Despite hanging onto Luffy's torso in the same way a terrified sailor swept overboard and drowning at sea might cling to the life preserver thrown to him from his ship, Zoro completely fails to recognize the man he's clutching so tightly. Even if Luffy had been readily visible to him upon waking- if not just his face but also the very outline of his body wasn't obscured by the surrounding darkness- the swordsman's fought his way back to semi-consciousness wholly incapable of coherent thought. Caught in the weird state of limbo that exists somewhere between sleep and true wakefulness, he's far too badly shaken by the lingering vestiges of that- that unthinkable, god-awful NIGHTMARE to identify Luffy as another living human being, let alone as his captain.

He's also woken to a body utterly wracked by pain, although for now his psyche's blocking out the worst of it. A temporary protection that's purely incidental, as his mind's simply too focused on the dream- overwhelmed by that one scenario he considers too devastating, too MONSTROUS, for mere physical discomfort to register much when compared to his heightened emotional distress.

In the nightmare, he'd picked his way through mountains of rubble, limping and stumbling back from the bloody crater in which he'd expected to die to the place where he'd left everyone to follow Kuma- only to discover the broken, lifeless bodies of his crewmates and allies strewn throughout the castle's ruins like discarded dolls. And then, already reeling with stunned disbelief, he'd found Luffy and-

Dropping to his knees beside his captain's mutilated corpse, he stares down at it in horrified silence as anguish and rage swell within his chest until, while he's kneeling there swaying weakly, something inside him gives way with a nearly audible snap. Gathering Luffy's cooling body in his trembling arms, he brings it to his chest and abruptly rediscovers his voice, howling his pain and loss into the thundercloud-laden sky while tears carve wet paths down his dirty, blood-streaked face.

There's no one left alive to listen so he rants and raves to a silent, unsympathetic audience of splintered trees and crumbling stonework, his shouts echoing off the walls as he curses the Tyrant for breaking his word, curses Luffy for having the audacity to fucking DIE on him. Curses HIMSELF for his failure to protect the man he's now cradling limp and heavy and dead- DEAD- in his arms. Curses himself for believing that such an incredibly stupid plan- trusting the enemy, of all idiotic things- could've truly made a difference.

And his actions haven't merely been foolish, they've also been treasonous and disgraceful- because by offering his own life in hopes of Luffy emerging from this encounter unscathed, by gambling everything- absolutely EVERYTHING- on Kuma's (faulty) sense of honor, he's broken every oath that held any meaning. When he'd flung Wadou away as though the treasured katana was nothing but a bit of worthless kindling and knelt at Kuma's feet with his head bowed and neck bared, he'd disregarded not only the promise he'd made so long ago to Kuina before her sudden death but also the more recent vow he'd made to Luffy.

He'd sworn to never again lose in battle, and by surrendering to the enemy, he hadn't simply lost- he'd deliberately FORFEIT the fight. And in the end, he's thrown away his honor for nothing, because not even his unexpected reprieve from death can be considered any sort of victory. Survival means nothing- absolutely NOTHING- when his friends' corpses are sprawled on the uneven ground around him. When their- HIS- his captain- when LUFFY-

Another wavering cry of grief and despair rises in his chest, struggling wildly inside him until it escapes his clenched throat as a strangled wail that spills out of him along with a fresh deluge of hot tears. Blurring his vision, turning the tattered, blood-spattered vest under his gaze into an indistinct smear of crimson.

He's committed the worst betrayal imaginable, and all for NOTHING.

"Please-" he gasps, chest hitching with another sob. Uncertain whether he means to address Luffy or Kuma or the god to whom he's refused to pray ever since an eleven-year-old girl's foot slipped on the same step she'd descended safely on thousands of previous occasions.

