Lessons in Love and Devotion 1: Stalking the Hunter

Warnings: The entire series contains very bad language, voyuerism, male/male/male sex (but not yet) and mentions of homophobia.
Timeline: Takes place before One Piece, heavily drawing from the anime filler episode #135, which is a flashback to how Zoro met Johnny and Yosaku.

Every piece of this series is a complete story in itself, though they build on each other. This is the first story in the series!

And thanks to loveandallthat for beta help. All remaining errors are mine!

We've fallen in love with your skill.

And in lust with your body. (They hadn't said that bit.)

We'd like to devote ourselves to you.

So might we express our devotion by licking you clean? All over? (Not this bit either.)

There were things that had better remain unspoken, Johnny knew. Zoro was far out of their league, in just about any category that mattered. He was a better swordsman, better bounty-hunter and he was a hell of a lot better built. Which they discovered in full one week after first meeting him, when the madman decided that a past midnight dip in an icy lake was just what he needed.

It might be worth mentioning at this point, that prior to this decision, Zoro's clothes (or what remained of them) were covered in sweat, dirt and blood. Not his own, thank goodness, but instead originating from about twelve bandits who hadn't yet learned to run the other way when they saw a swordsman with three blades. Still, it was the principle of the thing.

And the principle was, that, much as one might wish it, it was a rare occurrence that Johnny got treated to an unselfconscious strip-tease by a masterful swordsman with the body of a god (or possibly a demon). Nobody in bounty-hunter school had told him what to do about it. He'd have really appreciated a bit of guidance too, because Johnny could feel his virtue dribble out of his ears while watching: Zoro stretching in the moonlight, all the (lovely, lickable) muscles along his back rippling in a tempting wave that just pulled your eyes down along a sweet waist to the most perfectly sculpted ass ever. Which Johnny would never get his unworthy hands on, fuck his life.

The choking noises from beside him indicated that his partner in life, love and fighting had come to a similar conclusion.

"Shut up," Johnny hissed and swatted Yosaku. Amazingly enough, Zoro was still stretching, twisting his torso and stretching out his arms in painfully appetizing poses which just begged to be admired from up close. If he noticed the way Yosaku was drooling at him, he might stop. And that would be the tragedy of ages, good Gods, was he actually going to –

"He's bending over," Yosaku whispered, "he's truly bending –"

Then Zoro kicked off the cliff, flew through the air like a wet dream and disappeared into the lake with a splash of water that caused entirely the wrong associations in Johnny's overwrought mind.

He turned to look at his partner. Yosaku stared back, mouth half-open and panting just a little.

"I think I almost came," he admitted.

Johnny had to agree. "We're never going to tell him," he reminded Yosaku (and possibly certain bits of himself), "because he's one of those stoic–"

"– sexy –"

"–monkish warrior–"

"– fuckable – "

"–will you be quiet? He's an ascetic swordsman! You heard him, he's hunting a Shichibukai! He's sworn oaths! He won't have time to fool around with us! Anyway, why would he want to, with a body like that?"

They both contemplated the sad truth of this while Zoro swam a few laps through the lake.

"I just want to point out, we don't actually know that he's an ascetic monkish swordsman. Not for sure, I mean, it's not like we've asked," Yosaku whispered.

Johnny had a perfectly sound retort to that (namely, have you seen what he's wearing?)[1] but they had to postpone the argument until later. Everything got postponed until later, because Zoro was striding out of the water, the full moon and their merry little campfire working together to illuminate him like a piece of carnal art. In the crisp night air, his wet body almost shone as he walked up to them, just realms of lovely, kissable skin and perfect masculine lines that could've tempted a saint into sinning.

"That's so nice to look at that it has to be illegal," Yosaku murmured, his hand drawing a line in the air that was almost certainly the curve along Zoro's waist.

"Unfair, at the least!" Johnny had to agree. And it was, completely and utterly unfair. The lake was plenty cold, Johnny disovered that when he got water for their tea earlier. And Zoro hadn't just dipped his toes, oh no, he'd swum and scrubbed himself off properly. Judging from the way his nipples were all perked up prettily, the water hadn't grown warmer in the last fifteen minutes either.

And he still had a sizeable package, the mere sight of which made Johnny salivate as he imagined getting his mouth on it. Fucking unfair.

