Chapter Text
Lunchtime rolled around, and when Zoro walked into the galley, the rest of the crew was already there and huddled around a few stacks of paper. Save for Sanji, who was piling up sandwiches on several plates. "Hey. Sit wherever."
Sit wherever…If Zoro was going to do this, he had to be honest about the things he wanted. He gathered his nerve and sat on the floor, right in front of Luffy's chair.
The captain looked down at him, tilting his head in interest. "Hi, Zoro!"
"Hi, captain," Zoro mumbled. The others weren't paying all that much attention, but he still felt on display.
"If Zoro likes sitting there, he can do it whenever," Luffy announced.
"Okay. Thanks," Zoro said. Really, he could stop all this complicated stuff right there. It already felt like he'd received more than enough with that one privilege.
Then again, the stuff with Nami was great too. And if there's one thing being a pirate had taught him, it was that there was nothing wrong with a little greed.
Having handed everyone their sandwiches, Sanji grabbed one of his floor cushions and tossed it at his face. "Don't let your butt go numb."
Zoro considered throwing it back on principle, but decided it was a little too childish even for him. The zabuton was better than sitting on a wooden floor.
"We need to get him his own as soon as possible," the cook said, crossing his arms. "I don't want marimo stink on my things."
"Don't complain when you're the one who gave it to me," Zoro groused.
"Let's start a shopping list," Usopp interjected before an argument could break out. "We might need a few more things."
" A collar− " Zoro said, saying it much louder and more abruptly than he'd meant to in his excitement. It had been a vague pipe dream since the day he'd met Luffy. "A collar would, uh−be good."
"Aw, we can put a little tag on it! It'll say ZORO in big letters," Luffy said, holding out his hands as if to manifest it. "And then on the other side, something like…um…"
"'If Lost, Return to the Straw Hat Pirates,'" Usopp suggested.
"Yeah! Zoro gets lost a lot, so that's handy."
"I do not!" Zoro protested, though it was solely out of habit. He was still picturing the collar. Something thick and substantial, not like the little fancy chokers the cook wore. At least one ring for a leash, maybe more. Green would be nice.
If Lost, Return to the Straw Hat Pirates. He liked that. He was theirs, and if they were separated for any reason, he knew they'd make sure to get him back.
"If we're getting started, the first section here is 'roles,'" Robin said. Zoro couldn't really see her from his spot on the floor, but was sure she looked the very picture of professionalism.
"What d'you mean roles?" Zoro asked.
"It's reasonable to have different expectations with different people," Nami said. "That's how it is with Sanji. Robin and I are his Mistresses, while Usopp and Luffy are more like…sitters, I guess you could say. They play with him and take care of him, but without full-time responsibilities or the authority to administer punishment. And then you and Chopper aren't involved beyond some general etiquette."
Zoro nodded. He didn't scene with Sanji, but had his does-and-don'ts: don't touch without permission, don't make fun of his behaviors, do speak gently if he's in subspace, do report distress or misbehavior if you see it.
"Luffy's my Master," he started, because that one was obvious. The man in question smiled, ruffling Zoro's hair with both hands.
"Uh, sitters or whatever…I guess all of you. Except Chopper. Sorry, Chop, it just feels weird. You're like…my kid brother."
"I'm not a kid!" The reindeer pouted, in true adult fashion, "...But yeah, I understand. I don't think I would be comfortable with it either."
"Wait, I'm a sitter? So…you're okay with me being…in charge of you?" Sanji said hesitantly. It was a reasonable question, given their day-to-day dynamic.
Zoro nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. "Just don't… be mean about it," Zoro mumbled. It was hard to admit such a weakness, but necessary. "I'm…it's still…it's new."
"Of course. I know how it feels, you know. Especially at the start. I'm glad to…I mean, I'll− you'll have an easier time. I'll help," Sanji stammered. It was a relief to see that he was just as awkward about this. They were actually communicating their thoughts and feelings with each other, and it felt downright bizarre.
"Good job, precious," Robin said. "I know that was difficult."
Sanji squirmed, smiling shyly. Zoro never knew which things prompted such a normal response and which ones prompted the noodle arms and wailing, but Robin always seemed to.
“Another important topic to address is sex,” the archaeologist then said. The others all grimaced, save for Luffy who just continued to lick traces of mustard and crumbs from his plate. The source of their discomfort scoffed in annoyance.
“Oh, for– you guys do get that I’m a doctor, right?” The little reindeer said. “I know what sex is. You can talk about it in front of me.”
