ZoSan: The Flower

Chapter 31 - Zoro

"Sorry. My bad. I misinterpreted. I should've known that wasn't what you meant. Don't leave?" Zoro was really going to need to get his mind out of the gutter. He was so ready to rock Sanji's world and he had entirely too many ideas on how exactly he could do that, but he knew Sanji wasn't anywhere near that point. Might never be, even if he did seem to enjoy kissing Zoro. "I'm sorry I keep messing up."

Sanji's face was still red, but he took a step back towards Zoro, squeezing back on the hand that had grabbed his. "... It's new, right?" He repeated the words Zoro had said before, and all Zoro could do was nod.

"You're the first person I've loved like this," Zoro admitted quietly.

"The first?" Sanji asked, moving past him without letting go of Zoro's hand, effectively pulling the other towards the couch. "You've never fallen in love before me?" Sanji sat, giving a little tug on Zoro's hand.

Zoro took the hint and sat, not disconnecting their hands even as he looked away from the blond. "No. For a long time, I thought I wasn't interested in romance, actually. I had my dream and my swords, what else did I need?"

"So what was it about me?"

Something about the curiosity in Sanji's voice made Zoro finally give in and look at him. That visible blue eye was gentle, curious without assuming. Kind. As Sanji had always been. "Your strength, at least at first. Not only your physical strength and fighting prowess, but your strength of character. And your cooking," Zoro managed a teasing wink, even though he was pretty sure his face was flushing. "And then it was your kindness. The way you fought. That determined look you get on your face sometimes. The way your laugh seems to light up your face. And before I knew it, I found myself thinking that the skinny, self-absorbed jerk I'd seen at the Baratie..." Zoro reached his free hand up to the other's face and gently moved the curtain of hair from in front of the other blue eye, pleased to find him blushing all the way to his ears."...was the most beautiful man in the world."

"Geez. You say such embarrassing things, Marimo," Sanji pulled his face back from Zoro's hand, his hair falling back into place. Then he twisted in his seat, pulling Zoro's arm over his shoulder and leaning his back against him. "How can you say all that with such a stoic face?" One of those long legs shifted to rest on the couch.

Zoro smiled, delighted to have the blond snuggled up against him like this. "You asked. Besides, it's no more embarrassing than the way you act around girls, curly-brow." He had to fight not to let the hand that was draped over Sanji start exploring the blond's chest and shoulder.

"I guess you'd prefer I don't do that anymore..."

"... If you choose to continue this, at least toning it down would be appreciated. I understand your viewpoint on it now, so I won't ask you to stop it entirely. But it has always made me just a little jealous, even after I realized there was something superficial about it." Zoro sighed. "But Sanji, I want to be sure you understand that I will back off if that's your choice. I won't lash out or let it affect the crew. Won't ask a single thing of you that I wouldn't ask of Luffy or the others. If you don't want this, we can go back to just being nakama with no fallout. I promise."

"You're so sure I'm going to reject you, even when we're sitting like this... Hasn't any part of that moss-brain in there realized that maybe I'm beginning to enjoy this?" Sanji twisted against Zoro just a little, intertwining his fingers with Zoro's own as he did so that his own arm was across his chest. "It's embarrassing, but... it's been kinda nice to be so... well,... loved."

Zoro examined the face that was trying to look up at him. There was something in that eye besides the soft affection. Something wistful. No, that wasn't quite right. Maybe closer to apprehensive. Not quite fear or worry, but.... Zoro couldn't quite place it. "So why do you look like something's wrong?"

Sanji turned back away, but stayed in place. "Just thinking that if you die on that table, I will have to find a way to bring you back just so I can kill you again for being stupid."

"I'm not stupid, stupid. And I'm not gonna die, not with two of the best doctors in the known world, Chopper and Law, performing the surgery. I didn't die from the first one, and it wasn't even successful," Zoro chuckled, reaching to rub his thumb reassuringly along the side of Sanji's hand. "I've got a good feeling about this one. Besides, I promised I would try to win you over, no matter how long it takes, right? So I've got more reason to live than before. Nothing's gonna take me down."

"Am I allowed to be there? To wait for you to wake up after?"

Zoro shifted just enough to wrap both his arms around the cook, who gave a tiny sigh as he did so. "Of course. Do you want to be the only one? Or with whoever else of the crew wants to come?"

"With the crew is fine."

Zoro nodded, seeing the hesitation on the blond's face, the request he couldn't bring himself to say. So Zoro made a mental note to let Chopper know to let Sanji in first. To give them a minute of wakefulness alone before the other Strawhats came in.

He looked down at the blond in his arms. He still looked... small, somehow. He was clearly comfortable, but there was still some sort of tension. "Was there something else bothering you?"

"It's nothing...," Sanji answered, a little too quickly. Before Zoro could call him on it, though, he continued. "At least, nothing I want to talk about right now. Maybe someday. But for now, let's just enjoy this moment, ok?"

"Ok." Zoro was going to hate not knowing what that meant, but it didn't matter. Not right now "So, tell me, what is it about the All Blue that makes you so excited to find it?"

And with that, Sanji launched into the happiest rant Zoro had ever seen from anyone except Luffy. Zoro was more than content to listen to the blond's voice in silence. They sat like that, just talking for almost two hours, until a voice from below caused Sanji to remember that he did, in fact, have responsibilities.

"I want MEEEEEEEEAAAAAAT!"

Like cooking dinner.

A/N: A second chapter today because I was feeling generous!