"Brr, chilly. I really need to get a new towel," Zoro said as he brushed off the water clinging to his body, before trying to pat himself dry with his (formerly white, now rather grungy) shirt.

Johnny felt torn. Zoro was really nice to them. Not only had he saved their lives twice, in seven days. He was also happy to share his (huge) bounties with them and even do a bit of swordsmanship training. The least they could do was offer the guy a towel after he'd had to use his own as an emergency tourniquet. But right now Zoro was kneeling naked in front of the fire, rubbing his hair with energetic motions, his sex resting on legs that looked made to be stroked and worshipped, just as the rest of him. To ask a red-blooded man to look away from the spectacle of his firm stomach, his amazing pectorals and the perfect lines of his perfect pose? How could he possibly not use this chance to drink in as much of the sight as possible? And try and figure out if it was a trick of the light, or if the modest little bush at the base of his cock (which wasn't modest at all, holy shit, Johnny, stop looking before you embarrass yourself) really did have a green tinge?

Luckily for both their honors, Yosaku was a sentimental sucker. When Zoro shivered (guh), he managed to locate their last remaining towel and handed it over with a shaking hand.

Zoro visibly perked up at that, which just made Johnny feel even more like an ass. He thanked them, finished drying himself off, pulled on his trousers (angels wept) and was out like a light, with only the moist towel as a blanket. Zoro, they'd been quick to discover, took travelling light to new heights.

Before Johnny's erection had even begun considering to calm down, Zoro was snoring loudly. The most aggravating thing was that Johnny still found him sexy. Okay, not the snores, because the guy could saw logs like a pro, but the way he was sprawling on his back? One arm thrown above his head, mouth half-open, a line of stomach bared beneath the towel... Relaxed, unguarded and trusting them to take the first watch as agreed. 'Guh' really was the only proper descriptor to the intense hotness of knowing that the Pirate Hunter Zoro was prepared to entrust you with his nightly rest.

They waited in shared silence, the sound of their elevated heartbeats and Zoro's snores a fitting backdrop to confused thoughts.

After a while, Yosaku cleared his throat. Noisily. Several times.

Their friend didn't stir. Perhaps fighting off that many bandits was more tiring than it looked, even for someone as good as Zoro.

"Hey... big bro?"

No reply. Yosaku looked over at him. Johnny nodded back. Moving stiffly, they abandoned their cross-legged positions by the fire and moved towards the line of trees. They weren't abandoning watch or anything; this wouldn't take a minute.

"Did you see how he fought those two idiots with the spears?" Johnny whispered as he helped Yosaku with his trousers. "It looked even better than last time."

"That's because you weren't concussed today," Yosaku mumbled. "Get on with it, I bet he's got ears like a tiger. Teeth too."

A tiger. Yes, that was a very fitting image for Zoro. Come bite me, big boy...

Looking back later, Johnny would pinpoint this night as the one where he was finally doomed. Yosaku claimed that they were both done for much earlier, and to be honest? Johnny mostly argued against it to try and save some tatters of self-respect.

They had spent two days in the village where they'd met the famed 'Pirate Hunter', mostly getting patched up and medicated. Zoro, meanwhile, had dealt with the constables and haggled about new swords with the local smith. Apparantly, he had slept most of the remaining time. He'd been mildly surprised, but quite pleased, when the first thing they did after getting out of bed was to repeat their request to travel with him for a while. Wounds mostly healed, pockets and bellies full, the three bounty-hunters walked away with the well-wishes of the villagers sending them off on their journey. After some uneventful days of travelling, they were attacked and, well, here they were...

That was one story; the one that Yosaku and Johnny would have opportunity to repeat many times, in many taverns and seedy bars all around East Blue.

There was another story, and it was the one which had led them to their current position; Yosaku leaning against a tree, Johnny kneeling before him and both of their minds full of that tantalizing image of Zoro, naked and dripping wet.

While recuperating in the doctor's cottage, Johnny and Yosaku hadn't been in much shape to do anything spectacular. But they'd had plenty of time and two (almost) wholly functional right hands. And they always had loads of imagination. So, as soon as they realized that the local doctor, being a decidedly senior citizen, had only slightly better hearing than your average brick, their fantasies became more elaborate and their joint masturbation a lot louder. There had been a lot of furtive whispers about swordsmen, swords, green hair and a certain black headband...

