Work Text:
It was just another island, another fight, another stop on their journey to travel the grand line and find the one piece. They’d won, and with minimal injuries at that. While fun, the experience was mostly insignificant. A blip on their long journey. At least, that’s what Luffy thought. But then Zoro asked him to meet up in the woods a little ways from the Going Merry the night before they set off.
Zoro stood stiff in a clearing, eyes shadowed by his bandana. Luffy held himself back from making some kind of joke to cut the tension. Contrary to what some of his crew might think, he was capable of restraint sometimes, and he was perceptive. Something in his gut told him that whatever Zoro wanted to talk about was serious.
Luffy tilted his head to the side. “Zoro what’s wrong? Did you get hurt and not tell anyone? Do you need to go see Chopper?”
“No that’s not it. That fight was idiotically easy.”
“Then what is it?” Zoro wouldn’t look him in the eyes, which was strange for the usually confrontational man. Luffy walked closer and Zoro stayed unmoving, but tensed. “What’s bothering you so much?”
“It was something that guy, I don’t actually remember his name, said before I kicked his ass.”
“If you don’t even remember his name why does it matter what he said?” Luffy scratched his head. Zoro was acting weird, not looking at him and getting all hung up on something some loser said.
“It matters because he might’ve been right” Zoro bit out the words like they were poison, not elaborating on his own.
Luffy walked even closer to him, so they would have been face to face if Zoro weren’t looking off to the side. “What did he say?”
Zoro shook his head.
“You asked me to come out to talk to you, so don’t chicken out now” Luffy chided.
“He- he called me your dog” Zoro blurted out after a long silence.
Luffy’s face froze for a moment, taken aback. This was not at all where he’d been expecting this conversation to go. He thought about immediately denying the claim, just to try to make Zoro feel better, but that kind of placating wouldn’t help. Instead he asked, “Why do you think it’s true?”
“Come on Luffy, there’s no way you don’t see it. Don’t make me say it.”
“We’re not talking about what I see. We’re talking about what you see.”
Zoro huffed, as if this whole thing was a bit more emotional than he’d intended. “Before I joined up with you, I was a free man, out on my own, following my own goal, but after I joined you things were different. I was different. I would carry out any order. I would follow you anywhere.”
“Do you resent me for that?”
“No I- not at all it’s just… what’s wrong with me? I always wanted to become the greatest swordsman, and defeat Mihawk to prove it, and I still want to do that, but it isn’t my most important goal anymore. Now it’s more important that I make you king of the pirates. I already think of you as my king.”
“What’s so wrong with that?” Luffy asked with a curious tilt of his head.
“I’m supposed to be so strong, but here I am dedicating my life to another person. There must be something wrong with me. Right?” He nearly shouted, finally looking Luffy in the eyes with a desperation he’d never seen before.
Luffy reached up to touch Zoro’s shoulder, “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re so strong. You’re perfect.”
“Don’t you think I must be weak, following you like a dog. It’s the kind of thing I make fun those baroque works employees for.”
Luffy wasn’t quite sure why he did it. Maybe it was the wild and pleading way Zoro was looking at him, or maybe there was something in the night air. Whatever the reason, Luffy ran a gentle hand across Zoro’s shoulder and up the side of his neck into his hair. Zoro’s hair was soft, and Luffy decided he liked touching it. More curious than Luffy’s actions was Zoro’s reaction. The muscles in his face seemed to soften, and he unconsciously leaned into Luffy’s hand.
“The difference between you and them” Luffy said, “is that they follow blindly, because of an empty promise. You follow because of who I am. Isn’t that right?”
Zoro’s eyes widened “Yeah… I guess you’re right” he said, and something about the crisp breeze or Luffy’s hand in his hair must have made him weak in the legs, because he dropped to his knees right in front of Luffy. “Is it really okay?”
“Is what really okay?” Luffy asked, both hands now running through Zoro’s hair behind his ears.
“That I’m like this with you. That even though I keep getting stronger for you, I’m also weak for you. Is it okay that I put everything that I am in your hands?” He had an almost vacant look in his eyes, and Luffy knew he spoke the whole truth, and held nothing back.
“Of course it’s okay, because you’re mine Zoro. My friend, my first mate, even my loyal dog, if that’s how you want to put it. It doesn’t have to be an insult. It’s not a bad thing. Dogs are great. If you were a dog you’d be one of those big strong dogs, y’know?”
Zoro only hummed in response and Luffy put a stop to what was about to become a rambling tangent about how great dogs are. He looked down at Zoro, who was looking back up at Luffy with devotion in his eyes, and Luffy thought he was beautiful. They stayed like that for a while, just staring at each other, until some noise startled them out of their stupor and they returned to the Going Merry knowing something had changed between them, but not quite being able to explain what.