Battles & Outposts

A week and a half later found that veiled promise to still only be an echo in the back of Sanji\'s mind. Taking count of stock below deck he thought to himself with a sigh that such was the life of a pirate; there was always going to be Marines around to ruin your day... and your sex life.



The two had had little more than stolen fleeting moments during the days that had passed since their silent reconciliation. Moments that had left the blond aching with desire for more than just the simple thrill of a much needed release. The stolen touches held their own promises, soft caresses and gentle kisses mixed and mingling with the heated locking of lips, after a scuffle, when there were no eyes around to catch the secret.



The cook had still yet to figure out the cause for such a change in the swordsman\'s affections. Disregarding that there hadn\'t been opportunity for such a weighty conversation, Sanji simply had no intentions of asking. There was a balance forming, as though the two were finding their footing on the strange soil they\'d found themselves wandering.



He didn\'t wish to upset it.



Finishing his task, he tucked away the pen he held and set aside the clipboard, stepping up into the sunlight on deck. His eyes roamed across the surface of the Merry as he reflexively fished out a cigarette and lit it.



Luffy sat staring straight ahead into the sea from his \'special seat.\' Chopper was staring as well, wide eyed with awe as Usopp proudly regaled him one of his many \'adventures.\' Robin was leaning over the lip of the Crow\'s Nest, gazing calmly over the waters that stretched around them.



The sweep of his eyes paused and settled upon the green-haired swordsman, who sat with his back to the mast, polishing his katana with expert care.



Zoro paused as he felt a gaze settle upon him and, glancing up from his work, his eyes found the form of the cook, misty haze of cigarette smoke drifting up past his face. His chin lifted just the slightest, barely noticeable, in the man\'s direction, and his gaze lingered just a bit longer before lowering again to the item in hand.



Returning his gaze to the captain, "Oi, Luffy!" An exhale of smoke, "What do you want for dinner?"



The straw-hat boy turned from his perch, leaped into the air with outstretched arms and legs and shouted enthusiastically. "MEAT ON THE BOOONNNNNNNNNE!"



Chopper piped in then, the glimmer created by Usopp\'s words not leaving his eyes as he stared up at the cook, hopefully, "Sanji, can we have something sweet for dessert?"



Sanji chuckled at the two, and turned on his heel with that unique grace he carried himself with, and retreated up the steps to the galley, "Consider it done."



Zoro glanced up after him as he ducked through the doorway of the galley, half-oblivious to the two men and reindeer that danced excitedly behind him. He turned his eyes to the sky, an admirable blue scattered with picturesque clouds. The weather had evened considerably since the day before, and Nami had informed them that tomorrow afternoon they would reach the next island along their journey.



Far from the surface of his thoughts, but there all the same, he wondered how long it would take the log to set.



----------



The small group of pirates made their way through the heart of the town, Luffy darting from stall to stall, window to window, mouth wide with Oohs and Aahs, and Nami-Can-I-PLEEASE-Get-Ones?!



Nami lifted one small arm and pointed in the direction of a two-story building to their left, up the road a ways. "That should be the inn. I\'ll get us some beds."



Turning to face the group, her eyes first fell on the cook, "Sanji, I know I can trust you to gather our supplies," she batted her lashes shamelessly and placed a bag of Beri in his hand before turning to Chopper, "Chopper, do you need any medicines?"



The small reindeer nodded sheppishly and accepted the bad offered him. She turned to Zoro and he returned her gaze blankly, "You can follow Chopper." His face dropped. "Chopper, don\'t let him get lost!" Antlers shook quickly to and fro, in fearful agreement.



"Alright," she siad, "The woman at the dock said the Log Pose will take about twelve hours, so let\'s all be back in time for dinner and sleep. We don\'t need to stay here longer than we have to."



As they all went in their separate directions in groups of one or two, they all heard the boing of rubber, and a screaming threat for "NO TROUBLE!!"



----------



Zoro eyed the ship curiously as he and Chopper strode up to drop off the medical supplies an hour or so later. No crates, no barrels. No Sanji. As he waited for his furry nakama to reemerge from the ship, he stood on the dock and let his eyes wander up and down the dirt streets that led back into the town.



He found himself surprised at how his eyes so easily found the familiar form making it\'s way through the small crowd of people that passed here and there, full cart in tow. The green-haired man turned his gaze down another road.



No reason to give the cook the idea that he was looking for him... even if he had been.



The rumble of the wooden wheels rolling onto the planks of the dock moved closer. "Oi, shithead. Lost?" Zoro glanced at him and returned the words with a mild sneer as the tap of hooves came from the deck of the ship above.



"Oi, Sanji, good you\'re here!" came the small voice of the Doctor. Their gazes broke from one another to search out the face to match the voice.



Sanji offered a friendly wave before dropping the cart in front of the swordsman. "Help me unload, marimo." he muttered, lifting a sack of rice and climbing up onto the ship.



