Chapter Eleven
His skin clammy with a cold sweat, Roronoa Zoro abruptly startled awake. The swordsman's eyes had to readjust themselves to the dim lighting of the room; the curtains had been loosely drawn across the small windows and the wooden door was tightly shut. Pulse still racing, Zoro slowly sat up and eased his body against the crumpled pillows that he'd been sleeping with.
The robe he'd stolen from the bandits had been tossed onto the floor long ago, revealing Zoro's bandaged torso. Unfortunately, the dressings had continued to peel throughout their journey, and the green-haired man knew he was not going to get much more use out of them. Zoro supposed that they were starting to become a hindrance and an unnecessary distraction. So, sitting up completely with his broad legs tucked beneath him, the swordsman began to slowly unwind his bloodied bandages.
The room was silent save the sound of the bandages scratching softly against each other as he unwound them, but that didn't last for long. There was an abrupt sound on the other side of the door, like something had lightly hit it. The knob wiggled then turned, and Luffy slowly peered around the side.
Pausing suddenly, Zoro looked up from his unwrapping just in time to see Luffy's curious, almost expectant gaze stare through the darkness. "Hey," he said hoarsely after a moment.
"Hey," Luffy replied, smiling brilliantly and slipping into the room. He had a bag that he shifted to his other hand as he closed the door behind him. "You're up! I thought for sureyou'd still be asleep... What're you doing?" He padded closer, tilting his head curiously. His dark hair shifted at the movement, the ends brushing with a light sound against his hat resting at the back of his neck, held on by the string.
"Unwrapping my bandages," he replied simply, his dark eyes shifting to the task at hand.
Luffy set the bag down as he neared the bed, pausing at the side to stare down at the growing pile of bloody bandages. He remained silent, his gaze traveling up the bandages to Zoro's slowly revealed bare chest. He hadn't thought of it before, but he'd never seen Zoro without a shirt or bandages on. It wasn't even something that would normally occur to him, except...
He knelt down, one hand reaching out without him even thinking of it, his fingertips brushing against Zoro's upper chest where a deep scar was slowly being revealed. He traced the scar lightly, studying it. It looked like it had been agonizingly painful once, and maybe it still was, he didn't know. Zoro didn't walk around like his torso hurt a lot, though, so it must be fine. He couldn't tell, but he suspected it must be fairly long... it seemed like each inch that was revealed of his chest revealed more of the scar. Luffy pressed his hand a little stronger against the scar, shifting so his palm rested against it, his fingers brushing the swordsman's collarbone. He just watched his hand, feeling Zoro's heartbeat reverberate lightly through his lower palm. After a breath of silence he looked up at Zoro's face, his eyes dark and intense, slightly questioning, but his expression overall was simply calm and open. He was curious, but he wasn't demanding answers with his gaze; he was just watching him, as if studying his expression was enough.
Zoro watched him for a moment, eyebrows rising as his muscles lightly tensed. The last of the bandages fell on top of the sheets, revealing a long, dark scar that reached from his shoulder, across his chest and toward his hip.
Luffy blinked slowly, shifting his gaze back down to the scar. He studied it a moment, shifting his hand to lightly trace the entire length of it. His hand paused at the end, spread across the side of Zoro's stomach, a gentle pressure. He stayed silent a moment, just looking at the scar with an expression that gave nothing away of his thoughts, other than the fact that he was not disgusted or uncomfortable.
"What are you doing?" asked Zoro after a moment, his voice carrying an uneasy edge.
Luffy blinked, looking back up at Zoro but not moving his hand. He smiled lightly, his eyes dark but somehow soft. "I didn't know this was here," he answered simply, as if that explained everything.
The bodyguard shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flickering down to the scar. "Got it from a sword fight," he said at length.
Luffy looked back down at the scar, lightly tracing it again, back and forth, from end to end. "Must've been a huge fight," he said softly, as if thinking aloud. Nothing in his demeanor demanded Zoro to say more on the subject; if anything, he seemed content to let the story stop there, or to listen if Zoro wanted to continue.
"Yeah," he muttered lowly, eyes narrowing. "It's from the last fight I'll ever lose."
Luffy was quiet in response, looking up at his bodyguard's expression. "I can't imagine you ever losing, Zoro," he said softly but with complete confidence, smiling at him. "You'll always be strong, stronger than anyone. If you lost once, your opponent must've been incredible."
