-Tangled Web-
A Role-play/Joint-fic by Digitaldreamer and Constable Remington
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Of CD Players, Legends, and House Gossip
Well, it's been awhile, ne? Around seven or eight months, I believe. Man…that's a really long time. But finally at last, we're back! TW went through a bit of a slump, but we are indeed back! There were many issues, but for the most part they're worked out…or in the process of doing so, at any rate. I can't promise how often updates will be, but at least we'll be updating, ne? I'll try and update as much as I can, so Constable and I will try our best!
Right so…this thing is almost a year old! Wow…talk about crazy, ne? Well, not that we've been active for most of it, but a year and nearly 600 reviews is a big accomplishment, right? …Right? –crickets chirp-
Oh dear…with the long wait, I hope we haven't lost all of our readers…ah…sorry for the long wait everyone! We're back at last and hopefully to stay! Now then, onto the newest chapter of Tangled Web!
---
The next day, at Yume High, a new terror roamed the halls.
"Hello, hello! It's a new world!"
Several people in the cafeteria stopped whatever they were doing and turned to stare at Luffy, whom was contently leaning against Zoro and singing "New World" from and anime known as .Hack/Dusk VERY loudly.
"Hikari yori hayaku, monokuro no supiido de!"
It has started last night when during Zoro's party, Luffy had discovered Usopp's CD's. This led to Luffy playing "New World" on the stereo over and over and over, to the point where no one could think. Eventually Nami had forced him to turn it off using various threats, and Luffy was left to sulk for five seconds before being distracted with cake.
Then the next morning, Usopp had been kind enough to give Luffy his old, beaten up CD player.
Chaos ensued.
"Hello, hello! It's a new world!" Luffy continued to sing, his completely empty bento sitting in front of him.
Zoro was beginning to get extremely annoyed, and he frowned down at Luffy, finally snatching away the CD player and pulling the headphone cord out so Luffy could no longer get the noise. "Please, that's driving me insane," he gruffed. Note to self: Kill Usopp.
Luffy blinked in confusion for a moment, noting the sudden lack of music, then let out a whine and made a grab for the CD player. "Awwwwwwwwww! Come on, give it back!" he pleaded. "I won't sing anymore!"
"That's what you said ten minutes ago!" Zoro cried, stuffing the CD player into his bag. "I'll give it back after school."
Luffy pouted, folding his arms and looking away from Zoro. "Meanie," he mumbled. Of course, five seconds later he was seemingly over it as he leaned on Zoro again.
"Those weird guys keep looking at me funny…" he mumbled, glancing across the lunchroom at the table in the farthest corner. Several burly seniors sat there, clad in ripped and torn shirts and jeans. A few had some missing teeth, and appeared to have been in a few fights. Each wore a strip of black cloth tied around their upper arm with the word "Krieg" stamped upon it in bold red capital letters.
Zoro followed Luffy's gaze over, before he smirked and shook his head. "Ah, don't worry about it. Maybe they heard about you beating up that idiot and they want you to join their little gang." He paused. "...Err, don't, though, if they ask. They're just trash that think they're so powerful because they can toss a few guys around."
Luffy laughed out loud at this, turning from the guys at the table to look up at the swordsman. "Me? Join them? I wouldn't do that, they look sneaky! I don't like sneaky guys who beat people up for no reason!"
Zoro managed a small laugh, before quickly realizing people were probably watching him and covering it up.
Damn. Luffy was so good at making Zoro look... human.
"They do look sneaky," he murmured, shooting a glance their way. Shrugging it off, Zoro instead turned his gaze to Luffy.
Luffy giggled. He couldn't help it; he just found the word 'sneaky' to be amusing. He glanced up at Zoro, beaming warmly. "Yup, they look sneaky!" he agreed. "Good thing we're not like them, huh?"
Snorting a bit, Zoro gave a careless shrug. "Sure. We're not sneaky at all." Even so, he looked rather amused -- until the lunch bell rang.
"Awww," Luffy whined. "I don't wanna go to gym….ah well." He picked up his empty bento and stood, stretching his arms above his head. He then glanced up at Zoro and smiled. "Well, I guess I'll see you after school?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
Zoro nodded. "Right. I'll meet you at your locker, then." He locked his gaze with Luffy's for a moment. His instincts told him to lean in for a quick kiss...
