Shoutout to my pal Lucy, since this was inspired AUs we made
"How's it feel to be heading home, Your Highness?" asked Usopp "I heard they're throwing a ball in honor of your visit! How exciting!"
"Very exciting," Zoro said without looking away from the carriage window. He was too distracted to really answer, eyes trained on the forest they were riding through on the way to Zoro's former home. He was excited to be back, sure, but not for the same reason as the others in the carriage.
"You seem out of it," Nami said. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine," Zoro replied. He looked at Nami, who stared at him with mild concern. "Really. I'm fine."
Nami didn't seem convinced, but Zoro wasn't giving anymore information, so she dropped it. Zoro got like this sometimes. He'd become spacey and start messing with the heart-shaped pendant around his neck, like he was doing in the carriage at that moment. Nami didn't know what made him get like that, but she didn't ask. She didn't want to pry.
The carriage ride finished in silence, and Zoro only seemed to get more restless until they reached the castle. The gates were opened to the castle and people cheered for the return of its former prince. Zoro was a King now, and had moved in with the Queen, Nami. It'd been a year since this had happened, and Zoro was returning home for a visit.
He hadn't missed the castle that much, though he'd missed his family. However, Zoro had someone else he wanted to see in mind as they exited the carriage and headed inside the castle.
The day went by in a blur to Zoro. He greeted family and guests who arrived at the castle to say hello to him. There were plenty of people asking how he liked being king or being married but he barely responded. Nami caught him staring out the window and flat-out ignoring people trying to talk to him on more than one occasion and slapped him lightly over the head to get his focus back to the present, where some person Zoro vaguely knew told him about the fireflies that were just starting to arrive for the summer. Zoro didn't dance all night, spare maybe one or two dances. He simply stood by the wall and waited, occasionally messing with the pendant around his neck. It was crudely-made, cut to look like a small heart out of bronze by someone who clearly didn't know much about making necklaces. Zoro never took it off.
One by one, guests left the ball or retired to rooms set aside for them to stay the night. When the ballroom was empty save a few people too drunk to notice his absence, Zoro slipped out. He was careful as he snuck into the forest. Usually, he would turn around if he were caught and try again the next night. Tonight, however, there would be no second night, no second attempt. He had to get to the river tonight, or he may not get a chance for years.
Zoro had walked the forest path a thousand times, but that night he ran. He had to outrun anyone who might be following him, and he had to get to the river. He wanted to see Luffy again.
There was a bend in the river that created a small, sandy beach that reminded Zoro of a stage. On one side of the beach was a large, flat rock, which was a nice height to sit on. There were weeping willows around the area, mostly on the other side of the river. Fireflies, gnats, and mosquitos flew through the air, though Zoro barely paid any of these things any attention. He looked around the area and spotted someone sitting on the rock. Even though it was dark out, Zoro's whole world seemed to light up.
"Hello, Your Highness. Long time no see," the person said, hoping off the rock. Zoro could see him smiling as they both met each other in the middle of the beach.
"Hey, Luffy," Zoro said. Luffy smiled even wider and hugged Zoro tightly. Zoro wasted no time hugging him back.
"Hey, Zoro," Luffy said, pulling away. "How was that ball? You dance with anyone?"
"No, I didn't. I was saving my dance," Zoro said.
"Saving it?" Luffy asks. Zoro nodded and stepped back, then bowed and stuck out his hand to Luffy.
"May I have this dance?" he asked. Luffy laughed and took his hand.
"Of course!" Luffy said, and Zoro stood back up. He put a hand around Luffy's waist, and Luffy put a hand on his shoulder. Despite the lack of music, the two started dancing. Luffy laughed, both of them smiling and enjoying themselves.
"I missed this," Luffy said. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too," Zoro replied. "I missed you every day you were gone."
"Well, I missed you every minute," Luffy said, jokingly trying to one-up Zoro.
"I missed you every second," Zoro said. He paused in his dancing to spin Luffy. As Luffy stepped away from him to spin, he said
"I miss you now."
Luffy spun and stepped back, and they were dancing again.
"I miss you now," Zoro said. Luffy nods.
"I miss you, too," he said. The air seemed less playful then. After all, even when they were together again, they still weren't really together. There was Zoro's arranged marriage between them, and Luffy was only a farmhand while Zoro was a King. Even when they were holding each other, they were still far apart.