The green-haired man slowly nodded. "Hawk Eyes Mihawk," he said after a small silence.
"Hawk Eyes?" Luffy's eyes widened, his eyebrows rising in impressed surprised. "You've met him before." It was more a comment than a question, though he hadn't realized Zoro had ever met him in person. He remembered his name from their conversation in the desert, but he'd just assumed the meeting hadn't happened yet.
Zoro's gaze lightly averted. "Yeah…not long before I met you."
Luffy nodded, shifting a little after he noticed the growing pressure on his knees. He didn't really know what to say; Zoro seemed somber, but not evasive. He couldn't tell if he really wanted to talk about this or not. After a moment of silence, he dropped his hand to the mattress and pushed himself up, moving to sit next to Zoro on the bed. Luffy leaned against his bodyguard's side, tilting his head to rest against his shoulder. He still couldn't really think of anything to say that made sense, so he stayed quiet a little longer to see if Zoro wanted to talk about it more, or if he wanted to move on.
"I promised myself I wouldn't lose to anyone else," Zoro elaborated, falling silent afterwards as if that were enough of an explanation.
Luffy nodded against Zoro's shoulder. "You won't," he said, grinning confidently. "I know it."
"Yeah." He was quiet for several moments, his eyes falling to a partial close. "You were gone for awhile," he said at length.
Luffy's grin shifted to one more of excitement as he pulled away, leaning over the edge of the bed to reach for the bag. "Yeah! We went looking for clothes and Nami made me try on lots of stuff while she tried on stuff too, 'cause she said I couldn't keep wearing what I was, and then we got this!" He tugged the bag closer, almost knocking it over and spilling its contents. Making a noise of slight annoyance, he finally hopped off the bed and crouched near it, pulling out some items that he set on the ground. Standing, he reached for his robe and started to undress. "Wait'll you see!"
Raising an eyebrow, Zoro blinked as Luffy began to shed his clothes. But he wasn't particularly bothered by it as much as he was perplexed at how uninhibited the prince truly was.
Not paying attention, Luffy crouched and picked up the clothes, pulling on some knee-length blue shorts with white tufts at the end, and a long sleeveless red button-down shirt that bordered on being a vest. When he bent over, there was a flash of darkness on his lower back, but he had already stood and pulled the shirt over his head before anything could clearly be seen. It was probably just a shadow, anyway. He reached into the bag again and pulled out some simple brown sandals with three black loops, and slipped them on. Picking his hat off the ground, he placed it on his head and held it down with one hand, turning to grin brilliantly at Zoro. "Isn't it great?" he asked happily, closing his eyes in mirth, "I don't look like a Prince at all! And it's really comfortable and it won't look stupid if I stretch a lot now." He laughed delightedly, completely pleased with his new clothing.
Zoro watched the prince in vague amusement, a lightly smirk displaying itself across his face. "You don't act like a prince, so that'll help you blend in just fine."
Luffy's grin remained, though it strengthened a little; he looked almost proud at the comment. "Right! It's the best disguise, then." He opened his eyes, looking his bodyguard up and down. "Umm. When we were looking around, I tried to find stuff for you too. But I dunno what your size is, except you're bigger than me. So I got you some stuff too if you want." He reached down, pulling out a smaller package from within his bag. Walking back over to the bed, he held it out with a smile. "I'm not sure what Nami's doing about money with me, but I don't think she knew I was getting this for you so it probably won't cost you more."
Blinking, Zoro reached out and took the bundle. "Uh…thanks…"
Luffy looked at him expectantly. "Your clothes were really falling apart too," he belatedly explained. "...What're you waitin' for? You should open it!" He wanted to see what Zoro thought, and if it all fit him. If he didn't wear any of the clothes Luffy got him, it would be fine too. It didn't really matter to Luffy; he just wanted to see his expression. Especially for the two fun things he got!
Looking down at the neatly wrapped package, the swordsman wasted no time in ripping apart the paper that held it together. As the shreds of wrapping drifted on top of the dried, crusted bandages, a nicely folded outfit was revealed.
On his lap rested a white shirt, dark pants, a green haramaki and a black bandana.
The man was silent for several moments. No one had ever bought him anything like this before, and he was clumsily trying to recall what to say when someone extended such a courtesy. "Uh…thanks…" Seemed to be the only phrase that came to mind.
