Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I don't own Heaven or Hell either...
Summary: Luffy is an angel who lives a great life in Heaven. What happens on a fateful day when his world flips and there's no turning back? (I know this is vague...)
Chapter Summary: Luffy goes through a regular day in Heaven. (this is even more vague)
Warnings: Fluffy ZoLu (ZoroXLuffy boy on boy), a little bit of blood, and lots of plot clues you must remember
KittyLuffy: HYO! Hi everyone! I don't know how I ended up writing this!
Vivi: Writing what? And are you the one who sent me this letter?
KittyLuffy: Yes. Hi, Vivi, I'm KittyLuffy.
Vivi: Oh, nice to meet you. What have you written that you want me to help with openings and endings?
KittyLuffy: *puffs up in pride* Since the beginning of this summer, I wanted to write a complicated AU ZoLu fic.
Vivi: Oh, I love a good ZoLu in the summer.
KittyLuffy: Right, right? So, I started in June and was going to post the first chapter when I remembered my other fanfic. I wrote a chapter a week and had trouble until it abruptly stopped. I thought, hey, why not just write it all at once before posting it?
Vivi: Makes sense.
KittyLuffy: So, I wrote chapter after chapter *starts to deflate* and after over one hundred and seventy complicated pages, I'm still not done. *fully deflated*
Vivi: Wow. You've been working hard all summer, huh?
KittyLuffy: *nods* But it was worth it! I shall finish something for once in my life! Enjoy the first chapter everyone!
Vivi: Enjoy. I'll read along with you.
Love Below Heaven
Chapter 1: Carefree Paradise
"Come back as soon as that basket is full. Got it, Luffy?"
"Okay, Ace, as soon as it's full."
"One more time."
"As soon as this basket is full, I come right back home."
"Good." Ace ruffled his little brother's raven hair, right underneath his golden halo. Both boys had a shade of dark, black hair that contrasted with the pure, white wings on their backs. They were born and bred in Heaven and lived with Makino, an angel with dark seaweed green hair, in a house that was not too big and not too small. They lived happily and knew nothing of pain, suffering, and loss. It was Heaven after all.
"Ace?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I eat the over-ripe ones I find on the ground?" Ace let out a sigh and took his hand away from Luffy's head. Then he grinned in an "I know you too well" type of way.
"Sure, Lu, why not? The ground is always clean in Heaven." The little brother jumped up and down with joy, with a fairly large whicker basket swinging to-and-fro on his arm. Flapping his white wings in happiness, Luffy gave Ace a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the house and heading down the dirt road to head to Marshmallow Tree Forest. Ace began waving good-bye from the doorway, but he fell to the ground with a soft thud, fast asleep.
Luffy skipped down the road, his unique robe fluttering around him. His chocolate brown eyes seemed to sparkle as he thought about all the marshmallows he'd be collecting that afternoon. His feathery wings fluttered in excitement as the boy walked along, mindlessly humming off tune.
"Luffy!" The angel boy stopped and looked around for the voice that had called his name. Before he found the owner, though, the said owner sprang from behind a blueberry bush and jumped on the unsuspecting teen. The two crashed and Luffy tumbled to the ground, laughing along with his surprise attacker as the basket rolled into the flower-filled field off the road.
"Chopper! I'm glad you could come!" A little reindeer, wrapped in a greeting hug, giggled and gave a happy flap of his small wings. On his head, with his antlers and ears poking through, he wore a pink hat with a white 'X' on it. Right above that was his glowing golden halo. This was Chopper, one of Luffy's best friends in Heaven; they could be found playing together somewhere in the afternoons.
Luffy, still on the ground, waited for the smaller body to climb out of his hold before he attempted to get back to a standing position. Grabbing at the air with his hands, the angel boy tried his hardest to rise, but to no avail.
"So," Chopper asked with a smile, "did I scare you that time?"
"Yes; a little," was a grunted reply. Luffy dropped his arms and a cute pout crossed over his face. After a few minutes of silence, the angel stated the obvious. "I can't get up." He scratched at an old scar under his left eye. He didn't know when or how he had gotten it, and no one would tell him either. It was a mystery scar that hadn't hurt and had healed easily, but Luffy's face would bear the scar forever.
