Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece but I do like to draw fan art and write fanfics for it.
Chapter Summary: Who walked in on Luffy and that little voice is back! But not all goes right with the morning after a... situational night.
Warnings: ZOLU, a bit lengthy in word count, more bloody noses, SanLu, nudity, swearing, blood, violence, and plot clue CONNECTIONS
KittyLuffy: I got a stupid essay-
Nami: I DON'T CARE! THANKS FOR COMING READERS. NOW, THE CLIFFHANGER ENDS!
Vivi: Nami has been waiting all week. So have I.
KittyLuffy: I guess I'll reply to comments at the end. Enjoy with all your heart.
Love Below Heaven
Chapter 11: Mr. Prince's Failed Kidnapping
"Luffy?"
"Wh-who are you?" Luffy stuttered, grabbing the blankets off the bed and hiding himself in them, only his halo peeking out.
"Luffy…" The stranger's previously bewildered visage was gone and a strong blush had been the obvious replacement.
Luffy peeped from his blanket shield and glanced at the newcomer who was definitely not Zoro. Different height, blonde hair, swirly eyebrow, and some strange smoldering stick in his mouth. Something was on fire? Luffy jumped from his safety and made a grab at the burning stick. The devil dodged, leaning out of the way quickly before regretting the action and seeing that the oddly dressed boy was at least a meter from him.
"Hurry," Luffy said, "we gotta put that fire out!"
"N-no, it's a safe fire."
"But, but it's in your mouth! You must be burning. Let me go get you some water. Where'd we put the pots?" Luffy searched the room, bending down this place or that, trying to find things in the newly orderly hut. When he noticed the stranger stared at him questioningly, red dripping down an amazed – yet still calm – face, the angel shrieked and began rushing even more for the bowl he was looking for. "Now you're bleeding!"
"It's not a problem, Luffy," the intruder mumbled, brushing at the blood from his nose with an already crimson fist. "And the thing in my mouth is supposed to be on fire." Luffy stopped his rampage through the alcohol chest.
"Supposed to be?"
"Yeah. It's called a cigarette."
"Sugarette?"
"No, well, you'd never understand." The outsider paused and shook his head; Luffy could make anyone get off topic in a flash. "Now come on, we have to get you home." The devil held out a hand and almost expected Luffy to jump into his arms. Instead, a pout was on the angel's face and he didn't budge.
"Why should I go with you? I have no clue who you are," Luffy huffed, crossing his arms. He felt like this stranger was different from the others who had tried to attack the house, but still couldn't be fully trusted. The person smoking almost choked. In a flash Luffy would have gone over to pat the coughing devil's back, but he was chained to the bed. Then, he remembered again that it was an intruding devil (he forgot after five seconds…).
The trespasser took his cigarette out of his mouth and coughed into his hand, noticing that a bit of blood came out his lungs. His eyes grew wide with realization of Luffy's tiny brain capacity. Maybe he was a devil heavily wounded and covered in massive amounts of blood, but that didn't mean he wasn't obviously… well maybe it was too obvious for Luffy.
"Luffy, c'mon. We don't have much time before he gets back."
"Before who gets back, bastard?" Zoro asked, clamping a strong claw on the blonde's shoulder. The grabbed devil became rigid before turning his head to glare at the owner of the hut. The devils glowered for a moment before Luffy broke the "I'm going to kill you" mood.
"Zoro!"
"Luffy? ...Huh? ...W…WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WEARING?" Luffy looked down and instantly remembered what he was supposed to do. No matter that there was an intruder or anything, but he had to do it or else Nami would get mad and a mad Nami is a scary Nami no one wants to mess with.
"Oops," the angel mumbled before spinning around and saying a line Nami had gotten him to memorize for the night, "Master, welcome home! Do you want anything? A bath, booze, or maybe me?" He wiggled his butt and waited for Zoro's good reaction. Instead, both devils fell backwards with blood spewing out of their noses. They lay twitching in the front doorway as a flustered Luffy ran around looking for pots again.
When he still couldn't find them, he went back to the alcohol chest and grabbed a whiskey bottle. It may not have been water, but it was wet, right? He stood as close as his chain would allow before attempting to open the bottle. The cap wouldn't budge, so he tried banging it on the coffee table. Even that didn't do the trick. Before he was able to smash it with a hammer that was in the toolbox, a pair of claws grabbed his hands to make him stop. Glancing behind him, Luffy saw the blonde devil, even more blood dripping out his nose, shaking his head furiously.
"No, not alcohol. Please don't even think about using that when I have a cigarette in my mouth."
"Open the bottle! Light the swirly-eyebrowed son of a bitch on fire, Luffy!" Before he could, the devil holding him back slumped on his shoulder, making them both take some steps forward.
"What the… Hell?" the blonde devil mumbled, the room seeming to spin in front of him. Gripping Luffy for support, the intruder tried to focus his mind, but that only seemed to intensify a throbbing in his shoulder. The pain he had partially forgotten about in his rushing returned to the devil and overwhelmed him as he gingerly gave it a touch. It was quite a deep gash, still bleeding a bit too. The blonde collapsed on the floor and lay there, out cold.
