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Sanji made his way back onto Sunny with the last of his ingredients in his arms, taking them to the kitchen to start unpacking everything. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his pack of smokes and his lighter, lighting one up and taking a drag before placing everything back and taking his jacket off, draping it over a chair and tucking his tie into his breast pocket as he got to organizing. The aroma hit him before the person walking in even spoke. Flowery and sweet. On instinct, he turned and smiled. “Nami-san! Robin-chan! Did either of you get- Oh,” he sighed. “What do you want, Moss Head?” His demeanor dropped as he went back to unpacking.
With a roll of his eye, Zoro walked over to the collection of boxes Sanji had to sort through. “Booze. Should’ve been on the list.” He turned to look at Sanji who had his back to him, putting up some of the spices. “It was, you made it crystal clear. Just be patient, alright? I know that’s hard for you, but I think you can manage at least fifteen or twenty minutes.” “We both know it’s not gonna take that long, Curly. Just tell me which box it's in, would you?" Sanji turned and walked over, the aroma getting stronger with each step. "Like hell I'm letting you touch my ingredients. And since when do you bathe? Let alone with something so.. pretty." He grimaced, crouching down. Zoro looked at him confused. "Me? Cook, it's you who smells like some kind of sweet cocktail!" His tone dripped with disbelief.
Sanji turned to look at him, confused. "What? What are you talking about? As much as I'd love to, I use unscented products. The scents fuck with my cooking otherwise." Zoro looked back, just as confused before crouching down himself and grabbing Sanji's wrist. "Oi! What the hell are you-" He cut himself off as he stared at what the other man was doing. It was weird, to say the least, his hand holding Sanji's wrist was surprisingly gently as he held his hand up to his nose, breathing him in. He could feel his heartbeat speeding up and his face flushing as he watched, and something he wasn't ready to face stirred within him. "Mo-Moss Head, let go of my hand." Sanji struggled to keep his voice steady as he spoke. Zoro's grip tightened before looking at Sanji confused. "I.. I can't. Like- …Like my body won't listen." Sanji stared at Zoro's hand before hurriedly pulling his wrist away. Thankfully, it worked, with Sanji being freed from the other man's grasp.
Without a second thought, the chef found what the swordsman had wandered in for and handed it over. "Take it, go." He couldn't look the shorter man in the eye, his face still flushed, but Zoro did as directed, grabbing the bottle by the neck where Sanji's hand wasn't. "Uh.. R-Right, thanks." And he left without another word. The taller man watched before looking at his wrist. He still felt the faint warmth of Zoro's grasp and he scared himself with how much he wanted that warmth to stay. Sanji hurriedly took another drag of his cigarette as he went back to work, needing something to keep his mind busy so he didn't have to ask himself further questions.
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Cooking dinner had been… A task, that's for sure. Sanji kept finding himself distracted so often, thinking about the warmth of Zoro's hand and that intoxicating scent wafting off him. What made it worse was how his mind would wander, wondering if that scent could cover him as if to assert that all Zoro wanted was him. Or thinking about the warmth of the swordsman's hands, wondering if the rest of his body was just as warm and how it'd feel pressed against his own. Sanji would end up snapping himself out of it right before something disastrous nearly happened while he was working, and had a towel on standby because of how frequently his nose began to drip red, grateful no one wandered in to see how red his face had become.
It felt like torture. Sanji knew he had something for Zoro, he just refused to acknowledge it, in part because there was rarely time to do so and because that something only kept growing. Their constant bickering helped him hide what he felt, but that no longer felt possible and he didn't know what to do about it. Dinner didn't help the matter. With the table set and everyone eating, Sanji found himself picking at his food, unusually quiet as he struggled not to let that smell affect him. Zoro had been just as quiet, forcing himself to keep his eyes on his plate.
Then there was Luffy. Luffy, the oddly observant and scarily emotionally intelligent captain who usually didn't realize what he'd said was helpful or deeply thought out because it was just nature for him. He was the first to vocalize what he'd noticed, swallowing his bite of food lest Sanji hit him again for bad manners. "Why are you guys so quiet? You two lose a bet to Nami or something?" Both men froze, eyes widening as they refused to look up. "W-We both know I wouldn't lose to Na-Nami-san." Sanji nervously laughed. "No, no, he's right. He just gives me his money, ruins the fun half the time." She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "And I'm not making that mistake again." Zoro half muttered his reply.
