Zoro thinks he'd gladly spend all night soaking if he wasn't positive that he'll eventually fall asleep and accidentally drown himself.
Although he might drown anyway, comatose or not, if Luffy doesn't quit pretending he's a sea king and sending miniature tidal waves crashing across the surface of the tub, splashing hot bathwater into Zoro's face and turning the tile floor into a maze of puddles.
"Can't you sit and relax like a normal person?" The swordsman growls, knowing that his protest is futile even as he voices it, because he's been well aware since day one that his captain and normalcy are sailing on two entirely different ships. "Look, my goddamn towel's soaking wet."
Luffy purses his lips and blows a rather loud raspberry. "Zoro doesn't need a towel when it's just me."
"Look, I know you're thrilled as shit that Franky upgraded the seawater purifier so you don't sink like a rock every time you get in the tub, but some of us would like to dry off when we're done. And you've got half the water on the floor. Nami's gonna have a fucking cow if she doesn't have enough for a bath when her watch shift- QUIT PICKING YOUR NOSE AND PAY ATTENTION TO ME!"
To his increased annoyance, Luffy bursts into laughter.
"What the hell's so funny?"
His captain refuses to answer; the younger pirate just shakes his head and continues laughing uproariously; although everyone tends to describe Zoro as a man of few words, sometimes it's like the swordsman suddenly pops a cork and then he just doesn't shut up. He never talks this much around their nakama, not even when he's actively feuding with Sanji - which always involves a whole lot of grunting and posturing and crude insults - but he's never had a problem speaking his mind to Luffy.
It's a relief, after two years of hearing his swordsman's voice only in dreams that he'd already be forgetting when he scrambled upright reaching for someone who wasn't there, and then slightly more than a week of single word exchanges and strained silence. It's a huge relief. Even if Zoro's hollering at him.
He flounders over to join the older pirate and hops up to perch on the windowsill beside him to paddle his feet in the water, his swinging legs brushing his swordsman's shoulder. It's the one sporting the captain's teeth marks and he can't help staring because soaking in the hot water's turned the broken skin an angry red.
"You're such an asshole," Zoro grumbles, grinning when he discovers the subject of Luffy's interest.
"I was hungry," the younger pirate fires back, "-and Zoro looked like a big, juicy piece of-"
He squawks in alarm as the swordsman's fingers wrap suddenly around his ankle to yank him from his ledge, sending water flying high enough to hit the domed ceiling and sloshing over the side of the tub as he crashes back into it. For a moment he panics, sure that his flailing limbs are going to betray him and go limp as seaweed even though he knows better, and then a powerful arm wraps around his waist and hauls him to the surface.
Water streaming down his face, Luffy opens his mouth to laugh - he walked right into that one, antagonizing the other man while sitting within easy grabbing range - and gives a muffled gasp instead as Zoro pins him against the tub's side and kisses him forcefully enough to bruise his lips against his teeth.
His head may be above water, he muses weakly before he abandons conscious thought in favor of passion-induced delirium, but he's still drowning anyway.
He's panting when he's finally turned loose, head swimming as he leans back against the waterproofed panels for support, trapped by the swordsman's forearms as Zoro grips the edge on either side of him, standing close enough that their lower bodies graze when either of them shifts his weight.
"Land or sea?"
"Huh?" Luffy asks, eyes riveted on the droplets of water glistening on the swordsman's scarred chest.
"Land or sea," Zoro repeats patiently, one hand leaving the rim to lift his captain's chin so he's staring up at the swordsman's face instead, where one dark eye, half-lidded and crinkled in amusement, meets his gaze. "Do you want me to fuck you outside the tub or here in the water?"
Luffy's brain disconnects in a wash of giddiness, because his swordsman- Zoro is talking dirty to him, and it takes him a few seconds to realize that he's still speaking.
"-might have to turn down the temperature 'cause it's so goddamn hot, one of us might pass out."
"I- nrrgh," Luffy chokes, taking a deep breath when his garbled speech earns him a quizzical look, complete with head tilt and a quirked eyebrow. "Land and sea! Both! I want both!"
He launches himself off the side, sending Zoro staggering backwards in the water as rubbery arms wrap snugly around his torso. The swordsman snorts, gently prying him off and hoisting him back onto the window sill, where the captain fidgets restlessly, his fingers fiddling with the erection protruding from his lap as he watches the older pirate exit the tub just long enough to adjust the thermostat.
When he sees that Zoro's hard as well, gleaming and dripping with water, Luffy's mouth goes dry and he shudders, his throbbing cock twitching against his palm. He exhales slowly as his lover slides back into the water and wades back to him with the same easy grace he displays during battle, every movement deliberate and intended to conserve energy.
A nervous flutter tickles inside his stomach, like he's swallowed an angry butterfly, as he becomes overwhelmingly aware that he cut loose on Zoro pretty vigorously earlier and is probably due for some rather harsh retribution. While there might be only one eye rather than two fixed resolutely on him, it doesn't make that steady gaze any less intense.
"No fair starting without me," the swordsman mutters, reaching up to spread his captain's thighs wide with calloused fingers and smirking when Luffy's hands immediately fly out to grab either side of the alcove in which he's perched. He leans in to flick the very tip of his tongue against the underside of the glans hovering before his nose.
There's an urgent inhalation of breath and a dull thud as the back of Luffy's skull connects with the window pane, but for the second time today he's too distracted to notice that he's smacked his head on yet another hard surface. Heart in his throat, he watches that tongue dart back out to wiggle just tantalizingly out of reach only to draw back again by mere centimeters when he strains towards it.
"Z-Zoro, don't-"
"Sucks getting teased, doesn't it?"
"Zoro-"
The swordsman's hands slide further up the insides of his thighs, until both thumbs are close enough to caress and roll his balls. Warm breath gusts against his damp skin and he shivers violently as a wave of goose bumps ripples over his body.
