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Zoro never praised the food Sanji cooked, but the cook always knew, that his meals met the swordsman’s taste, so he was never bothered by that. Until one day, that idiot started to complain about his food…

At first it was only little comments when Sanji asked if the food was good, like ‘it was a bit too salty, but okay.’ or ‘it wasn’t bad, but there could have been more sauce.’ Sanji always tried his best to create meals that everyone in the crew would enjoy, so he took those complains seriously, and it wouldn’t have even been that annoying if he hadn’t been met with another complain the next time, which stated the complete opposite. Now it was too much sauce and too bland.

This went on for a while, and the stupid swordsman always came up with more and more offending complains. And Sanji, as much as he hated the moss head, tried his best as a cook to correct any mistake he might have made while cooking. He created tons of new dishes to please the swordsman who had suddenly become rather picky. Maybe  the idiot was just messing with him. But what kind of cook wouldn’t do his best for the people he served his food to? Maybe if he would have just seen this as a new kind of challenge to improve his skills, it wouldn’t have bothered him as much. 

But it did. Not just because someone complained over his food, but because it was Zoro - the man who ate literally anything without a comment. He had never praised Sanji’s food much, but he also had never complained before, so why now? If it had been one of the ladies who complained, it would have made more sense because, even though he always made sure to only serve them the best of the best, they had an exquisite taste and would probably notice any mistake he made. But Zoro? He was nothing like that - an uncivilized brute who couldn’t even tell the difference between pork and beef if he tried to. And even if the food had been  a little too salty, which Sanji was sure hadn’t been the case, that idiot would never complain about something like that; he probably wouldn’t even notice.

Maybe this was just a new way of getting on his nerves. If it was, Sanji wasn’t going to give in first. If the swordsman liked to complain, he’d let him complain as much as he wanted to. That way, he could use him to try out new dishes.

Thus they started some sort of new routine: Sanji would serve Zoro a new dish he had created, and after dinner, he would ask how the swordsman had liked it, only to be hit with a well-expected complain that still stung a little every time, leaving him with the challenge to create something new and better next time.

That little game of theirs went on for almost two weeks. Sanji was almost running out of patience when they finally arrived at a new island, which gave him the possibility to avoid the swordsman for a few days. At least that was what he had planned to do, but curiosity got the better of him, and he secretly followed Zoro everywhere to watch him eat at different inns - sometimes accompanied by another Straw Hat, sometimes alone. Whenever he ate in company, Zoro never said anything about the food, but when he was alone, he would thank the waiter and tell them that the food was good.

It shouldn’t have bothered him, he knew that, and yet it did. Zoro had never said anything nice about his food or thanked him. Sure, maybe he was just being polite, but shouldn’t he be at least able to thank his nakama for the food or tell him once if it tasted good? The most he ever got was an ‘it’s alright.’ He knew that they didn’t get along well, but that had nothing to do with Sanji’s food. Maybe the swordsman was actually displeased with his meals. Did his food really taste that bad? No, Sanji always made sure it didn’t. No matter how much he tried to convince himself of the opposite, this was really starting to agitate him.

Back at the Sunny, Sanji prepared dinner for everyone, as he always did. He was a little nervous as he watched the crew during their meal. 

As usual, Luffy ate everything he could lay his hands on, the ladies praised Sanji’s food with a kind and beautiful smile, Usopp and Chopper ate with big smiles on their faces while stating how good everything tasted. Franky made sure to tell Sanji that everything tasted ‘SUUUPER!’, and Brook told him, that the fod was so delicious that he could die, joking about already being dead right after. 

The only one, who didn’t say anything was Zoro, which wasn’t peticularly unusual, but it still made the cook feel anxious. After dinner everyone except the swordsman left, leaving Sanji alone with that idiot to ask, ‘Did you enjoy the meal?’

‘No,’ the other replyed. ‘No?’ Sanji was taken aback. Until now, it had always been a complain, but Zoro had never said that he didn’t like the food at all. And it hurt. It hurt to hear something like that after he had put in extra effort into making Zoro’s meal. Sanji turned away to hide the emotions that were starting to show on his face: sadness, confusion, anger…

He had had enough of this game. It couldn’t get any worse. What kind of insult would come next? Would Zoro tell him that he hated his food? That it tasted disgusting? Sanji didn’t want to hear those things. He didn’t want to be humiliated and hurt more than he already was. He had to confront the swordsman there and then, even if it meant loosing whatever game they were playing.

‘You hated it that much, huh? ‘ he asked with a slightly tremble in his voice. 

‘I really don’t know what else I could change about your food. I don’t know what else I should try. If you really didn’t like any of the meals I cooked for the past two weeks, then…’ Sanji paused for a few seconds to collect his thoughts. 

‘What do you want to eat then?’ 

Those last few words came out louder than he had intended and sounded almost a little little desperate. He held his breath, waiting for an answer, and it came.

Zoro’s voice was closer as expected when he whispered, 

‘You,’

in a low and husky voice. Sanji turned around, confused, to meet the smirking swordsman’s eye right behind him.

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‘W… what?’ the cook stuttered, visibly confused about what he just heard.

‘I.said.that.I.want.to.eat.you!’ the other repeated.

Sanji swallowed, ‘Like in… cannibalism?’ he asked, unsure.

Zoro laughed, ‘No, don’t worry, Cook... You’ll figure it out eventually.’ And with that he left.

