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Chapter Text

A hauntingly beautiful melody played across the lavish island. Its twinkling tune a reflection of the captivating scenery that stretched from the iridescent sea that enclosed it, all the way to heart-shaped mountain peaks that towered above. Pink petals of summer romance fell endlessly amongst the forests. It was a tranquil paradise, disturbed only by the cracking and sudden falling of a tree as Sanji was thrown into it by a particularly nasty kick.

Wood splintering under his back, Sanji tumbled forward onto his hands and knees at the same time the tree toppled to the earth behind him in a swirl of rose petals and honey sweet wind. His body ached from the beating it had already endured, but there was no way in hell he was about to give up. Getting one foot, then another under himself, he looked up at the man currently handing him his ass.

“You sure are a persistent one, Omega-Boy~” Iva sang cheerfully, having hardly broken a sweat since they had started their fight, “I’ll give you that.”

Pushing himself back to his feet, Sanji’s knees buckled several times as he fought to stay upright and he stood bow-legged in front of the Revolutionary captain while desperately trying to catch his breath. Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, he managed to rub away some of the blood that had begun to run down his lip after a particularly brutal hit from the drag queen.

“I’ve been told that before.” Hacking up a wad of spit and blood that had begun to form in the back of his throat from his bloody nose, Sanji spat it to the side before levelling on Iva once more. Feeling a bit more sure on his feet after the small reprieve and ready to try again. Twisting the ball of his shoe readily into the pink grass before launching at the man, “Now give them back, you fucker!”

“Give vhat back?” Iva placed a hand to his chest in mock indignation. Already prancing backwards to avoid each of Sanji’s attacks meant to kick that stupid crown off his head, “Vhat do you think I took?”

“Don’t play dumb!” Sanji snarled, a kick connecting but blocked by Iva’s arm. Jumping back, he landed several feet away as he pointed an accusatory finger, “Your shitty friends snuck through my stuff and stole my shit!”

“You have no proof!”

Grabbing his hair, Sanji was ready to begin tearing it out as he screamed, “I SAW them!”

“Their vord against yours, Omega-Boy,” Iva crooned, “And they’re much more charming and pleasant~”

There were no words to express Sanji's frustration over dealing with all these drag queens. Day after day of running and getting his butt kicked, day after day without his crew, day after day since he hadn't been able to save--

"Argh!!!"

Launching at Iva, he didn't even get close before that ridiculously powerful wink sent him crashing back into the ground leaving behind an imprint of himself. At the rate his body was being used to destroy this island, there wasn't going to be anything nice left by the time he left in two years.

It took a lot longer to recover from that hit, but Sanji managed to get to his knees and then eventually got a foot under him despite everything feeling like it was on fire. However, all the fire in his soul seemed to have gone out in the same instant, replaced by a cold defeat as he looked at the ground.

“No more fight in you?” Iva stopped in front of Sanji, sounding almost disappointed, “I thought for sure you had more.”

It didn’t fucking matter, did it?

Everyone on this shitty fucking island had already figured out his secret, and it wasn’t like getting his smokes and pills back could reverse time. It was all just a pitiful distraction from what had really been bothering him ever since he had resigned himself to training here for the next two years.

With a hand braced against his knee, Sanji carefully pushed himself to his feet, keeping his forlorn look hidden by his bangs as he muttered, “Whatever.”

Turning his back on the drag queen, Sanji intended to crawl away and lick his wounds. And make a plan for when his suppressants wore off and he'd have to barcade himself in his place for his heat. It had been years since he had one and it was probably going to be insufferable, and the last thing he needed was one of these Candies trying to help him.

A shudder wracked his frame at the thought, pausing in his limped retreat as something landed on the grass behind him. Casting a stiff look over his shoulder, he found his smokes and a pack of pills lying among the pink blades of grass. Having learned his lesson before about the queen's enjoyment of tricks, Sanji eyed them warily.

"Relax, Omega-Boy~" Iva mused, "You may have them back, no tricks."

Still keeping a cautious eye on the man out of his peripheral, Sanii stooped down to pick up his things. Immediately popping a pill and swallowing it dry before digging out a smoke and lighting up. Taking a heady drag and sighing out a cloud of smoke that already was easing some of the tension in his shoulders. Iva watching the whole thing without a word.

After another couple puffs, Sanji returned to clutching his injured arm and cradled it as he kept his cigarette raised. Scowling, Sanji demanded, "What."

"You do not like to embrace your omeganess, do you?"

"I'm indifferent."

"Ah huh." Iva huffed, not sounding the least bit convinced as he looked Sanji up and down. Eventually meeting Sanji's gaze as his hands fell to his hips, "I'd be inclined to keep my Candies from digging through your things if you vere to tell me vhy you vant me to make you an alpha?"

Sanji's hand tightened reflexively on his sleeve, "It's none of your business."

"Of course it's my business!" Iva snapped, "It's my devil fruit, Omega-Boy~ I don't just go around handing out freebies to every cutie!"

"Well, enjoy disappointment then!" Sanji snarled, "If you won't do anything I won't waste your time."

"Okay, vell, riddle me this, Omega-Boy~"

"Stop CALLING me that!"

"If you're mated," Iva pressed, "vhy on earth would you want to severe such a sacred bond?"

A dark look flashed across Sanji's face at the drag queen’s pestering. Refusing to answer as he glared up at the man. He hadn’t expected Iva to be able to smell it on him, but with his own senses dulled due to his suppressants, he honestly had no clue how easy it was to smell when someone was mated or not.

"You don't tell me," Iva wiggled his fingers, "and I promise you vill never get this chance."

Sanji's glare was murderous. If he wasn't holding a cigarette in one hand, and his injured arm in the other he'd have flipped off the queen by now. Iva met his stare unperturbed, before shrugging and beginning to leave. Sanji watched his retreating figure for a long time, before the panic in him got too great and he was lurching into motion.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Sanji stumbled after Iva, halting his steps as the drag queen paused and cast a curious look back at Sanji, "Alright."

Iva looked at him expectantly and Sanji wavered.

This was a conversation he hadn't even had with the alpha he was bonded to, and now he was talking about it with this stranger. It felt wrong. However, the whole reason he had asked Iva in the first place was to perhaps fix this whole issue before he ever had to tell Zoro about it...

“It was a mistake!" Sanji snapped. A fiery rage ignited in him but just as quickly stifled as he released his arm to grip his shirt, right over where that ache had been ever since Thriller Bark, “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

"Vasn't supposed to happen?!" Iva exclaimed while gifting Sanji with a ridiculous look. He began waving his arms about, "Vell then how did you manage that? Did you fall on his dick?"

"WHAT?!" Nearly tripping over his feet, Sanji stumbled backwards as a blush lit up his face, "No. No, he was dying and there was this whole thing. It just sort of happened."

"Interesting." Iva hummed, "Bonded, but not mated. You must have very strong feelings for each other to manage that."

"Riiight…" The blush had now reached his ears as he looked away shamefully. Still not entirely convinced that Zoro had willingly bonded with him. The whole thing still didn’t quite make sense to him even after all of Chopper’s explanations, “He doesn’t even know about it.”

"Vell,” Iva demanded, smacking Sanji upside the head while yelling, “vhy not?!"

"Because…" Sanji growled low before rounding on the man with murderous intent. Jumping up and aiming for the man’s head with a vicious kick, "I WAS BLASTED TO THIS HELL BEFORE I GOT THE CHANCE."

Easily smacking Sanji aside, Iva watched as Sanji slowly pushed himself to his knees and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Hands fumbling in the grass until he located his badly crushed cigarette and replaced it between his lips. Pushing himself up again, with significantly more difficulty this time as he used a nearby tree to take most of his weight.

"I'm sorry for your misfortune, I truly am." Iva mused, "But vhy do you think that this could possibly make things better?"

“I was a selfish bastard.” Sanji muttered, “Talking about keeping them safe, so they wouldn’t have to worry about what this might do to any of them. And somehow I still managed to mess it up. If I'm not an omega anymore it would fix everything."

Iva watched him for a long time. Long enough that Sanji was certain the man was going to deny him his request, but eventually the drag queen made a thoughtful noise and titled his head. Obnoxious purple wig bobbing.

"Because I like you, Omega-Boy," Iva hummed, "I'll make you another deal."

Chancing a glance up at the man, Sanji waited silently as the Revolutionary captain made his terms. Raising a hand, Sanji watched as the man's fingers transformed into needles and he wiggled them tantalizingly.

"If you win our previous agreement, I'll gladly make you an alpha, however," Iva looked pointedly at Sanji, "you need to really think about if this is vhat you vant, and if you really vant to cut this bond vith your mate."

Sanji hardly heard the words as his gaze remained pinned to the queen's fingers.

"You hear me, Sanji-Boy?"

At his name Sanji's gaze snapped back to Iva.

"Once I do it there'll be no going back." Iva warned, "and your bond vith that boy will be gone for good."

Nodding quietly, Sanji didn't think he could find his voice as Iva's final words hit far deeper than he had been expecting. Watching silently as Iva returned Sanji's nod of agreement and turned to leave. Strutting across the field and back towards his castle, Sanji waited before he was out of sight before letting the offer truly sink in.

Dropping to the ground, Sanji’s back thudded against a nearby tree as he clutched at his chest. His whole body ached from running non-stop the past couple weeks, and defending himself from the Candies that were intent on putting him in a dress, but none of it hurt quite as much as the hole in his chest that had been torn open the moment Zoro had disappeared.

The end of his cigarette dropped to the ground as he bit through the filter.

He’d gotten Luffy’s message, and while he would miss the ladies and the rest of the crew he was intent on staying here and getting every possible recipe before returning to Sabaody to meet them. However, that hadn’t stopped him from realizing that this bond he and Zoro had formed, this mated thing between them, was a hindrance. This constant ache was an ever present distraction, and he could only imagine it was the same for Zoro.

A year ago - before he had joined Luffy’s crew - he would've gladly taken Iva up on his offer in a heartbeat, there wouldn't have been anything to ruminate on, but now… now his heart was torn in two. A war raged between a body and life he'd always felt he deserved, and the person he'd come to care for all these months at sea; sick to his stomach at the thought of having to choose between them.

For once, Sanji didn’t know the right thing to do…

~Several Months Earlier...~

This crew was out of their minds.

When Sanji had met them back on the Baratie, within the span of an hour, their captain had bust a hole through the side of the restaurant and landed himself indebted to the owner, their swordsman had gotten cut in half by a Warlord, and their navigator had bludgeoned their chatty friends and absonced with their caraval. Their sharpshooter had been fairly well-behaved, but Sanji could've done without all the panicked screeching while dealing with the pirates that had tried to rob their ship.

And now he had just finished helping them take down an entire crew of fishmen and had learned that those types of antics were completely conventional for this crew. He’d chosen to follow a fool of a captain, and it seemed everyone else knew this fact, but were committed anyway. And somehow - Sanji questioned what powers on earth were at work - he had decided that he was all in for this ragtag group of hooligans.

Rightfully, the town threw a huge party to celebrate finally becoming free from the tyrannical rule of the fishmen, there was drink, food, and great company as they partied well into the night. Luffy and Usopp wasted little time in abusing their hospitality, and Sanji’s heart swelled at the sight of Nami laughing happily with her sister; he knew he had done the right thing following after her with Luffy.

Grabbing some food and booze, Sanji went somewhere to eat and spotted the green-haired alpha lounging off the main street near a small back alley. Sitting down across from him, Sanji took a sip of ale before greeting, "Hey."

Zoro grunted around his drink in greeting.

Sanji refrained from rolling his eyes. All the men on this crew were freaking animals, and if they ate and drank like they were currently doing at this party, then Sanji had his work cut out for him once they set sail. His eyes returned to Zoro at that thought as he knew he'd be getting to know all these crew members intimately soon enough, and he should probably try to make an effort.

After all, they may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but they had fought amazingly together. With Usopp off taking care of one of the fishman, and Luffy stuck under water, the fight had been in their hands for a while, and Sanji had to hand it to the alpha; even cut in half he was a beast.

Waiting until Zoro's gaze turned to Sanji, he drew a line across his own chest before asking sincerely, “How’s the wound?”

“Better.” Zoro acceded after lowering his tankard, jerking his thumb towards the intoxicated doctor a little ways off. “Finally had a real doctor stitch it up so I should be good.”

“I heard.” Sanji drawled, recalling the screams that had reached himself and Usopp as they had waited outside the doctor’s house. Getting cut apart by Mihawk had definitely let Sanji know this alpha was unhinged, but when the swordsman had decided to fight in that condition, that had convinced him that the man was out of his mind. “How’s it look?”

Reaching down, Zoro untucked the shirt from his haramaki and hiked it up to expose the jagged scar that now ran from hip to shoulder. Skin a torn and lumpy mess from the horrible first patch job, and now the real one that pinched all the flesh back together. It looked rough, and Sanji imagined that there were corpses that looked in better condition.

Waving his hand with a grimace, Sanji muttered, “Yeah, alright, there’s people trying to eat. Cover that.”

Zoro rolled his eyes and snorted, but smiled and did as he was told. Tucking his shirt back into his haramaki and taking a sip of his beer. Sanji couldn’t help but notice that the swordsman was much more congenial now that tensions weren’t so high.

“What about you?”

Arching a brow, Sanji hummed, “Hm?”

“You were underwater with that fishman for a while.” He paused for a moment for a large gulp of liquor before resting his tankard on his knee. Smirking as he levelled on Sanji, “Thought for sure the guy was beating the hell out of you.”

“Eh,” Sanji waved him off, deciding the swordsman didn’t need to know the details. Sure the guy had managed to break a few ribs with that nasty diving trick, and he’d used Sanji as a bit of an underwater punching bag, but really it was only a, “Minor inconvenience at best.”

“You’re a good guy to have around in a fight.” Zoro tilted his tankard towards Sanji, “Even if you fucked around a bit.”

“Phft.” An incredulous snort shook Sanji’s body, and he placed a hand to his chest in mock indignation. The gall of this guy to accuse him of something so ridiculous, “I fucked around?! You spent half the fight face down in a pool of your own blood.”

“Yeah,” Zoro smirked, “and the other half slicing up those fishmen.”

“Are you forgetting who saved you from getting your brains knocked into your spine?” Sanji huffed, but was unable to stop himself from smiling. It was fun bantering with swordsman, “Not even a thank you?”

“No, but nice job getting punched through the wall,” Pointing at Sanji as he chortled, “that was priceless.”

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

Raising his tankard, Zoro agreed with a nod and a “Thanks.” before tilting it back and doing his best to down most of the remaining booze. Some of it spilling past the edges and dripping down onto his white shirt as Sanji’s suspicions that this man was a slob were confirmed.

“Oh,” Sanji laughed, “so you do know that word?!”

A noncommittal grunt was his response.

Setting his own drink aside, Sanji took their companionable silence to eat his own share of food and bask in the festivities. Nami had wandered off, leaving Usopp to begin captivating villager’s attention with a ridiculous song, and Luffy to take up residence at a table and start wolfing down anything in sight. A loud bunch of kids to say the least.

Sanji would admit he was still a little wary about joining a crew with so many alphas, but so far it seemed that none of them had any suspicions about him being an omega. Years on board a pirate restaurant had given him more than enough practice at dealing with people, and holding his own; it wasn’t hard to pass for an alpha anymore.

Glancing over at Zoro, the alpha’s casual demeanour only confirmed his suspicions since the man’s attitude towards him was nothing if not adversarial. His stare seemed to catch the swordsman’s attention, and he cocked a brow at Sanji in question.

“So…” Sanji flicked a finger at Zoro while making sure to word his next question carefully, “you guys have a few alphas on your ship, huh?”

“A few.” A crooked smirk lit up Zoro’s face, all sharp teeth and biting angles as he reminded Sanji of a shark. There was definitely something smug to his voice as he intoned, “Threatened?”

“As if.” Sanji rolled his eyes, “You’re all a bunch of punks.”

“You said that before.”

“And I meant it.”

Zoro just shook his head with a laugh and kept drinking.

Watching the alpha through the safety of his bangs, Sanji was critical about every aspect of the man that he'd be sailing with for the foreseeable future. Nami was unquestionably one of the main reasons he was here, and Luffy had sparked a curiosity in him that he now needed to follow to the end of the Grand Line, but this swordsman had piqued something else. There was something about the alpha's stubborn determination that drew Sanji in.

A moment later Luffy was showing up and their conversation was effectively ended.

~X~

Stalking through a jungle in a suit was less than ideal. The sweltering heat was causing him to sweat, and he could already tell it was doing hell to the silk lining of his jacket; the shirt at this point could not be saved. He supposed it was his own fault for not changing before storming off into the jungle to begin this hunting contest with Zoro, but he couldn’t exactly be held accountable for his irrational behaviour where the swordsman was involved.

The alpha made those snide comments and Sanji could feel his blood boil in an instant.

It was like a switch was flicked on inside him whenever the alpha turned his attention to him, and Sanji had no choice but to rise to the bait. He wished he wasn’t so predictable. Zoro had this control over him that he couldn’t explain, but more often than not it ended up with Sanji regretting his behaviour afterwards.

Which was why he was currently trekking through a humid forest in one of his favourite suits and cursing the stupid alpha. He'd need to wash all this stuff the moment they returned to the ship to ensure none of his omega scent had leached into his clothes; the suppressants muted everything, but he didn't like to risk it. He sighed as he realized he'd probably have to burn his shirt.

Sanji was mid-curse when a low rumbling had him coming to a stop and glancing around as a large lizard stalked out of the nearby trees. It was easily twenty feet tall as it trudged forward on its hind legs. Each step shaking the ground beneath it and saliva dripping from its barred teeth as it looked at Sanji with a hungry intent.

This was all Zoro’s fault.

Hands casually in his pockets, Sanji watched the creature weave about the clearing as it sized up Sanji and seemed to be determining whether he was worth eating. A moment later it lunged forward and Sanji launched himself up, jumping just out of the way of its large jaws that snapped down where he had been moments before. Using the beast’s surprise to his advantage, he slammed the heel of his finely polished dress shoe through its head and sent it slamming into the ground with a heavy tremor, “Down you go, you shitty lizard!”

Crumpling to the ground dead, Sanji landed beside it with a bored yawn and stretch of his neck. Removing a hand from his pocket to run it along the back of the large creature, Sanji walked the length of the beast while silently inspecting it. It was much bigger than anything else he had yet to see on this island, it surely was going to be larger than anything that swordsman would be able to round up.

That shitty alpha was so annoying.

At least the man only looked down on Sanji as a man, and not because he was an omega. He couldn’t even imagine how incessant and horrible the swordsman’s teasing would be if he ever found out. Although it might be a nice notch in the dumb alpha’s ego for him to know that all this time an omega had been kicking his ass and not an alpha. Snorting at the notion, Sanji shook off the ridiculous fantasy and grabbed the lizard by the tail to big dragging it back to the ship.

~X~

Snow fell lazily about the ship as they sailed away from Drum Island, the distant sky still tinged a gorgeous pink above the tallest peak of the winter paradise. Merry cut through the ice cold water as they were carried away to their next island, all the crew at the stern watching the receding hometown of the doctor they had recruited.

As he downed the last of his ale, Sanji set his tankard aside and pushed himself to his feet. Despite the festivities over getting a new crew member, he could see that Nami and Vivi were beginning to get a little rosy cheeked, and the others would be soon to follow with complaints. He wandered over to where Chopper was dancing by Usopp.

"Chopper?" Sanji asked while leaning down to get the happy deer's attention. Immediately his smile waned and it was clear from the cautious way he eyed Sanji that he hadn't quite forgotten all of Sanji's jokes about cooking him and eating him. Putting on as congenial smile as he could, Sanji inclined his head towards the galley, "Would you help me bring out some cocoa?"

All wariness gone, Chopper's face lit up, "Sure!"

Leaving the others to their drinking and dancing, Sanji showed their new doctor the galley for the first time. Holding the door open as Chopper trotted inside the warmly lit room and his face lit up as he glanced around the homey area. A small smile crooked the corner of Sanji’s mouth as he began pulling out pots to get everything ready. Grabbing a stool up and placing it next to the counter, Sanji beckoned for the deer to come stand next to him as he began warming some milk on the stove while pulling some chocolate free from the cupboard.

Proffering a spoon, Sanji smiled, “Keep an eye on the milk and stir it for me?”

“Sure!” Chopper once again happily agreed and began peering into the pot as tendrils of steam slowly began to rise from the warming milk. Sticking the spoon in, he gave it a testing stir.

Shucking the chocolate from its wrappers, Sanji worked silently as he knew this conversation was going to have to be delicate, but necessary. When he'd messed up his back he had been half conscious while Chopper and that old woman had worked on him and discovered his secret, and if he wanted it kept then he needed to make sure it was done now.

"You know… right?" Sanji muttered after moment, placing a block of chocolate on the cutting board keeping his gaze pinned on it as he selected a knife and began finely chopping it, "I heard you tell that old woman."

“I…” Chopper paused. A frown creased his brow before he asked, “That you’re an omega?”

Casting a glance to the door, Sanji looked back down and nodded, “Yeah.”

“Those are to mask your scent, right?” Chopper pointed to the unlit cigarette poised readily between Sanji’s teeth. He already had it ready to light the moment they were done making the cocoa. When Sanji nodded in affirmation, Chopper continued with a thoughtful nod, “I thought so; it’s not uncommon for omegas to do stuff like that.”

"You're our ship's doctor now, so it's only right you know; I figured it'd be something I'd have to tell whoever we got in the future." Even if Chopper hadn’t smelled it on him, he would have had to tell him anyway. With injuries and illnesses, there was no way he could hide something like this from the medical professional on the ship. Sanji grabbed the next bar and began chopping it as well, "I can take care of all of it myself, but medically I know you have to know."

Walking around Chopper, Sanji brought the chopping block around to the other pan and with a flourish he flicked all the diced chocolate into the pan along with a splash of cream. Allowing the blocks to begin to melt as he looked back at Chopper and asked seriously, "I assume you're bound by that whole doctor-patient confidentiality?"

“Of course!”

Continuing to stir the chocolate, Sanji bit down on the end of his cigarette as he knew what he was going to say next was going to be hard to explain, especially since Chopper was so new to the crew. He had decided a long time ago never to tell anyone that he was an omega, and since he had come to care so much for this crazy crew, it was more important than ever they never find out.

Picking up the sauce pan, Sanji held it over the element as he began rotating the pan and carefully mixing the chocolate so it would melt evenly and not burn. Unable to look at Chopper as he muttered, “You can’t let the others know.”

"...I don't understand." Chopper’s stirring halted, “Nami said you’re all nakama.”

"It's not that I don't trust them," Sanji shook his head, "It's just that it's easier for everyone this way."

"Not for you."

Sanji bit back a hollow laugh, the kid was far too sweet.

"This isn't just for my safety, it's theirs." Sanji sighed, and added some more cream to the chocolate. Stirring the sauce until it was a little less thick, "Having an omega on the battlefield with a bunch of alphas would just cause a lot of issues."

“They can’t smell that you’re an omega the way I can.” Chopper argued, “You should be fine.”

“Scent won’t be an issue, but there’s nothing I can do to stop them once they know.” Sanji wasn’t certain how much Chopper knew about these kinds of things, but it was something Sanji had had drilled into him ever since he had presented and ultimately disappointed his father. It was basic battle tactics. “On the battlefield they might see me in trouble, and even though I can handle myself their alpha desire to help me won’t be something they can just ignore.”

“You can probably give them more credit than that. They’re your friends.” Chopper sighed, “They’d understand.”

“I have the utmost faith in them” Sanji agreed, muttering a gentle, “Watch yourself.” As he brought the hot pan of chocolate over to the steaming milk. Beginning to slowly drizzle it in as Chopper continued to stir and he continued, “But this isn’t something they need to know.”

Chopper kept his gaze on the chocolate as he kept stirring the milk as it turned to a rich, cream brown, but directed his words to Sanji, “I still think you should let them have the choice.”

“It wouldn’t be a choice.” Setting the pan aside in the sink, Sanji shook his head, “Not to them. They’d react out of instinct and if they ever got hurt because of me I’d never be able to forgive myself. Does that make sense?”

“I suppose.”

Pulling down several cups, Sanji set them out and took the pot from Chopper with a grateful nod and then expertly poured out an even serving of cocoa in each mug. Putting the dirty pot in the sink with the rest of the dishes as he looked at Chopper with a serious, yet earnest expression, “Can I count on you not to tell?”

“I won’t,” Chopper agreed with a small smile, “but I still think you should reconsider.”

“Maybe another time.” Relief flooding his body as Sanji waved off his words, “For now, help me take this cocoa outside and let’s enjoy the snowy weather. You never know when you might see a winter island again.”

“Mhm!” Chopper hummed in happy agreement, hopping down from the stool and holding his hooves up for the tray Sanji handed him. Balancing the cups carefully as Sanji grabbed a tray of his own and led the doctor out of the galley and back to their waiting crew.

~X~

After a day of hiking through the Alabastian desert, Sanji had definitely gotten over his sea legs, but was now suffering from a different sort of sensation as he was beginning to forget what solid ground felt like. The sun had beat down on them like a heavy weight. Pushing them further into the sand with each step as they trudged through the seemingly endless sea of dunes.

Luffy now walked along like the rest of them through the steadily darkening desert. His hallucinations had finally worn off after waking up from the third time of being knocked out; Zoro had pinned him down and Sanji had prepared to kick their idiot captain in the head while Chopper checked his condition. After nearly a day of dragging him through the desert it seemed like the cactus juice had finally worn off.

With the desert cooling, Chopper was able to walk on his own now, but he had been replaced by Usopp as the sharpshooter had passed out from dehydration. Without a word Zoro had grabbed the fainted man and tossed him over his shoulder as they continued to trek after the camel that was well ahead of them with Nami and Vivi on its back.

Falling into step beside Zoro, the cook pulled out a fresh cigarette and fiddled with lighting it. Darkness had properly fallen on the desert and the moon hung high in the sky, the glow of Sanji's match momentarily illuminating the sand beneath their feet before it all fell back into shadow. Flicking the used match, Sanji puffed on his smoke before casting a glance Zoro's way, “First Chopper, then Luffy, now Usopp?”

“Chopper’s weak to the heat.” Zoro shrugged, hiking the sharpshooter up to rest better over his shoulder, “And Luffy was drugged.”

A knowing smirk danced on Sanji’s lips. The swordsman liked to act all tough and stoic, but they had been sailing together long enough now that Sanji had begun to see through that facade. He leaned in while pointing to Zoro with a conspiratorial whisper, “I’m on to you.”

“Phft. Oh yeah, cook?” Zoro snorted, and Sanji revelled in the smallest hint of confusion that flickered in the alpha’s eyes. “Do tell.”

With a cocky smirk, Sanji teased, “You’re actually a big softie.”

Even under the abysmal light of the moon Sanji was able to make out the faintest hint of a blush on the swordsman’s cheeks, and grinned as the alpha made disgruntled noise and denied it, “Am not.”

“He is!”

Both men were jostled as Luffy excitedly shoved his way between them; Zoro stumbling to the side and taking a few unsteady steps in the sand as Sanji fumbled his cigarette. Sanji raised a curious brow at the rubber man, but Zoro simply looked wary as he muttered, “Hey, Luffy.”

“Yo, Luffy.” Sanji smirked, and Zoro was immediately on edge with the sharp look he sent Zoro's way before looking back at Luffy, “What was that you were saying?”

“When we first met he ate a rice-ball a girl had made for him that some marine had stomped into the dirt.”

“Luffy!” Zoro’s embarrassed yell went completely ignored. “Shut up!”

Imperceptibly, Sanji’s steps faltered for a moment but it was easily written off as a misplaced step in the sand. Zoro was too busy telling off Luffy to notice as Sanji looked the man up and down while seeing him in a whole new light. He’d know the guy was sweet, but that...

A soft look took over Sanji’s face and he grabbed his cigarette so he could mutter into his hand to hide the fond smile threatening to show, “Is that so?”

“Yup!”

“I was hungry!” Zoro defended hotly, still holding Usopp, so he only had one free hand to shove Luffy in the face in annoyance. Turning a glare onto Sanji as he explained, “I hadn’t eaten in weeks.”

“But you told me to tell the girl it was delicious.” Luffy laughed, batting Zoro’s hand away, “There’s no way that dirt tasted good.”

“Shut up,” Zoro snarled, turning to chase off their captain and throwing a kick at the laughing boy, “I told you it was delicious. Leave me alone!”

Luffy ran away cackling from Zoro’s attempts to hit him, and once he seemed certain their captain would leave him alone, Zoro settled back to his old pace beside Sanji. Turning to glare at Sanji, only to find the cook watching him with a thoughtful look, so he snapped, “What?”

“Nothing…” Sanji mused, taking a soft drag on his cigarette and politely blowing the smoke away, “Just think I misjudged you.”

Hand tangling in the front of Sanji’s robes, Zoro hauled him forward with a snarl, but all his aggression was lost with the accompanied blush from Luffy’s comments. It was rare to see the alpha so flustered; Sanji liked it. Allowing the swordsman to drag him close until he was practically growling in Sanji’s face, “Misjudged what, shitcook?”

“Oh, you know,” Sanji mused, blowing a stream of smoke directly into the alpha’s face to get him to cough. Not needing the swordsman to catch on to the fact he was actually kinda touched by the idiot’s sentimentality. “How you’re totally a big pushover~”

“I’ll push you over, eyebrow!”

“I’d like to see you try, you bast--”

“Guys!”

They both froze and turned their sights ahead where Vivi was currently clamouring off of the camel and was pointing to a distant point on the horizon. Buildings and a light only faintly visible in the darkness. Everyone lit up at the notion that they had finally reached Yuba.

~X~

"C'mon, you wandering swordsman." Sanji cajoled as he hopped up onto a nearby tree root. Tilting his head towards the towering forest. It was their first proper night on Sky Island and it was only right that they celebrated it properly. "We need wood for the bonfire. Let's actually put those swords to work doing something useful."

"Excuse you?!"

"You heard me." Sanji sneered. Unpleasant expression falling away into a cheery grin, "Now c'mon. If I'm lucky you'll get lost and we can leave you here."

"Fuck you, cook." Zoro snapped, but he followed regardless. Leaving the crew to continue discussing their plans for tomorrow.

They wandered through the jungle silently for a bit until they came to a glade housing marginally smaller trees than the behemoths towering around them. Despite their proclivity to argue, it was always surprisingly easy to hang in each other's company, at least when they weren't talking. It seemed that neither could open their mouths without jabbing at the other.

Not that Sanji minded, it was this sort of unspoken friendship that he liked most about the swordsman. And even though Zoro didn't know it, Sanji appreciated having an alpha that he could regularly argue and fight with; it reminded him that his worth didn't necessarily hinge on who he was born as.

Of course, he'd never tell the alpha that… Even under the threat of death.

Stopping at a decent sized tree that appeared drier than the others, Sanji walked the base while inspecting it. Turning to Zoro he patted the trunk, "This one's pretty dry. Cut it down."

"First the cooking, now chopping wood." Zoro grumbled, "My swords aren't at your disposal like this."

"Apparently they are." At Zoro's unpleasant look, Sanji rolled his eyes and huffed, "Oh, c'mon, I've seen you use them for far worse."

Zoro grumbled, but didn't deny it.

Moving out of the way, Sanji pulled out a fresh cigarette and lit it up as he watched the swordsman do his thing. It was a rare opportunity for him to actually see the swordsman properly use his swords. Normally they were in the middle of a battle, or he'd be using them on Sanji, so it was interesting to be able to see the alpha use his blade while Sanji could watch.

Sanji made fun of the swordsman constantly, however he couldn't deny that when the man was focused there was a level of impressiveness to his movements. Despite Sanji considering the swordsman mainly a brute in battle, there was definitely a finesse to his abilities that he couldn't discredit.

A serious moue dropped over Zoro's face and he took a slow step back to properly plant himself, each foot twisting in the dirt for minor adjustment. Hands falling to his hip, one grabbed the scabbard of his white katana as the other wrapped around the hilt with a tactful grip. Sanji's gaze tracking the motion silently as he noted the alpha actually had fairly dexterous hands for how brutish they looked.

Sanji watched as the swordsman's eyes fell shut and a moment of tranquil concentration graced the man's face, and Sanji couldn't help but notice that when the alpha wasn't snoring, or scowling, or generally making any unpleasant expression, he was fairly attractive. Lips thinning at the thought, Sanji was just glad that ninety nine percent of the time, the man looked like an angry gorilla; he didn't need the ladies falling for him.

A second later Zoro's eyes flashed open and he was unsheathing the blade with lightning quickness and then resheathing it just as quickly. If Sanji wasn't as attuned as he was, he would probably have missed the moment entirely. After several quiet moments, the tree began to groan and a line at it's base began to appear, growing bigger and bigger as it toppled over. Eventually falling to the ground with a loud crash and the breaking of branches.

Walking along the length of the tree, Sanji began kicking spare branches from the trunk and just generally clearing the area to make it easier to deal with. Happy with the clearing, he glanced to Zoro again who was just standing their uselessly watching Sanji and barked, "Okay, now cut it into logs."

Coming to stand next to Sanji, he withdrew his black sword next and glanced at the cook, "Quit ordering me around."

"And yet you keep listening."

This time Zoro didn't bother to harden his stance or even put any thought into it. Just extended his arm and swiped the sword in a few exact moments until the tree split evenly into several long, perfectly sliced pieces of lumber. They all toppled to the ground in a messy heap as the alpha turned a flat look on the cook.

"Thanks, mosshead." Sanji grinned cheekily, and stalked past the swordsman. Making sure to flick the alpha in the earrings as he teased, "See, that's what people call manners. You should try it sometime."

Clamping a hand over his ear, Zoro snarled after the cook as he sheathed his sword, "Shut up, cook. I'll kick your ass."

"Hm…" Sanji hummed thoughtfully, not entirely convinced. Gaze flickering over the swordsman's face as he noticed that while the man's unattractive scowl was back, he could still see why women tended to find the alpha attractive. Rolling his eyes, Sanji turned back to the pile of logs, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Tossing Zoro a coil of rope, Sanji began sorting half the logs into a neat pile and then tied down his own bundle. Zoro did the same, despite the continuing growl of annoyance from the alpha. It wasn't long before they were making their way back to camp with two large bundles of lumber in tow, more than enough for a large fire to last the night.

Adjusting the rope he had hooked over his shoulder to assist in pulling the lumber, Sanji paused as a scuffling behind him caught his attention. Sanji turned, expecting to see a South Bird, or some other wild animal, but when his gaze landed on multiple beady black eyes, he felt the air escape out of his lungs in a pitiful wheeze. His arms fell to his sides, and the rope slipped from between slack hands as he stared up at the massive spider currently poised atop his own pile of wood.

Blood running cold, Sanji stumbled backwards until he ran bodily into the swordsman. Absently trying to tangle a hand in Zoro’s shirt as he tried to get the swordsman’s attention, but only managing to trip, fall on his rear, and grab the alpha’s leg instead. He couldn’t even find it in himself to be embarrassed by his actions. Far too distracted by the creature above, with its multiple long hairy legs creeping forwards, its pincers snapping readily, and those hollow black eyes staring right into his soul. 

"What the fuck's wrong with you cook?" First looking down at the cook with a scowl, and then glancing up when all Sanji gave in response was a terrified babble of incoherency, "Hm?"

Flat expression landing on the massive spider currently poised in front of them. Like everything else on this piece of old Jaya, it seemed that the bugs had also grown to impressive size so the tarantula creeping towards them was easily the size of a bear.

Tilting his head in mild confusion, Zoro drew his sword and a moment later the arachnid was split in two. Zoro idly tapped the back of his blade on his shoulder as he inspected the creature. Sanji was still a shivering mess as he managed to get back onto wobbly legs and started up a fresh cigarette. Fighting with his trembling hands to get it lit.

Flicking his sword to the side to whip the excess bug guts off of it, Zoro returned it to its sheath with a fancy flourish and then turned to look back at Sanji. Waiting for the cook to finish getting his smoke lit before gifting the omega with a smug look, "Wow, cook."

A dark look flashed across Sanji's face, "Not. A. Word."

"I didn't realize you were such a little girl.”

“Shut up!”

“Make me.”

Biting down on his cigarette, Sanji didn’t even need to respond to let the swordsman know that his challenge was accepted and was already launching himself at the alpha. They scrapped for a bit, knocked over a few trees, and even got a few decent hits on each other. Getting all their aggression out before finally heading back, but when they returned to camp with all the wood for the bonfire, Zoro didn't say a word.

~X~

Evening fell around Long Ring Long Land and the crew huddled inside the galley where both Luffy and Robin rested after being thawed from Aokiji's ice. Most of the crew had passed out there since sleeping below deck and away from their injured comrades never seemed right. Sanji had just finished cleaning up the kitchen after their dinner and made Nami some tea.

After a final check in on Robin who still hadn't awoken, Sanji grabbed a spare blanket and tossed it over Usopp's back before deciding to check on the last member of the crew. Grabbing a bottle of some of his better liquor, he puffed on his cigarette as he made his way out of the galley and out to the back of the ship where he knew the swordsman would be lounging.

Just as expected the swordsman was at the stern, but instead of training or meditating the alpha just sat and watched the sky. Keeping the bottle partially hidden as he approached, Sanji huffed out a stream of smoke and flicked his finished smoke over the edge of the ship before asking, “How’s your arm?”

“Better than your leg.”

“Hm.” Sanji made a thoughtful noise and raised the large bottle of liquor he had brought with him. Pretending to examine it as he muttered, “Guess I’ll just be putting this back then.”

"Hey!"

“Uh unh.” Waving a finger at the swordsman while holding the bottle out of reach, Sanji admonished, “You can ask nicely now.”

“Give me the bottle before I shove your face in,” At Sanji’s expectant look, Zoro added with a growl, “...please.”

"Good try, mosshead." Sanji smirked, handing off the bottle and pulling a fresh cigarette free from his breast pocket. Deciding not to comment on the rude way the swordsman had snatched it from his hand before immediately gnawing the cork loose with his teeth like a damned animal. "Next time we'll work on 'thank you' and 'you're welcome'."

"Bite me." Zoro snapped before immediately stiffening afterwards as he realized all the implications of what he had just said. Staying stock still for a moment before turning to the bottle in his hands and tilting it back, seemingly intent on drowning himself in liquor after the dumb slip up.

"I mean…" Sanji arched a brow as it was an intriguing notion - biting an alpha - and a hilarious slip of the tongue. Raising a hand with a modest shrug, "I never took you for the type, mosshead, but I can always be persuaded."

"Shut up!" Lowering the bottle, Sanji wondered if the red in the alpha’s cheeks was from the alcohol or his embarrassment. He’d bet on the latter as Zoro growled, "Or I'll actually give you a reason to complain about your leg!"

"Forget it, mosshead." Sanji snorted as he dropped down to sit beside the alpha. Plucking the cigarette from his lips and propping his hand on his knee as he blew a stream of smoke in Zoro's face, "I'll never let you live this down."

A displeased grumble was all Sanji got in response, but it seemed the liquor had pacified the swordsman like a child given a piece of candy. Rolling his eyes at how simple the alpha was, Sanji held his tongue and instead quietly enjoyed his smoke as Zoro made a concerted effort to finish off half the bottle as quickly as possible. Moon beginning to rise and Sanji’s cigarette slowly burning down to the filter.

They sat in a long and comfortable silence, until Sanji’s gaze wandered to the bandages on Zoro’s upper arm and he chuckled, "What kinda dumbass puts himself between an Admiral and his target?" 

A few glugs broke the silence as Zoro downed a decent portion of the bottle, pulling it away with a pop as he cast a sly side glance Sanji's way as he smirked, "Probably the same kind of dumbass that tries to kick an Admiral in the face."

Fighting back a smile, Sanji could feel himself failing and he leaned forward to stub out his cigarette. Flicking the crushed filter over the railing as he muttered, "Or the kind that tries to fight an Admiral one on one?"

"Yeah," Zoro’s body jerked with a silent laugh, following the motion by running a hand through his hair, "yeah, someone like that."

Turning to Zoro, Sanji made a beckoning motion and he could see from the way Zoro’s had reflexively tightened on the bottle that he didn’t want to hand it over. A second wave and a clearing of his throat had Zoro grumbling, but handing it over. Sanji took a hearty swig, before commenting, "Crazy captain we've decided to follow."

Leaning back against the galley wall, Zoro visibly relaxed as he chuckled, "Would you rather someone else?"

"No." Sanji shook his head with a smile, "No, no one's like Luffy."

They passed the bottle back and forth for a long time until the crescent moon had risen high into the night sky and a spattering of stars accompanied it. Drinking in silence as Sanji enjoyed these rare moments with the swordsman. Normally they drank in the galley after the crew had fallen asleep, making light conversation and usually picking on one another, but every once in a while they enjoyed the silence.

Sanji couldn't decide which he liked more.

As the bottle slowly emptied, Sanji tilted it back to take a large swallow, when Zoro decided to speak up. It was soft, barely discernible, but clear enough on the silent night for Sanji to hear every word and spit out his drink in surprise, "Thanks for always having my back."

Placing the bottle aside on the deck, Sanji dropped his head between his knees to help cough up the excess liquor that had gone up his nose and into his lungs. A hand fell to his back to assist with his coughing, and he could vaguely hear the alpha grunting through a laugh.

"Nice job wasting the booze, curly."

Raising his head, eyes red and watery from all his coughing, Sanji looked at the swordsman in disbelief as he managed through another coughing fit, "W-what was that, shit swordsman?"

"You heard me," Zoro grumbled, removing his hand and snatching up the bottle Sanji had abandoned, "I'm never repeating it."

Sanji sat for a few moments braced against his knees. His coughing had stopped, and while there was still a painful burning in his chest and nose, he was able to calmly watch as the swordsman took a casual sip and continued to stare at the sky. With a narrowed glance, Sanji asked, "How hard did you get hit in the Davy Back Fight?"

Rolling his eyes, Zoro grunted, "Shove off, cook."

It was true though.

Whenever the swordsman decided to run headlong into a dangerous situation, Sanji didn't even think twice before following; it was just instinct. Most of the time he didn't realize he was doing it, but it seemed Zoro had and that had a swell of happiness rising in his chest. Watching the swordsman fondly as that feeling continued to grow until he felt a flutter in his stomach.

No. No. Nononononono.

There was no way he was attracted to the stupid alpha. He had promised himself very early on that he wasn't going to let travelling on a ship full of alphas get in his way, and his suppressants helped with most of that, but it wasn't like they made him immune to getting feelings. And he wasn't stupid, he knew what the flutter of a beginning crush felt like.

Fuck!

"Well." Practically throwing himself to his feet, Sanji gave a deceptive grin to hide his panic. With a jaunty wave and smirk, Sanji said as he left, "Enjoy your booze, I'm going to check on Robin again. She'll probably want to see my face the moment she wakes up."

Zoro scoffed, "Yeah, if she wants to hurl."

Flipping the swordsman off over his shoulder, Sanji kept the hand raised perhaps a little longer than necessary as a blush crept up his cheeks. Other hand coming up to pluck a cigarette from his pocket and place it between his lips, searching through his pockets for his matches as he blew out an agitated breath.

This was so not good.

~X~

A jilted silence hung over the crew as they gathered all their possessions and brought them to a back street inn in Water 7. Sanji had insisted Nami go ahead and take a break after all she went through that day, and he and Zoro were now on pack mule duty to get the last of their things moved. They had gotten most of the important things in one trip, but they had both returned to do a final sweep.

Glancing around the galley morosely, Sanji knew that just like the rest of the crew that walking away from the memories they shared in this place was hard. Dragging his hand along the countertop that he had made countless meals for the crew, silently thanking Merry for all he had given them.

There were repairs all over the place. Plating on the helm where Chopper had snapped it, Usopp's haphazard repairs covered the walls in a messy patchwork, and bloodstained the floorboards from multiple fights and scuffles with other pirates. They had lived their lives here for months now and it was time to leave.

A particularly large stain near the galley table reminded Sanji of when the idiot swordsman had nearly cut his legs off and Sanji had patched him up. Sanji had tried his best, but no amount of scrubbing had managed to get the dark stain from the wood. Instead, it had become a distant reminder of when Zoro and Sanji had first really become friends. They still fought and bickered like enemies, but that had been a moment where they had begun to really trust each other.

Now, all that was left was the remnants of a broken table and the memory of a fracturing crew under evening sunlight.

Going through the cupboards, Sanji checked he had gotten everything of his before stooping down to grab the bag that held the last of his cookware. Hefting it over his shoulder, he gave the galley one final sweep before he turned his back on the place and left.

Zoro stood out on the deck with a large bag of his own thrown over his shoulder, likely filled with things Chopper had forgotten in his tearful packing. Sanji watched silently as the alpha placed a hand to the mast - that he had accidentally broken earlier that day - and seemed to be silently saying his own goodbyes. Not wanting to interrupt, Sanji made his way to the gangplank and decided to wait ashore.

It wasn't long before Zoro joined him and they walked in silence, which was odd because usually they always filled the silence with teasing bickering and exhausted jabs, but it seemed not even their long withstanding rivalry could break the morose tension. Not to mention, Nami had already chewed them out for arguing once before, so Sanji kept his mouth shut to keep either of them getting riled up. Things were tenuous and stress was high after what had just happened between Luffy and Usopp.

And Robin was still missing.

On top of everything horrible that was going on she had disappeared with alarming suddenness right after their brush with that Admiral and it didn’t sit well with Sanji. Something more was going on in this city, he could feel it in his gut, and chalking up Robin’s absence as coincidence just didn’t seem right.

"You're concerned about what Aiokiji said, right?"

Sanji’s footsteps faltered for a moment in surprise before he recovered. Casting a glance at the alpha that walked beside him with his gaze turned forward as they continued up the large staircase that led back into the city of water. Sanji was taken aback as the swordsman never failed to surprise Sanji with his insight and keen observation skills, perhaps since the general lack of cleanliness, etiquette, and social skills were so distracting.

After a long moment, Sanji turned his own gaze ahead of himself again and muttered, "Yeah. First Merry, and then Usopp. Robin missing just doesn't sit well with me."

"She likes to wander." Zoro grunted, "On Sky Island she went missing for a while, but we all met up again. We just have to trust she'll come back."

"You know," Sanji mused, side eyeing the swordsman, "you've been a remarkably competent first mate these past few days."

First with Chopper at the Davy Back Fight, then him and Usopp after the whole ordeal with Aokiji, and now with Luffy and Usopp; there was a level-headedness that the swordsman was able to keep that Sanji just couldn't fault him for. He'd always been so focused on competing with the man he never bothered to notice just how reliable an alpha he could actually be.

It almost pissed him off to see just how well the man fit the role.

"Don't hurt yourself." Zoro snorted, "That was almost a compliment."

"You're right." Sanji smirked, "I must be getting sick or something."

With mutual chortles at their facetious comments, they fell into a more comfortable silence as they continued up the massive staircase and back into Water 7. Keeping a hand gripping the strap looped over his shoulder, Sanji wrestled a fresh cigarette free and carefully lit it while making sure to not drop any of their things. A small smile touched his lips at the comforting thought that at least Zoro would always be a constant. Always there to pester him, keep him in line, and be the incredible first mate that he was.

~X~

When Sanji found Zoro, Usopp, and Nami, he stood frozen in the entryway to the demolished garden at the sight before him. There was a square giraffe and a wolf, currently fighting a masked vigilante and a piece of fungus wielding three swords. And before Sanji made his presence known he was tempted to just walk out of the weird joke before he became a part of it. But Usopp was clearly in danger, and after a panicked scream from Nami, Sanji finally snapped to his senses and decided to put a stop to all of this.

Launching himself into the room, he made quick work of the wolf. And as Zoro and Sanji dealt with the escaped zoo animals, Usopp and Nami ran off to take the keys they currently had to Robin. It wasn’t long until Sanji was making his way back to the garden to find Zoro who had just finished taking down the weird giraffe man. Skidding across the grass as he barked, “Hey, mosshead! What happened to the key?!”

“Ah,” Casting a glance over his shoulder, Zoro grunted, “I just got it.”

Slowing his steps, Sanji came to stop beside Zoro as he noted the man from the Galley-La company with the long nose was currently passed out on the ground. So that was who the giraffe was. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Sanji glanced up at the tower that had now slid again, and the exposed sky above, “But this tower slid down again. I wonder if it’ll be okay…?”

“Who cares?” Zoro grunted, holding up his key, “Anyway, with this key, we’ve got all of them. Let’s hurry to where Robin is.”

Sanji grinned, “No need. I got a man already on it.”

Zoro arched a brow.

Pointing up, Sanji watched Zoro’s gaze shift and then looked up himself to find Usopp exactly where he had been expecting him; poised atop the building and already firing on the men surrounding Robin on the bridge. Zoro made a small, impressed noise and looked back down as Sanji pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and placed his key in it before extending his hand to Zoro to do the same. With a questioning look, Zoro dropped his key with a clink to fall atop Sanji’s and then he quickly wrapped them up and knotted the fabric.  

“USOPP!” Bellowing their sharpshooters name, Sanji tossed the keys a few times to get a feel for the weight. When he saw the man’s mask glance down, Sanji tossed the ball of clothe a final time and then kicked it straight up, “CATCH!”

A look of understanding washed over Zoro, and then both men were turning towards the Gates of Justice and watching with bated breath as the next few minutes would play out. Sanji pulled out a telescope to watch the whole thing through the massive hole in the wall Zoro had no doubt put there during his fight. A grin breaking out across his face as Usopp fired another shot directly into the CP-9 director’s face and sent him sprawling on his ass.

“Look at that,” Sanji looked away long enough to grin at Zoro before glancing down the telescope again, “our sharpshooter rules.”

“Does he really need to sing?” Zoro mumbled to himself as he glanced up at Usopp.

“Take that shit you, bastards! Robin, run!!!”

Lowering the telescope, Sanji glanced over to find Zoro watching him intently. All battered and bruised, there was still a bit of blood leaking down his forehead, but otherwise completely fine as he stared at Sanji. There was something intense in that look and the way he stood that had Sanji’s knees going weak. It was always the worst after a fight.

“What, dumbass?”

It came out a bit harsher than intended, but it was all he could think to do in response to the way that stare was affecting him. Better to go on high alert than let his guard down and have the swordsman catch on to more than he wanted him to.

Zoro stood uncomfortably quiet for a few moments, that look wavering before he coughed and jerked his head in dismissal, “You’re hopeless, cook.”

Mouth falling open, Sanji instinctively wanted to respond to the jab with something smarmy of his own, but there was a fondness to the swordsman’s tone that derailed his thoughts. Slack jawed and telescope hanging from hands as he looked at the alpha in surprise. An alpha that didn’t seem at all aware with what he had said and was still gazing out across Enies Lobby to the Gate beyond.

Jaw snapping shut, Sanji brought the telescope back up and had to force himself to pay attention to what was going on. Not sure why Zoro’s words were getting to him so badly, and pretty sure that the swordsman didn’t even realize exactly what he had done.

Tonguing his cigarette in agitation, Sanji cast a quick side glance the alpha’s way before focusing back on Robin. Watching as Franky undid her cuffs with the delivered keys. Choking out a response he hoped didn’t sound too forced, “Shut up, mosshead.”

~X~

When Sanji first opened his eyes he wasn’t entirely certain where he was, the sight of sunlight and stone causing him to frown. Everything was a heavy miasma of confusion, pain, and nausea. His whole body felt like it had been crushed by a falling building, and a particularly nasty pain was flaring up his side from when--

Zoro!

Eyes flying open this time, Sanji bit back the dizzying pain tempting him to hurl and instead pushed himself to his feet. It took a bit more effort than he had expected, a hand falling to his tender side where Zoro had slammed his sword into and had definitely busted something. He made a note to pay the stubborn guy back for that at some point.

As he took a step, he nearly crumpled back to the ground as an unbelievable pain flared up his right leg and he had to brace himself on a large piece of concrete to stabilize himself. Glancing down at his exposed shin, he couldn’t see any bone sticking through the skin, but there was enough of a splintering sensation that he knew something had to be broken.

Sanji growled to himself, he didn’t have time for this.

Casting a look over his shoulder, he noticed more people getting back to their feet and Luffy was jumping up and down happily and clapping his hands together. The rest of the crew marvelling at how energetic Luffy was, and the bad feeling in Sanji’s gut getting worse.

How can he be alright?

Looking back out to the battlefield where he’s last seen Zoro and Kuma facing off, he mumbled to himself, “Where did that guy go?”

Could it be…?!

As everyone was slowly coming to and checking on each other, Sanji took off running through the wasteland that was left after Kuma’s bomb had gone off. Ignoring the pain of his leg as he searched for what felt like hours as the pounding in his chest kept getting louder and louder in his ears. He couldn’t believe that Kuma had actually taken Zoro away. Wouldn’t.

That idiot!

Stumbling to a halt atop a large piece of rubble, Sanji looked down on the clearing where a familiar man stood, arms crossed and a stoic look darkening his face. Relief flooded Sanji’s body at the sight and the knowledge that Kuma hadn’t taken Zoro’s head like the man had so foolishly offered up for their captain. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he forced himself forward to carefully skid down the smooth part of the concrete and land on the ground. His busted leg twinging, but easy to ignore as he hurried forward.