"Did you need me?" he asked Chopper.



The reindeer nodded. "I was hoping you could bring Zoro back to the inn, I found a new herb and..."



"Ah, of course." Sanji returned the nod, with an understanding expression.



The small fur-coated face beamed happily. "I can watch the ship tonight," he added, "so Nami doesn\'t have to worry."



The cook smiled as he popped a cigarette past his lips. "In that case, I can prepare dinner for you. And a small snack for the late night."



"Ah! Thank you, Sanji~!" Chopper chirped, paused, then headed back to his to his desk excitedly.





Sanji went about his work in the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder each time Zoro entered and left, bringing in the new supplies. They were both quiet until the swordsman had brought in the last of it and sat down at the table in the galley.



He watched the cook with hidden curiosity as he assembled a colorful tray of fruits for the resident doctor, and was slightly startled when the blond spoke up quietly.



"We\'ll be setting off in the morning." He spoke without looking at the man seated behind him.



"Nn," was the only reply. Followed a few silent moments later by a, "Yeah."



Sanji shifted a bit uncomfortably, shyly if he\'d admit it. "Chopper\'s going to watch the ship tonight."



Zoro didn\'t reply. They both knew what he was saying... or at least the general idea the words held. He watched wordlessly as Sanji rounded the table, tray in hand, to place it into the refrigerator.



When the cook ducked back out and went to move back towards the plate that awaited delivery to the Doctor, Zoro caught his wrist, digits wrapping and pulling the cook in his direction.



Another one of those stolen moments where their lips met, fingertips found skin and spoke the wanting they held. This time, though, the promise that lingered in the cook\'s mind seemed closer now.



As they parted and rose, Sanji retrieving the plate and moved to exit the galley. He stopped in the doorway, nearly causing the green-haired man to collide into his back, and motioned to the wine rack.



"The one your brought in earlier. With the burgundy label. Bring that." He instructed, before ducking out.





The sky had grown dark, hinting on the edge of night by the time they\'d found their way to the inn, and as they entered they quickly spotted the rest of the crew.



The corner of Sanji\'s mouth twisted at the sight of their captain leaning over the table to take the piece of meat off of Usopp\'s plate while the man\'s back was turned in search of the phantom finger that had tapped his shoulder. He\'ll never learn.



"Where\'s Doctor-kun?" asked Robin as the two men sat at opposite sides of the table, Sanji ever the gentleman while Zoro leaned his chair back to meet the wall behind him.



"He\'ll be keeping watch tonight. He had work he wanted to do," Zoro explained as he reached out for the tankard pushed in his direction.



Usopp quickly clapped his hands together and closed his eyes, relief falling over his face at the information. "Thank you, Chopper! I was so sure I\'d draw the short straw, and I can just tell those docks will be so dark tonight!" His teeth chattered at the thought, the sound nearly drowning out the soft giggle of the archaeologist.



"Ah, that\'s good then," Nami said soundly, almost cheerfully, before her face fell dark and she added, "If so much as one piece of treasure is disrupted when I get back, he\'ll be treating himself."



Luffy coughed and choked around the hunk of meat in his mouth, "Nami, NOOO~!" he whined.



And so dinner passed for the Strawhat Pirates, much as it always did, before they each retreated to their rooms.



----------



Zoro was eying the bottle that set on his bedside table, contemplating opening it, when one soft knock met the door to his room.



"It\'s open," he said as he turned to the opening door.



Sanji slipped in like a spy and carefully closed the door behind him, throwing the lock just as stealthily.



"Luffy\'s tuckered out, Usopp\'s tucked in, and the Ladies have no more need of my service this evening," Zoro rolled his eyes at that, as Sanji stepped toward him, "So..."



The cook let the word trail off as he let a smirk form on his lips, "I guess I\'m off duty." Stepping closer to the other man. "Since I can\'t imagine anyone else who would desire my... services."



The swordsman returned the smirk, making no move to close the space between them. "No, I suppose not."



The smirk on his lips grew as he watched the ghost of a frown pass over Sanji\'s features. He let out a small laugh, more just a jump in his chest, and he turned and picked the bottle up off of the nightstand.



"So what\'s this stuff?" he asked as he set himself on the bed.



Sanji regarded him quietly for a moment. Expensive? Suited for palettes choosier than those willing to drink any swill with alcoholic content?



He decided now wasn\'t the moment for jabs and tilted his head as he responded with a word the swordsman would appreciate. "Strong."



He suddenly realized it was strange to be alone with the other man like this, somewhere with far more privacy than the ship could offer, even in the darkest places at the darkest times of the night.



Sanji sat down next to Zoro awkwardly, hands in his lap, and watched as the other man opened the bottle and, without even the thought to look for a glass, tipped the bottle to his lips.



Bringing the bottle back down he considered the liquid for a moment before tilting it toward the cook, "Taste?"



