Chapter Text
With one hand splayed readily over the blade at his hip, Zoro ducked low beneath a fallen tree; he dropped to a knee to assess the area. His senses filled with the fresh decay of wood, the rich acidic aroma of detritus beneath his boots, and the faint breeze worming its way through the dense forest brought with it the scent of ammonia.
The pheasant was close…
Ears pricking up at the distant ruffling of feathers that he’d been tracking for the past couple minutes, Zoro eased out from under the tree. He kept low to the ground. Skirting a couple bramble bushes until getting close enough to spot the large, plump pheasant perched on a low branch; her body blended in spectacularly against the trunk, but her distinct blue head was impossible to miss.
Gently lifting the clasp on the sheath, Zoro flipped the stiff leather up to slip his hand around the hilt of his favored dagger. He slipped the hardened steel free, then turned it over until it settled right. With practised ease, Zoro whipped the blade across the clearing with nearly silent precision.
It pegged the bird cleanly in the throat – embedded deep – killing her instantly, but not before a garbled wheeze was punched out. The bird fell from the tree. Plummeting to the ground in a flurry of limp feathers before hitting the ground with a dense thud.
Zoro stood with a triumphant grunt, “Heh.”
No longer worried about making noise, Zoro tramped through the undergrowth and made his way to the pheasant that lay dead on the ground. He scooped it up, then tugged his blade free. Slipping the pheasant's neck between a free loop of leather – an added tug to keep it snug – he then dropped the game to hang limp at his thigh.
With the bird secured, Zoro finally glanced around for a sign of the tiefling he’d been with, but she was nowhere in sight—and he’d wandered far enough that he could no longer catch her scent.
Zoro grimaced.
She was going to be furious…
Wiping the residual blood from his knife and sheathing it, Zoro glanced around before confidently heading off in the direction he was certain he’d come from. The other empty loops of worn leather knocked against the back of his thighs and splayed with a hypnotic rhythm as he walked. Occasionally bumping against the pheasant as Zoro made his way loudly through the forest with the occasional call to his companion.
“Nami!!”
Nothing…
After a few minutes of walking, Zoro caught the scent of something else in the forest; the stench of feathers, but the distinct lack of ammonia. His hand immediately fell to his sword this time. Hand poised readily on the hilt at the prospect of running into something that might consider him a meal…
Proceeding forward with an exhilarated caution – he was itching for a fight – Zoro slowly rounded a large thicket of trees to find a modest clearing—and in the center was something large snarred by a net in the trees. The trap looked old – judging from the discoloration and rotting of the ropes it had been abandoned for some time – but still it had managed to trap…
Something.
Zoro squinted up at the large mass of feathers – a lot of them – but it looked like a man—a naked man.
An angel?
It felt a little like a trap, but they were completely alone. The air was clean too. Not a soul nearby except for himself—and this snarred creature. Whether it was an angel, harpy, or something unknown, it didn’t feel like a threat.
“Oi,” Zoro barked up.
No reply – likely unconscious despite the sickly pallor insinuating death – but Zoro couldn’t detect a whiff of putrifaction. He decided to cut the creature down. At the very least to give him a modicum of modesty before seeing what he could do to help him.
Zoro once again slipped his favoured dagger free.
Flipping the knife around in his hand, Zoro tossed it twice until it rested how he liked, then flicked it toward the tree to sever the rope and embed deep in the trunk. The rope snapped upon being freed—and the net immediately unfolded and dropped to the ground in a tangled heap.
The creature, however, was still in the air—and had begun to fall unnaturally slow.
It was like a slowing spell had been cast on it as – despite the obvious weight to it given its size and wings – it didn’t react the same to air and gravity. Zoro stepped beneath with his arms extended to catch it. And watched – patiently – as the creature eventually plopped gently into his arms. Far too delicately for such a high fall, but with just enough force that Zoro’s body flexed under the sudden load.
The second Zoro’s hands touched bare skin, the full weight of the creature suddenly seemed to appear—and Zoro’s body jerked momentarily at the weird sensation and dense weight.
Gravity finally affected the creature too as he slumped back limp as the pheasant currently hanging from Zoro’s belt. The head lolling back to expose a long, elegant line of its throat. And its arms and wings drooped just as loosely.
It appeared to be a man – at least anatomically – except for the markedly out of the ordinary enormous pair of wings protruding from his back; both were just as lax as the unconscious creature, the ends trailing in the dirt as they sprawled out behind him.
And he was cold…
Zoro would assume he was dead if not for the notable scent of fresh seasalt that indicated life.
As Zoro continued to hold the unconscious creature, he could already feel a warmth returning to him with every passing second. The pale skin steadily regained a healthy flush. That hair that previously held the texture of dry grass was now glowing like spun gold. Even those wings that had moments before been splayed out on the ground proceeded to ruffle up into a delightfully fluffy plumage.
Another few seconds ticked by before Zoro could feel consciousness return to the creature; his head snapped up and his eyes flicked open with a slurred – foreign – language, “[Where’m—?]”
Zoro frowned.
It didn’t sound like Sylvan, but it wasn’t a language he had even heard…
Maybe it was an angel…
“[Woah!]” Wings flaring up in surprise, the creature finally noticed Zoro – and his position – with a quick glance down before back up with a wary expression, “[Oh, lovely. A fuckin’ orc…]”
Zoro blinked in confusion, “What?”
The creature sighed, then murmured something clearly regretful, “[I hate when they’re stupid…]”
“You, uh…” Zoro grimaced. “You okay?”
“[Yeah, keep talkin’ like I understand you,]” the creature drawled. “[Please.]”
Zoro was beginning to sense a bit of attitude.
“[Well, let’s get this over with,]” the creature sighed again, then reached out. Hot, burning skin of the creature’s forearms brushing against his chest as arms slithered up to loop securely at Zoro’s nape. The sudden motion had Zoro jumping. Glancing at each offending hand in turn, before back at the creature that was now staring at him with an unsettling intensity, “[Here comes the smoulder.]”
“Wha—”
Trailing off, Zoro found himself weirdly drawn in by the creature’s eyes; the blue reminded him of the sky on a cloudless day, but exceedingly more alive—they danced like winter fire and river rapids. Hypnotic and captivating. Sucking him in like a whirlpool. Only with a blink did Zoro manage to break the spell long enough to tear his gaze away with a disconcerted shake of his head.
There was something magical about this creature beyond the mundane—and more than ever he was convinced it might actually be an angel. He’d heard stories about their divine presence. And there was some sort of unsettling allure about this thing that made it hard to look away…
The creature murmured something sultry that had a chill skittering up Zoro’s spine, “[No need to be shy.]”
Keeping his head turned away just enough to keep the creature in his peripheral, Zoro watched nervously as the creature’s intentions had obviously shifted. The behaviour was suddenly demanding. And Zoro could tell he wasn’t going to like where this was headed…
“Uh,” Zoro eloquently began.
An attempt to pull back a little had the creature's arms flexing to keep himself close, so Zoro tried letting go to see if that would encourage it to stand, but it just hung unperturbed. Legs curled playfully up with the ankles crossed coquettishly.
Deciding to be a bit more forceful, Zoro slipped his hands between them and tried to shove the creature away, but it just clung tighter. The further the fey leaned in; the more Zoro attempted to pull away. Until Zoro’s gaze was nearly skyward and the creature’s face was nuzzled against his throat. Zoro took a step while attempting to slip his head free, but his heel caught on a root—and he went down in a flurry of feathers and pheasants.
“Fuckin’...” Zoro sighed up at the sky.
The creature ended up on top of him.