"Do your wings get heavier when they get bigger?" Chopper asked, peering down at his buddy.
"Not really," was the answer, "just a little bit more bulky."
"Oi! You having a little trouble there, Luffy?" came a new voice from further up the path, slowly coming towards the two.
Chopper padded quickly over to the newcomer's side and squealed, "Sanji, good timing! Luffy is stuck and can't get up. Can you help him?" Sanji laughed as he came upon his best friend who was trying again to stand. Reaching down with two helpful hands – a silver ring on the finger of his left and a gold one on his right –he had Luffy back on his feet in one smooth movement.
"Seriously," Sanji said, pulling Luffy into a noogie, "my wings are bigger than yours and I can get myself up." The blonde looked down at the raven-haired boy in his grasp who opened his mouth to give his smartest response.
"Well, you're two years older than me, so you have probably fallen waaaaay more times than I have." Sanji grinned and let the younger boy go.
"You are seventeen now, Luffy; you can't be a child forever you know."
"Yes I can," Luffy chirped, giving his wings a little flap to get any dust particles off.
"Well," Sanji mumbled, looking at his best friend's outfit like he always did, "you can be clueless all your life." The two others laughed dumbly at that.
What Sanji always wondered about was the angel "uniform" Luffy wore. Luffy, a seventeen-year-old male angel, still wore the standard child angel garb: a loose, lightweight, dress-like robe. When you turn ten, you have a choice to wear a button-up shirt and pants or a t-shirt with shorts. You could get a belt if you needed one, or a sash if you didn't like belts. Luffy had broken this age-old tradition and stuck with the childish dress. The only difference between what our special angel wore and what female angels wore was the length and the cut. Women angels would choose between a short sleeve, long sleeve, or sleeveless dress past the knee or some type of t-shirt with a long skirt. Their shirts or dresses had a V-cut or a box cut. Luffy had a rounded cut of a male's t-shirt and his robe stopped a little above the knees. The one similarity between all the clothes was that they were all as white as pure milk.
"Where are you two planning to go today?" Sanji asked, sauntering over to pick up the fallen basket across the road. He was going to hand it back to Luffy, but the black-haired angel was holding Chopper. Putting the little reindeer in the basket, Luffy then took it from the blonde with a smile.
"We're gonna go pick marshmallows in Marshmallow Tree Forest!" Chopper said excitedly, squirming in his basket seat. Sanji's eye – his left eye, the only one showing at all times – widened in mock surprise and his swirly eyebrow rose.
"You are? How fun that'll be."
"Yeah," Chopper laughed.
"We'll collect lots," Luffy added.
"Sanji, can you get my basket for me? It's behind the blueberry bush."
"Sure, Chopper."
"Thank you," the reindeer said as he was handed his small basket.
"Ready to go?" Luffy asked his basket passenger, looking down as the other looked up.
"Uh-huh," was the answer. Sanji grinned before realizing he had to be places too.
"You two have fun. I have to get back to the Baratie with these peaches Rika's mother gave me." Sanji revealed a bag almost hidden between his fluffy wings. The Baratie was a restaurant that Sanji co-owned with a famous chef named Zeff. They were the best cooks on that side of Heaven and since Heaven has no use for money, you could drop in for a quick bite or a free six-course meal (in Luffy's case) any time you were hungry. "Then I have to pack for a two-day trip."
"Another one of your 'short trips'?" Luffy whined, knowing his best friend liked to go on them at least once a month.
"C'mon, Luffy, it'll only be two days. I'll bring back souvenirs for both of you, alright?"
The two angels nodded at the sound of trinkets and finally said their good-byes, leaving down the path. Sanji waved, his gold ring glinting in the sunlight, before he started walking again.
"Let's hurry," Luffy said to Chopper as he broke into a jog, "there may be more people than us wanting the best marshmallows." The two giggled childishly as they entered the Marshmallow Tree Forest with empty baskets.