What the hell? What kind of a statement was that? No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out the meaning behind those words. How could you eat someone without actually eating them? Or maybe it just wouldn’t be cannibalism because Zoro thought that Sanji wasn’t human? So he actually wanted to eat him? No, that was impossible. If Zoro really wanted that, he probably would have already killed him in his sleep or something. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he just couldn’t find the answer.

The next day was a living nightmare because Sanji was more than ever absolutely unsure of what to serve Zoro to eat. He somehow managed to come up with something for breakfast and lunch, but dinner was a different story.

It was usually after dinner that Zoro would stay behind to insult the cook’s food, so he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just cut off one of his limbs and feed it to the swordsman, who might just have gone insane. He needed his hands to cook and his feet and legs to fight. Besides, by now, he was pretty sure that that was not at all the intention behind Zoro’s words. He somehow managed to find something to cook for dinner and anxiously watched Zoro eat without any readable expression on his face. Whenever the swordsman looked at him, catching him staring, Sanji quickly averted his gaze, as if it would be of any use to do so. Every time, even though he was looking away, he could see the smirk on the swordsman’s face. He just knew that it was there; he could practically feel it.

Again, after dinner, Zoro stayed behind. Sanji didn’t want to ask him the usual question; he was too afraid of the answer. He didn’t want to hear any more insults, and he definetly didn’t want to hear any… strange statements. So they just stayed silent, but it was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute, at least for Sanji. The idiot was probably enjoying this.

At some point, he decided that no matter what the other would say, it would be better than this awkward silence, so he dared to ask, ‘H… how was it…?’

‘It was good,’ Zoro hummed, but this time he didn’t leave.

Sanji didn’t know how to react. He had expected everything but that. This was the very first time that the mosshead had actually praised his food, or at least said something…nice…about it. He didn’t even care that he was now openly starring at the swordsman with his chin slightly dropped.

After a few moments, the other slowly got up and walked towards him, placing two fingers right under his chin to close his sstillopened mouth. That brought Sanji back to reality, but he was still unable to find something to say. Zoro’s fingers had left a warm and tingly sensation on his chin, which made the situation even more uncomfortable, just as much as the fact that the swordsman was still standing right in front of him.

He didn’t know where to look at, so he decided that the floor was the best option, but he could feel the swordsman looking at him, like it was the most normal thing to do. Usually, they would have gotten into a fight already, but with all this confusion in his head, Sanji wasn’t sure if he could take on the other right now. Maybe this was even worse than the cruelest iinsul because now he felt his blood rushing to his cheeks fom embarrassement, visible for his rival, who was still starting at him.

And of course Zoro would notice and make fun of him for it…

‘You’re blushing, Curly.’

Sanji looked up, slightly angry but mostly embarrassed ‘That’s because you keep staring at me! It’s weird, just stop it.’

‘I’m sorry, Cook, but you just look so delicious, that I can’t help but stare at you.’

That again! Sanji knew that his blush just became a deeper shade of red, and even though he didn’t understand what the swordsman was trying to say, something about the way those words were spoken made him realise, that they were incredibly dangerous - not like a threat to his life, but somehow a threat nonetheless. This sounded nothing like the Zoro he knew, and it scared the hell out of him. It sounded more like a hungry beast, ready to feed on his prey.

Finally the swordsman drew back a little, gave him a last piercing look, before he turned around and left. Sanji was again left behind, absolutely confused and terrified of the next time he’d have to be in the same room with the idiot who kept messing with him.

He felt almost dizzy, and his heart was beating way too fast. This was getting out of hand. The swordsman was his rival; they used to fight all the time; they were equals, but now Sanji felt like the swordsman had some strange advantage over him - something that made him so much stronger, or rather it made Sanji so much weaker. How could he have been taken out so easily, by a simple praise and a slight touch.

The cook brought his hand to his chin, that that tingling feeling was still lingering, like some kind of spell or curse. The swordsman’s hands had felt rough, but surprisingly gentle. All of this was making less and less sense; it was like Zoro was starting to be nice to him, but at the same time, he was getting more and more threatening, in some sort of strange way.

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When Zoro didn’t show up for breakfast the next morning, Sanji felt both relieved and angry. He didn’t want to be in the same room as the swordsman, but how dare he skip breakfast! It was nothing unusual, but unlike the countless other times when Sanji had climbed up to the crows nest to bring Zoro the breakfast he had skipped, this time he couldn’t find the courage to do so. Even though he hated the thought of one of his nakama skipping a meal, he let it slide this time. 

Skipping breakfast was something Zoro did do a lot, but skipping lunch was unusual even for him and not even coming down for dinner was just a tiny bit too much for the cook. No one else seemed to notice or care, but as a cook, it was his duty to make sure no one had to go to bed hungry, not even that moss-headed idiot. So after much consideration, he did the only thing he could do and went up to the crow’s nest with a large bowl of rice and some meat. It was already past midnight, and everyone was fast asleep except for the swordsman was on watch apparently.

 
‘Oi, what do you think you’re doing, skipping meals like that?’ he asked in a demanding tone while putting down the bowl of rice right before the swordsman who was sitting around lazily on the floor. 

Sanji stood there, staring daggers at Zoro until the swordsman finally started eating. As soon as the first bit had vanished into the his mouth, the cook started to relax a little. He couldn’t help but stay until the bowl was empty. Suddenly, Zoro got up to stand right in front of the cook. Unsure what to do, Sanji just asked the usual question, ‘How was it?’