"Do you want me to use my mouth on you?" Zoro rumbles softly, tilting his head to nuzzle his nose and lips into the crease of his captain's groin, and Luffy goes rigid, gasping out loud as cool metal slides across his balls and up the length of his shaft. The older pirate never removes his earrings, not even for baths.
Sharp teeth test themselves against his flesh, making him acutely aware that the swordsman's strong jaws are more than capable of severing his femoral artery. It's a powerful reminder that while Roronoa Zoro might indeed be claimed, he certainly isn't tamed, not in any sense of the word - and Luffy wouldn't have it any other way, because he's always found that aura of danger intriguing, not to mention stimulating.
Their crew mates might consider Sanji as a member of the so-called Monster Trio and the captain will never tell him this because he holds all his nakama dear and knowing the truth would crush the cook, but there's no doubt in the rubber man's mind that Zoro could mop the deck with him if he truly wanted. He's seen the way the swordsman holds back and toys with the other man, sometimes hiding a grin behind the sword clenched in his teeth.
Luffy remembers being distracted during fights, even the serious ones where everyone was forced to pull out all the stops, whenever he saw his swordsman utilizing his three-sword fighting style. He couldn't help the unbidden mental snapshots of Zoro with something very different in his mouth, which frequently convinced his brain to post an out-to-lunch sign so it could commence rolling around between his ears like a delirious tabby in a catnip patch.
The memory of those talented lips wrapping around his cock prompted some furious masturbation following their abrupt separation at Sabaody and more than one incredibly bizarre conversation with the Amazon women. He was grateful enough for their bringing him food during his training, especially after all the monsters on the island somehow crossed the line differentiating friends from food, but they always seemed to pop up at times when he really didn't feel like being bothered.
Boa Hancock turned some pretty interesting colors the one time she personally interrupted him, although - even though he paused long enough to wave hello - Luffy was far too distracted to pay her much attention, his thoughts preoccupied with trying to remember exactly how Zoro's eyes looked when the swordsman's impassioned gaze flashed up to study his captain's reactions to the outrageous maneuvers of his tongue.
Now, finally being offered the real deal after making do with his own touch and fevered imagination for far too long, he wants it so badly that he aches.
"Yes," he hisses, releasing one hand from the window frame to grab a handful of green hair - and there's a bit more to knot between his fingers than there was two years ago - so he can drag the swordsman's head higher.
Zoro doesn't put up a fight, just shoots him a wicked grin made more menacing by his missing eye. "Tell me exactly what you want me to do, Sencho. I'm afraid I'm a little confused. You'll have to explain it to me..."
Luffy growls in frustration, guessing this is another type of payback, because he's never needed to explain what he wants; they've always been too adept at reading each other with that weird, almost supernatural sense of mutual understanding.
His nakama always tease him about his candidness, and he often speaks without thinking, which inevitably gets him into trouble, but this is different. He doesn't curse like Zoro and Sanji, doesn't tell off-color jokes like Franky and Brook, even if he does laugh rather loudly at them. He frequently threatens to kick asses that need kicking, but stronger vocabulary rarely slips in, even when he's overly excited and not thinking about what he's saying. So even though he's being asked to do it, just opening his mouth and telling his swordsman to suck his cock seems a little too-
The older pirate utters an amazed bark of laughter as his captain's face flushes pink. "You're shitting me! Are you actually embarrassed?"
"I am not!" Luffy argues, trying to glare at Zoro without looking him in the face. "I just- it's weird!"
"Oi, Luffy-" the swordsman chuckles, straightening up so he can wrap both arms loosely around the younger pirate's waist. "You bent me over the sofa and fucked the hell out of me, blew your load all over me, and now you're too embarrassed to ask me to give you a blowjob?"
He's shoved away as the color in his captain's face escalates to crimson. "No! I like sex with Zoro, I like- I like hearing Zoro say stuff like that, but I can't talk like that! It'll just sound dumb."
"Ah," Zoro blinks, wondering when Luffy started giving a shit about sounding dumb, given half of the idiotic things he's heard him say in the past. "Well, if you don't want-"
"Put this-" the younger pirate sputters desperately, reaching down to grab his own unflagging erection tightly and pulling, stretching just enough so he can shake it in the startled swordsman's face and bump the tip against his lips. "-in there. NOW. Please?"
"Okay, okay, just stop doing that! It still freaks me out..."
He can count on one hand and still have fingers left over, the number of times he's seen Luffy do this. He supposes it's inevitable, considering the bizarre constitution of the rubber man's body, but it makes Zoro want to cringe because how the hell does it not HURT?
Pouting, Luffy lets go and his shaft retracts. It makes the same bizarre noise that his arms and legs make when they snap back into place, but unlike his arms and legs, his erection bobs cheerfully back and forth after it's returned to its normal length, and the swordsman flinches. "Gah! Luffy, don't do that with your dick."
"Doesn't hurt. Feels goo- nngh," his captain groans, eyes drifting shut as he presses fingertips against the head of his cock to bend it back against his lower belly so it springs free when he pulls his hand away. His face is still deeply flushed, but there's no embarrassment in his expression now as he cracks his eyelids to fix his burning gaze on Zoro. "Like that, but better."
The older pirate licks his lips nervously because he knows exactly what Luffy means, although he's still doubtful. "Do you want me to..."
He trails off without finishing the thought, because although they've done accidental stretch play before - which nearly made Zoro shit a brick the first time he pulled a bit harder than he intended and ended up with a few more inches than he expected - the swordsman's never seriously considered doing it deliberately, and his captain's never dropped any hints that it's something he wants, other than to laugh and say that it might be interesting to try.
But now he's being given a lopsided smile only vaguely tinged with disappointment. "Not if it really bothers-"
"Oh, what the fuck," Zoro mutters, running fingers through his wet hair. "I can't believe I'm really gonna do this. Here, trade spots with me."
