#i just think zoro would be so embarrassed about his past self

[beanghostprincess]

Zoro would cringe so much if he looked back at his past self from when he met Luffy.

Past!Zoro: I can't cut this cell! Guess I'll just carry with my bare hands the guy I just met and instantly fell in love with while I'm bleeding out.

Zoro: Ughhhuhhshhhgughhh what are you doing iughhh it's so fucking lame why did I do that???? I couldn't even cut the damn thing and then I just carried Luffy like that ughhhhwghhh

Nami: This has to be so embarrassing for you right now

Zoro: Ughwhhhhhhughhh I was so weak back then

Nami: And you wanted Luffy so bad-

Zoro: Fuck you. Shut up. Shit, I was a loser. I hate myself. Iughghhh.

[eelnoise]

For the lyric prompt, 'i have my sentence now, at last i know just how you felt, i dig my fingers in, expecting more than just the skin' with Zoro? I don’t have anything specific in mind for this one, so feel free to wing it 😅

confluence

anon your brain has sent me into a frenzy. this fic is absolutely getting another part or 2 at some point because i have some thoughtssssss!!! anyway, hope you enjoy! zoro x gn!reader c/w: fluff!! zoro is injured but what else is new :)

With the most wounded of the crew still out of commission for the time being, the reality is that, for now at least, everyone is okay. They’d come out stronger from worse many times before now, and the reprieve of that alone should be enough for any one soul to rest. 

Though as soon as your tiny frets and forceful bouts of self-reassurance had qualmed enough for you to drift, taking the gentle hand of sleep’s guide and luring you off into an almost peaceful slumber does a swift series of rough knuckles rapping at the door to the tiny room you’d been given and a rumble of your name beyond it.

Your jaw tenses, the ever familiar tone of probably the single worst person to be up and about, and with haste you don’t expect, are you opening the door and looking right up at Roronoa Zoro. “What are you doing?” you lip sluggishly, brows furrowed in a strange expression that lies between annoyance and concern. “You know you need to be resting.”

“Feel fine,” he replies, pushing past you and just… allowing himself into the room. “Just tired.”

You click your teeth, but you just huff and close the door behind him. “At least sit, Zoro.” 

He doesn’t just sit, but lays flat on the bed with a harshness you’re not sure he should be exerting, and you can’t help but to sigh and smile weakly. Zoro looks at peace, both eyes shut as he stretches out his limbs, all but covering the mattress. It’s not often he looks so relaxed

Kneeling next to him, you begin to lovingly run your fingers through his hair, and a warmth floods your chest when he emits a very pleased hum in reply. “How’d you even know which room I was in? You’ve been knocked out cold for the past week.” It isn’t an attack, nor is your tone aggressive at all. If anything, it’s soft. 

He turns his head towards you, gaze locking onto yours as he feels the sensation of your fingers through his hair. There’s something in his eyes, something that speaks volumes about how much he appreciates this moment of intimacy - despite the fact that he usually wouldn’t show such vulnerability. Because even if he wouldn’t admit it, he is anything but ‘fine’.The extent of his wounds were enough to knock a fully grown elephant out for a week, let alone a human man. But what is Zoro if not durable? “Robin,” he answers, a short reply but one that makes sense the more you think about it. 

“Fair,” you concede, leaning your head on the edge of the mattress. “But you didn’t think to ask where your room was instead?” 

“Wanted ta see ya,” Zoro says casually, as if he hadn’t been on the brink of death mere days ago.

The admission hangs in the air between you two, and there’s a hint of guilt in his voice - guilt that he might have caused trouble by simply showing up unannounced like this. But then again, he never did follow social norms too closely in the first place.

He wanted to see you? He wakes up, aching and bruised, serrated with gashes and the first thing he means to do is to see you?

You feel your face flush, and you’re sure it's enough that even the incredibly oblivious swordsman would notice if his eyes were open. 

Zoro lifts his hand and reaches out, grabbing onto yours, holding it tightly as if afraid that if he lets go, you’ll vanish before his very eyes. He leans closer, his breath hot against your ear as he whispers, “Needed somethin’ real bad.”

There’s no shame or embarrassment in his voice; only raw honesty and desperation. And it’s clear that he meant every word he said - because despite how tough he pretends to be, deep down inside lies someone who craves nothing more than a little bit of affection and care.

"Anything," you reply, eyes fixated upon the man beneath the touch of your fingers. "Anything you need, Zo.”

He takes a deep breath, the grip on your hand easing. "Just... didn’t feel right waking up without ya." It's a simple explanation, but it carries so much weight behind it. Despite being surrounded by people he considers friends and family, there was something missing that only you could fill. And in that moment, as he opens his eye and gazes at you longingly, it becomes clear that Zoro sees you as something more than just another crewmate or ally - you're someone who has the power to make him feel whole once again.

You smile, and when you lean in to press a kiss to his forehead you feel yourself being pulled onto the bed alongside him. The surprise makes you gasp, though once you feel his arms around you and your back against his chest do you hum into him, enjoying the warmth he provides. "Just be careful, okay?" you murmur, snuggling into him carefully. "Don't want you to rip yourself open or anything on my bed."

Zoro chuckles softly, pulling you even closer and wrapping his arms around you tighter. "Trust me," he says with a confident smirk, "I won't rip myself apart."

His body is still recovering from the injuries he sustained while fighting, but he seems determined to push through any pain or discomfort for the sake of being close to you. And as he holds you tightly, it becomes apparent that Zoro sees this moment as a rare opportunity to showcase how much he values your presence in his life - something that goes beyond the usual camaraderie shared among pirates.

In this intimate moment, there's a depth of emotion that transcends words, leaving both of you lost in a sea of feelings and care.

It's soothing, being in his arms. You hadn't realized just how much you missed this. Your relationship with Zoro had become something soft like this, him joining you for rests, naps, and just wanting to be around you. It was something you had to get used to through his emotional misguidance, but when things had become normal you learned just how to be affectionate with him, and now it's something you cherish and love. And though it never went further and mutual sought comfort, and even if you do consider the idea at times, you’re more than happy to lie here with him like this.

Zoro's arms tighten around you, pulling you even closer as he feels the warmth radiating from your body. For a moment, he forgets about everything else - the pain in his side, the lingering exhaustion, even the fact that he's currently lying on top of your bed. All that matters is being near you, feeling your heartbeat against his chest and breathing in the scent of your hair.

As he holds you, memories flash through his mind - moments spent together over the years, from teasing banter to intense battles to quiet moments of respite like these. 

Zoro smiles, and even if you can’t see it, you can feel it. It’s in his very presence around you, his joy, his comfort, his you.

"I missed you," you quietly admit into his arm, and as the words leave you his grip tightens around your waist. And, god, does it feel like home.

"Missed ya too," Zoro replies, his voice barely above a whisper. "Feels good to be back with ya."

He doesn't say anything more, but the sincerity in his tone speaks volumes. Even after everything they've been through together - the fights, the arguments, the misunderstandings - Zoro still finds solace in your presence, and he cherishes each moment he gets to spend with you.

And as you lay there together, wrapped in each other's arms, it becomes clear that your relationship has evolved into something far deeper than either of you ever expected. While neither of you may have explicitly admitted your feelings for the other, there's an undeniable connection that runs through every touch and every word exchanged between you two - a leash upon your hearts that defies definition yet remains stronger than steel.

Zoro closes his eyes, letting the warmth of your body envelop him as he slips into a peaceful slumber. His mind is filled with images of you - your smile, your laugh, your gentle touch. In this moment of relaxation, all thoughts of pain and exhaustion fade away, replaced instead by a sense of contentment and satisfaction.  

For a brief instant, he feels like he's found what he's been searching for - a true sense of belonging and purpose within the chaos of the world. And even as sleep claims him, he clings tightly to the memory of your embrace, knowing that it will serve as a source of strength and motivation as he continues on his journey towards becoming the world's greatest swordsman.

You both drift off, falling deep into the exact respite that you had sought prior to his inclusion.

And it’s perfect. 

—

You wake up slowly and twist around with care, taking in the sight of Zoro's face as he sleeps beside you. His features look so calm and peaceful, and you can't help but wonder if he's having pleasant dreams. Reaching out, you brush some strands of hair away from his face, stirring him from his slumber. "Did you sleep well, Zo? Good dreams?” you query as his tired gaze meets yours.

Zoro's eye flutters open, and he smiles weakly upon seeing you sitting up. "Yeah," he replies, his voice still slightly groggy. "You were in them."

The admission catches you off guard, but you can see genuine sincerity in his expression - a reflection of the depth of feelings he harbors for you despite not expressing them outright. "Thanks for bein’ here," he adds, offering a small nod of gratitude. "Makes everythin’ seem better."

You feel your face flush, his admission not just flattering you but truly moving you. Was it due to his most recent near-death experience that makes him fawn over you so? Whatever it may be, you smile and lean down to kiss his forehead - but you're taken by surprise when you're maneuvered downward until his lips press into yours in a bit of a forceful, inexperienced kiss, but one you reciprocate in earnest.

The kiss takes you both by surprise, but as it deepens, you can feel the passion and intensity that lies beneath Zoro's inexperience. He's always been fiercely protective of you, but now it seems like he wants to claim you in a way that goes beyond mere protection - to show everyone that you belong to him and only him.

Despite your initial shock, you find yourself responding to his kiss with equal fervor, your fingers tangling in his hair and pulling him closer as your hearts race and your bodies heat up. This unexpected moment of heightened  intimacy feels both thrilling and terrifying, like stepping off a cliff into the unknown.

Zoro's kiss is messy, but it's full of meaning. Words he cannot say aloud are spoken though each smack of your lips and hums of joy, and as his hand finds its way to your neck to press you closer to him, you find yourself melting into his palm.

Zoro's emotions spill out through his actions - the desperate need to hold onto you, the desire to mark you as his own, the raw passion that burns within him. It's a declaration of sorts, one that speaks volumes about how deeply he feels for you even without using words.

Despite the intensity of the moment, there's also a vulnerability to it that reveals just how much Zoro craves your affection and approval. He wants nothing more than to make you happy, to know that you feel the same way about him, and as he breaks away from the kiss with a ragged breath, he looks at you with a pleading expression that seems to say, "Was that okay?”

You nod, eyes heavy lidded and lips glossed with saliva and puffy with love. And it seems as if that’s all it takes for him to continue, as at once is Zoro upon you again, this time with a little more ease. You sigh into him when his hands reach your hips, it feels so right and so good, like a long awaited tether tying you both into a knot. You want to kiss away his pain and discomfort, to hold him to you until he's healed and whole. To be his anchor and his safe haven. To just be his.

Zoro's hands grip onto your hips tightly, holding onto you like a lifeline as he pulls himself closer, seeking comfort in the warmth and safety of your embrace. He feels like he can finally let go of all the pent-up emotions and anxieties that have been weighing him down since the battle - and in that moment of release, he feels a profound sense of relief wash over him.

As he leans against you, he closes his eyes once again, savoring the feeling of being held so closely by someone who means so much to him. It's a moment of pure bliss, one that makes all the hardships and struggles worthwhile, and he knows that he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

[littlesniggy]

I wanna feel you

cuteykat: Hi I have a request. Do you think I can get either Zoro, Mihawk, crocodile or Sanji ( I can’t choose so I’ll let you choose) having sex with there gf who is a virgin?

The gf would be smart, tall, insecure about being chubby and her back due to mutiple battle wounds and almost dying so she has a rod replacing part of her spine. But is also very very sweet and caring, also seems very innocent but is very very submissive.

If you want to know any kinks I guess rough sex, degradation and praise

Please and thank you!! ❤️❤️💙💙❣️❣️💜💜

Hey! Thank you for your request and I hope I could do it justice since there were a lot of details to your reader. I tried to put everything in so I hope you like it. I chose Sir Crocodile btw. Please enjoy!

Warning: 18+, nsfw, slight degradation, name calling, virigin reader

Paring: Sir Crocodile x chubby female reader

Word count: 2.1k

You’ve never thought that those big, cruel hands could be this gentle. You’ve only seen them hurt or kill but with you they were different. They wandered down your back, feeling the scars on your skin, a small shiver ran down your spine. The cool metal of his hook caressed your cheek, his slightly chopped lips moved against yours.

You were nervous, to say the least. You knew he wouldn’t hurt you on purpose but you were talking about your first time. You’ve heard rumors that it would hurt – a lot and you were a little scared. But he was making sure you were feeling comfortable, being the gentleman he always claimed to be out in public.

His hand travelled over your side, feeling the soft tissue under his touch, kneading it in his big hand. You instinctively inched away from his touch, breaking the kiss and looking to the floor slightly blushed.

“Don’t.” he hummed, pulling you closer to him again, pressing your body against his. “I wanna feel you.”

His lips found your again after he lifted your chin with his hook, kissing you more passionately. You were slightly overwhelmed by his sudden change in pace and tried to keep up with him. You felt his clothed dick press against your lower stomach, blushing even more at the feeling.

Your hands shakily found their way to his chest, feeling his hard muscles under your touch. He purred into the kiss, you could feel his grin against your lips, obviously content that you showed some sort of initiative. You could feel him flex under his skin, slowly pushing you towards his big bed.

Meanwhile, his hand explored your body, appreciating your body with slight squeezes, massaging you while his hand slowly but surely found its way to your waistband, opening the button. You tensed again but didn’t inch away this time, letting him continue to open your pants and letting them fall down to the floor, leaving you in your panties.

He broke the kiss, taking a step back and eying your body. You tried to cover your body with your arms, feeling exposed and at his mercy like this. At the same time it had your cunt feel wet, creating a wet spot in your panties.

“I said don’t! Stop covering yourself in front of me!” his voice was harsh, leaving no room to argue. You yelped softly, lowering your arms to let him take a better look at your body. “If you cover yourself up again, I will get mad. I want you to listen to me.” Was his last warning and you knew you didn’t want him to be mad at you.

You nodded, biting your lip and not knowing what to do while he seemed to try and remember every inch of your curves, every part you yourself felt insecure about he seemed to admire. His eyes were glistering with each new part they explored. “Turn around.” He hummed, expecting you to follow his order.

“But-“ Crocodile’s expression hardened, making you flinch. “Do I really have to repeat myself, Y/n?” he asked. The wetness between your legs grew to his question, your body somewhat wanting to test his boundaries and see what he’d do if you disobeyed him. But for now you followed his demand, turning around and exposing your back to the man behind you.

You couldn’t see his face but you felt his pleased smirk. His hand came up again, feeling the soft and red tissues of your scars and following the outlines of your spin, part of it being replaced by a rod. His hand moved down to your ass, kneading the flesh in his hand. Meanwhile his hook pulled down your panties, leaving you now completely exposed.

He held the small piece of clothes in front of his face, inspecting the damp fabric. “And I haven’t even touched you down there, Y/n. Why is that?” he asked, his voice sounding more than amused. You were about to turn your head to look at him but you thought better than to act on your own.