‘Delicious,’ Zoro answered, but something about the way he said it made Sanji think that it wasn’t the food Zoro was referring to. After finishing that thought, the cook realised just how stupid it was. Of course, they were talking about food. What else could the swordsman possibly mean? Sanji shook his head to get rid of his thoughts and looked back at the swordsman. ‘So, why did you skip all of today’s meals?’ 

‘Dunno, just didn’t felt like eating,’ Zoro shrugged. 

‘That’s no reason! It’s important to have three meals per day, especially for someone who is training as much as you are. Your body needs the nutrition.’

Zoro took a step closer, invading the cook’s personal space, causing him to draw back until Sanji’s back hit the wall. 

‘Well, if you’re so worried about my body: I’m still starving, Cook,’ Zoro retorted. 

‘Why didn’t you just say so? I can make something. Just wait a l…’ A tight grip on his wrist stopped him from leaving his position to go back to the kitchen.

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‘I wasn’t talking about food,’ Zoro’s voice was only a whisper. His face was way too close to Sanji’s, and their lips were only inches away from each other. Before the cook could process any of this, he already felt a pair of lips on his own, gently moving against his. Before he knew it, he was indulged in a kiss. He couldn’t even defend himself against the hot tounge that was tracing along his lower lip, shortly followed by a soft bite, causing him to gasp a little. Using that as an opportunity, Zoro let his tounge slide into Sanji’s mouth, exploring every last corner of it, sending shivers down the cook’s spine.

Distracted by the heated kiss, Sanji didn’t even notice the rough hands that were slowly unbottoning his shirt. Only when his lungs were suddenly feeling with air again and his mouth felt somehow abandoned did his mind manage to form a half-hearted question about what exactly was going on. But before he could finish his thought, the distracting mouth was back on his body, this time slightly sucking at the sensitive skin on his neck, slowly working its way down to one of his nipples, licking over it and sucking on the suddenly very sensitive bud.

Back on the Baratie, Sanji once hat overheard two men talking about how they could made a woman feel really good when they would play with her nipples. Naturally, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, so the next time he had been alone in the shower, he had tried to touch his own nipples to see if it would actually feel as good as the others had claimed. But the results were disappointing; he felt nothing at all. After that, he had never given it another thought, deciding that it must have been a lie.

But now, he understood what they had talked about, because the way Zoro’s mouth was wrapped around his nipple, sucking and biting down on it, sent waves of electricity right into his guts and groin. He couldn’t help but to bring his hand to the green hair in frond of him, grabbing it for support. It was surprisingly soft and didn’t feel like moss at all. With his other nipple being pinched and tugged at by Zoro’s hand, Sanji’s mind was left completely empty once again.

At some point, his nipples were, just like his mouth, also abandoned by the skilled mouth that was now working it’s way further down, this time towards the waistband of his dress pants. Zoro’s hands quickly undid the botton, pulling the cook’s pants down in a swift motion.

When Sanji looked down, he could clearly see the outlines of his own erection on his tight pants, and so could Zoro, who was grinning at the view. He brought his face closer, slowly licking over Sanji’s throbbing cock through the fabric. The swordsman’s hands dug into Sanji’s thighs, which was probably the only thing that kept him from collapsing. His knees had started to feel like pudding a while ago, and the fact that Zoro was running his tounge over Sanji’s cock repeatedly only intensified the feeling.

Distracted by the sudden metallic taste in his mouth, Sanji realized that he had been biting his lower lip the entire time. He relaxed his jaw a little, which was a big mistake, because in the meantime, his underwear had been pulled down by Zoro, who was now licking over the tip of Sanji’s errect cock, causing him to let out a loud moan. The swordsman didn’t hesitate to let Sanji’s cock disappear into his mouth, like it was nothing. The hot, wet walls around the blond’s cock made him shiver. His mind couldn’t comprehend what was going on, but his body did. His body understood. It was aching for more, afraid that this blisful feeling would end before the cook could get the much-needed release.

Every little movement of the swordsman’s tongue on his cock sent Sanji farther towards the edge, forcing more and more maons out of him. He didn’t even realize how close he was until it was too late to warn Zoro to pull back. So he came right into the swordsman’s mouth. Unfazed, Zoro just swallowed every last drop before releasing Sanji’s dick.

He got up and looked straight into the cook’s eyes with a cheeky grin on his face. ‘Now that was truly delicious,’ he said, licking his lips. Then he turned aroud, walking towards the door with a ‘thank you for the meal,’ leaving the cook behind speachless and utterly confused.

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It took a while for Sanji’s brain to start working again, and the first question that came to his mind was, ‘WHAT?’

After that, all kinds of questions followed.

What was that?

What had just happened?

 Did Zoro really just… kissed him… ZORO?

And HIM?

WHAT?

 Was this a dream? — No! That would be even worse. Why would he dream about something like that?

There’s no way that just happened!

Why on earth would Zoro do something like that?

What exactly did he do…?

Sanji looked down. He was still naked, with bite marks and hickeys all over his chest. His thighs were starting to show bruises where Zoro’s fingers had dug into his flesh, while he had…. Sanji didn’t know how to continue this line of thought. He didn’t want to go there, didn’t want to remember, didn’t want to realise what had happened. Especially not, because he could still clearly remember how good it had felt.

