-Tangled Web-
A role-play/joint-fic by Digitaldreamer and Constable Remington
Chapter seven: Recovering
Right. Luffy kind of acted girly last chapter. That has been fixed. Please feel free to go read it and tell me if he is no longer girly.
Just so everyone knows; this chapter is pretty much twelve pages of fluff. There is very little action this chapter, but we do develop the relations between Zoro and Luffy some more. Hopefully this doesn't bore you all…hey, it's still cute, even if it gets us no closer to telling us anything about Luffy. This chapter's main purpose is to develop Zoro and Luffy's relationship and to show Luffy is in fact healing. Yes.
I apologize in advance for the seemingly pointless-ness of this chapter. Go on, you'll like it, it's cute. I'll make it up to you next chapter, really.
(SHE LIES!)
Watching the door close, Zoro stood there blankly for a moment, as if trying to think of something to say. Then he just sighed and slumped against the door, sitting on the floor.
Luffy glanced around the room for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then he shrugged and walked over to the tub, poking the slowly rising water level with his finger. He swirled the finger through the water for a moment, amused by the bubbles that he stirred up before deciding he should probably quit messing around and take bath.
He smelled really bad, now that he thought about it. When was the last time he took a bath? He couldn't remember…then again, he couldn't remember anything before two nights ago, so he supposed that wasn't much to go by.
The boy wiggled out of his shorts, holding them in front of him for a moment and making a face. They were covered in blood stains and ripped and torn in places; they may as well have been rags from how torn up they were. Jeez, how long had he been wearing these things? They looked like they were ready to fall apart.
Luffy tossed the jeans to the floor, then hopped into the half-filled tub. Of course, by doing this he managed to cause a bit of water to splash over the sides of the tub and onto the floor. Luffy stared blankly at the puddles from behind his now soaked black bangs, and then laughed. "I'll clean it up later," he said, sinking into the warm water. It felt really good, but it did sting his wounds a bit. Speaking of those…
Distantly he wondered why he hadn't taken off his bandages before he got into the water. Ah well, that didn't matter now.
He began to unravel the now soaked white bandages from his waist, hissing in pain as the sticky material peeled away to reveal slightly wrinkly tan skin (This was why he didn't like bandages, he felt all icky once he peeled them off) as well as a lot of grisly looking gashes. They covered his sides and his stomach, most too shallow to be critical, and appeared to have been made with a knife. There were scabs forming over most of them, and some already had the scabs formed, but it certainly wasn't a pretty picture. No wonder he hurt so much.
His back was covered with what were probably welts. The skin had probably been broken a few times by whatever he'd been hit with, judging by the bloodstains covering the bandages. Luffy decided he'd have a better look at them once he got out and could see the mirror.
He soon discovered his legs were also decorated in gashes and bruises and he was already aware of the ones that covered his face and arms.
"Wow, I really got beat up," Luffy muttered as he lay back in the tub, gazing in a detached way at his unraveled wounds. "I wonder who did this…whoever they were, I'm gonna kick their ass. "
Luffy sighed, soaking for a few minutes before deciding he should probably wash himself like he came in here to do. He reached over and grabbed for the bar of soap. However, the thing slipped from his grasp and across the room, hitting the door. Luffy stared at it for a moment.
"…Stupid mister soap." He pouted, standing up, the water draining off of him as he stood. He hopped out of the tub, dripping water everywhere as he crossed the room to pick up the elusive bar of soap. After thoroughly soaking the floor he got to the soap, and then turned around to make the return trip. However, his foot hit one of his just made puddles and he slipped, falling backwards onto the dark-blue (now thoroughly soaked) throw-rug.
Blinking, Zoro heard Luffy's voice faintly and then a loud thump against the floor. He rose an eyebrow, turning his head a bit. "Hey... are you alright?"
Luffy lay against the soaked rug, blinking for a moment, then laughed. "Yeah, I'm fine!" he said as he grabbed the evil soap from where he had dropped it and hopped to his feet as if nothing had happened. Sure, his back hurt like hell now, but that was ignorable.
Frowning some, Zoro forced his mind to think of something -- anything -- but the mess Luffy must have been making in there. He didn't really need to be spending his time picturing Luffy bathe.