"Do you… do you remember how we met?" Zoro asked, hoping to change the subject to something happier. Luffy seemed to perk right up.
"You went out for a walk and got lost in the woods," Luffy said, giggling. "Then you met me, right here by the river!"
"I wasn't lost…" Zoro muttered, but he had a small smile on his face remembering it.
"I didn't know you were the prince, I just thought you were some lost teen and we started talking." Luffy stepped away from Zoro again so Zoro could spin him. Spinning was always his favorite part of dancing, though he definitely appreciated being close to Zoro as well. "And then we started meeting every night!"
Zoro sighed.
"I wish we could do this more," He said "I wish you lived closer to my new home. It doesn't feel like home there without you."
"I wish we could make our own home," Luffy said.
"Yeah, but you know I can't," Zoro said.
"You have a duty to your kingdom, I know," Luffy said, his tone implying they'd had this conversation before and it annoyed him. They'd talked about Zoro running away a lot when Zoro told Luffy that he was going to be married.
The two fell silent for a few minutes.
"What if you faked your death?" Luffy said. Zoro thought he was joking, but he seemed serious. Zoro laughed a bit.
"I think they'd notice if the King's body just disappeared, Luffy," Zoro said. Luffy frowned.
"Probably," Luffy agreed. "Lost at sea, maybe?"
"…Maybe," Zoro said.
"'King Zoro, lost at sea. His body was never found," Luffy said, imitating the town crier's voice. Zoro laughed a bit and dipped Luffy, the pedant around his neck hitting Luffy. Luffy had made and given the pendant to him when he'd left to be married off, and he seemed happy to see Zoro was still wearing it.
"Elsewhere," Luffy said. "A farmhand met a dead man by the riverside, and they danced all night long and ran away together in the morning!"
Zoro pulled Luffy back up and they continued dancing.
"I like that story," Zoro said, smiling.
"So do I," Luffy said "I think it's my new favorite."
"Yeah, me too." Zoro said. They slowed down in their dance until they stopped entirely. They stood on the riverside and stared at each other. Zoro had been there for a while, and they both knew what had to come next.
"…I should probably head back," Zoro said, breaking the silence with words Luffy knew he would hear but wished he never had to. Zoro's visits never lasted long, after all.
"When will I see you again?" Luffy asked.
"I don't know," Zoro said, after a pause. Luffy nodded. There was another quiet moment.
Luffy stood up on his toes and hugged Zoro's neck, Zoro hugging his waist. Luffy pulled Zoro's head even closer to himself closer kiss him.
After a few seconds, both of them pulled away, though they still held each other.
"I love you," Zoro said.
"I love you, too," Luffy said, closing his eyes and resting his head on Zoro's chest. There was silence again.
"I wish I weren't a King," Zoro said, running a hand through Luffy's hair. "I could stay here with you forever."
Luffy only nodded. Zoro planted a kiss in his hair, then pulled away.
"I've got something for you," Zoro said, taking a necklace out of his pocket. It was similarly heart-shaped like the one Luffy had made for him, and obviously handmade by Zoro. Unlike Zoro's, there was also a small green jewel charm attached. Luffy smiled and let Zoro put it over his head. "Now, you've got something to remember me by, too, the way I've got for you."
"Thank you…" Luffy said, admiring it. "I've got a present for you, too."
He took from his pocket a small red rock charm and held it out to Zoro. Zoro took off his necklace to put the charm on with the first, then let Luffy clip it back on.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Zoro took a step back.
"I'll wait for you," Luffy said. "If you're ever back in town, you know where to find me."
"I'll come back as soon as I can." Zoro responded. He wanted to hug Luffy again, to hold Luffy and never let him go. He had to stop himself, though. He had to go home.
No, not home. He had to go back to the castle. He already was home, since his home was only a step in front of him.
Zoro broke eye contact with Luffy, and the spell that seemed to be keeping them both in place broke with it as Zoro turned around and walked away. Luffy stayed in place, noticing the fireflies seemed to glow dimmer than they did a minute ago.
Months later, Luffy was in town when he caught wind of a rumor that the King Roronoa Zoro had died at sea in a shipwreck. His body was not found, but the boat was discovered capsized.
Luffy made his way out of town and headed to the forest, trying to hide his excitement.
He had a dead man to meet, after all.