Luffy grinned, pleased. "You should try it on!" He paused, dropping down onto the bed beside Zoro, watching him with amiable dark eyes. "I was just gonna get the shirt, but then I saw the pants and they felt really nice. You said you don't really get cold, but maybe you will. The lady said they're good in hot and cold weather."
He shrugged then pointed to the bandana. "Since we're supposed to be hiding, maybe sometime you'd wanna cover up your hair or something, so I got that. I've never seen anyone with your shade of hair." He smiled, since he liked the color. But it could still make people recognize him. His gaze shifted toward the haramaki, just staring at it at first. It was a moment before he spoke, and when he did, his voice was a little softer. "Our stomach holds the energy for life and health... and you're gonna have to fight a lot."
He paused, reaching out to lightly touch the haramaki. "When I saw this, I remembered what one of my martial arts teachers told me once. Our stomach's where true power is created, and for him, he focused on it to center his body and mind. He said it helped him in fights."
He looked back up at Zoro, his gaze more serious now, slightly more intense but mostly just sincere. "If you wear this, maybe it'll keep you warm and protect your energy. ...I keep getting in trouble when I try to help, but I thought if I gave you this I'd always be helping, even if I wasn't in the battle." He paused briefly, the smile returning. "It even has a loop for your swords on the side, if you want."
Having already slipped the shirt over his broad shoulders, Zoro held up the haramaki. "My energy, huh?" he spoke aloud before pulling that on as well. "I'll remember that." He shifted somewhat awkwardly as he adjusted it and looked at Luffy. "Thanks…"
Luffy's smile widened, amusement and happiness intermingling. "Before, you didn't have the haramaki. Now you'll be even stronger," he said confidently, leaning back and watching him. He shrugged, realizing belatedly that he had never said anything back to Zoro's thank you's. "And no worries. What're friends for?" he asked rhetorically, though it made him think. They were definitely friends... well, he thought they were anyway. But part of the reason the haramaki was even necessary was because of what else Zoro was. He paused, adding with sincerity, "Thanks for being my bodyguard, Zoro."
Falling into a short silence, Zoro lightly shrugged, his eyes finding the bedside lamp very interesting. "It's nothing," he said. "Someone's gotta do it 'till Ace comes back…"
Luffy nodded, though his smile fell a bit as he thought about that. He was really looking forward to seeing Ace again, but he had no idea where he was. Back in the desert, he had been hoping that Zoro would stay around for a long time, but technically he had only signed up to bring Luffy to Shanks. Zoro had said he'd be the world's greatest swordsman at the side of the Pirate King, but that would be years and years in the future before Luffy would get the chance to go to sea.
His smile fell completely and he lapsed into silence, his expression almost somber. Looking down at the bed sheets, he wondered idly how long it would be between Zoro leaving at Shanks' and Ace reappearing, or how much time would pass after Zoro left to become the world's greatest swordsman that Luffy could set out to sea and contact him to join his crew. It would be years, probably. While he was stuck in Anchor, learning how to be a proper King. The thought was not exactly appealing.
Sensing Luffy's shift in mood, the green-haired man turned to the prince. "Something wrong?"
Luffy looked up, shaking his head slightly. He didn't know why he even bothered thinking about that stuff. It would all work out, everything always did. "Just thinking," he said, smiling again and looking away. "Are you feeling better? You were really tired before..."
"Yeah," muttered Zoro, his arms folding over his chest. "I've slept better, but it was okay…"
"Oh." Luffy dropped onto his back on the bed, putting his hands behind his head and staring idly at the ceiling, bending his knees and rocking his legs back and forth slowly. "Too bad we don't have a musician. We could sing songs and dance all night..." He raised his head just enough to peer down his chest at Zoro. "Do you like to sing and dance?"
Zoro snorted. "Not really. I usually just sit back and drink at parties." He leaned back as well, eyes drifting to a partial close.
"You should dance around more, I bet you'd like it," came the confident reply. Luffy dropped his head back down to his hands, grinning up at the ceiling. "I tried to learn how to play some instruments once, but I accidentally broke them. The court musician said I had absolutely no skill in me." He chuckled softly, remembering how purple the man's face had turned when he saw the wrecked room.
Turning lightly onto his side, the swordsman's eyes grew heavier until they were completely shut. "Mm…you'd be the type to break a bunch of delicate instruments," he drawled.