Luffy hopped into the tub again (soaking the floor even more; there was now so much water on the floor that there may as well have been a small flood) and began to scrub himself with the soap. He got everywhere he could think of, including behind his ears, wincing whenever it got into wounds. But eh, it was a good idea to wash those out, right? So this pain was good, right?
After scrubbing himself down Luffy grabbed what he assumed was shampoo. If it had a label that said "shampoo" on it, that was good, right? Probably. Luffy squirted some of the shampoo (Which was actually way too much since he squeezed too hard on the bottle) into his palm, then began to lather it into his messy black locks of hair, closing his eyes so it didn't get into them. After doing this he took a deep breath and plunged under water to rinse it all out. He surfaced a few seconds later, shaking his head and sending droplets of water everywhere like a dog.
After soaking for a few more minutes he got a bit bored and started playing around, splashing water this way and that way, ducking underwater, rocking back and forth so he caused great big waves. Luffy laughed in delight as he splashed water into the air, watching the shimmering droplets fall back into the tub with a splash.
Eventually the water started getting kind of cold and when Luffy checked his fingers, they were pruned from being in the water so long. Gee, maybe he should get out…
…Eh, he would after one more game of "submarine".
Zoro rose an eyebrow at the splashing noises, unsure what to say. Luffy really was just like a kid.
Still... Zoro wondered what clothes the boy was supposed to wear when he got out. It wasn't like he could go around na...ked...
Luffy eventually did actually get out of the tub, shaking himself off like a dog the moment he stepped onto the soaked floor. Then he grabbed a towel from the rack and dried himself off. Of course drying himself off for Luffy just meant slapping the towel over himself and any moisture that was soaked up by this meant he was dry, even if he was still dripping wet. Therefore, when he pulled the towel around himself like a blanket (the towel was pretty big and Luffy was pretty small, so it covered everything that needed to be covered) he was still pretty much sopping wet, his hair dripping water everywhere.
Then he reached for his torn shorts, making as if to pull them on. Except for the tiny problem that they were now sort of drenched, along with being blood-stained and practically ruined already.
Well, wearing those was out then.
Luffy decided he'd just have to go with the towel until he found something else and walked up to the door with the cloth pulled around his shoulders like a blanket. He pulled over the door and peeked out, shivering slightly. "Kay, I'm done!" He said with a grin before glancing back at the bathroom. "..I think I kinda drowned your floor, though, sorry about that…"
Zoro almost fell back when the door opened, but he caught himself, standing to his feet and staring at Luffy blankly before he quickly looked away. "Ah... that's... that's okay. The floor doesn't mind." He began to walk towards his room. "Let's try and find you some clothes, alright?"
"Okie dokie!" Luffy said with a grin, following Zoro to his room, leaving a trail of damp carpet in the hallway behind him.
Making a face at how dripping wet Luffy still remained, Zoro sighed, closing the door behind them. "You should dry off," he said shortly, forcing himself to turn away from Luffy and instead kneel before his dresser, beginning to look through the drawers for old clothes for Luffy.
Luffy cocked his head to the side. "But I did dry off…." He then finally noticed the trail of water he was leaving. "…Oh," he said with a laugh, beginning to make another attempt at drying himself off, this time actually rubbing the towel over his skin.
Zoro was careful not to look; he quickly found a faded blue t-shirt and a ripped pair of jeans that he knew were now too small for him but probably still too big for Luffy. "This is going to have to work until you're strong enough to leave the house. Then we can go shopping, I guess, so you don't have to wear weird clothes when you... when you go home." He tossed the clothes behind him.
Luffy yelped in surprise as the shirt hit him in the face, somehow managing to catch the jeans in his hands. He blinked as the shirt fell away and landed in his arms as well, the towel hanging loosely around his waist. Then he grinned as he pulled the shirt over his head.
It really was far too big for him. It hung off of his lanky frame, the wide sleeves going all the way to his elbows, the shirt so long he could have just walked around without the pants and he wouldn't have been showing anything. Luffy grinned down at the faded blue cloth, hugging his arms to his chest. "I like it! Thanks, Zoro!"
Zoro blinked, turning some to get a look, but he quickly looked back away, his face going red. "Luffy! Put on some pants!" he cried.