The corner of Sanji\'s mouth shifted upward in the slightest hint of a smile as he reached for the bottle. It was quickly removed from his reach as warm lips searched out to find his mouth, pressing to his own.



The kiss was soft and slow, and his lips parted naturally to allow entrance of Zoro\'s tongue to dance with his own, sharing the taste of the alcohol, and of the other man.



Zoro ended the kiss, letting his lips linger there for a moment longer as he peered at Sanji, the blond\'s eyes downcast, cheeks tinged a faint red. It was then he noticed the cook\'s awkward posture and he chuckled lightly.



"Yeah, it\'s weird isn\'t it?" he asked, the question causing Sanji to raise his visible eye, confused expression on his face.



"Huh?"



Zoro took another pull from the bottle, then gestured to the room around them. "This." he said simply.



Sanji nodded silently, his cheeks darkening a bit more. He could feel the heat on his face, and he cursed in his head... he\'d never been one for shyness. What the hell was this?



He felt the cool tap of the bottle against his hand as the other man offered it to him, and took it appreciatively, taking a long drink. A seemingly long moment of silence passed between them then before he quietly spoke up.



"It\'s... nice, though." He said, wrapping his hands around the bottle, holding it in his lap before deciding he wanted another drink and taking it. Surely not because the bottle offered temporary cover of his face.



...Surely not.



He offered the bottle back to Zoro who took another healthy mouthful from it before leaning over to place it back on the table. He turned back to Sanji and regarded him searchingly.



"You\'re blushing." the green-haired man stated the obvious. "What are you thinking?"



The question caught Sanji off guard and his eyebrows twitched into a furrow and then back again as he looked back at the other man. Zoro wasn\'t normally an inquisitive person.



"I..." he paused, fingers fidgeting in his lap. "Nothing, really." It was the truth.



"Ah," Zoro said with an upbeat tone as he hefted himself to the head of the bad, and leaned against the wall, kicking his boots to the floor and tucking his arms behind his head.



"Then stop blushing," he added with a good-natured smirk. "And stop fidgeting like a schoolgirl." Reaching out with his foot to nudge the other man\'s thigh.



Sanji shot daggers at him, but released his hands all the same to busy themselves smoothing his own slacks.



Zoro laughed. "Come here, aho," he said, and leaned forward to grab the other man before giving him a chance to move on his own. He pulled Sanji and maneuvered the other man\'s body to move closer.



The swordsman\'s strong arms pulled Sanji to lean into him, and he let those arms encircle the man. Taking in the smoky-Sanji scent of his blond hair, he spoke into the cook\'s ear. "It\'s strange for me too, baka-cook." his tone softening the insult into something almost affectionate.



Sanji let himself settle against Zoro\'s chest and his head tilted just slightly to the voice in his ear. He let his hands fall over Zoro\'s, thumbs rubbing soft circles into the flesh. And then his lips were searching out for the swordsman\'s again, planting a gentle sideways kiss.



Zoro squeezed the body in his arms faintly. "But... it\'s only weird if we let it be, right?"



Sanji glanced at him and after a moment offered a slight smile. "Yeah, I guess you\'re right," he said.



And with that Zoro was moving again, this time Sanji being coaxed back to lie on the bed, finding the swordsman hovering over him.



As Sanji looked up into the face above him, his mind went back to that first dangerous encounter, his bold display beneath the trees. What had happened, where had that Sanji went, the brave one?



Zoro leaned down on his elbows and kissed the cook again, one leg moving to place a knee between Sanji\'s, not exactly intending to spread those long, muscular legs, but instead to bring him over to the center of the bed from where his legs fell over the side.



The swordsman let the fingers of one hand find their way into the blond\'s hair as he slowly willed that warm mouth open, slipping his tongue in to lazily battle the other.



He felt as the body below him relaxed significantly, melting into the kiss, and he allowed his own muscles to loosen, leaning further into the frame below. Their warmth\'s meeting between the fabric of their shirts.



Sanji let his arms snake up Zoro\'s side, drifting over the muscular form to wrap loosely around his back. He moaned quietly as he opened his mouth slightly more, deepening the kiss, sucking gently on Zoro\'s lip, licking the other man\'s tongue.



When the sound met Zoro\'s ears, it quickly occurred to him that there was only little need to worry about being overheard here, and the idea of being able to hear Sanji make those noises caused a stir in his center.



A stir quickly strengthened with the added fact that he\'d be the one making him make those noises. A low rumble formed in his throat as he crushed his lips to Sanji\'s with renewed fervor, the hand in the man\'s hair sliding under to cradle his head, to guide and control the kiss.



The blond shivered as Zoro growled into his mouth, dove his tongue deeper past the cook\'s teeth, pulling his face into the kiss at the same time. Not a moan, but unquestionably a sound of pleasure, of passion. Desire.