“[You’re a stubborn one, I’ll give ya that,]” Annoyingly persistent, but at the very least not violent, the angel began tugging at his jacket with a purr, “[But I promise I’ll make it quick so we can both get on with our day…]”
Zoro wrangled an elbow beneath himself to push himself up—only to come face to face with the man again. The creature was crawling over him. A hand slipped between the thick furs of his jacket to splay across his bare chest while baring down on him with that hungry expression that was unsettling.
Zoro’s free hand reached for his sword.
Fingers curling around the hilt when Nami’s confused voice cut through the din, “What’re you—” before turning irate, “What in the nine hells?”
“Nami,” Zoro called out warily. His head turned away, but his gaze remained on the winged creature. Raising his voice to call out, “It’s lookin’ at me weird.”
A muted crackle of forest debris sung under her footfalls as the tiefling neared and asked, “Is that a fucking angel?”
“I dunno,” Zoro grumbled. “It was caught in that trap, so I cut him down.”
At the very least, Nami’s approach caused the angel to pause in his attack. He eased back to sit comfortably on Zoro’s stomach while observing the approaching tiefling. He flicked a gracious hand at her, “[Pleased to make your acquaintance.]”
“Well, he’s certainly friendly,” she titled her head to the side while her tail flicked curiously to the other. She waved, “Hi.”
“Hi, [my demon beauty~]” the angel mimicked with a charming grin. Before gushing in a clearly simpering voice. “[While the barrier of language may keep us apart, your beauty transcends every plane.]”
Zoro couldn’t understand a word, but something in his gut told him it was stupid…
“Can you understand it?”
“No,” she mused, “Usopp or Viv might though. Probably elvish or sylvan...”
“[Ah, she’s pretty,]” the angel sighed before turning back to Zoro with a dry look, “[Too bad she didn’t catch me. Instead of your ugly mug…]”
“Why did you touch it?”
“I thought he was dead,” Zoro grumbled.
“Cause nothing bad has ever happened from touching a dead fey—or celestial,” Nami drawled with exaggerated eye roll. “Even children know not to—next you’re gonna tell me a dryad could con a kiss out of you.”
“What was I supposed to do?”
“Leave it?” Nami muttered. “You said it was on the verge of death anyway…”
And the crew liked to say Zoro was a jerk…
“Can’t I just…” Zoro grumbled. “I dunno—kill it now?”
“Sure,” Nami drawled with a playful flick of her tail. “Kill it—I’ve always wanted to see someone get cursed with my own two eyes.”
The creature glanced back and forth while they conversed with a dry mutter, “[Great. This is going to end up as a detour, isn’t it…]”
Zoro scowled.
“C’mon,” Nami tilted her head to indicate she was leaving. “It’s clearly not letting you go—let’s go back to camp and figure out what to do.”
Gathering the angel up in his arms, Zoro clamoured back to his feet, retrieved his knife, then followed the tiefling through the woods—and back to camp…
~X~
“[Can’t help but feel like you’re over complicating thisssssss,]” the creature sighed with a drawn out hum. “[We coulda just done this in the woods and gone our separate ways…]”
Bundled in Zoro’s spare cloak for a modicum of modesty, the creature muttered something in that foreign language; even without understanding a word Zoro could tell he was exasperated. Although about what Zoro couldn’t fathom as Zoro was the one currently carrying the stubborn thing.
Zoro glanced down at the muttering creature, “What?”
The creature arched a brow, but neither understood each other, “[What?]”
Zoro huffed and continued walking.
“[However, I will say…]” the creature leaned back comfortably in Zoro’s arms. Legs and arms draped with a hedonistic lethargy, “[After all that flying, it is kinda nice being carried.]”
It was apparent that the creature was enjoying himself a bit, and as he stretched languidly in Zoro’s arms, the cloak began to slip open to once again expose the nether region. Zoro quickly adjusted his arms to fix it even while an uncomfortable blush began to pinch his pointed ears. Quite frankly, Zoro was less concerned with the nudity and more so the statement it would make upon their return; he didn’t feel like walking into the camp with a naked creature in his arms to explain.
“Not too afflicted with false modesty,” Nami snickered, “Is he?”
“Har, har,” Zoro gritted.
As they neared camp – twilight was beginning to fall – Zoro could see that the crew had already started a modest campfire. Usopp and Luffy had gathered a bunch of firewood, and Vivi – their client – had started on dinner—the pot of thick soup steaming happily while awaiting the game Zoro and Nami had gone to hunt.
Upon their approach, everyone glanced over, Usopp greeting first before realizing they had gained an additional member, “Hey, you’re back, we—”
“WOAH!”
Vivi stared, “Is… that an angel?!”
“We don’t know what he is,” Nami informed, but sent Zoro a smirk, “but he’s Zoro’s new pet. Won’t let go of him.”
“[Oh, great, more of you, I…]” The creature muttered something, then lit up at the sight of Vivi; he flicked a hand in ostentatious greeting to her and a flirtatious croon, “[Nevermind—pleasure to meet such a lovely creature~]”
Vivi blinked as she stood, “Oh, he’s bubbly…”
“That’s certainly a word for him,” Zoro grumbled. As everyone gathered around to get a closer look, Zoro bounced the creature in his arms before glancing between the two elves – moon and sun, respectively – hopefully, “Can either of you understand him?”
“No, sorry,” Usopp glanced at Zoro apologetically. “It doesn’t sound like he’s speaking Sylvan, but even then I'm not great at it.”
“It’s not Celestial either,” Vivi mused. “Odd.”
“Great,” Zoro sighed.
Luffy appeared over Zoro’s shoulder to peer at the creature, “Do angels poop?”
“Don't be gross,” Usopp admonished. “And no, they don't—they don’t eat. Or sleep either.”
“Then he ain’t one,” Zoro drawled. “He was unconscious when I found him.”
“Unconscious…” Vivi murmured while walking around Zoro – and the creature – to get a proper look at him. She clasped her hand thoughtfully over her mouth, “He certainly looks like an angel, but there is something off about him…”
Nami stepped up beside the elf, “What’re you thinking?”
“Well…” Vivi murmured. “He could be a halfbreed of some kind. It would explain the appearance, and the… other qualities.”
“Part harpy maybe?”
“Look at those eyebrows,” Usopp waved a hand at the creature, “My bets on fey.”
“Do fey poop?”
“Shut up, Luffy!”
It was then Vivi noticed Zoro’s jacket—and the creature’s bare feet, “Where’s his clothes?”
“Didn’t have any,” Zoro grumbled.
“Oh, he was naked?” Vivi glanced at Usopp, “Definitely a fey.”
Usopp nodded sagely.
“I don't care what he is,” Zoro interjected while shaking the creature, “Help me get rid of him!”
“We are,” Nami drawled at Zoro. “If we figure out what he is, then we can figure out how to appease him. If you're touch bonded, then there’s gonna be a counterspell.”
“Touch pacts are more common with fey.”
“What fey have feathered wings though?”
As the three devolved into theorizing, Luffy popped up on Zoro’s other shoulder to peer close at the creature, “Hey, I’m Luffy—I’m going to become King of the Pirates.”
Zoro rolled his eye at the kid.
The creature leaned back a bit with a humoured mutter, “[Well, hi, there.]”
Vivi finally glanced up at Zoro, “You certainly found something fascinating.”
“Well, I’m glad you are all enjoying yourselves,” Zoro drawled. And began to walk off to his tent, “I’m gonna get him dressed.”
“Have fun!”
“Bite me!”
Leaving the crew around the campfire, Zoro made his way back to his tent – thankful he’d set up the shelter prior to going out to hunt – and shouldered through the hanging doorflap. Solitude brought a modicum of relief as Zoro released an exhausted sigh; the heavy canvas of the wall tent fell closed behind them. Gathering any mental faculties that he could muster before eventually turning to address the parasite he’d managed to catch.