Too late. I'm too late. I never said it- I never told him that I love him, because I didn't know how to say it and I always figured there'd be plenty of time to do it later but now there isn't and I thought I'd have more time and I'd tell you when I figured it out but I ran out of time and it's too late and I never told you and I'm too la-

"No. No, you can't- do this. You can't-" Grip tightening, he gives his captain's body several rough shakes, as though it might wake the younger man, as though he's merely sleeping or maybe even feigning sleep. Just playing an awful prank on his first mate. "Please- please don't- don't LEAVE me!" And when Luffy doesn't respond - of course he doesn't respond, because he's fucking DEAD, because his whole fucking HEAD is fucking MISSING because it's been fucking CUT OFF - Zoro's last vestiges of rationality desert him. "No. NO!" he shouts, shaking Luffy hard. Hard enough to make his dangling limbs flop and hard enough to make clots of congealing blood fly from the stump of his neck- and then Zoro does it AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN because once he's started, he can't stop. "Don't- DON'T YOU LEAVE ME, SENCHO, DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!"

-and it'd been at that point when he'd bolted upright on the table to seize Luffy- the actual waking world Luffy- by the vest and shoulders, too panic-stricken with loss and despair to comprehend that his lover's not only very much alive but now struggling to safely secure his thrashing form in a tight embrace while repeatedly calling his name in an increasingly frantic attempt to wake him.

"-oro, I'm right here! It's just a bad dream, Zoro- you gotta wake up!" The admonishment emerging from the thick, murky gloom filling the endless expanse beyond the swordsman's wide unseeing eyes, words hissed with audible urgency and alarm but pitched low to avoid disturbing the others sleeping around them. "Zoro!"

"-n-not real-" Zoro's fingers clench tighter on the fabric and flesh tangled in his grasp and then he spasms violently as he becomes more aware of the pain lancing through his damaged body, the increasing protest of his flayed nerves and strained muscles in response to so much sudden, careless movement. He doubles over, his back hunched against the white heat creeping down his spine and filling his pelvic region. "... this- this c-c-can't be-"

"Zoro-" The arms around him shift and there's a sharp inhalation beside his ear, followed by a stern voice ordering "ZORO. WAKE UP."

Still too dazed to understand what's happening, the swordsman cries out in shock and confusion when the fierce demand's accompanied by an unseen hand seizing his face, gripping him gently but firmly by the jaw as it tilts his head back. Warm breath tickles his damp cheeks, the bridge of his nose and his puffy, stinging eyelids, making him blink furiously even as he strains to see through the darkness and the veil of his own tears.

"It's okay. WE'RE okay. All of us." Words spoken with increased emphasis but no longer ringing with that harsh, commanding tone- and words spoken by a voice that's achingly familiar. So familiar that it brings a stab of desperation lancing through his heart at the hope it inspires- because if this isn't real- if he's only imagining this- if this moment's truly just a hallucination brought on by his grief, then he knows he would rather die than come back to his senses. To wake alone. But- "Zoro, it's okay- we're safe. YOU'RE safe. Zoro, it's me- it's Luffy."

"Lu-? Lu-" The name lodges in his trachea, caught behind his tongue because now- NOW, he's finally recognized the young man crooning reassurance to him, recognized the touch of the fingers cradling his jaw and the scent of the body pressed against his own trembling frame. Surely these things aren't merely an illusion. They CAN'T be. And, clinging desperately to this thought, he stops struggling.

The fight doesn't drain out of him gradually; it's just gone all at once, and only the arm his lover's hurriedly tensing around his middle prevents him from slumping sideways off the table as unabashed relief renders him limp as a discarded dishrag- and the discomfort radiating from his injuries finally blazes to full intensity with a vengeance.

There's no holding back the whimper wrung from his throat when he briefly attempts to straighten into a sitting position but fails, and in fact, he doesn't even try to restrain it; he simply lets the sound flee his throat and disappear into the darkness. His head's spinning, his respiration increased to the point he's panting with the effort required to breathe through the waves of pain rippling over his body, and he can feel fresh tears overflow the corners of his eyes to trail down his cheeks. And all of this despite his captain easing him back to the surface of the tabletop with the delicacy of someone handling a porcelain vase. Being so uncharacteristically tender, Zoro finds it a little unnerving.

