In which Sanji cares too much, and Zoro probably doesn’t care enough
By the third trip into the market, Zoro had started to get a little parched. It wasn’t like he was putting forth a whole lot of effort really; baskets of foods and spices were nothing compared to the weights that he would lift to train himself and make himself stronger, even if he had to carry several of them at once. He had them stacked high and balanced carefully in his arms as he stood around, just waiting for Sanji to make his next purchase and undoubtedly hand it off to Zoro for him to lug around until the risk of him dropping something became too much for him to carry anymore. That was all fine, he was used to it by now, but just standing by and watching as Sanji stared at an apple like it had personally insulted him was a bit more than he was willing to put up with. He had been for the last ten minutes, and Zoro was getting a bit impatient.
Seeing Sanji zone out while looking at various foods and species that were for sale at whatever island they happened to wash up on was common. At times it seemed as though he could spend forever comparing the quality of fruit from two different venders until he finally decided which would be better to buy in bulk for the ship. More often than not though, he would simply end up lost in thought as he tried to figure all the different ways he could use something in any number of dishes, and would end up stuck on one product or a while after that. There were never any complaints about the food that Sanji brought back, but it left whoever he decided to drag down to the market with him standing around with little to do for quite some time.
Zoro smacked his lips and shook his head as he took a look around the busy market while Sanji scoured the apple for any sign of fault. People bustled all around, trying to get from stall to stall without pushing and shoving too terribly much. Zoro was thankful for this, since most people managed to avoid him and didn’t make his job of keeping the baskets in hand balanced any harder. It didn’t exactly make him feel good though, unable to relax at all with so many people around in such a crowded space. An attack from any enemy would be difficult to handle at best, and at worst would involve some innocent casualties.
No attack came though, and Zoro was simply left standing in middle of a busy market, wishing he had something to drink. When he looked back at Sanji, he saw that he hadn’t made any progress on deciding whether or not to buy the apple, and so Zoro slowly picked his way through the crowed to move closer. Shifting the baskets around to free up one of his hands was difficult, but he managed it, and it in the end it was worth it when he reached out and snatched up the apple, and he could see the immediate annoyance on Sanji’s face as he took a bite out of it.
“It’s an apple, you eat it, how the hell can you over complicate that?” Zoro muttered through his mouthful.
Sanji sneered at Zoro’s words, his choice of shopping partner quickly filling him with regret, but he knew working with Zoro would get the job done the fastest. “Keep your hands to yourself, you tasteless brute.” Sanji scolded, before fishing out a few coins to give to the man he was currently browsing from in return for the apple. “And it may just be a simple fruit to you, but to a world class chef such as myself, there are endless possibilities.”
Zoro was quiet for a moment, seeming deep in thought as he finished chewing. “...What good are endless possibilities if you can never manage to make anything halfway decent?
“I’ll kill you!” Sanji yelled, not caring that they were in a public market and that there would be plenty of people around to witness something like that.
“Haha, I’d like to see you try.” Zoro said, a grin on his face as he took another bite from his apple.
Sanji looked like he would have been about ready to fight Zoro right then and there if he hadn’t been carrying a good portion of the supplies they had already bought, no matter who might have been around to see it go down. Instead he just ground the end of his cigarette between his teeth and huffed out a sigh through his nose as he tried not to let his anger get the best of him. “Why do I waste my skills on imbeciles with no sense of taste?”
“I don’t know, but you sure seem to get a kick out of it.” Zoro accused, and nothing could have made him happier then than seeing Sanji absolutely bristling at his words.
“Are you insinuating something, Asshole?” Sanji asked, lowering his eyes back down to the fruit for only a brief moment before motioning to the Vender to package some up for him.
“That you actually like cooking for me? Oh, of course not, I know better than that.” Zoro said with a scoff.
A small bushel of apples was handed off to Sanji by the Vender, and after Sanji paid for the rest of the fruit and thanked him, he turned and added the basket onto the ever growing stack that Zoro was carrying. It would have been a pain to most people, but Zoro hardly noticed.
“That’s what I thought.” Sanji said as he helped Zoro adjust his hold on everything. “And I’d hate to have to suggest that you actually like my cooking in return.”
“I do though.” Zoro said, a small smile on his face as he watched the Cook just about melt in front of him before he felt a fist hit him hard in the chest.
“You-... You shitty bastard! If you’re going to play along, then play along, but don’t go saying embarrassing shit like that in public!” Sanji hissed in a heated, irritated whisper, his fist slamming against Zoro’s chest a few more times while his pack mule had a look around at the people rushing all around the market again.
“Right, because everyone is paying so much attention to you.” Zoro said with a roll of his eyes. “See if I ever pay you a compliment again.”
“We are in the middle of shopping! Save it for later you Idiot!” Sanji snapped, glaring at Zoro with all the intensity he could muster despite his heart fluttering about in his chest. He didn’t look too intimidating with his face stained red from anger and embarrassment though.
“Mhmm…. Make me something special tonight, OK Curly? Just for me.” Zoro said, the smile on his lips spreading wider as he leaned in, hoping for a kiss from his Chef.
“We are in the middle of shopping you fucking animal!“ Sanji reiterated with a screech, mortified with Zoro’s behavior. He slammed his palm flat against Zoro’s face to keep him away.
“Ow.” Zoro muttered into Sanji’s hand before turning his head to speak clearly. “Idiot, if anyone is attracting attention here it’s you. It doesn’t matter that much anyway though, right? We’re almost done?” He asked.
Sanji continued to glower up at Zoro for a few moments before he huffed and fished his list out of his jacket’s pocket. “...I want to get a few more things for dessert tonight, and then we have to go and find something for Nami-Swan. We should be done after that, unless I can think of something else we need between now and then.”
“Why are we shopping for Nami?” Zoro asked, his smile fading quickly.
“Because she asked me to. It’s just one item, you don’t have to come with me if you’re going to be sour about it the whole time.” Sanji said, folding his list up again.
Zoro rolled his eyes at just how easy it was for Nami to bend Sanji to her will, though really she was at no fault for it. He was the one stupid enough to do it in the first place after all. “And what exactly are we getting for her?” He asked, sighing and resigning himself to an extra long shopping trip for something he didn’t care to be fetching.
“Torches? What the hell does she want with torches?” Zoro asked.
“She said standing torches for some sort of beach party she wants to have while we’re here. It’s a beautiful island after all, I don’t blame her.” Sanji said, before a warm smile spread across his face. “And of course she asked me to cater for it.” He said, his light, dreamy tone slipping into his voice.
“Well who the hell else would she get? And for free no less.” Zoro asked with a grin.
“You know you don’t have to try and ruin everything for me, you Hack Swordsman.” Sanji said with an annoyed click of his tongue.
“You’d be bored if I didn’t.” Zoro said, and he hiked the baskets up a bit more before making his way past Sanji. “Alright then, come on, Cook, Let's go find some torches. I’m still thirsty, ready to be done.”
“Will you stop trying to steal fruit if I water you, you Dumb Moss? I expect that of Captain, but not you. I’ve got some water, you can take a break at the next vender while I browse.” Sanji muttered as he trotted up beside Zoro, stuffing his hands down in his pockets.
“Probably. It wasn’t very good anyway.” Zoro said with a slight shrug.
“What, the fruit? It looked fine to me. If there was something wrong with it, I’ll take the rest of the apples back and get Nami-Swan’s money back.” Sanji said, his tone low, like he was ready to take the Vender on in a fight if the apples didn’t meet his high standards.
“It was just an apple, nothing wrong with it. A lot of fruits are just to sweet for my taste though.” Zoro explained, and Sanji raised a brow at him.
“There are plenty of fruit that are a lot sweeter than apples. I was planning on using them to make desserts tonight, but if you don’t want it…” He trailed off, mind already working on plan B, and several different options for different fruit based foods after that as well. “What type do you want me to get?”
“I don’t care.” Zoro said.
Sanji narrowed his eyes at Zoro in frustration, and he stuck his elbow out to jab Zoro in the side with it. “Hey, if I go out of my way to ask you what you want, they least you could do is put any sort of thought into it.”
“You know I’ll eat whatever you give me, I really don’t care. Like I said, lots of fruits are too sweet for my liking, I don’t eat very many of them, much less know what many of them are called to try and tell you what to get.” Zoro muttered.
“There are plenty of types of fruit out there that are tart, not very sweet at all. They would probably be more to your liking.” Sanji suggested.
“Then get those.” Zoro said.
“You’re absolutely useless, you know that?” Sanji grumbled as they made their way down the busy street, the crowd swallowing them up as they made their way farther into the city looking for Nami’s requested item.
It was a bit surprising how nice everything actually ended up looking. A simple little party, chairs set out, a fireplace being lit by Usopp, and the standing torches that Sanji and Zoro had hunted down earlier were planted firmly into the ground and casted light over the area giving it a nice glow. As far as Zoro was aware, nobody had gone and gotten themselves into too much trouble on this new island, so it was a nice change of pace. He was sure Luffy had tried his best to seek out any adventure he could, but he came back bored to death of the place that they had landed on only the day before.
They could all spend the evening relaxing, not having to worry about who had what duties, or what their idiot captain was getting into, or who was in what sort of danger, and that in itself was a blessing.
Everything was being set up just a short walk away from the ship, and Zoro did his share of overseeing the process leaned against the railing, watching as Luffy and Chopper struggled to get one of the fold up chairs they would use to open up. He could have shouted to them that they were trying to open it the wrong way, but some part of him wanted to see just how long they would fight with it before realizing their mistake, and another part of him just didn’t care enough to help them.
Behind him, he could hear rattling of pots and pans, and he could smell something amazing being cooked, but he didn’t bother to go and see just what the Chef was working on. He knew he would find out when the sun finished going down and everyone met around the fire for a rather festive meal. He was sorely tempted to though, mainly because he hadn’t actually eaten anything that day since the apple he had snatched from Sanji’s view, being too busy running around and lugging everything that Sanji had bought around with him to even think about sitting down for a meal. The fact that Sanji hadn’t said anything about it was more surprising than anything, but Zoro just assumed it meant that there would be a large meal tonight.
The vicious tug of war that Luffy and Chopper had been caught in with the chair in an attempt to unfold it ended with a crash as the two lost hold of it, and went tumbling down into the clean white sand, and Luffy threw it to the side in frustration before looking to the ship and yelling up to the Swordsman. “Zoro! Come help us set these chairs up, you’re just standing there watching!”
“And ruin my entertainment? I’ll pass.” Zoro said, resting his chin against the palm of his hand. “How the hell did you put the others up if you can’t even figure this one out?”