Down in the darkness of Hell, where strange beasts lurk and dead bodies are a regular sight along the winding and puzzling gravel roads, a certain devil was bored.
This devil had long, spiraling ram horns of blackened bronze spiraling from his head and large ebony bat wings coming from his shirtless back. He sheathed his three blades as he listened to the agonized screams of his victim who fell to the ground with deep cuts and gashes. This fellow devil writhed in pain and gave one last gasp before dying of blood loss. The devil still standing yawned and resumed his slow walk along the forest road towards his home, where a nice hot bath and multiple assassins awaited his return.
This devil was known as the Demon Devil and he definitely had earned that name fair and square. He had a heart of ice and eyes of coal-black. He never wore a smile and if he did, it was the smirk of satisfaction as he watched countless demons, devils, and beasts die shrieking.
Yes, the Demon Devil was bored, bored enough to wish – which no devil ever did. And what he wished for was a toy that would make his boredom go away and never return. Yes, a toy that would never break and would always be fun to play with. But what he classifies as a toy may differ from what we think as a toy. It is not a board game or a deck of cards. What he wants is either a strong opponent that will last longer than two minutes or an innocent soul – in other words: a person.
The sun was starting to cast long shadows in Heaven and Luffy realized he had to finish up quickly. Chopper had filled his basket some time ago and had fallen asleep propped up against a tree, sweet sugar coating the reindeer's snout. Luffy, on the other hand, was a sticky mess of marshmallow, tree bark, and… Luffy.
The angel boy just couldn't cram enough of those cylindrical sweets into his system. He had gone through half the forest, picking up all the bloated treats on the ground and eating them without a second thought – or even a first one. Luffy's basket was never full, for whenever he was going to put two in, six came back out and traveled up to his mouth. Chopper had tried to stop him every time the action was caught, but now that the little reindeer was fast asleep, Luffy had absentmindedly emptied his basket again.
I have to go see Zoro, Luffy thought, filling his basket to the brim in a matter of seconds with a quick sweep of his arm, I took too long! Briskly, the larger angel woke up the smaller one and said, "I'm finished; you can go home to sleep now. Thanks for keeping me company." The reindeer nodded sleepily before rubbing his eyes with a hoof and picking up his little basket.
They both headed for home in the same direction, but separated when there came to be a break in the road. Chopper waved good-bye and traveled home to his grandpa, Doctor, and his grandma, Doctorine. How happy would they be to see the haul of marshmallows? He trotted down the road and picked up speed when he saw his home with lights lit in the windows.
Luffy sprinted back home to Ace, who was patiently waiting for his brother to come back home after four hours. Ace was standing in the doorway of the house, watching for his younger brother to come up and over the small rise and fall in the road you could possibly call a hill. Luffy was easy to spot, with his large basket of marshmallows dropping a few every step and that dress-robe. Ace grinned as he remembered last month when he went on a walk through town with his little brother and two women told him he should put Luffy in some pants.
"He's got underwear on," Ace had answered with a chuckle, "and besides, he looks happy in his… dress-thing." Ace really didn't know what to call it, but he knew that it was unique to his brother and it made him delighted.
The said brother in the dress (I don't know what to call it either) came dashing up to his older brother and shoved the basket in his face. Turning on his heel, Luffy was about to leave when Ace grabbed his sleeve. "Calm down, Lu. Aren't you going to stay for dinner at least?" Luffy shook his head and his halo bobbled in the air.
"I'm gonna eat at Zoro's. And I might not be coming home." Ace nodded and let his little brother go, watching him dash back down the path.
"Makino, we'll be eating without him again," Ace told the woman cutting up carrots in the kitchen.
There was a light laugh and Makino replied, "I thought so. He really does love Zoro."
"Even more than your great cooking."
"Maybe he'll eat at home tomorrow."
"Yeah."
Ace turned back to look at his brother running up the small hill. He called a thank you for the marshmallows and Luffy turned to respond, but the sight his eyes met with was rolling white treats and Ace sleeping peacefully on the ground again. With a wide grin, Luffy sped towards Zoro's house, where Zoro wasn't expecting his little lover.