But no thanks. Not in the middle of school, with students rushing every which way. Instead, Zoro lifted a hand to brush awkwardly through Luffy's hair.
Luffy laughed. However, instead of simply leaving he stood up on tip-toe to give Zoro a quick peck on the cheek. He didn't really care who was watching, it wasn't like it mattered! The cafeteria was already empty anyway.
With this task complete, Luffy pulled away and smiled, giving a small wave as he headed out the door.
Standing there stupidly for a moment, Zoro quickly grabbed up his bento and rushed out, heading, rosy-faced, towards the library. It was his free period (thank God for being a Senior), and he really needed to get that book for English class.
He quickly moved down towards the library, wanting to hurry and get the book so he could find a nice place to sit somewhere and catch a nap. As he approached the library, though, he could hear the noise of a loud class, and glancing through the glass walls separating the library from the hallway showed him that a huge class was in there... the damn librarians always got annoyed when kids used the books and weren't part of whatever class was in there.
Slightly put-off by this, Zoro just shrugged it off and continued down the hall. He'd just go ahead and get it after school.
And so, that's what they did. After school, instead of leaving right away as usual, Luffy and Zoro stopped at the library first.
"Why are we here again?" Luffy asked as he followed the swordsman through the door into the library, gaining himself a glare from the librarian. He waved to her and scuttled by, oblivious to the fact that after spending three days here she hated him for being so loud.
"I need to get some novel to read for English class," Zoro sighed. It wasn't so bad, since he got to choose whatever he wanted to read, but he still felt like he really didn't have time for this stuff.
"Ohhhh." Luffy nodded in understanding as he glanced around at the bookshelves, his face forming into a wide smile as he glanced at the posters. That cat reading a book amused him, yes it did.
It was then that he spotted Usopp sitting at a table. "Oi, Usopp!" Luffy cried happily as he waved in an attempt to the get the long-nosed boys attention. The librarian gave him a sharp, "Shh!" and a glare, to which Luffy responded to with a sheepish smile in her direction and no attempt at quieting down.
Usopp glanced up from the book he was reading, adjusting his glasses. "Luffy? Zoro?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and looking a bit shocked that either of the boys would willingly set foot in the school library.
"Hn." Zoro waved a bit, stopping at the table that Usopp was sitting at. "What are you doing?"
"Reading this," Usopp replied, holding up an old and beaten up black book. It looked ancient, with its yellowed pages and peeling gold title on the front that couldn't be made out. "I'm looking for ideas for my final ink project in graphic arts, and this seemed like a good book to get ideas from. The problem is it's so old they won't let people check it out, so I have to read it in here."
Luffy leaned across the table so he could read the book title. However, even when he squinted he couldn't make it out. "Weird. What's it about?"
"Old legends of all sorts, explaining things from how the world was made to prophecies about things destined to happen in the future," Usopp replied with a grin, dropping voice a few octaves in an attempt to sound mysterious.
"Really? COOL!" Luffy gasped.
"Like some old fairy tale almanac?" Zoro questioned, smirking a bit at the weirdness of it all. Even so, he leaned over a bit, too, towards the book...
Usopp chuckled. "You could say that."
"Ohhh, fairy tales? Tell us one! Please Usopp?" Luffy pleaded, giving Usopp his best puppy dog look that he could manage.
Usopp frowned. "Well….I don't know…"
"Aw, come on Usopp! You're good at telling stories!"
Usopp's face spread into a grin and his chest puffed out at the praise. "Oh…well, if you insist!" With that he began flipping through the book in search of a suitable tale while Luffy gazed on in awe.
Zoro sighed, suddenly taking a seat at the table. He had a feeling that he'd be there a long time.
"Aha! Here's a good one! It's about the war between Heaven and Hell," Usopp declared, letting the book fall open so he could read the story on the pages aloud.
"A war?" Luffy repeated, eyes wide. He settled into a chair and sat there with all of his attention fixed on Usopp like a child at story time.