Chopper looked absolutely embarrassed by Zoro’s words, and he tugged his hat down a bit farther over his face before he turned his back to Zoro and tried to figure out how they had gotten the chair so twisted up to begin with. Luffy just waved Zoro off and huffed in annoyance over the fact that he had been bested by an inanimate object, though it’d hardly be the first time.
When Zoro heard footsteps behind him, he cocked his head just a bit to hear a little better, and he heard Nami sigh behind him. “You know if you wanted to be sweet, you could go down there and help the others.” She said as she passed by him. Zoro just scoffed and shook his head at her words.
“I could say the same to you.” He said cooly, a slight shrug as he continued to watch the others below.
A sharp, painful blow to the back nearly sent Zoro toppling over the edge of the ship into the water below, and once he got his footing steady again, he whipped around as he rubbed at the sore spot where a lump would surely form. Sanji had himself balanced on one foot, the other poised to kick again, and his hands busy holding up half of a cheap, green fold up card table that had been dug out from somewhere in the depths of the ship. His hands were still soapy and wet, indicating that he had dropped whatever dishes he had been in the middle of doing to help Nami carry the table.
“Do you wanna fucking fight?!” Zoro yelled, but Sanji seemed both uninterested in and unphased by Zoro’s anger.
“Nami’s helping out more than you are, so don’t you dare act like she’s not pulling her weight. She’s right too, you know? Things would go a lot faster if you would help set up.” Sanji said.
“So what, you want me to go down there and make sure the idiots don’t go killing each other with chairs?!” Zoro demanded.
“No. Fighting idiocy with more idiocy can’t lead to anything good.” Sanji said, and one of his hands let go of the table long enough to dig around in his jacket and fish out his lighter. Zoro was a little more than surprised when it was tossed to him, but he still managed to catch it. “Why don’t you help Usopp light the fire? He looks like he’s having trouble…”
Zoro growled in his throat, but he did peer back over the edge of the ship to the rest of the crew and where they were preparing for the event. Sure enough, Usopp seemed to be struggling to get the logs to burn and he was getting pretty frustrated with it very fast. He had known that he probably wouldn’t get away with just standing around forever and would have to help out at some point, so he sighed and gave a little nod, following after Sanji and Nami as they headed towards where the ship was docked so that they could get the table down to the beach. He would have helped them with that too, but honestly it was just more funny to watch Sanji struggle with it. It was the least he deserved after that idiot comment.
The fire was easily lit with Sanji’s lighter, and the last chair was conquered with the help of Zoro snatching it away from Luffy and Chopper and unfolding it properly. The sun set quickly behind the horizon, and soon the beach was pitch black, with only the glow of the torches and a fireplace illuminating a small area for the crew to enjoy their evening in. The sliver of a moon and all the stars were hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, but Nami had assured everyone that the chance of rain was still very slim. Even if she happened to be wrong, a bit of water was never going to stop the Straw Hat’s fun.
There weren’t enough chairs for everyone to have one sadly. Both of the women got one by decree of Sanji threatening to kick the ass of anyone who took their place, but the other three chairs were up for grabs and it had nearly been a brawl to see who would end up on the ground and picking sand out of uncomfortable places for a week after. Luffy, Franky and Usopp had been the original victors, with Chopper ending up pouting on the ground and Brook off to the side as he prepared a song for the ladies, not caring whether he stood or sat. Usopp had unfortunately ended up forfeiting his chair though when he fell out of it in surprise after Zoro had stepped up behind him and startled the daylights out of him. While Usopp recovered and the others laughed, Zoro took his seat.
“Don’t… Don’t scare me like that!” Usopp pleaded to Zoro as he sat up and dusted some of the excess sand off of himself, glaring up at the Swordsman.
“If you want me to stop scaring you, one of us is going to have to leave the crew. I can guarantee you’re much safer with me around.” Zoro teased, leaning back in the chair and stretching as he spoke. The others, including Usopp, did laugh at that. Usopp still looked rather terrified as he pictured a world without the protection of his friends though, and it took a bit of work to calm him down from whatever stupor he had worked himself into.
They distracted him. First by just playing around with him, cracking jokes, but then by starting up a story or two, talking about things they had seen that the others might not have known about. Usopp was more than happy to join in, though the more he talked the more outlandish his stories began to seem, and the others could only roll his eyes at his tales. There wasn’t so much to tell for some of the first members of the crew, little that hadn’t been told before, but even so the conversation easily slipped into light stories from some of their pasts. People Nami had stolen from, Pirates Zoro had hunted, and any number of misadventures that Luffy had been on. He seemed to have an endless supply of them. They never got too heavy though, avoiding darker memories, and as they all settled in and waited for Sanji to finish dinner, their laughter and shouting could be heard all across the beach.
Food came in several trips by Sanji going back and forth between the table they had set up, and the Ship’s kitchen. Both Zoro and Usopp had offered to assist him several times, but Sanji refused both of them and continued on bringing it out himself. He smiled each time he went by with food covered in a metal dome to keep it hot and he heard his friends laughing. When he had everything he wanted to serve to the others, he began making plates for each person, and he served them one at a time.
“So what have I missed?” Sanji asked, handing plates off to both Nami and Robin, who thanked him sweetly for his work today.
“Not much.” Chopper said with a little shrug before he continued to try and pick sand out of his fur. “We’re just telling stories is all. The food smells really good Sanji!”
“Thanks, I tried to make a bit of something special for everyone tonight.” Sanji said, and the look in his eyes when he talked about the food he had for his crew was filled with pride.
“You made me some meat, right Sanji? Something tasty?” Luffy asked, leaning his chair back on just two legs as he tried to see around Zoro to peek at what might have been under the domes.
Sanji scoffed at Luffy’s interjections, and he shot him a dirty look while he continued to serve the others. Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, Franky… He would have denied the fact that he was serving his captain last on purpose, but it sure seemed to be that way. “If I didn’t you would spend the whole evening whining at me, of course I did.”
“Ahh, you’re good to me, Sanji!” Luffy said with an excited clap of his hands.
Zoro looked down at his plate when he was handed one. It really did smell good, and though he would keep his thoughts to himself if he could, the Chef really had outdone himself tonight. Of course he always seemed to think that after every time they restocked their food supply, Sanji always seemed to have a new trick up his sleeve and he continually left the crew stunned with his work. Zoro was no exception to that, even for as much as he denied it. When he tried it, he realized it was a bit spicier than Sanji usually made his meals. Not so much that it would upset some of the members with milder tastes, they could and easily did still enjoy it, but there was a heat there that made Zoro look up in surprise at Sanji. He really had meant it when he said he tried to make a meal that everyone could really enjoy, and the spice had been Zoro on Sanji’s mind as he cooked.
Something about that made Zoro savor the flavor just a little bit more.
Sanji didn’t sit like the rest of them, and ate standing like he normally did when they were on the boat and everyone was crowded around a table fighting for elbow room. It was his natural place really, and what everyone was used to. It certainly didn’t take away from the evening any, and Sanji jumped right into the little game of trading stories that the crew had been going at for quite a while, offering up tales of some of the worst guests that he and the other chefs of the Baratie had dealt with over the years. They weren’t dark memories at all, quite the opposite in fact, but a few of the others could see just how much he missed his old home when he talked about it like this.
After the first few stories, he stopped playing as much and just leaned against the table with a small smile as he ate his share of food and enjoyed the company he had. Zoro had long since dropped out of the game as well, and now his eyes were trained on Sanji, watching him in the flickering light all the fire around them gave off. It was a good look for him.
“Sanji? Could I bother you for a drink?” Robin asked after she finished her food, and it seemed like Sanji was at her side in an instant, taking her dishes from her to take them back to the ship to let them soak. “The meal was wonderful as always by the way.”
“Of course, of course! And I’m glad you think so! I put a little extra love into it just for you and Nami tonight, I think it’s some of my best work yet!” Sanji said, a bright smile on his face when she complimented him.
“Without a doubt.” Robin said with a nod and a smile.
“I’ve made some desserts as well! Little fancy donuts, would you care for any while I’m in there? They should be done cooling by now.” Sanji offered. If there was anything he loved more than beautiful women, it was having them try and love his food.
“Yes please! That sounds lovely.” Robin said, and beside her Nami raised her hand to get Sanji’s attention.
“Sanji, if you’re getting dessert I’d love some too!” She said, and Zoro could have sworn that he could actually see Sanji’s heart beating in his chest.
“Yes, sure thing! I’ll be back as quick as I can ladies! You just enjoy yourselves!” Sanji said, before looking to the rest of the crew with nowhere near as much affection in his voice as there had been with the women. “The rest of you, do you want anything?” He asked.
“Bring some down for everyone!” Luffy said. “There will be extras for some of us if anyone doesn’t want theirs.” He said, cackling to himself.
Zoro rolled his eyes at that, because he knew Luffy was just hoping to get his grubby hands on his desert. Sanji always offered him a dessert, and nine times out of ten, Zoro would decline it. ‘Too sweet’ he would say, and Sanji would simply shrug and pass it off to someone else who wanted it. The girls got first dibs though, and if Sanji’s deserts were anywhere near as good as they normally were, then his share would be snatched up before Luffy could get anywhere near it.
A few requests for specific drinks were made by some of the boys, and then Sanji was off. The topic shifted to what exactly qualifies a donut to be considered ‘fancy’ versus a normal donut, and really it was a subject that Zoro couldn’t have cared less about. He leaned against the arm of his chair and stared out towards the ocean, but there wasn’t much he could see, because all of the light from the torches and the campfire seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness before it could get too far out. He could hear it though, waves washing up against the shore only a short distance away, and it was relaxing to him.
It had been a long day, and as much as he loved moments where he could just spend time with his friends like this and unwind like normal people, he was ready for it to all be over. He was ready for some peace and quiet, or maybe some light chatter with Sanji over a few drinks before heading to bed for the evening. There wasn’t an ounce of hope for anything like that with everyone up and being about as wild as they ever were when they were traveling. Maybe after everyone had their deserts they would be ready to slink off back to the ship, headed for bed one by one like they normally did. A bit of privacy was never anything to scoff at, even if all he did with it was drink and throw his usual insults at the other.
“This was a great idea Nami. It really is a beautiful island…” Usopp said during a small lull in the conversation, leaning back on his hands as he spoke.
“I think we could all use a little break now and again, don’t you think? It’s nice to just slow down every once in awhile…” She said with a small shrug.