"Then what has gotten into you?" Came Usopp's voice. That's when both men finally looked up and at each other and looked away. "He smells." Both said in unison. The confusion around the table only grew. "A smell? I'd offer my observations, but I don't seem to have a nose! Yohohohoho!!" Brook laughed, earning a small chuckle from Chopper. "I'm with Brook, bro, my olfactory senses are up to par, no updates needed." They both looked at Franky as he shrugged before looking at each other. "But he reeks of lilac and honey! How could you all miss that?!" Shouted Sanji, with Zoro's retort coming back just as loud. "Me?! You're the one who smells like strawberries and matcha so much it's suffocating!"
Robin, who'd been silently observing the entire conversation, chimed in. "A word you two?" Sanji's demeanor quickly changed as he looked at her. Zoro didn't change much. She smiled. "Thank you. Now then, if my theory is correct, please do something small that involves touching. Hand holding, a hug, hand on the shoulder, that kind of thing." Both stared wide eyed at her before looking at each other. "Ro-Robin-chan, I don't know if that's a-a good idea." Again, Sanji laughed nervously. Zoro sighed as he got up and walked over to him. "Dipshit, even you're not stupid enough to know when she's trying to figure something out." He grumbled, a hand resting on Sanji's back, just under the folded collar of his shirt.
Both men were quiet, Sanji looking away, his hair helping hide some of the red as he almost fumbled with getting a fresh cigarette from his coat and tried not to enjoy the warmth of Zoro's hand so much. Zoro, on the other hand, couldn't help but stare at the taller man's neck, his hand about to move to hold his collar down when Robin nodded and spoke up. "I see.. My hunch was right. Excuse me, I'll just be a moment." Before leaving, she looked at Zoro and crossed her wrists in front of her chest, getting one of the hands she often would summon to pull the swordsman's hand from the chef. "Hands to yourself until we can figure this out, hm?" She smiled before turning to leave. Everyone stared at the two. Sanji had leaned on the table, trying to make the way his hand was holding the back of his neck as nonchalant as possible while Zoro stared at his hand, his eye full of confusion while his face had gone as red as the chef's.
It wasn't a long wait, Robin had returned in no time with a book in her hand, putting it in front of Chopper to look with her as she flipped to the page. The doctor looked through the passages before his face flushed and he put a hoof to his mouth. "Well..?" Sanji looked at them. "An aphrodisiac of sorts." Robin said, to which the chef's heart dropped. "I-I've been drugged?!" "Not exactly." Came Chopper's voice. "It's the Eros and Agape flower. It's known as such because of its effects. One person needs to be hit by the pollen in order for the effects to start," he flipped the book, showing off a picture of a pink and purple flower, its petals akin to a hibiscus. "Before the Eros phase, the person affected and their desired partner are locked in the Agape phase. You both will seem to smell of your favorite things, with Zoro's symptoms being psychosomatic." Some of the others leaned in to look at the pages. "When you touch, you won't want to let go of your partner. Sanji is already a romantic at heart, but even Zoro will start trying to woo him." Robin chuckled. "And the "Eros" phase?" Zoro knew he'd regret asking.
Chopper and Robin looked at each other, with Robin simply smiling as always as she looked back at Zoro. "By that point, the pair in question will engage in the sexual aspect of the relationship. Luckily, that act of passion will reverse the effects of the pollen, the lack of fragrance will be the giveaway. However, it's rare for a couple to split once the effects wear off." "Y-You can't be serious! I have to sleep with.. With.." Sanji ran a hand through his hair , his bangs unaffected, as he tried to wrap his head around it. "No. Absolutely not. I refuse to fuck Moss Head!" Sanji had a hell of a time lying through his teeth, but everyone seemed to buy it. Except Zoro. Zoro could tell by the way the back of Sanji's neck turned red, but he didn't mention in, instead deciding to simply follow the chef's lead. "Like hell I'll do that. Unlike him, I've actually got standards." The swordsman rolled his eye, unknowingly causing doubt to seep into Sanji's mind.
