Appropriate Aggression

AN: the final chapter in Zoro's POV. i have been asked to write an epilogue for this story and i'd love to, but i cannot promise that it will be very soon. Life can be hectic at times and right now is one of them.

Appropriate Aggression Chapter 10.5

It had happened every night for the past eleven days, not that Zoro was counting. He just happened to be awake each time Sanji had finally come to bed and burrowed deep in his covers to try and hide the sounds of his sniffling. Last night has been even worse. Zoro had switched watches with Robin so he could finish helping Franky down below with one of the projects the man had going, and therefore was privy to seeing the cook sneak into the galley in the middle of the night when he should have been in bed asleep. Zoro crept down and peered through the small porthole, watching as the cook sat at the counter, pouring glass after glass of wine as the tears rolled silently down his face. By day, the blonde had everyone else fooled into thinking he was back to normal, but when the sun set and everyone parted ways for the night, Sanji would break again.

Zoro wondered how everyone could be fooled so easily. Maybe they just didn’t care as much as he thought they did. He shook his head, reminding himself that they all knew, but for some reason felt that it was Zoro’s responsibility to fix it. Well, he was tired of fixing the cook. The only thing that seemed to have any lasting effect was when Sanji had sex with a man, and apparently the idiot couldn’t seem to get that through his thick skull. At the last island, the stench of flowery perfume had clung to the man’s suit even the next morning letting Zoro know which type of whore house the blonde had visited. Was it really that hard for Sanji to accept? Zoro ran a hand over the now dry pillow in Sanji’s bunk, stiffening slightly when he heard the blonde’s grumblings precede him into the room.

Chopper had said that Zoro was all the cook had, but Zoro thought it was a bunch of bullshit. In the swordsman’s mind, a man always had himself to fall back on when times were rough. If he didn’t, he couldn’t be much of a man. Zoro didn’t even try to keep the bitterness out of his voice when he spoke.
“You were crying again last night.”

“Fuck you shitty-Marimo. What do you know?”

Zoro could hear the rustling of clothes as Sanji started to get undressed, probably because of the explosion he had heard a short time ago.

“I know that it’s only going to get worse if you keep lying to yourself,” Zoro challenged, knowing that he was purposely asking for a fight. He turned and faced the cook, crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled darkly.

“Oh, so, what? I’m supposed to fall on my knees at Nami’s feet and tell her she’s right! I’m a fucking faggot?” Sanji’s face was red with fury, and it took every ounce of control for Zoro to let him continue speaking and not punch him hard. “Put on a fucking ballerina costume and go dancing around the deck like that shitty okama back in Alabasta? Come crawling to you every night, begging you to let me fuck you so I can sleep? I don’t think so. I’d sooner crawl in bed with a sea king than start a relationship with a moronic, ill mannered, uncouth, uncivilized, ugly, shitty bastard like you!”

Zoro’s eyes narrowed dangerously as his lips curled into an angry snarl. “Good, because I’m tired of getting fucked by you anyway.” Rage blinded Zoro as he shoved past Sanji, slamming the door behind him as he stormed out of the room.

Zoro had a strong urge to echo the cook’s scream, but instead choose to hand over his swords to Nami who had just rushed up on him with her mouth already flying open with questions. He heard none of it and left her standing there gaping as he kicked off his boots then jumped over the side into the icy waters below. He swam as deep as he could before the pressure in his chest became too much and he fought to climb to the surface before his lungs exploded. He treaded water for a few minutes, debating on if he wanted to go back and grab a sword to use for fishing, but quickly dismissed the idea of presenting any type of catch to the cook for a very long time. Instead he dove deep again, grinning wildly when he was approached by an unlucky shark. Unfortunately, it would take more than one little creature to quell his anger with the cook.

/-/-/-/-/

Zoro climbed over the rail onto the deck of the Sunny, waterlogged and shivering from his excessive time in the freezing temperature. He didn’t argue when Brooke escorted him into the bathroom and instructed him to take a long soak so he no longer looked blue in the face. Zoro nodded, though he only intended to take a short shower so there would be time for a decent nap before dinner. Clean, dry clothes had been set just outside the door and Zoro hurried to dry off and get into them before slipping into the bunkroom and climbing into bed. The end of Usopp’s kabuto being jabbed into his shoulder woke him an hour later, the nervous sharpshooter informing him it was time to eat.