“I’m surprised you managed to wrangle Luffy into this without any arguments.” Zoro said, though he didn’t turn to face the others again just yet. There really was something eerily enchanting about hearing sounds from a pitch black ocean.
“Whaaat? I like parties, I was real excited when Nami told me we were having one on the beach!” Luffy said, sounding mildly offended that Zoro would talk about him like he was a problem to be dealt with rather than his captain.
“We’re lucky you didn’t find any trouble to get into today!” Usopp said, finding it a little hard to believe that his captain wasn’t aware of just how much of a handful he could be sometimes. “You’re like a magnet for bad situations!”
“Ohh, you guys are mean!” Luffy accused, but Zoro knew he was smiling just by the little titter in his voice.
“You’re always getting us into trouble!” Chopper yelled.
“I always get you out of it in the end though, don’t I?!” Luffy asked, and voices were quickly raising again as the younger boys of the group began to get riled up again.
“If you can even stay awake to do so!”
It became nearly impossible to follow who was shouting what after that, even after Zoro finally took a moment to look back at the rest of the crew, they all just shouted over one another. Most of the others were just watching the three idiots argue among themselves, though Brook seemed vaguely annoyed with his arms crossed over his chest since his music had been drowned out by their screeching. It was all in good nature really, arguments broke out from time to time like they would in any crew, but it was rare for actual fights to occur, and even when they did there was rarely any need for intervention.
Their argument lasted for about ten minutes, something resparking it every time it seemed like they were about to settle down and make peace with each other for the time being. It mostly consisted of both Usopp and Chopper listing dangerous situations they had been thrown into because of something Luffy wanted to do, and Luffy firing back with some sort of rebuttal about how he had helped them in the end, or about how much fun it had been despite all the danger. Zoro had been sorely tempted to join in at a few points and call Luffy out for some of the shit that he had been put through, but he really didn’t want to get involved in that mess of an argument. It was ended by Nami anyway, a quick, hard bop on the head to each of them with her staff, and they all looked up at her with pained groans for an explanation.
“You guys are being ridiculous! Just drop it and settle down already, will you?!” She demanded, lowering her staff back down to lean it against her chair once more.
“I have to agree with Nami, I think you should all settle down.” Robin said, though she wasn’t even looking at any of the three. “I think I see the Chef coming back with desert.”
Immediately all eyes turned towards the ship, and sure enough, it was a little hard to make out in the darkness but Sanji could be seen coming back towards the party with two trays. One was being balanced on each hand, but he didn’t seem to be having any sort of trouble with it, so nobody made any movements to get up and assist him. Luffy did sit up in his chair though, and he excitedly waved the Cook down.
“Sanji! Sanji did they come out alright?!” Luffy called across the beach.
Sanji came to a stop just outside the circle that had been made around the fire, and he shifted the trays around just slightly as counted heads, just triple checking in his head that he had made enough. “They came out perfectly of course. I told you they were just cooling. I just had to make everyone drinks.” He said, before nodding to himself when he was sure that he had everything he needed. As if he ever forgot anyone he was supposed to serve.
“You always make the best sweets, Sanji! I can’t wait to try them!” Chopper cheered, completely pacified from the earlier argument once desserts were brought into the mix.
“Oh! Here, here try this Chopper, You’re going to love it! I put the sweetest fruit I had in it, just for you.” Sanji said, and he stepped towards the Doctor. Normally Sanji would have gone and served Nami and Robin first before everyone else, but it was clear that he was more than excited to have Chopper try something specific that he had undoubtedly crafted with the reindeer in mind. Nobody minded, they were all well aware of how much Sanji actually liked making desserts for him.
Everything often seemed to happen so quickly in the strawhat crew, and they all lived a dangerous life at a fast pace. However, when disaster struck, time seemed to go in slow motion for everyone involved.
Everybody saw what had happened. One moment they had all been chattering excitedly about how good the treats smelled, and how they liked their different kinds of drinks made. The next there were only a few startled gasps as Sanji’s ankle caught on Luffy’s leg and he tripped, stumbled, and crashed down into the sand below. The drinks were spilled, and the donuts were scattered all around him. For half a second, nobody moved. It was like they were all processing what had just happened, and likely, what was about to happen as well. Nothing good, for sure.
“Sanji!” Both Chopper and Nami called out when he hit the ground, and Chopper rushed over to him to help him sit up.
“Sanji are you ok?” Chopper asked quietly, and Sanji didn’t respond. He looked a little stunned, like he didn’t quite believe what had just happened himself. He quickly flipped over and looked over each person there, before his eyes narrowed on his Captain, anger taking away any good mood he was in before.
“Luffy! You moron, what the hell were you thinking?!” Sanji yelled at the top of his lungs.
“I’m sorry! I wasn’t paying attention!” Luffy said, and he sounded genuinely apologetic towards him, but he seemed a bit more sorry for himself that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the donuts. “Ohh, those look so good too…”
“I should kill you! Why don’t you watch where you stick your legs while people are walking around next time?!” Sanji said, before he had a look around at all the spilt glasses and the sandy donuts. “Damnit, all of them, they’re all ruined because of you!”
“It’s not really that big a problem, is it? There’s still other things we can eat even if they aren’t sweet. I see there’s still some leftovers of dinner out on the table.” Luffy said, eyeing the card table up from where he was sat, and he had to duck quick when he looked back at Sanji and saw a foot flying straight for his head.
“That’s not the point you idiot! Do you know how wasteful this is?!” Sanji demanded, and he grabbed the trays that had toppled to the ground when he had tripped, stacking one on top of the other before grabbing each of the glasses, and the donuts as well. It might have been a bit embarrassing to be crawling around in the sand looking for them all, but he had bigger things to worry about.
“...Is it really that bad?” Luffy asked, leaning against the arm of his chair as he watched Sanji scavenge around for the pastries. “They’re tiny little donuts.”
“Yes! You shouldn’t waste food you idiot, even if it’s just little things like this!” Sanji snapped at his captain before looking over one of the donuts he had found in the sand. “It’s absolutely horrible to take food like this for granted when you live a life like we do…”
“Mm…” Luffy had a bit of a thoughtful look on his face for a moment before he smiled and shrugged. “If you want it eaten so bad then feed it to someone.” He suggested, and Sanji sneered at him.
“Should it be you? It’s what you deserve after this anyhow…” Sanji said, holding the donut threateningly in Luffy’s direction
“Ack, no! Feed it to Zoro, he’ll eat anything!” Luffy said with a little snicker.
“I will not!” Zoro quickly interjected when he was mentioned in this whole food debacle. He hated it when Luffy dragged him into his messes like this.
“He will! The first time I met him he had me feed him a dirty pile of mushed rice off the ground.” Luffy said with a laugh, and Sanji’s entire expression changed from one of pure anger to utter surprise when he heard that.
“What? Why?” He asked, looking between both Zoro and Luffy, but by the looks of it he wasn’t about to get a straight answer from either of them
“Hey, you know how long it had been since I had eaten! Don’t go making it sound like I enjoyed it!” Zoro snapped, kicking a bit of sand in his captain’s direction, but it didn’t deter the other’s laughter or teasing in the slightest.
“You did! It was real hard to watch, but you said it was good!” Luffy said, head thrown back in laughter this time, his chair leaning back with him about as far as it could possibly go without risking toppling over backwards into the sand. As he laughed he ignored Zoro’s anger towards him and slammed his palm repeatedly against the arm of his chair. A few of the others laughed as well, though nobody was quite as vocal about it as their captain.
“You know Luffy…” Sanji started as he got back to his feet with the soiled food retrieved. He took one in hand, and while Luffy was still recovering from his laughing fit, he slammed his foot down hard onto his Leader’s. The laughter was cut short by a pained yelp, and then Luffy was silenced as a sandy pastry was forcibly stuffed into his mouth. “Anything can taste good if you’re hungry enough. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Luffy couldn’t respond to Sanji, being a bit busy hacking up a lung after breathing some of the food that had been shoved down his throat, and the others just watched as he tried to get the donut down properly and compose himself. It took a while, and when he did finally start to calm down, Sanji handed the entire plate of sand crusted deserts to him.
“You’ll finish these for me, won’t you Captain? Now, thanks to you, I’ve got to go make something a little more appetizing for the ladies to enjoy. It’d be a crime to even think about having them eat any of those that fell on the ground.” Sanji said. Though his usual loving, airy tone he held when doting on women was missing. “I don’t want them going to waste because you were careless.”
“Yeah…” Luffy muttered with his mouth full, wearily watching as Sanji turned to head back towards the ship, giving the crew a half-hearted wave as he went. No apologies towards the ladies for Luffy’s idiocy, no information on what he planned to whip up for them this time, nothing. Even when he was upset, there was always at least the slightest hint of enthusiasm at the chance to cook once again.
It was weird to see Sanji’s mood change so drastically so quickly, even over something like ruined food, but he certainly seemed distracted now. It didn’t seem like Zoro was the only one to notice it either, as a hushed silence fell over the rest of the crew for a few moments, as though nobody was quite sure what to do with themselves now that Sanji had excused himself. For a while only Luffy’s coughing and spitting into the sand could be heard over the roaring fire.
By the time Sanji returned though, things had eased back into comfortable chatter, mostly the girls teasing Luffy about how he was going to have Sand stuck in his mouth for a week after this. Luffy didn’t have much of an argument for them since he was busy trying to dig tiny little grains out from between his teeth. When Sanji did return though, and Luffy saw that he was carrying some fancy fruity drinks for them, he cheered at the fact that he would have something to wash his mouth out. Sanji made it clear and obvious to Luffy that he was staying as far away from him as possible until all the other drinks had been served. Not that it meant much for a rubber man.
“For you, Ladies.” Sanji said with a playful bow and a small smile aimed at both Nami and Robin as he held the tray out with drinks for them both to take. “I’m sorry these aren’t as special as what I had for you before, but I hope it will suffice.”
“It looks delicious Sanji, thank you so much for this.” Nami said, taking her drink and sipping from it, and Robin nodded her head in approval as she did the same.
“Which one is mine?!” Luffy asked, and Sanji ground his teeth in annoyance, tired of his captain’s behaviour for the night.
“You’re getting yours last, you Clumsy Oaf!” Sanji snapped before going to the others to distribute the rest of the sweet drinks.
“What?! Why? You’re the one who tripped.” Luffy said, a look of devastation on his face.
“Shut up!” Sanji yelled, all but fuming as his anger got the best of him. He didn’t dare go trying to fight him though, not with his hard work still in hand.