“Yeah, but like– there's medical sex talk and there's…y’know,” Usopp said haltingly.
“Respectfully, Chopper, you are a child. A very brilliant child, but even so,” Nami said gently. “I think we’d all be more comfortable if you kept watch on the deck for a while. Someone probably should anyway.”
“ Fine . It's not like I like hearing about human mating,” the reindeer acquiesced, hopping down from his chair. “But that squeamishness had better not keep you guys from asking for help! For example, removing foreign objects from your rectum can cause damage if you don't know what you're doing!”
“Noted! Please stop!” Usopp yelled.
The crew breathed a sigh of relief as the galley door closed.
"Anyway. Sex," Nami stated. "What's its relationship with kink for you and how do you want it to work here?"
Zoro hummed in thought. He really should've anticipated some of these questions and thought them through ahead of time.
"My experience with kink in the past always had to do with sex, but it's not inherently sexual for me. I wouldn't be against including sex-related stuff, but…maybe farther down the road? Let's revisit it once we're all more settled in."
The others stared at him, somewhat wide-eyed.
"Does anyone else find it a little creepy when he's articulate?" Usopp whispered.
"Definitely," Sanji whispered back.
"Hey! I-"
"Zoro shouldn't have sex with anyone else!" Luffy blurted out of nowhere.
"Huh?" the crew responded collectively− save for Robin, who probably had her pen at the ready.
"Sometimes Zoro goes off and has sex with random people, and I don't like it," the captain said, crossing his arms. "If I'm his Master or owner or whatever, then he should have to get my permission! And I can say no if I want to!"
Heat bloomed in Zoro's chest, spreading rapidly through his entire body.
"Oi, Luffy, you can't just decide that yourself," Usopp countered, but the rubber man didn't back down.
"Zoro should only get fucked on my ship, where I'm in charge. Zoro doesn't need to feel good unless I give permission."
"That's…that's a good rule, captain," Zoro breathed. His head was spinning a bit. He couldn't have predicted Luffy giving two shits about who he fucked, and the knowledge that he did (and was adamant about it) was dizzying. It made him want to nuzzle his head against his captain's knee, to show gratitude that Master cared so much about him.
"Aw, cute," Luffy said, petting Zoro's face. Oops. He'd ended up doing it.
"So, for clarity, permission isn't necessary for sexual play with crew members?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, I trust you guys. But…oh, what about this? Zoro's gotta ask if he wants to have sex with himself. " Luffy's grin was downright impish.
"Zoro? Your thoughts?" Robin prompted.
Zoro considered. He didn't masturbate all that often, but anytime he did want to…it wasn't like Luffy would try to be discreet or respectful about it.
"Oh, sure! Zoro can jerk off!" On the deck, full volume. Embarrassing.
"Yeah, sounds good," the swordsman said. ,"I'm guessing you get to say no then, too?'
"Yep!"
"Noted. Next… Zoro, are you okay with me going over the things we did and talked about this morning?" Nami asked. Sanji grimaced minutely, to Zoro's great satisfaction. He almost wanted to say no just to leave the pervert guessing what they did. But in the end he nodded. Transparency and all that.
"First of all, you guys should probably know that Zoro seems to enter subspace on his own pretty easily. After an hour of kneeling and some light physical affection, he was down−not super deep, but definitely a different headspace. So we'll need to pay attention to that."
Was that…not typical? Zoro had had nothing to compare it to, but he figured his relationship with subspace was pretty much like everyone else's. What did it say about him that it was inordinately easy for his brain to go mushy? He risked a glance at Sanji, anticipating some kind of sneer or joke about him having moss brains or something. The cook just nodded with everyone else.
"As far as forms of address, he liked good boy, puppy, and kitty, but disliked baby."
The others nodded, and Robin wrote.
"What about other pet names?" Usopp pondered aloud.
"Like what?" Zoro asked. What else even was there?
"Sweetheart, precious, lovely, bunny, cutie, cutie pie, sweet cheeks, muffin, darling, love, pumpkin, little one, honey, angel, handsome, my special boy, hot stuff, prince, princess, sugar-" Usopp rattled off until Zoro had enough and cut him off, realizing this could go on forever.
"Um…if you gimme a list later. I'll look at 'em and think about it," Zoro said, and the sniper quickly started scribbling. Most of those were stupid, but there were a few he liked. Admitting that out loud was…difficult. This conversation was difficult enough, so he'd take shortcuts where he could.