“[Oh, okay,]” the creature grinned, then hopped out of Zoro’s arms, “[Privacy. Got it. Works for me.]”
Zoro muffled a sigh of relief, but it was short lived.
Feet finding the ground, the creature turned as the cloak dropped heavily at his feet. And was now – once again – standing unabashedly naked in front of Zoro with a smirk, “[Let’s get this over with.]”
Zoro very pointedly did not look down.
“I’ll…” Zoro waved absently towards his rucksack. “Clothes?”
The creature snagged Zoro’s wrist.
A little stunned by how bold the creature was, Zoro just stood – numbly – as his other wrist was grabbed in the same fashion. The sensuous touch left Zoro feeling itchy rather than aroused. Encircling and lifting, then grabbing the backs of his hands to haul them forward to plant on the creature’s chest.
The creature looked at him expectantly.
“Um…” Zoro grunted dumbly.
An encouraging squeeze from the creature was a silent invitation for Zoro to act, but sexually, he felt nothing. Zoro could appreciate the athletic prowess of the creature. However, that was about all he’d ever been interested in…
Looking down at where the creature had forced his hands, Zoro couldn’t deny that the body was nice—perfect even. The muscles were dense for how lean the creature was. His chest was especially swollen, but Zoro supposed the wings likely added to his broad upper torso.
He was warm too.
It felt like holding a ray of sunlight in the palm of his hand.
However, none of this detracted from the very disconcerting fact that the creature was forcing his hands there in hopes of something more. He could feel the pebbled flesh and pert peaks of his nipples against the line of his palm. An incredibly awkward and unfamiliar sensation.
“Very, uh,” Zoro struggled to find the words he was supposed to say in this situation. He attempted to pull his hands away but the creature was unexpectedly strong, “Very nice.”
The creature scowled gently.
Zoro looked away with a pressed smile.
Brows drawing down to accompany his tight mouth in an increasingly uncomfortable expression, Zoro managed to pull his hands away as the creature gave up. The creature crossed his arms, then murmured something in the distorted language. And Zoro caught the end, where it was clear the creature was asking something, “[Are you impotent?]”
Zoro shook his head apologetically, “I don’t understand.”
Swirling brows knitting together irritably, the creature scowled him before sighing and dropping his knees—and reached for Zoro’s belt, “[Stop being difficult.]”
“O-OI!”
Zoro attempted to swat the creature off him, but quickly found himself fighting a losing battle.
Through childish batting of hands and slapping, the creature managed to grab Zoro through his slacks. He wheezed from the aggressive squeeze. Scarcely killing the instinctive urge to punch the creature for grabbing his most private area, but his hand still balled into a fist regardless while the other grabbed a handful of hair. Locked in a painful stalemate of each with a hand gripping the other.
The creature scowled up at Zoro in frustration, then snapped something angrily, “[Let go, you fucking asshole!]”
“Yeah,” Zoro returned the sentiment drily. “Me too.”
The creature said something, but again it was gibberish, “[Just let me do this so I can leave!]”
“Hey, Zoro, dinner’s ready. Luffy’s gonna eat— WOAH!” Usopp skidded to halt with the tent flap draped over an arm as he took in the sight. The creature naked on his knees. Hand gripping Zoro through his pants as a teasing prelude of what was promised to come, “Hello!”
Zoro immediately released the creature. Both hands shooting into the air in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence while blurting, “It’s not what it looks like.”
“Sure,” Usopp smirked.
“[Finally.]”
“It’s— ARGH!”
In a flash, the creature’s hands were back on his belt – completely disregarding Usopp’s presence – working with lightning quick dexterity to slip the leather from the buckle and begin tugging on his pants. A struggle ensued. Comical batting of hands resolved with Zoro snatching up the creature’s roaming hands and hauling them off himself before rounding on the lustrous animal with a snarl, “Cut that out!”
“I’ll come back later…”
“No, Usopp,” Zoro flicked the creature’s hands away. “You need to help me.”
“Since when have you ever needed my help?” Usopp scoffed, then glanced at the creature that had managed to hook his fingers in the hem of Zoro’s pants and begin to haul them down over his hip, “Besides, I don’t think there’s anything I could do to help you here.”
As Usopp abandoned him to his own personal wolves, Zoro rounded on the creature that was trying to worm his hand down his pants. Zoro finally snapped. Grabbing both wrists and wrenching them away, only for the creature to immediately fight back as they fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
There was some fighting before Zoro ended up on top; pinning the sexual deviant to the ground by his wrists while kneeling on its thighs to keep it from rolling away, Zoro settled his massive weight heavily on the slighter creature, “Cut it out!”
“[Mm, you like it a lil rough, eh?]” The creature purred something—and even though foreign, Zoro could tell it was salacious. Even pinned, he managed to roll his hips up to grind against Zoro, “[That’s fine with me~]”
Through a violent blush, Zoro slowly tightened his grip until he could feel the bones flex; the creature’s expression quickly shifted from playful to irritated as Zoro finally got his attention, “Stop. Touching. Me.”
“[Ow,]” the creature snapped.
There was still a clear misunderstanding, but Zoro could tell he was beginning to get through, so he started shaking his head back and forth, then said, “No.”
The creature relaxed a bit.
“No,” Zoro repeated.
The creature shook his head in slow mimicry, then murmured, “No.”
A beat passed as they stared at each other, then Zoro – cautiously – released the creature’s wrists, but he didn’t make a move to grab him this time. Zoro breathed a sigh of relief, then pushed to his feet. The creature remained on the ground – clearly perplexed – but much less insistent, “[What the hells is going on?]”
Ignoring the confused mutterings, Zoro walked over to his bag beside his cot, then began digging around for some clothes; he found a spare pair of slacks, then offered them to the creature. Zoro was half expecting it to reject them outright, but the fey accepted them. Taking the pants out of Zoro’s hand, the creature turned them over a few times – fingers and thumbs massaging the fabric intently – as though inspecting it, “[Quality is a little poor…]”
“Put it on,” Zoro encouraged.
The creature glanced up curiously.
Zoro pointed to the pants again.
And – at least – the creature seemed to understand the concept of clothes. He stood with a sigh, then began stepping into the pants, “[We’re gonna have to do this at some point, orc boy. I’m not staying stuck to you forever.]”
Zoro ignored the quiet mutterings.
Removing one of his straps from his gear, Zoro handed it over – after a brief bout of pointing to show it was a belt – then pulled out a shirt next. He glanced at the creature’s wings and quickly realized that wasn’t going to work.
“We’ll figure that out later,” Zoro grumbled. “This’ll have to do for now.”
Pulling out a black, wool scarf, Zoro handed it to the creature who once again massaged the material before slinging it around his neck and looping it once so the ends hung comfortably over his chest. He then glanced up, “[Thank you… I suppose.]”
“Uh…” Zoro watched the creature tug on the scarf before saying something. He couldn’t catch what it was, but Zoro hazard a guess. He pointed to the scarf as well and said, “Scarf.”
“Scarf,” the creature parroted back.
And Zoro smiled and nodded, “Yes.”
The creature slowly nodded back, “Yes… [I’m assuming this means correct?]”
Pointing at the scarf again, the creature then said a word in his tongue, “[Scarf.]”
Zoro caught on with a smile, “[Scarf.]”
A look of gratitude on the creature’s face, then murmured, “[You’re not as mean as your face.]”
It was a bit more gentle than the rest of the snarky mutterings, so Zoro took it as a sign of growing trust between them. However, it was short lived as the creature’s eyes drooped into a sultry gaze as that weird aura began to warp around him uncomfortably.
Zoro turned his head away while holding up a hand to block the creature’s face from his line of sight, “Stop doing that. It makes me itch.”