The last of the drinks were handed out with no incidents, mainly because Luffy finally decided to bite his tongue to avoid the Chef’s wrath, and it seemed Sanji would give himself no chance for a break. He collected dishes, stacking them neatly for transportation back to the ship while everyone else around him seemed to relax once again. They didn’t seem to notice, or if they did they didn’t care, that Sanji’s mind was clearly miles away from all of them and had been for most of the party. Zoro noticed though. Noticed that Sanji didn’t seem to even be listening to the crew’s conversation. It was Nami telling a story from her day there on the island. It could have been the most boring, mundane day possible, but Sanji would have gladly latched onto every word like it was a classic story. He wasn’t even glancing over his shoulder to see if the others were still drinking and enjoying the drinks he had made.
Zoro also noticed that he hadn’t received a drink from Sanji. Not that he particularly wanted one, they looked and smelled horribly sweet, but he wasn’t even offered one. Sanji always made sure to at least do that much for him, and often an extra was made just in case he changed his mind, but there were no extras tonight.
He had to admit he wasn’t paying too terribly much attention to Nami’s story about her time looking through all the little shops in the town either. His eyes were locked on Sanji, and he tuned out the rest of their chatter like white noise.
With all the plates stacked on top of one another, Sanji was able to easily carry them all in one hand, and he grabbed everything he needed to take back with him before turning towards the crew and giving them a little wave. “I’m going back. There are quite a few dishes to do tonight, I’m going to get a head start on that, so if any of you need me, you know where to find me.” He said.
“Oh, you’re not coming back?” Usopp asked.
“Perhaps I will in a bit, but don’t be shocked if I don’t.” Sanji said with a slight shrug. “It’s been a long, busy day.”
“Didn’t know shopping could wear you down so much. Kinda sad really.” Zoro said, a small grin on his face.
“Hey, fuck off you Lazy Swordsman. As soon as we got back you took a nap, I started cooking.” Sanji said.
“Do you want me to help you then? Dishes would go faster with two people.” Zoro asked, and Sanji’s eyes softened just a little knowing Zoro didn’t want him to overwork himself. In their own ways they both looked out for one another like that, subtly so as not to hurt the other’s pride, but just in case.
“...You don’t have to, it’s not so much that I can’t handle it.” Sanji said as he adjusted his hold on the plates before moving past Zoro on his way back to the ship. “Not that I would complain if you did.”
It surprised Zoro more than anything else that night to feel a hand on the back of his neck, but it happened so quickly that he couldn’t do much to really respond to it. Deft fingers combed through the short hairs on the back of his neck, lightly scratching in an somewhat affectionate manner and as the Cook stepped away from him and the party, they ran down the back of his neck before falling away completely. It more than effectively caught Zoro’s attention, and he watched once more as Sanji made his way off and towards the ship, not looking back at anyone there.
His hand slowly reached up to rub at the back of his neck where he had been touched, and he frowned. That hadn’t just been a simple and sweet gesture, but a request, a silent challenge.
It was fifteen minutes later when Zoro managed to finally excuse himself from the group, and slink on back towards the ship. He had all the group’s cups stacked inside each other in one hand, and a request for marshmallows if there were any on the ship for Sanji. He had rolled his eyes when the other Strawhats had asked him to inquire about that, and immediately put that on the bottom of his list of priorities for the evening. He had already told them he likely wasn’t coming back out tonight anyway, so if they were expecting him to bring them anything, they had another thing coming.
As he got farther up onto the ship, it was comforting in a way to still hear his friends’ rowdy party off in the distance. Just hearing how happy they sounded filled Zoro with a strange sensation, like he didn’t belong anywhere else in the world, and that he was right where he was meant to be. When he spotted the kitchen’s doors and windows pushed open, he couldn’t help but wonder if Sanji felt the same way about it.
Inside the kitchen, Zoro could hear the sounds of dishes clacking against each other in soapy water, and a quiet humming from the cook himself as he worked. No song that Zoro knew of, but it was nice to hear all the same. He didn’t listen to it for long, and he ended up knocking on the door frame and standing under it with the glasses in hand.
Sanji looked up from the dish he was cleaning, and he quickly wiped his hands off on a rag when he saw Zoro, and he went to take them from him. “Thanks. Did you come to do some manual labor for me, Marimo?” He asked, taking the dishes back and adding them to the sink to soak.
“After the day I spent with you, this would hardly be any work at all.” Zoro said, stepping in and shutting the door behind him. As much as his friends screaming in the distance made him feel good, he really didn’t need to hear that in the background while he was talking to the Chef. “I figured I might offer you some help though. I don’t want you with no energy left when I kick your ass tomorrow. You’re already an easy enough fight as it is…”
“Fuck you, you joke of a swordsman.” Sanji growled in rebuttal, and he rolled his sleeves up a little more before he dove his hands back into the water and got right back to work.
“What do you want me to do?” Zoro asked, going to take a spot beside Sanji.
Sanji didn’t even look up at Zoro as he pulled one of his hands out to jab his thumb over his shoulder at the counter behind him. Zoro followed it with his eyes, and he spotted another finished fruit drink sitting there, still ice cold like it had been frozen, though it looked quite a bit different than the other drinks had. The others had been bright red in color, but this one was more of a dark green, and Zoro just raised a brow at it until Sanji spoke up again.
“Just take a minute and drink that for me, will you?” Sanji said, and Zoro looked between him and the drink before he stepped over and took it, looking the little fruits in it over. He couldn’t quite tell what they were.
“What sort of poison did you put in this?” Zoro asked, before taking a sip from it, and his eyes widened a little at the taste. To his pleasant surprise, the sweetness in it was very subtle, and the drink seemed to focus more on the sour, tangy flavors of the fruit than anything else.
“No poison this time, I just messed up on that one while I was making drinks for the others. Figured you would make a good form of disposal for it.” Sanji said, his tone cool and even, but Zoro could read between the lines.
“This is hardly sweet at all, you must have really botched it…” Zoro said, playing right along as he sipped at it through a straw.
“Even world class chefs like myself have off days you know.” Sanji said with a shrug.
“Never would have guessed with how much of a perfectionist you are when it comes to your food.” Zoro said, but a thought crossed his mind, and he decided that there wouldn’t be a much better time to broach the subject with him. “Of course you seem to be having a real off night tonight. Are you still mad at Luffy?” He asked.
Sanji paused in what he was doing and glanced back over his shoulder at Zoro for a moment before he shook his head, and reached for his rag to dry his hands again. “I am, but really that’s just a given at any moment of the day.” Sanji said, and Zoro frowned at his response.
“So it’s someone else then?” He asked, not entirely sure what to make of Sanji’s behavior and words.
“What the hell makes you think I’m even upset in the first place? You know if I had any issues with anyone here they would know about it real fast.” Sanji said, tossing his rag to the side.
“Alright, what is it then? You’ve been acting weird since you took that spill. Did it knock your brain loose or something?” Zoro asked, and he circled around the counter to go and take a seat, Sanji following behind just a bit so he could stand closer to him. Zoro almost thought he was about to get kicked for his last comment, but an attack never came.
“I’ve just been thinking is all.” Sanji said with a shrug.
“Thinking?” Zoro asked, mumbling around the straw in his mouth.
“Yes.” Sanji said with a nod.
“Yes.” Said, narrowing his eyes at Zoro.
“Well I’m scared.” Zoro muttered, a little smile on his face as he heard Sanji growling in frustration. “What were you thinking about, Cook?”
“Quit being a fucking asshole if you’re so god damn worried about me being angry!” Sanji said, and this time he did try to kick Zoro, whipping his leg out only for the Swordsman to block it from hitting him at the last second, not spilling even a drop of his drink.
“What were you thinking about?” Zoro asked again, louder this time as he shoved Sanji’s leg away from himself.
Sanji lowered his foot when it was pushed back and he reached for his pockets, feeling around for a cigarette and his lighter. While it wasn’t such a big deal while Sanji was just doing dishes and cleaning up after the last meal of the day, he often tried his best to avoid smoking in the kitchen if he could. Sometimes the fact that he had a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth would slip his mind if he was particularly focused on planning and meal and getting it started, but snuffing out his cigarettes before working in the kitchen was just a habit he had long since ingrained in himself.
He stuck one between his teeth and quickly lit it behind his hands before taking a drag and exhaling it towards the ceiling. Zoro watched his throat while he did this, and the way Sanji seemed to relax when he did this. It made him curious, but he knew he would never try it. Sanj seemed to be thinking, he had the same expression on his face that he got when he was trying to think of all the ways he could use an apple in food while, Zoro knew it all to well. He had no idea what Sanji was thinking about now though…
“....How come you’ve never told me that story before?” Sanji finally asked after a few deafening moments of silence between the two.
Zoro stared at Sanji with a look of utter confusion on his face, not sure just what Sanji was talking about. “...What?” He asked. “What story?”
“The story! The one Luffy told me, about you eating rice off the ground! Was that a true story?” Sanji asked.
“Well yeah, but of course I never told you! It’s not exactly one of my proudest moments in life you know!” Zoro said.
“It could be, it’s not like you’ve exactly accomplished a whole lot else.” Sanji said, and Zoro grit his teeth in frustration, but chose not to say anything about it. “What happened? Why did you eat rice off the ground?” Sanji asked, his eyes wide and full of curiosity, a certain light in them that Zoro couldn’t quite place.
Zoro sighed and sipped at his drink a little more, and he really couldn’t help but appreciate how Sanji had done just what he had asked him this morning and made him something a little special, just for him. He didn’t really consider it fair trade for prying into an embarrassing story for him though. He could see the look on Sanji’s face though, and he figured there was no use keeping it from him, even if he wanted to.
“There’s not much to tell. I was imprisoned and publicly tied up to be humiliated, and I had been so for almost a month. Some little girl I had defended a while back snuck in to try to feed me rice balls.” Zoro said with a shrug.
“...But they ended up on the ground?” Sanji asked slowly.
“Squashed under some scum’s boot. They threw her out, and after that Luffy snuck in trying to get me to join his crew, and I had him feed it to me even though there wasn’t much good left in it.” Zoro finished, and he chewed on the end of his straw a little, eyes narrowed as he tried to remember everything. “I did say I liked it, told him to tell the little girl. It was terrible now that I think back to it, but like you said, anything can taste good when you’re that hungry…”
It was quiet as Sanji worked the story over in his mind again and again, and Zoro figured that perhaps he was a little disappointed, like maybe he had wanted a more exciting story than being tied up and fed dirty rice by his Captain. Another reason Sanji had never heard it besides how embarrassing of a story it actually was to tell; Zoro didn’t consider it to be a terribly interesting one either.
