By the third day of their voyage to Dressrosa, it has become readily apparent that Torao is a bit of a sourpuss.

By this Lucy means nothing at all, except that he's really grumpy. Even grumpier than Zoro when he loses an argument with Sanji, and Torao's like that, like, all the time.

The Sunny is currently harboring a lot of guests—it's fine though, because Franky is awesome, and built the ship with guests in mind. They managed to set up some cots in the library for Kin'emon and Momonosuke, and Caesar isn't ever untied from the mast except to use the restroom and eat, so that's where he sleeps, and whoever's on lookout duty keeps an eye on him as well. As for Torao, there's an extra bed in the boys' quarters.

Or he's supposed to sleep there, at any rate. Sanji informed her today that Torao hasn't even set foot there once, and apparently just keeps staring Caesar down until he nods off during the night. According to Usopp such rest could be described as fitful, at best, with the added information that it was "creepy as fuck" to observe.

Probably due to sleep deprivation, Torao has been napping—again, restlessly—during the day. Usually right across from Caesar, like he's afraid the guy will escape or something if he leaves.

By the third day of their week-long trip to Dressrosa, Lucy's had enough. This 'Mingo guy seems like a piece of work. Torao has to be well-rested when they meet him, especially since he hates the guy so much. Plus, Chopper is starting to worry himself over the other captain, so it's time for Lucy to intervene.

"Whatch'ya doin'?" Lucy asks, squatting in front of an obviously dozing Torao. He blinks awake instantly, but honestly he couldn't have been sleeping that well considering how tense he was.

"Sleeping." Torao grouses—lies—shifting a little on the deck. He's leaning against Sunny's rail, portside. It offers a good view of the main deck of the ship, and the commings and goings of people on both ends. It's one of Zoro's favorite spots too. It's also right in front of Caesar, who's been complaining vociferously about Torao's behavior. Lucy doesn't really care about his feelings—like, at all—but it does make life on the ship more irritating when they have to listen to him talk.

"Not well," Lucy points out bluntly. "Why don't you sleep at night, like everyone else?"

Torao glares, and then tugs the hat down over his eyes.

Lucy kind of wants to play with the hat—it looks fuzzy!—but she'd never touch another person's hat without permission, especially when it's obviously so important. "Is the bed not comfy? I bet Franky can fix that."

Lucy's almost certain the bed isn't the issue.

"The bed's fine," Torao grunts, irritated. "Now leave me alone."

Lucy frowns at him. "No."

He peeks one eye under the brim of his hat to glare at her, and then lowers it again.

It's been creeping up on her over the last couple of days, what exactly makes her feel so compelled to help Torao. Part of it is her own life-debt, she's sure. She's grateful for what he did after Marineford. Even if he waved the favor off, she wants to help him in turn.

But it's more than that. There's something about him that's familiar. Something painful and old and missing.

It's Ace, of course. Torao reminds her of Ace, back when they were kids and he was angry all the time, or even when they got a little older and sometimes he'd slip and she'd notice—notice but not understand, not until the end—the anger and doubt and the lingering sense of worthlessness still lurking in his heart.

Torao reminds her of that. She kind of doubts he's the long-lost son of an infamous pirate, but there's a similarity about him in the way he brushes off her inquiries and the heaviness in his eyes.

"Hey Torao," she asks, "What's your dream?"

Torao starts a bit—nearly imperceptible in his body language, but his inward reaction is so visceral she feels Sanji and Zoro, neither of them particularly adept at sensing emotions through Haki, start in response.

Torao sits up, glaring at Lucy full-on now. "What the hell?"

"What's your dream, Torao?" Lucy repeats. Ace always seemed to feel better when they talked about going out to sea. Maybe Torao would feel better too?

It doesn't look like he's feeling better. He just stares, looking for all the world like he can't believe his life at the moment. Lucy stares back, unashamed.

Torao looks away first. "Unbelievable."

He gathers his sword and stands, clearly off to find another, Lucy-less spot to nap. Lucy stands and follows him a few feet behind.

He notices of course, and immediately whirls on her, temper etching itself across his face. Jeez, you'd think she offered him bread or something. People only made that mistake once. The guy throws fits. Silent, sulky fits. Sanji couldn't even kick him out of the kitchen because he hadn't eaten yet.

