"Tell me," Zoro repeats, choked and breathless because he's begun stroking himself with the hand not gripping his captain's stretched-out shaft, smearing the remaining lubricant on his trembling fingers along his own rigid length. "Tell me how- h-how bad you- you wanna fuck yourself…"
Ass hiked in the air, hips working restlessly as he rubs the wet, gaping pucker between his buttocks against the leaking glans pressed to it, Luffy whimpers in reply, splayed fingers digging deeper into the rumpled sheets. "Z-Zor- Zoro- Zorooo-"
The wanton desperation audible in the dark-haired man's voice, which keeps breaking repeatedly as it calls out his name, makes Zoro's cock jump hard in the tunnel of his fist. He licks his lips, eyes locked on Luffy's glistening rim, watching how it draws tight every time he allows his lover's erection to trace its edge- only to flare open again when he attempts to impale himself, and it takes all of Zoro's restraint not to simply seize him around the middle, shove his own aching hardness inside and pound him into the mattress until his name's not just being moaned but outright screamed.
"Z-Zoro," Luffy pants again, back arching. He rocks his pelvis backwards, squirming, fighting to work his bottom onto the protrusion he can't see and groaning in frustration when it eases away, evading his efforts. "ZoRO, C'MON. PLEASE. Lemme- lemme just-"
"That's definitely what you want?" Shifting to straddle his captain's calves, Zoro nudges between his thighs as he pushes his lower body against the backs of them. "Your own dick in your ass, fucking you raw, while I-" He gives a tentative thrust, eyelids falling half-closed as his oil-slicked flesh glides through the gap. "Mmm- while I th-thigh-fuck you?"
Sensing an opportunity, Luffy squeezes his legs tighter together, increasing the friction as Zoro continues moving and also trapping him in place because pulling away will mean losing that delicious, continuous pressure. Exhaling a shaky "shishi" when Zoro groans and immediately begins thrusting harder. "Y-Yeah, put it- Zoro, put it in, please, put it-" Gasping when his cock remains steady this time when he pushes back, breaching his quivering opening instead of continuing to tease him. "Ah! Oh, it's- it's-"
"Slow," the swordsman groans, staring. "Go- go slow if it's t-too much or you-" He trails off, watching Luffy's hole stretch wider, eagerly swallowing the glans bearing down on it. "Fuck. You're just- oh, oh my god, Luffy…"
Luffy's panting, whimpering low in his throat as he tries to peer back over his shoulder to catch a glimpse, but while his eyes are a little wide and his mouth's hanging open, he doesn't appear to be in any true discomfort. And he certainly has no intention of slowing down from the looks of it either; he's rocking, hips jerking, eagerly working his dick deeper into himself.
Mesmerized, Zoro touches the place where his partner's penetrating his own body, caressing his dilated rim, the thick shaft transfixing it and the damp stretch of smooth skin between there and his dangling scrotum and the base of his elongated dick. "Shit, Sencho, th-that's- that's so fucking HOT..." He slides his hand lower to cup Luffy's balls, thumb pressing against his perineum and rubbing heavily.
"Zor- AH!" Body spasming, his captain clutches at the sheets. His hips pump helplessly at the pillow under him, instinctively thrusting forward even though their movements fail to piston his twitching cock in and out of his clenching rear.
Zoro does it for him, momentarily forgetting to keep moving his own lower body because his full attention's on Luffy coming utterly undone below him.
"Ah-ah-ah-ah! Zoro, I'm-" Writhing, getting one hand on the bed's other pillow and dragging it to his chest so he can wrap both arms around it, clutch it against him, cling to it. "Zor-! ZORO! AAAHHH, ZOROOO!"
"Fuck… oh, fuck. Does that- does it feel good, Sencho? Cumming inside yourself?" Zoro groans wordlessly at the sight of Luffy's rim constricting repeatedly, squeezing the shaft he's thrusting into the rubber man's hole, his quick, steady movements accompanied by the lewd noises of the fresh ejaculate squelching within those quaking inner walls.