Zoro was planting a pea plant in his front yard in which he grew a small garden of foods you couldn't just go out and gather. He lived alone in a two-story house with a fair amount of extra space if someone was to come over and visit.
"ZOOOROOOOO!" The green-haired man looked up when he heard his name and saw an approaching dot coming towards his home. Zoro wiped his brow and exited his garden as the blob got bigger and took the form of a certain black-haired angel. This angel hurdled towards him until they finally collided in a hello hug. They crash-landed on the ground with smiles and laughs until Luffy got up. Zoro chuckled and righted himself by pushing himself up with his wings. Luffy gasped in surprise.
"How'd you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Get off the ground with those huge wings!"
"Well, I used my huge wings to pull myself up." Zoro leaned back until he fell, but he propped himself back up by pushing on the ground with his wings. Luffy nodded at his lover's tutorial. Plopping onto the ground, Luffy gave it a try. Zoro couldn't hold in a smile as the smaller angel pouted and struggled to rise.
"Sanji can get up too," Luffy mumbled through his exertion.
Zoro laughed and held out a hand. "There's no problem with asking for help. I'm sure anyone would be willing to give it." Luffy took hold of the soil-covered hand and was effortlessly lifted off the ground and into a strong embrace. He felt his halo move out of the way when a light kiss was planted on his head.
Not wanting to be outdone, Luffy stood on his tiptoes and lip-locked with the green-haired man who had to bend down slightly. They broke apart and Zoro licked his lips.
"You went to pick marshmallows today, didn't you?"
"Wow, how did you know, Zoro? I did!"
"Well, your kiss was very sweet and quite sticky…" Zoro paused and looked at his little lover. Luffy was a pure sticky mess from halo to the hem of his dress. "You need a bath, Luffy."
"Aw, befooooooore dinner?" Luffy brought out his puppy eyes that made his angelic being radiate with angelic POWER. Zoro couldn't resist.
"After dinner. You obviously haven't eaten anything because Ace would have cleaned you up without any arguments. What would you like?"
"Zoro Food!" Luffy cheered as they entered Zoro's house.
After a quickly cooked, quickly eaten, quickly remade, quickly eaten again meal of vegetable stew and fresh bread, the two chatted about the past two days they hadn't seen each other until they realized Luffy still needed a bath.
"Do I have to?" Luffy whined as Zoro grabbed his sticky hand and dragged him to the upstairs bathroom. The ebony-haired angel was about to use his trump card, but that plan was shattered by a light kiss on the cheek.
"I can't sleep with someone who will get the bed sheets all sticky." Luffy's wings flapped with joy as he took the hint.
"Yay! Sleepover with Zoro." Zoro grinned as he watched Luffy bounce into the bathroom. Zoro filed the white porcelain bathtub with water a perfect soaking temperature and went to go get a towel. Before he could, Luffy reached out and gripped at one of Zoro's wings, making the older man stop.
"What is it?"
"W-well," Luffy stuttered, his face turning a shade of pink, "I wanna take a bath with Zoro." The two were silent before Zoro replied.
"If you really want to, I will." Luffy turned strawberry red. Zoro always asked if Luffy wanted to do something that would push their relationship the tiniest bit further. If Luffy wanted to hug, they would hug. If Luffy wanted to kiss, they would kiss. If Luffy wanted to sleep with Zoro, they would sleep. The question of Luffy really wanting to or not only stopped when things became regular. Now, that question came up again.
Luffy smiled and, with the blush still on his face, gave Zoro's wings a hug. "Yes, a bath with Zoro!" The green-haired man scratched his head and repeated his question just to make sure.
"Do you really want to?"
"I do," Luffy answered, nodding his head into his lover's wings.
"Then we'll need two towels." The smaller angel let the bigger one go to his room and get the desired towels. When Luffy was alone, he grinned to himself and tried to pat away his blush. He had done it. He took a really big step with Zoro today! He giggled quietly and decided to get to work on shrinking his wings.