Usopp nodded sagely. "In the early years, back when the earth was still new, there was a war between the angels of heaven and the demons in hell. Thousands were killed on both sides in this desperate struggle for Earth, and humans were caught right in the middle of it. Neither side seemed willing to give, and at the rate they were going the very planet they were fighting over would probably be destroyed, along with their own planes as well. Ruin seemed inevitable, and there was no victor in sight.
"Then one day two sages were born, one with the power of darkness, and one with the power of light. As they were considered neutral in this war, they came to an agreement with God and Satan. They were given the ability to open and seal the gates of heaven and hell every five hundred years. The angels and demons were confined to their own realms, and their war was only allowed to be held on these two fronts.
"Every five hundred years two new sages would be born, and on the chosen day, judgment day, they would open the gates and a meeting would be held. If things had been solved, then the gates would remain open and peace would remain supreme, and if the battle continued then the two sides were to return to their realms and the war would continue.
"This seemed fair to the two deities, for neither was willing to entrust this power to the other. And so, that is how things have been for eons. The war has yet to be settled, and so every five hundred years there are two new sages and the gates are opened. Perhaps the final judgment day will dawn when all things are decided and all three realms can be at peace." Usopp nodded as he finished his story, closing the book. "Annnd, that's that."
Luffy frowned. "…So you're saying there's some big war going on and at some point two people get stuck trying to make it stop?"
Usopp shrugged. "Basically."
Luffy's face spread into a grin. "WOW! That's so cool!"
Zoro listened with half-interest, not quite understanding. He didn't really believe in that stuff, anyway.
"Hn, it's strange," he muttered gruffly, glancing around the library.
"Yeah, strange and cool! Does the book say when it's gonna happen, Usopp? Does it?" Luffy asked excitedly, leaning across the table towards Usopp with wide eyes.
Usopp shrugged, glancing into the book. "I don't think so. I guess they figure the sages will know who they are when the time comes."
Luffy pouted. "Awww, I wanted to see if it was happening now."
Usopp grinned. "Well, who knows? For all you know it could be!"
Luffy's eyes widened. "REALLY?" he gasped.
"Doesn't exactly sound like a great thing to me," Zoro muttered. He stood from his chair, moving towards a nearby shelf to look for a book. Quickly grabbing a copy of Richard Bachman's "The Regulators", Zoro moved back towards the table. "C'mon, Luffy, let's get home."
"Okay!" Luffy chirped, hopping up from his chair. "Thanks for the story Usopp, see ya later!" he said loudly, waving to Usopp. He was apparently oblivious to librarian, whom seemed to be trying to burn a hole into his skull with her glare.
"Right, bye!" Usopp said, waving and casting a nervous glance at the librarian as he did so.
Zoro's arm moved subtly around Luffy's waist as the two walked from the library towards the parking lot.
Luffy glanced up at Zoro and grinned. "Hey, do you think maybe the people from the pet store decided if I got a job yet or not?"
Shrugging some, Zoro dug in his pocket, pulling out the keys to his motorcycle. "I'm sure they'll call us."
"So let's see if they did!" the boy said excitedly. "I wanna work with the puppies!"
"All right." Zoro couldn't help but grin a little as he moved towards his motorcycle, swinging a leg over it, waiting for Luffy to join him. The two then zoomed out of the parking lot, back towards the house.
The moment they reached the boarding house Luffy hopped off of the motorcycle and charged up the front steps. He threw open the front door and rushed inside, kicking off his school shoes and leaving them in opposite ends of the area where he was supposed to leave them. He then rushed down the hallway, rather heavy backpack thumping behind him as he skidded into the kitchen.
He glanced around for a moment before spotting the phone on the countee. The answering machine next to it was FLASHING! The boy gave an excited squeak and rushed over to it, his socks sliding on the floor and nearly sending him toppling over. He managed to keep his balance by grabbing hold of the counter to stop himself and then pressing the 'play' button with his other hand. He stood with his face inches from the tiny black machine, eyes wide as saucers as he waited for the message to play.
Listlessly moving in after Luffy, Zoro kicked his shoes off, in a bored fashion, as well, moving inside just in time to hear the machine beep and a woman's voice start telling Luffy that he had been hired...
Zoro felt a slight pang in his stomach. On one hand, it was good that Luffy was going to have a job that he liked. On the other, Zoro would miss him while he was gone...