"There is another way, but I don't have all the ingredients to nullify the effects.." Chopper mused, trailing off as he thought. "Then we find them." Sanji added. "I don't care, just don't let that shitty swordsman anywhere near me." He glared at Zoro as he started gathering his dishes. "About that," Robin looked at him. "You both must stay in the same room together at least, a few feet at minimum. Otherwise the pollen will become poisonous to Zoro. The same will happen should nothing be done about the pollen within a one month time frame." Freezing in place, the chef's shoulders dropped as he grit his teeth and looked at the swordsman with a glare. "Fine, but stay out of my way, asshat." Zoro rolled his eye as he moved to sit back down. "Whatever you say, pervy-cook." Both men remained mostly quiet for the remainder of dinner.
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When dinner had been cleaned up, Sanji collected the dishes and stowed away in the kitchen until they were spotless. Unfortunately for him, Zoro had tagged along and had been drinking silently at the island by the rest of the counters. Letting out a soft sigh, the shorter man set his mug down before getting up and helping dry the dishes like old times, still silent as if he knew something Sanji didn't. The taller man chewed on his cigarette for a moment before exhaling a puff of smoke. "Just spit it out, Moss. I know you well enough to know what this kind of silence means."
The swordsman sighed. "What? Expecting an apology for what I said? It's not like you ever did." He spoke in a voice that was tired and already done with the conversation. Sanji paused, his brows furrowing until it hit him. This was about Zoro's comment on standards in comparison to the myriad of comments Sanji had made to explain how he would never dream of considering the other man as an optimal choice for partnership. "Those…Those actually affected you?" He looked at the man beside him, confused.
Zoro just stared at him with a face that had 'you're joking, right?' written all over it. "The fact I'd go quiet didn't give anything away? The face?" The chef bit the inside of his cheek as he thought back. He did remember the silence, and he did remember how Zoro would look tense and somewhat frustrated. He just didn't realize it hid a lot more than he was letting on. Zoro laughed hollowly. "Oh my fucking- Shit, Curls, I knew you were dense but this is a whole different level." "Why didn't you just tell me? This is one of those things I try not to fuck around with." Sanji had turned the water off, some dishes still lingering in the sink, but that didn't matter. Zoro set down the plate he was drying along with the towel before looking at him with the most serious expression Sanji had seen him wear outside of combat. "Right. Because I'm just going to say 'hey, this hurts cause I like you, can you not?' to a guy so head over heels for women that he'd probably think I was joking."
Sanji just stared at him, his brows furrowing in confusion before softening as he moved to lean against the sink. He sighed. "At first, I probably would've." He tucked some loose hair behind his ear. "But… Things are different now." Zoro blinked at him before laughing hollowly again. "So.. What? That just fixes everything now?" "I never said it did." The taller man sighed once more, walking to a cupboard where he stashed his best wine before grabbing some ale he noticed Zoro enjoyed from a few islands back. He poured them both a drink before taking everything to a table in the galley. "The fuck are you doing, Cook?" The swordsman asked, his tone still as tired as before. "Humor me." Sanji sat down, stamping out his finished cigarette into an ash tray before lighting another. Sighing, the shorter man walked over and took a seat, leaning back in his chair. "Fine, what?"
Sanji exhaled a plume of smoke. "I'll stop with those comments." Zoro raised a brow. "And you're saying this because..?" The chef grabbed his glass and took a sip as he leaned back in his own chair. "An apology, to start, but also so I can be honest with you." The swordsman looked at him skeptically as he took a sip of his ale. "I realized it after we met Kuma that first time, at Thriller Bark." He laughed softly, thinking back on it. "I was so pissed that you were just throwing away everything Luffy had told us to achieve in order to save him. You knew he wouldn't have wanted that, but you tried anyways." He sipped his wine before continuing. "I thought you were being reckless again, trying to play hero. So I stepped in. I did it because you're his right hand, he'd be as lost as you are normally without you." Zoro rolled his eye but kept listening.
"But then you stopped me. You saw my life as worth protecting in that moment. Not the usual kind when we beat someone to a pulp together, this was different. When I came to and later found out what you did for Luffy, the pain you endured I just.." He took a drag from his cigarette and sighed. "It all started clicking when I saw you so injured. That I was so fucking scared of losing you. Then we got separated for two years and I had this worry in the back of my head that we'd never actually get to see each other again." Zoro, face softening at the story, took a swig of his ale again. "So you realizing you had feelings in return only continued the asshole comments?" Sanji sighed once more. "Yep. Because I refused to acknowledge those feelings. So I took the cowards way out." He tapped some ash into the tray. "Not an excuse, not something I'm seeking forgiveness for. Saying all this isn't going to just magically fix what I did, that's not what I want it to do. Just.. Needed to be honest with the both of us."
