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It's with silvery eyes that Zoro sees the exact moment the fight leaves Luffy's body; When his clenched fists relax and hang by his profile.
Around them, the bar continues to laugh like a flock of mocking birds, parroting their leader and circling in their prey, not giving them a way out.
When an attack is imminent, Luffy doesn't dodge or defend himself. Glass shatters against his face, leaving him drenched in liquor.
Zoro waits; His sharp eyes stare as brimming glasses and bottles fly in their direction, shattering into million pieces.
"Zoro,"
Luffy calls, voice a shadow of the irk from minutes prior. Zoro hums, turning his face sideways so he can look at him.
His captain is bleeding from two tiny cuts on his cheek and forehead; The liquor, thrown at him on multiple occasions, drips from his hair, runs down his face, and pools on the floor. But Zoro, oh Zoro , can only look at the spark in Luffy's eyes.
"No matter what happens, don't stir this fight,"
It's in moments like these Zoro realizes why it's Luffy he's standing next to and not someone else.
Luffy passes for a simple-minded fool only to those that can't truly see him. To anyone else, Luffy is a terrifying force of nature, one to be reckoned with - Will and determination in the form of a man, and not the opposite.
And Zoro knows, right there, yet again, that the one next to him is the only person he will ever follow. Down to the ends of the earth or to a rumored island up in the sky. To anywhere Luffy wishes them to go, Zoro will match his steps and remain by his side; Until there's no side to remain by.
When Luffy opens Merry's bathroom door, he finds Zoro inside; Back turned to the door, bloodstained white shirt hanging in his hand.
He glances back, offering Luffy a pointed look and a raised eyebrow, and in the silence - without uttering a word - Luffy hears him complain about entering without bothering to knock.
Instead of apologizing, Luffy walks into the cramped space, closing the wooden door and drawing the fabric curtains.
This time, Zoro speaks. "What are you doing?" He looks down at the lack of space inside the tile-covered bathroom, tanned skin pinched between his furrowed eyebrows. "Just wait outside. I'll get out in a second."
Luffy doesn't move; His back remains to the door, leaning against it. His eyes, dark and wide, take in the swordsman before him.
"Luffy?"
He's staring. He knows, but-
Zoro's face is littered with small yet sharp cuts, blood oozing down every wound, piercing silvery eyes veiled behind it. His chest and torso are in a similar state; Marked by blows that, later, will tattoo his skin in tones of purple, yellow, and grey. For now, the predominant color is red, bleeding down gashes and slashes, drenching him and what's left of his clothes.
"You're covered in blood,"
"You were the one telling me not to fight back."
Luffy's eyes rise at those words, blaring into Zoro's silver ones. That's not what he meant-
Zoro has the audacity to chuckle, a tad more amused than he usually allows himself to be. When his eyes find Luffy's again, there's a fire burning in them. "I know."
It's Luffy's turn to grin and snicker; His smile becomes brighter and wider than it has permission to be. Still, he can't help but emanate the emotions that flow inside his heart. He blames the spark in Zoro's eyes for setting him on fire.
"I can't stand guys like them." Luffy offers, "They don't understand anything."
"They're not worth the punch?" Zoro teases him; It's a taunt because he's trying to hide the smirk when he speaks. Luffy sees it, though. A bit too clearly.
"It would be meaningless."
And all the slyness melts from the swordsman's lips, his smile turning gentler, kinder.
Zoro sighs as he tries to hide it, miserably failing to. Still, he only truly gives up when the corners of his mouth are pulled too far apart; Pass the point of no return.
"You're always full of surprises."
"I'm not,"
Zoro's hand - warm and calloused - palms against Luffy's face, adding just enough pressure to silence him. "It was a compliment, dumbass. Take it without complaining!"
Luffy does, even if he isn't quite sure about it.
He waits for Zoro to pull his hand away, unprepared for the reverence kindling in Zoro's eyes.
"Zo-ro?"
A flicker - as quick as a snap of fingers, as quick as a blink of an eye - draws on him. Zoro pulls away, only to reach back forward.
His fingers - warm, calloused - find their resting place on the side of Luffy's face, under the old scar beneath his left eye. The fingertips rub blood away, smudging it into sunburned skin; The alabastian sun hadn't been kind to any of them.
The blood disappears, but Zoro doesn't seem satisfied. How can a man dreaming to best the world ever be?
His other hand holds Luffy's cheek, cradles it, and Luffy leans into the touch, seeks it.
Zoro's lips, where they smear against Luffy's skin, feel nothing like his hand. They're moist instead of dry, soft instead of stiff.
And his tongue feels nothing like his lips, lapping away what's left of the blood.
Chopper would complain if he saw it - snarl about bacteria and what more.
Luffy doesn't, choosing to watch color surface on Zoro's cheeks when his brain finally clicks, and he notices his predicament.
Luffy isn't sure exactly what Zoro is doing, but he doesn't mind the proximity. In time, he'll unearth just how much he craves the touch of Zoro's breath against his skin.
When the swordsman pulls back, not far, never far, Luffy's lidded eyes follow his tongue and watch it disappear - Taking in the taste of Luffy's wounds.
And when the swordsman swallows, either the taste or the awkwardness - doesn't matter - Luffy's eyes gleam.
"Zo-ro-"
Luffy swears he sees Zoro shiver with his words, a lightning bolt flaring his body from head to toe. Their eyes meet, and it's a challenge and a promise, an adventure yet to be discovered.
Luffy's heart leaps, always excited to explore the unknown.
And when Zoro's lips softly veer to his mouth, Luffy gets the feeling that, even in a town of mockery, he's the one getting the last laugh.