Anxiety | ZoLu 𔘓𓂃 ִֶָ

3

Hunching over, Luffy's skin was crawling with goosebumps as he let his first tear drops descend onto the deck.

His crewmates were unsure of how they should react towards the young man, let alone, how they should approach him.

His cries were barely audible and mainly escaped through his closed mouth in the form of silent whimpers, almost as if he were afraid of letting go of everything, all at once, and being overpowered by his own emotions.

Zoro's eye was wide open, and as were his arms when he decided to pat against the young man's back.

No one could hear him, no one could see him as he turned his face away from their view, but everyone could feel how dense the atmosphere had grown after Luffy stood still, not saying a word for a while.

Bit by bit, the horripilations peering from his skin had begun to multiply like magic while the cold wind gently grazed his body, causing him to shiver, endlessly.

"What happened?"

Was all that his Swordsman had the courage to ask him, as the others resisted the urge to question their Captain as well, out of respect.

And their Captain, burying his head into his knees as he sat down on the floor beside Zoro, decided to reply to his question with a three-sentence answer that made the Swordsman gulp.

"I see."

The older man ran his hand through Luffy's hair, giving him a discrete yet reassuring embrace before standing up from the deck.

All eyes were on Zoro when he turned back around to face everyone on the Sunny.

Eyes that were desperate to have the truth unveiled to them, and ears yearning to listen to what their Captain had mouthed to him in such an uncommunicative tone of voice.

One by one, they tried to gather information from the older man, thinking that it was a much safer approach than to acquire it from Luffy.

But as they caught a closer glimpse of Zoro's facial features, the crew was under the impression that they were staring into a mirror, given that Zoro's gaze reflected a far more perplexed expression than their own.

This only caused the confusion to double for everyone else, as well as the theories they had built in the back of their minds.

Luffy stood up from the deck, putting an end to everyone's mumbling when they heard him turning around.

"Guys, sorry about this... The weather has me feeling unusual today. I need to rest for a little bit."

"More sleep??" Before Usopp could ask any further questions, Zoro and the rest gave him a silent nod in disagreement.

Understanding his assignment, the curly haired male slowly let his lips seal back together, keeping his silence after the Captain walked away.

The crewmates then collectively stared back at Luffy, watching him up until he closed the door behind him, locking himself away in his bedroom: Something he rarely ever does.

And his friends knew this all too well.

"Luffy's never slept this much in one day. Lately, he seems like he hardly ever sleeps. What's going on with him?"

Usopp spoke, being the first member to break the silence among the rest of the Straw Hat pirates.

"Zoro... What did he tell you?" All heads turned to face the Swordsman who they still were eagerly awaiting a response from.

At first, the man contemplated on what to do: If to speak, or to keep his silence on the matter.

However, seeing the way his Captain was acting lately, didn't help Zoro remain quiet in the slightest bit; he knew that nothing would change if he didn't expose part of what was happening to Luffy.