Then a different realisation hit him: Zoro was a man, and Sanji was also a man… He had just kissed another man? Even worse, he had just lost his first kiss to a man… and not just any man - to Zoro, the one person he was supposed to hate, his rival…

How was he supposed to react to that?

How would a manly man react to being kissed by another man?

Was he supposed to feel disgusted?

Zoro definitely had not looked disgusted by it, but they probably were supposed to… yes, they definitely should be disgusted…

Then why didn’t he feel that way at all?

Why had none of this felt wrong at all?

Was there something wrong with Sanji?

He was not supposed to enjoy something like that!

Was Zoro just messing with him?

There was no other explanation for this… why else would he… Sanji blushed... How was he supposed to act now?

Should he just act like nothing happened, like he didn’t care?

Should he avoid the swordsman?

Should he talk to him? — Yes, he definitely should, but he’d rather cut off both of his hands than to do that. How would he even approach the other? There was just no way that he would be going to do that!

Lost in his thoughts for the rest of the night, Sanji didn’t notice the sun starting to rise and almost missed Nami’s voice calling for him. Shit, he was still almost completely naked. He quickly put his pants back on and buttoned up his shirt. — Why was there no mirror up here?— His white shirt was a mess and the others would surely notice. Besides if his chest looked like this, he didn’t want to know how his neck must have looked. Panic started to set in, but when he spotted a dark hoodie laying around on a bench he felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was Zoro’s, but he had no choice but to put it on and rush down to listen to what Nami had to say.

‘There you are, Sanji-kun. I’ve been looking all over for you. What happened to your hair? It’s all messy… What have you been doing? And isn’t that Zoro’s hoodie you’re wearing?’

Sanji panicked internally. How could he possibly explain his way out of this? Nami wasn’t stupid, so it wouldn’t be easy to fool her. However, his acting skills were actually quite good when he needed them to be.

‘I’m so sorry, my love! I’ve been training a little, because I need to kick a certain bastard’s brain in, and I didn’t want to make you wait too long. So, I didn’t have any time to fix my hair. Not like that stupid gorilla would have a mirror up there anyway. As for the hoddie, you see, my shirt is all sweaty and I don’t want to bother you with such an unsightly sight. I just took the only piece of clothing I could find up there. I shall take a shower immediately, but before I do that, please tell me what I can do for you!’ He tried to sound as natural as possible to not raise any suspicion, and apparently it worked. Even though Nami raised an eyebrow at him, she still seemed to belive him.

‘It wasn’t actually that important, I just wanted to ask you if you could at least bring Luffy some food. He has been extra annoying, and I was hoping that would distracted him a little so I could have some peace and quiet.’

‘Of course, dear. I’ll bring him something immediately! Thank you for relying on me!’ he said, relieved.

He went straight to the kitchen to grab some leftovers from the fridge. He didn’t even have to look for the gluttonous captain, who was already in front of the kitchen, ready to grab the plate from Sanji’s hands.

The only thing left to do now was to take a shower, even though he didn’t really feel like it. Mostly because he didn’t want to see his chest, which was covered in marks, but a tiny bit also because he didn’t want to wash off Zoro’s scent that was still all over him. Of course he could just keep the hoddie… What was he even thinking…? He had always complained about the swordsman’s smell, but right now, it didn’t seem too bad.

There was definitely something wrong with him.

Where those really his thoughts?

He couldn’t even stop them from flowing into his mind. He didn’t want any of this, he didn’t want to think about Zoro, he didn’t want to think about what happened, and if he had to, he wanted to at least hate it.

He didn’t even realize, that the water, that had been way almost boiling at first, was slowly turning colder and colder.

Only when Usopp knocked on the bathroom door because he wanted to take a shower aswell and Sanji was taking way too long, did he finally turned off the shower, and get dressed lazily.

The poor sniper had to deal with a cold shower, while Sanji forced himself to prepare breakfast. Wait… breakfast?

Was it really already morning?

When did that happen?

He looked at the clock: 9am!?! No wonder Luffy had been hungry, had he actually forgot to prepare breakfast?

Sure they usually ate between 8am and 9am, so he wasn’t that late, but he would have started preparing breakfast hours ago.

There was no way Nami had actually believed him; she knew exactly that Sanji would never forget about breakfast because of some stupid training, unlike a certain swordsman who was always lifting weights and training his body…

How did his thought travelled back to Zoro again when he should be worrying about an explanation for why breakfast wasn’t ready yet?

He could just blame Zoro… He could definitely not just blame Zoro!

What was he even thinking. He needed to explain his behavior, and the truth wasn’t an option.

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When breakfast was ready he still didn’t have any excuse, so he anxiously waited for anyone to question him about why he had forgotten to prepare breakfast. But no one did. The only one who was acting a little strange was Chopper, who following Sanji’s every move with his eyes, looking a little worried. The others just ate, thanked him for the food and left. And again nothing made sense, so he confronted Nami about it and asked her why no one complained about his unforgivable mistake or at least asked him to explain. Of course, if Nami had asked him for the reason, he would have been in big trouble, since he still hadn’t come up with a plan. But Nami just smiled at him and said, ‘Well, Zoro already told us what happened, so we understand that you couldn’t prepare breakfast at the usual time.’

Sanji blushed furiously. ‘He told you???’

‘Uhm yeah, he seemed kind of proud of it.. I’m sorry.’