Sanji let one arm tighten around the body above him as the other hand drifted back down to tug at his shirt, pulling it out from his pants, his haramaki, seeking out the warm flesh.



The green-haired man broke away from the kiss, released Sanji\'s head to rest lightly against the mattress, and quickly stripped himself of his upper clothing. His skin tingled and sang as impatient hands whispered over the scarred, sensitive flesh of his chest.



His gaze met Sanji\'s as he perched there half over the other man, the pale skin of his face flush with want. Beautiful, tempting bastard.



Sanji shivered again at Zoro\'s eyes on him, and not wanting to risk another blush, and even more, not able to resist the sight in front of him he leaned up, his lips meeting the heated flesh of the swordsman\'s stomach.



Zoro accepted the attention and let one strong, calloused hand drift down the cook\'s back, and slowly up again to caress the back of his neck, fingers threading in his hair. The other hand reaching down to work the buttons of Sanji\'s shirt as best it could without interrupting the path of his lips.



The swordsman shuddered visibly when one roaming hand found it\'s way to the growing arousal hidden beneath his pants, far too rapt watching the cook\'s mouth to notice as it\'d made it\'s way there.



He let his head fall back as he heard Sanji moan again in response to his reaction to the touch, felt the hot breath brushing over the damp flesh under the blond\'s mouth. This was entirely different than any moment they\'d spent together in the pitch among the supply crates below deck. So much better.



Sanji\'s mouth had found it\'s way to lick and nip and suck at the swordsman\'s hip bone, moving lower, his nose nudging at the edge of his pants. He took the fabric between his teeth and pulled gently as his hand still kneaded the front of the garment.



But then Zoro was pulling away, and the last few buttons of his own shirt were undone and his flesh was freed of the fabric. Then Zoro\'s fingers were working to remove the belt, another button, a zipper.



He stopped then and leaned back down over the cook, his mouth quickly finding the soft flesh of the man\'s neck, his shoulder, his ear. Sanji\'s hips arched and he moaned as one of Zoro\'s hands slipped down past his open pants, into his briefs, fingers trapping the heat they found there.



"Uhn... Zoro..." he panted. his head falling back to the sheets below even as his chest lifted under the man\'s lips, his tongue, the kisses. His hips rolled into the swordsman\'s grip. Sanji was lost then, his mind useful for nothing other than to register each sensation.



Without thought to fuel the action, his hands slipped down of their own accord to push at his pants, desperate to lower them, to free himself of their prison. Then his legs were shifting, kicking, and then he was free.



Sanji didn\'t come back to himself until he felt the cool air touch the damp flesh of his chest as Zoro pulled away again and his movements below the non-existent belt ceased. He opened his eyes, panting, to find the green-haired man\'s eyes drifting over his naked body.



His jaw hung open slightly, and he had what could be called wonder in his eyes. Yes, he\'d seen Sanji naked before, but it was always coincidentally, innocently, when the males of the crew were at a bath house, or they\'d walked in on each other changing.



Not in a moment such as this though, when it was just the two of them.... he\'d never seen Sanji like this. Laid out before him in the lamp-light, hard desire exposed. It was something entirely new.



Zoro\'s eyes drifted up to meet his and he saw as the man swallowed silently. The blush returned then, as he realized the situation and the cause for the pause.



Zoro didn\'t know what to say.



Sanji didn\'t either. So instead of trying to find the words, his hands found the drawstrings of Zoro\'s pants and pulled them loose. He looked up at the other man, asking silent permission.



The swordsman swallowed again and gave a slight nod before shifting, feeling soft hands slide down his thighs, exposing the sensitive heat as they passed, then past his knees as his pants were removed.



The cook drank in the sight of the kneeling figure in front of him. Every dip and contour of muscle, every pale scar that decorated the tan flesh. "Z... Zoro..." he whispered.



Zoro was leaning in slowly again, pushing Sanji back down with a slow, needful kiss, gently pinning him to the mattress as he leaned into him. He rocked his hips slightly, causing sparks to ignite in both of their centers as their desires met.



"Mmng... ah!" Sanji moaned into his mouth, and Zoro hissed with an intake of breath, his own mouth stealing the other man\'s sound. One of Sanji\'s legs was soon draped up and over his back, coaxing their hips closer together as the kiss went on, as hands brushed and caressed and teased.



Zoro\'s lips drifted from Sanji\'s, down his chin, to nibble at the shell of his ear, bringing shivers through the other man, then down to his neck, sucking, licking the sensitive skin there.



"Zoro..." Sanji whimpered, begged, and his hand slipped down between their bodies, fingertips dancing lightly over the heated, damp flesh. Soon those skilled fingers were wrapped around them both and supplying deliciously the friction they both screamed for.



Zoro bit down into the tender flesh of the blond\'s neck at the touch, pulling a moan from that delicate looking throat. The body below him quivered and shivered and shook, and Zoro couldn\'t get enough of it. Every movement, every sound, every sensation. Fucking hell.