Ah, but he could suck it up. Zoro was a man!
Luffy let out a shout of excitement as he dropped his bag to the floor. As soon as the message finished the boy rushed out of the kitchen to Zoro and immediately tackled the swordsman around the waist.
"I got the job! I got the job!" Luffy cheered, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you hear it, Zoro? She said I got the job and I start tomorrow after school!"
"Yeah...I heard." Zoro carefully wrapped arms around Luffy's waist, unable to help but smiling back a bit.
Luffy giggled. "Isn't it great? Now maybe I can get you stuff. And I'll get to be with a bunch of puppies and kitties and lots of other animals while I'm working! This is so great!" he babbled excitedly.
"Don't spend your money on me," Zoro said seriously, but smiled towards Luffy anyway, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. After all, no one else was around in the house.
Luffy smiled, gladly kissing back. He was just so happy! He finally had a job, he had a nice home with wonderful friends, and best of all he had Zoro! How could things possibly be better?
And of course, Nami chose that moment to wander from the living room to get a snack and walk right in on the two kissing. The orange-haired girls jaw dropped and she immediately thrust a finger at them. "I KNEW IT!"
"Jesus Christ, it's like privacy doesn't exist," Zoro growled as he peered over Luffy's head at Nami, then glanced back at the boy. "I swear, I should just take Luffy to go spend a night in a damn hotel." He grumbled, pulling the boy closer.
Luffy blinked in confusion. "A hotel? Huh?"
Nami's face spread into a wide, cat-like smile. "A hotel? As in a love hotel?" she cooed. "Oh how perfect, you can make love for the first time in a love hotel, how romantic! Assuming you haven't already, hmm?" Her smile became a grin, from her face you would have thought Christmas came early.
Glaring towards her, Zoro clenched his fists and just growled, quickly stomping out of the kitchen. What had been a pleasant kiss of course had to be ruined. Making it to his room, Zoro closed the door, slumping on to his bed.
Luffy remained in the hallway, looking completely confused. "Love hotel? Whaaa?"
Nami giggled, then reached out to pat Luffy on the head. "Don't worry, I'm sure your lover there will explain eventually."
"O…kay…" Luffy said slowly, blinking.
The orange-haired senior continued to smile for a moment before reaching over to suddenly hug him. "Ohhhhh, thank you!" she chirped before rushing out of the hall, leaving a very confused Luffy behind.
Nami rushed into the living room and plopped into the couch, grinning from ear to ear. "I was right!" she announced proudly.
Looking up from her book, Vivi glanced towards Nami on the couch. "Hmm?" she asked, looking confused. "What are you talking about?"
"They're together," Nami said simply as she picked up the TV remote. "It's been exactly one week since Zoro found him, and they're already off kissing in the middle of the hall!"
Giggling suddenly, Vivi smiled. "I'm so glad. Zoro should have someone."
Nami grinned. "Of course! It's about time he stopped being so antisocial! And since he now has someone, and that person happens to be Luffy, I get two thousand yen!" she said, looking proud.
"Are you talking about that bet you have with Usopp?" Vivi asked, suppressing laughter and looking back down at her book.
The orange-haired girl nodded. "He said it'd be more than a week, I said it'd be a week or less…so I win!" she cackled, rubbing her hands together. "This is so going into the ZoLu file…." And with that, she turned on the TV and began flipping through channels, still grinning.
---
Goddamn Nami.
Zoro sighed, flopped against his bed, glaring up at the ceiling. Damn woman of course had to get in the way of everything he and Luffy did. Sometimes, Zoro just wanted to take Luffy and leave...
Somewhere. Anywhere would be nice.
Anywhere without girls.
There was the sound of footsteps pounding along the hallway, followed by the door of Zoro's room cracking open. Luffy peeked his head inside, blinking in confusion. He shuffled inside, dropping his back pack onto the floor before jumping onto the bed and burying his face in Zoro's shirt.
"Zoro, why are girls so scary and confusing?" the boy asked, voice muffled by the shirt.
Slightly surprised, Zoro paused for a moment, sighing, not moving to hold Luffy at all.
"Hn, I'd like to know the answer to that one myself," he grumbled.