On the last day, they'd almost shared something else: a mutual heart-attack. Zoro, moving like the scarily good bounty-hunter he was, sneaked up on them moments after Yosaku had come with a very attractive (but incriminatingly noisy) yell. Which mostly consisted of Zoro's last name, just to make things better.

Since the entire place stunk of herbs the old doctor insisted were good to burn (to keep the bad miasma away, whatever that was, but it did a wonder on post-wank funk) and Zoro didn't as much as twitched a muscle to indicate that he'd heard something amiss, Johnny figured they'd juuuuust survived that one.

Nevertheless, that short talk with Zoro probably shaved years off his life.

As soon as he left, with the agreement that they'd move on the next morning, they'd both broken into hysterical giggles. Finally, Yosaku managed to get himself under enough control to lift his blanket and wipe off the sticky residue of his pleasure. After that, they solemly swore to never, ever, ever take such a risk around big bro again. Because, body of a sex god or not, they both agreed that with a man like Zoro, his friendship was the most precious thing. Whatever their baser selves might think about it, his continued respect and acknowledgment of them as fellow swordsmen, far outweighed the short moment of ecstasy they'd achieve if, say, they tried out whether Zoro's ass really was as grabbable as it looked.

Plus that little detail that he might very well try to kill them afterward, but that was only a minor issue.

So of course not a week after that solemn promise, they followed up blatantly ogling him with secret blowjobs some twenty steps from where he was snoring. Principles, why where they so difficult?

Little Yosaku was still happy from the show before and when Johnny gave him a couple of 'nice to meet you again' licks, he became even happier. Usually, Johnny liked it best when Yosaku kept his hands wrapped around his head while he did this, pressing and twitching against him whenever Johnny got in a nice screw with his tongue. But, considering the need for absolute silence, he couldn't complain that Yosaku put both hands to use to make sure he didn't forget himself again.

Sucking Yosaku off was almost comforting in its familiarity most days. Now, with the thrill of danger added, he found himself becoming hyper-aware of all the little details again. How perfectly Yosaku fit into his mouth, the soft warmth of his balls against Johnny's cheek when he pressed as deep as he could, how his legs got so tense that they were trembling when he was about to come. Oh yes, this was just the spice they needed.

Johnny drank him down, stroking Yosaku's flank as his partner swallowed his noises and jerked his hips. He even took the time to lick him dry at the end, before tucking the (not too) little guy back inside his trousers.

"Uh, sorry, that went bit fast." Sated as he was, Yosaku also seemed a bit embarrassed about that, if the fidgeting was any indicator.

"Hey, don't worry. Speed is good right now," Johnny comforted him. His own dick, feeling cold and left out of the proceedings, twitched in agreement.

"Ah, then you'll be good to go soon... Just imagine he's beneath you, struggling but taking it beautifully," Yosaku said, still sounding as if he was off in lala-land.

Which, really, he must be. For one, Johnny wasn't the biggest fan of the whole 'throw-guys-to-the-ground-and-fuck-them', much preferring to be on the receiving end of that equation.[2] For the other, no drugs in world could make him delusional enough to imagine a scenario where either of them could fight down the Pirate Hunter if he was even playing at struggling.

Luckily, Yosaku couldn't continue his deranged rambling with his mouth full. While he worked on Johnny Jr, he decided that he might as well let himself be inspired the only sane idea in Yosaku's fantasy. Namely, imagining Zoro in all his naked glory.

Zoro, moving carefully as if Johnny was all pretty and breakable, but with an absolutely irresistible force... arranging him just as he wanted him, on his back, legs spread open... He'd be naked too, of course, except for that bandana (he bucked into Yosaku's mouth at that image; seen it used only twice and it was already a kink, shit they had it bad) and he'd tell – no, he didn't even need to tell Yosaku anything, he'd just smirk and point. Then Yosaku would take him into his mouth, oh yeah, just like that, and Zoro would lift his legs, he'd be all slick and ready, he'd have to have slicked up in front of him, those burning eyes following his fingers until they couldn't take it anymore. Whining around the fist he'd stuffed into his mouth, he managed to indicate to Yosaku that a bit more suction and perhaps a finger or two would be just the thing right now – yes, just like that – only it wasn't a finger, was it? It was Zoro's cock, impaling him, while Yosaku sucked him off, he'd be trapped between them and they'd both be so strong, so perfect, filling him and taking care of him and the world was perfect, everything still except Yosaku's mouth being filthily loud on his cock, slurping and sucking so loudly in the silent night (too silent, oh shit what if he had –).