“[Huh,]” the creature made a perplexed noise—and the magic faded. Zoro lowered his hand to watch the creature tilt his head curiously while regarding Zoro like a puzzle, “[It actually doesn’t work on you… That’s a first.]”
“C’mon, let’s…” While trying to keep his distance, Zoro’s gaze fell to the creature’s still bare feet, but he had no spare shoes. They looked to be about the same size as Usopp, so the elf might have a spare pair the fey could borrow, “Let’s get you some shoes?”
The creature titled his head.
“Shoes,” Zoro grunted. Gesturing to his own shoes, then the creature’s feet, before finally at the door, “Shoes.”
“[Shoes would be nice.]” The creature seemed to understand. He nodded idly, “[Thank you…]”
~X~
As they stepped out of the tent, Zoro was immediately met with expectant looks from the rest of the crew—and even a few suggestive ones as Usopp had likely already told them everything.
The little snitch…
Zoro scowled at them all, “Nothing happened.”
“Okay,” Nami held up her hands.
Vivi was pointedly tending to the fire.
Luffy snickered.
“Hey, Usopp,” Zoro barked, “Ya got any spare shoes?”
“I think so,” Usopp muttered. Glancing at the creature’s bare feet before standing, “Hold on…”
As the elf walked off to his own tent, Zoro dropped down to sit by the fire with a weary groan; he wasn’t even tired, but the prospect of having to deal with this creature now bound to him made him dread the coming days. He could already tell it wasn’t going to be easy. And he mourned his future self…
The creature stood nearby while observing everyone.
“What’s his name?”
Rubbing his brow, Zoro grumbled, “I dunno…”
“That poor thing,” Nami sighed. “Bound to the most heartless creature I’ve ever met.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” Zoro shot her an irritated look.
“You literally touched him.”
“Well, next time I’ll let the thing fall on its fuckin’ he—”
A sharp smack echoed around the campfire as everyone remained frozen as Zoro sat with his head now angled down after the creature had just thwacked the back of his head. Zoro slowly turned to look at the creature, “Did you just hit me?”
The creature pointed at Nami with a scowl, “[Even children know not to speak to a lady like that—what the hells is wrong with you?!]”
Nami guffawed, “Looks like he doesn’t like you being mean to me~”
“Yeah, well, that’s just ‘cause it don’t know you like I do,” Zoro muttered, then glanced back at the still hovering creature. He gestured to the ground next to him, “Sit.”
After a bit of hesitation, he walked over, then dropped down gracefully beside him. The wings splayed out behind delicately. He observed everyone calmly while everyone else stared back just as fascinated. And Zoro used the distraction to begin portioning out a bowl of stew from the communal pot.
“Hey, hey,” Nami waved, then placed a hand to her chest, “I’m Nami.”
The creature glanced over, then quickly caught on. A charming smile lit up his face while nodding, “Imnami, [it’s a pleasure to meet you.]”
“Oh—um…”
“Ha,” Zoro barked at the tiefling.
The creature placed a hand upon his chest, “Sanji.”
Nami shot Zoro a sour look, then tried again, “Sorry. Nami. Na-mi.”
“Nami?”
Nami nodded, then pointed at Sanji, “Sanji?”
Sanji nodded.
With some progress made, Nami then pointed to Zoro, “Zoro.”
Sanji shot Zoro a look, “Zoro…”
“And this is…” Nami pointed at Luffy – who waved excitedly – then Vivi, “Luffy. Vivi.”
Sanji looked at each creature in turn, saying their name, then nodding pleasantly in greeting.
“Ask him if he poops,” Luffy goaded.
“Stop being gross,” Usopp admonished.
“And this,” Nami paused as Usopp returned, “Is Usopp.”
“Isusopp,” Sanji flicked a hand in greeting.
Nami’s face fell again.
And Zoro scoffed into his stew, “This is going to be a long journey…”
“Usopp,” Usopp grinned with a friendly wave. Lowering his hand, Usopp returned his attention to the shoes he’d gone to retrieve, “Here,” Usopp offered the simple leather boots, “Shoes.”
Sanji took them while muttering, “Shoes.”
“He catches on quick.”
“To the language at least,” Zoro muttered under his breath. The creature was clearly sharp, except when it came to trying to get into Zoro’s trousers. For whatever reason, he was particularly stubborn about that…
While Sanji pulled on the boots, the crew returned to the stew; portions were passed around to everyone. Luffy was barred from serving himself for obvious reasons. As Vivi served up an additional bowl, she paused while glancing at Sanji, “Do you think he eats?”
“Probably,” Usopp frowned, “he’s not a celestial, right?”
“Who doesn’t?” Luffy chuckled. He grabbed the bowl out of Vivi’s hand and shoved it into Sanji’s, “Dinner! Di-nner.”
Sanji looked a little surprised, before inspecting it with a mutter, “Dinner.”
“If you don’t want it though, I’ll have it,” Luffy grinned. “Just let me know.”
“Leave him alone,” Nami sighed.
While Nami continued her admonishment of Luffy, Zoro watched as Sanji inspected the stew before picking up the provided spoon. He knew what it was and how to hold it, so again not completely unaware of things in the mortal planes. He scooped up a spoonful of the thick broth and a potato before putting it into his mouth.
He glanced at Vivi—and bowed in gratitude.
Vivi waved him down with a smile.
Sanji turned back to his meal happily.
“So what are we gonna do about him?” Zoro waited for the others to glance in his direction, before continuing, “He kinda stands out. Not exactly great for trying to get Princess here through the country unnoticed.”
“When we get to Little Garden we can get a translation amulet, then figure out what he wants.” Nami reasoned. She scraped the sides of her bowl with the spoon before shooting him a smirk, “Although…”
Zoro got an uncomfortable chill. He recognized that look well. A conniving, demonic enjoyment the tiefling got from delivering bad news to him, “What?”
“I can hazard a few guesses.”
Zoro felt a blush creep up the back of his neck.
Usopp snorted.
Everyone of the crew appeared to understand the implication except for him; either sporting knowing, or sympathetic, expressions while Zoro snapped, “What?”
“She’s saying you gotta sleep with him,” Usopp muttered. “It’s probably a consummate pact.”
Zoro felt the blood drain from his face.
Luffy guffawed, “Zoro’s gotta sleep with it?”
“Seems like,” Nami snickered—and her tail flicked with a mischievous smugness at Zoro’s irritation. “It’s likely some sort of lesser incubus. Most of their curses and contracts are through touch pacts—and other things…”
“Incubus don't look like that,” Usopp shook his head, “Prolly some sort of halfbreed. I'm guessing fey and harpy.”
Nami's eyes lit up greedily, “Wanna make a bet?”
“Leave me alone,” Usopp glared.
“Ha!” Luffy laughed harder, “That’s Zoro’s worst nightmare.”
“You’ve gotta be joking…”
Vivi curled in on herself with a guilty grimace, “It’s the only thing that makes sense—I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sleeping with it,” Zoro growled.
“Okay,” Nami scoffed, “then get used to your new best friend.”
“He is not my—”
Another pointed thwack echoed around the campfire as Zoro’s yelling at Nami garnered another hard hit over the back of the head from Sanji. Zoro sighed and scooped himself another bowl of stew. Something told him the next few days were going to be long…
~X~
After dinner, they cleaned their dishes, then packed up the rest of the food for tomorrow. The fire was doused, and everyone crawled into their respective tents. Sanji followed Zoro with a bit of a spring in his step—and Zoro got a bad feeling.
Back in the tent, Zoro shouldered off his leather overcoat, then his wool undercoat, before starting on his belts that kept his swords holstered at his hip. He set them all aside – carefully – with his bag, then moved to sit on his bed roll to begin unlacing his boots.