Luffy laughed, peering up at Zoro. "They're good friends, but they're really weird sometimes," he murmured, playing with one of the buttons on the swordsman's school shirt. "Sometimes I kinda wish they'd leave us alone for awhile."
"You have no idea," Zoro answered, his heart pumping a bit faster even as Luffy carefully touched over his buttons. He knew it was nothing but innocence, but damn...
The dark-haired boy played with the buttons for a few moments before glancing up at Zoro again, looking curious. "Zoro, what's a love hotel?"
Shifting uncomfortably, Zoro instantly felt his face flush. "It's... you know, a place where couples go, er, to make love. That is, to have... ah, sex."
Luffy cocked his head to the side. "You mean like on that one show when the guy and the girl were naked and moving funny?"
"Yeah. Ah, just like that. It's... how some people show that they love each other." Zoro was slightly uncomfortable discussing this, especially when an annoying voice in the back of Zoro's mind kept pressuring him to take Luffy, to show him what it was.
"Ohhhhh……" Luffy nodded in understanding, then frowned. "So does that mean we're supposed to go to a 'love hotel' and do that? Because Nami said we should."
"I'm sure she did," Zoro growled, fists clenching a bit. He suddenly reached down, latching an arm around Luffy. "You don't have to do anything unless you want to." He shrugged. "I don't care."
He tried to convince himself of that.
The boy frowned, blinking as he snuggled closer to the swordsman. "What if I don't know what I want, though?" he asked, eyes of dark chocolate gazing into obsidian.
"Well, no one's making you decide now. You don't have to decide, ever." Zoro shrugged.
Luffy propped his chin up on his hands, gazing at Zoro. "Well what do you want?" he asked, sounding curious. He honestly didn't know what to make of the situation, so he assumed Zoro would know.
"Me?" Zoro sputtered a moment, taken aback. "Er, I... I don't know. I suppose I want what you want, Luffy. I don't want to hurt you or do something you're not ready for." He shrugged, then paused for a moment before smirking. "But, I can't say that I don't want you," he finished bluntly. There, that sounded about right.
The boy gave a small laugh, blushing. "Want me?" he repeated. "You already have me." He said, scooting forward a bit so he could plant a quick kiss on the swordsman's lips.
Zoro softly returned the kiss, deciding to let the whole "sex" matter rest... for now, anyway. "Yeah... I do."
Luffy pulled away, smiling widely. The moment was interrupted by a soft whine at the foot of the bed. The boy immediately sat up and turned, his smile becoming a grin. "Chopper! There you are! I wondered where you were!" Luffy hopped off of Zoro and onto the floor so he could properly pet the puppy.
There was a pause.
"Why do you have Nami's underwear? I don't think puppies are supposed to eat underwear…maybe we should have gotten you some food…gee…"
Luffy stood with a baffled look on his face, a whining Chopper in one arm and a pair of rather torn up pair of panties in his other one. "Um…Zoro…I don't think Nami's gonna be very happy…Chopper was kinda hungry.."
Zoro stared blankly, quickly reaching out and grabbing the panties from Luffy's hand. He quickly tossed them into the trashcan. "Maybe she won't notice," he said blankly. "We'll get him food tomorrow."
The boy gave a small laugh and plopped down on the bed with Chopper. He scratched behind the puppies ears before bursting into laughter again and falling back onto the bed. "Okay Chopper, you hear that? We'll get you food tomorrow, no more eating Nami's underwear, alright?" he said, waving a finger at the puppy. Chopper just barked and wagged his tail.
Zoro watched the puppy wearily. Luffy certainly liked the thing, but Zoro had the sneaking suspicion that that dog was trouble.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence Luffy suddenly sat up, blinking. "Hey….do you think anyone's using the PS2?" he asked, glancing back at Zoro.
Zoro rose an eyebrow. "I don't know, why don't you go look?" He was perfectly content taking a nap, himself.
Luffy grinned. "Okay, I will! Then I'll play Soul Caliber 2 and when Usopp shows up I will totally own him with my mad beat down skills as Talim! BWA HA HA HA!" The boy cackled, making a twisted grin like an evil scientist. He rubbed his hands together, then glanced back at Zoro and grinned evilly. "You should play sometime! I bet I'd beat you!"