Sanji had been holding his cigarette between two fingers, and as the two had spoken it had continued to burn and the ash was growing longer and longer as Sanji simply forgot he was even holding it. When he finally focused back on Zoro, he flicked the end of it, sending the ash to the floor.
“...You know even little sparks like that can start someone off on a lifetime career. I wonder what that little girl is doing today, she may even be cooking greater and better things just because of what you said you know.” Sanji said, and he had a somewhat dreamy tone to his voice as he spoke, and Zoro found it a bit weird. He had expected laughter and teasing from him, not one of the most adoring looks he had ever received from the Cook.
“I don’t know, and I’ll probably never see her again so I doubt I’ll ever find out.” Zoro said. “And if anything I just created a chef who’ll put way too much sugar into everything.”
“And you ate the rice even though it was really gross, that’s incredible you know...” Sanji said, his smile growing wide across his face. “I wish I could have seen all of this happen…”
“Why?” Zoro asked. “Are you a sadist?”
“No! I’m just… well I guess I’m proud of you.” Sanji said with a shrug, not really sure how to explain himself and what he was feeling better than that.
“You pick really weird things to be proud of, Cook.” Zoro said.
“Shut up! You know damn well why it means so much to me to hear that you would go and do something like that.” Sanji snapped, his expression changing to something a bit more somber as he thought about his own past and experience with hunger and pure desperation to eat anything. It had, hesitantly, been discussed long ago with Zoro just why Sanji cared so much about stretching and using every bit of food to the fullest, and hated when anyone took for granted even a single meal. The fact that Zoro seemed to be trying to dismiss what he had done as unimportant really seemed to grate on his nerves.
“It’s not like I did it for you. It was before I had even met you, or had even joined this crew.” Zoro said, though really it couldn’t have even been considered a crew at that point.
“So you did it of your own accord, because you needed to eat and you wanted to live.” Sanji said, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Yeah, of course. I’m not an idiot.” Zoro said.
“That just makes it better, and it’s special to me, alright!?! Why don’t you just take a bit of pride in it too, will you?!” Sanji said, his voice raising in frustration.
“Mm.” Zoro barely responded as he sucked down the last of his drink, seeming to enjoy the sour flavors that Sanji had compiled just for him, before he held the glass up towards Sanji and his pitcher. “Can I have some more, Shit Cook?”
Sanji rolled his eyes at Zoro’s blatant ignorance of the conversation before he went and pushed himself off the counter to take Zoro’s glass. Instead of going and pouring him a refill like requested though, he set it off to the side and dropped his cigarette in it to get rid of it, before he reached down to grab Zoro’s face.
“You did a good thing, Shithead, why can’t you at least let me be proud of you?” Sanji asked through clenched teeth and a forced smile, his hands squishing Zoro’s cheeks together as he spoke. Zoro glared up at him before ineffectively smacking at his wrists.
“I’m not trying to stop you, but you do realize you’re essentially praising me for eating dirt, right?” Zoro asked.
“If you ask me it’s one of the more impressive things I’ve heard about you doing.” Sanji said with a grin.
“Bite me.” Zoro mumbled, and Sanji just about cracked up then and there. Zoro didn’t pout. He just didn’t, despite Sanji’s best efforts to make him do so from time to time. Sometimes though, the tone in his voice made it sound like he wanted to, and it always amused Sanji to no end when it did. Of course laughing at him never helped his mood, and tonight proved no different as he jerked his head away from Sanji’s hands with a growl. Sanji’s eyes were still soft and full of love and adoration for the swordsman.
“Marimo~” Sanji said in a bit of a sing song voice, his hands lowering to run a trail down Zoro’s neck, and came to rest on his shoulders. Despite his snickering, his smile had turned sweet, and out of the corner of his eyes, Zoro could see that Sanji had a dumb, lovestruck look on his face, and he grit his teeth. What an idiot.
“Fuck off.” Zoro muttered.
“I can’t believe you did that, Marimo. I wish I could tell you how good it makes me feel to know I have someone like you with me.” Sanji cooed, his thumb lazily stroking over the skin just below Zoro’s collar.
“Jeez Cook, you’re getting awful sentimental real fast there.” Zoro muttered. “And all I had to do was go and eat some dirt? You’re real easy to please.”
“Don’t try and ruin this for me too you Stupid Brute. I try and tell you how much you mean to me and you immediately try and make me regret it, you’re just terrible.” Sanji complained.
“You can’t really think I’m too terrible if you’re sitting here spewing out how much you love me.” Zoro said.
“I didn’t say I love you.” Sanji said with a huff.
“You didn’t need to.” Zoro said, grinning in the face of Sanji’s snarling, growling irritation. “I hope I don’t need to either…” He said, lowering his voice as he spoke until Sanji’s fist hit him in the shoulder.
“Shut up you Bastard! You shitty Beast!” Sanji all but yelled, head hanging low just to hide how flushed he had become because of one dumb line from an even dumber Mosshead. “Don’t say shit like that!”
“Why not?” Zoro asked with a small laugh, and he reached out to pull Sanji’s chin up with a finger, and Sanji’s expression was one of pure indignation. “We’re not in public anymore. Are you embarrassed?”
“As if.” Sanji said, the slightest hint of a pout on his face. “I’m supposed to be the charming one here though. The one who’ll sweep you off your feet and take you to heaven and back.” He said firmly.
“That sounds pretty dumb to me. What roll do I play in all of that?” Zoro asked.
“The wild dirt eating animal of course. The one I tame with my prince like charm~” Sanji cooed, and Zoro rolled his eyes.
“I’m sure that will be real effective on me once I figure out what ‘prince like charm’ even looks like on you.” He said, and before Sanji even had his foot off the ground, Zoro had lifted his arm to block a kick that had been headed straight for his head.
“You first, Asshole.” Zoro replied without a care, much to Sanji’s chagrin.
“You have no sense of romance do you? None at all…” Sanji muttered.
“Well I thought I was doing pretty good there for a minute, it was you who got in a twist about not being charming enough…” Zoro mused.
“I’m plenty charming! Just…. Shut up, just shut up you idiot.” Sanji said, and to his surprise Zoro seemed to listen; going quiet and simply looking up at him with a watchful eye. The thought that he was here with someone who would do whatever they needed to in order to survive, whereas most people would let their pride get in the way, made his heart flutter just a bit. Despite how much shit he gave him, he often felt very proud over the accomplishments that Zoro made because he knew that they were growing stronger together with every battle and all the time spent with one another.
Sometimes he happened to find out something new about Zoro that made him swear he was falling farther in love with him.
Sanji moved his hands back to Zoro’s face, much gentler this time, and Zoro watched them out of the corner of his eye for a moment before he looked back up at Sanji. There was little more than a short staring contest between the two before Sanji found himself bending over, leaning down so that he could reach Zoro’s lips with his own. Even simple contact like that made his heart swell.
The kiss was short, sweet and chaste, and it made Sanji feel warm inside. The more he thought about it -- without Zoro going and ruining the mood time and time again -- the more the story really made him feel good about the man he was with, and he couldn’t help but wonder what other things he might just not know about Zoro’s Past. How would they help him to see the Swordsman in a different light? He hated how much he had grown to care about Zoro, but there really was no denying it anymore.
“Mm…” Zoro hummed, and his hands reached up to grab hold of Sanji’s shirt to keep him close, like he expected Sanji to go and leave him there mid kiss. “You’re not going to fuck me this gently, are you?” He asked, breaking the kiss to speak.
Sanji made a face and pinched Zoro’s cheek at his crude question, who hissed at the roughness of it. “What makes you think I even want to fuck you tonight?” He asked.
Zoro’s only response was to start laughing, throwing his head back a bit, and Sanji growled.
“Fuck you!” Sanji snapped. “I sure as fuck don’t if you’re gonna be a shity, cocky asshole like that! Why give you the satisfaction?!”
“Well that’s a shame.” Zoro said, and the words immediately caught Sanji’s attention.
“Why’s that?” Sanji asked slowly.
Zoro didn’t respond, and simply closed the short distance between them once again for another sweet kiss. This time, despite his frustration with Zoro’s rather unrefined nature, Sanji absolutely melted into it. Their friends’ excited shouts were muffled in the distance, and he knew there wouldn’t be any trouble tonight, nothing that would bother them too much anyway. The door was shut tight behind them, and Zoro’s lips were a little chapped but still so soft, just like they always were, and it was so familiar and so his swordsman and he loved it so much.
One kiss turned into two, two turned into three, and three lasted a bit longer as Sanji was pulled down from his standing position down into Zoro’s lap. He hardly noticed how absolutely embarrassing it was since his back stopped screaming at him for hunching over like he had been. As soon as Sanji was sat sideways on his lap, Zoro had his arms around his neck, dragging him just that much closer before he sighed against his lips. Such a happy, relaxed Marimo he had, and Sanji couldn’t have been happier about the fact.
The most exciting thing about any kiss to Sanji was the shift from something soft and innocent to something much more sensual, something that could really light a fire in him. Tonight it was from a little bite, Sanji opening his mouth just to catch Zoro’s lower lip between his teeth to nibble on it, working it between his teeth just hard enough to leave it red and slightly swollen. It was amazing to him how much Zoro loved the rough treatment; even the gentlest of love nips could leave him excited for more, pulling the quietest little sounds from him that made Sanji’s stomach twist in knots every time he heard them. As Sanji pulled back from the kiss, he tugged on Zoro’s lip until it slipped from his teeth, and Zoro eagerly followed for more.
”I’m so proud of you, Marimo…” Sanji mumbled in a short breath, and his kisses shifted from Zoro’s lips to the corner of his mouth and cheeks. “I’m going to spoil you absolutely rotten tonight, show you just how much you mean to me, fill you with so much affection that you’ll just die.”
“Then kiss me properly you shitty fucking Swirl.” Zoro grumbled, and he pulled Sanji back closer to himself, slowly licking a stripe up Sanji’s lips to entice him back.
“Mnn… Aren’t you just a demanding little plant?” Sanji mumbled, and he could feel one of Zoro’s hands weaving in his hair to get a gentle grasp on it while his own lowered themselves down to the Swordsman’s chest, grabbing the fabric of his off white shirt in loose fists. Zoro snorted at his words, and when Sanji felt a tongue on his lips again, he didn’t hesitate to part them, pressing forward to deepen the kiss.
