ZoLu Imagines II 🏖

Stranded | 9 🥥🌴

Luffy's POV:

"Stop calling me Limpy already, it's offensive!" I shouted, kicking my feet against Zoro's chest.

"What about all the things you called me? You even made rude references of my family awhile ago... Not that it matters. I doubt I even have any relatives."

That fact was NOT true, coming from him. Maybe I told him off a couple of times on our way to the "safer" cave, but that was it.

... Okay, I sorta did offend his family in a way... Specifically his mother. But he had it coming.

Was the joke slightly funny? Oh, yes. It definitely was.

"Luffy, do you seriously want to talk about my mother when your own grandfather turned you into a savage caveman? And by the way, where are those primitive survival skills you had?"

His voice was anything but charming at that moment, all I could think of was swinging my fist into his mouth.

"E-enough! Put me down!!" We were drenched in rain by the time we made it back to the cave since we were caught in the middle of a crazy thunderstorm with strong winds.

"Shut up already." After he finally put me down, my first instinct was to dry myself off by shaking the rain and sweat away.

Did it work? No. But it was worth a shot, at least.

"That only works on dogs, genius." I started barking at Zoro in a sarcastic manner, then I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Man, I lost my chance..."

"What chance?" I asked out of curiosity, keeping a straight face at him the entire time.

"To drown you in the Ocean. I should've done that instead of dragging your ass over here again."

"Whatever," I thought of playing it cool and making it look like nothing he could say affected me from that point on, so I turned over to my side.

"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." No one said a word after that and things were back to the way they were from when Zoro and I first took our separate ways..

Only this time it was harder to withstand than this afternoon because we were in the same cave.

I hate this tension... I just hope it goes away as soon as this storm does.

Author's POV:

The night went on with the temperature decreasing as the Tropical Island became unforgivingly chilly, making the clothes Luffy had on him unsuitable to sustain such freezing winds.

Zoro on the other hand, despite having cut the long sleeves off of his jacket, he was keeping himself warm near the campfire.

"Come warm yourself up." Though trying to encourage Luffy to do the same thing, the younger pretended to be asleep while silently shivering.

"You'll freeze that way."

"S... Says who?" He responded, exposing his loud teeth chattering.

"Suit yourself, this fire is nice and warm. All you have to do is turn over to warm yourself up too."

"Bleeeh, not gonna do that." Luffy said, sticking his tongue out behind Zoro's back, making the sound more obvious so that the Swordsman knew he was teasing him.

"Freeze then." As if karma was on Luffy's side, the wind changed directions and extinguished the flames from Zoro's campfire.

"Thanks, you too." Right away, Luffy took this opportunity to tease the man.

"Zip it."

"You're a Swordsman tonight, but you'll be a Snowman by tomorrow." He bit down on his lips, cracking up behind Zoro's back.

"Don't mess with my aspirations, JACKASS! I'll cut you up once you turn into ice." Zoro threatened, kicking the wood from his campfire.

"T-t-try it, b-b-b...brr..." Luffy's lips froze up halfway throughout their discussion, forcing him to stay shut.

Noticing this from the younger, his friend felt slightly sympathetic towards him.

"What now? If you wanna choke me to death in my sleep, a-a-at least l-let me fall a-a-asleep f-first!" He stuttered through his trembling voice.

"If I wanted to choke you, I would have my hands around your throat... Not your waist." Luffy looked beneath him, seeing Zoro's hands embracing him.

This, of course, made the love-struck boy squeal a little on the inside... But he was too stubborn to admit it.

"MMPFHPFPFP-" So instead, he threw his head back and struck Zoro beneath his chin as the older man screeched and nearly spoke in a different Language from the impact of the hit.

"I tried keeping you warm, what was that for!!" He scolded, whacking Luffy over the head with the end of his katana.

"J-just because!" He responded, unable to keep his heartbeat silent.

"Because of what!"

"Because. Just because." Giving him an improper answer was purely intolerable for Zoro who's patience with Luffy had worn out.

".. 'Because' isn't an answer, fool!"

"Because I wanna keep being your friend!" Each response made less sense than the prior answers Luffy gave the clueless Swordsman.

"And just because of that you need to pop my damn jaw out of place!? There's more to it than just that." Zoro turned Luffy over, pinning his hands down to the floor.

"Explain yourself." The man spoke, asserting his dominance over his friend who had a reason to have grown so weak.

But it was one that he couldn't speak of.

"It's not worth saying it anymore." Was all he said, tilting his head where it met the cold wet floor.

"Tell me." His interest in getting the truth out of Luffy was eating him alive, but not as much as it ate his Captain from the truth inside of his heart.

"I ain't telling you nothing."

"Why not."

"Because it would be bad for us, stupid!" Earning a hint from the younger, Zoro tried to make something out of his answer but found no outcome to it, so he continued searching.

"In what way?"

"Zoro, it could ruin our friendship. Just stop." Luffy's heart ached while he struggled to turn himself over to hide the visible angst written on his expression.

"Spill it. You have nothing to lose."

"Yes I do, dammit! I could lose you." He trembled to his aching muscles.

"Why? Why would you lose me..." Agitated by the annoying and interrogating questions Zoro ceased to make, Luffy exploded.

"Because, Zoro.. B- BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, OKAY?" He pushed the older man away, crouching in a corner with his head down.

Not long after he retreated from the older man as if he had a disease, Luffy heard Zoro say something.

"After knowing this, I... Don't think we should be friends anymore."

That alone was enough to make him hide his face in his knees, crying into them. His heart clenched with regret.

And to make matters worse, the Swordsman's feet could be seen by Luffy from the corner of his eye, he was standing right in front of him.

His body was shaking uncontrollably with fear.

"We can't be friends, Luffy." He repeated, making Luffy look up at him with swollen eyes.

"I KNOW THAT ALREADY, DON'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE! Please! It'll hurt me less." But the man continued torturing the boy with his words.

Suddenly, he tucked his hand beneath Luffy's chin.

"We can't be friends..." Zoro paused, bringing his lips up to the boy's crying face, kissing him softly.

"So let's be lovers instead."

~~~