“You scared the shit out of me!” Sanji admitted around a rough laugh, still unable to believe that he was looking at the other man right now. Even though he hadn’t let himself imagine the worst, he couldn’t stop himself from trembling now in relief that Zoro was still alive. Fighting to keep that tremor from reaching his voice as he glanced around, “Oi! Where did that Warlord go?”

Zoro didn’t respond.

As he got closer he began to realize something was very wrong, and each step closer had him noticing that the dirt around them was an unhealthy shade of black. It wasn’t until he was a few feet away that he could see that the swordsman was covered in blood. Blood stained every part of the swordsman and rivulets still continued to stream down his face, winding a disturbing path through the cracks of old, dried blood.

Sanji’s panic returned tenfold as he stepped forward and barked, “Why the hell is there so much blood? Oi… are you still alive? Where’d that guy go? What on earth happened here?”

“Nothing…” Zoro’s voice was a bloody gurgle, “nothing at all.”

Rushing forward, Sanji settled next to the man and propped him up to make sure that he wouldn’t fall over. Immediately, he felt blood soaking into his clothes. A sticky sensation of tepid liquid that immediately had chill running up Sanji’s spine as he was used to the swordsman being covered in blood, but not when it was just his own. Hand falling to the alpha’s hip, he gripped tight as he reached up to grab the swordsman by the wrist to pull the man’s arm around Sanji’s shoulders.

It was hard to get a grip and his hand slipped from all the blond, but eventually he managed to haul Zoro better into his hold. They took a step and it seemed that all of Zoro’s remaining will power had been locked into keeping him upright and the second he moved gravity became too much. All his weight slumping forward as his bloody wrist slipped from Sanji’s hand.

They tumbled to the ground in a heap as Sanji’s injured leg took the brunt of the fall as he tried his best to keep himself between Zoro and the ground. Laying still for a moment and holding onto the swordsman as he grit his teeth and hissed through the pain.

Gently rolling Zoro onto his back, the swordsman still remained sprawled on Sanji’s good leg as he pushed himself up to look down at the swordsman. His eyes were closed and his breathing was almost non-existent. It was nearly impossible to tell through all the blood and dirt, but the alpha’s skin had taken on a sickly pallor.

Panic had Sanji’s body jumping into overdrive and adrenaline pumped through his veins with an icy chill that steadied his hands, but caused the rest of his body to tremble. Each exhale a rattle of emotions as he never thought he’d see the other this helpless, that he would also be forced to watch while unable to do anything.

“Cho--” Sanji’s throat seized and his skin felt on fire. His next word a hoarse whisper, instead of a commanding scream, “Chopper.”

Eyes sliding shut, Sanji tried to focus beyond the panic gripping him like a vice. He’d never really let himself admit it before now, but there was something so much beyond their bond as crewmembers that Sanji felt for the stupid swordsman. And if he lost him now...

Again he tried to call for their doctor, but a choked word was all he got out, “Chop--”

“...kh.”

Sanji’s head snapped up at the sound, eyes flying open as he looked down at Zoro. His eyes were open again but there was a haziness to them that let Sanji know there was barely anything keeping Zoro here right now. Sanji’s throat still locked as all he could do was look down at the other.

Bloodshot eyes flickered down before coming back up. Zoro watching Sanji expectantly as the blond turned to look at the hand Zoro had rested on his own stomach and the index finger currently trembling as he raised it. Other fingers following the motion until his whole hand was raised off himself and trembling like a leaf in the wind.

Without another word, Sanji slipped his hand around Zoro’s and held on tight. His hand was shaking just as bad as Zoro’s, but there was a steadiness in Zoro’s eyes that he seemed to be glaring into Sanji.

“...cook…”

Wind swept up around them, and for a haunting moment Sanji felt everything around them moving in a slow daze; leaves rustling in the trees, birds distantly taking flight, dust motes in the early morning light drifting around them. Sanji’s breath caught in his throat. Sunlight bathed both of them, and suddenly everything felt too bright as the breeze around them swirled to a crescendo.

Whipping Sanji’s hair about his face as it twisted around him and rose, with it a breathlessness that he wasn’t even certain he could control. Each winding torrent around them felt like it was swirling just as tightly in his chest. Rising and rising until it snapped and everything fell still once more. An extreme calm took over Sanji and suddenly his earlier clouded vision was cleared, he felt exhausted but his fear was gone.

A sigh of relief slipped past Zoro’s lips and the tension on his face waned. He forced a small smile before his eyes fell shut, but he kept that reassuring hold on Sanji’s hand. For a moment Sanji feared the worst but he could see a bit of colour returning to the swordsman’s cheeks, and though his breathing had steadied, it was more calm than weak.

Dragging his free hand over his face, Sanji huffed softly to himself as he still wasn’t certain what that was all about, and how he’d managed to calm down so quickly. He shook off those thoughts for now and pushed himself up. Being very careful with his own leg as he pulled Zoro up by their clasped hands that he now refused to let go. Getting Zoro up and propped against himself as he began limping the both of them towards the castle.

“C’mon, you crazy bastard.”

It was slow, but they moved purposefully, and when the castle and crew came into sight Sanji almost buckled in relief. Hand tangling in the damp, bloody fabric of Zoro’s haramaki, Sanji found his voice and bellowed until a flock of birds took flight, “CHOPPER!”

~X~

With Zoro patched up and resting, Sanji was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and waited quietly as Chopper finished patching up some of the more urgent injuries among the present crews. Thankfully most the pain from earlier had faded after finding Zoro, so he did nothing more than sit and watched Zoro’s sleeping form. Mind still racing with the knowledge that the swordsman wasn’t going to die.

He hadn’t expected to react so strongly to the notion, and even before when Zoro had initially offered his head to Kuma, Sanji had acted without thinking and put himself between the Warlord and the alpha. Stupid crush or not, the swordsman had become important to him along this voyage. It wasn’t something he could just cast aside without fighting for, even if Zoro knocked him out for his efforts….

A pair of hooves appeared at his feet, and Sanji glanced up to see the small doctor looking at him expectantly, “How about you Sanji? What happened to you?”

“Uh,” Sanji glanced down at his exposed leg that he was still gripping, “My leg.”

“Alright.” Chopper nodded, “Let’s get you to the medical room we set up inside; it’s more stocked than out here. Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Waving off the doctor, Sanji nodded in Zoro’s direction, “I hauled his heavy ass back on it, I can handle a short walk.”

Chopper nodded happily and then prompted Sanji to follow after him as he began making for a room just beyond the makeshift gathering area that had been set up. They got to the small doctors office Chopper had set up, and it seemed that thanks to Hogback it was very well stocked.

Sprawled out on the cot Chopper had set up, Sanji rolled up the pant on the right leg and set it down for the doctor to take a look at. Hopping up on the bed, Chopper gently began inspecting the limb with his little hooves. Pressing here, prodding there, making little hums and noises before he finally glanced up at Sanji. 

“What was wrong with your leg?”

"Uh…” Arching a brow, Sanji hummed for a moment, “It was broken?"

Lips pressing together, Chopper made a noise of understanding and glanced back down at Sanji’s leg. A thoughtful look on his face as he was silent for several moments. He then looked back up at Sanji and shrugged, "Well, it's not."

A laugh bubbled out of Sanji.

"I don't think you understand Chopper,” Sanji chuckled, sitting a bit more upright as he pointed to the large bruise on his shin, “I know when I've broken something. And I can say, with certainty, that I shattered my shin on Kuma's face."

It was Chopper’s turn to sound a little exasperated as he ran a hoof over the bruise and explained, "The bone is completely intact. It's tender, but healed. I could do some more testing, but from what I can tell it feels like it’s nearly three weeks into remodeling.”

“How’s that possible?” Sanji balked, watching as Chopper hopped down off the bed and turned to look up at Sanji, “I broke it a couple hours ago!”

“Without a devil fruit,” Chopper had the grace to look a little uncomfortable before muttering, “the only other explanation I could have is a healing bond."

Body going stock still, Sanji remained frozen on the bed for a few moments as he looked down at the doctor as he tried to convince himself he had misheard. Slowly pushing himself up, he slid his legs from the bed, and let his pant leg fall back to cover his bruised shin. Still gripping the edges of the bed in a deathgrip as he cast a hurried glance at the door ensure they were alone.

Turning back to Chopper, he leaned in and whispered in a fast tone, "What are you talking about?"

"Bonded mates." Chopper explained, "I've done endless research on humans and their hierarchical genetics; it's really quite fascinating actually. I mean primary genders, and secondary genders, and how interchangeable they all are, not to mention the physiological differences! Did you know that male alphas have a kn--”

Reaching out to grab the excitable deer by the shoulders, Sanji turned Chopper to face him while trying to keep the panic from his tone. He shook the little deer as gently as he could while still enough to get the doctor to turn his attention back to him, "Chopper, focus!"

"Oh, uh, yeah." Chopper shook himself, waiting until Sanji let go and set him back on the ground before regaining his train of thought. Waving a hoof about as he explained, "Once mates are bonded they share a link of sorts."

“What?”

The question was more rhetorical than anything else as Sanji knew better than anyone else the precarious position his genetics put him in terms of importance. But this was all still news to him, especially that he might be bonded to someone.

When had it happened?

“It can manifest as shared emotions, or even thoughts, but that's much more rare.” Chopper was in full doctor mode now as he rambled, “There's also been cases where they are able to heal each other, or at least accelerate the healing process when joined together, but that is a much less explored area of research.”

"I…" Sanji trailed off in horror before nearly yelling, "But I'm not mated!"

"No, but you smell bonded." Chopper insisted, with an added sniff to be sure, "I actually meant to ask when Zoro found out."

The blood drained from Sanji’s face and he felt something cold drop through him like a stone, "WHAT?!"

“You and Zoro.” Chopper clarified, “I noticed that Zoro smelled a lot more like you while I was treating him, but I assumed it was because you had just carried him. Now that I can smell it on you though, it makes a lot more sense.”

"I'm not bonded to Zoro!" Sanji hissed, eyes darting around fervently. Coming back to level on Chopper as he brandished a finger, "And the dumb swordsman, definitely, doesn't know!"

"You haven't told--?"

"No!"

"Well tell me what happened then because otherwise I'm out of ideas."

"I already explained everything. I found the swordsman covered in blood and I tried to carry him back but my leg was too messed up." Running a hand through his hair, Sanji was becoming anxious just remembering the scenario, "It looked like he was going to die right there and I panicked. We--"

"'You'?"

Puffing on his cigarette, Sanji glared down at it as though it was his fault he was in this mess, "We held hands and it… calmed me - us - both down. And then I carried him back until we found you."

"Near death. Panicking.” Choppered mused, “You were both in very fragile states, both mentally and physically. It more than explains what could have happened.”

“You’ve lost me.”

“Intercourse isn't the only way to form a bond between mates.”

"Don't say that word."

"What?” Chopper tilted his head innocently, “Mates?"

"No. The othe-- You know what? Nevermind. That's not the point." Sanji waved his hands dismissively, "What were you saying about mating?"

"People often assume that sex needs to occur to form a bond with your mate, but really all that's required is a strong emotional experience. Typically intercourse provides that, so people often conflate the two; most people believe bonding can only happen with intercourse."

"Wai--" Sanji choked out hoarsely, "W-what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that a near death experience can activate that kind bond just as easily." Chopper explained, "And from what you're describing that sounds like what happened."

No. No. Nonono.

This wasn't happening.

"Zoro was bleeding out, you were panicking.” Chopper raised one hoof and then the other as he listed off both himself and Zoro. Finally bringing both hooves together with a soft pap as he exclaimed, “You calmed and healed each other once a mutual bond was formed between you."

Mated-- No. Bonded to Zoro.

How could this have happened?

Obviously Chopper had explained the how, but that still didn’t explain how either of them had been compatible in any way to let this happen. Sure they were nakama, and sure they had each others backs, but it wasn’t like they had felt anything else beyond that. Or at least he was certain Zoro hadn’t. Avoiding the cigarette still clasped between his lips, Sanji rubbed his hands against his face in agitation as he lamented, “What am I gonna do?”

“Isn’t this a good thing?”

“No!” Sanji’s hands fell away and he looked up at Chopper, “This is a very, very bad thing; not only do I not want to be mated, the guy I’m mated to is going to try to kill me when he finds out.”

“Well, bonded…” Chopper corrected, “Mating is only once the mates have consummated their relationship.”

Another embarrassed groaned slipped out of Sanji, still far too freaked out about this to be imagining him and Zoro consummating anything. Not that he hadn’t thought about it on occasion, but now definitely wasn’t the time to be thinking about that; he had a much bigger issue to deal with!

“Will it just… go away on it’s own?” Sanji mumbled hopelessly into his hands, “Is that a thing?”

“Almost every text I’ve ever read on the matter is about how wonderful and sacred a bonding is.” Chopper frowned, “I can’t think of many cases where people have wanted to break it."

"Sacred." Pushing himself to his feet, Sanji practically spat the word as he rolled his eyes. As he took another trembling inhale on his smoke he realized it had burned down to the filter and he tossed it aside in frustration as he began patting himself down in search of another, “It’s because they’re brainwashed.”

“I don’t think you’re giving your own people enough credit.”

“Oh, my people?” Pausing in his search to glance at Chopper, Sanji’s voice was scathing, “Do tell.”

“It’s a mutual bond.” Chopper stressed, “Even if an alpha were to force himself on someone; they wouldn’t be bonded. It’s why the myth that intercorse is the only way to mate is so toxic. I imagine it leads to a lot of omegas in relationships that they think they can’t leave. But if you’re really bonded, it’s because both of you were joined by similar feelings.”

“You’re saying that…” Sanji remained very still as what Chopper was saying was starting to add up, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up stupidly. Watching Chopper carefully as he asked skeptically, “Zoro felt the same as I did?”

“Yes!” Chopper sounded almost too relieved, a smile on his face. “It couldn’t have happened if he didn’t.”

“Well…" Hands falling to his sides, Sanji gave up on his search once he realized he'd left his pack of smokes back at the main hall. Still not willing to even open himself up to the idea that Zoro could possibly like him the way he had started to fall for the alpha these past few months. He rounded on Chopper and waved his arms hysterically, "I just didn’t want him to die…”

Chopper didn't look convinced.

“L-look, this doesn’t make sense.” Sanji frowned while pinching the bridge of his nose, “If this is the case, then how are people not getting bonded constantly; to their friends and stuff.”

A look of confusion twisted Chopper’s face and when he spoke he sounded just as thrown, “I mean… they do. We go through life constantly forming smaller bonds with everyone around us. They’re just sometimes less noticeable.”

“Then how come I can’t heal Nami?” Sanji balked, "O-o-or Robin?!"

“I said before this is a bond between mates. I can’t speak for you," Chopper paused and looked away guiltily, "or for Zoro, but I think both of you feel something for the other that you might not want to admit.”

It took everything in Sanji not to grimace in distaste at the doctor's words.

This was the worst.

Never in a million years would he think these feelings for Zoro would come back to bite him in the ass like this. All he had hoped for was to keep sharing their small quarrels and late night drinking sessions without anything getting between that. If he had to pine forever, so be it.

Not to mention, part of him had always just suspected that he hadn’t actually liked the guy and had blamed his stupid omega senses and Zoro’s stupid alpha pheromones. But Zoro wasn’t able to smell that he was an omega, so if he liked Sanji then that meant that he…

Groaning into his hands, Sanji wasn’t certain whether this crushing sensation in his chest was from horror or excitement. It also didn’t help that ever since him and Zoro had ‘bonded’ that his craving in the pit of his stomach refused to go away, but that was something he would definitely not be telling the good doctor.

“Sanji?”

Glancing up, he found Chopper watching him with a look of concern now, and he let out a long breath to calm himself. He didn’t want to upset Chopper. Forcing out a smile and pushing himself to his feet he reassured, “I’m okay, Chopper. This is all just a lot to take in.”

“What are you gonna go?”

The apprehension in Chopper’s voice sounded like he was worried Sanji was about to go do something crazy, like go dump Zoro in the ocean, or himself. Which was a little tempting now that he had thought of it, it would at least postpone the awful conversation with the swordsman.

Was death an option?

What he said was, “I’m not sure.”

“I know you don’t want the crew to know, but this isn’t something we can keep quiet about,” Chopper mumbled, “Zoro needs to know. As his doctor I need to let him know.

“Okay! Okay…” Sanji heaved a sigh, “Just let me figure out things first, please?”

“You have to tell him.”

“I will!” Sanji huffed, “but not while he’s still like this. And not while I...”

It felt like his world was coming apart. In another universe he would've been relieved to find out that the stupid swordsman felt how he did, but not this one. Not where he had spent so long hiding and concealing what he was; being something that he had been reminded repeatedly ever since he had presented was weak and inferior.

He fought his whole life to prove he was much more than what these stupid genetics told society he was, that he was worth just as much as any alpha. And now in a single moment all that had been undone. His own emotions betraying him. It wasn't Zoro's fault, but somehow it felt like it was and Sanji wanted to scream. He wanted to kick something. He wanted…

Before he could let himself finish the thought which he already knew the answer to, Sanji growled in frustration and stormed out of the room. And before Chopper could say another word to stop him, he screamed out into the deserted hallway, “Ugh! I need time to think…”

~X~

This was the best day of Sanji’s life.

Kidnapping, gang fights, and awkward reunion with fishmen aside, Sanji had gotten to meet a real life mermaid, and a cutie at that. Everything about her was perfect and adorable from the top for her lovely green hair, all the way down to the tip of her pretty pink tail. He’d dreamed of this day, and Keimi did not disappoint in the slightest.

It was such a phenomenal day that nothing could dampen his spirits, not even the whole Duval confrontation, which is why he hummed happily while preparing tea. Hearts in his eyes and a dopey smile on his face. Keimi and Hachi had treated them to a wonderful meal, the least he could do was prepare her, and Hachi, some of his finest tea. 

Twirling across the kitchen to begin grabbing mugs and trays, his motion was halted as he noticed someone standing at the entrance to the galley. Chopper stood in front of the door, his arms were crossed and there was a stern expression on his face. Sanji would have found it much more threatening if the deer wasn’t so adorable, but nonetheless the look stopped him in his tracks as he knew that whatever he had to say wasn’t going to be good.

“You still haven’t told him.”

"Uh, no. No, not yet." Sanji tried to wave it off casually, but Chopper's disapproving look had him wavering. Casting a quick glance to the door to ensure they were alone before going about grabbing all the kitchenware he needed for the steeping tea, "I didn't get the chance."

Chopper uncrossed his arms and took a step forward with disapproval, "Sanji!"

"I know. I know!" Sanji lamented, turning back to the tea resting on the counter and beginning to transfer all the pots onto a tray along with the mugs. Digging through the cupboards for milk, and sugar, "I promise I'll do it when we get to Sabaody."

When he closed the cupboard, Chopper was now in the kitchen glaring up at him. He hadn’t said a word but the disappointed look on his face was enough to make Sanji feel a little guilty. Chopper was always surprisingly good at the guilt trips; it was probably from all the practice he got as this crew’s doctor.

"We can sit down and talk about it there." Stopping in his preparations, Sanji waved a hand about the ship as he reasoned, “If we do it on the ship, we’re gonna destroy half of it in a fight and I don’t want to upset Franky.”

“Uh huh.” Chopper cleared his throat, but didn’t sound convinced.

"Look Chopper," Rolling his eyes at Chopper’s insistant behaviour, he stepped around the deer and threw the last of the necessary items on the tray. Not about to let Chopper ruin his afternoon as he snatched it up, and turned back to face him as Sanji sighed, "there's a beautiful mermaid waiting out in deck for me to shower with affection, and we have an entire half the world to sail where Zoro and I can hate each other plenty once I tell him. Let me have this."

Stepping in front of Sanji’s path, Chopper argued, "You said that at Thriller Bark."

"I said I needed time to think." Sanji snorted and stepped over the small deer, making his way across the galley as Chopper began trotting after him. Babbling his name until Sanji reached the door and he turned back to find the flustered deer and attempted to pacify him, "Alright. Just an hour more, please."

"If you don't tell him at Sabaody,” It was hard to take Chopper’s threats seriously, but the small doctor managed to put some weight in this one, “then I will."

"Fine." Sanji huffed, already pushing his way out of the galley with tea in hand. Winking at the deer, "but that won't be necessary."

~X~

Everything had gone so horribly wrong.

Lulled into a false sense of security after rescuing Keimi, they hadn’t been prepared for everything that was waiting for them at Sabaody. From Keimi getting taken to the Auction House, Hachi getting shot, Luffy punching a Celestial Dragon, and an Admiral showing up on the island; they had definitely gotten in over their heads. However, it wasn’t until they had taken down one of the Pacifistas and were now forced to split up that Sanji realized just how screwed they were.

None of them stood a chance, and even Luffy had met his match as the large man with the battle axe was blocking his every move. Rayliegh had come to their rescue to stop the Admiral, but even as they ran the Pacifistas were chasing them down one by one. Sanji ran next to Nami and without even looking he knew something was wrong. A combination of an intuitive sense, and something else deep in his soul had him turning to look at the distant hillside as his fear was confirmed. The cyborg had its sights on the other group and it was clearly zeroing in on their weakest member.

“Damn it!’ Sanji cussed, skidding to a halt, “He’s going after Usopp’s group!”

After Zoro...

And then he did the unthinkable.

“Franky, you bastard, watch over Nami with your life!”

“Sanji?!”

Sanji didn’t even pause to look back - not even for the sweet call of his name on Nami’s lips - as he sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him to the source of the explosions. To where the rest of their crew were being attacked. To where Zoro was.

“Be careful!” He called over his shoulder, “I’ll be fine!”

It was impossible to ignore now. That loud ringing in his head as his body screamed for his mate. Part of him had hoped that Chopper’s diagnosis was wrong, but there was no mistaking it now. He could feel his link to Zoro pounding in his chest, and each passing second had him growing only more and more panicked.

A bright light flashed as Brook darted in between the Pacifista and Usopp who was currently hauling Zoro’s limp body, an explosion following a moment later as Brook fell to the ground. Sanji’s rage peaking further as he saw the cyborg step over his fallen comrade and reach out for Zoro and Usopp next.

“Stop right there, you shitty bastard!” Sanji roared as he launched himself at the Pacifista.

Leg ablaze as he connected a brutal kick to the back of the robot and sent him crashing to the ground. Tumbling into his landing, Sanji came to stop sprawled on the ground between the Pacifista, and Zoro and Usopp. His leg flaring up as the injury he had gotten back on Thriller Bark still wasn’t completely healed and after all the punishment he had put it through to defeat the other Pacifista, it was about at its limit. Any more and he was going to rebreak it.

But that didn’t matter.

His friends. His mate. They were all in danger.

Weakly pushing himself up, he looked up as Usopp had paused to look back and yell, “Run, Sanji! He’s aiming for you!”

“You idiot!” Sanji bellowed, “GET GOING ALREADY!”

Get away… Get Zoro somewhere safe...

The beam passed narrowly by Sanji’s head and hit the ground near Usopp. Dirt and rocks sent up in a spray as both crewmates were sent flying, but neither of them had a chance to recover as several more shots lit up the area. Through the blinding pain, Sanji was barely able to crack an eye open to see all three of his crewmates sprawled across the ground, devastated by the explosions.

Another blast started to charge up from the Pacifistas hand and Sanji tilted his head back to grit out, “Look out!”

Usopp pushed himself and coughed through the haze of dirt still falling around them, “I’m sorry I dropped you, Zoro! Are you okay?”

Pushing himself to his feet, Sanji put himself between the Pacifista and Zoro once more, waiting for Usopp to grab him but the same fate as before followed. Explosions lit up the area, and soon Sanji was back on the ground, more bloody than before, with Brook, and Zoro following shortly after.

Face down in the rubble, Sanji could feel Usopp tugging at his sleeve, encouraging him and Brook to get up and run away. Everything in his body burned, and despite his struggles to push himself back up, it felt like he was finally at his limit.

A terrified scream from Usopp had Sanji turning his head, and his blood running cold as the sight of another Pacifista had him losing all hope. But there was something different about this one. And when Zoro pushed himself to his knees and looked up, he realized that the man must’ve been the real deal; the Warlord.

It took everything in him to raise his head and watch as Zoro slowly pushed himself to his feet and faced off against the Warlord. They were talking, but Sanji couldn’t hear a word past the screaming, explosions, and rushing panic in his ears. All he could do was stand and watch as Kuma’s hand lowered to touch Zoro and the next moment the alpha was gone.

The loud pop that echoed across the plain at Zoro disappearing was the last thing Sanji heard before collapsing back to the ground while staring at the place the alpha had stood only moments before. Now an empty space as a hole had been torn open inside Sanji just as quickly as the swordsman had vanished.

Usopp was at his side, but he couldn’t hear any of his words. The sniper grabbed his arm and began pulling Sanji up to take his weight on his shoulder and it was only then that he realized that the guy was trying to get him up and help him escape. As he stumbled away with Usopp, he glanced back in time to see Brook throw himself between Kuma and them, only for that same hand to fall to him as well.

Another loud pop broke through the ringing in Sanji’s ears, but that was all he could hear before the pounding of blood in his ears returned and Usopp was releasing him as he fell back to the ground. Braced weakly on the grass as Usopp’s mouth opened and he desperately screamed a word the cook couldn’t hear.

First Zoro… now Brook…

Zoro…

Hands sliding up into his hair, Sanji gripped the hair and pulled. The man would sneer if he could see how helpless and frozen Sanji currently was, he'd never let him live it down, and yet here he was kneeling on the ground uselessly.

“Shit!” Sanji screamed, his own voice finally breaking through the din as the ringing was now being replaced with screams and explosions. His shell shock breaking as he growled to himself, “What the hell am I doing?!”

Staring into space?!

Losing two nakama right before his eyes?!

Launching himself to his feet, he landed right in front of Usopp with a hand still braced on the ground to keep himself steady as the other went behind him and shoved Usopp back. Glaring down the real Warlord as he snarled, “Get your ass out of here, Usopp!”

He could feel Usopp tugging desperately at the back of his jacket, and Luffy was shouting something at him, but it was all white noise as his rage had not only cancelled out his pain, but his other senses as well. All he had left was that gaping hole in his chest and a desperation to save his friends.

Knocking Usopp off him, Sanji jumped up with the intention of putting his foot through the Warlord’s face, but it connected with a padded palm and he was sent flying into some nearby rocks. Barely pushing himself up and out of the rubble in time to see Kuma’s hand connect with the Usopp and that loud pop rung out once more before he disappeared as well.

“Damn it!” Sanji screamed as he sprinted directly at Kuma. Launching himself at the Warlord with his leg raised once more, and before Sanji could say anything else, that palm connected with him and he fell unconscious as well.

TBC...

Chapter Text

A faint breeze wafted in through the open window and chilled the sweat on his skin. Zoro’s eyes fluttered open and he gazed out onto the ruins of Kuraigana Island and the dank forest that lay beyond; after months at sea it was weird to smell pines and earth on the wind instead of sea salt. It wasn’t all bad though, it reminded him of home.

His gaze eventually fell to the crumpled newspaper on the sill that he had been handling too much these past couple days. Even after he had gotten Luffy’s message, he couldn’t stop himself from holding it and wondering just how well Luffy was doing after losing Ace. Where the crew was and if they had gotten Luffy’s message…

Sensing a presence, Zoro pushed off the cool stone and sat up in bed, watching as Perona floated through a nearby wall and came to hover at his bedside. She twirled her obnoxious parasol before pouting, “Mihawk sent me to find out how you’re doing?”

“Healing.” Zoro grunted.

It was slow going. All the injuries he had gotten from Kuma had reopened while fighting the baboons, and all the new ones he had gained were only just now starting to heal. Not to mention he was still feverish and uncomfortable ever since the cook had… done whatever he had...

“You look grumpier than usual.”

Zoro tried to limit his exasperated sigh so it wouldn’t stretch his stitches, “I won’t see my captain or my crew for two years.”

“Hm, that’s fair, I suppose.” Perona huffed, kicking her feet idly as she waved a disgusted hand while gesturing to Zoro’s body, “Why are you all… sweaty?”

“I don’t know.” Pressing his slick forehead in his hand, Zoro rubbed at the clammy skin there as he groaned. It had gotten worse since the crew had been separated, not that it had been entirely tolerable before either. At least while in Sabaody there had been stuff to distract him from this wanting sensation. “It’s been like this ever since Thriller Bark. Won’t go away.”

"You sick?"

Dropping his hand, Zoro grunted, "I don't get sick."

"Excuuuse me." Perona huffed with a sardonic roll of her eyes, "My mistake."

Swivelling in the air while dramatically flipping her hair over her shoulder, she began to float away as Zoro leaned back against the wall with a relieved sigh. Letting his eyes fall shut as he returned to focusing on resting his body and meditating to get a better handle on this uncomfortable yearning that thrummed through his limbs.

He was still certain it was all the cook's fault.

All his recollections of the cook when he had found him after Kuma were a little fuzzy, but he had several distinct sensations he couldn’t shake. Before, it had been a foggy miasma of pain, torture, and suffering. After, all he could really recall was the rough texture of the cook’s hand in his, and a whirlwind of sensation that had dulled the pain and eased his racing heart.

When he had initially woken up on Thriller Bark after Chopper had patched him up he hadn’t been able to remember it, but the longer he had spent thinking of the cook, the clearer the memories had become. And he was certain that they had to have something to do with this ache.

Eyes snapping open, Zoro jerked his head to look over as the door to his chambers was pushed open and Mihawk entered. It was clear he had been disturbed while lounging in some part of the castle, but despite that he didn’t seem particularly annoyed.

“See!” Perona hovered into the room beside the Warlord and pointed at Zoro childishly as though Mihawk wasn’t capable of taking in the situation all on his own, “There’s something wrong with him!”

“Stop screaming in my ear, girl.”

Sitting upright now, Zoro watched the man approach while sending a quick look of betrayal to the ghost girl. He hadn’t wanted her to tell Mihawk of all people. Zoro was already asking so much of the man, the last thing he needed was for him to be checking in on Zoro.

Coming to stand near the bed, Zoro immediately stiffened but kept quiet as the man reached out to absently place the back of his hand against Zoro’s forehead. Leaving it there for several seconds as Zoro had an existential crisis over the man he had sworn to kill, and now his mentor, checking his temperature like he was a child. If he wasn’t so embarrassed he might’ve said something to get the man to back off.

Instead he just sat in painful silence as Mihawk’s hand fell away and he snatched up Zoro’s wrist next. Keeping two fingers pinched against the vein as he took Zoro’s pulse. It was the longest minute of his life, and when Mihawk finally let go he wanted to pull the covers over his head and die.

“You’re not ill.” Mihawk deduced as he slid his hands into his pockets. Zoro biting his tongue to keep from saying something smarmy as the man continued, “You’re suffering from separation sickness.”

Zoro had never heard of that, “What?”

“When you’re suddenly separated from your mate,” Mihawk explained while trying his best not to seem tired by the whole exchange, “I assume they got blasted somewhere far away like you were.”

Zoro stilled.

“...what?”

“It’s not something to be concerned about, Roronoa.” With a shrug, Mihawk turned towards the door as a dull ringing started in Zoro’s ears. The Warlord raising a hand and adding congenitally as he began to make for the door, “It’s worse with newly bonded mates, but yo--”

Everything slowly began fading. That ringing had continued while Zoro had begun to realize the implications of what the Warlord was saying, and it grew louder until it had completely swallowed up Mihawk’s words. His gaze locking onto the footboard of the bed before going out of focus as one by one his senses abandoned him until he was left with the horrifying mantra of what Mihawk had just said.

He was… mated?

Despite how sweaty he already was, he felt a panic restrict his chest and heat rise to his skin that left him painfully hot and more than a little bothered. Everything felt stifling, and the hotter he got, the harder it was to breath, the less he was able to rationally focus on how the hell this was all possible.

How could he be…?

Sanji!

All his senses snapped back into focus at once, but he still wasn’t able to stop his panting breaths. Turning sharp eyes to the retreating Warlord as he realized in a panic that the man was the only person that currently had any form of answers for him. And he was currently leaving.

“Wait!” Zoro yelped as he clamoured out of bed, tripping over the sheets and falling to the floor. Catching himself on his hands and knees before stumbling to his feet after Mihawk who had paused to watch the spectacle. He remained completely neutral as he waited for Zoro to declare through flushed, heavy breaths, “I’m not mated!”

A flicker of confusion ghosted across the Warlord’s face, and then he was muttering calmly, “Yes, you are.”

“I…” Zoro trailed off as his mind was still buzzing with what he had just been told. Obviously it would explain everything; his obsession with the cook every since Thriller Bark, how much the man’s scent had been haunting him, and this ache deep in his bones. However, there was no way they could be mated.

He and the cook hadn’t even…

“I can’t be…” Zoro argued. Scrunching his eyes shut through his embarrassment and shaking his head adamantly, “I never--”

There was a horrible silence that followed the sentence he hadn’t been able to finish; not needing to as the implication was obvious. He cracked open an eye to look up at Mihawk, as he found the man watching him with an interesting expression, rather than one of judgement. He slowly opened both eyes and looked up at the Warlord quietly as he waited.

A small laugh shook Mihawk’s shoulders, and he smirked, “You’re full of surprises, Roronoa.”

“I…” Zoro had to refrain from growling the words, “I don’t understand.”

“It’s rare, but not unheard of, for mates to bond without mating.” Mihawk’s gaze wandered up and down Zoro before he shrugged, “It takes a certain caliber of person to manage it though.”

Zoro didn’t say anything. Couldn’t.

Mihawk began to leave once more, and Zoro let him. He was still reeling from the fact that he was mated, let alone the fact that he was pretty certain Mihawk had given him a compliment of sorts. His earlier panic was dulling now as he was able to process everything; feeling was returning to his hands.

“Rest.” Mihawk finally ordered. Stopping on his way out the door to amend, “The worst of it will pass in a couple of days.”

Before Zoro had a chance to ask how on earth the Warlord knew that, the man made his leave and shut the door behind himself. Zoro stared after him for several long moments before stumbling backwards, his knees collided with the bed and he collapsed onto it. He looked down at his feet in a daze.

It all made sense, but at the same time didn’t.

Even if he and Sanji were somehow bonded because of whatever the hell Sanji had managed to do on Thriller Bark, they shouldn’t have been able too. Sanji was an alpha, he was alpha. That wasn’t even a thing.

Right?

He was brought back to the present as he could hear the pink girl fidgeting nearby; he was surprised that a ghost could manage to make so much noise. It seemed that hoping she would actually leave was too much.

With a defeated sigh, Zoro looked up and, sure enough, found her floating upside down with her face inches from his own. Still twirling the umbrella over her shoulder as she looked him over thoughtfully. Deepening his frown, Zoro grumbled, "What?

Pausing all of her fidgeting, Perona straightened despite still hovering, and came to hover in front of Zoro near the foot of his bed. She pointed down at Zoro with a frown, “So, you’re mated?”

“No, I haven’t done… that, but--” Zoro paused to glance awkwardly at the girl and before down at himself. “There's this guy on my crew, and I think we bonded… somehow..."

"That weird blond guy?"

"Yeah." Zoro scowled suspiciously, “Why?”

"I noticed it when I was bandaging you up.” Her face twisted in discomfort as she waved a hand in front of her face, “You reek of him."

“I do?” Zoro asked skeptically.

“Mhm.” She hummed and inspected her nails, “You didn’t before, but when I found you unconscious it was hard to ignore. Didn’t really make sense at the time, but I guess you’ve been busy the past couple weeks.”

A blush lit of Zoro’s face, and he could only hope that his embarrassment was masked by his already sweaty and flushed skin. He didn’t like the ghost girl’s implications, and he certainly didn’t like that his desires could be so easily guessed. It irked him that he could be so transparent. However, it seemed too late to deny it, so he just muttered, “I didn’t even know.”

“You didn’t know…” Perona twisted in the air until she was floating upside down. Crossing her arms and kicking her legs absently as she asked incredulously, “that he was your mate? You stupid as well as directonless?"

"I can't exactly smell it on him!" Zoro snarled, “He’s always smoking, and when he’s not it’s just a faint smell, not enough to notice!”

Zoro was livid. And he didn’t need Perona adding to his already confusing emotions.

Without a doubt being mated to the cook would explain everything going on with him, but that left him with several more questions than he had started with. Like wouldn’t the cook be just as affected as him? Why hadn’t the man reacted after Thriller Bark? Was this just happening to Zoro?!

“You mean he’s on suppressants?”

Frowning, Zoro looked up at the ghost girl currently watching him with a curious look, “What?”

“Suppressants. You know, to mask their scents.” Raising two fingers as though mimicking holding a cigarette, she twiddled them, "Or it could be those cigarettes, a lot of omegas use perfumes and incense and stuff so they can go mostly unnoticed by alphas.”

Another long silence stretched between them as Zoro tried to wrap his head around whatever it was Perona was trying to say. Not exactly liking what she was implying as he frowned, “But he’s an alpha…”

“Did he ever explicitly say he was?” Perona arched a brow, “Or did you just assume? Because it would certainly explain why you couldn’t smell his scent.”

"No." Zoro scowled, "He definitely…"

Well, now Zoro wasn't too sure because the more he thought about it the more he couldn't recall Sanji ever actually referring to himself as an alpha. He had initially shown up with a cocky attitude, and a fiery aggression that Zoro - and everyone else on board - had rightly assumed him to be an alpha. Plus, Zoro was never really able to pinpoint the guy’s smell, but when he did it always set him on edge so he just assumed…

“Ah huh.” Perona smirked at the look on Zoro’s face, “That’s what I thought.”

“But I…” Zoro was still floundering with this newly acquired knowledge, “He can’t be…”

"Let's do the math, shall we?" Perona righted herself and tucked her parasol under her arm. She raised a finger, "You couldn’t ever smell his scent." She raised another finger on her other hand, "Omegas are the only ones that typically try to mask their scent." Putting both hands together she looked down at Zoro, "One plus one equals two so the guy must be..."

"An omega…"

“Ding. Ding. Ding." Perona cheered monotonously, "Get the guy a prize!"

For once in a couple days Zoro finally felt cold as all the feeling in his limbs fell away and he was left sitting numb in bed as he processed Perona’s words. The longer he sat and thought about it the more it all made sense. He absently raised a hand to rub at his chest where the yearning for the cook had begun.

"So once we bonded…"

Shit… that'd explain all of it.

No wonder he felt like he was unravelling at the seams around the cook, he'd been literally sleeping next to his mate after having just bonded. No amount of suppressants would be able to block Zoro from properly smelling the cook. This was what he would’ve been feeling from day one if the cook hadn’t constantly been blowing smoke in his face.

Literally and figuratively.

It was like a dream and a nightmare all twisted into one. On one hand he was relieved that his feelings for the cook were reciprocated and that somehow him and the cook were compatible after all, but on the other he had no idea if Sanji even knew what had happened on Thriller Bark or not, and if the cook would even want this. Sanji had been so indifferent afterwards…

Perhaps his suppressants didn’t allow him to feel their connection the way Zoro did?

“So…” Perona hummed, “whatcha gonna do?”

“There’s…” Zoro cast a glance out the window once more. Just like the rest of the crew, Sanji could be anywhere on the five oceans, and neither of them would be seeing each other again for almost two years. Two years separated from the cook… from his mate. Glancing down at his bandaged hands, Zoro murmured softly, “there’s nothing I can do…”

~X~

Silence hung over the small island that had so graciously welcomed their small crew to the Grand Line. Whiskey Peak had treated them to an amazing evening of drinks and livelihood, and Zoro had made sure to abuse their hospitality by drinking as much ale as he could. But something had been off about the place from the moment they had arrived, and after gladly drinking his fill, pretended to pass out on the couch with a pleasant buzz until the festivities ended.

Once the last of the islanders had left for the night, Zoro pushed himself up into a long stretch and snatched up a half finished tankard from the table. Downing the last of it before tossing it aside with the rest of the mess on the floor as he looked at the rest of his passed out crew.

Making sure that none of them had awakened, he decided it was time to go and find out what was really going on on this island; they're behaviour had been suspicious ever since they had arrived. Maybe he’d even get a chance to properly test out his new swords; the demon blade at his hip had been obviously aching to be drawn and who was Zoro to deny it.

Stalking by the dumb cook passed out with a number of omega females, Zoro rolled his eyes at the man's horrible behaviour. Zoro had never understood the way alphas obsessed over omegas. None of their scents ever particularly interested him, and beyond that he would much rather spend his time training than in someone else’s company; it seemed the cook didn’t agree on that.

Another alpha.

That was just what this crew didn’t need. Two was more than enough trouble considering most large crews could only get away with a couple before tensions would get too high, but they were a five man crew and now the alphas outnumbered the rest of the crew. And there was something about this guy that set Zoro off worse than any other alpha he had met.

It was possibly the way that he fawned over Nami to an annoying degree, or it could’ve been that the first thing he had done upon joining the crew had been to drop out of the sky - and crash a ship on him - had been to insult him on his loss to Mihawk, or it even could've been the cherry stank of his cigarettes that made Zoro want to hurl, but whatever it was, he didn’t like the cook.

Silently making his way out and down a back alley, he found his way up to a high vantage point and watched as sure enough the people that hitched a ride on their ship came out to talk to the so called ‘mayor’ of this town. Listening quietly as they discussed their organization and plans - all of it confirming Zoro’s thoughts - and waited until he heard their conversation turned towards Zoro’s crew and he decided it was time to put an end to their plans. Withdrawing wado and holding it aloft as he spoke.

~X~

Once they had escaped Little Garden and managed to set a course directly to Alabasta, Zoro was finally scolded for getting blood all over the deck and sent to the galley as Usopp and Luffy were ordered to mop up the mess. Sanji was his typical self, praising Nami for her thoughtfulness and Zoro practically had to shove the dumb cook into the galley to get him to stop cooing over Nami and Vivi.

Zoro honestly didn't know what the fuss was about. Most of the bleeding had stopped at this point, and if anything a lot of it had been soaked up by his boots anyway. But he supposed the wounds might need to be closed. Typically, when he didn't get a laceration stitched up the wound always healed pretty gnarled.

As the galley door shut behind them, Sanji waved a hand towards the galley bench, “Right over there, loser.”

“Eh?”

“You heard me,” Sanji grunted as he quickly began cleaning the bit of dishes that he hadn't dealt with before they'd all gone wandering off into the jungle. Picking up a dirty ladle and turning to Zoro with a grin, “I won our hunting contest.”

Stomping over to the other alpha, Zoro snapped, “Like hell you did, you shit cook!”

Lowering the ladle, Sanji smacked it against one of Zoro’s shins causing the advancing swordsman to stop dead in his tracks with a sharp inhale and pinched expression. He finished the assault by raising it and lightly smacking Zoro on the forehead. An outraged look replaced the pain as a hand came up to his head and he took a step back, catching his foot on the leg of the galley table and falling back onto the bench with an indignant expression.

A wide grin split Sanji’s face and he crooned, “Good.”

Zoro snarled and began to rise, but the cook brandished the ladle with a warning look and he found that despite every fibre of his being loathed to concede to the other alpha, he complied. Instead, he sat quietly and watched as Sanji pulled out a large bowl and began filling it with water.

"I'll warn you." Sanji muttered as he continued pulling out all the necessities from various cupboards around the galley, "This is going to suck."

"I've had worse."

“Of course you have…” Sanji muttered under his breath, but Zoro still caught it. Even though he couldn't see the cook's face he knew the man was rolling his eyes.

Stubbing out his cigarette, Sanji spent a minute thoroughly washing his hands, and once done he grabbed everything and brought it over to the table. Plopping down on the bench, he waved a hand until Zoro raised a leg and put it on the bench and watched as Sanji swiftly undid the laces before pulling the boot off. Zoro had to bite down a grunt as the motion pulled at the skin and aggravated the wound.

From there on they were silent and civil as Sanji worked diligently to clean all the blood and dirt from the wound. It looked worse than Zoro had been expecting for how much it didn't hurt; the nerve damage must’ve been dulling the pain. With the skin slit, everything had pulled away to expose deep tissue and bone, and it didn't really look like there was anyway to close the wound.

Sterilizing it with a splash of alcohol, Sanji handed the bottle to Zoro, and then pulled out a needle and thread to begin stitching the wound shut. After burning the tip with his lighter, Sanji cast a look up at Zoro who finished a large swig and put the bottle back on the table. "Ready?"

"Always."

Rolling his eyes, Sanji wasted little time piercing the needle through the skin near the end of the wound and began making several tight, close stitches to pinch the skin there before tying off and then doing the same to the other side. With both sides tied off the skin was starting to pull closer together and Zoro was starting to think Sanji might actually be able to close the wound.

Zoro watched as Sanji rethread the needle for the third time and then returned to actually begin stitching the wound closed. Once again the needle pierced the skin, and Zoro watched as Sanji's thin hands skillfully pulled the stitch through and then pulled the thread taut. He could see the skin begin stretching, and just when he was certain that the thread was going to tear through the skin, it began pulling the wound shut instead. 

It clearly wasn't easy work though, as he could see the tension in Sanji's forearms and the concentration in his face as he worked. Zoro knew he didn't give the cook enough credit, but it was moments like this he knew that he really was an exemplary friend and crew member. Despite his annoying tendencies, Zoro couldn't fault him for his kindness. 

Turning his gaze away from his leg, Zoro let his eyes fall shut as he focused on meditating through the pain. Sanji working away and the sea gently rocking the ship as, for once, the two alphas were no longer at each other's throats and actually getting along. It was… kind of nice.

Zoro grimaced at the cheesy thought.

"What's wrong?"

Zoro jerked and his head snapped up to look at the cook. The alpha watched him with mild concern so he snapped, "What?"

"You looked pained," Sanii explained, "we can take a break if it hurts."

"Huh? Uh… no, it's fine." Zoro shook himself, as he finally caught on to what Sanji was referring to. Snatching up the bottle of liquor and taking a long swig to drown these confusing thoughts. When he slammed the bottle back down and felt significantly less flustered he waved a lazy had at the cook, "Finish up."

With an unimpressed look at being ordered around, Sanji returned to stitching Zoro's leg. Sanji repeated the task with Zoro’s other ankle and soon Zoro had two completely stitched up legs. As Sanji finished tying off the last stitch, he cut it, and then gave the freshly stitched wound a sharp slap while declaring, "All better, you dumbass."

A snarl immediately bubbled out of Zoro on instinct to accompany the pain, and he had to grip the table to refrain from punching the cook directly in the face. The grin on Sanji’s face told him that the cook knew exactly what he was doing, and they stared off for a long moment before Zoro conceded and pulled away.

Pouring out the last of the liquor on both legs, Sanji then wiped them both off carefully and began bandaging them. First with some salves, and then propping Zoro's foot in his lap as he carefully wrapped bandages around each wound.

The tenderness of the moment had Zoro's previous hackles falling immediately as he watched in stunned silence at the doting and gentle nature the cook was displaying. It was so polarizing to the normal alpha behaviour the cook usually displayed. Zoro wasn't certain why, but seeing the cook act like this was doing things to his head he couldn't really understand.

This time when Sanji finished tying off the bandages, instead of slapping the wound he let his hand trail across it gently before setting it aside and Zoro's shoulders stiffened. Sanji was completely unaware as he grabbed Zoro's other foot and began to repeat the motions as all Zoro could think about was how nice the cook was being. And how much he sort of liked it.

Maybe even wanted it to happen more?

Clenching both his fists at the stupid thought, he waited until Sanji finished and stood up. Watching as Sanji collected all the medical supplies and took them back to the counter along with the bin full of bloody water. Needing something to help tide over these awkward nice notions he was having towards the stupid cook, "Can I have another bottle of liquor?"

Dumping the bloody basin into the sink to be cleaned, Sanji began thoroughly washing his hands, making sure to get all the way up to the elbow before flicking them dry and grabbing a towel. He worked at drying them as he turned back to look at Zoro.

"Normally I'd tell you to fuck off, but I do suppose what you did today could be construed as an act of bravery." Sanji mused as he began walking over to the wine rack, "Albeit a stupid one."

Zoro just glared at the cook. Sanji knew he hated it when he talked like a pompous ass.

"Since it was done in an attempt to save Nami and Vivi's lives, I'll reward the behaviour this time." Drumming his fingers across several of the bottlenecks, he took his time selecting one, and once he finally did he turned on a finely polished heel to wave it towards Zoro, "Just don't make a habit of it. No one gets to play the role of the saviour for the ladies but me, got it?"

"Don't worry, shitcook." Zoro watched at Sanji purposefully placed the bottle down on the end of the table and out of his reach. Scowling at the cook, "I have no interest in either of them."

"Good." Sanji pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket, "Keep your grubby alpha mitts of 'em."

The strike of a flint and the sizzle of a flame marked Sanji lighting up a cigarette, and after a few moments that cherry smell wafted about the galley. It smothered the scent of the alpha and immediately Zoro felt his head grow a little clearer. Snatching up the bottle, Zoro threw himself to his feet and made for the door. He needed to put as much space between himself and Sanji as possible until he was able to sort out what the hell was going on.

"A thank you would be nice." Sanji cajoled just before the door shut behind Zoro.

~X~

A chill had settled over the ship and the crew had been forced to dig out their winter clothes to weather the cold snap. Most of the crew were currently down in Nami's quarters tending to her since she had gotten sick, so Zoro had offered to cover watch for a bit. Leaning lazily against the railing at the bow as he looked out on the icy water.

There was a timid breeze that carried them swiftly forward, but it was barely strong enough to whip up the waves. Most of the ocean surface looking like clear glass as the caravel was responsible for most of the water breakage in the area. Zoro wondered if there was a risk of icebergs.

Distantly he heard the door below deck open and close, and a few moments later there were footsteps climbing the stairs to the bow. They were far too light to belong to any of the boys, and even Nami walked with an aggressive purpose, which meant they could've only belonged to Vivi. When she came to stop beside him, his assumptions were confirmed.

Bundled up in one of Nami's jackets, the girl raised her hands to rub them together and breath on them as she inclined her head in a polite nod, "Hello, Mr. Swordsman."

"Uh, hi." Zoro frowned, a little thrown by the Princess's formal greeting. He thought for sure she would would have started calling them by their names at this point, "How's Nami doing?"

Her face fell, "Not well, I’m just hoping we catch sight of this winter island soon.”

“Nothing yet.” Zoro muttered, eyes scanning the still water horizon. He never got tired of the sight of the sea, however it hadn’t changed for hours now and he was beginning to feel like taking a nap. Propping his chin in his hand, he stifled a yawn and asked, "Did you need something?"

"Oh, no, no." Vivi shook her head with a sweet smile. Her hands slipped into the pockets of her jacket as she glanced about the ship with a happy sigh, "Just needed to come up for some fresh air."

Zoro made a noise of affirmation.

They fell into a comfortable silence as Zoro began fantasizing about crawling back under deck and taking a nap, maybe sneaking a bottle of booze to keep him company. Chances were that the cook would be guarding the stores, but he perked up at the notion that he was probably cooking something up. When Usopp took over his watch he might be able to get a snack or some hot tea out of the cook too.

“Um… I…”

Blinking heavily, Zoro stopped imagining the cook’s food and glanced at Vivi, “ Hm?”

"I wanted to thank you," Vivi's gaze fell to Zoro's boots, "for what you did to try and save us."

A derisive snort caused Zoro’s body to jerk. He pushed himself away from the railing and turned to rest his back against it and propped himself up on his elbows. Not able to meet Vivi’s confused expression as he was still dealing with his own frustration over what had happened on Little Garden.

"You mean my attempt?" Zoro looked down at his ankles in annoyance. It had been painful to get his boots back on after Sanji had stitched them up, but thankfully the thightly done laces provided enough support his legs functioned almost as though they hadn’t been cut in half. A notion which made him scowl, "I lacked resolve."

"No, you showed your resolution." A tender smile graced the gorgeous girl’s face, and she shook her head as she admonished him, "If Luffy had been any later I know you would've done it."

Arching a brow at her, Zoro smirked derisively, "So sure, huh?"

“Yup.” She confirmed with a smile and a nod.

Despite his annoyance on the matter, her positivity was horribly infectious so Zoro deigned to argue the point further. Leaving it as is and returning the smile so they could fall back into an agreeable silence once more.

"Can I ask something?"

Shifting on his elbows, Zoro sent a sidelong glance at the princess who was still being far too polite in his opinion. Arching a brow, he ordered, "Shoot."

"I'm… well…” Vivi reached up a hand, delicately tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Fingers pausing on her neck as she shuffled her feet, “I’m not sure how to be tactful about this…"

"Just spill it already."

"Luffy… is he…" She flushed uncomfortably, and looked away. Zoro completely lost now as he had no clue what the woman was implying, "you know…"

Zoro waited silently.

