The arcade downtown was just the grungy hang out spot for gang members and sick strangers, usually. Many of the machines were broken beyond repair, the floor was scuffed, and the walls were adorned with gang symbols and other related paraphernalia.
To Monkey D. Luffy, however, the Nickel-a-Play was like a haven where he could go to get away from it all, and, most importantly, to dance.
"You're not an ordinary fellow!" The machine would cry from its dilapidated corner, to which shouts of laughter would always be the response between a flurry of stamped feet as sweaty hands reached back to grasp the bar behind him and lean against it as his feet worked even faster.
No one had ever approached Luffy, though he gave off the "You can pick on me, I'm just a little boy who probably wouldn't fight back" vibe to anyone who didn't know him. The strange assortment of "customers" to the dingy shop would always watch from far shadows, but never touch. Luffy didn't mind, though he was a bit lonely, and sometimes he thought the machine would like someone new to play with.
That was, of course, until Roronoa Zoro arrived on the scene.
Zoro had never been a dancer, nor was he a gang member, which gave him two reasons not to be at the arcade that rainy summer's day, yet there he was. A rumor had led him there on his fruitless search for a certain lofty adversary, but he had been sidetracked by the loud, blaring music.
"A la-di-da-da, you are my hero!"
A young voice was singing loudly with the lyrics, and Zoro grimaced, trying to retune his ears. As he crept deeper into the dark arcade, though, he saw that the voice belonged to a young boy who currently looked like he was having far too much fun.
Luffy's brightly tennis-shoed feet clomped down hard on the according steps, the feet pads lighting up in unison with his motions. The weird way he moved was amazing, and Zoro, for some reason unbeknownst to him, felt himself being drawn forward to it.
As the song ended, Luffy turned and blinked, looking at the newcomer with a curious sort of glee and expectation.
"Hey! Did you come to dance, too?" he asked in amazement, and before Zoro could even answer, Luffy had jumped from the platform and swept over to grab Zoro's arm in his and drag him up towards the adjacent miniature dance stage with glee. "We'll play versus!" he finished, jumping onto his own. The machine crowed in response to him, giving Luffy everything he wanted.
Unfortunately, Zoro had no idea what he was supposed to do -- but how hard could it be?
"Oh yeah," the boy asked, as he shifted thoughtfully through the song list. "What's your name, anyway?"
A pause. Zoro finally answered, and Luffy broke into a wide smile.
"Zoro is a cool name," he said simply, and the oddity of this entire situation suddenly set in.
"I don't know how to dance," Zoro remarked gruffly, intending it to be an excuse so he could leave. Instead, Luffy just laughed loudly.
"It's easy. You just put your foot on the arrows when the screen tells you to!" He laughed a little. "I'll let you go on easy mode so you can learn."
And with that, Luffy leg swept over, brushing hard against Zoro's, adjusting the difficulty on the man's own platform before he was back on his own, and before Zoro could say anything, another loud song was playing, and steps were appearing and...
...And it really wasn't that hard. Actually... actually it was pretty easy. Once he got the hang of it...
And in a few moments, Zoro had completely forgotten what he had come for, forgotten his original violent intentions and focused now, only on the song, the dance he was sharing with the whooping boy beside him, who suddenly cried, "Zoro, I think you got it!" right as the machine chose to pipe in, "You're a dancing hero!"
Something like warmth and companionship and a sense of belonging suddenly crashed over Zoro, and he didn't know if he wanted it, but he didn't have the concentration to push it away.
From then on, every day after work the older man would rush to the arcade, and there Luffy would always be, dancing away. Sometimes after a few hours they would leave together, and Zoro would buy Luffy something to eat only to discover that Luffy's passion for music was rivaled only by his passion for food.
"Yeah, and then I kept trying Max Unlimited but I just can't get it right, after the first minute or so I always get caught in that tight part, it's so stupid--"
They were walking back from a Chinese restaurant that had become Luffy's favourite, the rain pouring down like the day they had met, months ago. Luffy was holding up an umbrella over them both and babbling on and on, and Zoro listened only half-heartedly, a nod here and there, an agreeing grunt.
"--But I think maybe I'm getting even better, which is good, 'cause I finally passed that one song--"
And then Zoro's hand came out to grab Luffy's arm, and he swung the boy around. The umbrella fell from the boy's hand and thudded, skidding to a halt on the ground a few feet away as Zoro placed warm lips over Luffy's mouth and just kissed him, just let the rain fall over them and kissed him.
"Zoro..." Luffy said softly as they pulled away, and the raindrops caught Luffy's lips and mixed with the taste of Zoro's mouth and Luffy decided that this was the best taste of all.
They stood there in silent bliss for a moment longer, letting the rain pour down over them, before Luffy suddenly leaned in, placing a quick kiss over Zoro's ear before whispering, "You're my dancing hero," and turning to run off, and Zoro knew in that moment, as Luffy rushed away with a shriek of laughter, that he had become just what he had always wanted -- the best.