“I…I don’t know.” You answered honestly. Crocodile hummed coming closer to you and letting your panties dangle in front of your face, making you blush at the sight. “See? Such a dirty girl. Already longing for my dick, aren’t you?” you whimpered at his words, rubbing your legs together.

“Get down on the bed and on your knees.” Again, he left no room to argue and so you followed his order. Your cunt was now exposed to his eyes, dripping with your juice and almost screaming for him to touch you. The warlord stepped closer, resting his hand on your big ass, following your curves but leaving your cunt out. The tip of his hook scratched slightly over your skin; your sides, your back, your boobs, your thighs – he didn’t leave anything out. Your whimpering got louder, your body pressing against his touch to feel him more.

“Crocodile….please…touch me….there.” you got quieter towards the end, feeling embarrassed at your words but your pussy wanted attention as well. “Huh? The little virgin is getting more demanding? You want me to put my finger inside of you?” he asked, his finger circling your inner thigh but not touching your cunt whatsoever. “P-Please.” You whispered. “What? I couldn’t quite hear you.” He let his hand slide between your thick thighs, stroking them up and down, kneading the soft flesh but still didn’t touch you where you really wanted, needed him to touch you.

“Please, touch me!” you almost screamed when he let his finger brush against your wet core, rubbing it between your folds, feeling your slick juice on his skin. The excited feeling inside your stomach grew with every rub of his finger. Your soft pants had his dick twitch in his tight pants, demanding to finally be free. But he restrained himself, trying to concentrate on your quivering body in front of him.

You felt his finger poke at your entrance and slowly pushing past your wet lips, feeling how you tightened around his digit. “Relax. It’s just a finger.” He said, trying to sound reassuring. You mewled under him, eyes closed and trying to relax around his finger. It hurt but you knew he would stop if it got too painful for you.

He started moving his finger in and out slowly, watching your reaction of any sign of discomfort. “Good girl. Just relax….” His praise had you clench around his finger and he chuckled, about to add another finger. “You like being called a good girl, Y/n? Do you like to please me?” he added the second finger with his words, eliciting a moan from your body. It was a weird and foreign feeling but you couldn’t say that it was completely uncomfortable.

After adding another finger and stretching your core, preparing you for his dick, he removed his fingers and you heard a rustling behind you, imagining how Crocodile opened his pants and pulling his dick out. You heard a sigh coming from him and a quiet but slick sound. You had to turn your head and saw him stroking his dick, pre-cum coating his length.

The man smirked almost sadistically when he kneeled behind you on the mattress. He let go of his dick and suddenly grabbed your hair, pushing your head down onto the soft mattress and leaning over you until his mouth was right next to your ear. “Did I allow you to look at me, Y/n?” he growled, his dick pressing against your entrance.

“N-no.” you answered but you were more focused on your cunt being teased by his dick. You wanted to feel him already, any thought of doubt or fear long gone. “Don’t think just because it’s your first time I’ll let you get away with it. I need to punish you.” He whispered as he slowly pressed his dick against your cunt, needing a little bit of force to push past your entrance. A painful gasp escaped your lips and you tightened around his member. It felt more than uncomfortable and you pressed your eyes shut, inhaling deeply to try and relax around him.

Crocodile halted, giving you time to adjust around him before he pushed further. It took all his self-control not to just thrust into you. He wanted to punish you, not to hurt you and potentially ruin any further intimate intercourse with you. He started nibbing at your ear, his hand moving down from your head, over your back and to your front, fondling your breast. His hook stroked circles on your skin, slowly moving over your tummy and down to your sex.

You felt the tip of his hook press slightly against your clit, eliciting a jolt of pleasure through your body. You moaned softly, giving Crocodile the sign to continue pressing into you. His hook played surprisingly skillful with your clit, making you relax more and more around him until he was finally completely buried inside of you.

“You take me so well, Y/n. You’re so tight.” He praised, panting into your ear.

When he started moving, he let his hips snap back fast before pulling out slowly again. It was a big contrast, the slow motion of pulling out, letting you feel every inch of his dick before he pressed the air out of your lungs with a quick snap. You moaned at his doing, your clit still being played with.

The painful feeling that had taken in your mind in the beginning was now slowly replaced by pleasure. He increased his pace, his hot breath ghosting your ear, making you shiver.

His thrusts were now coming short but steady, his force increasing as well. He straightened back up again, letting his hand rest on your hip and thrusting his dick deep inside of you, your hips moving against his. He growled in pleasure while listening to your shameless moans. “You dirty little slut. Your virginity is taken and you already act like a needy whore who would do anything to feel a dick inside of her.” He smacked your ass, your tight walls clenching around him.

“Are you a need whore, Y/n?” he asked, smacking your ass again. You moaned, throwing your head back, your hips moving on their own against his. “Yes….!” You moaned to his question, a groan rumbling through his chest. “My little whore….do you like it when I take you hard? When I dominate you?” “Y-yes…!” another smack, another moan.

“Was this the reason you were already wet before I even touched you? Do you like it when I’m being rough with you?” just his deep voice alone would’ve had you moan out loud but when your brain comprehended what he just said you couldn’t help but almost scream his name while his dick was now mercilessly ramming into your hot core.

You could feel your climax rush closer. You wanted to hold back, relishing the feeling of being filled completely and not wanting to let go of it just yet. But you were too inexperienced, a desperate moan indicating your limit to Crocodile. “Do you want me to make you cum, my little whore?” he asked, his voice strained and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer than you. He usually lasted longer than this but your submission and the fact that you were taking him so well for the first time had him more excited than usually.

“I…I’m gonna cum! Please, let me cum!” you pleaded, not daring to cum without his permission but also knowing you wouldn’t be able to hold it off much longer. “I said I would punish you but I guess this can wait for next time. Cum!” with a particularly hard thrust he had you screaming, a wave of emotions hit you like you’ve never been hit before and your walls tightened around his dick tightly.

You were panting heavily, your body being moved forth and back by his continued thrusts, only barely noticing him cumming soon after, his hot semen filling you up.

When he was completely spend he carefully pulled back, watching his cum drip out your core, a little bit of blood mixed in-between. But you didn’t seem to be in pain so he didn’t say anything. You collapsed on the bed, totally exhausted but happy. Crocodile carefully laid down on top of you, making sure not to put too much weight on your hurt back.

“Are you alright, dear?” he asked, kissing your neck before lying down next to you. You turned your head to him, smiling at him with the gently smile he adored so much. “I am.” You confirmed, inching closer into his embrace, resting your head against his chest. “Good. That means I can go all out next time.”

[sanjisock]

puddles

ao3

i. arlong park

It does not take long for Sanji to learn that Zoro is a man who does not do things in halves.

He watches in fascination as Zoro faces Mihawk without a single moment’s of hesitation — cut in half, bleeding all over the deck, but his sword stays true still. Zoro dreams, not of being a great swordsman, but of being the greatest; either you are, or you are not.

Sanji can understand that. It is not quite different from his own, if you look at it in the right ways — you either believe in the All Blue, or you don’t. It either exists, or it doesn’t. You can’t bargain with faith.

But Sanji isn’t the same kid with the iron mask all those years ago who had nothing to lose; he has Zeff now, and a debt as heavy as a lost limb that he could never even begin to repay. He knows how much a dream can cost. He knows how much love — true love, the kind with complete and utter devotion — can cost.

Cocoyashi Village is in celebration, and Sanji finds himself tucked into a corner of the party together with Zoro, somehow untouched by the cacophony. They’re still sizing each other up, barely knowing one another past a fight and a promise to a captain. But Zoro has trusted him easily in that very fight, and right now there’s a spark in the air between them, something not entirely different from attraction .

Zoro takes a large gulp from his bottle and gestures back at the ship. “You coming?”

This could be something , Sanji thinks. Wants to try, if he’s being honest.

But Zoro is a man who does not do things in halves — he is not a man who tries . If Sanji takes the leap, this is it — they either are, or they aren’t. And if they aren’t — Sanji isn’t sure a crew as small and as tight-knitted as the Straw Hats can handle a break up, especially so early on in their journey.

(Sanji isn’t sure a heart as weak as his can handle a break up). 

“I’ll catch up later,” he shrugs, scrambling for an excuse. He suddenly feels like he’s ten again, terrified and running away. “Been wanting to check out this one recipe from that guy over there.”

“If you say so,” Zoro takes the dismissal in stride, and dumps the empty sake bottle into a barrel as he stands up to leave.

Sanji watches him disappear into the night.

+

ii. enies lobby

The Mosshead has been giving him the nastiest look ever since the ship sailed away from Water Seven, so Sanji isn’t particularly surprised when Zoro stops him on his track on the way to Usopp’s workshop.

Zoro eyes the colorful drink on the tray in Sanji’s hand like it’s challenged him into a duel, before finally grunting, “you need to stop treating Usopp like that.”

Sanji’s eyes unwittingly follow Zoro’s gaze on the drink he made for Usopp — it has five colors, three different fruits, and a whip cream on top. Entirely too flashy for the male crewmembers, usually reserved for important occasions. Sanji feigns obliviousness, still. “Like what?”

“Like he’s going to break anytime soon,” Zoro says.

“You mean nicely ?” Sanji snarls back. “Like a normal human being? Not everyone is like you, Marimo. Some people have emotions. ”

“It’s insulting , is what it is,” Zoro retorts, his whole body leaning into Sanji’s personal space, like a challenge. “There’s never a need for you to coddle him. Usopp made his decisions as a man back then, and he had to learn the consequences for it — ”

“And he has learned , Zoro,” Sanji cuts in, feeling exhausted all of a sudden, the fight leaving his body in a snap. He sighs. “Look — I get that it’s your thing, protecting our pride as a crew and all. I was on your side, remember? But it’s all in the past, and Usopp’s got your message, loud and clear.”

Sanji thinks of a little boy with the iron mask, who were forced to learn all his lessons the hard way; and what comes out next is, “I’m the cook of this ship. Let me feed him.”

Let me take care of him , he doesn’t say, but it means pretty much the same thing.

There must’ve been something in his voice, because Zoro seems taken aback; all the tension bleeds out from his shoulders, and he’s now looking at Sanji with an unreadable expression.

There’s a moment of silence, stretched long enough to the point of awkwardness, before Zoro says, “ — didn’t mean to. I mean — quite a lot of shit went down, just didn’t wanna see you — don’t overexert yourself.”

Sanji blinks. “What are you saying .”

“All this talk about taking care of people,” Zoro says, hand rubbing the back of his neck in a rare display of — what? Embarrassment ? “Why wouldn’t you let me —”

Zoro pauses there, sentence trailing off into nothing; but Sanji has always been good at reading Zoro, and he hears the words anyway.

Why wouldn’t you let me take care of you .

Sanji thinks of the party in Cocoyashi, and then hundreds of moments after that — quiet moments in the galley when Zoro helped him wash up the dishes, playful banters that Zoro could only keep up with. Countless enemies they fight side by side, together, the way he feels his heart beat in sync with Zoro’s from across the battlefield.

“Cook —” Zoro puts his hand on Sanji’s shoulder then, and the touch burns , like an electric shock; it jolts Sanji back from his thoughts, a reminder of the reality between them, the way they would fight as hard as they love, and what would that leave him, in the aftermath?

“Let me go ,” Sanji says before he can stop himself, and practically runs to Usopp’s workshop.

+

iii. thriller bark

“You’re a dumbass ,” Sanji says.

“Hn,” Zoro says, not arguing for once.

“I’ve always known you have moss for brains,” Sanji continues, fully aware he’s rambling but unable to stop himself, “but who would’ve thought you’d be this dumb. What kind of complete and utter idiot would be so fucking reckless against a warlord for the second time in his life.”

Zoro hums noncommittally.

Sanji tightens the bandage across his torso with a little more force than necessary.

Zoro makes a pained grunt, and Sanji winces at the sound; they’ve roughhoused each other countless of times before, but this is the first time Zoro can’t take something Sanji dished. It shouldn’t be surprising though, not after the wounds he has taken from Bartholomew Kuma —

“You need to learn to pick your battles,” Sanji rambles on, because he’s suddenly hit with the realization that if he stops talking he might actually cry . “Or at least employ some strategies. Ever heard of those? That’s what people with brains usually do when they fight instead of simply waving some pointy sticks against the enemy. Raise your hand a bit —” he moves to the wound on Zoro’s arm, taking greater care to make sure he’s as gentle as possible, a silent apology for the earlier mishap. “Right there. Yeah. Anyways, I was saying —”

“Sanji,” Zoro says, and Sanji stops.

It’s so unfamiliar — the way Sanji’s name rolls off Zoro’s tongue, shaped by his deep voice. It sends a shiver down his spine, Sanji’s heart suddenly rattling against his ribcage.

When he looks up, Zoro is staring back at him with half-lidded eyes, something other than pain marring his gaze.

Longing .

Sanji feels his throat dry all of a sudden.

“Sanji,” Zoro says, voice low and rasp, but steady. And then: “stay.”

Sanji drops the bandages in his hands. He can’t do this — not when he’s staring at the very reminder of what it would cost . The idea of losing Zoro, as a nakama , has already torn him from the inside; he can’t imagine what it’s like to see Zoro’s lifeless body on the infirmary bed, as a lover.

He remembers standing in front of her mother’s grave, feeling like he’s coming apart at the seams, and wanting to tear up the stitches; wishing he could just unravel after so much hurt . 

“Zoro,” he says, feeling like he’s on the verge of a panic attack, “I — I can’t —”

But when he dares himself to finally meet Zoro’s eyes, the Swordsman has lost consciousness again.

Sanji flees the infirmary.

+

iv. zou

He flips BIg Mom’s invitation to the tea party over and over again, staring at the words etched on the paper.

Groom: Third Son of the Vinsmokes, Sanji.

The words settle unpleasantly in his gut, and he swallows, trying to calm himself down. He’s no longer the same weak kid with the iron mask; he’s now a Straw Hat, and he’s going to settle his issues with his pathetic excuse of a family once and for all.

That’s all.

...so why does it feel like this isn’t going to end well with Zoro?

Thoughts of the Shitty Swordsman appear in his mind, unbidden. A scowl, definitely — maybe a few scathing words to accompany the look. Something about Sanji and his self-sacrificial tendencies — as if Zoro has any right to lecture anyone about that — or maybe some diatribe about trusting the crew to take care of one of their own.

Which is not what this is about, at all. Of course Sanji trusts everyone in the crew — trusts Luffy  to be able to take care of himself. But this is his problem, and he’s the only one responsible to fix it. There’s no need to trouble everyone with a little family problems.

(So why does it still feel like he’s running away?)

+ 

v. whole cake island

“First of all, the captain of my own ship came all this way to track me down,” he says, raising a finger for emphasis, “only for me to insult and hurt him to the best of my ability despite no resistance from him whatsoever. That means I cannot go back to your ship right now.”