‘That fucking bastard…’ Sanji was furious. How could Zoro just tell the entire crew about what had happened? ‘… I’m sorry Nami-Swan! You shouldn’t have to listen to such things. Believe me, I really didn’t want any of this,’ Sanji tried to explain.

‘Of course you didn’t. Who would want to be knocked unconscious? But it’s okay, Sanji-kun. We all know you’re just as strong as Zoro, you just had a bad day, that’s all. There’s no shame in that, don’t feel bad about it. And maybe you should go and see Chopper, he was really worried about you.’ Nami gave him another kind smile, before leaving him alone.

That bastard! Sanji wasn’t sure if he should hate Zoro for telling such an outrageous lie or to thank him on his knees for saving his ass. With those mixed feelings of gratitude and anger he cleaned the kitchen, prepared lunch and then decided to actually go to see Chopper. He couldn’t bear the thought of the adorable doctor being worried over nothing. As soon as he had knocked on the door to the infirmary, the little reindeer asked him to enter immediately.

‘Sanji! I’m glad you’re here. Zoro told us, that he accidentally knocked you unconscious, and I was so worried. He didn’t let me get up to the crow’s nest to look after you because he said you were fine and would probably be embarrassed if you knew that everyone knew, which I shouldn’t have told you, but I’m really worried. You might have a concussion or worse. So please let me check you for any injuries.’ Chopper rumbled without taking a breath.

‘I’m really fine, Chopper,’ Sanji tried to assure him, but the little reindeer just wouldn’t listen and dragged him to the examination table to check his pulse, pupils, and his head for any injuries.

When he didn’t find anything alarming, he asked the cook to take off his shirt so he yould check his lungs and heart. Sanji panicked. ‘There is no need to do something like that. He didn’t hit anything but my head. I promise you, I’m fine…’ But the cook knew that this wouldn’t be enough to keep the doctor away from his torso, so he decided to tell him, that he actually did feel a little pain in the back of his head and on his temples. The last one wasn’t even a lie, since all of that panicking and thinking had caused a headache that was getting worse by the minute. His plan worked perfectly because now the doctor was completely focused on his head again and gave him some medicine against his headache, which Sanji accepted gratefully.

After Chopper had calmed down a bit, the cook left the infirmary and went straight back to the kitchen. At lunchtime, he was forced to finally see the swordsman again, which irritated him more than he thought it would. That moss-headed idiot just sat there, eating his lunch like nothing happened. Later, at dinner, the idiot did the same thing. He acted like everything was perfectly fine and normal. He didn’t even stay behind but left right after he had finished his share.

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Sanji was, once again, left alone with his thoughts. Was Zoro ignoring him now? No, he hadn’t treated him any differently than before. How could he act so cool and collected? Had he not started all of this? Why stop now? Had he just taken what he wanted and now Sanji wasn’t interesting enough anymore? Was that it? Had Zoro just been pent up and used him as a relief? No, that was not it. Maybe he was just acting distant to not raise any suspicion from the others. Or maybe it really had just been an one time thing… which would probably be for the best, since Sanji definitely didn’t want something like that to happen again.

Or did he?

Why did he feel a slight sting in his chest whenever he thought about the fact that something like that probably would not happen again? Did he actually want it to happen again?

No.

NO.

NO.

That was absolutely impossible.

He had hated it. He had hated all of it. He hated the swordsman…he hated himself for not being able to believe the lies he told himself. He didn’t understand himself anymore. Neither his brain, nor his heart seemed to be functioning properly.

He didn’t feel like going to bed yet, even though knew he had to eventually. He hadn’t slept the night before, but he just couldn’t bring himself to go to the men’s quarter.

He was scared, terrified to sleep in the same room as the swordsman. He tried to convince himself that his fear was only because of what happened last night, that he was afraid of something similar happening again, rather than the possibility that he might do something foolish while asleep.

The others had often complained about him talking in his sleep or sometimes even walking around. One night, he had woken up holding Usopp’s hand because he had dreamed that he was on a date with Nami. Another time, he had apparently gotten up just to kick Zoro, who was sleeping on the floor.

Then there was that time when he had woken up to a terrified Zoro looking at him in disgust because Sanji had apparently tried to kiss him in his sleep. Last night Zoro hadn’t looked disgusted at all. On the contrary, he had tooked very….

Again, Sanji’s thoughts returned to the place he didn’t want them to be. He needed to think about something else, something that would distract him…

The All Blue!

He imagined finding the all blue, with his crew, sharing the incredibly beauty with them, and cooking up new and delicious meals for them. Luffy would be the Pirate King, and Zoro the world’s greatest swordsman… Zoro, who would probably make some stupid comment about Sanji’s dream, while genuinely smiling… Zoro, who had apparently made his way back into Sanji’s mind without him noticing.

Sanji knew he needed to shift his thoughts elsewhere.

His daughter! When he was older, he wanted to have a daughter – a little girl who would run towards him, laughing. He could teach her how to cook, read her bedtime stories… his beautiful little daughter, who had unfortunately inherited his eyebrows, but for some reason, it made her look even more adorable.

Sanji would braid her soft, green hair that she… wait… green hair? Why did his daughter have green hair? In that moment Zoro appeared in Sanji’s daydream, standing in the door frame and smiling softly at their daughter…

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

He did not just imagine that! How was this even possible? Even if he wanted something like that, it was impossible. They were both men, and they couldn’t possible have a child together, unless… Unless, Ivankov turned Sanji into a woman…he would still absolutely not have a child with Zoro of all people. He really needed to get some sleep; his thoughts were spiralling out of hand.