Luffy dropped the alcohol bottle and it rolled away as the angel got on his knees. "Are you okay? Hey, wake up! Are you okay?" The devil did not respond and the wound in his shoulder started to drip crimson liquid onto the dirt, making Luffy pale. "Master, he's bleeding!"
"Well, so am I. Just leave him."
"No, I mean, from his shoulder, he's bleeding!"
"Huh?" Zoro got up and entered his house, crouching down to survey the blonde devil before swearing. "Fuck! What has he gotten himself into? Luffy, get me the bandages and medicine. Quickly."
The little angel ran into the bathroom and emptied the contents of the mirror cabinet onto his short robe. Dumping them onto the floor next to Zoro, he waited to see what was happening. Zoro was doing his best to wipe away as much blood as he could, but it wasn't working. It was mostly dried and had formed a sort of protective crust, probably hiding scabs and scars from some type of large battle. Luffy made a worried face before Zoro commanded the angel to hide under the bed covers.
From his spot under the blankets, Luffy could not see anything, but he could hear things. The blonde devil screaming in pain and Zoro's constant cussing made their ways to his sensitive ears. Luffy didn't like those sounds at all, so tried to block them out with his hands. After what seemed like years, he felt the blanket carefully leaving his shoulders.
"I'm done. He'll be fine." Luffy gave Zoro a heartfelt hug for comfort.
"Are you sure? You were swearing quite a lot."
"Yeah. I don't know what the bastard has been through, but a ton more than he should have. He'll most likely sleep for a few days." Luffy let out a giggle and rolled happily. Zoro sat down on the bed and stopped the angel before he fell onto the floor. Rolling him back, Zoro pressed a finger to Luffy's nose. "Now that the ero-pain is fixed up for the moment, what's up with you? What the Hell are you wearing and what was that 'Master' thing you were doing earlier?"
"Nami said you'd like it, Master," Luffy chirped, stretching out on the bed and grabbing Zoro's hand. Zoro blushed at the actions, but said nothing. All he could do was stare at the clothes. Lingerie under a transparent mini robe? Inviting, but he still held back. "What's wrong, Master? Do you want me to suck you off?" Zoro almost died as the innocent angel finished asking such a lewd question in a nonchalant manner.
"Wh-what?" the Demon Devil sputtered, touching his horns as Luffy sat up. A deep blush flushed Zoro's cheeks as he imagined Luffy actually doing it.
"I dunno. Nami told me to say that if you didn't look happy, Master."
"Damn that bitch," Zoro mumbled through gritted teeth, staring up to the roof of his house so Luffy wouldn't see the tears pouring comically down his face. The angel only played with his collar as he waited for Zoro to answer his question, how ever that answer was supposed to come.
"Master? I'm waiting…" The Demon Devil had to peek down to see what type of face Luffy was making at that moment. As he thought, it was too cute to be seen by such devilish eyes. Luffy was fingering the tag that read "ZORO'S TOY, DO NOT TOUCH", but the facial expression seemed to be yearning from Zoro's warped point of view. But he couldn't!
"No, you don't have to do something you know nothing about."
"Hmm? Well, you could tell me."
"NO."
"Teach me?"
"N-NO."
"Show me?"
"Stop it!" Zoro ran into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. The person in the bathtub, sleeping away, was the only reason he couldn't take the wide-open chance. Stomping up to the blonde, the Demon Devil lightly kicked the bandaged head before realizing he himself had to get cleaned up.
Finding a fairly clean towel, he dampened it and began to wipe away all the blood on his body. The last place he scrubbed was his nose, making sure the blood had stopped running. Looking at himself in the mirror, Zoro thought he looked presentable and exited the bathroom to find Luffy the Attempted Stripper.
"What are you doing now?" Zoro sighed, slumping to the ground and rubbing his head in the dirt. That damn witch! Picking up the black robe that had already been discarded, the devil didn't look up until he heard a distressed peep.
"It… won't… come off!" The Demon Devil didn't know whether to be glad or sad that the panties Luffy had on weren't coming off. "Nami must've done something when she retied them."
"Retied?" Zoro repeated quickly, staring at the damage the she-devil had done. Tight knots had been hidden underneath the bows, meaning only good nails would be able to get the lingerie off. Or good claws.
"Can you help me, Master?"
"Um… s-sure?" Zoro got off the floor and sat down on the bed, motioning for the problematic angel to sit in his lap. Luffy did so, settling down like a cat. Zoro had a troubled expression and no access to the knots. "I need you to sit in a way where I can help you, not where you're comfy."
"…Like this?" Luffy sat cross-legged in Zoro's lap, even though the Demon Devil was sitting the same way. It didn't work and they both fell backwards.
"No, not like that," Zoro grumbled, setting them upright.
"Then… like this?" The angel unfolded his legs and turned around to face Zoro. He put his hands on Zoro's shoulders and assumed a straddling position around Zoro's waist.
