#pandora's box of random strings of sentences that did not survive

[prophecydungeon]

gimme 19 for blood of the covenant (eyes emoji)

19. While editing, did you kill any darlings? What are they?

ok let's crack open a cold one with the boys, there's almost 1400 words in my doc that got cut from TBotC so here's stands out as i'm looking through it now:

For one horrible second Sanji thinks that Zoro is angling for a kiss and he thinks no, not like this, not while talking about this, but then Zoro pins him to his chest with one arm around Sanji’s shoulders and the other around Sanji’s waist and Sanji heaves in an obvious, shuddering inhale because this is almost worse. Zoro smells like sea air and the familiar metal tang of his swords and the Ringo district’s distinct flavor of soba broth and all Sanji can do is go limp in the hold, his cheek rubbing against sweaty cotton. “Do it back,” Zoro mutters against his ear, and slides a hand up to the nape of Sanji’s neck. Sanji exhales – just as shaky as the inhale – and listens to him outside of a fight for once in his god damn life, just this once; he twists his spine so that he can suitably wrap his arms around Zoro in turn, and he can’t hunch in on himself like this so he curls into Zoro instead and Zoro just silently lets him. Zoro slides fingertips over the edge of his collar and murmurs, “Luffy knew you’d come back.” “And you?” “I knew you’d do what you thought you had to.” Zoro’s palm strokes slowly back down Sanji’s spine. He wants to break out of this hold; he wants Zoro to wrap himself around Sanji the way Luffy can, tight enough to suffocate. “You don’t have to keep trying to throw yourself away for us.” (there's a break here in my document; i think whatever had lived here ended up staying in the cliffside convo.) Sanji doesn’t know what to say to that. Can’t say anything to that. There’s a pitched war happening in his chest: one side that screams with the righteousness of the wronged and knows that Zoro’s words are the truth, and the other side, dark like tar, that knows he should always be first in line when it comes to stepping between the crew and anything that might harm them because there’s nothing else he’s good for. At best a wall. “I don’t,” Sanji starts, just to say something, but his voice is strangled and there’s nowhere for the words to go. He thinks his hands might be shaking, twisted into the still-sweaty back of Zoro’s yukata. Zoro pulls back; gently, incongruously gently, arms still keeping Sanji hopelessly pinned.  “You’re our crewmate. Luffy loves you.” There’s something wondrous unfolding before Sanji’s eyes: he’d always thought Zoro to be ruthlessly straightforward and self-assured, uniquely incapable of feeling shame or embarrassment, but here he is an inch away from Sanji with a bloom of red spreading across his cheeks that has nothing to do with exertion or arousal. “We all love you.” “I know,” Sanji whispers back, dazed by the growing flush on Zoro’s face. The moment is teetering on the edge of ruin; Sanji can feel the glee overtaking the awe like a tidal wave, all wrapped up in the terrible rush of this entire conversation. “You’re so embarrassed—” “Shut up,” Zoro snarls, and finally shoves him away, and while Sanji mourns the quiet contact he can’t deny that it feels so good to be back on familiar footing as he shoves right back and they scuffle with each other, fists and heels mean.

this one was a bit too squishy-soft to keep, but i still like it. i managed to wrangle sanji into saying something similar in situs inversus - "hold me like a person, you bastard" - which scratched the itch for me. i like the idea of them both needing reminders to Perform Affection Normally.

i liked this little bit, too:

Sanji wonders for a split second if Zoro is angling for something, but there's no heavy press of lips or breath to the back of his neck. What Zoro wants is simply touch; Sanji doesn't know if he's seeking or offering it. For another split second, Sanji weighs whether he wants to angle for something himself, to tip his head back and let his mouth speak without words. It's tempting for that split second: it'd be one way to take his mind somewhere else.

the very first scene was going to be a little more Touchy but i changed it up in favor of zoro (correctly!) assuming sanji wouldn't want any full-body contact so immediately on the heels of waking up Out Of Sorts.

and this one!

Luffy’s torso has drooped entirely out of his bunk to curl into Usopp’s side and they snore in tandem, the sight comical enough to bring a smile to Sanji’s lips. Zoro leans over to echo what Sanji had done earlier; his still-pink fingers brush Usopp’s hair away from Luffy’s nose, the motion absent-minded and automatic.

i think you said it in a Comint but yeah luffy is everyone's lil lucky rabbit's foot. always worth ruffling his hair or fixing the blanket or giving him a hug.