Zoro's expression seemed to soften a bit more as he thought over Sanji's words, another swig of ale being taken before he set his mug down. Then he laughed. It was full and hearty and it confused the hell out of Sanji. "So you fell for the brute after all." He teased. "You.. You're laughing?!" "I'm still upset, yeah, but I appreciate the honesty, Cur- Sanji. The past can't be fixed, but we can start again." He offered his mug for a cheers. Sanji stared at him. For one of the first times since reuniting, he really saw how much Zoro had changed. He raised his glass and clinked it against the other man's with a smile. "To starting again."
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The following day, the pair learned that it was far too risky for them to join the rest of the crew when they went looking for ingredients to produce the antidote. Hours later, however, everyone returned with the news that they'd have to travel to another island to get the last ingredient. And so, here they were. Conversing in the galley after being out at sea for almost two weeks in search of the next island. Everyone had been on edge due to the lack of commotion while sailing and searching, so they did all they can to stay calm while still vigilant. Zoro and Sanji did their preferred calming techniques interchangeably. While Zoro worked out, Sanji would stretch and practice various gymnast moves to keep nimble and light on his feet. While Sanji cooked, Zoro would be with him in the kitchen, relaxing and drinking while being a taste tester. Their bickering didn't stop, it just got softer, more akin to flirting than anything prior. They kept physical fights to a minimum, both too hesitant to make contact still.
Throughout the weeks, they'd head to the crows nest for night watch. Sometimes they were silent, sometimes they would talk, but it was all in the hopes that they could repair the hurt that was caused. Now, here they were. Late at night in the galley, drinks in hand and chatting about everything and nothing all at once, all because someone else offered to take first shift of night watch. Sanji laughed at some story that Zoro had thrown his way, his head thrown back and his neck exposed. The dim lighting illuminated him perfectly and the swordsman had a hell of a time looking away. When he calmed down, Sanji smiled at him, soft and warm. "I really can't leave you on your own, can I?"
A subtle warmth spread on both of their faces, neither fully able to tell if it was from the alcohol or not. "Hey, humor me again," the chef spoke, sipping his wine. "When did you fall for me?" The swordsman chuckled softly as he thought for a moment. "Baratie. I couldn't explain it then, but then you joined us and it only grew into what I finally realized was love." He took a sip of his ale as Sanji stared at him, his face flushing, but he couldn't help but start laughing. "Good to know that even at my bitchiest, I was still wanted." "Please, you're still plenty bitchy now." They both laughed, warm and full. "Even so, according to you, you love it." They fell into a comfortable silence, drinking and smoking until the chef broke it. "I can't tell if it's the alcohol or not, but you.. Fuck." He struggled putting the words together when the swordsman tried to help. "It's the scent, right?" Sanji nodded, stamping his finished cigarette into his ash tray. "You smell.. Nostalgic in a good way. In a safe way." He half muttered the second part but Zoro was still able to pick up on it. "Could've gotten stronger over time. I called it suffocating at the time, but it's.. Not. I wanna just.." "Bury yourself in it?" Sanji filled in the blank, and Zoro nodded.
Looking around for a moment, Sanji noticed the couch nearby and gestured to it, getting up and walking to take a seat. Only partially getting the picture, Zoro followed and sat beside him. "I won't stop you since.. I want to as well." Zoro stared at him, finding Sanji's bashfulness adorable but odd due to not really seeing it. He was hesitant, but Zoro cautiously took Sanji's hand, pulling him onto his lap and into his grasp where he hugged the taller man's waist, burying his nose into the crook of his neck as he breathed him in. Sanji could feel his heart race as he similarly hugged the shorter man, finding his own spot to drown in that flowery scent. Zoro spoke first, his warm breath ghosting over Sanji's skin. "You're warm." His voice was low and soft, his grip tightening around the man. A small shiver ran down Sanji's spine, nuzzling his face into the surprisingly soft, buzzed hair. "Yeah.. So are you."