When you are an angel, you have a beautiful set of white wings on your back that grow until you reach twenty years of age. They can get pretty big and bulky, so there is a convenient way to do everyday jobs like putting on a shirt or random things like fitting in a really good hiding place: shrinking your wings. At age ten, you are given a gold item that you will make a contract with; Zoro has a thin bracelet on his left wrist and Luffy wears an anklet on his right ankle. All you have to do is concentrate on your item and transfer your wings into it, making an angel look almost human, except for a halo defying gravity above his or her head. You can shrink your wings for three or four hours at a time, but some angels don't even bother trying to shrink their wings unless completely necessary.
Luffy was concentrating on his anklet when Zoro came back with a stack of towels and washcloths. He placed them on the toilet seat and proceeded to shrink his wings until they were gone and a black swirl with three feathers coming off of it appeared on his bracelet. He unbuttoned his dirt and sweat covered shirt and let it drop to the bathroom tiles. His little prince was trying so hard to make his wings go down, but his heart was beating so loudly within his chest, he couldn't focus. Zoro was oblivious as he unbuckled his belt, slipped off his pants, and…
"Luffy? What's wrong?"
"N-n-nothing! Just thinking of food, food, yeah food. Food is all!" Luffy yelled as his wings shot back to full size and his face turned cherry red. Zoro didn't understand why Luffy wouldn't look at him, but got into the water with a content sigh. Luffy faced the doorway and slowed his heart, making him able to shrink his wings. When the little emblem appeared, he hurriedly tried to wrestle off his dress. Zoro flicked a little water at his lover as he waited for the other to finish.
"Zoorrooo, it won't come off."
"It must be because of how sticky you are." Luffy tensed as he heard the splash of water and then squelching steps come towards him. "Lift your arms please." Luffy did as he was told instantly and the robe that was stuck in a position over his head left his skin altogether. Standing in his gray boxers, the little angel fidgeted; he was sure Zoro must have been staring at him.
"Thanks," Luffy mumbled, turning to glance at Zoro getting back into the tub with a small towel around his waist. A towel! Luffy was a bit disheartened by this fact, but was able to lose all traces of shyness. Throwing off his shorts, Luffy cannonball-ed into Zoro's lap. Two halos clanked together as the two shared a light kiss in the tub before Luffy turned around to rest his back on the older man's clean, well-built chest. After ten minutes of quietly sitting and squirting water onto the bathroom floor, Luffy was bored.
"Zoro?"
"Hm?"
"Um… do you have anything to talk about that we didn't already talk about at dinner?"
"Not really…. Oh, how is your brother doing?" Luffy perked up.
"Ace? He's doing really well in finding people who want ships in a bottle. He made two yesterday and gave one to a guy with funny hair that looked like a cactus and a little girl with short, red hair. Today, when I gave him the basket of marshmallows, he fell asleep right in the doorway and dropped them all." The black-haired boy giggled as his lover lazily wrapped his arms around him. Zoro brought himself forward and licked one of Luffy's rosy cheeks.
"That sounds pretty exciting, but I remember why we're in here in the first place."
"Oh, right! I'm all sticky."
Zoro nodded and reached out of the tub to grab a washcloth and a bottle of soap. Pouring a little of the soap onto the washrag, Luffy tried to sit still as he got a rub down. He could almost feel the marshmallow leave his skin and be replaced by lilac soap scent. Once Zoro had finished, he dumped the rest of the soap into his hands and started scrubbing it into Luffy's hair, which had been inflicted with the worst of the marshmallow mess. After a while, Luffy's raven hair had turned almost white with bubbles.
"Zoroooo, this is boring," Luffy whined as Zoro checked his scrubbing handiwork.
"Well, what could make this a more thrilling bath?"
"If I could eat the soap," Luffy answered, spitting out some of the bubbles that had dripped down his face and into his mouth.
"Are you still hungry?"
"You know I'm always hungry."
"That's true." They both stopped when there was a knock on the front door. Another knock and Luffy stood up.
"I'll go get see who it is," the soap covered boy chirped, stepping out of the bath.