"Hn. No thanks." Zoro just turned over a bit, facing the wall. "I want a nap."
The dark-haired boy pouted. "Awwwww…..will you play with me later? Please?" he pleaded. "It'd be fun…"
"Maybe, if you stop whining," Zoro answered bluntly.
"Yay!" Luffy cheered, punching his fists in the air. "Okay, I'll leave you alone for now!" He leaned over to give the swordsman a quick kiss on the cheek. "Love you!" With that, he grabbed Chopper and rushed out the room, closing the door behind him.
Zoro allowed himself a grin, though a small one, and drifted easily off to sleep.
The swordsman stayed that way, in peaceful, dreamless slumber, until the smell of warm, comforting Italian food sifted through the house. He stirred a bit, but did not wake.
"Zoooroooo!" Luffy's voice came echoing as he bounded down the hallway, looking excited. He threw open the door and poked his head in. "Come on, you gotta get up! Sanji made some really yummy food!"
There was no answer or movement from the older man. He stayed just as he was, snoozing.
Luffy watched this for a moment, then gave a mischievous grin. "Oooh Zoro… wake up!" he said in a singsong voice as he began to tip-toe closer to the swordsman's bed.
Again, the man's form remained still.
"Still not waking up, huh? Too bad, because that means you're going to fall prey to Luffy, the ESPN ninja!" With that he pounced on top of the swordsman with a loud yell, wrapping his arms around him.
Strong arms instantly wrapped around Luffy, flipping the pair until Zoro had Luffy completely pinned. He was awake, alright, and grinning like a madman, smirking down at Luffy. "And what fierce ninja powers you have."
"Awwwww, no fair!" Luffy whined, struggling against Zoro's grip for a few moments before giving up and pouting at the swordsman. "I have fierce ninja powers, you just have fiercer ninja powers! You must be a part of the rival ninja clan!"
Zoro just answered with a powerful kiss, pushing his lips hard against Luffy's, before pulling away. "Let me guess," he said. "Spaghetti for dinner?"
Luffy's pout became a wide smile. "Yup! It smells really yummy!" he chirped.
Zoro just smirked. "I can taste it in your mouth," he said softly.
The boy laughed at this. Well, as long as Sanji never found out, he was safe. "It tastes yummy too, huh? Just don't tell Sanji that I already know." He said with a mischievous grin.
"Yeah, yeah, sure." Sliding from the bed, Zoro stretched and yawned, cracking his neck and starting for the door. "C'mon, then."
"Yay, spaghetti!" Luffy cheered, jumping up and rushing towards the door, nearly running over Zoro in his attempt to get at the food quicker.
Zoro frowned a bit as Luffy pushed him aside, feeling slightly put-out. Whatever. Moving after him down the hall and stairs, he reached the table long after the rest had sat down.
"'Bout time, Moss-head," Sanji sneered, but Zoro didn't say anything, just beginning to eat what was at his plate.
Luffy was inhaling his spaghetti at his usual astonishing pace, once that if timed would probably have easily gotten him a world record and have made many stare in wonder. Seriously, watching Luffy eat could be seen as a very gruesome spectator sport.
Nami glanced around, noting that everyone was here, and then smiled slyly before speaking up. "So...today Vivi and I just happened to be watching our show and I decided to get up and get a snack…and guess what I walked in on?"
Usopp glanced up from his plate, blinking as he slurped up a particularly long sauce-covered noodle. "What?" he inquired, honestly curious.
The orange-haired girl's smile widened into a grin. "Zoro and Luffy. Kissing."
Choking on a piece of bread, Sanji pounded a fist on his chest, leaning forward, face instantly red. Zoro's grip had tightened on his fork, staring down into his plate. Usopp's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, a strand of spaghetti still hanging from it. "They what?" he sputtered as Luffy continued to slurp up his spaghetti as if nothing had happened.
"You heard me, they were kissing! Snogging, smooching, whatever you want to call it," Nami chirped. "Which means you owe me two thousand yen, Usopp!" She added, pointing a finger at Usopp.
"Th-that can't be right!" Usopp exclaimed, wiping tomato sauce from his face and looking over at Luffy. "Oi, Luffy, she's lying right?"