Zoro sat at the table and began to reach for his food, only to see his dinnerware disappear before his eyes. His first reaction was to yell at Luffy, but the grinning captain shook his head and pointed to the blonde currently piling a lavish amount of meat on a plate. The food was set back in front of him and he blinked several times to see if it was real. Zoro quirked a brow as he looked up at the cook, receiving only a smirk in response to the silent “what the fuck” question written on his face. He looked around the table to see grins on everyone’s faces and wondered if maybe there was some kind of joke going on that he hadn’t been privy to. Zoro tentatively took a bite, hoping that the food hadn’t been poisoned and this was his last meal, and watched from under hooded eyes as small glances kept getting thrown his way.

When he had finished eating, the second his fork touched the table, his dishes were cleared and replaced with a warm bottle of alcohol along with a single cup. The knowing grins from everyone around set him off and he growled angrily at the blonde. “What the fuck is going on, love-cook?”

The entire table went quiet and Zoro waited impatiently, almost swearing that a faint blush dusted Sanji’s cheeks.

“Well for those of us that are subtlety-challenged, it’s an ‘I’m sorry’, shit head.” The look on Sanji’s face was blank and veiled as the cook stuck a cigarette between his lips and lit up. Zoro wondered exactly what the blonde was sorry for, since the list of possibilities was quite long, and also why now of all times he would choose to apologize. Instead of elaborating, Sanji closed his eyes and sighed. “Just drink your damn sake, Marimo.”

Zoro watched him leave the room and turned back to face the maniacal grins of his nakama.

“I can’t believe Sanji actually apologized to Zoro… ZORO of all people,” Usopp mumbled in awe.

“What’s so big about that?”

Luffy laughed loudly and slapped the table. “See. I knew you could fix him!”

“I DIDN’T fix him!”

“Wait? Sanji was broken? Oh no! He didn’t tell me! I warned you two to be careful!” Chopper shouted and started to run out after the cook only to be stopped by Luffy’s outstretched hands.

“I didn’t do anything to him. You know that.”

“Sooooo…” Nami sang out. “Did you two make up?”

“Why would we need to? There’s nothing going on.”

“Our cook seems quite content this evening, I wonder what has changed.” Robin said to Nami.

“I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Ha, always knew you two had it in you,” chimed in Franky as he slapped the swordsman on the back.

“I didn’t have anything in him!” Zoro shouted as he stood up and slammed his fists on the table. His face began to burn with embarrassment as soon as the shocked looks on everyone’s faces registered and they erupted into cheers of good fortune to him.

“Hahaha….. I don’t get it.” Usopp sat there looking back and forth between Zoro and Franky. Zoro was mortified when Chopper pulled the marksman’s ear down far enough to whisper in. Zoro thought the poor man’s eyes would pop out of his head.

“Seeing such a display of love makes my heart beat with joy. Oh, I don’t have a heart.” Brooke clutched his chest and fell over, sending Chopper into a panic and Luffy into a fit of giggles. “Skull joke!”

“What the fuck?”

Nami stood to walk around and stand next to Zoro, but the swordsman knew as soon as she got her hands on him he was done for. This evening was fucked up enough as it was, so he drew a sword and leveled it at anyone who came near, then grabbed his bottle of sake and backed out the door. He stomped up to the crow’s nest, face still heated as he planned out Sanji’s slow and painfully torturous death. He would have to fix things soon, but for the moment Zoro needed some peace, and to down the entire bottle of sake before it cooled in the night air.

/-/-/-/-/

Zoro had managed to dodge everyone for the rest of the evening, choosing to sleep on deck instead of in with the men. He couldn’t get the cheers and shouts of congratulations out of his head though, and ended up tossing and turning most of the time. The crew’s laughter had been happy, and not the least bit mocking like he had assumed would be the case. They seemed genuinely excited about he and the cook having a relationship, and Zoro decided that that was the part that worried him the most. Then there was the comment that Brooke had made; something about love. Zoro laughed at the idea. The cook loved women, and there was nothing in this world that could possibly change that. Zoro sighed heavily and wondered why it wasn’t bothering him as much as he thought it should.

Since this whole affair had disaster written on it from the beginning, it was no shock that it had resulted in this type of catastrophe. Maybe, if he had just been open about it in the first place, it wouldn’t have caused this much of a problem. Zoro thought about all the shit the cook gave him regarding his hair and knew at least one thing would have been different; Sanji wouldn’t let him get away with all the jibes at his femininity. Then again, over the last week Zoro had been doing just that. He and Sanji had fallen back into their old patterns of life that included a kick to the head or a smart ass remark just like clockwork. If it hadn’t been for Zoro knowing that the cook was still miserable at night, he would have been happy to be back to normal. Now, the swordsman found himself wanting to yank the cook out of his bed, drag him off to an unoccupied room and let the blonde fuck him senseless so that they could both sleep.