"Z-Zoro," Luffy whimpers, breathless, frantic. "Zoro- I want Zoro- in-inside."
Laughing shakily, thinking he's probably going to end up shooting his own load the moment he's inside, if he manages to hold back long enough to GET in there and doesn't just cum prematurely all over both of them, Zoro starts pulling Luffy's dick free so he can take its place- and his lover utters a sharp cry of protest, shoving himself after it.
"Zoro, no! I-" The younger pirate moans as his own length sinks back into him, cheek squashed against the pillow he's still grasping. "I mean I want- ah- I want Z-Zoro inside TOO." He undulates his hips, rubbing his face into the pillow. "Want both. Want Zoro to d-do me while I'm still- ahhh…"
Zoro can feel his heart pulsing in his neck, his inner thighs, the stiffness jutting up from between them. He swallows. "I don't-" His throat clicks and he's forced to try again. "I don't wanna hurt you. Are you- are you sure you can-?"
"Zoro, PLEASE. I need-" Luffy claws the pillow away from his face, revealing he's flushed to the tips of his ears as he cranes his neck to cast a pleading look behind him. "I want it. I wanna-" He shudders all over, making a low eager noise. "I wanna- ah- be full with- with both of us, Zoro, PLEASE. Get- get inside me."
The urge to jokingly ask if that's an order catches in the swordsman's chest, and he obeys with the question left unspoken. Pushing Luffy's cock deep before letting go and rising to seize one of his bucking, quivering hips, his other hand steadying his own erection to help him begin pressing the tip inside next to his captain's shaft.
He's forced to pause, panting raggedly, when he's buried only halfway, because Luffy's so hot and so wet and so, so TIGHT around him that he's wavering on the edge of orgasm just pushing inside.
His partner either won't or simply can't stop moving, however, desperate lunges slowly inching him deeper into that cramped, cum-flooded passage. The sounds bursting from Luffy's clenched throat aren't showing any signs of stopping either, and it's a relief that while he's being incredibly vocal, moaning and gasping and crying out Zoro's name over and over and over, there's no pain or fear audible in his voice, just ecstasy and amazement.
Groaning, Zoro strokes his flanks and lower back with both hands, occasionally tracing a fingertip along the rim of his distended hole, biting his lower lip when the gentle touch causes it to clench, squeezing their juxtaposed cocks more tightly together. "God, Sencho- Sencho, ah, you- you're so tight…"
Luffy whimpers in reply. He's digging into the pillow crushed in his arms with fingers hooked like talons, head turned to the side with one cheek smashed against the mattress so he can look past his own trembling, squirming body to meet Zoro's gaze. His mouth's hanging open again, breaths rushing in and out in harsh gasps, his lower lip puffy from being bitten and worried between his teeth so heavily.
Fuck, I wanna kiss him, Zoro realizes distractedly. Not JUST kiss him, but wrap myself around him 'n hold him.
He's staring into Luffy's pleasure-dazed face but in the corner of his vision, he can see the discoloration on his captain's arched back, marking the exit wound from the hook that punched through his torso, and abruptly their limited contact's not enough. He needs Luffy in his arms where he knows he's safe, can clasp his lover's chest and feel his heart beating.
His hand's outstretched before he registers his arm's in motion, caressing Luffy's upturned cheek and jaw, stroking his parted lips, and when Luffy's mouth closes on his fingers, sucking and licking eagerly between them, it sends a bolt of white heat shooting straight to his straining cock. His hips rock forward to meet Luffy's bottom with a dull slap, both of them moaning in unison as he buries himself fully.
"Zoro-" Voice muffled by his fingers, breath hot and moist on his skin. "Zor-" Galvanized to sudden wriggling motion, Luffy twists under him, arms snaking around his neck to pull his torso down. "Zoro!"