"Should- should I go get Chopper?" Luffy asks quietly after ensuring he's no longer in danger of falling, hands moving so cautiously over his torso as they inspect the state of his bandages that the delicate touch sends gooseflesh prickling across his skin beneath the gauze. "If Zoro's hurting really bad, maybe-"

"No!" Fingers having remained tangled in the younger pirate's vest, Zoro tightens his grip on the garment, hauling anxiously on it before he can rise and slip out of reach. Upon hearing his own involuntary outburst, the swordsman feels heat flare through his cheeks. "... no. I- I'm fine." He knows he's not fine- he's anything but fine, and he knows Luffy knows it too or he wouldn't have suggested fetching the doctor in the first place, but- he's not ready to let go. He can't let go. Can't be alone. Not so soon after that horrible dream. And not when some very tiny and irrational part of him's secretly frightened that this may not be real. That Luffy, alive and bent low over his prone body, one hand resting lightly on his chest, might suddenly vanish. "Just- just let Chopper sleep. I'll be okay."

He's still in considerable pain, there's no denying that, but he's gradually growing acclimated to it. As long as he keeps breathing through it and tries to focus on something else- anything else-

"... if… you're really sure…" Luffy sounds doubtful, as though he's seriously considering prying himself free and heading off in search of Chopper anyway, but after a little hesitation and the realization that Zoro's not planning to let go of him anytime soon, he chooses instead to settle down beside him, moving with exaggerated care to avoid jostling his partner's injured body.

Once again, the degree of attentiveness the rubber man's displaying is… disconcerting. Most likely a testament to how badly rattled he'd been to have somebody screaming themselves awake while trying to scale him like a ship's rigging, then proceeding to have a goddamn seizure in his lap...

Zoro winces internally. You gotta get it together, you dumbass- you're SCARING him. He forces himself to relinquish the death grip he's been maintaining on the younger pirate's vest and tries to find a more relaxed hold on him, one he hopes won't project quite so much of his anxiety and paranoia, but it's difficult to keep his hands steady. The air around them has the viscosity of spilled ink and he wishes desperately that he could see Luffy's face- even for just a moment- because although he's now fully awake, the images seared into his mind by his nightmare are refusing every effort he makes to banish them. He keeps seeing the pallid skin and trailing limbs. The raw circle of flesh and severed spinal column. I couldn't even kiss him goodbye or- or close his eyes or-

There's a soft query of "Zoro?" from the darkness as Luffy registers the renewed tension in his grip, the increasing, uncontrolled tremor of his hands, and Zoro feels his captain's tentative touch creep onto his forearm, slim fingers sliding up his bicep and over his shoulder, collarbone and neck to seek out his face. Stroking his brow and tracing the curve of his temple before once again cradling his cheek and jaw, and he closes his eyes and turns his head to nuzzle into the cupped palm, tremulous breath rasping in his clenched throat when his lower lip brushes across warm flesh. The thumb now brushing his closed eyelids finds the moisture caught in his lashes as well as the tacky, drying tracks beneath them, and he hears a sharp intake of breath.

"... Zoro…" Luffy murmurs again, knuckles brushing at his remaining tears. "Zoro, you…" He trails off, lapsing into a stillness that causes Zoro's shuddering inhalations to sound uncomfortably loud in his own ears as he strives to once again regain control over his precarious mental state. He's acutely aware that every movement- every breath- broadcasts his current emotional fragility, and being so exposed is honestly… terrifying. It feels as though there's a huge spotlight glaring down on him, driving back the shadows to reveal the flaws and imperfections he'd typically keep concealed. Laying bare his soul itself.

The moment of silence stretches on, and he understands that Luffy's searching for words, perhaps unsure how to acknowledge the vulnerability in him without making either too much or too little of it. Or maybe he's simply failing to find even the most remotely adequate response. That wouldn't exactly surprise him, because sure, they've had some serious conversations- especially on Water Seven, where they'd discussed their feelings for and devotion to each other and all that sappy crap- but… they've never before encountered a situation quite like… this. And while they've certainly become intimately familiar with each other's bodies, this… this is personal on a whole new level.

Until now, Zoro realizes, he's only known what it's like to be NUDE in someone else's presence. But now- now he actually feels NAKED, and god help him but it's fucking terrifying.