Sanji lit up, “[Finally!]”
Without any hesitation, the creature pulled off the scarf and hucked it aside, then immediately started on the belt and slacks. Before Zoro could even finish with his boot, Sanji had dropped his pants back to the floor. And was once again fully – and happily – nude.
“No,” Zoro snapped quickly.
Sanji’s face fell, then his wings drooped, “No?”
Already exhausted by the day’s efforts, expounded by the relentless pestering of this horned up creature, Zoro wasn’t in a patient mood, “No.”
A new – and fiery – anger finally ignited on the ethereal creature's face as he snarled, “[—the hells do you mean ‘No.’?! You can’t keep me trapped here! Let’s just get this over with! What the fuck are you waiting for?!]”
Ignoring the raging creature, Zoro finished unlacing his boots, then flopped back onto his bedding with a quiet groan. He could feel some of the muscles in his back sighing in relief. It had been a long day before they’d stumbled upon the creature—and Zoro was eager to finally get some sleep.
After a bit more furious muttering, Sanji finally dropped into a petulant squat beside Zoro; the creature murmured something intelligible, but the inflection at the end was enough for Zoro to tell he was asking a question, “[I just don’t get why you won’t just get this over with. A few minutes, then I can leave.]”
“It’s not happening,” Zoro grunted, “So, you can either sit there all night and pout—or lie down and sleep.”
Sanji’s head dropped forward wearily on his knee, “[I can’t understand you, moron…]”
“Sleep,” Zoro growled. “SLUH–EEP.”
Enunciating the word with perhaps a bit more vitriol than was warranted, Zoro slumped back into the bedding and scrunched his eyes shut to make his point. He even added in a few mocking snores to complete the effect. Finally, cracking an eye to peek in hopes that it understood, “Sleep!”
“Sleep,” Sanji mimicked, then muttered a different word to himself. “[Sleep.]”
“Sleep,” Zoro murmured the word again, then said the strange word Sanji had spoken, “[Sleep?]”
Sanji blinked.
Zoro arched a brow expectantly.
“[Sloppy pronunciation,]” Sanji huffed, then glanced towards the tent flaps. He stared for a bit before muttering, “[I suppose there’s no point in travelling at night…]”
“Yeah,” Zoro drawled while dragging his blanket a bit more comfortably around himself, “Go sleep outside for all I care.”
“[Fine,]” Sanji huffed. “[Have it your way.]”
“Mhm,” Zoro hummed sleepily. Already beginning to drift off, Zoro’s eye shot open a second later as Sanji began tugging at his blanket; he began crawling next to him—and Zoro immediately flushed, “No, what’re you—”
“[Shut up, you prude,]” Sanji murmured something dry, but at the very least didn’t appear to be reaching for Zoro’s slacks this time. He curled against Zoro’s side with a huff. Eyes already shut while trying to get comfortable, “[I’m not dying in my sleep because you’re embarrassed by a little skin on skin contact.]”
“You—” Zoro started to tell him off, but quickly caught himself. Sanji was willing to sleep, so Zoro decided to take the small victory, “Fine.”
Shuffling over a bit, Zoro made a bit more space on his bedroll, then adjusted the blanket to cover both himself and Sanji. Zoro closed his eye properly this time while attempting to sleep. He managed a few solid seconds of peace before he could feel Sanji’s hand slithering down beneath the blanket to grab at him through his slacks.
“Oi…” Zoro warned.
Sanji didn’t even react.
It continued to massage him, much to Zoro’s disinterest, as it felt about as pleasant as someone kneading his elbow. He allowed it to go one for a bit longer before grumbling, “It’s not gonna move. No matter how much you poke it.”
Sanji huffed petulantly.
After a few more minutes of trying to make it do anything, Sanji finally let go with a dramatic sigh and flopped back on the bedding beside Zoro. The creature fidgeted for a bit to get comfortable on his side, but eventually settled in to sleep. He lay wedged against Zoro’s side. One wing tucked tightly to his back while the other curled around his body in a natural blanket.
Zoro fell asleep rather quickly with the added warmth…
~X~
Zoro awoke to the unsettling sensation of being watched.
Cracking open his good eye to find – as expected – Sanji poised above him and staring down with those lustrous eyes that Zoro was quickly coming to loathe. He sighed defeatedly. A new day met with the likely prospect of this thing hanging off him wasn’t exactly something to look forward to.
“[Okay, it’s morning.]” Sanji grinned, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “[Let’s get this over with so we can both get the fuck outta here.]”
“Dunno what you’re saying,” Zoro drawled.
A dull smack echoed throughout the cabin as Zoro palmed Sanji’s face to shove him away aggressively before sitting up. The creature toppled backwards much to Zoro’s satisfaction. Legs comically in the air as he was cradled in bed of ruffled feathers.
Zoro smirked, “Ha.”
Bracing a hand on his knee to stand, Zoro had only half risen when a swift movement from the creature had his ankle caught. Zoro was back on the ground again before he could blink. Staring up at the canvas of the tent as Sanji landed on top of him with a victorious smirk, “[Oh, no, you don’t. We’re getting this done with today.]”
The creature wrenched Zoro's shirt up to expose his stomach.
Stunned by the aggressive behaviour, Zoro froze as fingers teased along the mangled line of the massive scar that bisected his chest. The skin was sensitive. And Zoro’s breath hitched instinctively at the touch.
Sanji’s eyes flashed with an emboldened excitement.
And Zoro finally snapped.
Fist lashing out lightning quick, the sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded throughout the tent as Zoro connected his knuckles squarely on Sanji’s jaw. The creature toppled back as Zoro rolled to his feet. Absently shaking out his hand – the creature’s jaw was unnaturally hard – Zoro glared down at Sanji who was once again sprawled on the ground.
Clutching his face while glaring up at Zoro – very little of his amorous nature was left, but Zoro preferred it this way – Sanji snarled, “[What the fuck is wrong with you?!]”
“Hate me? Good!” Zoro growled down at it, then pointed at the door to the tent, “Leave me alone. Go!”
“[I can’t leave,]” Sanji huffed while sitting up. He rubbed at his jaw while muttering something angrily under his breath. “[What don’t you get? I’m stuck here until we do this.]”
Ignoring the nattering, Zoro stormed out the door – without shoes – to find somewhere to relieve himself. The creature wasn’t going to take a hint, so Zoro intended to ignore him. And go about his daily routine until Sanji figured it out—and hopefully, would take off.
Touch pact be damned!
Zoro strode across the campsite.
Nami and Vivi were already awake and in the process of tearing down their tent, but Usopp and Luffy appeared to still be asleep.
“Hey,” Nami smirked, “Did you finally—”
One second Zoro was walking, then the next hands were hooked around his throat—and he was tackled expertly to the ground. He tumbled in a painfully, confusing mess of limbs and wings before coming to stop on his back staring balefully up at the sky. A second later it was blotted out by Sanji who stomped over to drop down and sit atop his chest.
“[Listen, moron,]” Sanji growled that word again. Zoro was starting to recognize it might've been an insult. He poked Zoro in the middle of the forehead, “[I’m not thrilled about this either, but the sooner we do it the sooner you’re free.]”
Nothing was particularly injured beyond his pride at being taken down by such a waifish creature, but the mark upon his dignity still left him unwilling to move. This whole situation made him not want to get up. This is exactly what he got for taking Nami and Usopp’s advice to try and be more like Luffy.
Spontaneous…
When Sanji leapt off him, Zoro didn’t even bother to move. He just continued to watch the sky out of a petulant defiance, until it started to move. The canopy of trees above shifted away as he was dragged across the forest floor by a foot. Frankly, a little impressed; he was by no means light, but Sanji was making progress with ridiculous ease.