There's some splashing and cursing and bruised ribs as they get situated, because the swordsman doesn't quite fit into the window alcove - his ass barely fits on the ledge, although it's just wide enough to keep him from sliding back into the tub - with Luffy perched cross-legged on his lap, facing him, but they manage. The window's glass against Zoro's back feels insanely cold after the heated water in which his lower body's been submersed.
He has a hell of a time at first, because his captain's erection escapes every time his fingers relax too much, making that horrific sproinging noise again, although the younger pirate doesn't seem to mind very much, rewarding him with groans and thorough squirming. Which doesn't help the swordsman remember to keep his grip firm enough, because his own cock's wedged firmly along the crease of Luffy's ass cheeks, and there's no goddamn pants in the way this time.
"You're gonna tell me if I get too rough, right?" Zoro demands, watching closely for signs of distress, because he can't quite get over the pulling-too-hard-equals-pain hurdle in his mind. He leans more of his weight against the window at his back, glad as hell that Franky mentioned using tempered glass throughout the ship, so he can use both hands to stretch the elasticized flesh further away from the rubber man's body. It's kind of like wrestling an overly warm but comatose python.
Lips slightly parted and eyes glazed with pleasure, Luffy can't answer the swordsman with anything more than whimpers as he watches closely, his hands quivering as they clutch at Zoro's shoulders.
"This-" The older pirate remarks as he loops part of his captain's protracted shaft around one wrist so it can't evade him again, "-is really fucking weird."
Curious, he trails the fingers of his other hand down the living rope stretched taut between them and inhales sharply when Luffy abruptly snaps his head back with a loud cry and digs fingertips into his wounded shoulder, hips rocking involuntarily. The younger pirate's exertion increases the pressure on Zoro's cock, drawing a low groan from his throat as his fingers twitch open, but his unorthodox strategy works and the erection in his hand stays put this time.
He bends his neck to swirl his tongue around the head, feeling ridiculous and slightly disturbed because this odd arrangement makes it seem almost as though he's licking an ice cream cone even though the texture and temperature and flavor is totally different, but his captain's enthusiastic - and noisy - reaction is well worth the peculiarity.
A high-pitched whine that's barely audible as the swordsman's name escapes Luffy, and he rakes his nails down Zoro's chest, breath shuddering in and out of his open mouth, when lips first nuzzle and nip and then slide down around him. Slow sucking strokes, and he nearly loses his mind when his shaft's caught delicately between teeth set in a jaw containing enough power to do him serious damage, rubber or not.
"I like being able to watch your face while I do this," Zoro murmurs, his voice muffled but understandable. He's only ever caught glimpses of the way his captain's face contorts when he's on the receiving end of oral sex, but now he can clearly see helpless abandon drawing Luffy's brows together as he responds to the heat and moisture engulfing him. "It really feels that good, huh?"
He caresses the stretched flesh again, fascinated by how he's able to produce the most ardent responses with the slightest touch. If only his hand wasn't starting to go numb; he's only now realizing that the coil around his wrist is rather effectively cutting off the circulation to his fingers. Shit.
Luffy's rear is grinding back against him each time the younger pirate moves, and he's sorely tempted to just force himself into that tight heat, to find out if he's got enough coordination to use his mouth and his cock at the same time. The swordsman shifts cautiously, conscious of the scant inches of security under his rear and wondering exactly how much wiggle room he'll need to pull this off.
His captain has apparently reached the same conclusion - that they're in a good position to try something that will feel absolutely amazing - but he either fails to recognize or chooses to disregard the consequences, because he's suddenly scrambling to climb higher in Zoro's lap, struggling to force their bodies together, and the sudden movement destroys the older pirate's precarious balance. He feels his ass cheeks slipping off the ledge just as Luffy succeeds in working the tip of his cock past that firm ring of muscle, turning his yelp of warning into a choked gasp.
The younger pirate flails in surprise when they unexpectedly hit the water, jarring the swordsman loose as he overreacts by wrapping both arms around his head and neck and one leg around his waist. Thoroughly tangled by rubbery limbs and slightly disoriented, Zoro's forced to carefully extricate himself before he can determine up from down. The rubber man's worse than a goddamn octopus, snaring him with clinging appendages even as he pries them off.
When he finally breaks the surface, blowing bubbles and mad as hell, he's greeted by hysterical giggles. One look at his face, however, and Luffy stops laughing and takes a step back.
The water's depth impedes his futile attempt to flee for safety and he's slammed against the side of the tub hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Hot breath bursts against the back of his neck as rough hands wrestle his hips into position, and he cries out, hands scrabbling wildly for something to cling to, when firm pressure nudges against and then slowly breaches his entrance.
His flailing fingertips encounter the upper rim of the tub and he immediately hooks both arms over it, whimpering as Zoro pushes into him with short forceful thrusts. They both know his body will stretch easily enough to accommodate the swordsman, even without lube, but being partially submersed makes it more challenging - everything feels far more rubbery than usual - and there's a lot of squirming and tugging and cursing involved.
"C'mon- fuck- nrrgh!" the older pirate growls in his ear, voice breathy with frustration, and the captain tries to laugh out loud, although the sound emerges sounding more like a moan, because he can picture his lover's annoyed expression perfectly.
The hands grasping his hips move to cup his ass cheeks instead, spreading them upwards and apart, and the irritated grumbling fades into a low groan when Zoro wriggles and pushes and finally sinks all the way into him, hands rising back up to encircle his waist.
"Don't move," the swordsman murmurs against Luffy's neck when he decides that, yes, his lungs are still working and, no, he isn't going to just suddenly stop breathing. Arms sliding forward to wrap loosely around the younger pirate's chest, he closes his eye and exhales a faint sigh against the warm skin where his cheek's resting. "Just- let me hold you for a second or two."
There's an odd note in his voice, one that makes the captain utter a wordless noise of inquiry, although Luffy relaxes and rests his chin on his arms where they're draped over the side, not clinging quite so firmly now that Zoro's gone still.
