ZoSan: The Flower

Chapter 17 - Zoro

Zoro liked to think he was great at self-control. He'd trained endlessly to strengthen his mind and body and spirit.

And yet Sanji could damn near undo him with an awkward, blushy stare and a whispered challenge. Suddenly he was trying to pretend he wasn't half-hard and didn't want to yank the blond into a passionate kiss and more, present other company be damned.

The brief fantasy made his chest tighten into another coughing spell. He jumped up from the table and ran to the sink, finally getting another bud out. He washed it down the drain and rinsed his mouth with a bit of water. When he returned to his seat, everyone except Luffy had paused their eating to look at him with concern.

And that's why I tried to keep it a secret before....

He waved off their concern as if nothing had happened, trying not to show the embarrassment he felt at being the center of attention. Conversation and eating resumed after a minute, and Zoro picked up the wine glass Sanji had given him, swirling it gently as he looked the cook dead in the eye.

He wants me to be classy? He has no idea what I can do when pushed. Zoro had trained with Mihawk, after all, who preferred wine to sake. He straightened in his chair, then sniffed the wine, as he'd seen the others do. Then he took a sip, letting the flavors settle on his tongue. He wasn't an expert on wines, but he was no stranger to them, either.

"It's good," he told Sanji, surprised to find that his words were genuine. It wasn't sake, sure, and would take barrels to help with the reason he usually drank (which may have had something to do with a certain cook and a certain part of himself that... behaved itself better ... when he had alcohol in him, but he was going to take that information to the grave.) But it really was good. Better than anything Mihawk had served, which said a lot. "The bouquet was so mellow I thought it'd be too sweet for me, but there's a nice tangy aftertaste."

Sanji's face went slack (as had half the other faces at the table), which would've been good enough for Zoro, who was now resisting the urge to smirk triumphantly.

"Glad you like it," Sanji replied with a slow, surprised, blushy grin as though Zoro had complimented the cook himself instead of his choice of wine. "Try it with the lamb."

Zoro laughed. "Don't tell me what to do, curly," he responded, making sure to keep any anger or challenge from his voice. But despite the echo of their old fights, he took a bite of the lamb. It was perfect, of course, as all the meals Sanji cooked were, and when he followed it up with another sip of wine, he nearly melted at the way the flavors blended.

The others, much further into their plates, had begun praising Sanji for another excellent meal amidst whatever other conversations they'd been having. And Sanji thanked them, as usual, even pulling out his heart-eyed noodle-dance to the ladies. Zoro couldn't even bring himself to be jealous at that, not after their talk on the boat.

Especially when Sanji's eyes kept drifting his direction throughout the rest of the dinner. Zoro couldn't tell if Sanji was checking him out — coming down shirtless may have been a very intentional choice to see Sanji's reaction — or waiting for his approval of the meal. So Zoro kept eating, a little slower than he normally did, making sure to take occasional careful sips of the wine as he went. He watched Sanji's face as the wine slowly disappeared from the glass. With the last sip, he made eye contact and gently licked a lingering drop off the edge of the glass. When he finished (and was sure he no longer had a problem down there), he stood to take his plate and wine glass to the sink.

"Thanks, Sanji. It was delicious, as usual," he said, placing a hand on the chef's shoulder briefly as he passed him on the way to the door. A final backward glance at him as he left showed a blush on the other's face again, and Zoro found himself inordinately pleased with that reaction.

So involved was the swordsman in his teasing little act, that he didn't even notice the stunned silence that had fallen on his crewmates, even the exuberant captain, for the second time that night.

A/N: This ones a little shorter, so decided not to make you wait too long for it. So yay, double update?