Title: Playing Judas
Author: Plaid Voodoo Doll
Overall Rating: M
Chapter Rating: T
Pairing: ZoroxSanji
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, though there are moments where I wish I did.
Summary: On the Grand Line anything can happen. Each island is given its own unique setting. Some of these islands are safe enough for any new pirate to handle while others will lead a hardened crew to tears. Such is the case of the Judas Island.
Sanji let the blade of the knife fall quickly and expertly over the cabbage. A thick, fresh crunching noise followed the movement, repeating at even intervals. Soon the entire cabbage had been cut. He picked up the cutting board and used the dull side of his knife to push the cut cabbage into the wok. Next was carrots. He split them in half before cutting them into smaller, thinner pieces. Then mushrooms, bok choy, onion and bean sprouts. It wasn't long until the wok was filled with vegetables ready for stir-fry. But he could only hope he'd have it all done in time. The Captain became very noisy when lunch was even a minute late.
Behind him he heard the door open. Damn. The kid was early. He stiffened slightly, readying himself for the barrage of demands. The door closed. With out turning around he said, "It's not done yet. I'll call you when it is." It was strangely quiet. Sanji frowned. He set his knife down. Was it really Luffy?
Suddenly he felt hands touch his waist. He only jumped about ten feet in the air before turning sharply to hit who ever it was in the side of the head with his heel. A hand deftly caught his ankle, keeping it at a rather uncomfortable angle. "Oi." He let the tension out of his leg and the hand which held it let go. He set his foot back on the ground. "Don't attack people at random, ero-cook." Zoro sat down at the table, letting his chin rest against an upturned palm.
"Could say the same thing to you, shitty swordsman," Sanji growled darkly. He turned back to his preparations, lifting his knife and beginning the process of finely chopping the garlic. He had to admit he was a tad uncomfortable. Zoro's eyes would inevitably be boring into his back. But he couldn't say he didn't like it. In fact, if he were to tell the truth he would have to say that he liked the attentions, though extremely small on Zoro's part. Just watching seemed to be the extent of the man's actions. Sanji did not necessarily want Zoro to become a strange, wiggly jello as the cook became for any woman worth looking at. But it would be nice if he were a little more vocal or physical.
He brushed the garlic into the wok and began to do the same with some of the ginger. It was the last of it, actually. He hoped to get some more soon. As he worked he felt his shoulders grow tense and his fingers seemed to slip with the knife, occasionally making thicker slices than intended. Was the gaze of the Miguwara Pirate's swordsman really causing him to loose his cool? Perhaps.
He paused. He turned and found Zoro surveying the opposite side of the room with an air of complete boredom. So, he hadn't been looking that entire time? Sanji felt his heart plummet down to his stomach. His cheeks grew flushed. He was disappointed and embarrassed, but mostly disappointed. Why? Because it was ridiculous just how much he actually thought about that man and Zoro seemed to have not an ounce of affection coursing through his veins. Sanji ran his hands through his blonde hair, briefly pushing back the fringe which covered his left eye. He was going to need another cigarette soon if he was going to keep stressing himself out like this.
"You should wear your hair tucked back more often," Zoro stated in that bland tone he used in normal speech. When had those black irises started looking at him? Sanji just glared.
"No way. I look better like this." He smoothed the blonde fringe over his eye, pulled out his pack of cigs before pulling one out, sticking it in his mouth, and lighting it. He turned away from Zoro, forcing himself to finish chopping the ginger. Once again hands touched his waist, then slipped around to pull Sanji close to a warm, well muscled body. "Hey," Sanji growled, his heart fluttering. "Leggo! Unlike some people I have things to do." He felt a chin rest against his shoulder.
"No," came the simple reply. Never anything wordy. No explanation unless one was specifically demanded. Lord how he hated and yet cared for this man. With an exasperated sigh he pushed the ginger into the wok.
"If your going to be in here, at least hand me the shrimp." Zoro unhooked his arms, complying and grabbing a bowl of the light pink crustaceans in question. Or in demand. He came back, setting it down by Sanji before wrapping his arms around the man's waist again. Sanji jabbed lightly at the hands resting over his stomach. "What if someone catches us?"
"Oh well." Zoro brushed a light kiss over Sanji's neck. The cook shivered from the action, hating himself immediately after for doing such a silly thing.
"I don't want to have to deal with that shit."