He's well aware that the swordsman doesn't display affection easily. The older pirate's always been passionate during sex, even if he's tended to be a bit quiet unless actively provoked into more vocal reactions, and he's never complained whenever Luffy's insisted on cuddling afterwards, but he's also never been the type to actively seek comfort.
Then again, in the past few hours the captain himself has done quite a few things that have surprised them both, so Zoro's sudden desire to act like butter melting on toast doesn't seem all that startling, even if it is unusual.
The older pirate thinks he could spend a long time like this, tucked around Luffy's back and spooning the other man securely against him, and he's vaguely disappointed that they're here in the bathhouse and not back in the men's quarters, because he really wants to try this while they're tucked onto the couch or into one of the box hammocks.
He's still extremely aware of the intimate connection between their lower bodies, because it's impossible to stand perfectly motionless when he's achingly stiff and buried so deeply that it's straining his already unhappy lower back to keep his hips tucked tightly against the curve of his captain's rear. Holding Luffy - actually snuggling against him like he's never really allowed himself to do before - feels wonderful, but holding him like this, locked together...
"Mmm, is Zoro falling asleep back there?" The smaller pirate murmurs against his crossed arms, a note of amusement creeping into his tone when the swordsman's arms tighten reflexively at the sound of his voice. "Or did he just forget I'm here?"
"Don't talk stupid when I'm hard as a rock and balls-deep in your ass," Zoro snorts, nuzzling the side of his neck and smirking when Luffy whimpers in response to his words, because he's fairly sure that he's found a way to retaliate against his captain's newfound delight in using his full name to fluster him. It'll probably earn him a few lumps from Nami and the ero-cook if he just starts spouting absolute filth at the dinner table, but it might be worth it to watch Luffy lose his normally unflappable confidence.
He shifts so he can seize his lover's earlobe between his teeth, hands dropping to stroke his hips and belly before traveling lower. "You bit me really hard while you were fucking me-"
His fingers encounter rigid flesh, curl tightly around it and give a sharp tug, and the younger pirate tenses in his grasp, gasping and rocking to his toe tips. His trembling body tightens on Zoro's cock, drawing a startled grunt from the swordsman.
"You- uhn~" he groans, moving both hands to clutch Luffy's hips so he can start moving his own, rocking slowly into his captain as his canine teeth pull insistently at his ear, barely restrained from drawing blood. "You bit me hard enough that- ahh~ Chopper said it might leave scars and-"
Luffy shudders, heart pounding so hard that he's momentarily afraid he'll accidentally activate Gear Second because he already knows what Zoro's going to say. "W-Wait, I want-"
"You liked it," the swordsman hisses, chin digging against his shoulder. "You liked- hah- our nakama looking at me and knowing-"
"Z-Zoro, wait! I wanna see-"
"-knowing that you bit me while y-you fucked me so hard that-"
"Wait, stop, not like this!" Luffy whines, because he wants - needs - to see the expression on Zoro's face. He clutches at the tub's edge, frantically craning his neck to look back over his shoulder and yanking his ear free in the process. "I want to watch Zoro's face when he comes!"
The older pirate struggles to comply, but his attempt to pull out fails when he automatically thrusts forward again, unwilling to withdraw from the tight flesh hugging his cock, and they both groan as his weight and momentum drives Luffy into the side hard enough to send water sloshing onto the floor.
Each subsequent stroke makes it even harder to stop, but he finally holds back long enough to let his captain scramble haphazardly over the side, skidding on the wet tiles. Zoro himself nearly slips and falls on his face when he climbs out, too focused on finishing what they've started to watch where he's putting his feet, and deceptively thin arms fly out to catch and pull him down to where the younger pirate's waiting impatiently.
There's no wild scuffling when he enters this time, just sweet slick friction that sends little spasms of pleasure rippling through his abdominal muscles as Luffy hooks both heels into the small of his back and forces him deeper, and he's having trouble remembering what he was going to say as he braces both hands against the floor on either side of his captain.
"Tell me!" Luffy demands, clutching at his forearms hard enough that his elbows nearly buckle and tightening the legs wrapped around his waist. "I won't let Zoro move until he tells me!"
"The crew saw us at dinner and-" Zoro gasps down at him, almost wanting to laugh because the younger pirate's somehow turned the tables on him yet again. "They all knew- they all knew you were f-fucking me like an animal when you bit me, and I- I liked it. I liked them knowing what you did to me."
He tries to look away, embarrassed by what he's admitting, and gentle fingers brush his cheek, turning his attention back to Luffy's face and this time he can't look away, hypnotized by his captain's wide shining eyes and the huge smile that's threatening to break into a grin any second now.
"I know I'm probably pretty fucked up in the head and not much to look at with the scars and everything, since Mihawk keeps kicking my ass, but if you really want me that bad, I'm yours," he rasps, and something clenches in his chest when joyous laughter explodes around him, loud enough to echo off the walls.
It's driven Zoro nearly out of his mind: two years of stalking the too-quiet hallways of a castle with only a crotchety master swordsman, a manic-depressive ghost girl and a bunch of angry monkeys to keep him company and wondering if he'll ever see that look of unabashed delight again, because he's never seen anyone capable of radiating such sheer goddamn happiness. It's no wonder people tend to stop and stare at Luffy when he's smiling, because he probably looks downright insane to anyone who doesn't know him, and sometimes even to those who do.
But the swordsman loves seeing that expression on his captain's face - and he's sure Usopp would say that it's because neither of them is quite right, like two peas in the same crazy-pod, or something like that - and after Marineford, after that newspaper with his captain's eerily somber and unnaturally flat gaze, he thought he might never see it again.