They stayed that way for a while, holding one another and basking in the warmth and the scents. Until Zoro had switched their positions, laying Sanji on his back and continuing to cuddle him. He looked up at the chef in his arms. "..This okay?" Sanji looked at him, his face flushing again. Something about the soft expression and tone of his voice made Sanji feel.. He couldn't put words to it, but he knew it was good. "Ye-Yeah. Besides, I think if it wasn't, my body wouldn't want to pull away." Zoro nodded, looking away and resting his head back onto Sanji's chest, muttering softly, "'M glad it's okay." It was so weird to Sanji the more he thought about everything as he held the man atop him in return. The most vulnerable he'd let Sanji see was nothing like this and it scared the taller man. It scared him because he'd already hurt him in the past when it came to Zoro's feelings, so the last thing he wanted to do was ruin it. But then came the conflicting feelings about it all. The realization that Zoro was being so vulnerable because he was showing Sanji that he wanted to. That he wanted to trust Sanji in this way and this was part of it.
Slowly, Sanji began weighing choices in his head before finally relaxing into it, his nerves calming down enough to finally allow him to enjoy being held and placed a gentle kiss atop Zoro's head. He stayed silent, yawning lightly as he noticed Zoro look up at him, his face lightly flushed as he placed a soft kiss onto Sanji's chest, the pair drifting off to sleep in each others arms.
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It was during the days following that night that Sanji had been the one to notice first. Zoro was getting sluggish and his scent was beginning to get overwhelming. When everyone else noticed, they knew Zoro was on the decline and their time was running out. One morning, the swordsman refused to get out of bed, sweating buckets and overwhelmed by the chef's scent. Much to Zoro's dismay, Sanji had to stay close to him, meaning the rest of the crew had quarantined them in the sleeping quarters. At some point, Chopper had stopped by to deliver some soup in the hopes of getting Zoro to eat something. It wasn't as good as Sanji's, but it felt like home no matter what.
As the hours ticked by, Sanji would try to help, but Zoro would decline. He didn't need to say why for the taller man to understand. So here they were. The shorter swordsman laying in his hammock as he watched the chef pace the room. Zoro was grateful that the man's footsteps were light, it made the pacing much easier to deal with as the sound of Sanji walking was soft instead of harsh. "You'll burn a hole through Sunny the more you pace, Legs." His teasing was still playful despite how tired he felt. Sanji stopped in place and looked at Zoro. The worry on his face wasn't something he could mask. "Why haven't you done anything?" "…What?" The swordsman stared at him, confused. "We both know what would save you, so why haven't you done anything?" There was frustration laced in the chef's tone, but the shorter man sighed as he rubbed his face with a hand. "Look, my choices are do something that could make you hate me or death. I think you can see which one I'm choosing."
Sanji stood there, stunned into silence as Zoro continued speaking. "You're a romantic, Curls. Figured you liked a slower pace, so I didn't rush into anything. I'm not as much of an idiot as you think, I know when to be a monster." Sanji tore his eyes from the man as his face began to flush. There were those feelings again. Feelings that made the taller man want to say 'fuck it' and embrace what all of this was with the shorter man while differing feelings made him want to shrink back in case he fucked up again. But he weighed the options in his head, a mental back and forth that ultimately ended with him beginning to search the room, leaving Zoro to watch in silence.
With what the chef was looking for now in hand, he began to unbutton his blazer. "I… I used to think that you didn't have a romantic bone in your body. That all you knew was training, sleeping, and pissing me off," he started, undoing his tie and slipping out of his shoes before walking back over to Zoro. "That you were nothing but an annoying brute, but.." He sat down next to Zoro on the hammock, running a hand through his hair. "But then we got separated and… When I wasn't worried that we'd never be able to reunite, I missed you." He took Zoro's hand into his own as he looked at him, the color in his face deepening. "I missed nearly tripping over you because you were asleep and our constant fighting. I missed being able to learn new dishes that fit your palette, I missed fighting by your side," his grip on the shorter man's hand tightened. "I missed everything about you, and now.. Now you haven't even realized you've said the most romantic thing I never knew I wanted to hear." He leaned over him, slowly inching their faces closer as his eyes darted to Zoro's lips before looking back into his eye. Zoro laid there stunned as he reached up to brush some hair from Sanji's face, gently cupping his cheek and causing the man above him to lean into the touch. "Sanji.." It came out soft and low. "I want to, Zoro. I want to save you and see where we go from there." Zoro couldn't help but smile warmly as he nodded. "Come here then," he started, pulling Sanji onto the hammock, holding him as he moved to have the taller man laying on his back. "I know a thing or two about the basics, but teach me what you like. Teach me how you like it." The combination of Zoro's low and intoxicating tone with the view of him towering over Sanji, his kimono falling more than usual to allow an excellent look at his chest and that safe, flowery scent was driving him wild. Sanji swallowed a lump in his throat that he hadn't realized had formed as he nodded. "Ye-Yeah, I will." Was all he could mutter out in response.