Run , he remembers being ten, hearing Reiju’s voice through the prison bars. There is no turning back. Your mistakes are final.

“Second of all,” he continues, “the shitty geezer who saved my life and the home where I was raised are being held hostage in case I don’t play along. That means I cannot escape from this wedding.”

Run , he remembers thinking every time he catches sight of Zeff’s leg. This is the cost of your dream. This is the cost of your love.

“Third of all,” he says, voice rising even higher, “the evil family to which I’m related to is walking into Big Mom’s trap, and they’ll all be slaughtered in a matter of hours. They’re scum of the earth to whom I owe nothing but my hatred but I cannot bring myself to abandon them to their fate and run away!”

Run , he tells himself. Your love worths nothing. You are not worth anyone’s love.

“For these three reason,” he says, eyes avoiding Luffy’s. “I cannot return with the rest of you.”

There’s a bright sunburst of pain against his cheek, and the momentum of the punch throws him against a tree bark, shattering under the impact.

“Tell me how you really feel ,” Luffy yells. “What do you want, Sanji?”

For the first time in his life, Sanji stops running.

+

(i. wano)

Sanji didn’t notice at first, with all the flurry and chaos of the fight against Kaido; but once things have settled down, it occurs to him that Wano is a spring island.

The air is tinged with the kind of heat that barely tips over to unpleasant, uncomfortable without the unbearable fever of summer. Even the nights are wearily humid, which is why he decided to stray away from the celebration feast into the forest, and finds Zoro training alone, swinging his new sword against the wind.

They have not had a moment to themselves ever since — ever since . All of their conversations have mostly been in the heat of the battle, and Sanji isn’t quite sure if they simply did not have the time, or if Zoro has been avoiding him.

It doesn’t matter — here they are, gravitating towards each other still. As if fate herself has weaved a path for them, time and again.

He thinks he can still hear Luffy asking, in the rain: what do you want, Sanji?

“Zoro,” he says, and faces him, head on. “I am in love with you.”

He thinks Zoro would’ve been surprised, once upon a time; maybe if Sanji dared to say it under the Alabasta moonlight, or bathed by the campfire light in the Sky Islands; but now, it feels superfluous, almost redundant. It is no longer the truth that matters between them.

Zoro finally turns to meet his eyes, and sheathes his sword into its scabbard. “What do you want, Cook?”

The same question, again. He’s been running away for so long, he’s forgotten what truly matters, before the risks and the tragedies and the costs . What he truly wants .

The answer to that has always been simple.

“I want us, Zoro. Together. In whichever way you’ll have me.”

Zoro walks up and stops, right in front of Sanji. “You have me ,” he says. “You’ve always had me. It’s you who’s always —” Zoro pauses, gritting his teeth, frustration written all over his face.

“I know,” Sanji says, heartbeat rising up his throat, his ears, his mouth. “Zoro, I —”

“I need to know ,” Zoro says, hand a hair’s breadth away from Sanji’s own, but not quite touching. “I need to know if you will keep running away from me or not.”

Sanji takes the offered hand and closes the distance between them.

It is a short kiss at first, only a cling of lips — and then he feels Zoro’s free hand drifting up to cradle his face as Zoro leans in for another kiss, and another, little dips of kisses, as if Zoro needed the constant reassurance that Sanji is here, with him. And Sanji can give him that, owe him that much — he breathes into the kiss, chases Zoro’s lips and mouths at the curve of his smile.

“This is it, right?” Zoro says when they part, forehead still pressed against one another’s. “Because this is it for me, Cook.”

Sanji thinks of Zoro, who doesn’t do things in halves. Either they are, or they aren’t. And for once he realizes — not the fear or the risk, but how much of an honor it is, to be loved by this man. Entirely and all-consuming.

“This is it,” he tells Zoro, and squeezes Zoro’s hand. “No more running away.”

[doctorgerth]

Hello!! I'm the anon who got matched with Luffy, Ace, Rosinante and Zoro on the first matchup event. Call me Ai😊 This event idea sounded super sweet so I knew I had to participate✨Could I ask for the imagine to be a romantic one with Ace + really bad/clumsy flirting (cause I once saw a dream where I told him "you're so hot you could be a toaster" :'| ) Sending lots of love!

If you guys haven’t learned by now, I’m pretty shitty at flirting lmao so writing about flirting doesn’t come very naturally to me. Thankfully you allowed me to write about clumsy flirting which is right up my alley 😂 this was fun though, I hope you like it darling! Sending lots of love right back atcha 💕

“You just gotta go for it, Ai. Say whatever comes to your mind. He’ll love it, I promise.” 

Marco and Thatch were enjoying the self-proclaimed role of matchmaker a little too much to your liking. Your feelings were quite obvious to everyone it seemed, except the person you actually had feelings for. Sometimes you questioned why you’d fall for such a dunce. But boy were you head over heels for that dunce alone. 

“Do you really think he likes me back?” You questioned as your palms began to sweat at the mere thought of talking to Ace. That had happened to you lately, the sudden nervousness of his presence. It’s what made you realize your feelings for him and ultimately had you avoiding him these past few days. You’d become so suddenly aloof, you wouldn’t be surprised if he disliked you at this point. 

“He is crazy about you. He won’t stop talking about you! And he’s pretty sad that you’ve been avoiding him lately.” Thatch inquired while Marco nodded in agreement.

“Just go talk to him, chat him up, flirt a bit. Show him you’re interested. It’s not like we’re telling you to confess your undying love for him.” Marco offered.

“Whatever you do, do not confess your undying love for him. Poor boy couldn’t take it.”

You shot daggers their way, partially wondering if they were setting you up for failure. You shook that thought away however as deep down, you were entirely grateful for those two. They loved to embarrass you sure, but they’ve been great support systems while you’ve sorted through your feelings. 

“Alright, I’ll at least go say hello...” You heaved a sigh, standing up to your feet and walking over to Ace who was casually leaning over the railing and staring out at the sunset. Your legs felt heavier with each step and you wondered if you had even cleared any distance between the two of you. You looked over your shoulder one last time to see a toothy-grinned, two-thumbs up Marco and Thatch encouraging you on. Whether you would be thanking them or strangling them later was still up in the air. 

“H-hey, Ace.” You greeted. When he looked over his shoulder at you, his freckles and brown eyes glowed golden in the warm sunlight. Seeing those pearly whites exposed fully against tanned skin, you felt your heart pound dangerously in your chest. Curse him for being so beautiful. This was going to be tougher than you thought. 

“Hey there, stranger. Fancy seeing you around these parts.” 

You bit your lip to suppress the wide smile that threatened to stretch across your face. It was beyond heart-warming to have him welcome you in his typical, dorky fashion. You were relieved to know he wasn’t upset with you for being so distant the past few weeks. He invited you over beside him, and albeit nervously, you took your spot graciously. You two stared out into the ocean for a moment, observing as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. And for a moment, you felt at peace. Being with Ace was always a strange combination of feeling at home and utter panic. Did he feel the same way?

Bringing you out of your trance, Ace muttered, “Beautiful, isn’t it?” 

“Not as beautiful as you.” You whispered in response, not realizing you had said those words out loud. 

“What was that?” He peered over, amused.

An intense blush washed over your entire being and suddenly you felt as if you were on fire, “Um, nothing. So, how have you been?” 

He snickered as he turned his gaze back towards the sun set, “I’ve been alright. How about you?”

Besides your stupid gorgeous face bombarding my brain 24/7, I guess I’ve been okay. Was what you wanted to say, but of course you’d rather die before you’d say those words, “I’m fine.”

You thought of Marco’s advice. Now was a good opportunity for you to show you were interested. Though your entire being was screaming from embarrassment, you decided to casually scooch closer towards Ace’s figure, suddenly right beside him. You could feel the natural heat radiating off his body and Ace eyed you with curiosity, seemingly accepting your advances with interest. 

“So hot...” You sighed as your fingers brushed against his forearm. You were entranced, hardly thinking about the fact that you were now stroking him like a cat and how weird that must have looked and felt.

“Pardon?” 

“Oh, um, sorry.” Your hand snatched away while your brain fumbled in trying to formulate your next sentence. Come on, Ai, don’t be weird. “You’re just so hot...you could be a toaster.” Shit.

“A what...?” He guffawed and suddenly, you wanted nothing more than to just throw yourself overboard. 

“She likes you, you idiot!” Thatch screamed across the deck while you shot him a very dangerous look, “I’m sorry, Ai, I just couldn’t take the cringe anymore.”

You sighed helplessly and suddenly the sea king infested waters sounded much more pleasant than your current state. Hesitantly, you looked towards Ace. 

“What? Me? You like me?” He turned to you with eyes wide, an incredulous look on his face. His utter shock, whether feigned or not you weren’t sure, gave you a sense of relief. At least he didn’t reject the idea. “Yes, dummy. The whole toaster thing didn’t give it away?”

“I thought you were just being funny.” His eyes remained wide for a moment as he stared at you, and you swore you could visibly see the wheels turning in his head. Until suddenly, his features softened, “So...you like me?” 

“Please don’t make me say it again.” You cried as you attempted to cover your flustered face. His warm hands grasped onto yours, however, gently pulling them away so you could see his wide smile and hint of blush on his cheeks. 

“I like you too, Ai.” 

[springwritess]

Relationship Headcannons With Usopp, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji

This was originally supposed to be a best friend headcannon, but im thirsty whelp.

This headcannon will include Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp. I’ll do Sabo, Ace and Law another day.

***

Monkey D Luffy:

Luffy is adventurous and a bit crazy. He’s also extremely loyal. It might take awhile to get used to his energy, but I’m sure after a few months of being together you’d be just as wild.

Luffy isn’t exactly someone who’s into kisses or anything inherently sexual. Kisses would most likely be on the cheeks. He’s a cutie though every time he kisses you. He’ll kiss you often. Just woke up? Kiss. Sitting next to him? Kiss. Walking by? Kiss.

Luffy is very tactile and affectionate however. He doesn’t really understand the concept of personal space, so he’ll get too clingy sometimes. He’ll cuddle with you in all sorts of positions. He’ll just want you to be around. He’ll want to feel you all the time - nothing sexual of course. He would bring you close and hold you tight. He wouldn’t be able to sleep without you unless he’s wrapped around his partner. He’d want to nap all the time with you.

Luffy is romantic without even trying. He’ll say sweet things that’ll end up leaving you flustered. “My heart beats fast whenever I’m with you! “I love your laugh! It makes me feel happy.” “Don’t worry, ill protect you.”

If you’re upset, he’d give you lots of hugs to try to comfort you when you’re upset. Sometimes it would be by joking with you. He would want you to get your mind of things. Luffy can have his serious moments though however. If he realizes you’re extremely upset, he’ll sit there with you as you explain what’s wrong. He’ll put his strawhat on you. His strawhat has a weird power. When he puts it on you, you’ll feel like everything is going to be okay.

Speaking of his hat, Luffy would trust it with you. He rarely trusts his hat with anyone. Aside from a few of the strawhats, he hasn’t let anyone else touch it. He wouldn’t mind if you wore it. He’d put it on your head. It’s his way of showing that he treasures you.

Whenever you guys go to a new island, you guys would explore and mess around. You guys went to Skypeia? You guys are going to jump on the clouds and laugh. He’d even convince you to explore Upper Yard, despite it being forbidden and where ‘god’ resides. Sabaody? You guys would be on top of the bubbles and float to the very top. Thriller Bark? You guys would explore the island to look for zombies. It’d be crazy, fun and exciting. Be ready to almost die while having Luffy as your partner.

You’d get used to his jokes and pranks, because he’s hilarious. Sometimes you would join in on it too. You two would sometimes prank Zoro or Usopp. Afterwards, you’d both get a scolding from Nami for being idiots.

Luffy can be an idiot sometimes. He’d be doing something stupid and fall into water. Be ready to jump in the water and have to save him! It most likely will get annoying after awhile. If you can’t swim, then get ready to drown with him.

Luffy would give you some of his meat. This will take awhile though however. Luffy rarely gives people his food. In fact, he takes it from others. When he does give you his food, this signifies how much he cares for you.

Luffy doesn’t care about how strong you are. He just would want you to be yourself. Strong? Weak? He doesn’t care! Be yourself. That’s all he would want. He wouldn’t ask you about your life story. It’s just not his style. If you opened up about your life, he’d be happy to listen. If you didn’t, that’s fine. He accepted you for the person you are today, not the person you were in the past.

Sanji Vinsmoke:

Sanji loves all women, but he’ll treat you differently. He’ll be deeply in love with you, from your looks to your smile to your little quirky habits. He’ll love it all. He’ll definitely accept you too. You’re his best friend and his lover. Sanji treasures your relationship together, and will take it very seriously

Expect to be showered with little presents and food all the time. You’re going to be his queen. He’ll make sure you have the most delicious and nutritious meals. He’ll find out what your favourite meals are, and cook it for you. Expect every meal to be amazing. He’ll give you’ll small presents - mostly trinkets and things he finds cute from different islands. He might pick some flowers or some pretty seashells for you too.

You won’t be able to spend every moment together however. Sanji has his responsibilities on the ship, and you have yours. He’ll mostly be in the kitchen preparing the next meal for the crew, or cleaning up. It’ll make his heart flutter when you watch him, or offer to clean up too. He’ll obviously decline, because just having you there is enough. When he does have time however, you guys would sit in the gallery of The Sunny and just talk about life.

It doesn’t matter to Sanji where your from, but he’ll definitely be curious. He’ll want to know every small detail about you. He’ll want to know which sea you came from, your likes and dislikes, your hobbies and your passions. He’ll want to know everything. He’ll be patient if your not comfortable. Sanji will not open up about his past however. It’s too painful for him to think about. You might hear stories about his times with Zeff though.

Sanji will want to protect you. He’ll make sure no harm comes your way during battles and such. If anyone were to hurt you - even if it was a small scratch there will be hell to pay.

He’ll be delicate with you too. He won’t touch you if you’re not comfortable with it though. He might stare at you sometimes, to just admire your beauty. His eyes may wander down to your cleavage, but he’ll try his best not to.

Sanji gets jealous pretty easily. He trusts you a lot, but he can’t stand the thought of men staring at you. He’ll often pick fights with Zoro, if you get too close with him. It’s something you’ll just have to put up with. Sometimes you’ll have to reassure him and tell him you only love him.

Sanji tries to stay calm if you two were to get in an argument. He has self-control, and will swallow his frustration and anger. He’ll work with you to solve the problem in a much more peaceful manner and try to see things half-way if possible.

Sanji is your rock. If something is wrong, he’s someone you can come to. He’s someone you can lean and cry on. If it takes you a while to open up about any problems, he’ll be patient and wait for you. He’ll give you the time you need. He might prepare you a cup of tea to de-stress and a nice warm meal too.

Sanji loves PDA, but it usually is only hand-holding. There might be hugs sometimes too. He loves feeling the warmth of your hand in his. He loves having you close to him too. Kisses would be short too, anything more and he’ll die of blood loss in public.