"Sure, like that, whatever. Can you just stop torturing me? Any more and I'll be forced to –" Luffy gave a kicked puppy expression and Zoro felt bad for some reason. He had no basis for guilt, Hell, he was the one in agony, but that face was just too cute to see down in the dumps, even for a second. Zoro gave Luffy a small hug and the angel licked his cheek in return, just as if he really was a dog. "Now, I guess let's get off those ridiculous clothes."
"Yeah. They're kinda itchy."
"Are they now? I told you not to put them on. I knew you wouldn't like them." Zoro began with the first knot on the left side, being careful not to rip the clothes in fear Nami would find out and charge him big money. While the devil struggled, Luffy decided it was a great time to make their chatting into conversation.
"Well, Nami said you'd like it if I wore these. She said that even if I didn't like them, it wouldn't matter because they'd be off, hmm, ten minutes after you got home, Master. She was wrong though, because I think it's been half an hour." Luffy giggled as he thought about how the she-devil had been incorrect; Zoro, on the other hand, pretended he hadn't heard the implied comment. The first knot was untied and the Demon Devil was going to move onto the next one when Luffy wrapped his skinny arms around his strong shoulders. The devil would have liked it, but there was an oddly shaped piece of clothing in the way.
"You're still wearing the bra, but you must have tried taking it off after the robe, right?"
"It's called a bra?" Zoro slowly nodded. "I think Nami tied it the same way, though."
"With knots."
"Huh? She tied knots?"
"Uh-huh. Can't you feel the one right here and here?" Zoro touched the bow at base Luffy's neck (under the collar) and upper back. The angel twitched and held in a laugh; it tickled. But the way they were sitting, Zoro felt friction down below and immediately froze. Cute little angel virgin plus already bloody-nosed lusty devil equals a… situation, Zoro's mind calculated. Can't get too relaxed.
"Master, can you take it off too?"
"What? No, no. I'm already working on something else."
"Pleeeease, Master?" Luffy whined, bonking their foreheads lightly together. How could Zoro hold back against something that wasn't even using the pout of doom yet? Anyway, he really wanted to.
"Fine. Here we go; give me a tight hug." Luffy did as he was told and Zoro quickly undid the ties and the bra slipped onto the bed with a slight tug to the left. The devil waited for the angel to pull back, now that the bra was gone, but he didn't. "You want the damn collar off too?"
"No, it tells everyone that I'm your Intercourse Toy, according to Nami. I wonder what that means."
"I so hope you're saying that wrong. Maybe you mean… no there's really no word close to that…. Damn that witch again! "
"Don't you like it, Master?"
"Yeah, but that's not exactly the point." Zoro's face was paling, so maybe it was good the black-haired boy's head was on his shoulder. Luffy seemed comfortable, so Zoro went back to the last remaining thing he had to untie.
"Shishishi," Luffy giggled quietly, feeling a claw at his hip, "I guess when you take that off I'll be…" He never finished because his face was blushing a furious red of Hell's sun. He tried to make light of the situation, but a little voice in his head shot him a few perverted thoughts. It had been a really long time since he had last heard it.
"Why don't you try something kinky on purpose for once?" the voice squeaked. Kingly? Luffy thought back to the voice in his mind. "No, kinky. Think seductive."
"H-huh?" Luffy whispered out loud.
"What is it, Luffy?" Zoro stopped trying to untie the very, very tight knot, but got no response. He resumed, thinking it was only his imagination. Luffy was fighting with the high-pitched voice in his head that was currently laughing at him.
"Ha ha ha! You seriously don't know what I'm talking about? Here, try this: bite his ear lighty." Luffy did so, thinking nothing was going to happen, but with the jingling of the gold earrings, Zoro tensed. Huh? Luffy thought as the person in his head cackled. "See, look, he's getting aroused."
"Zoro's what?" Luffy hissed, not looking and not understanding.
"L-Luffy, what was that for?" Zoro stuttered, getting silence from the angel again. He almost had the first knot of the right side untied, but there were two more, just to make everything harder for the Demon Devil. What was Nami's game anyway?
"You don't seem to get it yet, so let's try something else," the voice commanded whimsically. "Hmm… how about… no… oh(!) I got it: why don't you lip lock with him? Er, kiss him passionately on the lips." Luffy mentally shrugged.
Letting go of his grip around Zoro's neck, the angel and devil gazed into each other's eyes. Suddenly, the angel became nervous. Could he really give Zoro a passionate kiss on the lips? The quick pecks were nothing but affectionate, so what higher level would passionate be on? Luffy titled his head and pressed their lips together, slowly, tentatively.
Zoro's mind went into shocked mode and his claws ripped through the last knot. Luffy had suddenly kissed him; he had no clue why, but it was a sweet kiss that caught his heart in a net and reeled him in. The pairs of lips seemed to fit together perfectly as Luffy pressed harder in an attempt to break past the barrier of affection to get to passionate. Zoro couldn't hold back and licked the closed lips. Luffy froze for a moment before gradually granting passage. The devil had thought about the angel's pure mouth for a month and a half. It was just as unsullied as it had been before.