When Sanji had first gotten together with Zoro, he hadn’t expected much from him when it came to anything romantic, especially not kissing. He had ended up incredibly surprised, much to his delight, that Zoro seemed to have a natural talent for it. He knew just how to move his lips, brush his tongue against Sanji’s to drive the cook wild, and his enthusiasm certainly made up for any lack of skill he might have had. How often had Sanji pulled back from a heavy kiss to see Zoro absolutely dazed, his face and neck flushed red as a tomato, and there were few sights in the world that could start a fire in Sanji’s gut quite as fast as that.
“Mmn... Fuck... “ Zoro huffed out, licking his lips and breaking the thin trail that stuck between their lips. “Curly…”
“Barbarian.” Sanji grunted out in return as he shifted in his spot, swinging one leg over Zoro’s lap so he could properly straddle him. He had been sitting on a slowly growing hard on for the past few minutes, it was just a bit more comfortable for the both of them.
“Idiot…” Zoro said, before Sanji leaned in for another sweet kiss.
“Mossy Moron.” Sanji said with a grin, his tone sweet and his eyes soft as he looked at the disgruntled expression on Zoro’s face. His hands loosened their grip on Zoro’s shirt to delve lower stopping at the bottom of Zoro’s hamaraki to push it and the fabric of his shirt underneath up. His fingers slipped under to brush against warm skin, running along his pelvis to his hips and settling there, and all the while he could feel strong muscles tensing and relaxing as he passed over them.
“... Pervert Cook…” Zoro said, twitching just a bit under the feather light touches.
“Dirt eater.” Sanji said with a wide grin.
Zoro’s face twisted up in a mix of embarrassment and mortification at the use of such a name. He could only imagine the kind of flack he would get from the other members of his crew if they heard Sanji using that name for him. They might start asking if what Luffy said around the fire was true or not, and the last thing Zoro wanted to do was sit down and retell it to everyone else. It was bad enough that Sanji knew.
“Shut up, Idiot. Don’t call me that.” Zoro said.
“And of course if anyone is the pervert here, it’s my little Dirt Eater, isn’t it?” Sanji asked lowly. He lowered one of his hands to palm and rub at the slowly growing tent in Zoro’s pants. He wasn’t as gentle about it as he could have been, and he was rewarded by the Swordsman with a low groan. “My sweet, sexy little Dirt Eater…” His voice lowered down to almost a whisper as he leaned in, and started peppering Zoro’s cheeks with soft kisses.
“Fuck... “ Zoro hissed out lowly in frustration, both at the fact that he knew he was never going to be able to live that name down, and because he knew he was probably in for hell with Sanji’s teasing. Sanji had promised to spoil him though, pamper him, and as much as he hated the fact that he was probably going to have to put up with a lot of boring slow treatment, he was growing more and more eager for what lay ahead that night as his body heated up at Sanji’s touch. “Has anyone ever told you how absolutely shit at sexy talk you are? And you call me a mood killer...” He said.
“What, you don’t like it?” Sanji asked, trailing his kisses back towards Zoro’s puffy lips, pecking at them with a small smile on his face. His hands had been lazily rubbing and stroking Zoro through his trousers, and the man’s breathing had become slightly ragged because of this. Sanji looked like he was just having all too much fun toying with him. “It seems to be doing the trick to me…”
“That’s not because of what you’re saying!” Zoro yelled, his frustration getting the better of him. His face was about as red as it could be, and Sanji just laughed at him.
“Oh, look at you, you’re hard for me already.” Sanji cooed. “So eager, I bet you’re just dying for me to fuck you, aren’t you?”
“Well actually, I’d prefer another drink, but something tells me that’s not an option here, is it?” Zoro asked, a slight growl to his voice.
“Oh ho, what a funny plant you are. Do you want to get kicked out, you Shitty Moss?” Sanji asked, grinding the heel of his hand down into Zoro’s crotch, forcing a hiss of pleasure from him much to Sanji’s delight.
“Depends, will you come with me?” Zoro asked, his eyes half lidded and chest heaving slightly. Sanji’s throat felt dry just looking at him, he was the absolute picture of arousal, and it was driving Sanji mad.
“... You obviously don’t understand what it means to be kicked out…” Sanji said, but his voice was quieter than he had intended it to be.
“Well you’re not going to fuck me here in the kitchen, are you?” Zoro asked. “... So come with me.”
For a few seconds, Sanji’s brain seemed to short circuit, and he couldn’t really put proper words together. Something about that sent sparks up Sanji’s spine, and he had to take few seconds to collect his thoughts before he cleared his throat. “Ohh, you really are dying to get fucked by me, aren’t you? Huh? Aren’t you?” He said with a cocky tone in his voice as he attempted to fluster the man he was sat on, and get even more of a rise out of him than he already had.
To his surprise though, Zoro just leaned forward, and Sanji felt soft lips against his own, pressing a gentle kiss to them.
“Yeah, I am.” Zoro said quietly, just loud enough for Sanji to hear. “I want you to fuck me, Cook…”
Sanji wasn’t sure when exactly he had died, but he figured he must have if he was in a heaven like this. His throat swelled and he felt as though his heart were about to burst from his chest as he stared at Zoro with a dumb look on his face. Zoro looked a bit shy about the request, plenty embarrassed, and fuck he wasn’t supposed to look this cute. He was being so sincere about it too, not just asking Sanji to fuck him, but straight up telling him that he wanted him to.
Sanji couldn’t remember the last time he had been this turned on by just a few words.
“Of course.” Sanji finally said, finding shaky words once more, and he returned the kiss that Zoro had given him, though it was harder this time, quicker, rougher, and it was over before Zoro could even respond to it. “Anything you want, I want to give you everything, I’ll fuck you all night if you wanted!” Sanji quickly said, slipping back into that dreamy, whiny voice of his that made Zoro cringe.
“Cook…” He started, but Sanji cut him off.
“Ohh, you’ll be a fucking mess when I’m done with you, I’ll take you up to the stars!” Sanji said, already lost in his own mind, picturing to himself just how good Zoro had looked in the past during their romps. Sometimes he thought he really did look like quite the masterpiece when he had come so undone by his hand.
‘And I’m the artists that caused it…’
“Come on, Cook, focus will you?” Zoro said, squeezing Sanji’s arms a little to try and bring him back to reality. This happened all too often for Zoro’s taste.
Sanji blinked before shaking his head and immediately getting up, offering Zoro a hand. “Right, come on, get up to the Crow’s nest.” He said, before glancing back at the sink. He really shouldn’t just leave them sitting there but… “I’ll be right behind you.”
It wasn’t too often they had to migrate whenever they wanted to have sex, though they didn’t typically start out in the kitchen either. Most of the time if they were in there, Sanji was working, and if Zoro tried getting too handsy with him he risked getting hit with a spoon. Sanji was too careful about planning, and more often told Zoro when and where to be if he wanted to get any action, but tonight they were lucky all of their friends were out on the beach as they made their way up to the Crow’s Nest. Sanji was trailing behind just a little like he had said, as he had made sure to tidy up just a bit and make sure everything was turned off before he left the kitchen.
Once up there, the two of them knew that the chance of interruption was almost none. Even if the rest of the crew decided to come back right then, the Crow’s Nest was Zoro’s territory, and not two many people were likely to go looking for him up there at this hour. They climbed their way up, and as soon as they reached the top, Zoro had sat down and started kicking his boots off, shimmying his pants down off his waist as well.
Sanji reached the top shortly after Zoro, and he glared at him before he even pulled himself up. “Can’t you fucking wait until I’m here to get undressed?!”
“What? Unless you wanna fuck me with my clothes on what’s it matter?” Zoro asked, rolling his eyes as he continued to kick his pants off, letting them carelessly fall to the ground. “Or did you want to undress me yourself, Pervert Cook?”
“You’re the one sitting here without any pants on you asshole. Don’t go calling me a pervert.” Sanji said as he hauled himself up. His voice didn’t sound nearly as upset as he wanted it to though, because as he stood and dusted himself off, he stared down at where Zoro was sat missing pants, with his legs slightly spread, and he could see everything.
“Then take yours off, problem solved for both of us.” Zoro said, and he grabbed his shirt, pulling it up over his head and tossing it off to join his pants and boots without a second thought.
It was really hard to argue with that logic.
Sanji loosened his tie and started undoing each button on his shirt with quick, precise movements from his fingers. Zoro had been completely naked before Sanji even started, so he just propped himself back on his elbows and he just watched. There was something a bit hypnotizing about the way Sanji worked with his hands, whether he was doing something as little as fiddling with his clothes, or if he was cooking something that required all the finesse he seemed to boast about, or if he was… if he… used his fingers on…
Zoro bit the inside of his cheek before his thoughts got too out of hand and he went embarrassed himself in front of Sanji. After everything that had happened that day, he really didn’t think he could handle much more of that. It was easy to think back on how many times he had cum by those fingers alone. If that was what Sanji offered him tonight, he certainly wouldn’t go to bed disappointed.
It seemed the Cook was just as eager as he was though, as metal clinking filled the dark Crow’s Nest, and Sanji undid his belt and pants, letting them fall and pool around his ankles before he stepped out of them. He at least took some care to lay them out so they wouldn’t end up with terrible wrinkles later, but Zoro didn’t really want to sit around and wait for him to finish nit picking over his clothes all evening.
“Wait, did you think to go get lube?” Zoro asked, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. He liked it rough, and a bit of pain was fine, but not so much that he was willing to go at it dry, and he knew Sanji wasn’t either. The Chef didn’t disappoint him, and he held up a small bottle to show off to Zoro, who nodded when he saw it.
“Good… Wait, did you pull that out of your pants?” He asked in confusion. He hadn’t seen him grab it, but really there was nowhere else it could have come from. Sanji wasn’t wearing his jacket tonight. “Were you carrying that around?”
“Yeah? I had it on me.” Sanji said, and he tossed the bottle down beside Zoro with a little ‘thunk’ before he finished getting undressed and he got down with Zoro. “It’s good to be prepared, right?” He said with a grin, pressing a small kiss to the corner of Zoro’s mouth.
“Yeah, are you sure you didn’t just expect to get laid with everyone else off the ship?” Zoro asked.
“Are you really going to complain, Moss Head?” Sanji asked, and he moved to settle himself in between Zoro’s legs, and he pressed a hand against the center of Zoro’s chest to push him back, urging him to lay down.
“Nah, only if you suck, Chef.” Zoro said cooly, laying back and getting as comfy as he could there. His eyes stayed trained on Sanji though, who seemed more than busy just devouring him with his eyes.