There was at least a hilarious distraction in the form of Sanji, who looked like he was going to explode. Undoubtedly he'd already been on the receiving end of Usopp's creativity.
Noon stretched into afternoon as Zoro answered more kink-related questions than he thought existed in the universe. Most of them were things he'd never even thought about before ("what check-in methods do you prefer during periods of emotional vulnerability?"), and some were things he'd thought about way too much ("how do you feel about eating on the floor during meals?"). Most of it was answered with "I don't really know, I'd have to try it first," which to him was exactly the same as playing by ear, but what the hell did he know. By the time they were finished, Zoro's brain felt like a wrung-out towel and Luffy was practically vibrating from sitting still for so long.
"I think that's everything for now," Robin said. "If you could all sign here, stating you agree to these terms?"
Zoro had always signed everything with the East kanji for "sword" in the past as a way to stay anonymous, but apparently that wasn't acceptable this time. He wrote ゾロ in unnecessarily large letters as silent protest. It did not escape his notice that Robin's signature had a doodle of a weird cat next to it. It escaped absolutely no one's notice that Sanji apparently had to kiss the fucking paper in order to sign it, because what the fuck.
"We're done now?" Luffy asked after being shown how to write his name instead of the word "me."
"Yes, I believe-"
The rubber man zipped out of the room so quickly that he left a Luffy-shaped cloud behind. "FREEDOM!! CHOPPER, LET'S GO FISHING!!!"
The others laughed at his eagerness to move on to something more exciting, but Zoro didn't find it quite so funny. Instead, it made him reexamine this whole venture from his captain's perspective.
After the one interjection at the beginning, Luffy had stayed uncharacteristically silent through the negotiations. He'd bounced his leg like a jackrabbit, chewed on his fingernails, and doodled on a spare piece of paper Robin had given him. In summary, bored out of his mind. The only thing keeping him in his chair was likely the snacks Sanji kept coming.
Come to think of it, was Luffy interested in kink at all? If memory served…
"Any animal? …Probably a tiger shark. They look cool and I wouldn't need a boat to get around," Zoro said, leaning against the side of the dinghy with his arms crossed behind his head. It was too hot for a nap, but he kind of wanted to take one anyway.
"I think I'd pick monkey. Having a tail looks like it's a lot of fun," Luffy replied wistfully.
"A lot of animals have tails. Did you just pick monkey 'cause it's in your name?" Zoro snorted.
"No! Monkeys are great! They can swing through trees and throw their own poop!" the rubber man said defensively.
"You can already do that as you are now."
"...That's a good point," the other answered. "Hm…okay, it's your turn to ask something!"
The swordsman racked his brain. He wasn't really a conversationalist. There wasn't much use for that skill in his line of work.
"Uh…I dunno. You got a dynamic?" He tried. Luffy just tilted his head. "Y'know, dom, sub, all those…"
"Oh! …No clue." Luffy said, smiling.
"You know what they are, but you don't know if you have one?"
Luffy shrugged. "Never thought about it."
That sounded about right.
Zoro spread his arms in a 'well, here we are' gesture. "Now's as good a time as any. Not like we're going anywhere."
Luffy scrunched up his face in concentration. "Okay, so how do I figure it out? What did Zoro do?"
"Nothing, really. Gettin' told what to do just felt right. I don't even remember when I first figured it out; it wasn't a big discovery or anything." Zoro knew some people had an issue with male submissives, especially ones that weren't cute little twinks. But if Luffy thought it was gross, he certainly didn't show it.
"I think I'd go nuts if I had to do whatever anybody told me," Luffy said, wrinkling his nose.
"I don't have to, I choose to. The person and the situation are important."
"Oh! And I'm Zoro's captain," Luffy said with dawning realization. "Does that mean you'll do what I tell you?"
Warmth started to seep into Zoro's stomach. He hadn't really thought about that. He sorta had a Master now, didn't he? And not for a short while, either− he'd sworn his loyalty to this man until they achieved their dreams. Who knew how long that would take?
"Yeah…I will," he said quietly.
"Really!? Then…Zoro, I order you to…come over here!" He punctuated the words with a dramatic point of his finger, like he was casting some kind of spell. It was kinda cute.
"Aye, captain." Zoro sat up on his haunches, then made his way to the other side of the boat on his hands and knees. The rocking of the little dinghy made it less graceful than he'd like.
Luffy stared wide-eyed at the swordsman, who stopped a respectful distance away. "Zoro…crawled? Why?"