"Leave me alone, Straw Hat-ya." He says lowly, almost warningly. It's unfortunate for him she can sense how tired he is, and how much he is really not up to a fight right now, no matter how much fun it would be.

"Does it have something to do with Mingo?" Lucy asks. She's not fazed in the slightest by his temper, and frankly if he didn't get some sleep soon he wasn't going to be able to do anything on Dressrosa.

Torao's whole body tenses. Lucy's a little surprised at the intensity of the reaction—Torao doesn't usually react to things outwardly. He's all internal and stuff. It's why she had such a hard time reading him when they met.

"Leave it, Straw Hat-ya," Torao warns.

Well, if he's that sensitive about it, it's probably not anything particularly aspirational. That's…worrying. But asking about it probably won't do anything good. "Alright." Torao seems to relax a little, so she plows on. "What's your favorite color, Torao?"

Torao makes a noise like a very frustrated cow. Lucy observes with admiration, wondering how she'd even come close to replicating it.

"That was a cool sound," Lucy says seriously. "Do it again!"

He does. Lucy gets the feeling he isn't doing it for her sake though.

Behind her, Zoro snorts, amused. She frowns over her shoulder at him. He's relaxing with his hands behind his head as he leans against the rail, a lazy smirk on his face that broadens into a grin when he catches her looking.

He looks good, damn him.

"Why is this my life," Torao mutters. Lucy turns back to him, still frowning. "Why. Just why."

"Friends know friends' favorite colors," Lucy admonishes reproachfully. "Mine's green," she offers generously.

The crewmembers on the deck all snort, clearly listening in. Zoro is the exception. He chokes.

"Wait, no it isn't, you said yellow before," Usopp objects.

It was. Lucy doesn't know how to tell them that she turned her favorite color into a flag with her now-dead brothers. Green is a lot more…well she associates it with Zoro.

"It's green now," Lucy says definitively. Up by the helm, Nami snickers. She's probably embarrassing Zoro again. Whatever, he'll probably still kiss her later.

That thought almost derails her enough to go pester Zoro into making out with her (she's pretty sure it won't be too hard), but then Torao reclaims her attention.

"Why does that even—you know what, no, I don't want to know," Torao declares. Then he stomps away, probably to try and find a better napping spot.

"But what's your favorite color?" She calls, following him.

"Gah! I don't have one! Stop following me!"

"Nah, can't let you fall asleep," Lucy says blithely. "Not until I'm sure you'll go to bed for real."

Torao just stares in horror. "You're going to follow me all day."

Lucy nods. "Uh huh." Then she hesitates. "Well, no, I'm going to eat eventually." And make out with Zoro, probably. And cuddle. "But until then, yeah." She pats him on the shoulder, a grin on her face. "That's what friends are for!"

"We're not friends!" He says desperately. Lucy thinks his voice is doing the equivalent of tearing hair out by the follicle. "We're allies! Not friends! Not the same thing!" Torao makes a big gesture where he crosses his arms over his chest and sweeps out.

Lucy considers that for a second. "Nah, we're friends."

The frustrated cow noise comes back, this time tinged with a vague sort of terror. Man, how does he do that?

"I'd probably just give up, Torao," Sanji warns, looking like he's trying to smother a smile. "Lucy-san looks cute, but she is very persistent."

"You can hide in the guys' room," Franky offers, probably remembering his own attempts to deny her overtures of friendship if his glares at Robin are anything to go by. "Aneki never goes in there."

"Nami says it's inappropriate," Lucy agrees, wrinkling her nose. She still doesn't really get that. Yeah, she gets why it's a good idea to have boys and girls change separately and sleep in different rooms and not shower together, but it's just a room, right? Plus, they're all nakama. And Zoro is Zoro, so she wouldn't even mind if something happened with him in the guys' room. Hell, the hammock-bunks would probably be a good place to—

"Fine," Torao declares, clearly frustrated. Lucy nods in sympathy. Poor guy must be tired. He's barely slept in three days.

"Sleep well!" She calls as he slinks off to the boys' cabin. She can feel his agitation scraping the air, but his exhaustion too.

The door shuts behind him and the whole deck breathes a sigh of relief. The grin on Lucy's face melts off as she stares at the door.