"Yeah..." Luffy chuckled, still idly rocking his legs. After a few extended moments of silence, he abruptly sat up, leaning forward to watch Zoro. "Hey... Zoro? You awake?" He spoke quietly, so he wouldn't wake him if he had fallen asleep.
"Mm..." Zoro lightly yawned. "Maybe..."
"Hmm..." Luffy watched him thoughtfully, studying his expression at first then dropping his gaze to trail over Zoro's back.
The new white shirt covered him, the fabric a little tighter across Zoro's torso than Luffy had expected it to be when he bought it. But beneath the clothing Luffy now knew there was a deep scar across his chest. He idly wondered how many scars Zoro had that remained hidden, beneath bandages or bravado or clothing. Reaching a hand out to gently rest on his bodyguard's upper arm, he thought about how many times Zoro had been hurt since Luffy knew him. There was the bomb... and the blood on his back that Luffy had mistaken for sweat. And then the marketplace, and the lashings...
His hand unconsciously tightened briefly at the thought, though it wasn't a strong enough grip to be painful. He had told Usopp earlier to just tell Sanji what he felt, and though Luffy often told Zoro exactly what he was thinking, he wondered if he actually knew.
"Zoro," he said, raising his voice a little but still keeping it below his normal speaking volume. He waited instead of continuing on, just to make sure he had Zoro's attention and he was awake enough to respond.
The swordsman stirred lightly beneath Luffy's touch. "Yeah?"
"Your scars... on your back," Luffy answered, not moving his hand, "Can I see them?"
Zoro was quiet for a few moments, his head lightly turning toward Luffy. "Why?"
Luffy's eyes were dark and unreadable, watching him intently. "I wanna see them." His voice was calm, honest but undemanding. He looked and sounded like he didn't plan to give the topic up easily but he would not force anything. He didn't really know how to explain why yet; he just knew he wanted to see his back and maybe then the words would come.
Watching him, the swordsman tried to act nonchalant about the request. "Sure," he replied at length. "I don't mind."
Nodding, Luffy finally slid his hand from Zoro's arm and tugged lightly at his new shirt, trying to pull it free from the haramaki. It did not work very well; the shirt did come free from the haramaki with a bit of effort but then Zoro's own body weight pinned it to the mattress on one side. Luffy frowned, looking up from his attempts to focus instead on Zoro's eyes. "...It's too hard like this," he said simply, resting one hand on Zoro's side near his ribcage and letting the other drop to the mattress. "Can you move or sit up or something?"
Repressing a sigh, the man silently sat up, head lightly bowed with a grim expression.
Either ignoring Zoro's expression or not noticing it, Luffy waited until he was resettled before he touched his shirt again, pulling it up to around his shoulders and holding it there with his left hand. The haramaki covered Zoro's lower back, but Luffy could still see the extent of the wounds. While the scar on his chest was surprising with the length and obvious depth of it, the ones on back were more surprising for their number and how fresh they were. All over there were long, deep cuts that looked raw to the touch, with many of the wounds covered with scabs. With his free hand he lightly ran his fingers over the wounds and scars, being sure not to put enough pressure to hurt Zoro more but needing to actually feel them, as if to verify their existence.
It was like a map he could follow of their time together. Near Zoro's upper shoulders was the wound from the bomb's explosion back at Anchor, faded more than the others but still looking painful. Below and around that crisscrossed dozens of gashes and scabs, remnants of the lashings from Syrup Village. The cuts overlapped, but Luffy knew if he could count them there would be fifty. Maybe even more if they had changed the punishment after Luffy had left.
Pressing his palm gently against the center of Zoro's back with his fingers spread out in a fan, he wondered whether it would have been better or worse to have been there watching as Zoro was whipped. Maybe he would have thought about this all earlier if he'd seen it, actually seen it with his own two eyes. But then, he should have understood a long time ago, when he was first taught the lesson. Some things took time to fully make sense, he supposed, but that didn't make him stop wishing there were far fewer scabs and gashes caught like a wasteland beneath his fingers.
"I talked to Usopp earlier," Luffy said finally, his voice soft and casual but almost pensive. "Sanji broke his leg protecting Usopp, did you know that? Usopp felt really bad about it... like he thought Sanji should hate him for it. Hate him for having to be protected." He trailed off briefly, his voice fading into silence as he stared at his hand against Zoro's back. His own hands still bore remnants from the fire, especially on the outside of his right hand, where he had punched the glass free of the frame to get them out of the clinic. But those scabs seemed dim and pathetic compared to the ones that same hand was pressed against.