The more your relationship progresses, the amount of affection will increase. Hugs will become much longer and more meaningful. Kisses will be longer and more passionate too. Things might get steamy sometimes, but you can’t go too far without Sanji getting a nosebleed.

Usopp:

Usopp is a dorky, childish individual. He’s a coward sometimes, and hasn’t thought too much about women aside from Kaya. You however, mean the world to him. He loves you and will treasure your relationship.

You would listen to his stories (and lies) with eagerness. He would love seeing you engaged and playing along with him. You two would spend hours talking with each other on The Sunny

When you’re not talking, he’s mostly working on a new invention. You’d make stops to his workshop often to see how things are going. He likes having you there, and watching quietly behind him. Sometimes he’ll explain to you the invention you’re working on, and you’ll quietly listen.

Usopp would love to have a s/o who’s stronger than him, because he’s a coward. He likes having someone protect him. At the same time, he doesn’t want to feel useless or weak in front of them. You two would most likely fight side by side in battle, and back each other up. If you’re not able to fight, he’ll swallow down his cowardliness and try his best to protect you.

Similar to Luffy, Usopp can act like a child. He’ll pull pranks or tease you sometimes. You’d get used to his jokes and pranks, because he’s hilarious. Sometimes you would join in on it too. You two would sometimes prank Zoro or Luffy. Afterwards, you’d both get a scolding from Nami for being idiots.

Arguments can get heated. Usopp can’t always hold his temper, so when he’s upset he might take it out on you (similar to his fight with Luffy on Water7). He’ll always apologize, and try his best to make it up to you. You’ll have to be more patient with him.

Usopp is an artistic person too. He loves painting and drawing. When he’s not busy, he’ll often draw pictures of you. His sketchbooks are full of drawings of you on The Sunny or on various islands. He’s too embarrassed to show any of them to you, but he thinks your beautiful.

Usopp doesn’t mind PDA. It’s usually a short kiss and hugs. He’s not a fan of handholding because his hands get sweaty easily, so you two just stand close to each other. He can get embarrassed rather easily however, especially when the crew teases him. Most affection is behind closed doors. As your relationship progresses, kisses become longer and more passionate. He also hugs you more.

Roronora Zoro:

Zoro isn’t necessarily the most romantic type of guy. The only things that seem to interest him are his swords and sake. He isn’t interested in dating or marrying anyone. Don’t expect him to announce his undying love for you or any grand gestures, just appreciate the little things

He’s not interested in PDA, so don’t expect for your relationship to be public. It’ll most likely be private, with the exception of the crew knowing. He’ll most likely blush whenever you give him a kiss or hug in front of someone. Sanji will definitely tease him the hell outta it, which will result in a fight.

Zoro secretly loves them though. He likes when you hug him. He’ll never admit it of course. The more your relationship progresses, the more you guys will hug and show affection. It’s always private however. He refuses to kiss you in public settings. Kisses are usually short, very rarely do they become deep and passionate.

He loves to take naps with you, or just have you in his arms. He’ll make you stop whatever you’re doing to come and make nap with him. He loves your warmth, your smell, your soft skin and just your presence warms his heart

When it comes to strength, he would prefer it if you were strong. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about them as much. However, he doesn’t mind if you’re not strong either. He’ll go out of his way to protect you no matter what.

Zoro is level-headed and can be a bit blunt sometimes. He’ll tell you like it is, which can lead to arguments sometimes. He’s someone you can go to if you need advice about certain matters. He also helps you get your shit together too.

When you guys reach a new island, you usually cling to him. The last thing you need is for him to get lost. This usually embarrasses him, but he secretly loves it when you’re close to him.

Zoro loves to drink, so expect gifts of booze. If you’re not much of a drinker, that might disappoint him a little but won’t bother him too much. If you love drinking, it might worry him if you get drunk. He doesn’t want to see you wander off or get hurt.

At the end of the day, all 4 of these men love you. You’re their best friend and their lover. You make them laugh and feel important. They love everything about you; your laugh, your quirks and your smile. They love spending every day with you.

[santouryuuu]

Amorist

pairing : sanji x reader

requested by : @alienmashup

prompt no. 2 “please don’t cry. I can’t stand to see you cry”

from this prompt list

×××

ASDFGHJKL FINALLY. i hope this was worth the wait ♥

×××

You weren't sure if you were mad at yourself or at a certain blonde cook.

Mad at him for having another one of his over the top flirting episodes or mad at yourself for liking him.

Though you'd hate to admit it, he was actually extremely charming, despite being extremely flirtatious. He always knew when something was on your mind or whenever you weren't feeling a hundred percent yourself. Somehow, he could feel your unease and would always try to do his best to comfort you.

You thought maybe, just maybe, he was attracted to you too. However, a little voice in the back of your mind kept nagging at you.

He treats everyone like that

He just sees you as a friend

You're nothing special

You hated losing to your inner demons, but they were right. What set you apart from the rest of the girls? What made you special?

"Y/n! Hey! Y/n!"

You blinked.

Your eyes refocused on said blonde. Speak of the devil.

His eyes seemed to be glazed in worry, "Are you okay? What's up?"

You opened your mouth to answer, but your petty self wouldn't let you reply. You were still mad at him... Or was the better term jealous?

Shaking your head, you sent him your best glare, which ultimately faltered cause damn he looks so cute right now, "Nothing."

You stood from your original position and pushed past him, heading towards the crow's nest. You hoped that maybe a little bit of ranting could help the tightness in your chest.

Sure enough, inside the crow's nest was the green haired swordsman in the middle of training.

"So, are you gonna gush about curly brow or are you gonna rant about your never ending jealousy?" he said without turning to you.

"Shut up," you sighed defeatedly and solemnly leaned your back onto the wall of the crow's nest and sank to the ground, "It's the latter..."

Zoro sighed and dropped his heavy weights, making the crow's nest shake, "I don't get why you won't just confess. It's not that hard."

"It's not that hard," you mocked. Zoro sent a glare your way and you paled a bit, "Sorry, I'm just not feeling—"

"—the best, yeah yeah yeah."

He rolled his eyes and sat next to you then gave you a reassuring pat on the back. His smile seemed somewhat pitiful and sympathetic.

"God... What if I do confess? What if I get rejected?" you buried your face in your hands, "I don't want to destroy what we have right now. I just can't fathom the thought of Sanji avoiding me just because I like him... But then again, sometimes I feel like it would be such a weight off my chest if I just muster up the courage and confess, but then again—ugh, why am I like this?"

"How about, you say what you wanna say right now... You know... practice, you can't be spineless forever," Zoro helped you to your feet and crossed his arms expectantly.

"Zoro, I appreciate the help but—"

"Come on, it'll help pump some confidence into you."

You weren't sure why the marimo was so insistent on you practicing your confession, sine you weren't even sure if you were going to confess, but if he thinks it'll help... what could go wrong?

You took a deep breath. You could feel the blood coursing through your veins and how fast your heart was beating, "S-Sanji... I-I like you... a lot and I d-don't mean it as a friend. I mean I-I like you..."

It was just practice but you already felt so flustered just by saying it out loud, but you also felt better and more confident. Maybe I can confess?

"Really?"

Your heart suddenly skipped a beat at the familiar voice. Sanji?! Oh god please no. Silently praying, you stifly turned around and came face-to-face with a blushing Sanji.

You face flushed and your body went on autopilot. Part of you wanted to stay and see his reaction, but a bigger part screamed at you to leave. So you pushed past the chef and climbed down.

As you descended, you could hear Sanji calling after you. You ignored him and quickened your pace.

Damn marimo, I bet he knew Sanji was there—I'm gonna kill him tonight. I'm gonna hide his swords and—

Tears began to cloud your vision. You were thankful that you had gotten to the bottom of the ladder before a waterfall of embarrassed tears decided to break free. All you wanted to do now was to scream and cry in a corner, maybe eat a pint of ice cream but that's only for when you're the only one awake in the middle of the night wallowing in self-loathing.

You noticed no one was out on the deck, probably because it was lunch time. Maybe that was why Sanji had gone up into the crow's nest.

Suddenly, you felt a hand grab your wrist, "Do you really... Like me? Y/n I—"

Oh god.

"Sanji, listen I know you probably don't feel the same way, but please just forget whatever you—"

He pulled you into a tight embrace and began to gently caress your hair, you could feel your heart beat increasing and the blood rushing to your face.

"S-Sanji?"

"I'm so relieved," he whispered, "I thought you were mad at me."

Your heart melted and guilt began to crawl its way into the pit of your stomach, "I could never hate you."

"Thank god, because I like you too."

Your heart stopped. You tilted your head to look up at him, shock carved into your face, "You better not be shitting me or else—I-I'll—"

Your tears began to flow out and you felt every pent up emotion come out. Sanji chuckled and wiped away your tears, "Please don't cry, I can't stand to see you cry."

"This is your fault."

"Sure it is," he flashed you a soft smile and you felt his hands cup your face. He leaned closer and you could smell the scent cigarettes mixed with different herbs and spices.

His soft lips met yours and your mind started to go blank and legs started to get weaker by the second. Thank god Sanji's holding me.

Your mind then began wandering to Zoro, thankful that he had brought you two together.

[onepiecefeatstuff]

Protect | Sanami week 2019

Sanji was feeling a little bit under the weather lately. Coughing had become a usual practice for him, but everyone had linked it to his addiction to cigarettes. He had, at first, too. Chopper’s lectures were starting to get to him, although he knew it was too late for him to change his mind about smoking. However, then came the next symptom: the stuffy nose. He had used every single one of his handkerchiefs and he still felt like he couldn’t breathe properly at night. Still, he figured it was something that would go away by itself.

Later came the sore throat, possibly as a consequence of all the coughing and all the breathing he had to do with his mouth instead of his nose. He didn’t say anything about it either, figuring that it was probably a one-day thing. Except it wasn’t, and he woke up the next day feeling not an inch better. In fact, as days passed by, he was starting to feel worse: he felt more tired, and did not have his usual strength in the morning. Preparing breakfast was especially hard for him, and for the first time in many years, he did not wake up until an hour later than he used to. He was awakened softly yet tenderly by a hand that took him by surprise. If he would had been a little more awake, he would have jumped out of bed, but he was so tired that not even his eyes had the strength to open. A whisper in his ear made him shiver. At first he did not understand the voice, the sounds didn’t seem to make sense in his brain, but eventually he was able to differentiate the syllables that composed his name.

“Sanji-kun, wake up.”

The familiarity of the name put his senses up to test. There was only one person who called him that way. His eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and dark eyes met his. Nami. Why was she awake? And more importantly, what was she doing in their bedroom? He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat hurt too much to make a sound. Sanji noticed she was lending him a helping hand so he took it, and got up. He almost tripped with himself, but he was hoping it was too dark for her to notice.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice nothing but a sweet whisper.

Sanji nodded with his head, and followed her outside. He did not bother to take his shoes with him, and he immediately regretted it when his bare feet touched the cold floor of the kitchen. He could not help but shiver, and this time he was sure she did notice, because she raised an eyebrow at him.

“You are always the first one to wake up in the morning. Robin and I wondered where you could be.”

Sanji stared at the clock long enough to make Nami nervous before he realized it was already half past seven. For Luffy and Zoro, this was outrageously early, but for him it was terribly late. He always woke up at six (sometimes even before six) to make sure he had breakfast prepared by the time the first person walked in the kitchen. And if Nami and allegedly Robin were already awake, that meant he had failed his principal mission. He let out an almost inaudible curse that did nothing good to his throat.

“Open your mouth.”

Sanji hesitated, but her command sounded authoritarian enough for him to do as she told. Nami took a little spoon from the kitchen counter and examined his throat, like she had seen Chopper do many times. The redness was clearly visible despite not having the brightest light in the room, and Nami chuckled.

“How long have you been sick?”

“I’m not…” it hurt to respond, but he tried doing so anyway “I’m not sick. I’m fine.”

“Well, your nasal cavities say otherwise.”

Sanji ran to get a handkerchief, clearly embarrassed, but Nami stopped him with a glass of water in her hand.

“Drink this before you speak.”

Again, her command did not admit a no for an answer. He drank fast, and water had a rather soothing effect down his throat. At least, until he started coughing.

“Sit down. I’m calling Chopper.”

“No!” he protested, louder than he should have. His vocal chords were raging fire for a second that seemed to last forever. “I’m fine.”

“You’re clearly not.” She pushed him down to a chair so that he would sit. “And what on earth are you doing barefoot?!”

She was so upset Sanji started to think it was funny. How many times had he dreamt about her being her nurse? And how different it was from reality… In all those fantasies, he was in the nursery for some kind of almost fatal wound that he got by saving his crew from some gigantic monster or an incredible army. There was nothing glorious about feeling like shit for some dumb cold. He would survive. He was fine, because he had to be fine. Colds were nothing to him. Were they?

He didn’t notice Nami had left until she came back. That was not a good sign, but he tried to ignore it. She was holding a cup of some warm beverage – tea, if he had to take a guess. She took out a little spoon (was it the little spoon from before? he hoped not) and put it inside the honey pot. Sanji gulped at how much honey Nami added to the tea, being used to taking his coffee black. Still, he said nothing, and grabbed the cup when she offered it to him with a smile.

“Honey is good for sore throats.” She spoke, watching him struggle to take the tea. “Bell-mère used to make it for me when I got sick. Then Nojiko did it for me. Now I’m doing it for you.”

“But I’m not sick.” he said when he finished drinking. His mouth tasted too much like honey, and he wished he had brought his pack of cigarettes with him. “I’m fine.”

“Why are you so obfuscated about being sick? You of all people should be over the moon that I’m taking care of you!”

“Because I should be the one protecting you and not the other way around!” the words blasted out before he could think what he was saying. Once they were out, however, Sanji began to wonder whether his thoughts were in the right place or not. Did he just act like an idiot?

Nami, for once, thought so, but she let it slide. After all, he was sick and too proud of himself. She would never admit it, but he reminded her of her own self a few years ago. Her pride and stubbornness almost get her go through a high fever alone, and she was not going to let Sanji go through the same path. She was going to protect him, no matter what he said.

“Go to bed. I’m calling Chopper.”

“I have to make breakf…”

“I will.” Nami interrupted him. “And don’t you dare disobey my orders.”

Sanji didn’t find the strength to do so, and even if he did, he wasn’t sure he wanted to suffer the consequences. Nevertheless, he couldn’t leave the kitchen before doing his job. People were counting on him, weren’t they? Even if Nami filled his absence, he would still feel like he was failing on his job.

“Let me help.” He said before he walked out. “Then I’ll go see Chopper. I promise.”

Nami rolled her eyes.

“Get yourself some shoes on first.” She said in the end, resigning herself to it. “For someone so overly protective, you’re not that good into letting people protect you, you know?”