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The item that Sanji had gone looking for, a bottle of unscented lotion, had landed somewhere in the hammock when he let go of it to wrap his arms around Zoro's neck. One of his legs had lazily wrapped itself around the other man's waist as his other dangled off their chosen spot. The man above him leaned down, his body having slotted against Sanji's perfectly. "How's this?" The question was soft and it made the chef's heart flutter as he nodded. "Good, good.." His eyes fell to Zoro's lips, about to speak when his unsaid question was answered by the press of those lips against his.
It was clumsy at first. Teeth clattering against each other, tongues desperately avoiding being bitten before they both pulled away and looked at each other, falling into a fit of laughter. "You know, Legs," Zoro spoke first in between laughs. "I thought you'd be better at that." Sanji slowly grew quiet, but before the man above him could worry, the chef smiled. "You know how important this sort of thing is to me," one of his hands moved to gently hold Zoro's jaw, his fingers lightly jingling his earrings. "So don't even think about letting this leave this room or so help me I will kick your ass so far off this ship that it'll take us another two years to find you." Zoro, knowing this reaction well and piecing together what Sanji was going to say, couldn't understand what was so embarrassing about this. "Sanji, relax. It's my first time with a man too." He was hoping the reassurance would help but Sanji buried his face into the crook of Zoro's neck. "…With another person entirely.." A quiet admission that Zoro nearly missed. The taller man, afraid to move, felt the shorter man's arms wrap around him and hug him tightly. "Then we learn together." That's when Sanji looked up at him, his eyes wide and the blush on his face intensified. Swallowing another lump, Sanji carefully spoke, "Zo-Zoro..?" A questioning hum was the response he got. "Will… Will you m-make love to me..?" His voice got quieter as he spoke and the man above him smiled warmly, kissing his forehead. "Yeah, I'd love to, Sanji."
Without another word, Sanji found himself tentatively reaching for Zoro's face and pulling him into another kiss. This time, it was tender and slow, both of them managing to find a rhythm as the shorter man slowly tested the waters. One of his hands gently ran down the taller man's body, starting with the soft caress of his pec before trailing his touch to the side of Sanji's torso. From his torso, he moved to Sanji's leg, tracing the muscles through the man's slacks before properly gripping it. He squeezed, his grip firm but far from painful, and the sheer tenderness of his movements cause Sanji to whimper softly into the other man's mouth. Breaking the kiss, Zoro looked at him, about to ask if that was good when he actually processed what he was seeing. Sanji, hair already starting to fall out of place, a hand to his mouth in embarrassment, and a familiar line of red already starting to trickle down.
Sanji averted his gaze as he was hit with the realization that he wanted to be touched so gently that the person doing so would be able to let him break. It was made even more arousing knowing that it was Zoro handling him. The brute who pissed him off to no end who was letting Sanji, and Sanji only, see him in such a vulnerable way. When he gathered enough courage to look at him again, Sanji, in a weak voice, spoke up. "He-Help me undress.." With a soft smile, Zoro followed Sanji's lead. He started unbuttoning the chef's shirt, unable to hold back and peppering kisses on his torso. Each kiss, each tender movement, each careful caress sent shivers down his spine and between his legs. His leg had still been around Zoro's waist and he used it to bring the other man's hips to his own where he properly felt it. The shorter man's own aching arousal with the soft moan he let out in response only confirming it further.
Sanji reached out and started to help strip Zoro down alongside his own task and it wasn't long before they were stripped down to their briefs. The swordsman had pressed himself against the chef, slowly rolling his hips to create some much needed friction between the two. "Zo-Zoro… Fuck, 's good." His slurring words were broken up by his breathing. "Yeah… Yeah." Zoro inhaled sharply as his hands found their way to the chef's waist. The longer they continued like this, the more Sanji could feel himself losing his mind, his briefs both too tight and uncomfortable from the amount he was dribbling out. He struggled to find it but grabbed the bottle of lotion. "Zoro - oh fuck-, in Zoro." He couldn't help but beg.
