ZoSan: The Flower

Chapter 14 - Zoro

When Zoro woke again, the sun was up and the sea was bright. Probably around 10:00, he estimated. He was moving to sit up, unconsciously reaching for his swords, when he noticed something.

Sanji was humming.

If Zoro had spent more time watching Sanji cook, this might not have surprised him as much, since Sanji often hummed or even sang while he cooked. But Zoro didn't feel comfortable in the kitchen, so the humming was new to him. And beautiful. Though he didn't recognize the tune, Zoro found himself too enthralled to risk drawing Sanji's attention to himself by moving...

... until the damned flower in his chest ruined it by deciding it was time for another coughing fit. He hacked another flower into the water, then stole a swig from the now almost empty canteen that Sanji had brought. "I hate the way that feels," he complained when Sanji looked back at him, concerned. "But I'm fine. Don't worry," he tried to reassure the blond.

"Why would I worry about you, marimo?" Sanji answered, letting himself fall into old rhythms. But it was spoken softer than usual.

"Well, you did say something before about me being your 'best friend'?" Zoro poked the other's shoulder jokingly as he climbed back over the seat. The Thousand Sunny was in sight now, though just barely, and as glad as he was to be going home, there was a trace of nervousness in him, too.

"I'm sure I said no such thing. Who'd be friends with moss like you?" Sanji managed to make the phrase snap a little more, but it didn't have the bite that their fights had before. Zoro realized that Sanji was worried, despite his protests. Worried that Zoro was too weak to fight like they normally did. He didn't realize that Zoro was already feeling stronger, or that he'd always only fought him to get those blue eyes on him.

Zoro smirked, leaning his head back and supporting it with his hands."The same Ero-cook who'd, apparently, steal a boat from his own crew's ship to come after me?"

"Ugh, don't remind me! Still not ready to face their wrath for that," Sanji groaned.

Zoro cleared his throat before carefully saying something that had been hovering around the edges of his mind for a while."Sanji? We, um, should probably talk about what we're going to say to them when we get on board."

Sanji nodded like he'd been thinking it too. "Yeah. Probably should."

But he left it there, and Zoro noticed uncertainty back on the other man's face."What are you comfortable telling them? I told you before, I won't push. We can tell them the bare minimum and ask them not to intrude too much while we figure it out, if that would help?"

Sanji's fingers twitched towards his coat pocket, as if seeking another cigarette. "That sounds... reasonable. How would you define the 'bare minimum'?"

Suddenly Zoro wished that he was a smoker and had a cigarette, too. Or that Sanji had brought a couple bottles of booze. Anything to take the edge off. "Well... I'll have to tell them how I feel about you, I suppose." That was really more nerve-wracking of a thought than he'd like. "And, I guess, that you're willing to try? But that we're still figuring it out, obviously."

When the blond remained silent, Zoro sighed and offered a different answer. "If you'd prefer, we could always make up a lie? For example, we could say that one of Chopper's remedies worked to push back the flower, just slowly, so that I didn't notice it until everyone'd left on the Sunny, and then I was too lost to find my way back until you found me. You'd be the hero of the hour, and while some of them might suspect otherwise, we wouldn't have to tell them. Would that make you more comfortable?"

"You'd admit to being lost for my comfort?" Sanji faced forward, not looking at Zoro.

Zoro wanted to move the curtain of hair back so he could read the expression on the other's face, and quite frankly, it was taking all of his willpower not to. "It'd be a lie, so sure."

"That'd be a fairly believable lie." Sanji considered it for a minute, then shook his head. "They'd figure out that it was a lie eventually and be hurt that we didn't trust them with the truth. It would just be harder on them that way."

"So truth, then?"

"Bare minimum of truth, but yes," conceded Sanji. "But they are never going to let us live this down, you know that, yeah?"

"Eh. They might eventually. When something more embarrassing comes up." It was overly optimistic, Zoro knew. The story of how two bitter rivals left the ship at different times and came back as ... well, something more, would probably be entertainment at banquets and parties until long after they died. 

But so close to home, with the wind in his hair and Sanji beside him, not hating him... Zoro couldn't be inclined to care much.