Sanji\'s grip tightened around them, slow pace evenly increasing with each breath that fell on his skin, every throb beneath his fingertips. He could feels as Zoro\'s hips rolled, desperate for more friction, thrusting into his grip.



"Mnoh, fuuck~!" It rolled off the cook\'s tongue as he moaned, the sensation double as the swordsman\'s hand found a taut nipple, twisting it and teasing it. And then his other hand was sliding under Sanji\'s ass, and Zoro groaned deeply in his throat as he ground the man\'s hips up into his own, more amazing friction.



"Don\'t stop..."



The whispered command met Sanji\'s ears and caused the fire inside of him to roar. The cook tilted his chin to nudge Zoro\'s own upward, making his own demand for a kiss.



The green-haired man\'s lust hazed eyes fell over his as their lips crushed together once more, the man\'s tongue diving past his teeth. The kiss was hungry and forceful, laced with desire and wanting. It was too much for the cook to take.



His body tensed and his back arched as he spilled his seed between them, hips rolling into Zoro\'s as he moaned loudly, gasped and panted through the kiss. He didn\'t stop his hand though, even through his own climax he continued his attentions on the other man, his arousal now slick with Sanji\'s scent.



It was Zoro that pulled his hand away, brought the fingers to the cook\'s mouth and guided two past those flushed lips. Sanji licked obediently as their eyes met.



Zoro pulled the hand away again, then dove back to the blond\'s lips, stealing the new taste that mingled there hungrily. His throat rumbled again, a low and lust-filled sound.



When their lips parted once more, he found Zoro gazing at him searchingly.



He quirked a half-lidded eye in questioning.



"I... I want...." Zoro stuttered, not quite sure what to say. It was obscene, what he wanted, but fuck how he wanted it. "Sanji..."



The cook\'s lips were at his neck, licking at the salty flesh his tongue found there. The sensation was delightfully distracting, and he shuddered again as he throbbed between them.



"Hn?" Sanji questioned against his skin.



"I... I don\'t..." He gently lifted the blond\'s chin, and looked him in the eye almost apologetically.



"What is it, Zoro?" Concern shown clearly.



The swordsman shook his head and kissed the man\'s lips softly to ease it.



After a moment... "I... don\'t want your lips." He said, his eyebrows jumping slightly to emphasize that last word.



----------



This was an entirely new side of Sanji, one that Zoro never would have imagined existed. The shy and maybe insecure fidgeting he could understand. After all, he\'d felt the same nervousness the cook did, but...



Here was this man, a man that would break your rib or put a dent in your skull for looking at him cockeyed - a person that would bend his will for no man [women a different story entirely, of course] - someone with a wit that made his tongue seem as though it were equipped with an Axe Dial ((yes, I\'m a total nerd)), and...



Zoro looked into the face below him and watched with amazement at every shift and twitch of the man\'s brow, at the shapes his lips made, followed the blind gaze of a tossed head to watch as slim digits wrung into the bedsheets. Every slow and careful pump of his hips brought a new sound slipping up the pale throat that his fingertips now slid down, sweat-slick skin.



Surrounded by Sanji\'s tight - so fucking tight - heat, with that voice in his ears and that body writhing below him, the slow pace was near torturous, but he was hypnotized by this side of the cook from the moment the look of pain on his face had melted undoubtably into pleasure. He was trapped in the moment, taking in the expression each slight movement brought to the blond\'s face.





"...What?" He could swear he saw Zoro blush then. "You mean....?"



The swordsman was caused to stutter again at the suspicious tone of Sanji\'s voice, and shook his head quickly. "N-nevermind. I didn\'t mean anything."





Sanji was gone again at this point. Completely and utterly. He was lost in a different world, a world where you had to pass through Hell - a pain like burning, like nothing he\'d felt - to get to Heaven - a pleasure beyond ecstacy... like nothing he\'d felt. He shared this world with a green-haired swordsman who drowned pleasure over him, waves coming with every slight shift of his hips, every touch across his flesh.



He was deaf to his own sounds as they rolled over his tongue. Mindless of the way his body moved, oblivious to his white knuckles strangling the sheets around him. And then there was heat closing in on him, a light touch on his jaw and lips on his. He returned the kiss as that tongue slipped past his teeth, and that taste met his senses. Zoro.



He let his arms drape across the broad muscled shoulders above him as it went on, a kiss like silk and velvet. And then those lips were stolen from his, that taste retreating, to be replaced with dark green eyes looking into his own visible blue one. There was concern painted across thinly pursed lips, and desire shadowing the flesh of his cheeks.



The blond leaned up to find the swordsman\'s neck, mouth pressing hungrily to the tendon that stretched out there for him, feeling the silent rumble it brought to the man\'s throat. "Zoro.. m-more," he panted against his skin, only the slightest uncertainty playing in his voice. And then he was pressing his hips into the man, and Zoro shuddered.