As the sky continued to move above him, Zoro ignored the stares of the crew that stopped to watch the spectacle, until Nami’s face glided into view. She looked down at him exhausted, “What are you doing?”
“What’s it look like?”
Her face twisted.
Zoro ignored her until he was dragged away.
“Just sleep with him,” she called after.
Zoro refused to answer.
As Sanji dragged him back into the tent – the flaps sweeping across his face – Zoro finally sprung into action before the horny creature could jump on him again. He rolled to the side and kicked out one of the corner tent legs, then another. Before finally bringing the tent down on top of them in a heavy mass of wax canvas.
Zoro crawled on his belly to get out, then pulled himself to his feet with a triumphant grin.
Turning back to the crumpled heap that was once his tent, Sanji was quite evidently stuck as the poles and canvas had hooked on his wings. He was clearly trying to shake it off, but was no better than a bird in a net. And was certainly squawking like one…
His indiscernible yelling muffled by the canvas, “[You pig-headed, cow-brained, orc son of a—]”
“Maybe that’ll teach you to stop—”
“ZORO!”
Cut short by a loud smack to the back of the head, Nami was immediately on him with a furious expression while Vivi had rushed to help Sanji. Zoro rounded on the tiefling who immediately started berating him, “What in the nine hells is your problem?!”
“My problem?” Zoro spat back childishly, before thrusting a hand towards the tent, “He’s the one who—”
“Oh my heavens,” Vivi gushed in a horrified whisper.
Words dying on his tongue, Zoro and Nami both turned to see what had startled Vivi—and were equally stunned. Sanji sat in the center of the crumpled canvas looking diminished. The sickly pallour had begun to return—and he looked tired. The spot Zoro had punched had also begun to bruise violently. A nasty yellow and brown blossoming along the jaw and up his cheek.
Vivi gushed, “He looks awful.”
Nami swatted Zoro’s arm, “What’d you do?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” Nami hissed.
“How could that possibly be—”
Sanji pushed to his feet on shaky legs as they all went silent.
Expression carefully blank – not fearful, nor repulsed, but completely empty – Sanji held out a hand in silent request, but remained a respectful distance away. Zoro’s gaze shifted back to the dry straw-like hair. It was the same lifeless texture from when he was unconscious.
Zoro heaved a sigh.
A little petulant, Zoro reached out to smack a hand down into Sanji’s palm, then gripped tight. He could feel the cool skin begin to warm. And they all watched in real time as the creature fed off the touch. Hair gaining its healthy luster, skin beginning to fill in with color, and wings lifting with a happy, fluffy flutter.
Once more emanating that effulgent glow that it had last time. The bruise was also completely gone. There wasn’t a trace of their earlier fight—and that helped assuage some of Zoro’s guilt.
“Wow…” Vivi gushed.
“Aw,” Nami cooed at their hands.
“Shove it, demon.”
Sanji swatted him hard on the back of the head, “[Stop talking to her like that, you mannerless piece of orc shi—]”
Zoro rounded back on Sanji. Squeezing his hand tight, Zoro snarled, “Do you want my help or not, you fuckin’ pervert freak of nat—”
“[THAT FUCKIN’ HURTS, SHITHEAD!!]”
“I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS—STOP KICKING ME!!”
Nami braced an exhausted hand over her face, “It’s going to be a long day…”
“Okay,” Vivi stepped between them—and Sanji immediately melted with a smile. “Enough!!”
Zoro shot Sanji a final scowl, but the creature only had eyes for Vivi.
“This fighting doesn’t solve anything,” Vivi continued. She glanced at Zoro, “Please.”
It was rare that pleading to his better nature worked, but his time spent with this crew had certainly begun to do something to him. He found himself waning under her earnest expression. With a defeated sigh, Zoro slowly relaxed his stance, then grunted at Sanji, “You good?”
Sanji’s eyes flicked over, then away.
A wave of rage rose in Zoro’s chest at being ignored, but then quickly remembered the creature couldn’t understand him. He took a bracing breath to level himself, then lifted their hands. Eventually, Sanji glanced over again, and Zoro gave a soft squeeze to emphasize his point before gesturing with his free hand.
Zoro tried again, “Good?”
Sanji released Zoro’s hand.
Turning the elegant appendage over to inspect his own pallour before glancing back to Zoro. Face carefully impassive as he mimicked, “Good, [you fucking asshole.]”
“Alright!!” Nami interjected with a swift and decisive step into the center of the group. It was evident she wanted to stop anything else before it even started, “Vivi. Take Sanji to go get some breakfast. You,” Nami pointed at Zoro, “pack up your tent.”
“You’re not the boss of—”
Nami shot him a demonic look.
“C’mon, Sanji,” Vivi gave an encouraging wave with her hand. “Come with me.”
All it took was a warm smile offered by the elf for Sanji to return with stunning excitement—and like a lovestruck fool followed after her. The behaviour caused a wave of irritation to wash over Zoro. Not because of envy, but the exact opposite; he was rife with indignation that the creature very clearly could want whoever he wanted and somehow it was Zoro’s problem!
As Sanji and Vivi walked off, Zoro called after him, “You’re welcome!”
Sanji glanced at him, but quickly looked away.
Zoro turned back ahead—and caught Nami shooting him a disappointed look, “I cannot believe you. You’re such an asshole.”
“Well,” Zoro intoned. “Can he not take a hint that I’m not interested?”
“It’s not his fault,” Nami scowled.
“Surely,” Zoro growled. “If it’s his stupid fucking pact, then he can end it whenever he wants.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well, no, but most pacts aren’t—”
Zoro shot her a look.
“All I’m saying is we have no clue what this is like from his perspective,” Nami continued. “How would you feel if you had to sleep with every creature that ever touched you?”
“Didn’t seem to bother him none,” Zoro sneered.
“Fine,” Nami huffed. “Then maybe he is part incubus and this is literally no different than eating.”
“Yeah, but the meal is me.”
“So?” Nami flicked a hand dismissively, “How much of an inconvenience is it to you really? Or is a little hand-holding too much for your masculine sensibilities?”
“It’s not the handholding. It’s the fact he keeps trying to grab my dick.”
“Oh, for the—” Nami scoffed, “You’re acting like you’ve never been groped before.”
“I haven’t!!”
Tail freezing in its agitated wagging, Nami’s mouth opened with another readied word, but the wind was suddenly swept from her sails, “Oh…”
Zoro looked away with an embarrassed huff.
“Well, just…” Nami looked away as well. Her tail returned to its soft flicking while searching for the right words, “He seems to have gotten the hint. So, let’s just try to keep the peace until we get to Little Garden, then we can make a proper plan to get you two separated. Hopefully, without killing each other first.”
“Okay, you can stop being that nice,” Zoro muttered. “You’re freaking me out.”
Nami rolled her eyes with a smile, “Let’s just hope he’s not as stubborn as you.”
“Don’t think anyone is as stubborn as Zoro,” Usopp muttered while walking by—the elf had a tin mug and toothbrush in hand. Zoro shot a look over his shoulder at the elf, but Usopp was already ignoring him and walking away.
“C’mon,” Nami patted his arm. “Get packed, have some breakfast, then we’ll get out of here.”
Zoro sighed, but obeyed.
~X~
After a quick breakfast, they were back on the road—and headed to Alabasta. A country in the east that Vivi’s father was the ruler of. They’d been hired to escort her home with as much secrecy as possible—and nothing better than travelling as a commoner.
They moved in a formation Nami had set; her at front, then Zoro and Usopp, and Luffy at the back with Vivi. Zoro had been perpetually assigned the middle so he wouldn’t accidentally wander off. A completely unnecessary worry on their part…
Sanji was currently at the back with Vivi.