Luffy shook his head, still engrossed in his food.
Usopp stared at him with wide eyes. "..I don't believe it..."
"I think we can shut up about this now," Zoro murmured, forcefully continuing to eat.
"Ohhh, relax Zoro. We're all just amazed that you're actually capable of doing something besides brooding," Nami drawled, waving her hand in a dismissive manner.
"He is? Hmmm...that is strange…maybe he's not actually the real Zoro! Maybe he's just a robot sent by the government to spy on us!" Usopp suggested, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Zoro's a robot?" Luffy gasped, eyes wide as he glanced at Zoro.
"Yup," Usopp said, nodding sagely. "In fact, that's probably why he's getting so close to you! Maybe he's trying to get you to use in some kind of government lab experiment!"
"NO WAY!"
"Stop being ridiculous," Zoro growled. He was quickly beginning to grow sick of this house and the people in it. Maybe he needed to start looking for a new place.
"It's not ridiculous, it's true! You're just denying it because you don't want anyone finding out your secret!" Usopp declared.
Luffy frowned for a moment, thinking. He then leaned over, staring intently at Zoro, a strand of spaghetti still hanging from his mouth. "Zoro, ARE you a robot?" he asked, sounding curious.
"No," he answered coldly, folding down his utensils on his plate. "I think I'm done for the night." With that, he stood, scooting his chair from the table as he went.
Nami blinked. "You're leaving already?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Luffy glanced up with a questioning look as he swallowed the last of his food.
"…Already?" he repeated, shoulders drooping a bit. He didn't want Zoro to leave for work so soon…
"Yeah, already," he answered, not meeting Luffy's gaze. He threw his napkin down on his plate, walking from the kitchen and into the hallway. He grabbed his jacket, slinging it on and fishing for keys in his pocket. He didn't much want to think about his housemates.
Those at the table sat in silence for a moment. Then finally Nami spoke up. "Alright, see you later Zoro!"
"Bye Zoro!" Usopp called as well. "Anyway, as I was saying, you can tell a robot from a regular human by…"
Though Luffy felt inclined to stay and listen to Usopp's story, the boy pushed his chair away from the table with a squeak. He then rushed out the kitchen and into the hallway, ignoring Robin's call of, "You really should take care of your plate, Luffy-san…" The boy rushed down the hallway, nearly tripping over the ends of his jeans as he finally skidded to a stop behind the swordsman, throwing his arms around him.
He stayed like that for a moment, face pressed against the back of Zoro's new trench coat. The boy let a small breath before speaking. "Come back safe. Promise?"
Blinking some, Zoro turned, his arms moving around the boy's waist.
"...Yeah," he said softly. "I promise."
There was a moment's hesitation, before Zoro leaned down, pushing a soft, gentle kiss against Luffy's lips.
Luffy returned the kiss, eyes fluttering closed in the moment. He didn't really care if anyone in the house saw, why shouldn't they know? He loved Zoro, why should he have to hide that?
Zoro didn't give a damn, either... why should he? It was his house too, and if he wanted to do something with Luffy in his own goddamn house, that was his business.
If they thought kissing was bad, they hadn't seen anything yet.
After a few seconds Luffy finally pulled away, giving the swordsman one final squeeze. "Good," he said, beaming up at the swordsman. "I'll see you later, then! Make sure to be back soon!"
"Alright." Zoro nodded, turning and moving, with a sort of spring in his step, out the door.
Yeah... it was a good night.
With that thought, Zoro climbed onto his motorcycle, starting it up and driving away.
Luffy watched him go with a slightly sad smile before closing the door and walking past the kitchen. He felt really tired all of a sudden…maybe he'd just go rest for a bit.
"Oi, Luffy! Do you want any dessert?" Usopp called.
The boy paused a moment, frowning before replying. "Um…maybe later! Make sure to save me a whole lot, okay?"
There was silence for a moment before Nami peered out of the kitchen, a concerned frown on her face. "That's weird for you…are you feeling sick? Did Zoro do something to you?" she inquired, quirking a brow. Normally she would have teased him, but whether she liked it or not she'd grown attached to the boy over the past week and the thought of him being sick did have her a bit concerned.