Zoro tried to will the blush away from his face. He refused to be embarrassed when he hadn't done anything wrong. "If you tell a sub to go somewhere, they're gonna assume you want them to do it on all fours."
"Oh. Neat," the rubber man said. He was still staring.
"So…? What'd you think?" Zoro asked.
"About what?"
"Commanding me. Wasn't that so you could figure out if you were a Dom?"
Luffy dropped his fist into his palm. "Oh, that's a good idea! Zoro's smart!"
The sub sighed, feeling a little like a patient parent. "Sure. So. Did you like it? If you did, there's a fair chance you're a Dom."
Luffy hummed thoughtfully. "It felt weird. But not bad-weird. I don't really know. I guess it's a mystery! Anyway, it's my turn now. What's your favorite season? I think mine's summer, because that's the best time for barbecue."
Zoro had to blink a few times from the sudden topic change. The non-answer was a little disappointing, but whatever. If Luffy was over it, so was he. They both had their dreams to chase, anyway. A dynamic would've just complicated things.
"...Autumn, I think. I like seeing the leaves change."
Whether he was a Dom or not, it clearly wasn't a priority for Luffy, and Zoro had just made it one. Guilt pooled in Zoro's stomach. He hadn't actually asked Luffy if he wanted the responsibility of being an owner. It wasn't in Luffy's character to do something purely for someone else's sake, so most likely he was just going with the flow without really understanding what was being asked of him. Once the weight of it dawned on him… well, freedom was what Luffy valued most. A leash was a chain, regardless of what side of it you're on. And Zoro had just chained him down without a second thought.
Was it too late to take it all back? It was a waste of time and paper, and they'd already all signed it, but surely the crew would understand. It was the right thing to do. At the very least, they could revise it to give Luffy a more hands-off role. It definitely wouldn't feel the same, but relationships were about compromise.
So what if Luffy didn't want him?
(Just thinking the words made Zoro feel a little sick. He needed to toughen up.)
"...Luffy? Can I talk to you for a second? In private."
He'd ended up putting it off all the way until after dinner. The troubling thoughts kinda ruined what should have been an exciting "first official meal as a pet." Sanji had given him a water bowl to drink out of and everything.
"Sure, what's up?" Luffy easily followed him to the boy's room, licking sauce off of his fingers. Zoro gestured for him to sit on the couch so he could kneel on the floor. It seemed appropriate for penitence.
"I…wanted to apologize," Zoro said. He refused to divert eye contact, no matter how tempting. "I forced you into a 24/7 dynamic without considering your feelings. I know you don't especially care about this kind of thing."
Luffy tilted his head. "What'dya mean?"
"That whole 'kink' thing. When we were in the galley making that contract, remember? I could tell you didn't care, but you sat through it anyway. Which was nice, don't get me wrong, but I don't want you to feel like you have to do something you aren't interested in."
"Zoro's not making any sense. I cared about all of that." Luffy said, sounding somewhat confused but moreso annoyed.
Zoro snorted. "I know what it looks like when you care about things, Luff. And it's not sitting all nice and quiet while bouncing your leg."
"That's stupid. And not fair at all," Luffy huffed, crossing his arms.
"I don't know about any of this stuff, Zoro. When I don't know stuff, I rely on the smart people on my crew. Usually if what they're saying is too mysterious, I just leave it to them. But Zoro said I'm his owner. I have to know this stuff so I can do it right. Because Zoro is important and Zoro trusts me to take care of him."
So, Luffy was being quiet because he was actually paying attention to something that wasn't food or adventure. For once, he was trying to understand a complicated concept instead of blowing it off.
"I'm sorry, captain," he said, dropping his head.
"Poor Zoro," Luffy sighed. "You just can't believe I'd want to be your owner, huh?"
As it often did, Luffy's laser accuracy cut him to the core. He couldn't deny it.
"I'll say it a zillion times. Zoro is mine. My kitty, my puppy, my swordsman, my person. You've been mine since I stole you from that cross like a treasure. I already own you, I've just been nice about it because I want my friends to be free. But. You're. Mine. And I'm gonna do a good job keeping you."
The words poured over Zoro like a waterfall− intense, all-encompassing, cleansing. He knew he belonged to Luffy. But he never knew the extent of his captain's feelings.
"I know I don't act like how Nami and Robin do with Sanji, and I don't wanna do some of that stuff either. I'll take care of Zoro my way, like what we talked about in the thing. And if Zoro thinks I don't care, he's gotta ask instead of deciding for me. I'm the captain, so I decide. Got it?"
