Chapter 13

"Zoro… Where did you get that scar?" Luffy's voice was heard through the door as the said man turned off the water from the shower.

"Give me a minute…" He said as he dried and dressed himself.

When he did get out, he saw that Luffy didn't move from his spot as he turned to look at him.

"I'll make dinner and tell you, okay?"

The teen nodded as he let the other walk to the kitchen as he sat on the couch with Chopper, looking concerned and confused.

When Zoro was finished with the pizza, he almost hoped that Luffy would forget by the time the teen saw the food, but it was backfired when he didn't even bother drooling over the slice of pizza.

"Zoro… the scar…"

"It wasn't a big deal Luffy." He said. "I got into a small accident, that's all."

"You can't get a scar like that unless the wound itself was deep…"

Zoro didn't know how to respond to that.

"What happened…"

"I was riding my motorcycle one day and it suddenly rained. I took the turn to quickly and fell."

"Didn't you get help?"

"Yeah, I did."

Luffy just looked at his untouched slice before looking at the man, who was slowly biting his slice. "I don't believe you." He said. "You're just as bad a liar as I am, but you can pull it off better than I can… if I didn't know you that well."

Zoro sighed as he knew this, but didn't want to explain it either. "Maybe you when I was nine years old…" He knew it was harsh, but he didn't want to explain it.

Luffy knew it was below the belt, and it hurt him to hear the other say that, but it was clear to him. He picked up the slice and took a small bite, finding the taste dull and horrible but he didn't say anything.

It was uncomfortably silent, and Chopper could sense the atmosphere of uncertainty and doubt linger in the air. "The pizza is good." He said, trying to make the atmosphere lighter.

"It's a frozen pizza heated in the oven." Zoro said. "Nothing special about it."

"W-Well… at least it wasn't burnt… Nobody like a burnt pizza."

"Food is food, even if it has worms." Luffy said.

Chopper could sense the atmosphere becoming worse than before and decided that talking was out of the question at the moment.

Luffy thought about the reasons why the other wouldn't talk to him and thought about the prison break out that happened and the way the others were talking about it. When a passing thought came to him.

"Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"Did a guy from that prison do that to you?"

Zoro paused in his eating and placed the slice back down on his plate. "You've gotten quick in your thinking."

"I've thought about you guys all the time… And I don't like thinking, you know that."

"More than I should…"

"Zoro… Who was it?"

"I don't know… I woke up from the hospital and didn't bother finding out."

"You could've died…"

"I'm still here…"

"What if this guy comes back?"

"It was by dumb unfortunate chance that it happened."

"This person might blame you for putting them in prison…"

"They would have to know me then."

"But Zoro!"

"Luffy! It was three years ago! I don't know if the person is alive or dead, and I really don't care about that! I only care about you and that's all that mattered then!"

Both were silent, stared at each other in shock. Zoro for what he just said, and Luffy hearing it.

They didn't say anything as they ate their pizza, finding the taste a little better then.

Chopper on the other hand was just glad that the atmosphere seemed a little lighter, but he was confused why the two were acting weird.

"What's wrong Zoro?" He asked, seeing that his owner seemed redder in the face and sweat forming on his temple.

Luffy looked to see that the other indeed was doing about everything to not have any eye contact with anyone. He wanted to say something, but after what he just heard he didn't know what to do. He couldn't really understand what the other meant when he said that.

But he also knows that if he didn't say anything, it was going to get even more uncomfortable then it already is.

"So, uh…" He started. "Did you do any tournaments with Kendo?"

"Uh… yeah…" Zoro said, still not looking up.

Zoro was lecturing himself about how stupid he was and why, in the life of him, did he say that? He didn't know what the hell he was talking about and why, of all things, did he confess that he had a slight obsession to the other's well being in coming home from the space thing.

"Did you win any?"

"First place in the last five years."

"That's cool…"

"Yeah…"

The change in the subject wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Luffy…" Zoro said as he lifted his head a little, but still not gaining eye contact. "I… I don't know how to explain this… But…"

Luffy waited as the other was trying to organize his thoughts.

"I've… I guess had a slight obsession about you getting home when I was younger. And…" He awkwardly laughed a little. "It sounds stupid if not creepy, but I would make a list of the things that we would do together when everyone had their chance with you… Okay that sounded a little wrong… Anyway! You got the idea…" He was rambling now, which was very unlike him and he knew it. "And… I would look at the list over and over as the years go by… you know, crossing things out and stuff like that…"

"What happened to the list?"

"I threw it away…"

"Why?"

Zoro then looked at Luffy and grinned. "Because I knew you would come up with something better."

Luffy blushed as his mouth became slightly dry.

Chopper just looked at the two and felt that he should go somewhere else.

"I'm going to the bathroom!" He said as he quickly got out of his chair and ran to the bathroom and locked the door.

The two looked at the furry creature in confusion as they caught sight of their gaze on each other.

"That was weird." Luffy said first.

"Yeah…" Zoro said, still feeling awkward about what he said just seconds ago. "So… do you need anything else?" He got up to put his plate away when Luffy stopped him and he looked at the teen. "Luffy?"

Luffy didn't know what he was doing, he just felt like getting up, not wanting the other to move and leaned in so that very little space was between them. He shivered when he heard the other say his name, but he didn't know what to do or say. He just wanted to be closer.

Zoro could hear his own heartbeat in his ears as he closed that small space and wrapped his arms around the teen, who in turn wrapped his around his waist.

Both their eyes didn't leave the other's gaze as the older of the two felt drawn to go lean down towards the other's lips, while the younger felt his heart racing and his mind racing with so many thoughts that it became a blur, as well as lifting himself up a little to close the rest of the gap to meet the other's lips.

For a moment, the two stayed in that position in comfortable silence before the elder of the two moved one hand cautiously to the back of the other's head, and pressed them closer. The other raised both hands to the other's shoulder blades and grabbed fistfuls of the shirt's material as the joined lips hesitantly moved in a slow, uncertain rhythm before parting for breathing.

They looked at each other and seemed to realize what they were doing and parted from each other.

"Gomenasai!" Both of them said, which confused both of them.

"It wasn't your-"

"I wasn't thi-"

"Would you just let me say something!"

They looked at each other in confusion as well as feeling slightly empty from the sudden parting.

"I don't know what to say Luffy…" Zoro started.

"Me too…" Luffy said as he looked at the time. "I should get back home."

"Yeah… Do you want me to-"

"No, no… I can get there okay by myself."

"You sure?"

"I can take care of myself…"

"If you say so…"

The two felt awkward as Luffy slowly started for the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow… all of us are going to see a movie."

"Oh! Yeah… I almost forgot about that."

Zoro nodded as another awkward silence hung in the air. "Well… See ya."

"See ya…" Luffy said as he took one last glance at the other before closing the door.

Zoro stood there, wondering what the hell happened.

Chopper, in the meantime, had his ear against the door, but could barely hear anything. 'What's going on out there!?'