Whether they admitted it or not, everyone in the house really did care about Zoro and Luffy. Teasing them was just their way of showing affection, that was all.
Luffy laughed, scratching his head a bit sheepishly. "No, no, I'm fine! Just kind of tired, that's all. I'm just gonna rest for a little while, okay? Make sure to save me some dessert, okay Sanji?"
"Of course." Sanji grabbed a plate from the cupboard, begging to spoon the dessert onto it. "Just come get it whenever you want."
"Thanks!" Luffy chirped with a bit less enthusiasm than usual before making his way up the stairs. He managed to make his way to he and Zoro's room. Chopper was pawing at the door with a low-pitched whine. Upon hearing Luffy come over the puppy looked up at the boy and wagged his tail expectantly.
"'Lo, Chopper." Luffy mumbled, opening the door to allow the puppy in before stumbling in and closing it behind him. He immediately collapsed onto the bed with a groan, the springs squeaking under his weight. The comforter was a bit disheveled from Zoro's nap earlier, but the boy didn't really care.
Why did he feel so tired suddenly? His entire body felt like lead, and it was as if all of his strength had just drained out of him. What was going on here?
Chopper hopped onto his bed with a bit of effort and bounded over to him, placing his paws on Luffy's chest. When the boy didn't respond the puppy cocked his head to the side and gave a small whine, tail wagging.
Luffy gave a weak smile and reached up with a bit of effort to pet the blue-nosed puppy's soft brown fur. The puppy gave another whine and a small pink tongue stuck out to lick his nose.
"Sorry Chopper…I'm really tired…'night…" he murmured, eyes finally fluttering shut.
He stayed like that for a few seconds, the room eerily silent. Chopper sat there for a moment, peering down worriedly at his master.
Then without warning Luffy's eyes suddenly flew open, his pupils now completely dilated. He glanced down at Chopper for a moment before his eyes narrowed. "A puppy? He's certainly taking a lot of liberties…I'll have to fix that streak of defiance," he murmured. The voice sounded like Luffy's, though it was overlaid with a deeper, richer, colder one that most definitely did not belong to the boy.
He sat up with a mechanical quickness, causing Chopper to give a yelp of fear and back away a few steps, hackles rising. The puppy bared his small teeth, a growl coming from his throat before he let out a loud bark This wasn't his master!
Luffy wrinkled his nose at the growling puppy, bangs falling in front of his eyes. "Stupid animal," he hissed before reaching out to press two fingers against Chopper's forehead. "Go to sleep."
Blue eyes widened and Chopper let out a pained yelp as a shock coursed through his body. Then with a small whimper the puppy collapsed onto the bed, unconscious.
Luffy…or whoever he was right now gazed down at the puppy for a moment before sliding off of the bed and onto his feet. "Well…this is convenient," he murmured as he walked across the room to pick up the red and white sneakers stowed in a corner.
"I don't know what's up with that Roronoa guy…it seems being near him forces me out of control, somehow…how strange. Whatever, the point is he's gone now," he hissed as he pulled on the dirty sneakers, then followed this up by pulling on a jean jacket as well. With this task complete he turned and headed towards the window.
He gazed at his reflection for a moment before a horrible, sadistic grin came to his face, eyes glinting dangerously. "I think it's time I visit that dear 'Taisa' a visit…can't leave any witnesses alive, after all."
With a quick movement he pulled the window open, climbed through it, and disappeared into the night.
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To Be Continued…
Dun dun dun! What a way to end the newest chapter, eh? Ah, don't kill me for the cliffie, please!
So after this I'm going to go through all the old chapters and fix them up. Why? Because there are a lot of embarrassing errors in it that I'd like to fix (such as the use of dollars in Japan…yeah, I fail…), as well as a few spots here and there (all of my writing, none of Constable's) where the writing is rather…not good. Don't worry; I'm just improving it all so it'll look better for any new readers or for anyone who wants to read it, that's all! Not much shall be changed, and nothing that affects the plot. Also, it shouldn't affect the RP this all comes from, so Tangled Web will still hopefully be updated very soon!
Right, so…reviews are greatly appreciated! Come on guys; let us know there are still people out there reading!
Next Chapter: Zoro's got a new mission, and "Luffy" has a bone to pick with a certain Police Captain…