Sanji was visibly displeased with the entire situation as he dragged himself to the men’s quarter. Everyone was already asleep, so he went straight to his hammock. However, he couldn’t help but cast a glance towards the swordsman, who was sleeping peacefully on the couch. How could that bastard sleep peacefully, as if nothing had happened at all? Did he do all of this just to mess with Sanji?

The cook felt the need too talk about this with someone, but how could he tell anyone from the crew about what had happened. Maybe he could ask them what they would do in such a situation, without revealing that it had actually happened to him? No, the only people on this ship who could actually help him where Robin, Nami and maybe Usopp. And those three were way too smart to be fooled by his lies. Eventually, Sanji managed to fall asleep.

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The next few days, Sanji was torn between being angry at Zoro and feeling bad because he kept thinking that he did something wrong.

Zoro still hadn’t said anything and it bothered the cook more than he liked to admit. They should be able to talk about this, right? Unless he had just imagined all of it. It seemed like nothing had happened at all. Zoro was back to the point where he wouldn’t even leave a comment about Sanji’s food, and it was annoying.

The only thing that was different was that they hadn’t gotten into a fight ever since then. However, there had been times like that before, when they had just ignored each other and not gotten into any fights, so Sanji was probably the only one noticing. The cook still hated the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about Zoro, but which each day passing, he started to hate the fact that Zoro was apparently not thinking about him at all even more.

He needed to speak to the other, but he didn’t know how to start a conversation, even less how to find the right moment to do so. Maybe, he just had to create such a moment himself. After dinner, before anyone could leave he pointed towards Zoro and said as annoyed as possible, ‘You’re helping with the dishes, Marimo!’

Zoro raised one eyebrow in response, but he stayed behind when everyone else left.

Everyone but Usopp, who of course had to ruin Sanji’s plan, because he was staying behind aswell for no obvious reason. With Usopp sitting there, there was no way he could start any kind of conversation. So they washed the dishes in awkward silence.

When they were almost done, Sanji gave it one last try and asked Usopp to get him some fish from the aquarium, so he could start preparing breakfast. It wasn’t even a lie, since he would have needed them anyways. Luckily the sniper didn’t ask any questions and just left.

Sanji immediately turned towards Zoro. Unable find the right thing to say, he just stood there staring. Suddenly, the swordsman turned around and his face was way too close to Sanji’s. He couldn’t help but look down at Zoro’s lips, remembering how good they had felt pressed against his, aching for them to close the distance between them. His heart beat sped up with every inch Zoro closed in. He closed his eyes, expecting their lips to finally meet again, but instead of lips crashing against each other, he was hit with a fist in his face.

It wasn’t really painful, and usually he would have made fun of the swordsman for throwing such a weak punch, but right now the only thing he felt was confusion mixed with disappointment. He opened his eyes, just to be hit with another weak punch in his guts. ‘What the hell, Marimo! I thought you were about to… ‘ he couldn’t even finish his sentence, as he was hit with yet another punch. This time a real one.

Zoro was still not going all out on him, but that last punch had actually hurt. So naturally, he did the only thing he could do in that situation and fought back. If Zoro didn’t want to talk to him, they could at least talk with their fists. After all, this was how they usually communicated. Zoro’s punches were still far to weak, as if he was saying sorry for starting this fight. Sanji’s kicks were desperate, screaming at Zoro to finally tell him what was going on.

‘Seriously? I leave for five minutes, and you two get into a fight? You two never change, huh?’…

Usopp? Sanji turned around and saw the sniper standing in the door with a fish in each hand. Damn it, he should have known. He looked at Zoro. So that was the reason why the swordsman had suddenly started a fight.

‘Couldn’t help it, that idiot kept staring at me.’ Zoro said.

‘I wasn’t staring, dumbass! You were standing in my field of vision.’ With that they got into another fight, a real one this time.

Usopp tried to stop them, but after a while, he just gave up and left.

As soon as the door to the kitchen was closed, the fight stopped abruptly, with Zoro grabbing Sanji by the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss. Sanji was surprised but didn’t waste a second to kiss back. Only now did he realize just how much he had longed for this.

He wanted the kiss to last forever. He grabbed Zoro’s coat and clung to it to prevent the swordsman from leaving again. Feeling those amazing lips on his felt somehow reassuring. It felt comforting and, most of all, it felt amazing. Right now, he didn’t care that Zoro was his rival, that they were supposed to hate each other. He didn’t even care that he was kissing another man… voluntarily… He didn’t care that kissing a man, kissing Zoro, felt better than any kiss with a woman could ever feel.

He wanted more, so much more. He wanted everything Zoro could give him. In that moment, he was ready to do anything Zoro asked of him.

Eventually, Zoro pulled away, so they could both catch their breath. But instead of continuing the kiss right after some heavy breaths, the swordsman just looked at him. Sanji was compelled to go back to the kiss, but he remembered that his original plan was to talk to Zoro, to ask him what all of this meant. So he forced himself to say, ‘We need to talk.’

Zoro looked at him and said, ‘No, we don’t. ‘

‘What do you mean, ‘we don’t’? Of course we do. ‘

‘Maybe, but we really shouldn’t.’

‘We should! We have to. I have so many questions, and you have some explaining to do,’ Sanji insisted.