"Ah! Luffy!" Zoro cried as Luffy slipped on a puddle his dripping and earlier squirting had created, crashing down on the chilly tiles.
"Is everything okay up there?" called a voice down from the hall below.
"Yes, Vivi," Zoro answered back, quickly throwing a towel over Luffy as fast steps came up the stairs, down the hallway, and two angels peeped into the bathroom to see what had happened anyway. "I knew you two were going to do that." The newcomers, Vivi and Robin giggled.
"Taking a bath together, I see," smiled the calm and collected Robin who glanced down at Zoro's towel and towel-covered lover. With a flutter of her fully-grown wings, her head was filled with bubble bath fantasies.
"Yep. Because I went to pick marshmallows with Chopper today!"
"Did you eat the ones on the ground again?" Vivi asked with a worried frown on her face.
"Ace said I could, so I did. The ground is clean, isn't it?"
"It is, but that doesn't mean you should eat things off of it." Vivi sighed and Robin chuckled.
"Do you mind if we quickly finish up?" Zoro asked calmly, pinning Luffy's towel down as the younger angel tried to get up.
"Oh, sure, we'll wait in the kitchen. I brought some mangoes from my tree at home."
"Yay, Vivi Tree Mangoes! How did you know I was hungry?"
"She didn't," Robin said, brushing at her bangs, "I was coming over to talk to Zoro, she spotted me, and wanted to come along."
"I brought a gift, didn't I?"
"Sure. Now let's leave these two to… 'finish up'." Robin elongated, 'finish up' for emphasis on something that didn't exist. Vivi squealed and the two boys mentioned didn't get it. Robin shut the bathroom door as she and the blue-haired angel left to peel a few, if not all, the mangoes in the kitchen.
"Now," Zoro said, uncovering Luffy when the steps had stopped and a sound of a kitchen cabinet being opened and closed was heard, "let's get all that soap out of your hair." Luffy didn't move, so Zoro poked his little prince's nose. "What's wrong? Did you get hurt when you fell?" Luffy shook his head, making the last of the un-popped bubbles fly out of his coal-black hair.
"I was just thinking…" the little angel paused and thought. "Just thinking that I want Zoro to put me back in the bath." The green-haired angel grinned as the other blushed, lying still on the cold tiles.
"Alright. Only if you want me to." The little angel's halo bobbled a yes. Zoro effortlessly picked Luffy up and plopped him in the tub. Luffy laughed and got a mouth full of soap as Zoro poured a cup of warm water over his head. The soapy boy sputtered and the one in the towel chuckled and rubbed the wet head before another splash of water was applied. "We better hurry down to Vivi and Robin."
"Bleh… yeah, and those Vivi Tree Mangoes."
"And the mangoes."
"Can I stay in a little longer?"
"Sure, but why?" Luffy was already thinking ahead. He blew bubbles under the water before answering.
"No reason. Just because the water is nice."
"Okay… I'm going to go get changed then." Zoro paused and looked at their pile of clothes on the floor. A puddle had crept its way over to the small mound and soaked everything. It didn't matter for Luffy's marshmallow covered clothes, but it did for Zoro's clothes. "You need clothes, don't you?"
"Um, no, I'm fine."
"You're not planning on sitting in the bath the whole night."
"Maybe."
"But then what about the mangoes?" Luffy stood up instantly.
"I totally forgot about the Vivi Tree Mangoes!"
"It's only been around three minutes since we talked about them."
"Really? Well, now I'm hungry."
"Then let's go get some clothes. You'll have to wear mine; yours are a wet, sticky mess." Luffy was going to sit down again, but Zoro decided the best idea was to just pull him out. The little angel whined as he was wrapped in a big fluffy towel and pushed down the hall to Zoro's big room where a fairly large chifarobe sat in a corner.
They went to it and Zoro opened it to reveal: three white button up shirts, three pairs of white cotton pants, two pairs of white PJ bottoms, three tank tops/undershirts, two sashes, and two pairs of shoes. The other daily things were in the drawers of the wardrobe.