Boisterous laughter does interesting things during sex, and he's distracted by the rhythmic clenching of the muscle surrounding him where their bodies are still joined, so he doesn't realize that his remaining eye is slowly leaking moisture down the side of his face until Luffy notices and, startled into silence, cradles the older pirate's face between his palms, thumb stroking his damp cheek. "Zoro, what-"
When he struggles to sit up, concern overtaking his amusement, he unintentionally rocks into the swordsman's hips, and an astonished cry escapes Zoro's clenched teeth as his body reacts instantaneously, tensing and dropping him into orgasm so abruptly that he's not even entirely aware that he's coming until his fingers are clutching at the tiles beneath them.
It's far weaker than earlier, still strong enough to leave him out of breath, but nowhere near the peak that made him scream his captain's name to the rafters. He's left feeling confused and annoyed and fucking utterly embarrassed, color stealing into his face until it's positively conflagrant, as he and Luffy stare at each other in stunned silence.
"Uh," the younger pirate finally manages, at a complete loss for words for once in his life, and the swordsman might laugh if he didn't feel like punching a hole in the bathhouse wall. He eases away and drops onto the floor beside his puzzled lover, presenting his back.
"..."
"Ah, Zoro-?"
"Go away so I can figure out how I'm gonna kill myself."
"Zoro-"
"Or at least go grab Wado so I can-"
"Zoro!"
"OW! Don't smack my ass!"
"Then don't talk like an idiot!" Luffy retorts, grabbing the swordsman's arm with both hands so he can tug him over onto his back. He scowls when the older pirate immediately flops the opposite limb across his head in a blatant attempt to hide.
"I'm so fucking lame," Zoro mutters, his face still red where it's not covered by the crook of his elbow. "Crying for no reason and then losing my shit like a goddamn kid jerking off for the first time."
The captain settles cross-legged beside him, hugging the arm he's refused to relinquish before he lays it across his lap so he can study the way the muscles flex under the skin when he manipulates the joints. "Zoro's got a reason, even if he doesn't know it."
Or already knows it and doesn't want to admit it.
He ignores the other part, because the swordsman will just get more worked up if he talks about it, even if he explains that he doesn't mind. Besides, as long as he can redirect Zoro's attention and make him forget his foul mood, he'll probably be ready to go again in twenty-five or thirty minutes anyway. In the meantime, maybe he can convince him to tap into that odd affectionate mode again and they can cuddle while they wait.
This, he decides on the spot, is an excellent idea, and he wraps himself around Zoro's bicep, humming happily when the older pirate uncovers his face to see what he's doing.
"I'm going to need that arm back eventually."
"Nope, mine. Zoro said so." Luffy grins, leaning over to lick his cheek.
"Gah!" The swordsman sputters, although he's now trying not to smile as he pushes his captain's chin away, inciting frenetic giggling. "What the hell's this deal with trying to eat my face?"
He rolls over and pins the laughing younger pirate to the floor with a strategically-placed elbow, wiggling threatening fingers. "I'm not food!"
"Oh crap, no, not again, don't-" Luffy's protests dissolve into tumultuous wailing laughter. "St-Stop tickling meeeheeheehee-!"
Begging and threatening gets him nowhere, but Zoro eventually relents when he starts insisting that he's going to puke if he can't catch his breath, even though the swordsman's sure he's bluffing. Luffy may have spent their time apart learning to use Haki and improving his Gears, but he still can't lie for shit.
"Zoro's mean," he grumbles when he can finally talk again, panting as he lays spread-eagle on the tiles, and the older pirate snorts.
"Says the guy who's obsessed with leaving teeth marks in my hide."
Luffy twitches as Zoro leans over him, half-expecting the tickle torture to start again, but he relaxes when the swordsman's fingers trace the curve of his ear instead, tucking his hair behind it.
"You know, before you started fussing about not being able to see my face and distracted the hell out of me, I was thinking about telling you that - since you like biting so much - I'd return the favor and give this a piercing, make you wear one of my earrings."
His captain reaches up to catch his hand as it moves to pinch the earlobe in question, and while he was anticipating the disconcertion that's surfacing on Luffy's face - he's discussing doing something that goes a bit further than just plain rough sex, after all - the older pirate's a little amazed at the barely disguised excitement that immediately follows.
"Chopper would totally kill Zoro-" Luffy breathes, eyes turned up to watch the swordsman as he nuzzles his lips against the hand he's clutching. "-but I'd do it."
"You know we're both really screwed up, right?" Zoro laughs, shaking his head. "I mean, what the hell happened? We don't see each other for a couple years and we both turn into sex-crazed perverts?"
"I thought about Zoro- a lot," his captain murmurs, sucking two of the swordsman's fingers into his mouth and smirking when the older pirate's nostrils flare, his eye magnetically drawn to the lips pursed firmly around his knuckles.
"You say you can't talk dirty, but you really like hearing me do it, and you keep coming up with some really kinky shit." He inhales sharply when Luffy suddenly increases the suction on his fingers, because it's like they've magically developed some kind of tugging connection with his groin, and a shudder travels up his spine when a warm agile tongue slides forward between both digits to tease the sensitive crease where they join his hand. "Does anybody else on this ship have a clue that our Sencho's mind is a goddamn sewer?"
The younger pirate's mouth draws back, leaving his skin wet and tingling. "I don't care if other people think it's weird. I just wanna do what feels good."
He steals a glance at the swordsman's lap and grins. "Zoro's hard again."
"Yeah, and hopefully my frickin' cock cooperates this time," Zoro grumbles, reaching for him and breaking into a scowl when he's unexpectedly evaded. "C'mon, don't make me chase you around again or we'll be here all night, twiddling our thumbs and waiting for round whatever-the-fuck."
He grunts as his captain shoves him onto his back and crawls over him, straddling his waist. He's making that bossy face again, the one that allows no room for argument and warns everybody else to batten down the hatches if someone's actually brave enough to take him on.