"Luffy, wh-what the h-" Zoro breaks off, exclamation dissolving into a startled cry as the rubber man gives a few clumsy kicks, one leg rising to squeeze- somehow, impossibly- between their joined bodies while he turns his lower half until they're sprawled together belly-to-belly. "Ah! Oh- oh, fuck, Sencho, you-" Forearms shaking wildly as he pushes his torso upright to take his weight off Luffy's injured midsection, because his captain's dick has remained embedded but it's also stretched to compensate for the position change and is now coiled snugly around his own cock. Taut and rolling on his shaft each time his hips sway in one direction or the other.
Luffy's fingers are combing through his hair, stroking the back of his neck and his shoulders and biceps, touching every part of him within reach. Arms looped at least twice each around his chest to draw him close, hands cradling his jaw while Luffy's mouth seeks his lips, shamelessly begging for kisses.
Zoro finds himself cursing enthusiastically between ardent lip-locks, flexing pelvis settling into a slow rhythm that does little more than shift his length back and forth a bit within his lover's tightly packed hole- and inside the loop of elongated flesh wrapped around his shaft, which prevents him from pulling out very far but also surrounds him like a stiff rotating ring.
Clutching his upper body, attempting to moan his name and capture his tongue at the same time, Luffy's moving more and more erratically beneath him, a sure sign that he'll soon reach climax.
"C-Cum," Zoro gasps down to him, biting lightly at his chin. "Let me-" He growls low in his throat as Luffy nips back, shifting his balance to one arm and sliding his free hand down the younger man's waist to take hold of one of his buttocks, squeezing hard. "-feel you-" Sucking Luffy's tongue into his mouth, moaning as his partner arches up against him, grazing nipples stiff with desire and slick with sweat. "-ah- c-cum, Sencho. I wanna- ah- wanna feel you cum- inside yourself. Ah, ah- oh fuck, c'mon- c-cum- all over- my dick inside you."
He trails his fingertips between Luffy's ass cheeks, tracing his rim, savoring how widely it's distended to accommodate both their cocks, and his captain cries out, sensitive tissue twitching, trying unsuccessfully to contract at his touch.
"Mmm, you're- you're so fucking f-full." Massaging Luffy's shaft just below where it's penetrating that overstretched hole- and moaning along with him because he's inadvertently massaging himself in turn. "Got such a- such a greedy ass, swallowing m-more than it can- can handle…"
"Zoro-" Luffy's voice is strangled, hoarse. "Z-Zoro, sh-shut up 'n kiss- k-kiss me."
He does, plunging his tongue into Luffy's mouth, hips surging forward as he uses the hand on his lover's rear to push their groins more firmly together, and Luffy tenses, then convulses hard beneath him, helpless wail of orgasm muffled by his lips. The heat and wetness in which he's enveloped abruptly increases, and when he gives another thrust, a spurt of warm fluid escapes Luffy's spasming rectum, squirting past their entwined erections, forced out by the increased pressure.
Zoro tears his mouth free to utter a shout of his own; the coil of flesh around his shaft's tightening with each muscular contraction, and the repetitive squeezing is enough to push him over the edge. The elbow of the single arm supporting his weight wobbles, threatening to drop him onto Luffy's chest as he shudders above him, jerking cock spilling heavy pulses of cum deep inside his body.
Luffy's groaning, clinging around his neck and leaning their foreheads together, nuzzling ardently against his cheek. Legs lifted to wrap around his waist, heels digging into the small of his back, urging him to keep moving. Between their connected, grinding bodies, semen's trickling freely from the rubber man's widely stretched, over-filled rim to drip onto the sheets beneath them and periodically spatter Zoro's groin and thighs when he gives a particularly strong thrust.
He struggles to his knees, bringing Luffy upright as well when his lover's limbs remain wrapped securely around him, allowing him to slip both hands beneath his rear and cradle his bottom while rocking slowly against it. Pushing up inside, sighing at the sensation of warm cum leaking out around his dick and over his throbbing balls to run down his inner thighs, trying not to wince at his increasing sensitivity.
Luffy must spy the flash of discomfort on his face, because he makes a rather winded but inquisitive noise, drawing back slightly to peer at him with concern.
