ZoSan: The Flower

Chapter 37 - Zoro

Zoro sighed, but let the blond disentangle himself. Sanji grabbed the last three trays and was gone in a flash, not seeing Zoro unrepentantly grab one of the stronger bottles of sake.

Zoro didn't join the banquet that night, other than for long enough to grab a small plate of food. Instead, he listened to the muted cacophony from the relative quiet of the dorm room, sipping on sake until he finally felt sleep encroaching.

When he woke up, the ship was quiet again, but still dark. Half the beds in the dorm were empty, though Zoro knew from experience their occupants would be snoring away on deck. Sanji was sleeping properly though, and Zoro chanced a light touch to that blond hair before leaving the dorm.

Well, can't work out for a while after today. Might as well do it now. He'd have to keep it to the quieter exercises, but that was nothing. The rope path up to the crow's nest was wet, though Zoro couldn't tell if it was rain or dew. Not that it mattered. The ropes were easy enough to climb anyways.

He stepped up into his little gym, deciding which exercise to start with when he saw a piece of paper and a glass of water on one of the small side tables.

Z,

Torao said you should stay hydrated, and that sake you grabbed won't help.

I'll see you soon.

S

P.S. - Don't overwork yourself. You'll need that energy to heal!

Zoro smiled and chugged the lukewarm water that Sanji must've set out before he'd gone to bed. It seemed Sanji knew him pretty well, after all. 

He set his weights and began to swing. For nearly three hours, he swung and pushed and kicked until he was sweaty, achy, and gross, but feeling the rush of endorphins that he enjoyed. He took a quick shower, mostly for the sake of Chopper's sensitive nose. Wouldn't do for one of the doctors to pass out during surgery.

Once he was done and dressed, he made his way to the bustling kitchen. Most of Law's crew either hadn't woken yet or were eating on their own ship, but a few extra faces still mixed with the familiar, looking pretty hungover. Sanji dished out plate after plate of scrambled eggs and bacon and pancakes. Zoro waved and nodded to those who noticed him, making his way to the cook.

"Thanks," he said, not bothering to specify what for as he leaned against an unused bit of counter space. Sanji nodded, hands moving too frantically to be bothered with eye contact. "Do you need help?"

"Yeah. Um, flip that batch of pancakes for me?"

Zoro grabbed a flat spatula and began. They probably weren't quick, perfect flips like Sanji's practiced hands did, but he got them all turned over before the underside looked too dark. He checked the first one he flipped, but it didn't have that same golden color Sanji's would, so he laid it back down.

His arm brushed Sanji's as the cook began flipping bacon. Zoro knew that he was actually helping when he heard soft humming from the cook, barely audible over the sizzling of bacon. A smile formed on his own face as he checked the first pancake's progress and found it to be the right color. He began to move it to the waiting tray, but Sanji touched his hand with his own bandaged one.

"Not yet. One more minute, or they'll go flat."

Sanji must have been running multiple timers in his head while he worked. Zoro nodded, not showing how impressed he was, and dutifully counted to sixty seconds, before removing the pancakes in the order he'd flipped them and stacking them on the tray. Once they were all there, he set the tray on the counter that was being used as a buffet line. A few seconds later, Sanji set down another tray of bacon and eggs.

"What next?" Zoro asked.

"Nothing. That's the last batch they'll get this morning. If they're still hungry after that, they better go into town and get us some more ingredients," Sanji answered with a smile, leaning against the same bit of counter Zoro had moments ago. "Thanks for your help."

"You looked busy. Is it always like that? I could talk to Luffy about finding an assistant cook for you, if you want?" Zoro found a bit of wall next to Sanji to lean on, letting his hand hang free, just in case Sanji wanted to discreetly hold it.

"He's the only reason it's ever that bad," Sanji laughed, lighting a cigarette before, to Zoro's delight, taking the silently offered hand. "He decided that he wanted pancakes today — but only after gulping down enough eggs and bacon for a dozen normal people! Most of the time, I can handle it. But having to be careful with this," Sanji held up his other hand, the bandaged one, "slowed me down just a little."

"Shouldn't you go eat?"

"Maybe later."

"Feeling ok?"

"Yeah. Just enjoying the moment." The words were accompanied by a little squeeze to Zoro's hand.

"It is a nice moment. Except, since Chopper's almost done with breakfast, I'm guessing either he or Law is going to ruin it momentarily, dragging me off to get this damn flower finally cut out."

Sanji smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "That does seem like a possibility."

It was Zoro's turn to squeeze the hand in his. "Is it too much to ask that yours is the first face I see when I wake up?"

"No," Sanji said softly, stretching just a little to press a soft kiss to the other's cheek. "I'll be there."

"Good, don't make me wake up to... aw, hell."

A blue bubble was expanding into the galley, and Zoro let go of the other's hand regretfully, knowing what was coming. A pop later, and where Zoro had stood was now a paper that just said 'Surgery time' with a drawing of the weird smile that served as the symbol for the Heart Pirates. Chopper had also disappeared, with a similar note in place.

No more than thirty feet away, they both appeared on the upper deck of the Polar Tang, right in front of Trafalgar Law as he lowered his hand.

"Ehh! What just happened?" Chopper panicked, syrup still on his chin.

Zoro shook his head. "He 'shambled' us onto his ship, doc, that's all. Check your chin." Turning to the taller doctor he added. "You could've just called and I would've come over of my own accord. Only would've taken like a minute longer."

Law gave that little smirk. "I thought your captain encouraged having fun?"

"Don't use me for your own entertainment," Zoro snapped. But he wasn't really all that bothered. Law's words yesterday had eased the admittedly one-sided tension between them, and the teleportation had saved him a few steps. And it wasn't like it had hurt. It just felt weird.

Sanji came running out on the deck of the Sunny, waving a paper and shouting. "Really, Torao?! Don't just steal our crew without warning like that!"

Law waved over his shoulder even as he began leading the way below decks. "You'll get to see 'em both in about two hours, Blackleg-ya! Be near Mugiwara-ya around that time, ok?"

Zoro gave the blond on the other deck one last smile before following Law and Chopper down to Law's well-prepared operating room.

"Zoro, we've already talked about the procedure in detail, but do you have any final questions?" Chopper asked, pulling on a gown and gloves.

Zoro changed quickly into the paper-thin pants he was offered by one of Law's underlings, and lay on the cold table. "Nah. Let's just get it done. You will let Sanji get here before I wake up, as agreed, right?" That was all he cared about, seeing Sanji at the end of it. He'd barely understood Chopper's dumbed-down explanation of the procedure when he'd heard it a day and a half ago, he wasn't going to ask for the full technical explanation. It would just make him more nervous, which would worry or panic Chopper. So he kept his face unconcerned, like this was an everyday occurrence.

"Sanji first, then everyone else, like you asked," Law assured. "When you're ready, put this on."

The proffered gas mask didn't look very comfortable, but Zoro took it anyway and put it on, breathing deeply a few times as ordered.

Law spoke quietly. "You should be out in 10... 9... 8... 7...."

Whatever was in there must have been potent stuff. Zoro didn't hear the rest of the countdown.