"Thank goodness," Kin'emon mutters. "I thought he'd never sleep."

"I thought he'd never leave," moans Caesar. Then he glares at Lucy. "Took you long enough, you stupid—"

Sanji kicks him in the face before he even finishes the sentence, which. Honestly that probably saved his life, if Zoro and Nami's glares are anything to go by.

"He's been awake almost three days," Chopper says forlornly. "I'm surprised he hasn't passed out."

"He's stubborn," Brook says quietly, contemplatively plucking one of the strings on his guitar. "And he has a mission he wants to see through."

"At least we know what that is, now," Usopp grumbles. He mutters something that sounds suspiciously like 'stupid captains, going in blind.' Lucy decides to leave it alone for now.

"Well we're not tripping over him anymore," Nami says distractedly, leafing through her maps. "Directing him to the boys' bedroom was a good idea, Franky."

Lucy says nothing. She just frowns after the door.

Torao…there's something wrong there. Something wrong inside. It reminds her of Ace, but also…also of Robin, that day in Enies Lobby, when she was convinced she wanted to die.

"I'm gonna be his friend," Lucy promises quietly to the door. That was, after all, the only thing that actually helped Ace and Robin in the end. She had to prove herself. Prove she loved Ace by crawling through a warfront. Prove she was Robin's friend by burning down a flag. Retrieve katana for Zoro and a restaurant for Sanji and a flag for Chopper. Torao needs her to prove something so he'll trust her to take care of his dreams too. She just hasn't figured out what it is yet.

"Oi. Roronoa."

Zoro's right eye cracks open, unamused. He sees a tall dark shadow and a fuzzy white hat and just barely bites back a smirk.

"Buzz off."

Zoro shifts a little, trying to get comfortable again. Lucy snuffles into his shoulder, pinned under his arm. She's tucked in close against him, drooling on his robe and her left hand is curled on his chest. Her right is fisted in his hamarki at the small of his back, in the space between the deck and rail. She's warm, and judging from her breathing, completely asleep.

He's leaning up against Sunny's stern, Nami's mikan trees swaying before them. He's got one hand tangled in the knots of Lucy's skirt, his fingers brushing against denim and soft skin in turn. His right hand rests easily by his hip, his katana laid out a few inches away.

It's warm. Lucy is warm and Zoro would much rather be sleeping than speaking with Trafalgar right now.

"She's not awake, right?" The irascible captain asks pointedly. Zoro glares, baleful.

"I was asleep too, a second ago," he grouses.

"Yeah, later. First tell me what the hell is wrong with you crew."

Zoro just barely keeps his face neutral, fighting back a laugh. "What d'you mean?"

"You people won't leave me the fuck alone," he accuses. Dark eyes slide to Lucy's deceptively-innocent form. Zoro is deeply amused to see Trafalgar twitch. Actually fucking twitch. Keeping a straight face is next to impossible. "She's the worst of 'em, but I haven't had a moment to myself in two days."

Zoro raises an eyebrow and leans back into the stern. "The horror. I can't imagine what it's like to be you, Torao."

"I know you know my name."

At that Zoro barely, just barely, manages to keep from bellowing in a full-bodied guffaw. "What's your point, Torao?"

Trafalgar glares, his gaze venomous. Zoro's so unintimidated his hand doesn't even twitch toward his katana. It's kind of like being glared at by a wet cat. One just can't see the guy as intimidating after one's seen him throw a fit about fucking bread.

"Why," Trafalgar deadpans. "Why are you like this. Why are you all like this."

Zoro looks over the grumpy, slightly frazzled captain, looking vaguely disheveled, and figures the quickest way back to nap time is to just get this over with. "You targeted Lucy."

The captain just stares. "What."

"You targeted her. Back on Punk Hazard. The crew's hazing you. Dunno what you expected."