Luffy blinked, glancing down to note his bare legs. He then laughed, grinning sheepishly. "Oh yeah, right. Sorry," He said, pulling on the pants. These were also pretty big on him, so he ended up rolling up the ends twice, and even then they hid his bare feet from view.
Zoro sighed, standing to survey Luffy. He leaned in, looking at the oversized clothes, seemingly amused. "You really are tiny," he grinned a little, looking down at him. But being so close to Luffy and suddenly meeting his eyes and being able to smell the young boy again was reminding him a little bit too much of the... the kiss they had shared before. So he quickly moved away, trying to appear casual about it.
Luffy blinked as Zoro leaned towards him a bit, cocking his head to the side and putting his arms behind his back as he met the older man's eyes. He could again recall the kiss from earlier, the way his heart had thundered…and then Zoro quickly pulled away and the memory was tucked away to make way for other things. Luffy laughed, beaming at Zoro. "Yeah, I guess I am kinda small," he said, scratching his head, which was still sopping wet.
"You look a lot better," he said gently. "You feel better too?" He paused for a moment. Okay…he's still dripping water everywhere…like on my bed. Shit…if Nami sees a wet spot... He then grabbed up the damp towel from the floor, suddenly running it through Luffy's hair.
Luffy yelped in surprise as the towel was run through his hair, then laughed. "Yup, I feel a lot better!" he said, still grinning from ear to ear.
"Good." Zoro couldn't help but gently smile down at the boy. "Are you hungry? I can make you some lunch or something."
Luffy's grin got even bigger, which was a feet in itself as his grin was already abnormally huge. "Yeah! Lunch would be great!" He said, his stomach choosing that moment to growl loudly.
Leading the way out the door, Zoro paused at the top of the stairs, waiting for Luffy to catch up. "I can carry you if you want," he said softly.
Luffy followed, a bit slower, behind Zoro. He was starting to get a bit tired from walking around so much, and wasn't quite sure he was ready for the stairs judging from how weak his legs were starting to feel. That and his wounds were really starting to hurt again, maybe putting new bandages on them would be a good idea…he really hoped they wouldn't start bleeding again.
He stopped at the stairs, leaning against the wall for support. "Yeah, that'd be good. Do you think we could get some new bandages too?" he asked, breathing quicker than before.
Zoro nodded some. "Wait just a second." He ducked into the bathroom, wincing at the puddles of water on the floor. Still, he simply grabbed the roll of bandages from the cupboard and went back out into the hall. "Hang onto these." He pushed the bandages into Luffy's hands, suddenly moving his arms to pick the boy up and cradle him in his arms, moving down the stairs and into the living room.
Luffy nodded, for once not caught by surprise as Zoro picked him up and carried him down the stairs, cradling him like a child. Although he didn't really like the feeling of being so weak that he couldn't make it down the stairs, he wasn't about to complain. He didn't really mind if Zoro was willing to carry him around, he felt safe in the swordsman's arms.
Setting Luffy on the couch, Zoro frowned down at him. "Uhm, I guess... take off your shirt and I'll bandage you again." He blushed at this thought, but quickly pushed that away.
Luffy nodded, pulling his shirt up over his head and setting it next to him on the couch, then looking at Zoro as if waiting for instructions.
But Zoro didn't say anything, only beginning to unwrap the bandages from the roll and carefully rewrap them around Luffy's body. He covered each cut and wound accordingly. "I'm glad you're starting to feel better," he said gently.
Luffy smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he did so. "Me too," he said, holding still so he wouldn't end up making things harder for the older man.
Finally tying the bandage off, Zoro pulled away, admiring his handiwork. "So," he said, setting the roll on the coffee table, "what do you want for lunch?" He grinned lightly at the boy, beginning to finally loosen up from his tenseness over the kiss nearly hours before.
"MEAT!" Luffy cried instantly, though it was muffled as he was pulling his shirt back over his head.
Zoro was slightly taken aback, blinking at the sudden outcry. "...Meat it is, then," he began after a pause, laughing some. "There's a couple steaks left from a few nights ago. Those shouldn't be too hard to make."
"Whoo! We're having meat!" Luffy cried the moment his head poked out of the shirt, his exhaustion from earlier forgotten. He punched his fists in the air enthusiastically, grinning.