There were a lot of things about Luffy worth questioning. Some, Zoro was even asking himself on a daily basis, but he’d chosen to follow this crazy kid as his captain and until the day he was dismissed he was more than willing to go along with his foolhardy adventures. Though to some he knew that was hard to understand.

Vivi didn’t seem like one of those people. At first, perhaps, but after their adventure on Little Garden, Zoro could tell that Luffy was having an impact on her. He could only wonder what was bothering her as she glanced about herself warily, before finally leaning in to Zoro to whisper, "Is he actually a beta?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah." Eyebrows jumping at first in surprise, he hadn’t expected that of all possible things, not to mention he was surprised she even caught on. Pushing himself up so his back rested on the railing instead of his arms, he crossed them over his chest as he chuckled, "You noticed, huh?"

"Well, it's just he said he was an alpha, and I didn't really think much of it," Vivi stammered really quickly, "but I noticed on Little Garden, especially with all the heat, he didn't smell like an alpha."

"Yeah,” Zoro smirked, “he just thinks he's an alpha."

"He doesn't know?!"

"No, and most people believe him when he tells them." Zoro shrugged, "None of us have the heart to tell him so we just don't."

"Interesting." Vivi muttered, mostly to herself before looking up at Zoro, "I do suppose that it makes sense given his nature…"

"I guess." Zoro shrugged, he hadn't given much thought to it. It was all very arbitrary to him anyway, a gender based caste system. He'd seen first hand what it had done to Kuina, she'd become convinced that because she hadn't presented as an alpha she was doomed to fall short. "Why does it matter?"

“Oh!” Vivi looked momentarily horrified. Raising her hands and waving them about hurriedly, “It doesn’t. I was just curious!”

Zoro just grunted in confirmation.

"So, it's just you and Nami then?"

"And the cook."

“Really?” Vivi pressed her lips together with a thoughtful noise, "I could never really tell with all that cigarette smoke."

"Yeah, we had the same issue, you can rarely smell anything else on him." Lifting a shoulder in a half hearted shrug, he glared across the ship at the galley window where a light was on inside and he grunted, "But there’s no mistaking it.”

“You two pretend to fight a lot,” Vivi smiled with a curious tilt to her head, “but you’re actually good friends, huh?”

Zoro shrugged with a flat look.

"Vivi, darling~" They both looked up as Sanji emerged from the galley singing happily as he threw open the galley door with a bang. Tray already poised in hand as he lovingly called across the ship, "I've made some tea for you and Nami, shall I bring you some?"

"Oh, no, Sanji it's fine." Vivi waved her hands politely, "I'll meet you below deck in a few minutes!"

"Alright, my dearest." With a twirl and a pout Sanji swooned, "I shall be counting the seconds!"

Zoro visibly bristled.

Fuck, the cook was annoying.

Anytime he talked like that or got all dopey over the girls Zoro just instinctively wanted to grab the cook by the back of the head and shove his face in the ice cold water to attempt to clear his head. He didn't even care about the girls, but for some reason he couldn't stand when the cook doted on them like an idiot.

Did the alpha have no self respect?!

Giggling broke Zoro from his internal tangent, and he turned to see Vivi laughing into her hands as she attempted to be polite and cover her mouth. Zoro just turned his glare on her, "What?"

“Nothing.” She tittered. Carefully making her way across the icy deck, Vivi paused at the stairs and glanced back at Zoro, “I’ll see you below deck soon for some tea, right Mr. Swordsman?”

“Yeah, probably.”

A knowing smile lit up her face, and she nodded happily before leaving. Zoro remained propped against the railing, arms still crossed as he tried to figure out what the hell she had meant by that parting look. Something in her grin made him feel like he was missing out on a joke at his expense.

~X~

A long bead of sweat trickled down the side of Zoro's face to cling to the corner of his tensed jaw. He forced the muscles to relax and let out a slow breath as he could begin to feel a tremble of fatigue in his arms. The mid-afternoon Alabastian sun was making this training extra taxing, and his beaten body was already pushed to its limits.

The last of his concentration broke as he smelled the cook before the alpha even deigned to announce himself. With the summer heat and an overabundance of sweat, it wasn’t hard to notice the cook’s stench, even through all the cigarettes. He hadn’t paid it much mind, but there was always a comforting waft of alcohol to accompany the alpha’s smell.

"Yo, mosshead!"

Cracking open an eye, Zoro looked up at the advancing cook and wondered what the annoying man could possibly want. It might've been that Luffy had finally woken up, but he doubted the cook would actually care enough to come down to let Zoro know. Which meant he was here because he came to pester Zoro, or he wanted something; if he had any money to bet, he'd put it on the former.

Once the cook stopped in front of him, Zoro dropped both of the boulders he had been weight training with and placed his arms in his lap. His shoulders were burning after such a long set. Looking the cook up and down, he noted that the man looked remarkably clean, and he smelled like the market. He must’ve just returned from stocking up the ship.

Holding up two large bottles, Sanji grinned, "Got you some booze."

Zoro grunted in gratitude.

It never failed to make Zoro grin with how much his lack of manners towards the cook seemed to piss him off. A forgotten thank you and the cook's eye twitched like he had just gotten some sand blown into it. Usually it ended in a fight, but it was worth it every time.

Reluctantly handing off the booze to Zoro, the cook leaned up against one of the boulders Zoro had just dropped and lit up a fresh cigarette. Despite obviously being annoyed, he didn't rise to the bait and it made Zoro wonder if maybe he had misjudged the cook. Perhaps he had actually just been doing something nice.

"How's Luffy?" Zoro decided to go for congenial. Uncorking the first bottle and downing almost the whole thing in several large gulps. Probably not the widest choice, but it was hot and he was thirsty.

After a look of disgust from Sanji at Zoro's behaviour, he shrugged, "Still sleeping."

“Figures.” Zoro snorted.

It was just like Luffy to save a country from a coup and then fall asleep for three days to leave them to deal with everything afterwards. At least the country was grateful and willing to hide them from the Marines until there captain had recovered. Zoro could only imagine what a pain it would be to try and haul Luffy’s injured and unconscious ass back to their ship with all the navy snooping around.

Snagging his cigarette from between his lips, Sanji waved it towards a pile of discarded bandages that Zoro had taken off earlier. Casting a sideways glance to Zoro as Sanji muttered, "Those supposed to be off?"

“Restricted my movement.” Zoro explained, "You gonna rat me out to Chopper?"

"Hmm." Sanji bit his lip and seemed to genuinely contemplate his options before shrugging and shaking his head, "Nah. With any luck you'll pull some stitches and bleed out here."

Finishing off the bottle, Zoro flipped the cook off. Once empty, he shoved it into the sand before turning and leaning up against the other boulder as he watched the cook surreptitiously. He still wasn't certain on the cook's angle coming out here.

"Your plan worked by the way." At Zoro's questioning look, Sanji tapped the sleeve of his left arm, "The face-swap guy tried to trick Vivi; your little double mark saved her."

"And?"

Rubbing at his wrist absently, Sanji shrugged, "Just thought you should know."

Zoro's eyes dropped at the motion, and zeroed in on the bit of pale flesh just barely exposed by the cuff of Sanji's suit jacket. Vaguely remembering how thin and bony Sanji's wrist had felt under his palm while he had held it, keeping it still so he could draw the 'X' on Sanji's arm. He hadn't thought about it much at the time, barely even registered the way Sanji had twitched irritably at being grabbed, but now his mind wandered.

It was rare that he ever touched the cook. Beyond grabbing at his clothes to throw him into the ground, or stopping a kick by grabbing an ankle. Looking down at his hand, he wondered why the memory of the soft skin remained so vividly. Shaking the memory away, Zoro closed his hand and leaned forward. 

Propping his chin on his fist while he drawled, "And why do you think that's something I should know?"

"Because…"

Sanji looked like he wanted to vomit.

"Hm?" Zoro raised a brow.

"Because it was a good plan! There, I said it." Crossing his arms, Sanji pouted while puffing on his cigarette in irritation, "God, I hate you."

"Feeling is mutual, curly."

Snatching up the second bottle, he pulled the cork free with his teeth and spat it at the cook before taking a sip. Chuckling at the outraged yelp and undignified flailing that it got from the alpha. He only barely managed to cover the mouth of the bottle with his thumb in time as Sanji kicked the cork back at him along with a faceful of sand.

“Fuck you, mosshead.”

All Zoro could do was laugh as he shook the sand out of his face. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was because they had just saved a country from a tyrannical villain, but for some reason he was in a good mood. Wiping the last of the sand from his eyes.

Pressing his thumb against one of his nostrils, Zoro leaned over and snorted out a wad of wet sand and snot into the hot dirt beside himself. Doing the same to the other nostril before pulling back and rubbing the back of his hand under his nose to make sure he’d gotten any remaining sand or boogers. He dropped his hand back into his lap and look up at Sanji.

Slack jawed and face distorted, Sanji looked at him in nothing short of disgust. He eventually noted with a disdainful sigh, “That’s disgusting.”

“Don’t kick sand in my face then.”

“Don’t spit shit at me then.”

“Don’t--” Sanji froze as he seemed to be trying to backtrack through their conversation to find something to berat Zoro for. Zoro couldn’t even remember why he spat the cork at the cook, he just knew it got a reaction and that was all that mattered. Sanji made a frustrated noise, “Whatever, just don’t, you shit swordsman!”

Zoro cackled, he loved it when the cook got flustered.

Returning to his cigarette, Sanji puffed away on it in agitation, but he still didn’t leave which once again made Zoro question why the cook was here. He hadn’t asked for anything. Perhaps the cook really did just want to hang out with him, as insane as that thought was.

With a casual sip of his drink, Zoro slyly assessed the cook as he could see that the cook had obviously showered this morning and gotten a brand new suit courtesy of the palace. It fit him remarkably well. He’d even managed to coif his hair despite the summer heat already causing the ends to get a little frizzy. When Sanji reached a hand up to absently brush his bangs aside he realized that ever since the cook had gotten here his glasses had been missing.

"Hey.” Zoro grunted to get the cook’s attention, and when Sanji turned an annoyed look his way, Zoro gestured lazily about the alpha’s face, “What happened to those stupid glasses? Thought they might be a permanent thing.”

"The ballerina guy busted them. And for your information, they weren't stupid, it's called style." Sanji rolled his eyes, flicking his bangs aside with a dramatic huff, "Not that I'd expect a walking cactus to know what that word means."

"Yeah," Zoro agreed with a sarcastic drawl, "I don't."

"You've worn the same grubby shirt since we got to the Grand Line." Sanji took a long moment to scathingly look Zoro up and down, and Zoro would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little affected by the stare. Cheeks a little warm, as Sanji snorted, "And I know because I do the laundry."

"Whatever, cook." Zoro grunted to cover the embarrassing thought. Taking a long gulp of liquor to hopefully drown whatever had sparked the notion that he even wanted the cook to look at him. Lost in his thoughts as Sanji kept talking.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Arching a brow and glancing down at the boulder he currently leant against, Sanji waved a lazy hand to gesture to it as he drawled, "We just stopped a civil war, I figured even you would take a day off."

It was subtle, but Zoro noticed the odd barely-even-a-compliment from the cook. Zoro began to wonder if maybe the heat of this island was starting to get to the both of them; Zoro being affected by a stare from the cook, and Sanji actually being nice.

What next?

"Could ask you the same thing." Zoro shrugged as the first bottle of booze was starting to hit him and he felt his tongue loosening. Raising a brow at the cook as he prodded, “What’s with the booze and the visit? You going soft on me, cook?”

An indignant look twisted Sanji’s face, and he visibly cringed and pulled away.

“You-- How--” Every fibre of Sanji’s being seemed horribly appalled by the notion, and it appeared like he was struggling to get his indignation out in words. It was entertaining, so Zoro watch for a bit longer until Sanji had devolved into angry mutters. Once Zoro had gotten his fill of Sanji's blubbering, he decided to answer seriously.

Gesturing towards his swords, Zoro waited until Sanji calmed enough to glance at them and he explained, "I managed to cut steel."

Shock managed to override discontent, Sanji’s eyebrows jumping up as he actually managed to look impressed, "No shit?"

"I was pretty out of it,” Brushing some sand off himself absently as he explained, “but it forced me to focus on something my old teacher once said about the ‘breath of the earth’.”

Sanji didn’t say anything, but held his cigarette to his lips thoughtfully. That look, coupled with his lack of comment meant he was genuinely listening. So Zoro continued.

“When I heard it, I was able to cut through that sword bastard, but now…” Zoro looked up at the desert stretching endlessly in front of them. Dunes a rolling sea gold and the heat rising off them turning the horizon into a hazy fractured line. All of it alive, and yet silent to him, “I can’t hear it.”

Extending his hand, Sanji flicked the end of his cigarette to shake off the excess ash and then returned to quietly sucking on the smoke. His silence all the confirmation Zoro needed that he was sympathetic to Zoro’s struggle. Grateful that he and cook could have this quiet bond.

“Just promise you’re not going to suffer blood loss every time you wanna pull out that little hat trick.” Sanji smirked, “I don’t think Chopper would be able to take it.”

“Don’t worry, cook.” Rolling his eyes, Zoro finished off the rest of the second bottle and set it down next to the first. He had a bit of a buzz, but was less thirsty, he could probably train a little longer before going back up to the palace. Glancing at the cook, he grinned, “I’ll definitely figure it out.”

“Do I look worried?” Sanji placed a hand on his chest, arching a brow and almost sounding insulted at the insinuation that he might, god forbid, care about Zoro. “I couldn’t care less.”

“Shut up, shitcook.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

Zoro stuck out his tongue.

Stubbing out his cigarette on the rock and flicking it out into the sand, Sanji huffed and pushed himself back to his feet. He took several moments to straighten his suit and adjust his cuffs as Zoro quietly watched the prissy behaviour. When he looked at Zoro, he returned the childish act and stuck his tongue out before turning to leave with an offhand comment, "Good luck with your training."

Zoro couldn't help but frown at how weird it was to have the cook leave without adding on an insult. He watched silently as the cook began to leave, eyes tracing up the alpha’s figure and the clean cut lines of the suit he wore. It hadn’t been something he had ever noticed, but the suit fit him well.

Frowning at his own revelations, Zoro spoke up loud enough for the retreating cook to hear, "Thanks."

It was subtle, but Zoro noticed as the cook's steps faltered and he stumbled for a moment in surprise. Glancing over his shoulder at Zoro with nothing short of shock on his face, before catching himself and continuing to make his way back up to the city. A smile breaking out on Zoro's face.

~X~

Laughter and excited screams filled the endless sky as both Zoro and Sanji made their way up to the bow of the ship and looked out upon the coastline of clouds and fluffy white shores that Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were already exploring. A surreal sight to see to say the least as the puffy clouds climbed high up into the sky until it was impossible to tell what was part of this strange island, and what was simply sky.

“This scenery really is amazing…” Zoro mused as he lifted the anchor free from the railing, holding it for a moment as he looked about the rolling hills of clouds dispersed with houses and trees. All of it looking like something out of a fantasy. “It’s like a dream…”

“Yeah…” Sanji agreed with a wistful sigh. Zoro dropped the anchor overboard and slowly lowered it by the rope, when it seemed to hit the bottom of the watery clouds, he released it and pushed himself back up to see Sanji rolling up his pant legs. He had already discarded his shoes and was chuckling, “Seeing their happy faces… It can’t be helped.”

Jumping up on the railing, Sanji wasted no time in flipping off the boat to land amongst the water like clouds and begin swimming towards shore. Zoro watching him go with a derisive mutter, “You’re just as bad as them…:

A distressed screaming had him glancing over his shoulder to see Nami come running up the steps to the bow with the South Bird angrily chasing after her and pecking her on the head. Desperately trying to shield herself before it seemed satisfied and took off towards the coast shrieking the whole way.

“Geez…” Nami wheezed, bracing herself on her knees as they both watched the South Bird angrily fly off, “Forgot to let him out earlier.”

“There seems to be people living here.” Zoro grunted, taking a more serious glance about the island and one of the closer beachfront residences. It was rather lavish, and fairly modern for people that supposedly hadn’t been to the surface before. He wondered how much the Skypiea people would be like people from the Blue Sea. “It can probably survive.”

“And the anchor?”

“I put it down…” Checking over the railing to ensure the anchor hadn’t begun sinking further into the cloud or anything as he muttered, “that soft cloud on the beach seems to be the structure of this island.”

“This is Skypiea?”

Both of them turned to see Robin making her way up to the front of the ship to join them. Zoro watching quietly as Nami excitedly began explaining everything. He still didn’t know how he felt about the alpha, especially after what had just happened in Alabasta, but Luffy trusted her so that was good enough for him. He supposed for the time being he’d just sit back and keep an eye on her.

Sitting down on the railing, Zoro propped his ankle on his knee and lounged back to watch as the rest of the crew made their way slowly towards the cloudy shore. Nami clamouring over the edge of the railing and following after Sanji. Robin making her way to the bow.

“What about you?”

“Hm…?” Zoro glanced at the alpha critically before nodding, “Yeah, I’ll go too.”

“I never thought…” She cast a tender smile out the island and murmured, “that sailing and landing could be adventurous too.”

Zoro didn’t say anything, but her words were oddly revealing.

Using her devil fruit power, Robin easily made herself a set of stairs extending off the ship and walked carefully down the extra arms until she could jump down into the water. Wading ashore as Zoro sent a final glance about the ship to make sure everything was in place and then turning to make his way after everyone else. With a foot poised on the railing, Zoro watched as Nami and Robin followed after Sanji and started making for the shore.

Sanji ran backwards while waving excitedly at Nami and Robin, slipping and falling back into the cloud with a splash before he resurfaced with a laugh. His hand ran through his soaking bangs, pulling the hair back against his head in an attempt to wipe the excess water from his face. It allowed Zoro a momentarily unobstructed view of the alpha’s face and he couldn't help but notice that the guy was actually kinda attractive.

Finding his footing somewhere shallower, Sanji pushed himself to his feet and began walking towards the shore where the rest of the crew had gathered. Zoro made to follow, however the sight of the alpha's blue button up clinging to his sopping wet body distracted Zoro momentarily for his boot to misstep and he tumbled head first over the railing into the sea of clouds.

Surfacing with a sputter and blush, he was just relieved to find that everyone seemed too busy exploring the coast to have noticed his blunder. He began making for the shore while silently wondering when he had started to think of the cook as attractive.

~X~

With a heavy sigh, Zoro propped his back up against the cooks as they both recovered from their Davy Back Fight. Sunny afternoon filled with the thick scent of cotton candy, popcorn, and hot dogs, while the sound of raucous cheers let them know Luffy’s own fight had just begun.

Through all his complaining that Sanji had just gotten in the way, Zoro had to admit that he was starting to see the cook in a completely different light. He was still an idiot, and a moron, but now Zoro could concede that there was something there that he had been overlooking. He had always known that when push came to shove they were able to work together, but this had been so much more.

It felt like they had been in sync.

Zoro and Sanji had fought tons of times, and fought as a team even more, but this time had been different. They had butted heads through most of the fight since they hadn’t really been taking it seriously, but once they had started working together Zoro hadn’t remembered ever working so well with someone. And that was before they had taken down that half-giant.

Sprinting across the field, Zoro hadn’t been able to stop himself from grinning as Sanji so fluidly knocked aside the annoying competitor. Landing with a cocky hand still in his pocket, and a glare directed solely onto Zoro; it made him feel special. And when Sanji had raised a hand and readied his stance - not even needing a word from Zoro to know what he was planning - Zoro’s heart had leapt into his throat.

At the time he hadn’t thought anything of it, but now that he sat here all bandaged up and sitting quietly with the cook he couldn’t help but notice that that tight sensation in his throat hadn’t gone away. He supposed he had taken it for granted, but whenever he had ran headlong into a fight, Sanji was always one step behind him, and when they had to work together, he never had to say a word.

Sanji implicitly knew him.

Ah… Shit.

Leaning his back up against the cooks, they sat exhausted and beaten in the silence of each other's company. He listened as Sanji tried to strike a match to light up a cigarette, cursing softly as the match broke and he flicked it aside before digging out another one. It had been a while since Sanji had had a smoke and the distinct scent that Zoro had first noticed in Alabasta was reaching him.

That smell; Sanji's smell.

It was such a rare thing to notice since the cook chain-smoked like he was in a competition with a chimney, but the smell was wonderful. It reminded Zoro of freshly warmed sake, and the oils from his sharpening kit, and the steam from a bowl of hot white rice; it was intoxicating enough that if he wasn’t so exhausted from their fight, he’d place his face right in the cook's neck to get a proper whiff.

A grimace twisted his face at the thought.

This was Sanji; the annoying cook, bane of his existence, and a pigheaded alpha to boot. He rationalized that, of course, the cook would smell like food and alcohol, he spent all his time in the kitchen. And he probably used oils in cooking as well.

But since when had he ever wanted to scent anyone, let alone the cook?!

Shifting uncomfortably, Zoro couldn’t shake the feeling he was beginning to feel something for the cook he probably wasn’t supposed to. Everything up until now simply stepping stones to this moment where he realized that if he didn’t resist, it’d be far too easy to fall for the cook. Already that seizing sensation of attraction in his throat had him worried...

A triumphant laugh signalled Sanji had managed to get a match lit, and he lit up a cigarette as that comforting cherry smoke wafted through the air to calm Zoro and let some of the tension fall from his shoulders. It had become such an odd response. Originally the smoke had upset him and had been part of the reason the cook had annoyed him, but now it had become a weird source of comfort. It reminded him of the cook, of meals in the galley, of their crew.

“Hey.”

Deep in his thoughts, Sanji’s voice was so soft that Zoro almost missed it. Shifting slightly and humming to let Sanji know he heard, “Hm?”

“That wasn’t half bad, shit swordsman.”

Uh… oh.

That tightness in his throat constricted and when he initially tried to respond it came out as a croak. Coughing to clear his throat, Zoro muttered back, “You weren’t half bad yourself.”

A chuckle from the blond had Zoro feeling every flex of the man against his back and the cook moved to lightly flick Zoro's earrings, “Don’t hurt yourself.”

Snarling at the sharp jolt of pain from the annoying habit, but was far more worried about the accomapnying thrill he got from the cook's touch even if it was a teasing one. Zoro attempted to swallow down the attraction squeezing his throat as well to no avail. Knowing that from this moment on he was going to have to tread carefully lest he start thinking things about the alpha that would just get him into trouble.

Hand falling to his katana which had now been returned to his hip, Zoro decided to fall back on his old reliable routine to get the cook to stop being so chummy. The less companionable the alpha was being the easier it was to be annoyed with him.

Unable to stop himself from smiling fondly as he knew what was to come as he murmured, “But it was totally thanks to me we won.”

A moment later Sanji was turning and grabbing Zoro by the scruff of his shirt to haul him back to the ground. Their fight completely ignored by everyone enraptured by the ongoing play-by-play of Luffy’s fight with Foxy. Once again enjoying a quick scrap with the cook that was for him and him alone, ignoring how the twinge in his throat didn’t lessen.

~X~

A twang had Zoro startling awake as he cracked open an eye and watched as Sanji had just finished stringing up the laundry line from Nami’s tangerine tree to the aft sail. There was a pail of freshly washed laundry at his feet and when Zoro inspected the cook he found that the prissy alpha had changed for the second second time that day; an orange pinstripe shirt and black vest.

Zoro remained slumped against the galley wall where he preferred napping and watched silently as Sanji went about hanging up the clean clothes. Starting with Nami and Robin’s like the pervert he was, before finally moving on to the men’s clothing with much less zeal. When the alpha got to a pair of Zoro’s briefs he looked like he might just hurl as he tossed it on the line and pinned them.

What a drama queen…

It was something Zoro had noticed early on, but the cook had a thing about being clean. Zoro and the boys bathed whenever they needed or every couple of days, but Sanji bathed at least once a day like the girls. And he never wore the same clothes for more than a day. Not to mention he was obsessive about the laundry, though he argued that the longer his clothes had to stay with theirs in the laundry the worse they smelled.

Zoro really didn’t care either way, and if it meant Sanji did the laundry instead of him then he wasn’t going to complain. That being said, he couldn’t exactly stomp down his curiosity, nor his need to rile the alpha up as he grunted, “What is it with you and laundry?”

Pulling a shirt free, Sanji flicked it several times to get any wrinkles out before flipping it over the clothes line and pinning it down. Grabbing another and repeating the task as he sneered, “Not all of us want to smell like a garbage pail.”

“Whatever.”

“I know for a fact you bathe once a week; it’s disgusting.” Sanji looked Zoro over with disdain, teeth grinding on his cigarette, “Not all of us want to smell your alpha stank.”

Zoro grinned and let his head fall to the side. Gifting Sanji with a quizzical look, “Are you threatened by my ‘alpha stank’, cook?”

And just like that Zoro could see Sanji’s restraint crack. Eye twitching and shoulders going stiff before he was dropping the pants he had been holding back into the basket and turning towards Zoro, practially spitting fire, “Like I’m threatened by a single hair on your stupid lawn of a head!”

Thumb pushing Wado out of its sheath by a couple inches, Zoro bit around a grin, “That’s not what I heard.”

“That’s because you have cotton between your ears, you second rate swordsman!”

That was their last exchange before Zoro happily engaged the pissed off alpha in a bit of friendly sparring. It was less friendly for Sanji since he seemed intent on kicking Zoro off the ship, but Zoro enjoyed it. He’d always enjoyed their little matches. This was something that was for him and him alone, and recently he had become more and more eager for them.

A crack echoed across the deck as Zoro barely deflected a kick in time and Sanji’s heel went down and through the deck. Sanji wrenching his leg free and coming at Zoro with another zealous attack, a few more hits exchanged until a yell caught their attention.

“STOP WRECKING MERRY!” Usopp’s wail could be heard, and then both alphas froze in place as the hard heels of Nami’s shoes clomped across the deck until she rounded the corner with her fist already raised. Sanji’s face going mushy as Zoro leaned away warily, but a moment later both of them had been clobbered on top of the head.

“Stop wrecking the ship!” Nami roared, “You’re adding more repairs to the bill!”

“And because we should be nice to Merry, right Nami?” Usopp piped up as the woman stormed away, knuckles still steaming from pummeling both of the boys. She ignored Usopp completely as the beta held up a finger and scampered after Nami stuttering, “And cause of Merry, r-right Nami?”

They both watched her go, Sanji all hearts and dopey grins despite the lump forming on his forehead, and Zoro just glared after the witch as he rubbed his head absently. She wasn’t much of a fighter, but she had knuckles made of iron; Zoro could respect that about her.

A flick of a lighter broke their silence and Sanji muttered into his cupped hands, “This was your fault.”

Zoro just responded with a snarl.

~X~

Rain pounded down around the train as they continued to barrel their way towards Enies Lobby. All of them gathered around as Sanji’s voice droned on from the Den Den Mushi as he explained where he currently was and everything that had happened with Robin. But Zoro could hardly concentrate. His hands gripped his own biceps in a white knuckled grip as he stood with his arms crossed behind Luffy.

Sanji was on the train with Robin.

That dumb, stupid, moron of a cook had gotten onto that train with multiple killer, assassin, alphas - without any back up or even a plan - currently heading to Enies Lobby. To the end of the line. To an island covered in nothing but powerful marines. And by all logic Zoro shouldn’t have been worried.

This was Sanji; alpha extraordinaire, wooer of women, hopeless prince of the kingdom of idiots.

He should have the utmost faith that the man would be able to hold his own, but it didn’t stop Zoro’s hackles from rising in agitation at the knowledge anyway. Sanji, alone, on a train full of alphas. The thought alone had Zoro biting down a growl, and immediately after found himself standing in shocked daze. Not entirely sure where that feeling was coming from…

A strong gust of wind hit the side of the train causing the whole rig to teeter on the tracks and the jarring motion managed to bring Zoro back to his senses long enough to hear Sanji say, “They still have Robin.” Sanji’s voice was distant, and the squall behind him masked it, “Nami just filled me in on the situation. I heard everything.”

“Is that right?” Luffy murmured, before a hard look took over his face and he ordered, “Go ahead. Tear things up!”

That protective instinct returned tenfold.

“Oi, hold up, Luffy!” Zoro barked, unable to stop himself as the words poured out from his mouth. It felt like he was watching himself talk and had no control over what he was doing. “Just make him wait for us.”

What the hell had he just said?!

“Hey, cook!” Zoro raised his voice as he barked at the Den Den Mushi still in Luffy’s hand, “Can you hear me? There are some real nasty people on that train!”

“Zoro!” Luffy spoke up, and the tone of his captain had Zoro snapping back into his body with shocking clarity. Looking to Luffy as he was still a little shocked over what he had just suggested to the cook, “I’m telling you, it’s okay. If it were you and we tried to stop you… we wouldn’t be able to.”

Zoro couldn’t think of a viable response to explain his behaviour.

“Seems like you understand the situation.” Sanji murmured.

Zoro’s grip twitched on his arm. 

Knowing Luffy was right, but still unable to shake that he didn’t like the idea of Sanji putting himself at risk without his crew there to back him up. He was just grateful that his skin was still wet and cold from being outside that it hid the blush on his cheeks, and he grimaced as he could hear the smirk in the cook’s voice as he laughed.

“Worried about me, mosshead?”

This time Zoro did growl, and he’d like to say it was out of annoyance, but even he wasn’t entirely sure, “As if, moron! Like I would worry about you!”

A soft chuckle crackled down the line, and Zoro stiffened.

“After hearing Robin’s story…" There was that smoker’s timbre to Sanji’s voice this time and Zoro felt the unmistakable lurch of arousal in his gut at the cook’s antics. Momentarily putting aside his weird alpha instincts to instead bask in the small panic that his crush on the cook was manifesting.

This wasn’t the time to be thinking about this!

“...even if my captain ordered me to… I wouldn’t hold back!”

There was a distorted crunch and then the line went dead. Zoro had no doubt Sanji had done something stupid like broken the Den Den Mushi out of sheer, chivalrous stupidity and now their last link to him was gone. It still boggled him that he had started falling for that dumbass.

Storming off, he went to find the bag full of food and liquor that Kokoro had loaded onto the train for them. He needed a stiff drink to handle the emotions currently freaking him out. His feelings for the cook had been growing for a while now, but he hadn’t realized how bad they had gotten until this very moment; until Sanji’s life was actually in danger.

It made him feel ill.

Finding the bag, he rifled through it until he found a dark bottle, tore off the lid, and downed half the contents. Only lowering it once he felt some of the panic in his chest began to lessen; though he still wasn’t certain if the terror was over Sanji being on that train, or that Zoro was now more certain than ever that he definitely had feelings for the moron.

Stumbling backwards and falling to sit on a bench, he cradled his drink as he figured it was a safe bet to say both.

However, that opened up a whole other plethora of new issues. Not least of which was the fact that Sanji was an alpha. An obnoxious, straight-laced, omega obsessed alpha that would never look at Zoro in a million years, not if his life depended on it.

What the hell was he thinking?

Falling for that idiot?

A movement behind him had him turning sharply to see Nami quietly shutting the door behind herself and then approaching Zoro with a sombre look. He couldn’t even begin to guess what she wanted so he turned back to nursing his drink while sinking sullenly in his seat.

He really wasn’t in the mood for her teasing right now.

“He’ll be fine.”

Zoro snapped a murderous look on Nami.

“He’s like a cockroach.” Without missing a beat, Nami held out a neatly folded yellow shirt, “Here.”

Eyes flicking over the woman suspiciously, Zoro snatched up the clean clothes, and pushed himself to his feet. Tossing the empty bottle aside as he stormed off to get changed. Now was not the time to be thinking about any of this. They had a train to catch, a crew member to get back, and an idiot to back up.

~X~

Sitting cross-legged on the deck as Merry took them away from Enies Lobby, Zoro watched quietly as Chopper hurriedly finished up a bandage on his arm before moving on to apply another to his shoulder. Eventually the deer had clamoured into his lap and was applying gauze around his head for a particularly nasty wound.

The rest of the crew were in various states of recovery, most of them finding somewhere to collapse and rest after the hellish ordeal they had just survived. Nami and Usopp were slumped against the mast both looking on the verge of falling asleep, and Luffy was still immobile on the deck. Robin sat quietly on the stairs along with Franky.

Zoro found his gaze once more returning to the cook that he hadn’t been able to stop looking at ever since they had finished off that crazy wolf and giraffe. Sanji had already caught him staring once, but he couldn’t help but risk it again as he had realized that he had well and fully fallen for the cook. It had been slowly building for some time, but now it was inescapable.

Sprawled out across the deck, Sanji raised a hand to snag the cigarette between his lips and let out a long exhale before replacing it. Zoro’s eyes tracking every motion, and keenly aware of how tantalizing it was to watch the long and dexterous fingers of the other alpha.

Alpha…

That’s right, Sanji was an alpha. An alpha that would probably never look twice at Zoro. Despite how much the cook riled him up, it had become painfully clear that the only reason he had always picked on the other alpha was because he had no clue how to properly respond to his scent. He liked it, and it had taken months for him to admit that to himself.

"Chopper?"

Chopper paused in his fussing long enough to look up at Zoro, "Yeah?"

Forcing himself to look away, he allowed himself one last yearning glance at the blond as he let his gaze linger on the cook’s lean legs and the tight black slacks that encased them. Quickly stopping that train of thought before it would get him in trouble, turning to look at Chopper, "Is it possible for an alpha to have an alpha for a mate?"

Chopper visibly stiffened in surprise, and he slowly turned to look at Zoro, "W-what do you mean?"

"Like… do alphas typically like the way other alphas smell?"

"Well… not usually?" Chopper winced, and Zoro felt something in his chest tighten painfully. He should’ve been expecting that answer, but it bothered him nonetheless, "I mean it's certainly a possibility, but by all accounts usually the smell should be repulsive or at the least advisarily. Not to say alphas can't be wonderful friends! This crew is a testament to that!"

“But they can’t be mates,” Zoro clarified, “right?”

“Not necessarily.” Chopper shook his head with a thoughtful hum, “The dominant genetics make it hard for them to copulate, but I suppose a platonic relationship could be possible; there might always be a struggle for control though. All of it is very instinctive due to their pheromones.”

Zoro grimaced.

He almost regretted asking. Hearing the young doctor talk about such things was so weird to listen to, especially since he always felt like Chopper was a little brother of sorts. The kid wasn’t supposed to know about any of that mating business, let alone the words for it. Besides, he hadn’t even thought of the cook… like that… he just knew he liked the alpha more than he should’ve.

"Why do you ask?"

A fraction of a glance to the cook and Zoro was looking down at the deck of Merry, its worn and familiar planks a welcoming sight in the tide of unease flooding his chest. He should have expected this answer the moment he had asked, but a part of him had hoped maybe there was some other explanation. But here he was, an alpha that had managed to fall for the most straight-laced, uptight alpha of them all.

Nami made jokes that Zoro was a masochist, but up until now he had no proof.

Now, however…

“It’s nothing.” Zoro grunted, “Forget it.”

"I'm your doctor!” Chopper implored, and from the stern look on the little deer’s face it seemed like he didn’t believe Zoro’s words. Pressing his hooves insistently against Zoro’s leg as he uged, “And your friend! You know you can tell me anything."

"I know, Chopper.” Zoro smiled softly, touched at the kid’s concern. However this wasn’t something Chopper could fix with medicine or a bandage, this was something Zoro was going to have to deal with on his own, “Don't worry about it. I was just curious is all."

~X~

Kneeling before Kuma, Zoro panted heavily as a steady stream of blood dripped into his eyes. Frowning in an attempt to block the flow as he glared up at the Warlord. His body could no longer move. He’d fought to his last breath. All he could do was keep his hands placed to the ground as he pleaded to the man to take his head over Luffy’s.

For his part Kuma said nothing. He watched Zoro through those cold, white, robotic eyes as he seemed to be assessing him. And all Zoro could do was pray that his argument had been enough to persuade the Warlord. However, before he could get a response, an angry voice barked across the empty field of rubble.

“Hold on a minute, you jerk!”

A chill ran up Zoro’s spine, and he turned to watch with horror as Sanji trudged towards them with a set look of determination. Dirt and rubble still falling from his body after having dragged himself out from under a piece of rubble. His body battered and bruised, blood staining most of his visible skin, and his suit torn and falling from his body in haphazard pieces.

That stupid cook.

“What are you going to do if you die?!” Sanji turned a murderous look on Zoro. Panting through the pain clearly wracking his body, “What happened to your dream, idiot?!”

Slack jawed and furious, Zoro watched as Sanji came to stand between himself and Kuma. Already blathering some self-sacrificial nonsense up at the Warlord like Zoro hadn’t already done the same. None of it registered as he stared at the outline of the cook’s back, watching the trembling of the alpha’s shoulders as he knew there wasn’t much keeping the man on his feet beyond sheer fucking will.

“Oi…”

Zoro snapped back into himself almost painfully as Sanji’s soft voice was suddenly directed towards him, and he realized by the cook’s tone of resignation what he was going to do. An icy panic already trickling through Zoro’s veins before the cook even continued; desperately trying to get his body to respond to him so he wouldn’t have to hear what the cook had to say.

Move.

“Tell everyone to take care…” Sanji murmured, and the gentleness in his tone had Zoro’s heart jumping into his throat. He didn’t like hearing the cook sounding like that, like this was the end. “...and you’ll have to find yourselves another chef.”

MOVE, DAMN IT!

Lurching to his feet, he had Shusui in his hands - sheath and all - before he even knew what he was doing, and a moment later he slammed the hilt into the cook’s side with all his strength. His need to save the stupid cook from himself more than enough motivation to stay on his feet as Sanji began to fall.

Hand landing on Zoro’s shoulder in a vice grip, he glared up at Zoro with a look of betrayal that Zoro happily returned with a blank stare. He had already resolved himself to sacrificing himself to save Luffy, he wasn’t about to lose the cook as well. It didn’t even matter if the cook hated him for this; it wasn’t like he’d be around to deal with it anyway.

“Bastard…” Sanji gritted out.

Zoro met Sanji’s gaze, and despite the fury, he used the final seconds of eye contact to memorize everything he had already committed to memory about the cook. That tightness in his throat returning with painful clarity, as he supposed this would be the last time he’d ever get to see the cook. Or have that fiery expression directed towards him.

All at once the anger faded and Sanji’s eyes went out of focus as he lost consciousness. Eyes falling shut as he slumped forward and his hand slipped from Zoro’s shoulder to slide down his arm. Even half fainted the cook seemed to be attempting to hold on and that touch to his wrist was going to haunt Zoro for the remaining few minutes of his life.

With that Sanji crumpled to the ground in a heap. Turning to Kuma, Zoro pulled all his swords free and tossed them toward the Warlord. Lifting his chin defiantly and ready to accept his fate.

~X~

It had been a while since Zoro had been able to hear anything, but as he moved with weak steps next to the cook he found he could feel every deep breath from the other through his body. Maybe it was all in his head, but each exhale had the cook’s distinct tone to it and it lulled himself into security. Trusting his nakama to guide him where he needed to be taken.

Turning heavy eyes onto the cook, it took all the strength he had to watch the other as Sanji’s gaze was focused firmly ahead of himself. It didn’t seem like he had noticed. But now that Zoro was looking up at the cook who was hauling his useless body back to safety, he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Everything from before was hazy, his memories not serving him well, but he had the distinct sensation of Sanji’s hand in his, and a calming sensation in his chest like a whirlwind. All the pressure that had been squeezing his organs had disappeared, and now he just felt at ease.

He hoped this wasn’t what death felt like.

A hand on his waist tightened and Sanji’s face twisted as he screamed something he couldn’t hear. It only took a few more moments until he was surrounded by his crew and Chopper was transforming so that he could carefully take Zoro in his eyes and carry him somewhere else.

Lifted up and away from Sanji, the last sensation he felt was Sanji’s hand being torn from his and as their fingers separated it felt like something in his chest tore. Hand falling limply to his side, Zoro screwed his eyes shut and coughed up a wad of blood onto his shirt while screaming, “ARGH!”

“Zoro!”

His name.

Distorted and muffled, as though being spoken through cotton reached him as his crewmates all seemed to call out to him, but that haze was returning and he wasn’t certain if it was from blood loss or something else. The pain that had been muted when held by Sanji was returning with startling clarity, and soon he couldn’t discern anything beyond the suffering radiating throughout his whole body.

Something cold and hard touched his lower back, and then Chopper’s arms were retreating as the rest of him was being laid out on a solid surface. All his strength was gone. He lay on his back unable to move as he distantly watched Chopper hurrying about above him no doubt fretting and worrying about him; the doctor was sweet.

Head falling to the side, Zoro had enough wherewithal to keep his eyes open and to scan the crowd that had gathered around him. It was all still muffled, but he heard the panic and horror in their voices. However, he only wanted to find one person.

Through the scattered group he found him. Slumped on the ground near a massive hole punched through the castle wall, Sanji’s shoulder was braced against the wall as his hand rested on his shin. Hand gripping the fabric tight. His body looked tense, but his face was awash in relief, and when Zoro’s eyes met his they remained frozen like that for what felt like forever.

That standstill sensation washed over his body and the torn piece inside him twinged a little. He wanted to raise his hand. He wanted to hold Sanji’s hand again.

A small smile touched Sanji’s lips, at the same time Zoro felt something prick into his arm. He blinked slowly, intending to open his eyes once again to see Sanji, but they didn’t open again for a long, long time. And when they finally did, it was evening and Sanji was nowhere to be found.

~X~

A frustrated groan grumbled its way out of Zoro as he rolled over in his bunk for what felt like the millionth time that night. No amount of training and meditation was helping. Despite considering himself a master over himself, he was embarrassed to admit that his body was betraying him, and it was all the stupid cook’s fault.

Or at least he was pretty sure it was the cook.

Shifting his blankets and pillow around, he turned to pin an annoyed look at a wooden bunk swaying a little ways to his left where the alpha was sleeping soundly. A blanket tangled haphazardly around himself and soft snores slipping past parted lips. For not the first time Zoro found his gaze dropped to those thin smoker’s lips that he’d often wonder tasted like the same cherry tobacco the cook liked to blow in his face to piss him off.

He let his eyes linger for a moment longer, tongue darting out to wet his lips before glancing up to make sure that the cook was indeed asleep. Sure enough Sanji’s eyes were shut, blocking off serene blue that turned to electric fire when pinned on Zoro. The last thing Zoro needed was the alpha waking up to find Zoro staring at him and causing a fight; it wasn’t like Zoro was the best at talking his way out of a situation…

Especially not with the devil-tongued cook.

A wave shifted the ship and their bunks all rocked gently to the motion, Sanji’s swinging before coming to settle once more. Sanji’s brow creasing for a moment before shifting and falling still again. His hair had fallen away to expose his gorgeous face and Zoro had to pull his gaze away as the burning feeling in his chest was becoming overwhelming.

It had always been tenuous with the cook. Something about the guy’s smell set his instincts off in all the worst ways. He liked to believe that it was because Sanji’s alpha pheromones caused his hackles to rise, but he’d figured out a couple weeks ago that that was most certainly not the case. But it hadn’t been this bad before.

Just being in the same room as the cook was causing his body to ache, and nothing he had ever been told about his physiology prepared him for how badly his body wanted to claim the cook. It was a pain that was bone deep and yet not, and while it didn’t hurt like Luffy’s pain, it was unpleasant in a whole different way. Physical pain he could handle. 

This… This felt so much worse because he couldn’t pinpoint its origin.

Hand coming up to fist in his shirt, he pulled at the fabric until the threads threatened to tear and his knuckles popped. It did nothing. That longing in his chest was thrumming through the very reaches of his body and haunting his mind with an increasingly desperate mantra of want, want, want…

And he couldn’t help but think that this had to be the cook’s fault.

He hadn’t felt like this before the cook had come to find him after Kuma, and he could certainly tell there was a major difference in the cook’s behaviour since the incident. It would be too easy to play it off as the alpha being congenial after their unspoken truce involving Kuma. Something else was bothering the cook, and he had a feeling that whatever it was, was also the reason Zoro felt like he was going to die for real this time if he didn’t touch the stupid cook.

This time he turned a glare to the cook, but it was a mistake.

A strip of moonlight broke through a nearby porthole and bathed the line of Sanji’s jaw in a pale glow. The rise and fall of his breaths highlighting the stubble starting to come in and Zoro’s desire to drag his tongue along it became almost too hard to resist.

Zoro sat up abruptly, hands gripping the edges of his bunk so hard he could feel the wood begin to splinter and he forced his hands to release. He needed to leave, now. Throwing aside his blanket he clambered out of his bunk and willed himself to cross the room one painful step at a time. Each movement taking him further away from the cook’s scent. The fog in his head clearing, but the yearning in his chest growing.

Getting to the door, he practically threw himself through it and stumbled out onto the grass of Sunny’s deck; cool blades beneath his bare feet centering him. Trying not to slam the door behind himself as he took in a deep breath. He looked up at the sky and focused on the moon as he felt some of his faculties return.

Everything still ached, but the burning was lessened.

Making his way across the quiet din of the deserted ship, Zoro appreciated the solitude as it was their first night back on Sunny since the havoc of Thriller Bark. It was nice to be home, and in one piece. With a new crew member to boot. 

He eventually found himself in the bathroom, and he turned on the sink - letting it run cool for a few seconds - before scooping a handful onto his face. It felt like the water evaporate when it touched his skin for how hot he felt. A few more handfuls and he eventually chanced a look at himself in the mirror.

A small grimace twisted his face. He looked pretty rough. The combination of taking Luffy’s pain, all their Thriller Bark mishaps, and this weird thing with Sanji was obviously taking its toll. Running a hand over his face he stifled a groan; this was all so troublesome.

Shutting off the tap, he pushed off the sink and made to leave before a scent caught him at the door. Head snapping down to the laundry basket by the door that had all their clothes from Thriller Bark in it; usually Sanji was really on it with the laundry, but with all the festivities he must have put it off. Which was odd because the cook was annoyingly obsessive about washing his clothes.

He reached out before he even realized what he was doing, hand stilling over the basket as a horrified voice in his head yelled at him in confusion. Retracting it, he looked away in embarrassment as he could hardly believe what he was thinking of doing…

It couldn’t hurt, right?

Gaze dragging back to the clothes, Zoro stared at them long and hard as he rationalized that there was no harm in it, especially if this was all Sanji’s fault in the first place. Plus, after everything he had been through he more than deserved a good night’s sleep. With a scowl, he made his decision.

Rifling through the basket, he came up with Sanji’s blue hoodie and immediately stormed out of the room with it tucked discreetly under his arm. Heading for the crow’s nest, waiting until he was outside the door before tucking it into his haramaki and shoving the latch open.

Usopp jumped momentarily from where he was keeping watch, but after a bit of flailing recovered and watched as Zoro pulled himself through the door. “Oh, hey, Zoro! What are you doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Zoro grunted, before adding, “Hurts.”

“You could wake Chopper for some painkillers?” Usopp raised a brow, “He wouldn’t mind.”

“Nah,” Zoro shook his head as he made his way over to the bench near the port side that he was particularly fond of, “I just want to sit up for a bit. It’s not that big a deal.”

“Oh… okay.”

“You can head down,” Zoro jerked his head towards the latch, “I’ll take over?”

“Y-you sure?” Usopp sounded skeptical.

“Yeah.”

Usopp really seemed like he wanted to argue, but at a look from Zoro the beta conceded with the tip of his head and raised hands in defeat. Gathering up the stuff he’d been tinkering with and making to leave before stopping half down the latch to look over at Zoro, “You doing okay?”

A laugh startled Zoro as the question was so absurd with what he was currently dealing with, but his answer came on an easy grin, “Never better.”

“Okay.” Usopp nodded with a much more relaxed smile, “Thanks again, Zoro.”

Zoro gave a stiff wave as Usopp closed the hatch and Zoro was left alone. Listening until long after Usopp’s footsteps had gotten out of earshot, and even until he saw the man enter the men’s bunkroom to get some shuteye before dawn. And once Zoro was certain he wouldn’t come back he pulled Sanji’s hoodie free from his haramaki.

Holding it up in front of himself, he watched it with mild disdain as he could hardly believe what he was about to consider doing. If the shit cook ever caught him he’d never live it down. He’d be the brunt of every lame alpha joke the cook had, and he’d lord it over Zoro for the rest of their lives. But, as he had rationalized earlier, this was Sanji’s fault to begin with.

So why not tide himself over until this weird feeling went away?

Masking an embarrassed grimace, Zoro brought the soft fleece hoodie up to him before burying his face into it and inhaling sharply.

Whatever Zoro had been expecting, it had not prepared him for the absolute euphoria that flooded his body and caused him to curl into himself to drag the hoodie closer. Body trembling as that mantra of want, want, want returned tenfold and it now felt like every fibre of his being was screaming WANT, WANT, WANT at him as loud as it possibly could. He couldn’t even imagine in what context, all he could think of was Sanji and want, nothing else mattered.

Resting his head on his knees, Zoro kept the hoodie clutched to himself as a sharp, painful gasp broke through the din of the room and he suddenly realized he’d forgotten to breathe since breathing in Sanji’s scent. More painful gasps followed the first, but every one caused him to breathe in more of Sanji and it started a vicious cycle until he was left slumped on the floor in a fog of desire.

That ache was back as well, but the longer he held Sanji’s hoodie and more he scented the fabric the less painful it was. The want - oh god the want - was still there, but the rest was becoming more manageable. As his scent began to mix with Sanji’s on the fabric he found the trembling in his hands slowly came to a stop, and soon he was actually feeling fairly comfortable.

Pressing the fabric to his forehead, he took in a small inhale and let out a relaxed sigh as it felt like it was fixing something tiny and broken in him. Not sure what could’ve been broken in the first place, but it wasn’t like he was ever going to ask the cook about it…

Without even meaning to, he drifted off into a dreamless slumber and slept better than he had in weeks. When he awoke still clutching the fabric the ache hadn’t lessened, he simply blushed and hoped no one had come up and seen him. Hiding the hoodie away in one of the benches under some blankets, he went over to the weight rack set up and decided maybe he could work off some of this tension.

~X~

Everything smelled like Sanji.

No matter where Zoro went on the ship he couldn’t escape it; the smallest recess and dankest corner reeked of the chef. It was like he was being suffocated by it. Where before the occasional whiff of the cook’s actual scent was comforting, this was overwhelming and he felt like he was being smothered.

Zoro wasn’t an idiot.

He knew what this meant, and he knew he should say something to the cook, but for all Zoro felt his world falling apart it didn’t appear that Sanji was being affected at all. Despite him being certain that this was all the cook’s fault, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Sanji treated him as normally as he ever did, and while he was a bit more polite due to the Kuma incident, he wasn’t holding his breath around Zoro like the swordsman was forced to do.

Which was why, as the Sunny pulled into port at Sabaody, Zoro hardly even listened to the other’s plans as he made as quickly for shore as he could. He needed to get as far away from the ship as possible for a little while. Everything was just too much right now and he wanted time to clear his head.

He’d always harboured a crush on the cook. Ever since Davy Back when they had worked together so flawlessly he knew it was too easy to not fall for the cook. Enies Lobby had just sealed the deal when the cook and dropped in like a vengeful angle to take out that wolfman with a few fiery kicks, and he always knew that what he felt for the cook was foolish.

Sanji was an alpha… He was an alpha.

It was doomed from the start. Which was why Zoro had ignored it and looked the other way whenever the cook was romancing the ladies, or taking off after omegas and betas whenever they were at port, because he knew that was all he could do. Besides, it had always just been a stupid crush...

Now though… Now it was different.

Zoro wanted the cook so bad it felt like his body was crushing itself from the inside out. Like every moment he wasn’t touching or in contact with the cook was a moment he was depriving his body of something essential, like water, or air. Like his body was craving his mate and he was ignoring it...

Which was ridiculous, because there was no way Sanji could be his mate.

And the Keimi rescue had not helped.

It had been so bad ever since Thriller Bark, but seeing Sanji go all out this time had nearly broken him. When Duval had finished lamenting his tale to them, Zoro hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away as Sanji had swam to shore and pulled himself from the water. Clothes sopping wet and golden hair clinging to his face, all rage and fire and perfection as he stormed over to where Duval stood with murderous intent.

Zoro had just been grateful that everyone’s attention had been on them, and not on him and how interested he had immediately gotten. With barely restrained lust he had watched as Sanji jerked his tie loose while running at the thug, and then proceeded to pummel him half to death. It had always been exhilarating watching Sanji fight, but now Zoro felt like he just might die if he didn’t get to touch Sanji after seeing that.

Getting back on the ship and not letting his state show had been a struggle, but he had done it. And despite Nami’s suspicious looks they were now at Sabaody, which was why Zoro needed to get as far away from the ship, and the cook, as he could.

Like a siren’s call, Sanji husky voice called out, “Oi, oi, oi! Zoro~” Usopp joining in as they both called after, “Where are you going all on your own?!”

Grumpier than usual, Zoro rounded on Sanji and Usopp with a dark scowl and grunted, “Huh?!”

At Sanji’s false attempt at a honey sweet voice it sent his alpha instincts into overdrive and all he wanted to do was jump back on the ship and tackled the cook down. Wrestle him into submission and finally find out if the alpha tasted like those cherry smokes. Ravish him… and maybe bite his neck.