‘Us talking usually ends in a fight.’ Zoro brought his face closer to Sanji’s ‘And right now I really don’t want to fight.’ With that Sanji was pulled into another kiss. He wanted to complain, he really did, but he couldn’t.

The swordsman had kissed him until Sanji’s brain turned into cotton candy. Suddenly breaking the kiss, Zoro sighed and whispered, ‘We shouldn’t continue this… at least not now… or here.’

Then he left the kitchen, not without turning around to look at Sanji before closing the door behind him. Why did that idiot always have to leave like nothing had happened?

Sanji was a mess. His brain was still empty, his legs were weak, and his entire body was aching for the swordsman’s touch.

Was he the only one affected by that kiss?

Did Zoro really not feel turned on in the slightest, or did he just have that much self-control?

Come to think of it, didn’t he leave without any kind of relief last time aswell?

Sanji had so many questions and he needed answers. Perhaps they would need some time alone, really alone, without any risk of one of their nakama disturbing them… Maybe on the next island…

Chapter Text

When they actually arrived at the next island after a few days, Sanji was, even more than Luffy and Chopper, very excited to go on land. He couldn’t even hide it. ‘Oi Mario! You’re coming with me. I need someone to carry the groceries, and that way no one will have to look for you later when you get lost. If you don’t come along, you won’t get any sake for a week.’

‘Tch, fine stupid cook, I know that you’re too weak to carry all of the stuff you’re buying by yourself.’

‘I’m not weak. I just need my hands to pick the best ingredients for the ladies! Not that you would understand any of that, since you’re always devouring food like the ape you are.’

‘Want to settle this with our fists, dumbass?’

‘No, I still need you to carry the groceries, remember? Can’t beat you up just yet. ‘

‘What makes you think, that you could actually beat me? ‘

‘I know I could. ‘

‘You couldn’t if you tried to. ‘

‘Of course I could! ‘

‘Definetly not’

‘Absolutely! It’s you who can beat me! ‘

‘Oh I could definitely beat you, cook.’

‘There’s no way!’

‘There are plenty of ways! ‘

‘Even if there were, you’d probably get lost.’

‘I never get lost.’

‘Then how do you explain that I always find you somewhere where you’re not supposed to be? ‘

‘I’m just exploring.’

‘Exploring, my ass! ‘

‘Sure, why not!’

…

‘What?’

‘Nothing. Let’s just go before I smack your annoying face.’

‘Ugh, fine.’

They made their way into the small town near the harbour without much talking. Sanji wasn’t even thinking about grocery shopping yet; he was busy with looking for a place where they could talk without any disturbances while making sure that a certain disoriented moss-head didn’t get lost. At some point Zoro asked ‘Didn’t you want to get food or something.’

‘Yeah, but we can do that later… ‘

‘What about now? ‘

‘I’m looking for something… ‘

‘And you need me for that?’

‘Not yet, but when I found what I’m looking for.’

‘Which is? ‘

‘Can’t tell you…’ Sanji wasn’t sure how Zoro would take it if he told him that he wanted to talk. After all, last time he had been clearly against the idea to talk things out.

‘Fine… ‘ Zoro sounded slightly annoyed but followed Sanji without any complaints.

The sun already started to set, and they had long left the town when Sanji finally found what he was looking for: a small cabin on a hill. Fortunately, the door was unlocked, and could see immediately that no one had been there in a while. Everything was dusty, but it was better than nothing. Sanji turned to Zoro and began speaking.

‘Uhm… I know you dislike the thought of talking to me, but please, at least hear me out,‘ he said. He waited a few seconds, but when Zoro just waited for him to keep talking, he continued, ‘I need to know… I need to know why you ki… kissed me.’ He looked at the swordsman, but the other didn’t say a single thing. ‘Please, Zoro, this is driving me crazy, you are driving me crazy. I need you to tell me at least something. I need to know what you’re thinking because you’re impossible to read…’

Zoro came closer and pulled Sanji into a soft kiss. Then he pulled away and whispered, ‘I kissed you because I wanted to.’ He placed little kisses on Sanji’s neck. ‘I touched you, because I wanted to… I still do… I want to kiss you more, to touch you more… I want you.’

That hurt. Every word of it. It hurt more than Sanji had expected. So that was it? Zoro just wanted him for… for what? His body? What had he even hoped to hear? He just wanted a reason, and Zoro had given him one. Then why did it hurt so much? Had he hoped, that the swordsman would have some kind of feelings for him? Why would he ever think that? He knew very well that Zoro didn’t care much about feelings, unlike Sanji, who cared a lot…

He felt like he was about to cry, but he didn’t let it show. Even if Zoro did all of this just because he ‘wanted to,’ Sanji didn’t want him to stop. Zoro’s mouth and hands were all over his body, and the cook couldn’t help but want more. Even if it didn’t mean anything, he wanted more. He would just take whatever he could get, even if it hurt him more. If the only thing he would have left after this was pain, he’d take it.

He allowed his mind to return to that blissful emptiness. He didn’t let any thought into his mind and focused on the wet tongue that was exploring his skin. Zoro kept distracting the cook with kisses, bites and his skilled fingers that were roaming all over Sanji’s body, while slowly disposing of more and more pieces of clothing.