Just when the lull between them's lasted so long that he's beginning to panic, compelled to break the silence himself even if it only means once again insisting that he's fine despite that being obvious bullshit, he senses his captain shifting, bending forwards to lean over him. The stirring of warm breath against his face is the only warning he gets before lips press down gently beside the corner of his left eye, kissing away a solitary tear perched there unshed, and he makes a faint, involuntary noise in the back of his throat, a sound between a sigh and a moan. One of the hands he'd fought to relax now clenches anew in his grip on the fabric of Luffy's vest where the garment hangs unbuttoned, dragging him closer.

Unintended displays of frailty be damned. Injuries be damned. He NEEDS this- he needs Luffy touching him, reminding him that they survived, that they're BOTH still alive, that they're together here and now and that this isn't a dream- but when he opens his mouth to tell him so, to say "I NEED you" and more importantly "I LOVE you"... he can't summon the words. He's been struck speechless by the ferocity of his need and love, incapable of doing anything but tugging harder on his captain's vest and making a small helpless noise of confusion and frustration in the suffocating darkness.

Thankfully, in the end his inability to explain himself doesn't matter. Luffy listens to the faltering verbalization he eventually does manage to offer - little more than a choked whimper of "Sencho, please" - takes it as encouragement and responds without hesitation, raining down kisses on his closed eyelids and his cheeks, moving from one side of his face to the other and back again. Lips seeking to erase the last remnants of his tears and banish the lingering fragments of his nightmare. Traveling over his brow, back and forth across his forehead, dropping kisses from the bridge of his nose all the way down its arch to the tip- and being sure to plant a firm kiss on that too.

It's the sort of gesture that would ordinarily earn the younger man a bark of laughter or possibly a perfunctory swat, but here and now Zoro offers him neither. Instead, he exhales shakily, overwhelmed by the display of unexpected tenderness; Luffy's hands have both found his face now and cradled it between them, and in another moment they're gently tilting his jaw so his boyfriend can begin to kiss him properly with slow, lingering deliberation. Addressing his mouth with soft, prolonged pressure and the slightest hint of a probing tongue.

Continuing to clutch the handful of vest crumpled in his fist while his other arm tightens around Luffy's middle, the swordsman reciprocates clumsily. He's shortly out of breath again, his head swimming and his heart thudding rapidly behind his ribs and making him acutely aware of how badly they ache - couple of 'em are probably cracked, he reflects absentmindedly - but he honestly doesn't give a shit. All that matters is the warm slide of skin on skin, the melding and slippage of two pairs of moist, slightly chapped lips as they part and rejoin with growing enthusiasm.

Not caring about his wounds doesn't prevent him from flinching, however, when he impulsively crushes his captain's torso too tightly against his own, producing a flurry of intense stabbing sensations in his midsection that leave him gasping and, much to his chagrin, makes Luffy immediately pull away to assess his condition.

"Ah- maybe Zoro oughta-"

"I'm- fine," Zoro wheezes, quickly interrupting before he's told to take it easy and go back to sleep or something. Between the nightmare and the pain and the faint but undeniable stirring of his libido, there's no way he's getting back to sleep, no matter how much fatigue's threatening to drag him under. Fighting stubbornly to regain control over his lungs, he wets his lips. "Besides-" His fingers release his lover's vest and grope downwards along his abs until they encounter the waistband of his shorts- and the erection protruding from the open fly, just as he'd anticipated, having felt the stiffened flesh nudging insistently against him only moments earlier. "-it sure seems like- like you could use a hand with this."

Luffy responds to his touch with a lurch accompanied by a startled squawk. "O-Oi, that's not-!" His hands have dropped from Zoro's face to squeeze his shoulders, neither pushing him away nor pulling him closer but just sort of awkwardly hanging onto him. "I didn't-" Breath hitching as he squirms under the palm caressing him. "Mmn- I mean, I wasn't j-jerking off or anything before I woke Zoro up. I was just-" A note of embarrassed bemusement slips into his voice. "I, uh- I had this dream about you, 'n…"

"Must've been a good one," Zoro snorts. "Had to've been better than mine anyway."

To his surprise, Luffy doesn't reply right away, and when he finally does, he no longer sounds amused. "... it WAS good at first. REALLY good. But then all of a sudden… it wasn't." He's gone completely still, aside from his grasp on Zoro's shoulders getting uncomfortably tight, although he seems to realize what he's doing, because he quickly relaxes it before the swordsman can protest how forcefully his fingertips have started grinding into the bruised muscle of his left deltoid. "It got kind of… scary... at the end."