Biting another alphas neck?

Yeah, that’d go over well. Sanji just might actually try to kill him if he tried that.

“A walk.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Usopp wailed.

“Don’t go wandering off, you useless idiot!” Sanji snarled, “This is a huge freaking archipelago, we’ll never find you!”

“Like hell I’d get lost!” Zoro shouted back, forcing himself to calm down as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, “Who the hell could get lost in a place like this?! They’ve got numbers written on every single tree - worst case I’d just ask someone the way back! Even a kid couldn’t get lost around here.”

“Ah,” Usopp hit his fist against his hand, “I never knew you had so much sense.”

“Sorry I doubted you, go ahead and have fun!” Sanji called out with a sugary voice normally saved for the ladies. It caused Zoro to bristle uncomfortably and he knew he needed to leave now before he did something he might regret., “Don’t forget to ask for directions.”

As one they both called, “Don’t trust yourself!”

Growling to himself at their teasing, Zoro turned away and stalked off after taking a quick note of the number written on one of the mangrove trees. He needed to get as far away from the cook as he could right now, have a drink, and cool his head.

Unfortunately,there wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to help him with this situation at the moment, but it was worth a shot anyway. Continuing down the road towards the nearest town, he intended to buy the biggest bottle of liquor he could find and go find somewhere to sit and drink until he forgot about all of this for a while.

TBC...

Chapter Text

Two years and Sanji was back at Sabaody.

There was so much to look forward to. He had managed to collect every recipe possible from the kempo masters on Momoiro Island, his training over the past two years had made him eager to test his abilities in the New World, and he was finally able to get away from Caroline and her hoard of ‘Candies’ trying to put him in a dress every minute of every day.

But above all else was the notion of his crew, and Zoro.

After meeting up with a few of the others at Shakky’s, he inevitably went out in search of the swordsman with the goal of finally confronting the man. It had been a long two years, and he had come out the other side a bit more at peace with who he was; even though he would never admit that to Iva on threat of death.

Which is why he was currently standing on the coast of Sabaody, witness to the perpetually lost swordsman managing to get on the wrong ship. And subsequently cut that ship in half to escape back to the surface with a dramatism that really, Sanji would’ve only expected from himself, or perhaps Franky.

"Great. He's back." Sanji's face pulled down in displeasure. It would've been infinitely more funny if they had to wait until Fishman Island to reunite properly. "Not that I care."

Despite his words, Sanji felt his chest flutter happily at the sight of the swordsman. He could admit to himself that he had missed the alpha.

Hopping down from the remnants of the once majestic galleon, Zoro landed effortlessly on the shore and proceeded to pull his black bandana free from his arm and begin wringing it out. Sanji watched as the swordsman then used the cloth to wipe off excess water from his katana before resheathing it. Doing the same with the other two and then returning the bandana to his arm.

When Zoro pulled the cloth tight with his teeth, Sanji felt himself snap back into himself and the daze he had been trapped in suddenly faded. He hadn’t expected it, but the moment his gaze had landed on the other, all the carefully thought out conversations and planning went straight out the window.

Two years of foolish pining, and he still wasn't prepared for the sight of the swordsman. He was overwhelmed with how the alpha had filled out, horrified by his missing eye, and freaking over how relieved he was to see the man he was bonded to. Sanji hadn't thought he'd become this uncomposed this quickly.

Mouth opening to call out, the words died on his lips.

A cold, dark eye turned on him, and Sanji watched as not even a sliver of recognition flashed across the man’s stoic face. He could see the alpha assessing him, a muscle in his jaw tensed, but beyond that there was nothing.

What if the swordsman still didn’t know?

Stalking over to the other man, Sanji forced himself to remain aloof as he needed to handle this carefully. He was a bundle of nerves when he stopped in front of the swordsman. However, he never let it show, and he didn’t waver as he looked the alpha over with casual indifference. Fighting back a smile as he noticed the man’s hair had gotten longer; it suited him.

"Good job, shit swordsman.” Casting a glance about the wreckage of the ship, “You just ruined their day.”

"Their misfortune is not my problem."

Refraining from snorting at the man’s haughty response, Sanji rolled his eyes and drawled, "Except it kinda, precisely is."

Zoro shrugged.

Fiddling with his cigarette, Sanji wondered how to segue into why he’d gone looking for the bastard in the first place. There really was no good way to start. If they didn't talk about this now, then who knew the next time they'd have an opportunity to be alone.

Certainly not on the ship while going to Fishman Island, and he needed to make sure he and Zoro were on the same page, especially before they ran into Chopper. Sanji had a suspicion that if he reunited with their doctor and the deer found out he still hadn't filled Zoro in after two years that he’d regret it.

"Look…" Blowing out a sharp stream of smoke, Sanji tossed the spent cigarette and ground it out with his shoe in agitation. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Sanji steeled himself and looked back up at the man, "we need to talk."

Sanji half expected Zoro to laugh.

“Yeah.” Zoro agreed with a small tilt of his head, “Alright.”

That was a good sign.

If Zoro hadn’t figured it out by now, then Sanji would have expected the swordsman to laugh in his face and tell him to go away. Or at least be confused.

Glancing around at the gathering crowd coming to inspect the severed galleon, as well as the crew members that had survived Zoro’s attack, Sanji decided it would be best to have this conversation somewhere more private. Jerking his head over his shoulder, Zoro conceded with an easy nod and followed after Sanji as the blond led them away from the growing pandemonium at the shore.

Keeping himself a couple strides ahead of the alpha, Sanji used this time to plan what he was going to say. 

In actuality, he had planned what he had wanted to say hundreds of times, but now all of it just seemed so asinine. All he could do now was psyche himself up for the soul baring, horribly awkward conversation that was about to take place.

The only consolation was that he wasn’t entirely alone in this; he and Zoro were bonded, which meant Zoro was in the exact same position Sanji was. They had cared enough for each other to get themselves into this situation, so it stood to reason that the same anxious thoughts running through Sanji’s head were also in Zoro’s.

Unless they weren’t.

What if two years apart had changed things for Zoro?

A notion which made Sanji feel ill.

Further down the archipelago, Sanji stalked around a large tree and came to a stop at a secluded area near the coast amongst a grouping of smaller mangroves. No one would hear them talking here. And if they got into a fight, or either of them murdered each other, then it was the perfect place to dispose of a body with no witnesses.

Though Sanji actually hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 

Surprisingly.

Turning to face the swordsman, Sanji felt his resolve slipping again and his hands itched for a cigarette. He fought the urge for about a second before giving up and pulling one free and lighting up. Breathing in the calming tobacco, Sanji held it for a long moment as he let his eyes fall shut; bracing himself for the worst.

“You know,” Sanji murmured, as his eyes slid open. Looking over at Zoro and affirming, “right?”

That stoic expression wavered, but only for a moment, “Yeah.”

Lips thinning in satisfaction of that answer, Sanji ducked his head to nod as he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to be the one to break the news after all. The hardest part was done. Sanji’s shoulders visibly relaxed as he looked back up at Zoro and found it was easier this time.

Attempting to keep it casual, he raised a hand to clasp his cigarette and pull it away to flick some of the ashes from the tip. He let his eyes drift away, "When’d you figure it out?"

"Mihawk."

“Right. Warlord.” Sanji replaced his smoke and puffed on it thoughtfully. Just like with Ivankov, it probably hadn’t taken long for Mihawk to figure it out; apparently Sanji had reeked of the swordsman when he had arrived. Not that Sanji had been able to tell, but he assumed that his suppressants were partially to blame for that.

Tapping his own cheek to indicate the scar on Zoro’s face, Sanji asked, “He give you that too?”

“Technically.”

“You gonna just keep up with the one word answers?” Sanji scowled, “Or is there nothing you want to say?”

Zoro’s large hand dropped to the hilt of his white katana, thumb pressing into the wrap there and fidgeting with it as a tension became noticeable in his arms. He stared at the golden pommel of his sword for a long time - long enough Sanji was beginning to get concerned - before finally glancing up.

“How’d you find out?”

"Uh, well," Here it came, Sanji grimaced, the deep water. Utterly embarrassing. Rubbing the back of his neck, he winced, "remember Thriller Bark?"

"Yeah.” Zoro’s eyebrows jumping up, “You did do something."

Rearing back at the accusatory tone, Sanji snorted, "We were both there, jackass. It takes two to tango."

"But we didn't." Zoro deadpanned, "I woke up and couldn't--"

Zoro stopped short, and for the first time actually looked mildly distressed. The slight tinge of shame to his cheeks not exactly lending itself to his grouchy persona. He released his sword and instead crossed his arms, as though it would keep Sanji from noticing the obvious slip up.

Sighing, Sanji decided to ignore it and keep pressing forward.

“Chopper said it had to do with how we…” Pausing, Sanji had to force himself to continue through his own embarrassment and nearly grimaced when he finished his statement, “felt about each other. I didn’t want to believe him at first, but it was the only explanation for my leg and--”

A sharp inhale had him pausing in his ramblings to glance at the swordsman.

"You knew…" Zoro began slowly, as though speaking the words as he thought them. An unimaginably tense aura leeching off the man as he glared at Sanji, betrayal catching on his voice as he demanded, "from the start?"

"Well, yeah, but--"

A hard look passed over Zoro’s face, and then he was turning and storming away with a swirl of his cloak. Sanji stood frozen in place as he watched him go, annoyed and a more than a little flummoxed. It wasn't like he'd expected this conversation to go warmly, but to walk away entirely was a little irking.

"O-oi, wait!" Sanji called after the swordsman, jogging after him, "Bastard!"

“For your own sake,” Zoro grunted, “leave me alone.”

“‘For my own--’” Sanji balked, “what the hell’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Exactly what it sounds.”

“You arrogant--” Cutting himself off, Sanji launched himself forward and brought his leg up in a fluid kick intended for the back of the swordsman’s head.

At the last second, Zoro turned and unsheathed half his black katana, keeping the other half still in its sheath as he used the back of the blade to block the kick. Bracing into the strike to keep from being knocked back, he leaned in with a dark scowl and practically spat in Sanji’s face, “Back. Off. Cook.”

Smirking, Sanji tongued his smoke playfully while breathing out a steady stream around it, directly into Zoro’s face. Anger he could deal with; this was something he was well acquainted with in regards to the swordsman. Revelling in the disgruntled expression as he taunted, “Or what?”

Faster than Sanji could blink, Zoro's free hand dropped to snatch up the handle of his red blade and pull it free, slicing up in a furious arc. Sanji managed to dodge the strike, but the blade nicked through the middle of his cigarette and sent the ignited end falling to the ground.

Before the ember could touch the grass, Zoro was bringing the blade back around to finish the strike and Sanji was forced to kick off the black blade, coat his leg in haki, and raise it in time to stop the blow from the red. By the time the blade had been deflected and Sanji was skidding across the wet grass, the crumbled remains of his cigarette finally touched earth.

“What the hell is your--” problem.

Zoro never gave Sanji the chance to finish as his red blade had been returned to its sheath and now the alpha had his black sword drawn and a murderous expression on his face. Launching for Sanji and forcing the cook to actually have to take this fight seriously. Leg soon enveloped in flames as he met Zoro’s strike with just as much intensity.

It soon became an all out brawl. Something in Zoro’s eye telling Sanji that there was more to his behaviour than just his annoyance. But before he had the chance to ask, Zoro was ducking under a kick and the swordsman tangled a hand in the front of Sanji’s suit.

All Sanji had was a moment to raise a confused brow and then Zoro was throwing him into the ocean. He tumbled over and for a frozen moment he met Zoro’s eye with a look of betrayal before his back hit the water and he was going under.

It was cold and disorientating.

A powerful kick to the water below was more than enough to launch him out of the water and back onto land as he beared down on the swordsman, “What the fuck was that for, you hack swordsman?! I oughta--”

A loud clatter had Sanji stopping dead in his tracks as he stared up at the unnerved swordsman who had just let his katana slip from slack fingers to land on the ground. It was enough to make all of Sanji’s previous anger drain out of him to be replaced by confusion. Unsure of exactly what could spook the alpha enough to make him drop his weapon; it couldn’t have been anything good.

Huffing into the quiet between them, Sanji ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to get some of the water out of it and cast a look around the two of them. He hadn’t sensed anything with his haki. Levelling Zoro with an apprehensive glare, “What’s wrong?”

Zoro still hadn’t stopped gazing unblinkingly at Sanji with this haunted expression.

Just when Sanji was about to ask again, he saw Zoro’s nostrils flare and then his hand was lashing out to tangle in Sanji’s shirt. Expecting another throw, Sanji was ready for it this time, already bringing his leg up to kick the stupid mosshead. However, his kick was stopped dead in its tracks. Instead of yelling or instigating anything else, Zoro hauled Sanji forward with a commanding hand coming up to grip the back of Sanji’s neck.

Hands raised in surprise, Sanji stood frozen as Zoro pulled him into an aggressive hug and buried his face into the crook of Sanji’s neck. He still refused to release that hand on Sanji’s neck and for some reason it was as effective as if he were currently pinning Sanji to the ground. Stiff, but compliant in the swordsman’s arms as Zoro's nose dragged up the line of Sanji’s neck before inhaling sharply.

All of Sanji’s fight left him in an instant as a sensation he had been dreading, yet yearning, for over two years was finally happening. His brain was static. Every part of him was suddenly limp in Zoro’s arms as his body knew, before he even did, that this was exactly what he wanted; his mate holding him, touching him, scenting him.

Just when Sanji was finally coming to his senses enough to raise his arms, Zoro was snarling angrily and the next thing Sanji knew he was flung backwards. Back colliding with a nearby tree, and when he fell to his feet, he stumbled for a moment before looking up at a livid alpha.

Zoro looked unhinged.

Rubbing his hand against his neck to try and rid himself of the sensation of the alpha’s face against his skin. Sanji tried to ignore how right it had felt. It was unnerving, but somehow he seemed in better control of himself right now than Zoro was.

Was the bond really affecting him that much?

Stance hunched and panting heavily, it was like Zoro was holding himself back. Teeth gritting together as he growled, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

There was no question in Zoro’s words, just a dark look and a scathing demand.

“I was going to--”

“When.”

Shying away from the demanding look, Sanji’s eyes darted about the grass between them. Knowing he had promised Chopper he was going to tell Zoro on Sabaody, but even he wasn’t certain he would’ve followed through. At the time he had been so in denial.

Funny how two years apart had put things in perspective.

“I’m not sure.”

Zoro made a displeased noise.

They stood awkwardly until Sanji began fishing out a cigarette to pass the time. Finding the least soaked one and lighting it as Zoro stooped to collect his sword. He sheathed it, so at least it seemed like he wasn’t going to try and cut Sanji’s head off again.

When neither seemed ready to say anything more on the awkward matter, Sanji breathed out a stream of smoke and turned on his heel, “C’mon. We don’t have anymore time for this. I need to grab supplies and we need to meet up at the Sunny. We can talk about this later.”

“Yeah, cause that’s what you’re good at, right cook?” Zoro sneered, but following nonetheless, “Putting things off ‘till later. At this rate we’ll reach the end of the New World before I get anything out of you.”

“Fuck you, mosshead.”

“No, fuck you, you selfish piece of shit! You should have told me the moment I woke up!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake...” Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose and came to a stop. Screwing his face up for a few moments to try to regain some composure and failing miracuously as he rounded on Zoro and snapped, “And what difference would it have made? Huh? Just given you another reason to hate me sooner?!”

“No,” Zoro snarled, “but it would’ve explained why I--”

Once more Zoro cut himself off. His cheeks flaring red and a look of horror eclipsing his face. Forcing a glare into place to try and hide whatever it was he had been about to yell in Sanji’s face.

Arching a brow, Sanji goaded, “What?”

“I-- nothing.” Zoro scowled and then began storming ahead of the cook, "Let’s go get the stupid supplies.”

"Now who's avoiding the issue?"

“Shut up, cook.”

~X~

Sitting beside the fainted cook, Zoro looked down at the useless omega that he was bonded to and basked in the idiocy of the whole situation. Eyes flicking up to the blood bags and then back down, Zoro wondered what cosmic joke had landed him with this idiot. He supposed he had brought it on himself falling for the man, but maybe he would have tried harder to fight his feelings if he knew it was going to be this hard.

Granted, he hadn’t exactly made it easy on the cook, but the second he had seen the man he’d become unhinged. Able to be that close to his mate after so long, to be able to smell his scent and have him within arms reach; it had taken all he had not to jump the man there and then. All he could do was channel his frustration into anger.

In hindsight, he probably should’ve been more polite.

Watching Chopper scurry about while checking the cook over, Zoro made sure the rest of the crew had wandered off to take in the underwater view, before getting Chopper’s attention, “He going to be okay?”

“Yeah.” Chopper sighed, giving the I.V.’s a final check as he swiped a hoof across his forehead and sat down, “But at this rate I’m going to run out of blood bags. Sanji has a very specific blood type.”

Zoro grunted in acknowledgement.

Honestly, he really didn’t care much about the cook’s stupid behaviour right now. He was far more caught up in the issue of their bond. And everything that it entailed.

He had thought he’d have better control over himself by now.

When the cook had climbed out of the ocean with all traces of his cigarette smoke washed away and nothing but his scent smacking Zoro in the face all rational thought had fled. He was still appalled he had scented the cook's neck without permission, it seemed two years apart hadn’t quelled any of his want… Nothing less than throwing the man off him had been efficient to get him to let go.

“Are you alright, Zoro?”

Head snapping up, Zoro noted the look of trepidation the deer was directing his way.

Smiling softly, Zoro nodded, “I’m fine, Chopper.”

“Are you two--” Chopper cut himself off and looked away nervously. Tapping his hooves nervously before attempting to broach again, “Did you guys--”

Ah. Right.

Chopper knew.

Of course the worrisome doctor was no doubt fussing over them and if they were doing alright. If he had any money, he’d bet money that Chopper had been concerned about them from the moment he found out. It was sweet. Fighting back a smile, as Zoro crossed his arms, and heaved a sigh, “We’re good.”

“Really?” Chopper’s eyes shone up at him.

“Yes.” Zoro chuckled, and despite his annoyance, knew there was no lie to his words. His gaze turned to the still unconscious cook and swallowed past the tightness that formed in his throat whenever he looked at the other man. Grinning and giving an exasperated shake of his head as he admitted, “We’re just figuring stuff out at the moment.”

Was he annoyed with the cook?

For sure.

Did that mean he had stopped liking the bastard?

Hell no.

It was just a confusing situation where half of Zoro wanted to embrace his mate after all this time. Once and for all get this ache in his chest under control. And the other half wanted to pin the irritating cook to the deck and choke him for not telling him the moment it had happened that they were bonded.

That damned curly bastard had let him go weeks thinking something was wrong!

“I’m so relieved!” Clapping his hooves together, Chopper began swaying happily, “I told Sanji there was nothing to worry about!”

Brows twitching into a frown, Zoro glanced up, “He was worried?”

“Yeah,” With a tired sigh, Chopper nodded, “Mostly about what you and the crew would think once you found out he was--”

A squeak followed the admission, and Chopper clamped both hands firmly over his mouth. Zoro glanced over to find the little doctor staring at Zoro mollified. The deer began blubbering through his hooves in a panic as a thought struck Zoro.

Shaking his head, Zoro couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner. He’d spent two years knowing Sanji was an omega, it had been a long time since it had crossed his mind. With all the training Mihawk put him through, the most he had time for was thinking about their late night drinking hangouts and hope that when the crew reunited they’d still have that.

And maybe more.

“It’s okay, Chopper.” Reassuring the deer that looked close to hyperventilating at revealing Sanji’s secret, “I already know.”

“You do?”

Zoro nodded, turning to look back at the unconscious cook.

It was obvious why Sanji had cared what they would all think.

It hadn’t been something that had really altered the way he had viewed the cook, if anything it had just explained some things about the man’s behaviour. But he knew it wasn’t a status that people liked to advertise about themselves, and on some islands it was even something to be ashamed of. It more than explained Sanji’s desire to not say anything about it.

Zoro, of course, found all the discourse absolutely ridiculous, but that didn’t mean he would discount how it must have affected the cook. He had no clue what the man had been through. If he wanted to keep it a secret, then he must have had his reasons, and Zoro could respect that.

Still, it did nothing to resolve anything else between them. And despite knowing unequivocally what he wanted, Zoro didn’t exactly know how to go about getting it.

With a sigh, Zoro glanced up at the deer that was still watching him warily. He gifted Chopper with a reassuring smile and motioned towards the railing of the ship with a subtle jerk of his head. “Go enjoy the view. I’ve already seen it.”

At Chopper’s reluctance, Zoro shooed him, “I’ll watch the cook.”

After a moment of debate, Chopper’s face lit up, “Okay! Thank you, Zoro!”

Trotting off to join Luffy and Usopp, both betas picked up Chopper and began showing him all the cool marine life they had already spotted. Stars dancing in the little guy’s eyes as a massive eel wormed its way past them, followed by a pod of pufferfish.

Casting a glance around the deck, he made sure that the crew was either gone to other parts of the ship or too busy looking around at the underwater view to notice. Subtly reaching a hand out, he slipped it under Sanji’s unconscious one and left it there. He didn’t turn his hand over to actually hold the cook’s hand, but left enough that his knuckles touched Sanji’s palm.

That connected, calming sensation that he remembered so distantly from Thriller Bark returned, and he let out his own relieved sigh. It was the same feeling he had gotten when he had grabbed Sanji when they had been fighting earlier; it seemed contact made the bond swell and the ache ease.

After a few minutes, Sanji shifted.

“Ngh… a pile of moss?” Groggily shaking his head, Sanji winced up at Zoro through bleary eyes, “What are you--”

"Shut. Up. Cook."

Hand jerking in Sanji’s, Zoro forced himself to leave it there even though the annoyed half of him wanted to snatch it away and storm off. He was still pissed. No matter how adorable the omega looked after having just woken up and blinking up at him in confusion.

“You’re still angry I didn’t tell you?” Sanji croaked.

Zoro deigned to answer.

With a sigh and thump, Sanji dropped his head back to the deck, but also left his hand clasped around Zoro’s. His thumb twitched, but otherwise he didn’t mention it. They remained like that for a long time as Zoro’s irritation slowly waned. Eventually, his gaze was drifting back to the cook and he hated that he was no longer as angry as he felt he should be.

However, most of his questions were answered now. Sanji knew about their bond as Zoro did, he was aware of when it had happened, and judging from his behaviour he didn’t seem totally averse to it. The only question remaining was what they were supposed to do now.

Zoro supposed it was best to start at the beginning.

Swallowing slowly, Zoro mumbled, “How did it happen?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because,” Scowling at the cook as he growled, “I want to know.”

They stared at each other for a long time. There was a reluctance in Sanji’s stare that Zoro couldn’t understand, but soon he gave in as his eyes flicked away and a firm frown set his brow.

“You were dying.” Sanji mumbled rather bluntly. Eyes sliding shut as a pained expression twisted Sanji’s face as he was most likely reliving the moment. Zoro couldn’t remember much beyond still photographs in his memory, but he remembered Sanji. He remembered feeling relief. Sanji’s voice wavered as he spoke softly, “My leg was broken.”

It was interesting seeing the cook so torn.

“I couldn’t--” Sanji a blush lightly tinged the cook’s cheeks, and he was obviously embarrassed by the memory now as he tried again, “You looked--”

He was silent for a long time before trying again.

“I panicked.” Sanji stated, hand twitching atop Zoro’s as he murmured, “You held my hand, and everything kinda… got better.”

Turning his weak body, he looked down at how similarly their hands were clasped now, and Zoro followed the motion to look as well. Remembering the faintest memory of Sanji’s terrified voice, and a warm hand, and desperately wanting to live to make sure the cook never sounded like that again. He remembered a whirlwind of sensation inside and around him, and how holding the cook’s hand had felt like grasping a lifeline while at sea.

Reassuring and hopeful.

Looking back up at Sanji, Zoro murmured, “I remember.”

“Y--” Sanji jumped rather lively despite how pale and weak he still was, “you do?”

Zoro nodded.

"Oh."

"Just a feeling really." Zoro clarified while rubbing his forehead. It hadn’t been that long since the cook had had a cigarette, but his scent was beginning to leech through. And the clearer it got the more he found himself growing on edge. With stern concentration, Zoro grumbled, "Was more like a dream. I don't recall much else besides you dragging me to the crew."

It was Sanji's turn to nod quietly this time.

Dropping his hand from where it had been messaging his temple, Zoro forced himself to focus on the conversation, “What happened to your leg?”

“I couldn’t carry your weight, but after…” Sanji trailed off and huffed, “Afterwards Chopper checked me over and it turned out my leg was healed.”

“Because of the bond?”

Sanji nodded.

His gaze flicked down to their clasped hands. That calm he felt when they touched made a lot more sense now, as did Sanji’s improved condition since Zoro had come to sit next to him. Apparently physical touch made it much easier to activate their bond.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zoro spoke softly to ensure the crew wouldn’t hear. Suddenly uncertain as to Sanji’s motivations, “Did you think I wouldn't care?”

“I…" Sanji sighed heavily, raising his other hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in agitation, "It wasn't about you."

“So," Zoro frowned, trying to make sense of the cook's decision. He couldn’t explain it but he found himself getting riled despite his better judgment. Was it the cook’s scent? Was it their bond? It felt like he was watching himself be irrational, "how I felt didn’t matter?”

“No, I just--”

“What,” Zoro knew he was pushing, but he couldn’t stop himself, “cook?”

The cook liked him. He liked the cook. Where was the issue?

Retracting his hand from Zoro’s with a suddenness that stung, Sanji looked away with a stubborn set to his shoulders. Crossing his arms as if to make a point.

Looking down at where his hand still rested on the lawn of Sunny, Zoro glared at the spot where moments ago the cook’s hand had been. He clenched his hand around the now empty space and tried desperately to ignore the ache in his chest that had returned the moment Sanji had snubbed him and snatched his hand from Zoro’s.

Stupid, fucking cook.

Pushing himself to his feet, Zoro couldn’t even chance a glance at the omega as he was still far too agitated to risk it, especially around the crew. He let out a breath to calm himself that came out as more of a snarl. With a flick of his robes, Zoro spun on a heel and strode away from the man, needing to put some distance between them. 

It was hard enough trying to deal with the cook without his scent distracting him at all times.

Pausing on his way to the crows nest as Usopp’s terrified voice called out to them from the prow, "Uh, guys, you might want to take a look at this…"

~X~

Keeping his arms crossed defensively over his chest, Sanji sent a sly look Zoro’s way only to find the alpha purposefully glaring out the bubble. Zoro had refused to continue their conversation, he seemed intent on ignoring Sanji to the best of his abilities, and Sanji should've been happy since this was exactly what he wanted, but if anything it just pissed him off.

Which was irrational.

Getting angry at the swordsman for doing what he wanted him to do, it just pissed him off. Sanji supposed he could’ve handled it better, but couldn’t Zoro read the room?! Discussing their bond in the middle of Sunny’s deck, surrounded by their crew, wasn’t exactly his ideal scenario. Especially considering he wasn’t up for the crew finding out about that little tidbit of info just yet. With his luck Robin had already overheard and put the pieces together.

Now though… they were alone.

And more than ever he felt like he owed the swordsman an explanation.

“Hey, uh--”

“Shut up, cook.” Zoro sighed, “Let’s just wait this out until the crew finds us.”

Arms uncrossing, Sanji brandished a finger at the swordsman as he growled, “Oi, don’t you tell me to shut up, you walking vegetable!”

“You’re the dumbass that burst his bubble and had to run to mine," Zoro's sharp look was filled with disdain, "so you don't tell me what to do.”

Then he was back to glaring out the bubble.

Another long silence filled the bubble. Sanji could've easily spent it not talking to the stupid swordsman, but he also knew he was long overdue for explaining himself and this was the perfect opportunity; the crew wasn't around and they couldn't exactly run away. Though, Sanji supposed that if the conversation turned sour they could pop their bubble and end up dying, which wouldn't be ideal but then they'd never have to have this conversation…

Glancing over at Zoro, Sanji inspected the lines of the alpha’s body and could see that the swordsman was tense. Every muscle and hardened line of the man was on high alert, and even on suppressants Sanji could feel his body heating up. It seemed that even with Zoro being livid and having spent two years apart had done nothing to quell his feelings for the man.

Heaving a sigh, Sanji crossed his arms as he prepared for the unpleasantness that was about to unfold. Looking down at his legs that we're currently crossed in front of him to give them more space in the bubble. Suddenly becoming fascinated with the creasing pattern of the fabric at his knee before getting the courage to speak.

“I wanted to tell you.”

Zoro remained stiff and cold, but his eye flickered over to Sanji.

“But I knew it meant having to come clean about everything. About what I am… and why it happened.” Sanji heaved a sigh, “And I knew it was going to be a shitty conversation so I was just trying to think of the right way to tell you, but then we ran into Keimi, and we landed at Sabaody. And you ran off, and things went to shit, and the next thing I know we were all…”

It wasn't pleasant recalling their last day together as a crew, and he also knew it was a pretty shit excuse, but it was the truth. Sanji had thought about that day over and over while on Momoiro Island, and especially about how much he regretted not taking the swordsman aside when he had the chance to tell him. At the time Zoro would have probably been as pissed as he was now, but maybe two years to cool off would've made this transition easier for both of them.

Regardless of could-haves and would-have-beens, Sanji knew he was at fault for keeping this from Zoro and he should have said something despite his own fear. Biting down his pride, Sanji nearly gagged as he admitted, “You’re right. I should’ve told you sooner.”

“Yeah, you should’ve.” Zoro’s voice was admonishing, but not nearly as cold as Sanji had been expecting. There was a long pause before Zoro softly spoke again and this time he practically whispered it, “But I get why you didn’t.”

Head snapping up, he met Zoro’s gentle expression with one of shock. It took only a moment for him to understand what Zoro was referring to. Mouth hanging open and floundering before getting control of himself and snapping his jaw shut. He returned the sentiment with a small smile and a gracious nod.

A comfortable silence fell between them.

Sanji felt like a massive weight was suddenly lifted off his shoulders at finally getting out everything he had wanted to tell the swordsman since Thriller Bark. It was liberating in the most amazing way to finally be honest about their bond.

“You know I don’t care,” Zoro spoke up and commanded Sanji’s attention. And despite the harsh words, there was a softness to his voice and seriousness to his gaze, “right cook?”

Biting his lip, Sanji glanced up at the swordsman before breaking into a mildly hysterical chuckle. He still couldn’t believe he was talking to the swordsman about this. That it was all suddenly this easy. “Yeah… Yeah, I know.”

“Good.” Zoro muttered, trailing off as he glanced away. And if it wasn’t so dark in their bubble Sanji could’ve sworn the swordsman was blushing. He murmured a second, softer affirmation, “Good.”

Sanji fought against a smile and lost.

Hiding it behind his bangs as he looked down at his feet. He hadn’t expected the swordsman to be so forthright and… nice about all of this. It really wasn’t helping matters. That fluttering had returned and he knew, bond or not, he was so utterly gone on the man.

“Cook, I--”

Glancing up in time, Sanji managed to catch Zoro’s horrified expression before his jaw snapped shut with a click and the alpha turned away with a scowl. He still had that blush on his cheeks from earlier, but now it appeared like it had begun to reach his ears.

“You keep doing that.” Sanji pointed out, and, at Zoro’s questioning look, elaborated. Waving a hand about to gesture to the swordsman and chuckle, “Start saying something and then… not.”

Refusing to meet Sanji’s eyes, Zoro’s lips thinned into a tight line and his posture decidedly matched. Shoulders and back stiff as he was clearly struggling with something that Sanji could only guess at. It could be any number of things, first of which might have to do with them being stuck so close together and alone.

“It’s just ever since Thriller Bark,” Zoro murmured and Sanji had to snap his head up to catch the swordsman’s next words. The alpha looking nearly as pained as Sanji had felt moments ago as he admitted, “I can’t think straight around you.”

Sanji flushed.

Stupid, blunt marimo.

“I think it has to do with the bond, because the second it started I couldn’t escape your scent.” Pressing a hand to his forehead, Zoro grunted, “It’s everywhere. Constantly. And I can’t get it out of my head. It’s why I’m so on edge.”

“Huh.”

That was a bit of a surprise.

Sanji wondered just how well the swordsman was able to smell his scent. He’d never really cared about it before, but the way Zoro had held him and scented him before had gotten him thinking. And the more he thought, the more he knew he kind of really wanted it to happen again. Sanji nearly blushed himself at the mental omission.

He would never be telling Zoro that.

“What?”

“I just…” Shaking his head, Sanji shrugged, “didn’t think you would be able to.”

No one had been able to smell it on him before now. He hadn’t considered that once they had bonded that it might make Zoro more attuned to his scent. It would certainly explain Zoro’s behaviour at the beach on Sabaody; if Sanji was wet then it would’ve washed off all traces of his cigarette smoke.

“Why not?”

“I take suppressants.” Sanji grumbled, itching to grab a cigarette now that he had thought about them, but knowing that smoking in the bubble with limited oxygen would be a huge dick move. Instead, he crossed his arms once more and began fiddling with the fabric of his jacket, “There’s no real side effects, but it kinda numbs everything. Alphas don’t notice me, but I can’t exactly smell or sense you guys the way I should. I’m told it’s kinda just like being a beta with a shittier sense of smell...”

“What.”

When Zoro spoke Sanji hadn’t expected the word to come out croaked, but sure enough when he chanced a glance up at the alpha he saw a pained expression that equally matched his voice. He sounded wrecked. And ever since the crew had reunited he hadn’t seen Zoro looking this upset.

“What?” Sanji parroted, clearly confused.

“You…” Zoro glanced down at his chest for a long moment, eventually looking back up as this time a grumble accompanied the hoarseness of his voice, “can’t feel any of this?”

“Well, I mean…” Sanji looked away, unable to continue looking the swordsman in the eye as he admitted something so embarrassing, “Yeah, a little? Ever since Thriller Bark it’s been kinda off.”

“No, not that.”

An annoyed scowl fell on Zoro’s brow, and it was a relief to hear him sound a bit like his old self. Chancing a glance just in time to see the swordsman uncrossing his arms and pushing himself up to move over to Sanji’s side of the bubble.

“WOAH!”

The bubble wobbled precariously as Zoro was suddenly braced over Sanji with a hand planted against the bubble behind him, as his other hand came down to press a large palm right over Sanji’s chest. Pressing hard as he glared at Sanji even more intently, “This, right here. Like you’re being crushed from the inside, you don’t feel this?!”

"Like I said," Sanji swallowed thickly, "the suppressants mute everything."

With Zoro this close it was impossible not to smell him, and within the confines of this bubble it felt like he was being smothered, but it wasn't painful like Zoro was describing. Perhaps the embarrassment was, but that was all. A flush climbed up his cheeks as he turned his head to the side and stared resolutely out the bubble as Zoro continued to bear down on him.

The alpha was all up in his space and thanks to the cramped nature of the bubble he was practically straddling Sanji as he leaned down to drag his lips along Sanji's jaw. A tremulous breath shuddered across Sanji's cheek and he felt a pang of arousal shoot through his chest.

He was only human, damn it!

Zoro ducked his head, face hidden from view in Sanji's shoulder so all he could see of the alpha was his mouth as he gritted, “Does this seriously do nothing?”

"I-- I…" Sanji swallowed heavily, “I mean, yeah, of course it does, but the supp--”

“Shut up about the suppressants!” Zoro practically groaned in frustration. Pushing himself up to level a glare on Sanji, “We’re mates. It’s why I could only properly smell you after Thriller Bark, it’s why my whole body hurts all the damned time, it’s why I can’t--”

Both men froze as a movement directly beside their bubble had them glancing over to see the fainted body of Luffy sinking down in the darkness. Eyes rolled back and the last of his breath bubbling out of his mouth. They stayed locked like that for several more seconds, watching their hammer of a captain sink, until they both snapped back to their senses.

Launching out of the bubble with a single kick, Sanji kicked once off the water until he was beside their fainted captain, and then another kick had him back inside the bubble as Luffy coughed up water. Bracing the weak man with a caring hand on his back as he helped him cough up the water he had swallowed.

“Hey, Captain.” Sanji smirked, “How’s the water?”

“Good.” Luffy gave an exhausted thumbs up and grinned before leaning over and coughing up another mouthful of water. Sanji continued patting his back, but his eyes flickered over to Zoro who was pulling his katana from his belt to hold so there would be more room in the bubble.

Zoro caught his eye, and stared at him for a hard moment before huffing and turning away. Hugging his swords to himself and shutting his eye as it was clear he had nothing more to say for now.

~X~

Zoro was drunk.

Well, as drunk as one could be when they had the constitution of a beast. Alcohol never truly got to him. It was more of a pleasant buzz, but apparently it was enough that when he returned from the bathroom he had trouble finding his way back to the banquet hall.

After all the nastiness with Hodi and his crew, the King had thrown a massive party in the castle as thanks. The crew easily accepted, and they did what they did best; abused their hospitality. Luffy had likely cleared out most of their food, Usopp was making a spectacle of himself, and the rest of the crew had probably accrued countless damages to the building. It should be expected after inviting pirates into your palace.

Sanji, of course, had found separate entertainment besides food and drink.

It wasn’t anything new; anytime the crew was remotely free to do as they willed, Sanji found the nearest flock of women and pounced. Only this time the cook happily danced about while flirting with any mermaid that came within a twenty foot radius of him. The idiot was so far gone it was embarrassing to watch.

So maybe that was why Zoro drank a little more heavily than usual, and maybe that was why he decided to take a walk to find the bathroom. Maybe he just needed a break from watching all those mermaids drape themselves over his mate while he had to sit there and pretend like everything was okay.

Which it was.

Totally.

Sanji wasn’t his property, despite what the annoying voice in the back of his head would have him believe. And the stupid cook could flirt with whomever he pleased.

Zoro couldn’t care less.

But… It felt like they were headed on a collision course, and Zoro had no control. He had no idea what was happening, or what was going on in Sanji’s head.

Looking out over the balcony, Zoro took in the vast view of Fishman Island below and the glowing lights like little fireflies lighting up the districts below. Gazing through the water separating the castle from the island, he could see pods of fish and marine life scurrying about. It truly was a magical place to be.

A distinct footfall met his ears, and he turned away from the view below to find the cook walking towards him. All perfect angles and cocky swagger. Cigarette dangling casually from his lips as his hands rested in his pockets. The sight had his throat constricting, and Zoro masked his excitement with an indifferent stare.

“What are you doing out here, mosshead?” Sanji grinned, “You trying to get yourself lost?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Zoro drawled, dropping a hand to rest on his katana. Finding that as of late the action steadied him when conversing with the blond. It was silly, but they calmed him, reassured him. Thumb tracing up the wrap on Wado, he grunted, “Why aren’t you back there wooing some more mermaids?”

“What?” Sanji stopped, heels coming together in a rigid stance. A hand slipping from his pocket to snatch up his smoke and smirk, “Jealous?”

“Yo--” Liquor loosened his tongue, but he caught himself before he could say anything incriminating. Turning away to look back out at the view of the sea with a muttered, “Whatever.”

Keeping his gaze turned skyward, Zoro watched as a Sea King swam overhead and momentarily blocked out the shimmering light of the moon trickling down through the water. It’s shadow cast over them as the bioluminescent creatures and algaes around them took on a stronger glow before the creature moved on. A dim light returning to the underwater world.

Even as he continued to stare up, it was hard to ignore the fact that Sanji was obviously looking at him. He sighed and looked away from the spectacle above. Turning to look at Sanji, and watching as the cook exhaled a large cloud of smoke before speaking, "Have your… feelings changed?"

An odd stillness hung between them as there wasn’t even a breeze to break the tension.

"No." Zoro shook his head.

It was an easy omission. Far easier than he had thought it was going to be, but at this point they both knew what was going on. They couldn’t have bonded if they didn’t feel something for each other. This was just all the messy aftermath.

"Ah." Sanji made a soft noise and then he was back to puffing away on his cigarette. He seemed happy though.

"What about you?"

Sanji stilled, glancing up at Zoro warily, "What about me?"

"How do you feel about…” Rubbing the back of his neck, Zoro tried not to frown as he watched the cook, “us?"

Squirming uncomfortably, Sanji avoided the question, but the tightness of his lips and the tense line of his shoulders gave him away. A fond smile breaking out on Zoro’s face and he teased, "So, you do still like me."

"Of course I do." Sanji grimaced, as though the omission pained him. Arms coming up to cross over his chest as he glared at the marble floor, "Just because the suppressants make it so I can't sense you the way you can doesn't mean I stopped liking you, I've--" Sucking in a sharp breath, Sanji cut his next words short as a blush lit up his face. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Suck it up.” Zoro smirked, "Shit cook."

Sharp eyes flicked over to Zoro, promising pain.

The swordsman’s smirk turned into a full on toothy grin. Head tilting back cockily as he chuckled, “Heh. You like me. Loser.”

“UGH!” Sanji lamented, throwing a dramatic hand across his face and turning away. He then started speaking to the sky like an even bigger idiot, “Why must I be wasted on a brain dead piece of fungus? What cruel sort of humour does the universe have for me?”

Watching the cook throw himself about dramatically for a while, Zoro let him get most of his theatricality out of the way. He had a feeling this would be slow going. Regardless if the cook liked him or not, the omega was still a womanizer through and through, and Zoro knew that the cook was not going to be forthcoming with his feelings concerning them.

Zoro smiled.

Even if the cook was a fool, Zoro had come to find everything about him annoyingly charming over the years. His flair for the dramatic, his ability to take a hit in a fight, and even the stupid flailing. He watched the show until Sanji finally seemed to calm down long enough to pull out a fresh cigarette on focus on lighting that instead.

Zoro’s eyes drawn to the long line of the man. From the sharp cut of his suit and his finely polished shoes, to the strong line of his shoulders and the tantalizing dexterity of his hands. All the way up to the wavy hair that hung in front of his face as he leaned forward to press the tip of his cigarette to the flame of his lighter.

Zoro stilled.

Sanji's hair was glowing.

With the light of the moon waning, the area surrounding them grew dim and the creatures were back to emitting light to make up for it. Only now that he was watching Sanji instead of the sky, he could see the way the blue algae lit up the cook’s blond hair with streaks of muted cerulean. It made him seem ethereal; like he belonged down here.

Countless times Zoro had thought about touching the cook's hair. Run his fingers through it and confirm that it was as soft, and magical, as it looked. And time after time he had always stopped himself. He supposed there was no reason to hold back anymore.

Stepping closer to the cook, Zoro extended his hand.

“OI!” Jumping back and raising a leg, Sanji narrowed his eyes and released a puff of smoke from his nose like an enraged animal, “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing, mosshead? You think just because we’re bonded I'm going to be some obedient omega, is that it?!”

A grimace twisted Zoro’s face, “I hope not.”

“Oh.” Most of Sanji’s aggression seemed to deflate from him with the word, leg dropping to the ground but his aggressive stance remaining. Gaze trailing up and down the swordsman before meeting his eye once more and declaring, “Well… good.”

“I’ve always liked you cause you gave me shit.” Zoro commanded Sanji’s gaze, “I don’t want that to change now.”

"Oh." Sanji echoed his previous sentiment, clearly out of his element, but getting some of it back as he brandished a finger. The stutter and lack of fire behind his words drastically undercutting his threat, "W-well don’t think that just because I like you I wanna kiss you or anything! I'm still a ladies man!”

“I wanna kiss you.” Zoro countered rather bluntly. Thinking back to all the times he had wanted to kiss the cook before they had even gotten bonded, and how much he had dreamt of the cook while they were separated, “I’ve wanted to for a while.”

Damn, the alcohol was really getting to him.

Sanji’s eyes bugged, “P-Pardon?”

“I honestly don’t really care about all this mates bullshit,” Zoro grunted, “I want you. I just didn't think it could work because I didn’t think there was a chance in hell of you ever falling for me.”

"Aren't you candid tonight." Sanji snorted, grinding out his cigarette on the nearby marble column and pocketing the filter. Hands finding his pockets as he laughed, “I suppose you want the same from me?”

Without the cherry smoke between them it became harder to ignore Sanji's scent, and Zoro found himself implicitly drawn forward. Taking another step towards the cook so now they were barely a foot apart, and Sanji was watching him curiously.

Zoro shook his head with a hopeless shrug.

“Whatever you’ll give me.”

Sanji blushed, but he didn’t step away.

“Oi, oi.” He murmured into the space between them. A nervous laugh shaking his shoulders as he glared half-heartedly at Zoro, “I’m the romantic one.”

“So you say.” Reaching out a hand, Zoro very carefully - under Sanji’s critical eye - grabbed the end of Sanji’s tie and held onto it. Giving it a short tug before looking back up, “Pervert.”

"That's what you want?" Sanji still didn't sound convinced, "You and me?"

"Yeah," Zoro huffed, "and you?"

“I--” Sanji balked, eyes going wide and face twisting unpleasantly. His body began to tremble before he threw his hands in the air and turned away as Sanji's tie was torn from the swordsman's grasp, and the cook was wailing up at the sky with an embarrassed yell. “ARGH!”

From the way Sanji squirmed and tugged at his hair in frustration, it was clear that having to admit his feelings to Zoro was agonizing for him. However, Zoro had little sympathy. For a man who went around declaring his love for every woman in a five mile radius, Sanji could man up for a moment and be honest with Zoro.

Once he’d gotten most of his dramatic bemoaning out of the way, Sanji finally came to a stop and looked up at Zoro through his bangs. Lips thinning and a blush staining his cheeks as he grumbled, "...yeah."

“Was that so hard?”

“Go die.”

Instead of rising to the cook’s anger, Zoro smiled. Taking a step towards Sanji, he watched the omega visibly stiffen for a moment as he tracked all of Zoro's movements with keen eyes. Zoro raised a hand and asked politely, "Can I?"

Sanji jaw clenched and unclenched. Zoro waited for the cook to say no, or to kick him away after calling him names, but after several moments where the cook was clearly internally struggling, he finally released a tense breath and nodded.

Reaching out a careful hand, Zoro was just relieved that it was steady despite everything inside of him feeling like it was going to shatter at any moment. Being this close and allowed to properly inhale Sanji’s scent without any guilt was destroying him breath by breath and he hated that beyond the occasional nervous chuckle Sanji didn’t understand just how much this was affecting him.

Sliding his fingers slowly up the cook’s jaw, it felt like little jolts of lightning were skittering across his fingertips at the touch and fire was being fed into his veins. It was just a touch, but his body was already starting to heat up and he couldn’t imagine what kissing the cook would do to him.

Zoro wouldn’t be surprised if it spontaneously set him alight.

Finally his hand reached far enough to cup the blond’s jaw and he could feel a bit of stubble against his hand. It was prickly and Zoro curled his hand closer to the omega’s jaw to let it scratch across his palm. His breath caught in his throat as it sent a spike of want crashing through him hard enough it felt like he had been nailed to the floor.

Soft, silky strands of the blond’s hair brushed against the back of Zoro’s hand and was doing just as much to unravel his mind as Sanji’s stubble was. Hand tightening, he leaned in to press his forehead against the cook’s and let his eye fall shut as he tried desperately to get some semblance of control over his raging heart and spiking hormones. He had no idea it would be this overpowering once he finally let go of some of his carefully honed control.

For some reason having Sanji here with him, able to touch him but having to restrain himself, was so much worse than when he thought he couldn’t have the cook and had resigned himself. There was nothing between him and what he wanted now, except for his desire to not fuck this up.

Turns out that it was a pretty good motivator.

Eye flicking open, Zoro was much more centered this time. Gently cradling Sanji’s face as he leaned in and the man looked up at him with that confident, unwavering stare. Normally it was full of wrath and fire, but right now it was as still as an ocean at doldrums.

It made Zoro uncertain.

He could handle the cook when he was all fury and kicks, but a calm and collected Sanji was always so much more intimidating. It felt like there were mistakes he could make. Like everything he did suddenly mattered.

Licking his lips uncertainly, Zoro could taste the salty underwater air on his skin. He wondered if Sanji's lips were the same. Wondered if they’d taste like cherry. He wanted to know, wanted to confirm once and for all if the cook tasted just like his captivating scent.

Zoro didn't think he could speak, so he asked with his eyes.

Normally, Zoro prided himself on how easily he could read people, but right now Sanji was an imperceptive wall. He needed an obvious sign. All it took was a nod from the omega and then Zoro found himself leaning in to slant his lips over Sanji's in a timid kiss.

Zoro had been certain that when he had first kissed the cook it would be vicious; their history hadn’t left him with many other options. On the battlefield or right after a fight, all adrenaline and passion, teeth and anger and blood; it just seemed right, but the real thing was so much more tender than he had ever imagined.

So much sweeter.

It was just the faintest of caresses of his lips against Sanji’s, but Zoro didn’t think he had the restraint for anything more. His heart was pounding in his chest, and being this close let each of Sanji’s nervous breaths wash across him; only furthering to drown him in everything that was Sanji.

With dubious control, Zoro pressed a little more insistently until he had his lips properly pressed against Sanji’s pliant, wonderfully cunning, smoker’s mouth. He had to freeze there. All wrapped around the omega, kissing him up against the marble wall, his smell enveloping his senses until all he knew was Sanji. It was so much, and it filled him up like he had been wanting it to for years, but it also felt like no matter how much the cook gave in it would never be enough. And he couldn’t be that selfish.

Zoro would gladly take all Sanji had to offer; even if it was just a little.

Sanji was the first to open his mouth, and just like that, all of Zoro’s carefully constructed restraint snapped like ice cracking underneath his feet. Sudden, sharp, and horrifying. The barest of movements had Sanji’s tongue flicking out and Sanji’s scent hit him like a wave, and nothing in this world or under this ocean could stop Zoro from surging up and slanting his lips over Sanji’s as he pinned the man back against the marble column with all of his strength.

A grunt was forced out of the blond, but beyond that he didn’t complain and Zoro happily swallowed the noise as he slipped his tongue against the cook’s and he finally got to taste the omega. For all he had endured Sanji’s scent, nothing could have prepared him for how heavenly the cook would taste.

Zoro had been enamoured with the scent of warmed sake that had hung around the cook since they had first met, but kissing the cook was like drinking directly from the bottle. It warmed him, and filled him, and satisfied him in ways he hadn’t known he’d been craving for years; it was like he was drinking from the cook’s life source itself. A needy moan slipped between them, and it took a moment for Zoro to realize he’d made that horrifying sound.

But he didn’t care.

After years of waiting - of pining - he finally had the cook in his arms and was kissing him. He never wanted to stop, he never wanted to let go, he hadn’t known he could crave something this much before beyond liquor.

Sanji’s hands looped up to thread into Zoro’s hair and hold on tight as he returned the kiss just as eagerly. Zoro felt himself shudder at the sudden surge of arousal that washed off the blond that he could literally taste on Sanji’s tongue. It tasted like the sweetest sake. Zoro’s knees buckled and he had to slip his hands off of Sanji and onto the marble wall to keep himself from falling over completely.

A loud crack had Sanji’s eyes snapping open and it brought Zoro back to his senses, but there was no immediate danger, besides Zoro’s tenuous grasp on his control. Lips sliding away from Sanji’s, Zoro gasped into the space between them as he tried to get his senses to listen to him, but it was as if he were drunk. All of Sanji’s scent was washing over him, and his mouth still lingering with the omega’s flavour.

Hands tightening out of reflex, a crumbling broke the silence as Zoro shook himself and looked up. Eye flickering over Sanji’s shoulders, he noted both his hands had completely shattered the marble from where he had dug his fingers in and small fractures climbed high up the column.

Great… now he had damaged the castle.

It was probably best he took his hands off the wall as soon as possible, but he also had a suspicion that his grip on the marble was the last thing keeping him from latching onto Sanji and never letting go. Or dragging him off and doing something that both of them would regret. Even that thought was dangerous as he found his hands itching to slip under that tight black jacket and run his hands up that lean body.

A hard shudder shook Zoro’s frame at the thought. He had never felt such powerful want like this before and the longer he remained in Sanji’s presence the worse it got; at least when they were on separate islands they were far enough away that their bond became like static background noise. Now, however, he needed every part of the omega as close to him as possible. He needed…

He needed to go.

Already he could tell that his more rational thoughts were being completely controlled by a much more basic instinct and he didn’t have the strength to not do something he might regret. He’d always wanted the cook, but not when he wasn’t even able to control himself, not when he wasn’t in his right mind, not when Sanji couldn’t feel their bond the way he did.

Forcing his hands to release the marble, Zoro carefully lowered them to his sides but they remained bared as he simply couldn’t force the tension to fall from his shoulders. When Zoro spoke, he didn’t even recognize his own voice as the harsh rasp that came out sounded like it belonged to someone much less composed than he considered himself. “I -- I need to go.”

Without meeting Sanji’s eyes, Zoro turned and stormed off. Sanji didn’t try to stop him or say anything which let him know he had made the right decision. The omega wasn’t trying to clobber him either which meant he hadn’t overstepped his bounds, so that was a plus for him.