They’d ignored each other for the rest of the morning, – including breakfast and packing – which Zoro was more than fine with doing. He was frankly okay with just ignoring the creature until they reached Little Garden. Especially since their fight, Sanji finally seemed to get the hint to leave him alone.
He hoped that once they got to Little Garden – and got a translation amulet – Sanji would just say that there were some magic words Zoro had to say and the pact would be lifted. He knew it was a stupid and foolish hope. Beyond that, Zoro was beginning to think more extreme measures might be necessary…
Conversation ebbed and flowed amongst the group as they walked; something would spark a tangent of chattering, and other times everyone just enjoyed walking in silence. The trail was fairly flat, but the journey had already been long. And even with stops to rest the mission had taken its toll.
At around midday, Usopp eased up his pace to fall into step with Zoro—and there was no hiding the inquisitiveness from his tone, “Hey…”
Zoro sighed.
“So, just between you and me,” Usopp cast a careful glance over his shoulder to Luffy, Vivi, and Sanji currently behind them, “why didn’t you just sleep with him?”
Zoro’s lips twisted irritably, “I don’t want to…”
“I mean, fair, but like…” Usopp muttered. “Would it really be so bad?”
“You sleep with him then,” Zoro snarled.
“Alright,” the elf held up his hands in defeat. “I can see that you’re not in the mood to problem solve right now. We’ll try again when you’re less emotional—"
Zoro’s hand dropped to his sword, “I’ll show you emotional, you—”
“What was that, Nami?!” Usopp cupped a hand to his ear. His voice raised comically too loud, “You need help with the map. I’ll be right there!”
Nami glanced back with a perplexed look as Zoro released his sword with a flick.
Coward…
Alone once more, Zoro heaved a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. He sensed someone coming up behind him. And Zoro instinctively lashed out to smack whoever it was away, expecting it to be Luffy trying to put a bug on him, but finding Sanji instead.
Sanji’s expression was hardened—and Zoro actually felt a little bad.
“I thought you were Luffy,” Zoro muttered. “My bad.”
Sanji looked him up and down warily.
The normally chatty creature was unnaturally silent now, but Zoro could see from the fading light in his skin and hair that he needed to feed again. The creature appeared to persist on physical contact. And Zoro idly wondered which one of Nami’s speculations that morning was the truth…
Zoro decided not to start a fight right now—and simply held out his hand.
Sanji took it cautiously.
“You said my name?”
Luffy popped his head up from under Sanji’s wing.
Noticeably perturbed, Sanji immediately flicked his wing to get it off of Luffy, but it was clear he was more confused by Luffy’s friendliness rather than upset by it. Vivi appeared a second later on their other side. Stepping around so she was a pace ahead of them on the trail.
“Oh, yeah, great,” Zoro drawled. “Everyone gather for the show.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Swordsman,” Vivi simpered, “but he’s fascinating…”
“Yeah, c’mon, Zoro. He’s neat!!” Luffy kept skipping backwards while watching them, “We should keep him.”
“We are NOT keeping him!!”
Luffy gestured at their hands, “But you’re already best friends.”
“We are not—” Zoro flushed. “Why do you think we’re holding hands?!”
“‘Cause you like him?” Luffy scoffed. “Duh.”
“You—”
“I tried explaining it to him earlier,” Vivi shook her head somberly. “He doesn’t get it.”
“Hey, you guys!!”
They all collectively turned up the trail to see Nami had stopped at a distinct fork in the road. A weathered signpost was made out of the sturdy tree parting the two paths with various planks of wood nailed to it pointing in each direction with various towns, villages, and cities labeled on them.
“Let’s stop here for lunch,” Nami announced.
“YES!!” Luffy flopped down excitedly, “Lunch!!”
While Luffy immediately began pulling out some of the remaining roast pheasant from last night, and the others moved to follow his lead, Zoro glanced back at Sanji. The healthy glow had returned to the creature. And Zoro lifted their hands, “Good?”
Sanji nodded, then let go.
Zoro returned it, then attempted to mend the divide, “Look, I’m sor—”
The word got stuck.
“I know I shouldn’t have been so rough before,” Zoro corrected. “But you weren’t getting the message—and frankly, I’m surprised someone hasn’t done it sooner.”
Sanji glanced Zoro over, “[Stop wasting your breath. I can’t understand you.]”
It was pointless trying to communicate—and Zoro could tell by Sanji’s tone that he thought the same so he dropped it. The creature wasn’t really accosting him anymore either. So, Zoro was willing to play nice until they came up with a proper solution.
“Nevermind,” Zoro waved with a sigh.
Walking over to join the rest of the group, Zoro dropped his bag near Usopp, then wandered off the trail to take a leak. Nami immediately piping up, “Don’t go far—”
“I won’t!!”
Stumbling through the bush to get a modest distance away, Zoro found a clearing near a small stream and began looking around to pick a tree. He noticed Sanji following, then realized he’d probably mistook Zoro’s waving for beckoning. Zoro debated trying to communicate it, but just gave up and picked a tree instead.
Zoro’s hands paused on his belt—and he glanced at Sanji.
The creature arched a brow, but didn’t move.
With a heavy sigh, Zoro let go of his belt while gesturing to the nearby tree, “I need to piss. Can you please go away?”
Sanji glanced at the tree, then back at Zoro, “Piss?”
Zoro smacked a hand over his face.
“No,” he muttered against his palm, then patted the trunk. “Tree.”
“Tree.”
“Yes, good,” Zoro huffed. “And now I need to piss, so you,” Zoro pointed at Sanji, then made a spinning motion with his finger. “Turn around.”
Sanji eventually put two and two together, then turned his back on Zoro.
Zoro sighed in relief.
Unlashing his belt and turning away, Zoro pulled his dick out and began to relieve himself, even though it was weird having an audience. He shut his eye—and focused on the sound of the nearby stream until he was finished.
Zoro tucked himself away, then turned back. He half expected to find Sanji already there and peering at him, but Sanji hadn’t moved.
“Okay, done.”
Sanji turned back to him with a flat look, “[Sure wish I’d have known you brought me out here to listen to you piss, ‘cause then I would’ve said no.]”
“Hey,” Zoro scoffed at Sanji’s clearly disgusted tone. “You followed me.”
Walking a bit upstream, Zoro dropped into a crouch to scrub his hands before scooping up a handful of water to drink. He slurped a couple mouthfuls before splashing a bit on his face and standing. Untying a spare bandana from his arm, Zoro patted his face dry while making his way back to where Sanji remained waiting.
Sanji wasn’t looking at him.
And Zoro took the opportunity to watch the creature uninterrupted.
Everyone’s nagging to just sleep with the creature circulated his head in an annoying mantra as Zoro tried to find what they all saw, but it was exactly what it always was. He understood the value in aesthetic. Objectively, Zoro could see why others would feel desire towards the fair creature; Sanji was handsome, but Zoro was no more moved by it than he would be for a sunrise.
Zoro had never been moved—or possibly even had the capacity to be moved. He wasn’t entirely certain what it was, but he’d never particularly cared to find out. Whether it was a curse, or just how he was born, Zoro had never been interested.
Admittedly, Zoro was beginning to feel a little bad; whether Sanji had meant to be so tactless or not, the creature did appear to be stuck here against his will…
A bird took flight from a nearby tree—and they both glanced up as it darted hurriedly between the trees before finding a gap in the canopy and taking off into the bright, afternoon sky. Zoro glanced back to find Sanji staring after the bird with a longing, wistful look. And Zoro’s gaze shifted to the large wings folded neatly against his back.
Zoro finished tying his bandana back on his arm with a sharp tug, then asked, “Why don’t you fly?”