Luffy felt the tongue enter his mouth and it wasn't as scary as he thought it would have been. It was gentle in its exploring, stopping once or twice to check something out. Luffy thought it seemed kind of fun and touched Zoro's tongue with his own. The devil's tongue receded and Luffy's followed, entering foreign territory and claiming it as his. He brushed against teeth and the roof of Zoro's mouth, feeling a little out of breath. They pulled apart, Luffy panting slightly with a dazed look on his face. A little saliva trickled out from the corner of his lips and Zoro lapped it up like it was honey.
"What was that for?" Zoro asked, gazing at Luffy with confusion and lust. The angel glanced towards the right. The way the ebony-haired boy was acting made it obvious Nami had not planned the lip locking.
"I-I just wanted to kiss you is all."
"Really, is that all?" Zoro pressed Luffy's lower half into him, moving a bit to create some heated friction. The angel gasped and covered his mouth shyly to mute the moan that had started up from the action. The Demon Devil grinned and shifted again, watching Luffy's face like a hawk.
"A-ah! Mmmmmmmmm…" Zoro pulled the lingerie away from the angel, leaving the boy fully exposed to the night air. Luffy shivered from the thought that Zoro could scrutinize him, was gazing at him. That daring voice in his head had left, leaving the angel to fend completely for himself in an uncharted territory of love.
Zoro leaned in to Luffy's neck and took the silver tag in between his teeth. The whole collar jingled and the sound of a boy's back softly hitting the bed sheets was all that could be heard.
Then, there was a gunshot.
"What the fuck are you doing to Luffy, you bastard?" A wobbly gun was pointed at the bed, the devil holding it swayed side to side. Coughing up a little blood, the wounded and partially patched up blonde was hardly ready to be out of bed. Zoro gazed at the new dent in his dirt floor before rising off of Luffy at a leisurely pace. The blonde's hands shook in rage as he tried again to aim at Luffy's assaulter.
"Dart-brow, I wouldn't be trying to shoot someone in your state," Zoro humored, "I'd wait a few days before –" Another shot rang out and clanged against one of the Demon Devil's strong horns. It made Zoro have a small jolt backwards, enough to fully get him off the angel under him. "Fuck, you need to work on your aim."
"Don't talk, Demon Devil. I will kill you if I have to."
"You wouldn't," was a calm reply. There was silence before a trembling answer.
"I… I c-could."
"You couldn't."
"Don't tempt me! I have the gun, remember?" Zoro laughed at that, grabbing at a concealed dagger under his pillow, just in case. He knew the other devil wouldn't in a million years kill him, lest it was a life and death situation. But then there was Luffy. The blonde knew who Luffy was. Was it Luffy that was triggering such a strange attitude from the devil? Before he could ask, Luffy pushed up off the bed and toppled Zoro over as the trigger was pulled a third time.
"Ow!" Luffy cried out as the bullet nicked his cheek enough to make a steady stream of red drip down his face.
"Lu-Luffy? Why are you protecting him? He was going to –" the devil with the gun stammered, watching the angel touch his bleeding cheek in shock.
"Luffy! What did you do that for? I could defend myself." Zoro knew, though, he hadn't been paying close enough attention and it would have hit close to his heart. Luffy had saved his life.
"You green-haired Marimo! What did you do to brainwash Luffy? Don't tell me you've already… I'm gonna kill you!"
"Stop!" Luffy yelled, leaping off the bed and pouncing on the weapon holder, "Don't talk like that!"
"Shit! Luffy, it's for your safety!"
"My safety? What was Zoro doing wrong? He bandaged you up and all you can do is try to hurt him?"
"Luffy, I –"
"How do you even know my name? WHO ARE YOU?" Moments passed, the devil and angel gazing at certain features that made them… well, them. Black hair, blonde hair; brown eyes, blue eye, scar, swirly eyebrow. The tense feelings slowly evaporated from the room and the devil dropped the gun. Luffy kept staring into the other's wetting eye, not daring to move, fearing the person he had pinned was possibly hiding something. Finally, Luffy asked again, but in a softer tone. "Who are you?"
"You… really can't tell?" Sanji laughed, covering his crying face with a claw. Luffy shook his head without a word before watching the devil's head loll to the side.
"That bastard sure wasn't in the coma I thought he was in," Zoro said, picking up the angel and tossing him back on the bed. Rolling the unconscious Sanji back into the bathroom, Zoro shut the door and Luffy numbly sat and bled. The crimson dripped down his chin and down the collar, turning the silver tag a ruby red.
Minutes later, Zoro came out again, closing the door behind him quietly. He was holding a wet rag and a small patch. Luffy looked at the devil with glazed over eyes.
"Did you… kill him?"
"No, just popped a few sleeping pills in his mouth and put him back in your bathtub bed." Luffy closed his eyes and let out a relieved giggle, starting to crawl between the sheets. Zoro grabbed him before he could hide and started gently rubbing at the bleeding cut. The angel hissed at the sting, but didn't pull away.
"That was so – ow – scary," Luffy murmured, "I thought he – ow – was gonna kill you with that thing."
"So did I when he shot at me a second time."