Sanji only heard half of that sentence, but when he came back to the kitchen, Nami was waiting for him with a sly smile.

I’m a bit mad this took me so long to write, and still ended up being so short. Anyway, now I have to do all the work I’ve been posponing because of writing this so wish me luck!

[sunshinepunks-secretsanta]

Secret Santa for PotatoTrace

Hey Guys!~ Happy Holidays, first off. Christmas is here and I do hope that everyone gets at least one thing that was on their Christmas list.~

This little song fic is for a fun little event the wonderful Snek in the MAS Discord chat was so amazing in organizing! My giftee is @doodlepotatoalien and I do hope you enjoy this. 

Song / Movie: All I want for Christmas is you - Mariah Carey

Pairing: MAS - SabAce

Summary: Sabo had thought what he wanted was friendship, but was what he was searching for something deeper than that?

Disclaimer, I own nothing in regards to One Piece or any other referenced media. Enjoy!~

I don’t want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

I don’t care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

Sabo sat by the fireplace, with his back to the warm fire and his large green eyes on mountain of presents that sat underneath the large 15 foot tall christmas tree. There were at least fifty wrapped boxes of differing sizes piled underneath the tree, and Sabo knew without a doubt that the majority of them were his, who else could they belong to when he was the only child?

Normally one would assume that Sabo was living the dream. Sabo was the single child to a wealthy family, he had anything he could ever want in terms of what money could buy. But what about what money couldn’t buy?

Sabo had parents sure, but he never once had their attention. From the minute he was born, Sabo was handed over to a nanny who raised him until his father decided she was not being a good influence because she filled his imagination with far away adventures. After his nanny was fired, he got a governess who was more to his parent’s likings, one who schooled him in not only the basic subjects but also focused alot on business material. Sabo was five, there was only so much his brain could grasp.

Pretty soon Sabo was enrolled into private school and learned that just like his parents, those kids didn’t really care about making any connections other than business ones. If Sabo wasn’t in the market for trading information about companies and setting up partnership deals, then the children cared not to get to know him.

Sabo was beginning to think that friends were a myth until one fateful day that he was walking alongside a sidewalk on his way home. Sabo had been able to talk his father into letting him walk to and from school, so that he could assess the advertisements and see what the general public liked, it was a blatant lie that apparently worked and got him another few minutes of freedom from the stifling walls that were his home.

Sabo was walking slowly, trying to make the walk last as much as possible when all of a sudden, a freezing slushy mass slapped him across the face. Sabo’s feet stopped moving and he stood in the middle of the street stunned and wide eyed as the melting snow slid off of his warm cheek and onto his shoulder as laughter reached his ear.

Sabo’s large eyes looked over to the boy who was laughing at him, eyes closed and laughter creating small puffs of air around his mouth while other kids around him looked on unsure of how to react, some smiling tentatively, and a few looking worried. By all rights Sabo should be mad, seething even. He was just attacked by this kid with a ball of snow.

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true oh

All I want for Christmas is you

“Whats'a matter kid? Ain’t ever been hit with a snowball before?” the freckled boy asked after he stopped laughing and dusted off Sabo’s sodden shoulder.

Sabo had two choices in that moment, to be an utter embarrassment and tell the other kid that no he had never engaged in one of these fabled snowball fights, or lie through his teeth and give some half assed excuse of why he had been caught off guard. Sabo didn’t know why, but he didn’t like the idea of coming off as a fool to the boy and his friends, so he puffed out his chest and lied his ass off.

“I just wasn’t expecting to get ambushed is all… got room for one more?” Sabo asked the boy and looked past him to the group that was waiting for him to return.

The boy immediately brightened, “Hell yeah we do, what’s your name anyway kid? Mine’s Ace and that’s Marco, Thatch, Izo, Luffy, Nami, Law, Zoro, Sanji, and Koala.”

Sabo was not in the least overwhelmed with the names as he let a smile come to his lips easily enough, and waved only slightly awkwardly in their direction, “Hello, my name is Sabo, it’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

The kid with the large hair laughed, “Look at that Marco he talks just like you!”

The aforementioned child, Marco, looked over to the laughing redhead and sighed, “No he does not, yoi.”

“Well I guess not exactly with that tic of yours bird brain, but close enough.”

Next to Sabo Ace laughed again, “Don’t worry they do this all the time, c'mon you’re on my team.”

I don’t want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need, and I

Don’t care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

Sabo had stayed out that day until the sun set and when he returned home, he was scolded and consequently punished, there would be no sleigh ride for him that year. Sabo was disappointed and yet at the same time, he was not. Sabo had learned that even someone like him, who had never had friends, could have them. And that someone like Ace, was capable of wanting Sabo as a friend.

All Sabo wanted that Christmas was to have friends, primarily the one that made it happen, Ace.

I don’t need to hang my stocking

There upon the fireplace

Santa Claus won’t make me happy

With a toy on Christmas day

Sabo didn’t see those kids again the next day, or even when winter break released him from his classes. Sabo walked home and retraced his steps in order to possibly bump into one or two of the children from the group. But nothing of the sort happened and he had to trudge home in disappointment.

Christmas came and went and Saint Nick didn’t give him what he had wished for.

Sabo didn’t see Ace and his friends again the following week either, nor on new years; and pretty soon the year began to pass without a single sighting of them.

And yet, each year Sabo passed by the same street with that same hope, that Ace and his friends would be there throwing snowballs again. Sabo even refused going along with his parents to their island resort in order to wait by that street.

It was the first Christmas Sabo spent without them, it wasn’t like they were always present during it, but at least they were home.

And again Santa let Sabo down, there were no children waiting for him to play with. No friends to be given to him.

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

This became a cycle pretty soon, Sabo knew that he should let it go and move on. But… he couldn’t.

That year soon evolved into a second, and then a third, and Sabo began to forget the many faces that he had committed to memory when he was ten. And by the time he was seventeen, he had all but forgotten how they looked like. He had also forgotten their names.

Sabo had more or less convinced himself that it was a dream his younger self had had and moved on into the corporate world that his father had wanted for him.

Sabo graduated at the top of his class and with a year to spare, he was out a few months after his seventeenth birthday and on his way to his interview to his very first internship.

The meeting went spectacular, and Sabo was sure he had locked in the position without really needing to try. His parents would be pleased to know that, but Sabo… he didn’t really feel as if he had accomplished anything. Sure he was educated and knew the ins and outs of the business world and trade, but was he really happy?

Sabo had stayed up countless nights wondering this very thing, just as he did now as he sat on a park bench, watching small children run along the grass, large smiles on their faces.

“Hey watch out!”

Sabo heard the cry right before something very solid and fast hit the back of his head. Sabo’s head whipped forward and he clutched at the sore spot just in time to tune back in to the repeated apologies of the person above him.

“–rry, I didn't–fuck, the ball–are you okay? Fuck that’s a stupid question, how many fingers am I holding up?”

Sabo’s glare became stunned shock as he looked up to the guy above him, his wide green eyes meeting the other’s concerned gray ones.

“Whats'a matter, are you not able to count?” A panic rose within the other and he looked over Sabo and called out for help, “Marco, he can’t count!”

I won’t ask for much this Christmas

I won’t even wish for snow, and I

I just wanna keep on waiting

Underneath the mistletoe

Pretty soon Sabo found himself surrounded by a group of teens, one of them pressing a cold pack against his head and shining a beam into his eyes until his surprise wore off and he was able to push away the overbearing hands.

“I’m fine, please.” Sabo began and sighed, “Thanks for the cold pack, and yes I can count.” he said shooting a glance over to the guilty looking one with a frown, “I was just… taken off guard.”

The guy at the very least had the decency to look sheepish and bowed low, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you, the ball slipped and it flew over here and–”

“And, if you need to see a doctor, we can take care of all the medical fees, yoi.” the one who had given Sabo the cold pack interrupted and Sabo shook his head, only wincing slightly with the action.

“Na I’ll be okay, tender for a day or so, but fine… thank you for the offer though. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Sabo made to stand and was surprised when someone blocked his path.

“Hey, before you go at least let me make up for this by treating you to lunch or something?” and there was that smile again, so bright Sabo didn’t doubt it could eclipse the sun.

“Uh–sure?” despite his words, Sabo didn’t feel too sure about accepting this strangers invitation, but that combination of his, the smile, eyes, and freckles; there was something there that Sabo was supposed to recognize.

“Awesome! Let’s go now, I’ll see you at home Marc, tell Lu I’ll be help him with his homework later.” and with that he turned to Sabo and turned his world upside down. “My name’s Ace, and yours?”

I won’t make a list and send it

To the North Pole for Saint Nick

I won’t even stay awake

To hear those magic reindeer click

Sabo hadn’t jumped down Ace’s throat the moment he realized that this Ace was the same Ace of his childhood and demanded to ask why Ace hadn’t searched for him as Sabo had, because that would have been childish. Sabo had remained silent about the coincidence and wondered if Ace remembered their previous meeting.

Just as their meal was ending, Ace confirmed Sabo’s ponderings on that though. “I… I’m sorry if I’m just assuming here, but are you the same Sabo who once had a snowball fight with a bunch of kids?”

Sabo nodded, eyebrows knitting as he wondered where exactly Ace would take that conversation.

The freckled boy smiled, “I thought so, I remembered your eyes. We were starting to think you weren’t real because we never saw you again, we tried to go back, but some of the cops kept running us away, something about ’stinkin’ slum kids’.” Ace chuckled, “Anyway, we’re sorry we never got to hang out again, it was fun that day and you guys really did have some great snowball throwing snow.”

“I’d like that too.” Sabo blurted and then reddened as he reeled back his enthusiasm. “I mean, I would like that… to hang out with you more if you want?”

Ace’s bright smile came back and Sabo’s redness deepened. “Of course I would, here I’ll give you my number.”

And just like that, they fell into friendship and somewhere along the way, it became more than that and deeper feelings were shared.

‘Cause I just want you here tonight

Holding on to me so tight

What more can I do

Oh, Baby all I want for Christmas is you

And it was in that year that they shared their first Christmas together. Sabo for once didn’t spend it at home and alone, but surrounded by Ace’s abundant family as they laughed and enjoyed their evening. Some of them already getting so drunk they couldn’t walk properly.

It was a nice change as opposed to what he was used to, but Sabo welcomed it.

The liveliness of the household was so overwhelming that Sabo couldn’t help but let himself be carried along with it. Sabo joined in on the singing and merriment. And in that moment Sabo could truly appreciate what it meant to be in a family.

It turned out that Ace was part of a group of fostered and then adopted kids, along with his many brothers and sisters. Sabo hadn’t even known such a thing was real, but was happy for all of his new friends that it indeed was true for them and they had found their home, no their family right then and there.

All the lights are shining

So brightly everywhere

And the sound of children’s

Laughter fills the air

Over time the situation at home began to get more and more complicated, Sabo hadn’t necessarily told his parents about Ace and the activities that he was involved in because he knew that his father would never approve. They questioned where he was spending his time, and Sabo made up excuses about the internship demanding more work of him than it actually did.

It wasn’t until the next christmas eve was just around the corner when his father confronted Sabo about it and told him that he had had a talk with Sabo’s employer who denied that Sabo was running extra errands for him as Sabo had stated.

And everyone is singing

I hear those sleigh bells ringing

Santa won’t you bring me

The one I really need

Won’t you please bring my baby to me quickly

So Sabo came clean about what he was doing, and the new world that he had stumbled into, and he was loving.

His father was furious. Even went as far as to forbid Sabo from engaging in his newfound “activities” telling him that he had a legacy to uphold, an obligation. And that such people would not be permitted into his son’s life.

Sabo had been furious and defended his position.

To which his father gave him an ultimatum. His house, his rules; if Sabo could not abide by his father’s wishes, then he was not allowed in his father’s house.

Sabo was numb after that, the choice was clear. But it still weighed on him.

I don’t want a lot for Christmas

This is all I’m asking for

I just wanna see my baby

Standing right outside my door

Sabo was disowned that Christmas eve and standing in the cold at the gate of Whitebeards house, his numb hands holding onto the one bag he was able to pack, or was he?

“Sabo?” the voice asked softly and Sabo turned to look at Ace who was looking on in curiosity and then in concern as he reached over to Sabo’s pale cheeks, wiping away at the wetness he hadn’t even known he had.

“What’s wrong? And what’s with the bag?” Ace asked as he scooped it up. “Not running away on Christmas are you?” Ace asked and Sabo appreciated his attempt to lighten up the mood but his smile fell before it could fully form.

“Can’t really run away when you don’t have a home to run from, you know?”

Ace’s concern only deepened as he put two and two together, “Fuck, oh shit. I’m sorry Bo… I didn’t mean to, but why are you standing out here in the snow, do you want to catch a cold? C'mon let’s get you into something warm and I heard Thatch was making his famous hot chocolate, I’ll get you extra marshmallows if you want.”

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

Baby all I want for Christmas is you

Sabo didn’t protest to being moved from his spot, nor being shoved into a bathroom to catch a warm bath and the clothes that were given to him were a little too large, but they were warm and comfortable and they smelled like Ace.

Ace then lead Sabo down to his room and sat him on the bed where he enveloped Sabo in a hug. They didn’t speak for hours it seemed until Sabo glanced at the clock and noticed that it was no longer the same day, but Christmas day.

“Merry Christmas, Acey. I hope you get what you wanted this year.”

Ace hummed in thought and a soft kiss was pressed to Sabo’s cheek. “All I want for Christmas is you, Sabo*.”

And I hope you like it ^^;I’m sorry I couldn’t MAS T^T the trio eluded this particular song and setting, but now that Sabo lived with the Whitebeards it could happen right? ;3c

The only Lyric here changed was Baby to Sabo for Ace’s last spoken line ^^

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Till next time!~

[your-iron-lung]

Mixed Up 22 | I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital) |

Chapter Word Count: 6106

Pairings: Zoro/Sanji

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Chapter Warnings: Strong Language

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 , 17, 18, 19, 20, 21,

Next Chapter: 23

The first time he dyed his hair was with cheaply bought store dye that didn’t last for very long and almost washed out completely after the first rinse. He had surprised everyone in the house he was living in at the time when he emerged from the bathroom with badly bleached, splotchy looking green hair. He remembers how Kuina had first looked envious, and then laughed outright at him. He’d been proud of his first attempt, but the shit she gave him for it wounded him. Not that he’d ever let her know, though; he’d merely accused her of being jealous and found out that he was right. She was, so she then demanded he go with her so she could pick out some cool hair colour of her own.

They didn’t do any research into which brand of dye was the best, but they picked up a different brand than the one he’d used originally after the results he got were far from optimal. He bought himself another bottle of a similar looking green, and when they got back home they dyed each other’s hair, laughing at one another for the way they looked while they waited for it to set. When it was done, Zoro’s hair was a solid, definite green and Kuina’s was a deep, dark blue that matched her eyes well.

He never did outgrow that colour. That perfect, absolute shade of green.