"Of course, captain. I'm sorry for overstepping."
Luffy hummed thoughtfully.
"If Zoro thinks I'm not interested in this, I guess I have to prove you wrong. And Zoro was being dumb, so I'll do it with a punishment."
Zoro's heart leapt. A punishment…when was the last time he'd been Reinforced? Let alone by someone who actually cared?
"Whatever you see fit, captain," he said humbly.
"Good. Put your face on my foot."
Huh?
At his confusion, Luffy smiled and pointed at the top of his left foot. "Face. Goes there. You gotta get down on the floor."
Zoro had left the punishments to the others' discretion (with limits) during negotiations, mostly because he wasn't very creative. He trusted that whatever Luffy had in mind, it would be within the parameters they'd set. He had been listening, after all.
He lowered himself onto his stomach, scooching forward until he could rest the side of his face on top of Luffy's foot. The sour, unwashed smell was inescapable and the straps of his sandals dug into Zoro's cheek.
"Zoro thinks I'm not interested in this stuff," Luffy mused. "But I don't think that's true. Because I've thought about Zoro being under me just like this. Ever since it was just us on the boat together and you crawled to me. Dunno why. I'm gonna step on you now, 'kay?"
"Yes, captain," Zoro breathed. His heart was pounding despite doing nothing but lying there.
The other sandaled foot pressed down on his opposite cheek, applying pressure that bordered on pain. His head was fully trapped between his captain's feet.
"Shi shi shi, Zoro sandwich," Luffy giggled, moving his feet a bit to twist the submissive's head from side to side. With his strength, he could all too easily snap Zoro's neck this way. That fact was intoxicating.
"Zoro made a mistake. You were dumb and thought I wouldn't want to own you. That's why I really really really really want to leave a shoe print on your face. Then everyone can see that Zoro has an owner. And that Zoro, who's so big and tough and cool, lets his owner step on him when he's bad. But also I just wanted to see you like this."
The sandal pressed down harder, which in turn pressed Zoro harder into the straps on the other foot. A sole print on one cheek, sandal straps on the other. It'd be pretty easy for people to figure out who was responsible for the marks.
"Zoro's face is so soft on top of my foot," Luffy sighed happily. "I can feel your little breaths on my skin. It kinda tickles."
With a little bit of straining, Zoro managed to press his lips to the top of his captain's rubbery foot. It felt right, with how thoughtful his Master had been in deciding this punishment.
"Aw, was that a kiss? That felt nice…okay, I've decided. Zoro should kiss my feet more!" The shoe ground down harder in excitement.
"Of course, captain," Zoro said, a little strained from the unrelenting pressure on his head. "Isn't that how subjects show fealty to their king?"
The pressure disappeared. Zoro glanced upward, a little concerned he'd done something wrong. Luffy's eyes were dark and intense in a way the swordsman had never seen outside of battle.
" Zoro ," the rubber man said, just barely above a whisper."Zoro, I− you− this feeling is weird− I…it was never like this with Sanji…"
His hands were trembling. Luffy was…hesitant. It didn't suit him one bit.
"It's okay, Luffy," Zoro said softly. He rose to his knees, taking the other's hands. "I think I know what's going on. Just some big feelings, okay? Don't hold 'em back."
Those big doe eyes squeezed shut. "It…you were under my foot and you kissed it and called me your king and all the sudden I…I…wanted to smash your head and hug you and lock you away and cover you in jewelry and touch you and hurt you and show you to the world and tell you how beautiful you are and tie you up and pet your hair and make you eat my socks and give you a big scar like Hawk Guy did and it just all happened at the same time, it's still happening, I…I just want you . Really bad."
"You have me. You have me, Luffy, in any way you need me." Zoro nuzzled against the Dom's denim-clad thigh.
"Zoro…" Luffy opened his eyes again, and they were shiny. "Can I stop the punishment? I wanna be done."
"Of course, captain. I learned my lesson, I promise."
"Good. C'mere." Luffy opened his arms, and what else could Zoro do but fall into them? They wrapped around and around and squeezed Zoro so tightly he could hardly breathe, and there was no place he would rather be.
They sat in silence together, rocking back and forth. Zoro made a mental note to refer Luffy to Robin so they could talk about whatever it was Doms talked about. This whole "taking care of you" thing went both ways, after all. But that was a thought for later. For now…
"Luffy?"
"Mm?"
"How am I supposed to eat your socks if you don't wear any?"