ZoSan: The Flower

Chapter 24 - Sanji

Sanji hadn't noticed the injury. He'd noticed the swordsman being a little slower in the water, sure, but he'd attributed it to the flower still taking up residence in the other's lungs. He'd thought little of the blood on Zoro's clothes, since blood was an occupational hazard of piracy, especially for swordsmen. But when Zoro peeled away the top half of the outfit he wore and raised his arm so Chopper could clean and bandage it, Sanji had felt like time had stopped in the worst way.

It's not the worst you've seen him injured, a little voice in his mind reminded him. And it was right. The cut wasn't deep or long, as if Zoro had missed most of it. Zoro would survive it easily. Unless...

There was something wrong about it, something that jarred against his internal alarms. It took a minute to identify, but years of chef's training kicked in.

The smell was off. It wasn't just blood, something else was mixed in.

"Chopper, wait..." Sanji called to him, sniffing the blood that had been left on his own hand after he'd grabbed Zoro as if to confirm. "There's poison. They must've dipped the blade they used." It was a cheap trick, one that made Sanji's hair just about stand on end. Is that how desperate the marines are to catch us? Resorting to dirty tricks? The part that scared him the most was that it had almost worked.

Chopper sniffed at the wound, too. "Shit." The young doctor rarely cursed, but living among pirates may have been corrupting him. "Good catch, I almost missed it." Chopper began undoing the half done bandages. "Grab one of the general antidotes in my bag for me, will you Sanji?"

Sanji nodded and quickly found the labeled vial. He offered it to Zoro, who knocked it back with a grimace as Chopper applied a topical version onto the cut. Zoro let out a hiss, and Sanji could tell he was trying not to glare at the doctor. After rinsing the blood off his own hand, Sanji sat on the swordsman's uninjured side and grabbed his free hand.

"So? How'd they manage to land a hit on you in such an easy fight?" Sanji asked, voice light, almost teasing. He didn't feel like keeping it light, but he did it anyways.

Zoro glared at him, even as he squeezed his hand, but didn't answer.

"That's okay, I can guess. Let's see... You took a wrong turn and lost track of where the battle was?"

"Like that'd ever happen, idiot."

Sanji could see it though, as easily as the mosshead got lost. But to his credit, he could usually find the skirmish, perhaps too well. "Then they said or did something that impressed you so much you gave them one free shot?" Sanji asked, faking a laugh he didn't feel.

"... I just got distracted for a bit."

Distracted? Zoro had gotten distracted? Mister Eight-thousand-reps-of-every-weight-exercise-known? "What? How? Did they offer you sake or something?"

"Just leave it, cook," Zoro answered, the faintest hint of a blush on his face.

Oh. He'd gotten distracted by... Sanji.

"Done!" Chopper announced. "Give me a full twenty-four hours of no exercising, at least. I think I got the poison out and off, but if I missed any, moving too much could spread it around and make it harder for your body to fight."

Zoro did glare at the reindeer then. "It's not like I'd give in to a tiny bit of poison, Chopper."

Chopper held his gaze firmly. "Your body needs to heal. Twenty four hours, or I will put you on full bed rest. And have Luffy sit on you."

The stare off continued for about another 30 seconds before Zoro finally turned away. "Fine."

"Well, I'd better get moving on lunch," Sanji said, pulling his hand away from the swordsman's so he could get up. To his surprise, Zoro not only stood up with him, but followed him to the kitchen door. "Where are you going?"

"I'd like to watch you work your magic. Is that okay?"

Magic, huh? If he was honest, he kinda missed the Zoro who fought him about everything, even if he kinda liked this version that was so gentle and open with his compliments. "Sure it won't be too distracting?"

"Shut up, shit-cook! You could've just said no," Zoro turned red as he spun on his heel and began moving down the hall.

Sanji grabbed his elbow, pulling him back and pushing him against the wall by the shoulders, almost like he was ready to fight. "Oi. You're not a coward. Don't run." He stared into that gray eye, watching the faint, lingering traces of disappointment turn into anger, then curiosity, and found himself smirking just a little. "Which is it, Zoro? Is my cooking magic or shitty? You keep saying contradictory things." Even he wasn't sure where this was coming from. He didn't even really care about the answer to the question so much. He just found himself wanting to kiss those lips again.

Zoro seemed to be having similar thoughts, because Sanji watched that gray eye darting to his own lips, even as the swordsman managed to stutter out. "If I say magic again, your head'll get so big that it might mess up the ship, so I don't think I'll answer, curly-brows."

The smirk drooped slightly. Curly-brows. Not the name he wanted, not standing this close. But he also wasn't sure he could handle Zoro saying his name right now. And did he really need an answer, with Zoro suddenly looking a little hot and bothered, pinned to a wall when he could easily move Sanji away?

Sanji was suddenly and acutely aware of everything. The cool, still air of the otherwise empty hallway. The way Zoro watched him, pink tinting both their faces. The way Zoro smelled of steel and sweat and metal polish and disinfectant. The muscled shoulders underneath his own hands that, despite what Sanji had said when asking for a massage, probably actually could break him. The potential for someone to walk by at any moment. And most of all, how close he now stood to Zoro.

"Can... can I kiss you?" Sanji found himself asking.

In answer, Zoro's hands found their way to Sanji's neck, a thumb trailing against his stubbly chin along the way. He pulled Sanji's head forward gently and their lips met. It was slow, with a gentleness that somehow still conveyed passion. A mixture of wanting to take it further and wanting to do it right. And when Zoro's teeth nibbled softly at the corner of Sanji's mouth and that tongue ran gently along his lips, he found himself opening them. He found his hands going to the other's waist, like he couldn't do anything more than just hold on as Zoro kissed him thoroughly, lovingly.

And then Zoro pulled back from his lips, just barely, so they were still breathing the same air, and touched their foreheads together. "I was beginning to think you'd never ask... Sanji."

Sanji couldn't stop himself from letting out a breathless giggle at the sound of his own name. "I'm supposed to be getting lunch ready," He said softly, still almost nose to nose with the other.

"I could help," Zoro offered.

Sanji considered it. "Now I might be the one distracted. That's dangerous in the kitchen. But I do still owe you about twenty-five minutes for today. How about you take a nap and we can...talk, more after lunch?"

Zoro smiled, but pulled back obediently. "Okay. See you at lunch, cook."

"Yeah," Sanji responded weakly. Once the swordsman had left, he touched his lips, still feeling the sensation that lingered there.