A tear drop away

It's... special

Sanji woke in the boys room, wrapped up in Zoro's blanket... Zoro's blanket... Zoro's hammock.... Zoro's blanket..... HOLY SHIT. He shot up in place but the hammock flipped over and he landed flat on his face. Sanji rolled onto his back and huffed a little. Zoro's blanket.... Zoro never let anyone touch his blanket. Not even Luffy. He sat up, the blanket still tangled around his legs. He struggled for a little while to get out of the blanket when the door opened, spewing light into the room.

"Love cook?" It was Zoro, his deep voice echoing through the usually warm but now cold room. 

"Moss head." Sanji muttered, still struggling with the blanket, silently cursing under his breath. He stopped and slumped down on the floor, puffed.

He lifted his head and blinks slowly before suddenly leaping halfway across the room, leaving that damn blanket behind. If you opened your eyes and saw Zoro standing above you and staring you dead in the eyes, you would too. 

First thing Zoro did was crouch down and pick up his blanket. He placed it carefully back on his hammock, whispering something to himself before slowly turning to face Sanji. He walked over and held out a hand to help him up, his face for some reason slightly grim. Sanji takes his hand and Zoro hoists him up.

Zoro turned away and wandered back over to his bed, leaving Sanji. Sanji felt his heart sink. He bowed his head and crept across to the bathroom, crouching down on the floor. He pressed a little button on the bottom of the counter and a small hatch in the bathroom ceiling opened up. Franky built that in so that the steam from the shower wouldn't peel the paint on the ceiling but Sanji uses it for when he has a smoke. 

He pulled his siggie box and places a cigarette between his teeth, lighting it. after a couple puffs he pulls it away with two fingers and taps the ash down the drain. He stops, thinking for a moment. Thinking about that glare Zoro gave him when he helped him, thinking back to... to... no.... no.... that didn't.... that happened.

Sanji remembered. Remembered everything. Everything that happened yesturday. The look of absolute disgust on Zoro's face when he found him. It felt just like-

~*~

He ran the burns under cold water, flinching at the feeling. He stared at his shoulder from the mirror, at all the tiny circular burn marks that trailed along it. He honestly had no idea why he did this to himself. All he knows is it's his fault. It's his fault the strawhats had to go to wholecake for him. Because he did something dumb. Because he was imperfect. He has to punish himself for putting all these special, useful people in danger. It's all his fault. 

He stepped out from the bathroom, pulling his sleeve back down over his shoulder in the process but not in time for Zoro to not notice. Sanji froze. He hadn't expected Zoro to still be in here and by the look of it he didn't expect Sanji to still be in the bathroom. But that was at the back of his mind.

Zoro lay on his hammock, curled up in his blanket and was... crying...???? Zoro leapt up of the hammock and stepped towards Sanji.

"Cook... what the fuck was that?" Zoro asked quietly, reaching his hand out to touch Sanji's sleeve. Sanji flinches and lowered his view to the floor. 

"It's nothing." Sanji whispered.

Zoro scoffed, "Obviously not, these look like burns." Zoro began to lift his sleeve a little but Sanji jerked his shoulder away,

"Fuck of Marimo! It's none of your damn business!" He shouted, clamping his hand around his shoulder which he deeply regretted as a shock of pain burst through his body. He pressed back the tears and glared up at Zoro. Sanji paused, just staring up at Zoro. Was he... crying?

"Why would you do that you shitty cook?!" He shouted.

Sanji lowered his hand from his shoulder and bowed his head. "I deserved it." He muttered. He looked up at Zoro again to see his hand reaching over toward Sanji's shoulder again. Zoro's rough hands pulled Sanji's sleeve up to reveal all the little circular burns.

"Was this from your cigs?" Zoro's question, so simple yet so powerful, echoed around Sanji's mind. Sanji thought for a minute before nodding slowly. Suddenly, Zoro was gone, his warmth leaving Sanji cold. Zoro had walked back over to his hammock. His blanket had fallen out.

"What's with that blanket? You cherish it like your swords and that's saying something." Sanji asked, whispering, stepping over a pile of whatever the fuck Usopp was playing with earlier.

"It's... special."

~*~

Hello friends! Hope you're all well! Sorry I haven't written in a while. Just went off this account for a little while. Thank you to skvrwiel for the suggestion! I hope it was to your satisfaction! Have a great day everyone!

~Jesse