"My dick thinks- I oughta take a break," Zoro explains breathlessly before leaning in to kiss him. "-but it can complain- all it wants." Another kiss, thorough and lingering. "I like it- mmm, I like it where it is…"
Unwinding the arms tangled around his torso, his captain cups his face between his hands, humming happily in agreement and kissing back with lazy, well-satisfied enthusiasm. His lower body's moving languidly, his heels planted on Zoro's buttocks and digging into them to spur him into action whenever he begins to falter.
"Damn, you're so- so wet in there," the swordsman murmurs between kisses, hands squeezing his lover's rear, pushing his cheeks together to make his hole even tighter. "So full- 'n most of it's yours…"
"Zoro's- ahhh- Zoro's still hard, even though he c-came."
"Mmhmm." Zoro draws back to give a longer thrust, laughing deep in his throat when Luffy groans involuntarily and clutches him. "It's- ah- it's 'cause you're wrapped so t-tight- around my dick." He releases his grip on Luffy's buttocks to rub large soothing circles on his hips, the undersides of his thighs, his lower back. "It's like I'm-" He kisses Luffy's mouth. "-wearing-" Licks along his lower lip. "-a cock ring." Sucks briefly on it. "One that's- ah- just a lil' too small, but- god, it feels so fuckin' good."
"Cock ring?" Luffy asks huskily. He lets go of Zoro's jaw with one hand to run fingers over his hair, petting it, trace the curve of his ear and toy with the hoops and droplets suspended from the lobe. "What're those-" Tugging playfully on the piercings, not hard enough to cause genuine pain but forcefully enough to make Zoro inhale with a soft hiss. "-like, do people- mmm, do people really wear rings on their dicks?"
"For sex, yeah."
"One of Sanji's magazines- it's got stuff like that." There's a thoughtful note in Luffy's voice. The one that normally portends disaster but- given the current subject- it makes Zoro's pulse speed up for entirely different reasons. "People wearing- ah, blindfolds 'n tied up with ropes 'n-" He gives the hoop pinched between his thumb and forefinger another firm tug. "… other things, like-" Giving an ommph of surprise when Zoro's lips interrupt him.
"The cook's got- bondage magazines?" the swordsman questions him when their mouths separate.
"If the ropes 'n big fake d-dicks 'n knobby things going in people's butts stuff is bondage, then yeah. Just the- ah, just the one, though, 'n there weren't any guys doin' things to other guys, just to girls." Luffy looks greatly disappointed by this. "It was shoved aaall the way back behind the fridge though 'n-" He stops, his expression brightening suddenly. "Oi oi oi, would Zoro wanna try that kinda stuff? 'Cause two guys could use ropes 'n blindfolds 'n put all those things in each other's asses too, right?"
"Are you tellin' me you wanna tie me up 'n fuck me with the biggest dildo beli can buy?" Zoro teases- and makes a startled noise as his partner's body promptly reacts to these words, sphincter tensing and elongated, coiled cock squeezing him via a strangle rippling motion when it twitches involuntarily. "Ah- shit, mmm, I guess I'm gonna take that as a yes…"
Arms slide around his neck and shoulders as Luffy nuzzles under his chin, kissing and nibbling his jaw and beginning to breathe more heavily again. "Zoro-" The heel of one foot's pressing down on his tailbone, wiggling lower in an attempt to grind between his buttocks and urge his hips forward. "I wanna- ah, I wanna cum again. I want you to-" Luffy pushes back a bit to meet his eyes, face naked with desire and flushing beneath his avid gaze. "Make me cum again, Zoro."
Smiling, Zoro leans in to kiss him, tongue-tip traveling the crease of his lips to coax them open, and then he's devouring Luffy's mouth as he lowers him back to the bed and its rumpled sheets. Hands roaming his sides and flanks and- very gently- his bruised midsection and lightly heaving pectorals, disengaging once and only very briefly to murmur "yes, Captain" before gladly losing himself once more to the sights and sounds and textures of their coupling bodies and the taste of his lover's kisses.
xxx
He never meant to doze off himself, intending only to keep Luffy company while he napped before dinner, but Zoro's woken by the faint noise of fabric rustling a few feet away.
