so, today I was going through my files and found this somewhat old document and thought: why not post it here along with the rest of my works? summer break is right around the corner, so I can finally focus on writing the multi-chaptered fics I started this year. Hopefully inspiration is on my side this time :sigh. Until then, enjoy this little piece of zolu angst
ON MY SILENT DAYS, I MISS YOU A LITTLE LOUDER
Luffy didn't really like storms. He felt restless, anxious, like he was trapped in his own skin, unable to sit still even if he was told to. He wasn't afraid of the ocean. Of course not. The ocean made him feel free, always in expectation of what they might find along the way as they crossed its vast waters with Merry in the lead.
The smell of adventure, the saltiness of the sea, the euphoria every time they landed on a new island... Luffy couldn't get enough of it. But now, the sea was angry. Thunder roared high in the sky, echoing through the tide as the waves tossed their ship. Luffy didn't like it one bit. The sea wasn't what he'd call a friend of his, but it wasn't a foe either. It could be tricky at times, but he was confident enough that it had come to like him as much as Luffy did, or at least it didn't resent him as much as it did back then.
"The sea doesn't look very friendly today, huh." Zoro said regarding the lousy weather. His cold fingers tapped his shoulder, the mere touch sending a shiver down Luffy's spine. "Come on. Let's go back inside."
"Zoro, wait...!" he pleaded, tugging at his half-torn clothes. Luffy hated how breathy his voice sounded as he spoke, the roar of the waves bringing with it all those things he'd rather not think about. "...sorry."
Zoro stopped halfway, his eyes darting from the hand still clutching his sleeve to the turbulent sea that threatened to take the Going Merry to the depths of its waters. "I didn't know you were afraid of storms."
"It's not that I'm afraid. Just..." Luffy bit his tongue. He was known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, but the tumultuous feeling he felt at times wasn't something he was very keen on sharing. "It doesn't bring back good memories, y'know."
He knew Zoro wouldn't judge him for keeping his mouth shut, much less rip the words from the back of his throat if Luffy didn't feel like talking about it. Zoro was kind, patient, he knew him better than anyone else, even more so than Luffy knew himself.
"Thought so." questions left unspoken hung in the air, questions Zoro didn't dare to ask. Luffy could hear them between each thunderclap that split the sky in half. Oh how he longed to have the answer to all of them, just so that Zoro would know of the anguish that he couldn't seem to get rid of. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."
"I want to, but... the rain won't stop." Luffy muttered under his breath, the air catching in his throat. His eyes collided with Zoro's gray ones, the silver lightning in his pupils making his knees tremble. "Can Zoro make it stop?"
Zoro remained silent. He wasn't one to take on nature in a fight, not when it went out hunting, showing its sharp teeth in the midst of each lightning strike. Zoro wasn't afraid of its waters, yet he knew that the sea could swallow him whole just by stirring up the waves. However, such was the burning thirst in his throat that his fists clenched at the mere thought of cutting the ocean to its core. If Luffy wanted to, if Luffy asked him to, then Zoro would do nothing but carry out the order that had been given to him. Luffy knew as much as that.
"I'm afraid I can't stop the rain, but..." Zoro said, his voice cutting through the storm as sharp as a knife. He pulled Luffy by the wrist, pulled him as close as Luffy allowed him to, his hands barely touching the skin beneath his fingertips as if afraid it might leave a scar if he happened to press any harder. "I promise to catch every thunder that is thrown our way. Hope that's enough."
Luffy let out a shaky breath, the entirety of his body melting into Zoro's embrace. The storm's still raging above their heads, thunder echoing through the entirety of the ship. The once white clouds now carried a gloomy, foreboding hue, the creak of the wooden planks beneath their feet adding to the uneasy feeling throbbing deep within his chest.
Zoro seemed to notice the fear crawling over his skin as the grip he had on him grew tighter, keeping him safe, keeping him grounded, putting all the pieces back into their rightful place and Luffy, ever the believer, wondered if Zoro wouldn't mind being that place he could go back to when days like these got the best of him. If Luffy wanted to, if Luffy asked him to, would that be enough? "Zoro?"
"Yes, captain?"
"Don't let go."
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