Zoro didn't need any other encouragement and hurried to strip them both of their final pieces of clothing. When they were completely nude, Zoro couldn't help but stare at the man before him. Blond hair a mess, blood running down his chin and collarbones, his skin ever so slightly shiny from the thin layer of sweat that had formed. Then there was his body. A sculpted figure that perfectly balanced his strength and his litheness. Despite hating how he got it, he always found the beauty in that lighting scar he'd gotten from.. Well, it didn't matter. Not when his eyes landed on that perfectly groomed line of hair that led to the chef's dripping arousal. The man squirmed under Zoro's gaze as he gave him the bottle. "Not with your eye." His plea came out in a soft whine and the swordsman finally acted.
He took the bottle, slicking up his fingers before leaning over the man with his hand in place. "Tell me what you need, okay?" The first completely coherent sentenced that Zoro could put together since they started. As if he found it pointless to talk when all he wanted to hear was Sanji. "I-I will. Please, Zoro." Came the man's soft begging. Carefully, Zoro slipped the first finger into him, causing the chef to tense up, his face matching how he felt. Taking a gamble, the swordsman peppered kisses along the other man's face, jawline, and collarbones, hoping the softness would help ease him. "Breathe, Sanji. You've been perfect so far." The man listened, his body slowly relaxing and opening up, letting the man above him easily help stretch him. "That's it, very good." Zoro kissed Sanji's temple, his hand slowly moving in and out to help the man beneath him adjust.
It wasn't much longer before Sanji was begging for another finger, then a third, then him. The shorter man did his best to quickly get himself slicked up, taking his hand out and lining up. "Ready?" Sanji nodded, reaching out for Zoro who leaned over, their chests pressed together as the taller man held him tightly. As carefully as he could, Zoro slowly pushed in, stopping frequently when he felt the man beneath him tense. When the swordsman bottomed out, he stayed in Sanji's arms, holding him back just as tightly. "Sanji, fuck, you feel incredible. Tell me when I can move." He kissed his chest in a relaxing way. "Touch me at the same time, please?" "With pleasure."
His movements were slow, both in his hips and his hand that had reached between them to stroke him. Sanji was starting to struggle forming full sentences each time he asked Zoro for more with tears of pleasure in his eyes. When he could manage it, Zoro would shower Sanji in praise, his grip on the man tightening the sloppier his movements became. "Zo-Zoro…" was all Sanji could muster to let the man know he was close. When he didn't get a response, he looked at the man above him properly, finding him looking back with hungry eyes while licking up some of the blood that had trickled down. The sight alone had Sanji tumbling over the edge, his nails digging into Zoro's back from where his arms were wrapped around the man's neck as he tightened around the other man and spilled over the swordsman's hand and onto his stomach. Zoro followed not long after, pulling out and using his hand to finish himself off, his own cum mixing with Sanji's before both laid together, spent in more ways than one with Zoro holding the chef and massaging his lower back.
"..How'd I do?" Zoro sounded hesitant. Sanji, slowly succumbing to slumber as he nuzzled the swordsman. "Good.. Touch more next time." Zoro held the man as he dozed off, his eye widening as soon as the 'next time' that Sanji suggested finally clicked in his head. He smiled softly, kissing the man's head as he let him rest.
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Sanji hadn't been asleep for long and when he woke up, he noticed he was laying against a broad chest in warm water. Zoro had taken him to clean up, gently lathering his chest with soap when he noticed. "Sleep well..?" He did his best to hide how awkward he felt. The chef laughed sleepily. "Yeah, I did. Are you feeling better? Not dying anymore?" He looked at him with some worry in his features. "Not dying anymore thanks to you." Zoro smiled softy as he lowered his hands to hold Sanji.
"So.. Does this mean..?" The swordsman tried not to sound overly hopeful when he asked. In response, the chef nodded, leaning against Zoro intentionally. "You're really stuck with me now, stupid Swordsman." He chuckled. The man behind him hugged the chef a little bit tighter, his head resting on the man's shoulder for a moment before kissing his temple. "Good. I don't want anyone else doing that to my Cook. Is.. That okay?" Sanji's face grew red as he nodded. "Yeah, as long as it's my Swordsman doing it." He smiled softly, his eyes closing as he basked in it. The warmth of the bath and Zoro, the steady sounds of the swordsman's gentle breathing, and a familiar lack of flowers letting him know that it was all over.
Silently, Sanji was glad it all lead to this. He was going to miss the scent of lilac and honey, but he much preferred the safety of Zoro's natural smell.