Too relaxed to feel genuinely annoyed by the oversight, he lifts his head from where he's been sprawled with his nose tucked behind his sleeping partner's ear- and freezes when slight movement draws his attention across the room to the topless redhead frowning at herself in the full-length mirror beside the door.
Nami must've heard the mattress creaking under his weight when he first moved, unfortunately, because her eyes shift to meet his in the reflective glass.
"DON'T hit me," he warns, keeping his voice pitched low to avoid disturbing Luffy. "I just woke up, okay? I had NO FREAKING CLUE you were here."
"Obviously," the navigator snorts, turning to face him and crossing her arms beneath her bare breasts, evidently untroubled that she's addressing him clad in nothing but a pair of satin panties. "Otherwise you might've covered up instead of just laying there with your sweaty, post-sex dick hanging out." She smirks. "Nope, you were UNCONSCIOUS when I came in. If Luffy wore you out enough that you didn't hear me knocking earlier, I evidently missed one hell of a show."
Oh. His gaze darts down to where his flaccid cock's resting in plain view, and he tries not to grimace when he sees the amount of dried cum starting to flake off his groin and thighs. Beside him, their slumbering captain's just as much- if not more- of a mess. Whoops.
He contemplates pulling one of the sheets over them to hide the evidence but quickly decides not to bother. He might accidentally wake Luffy since at least half of the loose bedding's trapped underneath their naked bodies, the sheets don't look a whole lot more presentable - spots of them are still damp, in fact - and, anyway, Nami's already seen it all and she seems more amused than angry.
Moving slowly to avoid jostling his partner, he sits up instead, scrubbing fingers through his hair and yawning. "What're you even- doing here? Did somebody forget to warn you?"
"Oh no, I heard aaall about the two of you going at each other like tigers in heat before traipsing off to lock yourselves in and turn the room upside down. But Vivi left with Igaram's wife to get dressed for dinner and I got bored sitting around alone. Besides, I haven't decided what I'M wearing." She pauses. Raises one shapely eyebrow. "Having sex in the bathhouse, though, Zoro? Right in front of the crew- and the KING? Honestly."
"Oi, we weren't FUCKING, okay, we were- … well- it wasn't THAT type of fucking. And HE started it!" Zoro grumbles, gesturing to the rubber man beside him.
"If he jumped off a cliff-" Nami begins, only to break off giggling. "Oh, who am I kidding- you'd dive off headfirst after him. A lovesick idiot with no sense of self-preservation."
Heat blazes up Zoro's neck and across his cheeks. "I'm not- I mean, I don't-" He takes a deep breath, flustered and also flustered by the very state of BEING flustered. "Will you PUT A SHIRT ON, for godsake? I can't talk to you with your freakin' tits jiggling all over the damn place like tha-"
She only laughs harder, clasping a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound but doing nothing to restrain the movement of her breasts. Her free hand's extended towards him, index finger jabbing repeatedly at the empty air.
Irritated but also confused, he looks down to see where she's pointing and discovers his hand's resting on Luffy's uppermost hip- where his fingertips have been unconsciously doodling small lopsided circles and other random shapes for the last few minutes, gently caressing their captain's warm bare skin at the same damn time he's been sputtering about being dubbed lovesick.
He flushes harder, raising his chin to glower at Nami, but he doesn't move his hand. Let her decide whether he's being defiant or simply doesn't want to break contact because he enjoys it. Or maybe a bit of both.
"This isn't-" The redhead clears her throat, her expression growing serious as her amusement fades. "This isn't just about sex for you anymore, is it?" She tucks a loose lock of hair behind her ear, studying him. "If it ever even WAS that simple."