"Oh. Shit…" Zoro mutters, swiftly withdrawing his own hand. "... sorry…" He's unsure whether he's apologizing for getting handsy so fast without asking or if he's commiserating over them both having nightmares or if he's doing both, but regardless of his motive, it seems like the right thing to say.

And whatever the case, Luffy doesn't seem too upset. "Nah, it's okay. I kinda forgot since Zoro woke up yelling, but there was a lot of really, mmm, interesting sex stuff in my dream before it got weird, 'n- well, it made me pop a pretty good boner in my sleep." He laughs softly, and when he speaks again, his tone makes it obvious that his smile's returned despite the darkness hiding his face. "I guess it went away when I got distracted, but it sure came back super quick after I started kissing you!" Then just as abruptly, his hands begin patting at the swordsman's torso, and his voice turns scolding. "You should've told me I was hurting you! Should've told me to-"

"You WEREN'T. That wasn't your fault, it was mine, 'n anyway, I-" Zoro swallows and takes a deep breath, blinking into the darkness. "I wanted- no, I NEEDED you to kiss me, okay?" Reaching up, he catches one of Luffy's hands and traps it under his own, holding the palm flat to his chest over his heart so he can share the quick, heavy thump of it pounding away inside him. "Luffy, I-" He's too exhausted and in too much pain and too hungry for the other man's touch to worry anymore about how plaintive he sounds, but those same factors are also making it so, so fucking DIFFICULT to string coherent thoughts into sentences and force the bloody things through his vocal cords. "I- goddamn it, I just NEED you. I need-"

His attempt at an explanation's silenced by Luffy's lips covering his in another lengthy kiss and although it's as gentle as every other kiss he's been given tonight, this time he can register the full intensity behind the restraint his captain's exercising. He can feel how Luffy fairly vibrates with the vitality he doesn't know came from Zoro himself. How careful he's being to avoid inflicting too much of that energy on his injured lover, even though his desire's evident in every movement.

"Please-" Zoro groans, shuddering at the sensation of his lower lip being sucked with exquisite languidness for a moment or two between kisses. "Luffy-" He doesn't remember raising his other hand, but he must've done so at some point because it now rests curled around the nape of Luffy's neck to draw him closer. Seeking to close the gap between them and press himself into the embrace his body's demanding, making its need known via the dull throb in his groin. "LUFFY-"

"Shhh," his boyfriend breathes, tongue delving briefly into his mouth to twine with his own, the soft muscle lapping warm and wet and coaxing at his teeth. "You gotta promise me-" The hand Zoro's clasping to his chest over his now thundering heart twists in his grasp, reversing so it's curled around his fingers, squeezing them soundly. "Zoro gotta promise me- PROMISE me… that we stop if anything- ANYTHING- starts to hurt too much."

"O-Okay, but-" His reluctant agreement dissolves into a low cry of indignation as Luffy suddenly disengages without warning, pulling out of his grasp and turning to scramble off the table and out of reach. "Oi, Sencho, no, wait- where the hell are you-"

"SHHH" comes the disembodied response from somewhere in the gloom beyond. "Hang on- I'm gonna be right back but first I gotta-" There's a series of rustling and scuffling sounds followed by a hushed but gleeful exclamation of discovery and the faint noises of somebody rummaging about furtively on the floor several feet away. A few seconds of silence interrupted by a sudden clatter and muffled curse that make Zoro wince and eye the surrounding darkness suspiciously, expecting to see a lantern to flare to life or hear the irritable, sleepy protests of crewmates and comrades forcibly roused from slumber by the racket.

By some miracle, however, the other occupants of the cavernous room remain undisturbed and there's little response save for distant snores, a dreamy mumble or two, and the occasional rustling of bed clothes as somebody turns over in their sleep.

Presumably having accomplished whatever he's set out to do and confident no one's about to stumble out of bed ready to beat him senseless, Luffy comes scurrying back, making the first mate jerk in surprise when a hand brushes his side. Partly because he didn't- couldn't- see it reaching for him, but also because the fingers are noticeably clammy where they've encountered his bare skin in a small gap between the layers upon layers of gauze encircling his waist.