Zoro lightly shifted as Luffy touched his back, gritting his teeth somewhat as he gave a small hiss. He was quiet for several moments, as he remained where he was. "Really," he said. "I thought he broke it 'cause he was clumsy."
Luffy smiled to himself, amused, but noticed the hiss and lightened the pressure even more with his palm. He couldn't bring himself to actually move his hand away completely, so he hoped that would be enough. "Maybe," he said, shrugging with one shoulder. "I wasn't there so I don't know. I guess there can be clumsy saviors too." He paused, his gaze caught on a particularly painful-looking gash above his splayed fingers. "I told Usopp not to worry about it."
Making himself look away from the wounds, he finally pulled his hand away from his back but continued to hold the shirt up. He leaned forward, being very careful to arch enough to not actually touch Zoro's back as he rested his forehead on the upper back of Zoro's left shoulder. "...It must've hurt a lot when I hugged you earlier," he said quietly, dropping his free hand to the mattress to support his weight so he wouldn't accidentally fall forward. "Back in the desert, when I was showing you the stars. Did it hurt?"
"Some," said Zoro truthfully, shifting again as Luffy leaned forward. "But I didn't mind it much."
Luffy nodded against him, not moving from his position. It was a little awkward to still hold the shirt up, but he didn't want to cover the wounds yet for some reason, so he ignored the strange angle of his arm. He was quiet, thinking of many things at once but being unable to exactly point out any of them. He felt like he had at once a lot to say and nothing to say at all, and took a moment to try to sort through his thoughts.
"I read a story once," he said finally, "about a kingdom where the prince had a whipping boy. Every time the prince did something wrong or got in trouble, his friend was hurt instead of him. They said it was to teach him manners, and to remind him that his actions had consequences for the peasants. I didn't really get it at the time... I'm not even sure I fully do now. But I think I understand it more."
He smiled slightly, bemused. "The prince was a jerk, though, he just kept doing things that got his friend hurt. You'd think he'd stop after seeing his friend hurt so much, but he didn't. That was the part that confused me. I started to think they weren't friends and maybe that's why he did it anyway, maybe he just didn't care."
He drew in a deep breath, shifting so his cheek rested against Zoro instead of his forehead, staring blankly at the room around them. When he spoke again, there was far more weight to his words, something that needed to be said but almost hurt to think about. Part of him hated to remember that time, but another part of him knew he was who he was now because of it. "Someone..."
Somehow he couldn't say his name, not right away. Stupid, he thought, but he continued anyway. "Someone once told me about the differences in Adventures. He said there are some things people do because they want to, and other things they're forced into. He... told me I shouldn't go on adventures that would needlessly risk lives without giving the people a chance to decide first. If they decided to risk their lives, it was their choice. But forcing them into it was wrong. I guess I thought I understood, but I didn't. Not until now."
He smiled to himself again, the expression humorless and somber. "Now I wonder if that prince just didn't understand either."
"Maybe…" Zoro's eyes closed as he felt Luffy's warmth press against him. "A lot of people have power…but most people wind up abusing it." He was quiet a moment before he continued. "You don't seem like the type who'd misuse your position."
Luffy shrugged. "Sometimes you can misuse it without meaning to. I guess the more power you have, the more people have to keep you alive."
The swordsman turned his head toward Luffy again, silently watching him and saying nothing.
He watched him back, smiling and adding lightly, "Or the more they want you dead, I guess." Luffy leaned back and carefully pulled Zoro's shirt down again, making sure he held the fabric away from his skin until it was time to gently let go. "I just wanted to say... I think I get the difference now. I'm sorry you had to get hurt before I understood, but it won't happen again. Not now that I know what he meant."
Zoro adjusted his shirt before lightly rubbing the back of his head. "That's in the past now," he stated simply. A chill spread across his back, Luffy's previous warmth having pulled away. "Don't worry about it…besides, I did that because I wanted to."
Luffy's smile brightened at the comment, and he looked relieved. "Good! Otherwise maybe you would've regretted those marks for the rest of your life, and I wouldn't like that." He tilted his head slightly, curious. "Do you want me to get something now that the bandages are off? I can put some cream on your back or something... I bet Usopp has some."