Then Johnny came, hard, and whatever semi-formed thought had been growing in his head evaporated immediately. He slumped against the tree, Yosaku's arms coming up to envelope him, and he leaned gratefully against his partner.

"Good?"

"Mhm," Johnny managed. Just.

"Yeeeah, I'm good."

Shit, but he loved the idiot. Which still didn't mean he didn't need to be taken down a peg or two sometimes.

"Thought about him fucking me," Johnny whispered, more feeling than hearing Yosaku's fascinated little gasp. "My cock, your mouth and he'd be almost taking us both..."

He felt Yosaku's hand sneak down his back, cupping his ass. Even asleep on his feet as he was (and Johnny would always consider it gross unfairness that Yosaku only got a bit winded after coming, while he himself turned into a doughy semi-comatose lump for a while) that move managed to spark the barest bit of interest.

"We really need an inn soon," Yosaku said, his voice thick. "Two big bounties, loads of cash..."

"...pr'tty pictures..."

"Hah, yeah, remembering this lake will keep me warm for months! All that, and we haven't had the time to properly play around for ages. Can't have that."

"Nuh. Inn soon."

"Okay, c'mon, let's get you back into bed, partner."

Only shuffling a little, because it hadn't been that great of an orgasm no matter how Yosaku preened, Johnny followed him back to the fire. Zoro had turned to the side, but was still loudly snoring, safely off in dreamland. Something nagged at him at the sight, but the allure of his blanket drowned out all attempts at thought.

They arranged themselves quickly. Yosaku was sitting watch, leaning against his back for warmth, with their swords within easy reach. Even if he fell asleep like that (he would), they were both trained enough that suspicious sounds and foreign presences alike would wake them. Sitting up, Yosaku would be able to respond much faster, giving Johnny enough time to get to his own feet. Years of experience also ensured that none of them would slip up and move into a compromising position during the night.

Feeling himself sinking quickly into dreamland, Johnny fought to keep his eyes open just a little while longer. This was a good night; his partner warm at his back and Zoro's face just visible on the other side of the fire, the warm light making him look surprisingly soft and young.

Johnny blinked, his thoughts moving sluggishly. He thought he had just seen a gleam of light in Zoro's face, the reflection of fire in his eyes, but that wasn't possible, was it? He yawned, feeling Yosaku's comforting rub on his shoulder, and the image fled away to join all the other fantasies in his mind.

He dreamt of him and Yosaku hunting green tigers that night. Or the tiger was hunting them, he wasn't quite certain. With the logic of dreams, he did know that no matter who caught who, they'd all be eaten before it was over. Strangely enough, Johnny thought he was pretty okay with that. And anyway, it was just a dream.

[1] Or had been wearing, since Zoro was currently as naked as the day the Gods of Unfortunate Bounty-hunters created him to come save two of their most faithful worshippers. But what he'd put on to cover that godly body before this? It was almost a crime. An ugly white shirt that hid most of his muscles, boring pale pants that didn't flatter his ass at all and a stomach warmer that he might've nicked off his grandpa. Johnny, who was certain that his own mohawk, snazzy sunglasses and carefully torn sleeveless vest were the height of fashion, was of course the perfect person to try and update his style a bit. Yosaku could help a bit too, as long as he didn't try to inflict his unfortunate bleachjob on Zoro's funky green hair.

[2] It was the discovery that Yosaku was a fan of just that – throwing a handsome man to the ground and fucking him – that had been the final thing which turned their tactical co-operation into a permanent partnership, in and out of bed.

The story continues in "Lessons in Love & Devotion: If Lost, Return To..." which can be reached through my profile.

Please leave feedback ^_^ I've got several parts of this written but in the process of being edited, so please let me know what works and what doesn't. The series will conclude around the Arlong Arc of the One Piece series.