Which, of course is perfectly true. Nami keeps "practicing" with her Clima Tact, and "accidentally" striking about two inches away from Trafalgar any time he spends too much time glaring. Which is always, generally. He's also pretty sure she's run up a staggering debt on him over the last few days. Robin has taken to sitting next to him while he was trying to relax on deck and detailing the many, many ways in which one could kill someone with a spoon, sans powers of the Op Op fruit, which included a graphic description of eyeball removal. Usopp claimed to see Trafalgar staring at Robin's breasts, which led to Sanji challenging him to a duel every five minutes, which were invariably geared to favor the cook because Nami said she'd fine him every time Trafalgar destroyed anything on the ship. Franky built a robot dog that actively chases him, and occasionally bites him, if he lets his guard down long enough, and any time the guy isn't occupied by one of the others, he's been treated to Brook screeching out highly irritating music on his guitar.

Huh. Well, maybe the guy had a point. They had terrorized him pretty thoroughly over the last few days.

It couldn't be helped. They couldn't haze him the first three days of their trip because Trafalgar hadn't slept since Punk Hazard, presumably, but now that he's actually rested some it's open season.

Well. Open season except for meals—the interruption of which Sanji wouldn't stand for—and when he was actually, genuinely asleep. Dude still looked like he hadn't seen a bed in three years, and the Straw Hats aren't heartless.

They are protective though. More so now than they were before. Some suspicious newcomer shows up explicitly stating his intention to take advantage of Lucy, and Lucy lets him on board? Zoro really would have been surprised by any reaction less dramatic.

"I didn't target her, you guys showed up on Punk Hazard and it was convenient." Trafalgar bemoans. Zoro nearly pities him for his innocence lost. Lucy is anything but an expedient means to an end, unless that end is the devouring of raw meat.

"Uh huh. Doesn't matter." Especially now that they were forcing him into a regular sleep schedule, taking their cues from Lucy's new habit of showing up when Trafalgar shows even the slightest sign of falling into a nap on deck. Insomnia wasn't going to be tolerated by them, and apparently their solution was to exhaust him into a proper night's rest. Sanji has taken to drugging Trafalgar's tea with a mild sedative during their late-night snacks. Zoro's pretty sure he hasn't noticed yet. "Lucy's decided you're friends, so they're warning you not to screw her over."

"I'm not planning to," Trafalgar says tiredly. "I would have thrown myself off the ship by now if I had another option." A pause. "And we're not friends."

"Hmm." Zoro hums. "Good to know. Thanks. I'll relay that."

Trafalgar pinches the bridge of his nose, frowning tiredly. "Would you?"

Zoro refrains from snorting, and goes back to glaring. "If you were going to ask for favors, you shouldn't have woken me up, dumbass."

He probably will tell the crew to lighten up though. Trafalgar looks close to throwing himself overboard, regardless of options, and that would probably make Lucy sad. No one wanted Lucy sad. Fucking Caesar probably didn't want Lucy sad.

"No choice," Trafalgar grumbles. "You're the only one who hasn't attempted assault of some kind." Trafalgar's gaze sharpens on the arm he has around Lucy, still snoring softly, completely undisturbed by the conversation. "Why is that, by the way? I thought you'd be the worst of 'em."

Zoro rolls his eyes. "Lucy trusts you, so I will too." Doesn't mean he won't gut the guy if he betrays her, but he's willing to trust Lucy's record on this one. Then he frowns as a realization happens upon him. He can't be the only one who hasn't bothered Trafalgar because… "Chopper?"

Trafalgar stiffens. "He…I just finished my third physical in two days." Zoro gives him an incredulous look. Trafalgar just looks deeply uncomfortable. "He was…thorough. And hard to say no to."

Zoro stares as he registers exactly what that means. Then he snickers. Then he chuckles. Then he's laughing outright, so hard Lucy squirms against him and makes a sleepy noise of protest as her pillow shakes uncontrollably and tears bead in his eyes.

"Fucking asshole," Trafalgar growls, embarrassed. "I'd like to see you say no to that guy."

Zoro just laughs helplessly until Trafalgar stomps away, the red strip of his neck just visible under the hood. Zoro just considers how ironic it is that the formidable Shichibukai was brought low by a fluffy reindeer with big eyes. Fuck, Lucy sure did know how to pick her friends. Law will fit in well around here.

There are a few things in life Zoro finds more satisfying and pleasurable than all the rest. Booze, for one, with sake being his favorite liquor. A good fight, especially if there's bloodshed and he learns something. Sliding home another weight on his barbells.

