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Long after the battle, he’d awoken to a tearful Chopper rushing over to check on him, thankful to see him conscious. Wrapped in carefully applied bandages, he reached out to give the doctor a soft pat on the head.
After getting the all clear, he’d quickly joined in with the efforts for the celebration, lending a hand where he was needing to help with the feast.
The marimo had made an appearance an hour or so later, those strong arms wrapping around him from behind as a head came to rest on his shoulder.
“Nice of you to join us.”
“I’m starving.”
He smiled.
“I came prepared for that.”
Reaching down, he picked up a bento box he’d made earlier and handed it to the swordsman.
“I could only find plums so that’s your filling.”
This didn’t seem to be an issue for Zoro however who, without wasting a breath, had the lid off and was already taking a bite into one of the onigiri inside.
“Mmmm, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Looking around, he was happy to find that everyone was working their way through their second or third helping from the banquet table, content and smiling as they followed it up with sake.
His job here was done.
“What are you having?” The mosshead asked around a cheek full of rice.
“I’ve already eaten.” He lied.
His husband seemed to immediately know this was false as a knowing look followed.
“Get some food.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Doesn’t matter, you need to eat.”
His stomach really didn’t feel up for it though, especially not after the revelations he’d discovered while fighting Queen, and the subsequent conversation he’d had with Zoro.
The scents of the food were doing nothing more than ruining his appetite rather than enticing it.
“There’s plenty of food left, if you’re worried that you’re going to eat someone else’s portion, no one’s going to go hungry with the amount still left on those tables.”
He sighed.
“Hey…” A calloused hand came to gently take his cheek, tilted his head so that their gaze met. “Talk to me, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know how to explain it.” He answered honestly.
“You wanna’ go somewhere private?”
He nodded.
“Okay.”
Sat beneath the sakura trees by the cliffs, he was huddled up against his husband’s chest.
Zoro hadn’t said a word to try and force anything out of him since they’d sat down, the swordsman clearly happy to wait until he was ready to speak.
The thoughtfulness brought a smile to his face.
How had he gotten so lucky?
“The truth is.” He spoke up. “I’ve had an eating disorder since I was a little kid, and sometimes it’s okay and I can eat normally, and sometimes it flares real bad and it makes me not want to eat anything at all.”
The mosshead’s arms wrapped around him softly.
"Were you starved back in Germa?"
He shook his head.
"I ate like, well... a Prince."
The marimo stayed quiet.
"It made me picky, and it annoyed the hell out of the guys on The Orbit." He took a breath. "Not long after that, the old geezer and I washed up onto that outcrop, and even though I tried to make the food last, I never could have predicted how long we would be out there."
His hand shook a little as he craved a cigarette.
"Starvation hit quick after that, and I couldn't eat anything at all after we were rescued. The hospital forced me to eat, and it made me hate food."
He traced the design on his husband’s kimono with his finger.
"I co-owned the Baratie, but I still barely ate. The crew always used to tease me for being a shrimp, but my growth had stunted from the starvation, and I was already anorexic even back then. Jiji didn't realise for a while, but when did, he promoted me from Chore Boy to Sous Chef, much to the annoyance of Carne. At the time I thought it was just because he needed the help, but looking back now, he wanted me to see that the pantry was full, and deliveries were regular, and that even if for some reason they didn't arrive we could always just head to the market on the island. He knew I needed food security without me having to say a word."
He smiled.
"Jiji always had me taste my dishes as I made them, but he never forced me to eat anything I didn't want to. At first it was hard, and the food we cooked was so rich it would make me sick, but as time went on, I began to eat the food I made. Granted it was only a tiny portion, but I was proud of myself all the same."
Zoro smiled too.
“And after that, my disorder was manageable.”
“Your old man loves you so much, Curly.”
He nodded.
“I know, I owe a lot to him.”
The mosshead leant down and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Thank you for listening.”
Zoro interlinked their fingers and offered a soft squeeze of reassurance.
“I’m always here for that.”
“I know, that’s one of the reasons why I love you so much.”
His husband smirked.
“You’d think you’d been drinking with how soppy you’re getting.” He teased.
“You’ve caught me at an introspective moment.”
Fireworks began to explode over the water in the distance to the cheers of the Wano population.
“Things are gonna’ be very different from here on out, we’re big time now.”
“I know.” Zoro nodded. “Our Captain’s an Emperor… that’s still mind blowing to me.”
“It was inevitable, Luffy’s determination is god tier.” He smirked.
“The Wings of the Pirate King.” His husband quoted.
His eyes widened a little.
“So you heard about that, huh?”
“Not a bad title.”
“Well actually, Robin said I was one of the wings of the Pirate King, she never mentioned you.” He teased with a chuckle.
“Who else is it going to be?”
“God Usopp?”
His husband shot him a look.
He burst out laughing.
Zoro’s arms tightened around him as he pulled him close against his chest, stealing another kiss.
“I want this moment to last forever, this feeling of doing the impossible.”
“We’re on Luffy’s crew, there is still a lot of impossible we have yet to break down.”
The marimo grinned.
“Still, it’s nice.”
“Yeah… it is.”
Reaching out, he grabbed a grape from the bunch and popped it in his mouth.
“They can manage without us for a little while longer, right?”
His husband smiled.
“Yeah, they can.”
And by sunrise the next morning, they were still in that same spot amongst the sakura.