"Oi-"
"Quit worrying about stuff that doesn't matter anymore," Luffy frowns down at him. He slides his hands up Zoro's chest, skimming over his scar and collarbone, and cups the swordsman's jaw between his palms as he leans forward to press their lips together briefly. "I want Zoro to feel good with me."
"You're one to talk-" the older pirate mutters against his mouth. "-trying to plow me through the furniture 'cause you're pissed about Mihawk."
"I'm not mad anymore. Besides, I've got this-" Fingers cosset the swordsman's injured shoulder. "-and Zoro told me he's mine, so I've got what I want. I just need to know what Zoro wants."
"Easy, Zoro wants to get laid without making an ass of himself again."
"No, that's not what I mean," Luffy scowls, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest. "Zoro needs to tell me what I should do to make him stop looking like Sanji kicked his swords across the deck."
"I look like what-?"
Okay, maybe that's not the best analogy, because Zoro doesn't look sad when Sanji's involved. He usually looks pissed. But the Straw Hats don't have a puppy, so that doesn't work either, and anyway, he's not entirely sure that his swordsman would look sad if someone kicked one. He'd probably do the same thing as Luffy and just march off to go kick the kicker's ass.
He really sucks at this emotional comfort stuff.
"Luffy, what the hell are you trying to ask me?"
The younger pirate ruffles a hand through his messy hair in frustration, because he's not sure how to say it without making Zoro mad, but-
"Oi, Luffy, what-"
"Why'd Zoro start crying?" He asks and wants to take it back immediately, because sure enough, his swordsman's eyebrows are drawing together like looming thunderclouds.
"I told you already, I don't know. Today's just been really weird and-"
"That's crap!" Luffy blurts without thinking - because although today certainly has been weird, full of ups and downs and other insanity, he knows it's not the source of what's bothering his swordsman - and he scoots backwards in alarm as Zoro's mouth drops opens to angrily tell him off. What emerges, however, is a startled groan, and the captain belatedly realizes that he's pressing firmly against the older pirate's erection, which he's backed into in his attempt to escape.
"Look, I'll tell you later, okay? Just-"
"Now," the captain insists, squirming higher so he can reach behind him to grasp the cock nudging against his ass and hold it steady as he maneuvers into position. He's not above using his own body to get the answer he wants, not when it could help him figure out how to take away the pained note that keeps creeping into his lover's voice whenever he thinks Luffy's not paying attention. "I want to know now."
Hands reach up to settle on his hips, trying to push him down, and he cooperates briefly, allowing a scant inch or two of penetration before trapping Zoro's legs under his own, so the swordsman doesn't have the leverage to thrust deeper into him.
"Goddamn it-" And, because he doesn't really care how pitiful he sounds, as long as his captain stops hovering over him and starts moving already - preferably downward. "Please?"
"Tell me now, Roronoa."
"Nngh, sneaky bastard," Zoro gasps, because now Luffy's just plain cheating. "It's you, okay? I can't stop thinking about you nearly d-dying at Marineford."
Satisfied that he'll keep talking if he's already said this much, the younger pirate untangles their legs and eases himself down until he's sitting with his rump tucked tightly into the swordsman's lap, his breath coming hard and fast because the angle's better in this position and sending sparks skittering behind his eyelids with the slightest movement.
And he can look down at Zoro sprawled beneath him, making faint nonsensical gibbering sounds and clutching his hips painfully tight as he slides deeper into his captain's body. Face and torso darkly flushed, the older pirate's tilting his head back against the floor, trembling uncontrollably and so tense that Luffy can see tendons and cords of muscle standing out in his neck and arms.
His own cock is throbbing in sympathy, demanding attention, but he doesn't dare touch it, because knowing that he's responsible for making his swordsman look so overwhelmed has him incredibly close to the edge. He settles for stroking the taut abdomen his hands are pressed against, watching intently as the skin jumps under his fingertips. He's said he wants them to feel good together, and he means it, even if he's got the most wicked impulse to-
"L-Luffy, you-" Zoro's now looking up at him, voice tight and rough because there's barely any moisture in his mouth. He licks his lips clumsily and tries again. "Y-You're thinking about doing something messed up again, aren't you."
"Maybe," his captain agrees reluctantly, lacing his fingers together on the other man's stomach as he leans forward slightly, eyes half-lidded with pleasure. "Now tell me about Marineford."
"What's there to tell?" Zoro grunts, rolling his hips experimentally. It's more difficult to move with Luffy pressing down on him, but he quickly discovers that lifting the younger pirate slightly higher by grasping his buttocks gives him just enough room to thrust. He might not be able to keep it going for long, but if that fails, he figures just shifting him up and down on his cock like he's lifting a weight will work too. He could do curls all goddamn day, and Luffy weighs a lot less than his smallest barbell. "And why do you keep- uhn- insisting on talking during sex, anyway?"
His captain shudders, mouth dropping open as their bodies pick up a slow but steady rhythm. "I like listening to Zoro's voice, especially when-"
"When I tell you things like how good it feels to- mmph- bury my cock in your ass?" The swordsman punctuates his words with a vigorous twist of his hips and grins, panting, when it produces a low cry of surprise. "How t-tight and hot you are?"
"Stop-" Luffy gasps, "-trying to change the subject!"
"I'm not changing anything. Nngh! I'm fucking you."
"Marineford! Zoro was going to tell me about- UHNF~!" The younger pirate spasms violently when he's lifted slightly higher and then abruptly dropped, arching as the swordsman's cock slides against his prostate as it plunges back into his body. He fumbles for the hands cradling his bottom, trying to pry them loose before it's too late and he can't hold back anymore, but either he's too stupefied by the heat coiling in his belly or the older pirate's grip is too strong. "Ah, d-don't-"
Zoro immediately does it again, choking on his own laughter and sounding slightly overwrought; he doesn't have a clue who's in control anymore, and he's brimming with so many conflicting emotions that he's having difficulty breathing from that alone. His captain, who's given up on trying to tear his hands away and is now just desperately clutching his forearms, is clenching down on him so tightly that he's forced to put some actual muscle into lifting him.