Unable to do anything but smile back, Zoro reached out a hand to help Luffy up from the couch. He began to move towards the kitchen, pulling the boy along. He gestured for the boy to sit at the nearby kitchen table, going to the fridge and pulling out a plate that had two large red steaks sitting on it, covered with plastic wrap. He pulled off the wrap, setting the plate on the counter and putting a pan on the stove.
Luffy plopped down into a seat at the table, practically bouncing up and down in his chair. Clearly the prospect of food, especially meat, had him very excited. "Can I help?" he asked.
"Help?" Zoro echoed warily, looking back to Luffy as he slapped both steaks into the pan. "I... sure, if you want to... there's really nothing to do, but you can flip them when they're ready if you want..."
"Yosh!" Luffy cried, jumping up and running over to the stove and staring down at the pan for a moment. "…Are they ready yet?"
Zoro was no cook, that was for sure, but he at least knew this much. "No," he said, raising an eyebrow. "It'll at least be a few minutes."
"Awwwwwww..." Luffy's face fell. He stared dejectedly at the meat for about twenty seconds. "…Has it been a few minutes yet?"
Zoro sighed raggedly. He knew he would have to find something to occupy Luffy for a while, but what? His never-ending asking was certainly going to get annoying. "No, it hasn't," he finally muttered. "Isn't there something you can do to keep busy for a bit?"
"I can think of a few things you could do," a voice spoke up, and Zoro's head shot sideways to see Sanji leaning in the doorway, a cigarette poking from his mouth, grinning. "Honey, I'm home," he spoke gently, with a small laugh, and Zoro growled and rolled his eyes.
Luffy spun around to see the blonde cook, his anxious face becoming a grin once again. "Sanji! Hi!" He cried, waving enthusiastically and nearly hitting Zoro in the head as he did so. "What can I do to keep busy? Huh? Huh?"
Sanji pulled the cigarette from his mouth, blowing the smoke out from between his lips. "Well, I was going to suggest something..." He looked to the boy, dressed in Zoro's clothes, and grinned. "But if you needed a change of clothes... maybe I'm too late with my suggestion, huh?"
"Shut up, Sanji," Zoro spoke lowly, his tone holding a warning.
Luffy cocked his head to the side, looking confused. He scratched his head. "You mean a bath?" he asked, blinking innocently.
Sanji laughed loudly, and Zoro thought for a moment that he wanted to kill himself.
"We didn't go together!" Zoro yelled, but Sanji was pushing him out of the way, still laughing, and taking over the cooking.
Luffy blinked again, still looking confused as Sanji walked past him and took over the cooking. "Hey, that's not fair! I was gonna get to flip the meat!" he cried, waving his arms dramatically.
Blinking, Sanji turned towards him. "All right, you can if you want to," he said, moving slightly out of the way and handing Luffy a spatula.
Luffy blinked at the spatula in his hand. "..What do I do with this?" he asked, sounding even more confused. He poked the meat with the spatula, and then it dawned on him. "OH! I get it!" he said, putting the spatula underneath one of the steaks and throwing it upward. It hit the ceiling with a splat.
Sanji quickly grabbed the utensil from Luffy's hand, pushing him out of the way, and, amazingly, was able to catch the steak on the nearby plate as it fell. He turned on the two, glaring. "Out of my kitchen!" he yelled suddenly, and Zoro, open-mouthed, took the hint and grabbed Luffy's arm, yanking him out into the living room.
"But I gotta flip the other one!" Luffy cried as he was pulled out of the kitchen. "I wanna help!"
Zoro only continued pulling him out, eventually pulling him onto the couch and wrapping both arms around Luffy's waist to hold him tight in his lap and keep him there, safely away from lunch. "I think you've helped enough."
"But…but…" Luffy struggled in Zoro's grip for a moment before giving up and slumping back against Zoro, sighing dejectedly and folding his arms. "Awwwwww…" he whined, pouting.
The man grinned for a moment, his arms staying tight around Luffy's waist. Now that the boy was beginning to feel better, it was nice to have him close. His energy was definitely keeping Zoro on his feet. He glanced to the TV, reaching for the remote to turn it on. "Here, you like cartoons?"