"I saw where Chopper left his bag earlier tonight," the rubber man explains, groping for a handful of the rumpled sheet laying askew over Zoro's hips and legs. He flings the covering aside unceremoniously, sending the whole thing slithering off the table's edge, before withdrawing again, vanishing back into the darkness save for the sound of his voice. "Okay, hold still a second 'n- uh, try'n stay quiet. This stuff's kinda cold..."

"Is that-?" Zoro's breath rushes out, his question forgotten and answered simultaneously because the hand has returned- now wet and slick- to grasp his exposed, semi-turgid length near the base. "Ah!" His head lolls to one side on the makeshift pillow positioned beneath it, his lips falling open to expel more soft gasps as the cool, slippery fingers wrap more snugly around his overheated flesh and begin to stroke.

"Good thing we had to take your pants off earlier-" Luffy declares cheerfully in a hushed voice while his fist glides up and down, spreading around the copious glop he's applied via his palm. "-after you spit all that water everywhere 'n hadda get your bandages changed." He pauses to rub the pad of his thumb in small circles over that particularly sensitive spot on the underside of his lover's glans. "Dunno if I could've got 'em off by myself."

Zoro would be inclined to offer a sarcastic retort about not being the only participant in that particular fiasco, if his brain was working properly- but he can't muster the wits to utter more than a wavering moan. It feels like his entire body's begun to pulse with intermingled discomfort and ecstasy, temporarily reduced to nothing more than a collective of wildly-firing nerve endings. He wants to move with the hand fondling him, buck upwards to match the slow tempo of its pumping motions, but merely gathering himself to thrust causes such pain in his lower back that he's forced to stifle a mewl of distress.

"Don't try to move," his captain reminds him, continuing to gently yet relentlessly squeeze and tug and massage even as he issues the order. "Lemme take care of it, 'kay? Lemme just take care of you..."

"Sencho-" He shudders, his abdominal muscles hitching and his breath settling hot against his cheek as he pants into the pad of cloth folded beneath his head.

"Shhh, it's okay… all Zoro's gotta do is lemme make him feel good. It does feel good, doesn't it? I can tell 'cause you got real hard really fast…"

Not enough. It's almost too much for his strained sinews and bruised muscles to handle, but it's also still not nearly enough. "Lu-Luffy, please- pleeease-" He rolls his head to the opposite side, fingers hooked and clawing at the tabletop on either side of his helplessly twitching, flexing hips. "I need-"

"Shhh, I'm here, Zoro, I'm here." And before the swordsman can protest that, no, his lover doesn't understand- that he needs more than a single hand- he needs ALL of him- Luffy's crawling onto the table between his legs and moving forward to crouch over his body on all fours. Clearly struggling to temper haste with caution when he rises to his knees and braces himself on one arm so he can reach back, taking hold of Zoro and angling him to meet the smooth curves of his bare bottom, having evidently discarded his shorts on his way back from retrieving the lubricant he's smeared on his own body as well as his partner's.

"Lu- ohhh god, oh-" Zoro tips his head back, throat tightening to choke off the wavering moan spilling from his lips as he feels himself sinking slowly into clenching velvet heat, Luffy rocking and squirming above him to ease his shaft deeper while taking attentive, almost meticulous care to avoid letting too much weight come to rest for too long on his pelvis.

"I'm h-here, see?" Hips swaying in leisurely but deliberate rolling motions, the rubber man's soon impaled himself thoroughly enough on Zoro's straining cock to bring the hand no longer needed to keep him aligned around front where it can wander over his torso. Caressing his heaving, sweat-dampened chest with the nipples standing stiff and taut like diamond chips hidden beneath the bandages and tracing the path of the diagonal ridge of scar tissue that spans him from left shoulder to right hip. "Zoro, I'm here." Tensing internal muscles as if to emphasize the truth behind his words, body squeezing with an undulating rhythm as it rises and falls.