He walked in a daze.

The farther he got, the easier he found it to continue his retreat. Ache in his chest growing, but the clarity of his thoughts returning. Walking until he had gotten far enough away that he could no longer smell the omega and he had somehow ended up outside the castle.

Glancing around for only a moment to wonder how he had managed to get here, before finding a nearby wall and slumping into it. His jacket and haramaki bunched up as he slowly slid down until he was on the ground, legs and arms crossing in agitation as he let out a low growl.

This bond with Sanji was going to be a lot more trouble that he had initially thought.

~X~

It had been a long time since they had stepped foot on a winter island. Back when their crew was still modest and they had only just entered the Grand Line; it felt like a lifetime ago. But even though the memory was fond, Sanji had forgotten how damned cold they could get.

Even with a winter jacket there was a mild chill running up his toes since dress shoes weren’t exactly the best match for snow. The cold air nipped at his nose and cheeks as he cooked. At least the heat of working over an open fire was enough to chase away most of his chills.

With Caesar captured, the children rescued, and Doflamingo's lackeys dealt with, everyone was finally able to take a moment to relax. Marines and pirates called a truce, and Sanji did what he did best. Making large portions of hot soup and stew for everyone. Considering they had all just narrowly escaped death by poisonous gas, they were in a good mood.

Once he had made sure everyone had gotten a proper serving, Sanji began rationing out what was left for each crew to take with them on their journeys ahead. It was mindless work, and if he was being honest it was to distract him from the issue he and Zoro had been dancing around every since they had gotten to this blasted hell hole of fire and ice.

The last time they’d honestly talked about this was on Fishman Island when they’d kissed and then Zoro had bolted. Since then, they had been in a constant state of tit for tat and yelling at each other all over this crazy island. Whether it was Sanji putting razor blades in Zoro’s lunch, or it was the swordsman taunting him while just simply trying to enjoy his time spent in Nami’s body; either way there was a lot of teasing going on.

Not that it was any more than normal, but Sanji had an inkling that it wasn’t as innocent as their previous scuffles used to be about. Now it definitely felt like it was bordering on flirting. Which was a horrifying and sickening notion in and of itself.

What was the swordsman turning Sanji into?!

Sighing, Sanji set his spoon down.

Everything was just so much. And it was all happening so fast. Two years of uncertainty, and now in the past couple days they had gone further than Sanji had ever imagined - dreamed? - that they would. And they were still figuring stuff out!

That was the understatement of the century.

They had talked most of it out, but it was still weird between them. One minute Zoro was saying all these things about feelings, and then next thing Sanji knows the man is running like he couldn’t get away from Sanji fast enough. Sure, it was new and unexplored territory, but he expected the swordsman to show a little more backbone!

It wasn’t like this was easy on Sanji either. He’d been in denial of his feelings for months before finally accepting them, and even then he was still cautious. Women were the only thing that had ever captured his attention, and now Sanji had to come to terms that he was kissed by a guy - by his mate - and he liked it.

Kissing Zoro had been… an experience.

Ladies were wonderful. He loved the softness of their skin and the tenderness of their lips; their little breathy gasps and gentle touches. He’d always carried a fondness for kissing women, and he likely always would, but Zoro had him questioning everything he knew.

Zoro was anything but a lady.

He was a rough collage of calluses, scars, and muscle. A vibrant mass of honed strength that always seemed eager to burst. Raw energy and will packaged into a man that for some reason had set his sights on Sanji and everything else was history.

Being pinned to that column and kissed within an inch of his life, Sanji had been lost the moment those rough hands had gripped his face and that hard body had pressed against his. Dry, rough lips sliding against his. He embraced that strength and power, his own rising up to meet it in an overwhelming clash of passions, and it scared him how much he liked it.

He wanted more.

But the issue was Zoro was obviously going through something more complicated than Sanji was. While Sanji had been put through a life shattering experience, when Zoro had pulled away he had looked utterly destroyed. There was no telling what the hell the damned swordsman was going through. He hadn’t thought his suppressants would stunt much, but it felt like Zoro was living through a completely different experience from him.

It made this much more complicated.

Finishing cleaning out the pot and clearing up the last of the dishes from the stew, Sanji wiped his hands off and glanced about as he knew now was a perfect time to find the swordsman. All of the crews were taking a break and everyone was relaxing before they were going to set off for Dressrosa.

Snatching up the bottle he had been warming on the fire, he bundled it up carefully in a spare scarf and then stormed off to find the swordsman. Nervous and excited, but mostly just annoyed that the alpha managed to conjure up such emotions in him.

Stupid swordsman.

After a bit of wandering, he eventually found the swordsman, leaning against an exposed piece of laboratory wall near one of the more desolate fires. Drink in hand and a content look on his face. Upon noticing Sanji approach, a smile twitched at the corner of Zoro’s mouth as he looked the cook over, “Hey.”

Sanji blinked owlishly. He came to stand in front of the swordsman as he realized the look was meant for him. He was really going to have to get used to the alpha addressing and looking at him in such a warm manner. Not that he didn’t like it...

“Hey, yourself.”

"Happy?"

A moment passed, and Sanji frowned, before warily answering, "Uh, sure. Why?"

With his tankard still in hand, Zoro gestured to the large group of people. "Getting to feed everyone."

“Oh…” A puff of visible breath escaped into the cold between them, only to slowly dissipate as Sanji stared at Zoro in surprise. His immediate caution falling away in the wake of the alpha’s innocent comment. Sanji glanced over his shoulder at the laughing children happily eating some real food for the first time in months, and the pirates and marines getting along. Turning back to Zoro and fighting back a grin, “Yeah, I am.”

Nodding into his tankard, Zoro poorly hid the smile that he returned as he sipped at his drink. Eyes darting to the item Sanji held cradled in his arms. He lowered his drink and jerked his chin towards it, "What's that?"

"Hm? Oh." Holding out the bundle of cloth, Sanji slipped part of it free to expose the lid and neck of the fancy bottle. Steam curling out from the top and dissipating high in the frozen air, "Warm sake."

Zoro blinked. "For me?"

"No, for the yeti." Sanji drawled and then thrusted it towards the dumb alpha, "Yes, of course, for you."

The utterly perplexed expression on the swordsman’s face made Sanji wish he’d brought a camera, but also made him realize he probably didn’t do nice things for him often enough. Making a mental note to fix that, Sanji watched as Zoro carefully took the bottle from him and set his empty tankard aside.

That soft look had returned, "Thanks, cook."

"No problem." Sanji grinned as he pulled out a fresh smoke and lit it. Tossing the match into the snow. He reached out and flicked Zoro's earrings and teased, "You've gotten pretty good at your manners, mosshead."

Nearly dropping his drink, Zoro shooed Sanji away and then clamped his hand over his ear with a snarl. Teeth bared, he growled, "It's cold; that hurt!"

"Why'd you think I did it?"

Plucking his cigarette from his lips, he stuck his tongue out cheekily.

A snarl was all he got in return, but the swordsman was already distracted as he unwrapped the bottle and tucked the insulating cloth into his jacket pocket. Popping the cap off and immediately downing a large portion. The lid also worked as a cup, but of course the swordsman didn’t use it. Drinking directly from the bottle like the animal he was.

Watching the swordsman enjoy the treat, Sanji had to fight back a smile. It was just some booze, he shouldn't be this happy that the alpha was excited about it. He could've given Zoro a crusty bottle of old ale and the heathen would've probably drank it with the same amount of gusto.

Speaking of heathens, Sanji's gaze fell to the swordsman's exposed chest and felt his pulse jump. He rolled his eyes with a huff and tried to ignore the obvious feelings stirring inside him, “Jeez…”

Lowering the bottle, Zoro grunted in question.

"Just looking at you is making me cold." Grumbling to himself, Sanji stepped forward until he was basically standing between Zoro's feet, and he reached up to grab the lapels of both Zoro’s green jacket and the winter coat Kin’emon made for him. Tugging the fabric closed over the man's chest, "Cover up, you flasher."

A knowing glint in Zoro's eye told him that Sanji wasn't fooling anybody.

"I don't wanna be told that by you.” The swordsman drawled, “Pervert."

“What are you talking about?”

“Phft.” Zoro scoffed, “You spent half the day running around with Nami’s tits out.”

“Yeah,” Sanji implored seriously. Releasing the man’s coat as he was satisfied with how he’d managed to close it and grinned, “because it was awesome.”

Zoro watched Sanji deadpan. He took a sip of his sake. “I don’t get it.”

"I don't have time to explain why you're an idiot." Sanji shook his head, "We have to set sail in a few hours."

"Ha. Ha."

Sanji grinned.

“Whatever, cook.” Zoro unconsciously shrugged his shoulders to dismiss him and his jackets fell open again. Sanji sighed heavily as he reached forward to once more pull them shut as best he could. It was proving difficult since the man didn’t seem to believe in jackets having a button higher than his nipples.

“How’d you enjoy your lunch?”

“You mean the one you packed for the fire island? It was okay.” Zoro cocked a brow, “Nice touch with the razorblades by the way.”

“You actually ate that?” Sanji made a face.

“Just to spite you.”

Fighting off a pinched expression, Sanji asked, “How are your gums doing? Really.”

“They’re fine.” Zoro grinned, showing that his mouth was indeed fine. Arching a brow and taunting in his normal, challenging tone, "Wanna check?"

"Was--" Cigarette dangling dangerously from his lip, Sanji reared back mouth agape, "Was that your attempt at flirting?"

Zoro lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug and made a noncommittal sound. He took a long swig from his sake and managed to dribble some down his chin and onto his jacket. Sanji was questioning what made him fall for the monster in the first place.

"Did it work?"

"Gross." Face scrunching up unpleasantly, he glanced up from the stain on the man’s jacket and glared at him. Sanji immediately followed the comment with a confused omission, "Kinda?" And then grimaced and huffed a cloud of cherry smoke between them, "I hate you."

Zoro chuckled, "I hate you too, cook."

Looking away, Sanji grabbed his smoke and held it tightly as he puffed on it. He couldn’t help but feel like there was something more to the words when they were spoken, but he didn’t want to begin projecting. Curse the damned swordsman, a bit of shitty flirting and Sanji couldn’t tell left from right.

Oh god, maybe the man’s poor sense of direction was going to start wearing off on him?!

“So, you wanna?”

“Hmm?” Sanji glanced up, drawn from his panicking, “Want to what?”

Always blunt, Zoro grunted, “Kiss.”

Sanji’s face twisted into a disgusted grimace and he curled away from the swordsman.

“What?” It seemed like Zoro wasn’t really rising to Sanji’s bait. Instead he just arched a brow, “Didn’t like it?”

“No. I--” Another large cloud of breath burst between them as Sanji sighed and dropped his head. Zoro was pulling everything from him and it wasn’t fair. He hadn’t asked for any of this. He hadn’t made Zoro wear his heart on his sleeve and challenge Sanji to do the same. Sure, he may have done that for women, but Zoro was different. Special. Face still turned down in a grimace, Sanji mumbled around his cigarette, “I... liked kissing… you.”

“And…?”

“And… I don’t know,” Sanji brushed his bangs aside with an aggravated swipe of his hand before they fell back in place. Glaring at the ground as he still couldn’t stop thinking about their kiss, their bond, and how they were clearly on different levels when it came to how they were feeling about this. “I just feel like I’m taking advantage.”

Zoro snorted and rolled his eye, practically chortling as he seemed to find Sanji’s statement utterly ridiculous, “There is no possible way on this planet for you to ever do that.”

“I know!” Sanji snarled, before quieting substantially. He raised a hand to rub the back of his neck in a guilty gesture and sighed much more calmly, “I know. It’s just this clearly affects you so much more, and I don’t want all of this suppressed when we…”

Zoro arched a brow.

With an aggravated blush Sanji tilted his head and muttered, “you know…”

A sudden crack had both of them jumping, and while Sanji was horrified, Zoro turned a calm look to his hand that now only held the remnants of a liquor bottle. Booze and blood dripping down his arm. He looked mildly put out, but Sanji’s eyes had bugged. He hadn’t thought Zoro’s restraint had been that tenuous, but sure enough just the implication of sex and the swordsman couldn’t control his reactions.

“See?!” Snatching the cloth that Zoro had removed from the bottle earlier, he waved it dramatically in Zoro’s direction, “This is exactly what I mean! I can’t even suggest it without your stupid alpha instincts being set off.”

Pulling a piece of glass from his hand and tossing it aside, Zoro wiped his hand off on his pant leg before giving his hand over to the cook. Watching him wipe up the wound and then beginning wrapping the cloth around it as he conceded, “Point.”

Leaning casually against the wall, Zoro remained stoic as Sanji cleaned up the wound as best he could and wrapped the cloth nice and snug so it would be protected until Chopper could take a look at it. He still couldn’t believe the dumbass had broken a bottle at the meer suggestion of sex. It seemed Zoro was a lot more agitated than he had initially thought.

Giving the knot a final tug, Sanji released Zoro’s hand only for the swordsman to turn it over and nab the cook’s in a gentle hold. He let it happen, but was grateful the cold on his cheeks hid his blush. Glancing down at their hands and then back up to Zoro who was smirking happily.

“Dumbass.”

"Moron." Zoro countered quickly.

Snow had begun to fall. Large, fluffy flakes drifted down between them and Sanji took the chance to glance up at the sky and escape the alpha's gaze. He was doing that thing again with his eye; where he looked at Sanji almost reverently, like the stoic man wasn't actually hard and emotionless all the way through.

It was still a lot to deal with.

A snowflake landed on his cheek and began to gently melt. He could hardly feel it from the cold already pinching his cheek, but he raised a hand anyway to brush it off and look back at Zoro. Sanji's heart jumped. He was still looking at Sanji that same fond way.

“I just…" Sanji glanced furtively over his shoulder to make sure none of the crew were nearby, "I think we should take it slow. The crew doesn’t even know yet.”

“Well, except Chopper.” Zoro shrugged, “And I’d bet money Robin figured it out.”

“You don’t have any money to bet with." Sanji muttered snidely, heaving a sigh as the swordsman had come to the same conclusion that he had. And while Robin was notorious for keeping things to herself, there was no telling what or who else might find out. "But you’re probably right.”

Zoro waited quietly.

"Just…" Running his hand through his hair, Sanji gripped the strands at the back of his head. He still wasn't certain what he wanted to do. Telling the crew about them meant coming clean about a lot of things, and he didn't know if he'd ever be ready. But obviously they couldn't not tell them. They were nakama. Groaning, Sanji looked up, "give me a little time?"

"Sure." Zoro grunted with an easy shrug. Not looking all that put out. He squeezed Sanji's hand and then asked, “Can we still do little things?”

“Like what?”

Glancing over Sanji’s shoulder, Zoro’s eye flickered about for a moment before he grinned and leaned in - fast as a whip - to press a chaste kiss to Sanji’s cheek. Pulling back just as quick to lean back against the steel wall and watch Sanji with a wicked smile and sparkling gaze. He grinned even harder when Sanji’s hand immediately clamped over his cheek where Zoro’s lips had pressed a moment ago.

“Like that.”

Flush reaching from the tip of his head all the way to his cold toes, Sanji was just grateful that the frigid weather made it easy to pass his blush off as frostbite. However, he wasn’t fooling Zoro, and after a quick glance about to make sure that, definitely, no one had seen them, he turned back to the gloating swordsman.

“You’re the worst!”

“No, I’m the Greatest.”

Rubbing his cheek as though it had something gross on it, Sanji was never going to admit that his heart had jumped into his throat when the swordsman had kissed him. He was going to be taking that to his grave no matter how well they might get on in future. He dropped his hand, but his cheeks were still inflamed with a blush as he grumbled, “Not yet, you’re not.”

“Soon enough.” Zoro shrugged with a smug grin. A moment later slapping a hand over his ear after Sanji flicked his earrings for a second time. “Ow!”

“Screw you, mossman!” Sticking his tongue out to emphasize his point and then turning on his heel. Storming off, Sanji stomped through the snow extra hard in a lame attempt to stamp down his embarrassment, “I hate you!”

“I hate you too, cook.” Zoro chuckled.

Sanji’s cheeks turned redder.

~X~

On route to Dressrosa, Zoro took refuge in the crows nest. After dinner with the crew, he'd taken a nap on the couch in the galley as Sanji cleaned up, and then decided to come up for a short workout before bed. Currently hanging from the bar by one arm and doing pull-ups.

“One thousand nine hundred fourty seven, one thousand nine hundred fourty eight…”

All things considered, Zoro was in a pretty good mood.

Everything with the cook was going well, and despite them taking it slow he felt more at peace than he had in the past two years. They were in sync. That ache was practically gone, except for the physical torture of being around the omega and not being allowed to slam him up against the nearest surface and claim him.

He was... still coming to terms with those feelings.

“One thousand nine hundred seventy nine, one thousand nine hundred eighty…”

Before they had bonded, Zoro had mostly just imagined them continuing on as they always had, but maybe with a little more kissing involved. And the lack of Sanji's scent had definitely contributed to those mainly neutral feelings. Now, however, he felt like the only thing holding him back was the fact that he didn't want Sanji kicking him in the balls if he couldn't control himself.

“One thousand nine hundred ninety nine, two thousand.”

Releasing the bar and dropping to his feet, Zoro snagged a towel off the weight rack and wiped down his face and shoulders of excess sweat before tossing it aside. Shucking his jacket back on and making for the bench. He snatched up the bottle of wine Sanji had given him after dinner.

Plopping down, Zoro yanked the cork free with his teeth and threw his foot up to rest on his knee. He spat the cork onto the ledge behind him and took a long swig. Partially to satisfy his thirst, and also to distract himself from the tiresome, endless need that screamed in his ear.

It wasn't a bad thing, but he definitely hadn't thought about sex nearly this much before he could smell Sanji. If he was being honest, he hadn’ thought about sex at all before Sanji, and even when he had started to fall for the cook it had been innocent imaginings.

But this was all before he’d gotten bonded. Before he’d smelt his mate.

Nothing anyone had told him had prepared him for how much it would take control over him. That not only would it knock you on your ass, but then it would keep you permanently pinned to the ground as you gasped for breath; like getting metaphorically winded. Perpetually.

It was getting to the point where Zoro wanted to ask for help, find out if he was going to be living the rest of his life this riled up. Robin and Franky didn’t seem nearly as on edge around each other. So Zoro could only hope that maybe one day the intensity of his want would start waning.

Maybe he should talk to Chopper?

Bottle stilling at his lips, his thoughts were derailed and his eye flicked towards the hatch. He sensed the cook long before he arrived, and watched quietly as Sanji flung the hatch open and made his way into the crows nest with complete disinterest. Too busy fiddling with a fresh cigarette to even glance at Zoro until after he had kicked the latch shut and gotten his smoke lit. Gifting Zoro a small smile as he pocketed his lighter.

Zoro's insult of a greeting died on his lips. It transformed into a garbled grunt, which he covered by taking a sip of his drink and looking away.

He was in trouble.

Even with that cherry smoke covering up everything and clearing his head, Zoro couldn't help looking at the cook and feeling flustered. Gaze drawn to the distinct lines of his suit, those long, thin fingers, and that soft smile--

Damn it!

Zoro took another swig of his drink.

Chugging until it was almost empty and then slamming the bottle down a tad aggressively. He stifled a frustrated growl. Sanji had him completely at his mercy, and he wasn't even sure whether the cook knew or not. Pretty sure not. Sanji would be intolerable if he did…

“Hey, mosshead.” Sanji offered in an amiable tone. Coming over to sit beside Zoro on the bench, politely cracking a window behind him so most of his cigarette smoke was drawn out in the evening air. Zoro watched the smoke tendrils quietly before glancing at the cook.

He seemed relaxed.

There wasn’t anything about the man’s demeanor that implied he needed something, and his casual sprawl suggested he just wanted to hang out in Zoro’s presence. So, naturally, Zoro decided to pry, "What do you want?"

"Why do you think I want anything?" Sanji shrugged as he plucked the cigarette from his mouth and snatched up a nearby ashtray. He placed it beside himself and then tapped a few ashes into it before finally replacing the smoke between his lips. Arching a judgemental brow in Zoro's direction.

Zoro just stared at the cook flatly.

Tongue fiddling with the cigarette, Sanji's gaze wandered over Zoro for several long, quiet moments before stopping abruptly. Muttering around it with a glare, "What?"

Taking a few final chugs from the drink, Zoro set aside the empty bottle, but kept his deadpan expression on the cook. He wasn't about to pry when he knew Sanji wanted something. It was easier to just wait for him to say it.

"Real mature." Sanji noted with a snide sniff. The omega’s annoyance earning a grin, and they sat like that for a while. Zoro watching Sanji with a small smile, and Sanji glaring at Zoro while angrily puffing away on his cigarette.

He missed this.

Zoro really did miss when they would hang out alone and just talk, and jab at each other, and drink and make fun. He was grateful they still could. If he had lost this he didn't know what he would do.

"I just…"

Sanji went quite once more.

"Out with it already, cook." Zoro rolled his eye, "Stop waterboarding me."

"I was just thinking that maybe," Pausing, Sanji took a long drag and then chanced a glance to Zoro and shrugged. Blowing out a stream of smoke before muttering, "you know, we could spend the night together."

Splintering echoed throughout the crows nest and they both looked down as Zoro slowly raised his hand with the piece of demolished bench in his hand. He stared at it in a daze, still a few steps behind as he tried to piece together why he had a chunk of wood in his hand when his brain had stopped functioning after the words ‘night’ and ‘together’.

“Franky’s not gonna be pleased.” Sanji noted with an amused hum before glancing at Zoro, “Is that gonna be a regular thing?”

Putting the piece back as best he could, Zoro deigned to answer. Most of the wood actually fit back into place fairly well, but the obvious dents from his fingers weren't easy to ignore, and the splintered wood sticking out was still very obvious. Looking up at the still smirking cook, Zoro just shrugged.

“I meant just sleeping, dumbass.” Sanji scoffed, “Unless you don’t want to?"

“No.”

"No…?" Sanji trailed off, arching a brow, "You don't want to?"

"No, I do." Zoro corrected with a cough, "I want to."

“Well, shall we.” Grinding out his cigarette, Sanji arched a brow as he stood, “Unless you have something else you need to do?”

Shaking his head and pushing himself to his feet, Zoro was just grateful he hadn’t had anything else in his hands this time; he wasn’t certain how much control he had over his hands at the moment. Mind a whirlwind of thoughts over the idea of getting to properly sleep with his mate, have him close, smell his scent all night.

Zoro wasn’t sure whether this was going to be a good thing, or torture.

Flipping open one of the compartments, Zoro hauled the futon out and dropped it to the floor along with several blankets and pillows that had been rolled up with it. A clump of blue fabric tumbling out to land on the floor near Sanji’s feet. Zoro realized a moment too late exactly what it was, and was forced to watch in horror as Sanji stooped down in confusion to pick up his old hoodie.

“Hey, this is…”

Freezing in horror, Zoro realized he’d completely forgotten about it. After shoving it in there when they had gotten to Sabaody, he’d left it there during their two year absence and never returned it. And now Sanji knew. There was no way he could talk himself out of this.

With tense trepidation, Zoro slowly looked up to accept his fated teasing. Except the cocky sneer he had been expecting wasn’t there, in its place was a blush and an incredibly bashful expression.

“I… um…” Sanji mumbled softly, turning the hoodie over in his hands as he seemed just as awkward about the whole situation. Extending it to the swordsman, “Here.”

Frowning, Zoro took it. Unsure of what was going through the cook’s head.

Two years spent amongst Zoro’s bedding and training gear had eradicated all of Sanji’s scent so now only Zoro’s remained, but it still held that comforting memory. He held it tight and almost laughed at how far they’d come from that moment. There was no way at the time he would have thought that he and Sanji would eventually be sleeping together in that same spot.

Sanji dropped to a knee and methodically unlaced his dress shoes, tucking his socks neatly inside, and then set them aside. He stepped forward onto the futon, and walked over to where Zoro hadn’t moved from his spot, still holding Sanji’s hoodie in mortification. Zoro couldn’t look up, but Sanji had taken his shoes off rather than leaving, so that was a good sign.

They stood facing each other for several long moments before Sanji reached out and grabbed a sleeve that dangled from Zoro’s grasp. He fingered the fabric lightly before murmuring, “When did you…?”

While his words had trailed off, the question was clear.

“That night.” Zoro admitted quietly. Teeth gritted together as he tried to grind the embarrassment out through his back molars without Sanji noticing. His hands tightened around the soft piece of clothing, “The ache… It started the moment you brought me back to the crew and never stopped, I took it cause it… it made it easier even though I didn’t know why.”

Sanji listened, and Zoro found it odd to be able to speak with the man without being interrupted, ignored, or yelled at; for some reason this was more unnerving than any of those. Chancing a glance up, he found Sanji still looking down at the hoodie thoughtfully, not a trace of emotion on his face.

Without another word Sanji began jerking his striped vest from his shoulders with a casual confidence that only the pompous cook managed. Carefully folding and setting it on the bench beside them before beginning to do the same with his shirt as Zoro felt his hands start to tremble. The more and more the cook was revealed, the harder it was to look away and the more his body felt like it was going to crumble apart.

When Sanji removed his shirt, Zoro had to look away and reprimand himself. However, he couldn’t do it for long, and soon he was looking back up at Sanji shamelessly. He hadn’t really gotten a good look at the man since they had returned from their two years apart, but the man had filled out.

Although he was still long and lean, he had packed on muscle where it counted, and the lines of definition riddling his body looked like they were carved from stone. Zoro ached to reach out to touch. However, he was concerned that the moment he did - the second his hand touched that hard, hot skin - that he’d never be able to stop.

That cherry smell was beginning to fade as Sanji’s scent was returning, and with it, the lack of Zoro’s resolve.

An insistent tug had Zoro looking down at his hands that were fisted in the hoodie, and Sanji’s hand which was trying to pull it free. With muted confusion, Zoro forced himself to release his grasp and instead lowered his tense hands to his sides where he struggled to keep them from rising to touch Sanji’s exposed body. He dropped a hand to his swords to keep himself distracted as he watched as Sanji pulled the hoodie on with a sinful arc of his back.

The cook was going to kill him.

When the cook’s head popped through the top, his hair was tousled into an attractive mess and Zoro itched to run his hands through it and make it worse. He kept a firm hold on Wado’s hilt instead to help centre him, and watched as the blond fixed his hair before padding over to the futon and flopping down on it.

“What--” Zoro balked as the word came out hoarse and dry. Forcing himself to swallow and clear his throat and try again with a much more clear tone, “What are you doing?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Sanji arched a brow, “I need something to sleep in. I’m not sleeping in my shirt; I’m not an animal. Unlike you.”

Zoro refrained from snarling at the omega.

Though it wasn’t exactly hard as he could hardly focus on the cook’s insults when he was too busy taking in the fact that the omega was wearing a piece of clothing that reeked of Zoro. It was that same smell Zoro remembered from before where Sanji’s scent had begun to mix with his own, and fixed an aching in his chest only to awaken a greater demon that bellowed mine directly into his ear.

Setting his swords aside with slow and careful precision, Zoro used the process of undressing to centre himself to keep from jumping the omega. Zoro tossed his jacket and sash beside the katana on the bench before clamouring onto the futon beside the cook.

As he got closer that mixed scent became stronger and Zoro had to forcibly bite his cheek to keep a whine from slipping out. For a while he knelt beside the blond warily before realizing he probably looked weird and instead lay down beside Sanji.

Propping himself up on an elbow, Zoro gazed down at the omega currently in bed with him. Just the thought had his temperature spiking. It was surreal to think that this was happening; even after finding out about their bond there was no way he had thought Sanji would be willing to go this far.

He raised a hand, but stopped short as he had no idea what exactly he wanted to touch; grabbing the shoulder seemed dumb, the waist still seemed too intimate, and the ass would definitely get him kicked out the window. Closing his hand, he slowly lowered it back to his side as he just watched the blond’s body rise and fall with each gentle breath and felt his own sync up with his mate.

That was right…

Sanji was his mate.

Leaning forward, he ever-so-slightly nuzzled into the hair that curled at the back of the blond’s neck and waited as Sanji initially tensed before relaxing. Breathing much more acute now as he tracked Zoro’s movements. He gave the cook a moment to adjust to Zoro’s presence as the alpha allowed himself to relax into his mate.

Pressing a bit further in, Zoro gently dragged his nose along the line of Sanji’s throat and took a strong inhale. That mouthwatering concoction of sake, rice, and oil leached into his system and began unravelling him at the seams; his arousal peaking as fast as his mental state was declining. His body started to burn as his mouth fell open and he took in another precious gasp of his mate’s scent.

He was going to go insane at this rate.

A single whiff had his body jumping into overdrive. Zoro had never paid much attention when he had been taught about the trappings that came with being an alpha, but he certainly felt like none of them had mentioned that once he had found his mate he was going to constantly feel like he was drowning.

How was anyone expected to function like this?

All it took was the smallest tilt of his head and his parted lips were now on Sanji’s throat and he could feel each pounding pulse under his tongue. Salt tainted his mouth and he refrained from lathing at the skin, but already he could tell the taste was making him lose control. He couldn’t remember having moved, but now his hand was gripping Sanji’s waist.

For his part the blond wasn’t averse to the attention. He seemed to be leaning into every touch, and the kiss to his neck had earned Zoro a hitch in his breathing. Zoro wondered how much of Sanji’s lack of response was due to him liking women and still struggling with being touched by Zoro, or how much those suppressants really did numb him to this sort of thing with his alpha.

His alpha…

Zoro was his alpha.

That thought had Zoro’s lips drawing back and his teeth baring happily, pressing his blunt canines gently against Sanji’s neck and giving a soft squeeze. It hadn’t been something Zoro had ever really fantasized about, but now every fibre of his body was calling out to him to do it. To bite down and claim his mate and make him his forever--

“Don’t.”

The word was softly spoken, but so serious that it was like a bucket of ice cold water being dumped on his head. Zoro had no choice but to retract his mouth, and at the same time feel a deep shame for what he had been about to do without Sanji’s consent.

A small growl of frustration and self-loathing slipped out as Zoro had no idea that it was going to be this hard. It was like he was fighting with himself every step of the way and he hated to think that he had so little control over himself that he was letting all of this happen. He remained propped up on his elbow still looking down at Sanji’s form as he was having more and more trouble keeping control.

Dropping his head, Zoro rested his forehead on Sanji’s shoulder as he grumbled, “This is hard…”

Shutting his eyes, Zoro refused to move, even when he felt Sanji’s hand nervously come up to rest on top of the one Zoro still had pinched on the omega’s hip. With a bit of fidgeting Sanji managed to get his fingers between Zoro’s. Giving a small squeeze as they lay quietly for a few moments.

“I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through.” Sanji grunted quietly, his thumb rubbing the back of Zoro’s hand in agitation, “It can’t be easy.”

“I just sai--” Zoro cut himself off mid-growl.

Eyes opening as he glared a hole into the floor just behind Sanji. Despite his frustration it was important he listened; Sanji was trying to meet him half-way and he should be grateful for that. Even if part of it was Sanji’s fault for coming here in the first place and--

No.

It wasn’t Sanji’s fault.

They were in this together. Zoro couldn’t let his base desires and misconstrued urges warp how he truly felt for the cook and what he wanted between them. He wasn’t angry. If anything he was just irritated with himself for not being as composed about this as he wanted to be.

They were bonded, and that should be enough.

Growling around his gritted teeth, Zoro ground his head further in Sanji’s shoulder as he let slip a bitter grunt. This would be a lot easier if the voices in his head weren’t screaming at him to claim, and mark, and mate, and take. And if their combined scents from the hoodie Sanji currently wore didn’t make his body ache with sensations of mine.

“Just…”

Sanji’s hand tightened with the grumbled word.

It caught Zoro’s attention enough to pull himself out of his repressive spiral to lift his head and look down at the cook. His bangs were covering most of his face, but what was visible of his jaw and ear was a bright red in embarrassment. Zoro was mildly thrown by what he was seeing.

With a swallow and clench of the muscle in his jaw, Sanji murmured, “Don’t take my silence for indifference.”

Zoro started, eye growing wide at the omission before being washed over with shame. He should’ve known better. He should’ve known Sanji would be going through just as much inner turmoil as he was. Sanji may have been on suppressants, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel anything for Zoro...

Moving his hand from Sanji’s hip, he gripped the cook’s hand back much more forcefully as he wrapped his arm around Sanji and pulled him close. Hugging the omega as he desperately tried to convey everything he was feeling - good and bad - by squeezing it into him.

When the tension inevitably drained from his body, Zoro slumped into Sanji and grumbled into his neck, “Sorry.”

A shaking had Zoro lifting his head in concern, but when he leaned over he found that Sanji was actually laughing and attempting to smother his chuckles. Other hand eventually falling away once he realized he was caught and full on cackling as he rolled onto his back and closer into Zoro’s embrace. Zoro scowled, but it only made the man howl harder.

“F-fuck, my bad. Phftt.” Sanji wiped away a tear as he was still struggling to talk through his giggles. Finally getting it under control as he let out a deep breath and smiled up at Zoro, “It’s just, we must really be fucked if you’re actually apologizing to me.”

Zoro’s face twisted in exasperation at Sanji’s teasing.

Humor falling away to be replaced with a fond look, Sanji reached out to idly drag a couple fingers across Zoro’s cheek and down to his lips. Caressing the chapped skin there as he spoke, “I want this too, but…”

Eye falling shut against Sanji’s words, Zoro wasn’t certain whether he wanted to hear them or not. He was thrilled, yes, but the caveat had him fearing the worst. Already this discussion had him at his wits end, and the way Sanji’s fingers wavered against his lips was breaking him apart brick by brick.

With another rattled breath, Zoro realized it was him that was shaking and not Sanji’s fingers. He forced himself to open his eye and look down at the cook that was watching him so tenderly, but could see the regret shining through.

“But?” Zoro croaked.

“It’s clear that it means something a lot more to you right now.” Those whispered words were accompanied by an imploring smile as Sanji slid his hand up to cup Zoro’s cheek. Neither forcing, nor commanding Zoro to look at him, but managing to have that effect anyway as he continued, “And as much as I want this - I want you - it won’t mean the same.”

Zoro understood what the cook was getting at. Nodding numbly into Sanji’s hand.

“I can’t understand how this feels to you. And I won’t understand until I’m not on my suppressants anymore,” Sanji muttered, looking away as shame began to creep into the cook’s voice, “And the second I’m not it means the crew will have to know.”

That tone was enough to bring Zoro back to himself. Watching as the cook refused to meet his gaze, and that look of self-hatred refused to go away. He knew that male omega’s often dealt with a lot of stigma, but he hadn’t known that what Sanji was struggling with was such a heavy weight.

Zoro began to silently weigh his options. Holding onto Sanji’s hand tighter, he focused on the connection there and attempted to stifle everything else whirling through his head. Their bond, their connection; a feeling he’d been dreaming about their two years apart. He didn’t even need to think about the answer as he knew what to do implicitly.

“I won’t make you tell them if you don’t want to.”

For all his uncertainty earlier, Sanji had the gall to look smarmy, “You’re clearly suffering.”

He looked down at the cook and declared bluntly, “Then I’ll suffer.”

“Zoro--”

“Cook.” Sanji looked away at Zoro’s voice, so he added a bit harsher, “Listen to me. You had your reasons for not telling us, and that’s that. You don’t need anything else. And I’m sure all our nakama would understand. And you don’t need a reason to keep this quiet forever if you want to.”

Something vulnerable flickered across the cook’s face before being lost to conflict. He kept his hand clasped with Zoro’s, but carefully pushed himself up until he sat beside Zoro, but still refusing to meet Zoro’s eye. A silent struggle happening within him before he finally spoke.

“I don’t…” A heavy sigh deflated Sanji’s shoulders and he looked at the floor. Zoro could feel the nervousness in Sanji’s hand, “I don’t want things to change.”

Leaning in, Zoro carefully nudged the side of Sanji’s head with his forehead, “Then it doesn’t have to.”

“But what about…” Too embarrassed to finish the sentence, Sanji gestured between them.

“What?”

“Us.”

“You’re right.” Propping his chin on Sanji’s shoulder, Zoro grinned up at the surprised look on blond’s face at Zoro admitting he was right, “I don’t want to do it with you until you can feel the bond like me, so I’ll wait. I spent two years learning to control it; I can wait however long you need.”

That frigid uncertainty in Sanji’s eyes melted away to inviting summer waters, and a stupid smile and laugh lit up his face. Hand in Zoro’s tightening painfully as the other lifted to gently tilted Zoro’s chin up and Sanji pressed his lips to Zoro’s in a chaste, sweet kiss.

Whining against Sanji’s lips, Zoro managed, “You’re really not helping the whole restraint thing.”

“That was probably the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me, mosshead.” Sanji chuckled, but pulled away nonetheless to nudge his forehead against Zoro’s affectionately, “You sure you’re alright?”

“Definitely not.” A devilish grin lit up Zoro’s face, “I’m bonded to you.”

TBC...

Chapter Text

Dressrosa was bewitching. From the amazing aromas that wafted down her streets, to the eclectic mix of beautiful architecture that rose with daunting grace. The people even more intriguing; elegant women that captivated you with a flick of their hair, and curious puppets roaming about amongst the crowds. The entire island a manufactured dream, and Sanji felt like he was on a cloud as he walked along the enchanted streets.

It was hard not to be in a good mood.

Not only were things finally seeming to go their way for the crew, but everything was also pretty great with Zoro as well. Though Sanji would never admit it aloud, and certainly not to Zoro, he couldn't stop grinning after spending the night with the grumpy swordsman. As Sanji had told those marines back on Punk Hazard, Zoro had a secret soft side.

Call him a romantic, but it was heartwarming to have the swordsman’s affections directed towards him. Especially when it was just the two of them alone. He was still a little surprised with how calm and caring the swordsman had been, given that moments before he had broken the Sunny’s railing with his loss of control.

But they were working on that.

While around the crew however, Zoro was remarkably flippant, and did a fantastic job of hiding his true nature. He stayed a fair distance from the cook, made snide comments when necessary, and generally kept up appearances with his grouchy opinions from time to time. It was enough that no one suspected, and Sanji found himself oddly touched at the effort the swordsman put in to keep up their secret.

There was never a moment that he doubted Zoro. However, this was one of those times where he realized he had severely underestimated the man...

Upon entering the city of Acacia, Sanji reminded himself not to be obvious either, but was saved from that concern by a doll running past chasing a dog that had stolen his arm. Watching the distracting spectacle, before his earlier concerns were put aside, and Luffy quickly set his priorities and turned to their group to announce, “Let’s get something to eat!”

“Before we go any farther, we need to stop for disguises.” They were going into a country controlled by an Emperor that wasn’t happy with them for wrecking his SAD factory. Walking around as obvious as they were was probably a bad idea. Sanji jerked his thumb towards a large shopping complex nearby. “Let’s start there.”

“A truly clever idea.” Kin’emon agreed with a nod, “We are quite the motley crew.”

“You’re clearly one of the weirder ones here.” Muttering the comment under his breath, Sanji barely refrained from rolling his eyes. When Zoro opened his mouth, he rounded on the swordsman with a sharp glare and a pointed finger, “Shut up!”

Zoro arched a brow and feigned indifference, but the smug smirk he adopted gave him away, “I didn’t say anything.”

"You were gonna." Eyes narrowing with a menacing exhale of smoke, Sanji kept staring off with the cocky swordsman until an insistent tugging on his arm pulled him away and he rounded on their Captain, "What?!"

“Food?"

“Yes, Luffy.” Shaking his sleeve out of his Captain's grasp, he straightened the rumpled cuff as he reassured, “Then food."

“Woo-hoo!”

Arms in the air and the excited look returning to his face, Luffy was jumping up and already bolting off down the street. Crew following casually behind as they began to wander the market area until they came across a shop with mainly suits and men’s apparel. Seeming like the best option was to dress discreetly as Sanji motioned towards the shop.

Cackling wildly, Luffy took off into the store and immediately started digging through a rack of tacky looking shirts with floral designs on them. Franky and Kin’emon went for the abnormally sized clothes, so Sanji was forced to grab Zoro by the elbow and began dragging him towards the normal men’s section.

“C’mon.” Sanji drawled, “I’ll help you. Otherwise you might end up in something ridiculous.”

Zoro didn’t struggle, but he did cast a look over at their captain.

“What about Luffy?”

“One hopeless case at a time.” Releasing Zoro’s arm, Sanji began rooting around through a rack, “And if I got Luffy dressed before you, there’s a high chance he’d change into something dumb by the time we got you done.”

Crossing his arms, Zoro conceded that fact with a nod. Looking about the shop with a bored mein and yawning as Sanji found a bunch of reasonably priced suits; they were plain but had a stylish cut, and would fit well. He began flipping through to find the correct sizes.

“Here.” Sanji held up the jacket, along with a matching pair of slacks and dress shoes, “It’s a bigger fit in the shoulders, but still tapered so it should fit you just fine.”

“I really don’t care, cook.” A dramatic sigh accompanied with an eye roll was Zoro’s response, but he still took the garments from Sanji nonetheless. Stalking into a nearby dressing room while muttering something about it, “Getting messed up in a fight anyway.”

Shaking his head, Sanji grabbed his own and went into the next stall. Getting changed much faster than the swordsman, as he was soon back outside in his new suit, old clothes discarded, and waiting for the swordsman to come out. From what Sanji could see under the door the brute still had his boots and pants on. The man really was hopeless, no wonder he lived in the same pair of pants and never wore a shirt...

Glancing about the shop to make sure all was still well, he spotted Luffy busy trying on hats to cover up his signature straw hat, and Franky and Kin’emon had joined him and were picking from a selection of ridiculous looking bowlers. Disguises or no, both men stood out like sore thumbs and were probably going to get them noticed anyway.

“You doing alright in there, you shit swordsman?” Sanji called as he turned back to the fitting rooms, trying to go for mean, but ending up with a soft and teasing tone that he hoped no one nearby had heard. Pulling out a fresh smoke and lighting it before adding, “Need a hand?”

“Punch rocks, cook.”

There was some more shuffling of fabric and frustrated grumbling, then a heavy sigh of defeat that Sanji assumed meant Zoro had given up on whatever part of the outfit was confusing him. Watching below the door as Zoro kicked on the dress shoes and then turned the latch to the fitting room.

“There.” Pulling open the door, Zoro stepped out and held his arms out for Sanji to get a proper look at him, “Happy?”

It looked like the man had just gotten into a bar fight.

Half the buttons weren’t even done up on the shirt, and the other half were buttoned into the wrong holes. It seemed like he hadn’t managed to mess up the pants, but the partially untucked shirt revealed the man had missed a belt loop. And amazingly, somehow the man had already gotten the collar of the jacket folded up on one side despite having only worn it a couple moments.

“For the love of--” Placing a hand over his face, Sanji stopped himself from saying anything more as he simply basked in the hopeless idiocy of the other man. How on earth had he managed to fall for - and get bonded to - the most incompetent moron in the New World?

When Sanji looked up, Zoro was glaring daggers at him.

Stepping forward, Sanji glanced at Zoro for permission, and then reached up to begin fixing the buttons on his shirt by undoing them and starting over. Working his way down, he pointedly ignored the exposed flesh that his fingers hovered inches from, and tried not to think about how solid and warm that body had felt against his the other night. His fingers slipped on a button and he fought to hide a blush.

“No wonder you have zippers on all your clothes.” Sanji muttered in an attempt to distract from his current thoughts. Finishing up the last button and taking a step back, gesturing for Zoro to tuck the shirt in as he drawled, “What would you do if we weren’t around to help?”

“Usually I just leave it unbuttoned.”

“That explains a lot.” Sanji sneered, plucking the cigarette from his mouth and waving it about in a grand gesture to Zoro, “Seriously, you can cut ships in half, but a few buttons manage to stump you?”

As he finished tucking his shirt in, Zoro jerked the collar of his jacket straight and shot Sanji a narrow look, “Go get stabbed by some harlot, cook.”

“Better them than you.” Sanji realized the double entendre the moment it left his lips. Desperately trying to not think about ‘Zoro’ and ‘stabbing’ in any context beyond the swordsman’s katana; his heart racing in his chest despite his best efforts. Deciding to feign ignorance, he flicked a hand at Zoro, “And fix your belt.”

With more annoyed grumbling, Zoro did as he was told while Sanji finished off his smoke and ground it out on the sole of his shoe. He pocketed it and tried to ignore the rapid fluttering in his chest at the idea of him and Zoro actually…

A blush tinged his neck.

He shook his head to try and rid himself of the idea.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about it. He probably spent more time than he’d like to admit imagining what it’d be like to finally be with the alpha. Once he’d gotten over the whole guy thing his libido had sort of done the rest. And having the man standing in front of him, dressed as impeccably as he was, really wasn’t doing his restraint any favours.

“You--” Halting his own words, Sanji realized with muted shock that he really didn’t have to keep his opinions to himself anymore. Whereas before he had to stifle his attraction and hide his approval in insults and jabs, now he could actually tell the swordsman what he really thought. Casting a furtive glance around, he made sure everyone else was still busy with their own things before stepping forward and smiling, “You actually look pretty good, moss.”

Zoro’s annoyance wavered, quickly replaced by a calm expression that Sanji could tell was hiding something he didn’t want revealed. He reached out a hand to subtly clasp the cook’s. Holding on tight as he finally allowed a smile to crook the corner of his mouth.

“Thanks, cook.”

Out of habit, Sanji reached up to flick the swordsman's earrings, but froze as Zoro leaned into the motion with a fond tilt of his head. An expectant look had Sanji's resolve wavering and he found his fingers trailing through the swordsman's earrings instead. Their gold softly clinking together as Sanji's hand dropped to Zoro's shoulder and his lips thinned in embarrassment.

A bright smile lit up Zoro's face and Sanji had to fight back a smile of his own at how cute the guy could look when he wasn’t scowling.

Gross… Zoro wasn’t cute.

Except he kinda was, and all Sanji could think about now was how badly he wanted to kiss the dumb jerk again. Desire causing his chest to tighten, Sanji cast a quick look around before darting forward and backing Zoro into the small fitting room. Shutting the door behind them and finding that the man didn’t seem all that surprised, just mildly amused.

“Shut up.” He grumbled, and then moved forward to crowd Zoro up against the change room wall and press in for a hungry kiss. Hands threaded through messy emerald hair and his body curled around the man as they devoured each other. Zoro surged into the embrace the moment it began, and clung to Sanji and kissed him like it was going to be the last time.

Groaning happily into the kiss, Sanji was carded his hands through Zoro’s surprisingly soft hair and tugged with a mixture of affection and urgency. Kiss deepening and heavy pants being exchanged as the press of the solid, hard body against his was beginning to affect Sanji in ways he hadn’t ever imagined. His skin felt hot and Zoro’s mouth felt even hotter.

It was thrilling kissing the alpha.

Sanji could feel in each motion the tension running through the swordsman. He’d felt that same barely held restraint vibrating through the other man back on Fishman Island, and again in the crows nest on Sunny; and especially right now.

Zoro was a hungry beast. Taking everything Sanji offered him, but restraining himself from demanding anything more. Willpower keeping his body pulled taut. And Sanji had to admit, there was something horribly intoxicating about kissing the man and feeling that violent energy threatening to over take him at any moment.

There was definitely something wrong with him…

A deep growl thrummed through Zoro’s body as he suddenly shoved back, pressing Sanji insistently against the opposing wall and nipping at Sanji’s mouth with a needy grunt. His hands clawing possessively at the cook’s body, his motions torn between ripping the clothes from Sanji’s body and just drawing him in closer to Zoro’s embrace.

Flimsy wall creaking under Zoro's aggression, Sanji wanted to be annoyed by the alpha's pushiness, but instead just found himself aroused. It probably wasn't a good thing that them being rough got Sanji's blood rushing, however he didn't have time for introspection when Zoro's tongue was in his mouth and his hands were under his jacket fiddling with his shirt buttons.

Cheeky swordsman...

Something hot and hard thrust against Sanji’s upper thigh and it took several seconds for him to realize that it wasn’t a hilt of a sword. Instinctively he stiffened, finding that to be an entirely new sensation, but relaxing a moment later at the rush of exhilaration that came with knowing he’d made the swordsman get like this. A kiss and a bit of grinding and the alpha became like putty in hands…

He could definitely get used to this.

Moaning greedily into the kiss, Sanji arched into Zoro and rubbed his own growing erection against the alpha’s sharp hip bone. Shuddering at the relief the pressure provided as Zoro rolled his hips into the motion and gasping as Zoro practically purred.

Sanji shivered.

He'd never heard the alpha make that sound before.

"Ngh." A frustrated sound rumbled in the alpha's chest as he pawed at the buttons on the omega's shirt. Pulling back with an actual growl against Sanji's lips, "Fucking--"

"Wha--" Sanji croaked into their kiss, gaze dropping to where Zoro had turned his attention and watched as the alpha hooked his fingers along the front of Sanji's shirt. Dazed and aroused, it took a moment too late to realize what was going to happen and his call of defiance was cut short, "Wai--"

With a quick jerk and a rip the dressing room was filled with the pinging of little plastic buttons as they went skittering off across the floor in various directions. Mouth agape, Sanji stood horrified at the swordsman's absolute barbaric treatment of his shirt. He hadn't even bought it yet!

Zoro didn't even pause.

Taking advantage of Sanji's shock, he immediately slipped his hands under the shirt and dragged them up Sanji's sides with a possessiveness that startled the cook. Lips latching on to Sanji's neck, he teased and sucked the skin as he slid his thigh between Sanji's legs to assist in hiking him higher up the wall. Pining him there with his hips.

"Anh!"

A breathy moan was forced out of him which he immediately tried to cover with a more guttural growl. One hand coming to slap over his mouth; more than a little embarrassed that the alpha had managed to drag such a degrading sound out of him.

Zoro had become practically animalistic.

It was like he was bonded to a ferocious tiger, and he was stupid enough to dangle himself in front of him like a piece of meat. But Sanji couldn't help it. He’d long ago accepted his attraction to the swordsman, and he was only one man; a man with a very weak constitution when it came to his libido. Even with suppressants he couldn’t deny that he wanted the other.

Zoro's hands slid lower until they rested on Sanji's hips and they began to fiddle with his belt. The clinking of the buckle brought Sanji back to himself rather suddenly as he realized where they were, and what Zoro was about to do. Fingers slipping away as he murmured, "Zoro…"

He said the word warningly, but it came out much less affirmative than he would've liked.

All at once Zoro stilled and for a moment Sanji worried he'd done something wrong, or perhaps Zoro sensed something that Sanji had missed, but then a hard shudder was causing the alpha to tremble against him and a whine slipped past his lips. Stiff and unmoving, Zoro held himself like a statue against Sanji, hands falling away from the belt to grip the cook's waist in a bruising hold. There would probably be marks tomorrow.

Zoro's hands flexed once.

Tearing his mouth away, Zoro dropped his forehead to Sanji’s shoulder and panted against his collar as he tried to reign himself in. Sanji untangling his hands from Zoro and holding them away from the struggling alpha as he realized how shitty his behaviour had been. Zoro was really trying to stay at arm's length, and Sanji wasn’t playing fair.

Gritting his teeth, Zoro growled, “Bastard.”

“Yeah,” Sanji gasped back in agreeance. Realizing he had let this go way too far, “My bad.”

“I need to--”

“Go.” Nodding with a heavy breath, “Yeah.”

Keeping his hands raised and off the swordsman, Sanji waited as the alpha disentangled himself. Leg slipping from between Sanji’s, he returned the cook to his feet. Hands shaking as he pried them off the omega and planted them flat against the wall, bracketing Sanji in as he leaned in and panted heavily onto the cook. His dark eye seemed out of focus and a blush had actually managed to creep up the alpha’s face to tinge his cheeks an adorable red.

Groggy and flustered, it was a fun look on the usually stoic man.

With an almost pained expression, Zoro pushed himself off the wall and away from Sanji to stand upright and tried to calm himself. His shirt was untucked once more, and he looked almost as rumpled as he had when he’d first stepped out of the change room. Only this time it was Sanji’s fault, not his own.

An audible swallow had Sanji looking back up at Zoro.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

Zoro sounded broken.

Mouth working soundlessly, Sanji felt his cheek’s heat up as he hadn’t thought he’d been that obvious. His eyes darting quickly to the side and his hands lowering to plant firmly against the wall behind him. Pressing into the structure shamefully as he prayed the wood would just swallow him whole. Not sure he would be able to look at himself - let alone the swordsman - in the eye again.

Still looking out of it, Zoro picked up his clothes and swords, and stormed out of the dressing room without bothering to take the time to attach them to his belt. It seemed he was too intent on putting as much distance between themselves as possible right now.

Zoro left, and Sanji slumped against the wall. Door falling shut after his retreating figure as Sanji looked away with a harsh breath. Dragging a hand through his bangs, Sanji gripped the hair to his head as he cast an unencumbered glare at the ground.

“Shit…”

He was a bastard.