"What for?" he asked.
Luffy shrugged, looking confused. "I dunno. To make it heal faster or not hurt or something? I can try kissing it better too but like I said before, that's no cure." At the last part he grinned teasingly, wondering if Zoro had even heard him back when they were first fleeing the castle and he offered to do the same for his hurt back then.
Zoro's lips pressed into a thin line and his cheeks took on a red hue. "Maybe you'd better get the cream," he said gruffly.
Laughing, Luffy nodded and hopped off the bed, forgetting for a moment that he was wearing new clothes and wondering why the ground felt so different. Looking down at his sandals, he smiled, pleased. They were so comfortable he had even forgotten he'd been wearing them. "I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder as he wandered toward the door.
Watching him leave, Zoro stared through the darkness of the room. He briefly thought of going over and pulling the curtains open, but opted to turn on the lamp instead.
After several minutes, Luffy returned with a bottle in hand. He was laughing as he came in, and still couldn't stop chuckling as he shut the door behind him and approached the bed. "Hi Zoro!" he greeted cheerfully, as if he had been gone for longer than a relatively brief period of time. Stopping at the edge of the bed, he shifted the bottle to both hands and smiled down at him. "I found some."
Zoro nodded, straightening some as he shed his shirt and tossed it onto the table. Then, he eyed the bottle for a moment, as if wary.
Luffy dropped onto the side of the bed, gesturing at the haramaki. "You'd better take that off too," he said a bit absently as he turned his attention to the bottle and opening it. He ran over what Usopp had told him about the salve inside, idly shaking the container a bit not because he was told to but just because it seemed like the right thing to do.
"You're gonna put it on?" Zoro asked after a moment.
Glancing up, Luffy looked at him rather oddly. "Yeah... Why, shouldn't I?"
"Just wondering…" He slipped off the haramaki, placing it on top of the shirt.
"Oh." Turning his attention back to the bottle, Luffy squeezed some out onto his hand and stared thoughtfully at the cream then looked up at Zoro again. "It might sting a little at first, I'm not sure. But it's supposed to help heal it and make the pain go away so that's good." He reached for Zoro but stopped first so he could ask, "Ready?"
"Yeah."
He leaned forward, placing his hand gently against Zoro's back and smearing the cream around his shoulder area first. He tried to press hard enough to make sure the ointment made it into the cuts while at the same time not putting enough pressure on it to be painful. "You were gonna put it on yourself?" he asked curiously as he paused to pour more cream into his palm, "How would you even do that?"
Hissing softly under his breath, Zoro's back lightly arched as Luffy rubbed at the wounds. "Wouldn't be a problem for you," he muttered in a strained voice.
Deciding it would probably hurt Zoro no matter what he did, he continued using the same pressure. "Yeah," he chuckled, "but not for you. I wasn't putting anything on my back... You would've had to pour it on the bed and roll around in it or something."
What was meant to be a casual comment became more when he imagined Zoro doing just that. The mental image proved to be too much and he had to briefly pull his hand away to avoid jostling the wounds as he found himself blinking then laughing abruptly. It would be like that lady's dog when it rolled around in the grass! He wondered if Zoro would make the little growling noises the dog made too... The thought just made him laugh even more.
Zoro didn't understand what was so amusing, and he shifted uncomfortably. For a moment, he was tempted to smack the prince upside the head in an attempt to bring him to his senses. He ultimately decided against it, however.
Forcing himself to stop, Luffy managed to rein his amusement in to mere chuckles. "Sorry, sorry," he murmured, the laughter still in his voice making him sound anything but repentant, "It's just... have you ever seen a dog do that?" He poured more cream onto his hand and continued, starting where he'd abruptly left off. "It's so funny! They twist all around on their back and scoot around and make these funny little noises, and their legs are all splayed up at weird angles. You don't know what the hell they're doing but they look hilarious doing it." He chuckled, trying to focus only on the memory of the dog and not on the thought of Zoro putting cream on his back that way.
Slightly unnerved, Zoro chose not to respond as Luffy's hands roamed across his tight muscles. Instead, his eyes settled upon the shirt and haramaki that the prince had brought to him, a soft smile appearing on his face in spite of himself.