Zoro’s eyes snapped open as he realized where his train of thought had just gone. His body seemed to be in agreement with his mind reliving memories of long pale fingers wrapped around his hips, a thick cock sliding in and out of him and the smell of smoke all around. Never before had any of his sexual partners remained in his mind like this. He would always just use them and be on his way without a second thought. The only exception had been Saga, but the two of them had been friends long before they were fuck buddies. Zoro couldn’t bring himself to use the term lovers. It held a degree of intimacy that he wasn’t prepared to welcome.

On top of everything, Sanji was absolutely clueless in bed. How could a guy be so unaware of the male anatomy? Didn’t the blonde know anything about self pleasure? Surely he didn’t just grab his cock and start rubbing… did he? Zoro groaned and ran a hand over his face, realizing that was exactly what was going on. Sanji was truly an idiot.

“It seems to me that you both are fools.”

Zoro quickly sat up and reached for his weapons out of reflex, his eyes falling on the ship’s navigator who appeared to be on her way back to her room after watch change. She looked him over and shook her head tiredly before walking over and sitting on the lawn beside the swordsman. She didn’t say a word for a few minutes, just staring up at the night sky.

“Every time I see you and Sanji fight, there’s a certain hum of harmony in the air. You’re like pieces in a game. Not always able to occupy the same space, but most effective when played at the same time.” Nami covered his hand with hers in the grass and squeezed gently before standing and brushing off her skirt. “You know we’ll support you guys whatever you decide, right?”

Deep inside, Zoro knew she was right, but to hear it voiced removed a heavy weight that he hadn’t realized was there until that moment. And within its empty void, Zoro realized that maybe, just maybe there was more to his need of their approval than he had ever imagined. He barely felt Nami’s fingers run through his hair, her small giggle never reaching his ears as he sat there in the middle of the Thousand Sunny and finally admitted to himself that there might possibly be a slight smidgen of a chance that he could in some small way like the cook as a little bit more than just nakama.

/-/-/-/-/-/

Zoro rubbed his eyes wearily, his lack of sleep the night before taking its toll on him in the evening hours. He had counted his coins several times and wondered why the orange-haired woman had been overly kind to him this time around. He overheard the fight between Sanji and Franky earlier and wished the shipwright luck in his new adventure. Zoro chuckled when he thought about the fact that Robin was already personally acquainted with the cyborg’s manhood. It was well past dark when he looked over the room chart again, noticing that Sanji’s name was still not on it.

“I believe that our cook was looking for someone to share a room with this evening to help save a little money.” Robin’s smooth voice carried the suggestion to him quite well, and Zoro debated if it was a good idea or not. “He might have decided to stay aboard the ship instead.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled and headed out into the street.

Fortunately for him the ship was moored at the docks this time, so all he would have to do is ask for directions around town. A grungy child of no more than ten years happily led him in return for a few coins, a price well worth it in Zoro’s books. He could see the lights on in the galley and wondered what the cook was working on this time. Several familiar ingredients lay strewn across the counters along with a few that Zoro had never seen, but the underlying smell was almost identifiable.

He walked up beside the cook and looked inside the pot. “It smells different.”

A different spoon was taken out of a drawer and filled with the broth. “Here, taste.”

Zoro opened his mouth to decline the offer, but found the spoon shoved into his mouth and a warm liquid flowing to the back of his throat. He swallowed on reflex and suddenly it felt as if his entire mouth was on fire. He gasped for air and looked around for something to get rid of the burn.

“Too spicy still?” Zoro glared at the cook as the blond continued to laugh at his misfortune. “Drink some milk. Trust me.”

Unsure if it was a trick or not Zoro paused for a moment before running to the unlocked refrigerator and grabbing the plastic jug. He downed better than half of it before he felt like he could breath normally and resumed trying to make the snickering ass burst into flames with his thoughts. “Aho-cook.”