It was so clear that Zoro had a tenuous grasp on himself, and here he was poking the sleeping tiger with a stick. It had become obvious to both of them the other night when Zoro had struggled to keep himself from marking Sanji. And here Sanji was, going against everything he had said and that they had agreed to, simply for a bit of selfish desire. It was a wonder Zoro wasn’t more furious with him for his immature behaviour.

Sanji ran his hand further back and let his bangs fall in front of his eyes, his fingers falling to his neck where Zoro’s teeth had pressed the night before. A jolt of arousal spiked through him. He swallowed and his eyes fell shut, he hadn’t expected how readily he had wanted the alpha to follow through on his intent; it had rightly terrified him.

He lived for so long fighting not to let this part of himself define him as a whole. Years as a child spent bullied for it, and when Zeff had gotten him suppressants and let him grow up without it looming over his head he had finally felt like he had a chance. And now he was seriously considering giving that all up for the stupid swordsman.

What the hell was wrong with him?

A flutter in his chest had Sanji reaching up to grab at the fabric above it and he knew implicitly the answer to his own questions. It was the reason he cared so much for the swordsman, it was the reason he was considering it for so long, it was the reason he had considered breaking the bond for Zoro’s wellbeing, and it was the reason he had managed to bond to Zoro in the first place.

He loved him.

It changed everything. And yet, nothing.

Suddenly the thought of telling the crew seemed laughably insignificant; all of it did. Who he was - what he was - he’d gladly shout it from the top of Sunny if it meant he got to be with the swordsman. Even though fear gripped him tight, it felt easy if it was for Zoro.

He laughed softly into the empty room.

What was the stupid swordsman doing to him?

Hand falling away, he let it drop to his side as he stared with a wistful expression at the door Zoro had stormed out through moments ago. He had no real idea of what Zoro was going through, but it was clear he was masking it - struggling with it - for Sanji’s sake; and he didn’t want that.

Damn it...

Quickly fixing himself in the fitting room mirror so he looked presentable, he made sure to do up his jacket to hide the fact that his shirt was now buttonless. Shoving his way out of the room, he glanced about hurriedly until he saw the rest of the crew making their way down the street all dressed in black. Except for Luffy who had bought a shirt with sunflowers all over it. Sanji couldn’t care less, it was a disguise and he had more important things to worry about.

~X~

Stumbling out of the fitting room, Zoro could hardly see straight as he stalked through the store in a daze. Arousal and Sanji’s scent kept him in a state of inebriation he just couldn’t seem to shake. He knocked over a rack of clothing and tripped over something, before he got far enough away from the cook he could even begin to breathe normally again.

Just when he was certain he was going to fall to his knees, a hand fell to his shoulder, and it almost seemed to snap him back into himself as he glanced up with a sudden clarity. His Captain grinning happily at him as he asked, “Hey, Zoro! What’s wrong?”

“No--,” Zoro hacked his way through an embarrassed cough as he recovered and straightened. Shaking his head and finding Luffy’s presence reassuring, he tried again, “Nothing.”

“Oh, okay.” Luffy snickered, then turned and motioned after himself, “Come on, Franky already paid. We’re picking out disguises!”

Still a little out of it, he followed after Luffy while he attached his swords to his belt and ditched his old clothes. Eventually stopping at where the others were picking out sunglasses and stupid facial hair from a kiosk just outside the store. Luffy nabbing a long wizard’s beard and pulling it on, turning to Zoro and stroking the facial hair with a hammed up expression on his face. Immediately breaking into laughter a second later as Zoro cracked a smile.

“I already picked out ones for you and Sanji.” Luffy explained and pulled out two more with a proud grin, “Here!”

Zoro just chuckled at his Captain’s behaviour and glanced down at a scruffy beard and a handlebar moustache, taking the latter as he assumed it would get in the way the least. Putting it on as he took the other with a muttered, “I’ll give this one to the cook.”

Luffy snickered and pointed at Zoro’s moustache, and then turned away to begin picking out a pair of sunglasses. Trying several on and getting his fingers all over the lenses, much to the dismay of the kiosk attendant, while Franky and Kin’emon each settled on a standard pair of shades.

Zoro took a pair of simple shades, but stopped when he spotted a pair of glasses that looked remarkably familiar, if unremarkable. Standard black frame with very light lenses. A small smile quirked his lips as he handed the lady a few extra Belli for the other pair and pocketed them as well.

“Where’s Sanji?” Franky poked his head around the booth, looking absolutely ridiculous in braided pigtails and a beard. They were going to get spotted for sure. “He coming?”

“It’s the prissy cook.” Zoro grunted as he ushered Luffy along as he feigned ignorance. “Probably still shopping. Let’s find something to eat.”

There was no way in hell he could tell them the truth, that he had left the omega behind in the changing room after molesting him up against a wall. Damn it… he’d even destroyed the cook’s shirt he’d been so out of it! Sanji had probably had to change and buy another one.

“Alright, fair enough.” Frank shrugged, then glanced to Luffy, “Where to Captain?”

“Food!”

With everything paid, they began heading up the street once more as Luffy was now in serious need of something to eat. No one bothering to worry about the cook since he could easily locate them with his Haki if he really needed to catch up.

Zoro trudged tiredly behind Franky and Kin’emon as they focused on keeping up with Luffy. He was doing remarkably better, but being smothered by Sanji and then having to tear himself away had required more restraint than he had thought. At this rate he wasn’t going to make it much longer.

Even last night with the cook had been a test…

Curled up and sleeping together. His mate in his arms, smelling of the both of them, of Zoro, of mine. It had made Zoro's heart soar with happiness, but had made his body ache for more. When the cook had gotten up to make breakfast and stopped to kiss Zoro on the forehead, he hadn't thought he'd be able to let the cook leave.

Zoro shook his head aggressively to try and forget the memory before it got him all riled up.

What was that crazy cook turning him into?!

Smelling the cook before he even heard his footsteps, Zoro gave a steady exhale to assure himself he was in much better control of himself now and prepared for being around the omega once more. Waiting with bated breath for the omega to come up beside him, but instead had his heart leap into his throat.

“Oi, Zoro--” Catching a hold of Zoro’s wrist, Sanji held him back as the rest of the crew followed after Luffy. A jolt of unease rocketing through him as he lurched to stop, but managing to choke it down as he turned to look back at the cook. Watching as whatever Sanji had wanted to say died on the man’s lips as he was momentarily distracted by the awful, fake moustache Zoro was now wearing, “What the hell’s that?”

“The rest of the disguise.” Zoro shrugged. Out of the confines on the dressing room it was easier to handle being this close to the cook once more. He had lit up a cigarette too. It was a decent distraction and Zoro felt level-headed enough to smirk and hold out the fake beard for Sanji, “Here’s yours.”

“Uhh… right.” Taking the facial hair out Zoro’s hand, it was clear that Sanji was confused and trying to catch up with what he had missed in the past few minutes. Bewildered as he was, still putting it on as he muttered, “Sure.”

“Also got you these.” Zoro pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and held them out.

Plucking the pair of glasses out of the swordsman’s hand, Sanji held them up and inspected them. They looked exactly like the pair he had in Alabasta, and it was clear that Sanji recognized them as well. Glancing slyly at the swordsman and asking, “Thought you said I looked stupid in glasses?”

“No,” Zoro drawled, “I said they were stupid.”

“What the hell’s the difference?” Sanji sneered, and Zoro noticed that despite Sanji’s questioning, he was putting the glasses on anyway. He also noticed that just like last time the cook looked weirdly hot in them. Something he never thought he’d admit to the cook, and yet, here he was...

“Think about it.”

“Was--” Sanji paused, unsure. “Was that a compliment?”

“More like a lack of an insult.” Zoro shrugged and lazily scratched at his cheek with his free hand. Stifling a yawn as well. All this constant restraint was taking its toll and he was beginning to feel like a nap. “But sure cook, whatever makes you happy.”

A blush began to creep up his neck and the corners of Sanji's mouth tightened as he struggled not to smile. He was failing spectacularly though, and Zoro was really enjoying himself. Sanji’s palm had even began to grow a little sweaty. Zoro glanced down at the hand still on his wrist before back up at the cook with his brows raised in question.

Not that he minded, but it wasn’t exactly helping him keep calm.

Lips thinning further, it seemed Sanji finally realized he was still holding onto Zoro, but instead of letting go just glanced over Zoro’s shoulder - presumably to make sure the rest of the crew wasn’t looking - and then looked about hastily before finding a nearby alley to drag the swordsman in. Zoro went willingly, but definitely made Sanji work for it by leaning back with each step and really letting Sanji haul him along. Zoro knew Sanji hated it when he did this, and couldn’t stop himself from smiling as Sanji was obviously getting visibly annoyed.

Once they were hidden well enough, Sanji released Zoro and spun on his heel to glare at him. A scowl shadowing his face as he caught sight of Zoro’s wide grin. He wasn’t sure why the cook was dragging him somewhere secluded so quickly after what had just happened, but he was definitely going to make fun of him for it.

“That eager, eh cook?” Crossing his arms as he scoffed, Zoro looked the cook up and down, “What did it? The moustache?”

Zoro wasn’t certain he could control himself again if Sanji pulled the same shit as he did in the fitting room, but at least for now he was going to stay cocky. It wouldn’t do to let the cook know just how frazzled he could get him. Best to keep him guessing and think that Zoro was just fantastic at reigning himself in.

“What?! Gross. No!” Jutting his lip out at the disgusting insinuation, Sanji added a kick to the alpha’s shin for good measure. Zoro not even flinching as Sanji barked in his face, “You perverted swordsman.”

Zoro scoffed, “A black kettle’s called a pot.”

Who the hell did the pervert cook think he was talking to?!

There was a moment of silence.

Bustling of the crowd beyond the alley filtering down and bouncing of the high stone walls to echo around them. Tittering of passing tourists and children’s laughter. Zoro was smug while Sanji stared up at the swordsman with a painfully contorted look of confusion.

“Do you mean…” Sanji began slowly, “‘Pot calling the kettle black’?”

“Whatever, shitcook.” Zoro was back to grinning lecherously, "You know what I meant."

Pressing a few fingers to his temple, Sanji muttered something to himself and puffed on his cigarette quietly before eventually glancing up. Still looking a little befuddled as he dropped his hand and sighed,"Your incorrect knowledge of idioms aside... I want to tell the crew.”

"Thaaat…" Zoro drew out the word with a narrowed stare, "kettles and pots are the same thing?"

Sanji’s mouth fell open.

Zoro was confused.

"You're fucking with me, right?" Sanji clarified, and then scowled, "What is wrong with you?"

"No!" Zoro barked. Getting angry despite being confused and feeling utterly ridiculous. Not only was the cook not making sense, but it was hard to argue seriously with Sanji when he had that stupid beard on. Throwing his hands up, "I honestly have no fucking clue what we're talking about!"

"I'm telling about the crew! Talking! About us!" Sanji growled as he tried to keep his words straight. Shaking his head and groaning before trying again, "I'm talking about telling the crew about us!"

A silent beat passed between them.

Utterly perplexed, Zoro frowned, "Why?"

"What why?” Sanji suddenly looked extremely indignant, his beard doing these weird twitches and movements as he snapped, “Why do you think, dumbass?!"

Zoro honestly had no clue.

Standing alone in an alleyway, quietly cataloguing everything that had just happened that could have possibly changed Sanji’s mind from the crows nest of the Sunny last night till now. There wasn’t much. All Zoro could really think of was Sanji sneaking some booze into his morning coffee, and him ambushing Zoro in the changing room.

Though... knowing the horny cook, that might’ve been all it took...

A knowing glint sparked in Zoro’s eyes.

“Oh, I get it.”

Sanji looked genuinely afraid.

“It’s because you’re a pervert who ambushes people in changing rooms.” Zoro smirked, noting that Sanji did visibly relax for a moment before getting an offended look on his face. Mouth working soundlessly as Zoro continued, “You’re horny, right cook?”

“That’s not how it went at all, dumbass.” Face going completely red behind his beard, Sanji began raging, “And no!”

Zoro scoffed. “So, why now?”

Looking away, Sanji seemed to be pointedly avoiding Zoro’s gaze. Scowling at the ground instead like it had been the one that had just been teasing him. Muttering through his beard a moment later, “Because.”

“Yeah, thanks for the explanation, cook.” Zoro rolled his eyes. “That explains everything.”

“No, you asshole.” Sanji snarled before all his confidence seemed to syphon away, “It’s just…”

Teasing made it easier to control himself around the omega, but it was clear that was over now. Sanji was trying to be serious about something, and it was likely in Zoro’s best interest to pay attention. So, he dropped their bantering and took a step towards Sanji and murmured sincerely, “I’m listening, cook.”

Glancing up, Sanji managed to gaze at him hesitantly for only a few moments before his lips pressed together and his eyes began to water. Shoulders shaking until a moment later he was tossing his head back and howling with laughter right into Zoro’s face, “Bwahahahaha!”

“What the hell, cook?!”

“I can’t take you seriously with that on--phftt.” Sanji’s desperate attempt to talk broke off in more giggles and he waved at Zoro’s face, “You just look so stupid! HAHAHAHAHA!”

“Have you seen yourself?!” Zoro snarled heatedly. His rage only forced Sanji to laugh harder until the man was leaning up against the opposite wall of the alley and clutching his stomach. Tears rolling down his cheeks and his cigarette falling to the ground.

When Sanji refused to calm down, Zoro's hand fell to his katana and he flicked an inch of Shusui's blade free. The sharp sound of the unsheathed sword was enough to snap the cook out of his hysterics and round on Zoro with a completely neutral and ready expression. At least he knew how to get the cook's attention.

Releasing the scabbard and allowing the blade to fall back in place, Zoro reached up and ripped off the glasses and the fake moustache. He glared at the cook, “Better?”

Eyes flicking away, Sanji silently removed his own fake beard before he glanced back and muttered, “Much.”

"Then spit it out, cook.” Zoro snapped, “Don’t do this to me every time.”

Sanji sighed.

“I don’t --"

Cutting himself off, Zoro watched as Sanji crumpled the fake beard in his fist, making the whole thing look even more ruffled than before. Knuckles going white as his eyes fell shut, clearly mentally psyching himself up before opening them again and trying once more.

"I don’t want us to be a secret.” Sanji struggled to get it out, but he did. And once he did, he seemed much more self assured as he looked to Zoro with a stern glare and professed, “I don’t want to be a secret.”

Zoro nodded.

He still didn't understand what had made the cook so willingly change his mind. He had thought for sure that his break in control back in the store would’ve made things worse, but apparently not. Whatever it was though, Zoro wasn’t about to question it, nor complain; if the omega wanted this, then Zoro would support it.

“Alright, cook.” Zoro grinned easily, “When do you want to tell them?”

“Let’s get this stuff finished with Torao.” Sanji reasoned, he looked nervous as hell - the most Zoro might have ever seen him - but he also never looked more resolute. “We can meet up on Zou and then we come clean to the crew.”

“Putting something off again, cook?” Zoro chuckled as he pulled on his shades, “Can’t possibly go as badly as last time right?”

~

So much for a beautiful country.

They hadn’t even been on Dressrosa a day and already everything had gone to hell and they were currently running from the Marines. The crew was divided, their plan had failed, and Law had just got kidnapped by that weird man with the feathery coat.

Another round of successive gunfire lit up the area around them as Zoro and Kin’emon ran alongside the Colosseum outskirts with Luffy keeping up while trapped within. Nami, Brook, and Sanji were all currently relaying what was going on through the mini-DenDen Mushi that the samurai had held onto and it turned out things were even worse than what Wicca had told Zoro earlier.

Big Mom had shown up to attack the crew at the Sunny, and now they were involved with another of the four Emperors. This convoluted plan they had got themselves tangled up in proving to be a lot more trouble than it was worth, when really all of it hinged on Luffy choosing to go along with Traffy’s idea on a whim.

“What’s the next island?” Luffy barked to Kin’emon.

“Zou!”

Without hesitation, Luffy shouted towards the DenDenMushi, “Sanji! You guys move onward to Zou!”

“If that’s what you want, then aye aye, Captain!!!” Sanji’s husky voice echoed down the line, “But before that…”

Luffy piqued.

“Requesting permission to strike back at Big Mom’s ship?!”

Multiple different voices screamed down the line in surprise but Zoro wasn’t at all phased by Sanji’s decision. He’d learned long ago the type of pirate the man was. And perhaps two years and a bunch of suppressed feelings ago he would’ve been worried over the cook’s crazy decisions, now all he felt was satisfaction that his mate was every bit the man he knew he was.

A grin lit up Zoro’s face.

Damn it… he really did love that man.

It was the first time he had thought about it, but knew implicitly that it was the truth. He wasn’t even embarrassed to admit it, and as his smile grew he knew the second he saw that stubborn cook in Zou it was going to be the first thing he was going to tell him.

With the call ended, Luffy ran off to find a way out of the building while Zoro and Kin’emon both skidded to a halt out front to properly take care of the Marines that had been chasing them. Sword already drawn, Zoro felt himself vibrating with an excited energy at what was to come, and sincerely hoped Doflamingo and his men had some decent fight in them because he had some energy to work off.

~X~

Sanji trudged back through Zou's dense jungle while digging about in his many jacket pockets. Nursing a lovely bruise on his forehead given by Nami’s wonderful fist after she had knocked him from their temporary home provided by the Minks. A frown started to form as he hoped he hadn’t lost his things in all the commotion of the last couple days; all of it had become a blur.

Just as he was starting to worry, he finally located his smokes and pills in the same pocket. Cursing under his breath as he realized that he only had one more pack of suppressants left and he’d need to be buying some more at the next port. He placed an unlit cigarette behind his ear and shoved the rest of his smokes back into his jacket.

“Shit…”

Popping open his container of suppressants, he removed the last pill from the packet and tossed it into his mouth before swallowing it dry. He pocketed the now empty packet to dispose of and froze as he revealed his last packet of suppressants and the small bottle that lay next to it. His thumb grazed over the serum that he had kept hidden ever since he had left Momoiro Island. Staring down at the way the red liquid sloshed about.

Plucking it free, Sanji snapped the container shut and tucked it away in his jacket pocket as he held the bottle aloft between his thumb and finger. It gained an ethereal glow and as the sun caught it, turned from a dark blood red to a brighter crimson. He’d almost forgotten about it.

After everything he had been through, Iva had been a man of his word. He’d let Sanji keep every recipe he had earned, given him a ship to return to Sabaody, and even given him the serum to turn himself into an alpha if he still wanted to. By that point Sanji hadn’t been as resolved about his decision to become an alpha as he had two years ago, and now Sanji was positive he didn’t want it.

Despite being the love-cook, he hadn’t been prepared for how much love would change him...

Clutching it tightly in his hand, Sanji turned towards the jungle and raised his arm to toss it. He was already stepping into the motion when he caught himself; knowing he didn’t want it, and wasting it, were two very different things.

Lowering his hand and glancing down at the tiny bottle, he supposed there was only one responsible way to dispose of it. Tucking it into his pocket, he turned on his heel and purposefully made his way back to the main house they were staying in that the Minks had so thoughtfully set up for them.

He was slightly detoured by the many Mink’s he bumped into the way that showered him in gratitude, so it took a lot longer than he had planned. Once back, he eventually found Chopper in the main living area, working on more remedies with Caesar grumpily at his side. As he approached, the happy little doctor glanced up and smiled, “Hiya, Sanji!”

“Hey Chopper.” Sanji grinned to the doctor, “Do you have a moment?”

"Sure!" Chopper exclaimed, "Just waiting on another batch of vials from Caesar."

"Need me to kick his ass in gear?"

Caesar looked appalled.

“No, it’s fine!” Setting aside all his work equipment, Chopper reassured, “He’s working hard.”

Giving Caesar a warning glare, Sanji waited as Chopper hopped off his stool and came trotting to Sanji’s side. The two of them casually leaving the room and Sanji guiding them down the hall, they stopped once Sanji was certain they were out of earshot and then turned to face the little doctor. He held out his hand to Chopper to reveal the tiny vial.

“I wanted to give this to you.”

Taking the small vial from Sanji, Chopper held it up and began inspecting it curiously, “What is it?”

“It’s a serum I got from my mentor during our two years apart.” Puffing on his cigarette, Sanji paused and watched Chopper turn the bottle over in his hooves to allow it to catch the light. Sanji huffed out a cloud of smoke and muttered, “It’ll turn someone into an alpha.”

Fumbling the vial in surprise, Chopper recovered and held it protectively while glancing up in shock, “Is that possible?”

“Iva has the Hormone Devil Fruit so I have no reason to not believe it.” Sanji lifted a shoulder in an indifferent shrug. If he could turn men into women, and women into men, he had no reason not to believe the man couldn’t also change people’s secondary sex characteristics as well. Unless the bastard had lied and given him a placebo, but that was hardly his concern now. “I’ve seen him change people’s sexes and cure illnesses; it’s pretty incredible.”

“That’s fascinating!” Chopper squealed, eyes already beginning to light up, the look of pure joy of the deer’s face was adorable. “I would love to meet him someday!”

“Yeah, sure.” Sanji scoffed, not one to deny any of his crew, but also not really looking forward to running into Caroline and any of her Candies. He’d spent enough time running from people trying to force him into dresses for a lifetime. Maybe two. “If we have the misfortune of running into him again I’ll make sure to introduce you.”

“Thank you, Sanji!” Chopper squealed, dancing about excitedly before catching himself. Turning to look up at Sanji in confusion, but remained delicate as he pressed, “But why are you giving this to me? I assumed that you would, you know, want something like this…”

“I... don’t need it.” Scratching at his beard, Sanji avoided eye contact as he muttered the rest of his embarrassing admission; trying not to think about the man responsible for this whole ordeal and how much it made him want to grin. Hand coming up to clasp his cigarette pensively, inhaling nervously before murmuring into his hand, “I just thought I did.”

Chopper’s head tilted, “Why?”

“I wanted it because I hated a part of myself.” Plucking the cigarette away, Sanji blew out a large cloud of smoke along with a heavy exhale as he admitted those words. Feelings he had long kept suppressed thanks to years of mistreatment and a society that had taught him to hide what he was. “Thing is… I don’t hate it. I just hate the way it makes people look at me. And I don’t want to change because of that.”

Nodding quietly, Chopper seemed incredibly solemn as he took in Sanji’s words. As someone who had become an outcast because of what he was, Sanji knew this probably hit a little close to home for Chopper. Sanji supposed it was part of the reason he felt he could be so open with the little deer.

“Back when we were first separated I told myself it’d fix all my problems; our problems.” Stubbing out his cigarette, Sanji tossed it in the dirt of a potted plant nearby and slid his hands into his pockets. He leaned up against the wall and grunted honestly, “I was just making excuses for being afraid of what might happen if I dared to hope that this would turn out well; in my experience, it doesn’t.”

Things had been great in his life, especially since meeting Zeff. His mother, the Baratie, the Straw Hats; all of them had been such a positive influence on his life, but that didn’t mean he was one to trust to hope. It was only when he truly realized what he had that he became afraid to lose it.

He was just ashamed it took so long for him to realize it about the swordsman…

“I don’t want to lose this bond.” Placing his hand over his chest, Sanji smiled derisively as he couldn’t believe how much easier this was to say to Copper than it was the swordsman. It was so embarrassing with Zoro, but he promised himself he was going to say it. Once they all got to Zou, he’d tell Zoro for real how he felt. A smile touched his lips as he murmured, “I don’t want to change what he doesn’t see as needing fixing.”

"So things between you and…" Chopper trailed off awkwardly, and when Sanji looked up he saw the little deer blushing and trying to hide an excited smile. Ears perked up and tail wagging, Sanji suppose he had taken for granted how supportive the little guy had always been.

“We’re good.” Sanji laughed as it felt like the understatement of the damned century. He was so much better than good right now; he was in love. He was in love with his crewmate, and his mate, and he was going to get to see that stupid swordsman any day now. “We’re really, really good. We were actually going to tell the crew when the rest of them get here.”

“What? Really?!” Chopper seemed initially shocked before practically leaping into the air, “That’s wonderful to hear, Sanj! No wonder you’ve been so happy!”

"Keep your hat on." Waving down the excitable deer while blushing, Sanji grimaced; he hadn’t thought he’d been that obvious! Narrowing his eyes at Chopper, Sanji warned, “It’s only because of how affectionate the Minks are, and if you tell anyone otherwise, I’ll cook you.”

Even the threat wasn’t able to assuage Chopper of his starry-eyed excitement, he still just grinned from ear to ear. It seemed Sanji was losing his edge, and those emergency food supply jokes would no longer work. He had lost all credibility with these guys…

When had he become so soft?

“Don’t worry, Sanji!” Chopper chirped, “I won’t tell!”

“I know you won’t.” A fond look replaced Sanji half-hearted glare, and he couldn’t help but be incredibly grateful to the little guy. He’d kept Sanji’s secret from day one with no qualms - they’d hardly known each other a day - and had been supportive ever since. “You’re a good friend, Chopper.”

Blushing, Chopper tapped his hooves together and wiggled about. Taking a moment to deal with Sanji’s compliment before eventually looking back up. He had his serious doctor expression back on, and Sanji leaned back warily, "Are you guys practising safe mating? Because it’s really important for omegas that they do. I have proper supplies at the ship if you--.”

“Oh my God!” Sanji recoiled in horror. He was still coming to terms with it, he didn’t need to also be scarred for life by having their doctor talk about it as well. As it was, he still didn’t like imagining the little guy having any knowledge about such things, he was a doctor, but he was also the youngest member on their crew. “No! We haven’t even-- I mean, we didn’t-- You can’t just-- NO!”

“Oh, okay.” Chopper nodded, completely unperturbed, “That’s completely normal. A lot of mates can have platonic relationships--”

"No, that’s not--” Sighing and placing a hand over his face, Sanji wondered at what point this had become his life and decided it was entirely Zoro’s fault. Stupid, dumb alpha. Keeping his hand clasped over his face, Sanji muttered into it, “This is so embarrassing."

Chopper looked up expectantly, albeit a little confused.

“We’re waiting.” Looking down through his fingers, Sanji finally admitted through a grimace. Still unable to believe he was having this conversation at all - let alone with one of his crew members. Eventually dropping his hand and waving it about, “Until I’m not on suppressants. So Zoro’s not, you know...”

“What do you mean?” Chopper frowned, “Has something happened to Zoro?”

“No. Well, kinda.” Sanji blushed. This was the worst. Realizing he wasn’t going to get through this without a smoke, he tugged one free and lit up before stumbling through his next words. “He's… you know… more affected than me."

“Oh! Well, that’s to be expected.” Chopper explained, “You’re on suppressants, he’s not; there’s a lot going on in him chemically that you’re not experiencing because of the blockers. Once you mate I’m sure he’ll be totally fine.”

“‘A lot’?” That piqued Sanji’s interest. “Like what?”

“Well, typically when an alpha finds their mate it becomes very hard for them to ignore.” Chopper spoke confidently, as though reading from a book, “His body is permanently in rut. It’s not nearly as bad as when omegas experience a heat, but it’s still a lot to deal with.”

That would definitely explain a few things...

“But, you said we bonded.” Sanji frowned, still not quite understanding. “I - I can feel we bonded; why isn’t everything fine now?”

“You’re bonded,” Chopper mused, “but not mated; it’s a rare occurrence. I imagine that until the bond is consummated there’ll be some residual side effects.”

“So if we…” Sanji grimaced and waved a hand about before managing to force out, “mated. Then he’d be okay?”

“Most likely.” Placing a hoof over his mouth, Chopper frowned thoughtfully. “But I can’t say anything for sure. Also I’m not sure how your body would react to a bite from your alpha while on suppressants.”

Sanji scowled.

It was going to take some getting used to people calling someone his alpha, especially since that someone happened to be Zoro. He didn’t like people assuming he belonged to anyone; least of all that lost swordsman. Sanji may have been in love, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still have his pride.

However, on the other hand, the romantic in him swooned at the notion of having someone to call his own. And it really wasn’t helping his case that he was unconsciously puffing out little heart smoke rings at the thought despite his glare. Batting away the last of the smoky hearts, Sanji ground out his cigarette with his other hand to keep from giving himself away. Blowing out his last breath of smoke while asking, “What do you mean?”

“Most mates don’t copulate while the omega is on suppressants.” Chopper shrugged, “I don’t know what could happen. You might get thrown into a premature heat, the bite might not work and Zoro might stay in rut, or nothing could happen at all and it could be totally fine.”

“Ah,” Sanji nodded, glad to know they had made the right choice by deciding to wait. At least, now they wouldn’t have to take that weird gamble of events. He shrugged, “Well, it’s not really that big of a deal; I’ll be off my suppressants soon enough.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” Sanji nodded nonchalantly, “Anything I should be concerned about?”

Chopper grimaced, “Your first heat will be rough.”

That sounded like his luck.

“Wonderful.” Sanji drawled, not exactly expecting any different.

Though he supposed at least he’d have the swordsman to keep him company. Three days alone with the alpha to help him through his heat, three days with no more restraint, three days to have the alpha all to himself to pin him down and finally claim him...

Shaking his head furiously to rid him of the imagery, he reminded himself now was not the time, nor the place, to be thinking of such things. Taking a long drag on his smoke to try and steady himself as he jerked his head down the hall, “C’mon, let’s head back. Caesar probably has another batch ready for you.”

“Okay!” Chopper nodded, and then held up the vial he had been holding, “And thank you for thinking of me! This is something truly exciting to study; I can’t wait!”

Chuckling at Chopper’s exuberance, he gave a small motion for the doctor to lead the way back to their living quarters. Following close behind while trying and failing to hide his grin at the notion that soon they’d be all together again. And then they could tell the crew.

And then…

Sanji’s face suddenly got incredibly hot and he dragged the back of his hand under his nose to rub away any traces of a potential nosebleed at the thought of him and the swordsman together. He needed to stop doing that. There were still several days until the crew would get back.

“Yohohoho!” Brook poked his head out the doorway with an excited call. Chopper and Sanji both stopping in their tracks to look up at the skeleton as Brook nervously began gesturing into the room he was still standing in the doorway of, “The Big Mom Pirates just arrived!”

“We’ll be right there.” Sanji called, already a feeling of unease settling into his gut.

Chopper swallowed nervously and glanced back at Sanji, “What do you think they want?”

Pulling out a fresh cigarette, Sanji gave a hopeless shrug as he placed it between his lips and lit it as they began making their way back down the hall to see what all the fuss was about. Tossing the match aside as he grumbled, “I don’t know, but let’s find out…”

~X~

As everyone went running ahead to see Pekoms, Zoro hung back and slowly made his way up the front steps to the large building. His thoughts rushing with everything he had just heard involving Sanji and why he wasn’t here at Zou waiting for them like he had promised. And instead of being worried, Zoro was just pissed.

That’s perfectly fine.

He was annoyed enough that he had gone off and gotten into a fight with Nami and Chopper over that dumb cook. Hopefully everyone would chalk his behaviour up as Zoro being his normally grumpy self, and not that of a jilted mate who felt like he had been abandoned in favour of a pretty female. His own words echoing horribly in the back of his mind.

If he does vanish on us, he’ll owe us a final “Thanks for everything.” also, “Sorry about the trouble.”

And he shouldn’t have meant everything he said, but he did. That idiot had up and left with just a note of explanation, and Zoro couldn’t help but feel like he should’ve seen this coming; that it really had been too good to be true that the cook would actually give up his womanizing for Zoro...

It’s nothing short of idiocy! That Twirly-Browed freak!

Coming to stop at the top of the stairs, he watched through the open door as Luffy and the others pestered Pekoms before deciding there wasn’t much more he wanted to take part in. Any more discussion involving Sanji was just going to end with him saying something he might regret, or revealing information to the crew that the cook wouldn’t want shared.

Grabbing all three of his swords, he pulled them free with their sheaths and leaned them up neatly beside the door before dropping down to sit next to them. He crossed his arms behind his head and let his eyes fall shut as he tried to reign in some of his anger.

Zou had been everything that was promised… at first.

When they’d first laid eyes on the massive walking elephant, it had been enough of a sight to stun the whole crew as they looked on in awe. An ancient being that trudged through the very ocean, eyeless and wandering, for over a millenia; it was certainly a sight that made Zoro truly understand why they called the second half of the Grand Line the New World.

Already the things he had seen here were other worldly.

It hadn’t been long until they were scaling the leg of the massive creature on a poorly drawn Devil Fruit creation, and it had all the forethought and planning of any of Luffy’s normal plans. Zoro hadn’t cared. He had been far too excited to reach the top and reunite with the crew to worry about the logistics of their unreliable climb.

All the fights and shenanigans on Dressrosa had been fun. Zoro had had a great time, and got a proper fight from that bastard Pika, but really it was only a temporary distraction. He had been unbelievably happy ever since Acacia and the cook’s sudden change of heart. Zoro didn’t know how or why, but he definitely wasn’t going to press. If the cook wanted to tell everyone, then he was along for the ride.

It wasn’t like he had been subtle about his excitement. Grimacing as he recalled how quick he had been to call out to Luffy to see if their Captain had sights on any of their crew. He only hoped that his eagerness to see the cook hadn’t been obvious to anybody else.

Got anything on Eyebrows?

Even as they had trekked further into dense jungle that sat atop the back of the elephant, and they began to see the traces of a battle Zoro hadn’t been worried. Sanji had gotten them away from Big Mom - an Emperor - if he got them here then there wasn’t anything that stubborn man couldn’t take on. From what Law had mentioned on their voyage here, the stupid cook had even tried to kick Doflamingo in the face; which only furthered to convince Zoro that he was hopelessly in love with the man.

Upon finding the ruins of a village and being attacked by the Minks, Zoro still hadn’t batted an eye. And when the dog Mink had proclaimed Sanji and the others to be dead Zoro didn’t believe it for a minute. Even with Usopp screaming in horror and Robin making her usual morbid comments.

Obviously he couldn’t tell the crew why he knew everything was fine, but he could still feel his bond with the cook clear as day, and knew without a doubt that the man was fine. He couldn’t put it in as many words, so he had kept his reasoning short and blunt as he always did.

Geez… Calm down. Curly Eyebrows was with them the entire time, he wouldn’t have let them get killed...

Nothing had been able to shake his resolve that he was going to see the cook. That he was going to drag that man aside and kiss him for all he was worth before calling him a fool for thinking he could take on an Emperor alone. And then maybe tell the man he loved him anyway.

Nothing was going to stop him… until Nami.

She threw herself at Luffy upon their reunion and before anyone else noticed, Zoro could already sense she was distraught. Her arms clutching Luffy desperately as tears began to fall as she sobbed. The rest of her words were choked out, but from the quiet and regretful looks amoung all the surrounding Minks it was clear that it wasn’t good.

"I’m so sorry! It’s Sanji, he’s--”

It was only then Zoro felt an unease drop like a cold stone in his stomach.

After that, everything had been a haze.

They were treated to a feast as Nami began to explain what had happened to them during their eleven day absence from each other. And despite being a little irritable at the notion of the cook not being here, Zoro had sat and drank the weird Monkey Spirits provided by the Minks and listened.

By the time they had finished eating, they were on their way to visit one of the Mink leaders and Nami was beginning to come to the end of her story. Zoro hadn’t said a word as he had wrestled with his anger and disappointment over the missing cook, until they began to discuss his intention to marry this girl and he had snapped.

To the crew:
I’ve gone to see a girl.
I will be back.
- Sanji

Now here he sat, listening as Pekoms told the crew about Sanji’s abduction by the Big Mom pirates, his crazy militant family, and his stupid sacrifce to allow them to get away so he could go. Hating that despite how annoyed he was that the cook had let himself get taken, he also knew it was just like the man to wind up in this situation.

Of course that stupid cook would pull some bullshit like this.

Zoro was drawn from his bitter spiral of betrayal by Luffy’s ecstatic shouting about getting Pekoms healed so they could go retrieve the cook. Their Captain’s words set off a whole new wave of fiery annoyance in him. That bastard cook thought he could pull something like this and then they’d just come running after him - that Zoro would just chase after him?!

“Wait!” Pekoms called, far too late as Luffy was already barrelling out of the building, “Straw Hat!”

“Oh!” Luffy exclaimed happily, skidding to a halt as Zoro cracked his eye open. The Captain at least looked chipper, but it did nothing to ease Zoro’s anger, “Zoro! There you are!”

Zoro grunted in acknowledgement.

“Were you listening to all of that?”

Reluctantly, Zoro conceded, “I was.”

A wide grin lit up Luffy’s face and he snickered, “You’re worried about Sanji, aren’t you, Zoro?”

“You wanna get kicked?” Zoro snarled, realizing his slip up the moment he said it but deciding to roll with it. Scowling up at Luffy as he grunted, “I told you to let that idiot go. Now he gets everything he wanted. Married to a beautiful woman, and mated to a pretty girl; we should just let that idiot be.”

Despite the venom to Zoro’s words, Luffy just kept snickering as it was clear he could see through Zoro’s behaviour easily. It was almost annoying at times how perceptive the boy could be. Zoro wanted to tell him to cut it out, but he knew it would do him no good.

Before Luffy had the chance to expose Zoro further, the rest of the crew was joining them with Nekomamushi and both of them were tackled into the bench Zoro was currently sitting on. Laying under a pile of rubble and hundreds of pounds of cat, Zoro was beginning to get sick of how affectionate the Minks were about the other half of their crew saving all of them.

Nekomamushi rolled off of them laughing and Luffy rebounded up onto his feet like the unaffected piece of rubber that he was. Running down the steps and waving to their crew as Zoro pushed a piece of lumber off himself and drew both Shusui and Kitetsu before rounding on the stupid cat and snarling at him. Only barely held back by Usopp clinging to his shoulder and attempting to calm him down.

After that, there were more finalizing of plans with Law’s crew, the Minks, and the samurai, and once everything was all in hand, the islanders threw a final party as thanks. For Luffy and the others, Zoro put up pretences, hard for him to sulk as the evening stretched late and they drank and celebrated the fact that they had survived Jack’s attack.

Zoro partook where he could - drinking perhaps a little harder than he should - but fuck it, he was pissed. And forced himself to enjoy his time with the Minks and take his mind off it. But once the evening began to die down, and everyone began to fall asleep, Zoro was left to his own devices once more.

With the music and the dancing falling away to be replaced by the quiet of night, and the starlit sky echoing with the calls of distant birds rather than cheers, Zoro felt his remorse returning. Sipping at his drink as one by one they all succumbed to sleep until Zoro sat alone amongst a courtyard of comrades, never feeling more isolated.

Finishing his drink, he took his leave and went for a quiet walk in the woods. Telling himself it was just to clear his head, despite feeling like the brisk pace he kept was a vain attempt to flee the demons biting at his heels. He hated that no matter which way he turned, it felt like a shadow was looming over his shoulder.

Drinking hadn’t helped to drown out any of his worries.

After everything they’d been through, after all their stupid fights, and after all their awkward emotional admissions, Zoro knew what he and the cook felt for each other meant something. As messy and odd as it had started out, there was no doubt in his mind that the cook was his mate; and even if the omega couldn’t sense it for himself, he knew Sanji understood that as well.

Which is why he hated himself for worrying.

They were already bonded, but Zoro couldn’t stop himself from panicking over what would happen to them if another alpha bit the cook. What they had felt for each other at Thriller Bark had been strong enough to bond, but now felt brittle when compared to uncertainty.

With a furious growl that caused some nearby birds to take flight, Zoro turned and slammed his fist into a tree. Wood splintering under the force and the tree exploding back onto the ground in a flurry of shrapnel. Fist trembling with latent aggression that he still desperately wanted to release.

Why did the cook have to make everything so complicated?!

Bringing his fist close to himself, he glared at the shaking appendage in an effort to get it to stop, but found it just made him shake harder. Teeth grinding together as he spun on his heel to slam it against another nearby tree, only to halt suddenly, feet skidding through the dirt, as a soft clinking broke the din.

All his earlier aggression drained out of him in one fell swoop as the jangling of his earrings brought forth a myriad of warm, painful memories he didn’t want. Crumpling forward into the tree he’d been about to knock over, Zoro slumped into it with his shoulder and knelt there as he tried to scowl the memories away to no avail. Hands shaking for an entirely different reason now as he lifted his left hand.

Fingers cautiously trailing through his own earrings, he felt his throat tighten at the reassuring sound that came from the gold clinking together. Always from them being flicked, except for that one time, that one time Sanji had gently passed his fingers over them while looking up at Zoro.

Sanji had looked…

Well, he’d never seen that look on the cook’s face before. And he had to believe that meant Sanji truly did intend to come back. Hand falling away, it dropped to his swords and laid there tiredly as he let his head fall back. Longing and love tearing through his chest and making it harder to breath. Gazing up at the sky, Zoro murmured softly, “Bring him back, Luffy.”

~X~

“You’re built so tough… I’m surprised.” Reiju mused as she tended to another wound of Sanji’s. Fighting to put a bandage on his forehead despite him raising an arm and trying to keep her at bay, she persisted, “I still can’t believe you’re the same Sanji that I remember…”

“This is getting stupid.” Sanji grumbled.

Every second spent stuck at Germa was making him more and more agitated, and the fight with his birth father hadn’t helped things. It only served to remind him why he didn’t belong here. The sooner he could resolve this mess and get back to the crew the better.

“I just want this tea party over with so I can leave.” Sanji huffed, “That’ll be the end of Big Mom’s invitation curse.”

Judge stood silently in the room watching the two of them. Sanji stewing angrily as he still couldn't believe that man had sacrificed the lives of his own soldiers to win their fight; if the man had been less of a coward, Sanji would've ended it there and then. He decided to let him know as much.

“You know, I thought you might have changed, but you’re even bigger scum than you used to be!” Rounding on the man responsible for his injuries who refused to leave the room, snarling at him, “Get outta my room, old man! You're a stranger to me!”

“No. My blood runs through your veins.” Judge grunted, watching Sanji through cold eyes despite his words, “Don’t be mistaken. The soldiers of Germa are loyal followers who would gladly die for the sake of the Vinsmoke family. They are the true backbone of Germa’s might!”

“Then use them and make your stupid dream come true.” Sanji sneered, “Conquering the North Blue?! Sounds perfect for an evil army.”

“Precisely. I’m glad to see you’re so understanding.” Tilting his head back, Judge stared down his nose at Sanji, “By partnering with Big Mom, that possibility can become reality!”

Sanji refused to respond.

“As long as you understand, I am satisfied.” Judge huffed, “I’d been hoping to keep this under the radar…”

Scowl hardening, Sanji turned a questioning look on the man.

“I want Big Mom’s help, but she demands a family connection." Judge strode forward while musing, "Yes, it’s just marriage, but I do not relish the thought of sending my valuable sons to that madwoman’s lair." Pausing, he glanced back to Sanji, “And then I remembered that years ago I had a failure. You are my sacrifice, Sanji. I have not changed my opinion in the least… I do not think of you as my son!”

A loud clank echoed throughout the room and Sanji glanced down to see Reiju finish shutting a pair of cuffs around his wrists with chilling finality. Holding up one of his wrists to inspect them as he frowned, “Wait… What is this?”

“You claimed that your hands were vital to you. That suits me fine.” Judge drawled, “Are you familiar with the collars that the celestial dragons put on their slaves? If they try to escape from their masters, the collars explode. Those work the same way. If you try to escape this island they will blow your hands off at the wrist!”

Looking down at his wrists, a shiver ran through Sanji’s body.

“Big Mom was thoughtful enough to lend them to me. And she has the key. Of course it won’t come to that. You will not escape from Germa. We’re going to see you married off.”

“No way!” Jumping up, Sanji snarled as he began to desperately pry the cuffs off his wrists. Panic causing him to sweat as something so dangerous was around something so precious, “Take these off!”

“Don’t try to pry them loose!” Reiju raised her hands to placate him. A loud beeping began to ring throughout the room and Sanji only struggled harder. Reiju placed a gentle hand atop Sanji’s to cease his struggles, “Let go.”

Hands easing up, Sanji looked to his elder sister.

“There’s no way to take them off except with the key.” Reiju explained with an apologetic smile, “Why would it be any other way?”

Cold dread began to trickle down Sanji’s spine.

“Oh!” Snapping his fingers with sudden realization, Judge rounded on Sanji once more. “And you won’t be needing those anymore.”

With a lazy flick of his hand, Judge gestured towards Sanji and Reiju reached over to snag the tin from Sanji’s back pocket. Distracted enough by the cuffs on his valuable hands, he wasn't able to stop her in time from snatching the tin away from him.

“OI!” Sanji barked, lunging forward to grasp for the box only to have Reiju swiftly pass it to Judge. The man holding it out of reach as Sanji snarled, “HEY!”

“I always knew you were a failure, but when you presented as an omega that was when I knew for sure that you were irredeemable.” Judge spat, holding up the tin of pills, “That was the day I knew you had to be locked away; can you imagine what it would have looked like for me as a father? Being responsible for such inferior offspring?”

“I told you to never call yourself that.” Sanji snarled, “My real father is in the East Blue; you’re just a bastard who happened to marry my mother.”

Judge’s eyes turned cold, “Don’t speak of what you don’t know, boy.”

“I’ll speak to whatever I fucking please.” Snarling through his teeth, Sanji glared up at the man, “You piece of shit! Now give those back!”

“You’re lucky I need to keep you in presentable condition for Big Mom, otherwise I’d smack you twice as hard as I already did.” Holding up the tin, Judge waved it once before pocketing it, “As for these, you will not be getting these back.”

Sanji ground his teeth around his cigarette, but held himself back.

“It’ll be a few days until your brothers return from their conquest on Brock Collie.” Judge smirked and began to make his way from the room with Reiju on his heels, “That’ll be more than enough time for you to work these out of your system. By the time we meet for the ceremony, you will be ready to be mated to the alpha girl.”

They both exited the room, and the heavy door shut behind them with a chilling thud and a click of a lock to remind Sanji just how much of a prisoner he truly was. Locked away, body bound, as shamefully hidden as he had been as a child. Only difference now was that Judge had actually managed to find a use for him.

Numb.

Everything felt numb as he continued to stare at the door as the realization of his situation was finally settling in. That there really was no getting out of this, no returning to his crew. They had managed to corner him from every angle, and now with his suppressants gone they intended to strip him of his last bit of dignity.

Of freedom.

Even when they had landed on Germa and he had been introduced to Pudding he had still been certain of his intent to return to the crew. He'd been the perfect gentleman. Walked through the gardens with her, gave her a bouquet of flowers, and treated her like the gorgeous lady she was, but he had been honest with her.

I want to marry you, but I can't. I have to return to my crew.

She'd been so wonderful and understanding that in another lifetime he could see himself easily falling for her and being content, but not here. Not now. He had foolishly fallen in love with someone much less delicate and a lot more stubborn, and Sanji wouldn't trade that for anything else in the world. And now, it seemed his hand was being forced.

Literally.

In just a few days they’d be forcing him to accept a bonding bite from that girl...

Hand darting up to clamp across his neck, he pressed tightly into the junction between neck and shoulder where he could still remember the faintest of touches of Zoro’s teeth. Fear curled in his belly at the thought of someone else biting him there. It didn’t matter how gorgeous the girl; his body told him it was wrong, it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t his mate.

A shudder rocked through him and he brought his other arm up to warp around him. Nails beginning to dig into his neck as he couldn’t force himself to relax, couldn’t get his body to respond to him, couldn’t breathe. His chest hurt and he could feel his body begin to tremble.

Chopper said that bonding needn’t be sexual, but he had no idea what would happen if he was forced to take a bite from another alpha. In all likelihood it would sever his and Zoro’s bond. People mated and bonded all the time, but a bite was significantly harder to break; if it was breakable at all.

Sanji felt sick to his stomach.

Everything was becoming stuffy and it was getting harder to breath. His arms were trembling and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t remove his hand from where it had protectively clamped over his neck. He forced himself to swallow to try and calm his nerves, but just got it caught in his throat.

A choked gasp shook his body and he turned on a heel and stormed across the room and towards the balcony; shoving the doors open with far too much force and striding out into the afternoon air. Hands falling to his sides as he let his head fall back and looked to the cloudless sky as he took heavy inhale after heavy inhale.

It worked, but only barely.

Eyes stinging, and chest still aching, he couldn't stop thinking about Zoro and how furious the swordsman must have been over what Sanji had done. Not only had he broken their promise to meet at Zou to tell the crew, but the alpha had shown up only to find that Sanji had left to get freaking married. And all Sanji could think about was Zoro’s snide comment about how there was no possible way that things could go as bad as they had last time.

A hollow laugh shook his body, devoid of mirth.

In the din he could hear the distant sounds of swords clashing below and the yells of soldiers training; it was as unsettling to him now as it had been when he was a child.

Resting his arms on the large stone barricade, he stared down at his hands as memories of Zeff were conjured and they began to tremble once more. Up until this moment he’d held to hope that he’d be able to put this whole thing right without involving his crew or Zeff, and he could return without anything bad happening, but now… Now he was truly beginning to realize how trapped he was.

How fruitless his efforts had been to protect Zeff, Luffy, the crew… and Zoro.

Ducking his head and threading his hands into his hair, Sanji gripped until it hurt. Teeth grinding together as he desperately tried to choke down his frustration until he couldn’t bottle it up any more, yelling out so his voice echoed across the castle grounds.

“SHIT!”

~X~

With a snarl and a half drawn blade Zoro was sitting up in bed with a start. Dim light of the nearby lantern flickering across the black plane of Shusui’s blade and catching on his one good eye as it darted about the close confines of the submarine bunk. It was cramped and tight, but no one was there.

"Ugh…"

Groaning heavily, Zoro sheathed the blade and pushed himself up to place his feet on the cold metal floor. The chill grounding him a little. He placed his head in his hand while the other braced the sheathed sword on the ground to help steady himself and the wave of nausea that hit him. He’d never felt like this on a ship before and he had a suspicion that it wasn’t sea sickness.

Zoro was just grateful that the bunk room he had been provided only had one bed; he didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing him like this. It was the size of a spare closet. With a port hole and a mattress that rested on a bench jutting from the wall. There was barely enough room to stand, but Zoro had no complaints.

Shoving himself to his feet, he grabbed his shirt from off the floor and pulled it on before snagging his sash and beginning to wrap it tightly around his waist. Tying it off and then sliding his swords comfortingly on his hip as he decided to take a walk and try to evade the dizzying feelings that were attempting to catch him.

With a sour expression, Zoro trudged down the similar halls of the large submarine. Trying to focus on anything other than the sweaty want causing his body to tremble, and the horrible betrayal that had been raging in his chest ever since he had found out Sanji had agreed to leave… Mind and body a vile mess of emotions as he allowed himself to get lost wandering the ship -- it was a conscious choice!

Eventually, he ended up in the mess hall, and he dug around the kitchen until he found a cup and filled it full of water. He finished it off in several large gulps and then refilled it. Stepping back with an exhausted sigh as he was reminded just how horrible their separation sickness had been to experience two years prior.

It wasn’t any easier the second time.

Sipping at his drink, he gave a snide scoff as he supposed that if the dumb cook did go through with the wedding and the bonding ceremony that at least he wouldn’t have to be like this for very long. That woman could bite the omega and then Zoro would go back to how he was before this mess, before Thriller Bark.

Before everything.

A sharp crack had Zoro looking down to see a fracture line had appeared on his cup and he forced himself to relax. It was a struggle, but he managed it. Hating that he knew there was no going back, not for him. He loved the cook, probably for a lot longer than he had been able to admit to himself, and if the cook got bonded to someone else it wouldn’t put things back to how they used to be…

It’d only break his heart.

Feeling the faintest traces of tears, he snarled them away and drank more of his water through gritted teeth. Zoro wasn’t about to let the cook have the satisfaction of getting a tear out of him. Hand shaking in his effort to keep the glass steady, but also not crush it any more than he already had; it wasn’t like this was Sunny and he could hide the evidence of broken stuff by throwing it overboard.

Glaring at the wall, Zoro remained alone for quite some time until faint footfalls had him glancing up and watching as Law made his way into the mess hall. He looked as underslept as usual. When he noticed Zoro, he didn’t seem surprised, only intrigued as he neared. Stopping a short distance away and looking Zoro up and down critically before commenting.

"You don't look too good."

"I'm fine, just..." Zoro scowled, before lying, "sea sick."

He took another large gulp of water.

Law stepped forward and Zoro stiffened. Mouth still full of water and cheeks bulging as he glared daggers at the doctor currently coming far too close for his own comfort. He waited until the man stopped mere feet away before forcing down the water and trying not to hack it back up.

"It's separation sickness."

Zoro snapped irritably, "I know that!"

Nothing really changed on the doctor’s face, but somehow he managed to convey that he was clearly skeptical over Zoro’s claim. He was just as passively expressive as Robin.

“C’mon.” Turning away, Law beckoned after himself but Zoro didn’t budge. Watching him leave until the doctor stopped, glanced back and said rather tiredly, “Come on.”

A look of distaste fell over Zoro’s face and he reached up to rub the back of his neck anxiously. He really didn’t like being told to do stuff, but on the other hand Chopper wasn’t around so Law was their resident doctor as of late, and the man likely had his best interests at heart. With a heavy sigh, Zoro dropped his hand, set his cup aside, and trudged after the man.