Kissing Lucy has rapidly flown to the top of Zoro's list though. Way to the top. So much so that it's like its own list entirely.

Technically, he's supposed to be on watch tonight. But he was conducting his watch from the observation deck, intending to work out, and then Lucy showed up with the shadows of a nightmare clinging to her eyes and now here they are, with Lucy straddling his waist and hovering over him, his fingers tangled in her hair, dragging her close as he fuses his lips to hers.

She's warm beneath his hands and squirming above him, warm and enthusiastic and Zoro has never wanted anything the way he wants her. Needs, maybe. He needs her.

Lucy's mouth parts against his eagerly, and he takes her lower lip sharply between his teeth. A small, breathless noise catches in the back of Lucy's throat, and he would bottle that sound if he could.

Lucy's hands are settled on his shoulders, her nails digging into flesh and it's amazing how he just doesn't mind at all that she's gripping so hard he's sure she's drawing blood. The position leaves her whole torso open for exploration, and Lucy's loose-fitting sleep shirt gaps across her stomach as Zoro's hand trails over her ribs, her hips, grazes the line of her cotton shorts as his fingers slide across the flat expanse of her stomach…

Lucy shivers and pulls back a little, perched above his hips. Her face is flushed pink and her eyes are bright and she's biting her lip through a smile.

He sits up, leaning on one elbow while keeping one hand curled around her waist. Not touching her always feels like a missed opportunity.

Lucy raises one hand to his hairline, trailing her fingers across it. The look in her eye is suddenly incredibly fond. Zoro doesn't know why she seems to have such a fixation on his hair, but if the reward for letting her play with it is that reaction, he's more than alright with it.

Lucy grins a little, a quirk of mischief in the corner of her mouth. "You're good at fighting nightmares."

He blinks, not quite following, then remembers their conversation from right before she tackled him.

Nightmares are easier when you have someone to fight them with, she said.

Then he took her hand and—

Yup. That's. That's how they ended up on the floor.

He pushes himself up using his elbow, and Lucy falls back in his lap a little as he does. She squeaks in surprise and then her arms are around his neck in an instinctive bid for stability. Zoro smirks, his own hands settling firmly on her waist, locking her against him. Surprising Lucy usually beget great consequences.

She leans back a little, lower lip jutting out in a pout. Zoro's smirk softens to a (probably dopey) smile, and he leans his forehead against hers. Lucy melts into him immediately, relaxed and loose and calm.

It's a far cry from the way she was when she came here, and Zoro slides his thumbs across her ribs, feeling the slight ridges and crevices of muscle and bone beneath her shirt. He can feel the heat beneath his hands, and he can't stop himself from wondering what would happen if he took this a step farther, if he slid his fingers under the hem of her shirt.

And, like she's reading his fucking mind, Lucy hums and asks, "Zoro? Why haven't we had sex yet?"

Zoro makes a choking noise not dissimilar to a strangled elephant.

Lucy leans back, her weight settling a little deeper in his lap and Zoro makes another choking noise as Lucy flicks her hair out of her face, frowning. "What? Do you not want to, or…?"

What the fuck is his life right now. "Yes," he grits out, emphatic. "I want to. I just." He takes a deep breath, not quite able to meet Lucy's eyes as he asks, "Do you?"

And he has to ask because she's never said, and she clearly hasn't picked up on his desire so maybe…

"Uh huh." Lucy tilts her head to the side, clearly pondering. "Since, like…I dunno. Maybe Loguetown? Or Alabasta. Not sure. It was a while ago." Lucy peers at him through her lashes. "Your new 'practically shirtless' policy doesn't help."

Now hold up, that's just unfair. "You wear black leather all the time," he protests. It has to be said, after all. She wears black leather all the time.

Lucy's lips twitch in smug satisfaction. Zoro has to resist the urge to kiss it off. Then her eyebrows furrow and she seems uncertain, her thoughts clearly taking her to a different place. "So…why haven't we?" There's a small, meaningful twist of her pelvis as she says this.

Zoro refrains from groaning pathetically and reaches out to still her hips.

Lucy pouts and holy shit, this girl is going to be the death of him.

'I just…thought we should take it slow," he lies. "Y'know, get used to each other. " He squeezes her hip. "Used to touching each other."

