over his chest and he curled his other arm more closely over Luffy’s waist. He was comfortable and he could see the stars.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Zoro and Luffy
Word Count: 1716
The stars overhead certainly looked different when seen from the middle of the desert. That stray thought had just barely skittered through the overwhelmed mind of the swordsman and he strove desperately after it but he was too late. It was gone and he was left with no choice but to deal with the overwhelming reality wound so tightly around him he was having trouble breathing. His breath had been knocked out of him with the unexpected elastic tackle and Zoro found himself flat on his back, dizzily staring up at a spinning sky and wondering what it was like to breathe. There was no air in his own lungs but hot puffs were being panted against his neck, close enough that the tiny gusts were moist in contrast to the aridness around them.
Hair tickled his nose and a straw brim scraped against his chin. Zoro, still caught up in the surprise of the pounce, patted absently at what little of the warm, robe-covered back he could reach with his trapped hands and hoped it would be enough to get rubber limbs to loosen their grip. Instead his actions only seemed to encourage Luffy, for the younger pirate somehow managed to coil around him even more tightly, muttering a very odd-sounding ‘Zoro’ into the line of his jaw.
“O-Oi.! Luffy, lemme breathe already.” Zoro did his best to tug at the rubber captain but he was hampered by the long arms wrapped snugly around his own, pinning them firmly against his sides. “You’re crushing me.”
For a moment the full body embrace impossibly squeezed even closer and then the tensile strength relaxed enough for the swordsman to worm an arm free. Awkwardly, for while Luffy was certainly prone to jumping on him without a moment’s notice, he didn’t usually attempt what Zoro was certain was a kind of desperate snuggling, the older boy slid his hand up to slip beneath the ever-present hat. And when his fingertips snuck into the soft short fuzz of hair and crept higher to weave into longer strands, a sigh left his captain and rubber limbs relaxed even further.
Zoro kept his fingers buried in messy black hair and let his thumb curl around the slender column of Luffy’s neck, rubbing very lightly as he waited. The younger pirate would speak when he was ready and, although he had a fairly good idea what the unexpected cuddle attack was about, Zoro couldn’t always figure out what was going on in Luffy’s head. It would have something to do with Ace though, of that much the swordsman was positive. Having his older brother around had sent Luffy straight into bratty younger sibling mode almost as if on instinct and it hadn’t helped that the desert heat and tempting, psychedelic cactus juice made the rubber pirate’s behavior even less responsible than normal.
Finally the captain huffed and squirmed, resettling himself so that his head was tucked more beneath Zoro’s chin rather than resting on his shoulder. Luffy was hiding himself, burrowing his way into the swordsman’s robe. His other arm now free, Zoro settled it carefully over the younger boy’s waist, squeezing once in the kind of reassuring hug he would normally have been too embarrassed to even give Chopper had anyone else been around. “Luffy,” he prompted, knowing he needed to say nothing more than his name to remind the captain of what he was doing.
“Zoro.” His name came out more strongly than Zoro had expected it would, Luffy’s tone determined and just a little irritated as he spoke into the hollow of his swordsman’s throat. “You think I’m pretty cool and strong, right?”
It wouldn’t have been a good idea to laugh at the question and he was already past the state of surprise. Zoro settled on a quiet snort and “I think you’re a pain in the ass” for a response but made sure to keep his grip on the younger boy. Luffy was quiet, no agreeing chuckles bubbling up to pop with tiny explosions of warmth against his skin, and Zoro let out a sigh.
“Of course you’re strong. You’re going to kick Crocodile’s ass, right? And you’ve kicked plenty of other ass already. Don’t ask stupid questions.”
Luffy seemed to be considering this, although Zoro didn’t see why thinking had to involve wriggling against him. Acting strange was nearly what he would call typical for the rubber boy but his behavior at the moment was definitely off. If there was one area Luffy never had problems with, it was confidence.
“What about cool? I’m cool.”
“Nobody’s cool in the desert, captain.” The bad joke was out before he could stop himself, and it too had been the wrong thing to say because Luffy stiffened against him and bumped his chin with the top of his head.
“Zoooro.”
At least his whining voice was back to normal. The swordsman chuckled and gave the younger boy another squeeze. “I think being a pirate is pretty cool. And since you’re the captain, that makes you the coolest out of all of us.”
“Ha!” The triumphant explosion of laughter warmed his skin even through the fabric of his shirt, chased away a little of the cool desert night that had been settling on him as he sat watch over their camp. Zoro smiled into Luffy’s hair. “That’s right. I AM the captain. Me.”
“Yup. You’re the captain. And we’re out here with you.”
Luffy smiled into the hollow of Zoro’s throat and shifted his head out from beneath the swordsman’s chin. Propped up on his elbows, he peered down at the other boy. He felt almost silly saying what he was going to say, but it had been bothering him all day and had kept him from going to bed.
“Hey Zoro. Ace is pretty cool too, huh?”
Carefully keeping his expression calm, Zoro nodded his head. This was what he’d been waiting for. “Yeah. I’d say your brother’s pretty cool.”