He led them down a dank hallway that looked like the rest on this weird tin can of a pirate ship, until eventually they found themselves in a room that mimicked Chopper’s medical office, only if it was out of a horror movie. Zoro began to wonder what sort of medical training Law had gotten compared to Chopper.

Gesturing vaguely to a nearby chair, Law ordered, “Sit.”

Scowling, Zoro did as he was told and took a seat on one of the spare chairs in the room. Watching silently as Law made his way over to his work bench and began pulling down boxes of jars, medical equipment, and books as he began to set to work on something.

"Who is it?" Law enquired while focusing on his task, "The angry chef?"

"Cook." Grunted out on a heavy breath as Zoro corrected the man automatically. He sat dejectedly in his seat for quite some time before realizing exactly what the doctor had said. Zoro sat up a tad straighter and frowned, "How can you tell?"

"Those cigarettes of his." Law shrugged while keeping his back to Zoro. He raised a tattooed hand and twiddled his fingers in explanation before lowering them again, "There’s a distinct smell to them. For masking scents, usually omegas. And it was just a guess; thank you for confirming."

“You--”

Extending his hand in that menacing manner, Law turned to look down at Zoro and stared at him flatly. While Zoro couldn’t see anything, he could feel a hum of energy around them that confirmed the psychotic doctor had activated his devil fruit and was ready to use it. A smirk curled his lips, “By all means. Finish.”

Zoro just glared.

Law was clearly joking - he’d probably just teleport Zoro back to his bunk if Zoro did say anything snippy - but Zoro hadn’t had a decent fight since Dressrosa and he had a lot of pent up energy since finding out the cook had left. He was begging for a fight at this point. Zoro felt his hand itching to fall to his swords. It would be an excellent distraction from this nausea.

However, they were currently underwater, and Zoro wasn’t certain how well he could fight the man while keeping this ship intact. Not to mention they had an alliance, and Luffy liked the bastard; even if he was a bit cocky…

So Zoro bit his tongue.

Lowering his hand with a satisfied nod, Law returned to his work table and continued to pluck herbs and flowers from different jars and sort them out on the bench in front of him. Once in a while glancing at a book beside him and tracing over some of the writing with his fingers before returning to whatever concoction he was preparing.

Zoro wanted to leave, but he had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to.

"You're worried."

A dark scowl fell over Zoro, "What'd you say?"

"Please." Continuing his work completely unperturbed by Zoro’s threatening growl, Law began grinding a bunch of the herbs together in a stone bowl with a practised ease. Voice only slightly muffled by the clinking of the bowl as he drawled, "Drop the act, Roronoa-ya."

Zoro didn’t deny it any further, but he still refused to speak to it.

"I assume your crew doesn't know?"

"No.” Zoro admitted carefully, watching as the man scooped the paste into a cup and began mixing in some sort of solution to it while stirring. Still not sure what the man was making, “We were going to tell them in Zou, but…"

Trailing off, Zoro looked away. He didn’t need to finish. Law was there just like the rest of them to hear the story and knew exactly what had happened. It was embarrassing enough that he had to talk about it with the man in the first place.

"Here." Extending the cup towards Zoro, Law gave his best attempt at a consoling look, "This'll help."

Grateful that the doctor wasn’t going to press, Zoro took the cup and inspected its contents. It didn’t look nearly as easy to swallow as some of Chopper’s medicine, and not even close to as appetizing as Sanji’s stupid, healthy smoothies that he made on occasion. It looked like grass from Sunny’s deck had been tossed in a blender with some slugs.

Nose scrunching up, Zoro grunted, "What is it?"

"It'll help."

Eye flickering up, Zoro was tempted to punch the guy for his lack of an answer, but reined himself in. Shaking his head, Zoro told himself that he was only on edge because of the damned cook and everything that was going on right now. If anything was pissing him off, it was that he was letting himself get this riled up over it. Sanji got to just run off on a whim and Zoro was just supposed to sit back and fret; who the hell did the cook think he was?!

Zoro scowled at the drink; he was letting the cook get him worked up again.

Tossing the drink back, Zoro set the cup aside as he grimaced at the foul taste that sat on his tongue. Smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth several times to try to get rid of the taste. He wasn’t a picky eater, but this was like one of Usopp’s foul stench plants had been blended into a sludge. Setting the cup aside he fought back a shiver of disgust.

Picking up the cup and turning away, Law went about putting all his supplies back from where he had gotten them and left Zoro to sit quietly. His gaze returned to the floor and he glared at it as he tried to focus on anything but what was bothering him.

A few minutes passed until Zoro began to feel the odd drink start to take effect. The sweatiness faded. The ache eased. Everything in his body calmed more than it felt like it had in ages. He was able to take a deep breath and relax as the heavy blanket of fatigue hanging over him lifted completely.

“What was that?”

With a final wipe down of his counter, Law turned and leaned up against his bench and casually cross his arms. It was clear from his face that he was smug, but didn’t allude to it as he answered honestly, “A remedy from the North Blue; it’s a derivative of the plant usually used for omega suppressants. Altered a bit for alpha sensibilities.”

“How long will it last?”

“Long enough.” Law assured with a smirk, “And if Straw Hat takes his time bringing Black Leg back then I’ll make you a second batch for Wano.”

“If he comes back.” Zoro scoffed and pushed himself up. A sneer twisting his face as he dropped a hand to rest on his swords, clutching Wado tightly as he found himself once more needing her reassurance. He found it happening more often than late now that Sanji was back in his life.

"You trust him?"

A flash of Thriller Bark flickered through him. Pain, and fear, and desperation. Kuma bearing down on them, Sanji standing between them, Zoro knocking him aside. That look of utter betrayal on the cook’s face, and that following look of relief when he had found Zoro after. His reply came easy, "With my life."

"Then trust he'll do the right thing."

Law’s response was flippant, and then he brushed past Zoro.

Standing quietly with his back to the retreating doctor, Zoro couldn’t help but hear those words echoed through him and spark a fear he hadn’t known he’d been harboring. A horrible truth that had been gnawing at him the second he found out the cook had willingly gone along with this whole farce; the real reason this mess was happening.

For a long time now Zoro had accepted that he and Sanji implicitly knew each other. Despite the twirling, and romanticizing, and womanizing, when it came to Sanji as a man, as a pirate, as a fighter, as his mate; Zoro knew him. They understood each other in ways words could never replace; a glance shared an eternity of understanding.

So, he knew the cook, and he knew exactly what that stupid cook was capable of doing when his kindness was put to the test. Zoro had seen it the first day they had met. He’d crushed a man’s skull for wasting food and turned around to give a meal to a dying man that immediately betrayed him.

To Zoro, it had seemed as foolish as his dream had seemed to Sanji.

Their first meeting culminated in a perfect understanding of each other. And while sailing together had only strengthened that knowledge, that bond, it made Zoro more assured than ever of Sanji’s intentions. All of the reasons and hope in the world wouldn’t change the cook’s mind if someone other than himself was at stake. He’d do anything to make it right.

No matter if that meant sacrificing himself.

It terrified Zoro to think how the cook had been so readily able to become self-sacrificial on Thriller Bark, how easily he convinced himself he wasn’t worth anything. That his death wouldn’t be that big a deal. Wouldn’t be that vital of a loss to the crew. To Zoro.

And if it came down to it, Zoro knew Sanji would do it again.

Any situation where Sanji had to choose between himself - his happiness - and someone else who was in need; Zoro knew that Sanji’s kindness would win out without even a second thought. No matter the consequences, no matter his sacrifice, no matter his loss.

Sanji would do the right thing.

It had been one of the reasons he had fallen in love with the cook. It was why he always knew he could trust the cook. And it was also the reason that terrified Zoro to his very soul that there was a real possibility that he was going to lose the cook forever.

Then trust he’ll do the right thing.

Law was long gone by the time Zoro spoke into the empty room.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

TBC…

Chapter Text

Damn…

The room was getting hotter.

Walking over to the balcony, Sanji threw the double windows open with a dramatic shove and a gust of wind came rushing in to billow the curtains about before falling still. Even so, the cool air didn’t really do anything with the rising temperature of Sanji’s body and he turned away and began pacing as he tried not to let himself panic for what he knew was coming.

Crooking his finger in his tie, Sanji jerked it loose and hastily began undoing the cuffs on his shirt. He struggled a bit longer than was necessary. Once done he shook out his arms and continued his hurried pacing. When that still didn’t help he undid the top button on his shirt.

It was creeping up on him, and the anticipation was killing him.

Sanji and his brothers all presented fairly young thanks to Judge’s messed up experiments, but Sanji’s heats hadn’t started till he was a bit older. He only really remembered a few before Zeff had gotten him started on his suppressants. In his memory they hadn’t been that bad; hot and a little overwhelming, but that was all. He’d also been sloppy with his dosages when he was a thirteen and had experienced one then as well.

It had been a little more trouble.

Three days in his room. Aching, and hot, and wanting. There hadn’t been anyone in his life to crave - beyond the beautiful women that came and went from the restaurant - so there was no worry about yearning for some alpha or anything of the sort. It had just been a few days where afterwards Sanji had been embarrassed by his own actions - even in solitude - and promised himself to be strict with his pills from that day onward.

Now though, he had no clue what would happen. Sanji hadn’t been off his suppressants in years, and not only was he bonded to an alpha, but he was in a palace full of them. And he could feel the heat creeping up. It was already warm and unpleasant, and that ache for Zoro that had seemed dull on his suppressants felt like it was crushing his heart.

Is this what Zoro had meant?!

It was like an invisible force had ripped open his chest and gripped his heart in an iron fist, holding tight so every pulse and pump of the organ was agonizing. He could hardly begrudge the man his previous behaviour if this was what he had been putting up with. Sanji could only really compare it to being blasted by lightning on Sky Island. 

Just… over and over.

“Shit!” Sanji cursed aloud to try and get some of the pressure that had built up inside of him out. Turning and hooking his foot under a nearby decorative table, launching it across the room for it to shatter against a stone column. Falling to the floor in a splintered heap of crushed and slightly burnt wood.

“Hah. Hah.” Sanji panted heavily as he started to pace the room once more. No longer able to stop himself from breathing through his mouth. The growing heat was making him feel like he was running non-stop, “Hah-- Fuck.”

Back and forth he strutted until a singed smell met his nostrils and he glanced down to see a trail of footsteps he had burnt into the carpet. Feet unconsciously beginning to ignite as his anger and agitation were becoming harder to control. His hands started to shake and he now understood why Zoro had kept breaking stuff; it felt like his body was falling apart, like it wasn’t his to control.

Curling his hands into fists, he dug his nails into his palms in an attempt to get some semblance of restraint. It did nothing. His hands continued to tremble at his sides and his shoulders began to quake. Eyes scrunching shut, the burning ache for his mate starting to choke him up. He had to consciously focus on breathing or he was certain he was going to swallow his tongue.

Raising his hands, Sanji pressed his fists against his forehead, and gritted his teeth together until he chewed right through his cigarette. The tip falling to the carpet as he spat out the filter and screamed into the empty room, “FUCK!”

All he wanted was Zoro.

Every fibre of his body needed the alpha - cried out for his presence - and Sanji could feel their bond loud and clear ringing in his ears as he knew he was never going to be able to deny himself again. When he saw Zoro he’d--

Not when.

If.

Eyes flying open, Sanji stared at the floor with muted dread at his own thoughts. A horrifying chill broke through the haze of his heat as the cold metal on his wrists were a heavy reminder that it wasn’t even a guarantee. That in all reality he might never see Zoro again.

And he hadn’t even gotten to tell Zoro that he loved--

A heavy creak echoed through the room and Sanji stilled. Frozen in place as a heavenly smell began leaching into the room and Sanji could feel a shiver rocket up his spine. A sickening combination of want and repulsion punched through his gut.

Yes.

NO!

Alpha pheromones flooded the room and immediately began putting his more lecherous desires at ease, while another part of him recoiled aggressively. Her smell foreign and at odds to what his bond knew his mate was supposed to smell like. (Never mind that he hadn’t ever gotten the chance to be near Zoro when he wasn’t on his suppressants.)

Stepping elegantly into the room and shutting the door softly behind her, Pudding kept her hands clasped politely in front of herself as she looked up at Sanji. He watched her while growing steadily unnerved. They weren’t supposed to see each other again until the Tea Party.

What the hell were Judge and Big Mom up to?!

Brows creasing in concern and an adorable pout forming on her lips, Pudding began making her way towards him and Sanji found himself pinned to the spot. Torn between leaping away from the alpha, and running to meet her halfway if she could just stop this burning ache in his body. Caught between the two impulses, Sanji simply trembled on the spot and waited.

“Poor, dear.” Pudding crooned as she came to a stop in front of the panting omega. She reached out and gently stroked a few sweaty bangs aside and cupped his cheek, “You look a mess.”

It was nice. Her touch soothing and her alpha pheromones like a cool salve to his burning soul. On the surface everything about her presence was what he superficially needed, and he knew if he gave in this burning fog of want would be oh-so-much more bearable.

Every inch of his body wanted to lean in - to embrace her - but he didn’t.

Sanji had no clue if she really wanted to be here. For all he knew she was as much at the mercy of her family as Sanji was to his. Even if he was a free agent, even if he wasn’t bonded to Zoro, he could never - would never - do something with someone when he was like this. It would go against everything he had spent his life believing about himself; he was more than just omega. He was better than what people expected of him.

Shying away from the touch was like turning to embrace an inferno. That moment of relief making his torture so much worse, and when Pudding caught his hand as he tried to retreat, for a moment he feared he wasn’t strong enough to deny her. Body trembling and breath heaving, Sanji slowly looked down at the gorgeous woman currently looking at him.

“Let me help.”

Pudding words tapped at the cracked shell of resolve he had built up around himself, testing the limits of the glass armor that was ready to shatter at any moment. She offered something wondrous, but it wasn’t what he wanted.

It wasn’t his mate.

It wasn't Zoro.

That thought alone almost had Sanji breaking into hysterical laughter, but he managed to save it at the last minute with a soft chuckle and a smile. He clearly was out of his mind. Turning down this wonderfully sweet and stunningly beautiful woman for that stupid green bastard; it was absolutely insane.

And yet, he didn’t question his resolve for a second.

“As… lovely,” Sanji picked the word carefully. He reached out his other hand and placed it atop the one she was already holding, tenderly clasping it between in his own shaking hands, “as I think it would be. I couldn’t have you do this for me when I am not in my right mind. You are a kind woman, and don’t deserve me as I am now.”

Pudding looked genuinely shocked.

“Oh… okay.” She seemed perplexed, “Well, is there anything I could get for you?”

“I’d hate to request a favour from a busy lady such as yourself; your shop is probably wanting you back.” Sanji shook his head and smiled sweetly, “But thank you for your offer.”

“You sure?” Pudding tilted her head sweetly and Sanji wavered. “Nothing? How about some water?”

“Water would be lovely.” Coughing over a parched swallow, Sanji recovered before nodding, “If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Of course not!” Nodding happily, Pudding slowly removed her hand and clasped both behind her back. Allowing Sanji to walk her to the door and hold it open for her. Doing so, Sanji noted the guards outside and wondered how much they had heard and if they were reporting this back to Judge. Pudding completely oblivious as she chirped, “I’ll leave the water outside the door for you.”

“Thank you again, Pudding.” Sanji smiled back down at her, “You are an angel.”

A blush lit up her face. She gave a short bow and a small curtsey and then she was turning to leave. Sanji watching her leave with a mask of thinly constructed composure before casually closing the door after her retreating figure. Locking the door, Sanji immediately slumped against the door and groaned. Hands trembling as they clutched the handle. 

A full body shudder rocked through him as he listened to the alpha's retreating footsteps until long after they disappeared and the remaining pheromones in the room receded. With a relieved breath, his hands released their tenuous grasp on the handle and he slipped to the floor. Sprawled out so as much of himself as possible was in contact with the cool stone and began gasping once more through the heat that stifled him.

"Hah… hah… fuck." Groaning and knocking his forehead against the floor, Sanji scrunched his eyes shut, "Hah… damn it."

Everything was beginning to physically ache.

Beyond the sweating, and burning, and heated fog, an arousal had now built, helped along by being so close to an alpha moments before. He could feel his erection straining against his pants, and a horrible slick begin to drip between his legs.

Crawling across the floor on weak, wobbling limbs, he managed to get to the bed and drag himself up and pull off half the bedding off in the process. Eventually sprawling across bed sheets that smelt foreign and, if anything, made him feel worse. But they were soft on his increasingly sensitive skin, and as he nestled into the pillows and sheets it managed to calm him on a somewhat primal level.

As he lay sweaty and aroused in the safety of his bed, Sanji felt himself finally starting to give in to his need as he clumsily undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt. Wrestling the constricting fabric off his increasingly sweaty body and flopping back with a pained moan. 

It couldn’t hurt to relieve himself a bit… right?

Hand trailing slowly up his exposed chest, the canopy of the bed flickered out of focus as his mind returned to thoughts of Zoro. Remembering how perfect those large, callused hands hand felt dragging over him, how secure and strong they had been. It was just a caress and a fantasy, but it had Sanji’s vision going blurry with desire.

Closing his eyes, he imagined those brief touches Zoro had placed on him back at Dressrosa, and that commanding kiss that had knocked the wind out of him. Only now the memory of it had him gasping and his body convulsing as all he wanted was Zoro, his mate.

Picturing Zoro’s hands, he slipped even lower until they reached his belt, one grabbing the buckle and the other palming himself through his pants. The sudden relief from the pressure causing his body to quake from that small bit of reprieve.

"Ahn…" A small moan slipped out, and Sanji's eyes fluttered as he pleaded to the empty room, "Zoro…"

Hearing his own voice echo in the empty room had his motions stilling. Sanji growled softly at the feeling of his body crying out for him and the realization that his first time getting off to Zoro was going to be a memory and not the alpha himself. It was a sickening enough thought that not even the slick running down his thighs could persuade him.

Hands retreating, Sanji wrapped his arms around himself and clung desperately to his shoulders. Fingers biting into flesh as he lay there, trapped as a prisoner inside his own body that desperately called out for someone that wasn't there. Called out for the one person that could stop this burning pain.

This is exactly what Judge wanted; and it was no doubt why they had brought Pudding here to dangle her in front of him. He’d denied her, and he’d deny this. He wasn’t about to let them win; he wasn’t going to become what they all wanted him to be.

He was stronger than this!

Silk sheets cool and gentle against his cheek, Sanji allowed his eyes to drift shut as he forced himself to imagine he was anywhere but here right now. Back on Sunny, home with his real family, and far, far away from all the troubles that were currently threatening to tear his world apart.

Instead, Sanji allowed himself to fantasize about being up in the crow’s nest. Curled up on Zoro’s futon in that soft blue hoodie that had smelled so much like the alpha. Steel, and sweat, and blood. And how good it had felt to fall asleep with the man wrapped around him. Solid, warm mass pressed up against him from behind, arms clutching him tight like he was the only thing that mattered.

And he thought about how good it had felt to wake in the morning with his arms wrapped around the swordsman. 

Face nestled in soft green hair. Zoro nuzzling against his chest while snoring obnoxiously. Holding each other as the sun crested through the windows to bathe both of them in an early morning glow. Staying in that fantasy, Sanji clung to that memory for days until the fog passed, and when he awoke it was to the sound of trumpets and his brothers returning.

~X~

Zoro arrived on Wano ill.

It could’ve been because of the week they had spent stuck below the surface aboard the Polar Tang, or possibly the rough journey up the waterfalls with their ship hauled by several wrangled koi. Either way, as soon as the submarine surface and the latch was cracked, Zoro was launching from the ship and landing waist deep in swirling water as he stormed ashore.

A few others disembarked onto the rather desolate beach while Kin’emon went south with Law to dock the submarine in a hidden lagoon. Zoro didn’t care at the moment. Right now all he needed to do was get away from everybody else and get a moment alone. He’d like to think it was sea sickness, but he had a hunch it was something much worse.

Boots sloshing with water and cloak sopping wet, Zoro hauled himself from the rough surf and strode swiftly across the wet sand. Heading away from where everyone else was marching inland and towards the castle Kin’emon had told them about. He’d catch up later.

Just when he’d thought the separation sickness had been getting better an unbelievable wave of heat had washed over him, and it only seemed to be getting worse. Physically he was unharmed, but his chest was filled with an indescribable yearning for the cook he hadn’t felt before. Not even when their bond was strengthened by touch had it felt this strong.

Something was happening to the cook, and every fibre of Zoro’s body wanted him to run to him.

Ignoring it only made it worse. His stomach churned, his head pounded, and his body felt heavy. It was as if he was being punished for ignoring his mate when he so obviously needed Zoro.

Trudging up the beach, it felt like each step was pulling his feet deeper into the sand and that the earth itself was trying to drag him to his knees. Nausea spun his head like a top. Stumbling towards a thicket of trees nearby that lead into a deep, dense forest, Zoro shouldered his way forward until he was able to brace a hand against the trunk of a tree and then finally accepted his fate and heaved.

Hurling up the remnants of his breakfast - some white rice and a large amount of whiskey - he leaned heavily against the tree while attempting to catch his breath. Saliva and stomach acid dripping from his lips as the spinning eased but the burning panic in his chest remained steadfast.

What the hell was happening to the cook?!

It didn't feel like the cook was in danger, and it didn't feel like he was close to dying; if anything it felt like--

Oh...

Sanji was in heat.

Before he had a chance to think about it, the notable presence of Robin behind him had him stilling and steeling himself. Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth to try and rid himself of any traces of his disgrace, he forced himself to straighten and round on the older woman with a glare, “What?”

With only a kind smile as a way of explanation, Zoro chose to ignore the fact that she was likely here to ensure he wouldn’t get lost. Lip jutted out in annoyance as he pulled his swords free and leaned them up against a nearby tree and undid his sash before ringing it out. Dropping it to the sand so he could stand on it as he followed up by kicking off his boots and dumping the water out of them.

If she was going to bother him, then he was going to make her wait.

Once he’d wrung out most of his clothes, he began getting dressed once more. Lacing up his boots and grabbing his sash off the ground. Flicking it to get any stray sand from it before tying up his robes with jerky movements, Robin inspected him with a knowing look before prodding, “Sea sick?”

“Mhm.” Zoro grunted the response.

Holding his swords against his hip as he began lashing them in place, the familiar routine and motions grounding and allowing him to get some control over his trembling body. Missing a wrap once or twice, but not so out of sorts that he couldn’t finish. Tying his last sword into place with a sharp jerk before allowing his hands to fall to his sides.

“Not really like you.”

“Mhm.” Once more Zoro grunted, going along with the lie she was offering. Zoro knew better. She was perceptive enough that she likely already knew, but Zoro wasn’t about to give anything to her while she played this game. Making to stalk past her as he wasn’t really in the mood for this right now.

At least with an empty stomach he felt a bit better.

“How’s our dear cook doing?”

Faltering for only a moment, Zoro scowled away a blush of embarrassment and brushed by Robin with a grumbled, “How the hell should I know?”

Managing to only make it a few steps before she reappeared before him in a flutter of petals, a quick glance behind him confirmed the tricky woman had sent her body double. Rounding on the other with a scowl, he set his jaw and refused to say anything.

By way of explanation, Robin informed, “You two weren’t particularly subtle.”

An intense mixture of emotions flickered across Zoro’s face, but it quickly fell still once more. She had figured it out. Or she had at least been eavesdropping on conversations as she was so prone to do. Not much of a surprise, but Sanji would certainly throw a dramatic fit once it was revealed that one of his favourite ladies knew about them…

If he came back.

That thought brought forth a surge of invigorated annoyance that he’d been desperately trying to keep at bay ever since Zou. Rage curdling in his gut like acid, hands slowly curling into hardened fists; Robin’s earlier question a bitter reminder of what was at stake. Zoro had no clue what was going on at Whole Cake Island; the only link he had to Sanji was their bond and that was unreliable at best. Flickers of emotion and the occasional ache. It wasn’t like it was a beacon of communication.

“He’s peachy.”

Speaking through gritted teeth, Zoro tried to keep his tone calm and knew he was hardly fooling her. Regardless if she knew about them, he wasn’t going to let her in on every little facet of Zoro’s growing insecurities over the cook. Those were his to harbor and his alone.

Though at the moment it felt as though a storm were ripping through the port and smashing those insecurities upon his shores.

Everything he had been pushing deep down the past few weeks felt like it was welling up, and the heat bearing down on his body and the critical stare from Robin was making it impossible to contain. All these emotions he didn’t think were his own were clawing to get out, and the most vicious of them all was anger.

Zoro was angry.

And he was furious that the cook was making him feel this way.

Despite every rational decision he had made since Sanji had left, despite knowing exactly what to expect from the man, and despite wanting nothing more than for the stupid bastard to just come back; he couldn’t help but feel absolutely livid at the arrogant, fucking cook for coming into his life, breaking down his walls, and making him care, and then leaving. He knew he was better than this, he knew he was stronger than this, and yet all the powers that be couldn’t stop him from feeling completely and utterly destroyed.

His head had hurt from before he’d gotten on this tangent, but now it ached even more. Unable to differentiate between the betrayal making his body shake with rage, and the longing for his nakama that made his bones ache; the two juxtaposed emotions warring it out in his mind and yet still uncertain which one he was supposed to pick.

He’d tried patience, he’d tried understanding, but now he just wanted to rage and felt guilty for giving in to it.

Why’d the fucking cook have to make everything so fucking complicated?!

With a shake of his head and a growl, Zoro let his arms unfold and began striding past Robin once more. Managing to make it a little farther before Robin interrupted his attempt to flee, only this time she didn’t disappear and manifest, she spoke with a fond tone.

“May I ask when it happened?” Robin asked, “Your bond?”

Boot slipping deep into the sand, Zoro paused in his retreat as he stared ahead of him up the empty beach. Alone except for the wind catching in the trees and the crashing of waves on the shore. Turning to look back at her, Zoro couldn’t help but soften somewhat despite the fiery rage within as he murmured, “...Thriller Bark.”

A knowing smile softly stretched across the woman’s face, and she began making her way back across the white beach with a lightness to her step that defied the looseness of the sand. Pausing beside Zoro for only a moment, and then continuing past him.

“Our beloved cook will come back to us.” Robin murmured to the desolate shore ahead of her, but the words were for Zoro. Her wry tone unmistakable as she huffed, “Nothing can take a member of Luffy’s crew from him.”

That was true.

With a visible jerk of surprise Zoro realized it was the first time he believed it.

Whatever doubts he had before were long gone, and now they were replaced with the daunting task of how he was supposed to handle seeing Sanji again. When the cook did come back, Zoro wasn’t certain how he’d react; right now he wanted to drag the bastard to the nearest pool of water and hold his head under until he started to struggle for air.

It had only ever gotten more complicated the more involved he got.

Wasn't it supposed to be easy?

Robin and Franky seemed to have their stuff together. Nothing ever seemed difficult between them.

Granted, Zoro never saw every little moment between them, but it certainly didn't seem like one struggled being around the other, or that Franky was throwing up in some random bushes because of something Robin was experiencing. And neither of them seemed to have to worry about the other being kidnapped and married off to someone else.

Even when Sanji did come back, Zoro had no clue how he was supposed to deal with everything that was warring inside of him. He wanted to push these confusing emotions back down and be as unaffected as he always pretended to be - as he was. But he’d opened a box, and it seemed not even his strength could close it.

Swallowing thickly, he spoke, “Does it ever go away?”

Robin’s footsteps faltered with a delicate shift of sand, and Zoro could hear her turn to look back at him. Her critical eyes no doubt drilling into the back of his head. He waited silently as she watched him, until she eventually spoke, and Zoro could hear the smile to her words as she obviously played dumb, “Does what ever go away?”

“This…” Waving towards himself, he tried to explain without words everything that had been wracking his body ever since he had realized he’d had feelings for the cook. Long before Thriller Bark and this bond. It was hard to think of a time when his body and mind hadn’t been exhausted with the complications of this bond, of his feelings, of... “Everything.”

For once, Robin actually looked sympathetic, and for all that Zoro should have been annoyed, he couldn’t help but feel optimistic. If it was truly hopeless, if he was going to be stuck like this forever, he knew there would be a lot more pity in her eyes.

"Do you want it to go away?"

"Ye-- No." Zoro scowled. He hated it when Robin did that whole answering a question with a question routine. It got more out of him that he'd like to admit. All he wanted was a straight answer. "That's not what I meant."

Robin waited expectantly.

"I just…" Running an agitated hand through his hair, Zoro glared at the sand beneath his worn boots and muttered somewhat sourly, "I thought this was supposed to be easy."

“Well… As our resident cook likes to say, ‘Love is always a hurricane.’” As she mused, Robin’s tone was tender and Zoro couldn’t stop himself looking up as the older woman looked at him with soft eyes. A fond smile lit up her face and her eyes slid shut with a reassuring smile, “You just haven’t found the eye of the storm yet.”

Stupid cook and his dumb romanticism.

Snorting, Zoro crossed his arms defensively, "Who said anything about love?"

This time Robin did look smug. With that, she turned away with a sly smile and began to lead them up the beach and towards the distant hills where the rest of the crews were gathering. For a long while Zoro watched her walk away, pondering on her words and if she was right; if everything would just work out.

Knowing there was nothing more to be done, Zoro cussed softly, "Damn, woman." and proceeded to follow the devil fruit user whilst grumbling to himself. Both of them striding away from the ocean, with its swirling skies and raging waters as turbulent as the love in his heart.

~X~

Back on Sunny, Sanji lay sprawled on the deck with a delighted smile on his face. Hands clasped behind his head as he puffed absently on a cigarette, listening to the laughter from nearby crewmembers and the billowing of wind in Sunny’s sails. All of it felt utterly surreal after everything that had happened to him the past couple weeks; he’d never thought he’d be back on this ship, and with his crew again.

He was the luckiest guy in the world.

Untucking one of his hands, Sanji plucked his cigarette from his lips and held it aloft as he extended his hand high above to block out the sun and cracked open an eye. Afternoon sun was just barely peeking out past Sunny's mast which meant he’d need to start preparing a snack soon so he could have something ready for when Luffy started asking.

Hand shifting to the side, Sanji focused more intently on the lookout as his smile wavered for a moment at the thought of the rest of the crew. It felt like it had been ages since he had seen them. And even with Luffy, Chopper, Brook, and Carrot making more than enough noise on deck to make up for it, it still didn’t change the fact that he missed them.

Robin reading in a lounge chair, Franky and Usopp working on something that caused unnecessary explosions, and Zoro up in the crow’s nest working out incessantly.

Hand dropping to rest on his stomach, Sanji stared unencumbered at the room above as his thoughts turned to the resident swordsman. Ache in his chest fluttering at the thought of their last night spent there, and how perfect things had been.

Sliding his hand up, he fingered his sternum through the soft fabric of his shirt where the ache of their bond radiated below. Still getting used to how prevalent the bond was now that he was off his suppressants, surprised by how raw it felt compared to the faint echo it was before. No wonder Zoro had been at his wits end while dealing with this.

Sanji sighed.

It had been a complicated couple of days, and he wasn’t particularly proud of most of it. He’d spent days in Germa thinking about how all of this must have looked like from Zoro’s perspective. And how, if it had been Zoro that had done this, then for certain the swordsman would get his head kicked through the nearest hard surface; and Sanji would feel completely justified.

Hand falling to Sunny’s grassy deck, Sanji let his eyes slide shut as the shame washed over him. He didn't feel like he deserved to be as happy as he was right now given everything he had done. No matter how ecstatic he was to be able to see Zoro again he felt like he wasn't allowed to be.

"Ugh." Pushing himself up, he replaced his cigarette between his lips and ran his hands through his hair with a frustrated groan. He was definitely overthinking this. This was the emotionally stunted swordsman he was thinking about, Zoro would probably give him a good punch to the gut for making him worry and that would be that. "Damn it…"

With a final sigh, he rose to his feet and strode over to the mast, making his way up the narrow stairway. Shoving open the latch to the crow’s nest and stepping inside, he softly let the hatch shut behind him as he looked about the room. It felt inordinately empty without Zoro’s presence in it. What was left of the alpha’s scent was thin and stale.

Making his way over to the benches where Zoro stored his belongings, Sanji kicked open the one with the bedding and went digging through it until he found his hoodie. He’d left it with Zoro’s things for the next time they slept together, and was just grateful that that hadn’t ended up being the only time they had.

Hopefully.

Dropping down to sit on the benches, he turned the hoodie over in his hands a few times. It still smelled of the swordsman, but not as strong as he suspected Zoro would smell in person. And as he took another shallow breath he realized he was definitely wrong about Zoro’s scent. On the surface it was blood, and sweat, and metal, but underneath was something warm. A calming, soothing scent that wasn’t discernible with how weak it was right now, but everything he had ever wanted.

It was… right.

Clutching the hoodie to himself, Sanji idly wondered if this was exactly what Zoro had done two years ago. It was embarrassing, but he understood immediately why the man had done it. Without Zoro here, being able to hold his scent and breath it in was all he could do, and it seemed to be the only thing that eased the ache in his chest at the thought of how far away his mate was.

No wonder Zoro had been so...

For a long time Sanji debated taking the hoodie with him, but eventually decided against it as he stored it away and forced himself to leave. If he stayed much longer he was going to do something really embarrassing and he wasn’t sure he could look any of the crew, let alone Zoro, in the eye if he did.

As he left the crow’s nest he pointedly told himself that it wouldn’t be long until they were at Wano and he’d see Zoro then. They’d work everything out. He’d force Zoro to have a serious talk where he explained himself, they’d fight a little and probably only damage some property (he'd let the swordsman get in one free shot, one really good, hard hit to make up for everything), and then the swordsman would call him names for wanting to talk about his feelings and that’d be that.

Even with the mental pep talk, he didn't feel convinced, but Sanji decided there was no use worrying about Zoro until they were actually face to face, so he pushed aside his worries and shouldered his way into Sunny's galley. All remaining thoughts fled at the welcoming sight and he grinned as he wandered into the kitchen and everything was starting to feel like it was going back to normal.

Running a hand along the gorgeous length of marble countertop, Sanji walked into his kitchen with a bright smile on his face and a disbelieving laugh caught in his throat. Coming to a stop in front of his cutting board, he propped both hands beside it and glanced around his kitchen with a final sigh of relief.

He was home.

Without waiting another moment, Sanji began rolling up his sleeves and planning what to make for the crew as they sailed for Wano. He was never going to take this kitchen for granted ever again. And every moment he was going to spend with an awakened appreciation.

Falling into a trance, he began preparing several fruit cocktails for the crew to enjoy along with the wonderfully sunny day. Pulling out his favourite knife and setting it at the ready as he began raiding the pantry. Thankful to find it still fairly stocked as he piled the counter high with all manner of berries, melongs, and strange fruits. He’d gotten through half his preparations when the door to the galley swung open. Sanji steeled himself for having to defend himself and the food from Luffy's grabby hands, but was met with an even more intimidating adversary; Nami.

For the sake of the crew Sanji had kept up pretences in front of them, but he was still apprehensive over how to act. After everything that had happened at the wedding, he and Nami definitely felt like they were back on normal terms, but he couldn’t deny that her claim to never forgive him had struck him to his very core.

With everything that had happened with Luffy, and her, it was hard to just pretend like none of it had never happened; act or not.

“I’m just finishing up a few drinks for everyone." Sanji explained as he decided to keep everything light. Finishing up with the strawberries and scooping them into a bowl before grabbing a cantaloupe. Finding it easier to just focus on food, "I'll be bringing them out in a few minutes."

“It’s no rush.” Nami waved him off and took a seat on one of the stools. Watching him work for a few moments before adding, “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Better now that you’re here.” Sanji winked.

It didn’t faze her, but she wasn’t nearly as coldly receptive to his flirting as she had been before which was a wonderful sign. However, it was clear from her tone she was here to talk and Sanji knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid it forever.

There was a large elephant in the room, besides the whole marriage fiasco, and that was the fact that when the crew had shown up to rescue Sanji, his secret had quite effectively been let out of the bag. No one had said anything about it yet, but he couldn’t help but feel like it had remained unspoken between all of them.

He had a suspicion it was why she was here now.

“I suppose it’s already far too late for this,” Cleaving the melon in two, he began neatly cleaning out of the seeds as an excuse to keep his gaze turned down. Deciding to save Nami the trouble and getting everything out in the open, “but I’m an omega.”

Nami made a polite sound of understanding.

“Chopper knew because…” Sanji paused, before shrugging and offering up the simplest truth, “well, he had to. And I have a suspicion Robin knows as well, because she’s wonderful like that.”

Another thoughtful noise accompanied Sanji’s words, and Nami watched quietly as the cook picked up a melon baller and began to neatly scoop out perfect orbs of melon. When he was nearly done with the first half, she spoke, “She never said anything.”

Sanji didn’t say anything, but was silently grateful.

Finishing up with the first half, Sanji started on the next  as he forced out nervously, “And…” Sanji felt the next word catch in his throat, “Zoro knows too.”

“Zoro?” It was the first time Nami sounded actually surprised, “Really?”

“Yeah, he’s um…” Sanji found himself floundering hard, “We’re... you know…”

They were going to tell everyone at Zou, and that plan obviously didn’t happen, but Zoro had kept his secret nonetheless. Now, for some reason, it felt weird coming clean about all this without the swordsman there. He knew the alpha would just scoff and tell him off for worrying about something so trivial, but it didn’t stop him from struggling to get the words out.

“He’s…” A heavy sigh deflated Sanji’s shoulders and he set the melon and baller aside as he leaned on the counter for support, “It’s… complicated.”

“Hey, it’s okay.”

Sanji just grimaced.

“I think I know what you’re trying to say.” Nami tittered with a hand raised to her lips, fingers coming to rest on her lower lip as she looked Sanji over with a thoughtful glance, “I’m not saying I’m surprised… but I am a little, ya know?”

“Trust me,” With another sigh, Sanji shook his head and forced a laugh, “we both were.”

Clearly not wanting to pry, Nami changed the subject with a singsong quality to her voice, “So, omega. That’s neat. Is there anything we should do as a crew? You know, to make sure you’re okay?”

“Ideally, if nothing changed that’d be great?” Sanji forced a laugh, but still didn’t quite feel like his heart was in it. Part of him had always worried they’d start suddenly worrying about how they treated him once they found out. And that was the last thing he wanted. “I’m still your resident love-cook.”

Offering her the cutting board, he watched quietly as she mused over the many fruits before selecting a slice of honeydew and popping it in her mouth. Chewing quietly as she gave a nod, only continuing once she swallowed, “I think that’ll be pretty easy; this crew is pretty spectacular for that.”

“That's true.”

“You know I don’t even know if Luffy knows?” Nami waved a hand about and looked away with a small huff. Clearly trying to remain aloof and keep the conversation light. "I mean, if he did he obviously doesn’t care, or maybe he’s known all along, but he could also just not have noticed. Can’t tell with that kid.”

That managed to pull an honest chuckle out of Sanji; she had a point. Another long silence stretched throughout the galley; broken only by the intermittent chopping of Sanji’s skilled blade. It almost became comfortable until Nami spoke up, and the disheartened tone to her voice had Sanji’s heart breaking anew, “I’m sorry you ever felt like you couldn’t tell us.”

“No. No, that wasn’t it.” Setting his knife aside, Sanji’s head shot up and he quickly denied, “It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. It was never you. Any of you. It was me, my hang ups, my fears.”

Even as Sanji babbled, he could tell it was only slightly consoling, and he wished there was something else he could do in that moment to convince her. But he knew what it must look like from her perspective. They had always shared everything as a crew, and even after months of sailing together and two years apart he still hadn’t trusted them enough to tell them.

“Please, just don’t--” Catching himself, Sanji looked down at the cutting board and the mess of juices currently pooling across the wood. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t think of what to say to fix everything. He eventually ended with a sigh.

The crew had all sorts of things they had told each other, and yet there were other things that they had kept just for themselves; there was no need to explain. And even though Sanji knew this, he couldn’t help feeling guilty for hiding a part of himself anyway. Even though he knew from the very beginning these would never be the people to hold it against him.

Putting it all into words was hard.

There was a soft shifting as Nami hopped down off her stool, and he listened as her heels clipped across the galley’s floorboards. She rounded the counter and stepped into the kitchen, Sanji’s shoulders tensed as she neared and he turned to try and explain himself further.

He didn’t get the chance. 

As he turned to face her, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him while hauling him into a tight hug. Her face tucked against his tie as she gave an encouraging squeeze which Sanji responded to by gently returning the embrace.

“We’re nakama; who you are doesn’t change a thing.” Pulling back long enough to give Sanji a loving, yet stern look, before burying her face back into Sanji’s chest and hugging him twice as hard. Her voice muffled by his shirt as she  said, “We’re just happy to have you back.”

Holding her back just as snug, Sanji nuzzled his face into her silky hair and grinned. Heart swelling as a wave of relief washed over him, he was never going to let anything separate himself from his crew ever again. Pressing a chaste kiss to the top of her head, he murmured, “Glad to be back.”

~X~

With directions continually screeched into his ear, Zoro ran as fast as he could through the woods and away from the assassins currently chasing after the woman causing his eardrums to shatter. He didn’t know what he did to continue to end up with this loud woman hanging off him and screaming into his ears, but he was determined for this to be the last damned time.

Skidding to a halt in front of a small shrine that she had guided them to, Zoro immediately disentangled himself from Hiyori’s clinging arms and deposited her on the worn stairs. Storming several feet away to ensure she wasn’t about to jump on his back again and try to actually make him deaf.

"Mister Zorojuro!" Hiyori called after him, "Please don't go far!"

“I’m not going anywhere!” Zoro snapped, coming to a stop only a couple yards from the shrine. Glaring back at her as he bit his tongue against demanding where on earth she expected him to run off to.

Feigning horror over Zoro’s tone, she collapsed back on the steps with a hand clutched over her chest and a distraught look upon her face. Murmuring something to herself, as Zoro instead turned his gaze out towards the forest and kept his senses attuned to any approaching ninjas. However, it was hard to focus with Hiyori’s scent still clinging to his clothes.

Rubbing his hand roughly against his neck, Zoro tried desperately to remove the unsettling smell of the omega that still lingered on his skin. She had clung to him long enough to scent him, what with all the time she had spent hiding her face in his shoulder while screaming in terror. It smelled wrong. It didn't smell like his mate - it didn't smell like Sanji - and he was growing more agitated with every passing second.

It was how he knew Sanji was his mate.

Other omegas smelt good, but they all paled in comparison to Sanji. That stupid, chivalrous cook was going to be his be all and end all whether he liked it or not. Nothing else - nobody else - was going to come as close to capturing his attention like Sanji had.

Pulled from his thoughts, Zoro glanced up to see Hiyori watching him with a curious look on her face. She was no longer pulling the innocent girl act, and seemed more like she was showing a side of herself that was much more real. With her hands politely clasped, she stayed a respectful distance away and asked, "Who was that man that you gave Toko to?"

My friend. My partner. My mate.

"A crew member." Zoro heaved a sigh and turned away. Already beating himself up that he had managed to finally see the cook only for them all to get separated again. "Don't worry, she's in safe hands with him. He wouldn't let anyone lay a finger on a woman, least of all a child."

Everything had been a blur.

Zoro had been so blinded by rage after Orochi had murdered Tonoyasu, in front of his daughter no less, it had been hard to focus on anything else. Even when his mate had appeared out of the crowd as suddenly as he had. It had been a while since he had been so furious, only now he wished he’d taken a moment to truly appreciate seeing Sanji again.

That stupid cook, stealing his thunder like that.

Of course he would.

And despite Zoro feeling like he was supposed to be annoyed, he could only grin.

It should’ve been the perfect storm. With how long they’d been apart, and his rage over Tonoyasu, and everything he had been bottling up since Sanji had left to marry that woman to save the crew - his desire to punch the cook so fucking hard the guy would need to cover his whole face with his bangs to hide the damage; really it should’ve just culminated in a fight between them that would’ve levelled the Capital.

But it didn't.

They had landed in that square together to protect that little girl, and he had snarled up at Sanji, just as the cook had looked down at him indignantly for stealing his heroic spotlight. And just like that, everything he’d been holding, this stupid invisble weight he’d thought he was supposed to carry...

All of it melted away in an instant.

Everything was made clear. The beauty of being in love with the cook was that everything he felt was allowed to make sense, even if he didn’t understand it. He was able to love him, and be angry with him, and go absolutely crazy because of him, and all of it made sense.

And that… made it easy.

~X~

Over the course of several days, as everyone began finishing up on the missions they had been assigned, the scattered pieces of the crew made their way to Amigasa. Each arrival was met with joyous relief as the previous reunion at Oden’s Castle, that should’ve been cause for celebration, was incomplete thanks to a stupid swordsman that had managed to get lost on the way. And the brief run in at the Capital hadn’t been under the best of circumstances.

That was the second time Sanji had been robbed from a proper reunion with the alpha, so when Sanji heard Luffy bellow his first mate’s name he nearly dropped his knife. Setting aside the meal he had previously been preparing for Luffy to rush out towards the entrance of the village where the swordsman casually strode in with Hiyori and Kawamatsu.

They went their own way to greet others as Zoro was affectionately hugged by Luffy.

Already the rest of the crew were quickly closing in with varying levels of happiness and admonishment on the man for wandering off. When Sanji got near he realized he was still running and skidded to a panicked halt, not too sure what he had planned on doing when he got to the swordsman.

He could hardly throw himself at Zoro in front of everyone.

Standing awkwardly near the back of the crew, Sanji fished out a cigarette and lit it with nervous hands. He hadn’t expected seeing Zoro to throw him so much, but even though he’d prepared himself for this he still didn’t feel ready. Sanji knew they rightfully had a fight coming, but all he wanted to do was hold the man.

While a steadying inhale, Sanji turned to watch the swordsman silently as Nami gave him a hug and then proceeded to start berating him for all the hijinks he’d been pulling since getting here. He had to fight back a smile as she smacked the side of his head while snarling, “And that’s for blowing your cover; honestly, how stupid are you? You don’t have to cut down every single person you meet.”

But he’d obviously stopped listening because now he was looking directly at Sanji.

Standing opposite the swordsman, it felt like an eternity since he had gotten to see the alpha so innocuously. Their run in at the plaza had hardly counted, especially with all the chaos and how blinded by rage Zoro had been. It had burned strong enough that Sanji had been able to sense it through their bond; if anything it had helped feed his own anger.

Now though, there was no anger. There was just his own speechlessness and an elated warmth in his chest that he was having a really hard time telling whether it was Zoro’s or his own. Judging from the blank look on the swordsman it must’ve been his own.

Eventually all the reuniting quieted down as the obvious unspoken issue became apparent and the crew all eventually turned to look at the two silent crewmembers. Sanji could feel their eyes on them, could sense the apprehension in the group, but he still couldn’t tear his gaze away from Zoro.

It had only been a couple weeks, but there had been several horrible days where he thought he’d wouldn’t get to see him ever again. Against all the odds, he was back here, and he never wanted to take this for granted. Even if Zoro was glaring at him like he wanted to grab Sanji by the scruff of his yukata and slam him face first through the nearest tree.

"Weeell." Usopp drew out the word with an awkward glance away, "I suppose we should leave these two alone."

There were collective murmurs of agreement from the rest of the crew, and after some brief hugs and farewells, they all began taking their leave. Luffy not quite taking the hint and being dragged along by Nami with an exhausted sigh. A few more moments and then it was just the two of them.

With the rest of the crew’s mingling scents fading, it was hard to handle having the alpha’s scent so close. Despite his calm exterior, Sanji’s knees felt like they were close to buckling, and he had to refrain from bracing a hand on a nearby tree for support.

Zoro refused to speak, but from the critical look on his face he was obviously deciding something.

Not sure what to initially say, Sanji decided to start with the obvious, "You put up with this all the time?"

Crossing his arms, Zoro deadpanned, "Pretty much."

Already Sanji could feel his body heating up. Smelling Zoro earlier had been rough, but standing alone with him had his body reacting in ways he hadn’t thought he’d be ready for so soon. Everything was so acute, and his body was tuned in to every movement of the other. Trying desperately to keep a level head despite the want in him rising.

Looking Zoro up and down, Sanji couldn’t help but notice that the swordsman didn’t look even slightly as destroyed as Sanji felt right now. Everything about him was so calm and collected, and if anything he just seemed bored, "How are you so calm?"

Hands tightening and relaxing, Zoro grunted, "Practice."

“Right.” Sanji had the grace to look away somewhat guiltily.

Both of them turned their gazes at the same time to glance at the trees near the clearing that most of their crew were surreptitiously peeking out from behind to watch them. Neither were surprised that they would be this nosy, if anything Sanji had been expecting it. They were probably expecting a show, or at least an entertaining fight.

A heavy grumble burst from Zoro and then he was turning to storm off into the woods, away from the crew's prying eyes. He left Sanji standing there, with no word to follow, until the blond had no choice but to sigh and stalk after the grumpy idiot.

Chasing after the swordsman, he duck and wove his way through the delicate trees and the golden red leaves that seemed to fall endlessly from their branches. Curling and twisting in the soft autumn breeze before landing on the forest floor. Leaves swirling up under their feet as Zoro stormed his way through the forest with Sanji following after as casually as he could without running after the stubborn alpha.

But it was becoming harder and harder.

From the moment the crew had reunited Sanji had been slammed in the face with Zoro’s scent, and it felt like he was slowly being suffocated. He hadn’t understood what Zoro had meant until now. It was like the most glorious scent in the world, but also the most deadly as his lungs stopped working and his head became fuzzy. Even after Zoro had taken off, the scent had lingered so strong that it had been easy to follow.

It felt like Zoro could be miles away and he would still be able to track that scent, now that he had it memorized he didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget it. That tantalizing aroma was going to haunt his dreams and comfort him on every cold night hence. Even if the alpha rejected him, he was never going to stop worshipping the scent of the man that was his mate.

In a swirl of his robes, Zoro’s stride faltered and he turned with aggressive swiftness as his hand extended towards Sanji with vicious intent. Sandals skidding in the dirt, Sanji scrunched his face and braced for the hit. He had been preparing for a strike or a drawn weapon since the moment they had reunited, and he had already told himself he’d let it happen. It was the least he could do considering what he had put the swordsman through.

But no hit came.

A hand tangled in the front of his yukata, and before he had a chance to even crack open an eye he was hauled into a painful embrace. His arms were crushed awkwardly against his sides and he could do nothing but allow his face to be mushed into the swordsman’s shoulder. Sanji remained frozen in shock as he tried to make sense of what was happening. He was certain that what he had done would warrant at least a punch to the face from the other guy; certainly not a hug.

It was enough of a shock that Sanji momentarily forgot about how overwhelming the alpha’s scent was while being pressed this close. Instead he just hung limp in the swordsman’s arms as he wondered what on earth he had done to deserve this type of reaction.

He didn’t know how to respond.

Fighting, he was good at - biting remarks and drawn weapons - expressing their emotions through blood and sweat until all that remained was bruises and broken bones. That was something Sanji could handle, had expected. Nothing had prepared him for this, and he hated that all he could do was feel a painful well of emotions begin to swell in his chest at the intimate embrace.

Slack hands tightening into fists, Sanji scowled away any traces of emotion from showing on his face, and was just relieved that his face was hidden by Zoro’s shoulder so the alpha couldn’t see how much this was all getting to him. Hating that the longer he tried to get a grip, the more it felt like he was going to break down against the other.

Stupid, shitty swordsman.

Why couldn’t he have just started a fight like a normal person?

A fight Sanji would have been able to handle.

After what felt like eternity, Zoro’s arms tightened a fraction and he turned to nuzzle his face against Sanji’s neck. Thin lips dragging softly against the skin there while he murmured, "I'm glad you came back, shitcook."

All at once Sanji felt his whole face light up, so he pressed his face more insistently into the thick fabric of Zoro’s yukata in an attempt to hide. Hands raising as much as they could given Zoro’s hold, he clutched desperately at the man’s jacket. Practically tearing at the fabric as he breathed back, “Me too.”

They clung to each other for longer than Sanji would have liked to admit. Poised on his toes, Sanji was annoyed to find that the geta Zoro wore put him a few inches taller than Sanji now and Zoro had to lift him up to pull him into a proper hug. He ignored it in favour of pressing his face directly into his alpha’s shoulder and properly scenting him for the first time.

Even through the thick collars of his yukata, it was clear as day and Sanji curled in tighter to the swordsman as he took another sharp inhale. With his senses uninhibited he was able to breathe in every minute detail of Zoro’s scent and it was like it had just clawed its way inside of him.

Zoro smelled perfect.

Like sea salt on a mid-summer breeze, and the most exquisite of spices. Freshly brewed black tea on a crisp, frost coated morning. He was everything perfect and pure in this world.