The laughter was reduced to an amused hum as Sanji continued to add different things to the mix. Zoro watched him work, mesmerized by the skill in which Sanji was able to handle the razor sharp knives. He let his eyes trail over the blonde’s back, taking in everything from his narrow shoulders, to his almost slender waist, and down to his perfectly shaped ass. There had been many times during their journey that Zoro had allowed himself to enjoy the view of the cook’s body as he pranced around the galley, but tonight there was something different in the way it affected the swordsman. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he now knew exactly what lay beneath the tailored suit and crisply pressed shirt, that he had firsthand knowledge of how rough the blonde’s hands were against his hip, or that if he closed his eyes and relaxed he could remember the exact taste of Sanji’s mouth.

A gentle hand shook his shoulder and Zoro blinked several times trying to figure out how the cook had gotten his clothes back on that fast or how they had ended up back in the galley when just a moment ago they had been together in a soft plush bed. Zoro realized the cook was walking away and suddenly he knew exactly what he wanted. He darted forward and wrapped his arms around Sanji from behind and buried his face into the crook of the pale neck, nipping at the smooth skin as he let his dream resurface in his mind.

“Let me fuck you.” Zoro knew that once he had spoken the words, there was no taking them back. It was like playing with a volatile explosive, hoping that you could catch it and yet still throwing it higher each time. Now that he had made his request, Zoro slowly loosened his hold and stepped away; uncertainty gripping at his chest when he looked at Sanji’s face. The cook’s eyes were closed and there was a slight crease to his brow, though Sanji’s expression seemed somewhat neutral. Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, Zoro headed up to the crow’s nest.

Zoro unfolded the blankets and laid them atop each other. He knew that while it wouldn’t be as good as a real bed, it was much better than the bare floor like last time. Several minutes passed though, and still no sign of the cook, making Zoro wonder if maybe their time was in fact over. Feeling rejected, Zoro sat down on the bench and looked out over the water. He was about to give up and just go to sleep when he heard the tapping of Sanji’s shoes on the rungs of the ladder. Readying himself for anything, Zoro waited for the cook to speak.

Strong, sure steps closed the distance between them and Sanji stood slightly behind him, still not saying a word. Instead, Zoro found himself flying across the room, courtesy of a swift kick to the back of the head. He lay there a moment, a bit bewildered and confused before coming to his knees and looking up at the blonde. If the asshole didn’t want him, all he had to do was say no, or even just not come up here at all. Sanji began walking towards him and Zoro hurried to his feet, placing his hands on his swords and readying for the fight he thought was coming. Just before he was within striking range, Sanji stopped and took his time studying Zoro from top to bottom. Sanji’s deft hands began loosening the knot of his tie, once again throwing Zoro off his game and making the swordsman question his own sanity.

“You know, this works a lot better with your clothes off,” Sanji’s voice was taunting as the blonde toed off his heavy shoes.

A grin spread across Zoro’s face as he realized that this was as close as he would ever get to hearing the cook admit defeat. “I’m still waiting to be impressed.”

Unable to wait any longer, Zoro hastily took off his clothes and tossed them blindly in the room as he waited impatiently for the blonde to finish with his own clothing. Eager to have his hands on the cook again, Zoro quickly helped Sanji out of his pants and boxers, deliberately brushing the growing member every chance he got. Tossing the prissy clothing to the side, Zoro stepped back and tried to memorize ever detail, least this be the last time the cook let the swordsman touch him. It was a one chance shot, and Zoro was determined to make sure that it was a night that the self proclaimed Mr. Prince would never forget.

Without warning, Zoro grabbed him and crushed their bodies together, his mouth hungrily attacking Sanji’s while his hands traveled down, making sure their bodies were touching at every possible point. A rough pull on his hair caused his head to fall back, exposing his neck for Sanji to latch onto; biting and sucking at Zoro’s jugular. The swordsman released a deep moan and rocked his hips, rubbing their arousals together as he kneaded the round flesh of Sanji’s ass. He shivered in pleasure as a warm wet tongue bathed the sensitive skin on his neck. Wanting to return the pleasure, and regain control, Zoro hooked a leg behind Sanji’s knees and shoved the cook backwards onto the blankets he had prepared earlier. Zoro could see the surprise on Sanji’s face when he didn’t hit the hard floor and wondered how the cook couldn’t have noticed the pallet before. He followed the blonde down and pushed his knees between Sanji’s spread thighs while pinning the blonde’s arms above his head. The sight of smooth pale skin spread out before him made it hard to think, but Zoro had to know for sure that the cook understood exactly what he was getting into.

“Last chance to say no, love-cook.”