Luffy watched as Zoro stared at the three identical shirts before choosing the one in the middle and putting it on. In a quick second, Zoro released his wings and was on to choosing a pair of pants. Luffy shivered as a light breeze from the open bedroom window blew through his towel and around his bare legs. Of course, his lover noticed this and grabbed one of the remaining shirts and threw it to the smaller angel.
"Put this on." Luffy did so after fully drying himself off. It was fairly big, and could easily be mistaken as a dress on Luffy's thin and lengthy frame. Zoro looked it over and then glanced at the pants in the closet, knowing they wouldn't fit Luffy and probably be dragged along the floor.
"I think this'll be fine," Luffy announced, buttoning up the front of the white shirt and releasing his wings.
"If you say so," Zoro replied, passing Luffy a pair of boxers that could easily substitute as shorts. Hopping around the bed, Luffy put those on too. Zoro finished dressing and the two traveled down the stairs to where the two girls were waiting patiently in the kitchen.
A plate of golden fruit sat in the middle of the small dining room table and Luffy headed directly for it, as if magnetized to the food. Vivi stared and blushed as she saw what Luffy was clad in, but her thoughts were crushed by a voice of truth.
"His clothes were a terrible mess of marshmallow, so I had to lend him my clothes." Zoro scratched his head as he watched the two women deflate and Luffy inhale mangoes as if they were inhale-able. The black-haired boy then spit out the pits back onto the plate, fully cleaned without a speck of fruit left (which is pretty much impossible). "He's too small to fit into my shirt; it goes down to his knees," Zoro continued, " And his body's too small to fit into my pants."
"I bet you could both fit together into your pants," Vivi breathed as she took a cloth from the kitchen counter and wiped Luffy's mouth with it like a babying mother. Zoro didn't hear her lewd comment.
"Thank you," Luffy chirped with a flap of his wings, "and thank you for the Vivi Tree Mangoes too!"
At the same time, Zoro and Robin asked, "Why do you call them Vivi Tree Mangoes?"
"Well, I dunno. But she's Vivi and mangoes grow on trees that Vivi grows at her house, so, Vivi Tree Mangoes?" Luffy cocked his head to the side, not understanding his own answer. Vivi laughed and Zoro contemplated the explanation.
"I guess that makes sense," the green-haired angel said, resting his wings on the wall behind him. Robin, who had moved back into the kitchen, realized why she had come in the first place.
"Zoro, may I speak with you?"
"Huh? Sure."
"Vivi, can you play with Luffy for a while?"
"I'm not a little kid, Robin. Vivi doesn't have to play with me."
"Then, Vivi, can you cut up the remaining two mangoes for him?"
"Sure."
"Yay! More Vivi Tree Mangoes!"
Zoro and Robin left for the living room as the two other angels began to do catch-up chatting.
Robin took a spot on the blue couch on one side of the room while Zoro closed the kitchen's sliding door. He knew that what the black-haired woman had to say was between them only, so the other two should stay out of it. Zoro chose the red armchair facing the couch and the two older members of the house stared silently at each other before Robin spoke.
"So, Zoro, how have you been faring through the summer? It has been a few degrees warmer than usual."
"I've been faring, as you put it. I work in my garden and try not to fall asleep out in the sun for too long."
"I see…. And how have you been doing with your relationship with Luffy? Does he know?" Zoro scratched his cheek in thought. The two questions were completely unrelated, so Robin's attempt at easing into the main topic failed.
"Luffy has been getting us further along, you could say. And, no, I don't think he knows." Robin sighed with relief and brushed at her bangs with a fidgety hand.
"Do not let him know just yet. Better yet, if he is unable to find out, we should be out of the red."
"Right, but I'm just not sure he won't find out, even with the way I've hidden it."
"Zoro," Robin's voice was dead serious, "You did a great job hiding it; you have shown it to me. I have not told the authorities because I know what would happen. Luffy, on the other hand, has no reason not to." Zoro nodded and listened as a sound of a plastic cup hitting the floor and an alarmed squeak came from the kitchen.