"I-" Zoro's automatic denial- that his attraction to their captain could possibly be based on ANYTHING but sex- dies in his throat. He can't bring himself to lie about this, not even to save himself more teasing. "I don't have a clue what the hell this is, but-" His gaze returns to Luffy, traveling up his spine to the healing injury on his back and then higher to the exposed curve of his neck and his tousled dark hair. "No. It's not just about sex or fucking or whatever you wanna call it."
The thought occurs to him that although HE'S been referring to what they do together as fucking, he's been using that word out loud, asking Luffy to fuck him, asking if Luffy wants to fuck- although he LIKES saying it, likes the way saying it makes Luffy's eyes darken and his breath catch and his adam's apple bob in anticipation…
… it's often a poor choice of words to describe what they're doing. And "having sex" isn't much better. It's too… banal? At least he thinks that's the correct term.
Anyway, neither "fucking" nor "having sex" is adequate for what happened between them either, when he'd acceded to his captain's demand, lowered him to the mattress and… made love to him? Making love. Is that a better phrase for what they've been doing together? Or does stuff like double-penetration, self-penetration, all the dirty-talking and the whole stretchy dick thing in general make the sex too kinky to call it that?
I don't know! I only know I wanna make him happy and make him feel good, and the shit we do together's fun even when some of it- okay, a LOT of it- goes a little over the top. Because I TRUST him. 'N I love how he makes me feel, regardless of whether we're in bed or out of it. When he asked me if I'd keep being his even after he becomes the Pirate King, I-
"You should see yourself right now," Nami muses, interrupting his thoughts. "You make the dumbest, GAYEST faces when you're looking at him sometimes." She's not bothering to hide her smile. "Like he's the sun lighting up your sky."
Embarrassed, Zoro kneads the junction between his neck and shoulder as though working an imaginary knot out of the muscle. "Kinda hard to not look gay when I actually AM, y'know, pretty fucking gay." He raises his gaze to stare at her, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Speaking of gay… how's it going with Vivi?"
Nami's face flushes a brilliant red and she spins away from him to select a garment from the large pile draped across the foot of another bed. "I don't-" She pauses to shrug the gown she's holding over her head and shimmy into it so she can peer at her reflection in the mirror with far more interest than strictly necessary. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Zoro."
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that," the swordsman mutters. He slouches back on one elbow, retrieving a rather badly squashed pillow and wrinkling his nose at the streak of dried ejaculate smeared across its case before shrugging and wedging it under his shoulders so he can lie back with his arms tucked behind his head. Not like we didn't get jizz all over the rest of the bed too. The maids are gonna love us.
"She's not going to come with us," Nami says after a few moments of silence, without turning away from the mirror or lifting her gaze. "I think she wants to- at least a little bit- but she won't."
"I, uh- I'm sorry."
He's trying to formulate a better response when his partner stirs beside him, making a low noise of sleepy inquiry. Feeling Zoro touch his side in quiet reassurance, the rubber man rolls over to peer at him groggily through half-lidded eyes before slipping an arm over his chest and throwing a partially-folded leg across his pelvis, snuggling into his side with a contented sigh.
Zoro doesn't hesitate; his arm slides around the younger man's shoulders to shift him closer and when Luffy's cheek nuzzles up against his pectoral, he buries his face in his dark hair. Closing his eyes as he inhales slowly, deeply and wonders for the hundredth time how he always seems to find his lover's scent so intoxicating, even when mingled with the less pleasant odors produced by vigorous sex. He sincerely doubts anybody else on the crew would find the smell of Luffy's sweaty, semen-splattered skin so appealing.
Johnny and Yosaku sure never smelled this good after we got done fucking- just like they needed baths really bad. Either there's some weird-ass pheromone shit going on that makes me think Sencho always smells great no matter what- or I'm just really fuckin' gross, he thinks- and then finds himself grinning into Luffy's hair. Hell, maybe it's a little of both. 'Cause normal people prrrooobably don't get off on getting sliced up in sword fights. Or helping their boyfriends fuck themselves. 'N I KNOW normal people don't have boyfriends who can tie their own dicks in KNOTS.
Normal people, he muses, don't know what they're missing.
