“And what exactly are you building up a tolerance against? Eating? What, you gonna try to cut out breathing next because it’s a ‘weakness’?” she snapped, plenty annoyed at how much damage he was doing to himself. Not in small part because him basically slowly killing himself offended her on a personal level.
For all Ikkaku tried to be a somewhat decent person, at the end of the day she had two wholly selfish goals; to go beyond the limitations set by stubborn old witches, and to survive. She’d done some admittedly unscrupulous things for the sake of both. Hell, she was doing it right then and there! So to see a being willingly waste away due to his own pride and stupidity? Frankly she was tempted to slap him, grab hold of that broken horn and unleash a blast of lightning into it to show him just how “strong” his foolishness had made him.
Hands clenching to quell that urge, she nonetheless felt even more anger at his next sentence. One that stung her pride. Yeah, it did suck being hunted. She wouldn’t even consider a long-term contract with a demon if it didn’t. And it sucked even more having to ask for help, which was why she was trying to make the deal as equal as possible. Give-and-take, tit-for-tat, whatever it took to make this feel more like a beneficial partnership and less like she’d finally hit rock bottom. It wasn’t like other hellspawn hadn’t made her offers, promising power and forbidden knowledge and precious artifacts in exchange for her soul and servitude, but she’d rejected them out of suspicion and pride. But fine, if Zoro didn’t think she was useful or appetizing enough, maybe she’d just—
Her ears perked up at his and Nami’s exchange, the wheels in her head turning. Last time? The fuck happened last time? Ikkaku wondered. Had the incubus’ refusal to feed gotten him hurt? Or had someone else suffered because of it? The latter seemed more likely, given how demons weren’t always known to give a shit about their prey, but why would Zoro care about that?
Still, it was proof that he didn’t have as much of a handle on things as he liked to pretend. That snapped the witch out of her rage, allowing her to look him over calculatingly. Black eyes took in his straining muscles and beautiful wings before landing atop of his head, and suddenly she had an idea.
It was a risky one, given what Nami had told her, but given how stubborn he was, it might be the best way to show he wasn’t as tough as he claimed to be. That he did need her.
Back straightening, Ikkaku met the demon’s gaze when he once more deigned to address her. The lust he’d stirred up in her still simmered beneath the surface, but it was secondary to her determination. “Frankly, I thought you’re agree because I assumed you had a ounce of sense in you, but clearly that was being optimistic,” she said bluntly, poking him in the chest. “Because if you really were looking to become stronger, you’d be less concerned about your diet and more focused on more obvious weaknesses.”
Pointedly, she raised her eyes to stare at his broken horn. Nami had said it was a sore point for him and an exploitable weakness, but she likely hadn’t expected her to use it like this.
Once more returning her focus to his face, she gave a challenging smirk and a sarcastic shrug. “Too bad you don’t have a witch in your pocket who could maybe fashion something to protect such a sensitive spot. Or whose energy would keep you going longer than a mere human’s. But hey, I’m sure nobody would think to use that broken horn against you in a fight.”
The moment those words left Ikkaku's lips the air in the room seemed to thin, everything going deadly silent as Zoro simply stared at her. Not only did Nami explain what he was doing to train his body, but she'd told her about that as well. The anger welling up in his gut, coming to a boiling point in his chest and throat, had his eyes narrowing dangerously. In the linking connecting him to his sibling he could just barely make out the surprise over his own emotions. As if she didn't think the witch would use her knowledge against him.
Unlike the growls he'd been letting out thus far, this one was low, animalistic and almost felt like it made the very ground shake. Zoro stalked forward, hand darting out again, but this time instead of a gentle touch on her chin he seized up Ikkaku's throat, claws digging into pulsing points. He didn't know if her racing heart was from fear, or that lust she'd been clearly feeling since he walked into her home, but Zoro couldn't give less of a fuck right now. She was attempting to back him into a corner and force him to agree with this offer and he wasn't about to have that, especially not like this.
❝ Be careful with what you say, witch. My handicaps are none of your concern, and I sure as hell don't need your help with any of them, ❞ he spat out with a snarl, grip tightening just enough to slightly cut off her air supply.
How fucking dare she imply that he was weak because of his exposed horn. Like he'd allow any of his enemies to get near it to exploit it properly. They were usually dead before the thought could even pass through their minds.
Nami kept quiet in the threshold of the kitchen, a surprising feat since she seemed to love running her mouth as well. But he knew she'd step in if she felt it necessary. She always did. Zoro pushed Ikkaku backward into she collided with the wall, his hand never easing from her throat. His eyes appeared to be glowing now in reaction to his anger. Molten gold that would've been considered pretty if not for the reason behind why they were like this.
Leaning forward into Ikkaku's space, their noses practically touch, Zoro let out a huff, lips pulled away from razor sharp teeth. With the anger coming off him in oppressing waves, so did his obvious need to feed. That deep, itching desire for life force radiated from him, mixing with the irritation and creating something borderline intoxicating.
❝ Insulting me isn't going to get you what you want, Ikkaku. I have no obligation to help you, especially after this, ❞ Zoro whispered, his voice low and sounding like pure velvet, an unconscious use of his influence because of his instincts fighting to take over. ❝ Now why don't you ask me nicely this time, little one, and maybe I'll reconsider. ❞
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