Lucy's expression softens, and then turns a little shy, suddenly, as one of her hands drifts absently to her chest, right over the scar. "That's it?"

Zoro narrows his eyes at the tiny gesture, cataloguing it to deal with later. "That and birth control."

It's not—exactly, true. They've gotten as much, uh, practice as they can in over the last week and a half, but Lucy's still kind of new to this. She's surer and more creative every time they kiss but she's still inexperienced and he doesn't want to push her too fast, wants to savor the experiences almost as much as he wants to drag her into an empty room with a bed every time she laughs.

And, hell, it's not like he's particularly experienced. He's had a few one-night stands, all before he met Lucy. He's out of practice, and he's never…led the way before. He wants to enjoy it with her, not worry about hurting her or have the potential awkwardness as a barrier.

"And you…want me? Like I want you, I mean."

Oh lord, why does she have to be so fucking blunt all the fucking—

"Yes," he grits out, because honestly he doesn't know what he fucking expected.

But Lucy seems satisfied with his answer, and tilts her head to the side. "Chopper said it'd take two weeks to kick in. That's…" Lucy frowns. "Eh…three days from now?" The hair on the back of Zoro's neck stands up, and his hands tighten around her hips.

And then, fuck, Lucy's not exactly a master of seduction, but she looks at Zoro with a stunningly carefree smile on her face and her thighs clamp around his waist, and she says, "do you think we'll be used to touching each other by then?"

Holy mother of God.

"We don't—" he grunts, trying to control himself. It takes effort. "We don't have to do anything by a certain time, y'know?" He pointedly mouths the soft spot behind her ear he only discovered tonight. "The better you know someone, the better it generally is." Lucy shivers delicately. "Especially when neither of us, uh, have a lot of experience."

Lucy hums, sounding a little dejected. "So...that's a no then, or…?"

He growls and he can feel the way her pulse jumps beneath his lips. "Does it look like I'm saying no?"

"But…"

"Just—there's not a time table. We can do whatever the fuck we want, when we want."

Lucy leans back in his lap, a pout on her face. "But I want you. Now."

The things this girl does to him are going to convince him of God's existence, one day, if only because there's no way she could be the product of anything other than a deity's perfectly designed plan to torment him.

He must stare at her just a little too long because the pout starts to deepen to a frown and her lips start to form his name and—

He hooks one of his arms behind her back and one hand reaches up to cradle her head as he throws her down on one of the mats. She gasps in surprise as he pins her and Zoro takes advantage of it to kiss her hard and desperate. She squirms beneath him a little, but only so she can grab the collar of his shirt and drag and him closer, her legs locking behind him and shit this girl is going to kill him.

In an effort to control himself but mostly because he wants to touch her, his free hand—the one that was wrapped around her back—seeks hers, and he finds it. Their fingers twine together and then he takes her hand back, presses it down into the mats by her head and she whimpers a little, her free hand roaming over his chest and tugging at his haramaki insistently.

Fuck, they need to calm down. Like, now. Riiight the fuck now.

Zoro pulls away, reluctant, but he doesn't dislodge himself entirely. He's still hovering above Lucy, just a few inches between them. Their chests brush a little as they breathe. Lucy's eyes are blown wide and eager, and her hand still twists in the fabric of his clothes. There's a flush on her cheeks and something dark and wanting in her eyes, and it takes every ounce of Zoro's willpower to keep from kissing her again when she twists her hips suggestively.

But he can't keep from touching her, won't restrain himself that far. He ducks down to plant light kisses along her jaw, her throat, and when she arches into him and leaves her neck open he hums a little as he sucks bruises into her pulse point.

"Want you," he whispers into her skin, and he knows she hears because she gasps at the words, high and sweet. "So much."

Lucy breathes his name into his ear, her free hand roams everywhere, seems like she's touching every part of him at once, and fuck, seriously, she's not helping.

Eventually, Zoro's lips graze the cotton of Lucy's high, crewneck t-shirt, and he backs off, thwarted by the fabric. Lucy is sprawled beneath him, her hair fanning out behind her and both hands by her head—one is still pinned there by Zoro's hand, and the other is wrapped around the wrist he's been using to support himself. He shifts a little, moving his weight to both his elbows, and Lucy's hand immediately slips into his.