"Beli for your thoughts?" Nami asks, and he looks up, startled, to find her watching him in the mirror.
"Uh…"
She eyes his expression of guilty chagrin with suspicion. "Actually- nevermind. I'm sorry I asked." And as she redirects her attention to the new gown she's donned while he was distracted. "You guys do look pretty cute together. Although- you'd be a heck of a lot cuter right now if you weren't covered in each other's cock snot."
Zoro makes a choking noise as he fights not to bark loud, obnoxious laughter directly above Luffy's ear. "Wha- what the hell, Nami- are you for real? That's nasty."
"GUYS are nasty," she retorts, turning sideways to examine her figure in the mirror. "Rude, loud, smelly-" Shooting a pointed look in his direction - "MESSY" - and shaking her head. "I really don't know what you see in them- or at least what you see that makes you want to hook up with any of them- even if that only means jumping into bed to scratch THAT particular itch." She hoists her bosom slightly, examining the gown's neckline and her visible cleavage with a critical eye. "Girls are so much better, Zoro. They're pretty- THEY SMELL GOOD. Seriously, you don't know what you've been missing."
Fingers moving slowly up and down Luffy's side, trailing over smooth, warm skin and meticulously outlining the occasional faint scar- most of which are only distinguishable by touch alone- Zoro's resumed studying his sleeping features. "I don't think so… I think I'm pretty damn happy the way things are, thanks…" He reaches up with his opposite hand to brush a stray lock of hair away from Luffy's closed eyes. "Besides… some guys aren't so bad…"
"Ooohhh nooo, I was riiight," Nami groans softly, and he realizes she's been watching him again via the mirror. "-and you're not just a little in love with him either- you've got it baaad." But although he feels his face heating up again, he doesn't challenge her observation because despite the teasing words, the navigator's tone is gentle and achingly sympathetic. And maybe even a little wistful.
At least it sure sounds that way to him, and he's abruptly and acutely aware that when the Straw Hats leave Arabasta, he won't need to worry about whether or not his lover's boarding the ship. If anything, it's the other way around: HE'S the one who'll be coming with Luffy, who's been getting increasingly impatient with being landbound and being parted from the Going Merry for so long now that the adventure's over. Free food and sex- sex in a real bed, that is- will only keep him distracted for so long before he starts seriously pushing for the crew to depart.
"Oi, Nami? I really am sorry," he eventually says. "About Vivi, I mean. I know you were hoping that-" Hesitating, because he doesn't want to choose the wrong words, not when she's got those unusually distinct hints of pain and regret in her expression and not when they're having this moment of- what, exactly? Solidarity, yes, but also shared vulnerability; he might be literally naked right now, sure, but their conversation's also been making him feel emotionally naked, and he can sense Nami's heart laying bare as well in this moment as surely as her breasts were bared earlier. Things she's allowed him to witness only because they're alone except for Luffy, who's oblivious to everything save whatever he's dreaming curled in the circle of his first mate's arms.
He's not exactly sure how serious it's gotten between Nami and Vivi, too preoccupied with a billion other things including his own confusion about the relationship between himself and his captain, but he's known SOMETHING'S there. The side-long looks and more-than-casual little exchanges of physical contact have made it pretty damn obvious, at least to him, although he's kept his mouth shut because he wouldn't be surprised in the least to discover the crew's cook is one of those guys likely to start going on about "hot lesbians" and it's bad enough having to listen to the pervert drool over the women individually let alone having him start fantasizing aloud about them TOGETHER. Especially they've been so shy and- well, yeah, cute- about the whole thing.
Who knows, maybe they DO wanna knock each other's socks off 'n they've just been taking it really slow. I don't really care one way or the other- that shit's between them 'n nobody else's business.