Luffy perked up. Though there were few things he remembered, he did remember cartoons and how cool they were. "Yeah! I love cartoons!"
Flicking the TV on, Zoro handed Luffy the remote. "There, you can find something to watch."
"'Kay!" Luffy said, taking the remote. He frowned at it a moment, then glanced at what was on, the news. "Blah, you're boring mister old guy!" he declared, hitting the channel up button.
And of course, as fate would have it, the next channel was showing some sort of weird romance flick, and of course it happened to be right at the moment where the hero and heroine were sucking face and beginning to take off each others clothes with pretty background music.
Luffy stared blankly at the screen, then pointed at it. "Zoro, why are they trying to eat each other?" he asked, looking up at Zoro.
Zoro stared back, before quickly grabbing the remote and changing the channel, happily, to the news. His face was bright and hot, and he quickly looked away. "It's... they're not... it's..." He only stumbled over his words. "Why don't you go ask Sanji? He knows all about that."
"Okay!" Luffy said, jumping up from Zoro's lap and rushing towards the kitchen. He paused, however. "But you said to never listen to anything he says..."
Zoro was about to tell Luffy to be careful and not use so much energy when he stopped, hearing the boy's words. He was taken by surprise, not used to have his points turned against him, and he only stared blankly for a moment. "...well, sometimes he knows things," Zoro muttered, not too pleased with having to admit this. "Never mind that right now. Just go ask him."
"Okay!" Luffy said with a grin, running into the kitchen. "Sanji!" He cried, then yelped as he slipped on the too-long ends of his jeans. He wind milled his arms for a moment as he wobbled on one leg before regaining his balance. "Phew.."
Turning suddenly, the man was about to yell at the kid to get the hell out of his kitchen before he stopped, watching Luffy regain his balance with a sense of amusement in his eyes. Turning the burner on the stove down some, he set down the spatula and rose an eyebrow. "...yes?"
Luffy grinned up at Sanji. "Why were the two people on TV trying to eat each other?"
Sanji stared back for a moment before irritation set in. This question didn't even make sense, and the kid had come to interrupt him with something like this? "What?" he asked, confused. "What are you even talking about?"
"Zoro and I were watching TV and it was the news so I changed the channel and on TV there was this guy and this girl and they were sticking their tongues in each others mouths and moaning and stuff. It looked like they were eating each other, why?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side.
The blonde took a quiet moment to pause. And then he laughed. And for a moment, he wasn't sure if he would be able to stop laughing. Using the counter to balance himself, he covered his face with a hand still giggling, before finally regaining composure enough to speak, albeit with difficulty. "They weren't eating each other, Luffy, they were... they were..." But he was laughing again. "They were kissing."
"Ohhhhh…." Luffy said, nodding as if he understood. Then he frowned. "But I thought kissing was just putting your lips on someone else's? They were sticking their tongues down each others throats practically!"
"Well," Sanji began slowly, turning back to the oven. "When you really, really like someone, that's just what you do." He grinned a bit. "It feels nice."
Luffy made a face. "How would having someone else's tongue stuck in your mouth feel nice?"
Sanji only shrugged, unsure of how to describe it. "If you really want to know, you have to find out for yourself," he said simply, busying himself with the meal cooking on the stove. "It's just one of those things you have to do yourself."
"Really? That's interesting…thanks Sanji!" Luffy cried, charging out of the room to return to Zoro and the hypnotic glowing box that was TV.
Raising an eyebrow as Luffy rushed back in, Zoro scooted over to make room on the couch for the boy, wondering what Sanji had told him. "Well? You, ah, satisfy your curiosity yet?"
"Sort of," Luffy said as he flopped onto the couch next to Zoro. "He said it was 'kissing'. But they were sticking their tongues in each others mouths…which is supposed to feel nice, apparently. I think it's has to do with that 'love' thing…which isn't a fruit."
"Yeah... usually." Zoro frowned a bit. "But sometimes people kiss each other even when they're not in love, just because they like the feeling." He made a bit of a face. "Like Sanji." Still, Zoro shook his head, pointing to the TV, where a cute show with a young girl running around fighting monsters with cards was playing. "I found you a show."