Luffy didn't know how much cream he was supposed to be putting on, so he decided to err on the side of generosity. It took another two times of pouring more cream into his palm, but by the time he reached Zoro's lower back, his fingers brushing the waistband of his pants, he decided he had done a very thorough job. Good! Now it could all heal faster. Leaning back, Luffy looked curiously down at his palms, holding his hands up to peer closer. "Huh. Can you feel that too? My hands feel all tingly..."
"Yeah, it feels weird," admitted the swordsman. He looked back at Luffy, traces of the subtle expression still on his face.
Thinking Zoro's expression was because of the cream, Luffy grinned at him brightly, closing his eyes in the movement. "Guess that means it's working, huh?" He laughed lightly, pleased.
"Maybe." Turning away after a few seconds, he settled onto his side in silence.
"No, it does," Luffy insisted optimistically, closing the bottle and setting it in his lap. "Who knows how long it'll take? You could even feel better by tomorrow night!"
"Maybe," he repeated again as he reached out to turn off the lamp. The light promptly died, leaving the pair bathed in darkness.
Luffy blinked down at him as best he could with the sudden lack of light. "You're sleeping now?" he asked unnecessarily as he leaned toward where he remembered the nightstand to be and set the bottle down. Returning to a sitting position, he looked thoughtfully in the general direction of his bodyguard.
"Dunno," Zoro responded truthfully. "But the light was bothering me."
"Oh." A pause then, because Luffy really didn't know what to say back to that. Why would the light be bothering him? He must be tired. Hmm... Not knowing what to do, he continued to sit on the edge of the bed and stare at him.
"I can turn it on if you'd rather."
Luffy shook his head. "Nah, it's not that. Just... what do you do in the dark? You're probably gonna sleep." He didn't really care if Zoro slept or not, he was just surprised at the light being turned off without the intent to immediately go to bed.
"People do plenty of things in the dark," stated Zoro.
"Like what?" Luffy asked, thinking Zoro was bluffing. There wasn't much to do when you couldn't even see what was happening around you.
"Like think."
Luffy frowned, shifting so he could lie down on the bed beside Zoro, his head at Zoro's feet and vice versa. Putting his hands behind his head, he stared at what would have been the ceiling if it weren't for the darkness. "I guess," he conceded, though he didn't sound convinced, "but what's there to think about?"
"All sorts of things." Zoro's bare foot lightly nudged Luffy's head as he spoke, as if the answer were obvious. The gesture was still a friendly one, though.
Luffy chuckled lightly, playfully pushing back at Zoro's foot. "You're just avoiding the questions 'cause you don't have a real answer."
"I'm not avoiding your questions."
"But you don't have a real answer," he insisted, though truthfully he didn't mind. Darkness probably worked well for deep thinking; he just didn't really have anything to think all that deeply about that he couldn't think about in the light too.
"'Thinking' is an answer," Zoro responded, foot lightly pushing against Luffy's head once more.
"You never said what about." Luffy smiled into darkness, though, amused by Zoro's semi-playfulness.
"And I said people think about all sorts of things. Like what they're gonna do tomorrow or something good that happened that day, I guess." He paused as he gave an amused smirk. "But maybe you wouldn't know since you don't seem to think that often."
Luffy laughed. "Hey, shut up!" He shoved at Zoro's foot, "I do too think a lot! I just don't see what's so special about thinking in the dark... Except it seems more comforting, I guess."
"People do other things in the dark, too, but…" Zoro shrugged. "Thinking is what I do most other than sleeping."
"Hmm." Luffy paused, chuckling softly. "I usually just run into things in the dark."
"Why's your head down there?" asked the swordsman after a moment of silence.
Blinking at the question, Luffy shrugged. "I dunno. It was just how I turned when I went to lie down. So I don't accidentally hit your back with my elbow or something." He paused, thinking about it. Actually, he would be more likely to kick him on accident. Pushing himself up to a sitting position, he shifted until he could drop back down near Zoro, their heads in the same direction. "This work?"
Turning to face Luffy, Zoro lightly shrugged. "Yeah, it works fine."
"'Kay," Luffy answered with a smile in his voice, "Good." He stretched, enjoying the light burn in his muscles. His hands didn't feel strange anymore; instead, they almost felt a little bit numb. It was a pleasant feeling, though, which he assumed was mirrored in Zoro's back. He idly stared into the darkness, deciding to try to do what Zoro said and let his mind drift as he just... thought.