Sanji glanced over, but didn’t respond.
Zoro pointed at Sanji’s wings, “Fly.”
As Sanji began to catch on, his wings twitched before flaring a bit as the creature glanced over his shoulder his own wings. He then glanced back at Zoro with an expectant look. Zoro pointed towards the sky where the bird had been, “Fly.”
“Fly,” Sanji spoke softly—the word foreign, yet clear on his tongue.
“Yeah,” Zoro nodded in relief. “Fly.”
Sanji nodded thoughtfully before flapping his wings once and saying a foreign word, “[Fly.]”
“[Fly,]” Zoro echoed. Pointing at Sanji, then the sky where the bird had flown away, “You [fly].”
A beat passed where Sanji took in the words, then scowled, “[I can’t, you jackass.]”
In a flurry of feathers, Sanji extended his wings behind himself then flexed them pointedly. The harsh wingbeats kicked up a whirlwind of pine needles and dirt. Zoro braced a hand to block the debris as Sanji jumped hard – his strength carrying him some of the way – but when he flapped his wings nothing happened. It was like his wings didn’t even exist—and he swiftly fell back down onto the ground.
Catching himself with a steadying beat of his wings, Sanji stood and swept an irritated hand at the sky, “[I can’t go anywhere, you moron. What part of that isn’t getting through your thick skull?! I’m chained to you!!]”
“You can’t fly?”
“No fly,” Sanji managed with an accusatory glare. He began pointing at Zoro for good measure. “You.”
“I’m keeping you grounded?”
Sanji looked at him wild, and earnest, and… resentful.
There was something about the angry desperation that made Zoro think that perhaps Nami had been right; perhaps Sanji’s behaviour was the act of a trapped animal rather than a predator. And Zoro felt his stomach drop.
Placing his face in his hand, Zoro let out a long, tiresome groan wheezed between his fingers. His shoulders deflating and body slumping as he finally succumbed to the terrible fate.
“Alright, fine,” Zoro grunted. “I’ll try.”
Sanji blinked.
“Yes,” Zoro sighed while beckoning Sanji over, “I’m saying yes.”
Sanji looked wary, but Zoro couldn’t blame him, “[Really?]”
It had been a tempestuous day to say the least, and in the matter of a few hours Zoro had gone from punching him in the face to being willing to take his pants off. He hated the notion with every fiber of his being, but he’d never let Nami say again that he couldn’t put his pride aside for the greater good.
“C’mon,” Zoro beckoned, then moved a bit more of a secluded area away from the stream.
Sanji followed warily, “[If you make me listen to you shit next I will actually beat you to death.]”
Zoro ignored the muttering while wrestling with his nerves.
Around the back of a giant redwood that would shield them from view if anyone came wandering in search of them, Zoro stopped and turned to face Sanji. The creature watched him patiently—and it was evident he wasn’t going to touch Zoro unprovoked this time.
Which was… an improvement.
Unclipping his belt for the second time, then unzipping his trousers, Zoro stood awkwardly waiting for whatever was supposed to happen next. Zoro faced Sanji expectantly, “Okay, what now?”
Sanji gave an inviting wave—and Zoro immediately wanted to die.
Squeezing his eye shut to try and temper his nerves, Zoro reached down and began stroking himself while trying to think any sort of thoughts to get hard, but it was taking a while. It wasn’t like he had ever done anything with someone before—and the extent to which he had pleasured himself was very clinical and efficient. He’d get an ache every few days, then he’d stroke it out to relieve the pressure. There was nothing arousing or sexual about it, so doing it in front of the other creature was just plain awkward.
Zoro cracked an eye—instantly regretting it.
Sanji was watching with rapt attention as Zoro worked himself, but it was taking a lot longer than usual with an audience. Eventually, Zoro managed to get it mostly up—and Sanji made a face as if to say, ‘It’ll do.’
Stepping in close to pin Zoro against the tree, Sanji immediately went in for a kiss; arms slung around Zoro’s neck and lips slanting over his mouth, as the creature kissed Zoro for the first time.
It was… odd.
Not bad, but certainly not as exciting as people would lead him to believe…
The creature sucked for a moment before stilling.
Confusion tightened the creature's lips as he noticed something that Zoro wasn’t privy to, then it pressed in harder. Forcing the kiss almost painfully as his tongue darted out to push against Zoro’s still closed lips with a swipe of wet heat.
For his part, Zoro tried. He kissed back. Inexperienced but determined. Matching the movement Sanji had done even as it felt totally, and utterly, hollow. Sometimes he was curious about what it was supposed to feel like, but it was never something he felt like he was missing out on…
Finally, Sanji pulled back only to look down at Zoro perplexed, “[What the fuck?!]”
“What?”
Leaning even further back to inspect Zoro’s – still – hard length, then back up at Zoro as Sanji’s consternation only grew. The creature leaned in much slower this time. Cradling Zoro’s face and pressing a slow, tender kiss to Zoro’s lips before pulling back, “[I don’t…]”
The disappointment was palpable.
Whatever it was Sanji was looking for – desire, lust, or arousal – there was nothing to be found—and a resigned slump settled on his shoulders. The creature took a stumbling step back, then muttered to himself in confusion, “[I don’t understand…]”
Zoro tucked himself away awkwardly.
Still leaning heavily against the tree, Zoro’s arms crossed habitually over his chest while trying to squeeze away the uncomfortable energy that was left lingering between them. He watched Sanji who was still standing with a stunned expression. And Zoro began to pity him…
“I told you,” Zoro grumbled, “I don’t… feel like that for people.”
“[I’m…]” A hopeless sort of expression warped his face as he came to the inevitable conclusion that they were stuck with one another. Sanji reached up to brace a panicked hand to its temple, “[Oh, hells, how the fuck am I supposed to—]”
“I’m sorry.”
Sanji glanced up slowly.
“I’ll figure out a way to break this bond though,” Zoro murmured. He knew words were pointless, but it appeared as though the sincerity on his face shone through, “I promise.”
The tension in Sanji’s shoulders began to fade.
“Okay?”
“Okay…” Sanji parroted the word back.
Zoro nodded.
“[Talking like I know what you’re sayin’, idiot.]” Sanji sighed, then leaned back with a jeered, “[You seem sincere though, I’ll give you that…]”
“[Idiot,]” Zoro echoed, then pointed. “You’ve said that before.”
Sanji’s eyes widened—guiltily.
“AH,” Zoro pointed firmly, “I knew it!”
“[Not as big of an idiot as I thought,]” Sanji murmured with a wry smile.
“It’s an insult,” Zoro surmised. “You’re calling me names.”
Sanji gave a sheepish smile.
Zoro shook his head in disbelief, “You might have the ladies fooled, but you’re secretly an asshole, aren’tcha?”
Sanji just stared at him.
At the very least, Sanji appeared less distraught, but that hadn’t solved the crux of their issue that whatever was needed to break this temporary bond wasn’t something Zoro could fix. He had an idea though, but would have to run it by Nami first…
Zoro stooped down to pick up a twig off the ground.
Sanji watched curiously
“This,” Zoro waved his hand between them. Allowing Sanji a moment to watch the motion before nodding in understanding. Zoro held up the twig and snapped it, “Break.”
Sanji mimicked in his own tongue, “[Break.]”
“Yes, I’m,” Zoro gestured to himself, then made the breaking motion again, “gonna break…” before finally waving a hand between the two of them, “this.”
Sanji appeared to understand – nodding slowly – before chuckling softly, “[I don’t even know how, but I guess I have no choice but to trust you, huh?]”
“I’ll take that as a ‘Yes.’”
“Yes,” Sanji agreed. “[Let’s see what you got, orc boy.]”