Warnings: Yaoi/shounen-ai/boyxboy, ZoLu, KidLaw, Vampire!Zoro, Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Mentions of Sabo-x-Luffy and Sanji-x-Luffy, and Minor Law-x-Luffy
Summary: -Modern Universe Setting- "Didn't think 'cautious' was in your vocabulary." "Has to be. At least some of the time, but uhh..." Luffy's face scrunched up in thought, "'Nothing ventured, nothing gained?' That's the phrase right?"
Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eiichiro Oda, Funimation, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV. I make no profit, nor will I ever, from this work of fiction.
NOTHING VENTURED
RORONOA ZORO AND MONKEY D. LUFFY
PROLOGUE
It was a trek he had made thousands of times before. During his days in middle school, he was led by the hand through; his days in high school were spent being chased through; and now, as he left the restaurant he frequented, he walked with confidence down the well-loved paths. It hardly mattered that it was dark as he turned down the alley that started the maze of shortcuts to his home. Ace would certainly throw a fit, and Shanks would give him a firm look, but both would move on, and Luffy would continue using the familiar cuts regardless.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and frowned childishly at the sheer number of texts asking where he was and when he was coming home. He knew he should reply, but he didn't. It was nightly routine by now. If something was terribly wrong, he would most certainly respond; as it was, Ace already knew where he was and when he would be back. He'd be more worried if Luffy decided to break routine.
Luffy pocketed his cell and a smile blossomed on his face. He still had a few bucks left. Maybe, if he was super, duper lucky, that little store on the corner was still open and he could get some snacks for the road. Already, his stomach rumbled in protest at the little bit of space it had made since leaving Sanji's work.
He rounded another corner, squeezing through the tight space between two buildings and tumbling across the grimy concrete. He laughed, picked himself up, and dusted himself off. Luffy made to hop his way down the rest of the alley, but stopped. There was a rustle, no more loud than breathing, coming from somewhere close.
Luffy cocked his head to the side. No one had ever been down here when he took the shortcut. Maybe a possum? Or a raccoon? He smirked broadly. If he could catch it, he could scare Ace with it. He could see it now: Ace opening his underwear drawer then BAM! Out pops a fuzzy beast. Laughing, he ran toward the noise, but only found shadows and trash cans.
"Aww," He whined, "No fun."
He went to turn and continue on his way, but as his muscles tensed to follow through, uneasiness and excitement settled on the young man. Luffy was no stranger to danger, but he couldn't quite decipher if what he was feeling was in fact dangerous. Danger felt kind of sharp, and kind of sweaty, and a little shivery. Luffy felt something sharp, but not so much sweaty and shivery. He looked at the near-pristine bins near him and pouted. He wasn't above dumpster diving, but he didn't feel like anything but bad smells were in there.
"Oi! Come out, come out!" He shouted through cupped hands.
A crunch, like candy under a heavy boot, came from behind him. With a broad smirk, he whipped around swiftly, arms wide open and ready to grab onto whatever it was. He very nearly tackled the presence, but was stalled immediately. A man stood hunched, his only crutch the wall to his left, and was drenched in dark, thick blood.
His hand stretched out, reaching for Luffy with quivering fingers, "Please," He rasped with a slight wheeze, "Please, help me."
He tried to step forward, to just hold the boy's hand and plead for his life, but he fell like a puppet viciously cut from its strings. Luffy immediately rushed forward and pulled him up from the filthy pavement. In the shadows, he hadn't seen much other than his silhouette and colors, but up close, the smell of blood was overwhelming to his senses, invading his nose so violently he could taste the metallic on his tongue and down his throat. The man was as pale as moonlight, and his skin was stretched so tightly over his body that the definition of coursing cords of muscle and tendon alike could be seen clearly.
And because of their closeness, Luffy saw exactly from where the impossible amount of blood had come.
A gash, deep enough to expose bone and organ, ran from the man's right hip to his left shoulder. The edges of the wound were burnt black, and the surrounding skin was a flaming red.
He shouldn't be living. He shouldn't be alive at all. The cut was too deep. There was too much blood. The thoughts swirled in Luffy's mind as he stared in shock. He shook and could barely hold the man's head up anymore. He laid him against his chest and fumbled uselessly in his pocket for his phone.
"Call," Luffy croaked, "Call, doctors. Ambulance."
He turned the phone's face toward his own, slid his thumb over the screen to awaken it, and smeared the sticky red across it. He dropped it in surprise. Already, he was covered too.
The man's hand snapped savagely onto his chest and gripped his shirt hard enough to tear deep slits through it, "No, don't. I don't need them."
"But-" Luffy tried.
It was only a flash, but it caught Luffy's eye immediately. At his chest, the man's nails glinted like onyx in the dim light. They were long, sharp, and dark, not human nails at all. Marble talons, they were, ready to tear into flesh, hook in and never let go.
Hot breath at his neck had Luffy turning his gaze back to meet the man's, "Please, let me do this."
His pupils were blown wide. It was an eclipse of galatic proportion. A large dark moon had moved to swallow the bright, shimmering, sapphire sun of his irises. Still, the star blazed around the black edges with an unnatural flame that drew Luffy in and melted the more fragile bits of his icy anxiety.
It took only a blink to break the spell and make Luffy's eyes wander to the man's mouth. Fangs. Tiny pinpoints of white flicked at the graying lips trying hard to conceal them. The longer he stared, the more they seemed to lengthen. Two longer, two shorter around the man's eye teeth; both pairs sharper than any blade or needle and just as eager to slice through warm flesh.
Vampire.
Night Child.
Predator.
Luffy let out a shaky laugh, a nervous flutter in relief, "You're a vampire," He said simply, "I'm so glad," A sigh, "You're not going to die."
The man said nothing back to him, only stared with every bit of shock he could muster. Luffy adjusted him against his body, allowing his head to rest on his shoulder. He shook still, but the aftermaths of adrenaline and fear couldn't be tossed off so easily.
"I'll help you," Luffy smiled, "Just, don't kill me, alright?"
The man didn't take a moment to consider the possibility of a lure, a trap to kill him very horribly. His teeth immediately sought the rushing, addictive, life-giving nourishment he so desperately needed.
Luffy arched against him with a cry as clawed hands snapped around him and didn't let go.