Blue eyes were glazed over with desire and longing, as long, muscular legs wrapped around the swordsman’s waist and he felt Sanji’s thick cock dig into his stomach. Needing this moment to last for as long as possible, Zoro leaned down and gently pressed his lips against lax pink ones. He took his time coaxing a response from the blonde, caressing the man’s arms and sides as he explored Sanji’s mouth. A tentative hand danced up his spine, tickling at first until it became surer of itself. They melted together, hands reaching for every inch of skin they could reach until the need for more became more than Zoro could resist. A tanned hand lifted one muscular leg onto Zoro’s shoulder, a shudder of desire ripping through the swordsman as he realized just how malleable his new lover was. One hand continued to trail up and down the blonde’s side while the fingers of the other searched out the oil, pouring out hopefully enough across his fingertips. Zoro began teasing the puckered entrance that he couldn’t wait to be buried in and with a gentle push a single digit slipped in, barely to the first knuckle before he felt every muscle in the cook’s body stiffen.

“Relax,” Zoro whispered against Sanji’s lips between kisses.

Zoro knew the blonde was trying, but every time he tried to push his finger in any further, muscles would contract and make it impossible to move. He could see Sanji’s knuckles turning white as he gripped the blanket beneath him and knew it would take something a bit more drastic to take the cook’s mind off of his ass. With a low growl, Zoro gave one last nip to the swollen lips and began inching down the pale chest while slowly moving his finger in a circular motion. He swirled his tongue in the shallow navel and wondered if blonde had ever received a blow job before. Zoro hoped not, wanting to lay yet another claim to one of Sanji’s firsts.

With that thought in mind, Zoro relaxed his jaw and took in as much of Sanji’s thick member as he could, his own cock hanging heavy between his legs and begging for attention. Zoro pulled back, circling his tongue around the head and then back down again, thoroughly enjoying the whimpers and gasps coming from the cook. Sanji’s fingers gripped tightly in his hair, but didn’t stop him when he picked up the pace. Zoro added a second finger and sucked harder to help counter the pain and discomfort he knew the blonde was feeling. His teeth accidentally scraped across the sensitive flesh, but resulted in a hoarse cry of pleasure so the swordsman continued and thrust his fingers deeper, spreading them apart in hopes to make his entrance as painless as possible. Sanji’s body began to shake and the blonde pulled hard on his green hair, making him grow in annoyance at the rough treatment. Zoro quickly brought his free hand around to grip tightly at the base of Sanji’s cock to keep him from coming and gave one last lick as he pulled away.

Sanji’s face was flushed, from what Zoro could see hidden beneath his arm. He leaned down to kiss him but the blonde tried to move away. Zoro curled his fingers and smirked when the cook instantly froze, taking advantage of Sanji’s vulnerable state so he could kiss him deeply. The arm fell away, revealing a still flushed, and slightly confused man. Zoro nipped at his swollen lips again and pulled back enough to look down on him as he slid his fingers out.

“If you weren’t a fucking virgin, I wouldn’t have to do this shit.” He smirked when the cook began to scowl and rocked his hips down, letting their still swollen members rub against each other. “I just didn’t want to have to listen to you bitch tomorrow if you couldn’t stand and cook.”

“I’m not made of glass shit-head. I didn’t do this shit for you.”

Zoro acknowledged the point with a nod but made sure to point out the obvious. “And I went to visit Chopper the next day.”

Sanji glared at him and shifted up a few inches so that the tip of Zoro’s cock was brushing against his entrance. “Just hurry up and fuck me, Marimo.”

A flood of heated desire coursed through his body and suddenly the swordsman knew what he needed to do. He shoved his hands under Sanji’s back and flipped them over so that Sanji was straddling his hips. The bottle of oil dug into his ribs and lifted up to pull it out. The cook’s obvious happiness at being given control pleased him, and Zoro knew that he had made the right choice. He poured out more oil over his rigid cock and hummed softly as he stroked his member a few times to coat it thoroughly. He watched as Sanji lifted himself up and did his best to hold still as the blonde prepared to sink down.

“Just relax, and push out with your muscles as it enters. Don’t rufuuuuck!” Zoro’s eyes rolled back in his head as he tightened his grip on Sanji’s hips. He could hear the whimpers above him and knew from experience how much pain the blonde was probably in at the moment. As much as Zoro wanted to start thrusting into the delicious heat, he knew it would take a few minutes for the cook to adjust so he concentrated on keeping still, hoping that the idiot’s rash actions hadn’t ruined the night completely. As the pressure around his cock began to ease, Zoro brought up his hands to rub at the small of Sanji’s back and down his ass, hoping to help him relax. The swordsman leaned up as carefully as he could and began kissing him, letting his lips take away the tears that had escaped from tightly clenched blue eyes. “Idiot love-cook.”