"But how does he kn – ow – me? I've never seen him before." Zoro tossed the bloody rag away before drying the damp cheek to apply the patch. Pressing it lightly to make sure it would stick, the devil sighed, connecting the dots scattered all over his mind.
"Well, let's just go to bed. I don't think he'll wake up before us tomorrow."
"Mm-kay." Luffy touched the band-aid before sitting perfectly still. If the wounded devil was sleeping in his bathtub bed, where was he going to be put? Looking around the room, he noticed there was a lot of places still open on the ground. Luffy slid off the bed and headed to a corner of the room, far from the bathroom. Zoro watched the bare angel curl into a shivering ball to get some sleep. Something in his mind tugged at his heart, triggering his mouth to open.
"Hey, Luffy."
"Yeah, Z-Zoro?"
Zoro didn't know what he was going to say. He just couldn't bear the thought of Luffy not being next to him at the moment. Finally, he formulated an excuse. "Do you want to sleep with me? I know I've been putting you in the bathroom the past four nights and now it's taken, but I just can't watch you sleep naked on the floor, it's… kinda chilly tonight."
"Nah, I'm f-f-fine."
"Luffy, come here." Zoro monitored Luffy's travel. The devil patted the spot beside him as a sign that the angel should take the vacant space. Luffy hesitated before climbing in under the covers and snuggling in next to Zoro. The devil wrapped protective arms around the shaking angel. "Night, Luffy. Don't worry, okay?"
"Okay. Good night, Zoro."
Everyone in the house had an unsettling sleep.
Zoro woke up with the lamplights still being on. Getting out of bed, he tried to locate the clock, a watch, or just something that could tell him what time it was. Attached to his waist was a sleeping Luffy with his hug of death. When the clock was finally found, it read that it was five in the morning.
"Good," Zoro mumbled, grabbing a book from the bookcase and settling down under the covers again, "now I can kick that bitch out before she sees I have Swirly-brow in my house." Luffy groaned in his sleep and clutched Zoro a little tighter than before. With a chuckle, the devil ruffled the ebony hair prior to checking what book he had randomly picked up after his clock search.
It was a fairly large hardcover with silver letters across the top, stating the title innocently. With a claw, Zoro first examined the book to see if there were any pages missing from previous rampages, but they were all there it seemed. Then he inspected for blood and there was only a little on the back cover.
"Love Below Heaven," Zoro murmured, flipping to the first page, "sounds promising if it has survived my house this long." Eyes scanned the first sentences, not noticing at all that the format was unlike most books. The words started flowing from the back of the cover, and they weren't as pretty as one would think.
I ripped his head from his body as if it was an apple on an upright branch. He was crying, but I paid no heed because the deed had to be done by someone and I couldn't let it be those insensitive bastards.
Zoro raised an eyebrow and gazed at the cover again; were pages missing? No, they were all there, so it was the start of such a large book. Seems interesting, Zoro thought, I think I'll try reading it. He went on.
He didn't seem to know what hit him, like it was a shock for me to kill him. I wonder if he thought that I was angry or unhappy with him about something. I truly loved him, but I couldn't be blinded by false happiness that would only last an hour more. It was a hard choice and maybe I didn't fully choose it, but I won't die so soon. I don't want to die now.
The Demon Devil smiled and mused about that force behind all beings in Hell: kill and you'll live another day.
With time running out, I need to take my leave, let the crumpled body alone, the head right by its side. But I turn around and bend down in the blood; I can't just leave and have him shredded to the bone by hungry demons. If I have to decide what was the most precious thing to him, it would be his wings. Those beautiful wings I loved to use as a pillow when we were out on the Red Hills.
Ripping them off as if he is still alive, I am careful not to hurt him, no matter that his heart stopped pulsing a while ago. I don't want to pain my little prince any more than I already have. Taking the white wings, turning red at the tips, I turn on my heel and walk out the door, not wanting to say good-bye. We had done that enough.
Zoro was a slow reader, but his mind did not stray from the book. It was interesting and strangely written, almost as if the main character was stopping every few seconds to write down what he or she was doing.
The rest of the first chapter was about hiding in the forest and stopping to count every feather from each wing. With almost every number, the devil would have a comment about the angel, be it good or bad. He liked to chat. He didn't fly, even in Heaven. He hated meat of all kinds. The main character had been careful not to drop any feathers, leaving no trail that would lead the gang that had been following him to where he was. Zoro was about to start the second chapter when he heard the familiar sound of flapping wings coming towards his house.
Zoro hopped out of bed, but found that Luffy was still hugging as if his life depended on it. The Demon Devil heard Nami land outside while he was trying to peel off the boy's fingers. He couldn't do it fast enough and so grabbed the comforter of the bed and headed for the door. But then there was a metallic clang of the chain on Luffy's leg going as far as it could. Nami unlocked the door and let herself in.
"Oh, Zoro, what is up with you? A book in bed makes you look old."
"Can it. I just need you not to stay here with Luffy today."
"Oh-ho, trying to pretend nothing happened, huh? The book is up-side-down." Nami made a flipping motion with her hand and slowly Zoro followed suit.