There was a long moment of silence as Sanji\'s mind raced and Zoro\'s cursed itself.



"W-... we can try." he finally said, his voice cautious. His breath hitched.





Pausing only a moment, Zoro accepted the whispered request and slowly sunk himself into the heat, completely filling Sanji, his arousal throbbing inside as the muscles that hugged him clutched and relaxed. He groaned and shivered as he reached the hilt, the sound nearly drowned out by the moaning and hissed curses of his lover. "A-ah fuck!"



Sanji\'s nails dug into his shoulders dully as teeth grazed his neck. "S-ss..." he hissed coarsely, but bit back the word on his tongue. Clenching his teeth he slowly pulled out of that delicious, amazingly tight heat, until only his tip was left inside, and Sanji\'s back was arching, blond locks dancing just above the mattress.



And then he was sinking back in, Sanji\'s chest curling to meet his again, and Zoro could feel the other man\'s own desire pressing into his stomach. He let his free hand seek out the burning member between them, and Sanji fell back into the sheets at the contact, deity\'s names fluttering past his lips.





"D-does it hurt?" Zoro asked, rather stupiidly under the circumstances, as careful fingers explored the cook\'s backside.



"Of course it fucking hurts!" Sanji growled, hands clutching the swordsman\'s upper arms.





Zoro began to establish a rhythm naturally, his motions between their bodies mirroring the thrusts of his hips, cautious at first, alert for any sign of discomfort from the other man, but it never came. Sanji was twisting one hand in the sheets again as the other had followed down Zoro\'s arm to knead into the back of the hand that supported the swordsman.



He leaned down to taste the pale skin of the quivering body below him, tongue slipping up his shoulder, soft kisses at his neck. Damp flesh tickled by the panting breaths of the green-haired man.



"Mm-ung... Zoro..." Sanji whispered, through a moan, and the sound was returned by a notably stronger thrust into his center, and the blond nearly screamed at the friction passing that amazingly sensitive spot that Zoro had found. "Oh, fucking, god!"





"...Do you want me to stop?"



"...No."





Zoro\'s mouth brushed up to Sanji\'s ear, sending shivers through the cook as their bodies rocked, the thumb of the hand wrapped around his cock passing over and dipping into his tip, tearing a moan from his lips. "God, mn? Is that.. uhn... what you think?"



Sanji could hear the smirk in his voice, and he quickly glared into the swordsman\'s hair, even as soft panting breaths passed his lips.



"I\'m kicking your ass later for this anyways, so keep talking, shitty mar- Ahnn, FUCK!" he yelled, Zoro thrusting hard into him this time, fingers tightening around his desire, pulling roughly at the heated, dripping flesh.



The cooks arms shot up of their own volition to clasp around the other man\'s back. "Mnoh g- -- you bastard."



"Mnhmm," Zoro agreed teasingly in his ear before crushing his mouth to Sanji\'s neck again, nipping, biting, pushing himself deeper into that delicious heat with each stroke. Hitting that spot that made Sanji clutch and moan, over and over.



Even with the moment of anger, Sanji\'s body was positively buzzing with electricity by now, the shivers and shakes that ran up his spine coming quicker, making his body dance under the weight of his lover. Zoro felt this and was having no mercy, and fuck all, Sanji didn\'t want any.



The swordsman switched the attentions of his mouth, crushing it into Sanji\'s again as his name was passing the man\'s lips with a throaty moan. Catching the sound, replying with his own groans and pants as he became aware of the muscles around his buried desire steadily tightening.



And then Sanji was arching into him again, spilling over his fingers, between their bodies, and the blond\'s head was thrown aside, breaking the kiss as he strangled the cry in his throat. "MM-nah-PUH! Shit!" His nails were raking down the other man\'s back mercilessly as he clung to the body above him, riding through his climax. "Oh fu -- Z-zoro!" He panted.



Zoro nearly collapsed into the man below him as those muscles tightened violently around him, ripping the orgasm from him with their convulsions. He buried his face into Sanji\'s neckline, catching himself with a hand on either side of them, and growled.



He lost control of his voice then, burying himself deeply into the strangling heat, spilling into Sanji\'s depths. "S-sh-shit! Shit! Sanji!" The words rolled off his tongue in a loud whisper into the golden strands of the man\'s hair.



They lay like that for minutes as their breaths slowed. Sanji broke the frozen moment, lifting Zoro\'s chin for the man to meet his gaze, but remained wordless. He pressed his lips to Zoro\'s softly, though not breaking eye contact.



Zoro watched his expression as he awkwardly slipped himself out of the other man, watched as his lips twitched just slightly and his cheeks tinted pink with a soft intake of breath, then rolled onto his back beside him.