“You could lay down on the lawn and lose your hair in the grass,” Kuina had once said.

His hair was fading; he’d been in the hospital for too long.

Not only were his roots beginning to come in, adding a layer of dark soil for his blades of green hair to sprout from, but it’d been almost two weeks since he’d last dyed it. It was fading horribly, leaving him with the same look and quality he’d had when he’d first tried to dye it. One of his nurses (who had green hair of her own) kept making snide remarks about it, but the pain killers his doctor had him on and the fact that he was still pretty much bedridden prevented him from getting rightfully angry with her.

He could do little more than flip her off whenever she came to check in on him and taunt him with how brilliant her hair looked.

It’d been four days since the accident, and all Zoro really wanted to do was go home, drink a beer or six, and get Nami to help him re-dye his hair. Four days, and the doctor who’d removed his eye wanted to keep him there for who knew how much longer.

It didn’t make sense to him; they’d already explained how he would need to begin to care for his injury post-release, and even had a prescription written up for him for when he was able to go home- which they’d originally said he could do yesterday. The only reason they were keeping him hostage in the hospital was because those fucking painkillers they had him on made him too nauseous to leave his room. His only relief from the boredom and the irritating pain in his eye came in the form of visitors.

His whole team had come once, the day after the accident. They’d crowded the room and gave him a duffel bag filled with the things he’d left in his locker the day before and presented a huge, handmade ‘get well soon’ card to display by his bed. Even his coach had come with them, but he didn’t have any words to share with Zoro. They spoke of general things in an effort to keep the atmosphere light, but it eventually degraded into tearful apologies from those who had been on the ice with him when he’d been attacked and done nothing to help him. Zoro found it embarrassing, and so was quick to forgive them.

No one from his team had come back after the first initial visit, but he hadn’t really expected them to.

Nami came every day, but only stayed long enough to relay how Chopper was doing in her care and how work was going and who was giving his students lessons in his absence.

“It’s actually kind of cool to see Franky playing again, but he’s worried about you; we all are,” she’d said to him once, sighing melodramatically as she leaned over the railing of his bed.

“I’m fine,” he’d said, rolling his eye. “It’s just one eye; not like I went blind. I still have a backup.”

“Idiot! That’s not why we have two eyes!”

She’d made to hit him then, but showed enough self-restraint to keep it gentle. Their conversation had stalled out for a minute then as she somberly tried to avoid looking at the bandages across his face. She’d directed her attention to the small TV that was in the room Zoro shared with another man who also had severe facial injuries. The TV was locked on a channel that only aired soap operas, which had made her laugh at first but was now almost sort of comforting to her.

“I’ve been trying to get Sanji to come see you,” she’d said then, eyes flicking to the man who was happily watching the silent drama unfold on the television screen. “I don’t know what his deal is. He was so worried about you, but now it’s almost as if he’s afraid to see you.”

“I don’t need that idiot around here,” Zoro had said. “I’ve already got to deal with him.”

Zoro tilted his head towards his roommate, who’d turned a dumb smile onto the two of them that only Nami returned.

The man’s name was Duval, and he had, in both Zoro and Nami’s opinion, a rather uncanny resemblance to Sanji from what they could see around his bandages. His injuries were a result from what he’d called a ‘hate crime’ that had been committed against him because he was, in his own words, ‘too beautiful’.

“My looks sometimes make men act irrational with jealousy,” he’d explained on the first day that Zoro had been moved into the semi-private room with him. “It was a hate crime! The man’s girlfriend found my beauty too irresistible! He became enraged when he saw her talking with a man far more gorgeous than he, and yet he says I am to blame for flirting with her! I have no control over the way I look and how it makes women flock to me!”

Duval’s attitude and looks had reminded Zoro far too much of Sanji, but despite what he’d told Nami the day before, he did find that he almost sort of missed the bastard.

There was no one else in his life that could match his wits or rise to the physical challenges he issued. Johnny and Yosaku came close, but they were push overs and drug peddlers who only really chummed up to him so he’d buy their product.

Tashigi had filled that spot for him years earlier, but after the breakup-

No, fuck- he wasn’t going to think about her now.

Scowling, he turned his attention away from the TV he’d been mindlessly eyeballing and towards the various ‘get well soon’ cards and gifts he’d been sent during his time at the hospital. Stacked on the small bedside table was the huge card that had been signed by all his hockey teammates, and that one was surrounded by a few smaller ones that had come from his coworkers and students. Zoro didn’t care much for sentimentality, but if he were being honest, the card he’d received from Tony was his favourite.

The kid had neat handwriting, but his penmanship evidently didn’t transfer into his artistry, for the drawing he’d included of Zoro and him performing on stage together was shaky and scrunched up and overall very odd looking. The card itself didn’t tell him that Tony hoped his recovery was quick and painless, but instead included a rather thinly veiled threat that Zoro was certain the child’s grandmother had told him to write, as it said: ‘Don’t break your promise to me or else!’

If the doctors didn’t release him in time for the Solstice show, Zoro swore he was just going to walk out. Not that he hadn’t already tried that, but his attempt before had been so pitiful he didn’t think it’d work again unless he had some sort of help.

It was his legal right to leave the hospital if he were well enough to do so, wasn’t it?

And as much as his nurse Monet hated him, she wasn’t likely to help him slip out unnoticed. Zoro figured she enjoyed making his stay at the hospital as shitty as she could make it as much as he enjoyed making her job as hard to do as he possibly could. He’d even tried asking Nami once to help bust him out, but had gotten so severely reprimanded by her that he’d nearly decided to give up on escaping altogether.

That is, until Thursday came around and his way out appeared.

On the fifth day of his hospitalization, Sanji finally came to visit.

The door to Zoro’s room was closed when Sanji finally found it. The nurse that was working the station on the floor, though beautiful, had been entirely unhelpful in directing Sanji to the right room. As soon as he’d mentioned Zoro’s name to her, her demeanor switched from flirty to frosty before he could even finish blinking the hearts out of his eyes.

“Oh, that guy is somewhere on my floor. Down that hall somewhere taking up space,” she’d said icily, gesturing vaguely down the hall. Then she’d turned her back to him and proceeded to ignore him until he left.

He’d then spent the greater part of half an hour uneasily poking his head into various rooms to try and find where Zoro was being kept. Sanji hadn’t told Nami he was coming to visit, otherwise he would have asked her for his room number, but he’d been avoiding her the past few days. She’d been pressuring him so much to come that it had begun to make him feel uncomfortable whenever he caught her outside of his complex.

That, coupled with the guilt of knowing just made it seem… wrong, he supposed. Even if no one else blamed him, Sanji knew to blame himself. It had taken him days to work through the guilt and reason that, even if it was his fault, he should at least acknowledge what had happened to the man. He needed to see for himself the extent of the damage he’d caused, though he doubted very much that Zoro would want to see him.

The look on Zoro’s face when Sanji stepped through the door did little to change that feeling.

There was a huge, fierce scowl deeply embedded on his face that almost made Sanji turn around and leave until he realized that it wasn’t being directed at him. Zoro was sat upright in his bed with his arms crossed tight across his chest, frowning at the wall-mounted TV. When Sanji looked at it, he saw that it was airing some sort of drama that had apparently just reached a pivotal point in the story.

“No! How could she do that to him!?”

Surprised by the outburst, Sanji hadn’t realized Zoro was sharing a room with someone else until the other man burst out into emotional tears.

He turned to look at Zoro with a startled expression on his face before he took off the beanie and winter coat he’d been wearing.

“This,” Zoro said, gritting his teeth and finally turning to address Sanji. “This is what I have been dealing with for five fucking days.”

Sanji couldn’t help but smirk, relieved to see at least that the injury hadn’t changed Zoro’s attitude much. He set his clothing aside on a spare chair and pulled up another to sit next to Zoro’s bed. He glanced around the room, taking in how small the space was before he caught sight of the little bedside table full of gifts and cards.

“I didn’t know you had friends,” he commented, sounding bemused as he picked one up and read the standard Hallmark sentiment it contained.

“If I did, do you really think I’d be hanging out with you as much as I do?” Zoro bit out in reply.

Sanji was about to retort until he got a good look at the state Zoro was in. There was one large IV inserted into one of his arms, and a calmly beeping pulse monitor attached to his dominant hand. The bandages around his face did little to hide how tired Zoro seemed to be. His visible eye was dark-ringed and sunken, and his complexion was rather pale compared to how it usually was. They’d even taken out his safety pin earrings, effectively stripping him of his personality.

A twinge of sadness in his chest threatened to sour his mood and make him emotional, which was the last thing he wanted to do. Swallowing it down, Sanji replaced the card on the table and glanced back at Zoro.  

“Natural brunette, huh?” Sanji couldn’t help but say.

“Christ. And this is why I was glad when Nami said you didn’t want to come. Get your rocks off by kicking a guy when he’s already down?”

Sanji winced a bit inwardly, but outwardly grinned.

“You don’t look that down to me.”

And that was true, for the most part. Apart from looking like he hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep in a few days and the bandages covering his eye, Zoro looked, well, as fine as he could have been given his situation.

He’d only been physically injured, after all; it wasn’t like he was sick and recovering from that. Sanji didn’t think hospitals usually held people who’d been hurt like Zoro had for more than a day or two at most. Hell, emergency rooms didn’t even keep people for that long.

Which begged the question, “What are you still doing here?”

Zoro looked at him levelly for a moment, and then away with a shrug.

“This shit,” he said, tapping the IV that was going into his arm. “Makes me nauseous, but the anti-nausea shit makes me sick. They’ve caught me in a loop and won’t release me because they think I have the kind of money to keep paying for it all.”

“Oh.”

Frustrated, Zoro sighed. Sanji gave him a pitiable look as Duval cried out about the injustices of the show he was watching and demanded that the characters make amends. Begrudgingly, Zoro turned his attention to the TV to see what his roommate had been crying about as Sanji read another one of the cards.

“One of your students?” Sanji asked, holding up Tony’s card.

Zoro didn’t turn to look; merely nodded as Sanji took his time in appreciating the drawing. Whoever Tony was and drawn Zoro a little too tall and a little too skinny, but the angry expression on drawing was as accurate as it could’ve possibly been.

The visit was going much better for him than he’d expected it to, which filled him with an immense feeling of relief. Comforted by the feeling, Sanji replaced the card on the table just as Zoro swore loudly under his breath. Before Sanji could say or do anything to stop him, Zoro had jerked the blankets off of his bed abruptly and swung himself around so that his legs went over the non-railed side of his bed.

“What are you doing-” Sanji tried to say, completely taken aback as Zoro interrupted him.

“I’m done sitting here. You’re going to help me get out,” he growled, holding his head for a moment before looking around to give Sanji a stern look.

“What? No- how would I even begin to do that?” Sanji shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t think it’s even legal to leave before you’ve been officially discharged-”

“Shut the fuck up and close the goddamn door!” Zoro all but shouted.

“Oh my god you’re serious.”

Sanji backed out of the chair with a screech and hurriedly went to shut the door to the room before their raised voices attracted Monet’s attention. He turned back around to see Zoro struggling with trying to peel up the tape that kept the IV in his arm and shared a look of concern with Duval, who had suddenly lost interest in his show.

“You’re trying this again?” Duval asked, cocking his head to the side as Zoro finally succeeded, wincing visibly as he and pulled the needle out of his body.

“Again?” Sanji asked, somehow unsurprised as the needle was dropped to the floor.

“Shut up. Yes, again. Get my duffle bag under the bed,” Zoro ordered, ignoring the fact that he had begun to sweat with the effort of getting himself up. The nausea that had been plaguing him for the entire duration of his stay was beginning to flare up again.

“Fuck,” Sanji muttered as he crouched down so he could reach for the bag and bring it up. He set it down on the chair he’d been sitting on previously and then looked to Zoro, who had stood up with a slight wobble.

“Get my clothes out,” Zoro said, turning towards Sanji who had had to look away when he realized the hospital gown Zoro was wearing was untied and open down the back.

He tried to hide the flush from his face by busying himself with rifling through the contents of the bag, but knew from Duval’s laughter that he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“I didn’t know there was supposed to be a full moon tonight,” Duval cackled, leaning back in his bed to laugh comfortably.

“Shut the fuck up! Can’t fucking wait to be rid of you,” Zoro growled, wiping the sweat that had accumulated across his forehead away. He was more annoyed than embarrassed.

Zoro stood there stupidly for a moment, watching Sanji go through his bag before he had to sit back down on the end of his bed. He must’ve stood up too fast or something, as his head was beginning to spin, bringing the room around with it. Ignoring it as best he could, he watched as Sanji pulled out his pair of pants.

Sanji stared at the piece of clothing aghast.

“If Frankenstein had been a fashion designer instead of a mad scientist,” he said, holding the pair of pants up for Duval to see. “These would have been his monster.”

The pants in question looked as though they were made from two different pairs. There was an even split directly through the middle of the jeans going through the crotch so that one pants leg was red plaid and the other was solid black. Both legs had black patches sewn into them that advertised bands Zoro evidently liked enough to wear around.

“What’d I say about kicking a man when he’s already down?” Zoro snapped irritably, snatching the pants away from Sanji before he could find anything else about them to shit talk. “Find my shirt.”

“What, no underwear?” Sanji asked, then wished he hadn’t as Zoro began trying to stuff one of his legs into the pants.

“Don’t wear any on game days.” Zoro grunted as he struggled to work his way through the tight pants leg. “’s what jockstraps are for.”

Sanji felt his face flushing again, but thankfully it seemed as though Zoro was too preoccupied with putting his pants on to notice. He tried to force himself not to think about it too much as he continued going through the duffel bag, pulling out a thick, patched hoodie and a plain t shirt.

He politely averted his eyes as Zoro continued the struggle, grunting as he stood up briefly to adjust himself. After he finally seemed to have gotten his pants on and buttoned, Sanji handed over his shirt.

Zoro took it, but made no move to put it on. Instead he’d grown quite still, sitting back down on the side of his bed with his face screwed up in concentration.

“What? What is it?” Sanji asked, concerned as he noticed that Zoro’s complexion had become steadily greener over the duration of his visit.

“This is why he didn’t get very far the first time,” Duval said knowingly.

Zoro looked like he wanted to reply, but instead closed his eye and took a deep breath as he felt his stomach begin to want to heave.

“Take this- the fucking- take the pulse monitor off,” he said, holding out his hand towards Sanji who looked at it doubtfully.

“Won’t that just alert the nurse if you suddenly start flat-lining?”

“Fuck,” Zoro breathed out, still unwilling to open his eye. He put his hand back on his knee to steady it as his leg began to bob up and down.

Second thoughts began manifesting themselves in Sanji’s mind as he saw just how bad Zoro’s body handled the nausea that came with the pain reliving medicines he was on. Zoro looked like he would barely be able to stand, let alone walk down the hall to the elevator or even out the building.