Zoro wrapped his arms around the blonde’s shoulders and brought them back down to the blanket together as he continued to nibble at the pale neck and jaw. He began moving his body minutely, his cock not sliding more than a few centimeters with each roll of his hips as he continued to lavish his attention on the cook. Small grunts of pain softened into pleasurable sighs and soon Zoro could feel Sanji’s body begin to respond; from the hardening of the blonde’s cock to the answering of his thrusts. Pale hands stood out in contrast to tanned skin of his shoulders as Sanji braced himself and began to sit up.

The wrinkled brow softened and Zoro knew that the pain was all but gone finally. He waited for the blonde to sit up just a bit more before he began guiding cook’s hips in time with him. Zoro smirked as he watched Sanji throw his head back and cry out when he finally was able to hit the blonde’s prostate dead on. Trying to keep them at the same angle, Zoro drove harder and harder as he watched the waves of pleasure hit them both full force. Knowing he couldn’t last much longer, Zoro grabbed for the bottle and poured the remaining oil on to Sanji’s weeping member, wanting them to reach their peak as close to the same time as possible.

Sanji’s screams fueled the orgasm Zoro could feel building and he watched in awe as the blonde slammed himself harder and harder on to Zoro’s throbbing cock, begging for perhaps the first time in his life for what he truly wanted. The swordsman held out for as long as he could, his eyes unable to leave the sight of euphoric bliss that covered Sanji’s face as he came over their chests, the blonde’s body shuddering uncontrollably with his release. Zoro choked on his own cry as he pulsed deep within Sanji, tremors running through his being as he rode out the pleasure.

Sanji collapsed on top of him, though Zoro was too sated to really care, and too comfortable to see any need to change their positions. His happy sigh was covered by Sanji’s groan when Zoro finally softened enough to slide out of the blonde’s ass. Contentment and exhaustion took over and Zoro gave up fighting the sleep that was tugging at his body, a foreign look of peacefulness settling over him.

/-/-/-/-/-/

Zoro woke up when the comfortable pillow he had been using had been yanked out from under him. He sat up yawing and began to stretch his back and shoulders to rid the ache of having slept in one position for several hours. He had just noticed the blonde was still with him when a dark haired head popped up through the ladder entrance and looked at them.

“Aww man. You guys had a party without us? We could have all stayed here and had fun. Brooke isn’t very comfortable to cuddle with.” The sounds of the musician shouting out ‘Skull Joke’ echoed up to them while Luffy propped his chin on the top of the rail and pouted.

Zoro just shook his head and shrugged indifference when the blonde looked over to him for help. It was way too early to try and think if he didn’t have to. Looking down, he noticed he was still naked and glanced over to see the cook in the same state of undress. Assuming that by now, everyone already knew, or at least had a major clue as to what was going on, Zoro didn’t bother with any modesty as he stood up and began searching for his clothes.

“I’m glad you guys aren’t fighting anymore.” Zoro worried about the excited tone in Luffy’s voice; someone that happy had to be hiding something. He blocked out the rest of the conversation, knowing that if he was needed, they’d get his attention somehow.

Zoro pulled on his underwear and pants after untangling them from the twisted mess that had occurred in his haste to remove them last night. His boots were visible, though oddly on different sides of the room. A quick search and he found his haramaki behind the weights, and lastly his shirt had been crumpled into a ball by where they were sleeping. As soon as he picked it up, Zoro knew he wouldn’t be able to wear the soiled and crusty garment. He sent an evil glare to the cook who smirked knowingly when he saw what had upset the swordsman. Zoro had to admit it was pretty funny, and he’d have done the same thing if their roles were reversed. His scowl melted away and found himself smiling softly for the first time in quite a while. He helped Sanji down the ladder, proud that he was only caught a time or two grinning at the blonde’s discomfort.

The cook immediately took off the moment his feet were solidly planted on the deck, spewing his flowery compliments and proclamations of love to the women aboard the ship. Zoro’s ego swelled as he thought about how this time it honestly was his doing that put the smile on the cook’s face. And somehow, the thought of doing it again didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.


...