“You know I won’t let you down~” Sanji said with a coy smile on his lips, and his eyes darted back up to meet Zoro’s for a brief moment, before he looked back down and he patted Zoro’s thighs gently. “Spread your legs a little more for me, Darling.”
“Don’t call me that…” Zoro said under his breath as he did what he was asked. His legs were spread a little wider for Sanji, whose hand had stayed on Zoro’s thigh for the moment, just gently petting and stroking the skin there to see just how often he could get the leg to jump. It was a bit amusing to Zoro just how often Sanji would claim that he wasn’t a pervert, but a gentleman, and then he would sit there nearly drooling over Zoro as he ogled every inch of him that he could. At least this time he didn’t seem to get too distracted.
“...I still can’t believe you carry that stuff on you…” Zoro muttered, watching as Sanji tore his eyes away to reach over and grab the lube, popping the little bottle open and squirting a bit of the contents out onto his fingers.
“I still can’t believe you’re surprised about it. For as often as you come looking to me for sex, it’s become a bit of a necessity.” Sanji said with a small smile, smearing the lube across a few of his fingers and making sure they were generously coated.
“Don’t make me out to be the pervert here, you asshole.” Zoro said with a little snarl.
“Wouldn’t dream of it... Now tell me, what was it you wanted me to do to you again?” Sanji asked in a bit of a sing song voice.
“Bite me, Asshole.” Zoro snapped, and he looked ready to just get up and hit Sanji instead of trying to get him to cooperate.
“No, no no, that wasn’t it.” Sanji hummed in thought. “Of course I may still do that if you ask me nicely, Marimo.”
“Nn…” Zoro didn’t need to say anything for Sanji to know just how much he liked that idea. He didn’t tell Sanji what he wanted to hear though, he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of it, not without a fight…
“Marimo…” Sanji said, a low warning tone in his voice as he slipped his hand down between Zoro’s legs.
Zoro felt something cold and wet against him, and he jolted just a little. He was used to having Sanji prepare him like this, slick fingers spreading lube around his entrance, just toying with him, teasing him. He closed his eyes and just let Sanji do as he pleased for the moment, waiting in anticipation until he finally, slowly, pushed a finger inside him. It was his own personal hell that Sanji was creating just for him.
“I’m not fragile, you don’t have to treat me so gently…” Zoro said, already growing tired of this bit of foreplay. It wasn’t his favorite thing to sit through, because unless Sanji intended to get him off with just his fingers, he considered it to be too boring compared to what else they could have been doing.
“Patience, Moss, I don’t want to hurt you.” Sanji said in a horribly patronizing tone, and Zoro growled. He could feel his finger slowly moving in and out, not an ounce of pain anywhere, and he was starting to get frustrated all over again.
“Like you ever could…” Zoro said with a scoff, before tensing as another finger quickly joined the second, and Sanji leaned forward to press a few kisses to the top of his head.
“Don’t try and start a fight now, Asshole, I’m trying to pamper you, treat you nice…” Sanji said in between pressing small kisses to Zoro’s head. He did occasionally glance downwards to get a bit of a look at what he was doing, but Zoro’s reaction to his hand’s movements was just as good a gauge as to what he needed to do.
“I don’t want to be treated nice.” Zoro said. “You know how I like it.”
“Who says just because I’m treating you nicely means I won’t treat you roughly too?” Sanji asked, curling his fingers as he spoke, and he watched Zoro shiver beneath him.
“Because you’re just trying to fuck with me now…” Zoro accused, his eyes shut tight again as he let himself flop back on the floor, and Sanji followed him, hovering over him. He moved his lips lower, pressing a kiss to Zoro’s lips only to receive a half hearted kiss in return, and then he scooted down even farther. They were faint, but the marks that Sanji had left the last time they had laid down together like this were still visible to those who knew where to look for them. It wasn’t good enough though. It filled Sanji with such a sense of pride to see bruises and teeth marks left days after a particularly rough session, and Zoro absolutely adored it when Sanji bit him. A true win win situation.
He was gentle at first, as with everything he did in life, and he simply caught the loose skin of Zoro’s neck between his lips, right over a spot where he had previously marked Zoro. His chest lightly brushed against the larger man’s, and he could nearly feel him tense under him the moment his lips touched his neck. Zoro never really seemed to understand just why Sanji enjoyed it when they could fuck nice and slow, and Sanji wasn’t quite sure he could explain it to him either. Aside from the fact that he didn’t care as much for hard, fast brutish fucks, There was always just so much for for him to really enjoy when he took it slow. He could take the time to really read Zoro’s body, appreciate every reaction he could pull from him, and that’s the way he loved it.
The first sharp little gasp he was able to wring from the Swordsman after lightly digging his teeth into the crook of his neck was perfect. Zoro was perfect. A hot mess of a person who was rough around the edges and liked it rough it bed, but god was he perfect.
“Ohh, that was nice, are you going to make more noises like that for me?” Sanji asked, and he worked his fingers as deeply into Zoro as he could, and it was amazing just to see how quickly Zoro could become putty in his hands. His mouth opened just a bit like he needed to say something, or moan, and his back arched just the slightest little bit. “You look so good like this Zoro, all laid out just for me. I could do this all night, get you off just like this…” He offered lowly, twisting his hand and watching as Zoro twitched under him.
“Nng… Fucker, don’t you dare…” Zoro groaned out, and one of his hands flew up to tangle in Sanji’s hair, just wanting something to grab onto more than anything else. He felt Sanji bite down on his neck again, harder this time, and then the sensation of his suckling harshly on the skin there to leave a mark mixed with Sanji doing something with his fingers that made Zoro feel like, yeah, he was on his way to heaven. His whole body was hot and he knew that Sanji was right. He could have cum like this easily. That’s not what he wanted though, and Sanji knew it.
“You want my dick so badly, don’t you Marimo? My Beast, my Dirt Eater.” Sanji rambled idly between nipping and biting at his neck. It didn’t take much time at all before Zoro’s neck was littered with dark, angry red spots and teeth indentations, and Sanji couldn’t have been more proud of his work. It was easy to get a little carried away though, his hand working Zoro over faster as he started to lose himself to just the idea of making Zoro cum like this for him. He could hear Zoro’s breathing pick up, little pants and huffs, and he jolted again as Sanji brushed against something particularly sweet in him. A loud, choked back moan filled Sanji’s ears after that, and it was sweeter than any music he had heard before.
“Oh fuck… fuck that’s good… ” Zoro moaned out, and Sanji pulled back from his neck to get a good look at him. The cocky smile that had all but been plastered to his face seemed to fade almost instantly as he stared down at the expression on his face; a bit dazed, maybe a bit of annoyance with the teasing and the name calling, but the pleasure he was feeling was clear as day.
And it was Sanji who was making him feel this good.
“Cook…” Zoro muttered, tightening his grip on Sanji’s hair for just a moment, the twinge of pain grounding the Chef to reality for a moment. “Come on already… Fuck me will you?”
Sanji swallowed thickly, keeping his composure as best as he could at such a request. Zoro was staring up at him expectantly, an intensity to his gaze that Sanji didn’t see often, and it was all but killing him. His heart skipped a beat, and he flashed Zoro a quick smile before slowly pulling his fingers from him. “Anytime! I’ll fuck you all night if you want…” He promised with a coy grin, and Zoro made a bit of a grunting noise at him before shifting around to get more comfortable.
“Just worry about getting it right the first time, Idiot Cook…” Zoro muttered, but the irritated air about him didn’t really mesh well his the red flush covering his body, hard leaking cock, and Sanji chuckled at his demand.
“I won’t let you down…” He promised lowly.
Zoro watched for a few moments as Sanji reached over to grab the lube once again, wanting a little more just in case, but then he let his head fall back and thunk against the wooden floor of the Crow’s Nest, and he just stared up at the ceiling. He heard the pop of the cap, and anticipation built in him until Sanji was leaned over him once more, and his world shrunk down to just him. A warm hand came to rest on his leg, pushing it up by his thigh, and he helped lift it to get into a better position as Sanji settled himself between his legs again.
“I’m glad I have you in my life, Moss Head…” Sanji said, and Zoro blinked in confusion, since it seemed rather sudden and out of place for him to say that. It was sweet though, and Zoro was glad to hear it even if he didn’t quite understand why. He glanced down when Sanji did, and he watched as Sanji positioned himself before he began sliding into him, about as careful as he could be. Zoro tensed, taking a second to make himself relax again as Sanji worked himself in, and as soon as he was in to the hilt he had leaned down to press a chaste kiss to Zoro’s lips.
“Mmn...Look at you…” Zoro said quietly, muttering against the Cook’s lips before he returned the little kiss. “You’re getting all sentimental on me again…” He said, before shuddering as Sanji gave a slow roll of his hips.
“Don’t act like you don’t like it, you love it when I spoil you, Mossy…” Sanji said. It was surprising sometimes just how sensitive Zoro could be when he was all worked up like this, and Sanji could feel hard muscles tensing and twitching under his fingers as he slid a hand down Zoro’s body until he could grasp his hip. “And that’s all I want to do. I can’t believe you ate the rice, knowing that about you just makes me so proud, you deserve every ounce of pleasure I’ll give you~” He said.
“So give it to me already.” Zoro sai, though he could hardly believe Sanji was still stuck on rice balls in the middle of this.
Sanji clicked his tongue in annoyance at Zoro’s impatience, but he himself had grown quite eager as well, and if Zoro didn’t want to wait, then he wouldn’t make him anymore.
“As you wish, my Darling….”
As much as Sanji loved going slow and seeing the buildup that Zoro went through to reach his orgasm, he knew what he wanted, and there really was something to be said for giving it to Zoro just how he liked it right from the start. A firm hold on his hips and a few seconds to brace himself before he dragged Zoro just a little closer, and he started up a quick pace. Seeing the near instant shift in his expression to one of pleasure filled mess was one of Sanji’s favorite things. He could see just how good it felt for him, and to Sanji the pleasure of his partner was most important to him, more so than even his own pleasure was.
“S-Shit!” Zoro’s arms had both gone and wrapped around Sanji, like some desperate vice grip to try and keep him close, get him closer, pull him deeper. For as often as Sanji liked to claim his fingers were where all the real magic was, he knew just how to fuck Zoro in a way that would send him into a frenzy faster than anything else.
“Mnn, how’s that for you, Mossy?” Sanji asked, his own breathing picking up quickly at the exertion of keeping up such a demanding pace for Zoro. It felt so good though, and he looked so good. “Is that what you wanted? Does that feel good?” He asked.