“Maybe you should stay here,” Sanji tried to say, but went silent when Zoro’s head snapped up to glare at him deeply.

“No.” Zoro was sweating heavily at that point, and he had to wipe his face clean again. “I’m not staying here another fucking day.”

“I’ll wear it.”

Both Zoro and Sanji turned to look at Duval, who held up his hand to wave it at them. They were both confused before he clarified by saying, “The pulse monitor. I’ll wear it so she won’t know.”

“Won’t you get in trouble when they find out you duped them?” Sanji asked with a frown.

“Not if I was asleep when you slipped it on me without my knowing,” Duval replied with a grotesque wink that made both Sanji and Zoro wince.

Despite being unsure that this was the right course of action to take with Zoro in the condition he was in, Sanji helped to transfer the pulse monitor over onto Duval’s free hand. It went quickly, and no noise or other indicator was made by the machine tracking his pulse other than an inconsistent beep for a second that a swap had been made. Zoro seemed relieved by this, but his nausea was still going strong and was actively trying to gain the upper hand over him.

He had Sanji help him into his shirt and hoodie with pauses in between as he tried to keep himself from succumbing to the overbearing sensations his nausea produced. His stomach was seizing, his head was spinning, and he’d already begun to sweat through the shirt he’d just put on.

Again, Sanji was faced with doubts with what they were attempting to do.

“Help me put my boots on,” Zoro said, using all his concentration to keep his body sitting upright instead of curling over to ease the sensation.  

In any other situation, Sanji would have told him to fuck off and do it himself if he wanted to get out so damn badly, but he didn’t. Instead, he knelt down silently by Zoro’s feet and did his best with shoving them first into socks and then into his classic cherry red Docs. After he finished lacing them up, Sanji came to a stand and took a good, long hard look at Zoro.

He was still green tinged and sweaty, but appeared resolute and determined to walk out regardless. Sanji wasn’t sure he’d be able to, no matter how strongly he wanted to leave. He wanted to ask if Zoro was certain he wanted to try and go through with it, but instead asked, “Won’t the nurse recognize you if you just walk out?”

“She doesn’t care,” Duval and Zoro said at the same time.

Duval laughed, but Zoro could only smirk weakly.

“She watched him walk out the first time,” Duval said, smiling reminiscently. “Even walked with him a ways before he collapsed.”

“Okay, well, she might not, but what if someone else recognizes you? Like your doctor? You don’t exactly have what I’d call a ‘forgettable face’. Your hair alone sets you apart.”

“That’s the point,” Zoro said lamely.

“You dense motherfucker, I know that’s your whole shtick but even if we make it off the floor, I don’t think we’re going to make it out of the building if everyone recognizes and knows you’re still supposed to be hospitalized.”

Zipping up Zoro’s duffel bag, Sanji sighed and set it on the floor so he could reclaim the seat, trying to think of a solution that could work in preventing the punk from being recognized on his way out. The eye bandages that took up a third of his face were already something the staff of a hospital would notice; it would be hard enough trying to smuggle him out based on that fact alone. He could always wear his hoodie with the hood up, but given the anti-social clothing he was in, Sanji supposed that Zoro already cut too much of a foreboding figure to risk going out with the hood on.

Some self-righteous security guard or something was certain to stop them then, especially with the size of Zoro’s duffel bag that he would be carrying.

“Weren’t you wearing a hat when you came in?” Sanji looked up at Duval, who was smiling curiously at him from across the room. “Hats work well for hiding hair.”

“Shit, now you decide you want to be helpful?” Zoro said, still trying to keep himself from shaking. “It only took you a fucking week to do.”

“Well, if you leave I can finally turn the volume on for my shows and the season finale for this one comes on tonight! I’m pretty pleased to see you go, actually.”

Wordlessly, Sanji got up from his seat and grabbed his beanie that was lying atop his coat. He tossed it to Zoro, who grabbed it as it landed limply on the bed. He put it on and pulled it down, making sure his ears and forehead were covered entirely before he shot Sanji a ‘is this good enough?’ look.

“I guess that’ll work,” Sanji said, scrutinizing the way his beanie masked most of Zoro’s more recognizable features.

While Zoro didn’t look quite as conspicuous as before, the bandages on his face still stood out. There wasn’t much either of them could do about that, though, short of taking them off, which would have been a worse idea than this already was.

“Good luck, guys,” Duval said, giving the two of them the most horrific wink either of them had ever seen and which almost made Zoro throw up then and there.

Sanji retrieved his jacket and put it on hurriedly, opening the door to Zoro’s room to make sure the hall was clear before they made their attempt. Monet was still at her station, which was mercifully located at the opposite end of the hall from the elevator. They wouldn’t have to walk past her to get there, but it was in clear view of her desk; if she looked up from whatever she was doing at any point while they were moving, she’d definitely see them.

It was a risk they’d simply have to take.

Turning back around, Zoro had come to a stand and was waiting by the chair with his duffel bag on it. He was definitely paler than he had been and looked as though he’d be sick at any moment. He was swaying on his feet, and Sanji couldn’t tell if Zoro was aware of that or not.

“We’re going to have to walk fast,” Sanji said, going to grab the bag and hoist it over his shoulder so Zoro wouldn’t have to struggle with anything other than himself. He studied Zoro seriously for a moment, trying to find any last minute flaw he could to try and convince them that this was a terrible idea. He couldn’t. “Let’s go.”

Sanji led the way but quickly realized that Zoro wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the quick pace he’d set. He was already breathing fast and had a weird, disoriented glazed look about him as he followed behind. The elevator was only a hundred feet away, but it might have been a hundred feet that Zoro couldn’t walk.

His footsteps were hard and heavy as he sluggishly moved along, trying his best to concentrate solely on the effort of escaping and not letting his nausea get the better of him. He could barely even register where it was he was going, and only knew to follow after Sanji’s form. The lines on the linoleum flooring helped to guide him as he did his best to at least keep walking straight along them, but for some reason they liked to lean and curve at random points.

“We’re almost there,” Sanji said, speaking quietly as he fell back to match Zoro’s stride. “You can lean on me if you need.”

Glancing over his shoulder back to Monet’s position to make sure they were still in the clear, Sanji felt his heart sink in his chest when he saw that she was obviously watching them. She had a smirk on her face, but didn’t seem to be trying to alert anyone to Zoro’s escape. Instead, she blew Sanji a kiss and waved them goodbye.

Sanji’s heart fluttered for a moment before he felt Zoro suddenly grab hold of his arm. Startled out of his brief romantic longings, he saw that Zoro had taken him up on his offer and was now using Sanji as a support. Neither of them said anything about it as they finally reached the elevator, with Zoro breathing heavily through his nose and sweating profusely.

They thankfully only had to wait for about a minute after they pressed the down button before the elevator stopped to let them in. The only person that had been inside got off on their floor, but not before they shot a quizzical look at Zoro’s condition.

Sanji flashed them what he hoped was a reassuring smile before he hurried them onto the elevator and pressed the button to close the doors repeatedly until they obeyed. Zoro heaved a huge sigh as he shut his eye and rested back against the elevator wall, waiting to be transported down two floors. Sanji pressed the lobby button and hoped Zoro would last long enough to walk out the front of the building; the hardest part was yet to come.

There were going to be more people waiting in the hospital lobby, which meant there was more of a chance for someone who worked there to spot Zoro before they could leave. It was also a longer walk from the elevator to the sliding glass front doors, and if Zoro had struggled just to make it to the elevator in the first place, then how the hell was he going to be able to surmount that greater distance without drawing attention to himself?

One glance at the man told him that he probably couldn’t. All they could do was try.

“You can’t lean on me when we walk through the lobby,” Sanji said, adjusting the duffel bag’s strap as they descended. “It’ll be too obvious.”

“Won’t need to,” Zoro said in response, opening his eye to up at the ceiling.

He was nearly drenched in a cold sweat and had a hard time keeping his head from spinning but felt like he was getting a good handle over his nausea regardless. His stomach told him otherwise, but Zoro was certain he could keep it contained at least until they were outside and away from any prying eyes. The empty socket was throbbing now, pulsing in time with his rapid heartbeat but hadn’t yet begun to hurt. Despite the fact that it gave him debilitating nausea, the morphine at least did its job well.

“When we get outside, you wait out front off to the side somewhere and I’ll bring my car around to get you,” Sanji said, watching as the elevator counted down their floors. “I had to park in the deck. It’ll probably be easier for you to wait than to try and walk to it.”

“Fine.”

Before anything else could be said, the elevator dinged and opened to the lobby floor. There was a small crowd of people waiting to get on as the doors opened, prompting Sanji to quickly step out, hoping Zoro would keep up with him. It was obvious now that Zoro was struggling, but he managed to follow after him easily enough.

Sanji could hear the heavily labored breathing from Zoro as they slowly began to make their way towards the exit. They walked side by side, passing through the main lobby at a slow and general pace. Sweat was sliding down the sides of Zoro’s face as they progressed, but amazingly enough, he didn’t falter a single step. He kept his eye locked in a stern gaze at the doorway and focused only on moving with Sanji towards his perceived freedom as though he’d been jailed and just been released.

Perhaps due in part to the grungy clothing Zoro was wearing, Sanji noticed that as they walked through the lobby no one looked at them twice or tried to stop their progress. Zoro had a mean, deterring look about him that Sanji had noticed on the first day that they’d met, and was relieved to see that it worked on the general public as well. They made it out of the hospital without anyone trying to stop them, which was nothing short of a miracle in Sanji’s humble opinion.

Zoro sucked in a deep breath of the outside air as they moved quickly out of sight of the front desk, moving down the sidewalk several feet before the nausea finally demanded its host sit. He sat down as carefully he could on the side of the curb, resting his arms on his legs and letting his head hang down between them.

“I’ll get the car,” Sanji said, to which Zoro simply gave him a thumbs up in response.

He hurried away, hoisting the duffel bag up high onto his shoulder and disappeared down the walkway. Zoro hoped that the trick they’d pulled with Duval would buy them enough time for Sanji to pull around the car up and drive them off before anyone noticed and tried to reclaim him.

As warm as it was in the hospital, Zoro hadn’t minded being as sweaty as he was, but when the wind went by he shivered dramatically and remembered it was the middle of December. The sweat trapped two layers down against his skin had already been cold enough, but was now sticky and empowered by the chilled air.

His stomach heaved again, and this time he couldn’t stop it.

Thankful that he hadn’t eaten yet that day, all his stomach could force up was liquids. He puked hunched over with his head between his legs, his stomach coming up onto the pavement between his boots. There was a brief moment where he felt instantly better before his stomach convulsed again and started a cycle of painful dry heaving.

There was no one nearby to hear him groan as some of the pain of his eye surfaced in conjunction with the pain in his stomach. When Sanji finally pulled up, Zoro was still hunched over.

Parking as close to the curb as he could with the passenger side door closest to Zoro, Sanji got out and tried to help the injured man to his feet. At first it seemed as though Zoro didn’t want to uncurl, but after his stomach convinced him to spit up all the liquids it had left inside, he did finally come to a stand. He was trembling noticeably, but Sanji ignored it as he helped Zoro slide into the passenger seat.

Sanji didn’t badger him about buckling up as he pulled away from the hospital front, and in return Zoro didn’t have anything to say about the pop music that was playing through the car speakers. He sat with his eye closed, curled up as best he could on the car seat with his head pressed firmly against the cold window, breathing hard, yet still trying to fall asleep as Katy Perry sang to him on the ride home.

[blackleg5932]

of bad habits and good intensions, contd. ✕ @pxratehunter

At the sight that greeted him, Sanji drew in a sharp breath and held it until Zoro just casually flopped down on the couch beside him after slowly limping towards him from the door. Sanji stared at his blood-smeared body with wide eyes. He wanted to say something, yell at Zoro for being so reckless, demand to know who had managed to do this to him, but his words died in his throat that felt awfully tight, plugged with a big lump of... fear? Worry? Guilt?

Seeing the Marimo hurt was not a surprise per se. The cook did not exactly know what his roommate was up to when he sometimes vanished somewhere just to come back with a souvenir of bruises and scrapes, he did have some more than vague ideas though, none of them pleasant. But he also knew that it was not his business and he would not interfere with whatever Zoro the so-called "Pirate Hunter" was doing.

Sanji had had a feeling that Zoro was on his way to danger, when he heard him leave that morning. Seeking out trouble was some kind of hobby of the swordsman it seemed. Usually, though, he returned with a cocky grin, brimming with confidence and rarely even close to hurt as he was now.

This time Zoro looked defeated, in body and spirit. It unnerved Sanji greatly. His friend still looked tense as if he was waiting for something, probably his reaction. The blond realized that he had not even responded to that utterly ridiculously normal greeting yet, much less anything else.

Biting his lip again, Sanji let his eyes quickly roam over Zoro's figure, mapping out and categorizing the injuries he could see. There was so much blood! Most of it seemed to have streamed out of Zoro's nose though, which looked like it might be broken.

Sanji suddenly got up from the couch. "Get out of that," he ordered swiftly and gestured to Zoro's blood-soaked jacket and shirt. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

His feet carried him to the bathroom in a couple fast paces. In the mirror-cabinet he looked for the antiseptic, gauze and bandages, then he grabbed a small towel and a washcloth and filled the washbowl that he normally used for handwashing his more sensitive textiles with steaming hot water.

Carrying the medical supplies over to the living room, he put it all down on the small coffee table, pushing aside anything that was in the way. A little more forcefully than necessary Sanji pressed the off-button on the TV remote to shut off that annoying background noise.

Laying out the dressing material for easy access, he glanced at the baffled looking Marimo. "Didn't I tell you to undress? We need to clean your wounds."

The cook almost laughed at the confused and suspicious look on his friend's face who had probably expected some kind of scolding and yelling from him. But Sanji was in no fighting mood, not the ones they'd had the last couple of days.

Zoro finally did as he was told but kept a watchful gaze fixed on the cook, observing his every move like a tiger. Sanji sighed and rolled his eyes at his apparent distrust. He rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the washcloth and wet it in the hot water, wringing out the excess liquid.

On the couch Sanji scooted a bit closer to Zoro for better reach. His left hand carefully cupped Zoro's right cheek and gently forced him to move his face more towards him. When he wanted to wipe away the blood on his friend's face, Zoro grabbed his right hand in a firm grasp, stopping him mid-motion.

"I'll be careful," he promised and his eyes softened a bit. Zoro probably was in considerable pain. He still wasn't sure if his nose was actually broken, it was hard to tell with that swelling. But the amount of blood did not promise much hope.

Very tenderly he dabbed the washcloth over Zoro's lips and chin, carefully brushing his nostrils with the fabric but that was already enough to make him flinch away in reflex and growl at the cook.

Sanji tried his best to stay concentrated, which was a little difficult when he constantly felt Zoro's piercing eyes on him while in such close proximity to his face. He didn't dare to do anything about his nose, it was best to leave it be. Well, actually, it would be best to have a doctor look at it, but seeing as Zoro was not a fan of hospitals, Sanji might need to text Chopper later.