"YAY!" Luffy's eyes widened as he stared, completely mesmerized, at the screen. He seemed especially mesmerized by the cute cat thing with wings. "Yay, Kero! I want Kero! Zoro, you should own a cat with wings!" he declared while staring at the screen.
Not really interested in the show, Zoro had instead taken to flipping through one of Nami's girly magazines that had been sitting on the coffee table, scanning through in disgust. He glanced up at Luffy's outburst, raising an eyebrow at the little animated creature on the screen. "...no thanks," he said finally. "I have enough weird things in my life." But before he could elaborate, Sanji's voice came shouting from the kitchen.
"Food's ready!"
"MEAT!" Luffy cried as he jumped up and rushed to the kitchen, cute cat thing forgotten.
Zoro was finding out that he was having a hard time keeping up with the younger boy. Standing from the couch and abandoning the magazine back on the coffee table, he flicked the TV off as he followed back into the kitchen.
Sanji already had plates of food sitting on the table -- he had managed to somehow safely salvage the steak Luffy had nearly ruined, along with making mashed potatoes and green beans. Zoro sat down at his place at the table, quietly beginning to eat.
Luffy plopped down next to Zoro and immediately began to eat, shoveling the food into his mouth so fast it was wonder he tasted it. "Yummy! This is great! Thank you Sanji!" Luffy cried, but his mouth was full so it came out a bit muffled.
Sanji stared quietly, sliding down in his own seat and forcing himself to look away from Luffy so he could eat as well. "Hungry?" he asked, rather amused. Zoro snorted a bit, taking a drink of water.
"No. He's always like this."
Luffy nodded at Sanji, taking a large gulp of water before opening his mouth to take another bite….only to discover that his fork had nothing on it. The boy blinked, looking down at his completely clean plate.
Zoro had finished too, already defensive that Luffy would get a hold of his plate next if he didn't. Sanji quickly followed suit, not really used to eating fast, but not wanting to go hungry. The blonde grabbed his and Luffy's plates, taking them to the sink, but leaving Zoro's behind.
"So, you must be feeling better," Sanji mused, looking towards the boy.
Luffy nodded, still grinning. "Yup! Thanks to Zoro I feel a lot better! I think I might be able to actually walk without collapsing soon!" he said, eyes shining with excitement as he spoke.
Sanji laughed a little. "What an achievement." He glanced sideways to Zoro. "He's recovered awfully fast. You must be working some kind of miracles."
"Don't push it," Zoro warned, getting up to drop his own plate in the sink. He leaned against the counter, turning back to Luffy. "You should get some more sleep."
Luffy pouted. "But I'm not tired!" He insisted.
Frowning some, Zoro sighed. "Alright, alright... if you're not tired, there's no point in sending you off to sleep. You can go finish your show if you want."
"Yosh!" Luffy cried, punching his fists into the air. He charged into the living room, singing as he returned to the wonderful show that was Cardcaptor Sakura. "Hora catch you catch me catch you catch me ZETTAI! Unmei datte o-niai date!"
Zoro made a face, moving from the kitchen to follow Luffy out into the living room before Sanji could say anything that might possibly be on his mind. After all, Zoro had stayed home to keep an eye on Luffy, so that's what he should do.
Luffy was plopped directly in front of the TV, seated Indian style with wide eyes that seemed to be reflecting the screen.
Zoro didn't really mind that he couldn't see the screen. Mainly, he was just pleased that Luffy seemed to have found a show to be interested in where no kissing was to be found. Not interested any further in Nami's magazine, Zoro let his mind wander. His eyes settled on Luffy. He really did look ridiculous in Zoro's hugely oversized clothes, and the man laughed a little, seemingly in a good mood.
Luffy glanced back upon hearing Zoro's laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked with a grin.
"You," Zoro answered, moving down from the couch to rest on the floor beside Luffy. He reached up, ruffling the boy's hair. "You look so weird in those clothes."
Luffy laughed as the older man ruffled his hair. "Well I don't care," he said, sticking out his tongue. "I like 'em!"
Zoro smiled some, letting his hand rest on Luffy's head idly for a moment before he seemed to have realized what he was doing, and he quickly pulled it away. "Yeah, they're fine for now. But I'll have to buy you something before we take you home."