Lost in the pleasurable sensations caused by that slick band of pressure repeatedly loosening and constricting as it slides up and down his rigid girth in gradually lengthening strokes, Zoro's not quick enough to thwart his instinctive response when his lover's exploratory hand cups one of his pectorals and begins to knead. The instant he registers the fingers curling around his flesh, the palm brushing heavily over the distended, tingling bud of his nipple, his lower half arches upwards in one rough, involuntary lunge, his buttocks losing contact with the table as he buries himself to the hilt.

The sudden surge of his hips bounces Luffy forcefully enough to make him spasm atop the unforeseen thrust with a strangled grunt. Supporting arm jolted out from under him, the younger pirate loses his balance and collapses on Zoro, the impact of his full weight driving the swordsman back down and pinning him against the stone slab.

Pelvis and lower spine sharply protesting the strain placed on them until Luffy manages to scramble somewhat upright to relieve the pressure, Zoro manages to avoid waking everyone in the vicinity only because the air's been knocked from his lungs. He's dimly aware of the rushed apologies and the frantic petting of the hands seeking to soothe his distress while he struggles to regain his breath, eyes shut tight against the pain that's settling into a constant dull throb thrumming through him from head to toe.

When Luffy moves to slide off him and uncouple their bodies, however, he seizes him by the hips with trembling hands. "S-Sen- Sencho, don't-"

"But Zoro's-"

"N-No, I'm-" This time he can't bring himself to claim he's fine when he's so obviously not, but- "I need you. I just- c-can't-"

Fingers touch his face briefly in the darkness, and then his captain murmurs a reply so soft it's barely audible. "... okay. Hold onto me." Arms snake around Zoro's torso, cautiously pulling him along as Luffy rolls, maneuvering him onto his side so they're lying belly-to-belly on the table.

He feels his lover's leg hook over his hip, thighs spread wide and lower body curled to maintain contact with his groin, to keep him from slipping out, and once he's tightened his hold on Luffy, hands sliding around to clasp his lower back, the rubber man presses another kiss to his mouth and begins to rock slowly against him.

The pace is so lazy, so gentle, that Luffy's barely moving, hips flexing in little nudges which shift that tight ring of tension back and forth near the base of him while the rest of his length stays enveloped in slick, clenching heat. One hand slides up his back to clasp his nape and thread fingers into his hair, while the other wanders down to caress his lower back and buttocks, and Zoro moans into the slightly parted lips interlocked with his own as those fingers delve between the curves of his ass to stroke lightly, teasingly, over the opening there.

He's panting by the time his boyfriend ducks his head lower to kiss his throat and neck, face nuzzling under his chin, tongue lapping over the pulse pounding hard and fast under the taut flesh protecting his jugular.

"Zoro's gonna cum for me," Luffy murmurs against his sweat-dampened skin, fingers swirling sensual circles around his anus while their bodies continue swaying. "He's gonna cum inside me, 'n he's gonna cum real hard 'n feel so, so good…" One digit stiffens to probe him, gingerly at first but then more and more insistently until he bites the inside of his mouth to hold back a cry as he feels himself begin to part beneath its tip.

Hearing the strangled noises he's making, his captain kisses his jaw, crooning "shhh shhh" while pressing that finger farther into him, withdrawing it, rotating it, slipping it back inside one joint deeper, pumping it slowly in and out of him to the same maddeningly languid movements of his hips, until Zoro's squirming and shivering all over at his touch, feeling as though he's about to explode.

"Pleeease," he groans, voice not only strained but also muffled because he's buried his face against Luffy's shoulder. The ache in his body's almost unbearable now, amplified by his need for release; he doesn't know how long his partner's ministrations have kept him so close to the edge, wavering dangerously between distress and ecstasy, and he's so hard, so sensitive, he can feel his heartbeat pounding in every inch from root to tip and also where he's being fingered so thoroughly. "Lu-Luffy- I c-can't-" He breaks off, gasping. "I need to- oh god, I need-"

"Cum for me," Luffy breathes in his ear and abruptly changes pace, the rocking of his hips remaining gentle but breaking into incredibly slow plunging motions that ease Zoro free until he's threatening to slip out completely- and then slide him back inside with one long, smooth stroke after another. Clenched, slick flesh working steadily back and forth along his shaft until his abdominals start to contract and cramp with his approaching orgasm. "Cum for me, Zoro." Crooking the finger in his rear so it massages the place inside him that sends heavy tendrils of pleasure unraveling through his groin and lower belly.

