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They have been sailing away from Wano for a few days but Luffy can still feel the effects the battle in Onigashima had on his body. It's as if his Gear 5 hasn't switched off entirely, which is strange because his other gears have never done that.
He looks normal on the outside—his hair is maybe just a tad curlier—but now when Nami hits him for being—according to her—a rubber-brained idiot, little birds fly around his head and his eyes spin like whirlpools. Or, when Brook tells one his jokes, he starts laughing uncontrollably and bouncing around the deck, and then Brook starts laughing as well and Usopp and Chopper join in and then they are all laughing their hearts out until they are wheezing on the grass, tears clinging to their lashes (except for Brook, since he doesn't have any).
There is a rare, quiet moment on the ship—late morning with everyone busy doing their own activities—and that is when a pod of medium-sized sea kings, the kind that like to capsize boats and drown the occupants—thanks for that, Robin—surround the Sunny.
Zoro sends a flying slash that cuts off the heads of three sea kings in one shot. Luffy cheers because his swordsman is so cool and before he knows it, he's making heart eyes at him. He quickly slaps his hands over his cheeks and shakes his head roughly, making the hearts disappear.
Zoro glances at him over his shoulder, tilting his head to make up for his blind side. "You okay there, Captain?" he asks, most likely because Luffy still hasn't rushed forward to kick some sea king butt.
"Oh-uhhuh, I'm fine," Luffy reassures quickly. Zoro scoffs whenever Sanji makes heart eyes at the girls—how would he react if Luffy made some at him? Luffy resolves to do better and slingshots away to join the battle.
Later that day, Zoro walks into the galley shirtless, fresh from the shower after his workout, muscles toned and pants riding low on his hips, and Luffy does not mean to ogle, really, but his eyes pop out of their sockets. Thankfully, it freaks everyone out enough that they don't notice what they did that for.
So, Luffy's in a bit of a pickle. Which sucks, because he likes pickles, but in his mouth.
At dinner, Luffy looks at his swordsman sitting across from him, trying to figure out what is getting him to act so weird. He takes a bite of his food absent-mindedly. Obviously, Zoro is handsome. Luffy noticed that on their first day together, after Zoro had removed his bandana and bathed and eaten and regained some colour in his face. And even before that, Luffy had liked his eyes, the steely determination in them as they stared back at him from across the barren yard. He has a nice mouth, too; straight teeth that can hold Wado in place, defined lips that close around them, and they look soft, pliant, as they form his name—and Luffy blinks with a start when he realises Zoro's talking to him. He shakes his head hard enough to dislodge his eyes and nose and they start spinning around his head before snapping back into place. "What?" Luffy asks him.
Zoro stares at him for a minute, his features turning concerned. "Are you okay? You've been zoning out a lot."
"M'okay, just hungry," Luffy answers quickly, and to prove his point, he throws an entire chicken leg in his mouth and swallows. Zoro grimaces when he sees the bone stretch his throat as it goes down.
"Can you at least try to chew," Sanji complains weakly.
"Are your injuries still hurting you?" Chopper pipes up timidly.
Luffy looks at him and grins because this, at least, is true—"No, since I have the best doctor in the world!"
Chopper blushes and pulls his hat down to cover his eyes and tells him, "That doesn't make me happy, you bastard!" while looking indeed very happy. Everyone chuckles and smiles and Luffy gets out of the situation, although he can still feel Zoro glance at him from time to time for the rest of the meal.
After, he's watching the waves part at the bow of the ship, entranced, when Zoro calls his name behind him. Luffy tenses up like a scared stray cat before turning enough to look at him.
Zoro's arms are crossed over his chest, there's a frown on his face and Luffy gulps because Zoro means business.
He looks around for an escape route. His legs spin like wheels as he gathers speed before taking off down the stairs and across the main deck.
"Luffy!" Zoro yells exasperatedly before he starts running after him.
Luffy yelps and runs towards the mast, hiding behind it until Zoro reaches him, and then they're both running around the mast like idiots. Luffy's running too fast to react when Zoro stops in his tracks, so they collide with a loud clatter of pots and pans and yowling cats. Zoro recovers quicker and rolls on the grass to pin him under him.
"Luffy," Zoro scolds, out of breath, hurt seeping into his voice. "Why are you trying to avoid me?"
"I'm not," Luffy lies and he starts sweating goldfish-sized sweatdrops that fly everywhere.
Zoro sighs before loosening his grip on him a little. "You know you can talk to me about anything."
"I'm fine-getoffofme?" he tries to reassure but it comes out as a plea.
Zoro doesn't move, just frowns deeper. "If I did something-" he begins unsurely, and Luffy cuts him off quickly.
"Zoro did nothing wrong." Because none of it is Zoro's fault, and all of it is Luffy's.
He's hovering over him, close enough Luffy can hear the faint chiming of his earrings when they sway together in the breeze. His gaze is so intense it feels as if it might set Luffy ablaze. As if on cue, Luffy's ears blow steam like a seatrain. Zoro startles, blinking fast.
Luffy screws his eyes shut and turns his head to the side, away from him. For a moment, it is quiet—if you ignore the very loud hammering of his heart.
"Luffy," Zoro calls, and it's soft and airy and said with a smile—Luffy knows, even if he can't bear to look at him.
And then, he feels a warm breath on his cheek before a soft kiss is pressed to it. Luffy combusts—internally and externally.
Zoro laughs—that carefree laugh of his that throws Luffy right back to the docks of Shells Town—and he chances a look at him.
"You're being silly," Zoro says, and yeah, Luffy hasn't stopped being silly since he woke up in Wano, that's kinda the whole thing here. But then, Zoro continues: "I love you too. You don't need to try to hide it."
Oh.
There's a pop as a pink heart appears above Luffy's head, and then another, and another, until his head is surrounded by little floating hearts.
Zoro chuckles and Luffy's so, so in love.
He laughs a little, a grin tugging at his lips despite feeling exhausted from all of his emotions. "I can't believe you figured it out," he jokes.
"I know, right?" Zoro plays along, lifting a finger to poke at one of the hearts. It bursts like a bubble.
"You're pretty smart for a dumb person," Luffy continues, taking a deep breath now that his chest doesn't feel like it might implode anymore. "And also just pretty."
Zoro hums, tucking a few strands of hair behind Luffy's ear. "That's funny, coming from you."
Zoro's either calling him dumb or pretty and in either case, it makes him smile wider.
Zoro seems to realize they're making a scene in the middle of the main deck like this, so he shifts off of Luffy a little bit. Luffy looks around and sure enough, their crewmates are looking at them curiously, pausing what they were doing. And Luffy remembers he has always liked causing a scene, so he snickers and pulls Zoro back on top of him for a kiss.
Zoro makes a surprised noise but catches on quickly. Luffy giggles against Zoro's lips when he hears his crewmates' shocked noises and the sound of breaking glass. In his chest, his heart beats strong and steady, not erratic and desperate, and he sighs, content.