Luffy blinked, looking a bit surprised. "You're gonna buy me clothes? But won't that cost you money?"
Pausing for a moment, Zoro shrugged. "It's fine. We can't send you back looking like a rag doll, right?"
The boy laughed again, leaning against Zoro's shoulder. "I guess not," he said, smile distorted a bit since his cheek was being pressed against Zoro's shoulder. Inside though, he felt his heart sink a bit with the mention of being sent back. He liked it here, he wasn't so sure at this point that he wanted to go back. But then again, he didn't know where 'back' was. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad there…even so, he'd definitely be coming back to visit Zoro. He knew there was stuff before him, but Zoro was the first thing he could really remember, and he felt happier just being around the swordsman.
Zoro didn't want to think about Luffy leaving either, for some strange reason. It was true, he liked being on his own, and really, he did enjoy having his own room... but something about Luffy made Zoro not want to be separated from him for too long. Still, Luffy had said he would visit and that was good, right? Besides, if Luffy left, he wouldn't have to endure such constant teasing from the rest of the household. He hesitated for a moment before he slipped his arm around Luffy's waist, just a simple gesture to return Luffy's lean, and that was all.
He remembered reading somewhere that when baby chicks hatch, the first living creature they see becomes a motherly figure in their life. While the last thing Zoro wanted to be compared to was a child-rearing woman, he could somehow see the similarities in Luffy's situation, and it brought a soft, if strange, smile to his own lips.
Luffy watched the rest of the show, completely absorbed in it, with only the occasional comment on how Zoro should get a cool staff like that or other such nonsense. He seemed to be getting a bit tired, and as the ending song began to play he yawned, snuggling against Zoro's shoulder.
Noticing Luffy's fatigue, Zoro reached to flip the TV off, shifting until he could pick Luffy up in his arms. Standing, Zoro began wordlessly carrying the tired-out teenager up the stairs and back into his room. Zoro shut the door again with his foot, sliding Luffy into the bed and sitting himself on the edge of it.
Luffy yawned, curling up under the covers as he stared at Zoro through half-lidded eyes. He smiled, snuggling against the pillow. "Thank you, Zoro."
Zoro nodded softly, noting himself how inviting the bed looked. He paused for a moment before sliding down beside Luffy, pulling the covers up over him, too. "Goodnight," he muttered, though it wasn't night at all.
Luffy's smile widened as his eyes fell shut. "'Night." He murmured back, falling asleep with that wide, angelic smile still in place.
To be continued…
Greiver5: Heh, are you glad that Luffy didn't drown?
Katiiey: XD Yes, Sanji is a perv.
FEnM: Hey, out of curiosity, what does your SN…name…thing stand for? It's spiffy.
Mai Hayami: o.o What character bashing? Were we character bashing? I'm sorry?
Eh…yeah, Luffy was a bit feminine last chapter. ;; I fixed that, I don't suppose you could re-check it and tell me if I did a good job, as well as with this chapter? I don't plan on turning Luffy OOC just so he can Zoro can love each other, because that doesn't need to happen. Luffy will not be made into a weepy-drag-uke, I swear. Because I know he isn't.
We're not trying to get them into the romance yet. ;; I'm trying to work things so they go naturally, no matter how many times Constable and I see instances where our GAYDAR minds say that the boys should kiss. So basically they're slowly getting into it, but we're not going to rush things. Chemistry is good. We're trying to develop things, all right? There is no romance yet. If you don't want romance don't read the fic though, all right?
Zoro teasing/clueless Luffy…yeah, there shall be more of that, you can count on it. And yes, we already had Sanji things and Nami things planned…yeah. As for the bloodshed, you're gonna have to wait a bit but trust me, there will be lots of it.
Well…I still didn't catch the OOC-ness from chapter five…so…..yeah.
Luffy's brain is somewhere over the rainbow in Neverland watching the clouds go by. Seriously.
Long reviews make Digi happy. (glomps Mai) Thank you!
Maedhros: Luffy, deep? Hey, it's possible you know.
Next chapter: The rest of the house finds out about the "kissing" incident. Oh dear…
REVIEW. Pressing that little purple button just may cause a 5 percent increase of "New Tangled Web Chapter" in your day.