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does." Sanji pulled out a shrimp, one at a time, and quickly cut out the sand vein, splitting the shrimp and throwing it in the pot. When he had finished that he grabbed the salt, which had been near by and sprinkled a dash into the wok. He set the two things down, the salt and wok. As soon as his hand let go, another set grabbed into his wrists, pulling them back. Sanji struggled to get his hands free, but his arms were not nearly as strong as Zoro's. Besides, did he really want to escape?
One hand moved lightly down Sanji's arm, down along the side of his chest, to his hip which Zoro used to pull Sanji closer against him. Tongue licked across the back of Sanji's ear, then teeth nibbled on the cartilage. Sanji bit down in his cigarette, hating the sounds that wanted to escape from his throat. He used his free arm to elbow Zoro in the ribs, but the swordsman paid no mind. Instead he turned Sanji to face him, a hand hooking around the back of Sanji's neck and tilting his head back slightly. He pulled the cancer stick from between Sanji's lips and leaned down to capture them in place of the cigarette, which he flicked to the floor.
Sanji was rendered helpless against the counter. It pushed painfully into his back. He was distracted from it by the kiss. The kiss was by no means sweet and gentle. There was nothing Zoro could do to be gentle. His body was stuffed with power, his fingers were rough with callouses, his voice was gruff and his mannerisms generally uninterested and lazy. He was, in a word, a man.
Zoro's tongue pressed ever so carefully against Sanji's lips, asking for entrance. Sanji, at first remained unwilling. But that tongue danced so smoothly over his lips that it was not long until Sanji caved in. They battled. It was always a battle of wills. Sometimes Sanji would win and sometimes Zoro would win. It just so happened that today Sanji would be the lucky one to dominated the kiss. He managed to push the man back until he was sitting at the table. Zoro watched Sanji, his head tilted back. For all the world he appeared as if none of this affected him. Sanji mentally cursed the man. He leaned down, kissing Zoro again while his slender hands slipped lightly over that well muscled chest. Sanji nibbled playfully at his lower lip. Zoro responded by letting his hands drift up along Sanji's sides, and down again to grip the cook's ass tightly. "Wait... were those footsteps?" He spoke with his mouth still so close to Zoro's that his lips brushed against them with every word.
"Dunno." Sanji glanced up, horrified by the thought of anyone walking in on them. But no one came through the door. He pulled Sanji onto his lap, brushing a loving kiss along the cook's jaw. Sanji tore his gaze from the door. He now straddled Zoro's lap. He pressed his hands firmly against the swordsman's shoulders and shook his head.
"You'll really have to let go now." He wished the swordsman wouldn't. He wished Zoro would be as bullheaded as he was in most other situations and just do the complete opposite of what ever Sanji said. But he didn't. The hands and that warm body slipped away. He let Sanji stand and he straightened. Then Zoro left.
When had things become like this? When had they officially become lovers? He didn't know. He probably would never know. It had happened suddenly, but then it hadn't seem so much different than normal that they days blended together. Sanji couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing and he wasn't going to dwell on it. He had things to fry, after all.
Lunch went on as ordinarily as it ever had. Luffy attempted to steal food from the other members of the crew, they talked casually about anything and everything, and he doted on his two favorite ladies. Just average.
After lunch every one was milling about, doing what ever it was that pleased them. Until the sudden cry from the area of the crows nest roused every one out of their activities. "Laaaaaaaand ho!" It was Luffy. He clung to the mast and was pointing straight ahead of him. The whole ship flew into action. Nami had them making ready to reach land. She mused about the desire for a decent city that would offer some sort of relief to this monotony that was often found at sea. From afar they could tell it was a heavily wooded island with a series of peeks jutting up from the back end. But other than that there was no telling.
It was soon enough obvious that the island had a port city and it seemed advanced enough. Nothing too backwater, but not so advanced as well. They managed to dock and the crew, except for Zoro, got off. It was decent. There was a good sized market with a large array of things to buy. The little paths around the little houses were cobblestone. The houses themselves seemed to be built from the ground. Not in an old peasant sort of way, but in a more natural one. The walls were made from the mud bricks then brushed over with cow manure and painted to be what ever color the residents decided. The roofs were growing bright green grass. Ussop elbowed Luffy commenting, "Looks like someone we know." Both of them glanced back at the ship and cracked up. Chopper joined in with the laughs, only half understand what had been said.
Most of the members went their separate ways, searching for things they wanted to buy or just wondering at the scenery. This was really where all the trouble began.