Using the top sheet to wipe clean their stomachs, Sanji then lay himself to settle into the crook of Zoro\'s shoulder, shyly. But he quickly relaxed into the warm flesh beside him when he heard a contented sigh fall from the swordsman\'s lips.



They\'d never really... cuddled?... Sanji guessed he could call it inside his own mind. Yes, there were occasional naps held close in the Crow\'s Nest, but that was all there was to speak of. This was different, this was nice, and so he scooted himself closer to the other man, a smile passing to his lips as Zoro\'s arm fell around him, and there was the softest touch of a kiss in his hair.



"Are you okay?" Came the quiet question, accompanied by a light squeeze of his shoulders.



Sanji nodded silently, enjoying the warmth of the other man, listening to each breath. It quickly became obvious that the swordsman was bordering on sleep. The blond wanted to follow him, but there were things to consider.



"O-oi, Zoro?" he peeked up at the other man.



The corner of Zoro\'s lip turned up slightly, but he kept his eyes closed. "You locked the door, right?"



Sanji nodded again.



The tanned arms of the swordsman squeezed him again, pulling him closer. "Then you\'re not going anywhere." He said, adding with a sleepy mumble, "We\'ll figure it out in the morning."



Sanji fell asleep with the soft sounds of Zoro\'s breath meeting his ears, thoughts of how to slip out of the room without being spotted the next morning quickly drifting from his mind.



It really wasn\'t important right now.



----------



The scent of cigarettes tickling his senses coaxed him to wakefulness the next morning. At least he assumed it was morning; the sky outside the window was still a dusty gray. He turned his gaze from the sky beyond the window to the form that stood in front of it, curls of smoke drifting up and around golden hair.



Sanji stood there looking out over the horizon as he nursed his first cigarette of the day. Black dress pants slung low over his hips, belt hanging unbuckled through the loops. He turned at the sound of Zoro shifting in the bed behind him, offering a faint smile around the stick hanging from his lips.



"Morning," came his quiet greeting.



Zoro sat up slowly, rubbing a hand through his short crop of green hair. He mumbled a return to the words sleepily, that Sanji could only figure was an echo of his own.



The cook smirked, "You\'re chipper."



The green-haired man shot him a look as he stretched his arms upward. "What time is it?"



He shrugged, glancing out the window for a moment before replying. "Four, maybe."



Zoro nodded, understanding that the others would be waking soon. Swinging his legs over to sit on the side of the bed, with a short scan of the room he spotted his pants in a pile on the floor to his left. Retrieving them, he slipped his legs through as Sanji turned back to the window, another exhale of smoke clouding from his lips.



Standing quietly and tying the drawstring, he closed the space between him and the cook, and wrapped his arms around him, the sleep warm flesh of his chest meeting the cool skin of Sanji\'s back. He followed the man\'s gaze out the window, over the rooftops of the sleeping town.



After a few moments of comfortable silence, he smirked into the man\'s ear. "So, when should I expect that ass-kicking?"



Sanji threw back a shoulder to collide with Zoro\'s roughly, only resulting in the arms around his waist to tighten slightly. "Whenever it\'s least convenient for you." He muttered.



The swordsman let his chin fall to rest on Sanji\'s neck, lips subsequently pressing to the soft flesh of his neck. "Are you sore?"



The blond nearly didn\'t hear the question it was posed so quietly. He replied with a simple "Mn," that Zoro wasn\'t sure served as a yes or a no.



He snuffed out his cigarette into the ashtray on the table below the window, and slipped from the swordsman\'s arms. Picking his shirt up off of the floor with a shake, he slipped it over onto his shoudedrs before finding his tie, feeling Zoro\'s eyes on him.



Attention thoroughly set on the knot of his tie,as his fingers moved by memory. "I\'d do it again," he mumbled as though speaking to himself, then turned to fidgeting with the sleeves of his shirt.



Zoro started shortly before his lips twitched with the tease of a smile. He slipped his own shirt over his head, and then his haramaki, tugging at the edges, correcting seams. He said nothing.



----------



"Ah, good morning, Cook-san," Robin said with one of her mysterious smiles, descending the stairs from the inn above and moving to join him at the table.



Stubbing out his cigarettes as his features lit, he quickly stood and pulled out a chair, offering it to the raven haired woman with a graceful bow. "Good morning, dear Robin-chwan! I trust you and Nami-swan had a good night\'s rest?"



"Mm, yes, quite," she said with another smile. Just then, Nami was coming down the stairs, nearly caused to tumble as Luffy shot past her, shouting something about eggs and meat.



"Dammit, Luffy! If you hurt Nami-swan, I\'ll --" Sanji threatened.



Nami waved a hand at him, smiling sweetly. "I\'m fine, I\'m fine."



Usopp followed after them.



Luffy\'s head skipped over each of them. Again. A blink and a tilt of the head. "Where\'s Zoro? We can\'t eat without Zoro. ZOOORRROOOOO!!!" He shouted up the stairs.