Being able to smell his mate was like nothing he had ever experienced, and probably ever would again. It was more intoxicating than the richest wine, and was more breathtaking than the stillest sunrise. It had him feeling more fulfilled than he had ever in his life. It left him feeling short of breath. It--

With a small huff, Zoro’s arms tightened and Sanji suddenly realized that it wasn’t the man’s scent that was causing his ribs to slowly collapse anymore. Eyes flying open in realization, but far too late to break out of the hold as Zoro locked his hands together in the small of Sanji’s back and flexed as hard as he could.

“HGUUUHH!” With a gargled wheeze, Sanji struggled in Zoro’s hold and attempted to get a knee between them as he cried, “ARGH! Alright! ALRIGHT! Lemme go, you fucking gorilla!”

Laughing, Zoro gave another hard squeeze to force an undignified noise from Sanji before he finally released him.

Stumbling back and catching himself, Sanji placed a hand to his ribs to ensure the neanderthal hadn’t popped any loose. He glared up at Zoro for good measure. Looking much more content, Zoro tucked his hands within the sleeves of his robes and glanced down at Sanji flatly, “That’s for making me worry.”

Taking a moment to fix his yukata, Sanji gave one of the ties a final tug before glancing up at the swordsman. Still a little surprised that their reunion was met with such a calm encounter. Luffy had apparently told the swordsman everything during their meet up in Kuri, by all accounts he thought the alpha would be furious.

"You're not angry?"

With a shrug, Zoro grunted, "I'm allowed to love you and still be angry with you."

“So you still-- Wait.” Sanji cut himself short as Zoro’s actual words sunk in and he stuttered, "Y-you--”

Zoro arched a brow.

“You love me?”

"Yeah.” Shrugging and scratching his neck, Zoro admitted to the revelation with a casual indifference. His attitude was completely at odds with how thrown Sanji currently was. Watching the swordsman cross his arms and grunt, “For a while there I thought I lost my chance to say it, so I wasn't about to wait."

Hand coming up to clasp over his mouth, Sanji held tight as it was all he could do to physically keep his smile at bay. However it did nothing to hide his blush as he grumbled into his palm, “You’re damn embarrassing, mosshead.”

Damn idiot had beaten him to it...

“You’re the one always making an ass of himself.” Zoro cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eye, “Do you know how embarrassing it is to be around you--”

Clamping his hand over Zoro’s mouth, Sanji cut the swordsman off before he could finish his lame attempt at an insult and stepped in close. Leaning in until his mouth hovered inches over the back of his own hand, Sanji watched, amused, as Zoro scowled and tried to mutter something else, but Sanji just tightened his hold with a grin, “I love you too, moron.”

Face staying stern, Zoro wasn’t able to hide the fact that his eye softened at the words.

Slowly releasing Zoro, he waited a moment to make sure that the man wasn’t going to say something else snippy before fully dropping his hand. Grabbing his cigarette instead and worrying it between his fingers as he forced himself into the other explanation he knew he owed Zoro, “Listen, about what happened on Whole Cake--”

"You did what you thought was right." Zoro shrugged, "That's all there is to it.”

“But…” Sanji floundered, “Luffy--”

This time it was Zoro’s turn to cut Sanji off, but with the cigarette in the way all he could do was place two fingers aggressively against the cook’s lips. He wasn’t as gentle as Sanji had been, so when Sanji glanced up at Zoro it was with a disgruntled look as his lip was pressed unpleasantly against his teeth.

“What happened between you and Luffy is none of my business.” Dropping his hand, Zoro watched Sanji with a hard look, “I trust you did the right thing.”

Utterly bewildered, Sanji scoffed, “I thought you were mad?”

“Yeah, cause you ran off and got us involved with another Emperor when we’re still trying to deal with the first one Luffy got us roped into fighting.” Zoro huffed and stepped away, obviously annoyed despite how understanding he was being, “And cause the crew had to split up again to go after your self-sacrificial ass.”

“Oh.” It felt rather anticlimactic falling from his lips, but Sanji didn’t know what else to say. So instead he finally let himself smile the way he’d been wanting to since laying eyes on the grumpy bastard, “Thanks.”

That seemed to catch Zoro off guard, and he looked at Sanji with a befuddled scowl. Poorly masking his own smile as he grumbled, “Yeah, whatever, just try not to do it again.”

Laughing softly, Sanji nodded, “I’ll try.”

“Good.”

“Good.” Sanji mimicked, and grinned, “Everything’s all cleared up.”

“Yup.”

Brow arching, Sanji reaffirmed, “Nothing’s bothering you.”

“Nope.” Zoro grunted.

“Good.”

“Good.”

There was something going on between their bond that Sanji couldn’t quite place, not accustomed to it for long enough to really understand it, but he felt it. It was hot, but not like anger, and had a coldness to it, but not of indifference. If anything it made it harder to read the swordsman while focusing on it, but the feeling, coupled with that sour look was giving him a hunch.

“So,” Cocking his head to the side, Sanji watched Zoro with a thoughtful look, “the whole marriage-proposal thing doesn’t bother you? You’re not at all jealous?”

“You’re trying to marry a new woman each week, cook," Zoro rolled his eyes, "I could give a rats ass.”

“Really?” Smirking and flicking his cigarette aside, Sanji inched closer, narrowed his eyes, - now almost toe to toe with the swordsman - and leered up at Zoro. He was really enjoying this. “Cause I recall you being a little upset on Fishman Island.”

"Just…” Zoro grimaced.

Sanji's brows jumped in interest, "Oh?"

“Don't let them rub up on you too much. I don't like the smell." Zoro grunted, "It bothers me.”

"Well, what about you?" Sanji accused with a chuckle, “You ran off with Hiyori wrapped around your neck. You’re one to talk about smelling like other people.”

It was a lie, and Zoro knew it, but right now Sanji was just enjoying being able to banter with the swordsman again.

“Yeah, ‘cause she wouldn’t stop hanging off of me!” Zoro snarled, “It’s not like I asked her to!”

"Screw that!" Sanji lamented, entirely forgetting the point of his teasing as he thought about the beautiful woman. The most beautiful woman in all of Wano, no less. And she had been hanging off of the damned swordsman of all people! "I'm so jealous. I want a gorgeous omega draping herself off me like that."

Gaze flat and unyielding, Zoro grunted, “You’re a dumbass.”

“Yeah,” Sanji drawled, “and apparently you love me, so who’s the real dumbass?”

“Still you,” Hand lashing out to tangle in the front of Sanji’s yukata, he hauled Sanji to his toes so he could properly glare at the cook. Spitting a little as he added, “you dumbass cook!”

Poking an aggressive finger multiple times into Zoro’s chest, Sanji bellowed back, “A perpetually lost idiot doesn’t get opinions!”

“Moron!”

“Jer--mmph!”

Eyes going wide, Sanji’s insult was cut off by Zoro dragging the cook forward with an infuriated scowl and pressing his lips over Sanji’s in an attempt to shut him up. And as much as Sanji didn’t want to give Zoro the satisfaction, he wanted the swordsman even more. So he let it all go and slid his hands up to cradle the alpha’s jaw in his hands as he returned the kiss.

It was short and sweet. A tender exchange of everything that neither of them needed to say, and when Zoro’s arms slinked around Sanji’s waist to hold him close it felt like the world had righted itself. This was exactly where they needed to be. And when the kiss ended Sanji watched Zoro with a content smile as a normalcy had returned between them.

Leaning into Sanji’s hands, Zoro’s eye slid shut and a happy grumbling started in his chest as the cook’s fingers tangled with the alpha’s earrings and twisted them in his fingers. Sanji gave an affectionate tug and pressed his lips together to fight back a smile as he admitted, “To be honest, I was expecting you to punch me in the face.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Zoro’s arms tightened, refusing to let Sanji go, “I will later.”

“Oh ho!” Laughing in disbelief, Sanji couldn’t keep the fondness from his tone if he tried. Hands sliding up Zoro’s neck and into the swordsman’s hair, “Is that a threat?”

“More like a promise.”

"You--"

Witty retort cut short, Sanji just sort of half muttered his response against Zoro's lips before giving up and leaning in. It was disconcerting having Zoro be taller than him while kissing, and Sanji made a mental note to dispose of the swordsman’s geta at the next available opportunity. But for now he could forgive it as long as Zoro kept kissing him like this.

Hands threading higher and gripping the soft green hair urgently as he dove into the kiss with fervor. Tasting every bit of the alpha’s flavour for the first time. Kissing and holding onto him as minutes passed, wanting nothing more than to stay like this. It was only when he was beginning to have trouble breathing that he had to stop.

Pulling away, Sanji felt like he’d been punched in the face, but for a completely different reason this time. Zoro’s scent was inescapable, and the taste of the alpha on his tongue had his head spinning and body shivering. It felt like he was drunk.

Burying his face in Zoro’s neck, Sanji didn’t even bother to wait before dragging his tongue along the thick, muscular line of his alpha’s throat and subsequently drowning in his scent. It was like Zoro distilled and just for him. He didn’t know how he had gone so long without noticing how intoxicating Zoro’s scent was, but he knew nothing was ever going to compare to it again.

Fine wine and exquisite cuisine was going to pale in comparison. He was going to be chasing this incredible high the rest of his life. How he was supposed to let go of the man ever again; he didn’t know. Everything had become, “Zoro…”

A powerful hand came up to palm the back of Sanji’s head, forcing him to remain pressed up against the alpha’s neck as he murmured quietly, “I know.”

An embarrassing whine slipped past Sanji’s lips and he immediately wanted to die afterwards. It was like the moment he had stopped taking his suppressants and been able to properly smell Zoro, he had turned into a ridiculous archetype of every needy omega. And he should’ve cared more, but all he wanted to do was lick the swordsman again.

“It’s so much…” He choked out.

Zoro’s grip tightened impossibly and he felt like he was being crushed. Smothered for a second time as Zoro dropped his head to Sanji’s shoulder and held onto Sanji like his life depended on it. Sanji could feel the alpha’s hand fisting in his coat, fabric straining and seams stretching, as he mumbled softly in Sanji’s shoulder, “I know.”

“How do you--” A shudder rocked through Sanji and he paused to press his tongue to Zoro’s neck once more. Now understanding why Zoro had tried to bite him. It was taking all Sanji had not to bare his teeth, “How can you stand it?”

Shifting against Sanji, the swordsman’s hands flexed, “I don’t know.”

A twisting vortex of arousal swept through him, and Sanji was suddenly aware that he had no clue how he was going to be able to let go of the swordsman. His body already felt like it was going to shatter into a million pieces; how he was supposed to extract himself from the other without breaking was beyond him.

Sanji was terrified that the moment he let go, he wouldn’t be able to control himself anymore. He felt like it would be only too easy to hand himself over to his base instincts and give himself over to Zoro wilfully. It certainly felt like the right choice considering how much his body was burning, and how delighted the bond in his chest was singing.

It was like he was finally home.

A crunching of a branch under foot had both pirates tensing, but even under the risk of being caught he couldn’t force himself to push Zoro away. Freezing instead with a look of horror on his face as he turned to see an approaching messenger.

“I’ve been sent to--” Halting in his tracks, he glanced between the two guiltily, “Uh, Kin’emon wants to start the strategy meeting.”

After mumbling the rest, the man took off, clearly embarrassed over interrupting them.

Once he was long out of earshot, Zoro grunted, “We should probably--”

“Yeah.” Swallowing down his arousal, Sanji extracted himself from the swordsman and masked an obvious cringe of disdain at having to let go. It was like peeling off a scab, his body feeling sore and raw where Zoro had once been but now was gone.

Neither made a move to actually leave, and Sanji couldn’t speak for Zoro, but he didn’t want to risk moving lest his legs give out from underneath him. He was just beginning to debate telling the swordsman to go ahead, when Zoro slipped his hand into Sanji’s, linking their fingers together with a shy smile and a gentle squeeze. Without another word he began walking.

Zoro’s palm was horribly callused.

Sanji loved it.

Grin breaking out across his face, Sanji darted forward and fell into step beside the swordsman, legs suddenly feeling functional again. His hand tightened impossibly around Zoro’s. Watching Zoro with a sidelong glance and a raised eyebrow, “Oi, oi. Thought I told you I was the romantic.”

“Whatever, cook.” And despite the way he spat the words and rolled his eyes, the smile crooking the corner of his mouth gave him away.

“By the way,” Sanji muttered and jerked his thumb over his shoulder, “the village is back that way.”

Cheeks lighting up an amazing red to match the leaves on the trees, Zoro’s hand tightened painfully around Sanji’s before he grunted, “We’re taking the long way.”

Smiling softly, Sanji let Zoro lead the way.

~X~

A quiet din settled over the abandoned town of Amigasa and Zoro had returned to his own lodgings long before anyone else. It was a warm night, and the buzz of insects hummed just beyond the walls of the single room house he had taken up residency in for their stay in the town. It was long since abandoned, and only contained what he brought; a sleeping mat, and a lantern which currently remained unlit.

Arms crossed, as were his legs, he sat facing the wall where he had lain out all three of his swords; two familiar and one, not. It’s sleek black scabbard dominating in the limited light in the small room. A sliver of moonlight lanced across the hilt and sparked a luminous glow off the gold detailing. Even as the blade slept Zoro could feel its power emanating in waves. Expanding and receding like an aggressive tide, but innocent as the inhale and exhale of a sleeping beast.

Wild grin spread across Zoro’s face.

Remembering how exhilarating it had been to hold the blade and feel its power surging up his arm, how overwhelmingly it had been to tighten his grip and take back control. An excitement at the potential within this weapon was thrumming through his body, and despite knowing he needed to sleep, he couldn’t calm himself enough to even attempt it.

And there was another reason he didn’t want to sleep.

It was an interesting combination of Haki and bond that alerted him to Sanji’s approaching presence, but it gave him enough time to steel himself for when the omega’s scent became apparent. His hands tightened a little on his sleeves, but otherwise remained unfazed. Sanji’s scent hadn’t changed that much since going off his suppressants, however now everything about him felt more powerful.

Like it hadn’t already been hard enough to ignore the cook...

With a soft shifting of fabric, the makeshift door to his single room bungalow was lifted aside and Sanji’s silhouette was illuminated on the back wall above Zoro’s swords. There was only dim moonlight, but Zoro could trace every outline of the man imprinted there with ease; the strong slope of his shoulders and lean line of his neck. Each wisp of hair, and shocking thinness of his wrists...

Zoro shut his eye and took a slow breath in through his mouth.

When he opened it again, the curtain had fallen back into place and he listened as Sanji slowly padded across old, worn floorboards with bare feet. His scent swept the room like a blanket that smothered Zoro and also reassured him that his mate was really here with him.

Stopping in front of Zoro, Sanji dropped effortlessly to a knee and leaned close as his hand fell to Zoro’s arm. He could hear Sanji’s breathing hitch at the barest of contact, and even though the cook was clearly putting up a front to hide how much he was affected, Zoro could see right through it. Just like back in the forest, Sanji liked to put up a well executed facade, but was completely undone by the little things.

Like the slightest of tremors in his hands, or the way his nostrils would flare when he inhaled a particularly sharp note of Zoro’s scent. Like the way Sanji’s pupil dilated when he leaned in too close, and the way his scent would gain a fiery tang to it.

But the most obvious was the heart shaped smoke rings that the cook still hadn’t realized he was making.

Face remaining impassive, Sanji drew his hand slowly up Zoro’s arm until it came to rest just above his elbow, fingers tightening a fraction as he finally looked up at Zoro. Chewing on his cigarette nervously, Zoro hardly noticed the smoke as it rose between them to disappear amoungst the rafters. Far too focused on the cook as he leaned forward and finally raised an intense look on Zoro.

“It almost took your arm…”

Scoffing, Zoro had to refrain from rolling his eye, “Unlikely.”

“I’m glad it didn’t.” Sanji didn’t even bat an eye as he said it. Oddly sincere given his normal inclination for teasing, Zoro moments from commenting on it before Sanji opened his mouth once more. “I mean, come on,” Sanji goaded with a chuckle. He placed a hand over his left eye, “We couldn’t have you half blind and missing an arm too; it’d just be pathetic.”

Covering up a huff with a scornful cough, Zoro’s arms lashed out and knocked Sanji’s hand away and slammed the blond back with another strike. Sanji fell back with a roar of laughter. Giggling away as Zoro returned his arms to their previous position, comfortably crossed over his chest, waiting patiently as Sanji eventually recovered and pushed himself back up.

Sitting across from Zoro with a shy hand fingering his cigarette.

“It was also, you know,” Sanji grimaced and waved a hand about, before heaving a sigh and looking at Zoro with a blush, “kinda hot.”

“Yeah.” Zoro snorted, “I know.”

Leaning back, Sanji arched a brow, “Wow, self-involved, much?”

“Nope.”

At Sanji’s confused look, Zoro untangled one of his arms to point at the smoke above the cook’s head before returning it to its previous position. Waiting as Sanji glanced up and caught on in… three… two… one--

“No!”

“Yeah.” Zoro drawled lazily. Shrugging as he tried to fight back a smirk, "Pretty obvious, cook."

Stubbing out his cigarette on the floor, the corners of Sanji’s lips pulled down in a petulant pout, “That’s cheating.”

“How?” Zoro scoffed, incredulous.

“I don’t know, but it is!” Sanji pointed an accusatory finger in Zoro’s face dramatically. Huffing and puffing, pouting and grumbling until he eventually cast a sly glance Zoro’s way and demanded, “I bet you can't guess what I'm thinking now."

"Probably something horny, or angry." Zoro yawned and shrugged, "Or twirly."

“Wha--” Sanji balked, rearing back and looking genuinely insulted before squinting, “What the hell even is ‘twirly’?”

“I mean…” Eyes flickering up to Sanji’s forehead, he glanced back down with an expectant look, and could sense the kick coming before he even finished his next words, “have you looked in a mirror?”

Considering they were on the ground, Sanji still managed to expertly bring his leg around to crack his heel on top of Zoro’s head as the rest of him was getting close to catching on fire. He had that burning look in his eyes and the heel of his foot felt like it singed some of the hairs on his head. Typical cook getting all riled up over such minimal teasing.

Grabbing Sanji’s ankle before he had the chance to pull away, he jerked hard and dragged the cook into his lap and wrapped a tight arm around the infuriated blond’s waist to keep him from escaping. A smirk lighting up his face at the disgruntled look that replaced the cook’s furious one. Sitting awkwardly in Zoro’s embrace, but refusing to look happy about it.

Still scowling, Sanji muttered, “Twirly isn’t an emotion, jackass.”

“Sure it is.” Absently sliding his hand down Sanji’s bare calf, he let the cook’s leg drop to the floor so he was more comfortably seated. Zoro was much more interested in the omega than their conversation, and commented offhandedly, “Like when you’re serving the ladies; you go all twirly.”

“That’s just--”

Sanji started to get defensive but quickly fell quiet.

Stopping his hand at Sanji’s knee, Zoro glanced up, “Yes?”

“Forget it.” Shaking his head, Sanji looked away and Zoro let his hand drop. It was fun teasing the cook, but when he stopped rising to the bait, it got boring incredibly fast. Instead he just watched the omega clearly overthinking about something inane while Zoro could think of way better things to be doing with their time.

Like how the cook was literally just wearing a robe and Zoro wanted to rip it off and--

“You worried?”

It took several moments for Zoro to pull himself out of his perverse rabbit hole, glancing up at Sanji and scowling, “About what?”

“Tomorrow.”

“No.” Zoro grunted, “Are you?”

“As if.” Sanji scoffed, “We have the future Pirate King on our side; we can’t lose.”

That earned a wry smile from the swordsman.

“But…” Sanji spoke the word so softly Zoro thought he might’ve missed it, and he watched quietly as the cook became completely distracted by Zoro’s earrings. Hand falling to the gold trinkets and giving the gentlest of flicks that could easily be construed as trailing your fingers through them, their soft chiming ringing out in the small room. Giving them a gentle tug, Sanji finally lifted his head to look Zoro in the eye. His cheeks an obvious shade darker despite the dim lighting, but his eyes strong and unwavering, “in case we get separated again…”

Corner of his mouth twitching, Zoro had to fight back a smirk.

Sharp blue eyes flickered down at the motion, before darting back up and narrowing. Sanji bared his teeth with a displeased mutter, “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

No.

A toothy grin lit up his face, loving the sound of Sanji’s exasperated drawl and the fond huff that followed. Decision taken from him as Zoro smirked, “Definitely.”

“I want to be fully bonded; bite and all.”

“Phft.” Zoro scoffed, “Who says I want to?”

A lecherous grin lit up Sanji’s face, “Cause you love me~”

“I’ll throw you through the wall right now, cook.”

“No,” Shaking his head and crawling forward, Zoro watched with thinly veiled restraint as the cook straddled his thighs and muttered, “you won’t.”

“Oh,” Zoro grunted, “so sure are you?”

“Yeah.” All of Sanji’s previous humour really was gone. His hands threaded reverently through Zoro’s hair and his eyes were skittering over Zoro’s features with an intensity as though he were attempting to memorize every line, scar, and blemish. “I am.”

Arching a brow, Zoro kept himself rigid and restrained as Sanji settled comfortably into Zoro’s lap and began to let his stare wander. Away from his face and down Zoro’s neck.

“How so?”

“‘Cause…” Placing his forehead against Zoro’s shoulder, the cook’s hands tightened almost painfully in Zoro’s hair and his whole body shook once before going strangely still. He let out a slow breath, and despite the tension in his body, there was an indescribable happiness to his tone and a smile on his lips as he murmured, “I finally know how you feel.”

A ragged breath shuddered out of Zoro and he lifted cautious hands to grip Sanji’s waist, thumbs pressing into the omega’s sharp hip bones through the thick fabric of his robes. His hold on the cook locked the man to him in a single movement, and they both stilled with echoing gasps of surprise.

With a final, shaky inhale along Zoro’s neck, Sanji lifted his head and gazed down at the swordsman with a punched-drunk look on his face. It was an interesting expression on the cook. Normally, Sanji was so much more composed about this, now he was having to deal with what Zoro had been putting up with for weeks while around the omega.

However, just because he felt like he and the cook were on an even playing field now, that didn’t mean that he trusted himself to remove his hands from where they were safely locked. He really had no clue what he would do if he just let himself go. He’d already experienced it on Dressrosa, and he was pretty sure that the moment he stopped holding back he wasn’t going to be able to stop this time.

“Oi, cook…”

Hands still tangled in Zoro’s hair, Sanji dragged Zoro forward with a sharp tug as he pressed a sloppy kiss against Zoro’s slack lips. Something between a curse and growl fell from Zoro, and then he was surging up into the omega. He dragged Sanji down so he could properly slant his lips against the cook’s thin, smoke stained one’s and for once just give into himself with no regrets. 

Sitting with Sanji in his lap, a mess of robes between them, it felt like an eternity of fabric separated them. Hands working hurriedly to strip the yukata from the cook’s shoulders and proceeding to immediately attack the revealed skin in front of him. Hands dragging over hot skin with a possessive growl while easing Sanji back onto the tatami on the floor, Zoro followed close behind with his lips still locked with the cook’s.

It was rough, and urgent. Quick probing kiss interwoven with needy gasps and wanton inhales, tongues and teeth making everything wet and brutal. Zoro tried to pace himself, but just like on Dressrosa he found that once he had Sanji this close, once his scent was all that he could smell, nothing was able to stop him from clinging to the cook so desperately.

Sanji was just as impatient as Zoro, his leg hooking behind Zoro’s thigh and hiking him forward with an eager roll of his hips. Mouth tearing away to bite at Zoro’s ear and send a shiver down the swordsman’s spine. Not realizing that the feeling of the cold metal of his earrings in the cook’s mouth was something that he had needed.

Turning to press a rough kiss to Sanji’s jaw, he bit and nipped at the skin as he worked his way down. Loving the closer he got to the cook’s shoulder the stronger his scent tasted on his tongue, working at a particularly glorious spot as his hands itched to go lower from where they were stroking the man’s hips.

However, he still had enough wherewithal to know they’d never actually discussed their positions despite every single one of Zoro’s instincts telling him to pin the cook down and claim him. He managed to pause his assault on the omega’s throat long enough to pant into the wet skin, “So, how’d you want to--”

Hands tightening painfully in his hair, Sanji all but growled, “Stop talking and fuck me, mosshead.”

Slamming a hand down on the floorboards beside their bedroll, Zoro dug his fingers into the hardwood and snarled away the fog of arousal trying to take over him. He could hear the wood creaking, but managed to get it under control enough to tear himself away from the cook’s addicting throat and press his forehead insistentantly against Sanji’s cheek. Panting for a few moments, he reigned himself in enough that forming words became doable.

Kneading his head into Sanji’s jaw, Zoro growled out, “Are - Are you sure?”

A sharp pain radiated through the miasma of need and Zoro was brought back to himself, hauled up by a commanding grip in his hair. Eyes dazed and hair a mess, Sanji looked destroyed, but still managed to get one hell of a scowl on his face. Dragging Zoro close with teeth bared and a gasped threat, “I spent three days in the worst heat of my life imagining this; we’re doing this and nothing short of death is stopping it. Which might be yours if you keep trying to talk!”

Zoro wasn’t proud of the whimper that he barely managed to stifle.

Eye scrunching shut and floorboards splintering, Zoro tucked his head under Sanji’s jaw and released a trembling breath through the wave of want crashing through him. Sanji’s words hitting far deeper than intended. His clenched fist broke through the floorboards and Zoro slumped into the cook with a growl of displeasure, hating the thought of Sanji wanting and alone and Zoro being unable to help.

It hadn’t been something he had even considered before, but now that Sanji awoke that prospect in his mind it was all he could think of. Sanji awash in need as his body ached to be bred, desperately open and ready for Zoro, touching himself as he whimpered his name--

Grin feral and eye wild, Zoro pulled his hand free from the ruined floorboards and pinned Sanji in a mess of ruffled robes and dishevelled hair, bracing himself over the omega while he crooned, “Did you touch yourself while thinking of me?”

Jutting his lip out defensively, Sanji looked away and glared at the wall. His hair still messily splayed across his face. In the darkening light of evening Zoro couldn’t really tell, but he was certain that the cook was blushing. Biting back a cocky chuckle when Sanji huffed, “You’ll never know.”

Smirk softening into a smile, Zoro leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to the annoyed blond’s cheek. He could feel Sanji jerk in surprise. And even though he couldn’t see it, he could feel Sanji’s cheeks getting warmer from the blush that was no doubt spreading down his neck at this point.

“‘M sorry I wasn’t there for you.” Zoro murmured against the soft blond hair. Nudging a few strands out of the way so he could better see both of the cook’s intense eyes, pupils blown wide from arousal that he’d never admit to. Taking advantage of how caught off guard the man was and pressing another chaste kiss to slack lips and murmuring a promise, “But I’ll make sure I am from now on.”

Lips twisting in embarrassment, Sanji’s hand planted in Zoro’s face and he shoved Zoro away as far as his arm could reach. Letting it happen, Zoro glanced down between Sanji’s fingers, and not even the dark was able to hide the blush tinting the cook’s cheeks.

“You’re so embarrassing.” Sanji snarled.

Chuckling into Sanji’s hand, Zoro knocked the cook’s arm aside with ease. Hooking his hand behind the cook’s neck and diving in, Zoro sealed his lips across Sanji’s in a searing kiss of teeth, and want, and desperation. And despite his annoyance, Sanji responded immediately and arched up into the kiss with greedy eagerness.

Zoro could feel his restraint snapping like the cords of fraying rope under too much tension. 

Every salacious moan, each exquisite touch. He was so lost in Sanji that he hardly paid attention as the man began to roughly tear his robes aside and was snapped back into his body with a suddenness that was nearly painful when Sanji slipped his hand into his briefs.

Slumping onto Sanji with a desperate moan, his mind went blank for several moments as his entire world zeroed in on the hand currently skillfully wrapped around his painfully erect cock. Wrist working effortlessly to tease him with an affectionate ease that told of experience, and Zoro would have been jealous if not for the knowledge that it was likely just from Sanji practising on himself.

That thought alone had him groaning happily and jerking his hips a bit into the glorious motion. Not sure if he was ever going to get enough of Sanji’s dexterous hands on him; it wasn’t even something he had known he had needed, but now he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be able to live without them. He captured Sanji’s lips in another wet kiss to muffle some of his embarrassing whimpers.

He could feel the cook smirking cockily into the kiss, but ignored it in favour of rooting through the frustrating amount of yukata keeping them separated. Managing to get everything out of the way without ripping any fabric, he shoved the cook’s briefs down and took a commanding hold on the man’s erection. Gifting Sanji with his own cheeky smirk as the cook’s cocky demeanour fell away with a gasp of pleasure.

Hauling Sanji up and into his lap, he kept him there with a firm hand on his lower back and proceeded to grasp both their erections in a needy grip. Lips parting and hovering just above Sanji’s as he moaned at the feeling of his hot and solid length pressing so firmly against his own. Coupled by the tightness of his and Sanji’s hands wrapping around their lengths squeezing together.

Zoro wasn’t certain anything could feel better than finally having his mate in his lap, sweaty and wanting. Reeking of their mixing scents and the feeling of their naked bodies pressed together.

And then Sanji moved his hips.

Rolling them with a power and precision that really emphasized the strength that Sanji had hidden in his lower body, and as he expertly dragged his cock against Zoro’s in a filthy motion he felt the last of his sanity flee. From here on out everything was Sanji’s body, and the world around them ceased to exist.

Wrapping his free arm around Zoro’s shoulders, Sanji used it for leverage as he began getting his whole body into the motion. Thrusting into their hands and grinding up against Zoro’s aching length. Pre-cum was dripping from both, and pooled in the crevices of their clasped hands and only furthered to slick up the motion.

It was achingly perfect.

If Zoro allowed himself to get lost in the sensation, he knew it would be only too easy to reach his climax, and with each delicious thrust it was becoming harder to deny himself. Part of him was easily swayed to just allowing Sanji to get them off like this, but another side didn’t want it to end until he’d gotten to breed the omega properly.

While Sanji continued up his eager thrusting, Zoro released Sanji’s back and, after several annoying attempts to get his robes out of the way, he reached between them and ripped the obi from the cook’s waist with a frustrated growl and the tearing of fabric. Cloak slumping off the man to pool behind him, and leave him completely exposed in Zoro’s lap.

With a poof of smoke it disappeared and both of them halted their motions to glance behind Sanji at where his yukata had been moments before. It took several more moments for both of them to remember that the clothing was from Kin’emon’s devil fruit powers.

“...fuck.”

Zoro broke the silence by way of a cursed apology.

“Whatever.” Shaking his head and turning back to face Zoro, Sanji continued where he had left off by grinding his hips forward, “We’ll worry about it later; just don’t take your robe off too.”

“Yeah, oh…” Zoro trailed off as he looked back up at Sanji and found his thought process gloriously derailed by the sight in front of him. He’d seen Sanji naked plenty of times - bunkroom, bathhouses - but it was another thing entirely to have him spread out on his lap just for Zoro. He felt the last part of his forgotten affirmation fall out of his mouth like a pebble down a modest hill, “kay.”

Taut and lean, Sanji’s whole body flexed into the lecherous roll of his hips, and Zoro couldn’t pull his gaze away from tight pale skin that he was aching to run his tongue over. Pleasure washing over him, and the sight making it all the more erotic. He couldn’t even remember what he was doing before this.

Pulling himself closer, Zoro was dismayed as his view was disrupted, but rewarded by a greedy kiss. Happily opening into it as his tongue slid against Sanji’s, and more than ever he could taste the sake sweet flavour of his mate. Momentarily lifting his hand off Sanji’s hip to reach up, when he remembered what he’d wanted to do previously.

Reaching behind, he slid his fingers tentatively down the supple curve of the omega’s ass, and when he didn’t get kicked for it, he was emboldened to dip further. All the way down until his fingers reached the cook’s entrance and he had to muffle a growl into their next kiss at the copious amount of slick currently leaking from the man.

He slipped a finger inside and didn’t even try to hide his groan at how easy it was to push past the tight ring of muscle and settle all the way in.

“Fuck, you’re wet.”

“Unh.” Grip tightening around their lengths, Sanji scowled but didn’t falter as he growled, “Shut up.”

At first Sanji seemed to be wincing through the finger inside him, but after a minute or two his face visibly relaxed and he was clearly rocking back onto Zoro’s hand for more. Still thrusting his cock against Zoro’s, but far more focused on Zoro’s finger, moaning happily when he added a second. It was mind blowing to watch, and Zoro could feel his balls already begin to tighten as the image alone was enough to make him come.

Zoro was brought back to reality by Sanji releasing them to brace his hands on Zoro’s shoulders, using the leverage to better move back onto Zoro’s hand. An agitated breath coming out through gritted teeth as he ordered, “Stop fucking teasing.”

“Nh.” Choking back a needy noise, Zoro immediately removed his hand despite the disappointed noise from the cook and lifted the omega out of his lap with great reluctance. He debated for a moment how exactly he wanted to do this, but the decision was taking from his as Sanji knelt in front of him and pressed his ass back insistently on Zoro’s aching cock, “Fuck…”

“Yeah,” Sanji muttered with another impatient thrust, “that’s the idea.”

Ignoring Sanji’s teasing, Zoro placed a hand to the cook’s perfect butt, taking a moment to properly appreciate it before grabbing his length. Lining it up with Sanji’s entrance, watching as the tip began to press into the quivering hole and the delicious amount of slick leaking down his strong legs.

Running a hand gently across the beautiful pale skin, Zoro’s other hand rubbed consoling circles into the omega’s lower back and continued to watch himself disappear. It was tight, and hot, and there was no resistance except glorious velvet heat. He had to pace himself to make sure he didn’t slide in all at once - for Sanji’s sake - despite every iota of his being screaming at him to just thrust in with a single glorious thrust.

Leaning forward, Sanji gave a stifled moan, but didn’t tell him to stop. Still tense and panting under him as he adjusted to Zoro inside of him. It felt like an eternity, but soon Zoro was seated all the way in, his hips flush with Sanji’s pert ass and he realized that now that he was inside, he never wanted to pull out.

Bracing a hand on the bed beside the trembling omega, Zoro pressed his forehead between Sanji’s tense shoulders and pressed a reverent kiss to the sweaty skin. Realizing as he did that he was probably shaking just as badly as the blond was as he dragged himself up higher and curled around him.

Arm encircling Sanji’s waist as he panted, “You feel so good.”

“You’re--” Breathing out sharply, Sanji’s shoulders tensed before he tried again, “You’re okay.”

“Mhm.” Zoro hummed in agreement and pressed another chaste kiss to Sanji’s back as he grunted, “You’re a bad liar, cook.”

“Whatever. Just move already.” Sanji growled the command, and despite the gruffness of his tone there was a needy whine that undercut it. Zoro held on tight as the blond wiggled impatiently and shoved himself back onto Zoro more fully.

Nuzzling behind Sanji’s ear, Zoro dragged his face through the damp, blond curls and paused to nibble at a lock with a happy hum. Zoro felt himself throb deep inside Sanji and preened at the rewarding moan he received. Releasing the hair to nip at the shell of Sanji’s ear instead before murmuring into the omega’s ear, “I don’t think I’ll be able to stop if I do…”

“Good.” Sanji pressed himself back into Zoro with an insistent thrust, “Don’t.”

An actual growl clawed its way out of Zoro’s throat, and he felt his last wall completely crumble as he dragged his hands down Sanji’s body and settled them on the omega’s hips with a commanding hold. Rearing back as he pulled out before slamming back as deep as he could into the omega. Preening at the filthy moan that was punched from Sanji at the motion, loving how the man tightened around him.

He held on with a bruising grip as he began to pump himself into the omega. Spurred on by each welcoming cry of pleasure. Not having to worry about holding back as each powerful thrust was met with eager enthusiasm.

Golden hair falling about his shoulders in a mess of curls, Zoro was momentarily hypnotized by their swaying as Sanji rocked himself back onto Zoro’s length. Gaze raking further down to the man’s back and the taut dips and lines of tense muscle that lay there.

A light sheen of sweat was visible on the pale skin, highlighted by the dips and lines of the man’s muscular back as it flexed with each pounding thrust. Giving in and leaning down, Zoro dragged his tongue along the cook’s spine and moaned into the burning flesh. He could taste Sanji on his tongue and could already feel himself getting close to his limit.

With a moan, Sanji arched into the motion and slammed a hand against the wall to help himself push back to meet each of Zoro’s thrusts. The wet, obscene slapping of flesh echoed through the small bungalow, and with each eager snap of his hips Zoro could feel Sanji tightening around him in response. His eager moans a symphony to Zoro’s ears.

“Oh, fuck~” Sanji’s moan was absolutely indecent, and his name choked out on a thrust was going to undo him, “Zoro~”

Yup, the cook was going to kill him.

They were both moments from reaching their climaxes and Zoro hadn’t even gotten the chance to bite Sanji yet and properly complete their bond. He was torn between just doing it another time, pinning the cook down, and breeding him until he begged him to stop.

Either way, he’d have to do it now or wait till after...

Leaning further over the cook, he kept up the punishing pace as he let his mouth hover over Sanji’s shoulder. Taking in a heady breath before leaning down and giving a playful bite; the wave of his mate’s scent nearly making him clamp his teeth down then and there before he pulled back in time.

“Can -- ngh!” Out of breath and gasping, Zoro choked back a groan and tried again, “Can I?”

“If you don’t,” Sanji tossed his head back with a long moan of approval. Hands clawing at the bedding beneath him as he keened in approval at the punctuating thrust. Riding out the next few thrusts before forcing his eyes open and panting over his shoulder at Zoro, “I’ll kick you.”

Grinning despite feeling like he was falling apart, Zoro grabbed Sanji and pulled him back until he was flush against his front as he was able to feel every gasp and tremble from the other. Keeping up the punishing pace, Zoro wrapped his arms more securely around Sanji as he ran his nose along the line of the omega’s neck and took in a needy gasp of air. Hips stuttering for a moment at the suffocating amount of pheromones he could smell coming off the omega right now.

Everything was Sanji, and he was happily drowning.

Drawing his tongue over Sanji’s skin, he paused at the junction between shoulder and neck where his scent was the strongest and teethed at the skin gently. Feeling Sanji instinctively tense up around him, dragging an aroused moan from the both of them as Zoro kept up his pace and began to settle into the spot he wanted to mark. Hands gripping Sanji with a bone breaking grasp, as he was just thankful the man was as strong as he was.

Zoro had long since passed the threshold where he could control his strength anymore.

It would take nothing to properly bite the cook and bond them forever, and despite how desperate he was, he wanted it to be perfect. Not too high that it was visible above his collar, but just enough that when the cook would crook his tie loose Zoro would be able to get a glimpse of it under the cook’s dress shirt. After all, it wasn’t for anyone else, just him.

Canines settling first, Zoro tested his bite once with a light squeeze.

“Ahn~” Sanji responded with a happy moan.

Smiling despite himself, Zoro held on tight as he pulled Sanji down for a deep thrust at the same time he bit into the omega’s shoulder with everything he had. A harsh breath exhaled from his nose as he forced his teeth deep into Sanji and clamped tight as he waited for the bonding bite to properly take hold.

It only took a second.

“Zo-- AHN!”

All at once Sanji stiffened and cried out. Hand flying back to tangle in Zoro’s hair with a painful grasp as the other clawed at Zoro’s arm as he rode out his orgasm with small trembling jerks of his hips and a long, guttural moan. Come spattering across the bedding in front of them as he ground himself down on Zoro with incredible urgency and Zoro reached around to help stroke him to completion.

“Fuuuck~” Sanji whined, “I’m--”

A whole new shiver of arousal rocketed through Zoro at the taste of copper on his tongue, and more poignantly the unmistakable flavour of his mate. Body singing and ears ringing as their bond had never felt so clear. Before there had been a desire - a bone haunting ache - and the flicker of emotion from time to time.

Now it was like he could hear Sanji’s heart beating inside himself.

Everything was coming through loud and clear; the want, and pleasure, and love feeding back to him in an endless cycle. It was enough to bring him to the razor’s edge, and he felt his knot begin to swell within Sanji and elicit an entirely new round of moans as he was filled. Teeth still locked onto Sanji’s shoulder, he grit his teeth through it until he felt the swelling stop.

Shivering and panting, Sanji slumped into Zoro with a wrecked sob and the swordsman happily took all of his weight as he sat on the brink of his own orgasm. Careful while retracting his teeth from the fresh wound, tongue lathing at it in a mild apology as he cradled the limp omega in his arms; he hadn’t known how fulfilling a feeling it would be.

Once the wound began to slow its bleeding, Zoro pulled away to press a reverent kiss to Sanji’s throat and let his lips hover over the pulse there that was slowing at the same rate the fluttering of their bond was. Waiting for Sanji to recover. He knew it’d be only too easy to let go and reach his own completion, but he didn’t want that. Not like this.

He wanted to see the cook.

Leaning back with the cook in his arms as he waited for the man to properly recover. It wasn’t long before the omega was turning his head and elbowing Zoro in the ribs. When Sanji spoke, his voice sounded hoarse, “What’r’you waiting for, an invitation?”

“I-- Ungh…” Biting his lip and moaning into Sanji’s shoulder, Zoro had to muscle through the urge as Sanji tightened around him before settling deeper. He bashed his head against the cook’s shoulder and grumbled, “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” Sanji chuckled, and it had a raspy nature to it that sent a shiver through Zoro. He could feel the heat of interest spark back in his chest, and his body shook when Sanji gave shallow thrust back on the knot keeping them locked, “That’s kinda the point.”

“I wanna see your face.”

“Phft. Softie.” Sanji smirked, “What you waiting for?”

Growling, Zoro pressed a chaste kiss to Sanji’s back and then to the bloody mark before slowly pulling himself from the man as carefully as he could. A surprised gasp ripped from Sanji as Zoro slid out, and his moan sounded almost disappointed as Zoro pulled out completely before flipping the omega over. Purring happily at the sight of his mate sprawled out in front of him as he settled between Sanji’s thighs once more and began lining himself back up.

“You--”

“It’s okay.” Zoro muttered against Sanji’s lips. Diving back in for a filthy, wet kiss, the blood on his lips mixing between them as he blindly searched the mat until he found Sanji’s hand and threaded his fingers with the cook’s. Pulling back only long enough to catch Sanji’s bright eyes staring up at him as he reassured, “I got you.”

Free arm coming up to wrap around Zoro’s neck, Sanji pulled the alpha down for a rough kiss as Zoro began to push back inside the omega. Halfway in, Zoro began to realize that everything he had felt echoed in their bond was even clearer now and he could feel the arousing pleasure reverberating through the blond as he was being filled once more.

It was a complex feeling when he could both feel himself entering Sanji and also acknowledge the pleasure currently radiating throughout Sanji’s body upon being entered. He hadn’t thought he’d ever be a slave to earthly desires, but this bond may just be his undoing; he had no idea how he was ever going to stop himself.

They both moaned into each other as Zoro slid inside with ease until his knot sat flush against Sanji’s entrance. Hips stuttering as he had to keep himself from pressing in any further, biting his lip around a guttural groan to keep himself from moving until he could feel Sanji was properly ready.

Refusing to release the hand he had clasped with Sanji’s, he had to sacrifice the one he had braced by Sanji’s head to drop down and grab the omega’s weeping erection. Happy to find that it was rock hard once more and the cook crooned at the touch. Stroking lazily as Sanji arched into his hand with a willingness that made every fibre of Zoro’s body preen with happiness.

“Put--” Sanji paused to bite his lip through a wanton whimper, and wiggled his hips impatiently, “Put it back in.”

“You sure?”

Eye cracking open, Zoro was victim to a flash of heated blue as the cook gritted out, “Did I stutter?”

Fighting back a chuckle, Zoro brought the cook’s hand to his lips, he pressed a quick kiss to the knuckles in apology before untangling his hand and using it to grip Sanji’s hips for better leverage. Holding tight as he pushed slowly forward as he dragged the panting blond back onto his length. 

Through the bond, Zoro could feel Sanji’s nervousness. Chest tightened and breath still, body rigid and hands trembling. Pleasure and pain mixing until he couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. And then they got past the thickest part of the knot and slipped inside; both of them moaning together as a tingling wave of pleasure echoed through Zoro that definitely wasn’t his own.

Forcing down a dry swallow, Zoro had to fight to find his voice for several moments before he was gazing down at Sanji. Hand coming up to affectionately stroke several sweaty blond strands from the cook’s face so he could gaze down at his face unobstructed. Beautifully lidded blue eyes, kiss swollen lips, a sharp jaw that was riddled with teeth marks.

Turning his hand over, he gently pressed the backs of his knuckles against the blond’s flushed cheek and coaxed him to look up at him. Finally managing to get his throat to work as he asked, “Can you feel that?”

Panting heavily, Sanji scoffed and knocked Zoro’s hand aside. Head thudding back against the floor and whimpering as Zoro’s hips hitched forward slightly. Needing a moment to get a hold of himself before glaring up at Zoro through a blush and hissing snidely, “If that’s a joke about your dick size, I’ll kick you off me right now.”

“No.” Pressing a hand to Sanji’s chest, he palmed the skin right above where he could feel their connection echoed so perfectly within himself. Stilling his hips and forcing the blond to look at him as he implored, “This.”

Blush worsening, Sanji turned his head to the side, “Yeah, of course.”

Keeping his hand on Sanji’s chest, Zoro gave a testing thrust and moaned loudly as he could feel Sanji’s arousal ever so faintly in their connection.

“That’s new.” Zoro huffed.

“Understatement of the year.”

“I’m not going to last long.”

“No, yeah, that.” Sanji drawled, his sarcasm heavily undercut by the preceding moan, “That's the understatement of the year.”

Around a tight smile, Zoro begged, “Don’t change.”

Surprisingly, a laugh bubbled from Sanji that was quickly masked by his elevated breathing and gasps. A warm sensation of happiness spread between them, and before Zoro had a chance to ask what was so funny the man was wrapping his arms around Zoro’s neck and kissing him like it was the last time. Pulling away just as quickly with a sharp gasp as Zoro thrust in sharply.

Groaning and pressing his forehead against Sanji’s, Zoro scrunched his eyes shut through a rather spine tingling thrust. Trying and failing to hold together the tumbling pieces of his sanity as his pace began to pick up and he knew his climax was imminent.

A moment later, Sanji stilled, and pleasure like Zoro had never experienced blossomed through their bond and he was thrusting in a final time as he reached his peak. Rearing back on his thighs, he held himself as deep as possible as he emptied himself into the squirming blond splayed out in front of him. Each shudder and gasp wracking Sanji’s body was felt around him, but also echoed inside of him as well.

Head falling back, Zoro snarled through his release as he could feel himself filling the blond. A primal need was satisfied as he finally, finally claimed the omega. Loving how rich the man’s scent became once mixed with Zoro’s; he was never going to get over it.

It felt like forever before either of them were able to come down from their highs, their own tremors causing a vicious cycle.

Just as Zoro thought he might be able to collect his scattered brain cells off the floor, Sanji would tense around his knot and he would once more lose his mind at how amazing it felt to have the sensitive bulb touched right now. Not to mention he could feel in his chest how good Sanji still felt being filled, and that really wasn’t helping to calm him down at all.

Eventually the vibrant surge of ecstasy began to wane and Zoro felt himself returning to his body. Eye sliding open, the hazy outline of the rafters came into view and he realized his mouth was still open as he tried to catch his breath. Everything was still spinning. His skin felt electrified, his body was burning, and his brain felt like it had been turned to mush. It felt like if he moved he was going to fall apart.

Letting out a slow breath, he tried to calm himself.

Hands flinching on Sanji’s hips, he dropped his head down to look at the dishevelled omega currently sprawled out on the tatami in front of him. Chest rising and falling in a tantalizing motion as he also caught his breath, and a strip of moonlight that peaked through the curtain illuminated the fair skin under his jaw in a pale glow.

It reminded him of the last time he had seen Sanji bathed in moonlight…

Leaning down, Zoro decided to give in to the urge he hadn’t been able to follow through all those years ago and placed a biting kiss to the man’s sharp jaw. Unable to decide between a kiss and bite. Finishing with an affectionate nuzzle to the wet skin before pulling away.

It was liberating not having to hold himself back anymore.

“Heh.”

Zoro glanced at Sanji curiously and the blond chuckled softly to himself, still draped contentedly across the floor as he gazed up at Zoro. He had a dopey expression on his face, and as his hair had begun to dry it gained an adorable curliness to it that had Zoro dying to run his fingers through it. 

Deciding to follow the impulse, Zoro leaned forward and affectionately carded his fingers through a few stray strands by Sanji’s cheek. Twisting a rather adorable ringlet between his fingers as he hummed, “Hm?”

“Heh.” Still snickering, Sanji shrugged, “You look stupid when you come.”

Zoro’s face fell flat and he released Sanji hair to give him an unimpressed look. When Sanji just continued to chuckle, Zoro pushed himself back and conked the cook on the side of the head with a closed fist. It wasn’t even strong enough to leave a bruise, but it made his point.

“Hey!” Sanji tried to sound annoyed, but it was half-hearted at best. Batting Zoro’s hand way as his laughter quickly cut out, “Jerk!”

Zoro smirked, “Told ya I’d punch you in the face, didn’t I?”

Reaching up, Sanji flicked Zoro’s earrings in retaliation. Getting a proper wince out of the swordsman before he was diving back down to wrestle with the handsy cook until he managed to get both of the man’s wrists properly pinned to the floor. Their minor scuffle caused his knot to tug at Sanji’s entrance, and a growl of pain ripped from the omega.

“Ow! OwowOW!” Knee connecting rather harshly with Zoro’s side, Sanji sneered, “Stop moving! It hurts!”

“You’re the one that started it.” Zoro teased, but eased up nonetheless.

“Yeah,” Petulant and petty, Sanji muttered, “and if you weren’t in me, I’d finish it.”

“Whatever, cook.” Releasing Sanji’s wrists and carefully bracing himself over the blond to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally pull on him again. Zoro glanced down at where his knot was still tightly packed inside the sated omega and tried not to become aroused at the sight of the stretched opening. Forcing himself to look away and back at the cook, “Do you want me to pull out?”

Sanji bit his lip, and despite looking physically pained at having to admit it, managed to grumble, “Not yet.”

With a content nod, Zoro used the last of his strength keeping him upright to haul Sanji up and hold him close as he slumped back onto the bedding with a tortured groan and the cook sprawled comfortably on top of him. Throwing an arm over the omega as the other slapped about on the floor until he felt the edges of his discarded green jacket and tugged it over to cover the naked cook. Making sure he was properly covered before promptly passing out for several minutes in post-orgasmic bliss.

Sudden movement had Zoro’s eye fluttering open, and he woke to a now knot-free Sanji pushing himself up with Zoro’s green jacket still slung over his shoulder, the rest falling to pool in his lap. It was still dark out, so they couldn’t have been asleep long, and Zoro watched silently as Sanji shifted their robes about and tried to locate something. Zoro watched contentedly from where he remained laying on his back. Eye tracing the lines of the omega’s back and each flex of muscle until the cook held up his smokes triumphantly.

Without even thinking, Zoro reached out to stop him. As much as the cherry scent had come to remind him of Sanji over the years, it wasn’t something he wanted to smell when given the alternative. Especially now that all the cook smelt like was the both of them, of home. His hand caught Sanji’s arm.

Glancing over his shoulder, Sanji first looked to Zoro’s hand, and then up to arc a curled brow at the alpha in question, “What?”

“I…” Zoro blanked on what to say and let his hand fall away as he finished lamely, “like the way you smell.”

“Uh, I like you too.” Snorting, Sanji scoffed, clearly not getting it as he placed the cigarette between his lips and fished his lighter out of the pack. Flicking a flame into existence and bringing it to the end of the smoke before pausing and muttering, “Oh.”

Zoro immediately felt wary.

“Relax, mosshead.” Finishing lighting the cigarette, he shoved the lighter and pack aside, Sanji plucked the cigarette free and twiddled his fingers in front of Zoro’s face. “The last of my scent blocking cigarettes ran out; these are plain ol’ smokes.”

Hand falling away, Zoro hated to be found out, but could only huff with relief.

Pushing himself up and crawling over, Zoro sat behind the cook with one leg crossed under him and the other propped beside the cook. Keeping him pretty effectively boxed around the omega. Arms coming around to heavily drape over the cook as he pulled him in close while still allowing the blond to enjoy his cigarette.

As Sanji shifted, the bonding mark on his neck was highlighted in the muted evening light and Zoro gazed down at it in awe. He’d never thought he’d be responsible for one. Now here he was, able to see with perfect clarity his own work and the distinct pattern of his teeth woven into his mate’s flesh. A rush of heat and satisfaction raced through him at the sight.

It seemed stupid and possessive to his more rational brain, but another part of him preened. He had a suspicion it had less to do with ownership, jealousy, or want, and was mostly just an effervescent happiness within him that he had found the cook - out of all the five oceans had managed to run into him - and the cook had accepted him. That he had found his mate.

They remained curled against each other for so long that the fresh bite already had the glossy sheen of a scar. And that ache that had been ever present in his chest since Thriller Bark was gone as well. All wounds healed; he felt whole. They’d managed to find the eye of the storm, and Zoro knew they could weather the rest.

~The End…?~