-Dororo-
Anou… Where am I..? What happened..?
"Zeroro…" Is… Is that Giroro-dono..? "What happened to you, soldier?" Ouch… It even hurts to be picked up… Where is he taking me..? Oh, his tent… That makes sense… He must have been sunbathing, he's so warm..
Anou… I wonder…what that is leaking out of me..? Why are we stopping?
"Zeroro… Can you talk? What did Kururu do to you?" Oh… He sounds so stern… We're not outside, where are we really going? Why is water running..? I'm too sleepy to open my eyes…
"Where are we..? G-giroro-dono…" I have to see… The bathroom..? Why Is he putting me in the tub..? And what is that white stuff on the floor..? Is that what was coming out of me? And why did I have that strange dream about Kururu…?
Kururu..! I'm supposed to be helping him! Wait… Was.. was that really a dream..? Anou… Giroro-dono is being surprisingly gentle…
"He really did a number on you, soldier…" His voice is so soft… like it used to be when he would try to cheer me up after one of Keroro-kun's tricks… I wonder if it's bad that I want him to hold me… A-ah, why is he getting into the tub with me.. a-and blushing..? "It's easier to wash you this way." He sounds so grumpy, like when he's embarrassed…
"Giroro-dono… Did Kururu do this..? Was… Was what happened not really a dream..?" Oh, no… He's frowning, more than usual… That's a bad sign… A-aa… I-I got what I wanted… His arms were always so comforting…
-Giroro-
Zeroro doesn't even seem to remember what happened between him and Kururu… Normally, I would question whether or not I was being paranoid, but the evidence is right there. He's bleeding. It's really all I can do to clean him up, make sure he's not badly hurt, and comfort the poor kid.
"Giroro-dono… Do you remember the time Keroro-kun pushed me into the mud..? This is almost the same…" His voice is shaking, like he's about to cry. Of course this would flip his trauma switch…
"Don't cry, soldier." I don't even know how to really comfort him, not with words. All I can really do is just… Hold him. Gah.. Natsumi'd better not see this.. "I'm, uh… I'm here." Yeah, that didn't sound insincere or anything.
"Thank you, Giroro-dono…" Gah, why's he nuzzling now? I swear, he doesn't have to ask or tell, you can just see he's not right. But…He is a good guy. And a decent fighter. I've always considered him a close friend… Kururu's gonna pay for this, that cold-hearted… No. Now is not the time to get angry, Zeroro needs you.
"…Yeah. Don't mention it, soldier." I think he's asleep again. Ah, well, he's clean anyway… Let's see… I'm sure Fuyuki will understand, Zeroro needs somewhere soft to lie. I'll have to check his wounds… I'm just glad no one's here to see all this…
He looks alright, I think he'll just be sore a while.. I don't know how he went and did this to himself.
"Anou… Giroro-dono… I need held… degozaru…" Talking in his sleep..? I didn't realize he still did that. It almost reminds me of when we were kids. Well… I guess if it'll make him feel better to be held… It really is like back then… When we were… No. Why are we thinking about that? It's not like we were actually together… This is just like those times, though… Holding him, being so relaxed I could just…fall asleep…
-Flashback-
"Giroro! You're coming over again tonight, aren't you?" The little masked Keronian's head tilted, the remnant of his tadpole tail wiggling.
"Yeah… Just…keep quiet, okay?" Giroro replied, flushing just the slightest bit. Their little rendezvous was embarrassing enough without anyone knowing.
That night, as Giroro crawled into his younger friend's window, he was surprised to see the masked tadpole already asleep. Grey eyes stopped to admire the cute assassin-in-training, shaking his head as he realized what he was doing. No, he was only here to comfort the other. He crawled into the other's large bed, pulling the blue Keronian into his lap ever-so-gently. A hint of a smile crossed the gun enthusiast's face as Zeroro nuzzled into him, blue eyes opening halfway.
"I knew you'd be here…" the soft voice mumbled as small fingers lifted to move that mask, just enough to place a small peck on that permanently-scowling mouth. "I love you, Giroro-san…"
"Y-yeah, yeah… Just..lie down and relax," the male mumbled, rubbing the other Keronian's back almost lovingly. He held the other tightly against his white belly, content to just hold the other. He wasn't sure if this was love, but it made him… Happy.
"Giroro-san… May I have one more kiss..?" That sleepy voice asked once more, that light-blue head lifting. Zeroro's lips rested just gently against his older friend's mouth, eliciting another blush from Giroro.
"Just… Just lie down, Zeroro…" Giroro mumbled after returning the kiss, sliding his body down so he was lying with the male in the bed. This was all their secret nights were, really, cuddling, sleeping together. Zeroro enjoyed joking, saying they were dating. It all embarrassed Giroro. But he couldn't say he didn't enjoy it. He'd always liked cuddling the little ninja.
(Author's note: Slightly different style from the first chapter. In case you got confused, part 1 is from Dororo's point of view, then from Giroro's, and the last bit is a dream/flashback that happens when Giroro fell asleep. Hope you enjoyed! :3c)