A thunk popped through the air, and suddenly Luffy was docile and pouting at Nami\'s hip. "There\'s others sleeping, Captain." she said dangerously.



"He had a date with his weights." Offered Sanji with controlled doses of sarcasm.



"Then can I have his breakfast! Nami?!"



Thunk.



"We\'re heading to the ship. We don\'t need to waste anymore time here." She turned her gaze back to Sanji with another shameless bat of her lashes. "You don\'t mind cooking breakfast, do you, Sanji-kun?"



"Of course it would be my pleasure to cook for you, Nami-swaaan! Robin-chwaaan!" He sung, twirling like a noodle.



His dance was interrupted as a rubbery tumor suddenly sprouted on his back. "Sanjiiiii... can I have two breakfasts? Pleeeease?"



Thunk.



----------



Back at the ship found Zoro napping in the slowly rising morning sun, towel draped over his shoulders, katana in his lap. Lifting one eyelid, he took in the figures boarding the Merry.



"Chopper\'s asleep at his desk," he explained before letting the lid drop again.



Footsteps fell on the abused planks of the deck.



"Oi!" He opened it again to follow the voice. "Moss-for-brains. Pull anchor, we\'re heading out."



He growled and glared, even as he pushed himself up with his katana.



"Usopp, take the helm. The heading is North, northeast once we clear the bay." Nami instructed.



Giving a stern salute and a hearty "Yes!" Usopp skittered off with Sanji up the stairs as Luffy sprung to his special seat, squirming anxiously at the thought of coming adventures... or breakfast.



Hefting the dripping anchor over the railing, Zoro smiled inwardly. The ship was awake and all was as any other day. Seemingly not a suspicion on any of the unknowing minds.



Yes... this would do.



----------



"SAY THAT AGAIN, SEAWEED BRAIN?!" Sanji roared, eyes aflame.



Zoro stepped closer, nose-to-nose with the enraged cook as the rest of the crew looked on. He held the man\'s right foot at bay with the flat of his katana.



"Dart. Board." he dropped the words from his mouth with calm venom.



A kick from the left foot blocked with the palm of his hand as he stumbled back from the thrust as Sanji has cast himself off the katana.



"Coming from a man with a blanket of algea on his head!" jumping over the blade that soared just under the soles of his shoes.



"Be careful, these \'knives\' cut more than vegetables, love cook."



A growl. "Luffy, we\'re going to need a new swordsman. This one is about to have an unfortunate accident in an unforgiving sea."



A sharp heel connecting with the swordsman\'s stomach launched him out the door of the galley, his back slamming into the railing behind, tumbling backwards and falling to the deck below.



Nami sighed, exasperated. "Good, take it outside, you two idiots will break the helm."



"Bastard question mark!" Zoro shouted, jumping to his feet and glaring up at the hulking figure that slammed the door shut behind him.



Sanji hopped down to the deck below, only to quickly be slammed into the wall as Zoro wrapped his hand around the man\'s tie, breath hot on his face.



"I thought you were going to kick my ass, cook? But you\'ve just gone and got yourself caught." A yank at the fabric in his hand, bringing them nose to nose once more.



Eyes still burning with anger, Sanji smirked boldly, and with a cocky tilt of the head shot his retort, keeping his voice low. "If I hurt you too much, I won\'t be able to hear you say my name like that again." A quirk of that curly eyebrow. "At least not for a while."



Zoro\'s muscles quickly tensed as he glared back at the face before him. His voice was low and dangerous. "What?"



Sanji didn\'t respond, only held that cocky smirk on his lips, his eyes a challenge.



The green-haired man pushed him back against the wood roughly, pinning him there by the throat. He scoffed harshly. "Asking for more already? I figured you\'d want to give your voice a break from all that moaning." He let his fingers loosen slightly around the Sanji\'s neck.



The blond shot one knee upward, connecting with Zoro\'s hip bone, causing the man to curl, expelling a sharp breath, and bringing a hoarse hiss from his lips. "Don\'t go getting full of yourself, shithead," he spat.



Zoro quickly straightened himself, and glared back at the blond. "No, it\'s you who\'ll be full of me, shit-cook."



"If you don\'t kill me first, right?" Sanji shot back, his gaze softening even as the words burned with the same level hatred.



"Exactly!" Zoro shouted, throwing the man into the side of the stairs on their right, the action quickly followed by the swipe of the sword expertly deflected with a swift kick from the cook.



Usopp exploded through the door of the galley to the sight of flurrying swords and legs. "Oi, oi!!" he yelled, "D-don\'t damage the ship!! It\'s bad enough having to repair what the Marines do!"



Luffy\'s head stretched past the upset sharpshooter, laughing. "Gooo Zoro! Gooo Sanji!!!"



Chopper looked on worriedly from beside the giggling Robin. Nami shook her head from behind her tea cup.



"Those two will never change..."



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