For the time being he moved on to Zoro's arms and kept cleaning the cloth inbetween clearing away the blood on his skin, relieved that the washing revealed the cuts and scrapes to be more shallow than expected.

Their silence felt tense and Sanji was aware of the fact that this was a task that Zoro could very well do on his own. Suddenly his washing of his friend's wounds felt awfully intimate and he could not keep his cheeks from turning light pink.

He tried to ignore the feeling that this situation was all ultimately his fault, decidedly not thinking how it was probably his guilt that made him more amicable to the Marimo. Instead he told himself that Zoro was probably aching all over and it was both easier and quicker for Sanji to help him instead. He was also definitely more thorough, too, knowing the idiot he hadn't even thought about disinfecting his wounds.

Sanji left the rag in the blood-muddied water when he was finished cleaning the man up, then he dabbed away the leftover moisture on the tan skin with the towel, once again careful not to irritate the wounds, a little on the ironic side, considering that his next task was to put antiseptic right onto the open skin, which would burn like a bitch.

The only warning Zoro got was that the cook held up the little bottle of disinfectant in front of his face before he started spraying it on his body and dressing up the wounds. Zoro didn't even hiss but Sanji saw the muscles in his jaw twitch under the pressure of how tight it was clenched in discomfort. Fucking idiot.

All bandaged up, with that swollen nose and the dark bruises along his arms and torso he looked almost more beaten and miserable than before. His shoulders were hunched and his posture gave off the vibe of a kicked puppy. Kicked. It was almost as if his brain wanted to torture Sanji with his guilt-tripping.

He dropped his head into his hands. God, what a time to be out of fucking cigarettes, why did he literally burn through them so fast today? Urgh, because the shitty Marimo had gotten into his fucking head. He looked up again to glare at Zoro.

"Oh for fuck's sake...." Sanji mumbled and stood up, ignoring his friend's confused expression.

"Wait." the blond growled pointing to where the other was still sitting and grinned to himself when Zoro just automatically leaned back on the couch. Truly, like a loyal dog, maybe that's the key to a better relationship with the mosshead.

He stomped off to his room, looking for his keys for a moment, and then unlocked and opened his nightstand, grabbing one of the large bottles he had kept hidden there these past days. The source of all his recent troubles.

Grinding his teeth together, Sanji was hesitant for a moment. The cook really didn't want to give in, after all he had been through and all the shit that Zoro had given him for a simple gesture of worry. But he had seen where this stubbornness of his had led to. With his roommate being an equally hardheaded fool....well, how does the saying go? The wiser head gives in.

With the bottle in hand Sanji returned to the living room, where Zoro was carefully poking at the gauze on his abs.

"Don't touch that." Zoro's head immediately snapped up to look at him. Sanji could pinpoint the very moment when his eyes fell on the bottle in his hands, his expression turning wary but otherwise unreadable.

He took another two steps forward, standing right in front of his roommate. He held his gaze while he opened the bottle, then, drinking right from the neck of it, Sanji tilted his head back, eyes closed, and took some large gulps, feeling the burn of the hard liquor trickle down his throat. It was the next best thing to a cigarette.

He had to grant Zoro this: this was definitely the good shit. The liquid immediately settled in his guts and set everything it touched aflame. With the speed with which he chugged it down, Sanji was surprised he didn't cough up half of it again and glad of it 'cause that would have been embarrassing.

When he finally separated his lips from the bottle with a plop he had downed a good thirt of it. Zoro's deathglare made way for surprise as Sanji thrust the bottle into the swordsman's hand, wiping his mouth with the back of his left hand.

He could read the question in those stupidly dark eyes and the intensity of that stare made the cook really uncomfortable. Maybe it was just the alcohol rushing to his head, he was a light-weight after all and this shit always took hold of him so fast, not that he'd ever admit it out loud, but it was an open secret to everyone he knew.

"Because you are a shitty self-destructive fucking Masochist and no matter how much I try to save you from yourself you find a way to get fucked up, so fuck you!" He answered the unspoken question, then feeling selfconscious in his stupid moment of angry honesty he mumbled "I'll get you some ice for that..." gesturing to Zoro's face, and walked over to the kitchen to get an ice-pack from the freezer.

The blood was rushing through his body, taking the alcohol through his system on a fast lane.

[sanjiafsincedayone]

Happy Birthday Sanji~!

Today it’s Sanji’s birthday!

Exactly one year ago I was in Tokyo and visited the Mugiwara Store and enjoying the Day of Sanji in the Year of Sanji.

Now, I’ve been extremely busy for the last six months and I haven’t been able to write even half of the posts I come up with in my head. But today is Sanji’s birthday and he’s my favorite anime character of all time. So, I am going to talk about my love for Sanji, and all (some of) the reasons to why he’s my favorite.

Under the cut you’ll find a lot of love and me being biased! Now on to my list of reasons to love Sanji.

Sanji is versatile.

I was considering putting down other words to describe Sanji, like cool, suave, kind, emotional, funny or even dorky. But the thing is that I love Sanji for being all these things and more. It’s the wonderful mix that makes Sanji so interesting to me. He’s not just the cool guy or the comic relief which could be so easy considering how a lot of shonen writers can sometimes get a little one dimensional with their characters. I love how Sanji can make me laugh in one second and then go to being badass the next. Of course I also love that Oda has put at least some spin on the whole pervert trope, and Sanji is by far the best written anime-perv I’ve come across. He has his moments that are really bad of course, but I still think Oda manages to handle it well most of the time. His kindness and self-sacrifical side is no joke either, and I love that Oda is highlighting it in the Whole-Cake Island arc.

This is where I could list all of Sanj’s qualities that I love so much, but I’m just going to mention a few that stand out. First, I love how he’s literally the kindest person ever, even Luffy says so. He has such a strong sense of empathy and he’s actually one of the crewmembers that worries the most. I also love his I hate you but not really attitude, it’s why his interactions with the other chefs at Baratie, Zeff and Zoro are so wonderful to watch. Sanji cares the most, but he often pretends that he doesn’t. At the same time though I am very thankful that he doesn’t have to act though all the time, he has his moments of weakness or his moments where he becomes very emotional, and it’s great that he’s not embarrassed about it.

Honestly this is a subject that I could go on talking about forever, but I kind of want to mix it with another point, so I’m moving on to reasons number 2!

Sanji is well-written.

In my own (slightly biased) opinion Sanji is one of the most well-written characters in shonen manga. Why? Because he’s so much more real than most other characters. He has good and bad sides and he has so many different qualities and as mentioned above he’s far from one dimensional. His reactions and emotions feels genuine. Sanji is a deep character, and the way Oda has written him with only little hints over the years make people want to try and understand and analyze him. I’ve read a great deal of Sanji meta, and it’s so fascinating, especially now when Oda has revealed so much more about his background.

And that is a second part for how Sanji is well-written, Oda has built his story slowly over time with only small revelations that easily can go unnoticed by the casual reader, but when actually looking we can go back to 15 years ago and find moments that Oda has written with Sanji’s background in mind. So much makes sense suddenly, the mystery surrounding him that always pulled me towards Sanji is slowly starting to unravel. It’s fascinating and captivating and it just makes me realize even more what a wonderful character Sanji truly is.

Sanji is different.

Now, again, this overlaps a bit with the previous points, but I want to put some emphasis on it. Now, Sanji is a male shonen character that stands out in a lot of ways. And honestly some of these points are some of the biggest reasons why other One Piece fans doesn’t like him, but that is their choice. Anyways, I’m talking about Sanji not being a stereotypical shonen trope. I think Oda generally writes his characters quite uniquely, but even so he too writes his characters to fit into certain molds. With Sanji I personally always liked how he wasn’t just the cool character or the designated pervert. Oda found a good balance, that makes Sanji fit in well with both joking around with Luffy, Usopp or Chopper, being a dork over Nami or Robin, having his rivalry with Zoro but also being suave or serious when it’s required of him. Maybe I’m really just biased but since the beginning I loved how Sanji broke a lot of the stereotypes of males in anime and manga. He’s allowed to be showed crying, or loosing and still remain cool and admirable. Of course I know many disagree and feel like Oda is screwing Sanji over since after the timeskip, but I really love being able to see Sanji like this, almost broken. And it’s not because I’m a sadist, but because that’s realistic, Sanji reacts to things more like a real human rather than as a hero of a shonen manga.

He breaks a lot of stereotypes, and that makes him so much more interesting. I’ve also talked about him breaking a lot of sexist stereotypes as well, meaning he has a lot of stereotypically considered “female characteristics”. Such as he cooks, he’s very emotional (cries a lot despite being written in a mostly mature way), he wears a lot of pink or otherwise flamboyant clothes/patterns, he’s strong but not muscular, etc. These are qualities not everyone likes, but I love that Oda writes it and still maintains Sanji as a “cool” male character because it could so easily have turned into something different. Again, Sanji has so many sides and combined they make him very interesting and unique.

Sanji’s fights.

I loved Sanji’s fighting style even before he entered the series even from just watching that small clip of him in the first opening. It’s just a really great fighting style to watch! Kicking, and also having the no hands policy is so great to me. Because even though Sanji is limiting himself I just personally find his style really cool. He’s agile and moves a lot when he fights, and there is a lot of diversity in his moves despite him basically only using his legs. I think Oda makes some really awesome panels for Sanji fighting, and the anime usually makes it even cooler. Sanji’s finishing kick against Kuroobi was probably the first time in One Piece I really loved a specific move, and that fight still holds a special place in my One Piece heart.

Seeing Sanji fight with knifes was another big highlight for me, and a surprise. That is something I love too, because who would suspect that Sanji could do those things? Or that he could lit himself on fire? I love the surprises, and that Sanji fights using both strength, speed and brains. Sanji’s fights are always different and very fun to watch. And added bonus for Sanji usually delivering some nice one-liners. I am looking forwards to what he’ll do now when the final climax of Whole Cake Island draws near.

Sanji’s design.

I know this is very shallow of me, but way before I even knew One Piece and even when I knew it but hadn’t started watching it yet (because it was so long and looked kinda weird) Sanji was already my favorite. I didn’t know him, but I loved his design even when he was just the blond guy from One Piece. Through the years this has not changed, even though I obviously don’t love all Oda’s outfits for him. But either way Sanji is just very pleasing to look at, and he also seems to be one of the straw hats that changes his clothes the most, so that’s also fun.

Sanji’s voice.

It’s no secret, but Hiroaki Hirata is amazing! He’s also one of my favorite seiyuu of all time, if not my absolute favorite. He’s just a great voice actor and even before I watched One Piece I was in love with his voice. Hiroaki Hirata is actually (as I’ve talked about before) one of the main reasons I even started to watch One Piece to begin with. The voice acting is one of the great reasons to not only read the manga but also see the anime, and Sanji’s voice is just another great part of his character. It’s also pretty awesome how active and funny Hiroaki Hirota is, and he’s the only seiyuu I bother to even follow on twitter. Anyway, I’ve already talked and gushed about Hiroaki Hirata plenty of times before, but just know that I am just as in love with Sanji’s voice as I am with his character.

Sanji’s background.

Again we come back to Oda being a good writer. I know this is just opinion, but for me One Piece really took off after Baratie and Arlong Park, that’s when I started to love it and got really invested in the story. A big part of that was Sanji’s introduction and the way the whole Baratie arc was handled, it’s when things started to get bigger and the world of One Piece started to build properly. But back to Sanji, because his background story with Zeff on the island is such a good little story. But it was also a little bit weird, because it just began in the middle, and it had Sanji fans (including me) speculating for years about how he even ended up on the Orbit in the first place. Who is Sanji really? His story about starving and his debt to Zeff was wonderful and also it’s so fundamental to Sanji’s character, but even so there was always something kind of missing. Sanji’s past truly shaped him, and he seems to be the one strawhat that is still the most affected by his past. I loved Sanji and Zeff together and how their story was told, and after getting additional snippets recently, I just love it even more.

Speaking of recently there is of course the fact that Oda has dedicated a whole arc to add onto Sanji’s background story, and revealing more about him than possibly any other member besides Luffy. This was such a welcome surprise, and it shows how much Oda truly loves Sanji. I think that Zou and Whole Cake Island has been great arcs, and the reveals about Sanji’s character has been so good. Of course I don’t love everything, but it all just makes so much sense. When looking back at Sanji now I feel like I can understand him better than ever. It’s also great to see a person like Sanji still being able to be as good of a person as he is despite his past. He’s such a strong character with a great heart, and I love Oda for letting us all know just how his story began.

Sanji’s bonds and interactions.

Now I love all the strawhats and their bonds with each other, but since Sanji is my number one I can’t help but pay extra attention to his bonds with the rest of the crew. Just in the last few months we’ve gotten so many great moments between Sanji and Luffy and Oda has showed just how strong their bond is. I love it, and since Sanji is such a versatile character he can fit into pretty much any group on the ship. He can be one of the dorks with Luffy and Usopp, he can be one of the pervs with Brook (and Franky?), he can be strategic/serious with Nami and Robin, he can be an older brother (or father) figure for Chopper and basically just go from both being part of a serious or an unserious group depending on what’s happening. He’s levelheaded but also very emotional and has a huge range of emotions, thus he can relate to and understand most of his crewmembers really well. I especially love his bonds with Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Usopp, but that’s just because in general these five are more developed together. Either way, Sanji fits into so many groups on their ship and it’s lovely to see. His undeniable bond with Zoro is amazing and truly fascinating to follow. It’s all also very fun to watch. Basically I just love Sanji interacting with people in general… His bond with Gin was also great to see, and of course the same goes for Zeff. And also now his complicated relationships with his blood family, all new territory with Sanji-bonds to explore and I’m loving it.

Sanji’s dream.

I like Sanji’s dream a lot because it’s very romantic and in a way very naïve. It’s a child’s dream almost (actually it is, since he got it when he was a child), just like Luffy wanting to find the One Piece. No one knows if it even exists and they’ll get laughed at for even talking about it, yet they dream on. I also love that it’s not about achievement, it’s more a dream than a goal. I also like that it’s connected to the sea as well as him being a chef. Sanji is the one crewmember I most closely think of as a sailor, and having a dream like his about All Blue is very fitting with the sailors’ romance for the sea.

So this has been me ranting about Sanji, what else is new? But really, I think that Sanji is a wonderful character that Oda has put a lot of effort into. Today is Sanji’s birthday and I must say that the latest chapter was yet another great gift from Oda. Keep up the good work, I’ll keep loving Sanji and probably keep falling even harder for this lovely cook as time goes on. Thanks for reading~! And sorry for this being mostly just me ranting.

Happy Birthday Sanji-kun! And also, congrats about the nice SaNami you got from Oda in the latest chapter. A proposal huh? (god I love delusional Sanji) What a nice birthday gift. ;)