"Not anymore it's not. I have been reading in bed for your information."
"After?"
"After getting a good night's sleep."
"After?"
"Getting home to see that damn outfit you put Luffy in."
"Before?"
"Washing off and getting ready for bed."
"Before?"
"Getting the stupid clothes off of Luffy."
"BEFORE?"
"Going to bed." Nami deflated. Hands on her hips, she made an annoyed expression.
"You can't be serious! You didn't do anything to the poor little cutie? He tried so hard for you and all you did was go to bed?"
"About that… why the fuck did you tell him to tell me things he knew nothing about?"
"I probably threw in a few of those, so which one are you thinking of?" Zoro gritted his teeth before quickly changing the subject.
"I plan to stay home today so you can't do any mischief. Shoo, go home."
"You can't get rid of me that easily."
"How about this then?" Zoro flung off the blankets to reveal the naked Luffy sleeping like an angel. The black-haired boy shivered as the crisp morning air touched his skin, snuggling in next to Zoro a little more. Nami's hair rose and she shrieked with delight. Her mind went crazy, too crazy to really assess the picture at hand.
"I knew it!"
"Think what you want." Nami dashed out of the house and took flight immediately.
"I'll leave you two to morning business! See you tomorrow. Eek, this is so exciting!" The she-devil flew off as Zoro covered Luffy in blankets again before listening to the sound of the orange-haired witch leaving them in peace. It was a nice sound.
"I guess I'll read until Luffy wakes up," Zoro mumbled to himself, opening the book to the correct page and diving into the story again.
The second chapter was almost nothing like the first. The devil in the tale was happy about killing the angel, laughing and talking in a lighter mood. It almost seemed like the main character had killed a different person, an unlikable angel who was more annoying than lovable. But as the chapter came to a close, the writer broke down and the façade ended in the cruel reality that everything may have been true, but it wasn't the real way to look at the dead angel.
The grip around Zoro's waist loosened as Luffy woke up. With a yawn, the boy turned over like a log and fell off the bed with a thump.
"Luffy?"
"G-good morning Zoro. Owie." Luffy's head peeked above the bed as he rubbed a small lump forming above his ear.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
"Mm-hmm…"
"Don't lie to me, I can tell."
"Well, I kinda had a bad dream."
"About what?" Luffy pointed a finger to the bathroom door across the bed without saying a word. He had a cute frown on his face before he realized that he had no clothes on. Encasing himself in the comforter he had dragged off the bed with him, a blush came to Luffy's cheeks. Zoro blinked and also registered in his brain that the other boy was naked. "Um… you want some clothes?"
"Yes… please…" Luffy mumbled with a small nod. Zoro put his book down and got out of bed, stretching as he made his way around the room, looking for where the two cleaners had put all his clothes the day before. After having no success, Luffy chirped, "I think Nami put them under the bed."
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" the Demon Devil grumbled, finding a big chest under the bed and pulling it out.
"Well, I thought you knew."
"You and Nami cleaned my house only yesterday! I came home and nothing was in its proper place and no one told me where everything was."
"Oh yeaaaaah."
"Okay, here." Zoro threw Luffy a random bundle of what looked to him like a shirt. Luffy caught it with his face and squeaked as it dropped to the dust.
"I wasn't ready to catch it."
Zoro grinned. "I can see that. Nice catch anyway." The devil dug through the rest of his clothes to find something to wear. Finding a few partially clean things, he looked up to see Luffy holding up the shirt.
It was obviously taken from an old foe, for reasons unknown to even Zoro. The shirt was probably something along the lines of an XXXXXXLarge, worn by a devil who thought fat and blubber were muscle. Zoro recognized the cloth's pattern to be the same as the shirt worn by a devil named Pearl who had been chopped into tiny bits by the Demon Devil and put in a community stew.
His claws diving in one more time, Zoro searched for something that might fit the petit angel. Many things were either bloody or ripped, so they wouldn't work. Then he found a small something in the corner of the chest. Holding it up, it was a gray undershirt. Staring at Luffy and the new finding, Zoro estimated that the size was about right.
"You ready to catch this time, Luffy?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah I am."
"Here." Zoro tossed Luffy the undershirt and the boy quickly slipped it on. It was still a bit long, but with the silver belt from the night before, it looked just fine. Now, came a big problem. "Where are your boxers?"
"… Um…"
"Well?"
"Nami shredded them."
"That makes sense, I guess." Zoro scratched his head thinking about how that might have gone down. It sounded safer than Luffy trying to cut them off himself.
"But now I can't wear them."
"True… what should we do?"
"I could go commando. I used to do that when I went puddle jumping in the winter." Zoro imagined an angel's winter being rain instead of snow. It was logical – to a point.
"I don't know. It may be a problem."
"Huh? Why?" Zoro blushed and thought about what was hiding under that undershirt.
"Fine, do what you want. I'm gonna wash up in the bathroom."
"Okay." Luffy put the comforter back on the bed and twirled around in his new clothes. He wrapped his feet up in the chain attached to his ankle and fell backwards onto the bed. Gazing up at the ceiling, he thought about his dream.
