ZoSan: The Flower

Chapter 20 - Sanji

He was in the most beautiful ocean in the world. It might've been the All Blue, for all he could tell. The water was certainly the bluest he'd ever seen, even this far down, and crystal clear. Beautiful corals and fish and exotic seaweed were all around him. He was close enough to see the light that shimmered down from the surface and the shadow of a ship that he instinctively knew was the Thousand Sunny. But he couldn't get up to that surface. He was running out of air. Drowning. Fish swam around him, undisturbed by his flailing attempts at surfacing. A current caught him, sweeping him off balance and he felt himself going down...

Sanji groaned as he hit the floor, suddenly awake. Drowning, huh? He barely remembered the dream already. Well, it wasn't the worst nightmare in his mind's arsenal. He hadn't woken up shivering and shaking, at least. Just rolling out of bed, apparently.

He stood and stretched stiff muscles, getting most of them to loosen up, but his neck and shoulders remained tight despite his best efforts. He groaned as he remembered the state he had left the kitchen in the night before, which did not help the emotional turmoil his mind still latched onto. He dressed and made his way to the galley...

... only to find it spectacularly clean. Maybe even better than he did on a usual basis. Every plate, cup, pan and knife were cleaned and polished and in their correct places. The floor had been painstakingly swept and mopped, the counters cleaned and organized. The cabinets and the top of the fridge had even been dusted. Sanji felt like he needed to pick his jaw up off the floor. There was even a small vase out with a single flower — a tangerine blossom, most likely from Nami-san's trees.

It took a moment or two, but Sanji managed to collect his thoughts enough to start cooking breakfast, though he almost felt bad making another mess in the pristine kitchen. He'd ask his crewmates who he had to thank as they came in.

It wasn't long before the smell of food began tempting in his nakama. Nami was first, half-asleep as she slumped against the counter with a "Mornin'." Robin was there minutes after, looking much more awake than the other woman.

"Good morning, sweet, beautiful ladies! I hope you slept well! Breakfast will be ready soon." Sanji chirped cheerfully. "Was it perhaps one or both of you that cleaned up for me last night?"

Nami barely managed to shake her head. Robin mirrored the motion, but added words. "No, sorry Sanji-kun. Perhaps we should've, but we were somewhat distracted." Then, because of course she was more observant than Sanji, she pointed to the vase with the flower in it. "Perhaps that letter there tells who gets the credit for it?"

And there was, in fact, a letter pinned to the counter by the vase. Sanji pulled it gently, questioningly free and unfolded it.

       'Sanji,
Sorry for what happened at dinner.
I know I still owe you a better apology than this.
Z 
P.S. - Thanks for the sake.'

At the bottom of the page, there was a tiny winking face drawn next to a rough wine glass.

"Zoro?" Sanji didn't realize he'd spoken the name out loud, his tone one of wonderment. Nor did he realize that he'd gone red again, or that there was a soft smile on his face. Zoro had done this? For him?

Nami had sat up when she heard Sanji say the name, a gleam in her eyes, but Robin placed a slim finger to her own lips without Sanji noticing. Sanji snapped back to himself enough to tuck the letter in his pocket next to his lighter. He turned back to the breakfast in time to keep it from burning, allowing himself to sink into the rhythms of what he was doing. Some part of him felt like he should be talking to the ladies at the counter — it was a rare enough opportunity when a meal was almost ready and Luffy wasn't on his back shouting for food. But his mind was on the clean kitchen and the short letter in his pocket.

He vaguely heard others enter the galley and absentmindedly offered a greeting without turning to see who it was, plating the food as he did. Even when Luffy did finally enter, Sanji's distracted smile didn't fade as he reminded the captain to sit and wait. Finally the last dish was done and he turned to serve the nearly full table with a cheerful smile that was usually reserved for only the ladies or the best days.

Zoro was quietly still waking up at one end of the table, and Usopp had saved Sanji a seat nearer to the other, which made it easier for Sanji to join the conversation as it began to pick up. But his eye met the swordsman's once about mid-meal and Sanji mouthed a single word, hoping the others weren't looking: 'Forgiven.'

The marimo seemed to breathe a relieved sigh as he gave a tiny smile in return.

The meal finished soon and everyone began to split off to their different directions — everyone except Sanji, Zoro, and Robin. Robin and Zoro both seemed to be waiting for the other to leave, which made Sanji feel a little nervous. He could guess what Zoro wanted to talk about, but what Robin wanted was a mystery, as usual.

"Sorry, Zoro-kun, may I have a moment to talk with Sanji-kun?" Robin finally asked.

Zoro hesitantly nodded and began heading out.

"Marimo," Sanji called, stopping the other at the door. "We can talk in the crow's nest in a bit, if that's okay?"

Zoro nodded again, not even glancing back at the other as he silently left the galley.

"What's going on, Robin-chwan?" Sanji asked as he rolled up his sleeves and began washing the new round of dishes. "How can I help?"

Robin moved next to him and grabbed a couple towels, clearly offering to dry."Actually, I wanted to apologize. I think we contributed to your discomfort last night, which we shouldn't have done. I know that as new and strange as this is for us, it's a thousand times stranger for you."

"It's sweet of you to worry about me, Robin-chan," Sanji said, handing her a couple dishes to dry. She was one of the few on the crew whose drying skills could keep up with his well-practiced washing speed, since she could dry multiple at once when she used her powers, as she did now. She also could put the dishes away simultaneously, which was hugely helpful.

"I was also wondering if you needed someone to help. Or at least someone to listen. You're not one to talk about your problems — or anything too deep or too personal to you, really — but, well, yesterday it seemed you were struggling. Although this morning you do seem better."

Sanji grimaced, wishing he'd lit a cigarette before this conversation, but he kept his voice light. "I think I was just tired, is all," Sanji grinned at her. "Since that idiot has no sense of direction, I had to get us back the whole way, so I didn't get a nap like he did. But don't worry about me. I can work through this, especially with you and Nami-swan supporting me!"

Robin gave him a gentle smile. "I have no doubt on that matter. But if you need someone to vent to, or to bounce thoughts off of, I'll be all ears. Literally, if that's what you need," she paused her drying to jokingly grow a few extra ears along her arms. "And I'd be glad to help however I can. Not everything has to be handled alone." The ears disappeared and the drying resumed.

The cook wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so they worked in silence for a few more minutes, making short work of the stack of dishes. As they put them back in their places, Robin finally spoke again. "Thank you for bringing him back. Our crew is better with all of us together again." She patted the blond on the shoulder and then left.