In any case, however Nami might feel about the princess of Arabasta - whether she wants to bed her or just kiss her a lot - she's trusting Zoro in a way he never expected, and while he's got no idea why she's confiding in HIM, it's becoming very important to him that he doesn't fuck this up. "I know she's really important to you. Maybe if you just explain to her how much you-"
Nami waves a dismissive hand, but there's a distinctly brittle note in her laughter. "Who are you- who am -I- kidding? She's ROYALTY. And I'm just-" She shakes her head. "I'm just a small-time thief from some backwater town in East Blue who's got a little experience growing mikan."
Zoro almost, ALMOST tells her she's an accomplished enough thief that if she quit screwing around and put a little effort into it, she could just STEAL their blue-haired friend's HEART- if she hasn't done so already- but he decides she might not appreciate his admittedly godawful sense of humor right now. He's trying to cheer her up, not piss her off.
So instead he says, "Uh, I'm pretty sure Vivi doesn't give a flying fuck about titles 'n social status 'n all that shit. She literally ran away from home- from THIS place, an actual goddamn palace- to infiltrate a bounty hunting organization 'n then after her cover got blown, she didn't just ask for our help, she frickin' joined us." Continuing to caress Luffy's side and back while he speaks, in case what's turning into a pretty long-winded monologue vibrates his chest under his partner's head enough to startle him awake thinking something's wrong. "Sencho never asked her to help run the ship or take watches or eat meals with the crew or any of the other stuff she ended up doing. She WANTED to help. That's just how she thinks- what she's like- 'cause- 'cause she's Vivi." He frowns. "Does that make sense?"
Nami, who's turned away from the mirror to listen, nods.
"She doesn't care that we're pirates 'cause we're nakama 'n that's more important. So if she's into you as much as I think she is, it's 'cause you're- y'know- YOU." He hesitates. "She might decide to stay here instead of coming with us, but if she does, it's not gonna be 'cause she doesn't think you're good enough for her. Or that the crew's not good enough. It's gonna be 'cause it's her duty or 'cause she made a promise or some shit like that, 'cause she's really serious about that sorta stuff 'cause she's Vivi 'n those're the kind of decisions she makes." He clears his throat. "For whatever it's worth."
Nami's staring at him, hands clasped loosely at her waist. After a moment or two, just when he's starting to think he should've kept his damn mouth closed and left the whole thing alone, she gives a tiny shake, as though she's coming back to herself. "I-" He's startled to see her eyes beginning to shimmer slightly, as though she's holding back tears. "… thank you. It's worth a lot, actually."
"You're not gonna- like- start crying, are you?" He asks suspiciously, somewhat alarmed because he has no idea how to deal with crying women in general, let alone a crying lesbian. "I mean, I can't exactly hug you or anything. I'm covered with dried jizz." He glances down. "Dried jizz- 'n about a hundred-plus pounds of jizz-filled rubber..."
"Oh my god, Zoro, that's DISGUSTING," the navigator groans, but she's struggling not to laugh as she swipes at her teary eyes with the heels of her hands. "YOU'RE disgusting."
"Ehhh, you're just mad I don't give a shit about your tits."
She snorts laughter. "Sure, whatever." Then grins. "You should've seen Luffy's face, earlier- he honestly didn't have a clue why the other guys freaked out when I whipped open my towel. I think he only fell because Igaram bumped into him."
"Yeah, it's pretty obvious girls don't do shit for him either. Since, y'know, he came back 'n wanted to climb my dick instead." Zoro smirks at Nami's melodramatic gasp of feigned indignation and slightly more serious declaration of "alright now, enough with the TMI, you sleazy exhibitionist" before returning his gaze to the captain snuggled alongside him. Expression softening when he recalls Luffy's amusement at being lightheartedly teased about gawking over the wall- as well as their conversation about his rise to Pirate King attracting would-be suitors.
Your consort, huh? he muses. Trying it out in his head. Roronoa Zoro, World's Greatest Swordsman 'n Royal Consort to the Pirate King...
"Hey, Zoro? Whatever you're fantasizing about right now, I should probably let you know- you're totally making that really dumb gay face again."
xxx
Author's note: Chapters 13 and 14 were written as a birthday gift for someone very special to me; I hope they were worth the wait!