Can I Steal Your Heart? - A LawLu fanfic

(Luffy) Chapter 10 - Obvious

A/N: As a reminder, there may not be updates for a couple weeks, unless I'm just REALLY bored on vacation. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can once I return. Thanks for your understanding and support!!

Luffy stood at the last step before the trap door into the crow's nest, more nervous than he'd admit to anyone. Zoro's swords weighed heavier in his hands than they should've. He hadn't come up here since the night he'd found Zoro coughing up bloody flowers. Since the night Zoro told him he was dying.

He couldn't shake that image from his head. Despite that, he managed to raise his hand to knock.

"Come in," Zoro called — which was good, since Luffy was opening the door anyways. "Luffy. What brings you here?" Zoro looked a little surprised, like he'd been expecting someone else.

"Bringing these to you," Luffy managed to get out, holding up the swords. He couldn't even pretend to smile, not right now. "And wanted to check on you. How are you doing, really?" He opened himself up to the sensations around him, to the little quirks and flow of energy that would tell him more than his stubborn first mate would on his own.

"Didn't Chopper tell you the result of the checkup from yesterday?" Curiosity. Guilt. Concern. A twinge of pain. A faint tinge of... not quite happiness. Contentment, maybe. Zoro wasn't sweating much, so he must've still been doing a lighter workout.

Luffy made himself nod. "He told me. But I need to hear it from you. That I'm not going to have to choose a different First Mate. That you're going to take back your swords and stay." He was proud that he hadn't let his voice crack on that last word like it was threatening to do. He knew Zoro would see through it, though. Zoro might pretend not to care about most things, but he was more observant than Sanji accused him of being, especially when it came to Luffy.

And sure enough, Zoro sat down with a sigh as he wiped sweat from his brow, then indicated that Luffy should sit, too. "I'll take my swords back up, and resume my promise, Captain. I won't lose. I'll become the world's greatest swordsman — and proudly hold that title along with that of First Mate to the future King of the Pirates," he declared, placing a hand on Luffy's head.

Luffy heard the determination in the other's voice and couldn't help but lean into the touch a little. It felt like it'd been ages since he got that particular sign of affection, and it was honestly almost as good as a hug. "Why didn't you tell me it was Sanji?" He asked his friend. His real question, the one he didn't ask aloud, was: 'Why did I not know?'

"Until he appeared next to me on that boat, I didn't think there was a snowball's chance in hell that it could happen. I honestly wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't be glad to get rid of me."

Luffy found his head tilting in confusion at that statement. He'd always known that Zoro and Sanji's fights were never based in true dislike, or even a lack of respect. He'd thought it was obvious, which was why he didn't intervene when it looked like they were about to kill each other. They were different, and didn't always agree, but they were clearly friends. And not just for his sake. They trusted each other. Sometimes they were even proud of the other.

They just... liked to antagonize each other, too. Like they wanted to prove their strength to each other however they could. "You're nakama," he said, as if that explained everything. "And he never really hated you."

Something about that made Zoro smile softly. "Yeah, so he told me. He actually said I'd become his best friend, if you can believe it."

Luffy could absolutely believe it. The happy affection on his friend's face was probably enough of an answer, but Luffy wanted to ask anyways. "Are you happy?"