“Mnn… oh my god...” Zoro’s eyes were half lidded and his eyebrows knit together at the sheer intensity that had hit him so suddenly, he could hardly put together a sentence. “Shut up, shut up! I don’t need your chatter ruining this…” He hissed out, and his legs raised just a little to wrap around Sanji’s waist, as if he were trying to draw him in closer.
“Feisty…” Sanji mumbled more to himself than anything, licking his lips as he stared down at Zoro. Zoro’s ass was absolutely fantastic, and he felt so incredible around him, but the real joy of it all was seeing Zoro just lose himself in the pleasure. He bit his lower lip and leaned in a little closer to him. His hips slowed, coming to a near grinding halt as he rolled slowly against him, and the almost angry, choked off groan he pulled from Zoro was more than worth the blunt nails digging into his back. He let out a low moan himself, right into Zoro’s ear, and he could feel the man in his arms shiver. “I’ll make you feel so good you Shitty Marimo.” Sanji whispered into Zoro’s ear, but he didn’t stay quiet for long. His voice kept shifting in pitch from low and serious to that stupid tone Sanji reserved for Women, and Shitty Marimos as well it seemed. “You’re terrible, you’re so terrible and I love you so much and… fuck, fuck, Marimo~”
“Don’t slow down you Shithead!” Zoro yelled in frustration, all but squirming under Sanji because god he was rubbing him just right, and it felt so good, but he wanted it so much faster than that, harder than that.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Sanji asked, and Zoro made a little growling noise in the back of his throat. “And we don’t want you cumming too soon…”
“You’re not as good as you think you are!” Zoro yelled again, this time hitting his fist against Zoro’s back a few times in anger. “Either fuck me properly or fuck off!”
“Cold, how cold…” Sanji muttered. He continued his slow grinding movements for a moment, just watching Zoro’s face contort in pleasure, and it built the fire in his gut up real fast, making his nerves burn with pleasure, but he knew that Zoro might actually stop and just fight him if he teased him too much.
There was a short silence from Zoro, and all Sanji could hear from him was heavy breathing and the quietest gasps when Sanji moved in just a way that sent electricity running up and down his spine. He’d lift his hips to meet Sanji’s and his nails eased and relaxed before digging into his back once again when something felt particularly nice, leaving him a twitchy, growling mess just desperate for a little bit more friction.
“Come on,” Zoro said finally after trying to compose himself, almost sounding a little defeated as he huffed out, catching Sanji’s attention real fast. He moved to pull Sanji’s head away from his ear, and he looked right up at him, before leaning up and pressed a small kiss to his lips. “You said you were going to spoil me, didn’t you? You know I want it harder than that, Cook…”
“Zoro…” Sanji said, and wow who did this mossy asshole think he was being so hot, so cute? He had been so honest that night, been so good, the least he could do was reward him for it? Stop teasing him, give him exactly what he wanted, and give him the first of what would be the first of several mind blowing orgasms…. Yes, that’s what he’d do. He’d absolutely ravish the Moss. Another kiss was placed against his lips before he could say anything more though, and he didn’t resist it at all, simply relaxing into it with a quiet moan.
It was silent for a moment, both of them just enjoying the feel of having the other so close, the fee of lips on lips, but it couldn’t last forever. Sanji wasn’t going to disappoint Zoro, and as soon as their lips parted and tongues brushed, he tightened his hold on Zoro’s hips once more, and he slowly pulled his hips back away from Zoro’s. When he thrusted back in, hard enough to jostle the both of them, the kiss was broken with a cry from Zoro.
“FUCK! ...Yeah… yeah gimmie more of that…” Zoro said, lifting his hips to rut against Sanji’s as best as he could. He was eager, ready for more, for all Sanji could give him.
“Ohh, A demanding little weed today aren’t you?” Sanji asked with a grin. It was hard to hide just how ready for this he was as well though, nearly trembling above Zoro. “Don’t worry, you won’t be able to walk straight when I’m done with you…” He promised with a purr in his voice.
It was easy enough for Sanji to pick up his pace from before, short, quick movements that had Zoro curling his toes under him. Now there was power behind each thrust through, with him
pushing in hard and trying to drive himself as deep as he could. Each one pulled a strangled little groan from the Swordsman, his entire body tense as he was wracked with pleasure.
“Yess, yes, just like that, fuck me…” Zoro said under his breath, eyes squeezed shut.
The pleasure was always a slow burn, building up little by little with every little movement, but these rough sessions always seemed to send him barreling towards the end faster than anything else. He had long since learned to control himself though, his own pleasure on the back burner until he could satisfy Zoro.
Lucky for him, Zoro didn’t seem so inclined to try and hold himself back.
The sounds of heavy breathing and harsh pants filled the Crow’s Nest, and very faintly, far off in the distance, laughter and shouting could be heard from the rest of their crewmates. White noise to them as they moved together as one, rubbing, touching, kissing anywhere they could. The need for touch just seemed to grow in them as they went, a sort of hunger to be closer to the other that simply couldn’t be satisfied.
“You’re amazing…” Sanji said, his voice a low rumble against Zoro’s lips. “So perfect, you’re perfect… f-fuck you feel so good…”
One of Zoro’s arms fell away from Sanji’s back, and slipped down between the two of them. Sanji didn’t have to look to know what he was doing, and the mental image in his mind left him shaking, and he bit down hard on his lower lip, trying to hold back some of his more embarrassing noises.
“S-shut up….Fuck!” Zoro growled, his hand wrapping around his dick and he stroked himself, working with quick, shaky motions. They grew erratic quickly, and Zoro’s moans were unfettered, shameless as he threw his head back, nearly knocking his head against the ground “Fuck! Fuck! Cook!”
Before Sanji could really put a thought together, Zoro was coming undone before his eyes, completely euphoric, and he leaned back just a little just in time to see Zoro curl up just a little, his entire body quaking at the force of the sensations running through him, before he finally let out a loud, desperate cry as he came. No real words to make sense of, and Sanji probably wouldn’t have recognized them even if he had said anything. All his mind seemed to zero in on was just how amazing Zoro looked like this, and how much he loved him, and how much he wanted to make him feel this good again and again.
If that were all he did in life, he would have been perfectly fine with that…
Sanji came to a stop, and finally Zoro slumped down, his chest heaving and his face slowly relaxing and he looked peaceful. Serene. A hot, sweaty mess, but all the tension seemed to have left him and with a huff he cracked an eye open to look up at Sanj.
“Fuck… Fuck--” Zoro ran a tingling hand through his short, damp hair before he finally relaxed and let out a deep and satisfied sigh. He was still desperately trying to regulate his breathing again though, and so far it wasn’t working too terribly well. “Damn Cook… That was… Damn--”
Sanji was quiet at first, eyes still just wandering over Zoro’s whole body, from his chest to his stomach, his cum slicked cock, and back up to his face. He watched his face more than anywhere else. Something about it kept drawing him back to it. Maybe the little smile he had on it? Maybe it was the way he seemed to almost be glowing in the dim light in the Crow’s nest? He couldn’t tell, but he knew he couldn’t stare forever, so he flashed him a quick smile before speaking.
“...Look at you, look at you, I’ve left you absolutely speechless! I was right too, you came real fast!” Sanji said, his eyes shining with joy, and and if Zoro felt as though his arm could stop feeling like jelly long enough to throw a decent punch, he might have done just that to take the bastard down a peg or two. “God you were so hot Zoro, watching you cum like that, just for me, it’s incredible!”
“Shut up… Perverted Cook.” Zoro muttered, and he opted to ignore Sanji for a few moments by slinging an arm over his eyes, just taking a chance to cool down.
“You’re so good Marimo…” Sanji said, and this time his voice was sweet to Zoro. Not the sickly, sugar coated tone he used when he was busy drooling over every beautiful woman on the block, but it was genuine, and love filled, and just hearing it made Zoro’s stomach do flips. “I love you so much…”
Sanji’s hands began to gently work over Zoro’s overheated skin, delicate fingers rubbing slow circles up and down his sides, helping him to relax even further. It was a bit strange how something so simple as being touched in such a gentle way could feel so good in the midst of an afterglow. Zoro wasn’t much of a cuddler on his own, but he wanted to pull the Cook close, hold him, and be held. “...I love you too.” He mumbled, just barely loud enough to be heard.
For a bit he just laid there, letting the warm tingling of a post orgasm haze leave his body while Sanji continued to pet him. He had just about gotten his breathing steadied when he felt Sanji knock his forehead gently against his arm, and he lifted it up off of his eyes to get a look at him.
“Marimooo.” Sanji said, nearly whining it to Zoro, and Zoro rolled his eyes at the Chef.
“You cum yet?” He asked, though he could tell by the look on his face that he hadn’t.
“No… Are you OK for me to finish?” Sanji asked, biting his lip a bit as he gave him a warm smile. “You were so sexy, I promise I won’t take long…”
“Mm… I’m pretty thirsty still. You never did make me another one of those drinks you know…” Zoro said, a sly grin spreading across his lips, and Sanji’s entire expression turned sour, not liking the fact that he was being bribed for a drink. Of course if anyone knew how to play him, it was Zoro.
“I’ll make you thirty drinks after this if you just let me finish…” He offered, and Zoro laughed a bit, letting his head rest back against the floor again. He reached up and ruffled at Sanji’s hair, completely missing the look of pure aggravation on his face once his closed his eyes.
“Alright, Cook, do your thing.” Zoro said, and Sanji quickly sat up again, more than glad that he was allowed to finish. “I’m absolutely holding you to that promise though, I hope you know that…” Zoro warned.
“Well…. I made the drink special, just for you after all. It’d be a shame if it all went to waste…” Sanji said, before a mischievous look spread across his face. “Of course I know you wouldn’t let that happen…”
Sanji paused, much to Zoro’s confusion, and waited just a beat before continuing.
“AHHG! FUCK OFF ASSHOLE!” Zoro yelled, and Sanji just started laughing at him.
The next morning, Zoro woke up pleasantly sore, and still laid out on the floor of the Crow’s nest. A warm blanket had been draped over him at some point, and he had cuddled up to a pillow instead of the Cook he had slept with the night before. A bit of a weird sleeping arrangement, but far from the most confusing one that Zoro had found himself in.
It had been a noise that woke him up; footsteps, growing quieter as they got farther away. He opened his eyes groggily and simply stared ahead, not willing to move just yet. What was sat in front of him though was a food tray, with two dishes on it. A plate of three simple rice balls, and the not-too-sweet drink that Sanji had made for him the night before.
Sanji had dropped him off a bit of food, made special, just for him.