He'll probably end up hyperventilating at this rate, trying to speak, but he doesn't care. "You- charged into the g-goddamn Marine headquarters- in the middle of a fucking war, nearly got yourself killed trying to- save your brother-"
The swordsman suddenly lunges forward, and Luffy yelps and throws both arms around his lover's neck, instinctively clamping his legs around his waist and clinging for dear life, because the older pirate's somehow surging to his feet without pulling out of him, hands seizing his captain's hips to prevent him from sliding loose.
It's five - possibly six - feet to the far side of the room, but Zoro's thoughts are so full of darkness and self-loathing, tears blurring the vision in his remaining eye, that he's already crossed it before he's aware of taking the first step.
"You nearly died with him, AND I WASN'T THERE!" He growls, slamming the younger pirate's back against the bathhouse door hard enough to make it rattle in its frame. Luffy gasps at the impact, writhing where he's pinned between the smooth planks and the cock impaling his body, but he's transfixed even more by the sight of his swordsman coming undone.
"You needed me and I wasn't there-"
"Zoro..."
The older pirate raises a hand to splay shaking fingers across his captain's scarred chest, his voice strained with anger and distress. "I want to kill that fucking Admiral."
"That won't-" Luffy swallows thickly, slightly overwhelmed by the murderous aura hovering over the other man like a second skin. He knows he's felt it before, on Sabaody, when Zoro used that scary but cool technique that gave him too many heads and arms wielding extra blades. He was excited at the time, pleased with his swordsman's ingenuity and also dying to find out if all those additional limbs were any good at other things, but then all hell broke loose and everything went downhill from there.
He doesn't like Asura very much anymore, even though he knows it'll probably be useful again in the future, because he can't help associating it with memories of his terrified crew, bruised and bleeding and fleeing for their lives.
"Zoro, killing him won't change anything, and it won't-" Sorrow lances through his chest, reminding the younger pirate that something fragile inside him is still mending, even if the damage Akainu left behind healed a long time ago. "It won't bring back Ace."
"I know, but I'll kill him anyway, if he shows his face again," the swordsman snarls, sliding his hand aside so he can rub his face against Luffy's chest, smearing tears across the starburst of rough, discolored skin. "If I'd been with you, like I should have, I could have done something."
Fingers weave through his hair, yank his head back so he's looking up into his captain's furious face. "Or maybe I just would've lost Zoro instead of Ace, or both Zoro AND Ace, and that-"
That might've ended everything right there, because Luffy thinks that while his brother's death certainly broke him, losing his swordsman would have crushed him. He still remembers that moment during the mad race through Impel Down, when he thought for one delirious shining moment that he'd actually found his lover when and where he'd least expected. He'd been honestly relieved to see their okama friend still alive, but Bon-chan's innocent joke had felt like a heavy slap in the face.
Zoro's absence had struck him like a massive hammer at that moment, making him acutely aware of some open, aching hole in his heart, but he'd forged on regardless, determined to survive and save Ace, because his crazy older brother would make sure that everything turned out okay in the end.
Instead, he'd failed and found himself alone, even surrounded by new allies and potential friends, and feeling like a hollow shell of his former self and empty in too many ways to count.
Tears streaming down his face for the first time since Jinbe beat some sense into him, because he hasn't allowed himself to cry since then, too focused on completing his training so he can protect the people he loves and then with hiding his personal worries and insecurities from his reunited crew, Luffy leans his forehead against the older pirate's. "I need Zoro. I can't-"
The swordsman's expression softens, his anger slipping away. "Luffy-"
His captain leans his head back, turning watery pleading eyes on him. "I hated being by myself, 'cause Zoro belongs with me, and I m-m-missed-"
Zoro shifts his weight, propping the younger pirate more firmly between himself and the door so he's got both hands free to stroke soothing fingers over his face, wiping tears from his cheeks, and Luffy moans softly and turns his head to nuzzle into the swordsman's palm.
"Make me forget what it feels like-" he begs, legs tightening over the older pirate's hips as he nudges both heels against his lower back. "I don't want to think about it anymore."
"I missed you too," Zoro murmurs, brushing a thumb across his captain's lower lip before he reaches down to brace his hands under Luffy's rear, lifting him a little higher so he can start rocking against him with gentle deliberation. "I missed you so much it drove me kind of crazy."
His erection's wilted slightly, his ardor greatly reduced although not actually killed by their somber conversation, but he hardens quickly enough when the younger pirate pulls his face closer to kiss him. Hands flutter over his skin as though they're making sure he's not going to suddenly vanish into smoke, caressing his face and torso, fingers tracing the scar dividing his chest and lingering over the fresher marks on his shoulder.
He ignores the impulse urging him to just starting pounding into the taut heat enveloping him, because even though he knows it won't incite any complaints, it's not how he wants to reassure his captain that he's here, very much alive, and that he doesn't plan on going anywhere without him.
Luffy draws back gasping, his cock stirring between them as Zoro's hands readjust their grasp on his bottom to find a better angle, one that makes them groan in unison as the younger pirate squirms fitfully with each slow penetrating thrust. "Uhnf- Zoro~"
"It feels really good being inside you-" the swordsman pants, chuckling weakly when a tremor shakes his captain's body. "-but it's not just about screwing each other."
Dazed half-closed eyes struggle to focus on his face. "Mmm?"
"I love this, whether I'm taking you like this or you're- uhn~ f-fucking me out of my mind, like earlier, but- oh god, stop, stop, can't think straight when you-" Zoro chokes as Luffy writhes in his arms, tensed muscles squeezing and massaging his cock with merciless intensity.
"Sorry," his captain offers feebly. "I can't help it, it just sorta happens."
