#inspired by HelloHarubo's on Twitter

[thewaywardbirdsnest]

Long Distance

Zoro could fall asleep anywhere. On the floor, in the car, on a couch in the middle of a crowded party - anywhere, anytime.

So why, then, was he still awake at this late hour, tossing and turning? It was like an itch under his skin that he just couldn’t seem to rid himself of. He had tried adjusting the thermostat, turning over the pillows, removing the duvet and then putting it back on, five different sleeping positions, a white noise app. Nothing was helping. The bed felt too big, he had concluded, which was weird because there wasn’t anything special about the mattress in his London hotel room. Just your run-of-the-mill queen-sized hotel bed, perfectly suitable for someone of Zoro’s size. Yet somehow he still felt like it was too… wait a minute…

“Fuck!” Zoro cursed, flopping onto his back and letting his head bounce off the plush pillow. He let out a long, anguished sigh. “Shit…”

He reached over to flip on the bedside lamp and grab his laptop. A few clicks, a couple rings, and then…

“Hey you! Didn’t think I’d hear from you tonight. It’s gotta be… what, one in the morning where you are? Everything okay?”

Zoro felt something in his chest unknot just seeing the curly-browed bastard on his screen. He could have said something sweet, something like “I missed you”, but what came out was: “You’ve ruined me.”

Sanji frowned, the toothpick he was using to keep his oral fixation in check drooping.

“Pardon?” he asked, giving Zoro a chance to redeem himself.

“I can’t sleep,” Zoro tried again, “because the bed’s too big because you’re not in it with me.”

Sanji’s features immediately softened, his mouth pulled into a sad little half-smile. “I miss you too, baby.”

“Tch…” Zoro looked away, hoping the dim lighting of the room wouldn’t catch the blush he could feel creeping into his cheeks. How could he just say things like that? Zoro still wasn’t used to it. Might never get used to it. But he had to admit (to himself, if no one else) that it felt nice to hear.

“So,” Sanji prompted him, “what can I do to help?”

Zoro sighed heavily and shifted the laptop onto the bed so he could lay down on his side. “I dunno…”

“Hmm…” Sanji hummed thoughtfully as he got up off the couch. “Well, tell you what, I was about to make some dinner. How ‘bout I set my phone up on the counter so we can hang out until you get sleepy?”

“‘Kay,” Zoro agreed, adjusting his pillow.

“Alright, gimme a second.”

Once he had set up the phone at an angle where Zoro could watch him without it being in his way, Sanji got to work. Zoro asked him to talk about what he was making and he was happy for an excuse to ramble about the dish in detail. At first, Zoro prompted him with little questioning noises now and then, but it wasn’t long before his eyelids began to feel heavy.

They lapsed into comfortable silence filled by the sounds of sizzling onions, knives on cutting boards and Sanji humming some tune Zoro vaguely recognized from one of the jazz records Sanji would occasionally throw on while cooking. It felt cozy and familiar, a little piece of home even while he was an ocean away from his partner.

Before he knew it, Zoro was drifting off to sleep. On the edges of his consciousness, he just barely heard an affectionate chuckle and the words “g’night, marimo” before he finally slipped into a deep sleep.

When he woke to his alarm clock the next morning, he was surprised to see the video chat was still open on his laptop.

Sanji was curled up on his side in bed, fast asleep. Zoro ran a finger over the screen, tracing the curve of Sanji’s cheek. “G’night, curly,” he whispered before closing his laptop and getting up to start his day.

Just two more sleeps. Two more sleeps and he’d be home with him…