Warm brown eyes flickered away from the swordsman’s face to look blankly at the sand beneath one broad shoulder. Luffy licked his lips and swallowed. He didn’t want to ask. “If Ace asked you, you wouldn’t go with him, would you?”
It was easy to lift his hand off of the middle of the captain’s back, where it had slid when the younger pirate had risen to his elbows. Even easier was the smack to the head he administered. Luffy yelped, more out of surprise than anything else, and rubbed at his head while glaring resentfully at his suddenly serious swordsman.
“Idiot.” Zoro was almost angry for even being asked but he supposed it was a younger brother’s feelings at work. Ace was a powerful guy and his…management…style was certainly far different from Luffy’s. But Luffy had a family for his crew and with all of their strong personalities, nothing less would have ever worked. It was one of the things the swordsman liked the most about his rubber captain. He commanded their loyalty because they loved him, and Zoro at least could admit it to himself, respected him. Ace was someone he could respect but never love, because Ace himself was too caught up in someone else’s dream. “I followed you this far. I went with you in that rowboat, didn’t I? I’m not going anywhere. Not with Ace. Not with anybody else.”
The grin that would have split a face not made to stretch like rubber flickered like lightning over Luffy’s face before he swooped down to drop a large and somewhat sloppy kiss on Zoro’s mouth. The swordsman didn’t even have time to react before the captain’s weight dropped back onto his chest and limbs once more coiled about him tight enough to make it hard to breath. Lips tickled beneath the curve of his ear as Luffy mumbled into his hairline and jarred his earrings. “My Zoro. My swordsman. My ass.”
Zoro would have believed oxygen deprivation was effecting his hearing if Luffy hadn’t stopped cracking his ribs to sneak a warm, dry hand beneath his haramaki to start tugging his shirt free of his pants. The swordsman was pretty sure he had missed something and he found the creeping fingers and gently closed over them. “What was that about my ass?”
“Mmmrr.” Luffy nuzzled deeper against Zoro’s neck, biting lightly once when the older boy restrained his fingers a second time. “It’s mine. Ace was lookin’ but Zoro is mine. You said so.”
His thoughts seemed to want to follow the path of the absurd that night. Zoro brushed aside the notion that it was practically impossible for anyone to see his rear beneath the heavy robe and tried not to think about Luffy noticing someone else noticing him. It was kind of disturbing although, considering it was someone the captain considered a rival, not entirely surprising. They didn’t ever really talk about it, but the swordsman was pretty sure Luffy didn’t seek out their other nakama in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep or when something bothered him or when he wanted something more than just a hug or a laugh. Falling into it had seemed natural and just thinking about being in his captain’s situation was enough to make a tiny burst of jealousy spark in Zoro’s chest. He LIKED being the person he was to Luffy and he wouldn’t ever want to share his role or surrender it.
Freed rubber fingers finished pulling on the swordsman’s shirt and crawled beneath the worn white fabric to splay possessively across a flat stomach. Zoro turned his head, sought out his captain’s mouth. Murmuring, lips grazing against lips, he couldn’t help smiling as he spoke.
“I did say so. I’m right here, aren’t I?”
“Yeah. Zoro’s right here. With me.”
“With you.”
It was just right. Warmth and softness that faded perfectly into nips and Luffy’s muffled laughter when rubber triumphed as usual over Zoro’s normal tongue. The swordsman tucked an arm under his head after he adjusted their robes, pulling them close so the dry chill of the desert night couldn’t touch them. Gentle, even breathing washed over his chest and he curled his other arm more closely over Luffy’s waist. He was comfortable and he could see the stars.
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Date: 2006-11-12 04:19 am (UTC)The Alabasta arc has some of my favorite Zolu/Luzo moments. Like when Luffy, Zoro and Chopper were separated from the others and Chopper aske Zoro why he followed Luffy. The fansub might not be the exact translation, but Zoro says that he couldn't say. (teehee, can you picture Zoro saying Hi-mi-tsu! :P) Also when Luffy hangs back to fight Crocodile that first time and Sanji ribs Zoro about tryinbg to act cool but really being worried. And, I don't even have to mention when Luffy tells Zoro to save Smoker instead of him.
*happy sigh of Luzo love*
see? your fic got me all nostalgic! ^__________^
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Date: 2006-11-13 10:43 am (UTC)(Did you update Iron Will? I haven't checked ff.net yet because it keeps being all weird with popup ads and stuff.)
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Date: 2006-11-13 09:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 12:39 am (UTC)Have I told you how much you rock lately? Cause yeah, you do. ^_^b
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Date: 2006-11-13 10:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-13 10:40 am (UTC)I'm glad you thought it was cute. Because that was all I wanted.
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Date: 2006-11-15 01:26 am (UTC)Ace was lookin’ but Zoro is mine. Haha, too cute!
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Date: 2006-11-15 06:01 am (UTC)Thanks for the comment!
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Date: 2007-05-01 02:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 05:30 am (UTC)