Zoro's gaze had fallen onto Luffy's face as he watched the prince's peaceful, distant expression. It looked as if he was purposely trying to think, which vaguely amused the green-haired man.
Nothing was really coming to mind, so Luffy continued to wait. Anything that passed his mind was either something amusing that had happened at one point, or something he really didn't feel like thinking about. It wasn't long, though, until he found himself thinking of the sky and the sea. Fixating on that, Luffy smiled softly to himself, the expression serene and composed compared to his usual bright and almost excessively cheerful grins.
He relaxed unconsciously, picturing the movement of the waves and the slow journey of the clouds across the sky. He was so intent on the endless blue that he didn't even notice Zoro had ever turned to look at him.
Continuing to observe him, Zoro felt more relaxed when he saw Luffy's content smile. The prince's eyes in particular reflected the drifting thoughts within, and Zoro's own eyes couldn't help but watch them. He opened his mouth to comment, but decided against it.
Unconsciously, Luffy let out a soft, content sigh. He continued to smile peacefully, though he finally felt the weight of Zoro's gaze. Tilting his head to return the stare, his expression remained as relaxed and content as before but the smile brightened a fraction. He thought of saying something but didn't really feel like it, deciding instead to just watch his bodyguard for a while.
Taken in by Luffy's genuinely laid-back gaze, Zoro continued to watch the prince in silence. He barely felt a draft that had entered the room.
The longer the silence stretched, the less words seemed necessary. Luffy continued to smile at him, feeling content and calm and generally pleased with the world. He was an optimistic person by nature, having long ago decided that everything would eventually work out well in the end. But he didn't often feel so... connected, maybe, with the world. He didn't really know how to explain it, but the feeling was there and it made his heartbeat slow and his muscles relax, and it made the smile on his face never want to leave. A surge of affection for Zoro welled within him for getting him to this point; enough that he wanted to show it somehow. His eyes softened and he reached over, placing a hand gently on his bodyguard's upper arm, scooting forward so he could lightly hug him with one arm and rest his forehead against Zoro's. He had no plans beyond that point so he just stayed there a moment, his affection silent but very sincere.
Rather taken aback, Zoro almost choked on his own saliva as he fought back the instinct to push the other man away. He knew that Luffy meant well, that he was being friendly and open…and Zoro didn't want to put the progress they'd made with one another in jeopardy. So he silently remained within Luffy's warm, secure grasp, the prince's breath tickling the swordsman's face.
Luffy's content smile turned into a grin when he saw the internal struggle in Zoro's eyes. He suddenly remembered Zoro's words from back in the desert the morning they realized Luffy had eaten that fruit. '...I don't let people get this close to me... so... it's only natural that I wouldn't be used to it.' He wondered what it would be like, being so unused to people being that close that he would jump every time Luffy made a sudden move. Luffy was too used to being close to people to be able to comprehend how it would feel to not be. The grin remained, nothing but openness and amusement as he pulled his arm back, shifting to move back to his side. He was intending to show his thanks, which had probably already gotten across; there was no need to stress Zoro out in the process.
As soon as Luffy pulled away, Zoro's body immediately felt cold. He lightly reached out for the prince, but stopped short of actually touching him. Instead, he wrapped his arms around himself before letting his eyes drift to a close.
Gaze caught by the movement of his arms, Luffy watched Zoro for a moment before inwardly shrugging and shifting forward again. This time he stayed just far enough away that most of him wasn't touching Zoro, but he let one arm rest across Zoro's side. That way, if Zoro didn't want him near it would be easy to turn away, but if he did want him there it would be easy to either pull him forward or let him stay where he was. Luffy didn't really mind which was chosen; he intended to comply with whatever Zoro seemed to want.
Feeling the light touch, Zoro's lip quirked into an uneasy smile. But he chose not to pull away, although he didn't immediately reach out and pull the prince closer to himself, either. Instead, he continued to rest as he was, his breathing becoming deeper and slower as the minutes drifted by.
Luffy grinned to himself, amused. If he was going to have to learn to think in the dark, Zoro was going to have to learn to be all right with Luffy's presence so near in the dark too. It was a trade-off of sorts. He yawned, shifting his free arm up to curl his hand near his chin, his arm relaxing even more against Zoro's side. With his eyes closed, he found himself thinking of the sea and sky again and, smiling, he slowly drifted off to sleep.