"He won't suspect anything because he'll never search my house."
"Just make sure you keep the secret hidden, alright? I cannot do anything to save you if it is reported."
"Yeah. I don't want Luffy to get hurt."
"And neither do I." The two sat in silence, listening to the two oblivious angels in the kitchen, cutting mangoes and talking in excited whispers.
At the time when Zoro and Robin were having their conversation, Vivi and Luffy were having theirs.
"So," Vivi asked slowly as Zoro was closing the kitchen door, "how are you doing?" She took out a clean knife to cut the remaining mangoes and listened for a reply.
"I'm just hungry right now, but today I went marshmallow picking with Chopper!"
"I know; you told me that in the bathroom. But what I mean is how are you doing with Zoro?" Vivi began to slice into a golden fruit as Luffy got up from his chair to get a cup of water for himself.
"Zoro and me? Well…"
"Yeah?" Luffy got two cups and turned around to reach the sink. His cheeks were getting pinker, but he didn't want his friend to see.
"We had our first bath together today," Luffy whispered, turning on the tap to make his voice even more muffled.
"Yeah," Vivi whispered back, "I know. Anything else?"
"Well, I'm planning on surprising him sometime next month."
"Like, how?"
"Um, something that could bring us closer together."
"Yeah, yeah, like what?" Vivi had finished cutting her first mango and was about to take her cup of water from Luffy when he answered.
"Like… 'Doing it'?" Vivi dropped the cup she had just accepted. The water splashed onto the wood floor and the plastic cup rolled as Vivi squeaked in happy surprise.
"Really? After three years, six months, ten days? Finally? Oh my gosh! You're really thinking about it, Luffy?"
"Y-yeah."
"I'll have to bake you a cake, or maybe Sanji will make you one if you ask him."
"You think he would?"
"Sure, I mean, he's a cook isn't he?"
"The best one in Heaven." The two secretive whisperers giggled and while Luffy cleaned up the water spill, Vivi cut into the second mango.
"Bye Robin and Vivi!" Luffy waved to the two female angels who were walking through the darkness.
"Bye Luffy and Zoro!" Vivi called back, waving the arm that didn't have an empty basket on it. "I hope your 'plan' goes well when you get to it!"
"Thanks! I hope so too!" Zoro eyed Luffy. Plan? The two watched as the girls disappeared from view. Zoro let out a yawn and Luffy did too, since yawns are contagious.
"Are you tired?"
"A little. We talked with them for a long time. And I had Vivi Tree Mangoes."
"Do mangoes make you sleepy?"
"No, but they don't make me hyper either."
"I see."
The two re-entered the house and went up to Zoro's bedroom, their wings shrinking into sleeping mode as they walked and bounced up the stairs. The blue emblem of a halo and three beams of light appeared on their gold items. Stripping, Zoro got into a pair of pajama pants before joining Luffy, who had already tucked himself into the blankets. They shared a kiss before Zoro switched off the lamp that had been on since the bath four hours ago.
"Did I ever let out the bath water?" Zoro asked his lover lazily, wrapping his strong arms around the smaller angel.
"I don't think so," Luffy answered in the dark, grasping one of Zoro's hands securely. They snuggled closer together.
"Oh well; I'll drain the water tomorrow. Good night, Luffy."
"Good night Zoro. See you in the morning."
"Yeah, in the morning."
Before Luffy drifted off to sleep, he thought to himself, I love Zoro.
"I love you, Zoro."
"I love you too, Luffy."
The two angels fell asleep in their carefree paradise.
Vivi: Wow, I got to be in the first chapter! People usually forget about me or use me a lot later.
KittyLuffy: Well, you're really cool. By the way, how did you like the ZoLu?
Vivi: Cute fluffy goodness! And what were Robin and Zoro talking about?
KittyLuffy: You'll have to wait find out. Comment please! No ZoLu hating allowed.
Vivi: Right. And stay tuned for the next great chapter. *scans through next chapter*
KittyLuffy: Hey, Vivi! Don't read it yet! *chases Vivi* See you next chapter everyone!