Luffy didn't have bad dreams like anyone might have expected
Luffy didn't have bad dreams like his loudly expressive personality would've led them all to expect.
His good dreams certainly matched his waking self. Luffy could be a very loud sleeper, muttering, laughing, turning and shifting in the grip of some fantasy or other, making noises clearly indicative of joy or amusement.
They all knew that Luffy might wake from a good dream with crazy plans or affectionate greetings or hungry demands for food, and he'd describe whatever he could remember of his dreams in illogical and vivid detail.
His bad dreams were utterly silent, and he never said a word about them. If asked, he didn't even acknowledge the question.
It wasn't impossible to guess, though. From what Zoro had observed, everyone else on the crew had each woken a time or three to see Luffy, their arm or shoulder warm from his grip shaking them awake. And they would shift over to let him lie down beside them.
This never occurred in the throes of their dangerous escapades. Too much going on, maybe. When it happened, it was during the calm times between.
But it was rare, when he came to one or another of them. It depended on the night, depended on the dream.
Zoro had heard him scrabble through the hatch to the girls' room once or twice, had seen him shove Sanji awake and tangle himself into the hammock next to the skinny cook, had seen him poke Chopper awake and then snuggle up to the little reindeer. Or rush outside and up to the crow's nest, if whoever he wanted to find was on watch.
But he'd never bothered Zoro.
And now, this first night on the Thousand Sunny, Zoro came back to the men's cabin after Franky had relieved him from his watch shift. He yawned and stretched, ready to get some sleep, and heard Luffy awaken with a choking sound that cut off with the quick, shallow breaths of someone in the clutches of pure terror.
Luffy rolled over, falling out of his bed to land on his face, and scrambled up without hesitation. He saw Zoro there, their eyes crossed and met, but Luffy didn't react to his presence. Instead, he swivelled on his heel to yank at Usopp's bunk, grabbing the edge and shaking it sharply.
As Zoro sat and set aside his swords, Usopp snuffled once, then startled awake with Luffy's second shake. "Eh?" came a sleep-scratchy voice, and Usopp blinked his eyes open to see his captain standing there.
Staying still and unobtrusive, Zoro watched them stare at each other. Luffy's hat was clutched in his hand, his hair messy from sleep and his chest still rising and falling with his too-fast breathing.
This made sense, Zoro thought, as Usopp scooted over and Luffy climbed into the bunk. It made sense that after Enies Lobby Luffy would want to be near him.
The two of them were clearly a little cramped in that space designed for one sleeper, but Luffy fell asleep again quickly, his hat on his chest and one arm dangling over the side.
Usopp pushed himself up on one elbow, staring down at his sleeping captain for a long time before he rubbed the palm of his other hand into his eyes and fell back with a whump and a shaky sigh.
Zoro let out a long breath himself, but silently, and folded his arms behind his head. As far as he knew, when Luffy slept with any of the crew, he really did only sleep. Though Zoro didn't think he'd care even if Luffy did starting sleeping with any of them in the non-literal sense. He wasn't jealous of his nakama for that, it would be a waste of energy… but he did wonder, with a little ripple of unhappiness, how it was that Luffy would cling to everyone but him.
He rolled over and closed his eyes, deciding he should just take the privilege of uninterrupted sleep while he had it.
The next port, some days later, the two of them ended up guarding the ship while the rest headed off to the little town on this island. Luffy whined about it, but it was his turn to scrub the bathroom, and after a whack on the head from Nami, Luffy finally grumped off to do his chore.
Zoro napped on the deck, half-listening for Luffy to be done, not too surprised when Luffy dragged his feet across the deck and flopped down next to him with a thud and then slid down his side with a drawn-out groan.
"That was boring… And my hands are all wrinkly now and they taste like soap!"
Zoro grunted and opened his eyes. "Rather have Nami on your case?"
"No way," Luffy said vehemently, and turned over, rising to his knees to hang his arms over the side of the ship. Then he bounced to his feet and hung over by his waist instead, and Zoro got ready to make a grab for him if he went completely over the side. He didn't, instead standing up to grin at Zoro. "Time for some fishing!" he announced, and pelted off to get his rod and a bait pail.
Zoro stood and glanced down over the rail. The water was not shallow, but it was magnificently clear, and Zoro could see schools of small fish and a few lone larger ones moving in the sunlit water. A jellyfish bobbed along and Zoro tracked its irregular motion while he listened to Luffy crash around and then finally return, rod and pail in hand.
He sat himself on the rail next to Zoro and flicked his line over the side. He swung his feet as it dangled, humming to himself, and Zoro leaned his hip on the rail and watched the line drag through the water.
Luffy watched his line as well, and cast the occasional glance Zoro's way, blinking at him with strangely thoughtful eyes.
"'Cause I'm not scared you'll go," he said, and Zoro frowned at him, having no idea what Luffy meant with today's seemingly random statement. Luffy returned his attention to his rod, reeling it in before casting it out a second time, then looked at Zoro again. "Sometimes I have bad dreams," he said, matter of fact, like he was talking about the weather, "that they leave or they get…" he didn't finish that thought, but went on. "It's lies and it's scary, but I dream it. When I wake up, I have to make it go away."
And Zoro remembered the night with Usopp. Luffy hadn't seemed to notice Zoro had been there, but, of course, he most definitely had. "Oh," Zoro replied, not sure what else to say.
"I never dream like that about you, though," Luffy went on, and kicked his feet up to hold them straight out, then dropped them to let his heels bonk against the wood.
"Oh," Zoro said again, but this time he understood. Luffy returned his gaze with an open, calm expression, then something tugged at his line and he looked back to his fishing with a grin and a laugh.
Zoro watched him wrestle with his rod for a little while, then let himself slide down to sit on the deck again, ready to drift into a comfortable doze.