Making helpless sounds in the back of his throat, Zoro scrunches his eyes shut and bites Luffy's shoulder to prevent the grunts and groans escaping him from rising to a wail of pleasure mingled with pain when the tension within him finally snaps and he climaxes hard. He's no longer able to hold still, his pelvis jerking in clumsy, uncontrolled bursts as he clutches his lover's hips to his own, ensuring he remains sheathed full-length in Luffy's body while he spends himself in hot, surging pulses. Turning those snug depths into silky, slippery wetness that sucks hungrily at his cock when he draws back to deliver a more coordinated thrust, making moist, obscene noises in the darkness when he plunges home and grinds desperately against Luffy's bottom.

Unruffled by the teeth clamped in his flesh or the fresh scratches left on his flanks by desperately clutching hands, his captain's holding him just as tightly, scattering kisses across his temple and cheek and furrowed brow amid breathless laughter. Rubbing the back of his neck and the quivering expanse between his shoulder blades, while also continuing to stroke relentlessly with that single finger buried between his buttocks, coaxing his convulsing loins into performing just one more shuddering shove- delivering just one more hot spurt- every time he's sure he can't possibly keep cumming.

Luffy rolls them over again, this time pulling the swordsman on top of him, and Zoro releases his awkward mouthful of skin and shirt with a throaty gasp of surprise as the new position nestles him more firmly between Luffy's legs, his own weight conspiring with the bare heels digging at his buttocks to press him even more deeply inside his lover. Under the direction of the finger tracing slow circles over his prostate, he pushes forward despite his growing sensitivity, muffling his moan against Luffy's neck. "Oh- oh, fuck-"

He can feel his partner's erection trapped beneath his lower belly, pre-cum dribbling heavily from the twitching organ to join the perspiration already dampening his bandages, but when he attempts to raise his torso to squeeze a hand down there, he's shaking too badly to gain any leverage.

Luffy's thighs tense, legs clamping tighter around his middle before he can try again. "Oi- don't worry about that."

"But-"

"Shhh, it's fine." Nuzzling amorously against his cheek, Luffy sounds not just pleased with himself but downright smug. "Mmm, Zoro's shivering all over…"

Zoro's too drained to argue. He allows his body to slump, head sagging to rest on Luffy's collarbone. To his relief, his boyfriend's ceased playing with his overstimulated body and withdrawn his finger in favor of laying both hands on his back and running them up and down his spine in a slow, soothing motion.

The pain's died down to a steady hum, nearly indistinguishable from the post-orgasmic static pervading his nerves. He knows he'll probably pay for his foolishness later when his muscles start reacting to the new strain he's put on them, but for now, his condition's tolerable. More than tolerable, he realizes as he feels exhaustion and lethargy stealing over him- "Sencho… if you keep that up… I'm gonna fall asleep…"

"Hmm?" One hand leaves his back momentarily and brushes past his ear, reaching back over his head and Luffy's shoulder to retrieve the folded sheet previously serving as his pillow. He's jostled lightly as his captain shakes the fabric loose, and then it's drifting down to settle over his shoulder blades and buttocks and the backs of his thighs and calves. "Good." The hands return to his back, resume rubbing and petting and stroking until he's fighting to keep his eyes open despite there being little to see in the darkness. "You better sleep while you can, before Chopper wakes up'n starts yelling that you're hurt way too bad for sex."

"Try… tellin' that to my dick," he mumbles back drowsily- and inhales sharply as there's a little squeeze of response that causes his deflating member to finally slip from Luffy's body.

"Shishishi!" Lips caress his temple. "Go to sleep, Zoro. I'll stay right here, 'n I'll be here when you wake up. Promise."

"... 'kay…" Zoro agrees before he stops struggling against the inevitable and allows his eyelids to flutter closed. Thinking that yes… with Luffy's arms curled around him and with Luffy's heart beating steadily under the hand he's holding splayed on his chest and with Luffy's breath passing warm and slow across his cheek, now- now he can sleep.