It was a scary dream, like he was thrown into the past, but going towards the future. He had been around eight years old in his dream, playing with Vivi and Nami who were both the ages they were in reality. Then he met with Shanks who said he had a surprise. It was the closet in Zoro's house and Luffy felt like there was something scary there. Shanks shoved him into the darkness and he landed on the blonde devil who grabbed him and pulled him towards a fiery cliff, laughing like a maniac. That was when he woke up to see Zoro by his side.
Why wasn't Zoro in my dream? Luffy wondered, getting off the bed only to trip over an arm.
"Luffy?" Zoro called from the bathroom in an alarmed voice. The devil opened the bathroom door quickly and searched around the main room with his eyes, hunting for a sign of the angel. He saw no trace of the boy, not even a halo poking out from a pile of blankets too small to hide anyone. Looking back in the bathroom at the empty bathtub and the open small window, Zoro knew Swirly-eyebrow was on the loose. "Luffy, come here." There was no answer. Dashing out of the bathroom, Zoro grabbed his swords off the bookshelf and ran out the door. Had Sanji already taken Luffy?
Luffy squirmed in the grasp of his captor, his mouth covered and his legs restrained. He tried to reach out to Zoro, to mentally tell the green-haired devil he was only on the floor next to the bed, but the silent shout didn't work. Helpless in his captor's clutches, Luffy gave up trying to get away since he couldn't think of anything to do after he was freed. He couldn't fight and Zoro was too far away now to help.
The two on the ground listened as Zoro bolted through the forest, cursing at the top of his lungs. Sanji sighed in relief before slowly pulling his claw away from Luffy's mouth. Luffy amazingly didn't scream like the blonde was expecting, but that didn't mean he'd have to be super careful with his frightened best friend.
"Luffy," Sanji said in a low, but commanding voice, "don't move or say a word, alright?"
"Okay." The blonde sweat-dropped at the verbal answer.
"Now, I'm going to let you go."
"Okay."
"Remember, be quiet."
"Right."
"And don't move."
"Uh-huh." Luffy lay still as Sanji moved to the bed. As they let out tense breaths, the blonde reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his tinted glasses. They were purple rimmed with yellow lenses, a bit dirty, but easily cleaned by using the bed sheets. Putting them on, Sanji gazed down at Luffy's back.
"You can get up now; just sit on the bed next to me."
"Why?"
Sanji thought a little bit; what would be a good reason for Luffy to listen to him?
"My name is Mr. Prince and as my name states, I'm –"
"Wow!" Luffy was suddenly right in Sanji's face with sparkling eyes and a big grin, "You're a prince? That's so cool! Vivi wanted to meet a Prince Charcoal or something… Could you be him?"
"Um… calm down," Sanji started, feeling the bed creak as the dumbstruck boy sat down, "and no, I don't think I'm Vivi's Prince Charming. I'm a devil, remember?" Sanji touched his horns and Luffy nodded, still amazed he was in the presence of royalty.
"So, your name is Mr. Prince?"
"Yup, that's what I said."
"I like your glasses. Do you live in a big castle?"
"Thanks. And sure."
"Is there a princess?" Sanji took this as a chance.
"Yes, but she has gone missing."
"Oh no! Where'd she go?"
"No one knew, except for me. I went on a search for her, but I got caught up in a big fight which I…" Sanji touched his white bandages and so did Luffy.
"You must have gotten really hurt."
"Yeah, hardly made it outta that one," Sanji sighed, "stalled me for four days."
"Are you okay though?"
"Uh-huh, thanks for worrying, Princess." Luffy didn't notice.
"Well, it's bad when someone gets hurt, right?"
"I guess, but in Hell it's totally normal, even if you are prepared." Luffy nodded, not understanding what Mr. Prince was saying at all. "Now, we have to get you back home to the castle, Princess."
"Princess? Where?" Luffy looked around as Sanji sobbed mentally.
"You. You are the princess I've been searching for." Luffy laughed like an idiot before replying.
"Sorry, Mr. Prince, but I'm not a princess. I'm Luffy."
"Yes, Princess Luffy, my… bride to be?" Luffy's eyes grew really wide as he thought about actually being a princess. He imagined an angry Vivi hitting him on the head for such a foolish idea.
"I'm not a princess. I don't live in a castle or have a big crown."
"You don't need those to be a princess."
"I'm not even wearing any underwear right now," Luffy mumbled in the most serious tone he could muster, "I'm sure princesses wear underwear." Sanji paled before turning away to think of how his plan was failing. Maybe if he pushed a little harder it would work.
"Well, Hell's princess can do whatever she wants. And that's why I love her."
"'Her'? I'm a boy. Aren't princesses girls?"
"N-not always?" Sanji got caught!
"Hmm…" Luffy swung his legs as he thought about it. Could he really be the princess Mr. Prince was searching for? "Wait… one more thing."
"What now?"
Luffy motioned for the devil to lean down before whispering, "I'm actually an angel." Sanji gasped in fake surprise before inspecting Luffy in an over-the-top manner. His acting turned into real shock when he noticed that Luffy's halo was gone.