At some point, Sanji found himself lying on the bed with Zoro on top of him. His hands were trapped under Zoro’s, leaving him with little possibility to move around. Both of them were now completely naked, their throbbing erections rubbing against each other. Sanji didn’t even try to hold back his moans. He wanted more of that blissful friction, but he was denied that wish when he suddenly was pulled into a hug, and Zoro whispered, ‘I’m sorry, this is probably going to hurt a bit.’ Before Sanji could ask what he meant, a wet finger was slowly pushed inside him. It felt strange, but it didn’t really hurt. The finger started to move up and down, causing an unknown, weird sensation to spread through his body. But before Sanji could think about it too much, Zoro pulled him into a kiss as if to distract him before adding a second finger. Then, after some more time, a third one.

Eventually, Zoro pulled out his fingers, leaving the cook feeling empty. The swordsman spat into his hand, and spread his saliva all over his hard cock. His eyes looked dark and hungry, but there was a hint of apology. ‘Relax a little, Curly. I’ll try to be as gentle as possible,’ Zoro’s voice was surprisingly soft when he pressed his tip against Sanji’s entrance.

Sanji had expected a little pain, but when Zoro pushed inside him, it felt like he was being ripped apart. It felt amazing. He gasped loudly and if his hands hadn’t been pinned down, he would have dug his nails into the swordsman’s skin. After pushing his cock fully into Sanji, Zoro waited for the blond to adjust. It was almost as if he cared about Sanji, as if he didn’t want to hurt him. It almost felt like Zoro loved him back. Sanji opened his eyes in shock. Did he really just admit to himself that he was in love with Zoro? Did he really fall in love with that idiot?

Yes, he did.

He loved him, but Zoro would never return those feelings. Sanji couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Why did that realisation hurt so much!?

Zoro must have noticed the tears because he was now wiping them away with his thumb while looking at Sanji with a worried expression on his face.

‘I’m sorry, it’ll get better soon. I won’t move until you’re ready,’ Zoro said.

Sanji swallowed and forced himself to stop his tears.

‘Don’t worry, I’m fine… you can move.’ It was still painful, but he didn’t care. Maybe the physical pain would distract him from the pain inside his chest, which was somehow way worse.

‘Are you sure?’ Zoro asked, and Sanji answered with a slight nod, allowing the swordsman to start thrusting into him. With every thrust the pain faded away more and more, and it actually started to feel almost good. Then it suddenly started to feel really good. Zoro had hit something inside of him, and Sanji couldn’t hold back the loud moan that escaped his throat.

Visibly pleased with that reaction, Zoro kept hitting that spot over and over again, pushing Sanji more and more towards the edge. The thrusts became increasingly faster and more forceful, and when Sanji started feeling his cock being stroked, he couldn’t take it any more. He came with Zoro name on his lips. Zoro bit down on Sanji’s shoulder when he came inside of him.

Chapter Text

After they had both come down from their high and caught their breaths, Sanji wanted to get up to get dressed. Even though he was pretty exhausted, he felt like he didn’t have the right to just lay next to Zoro. But when he tried to get up, the swordsman pulled him back and wrapped his arms around him. ‘Where are you trying to go? ‘ he asked.

‘I… uhm… getting dressed…’

‘That can wait till morning. ‘

‘But…’ Sanji wanted to complain, but Zoro interrupted him.

‘We can’t do this once we’re back on the ship. Let me just hold you a little longer.’

‘Why? ‘

‘Because I want to.’

Sanji felt that sting in his chest again. Even if he didn’t want to, he couldn’t help but whisper a quiet, ‘Why?’

Zoro pulled Sanji even closer. ‘Because… ‘ he whispered ‘…. Because I love you.’

‘What?’ He must have missheared that. There was no way, there was just no way that Zoro had actually just said that. He tried to look at the swordsman’s face, but he was trapped in his embrace. ‘I love you, idiot. I thought you had figured that out by now.’ Zoro answered. ‘But… how? Why? Since when? ‘ This must be some kind of sick joke or something. How could Sanji possible belive that the famous Roronoa Zoro was actually in love with him!

‘I don’t know how and I’m not sure when it started…. As for the why… Well, you’re strong, and beautiful, smart, caring, loyal, your food tastes amazing, and you’re really kind…why wouldn’t I fall for someone like that!?’

Was this really happening? Could he believe the swordsman’s words? Could he allow himself to trust the other, to let him in, to confess his own feelings? What if Zoro wasn’t serious? What if he would make fun of Sanji for falling for another man, for his rival, for him. But if Sanji didn’t say anything, he might destroy that tiny bit of hope that was waiting right in front of him. That small chance of happiness… he would be a fool if he didn’t even try.

‘I… I guess I love you too,’ he helt his breath anxiously for what felt like an eternity until Zoro finally chuckled. ‘I know, you can keep breathing now.’

Sanji exhaled. ‘What do you mean ‘you know’? How could you have possibly known? ‘

‘You’re hopelessly romantic. You would never kiss someone and sleep with them if you didn’t love them. ‘

‘Oh…’ Sanji didn’t know what to say to that, but it didn’t matter...

 He didn’t know when, but at some point, he had just accepted the fact that he had fallen for another man, even though he never wanted this. But if it was Zoro, he was okay with it. He felt like they were equals, and he never felt like that about any woman. He admired them, but he always saw himself way below them. Loving someone and being loved by someone who was his equal was probably something he had never dared to dreamed of, but now that something like that was within his grasp, he wanted to cherish it. With that thought he fell asleep in Zoro’s arms.

~THE END~