She's beautiful like this, all disheveled and breathy and her eyes are dark, plain with lust. It's beautiful because she's always so carefree, and Zoro likes pulling this side of her out, likes seeing her focused so intensely on him. It's heady and makes him want to do things, a thousand ideas coursing through him on how fuel the fire inside them both.

But he's not wrong, either, about waiting just a little longer. For one, they don't have protection at the moment, would have to run down to the infirmary to get some, but also...they're still new to this. Still reacquainting themselves with each other, still mapping out each other's bodies.

And then there's something that's even more important than that—the fear that if they move too fast right now, they'll regret it. That they'll sleep together because they're afraid of separation again, consciously or not, and that the urge to be closer, closer, bury her beneath his skin, is partially born of that fear. With Lucy he wants it to be more than that. Needs it to be, really.

"So…the feeling's mutual?" She asks after a moment, a strange hesitance in her eyes.

Zoro leans his forehead into hers, shifts a bit so the lengths of their bodies are aligned and she can feel— "What do you think?"

Lucy's mouth drops open, and her flush grows darker, eyes wide. "Oh." Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. The movement is fascinating.

"Thank you," Lucy tells him suddenly, and Zoro blinks, a little thrown, and then she adds with a quick grin, "For waiting on me to catch up."

Affection bursts in his chest even as he leans down to kiss her. It's a soft kiss, one full of promise and mischief, and maybe a little reverence, too.

"'t's not just you," he growls into her neck when they part. "It's me too."

He's known from the beginning that the two of them are the same this way—neither of them are good at doing things by half-measures. They believe in commitment, in pursuing what they want without hesitation or many intermediary steps at all. It's why they never needed to have a conversation about what their relationship is, or where it's going. Lucy is…it, for Zoro. He knows that. He's known that for years. It's maybe part of why it was so hard to admit his feelings in the first place.

But in this, in this one thing, he has to pump the breaks. He thinks they'll be better for it in the end.

Beneath him, Lucy releases a soft, breathy sigh, and leans up to nuzzle into his neck just a bit.

"I love you," She whispers, her voice thick with emotion. "So much."

His heart jumps to his throat as he blinks into the black strands of her hair and knows he will never be used to her saying that. "Lucy, I—" He cuts himself off, unable to continue.

Lucy's nose grazes the side of his neck. "Shh, shh." she soothes. "I can hear you, remember? I know. I know." He feels her lips quirk into a smile as her cheek lifts. "Just kiss me already."

He complies.

The Straw Hat Pirates are passive aggressive little shits and let me tell you why:

When it comes to Luffy and actually remembering people's names, it tends to be hit or miss. Mostly only his crew and really important people (like Rayleigh and Shanks) are called by their real names. Mostly, he uses nicknames, usually based off of a humorous characteristic or negative trait. I may be wrong about this, but I can't recall a single instance in which the rest of the Straw Hats unanimously adopted the same nickname Luffy has graced whoever it is with, except for motherfucking Law. When it comes to Law, Luffy just fucked up the pronunciation and then clearly just gave no shits about changing it. Then the straw hats, in a show of solidarity, all started using the same annoying, possibly diminutive nickname that Luffy gave him. I interpreted that as the Straw Hats clearly not trusting Law at all, and trying to express nonverbally how very much they would fuck him up if he betrayed their captain. Then by the time they realized they actually liked the guy, it was too late to change the nickname. Poor Law. I love these assholes so much. They're adorable.

So as for Zoro and Lucy's not-sex scene, hopefully Zoro explained why they're holding off as long as they are. Basically, Zoro's aware that they may be going too fast for their own good because they fear another separation. While they'll probably never be completely over that, Zoro's point is that they should wait until everyone calms down a little—Lucy's noticed this anxiety too, pointed it out in the last chapter, in fact. And Lucy would probably acknowledge it herself if she wasn't so single-minded. But that's part of what makes Zoro a good first-mate to Luffy/Lucy—he points out things Luffy/Lucy would rather ignore.

Also, for anyone who's worried, the rating on this fic will remain T. Like I said before, Lucy and Zoro often communicate best through touch, which is why a lot of their best conversations seem to happen when they're touching or just sitting beside one another. It's just how they are.