"A-are you sure?" Luffy nodded and nothing bobbled above his head. Sanji put out a hand and searched the air for Luffy's halo; maybe the thing had turned invisible. But it just wasn't there. "And your wings?"
"Oh, here we go." Luffy touched his anklet and both boys waited for the Heavenly white wings to appear. When they didn't, they looked at each other. "Uh… it was supposed to work."
"Try one more time, Luffy."
"Here we go!" Nothing happened.
"Again."
"Wings, come out!"
"Again."
"…Wings?"
"Damn it, Luffy, *gasp*!" Sanji stared at the silver chain attached to Luffy's anklet. Could that metal be interfering with the contract item? Sliding off the bed, Sanji grabbed Luffy's chain and followed it to the leg of the bed where it was secured. "That stupid Marimo," Sanji murmured to himself. Looking up at Luffy, he smiled and said cheerfully, "Princess, wait a second while I get this off you." The scared boy nodded.
Quickly, Sanji's claws ripped at the lock, waiting for it to shatter or bend easily. When it didn't, the blonde shivered; it was real silver. It couldn't be taken off by usual means, so Sanji asked Luffy if he knew where the key was. Surprisingly, he did and Sanji ran to get it. Finally, after six days of being chained to a bed, Luffy was freed.
"Now give it a try, Princess," Sanji sighed, pushing up his glasses as Luffy danced around the room.
"Here we go; one more time!" Still, nothing happened. Luffy stopped spinning and scratched at his head bandage. "It worked yesterday."
"No, wait!" Sanji grabbed Luffy's belt and tried to bend the links. It was pure silver as well. "This must be the problem." Untying the silver belt, Sanji waited for Luffy's wings to pop out and start flapping. Even after a few minutes, the feathery things did not appear. Slipping off the collar didn't help either. "What's… happening?"
Pushing Luffy to the ground, Sanji searched for some type of sign, be it more metal or something physically wrong with the boy. Luffy struggled underneath the devil as his head bandages were ripped off and his shirt was clawed to shreds. Sanji was desperate; what was wrong with Luffy? There was nothing that could possibly be obstructing the angel's wings, let alone the halo that was supposed to be there at all times. Hands roaming every part of Luffy's body, the devil hunted until a whimper reached his ears. Blinking, Sanji realized what he was doing.
"Mr. Prince… stop it…" Luffy mumbled, terrified tears coming to his eyes. Sanji slowly ripped off the bandage on the angel's cheek and saw the scabbing line. He had given Luffy, his best friend, that wound. Was that the reason Luffy couldn't bring out his wings? Little by little, Sanji came back to his normal self.
"I'm sorry Luffy, I-I guess… No, I have no clue what I'm doing."
"You better not have a clue what you're doing." Zoro flicked a bloody sword, splattering crimson on the dusty floor.
*Nami passes out on the floor mumbling "Cliffhanger... cliffhanger...cliffhanger..."*
KittyLuffy: Besides that, how was the chapter? The boys' night? Any good? The Love Below Heaven? Any good? Sanji's sugarette? Any good?
Vivi: Squee! It makes me so happy! ZoLu at the best! But Sanji came in and stopped it... *glares in the direction of Sanji and Usopp, still in the distance*
KittyLuffy: Can't be helped. Now for the reviews, lots and lots!
Vivi: I. Michaela, KittyLuffy confused you with her wording. She hopes not to do it again. As you read, the two people were Luffy, on the bed, and Sanji, at the door.
KittyLuffy: Nami, yaoifan124 loves you. For all the ZoLu you tried to create.
Nami: Cliffhanger...cliffhanger... with a nude Luffy under SANJI!
Vivi: Poor Nami... Um, Luffy will practice anything for Zoro, for all you lovers of the lines Nami made Luffy memorize.
KittyLuffy: Answering Nezkov Sou, Neko11, and kitsuneluvuh, you win hugs for getting the intruder right! *holds out arms*
Vivi: Good job. *holds out arms too* And Neko11, Nami tried her best to get this chapter up quickly, but KittyLuffy had... schoolwork...
KittyLuffy: VampireApple, buddy, I love how you wrote for Chapter 12 too! Comments for every chapter, no matter if you started late or are behind, are so welcome!
Vivi: zolustalker, now you know - right? Luffy didn't seem to.
KittyLuffy: And our newest commenter, Mupyeong! I'm glad you like it. You liked the dress, the thong was a little out of hand, and the bra you hated. Seriously, when I drew it (I draw all of Luffy's outfits to see if they work) it looked really awkward, yet Nami, being Nami, would want Luffy to wear the whole set, you know? Nami is evil, as most of you commenters stated. But they're off now, he got a new change of clothes, and they're gone too...
Nami: Cliffhanger... thanks for reading... cliffhanger...
Vivi: For Mupyeong, we end with a "please comment on this long chapter full of plot clue CONNECTIONS" and the ultimate disturbing thought of Usopp in a watermelon bikini.
Usopp: How do I look? *winks*