"S-sex is great, but I want to do more than just fuck," the swordsman explains when he can breathe again, ducking his head to lick a wet path along the younger pirate's collarbone and to rub the scarred side of his face against his neck as he pauses thrusting long enough to say what's on his mind before he chickens out. "I want to sleep in the same bed, even if it's one of those goddamn hammocks, and wake up together."
Luffy regards him with slightly widened eyes, still trembling all over, even though his lover's stopped moving. "Z-Zoro-"
"I want to play tag with you without you and Usopp tricking me into it, I want to help you steal food from the shitty eyebrow cook's kitchen and kiss you goodnight even if those assholes laugh at me." He's had two years to think about this, to regret all the things he'd ever been tempted to do and didn't because tomorrow was always another day, until Kuma and the horrible newspaper article that made it painfully aware that sometimes, for certain people, tomorrow never comes.
"I want you to help me keep training so I can get stronger for you." And he says it easily, without guilt, because defeating Mihawk and becoming the world's greatest swordsman isn't really his ultimate goal anymore, just one more step on the current path and a means to a very different end, and he and Luffy both know it.
Zoro's had two years to come to terms with that as well, and wherever Kuina exists these days, he imagines her smirking and congratulating him for wising up enough to lay his swords at the feet of someone who's actually warm and breathing, rather than merely risking his neck for a childish promise made to a long-dead friend. He can carry Wado in her honor and wield it in his Sencho's name, and he's found a measure of peace in this.
The captain whimpers as the older pirate starts rocking his hips again, pulling almost completely free before he eases his cock into Luffy inch by slow inch, rubbing heavily over the spot that makes him curl his toes and squeeze his eyes shut, voice growing in volume.
"And whatever crazy shit we find in the- mmph- New World, I'm going to be right there- ahh~ at your side, all the way to Raftel. And if One Piece isn't there- I guess we'll just have to keep looking."
"Zoro~ I-I'm-"
"Don't, don't try to stop it, I want to hear you. Look at me, Luffy," the swordsman coaxes softly, and the younger pirate obediently lowers the hand he's just forced over his mouth, whimpering helplessly as he grapples for a firm grip on the sturdy arms supporting him.
"Z- nngh!" He's tottering on the precipice and ready to tumble into it with the next thrust, possibly even the next word, if it's the right one.
"It's okay, I'm here, and I'll stay right here, for the rest of my life, forever, if that's what you wa-"
Luffy arches in his grasp, keening, and Zoro watches, mesmerized by the way the desperation and longing in his captain's face disintegrates into reprieve and release even before the swordsman rolls his hips again, driving himself deep and gasping as he's crushed by the slick flesh that spasms around him.
Warm fluid erupts between them, most of it spraying across the older pirate's chest in short hard bursts, although the first pulse flies nearly high enough to catch him in the face. Luffy, harsh panting breaking up the relieved laughter now escaping him, can't stop staring because this is even better than earlier, even if he's done it by accident, and his body clenches just in time to tighten around the next incoming thrust.
"Aah~ aah, shit, I'm co-"
The younger pirate laces his fingers behind Zoro's head and hauls him closer, smothering the warning cry with his mouth as the swordsman shoves him harder against the door, pushing up into him with short and controlled but forceful strokes as his body spills into his captain's so violently that he can feel his heart pounding in his cock, which feels really strange but also kind of good.
He wants to keep moving even after he's finished, trying to ignore the tenderness that's warning him he's too over-sensitized to continue, but his body has other ideas, abruptly announcing that it's time to sit down when his knees promptly buckle under Luffy's weight. Fortunately, leaning heavily against the door means sliding to the ground with his captain still clinging around him, instead of dropping like a rock.
"Zoro looks good with my come all over him," the younger pirate muses breathlessly, running a finger through the mess on his swordsman's chest.
"Why is it-" Zoro pants, slumping against the doorframe and giving a muffled hiss as his deflating cock slips free. "-that you can say something like that, but you can't ask me to blow you? And stop trying to doodle pictures on me with your jizz. It's fucking gross."
After spending a few minutes waiting for his racing heart to calm and his lungs to re-oxygenate his spinning head, he drags himself and Luffy across the tiles to the bank of faucets on the wall. He's pleased to discover that the detachable shower head's just low enough for him to reach up and pull loose without getting up, because he's not sure his legs will support him yet.
The captain sighs happily as the older pirate spins him around and snags a nearby bar of soap, scrubbing vigorously until he's positively fluffy with suds. Sprawling on his back in the swordsman's lap, he ignores the repeated complaints that he's making himself harder to bathe, squinting as he's hosed down thoroughly with warm water, washing away tears and sweat and other grime.
"I swear, you're a magnet for dirt," Zoro mutters quietly, running fingers through the younger man's wet hair to comb out the ever-present tangles. Laying the shower head aside, he stares down at Luffy's closed eyes, hesitating before he brushes gentle knuckles against his cheek, voice dropping so low that the captain can barely make out his next words.
He's almost finished lathering himself when the grinning rubber man finally bolts upright and latches onto him, nearly taking an elbow to the face because the older pirate's lifting it to scrub under his arm.
"Oi, watch it, one of us missing an eye is enough."
"Mmm, what was that last part Zoro said?" Luffy asks, wrapping arms firmly around his torso. "After the thing about magma."
"Magnets. You heard me. C'mon, sit up so I can rinse this crap off me."
"Nah, don't think I did," the captain frowns, although he scoots further down Zoro's body to give him a bit more room, resting his chin on the swordsman's stomach and then flailing and sputtering when the jetting shower head's purposely redirected in his face. "GAH!"
"I said, I love you, idiot. Quit pretending that your ears don't work."
"..."
"..."
"Uh, sorry- what was that again? I forgot already, so Zoro needs to remind me."
"Luffy, don't be a-"
"Roronoa~"
"Mmph. Fine. I love you." A pause, followed by an exasperated sigh. "Even if you're a manipulative little shithead."