A/N:
Here it is - my first fanfic ever. Eh.. (enjoy?)
03/21/2008 I will rewrite this as soon as I have the time. Why? IT SUCKS like nothing has before.
Sanji slept peacefully on his side, lips slightly parted, a curtain of golden hair hanging over his eyes, covering them. However, when he felt a pair of familiar, rather large hands on his bare back, starting to draw circles across it slowly, he began to stir from his slumber.
"Nngh… Zoro…" he mumbled drowsily, drifting somewhere between sleep and wake. He was exhausted. The subtle pressure of Zoro's hands on his back grew, their movement gaining power; Zoro knew that Sanji was awake. Despite that, he didn't feel the need to respond to the cooks incoherent muttering.
"Zoro… What…what are you doing.. Sanji asked, quietly, his voice still a bit ragged, as he was gently pushed onto his stomach, his face practically buried into the pillow. He turned his head to the side, in order to get into a more pleasant position.
"Oi, Asshole, I asked you a question", Sanji said, his voice still lacking the necessary force and aggravation to get his point across to the swordsman, whose hands were now massaging Sanji's shoulders with force that was unnecessarily vigorous for such an early time of the morning.
"What the fuck do you do think you're doing, you stupid Marimo?! he raised his voice, even though he knew it would, without a doubt, hurt his ears in the condition he was in. As a response, Zoro merely grunted, unsatisfied with the indignation, audible in the cook's not-quite-as-loud-as-usual voice, but he didn't stop. He kept on going like a stubborn child, refusing to give up…
"Stop it already!" Sanji was beginning to feel annoyed. What was the seaweed-head thinking, anyway? Actually, it wasn't the swordsman's actions, but, rather, his almost utter silence that riled the cook. However, Sanji himself wasn't quite sure of the reason he was feeling so annoyed…
"Why would I?" Zoro asked rather calmly, a little devilish edge in his voice, which was almost enough to make Sanji shiver. "You have the morning off…" he continued softly, his voice, now quieted down, coming from somewhere right next to Sanji's ear.
Sanji did have the morning off… That was something he couldn't argue about. He had prepared quite a heavy late-evening snack for the crew, which was, undoubtedly, soundly asleep and wouldn't wake up until a couple of hours later, if nothing abnormal and noisy would choose to happen in the meantime.
Sanji shook his head mentally, sighing deeply. "…at least don't be so rough", his voice was barely audible. "My back doesn't need to be bruised pudding after you're finished with it…" he added, almost back to his usual self.
"Hnn… So, you admit being weak then?" Zoro asked, sounding a little amused and slightly smug to have heard something so unusual and almost weak from the cook. He knew he was pushing it, but at this point, he hardly cared.
"Shut up!" Sanji yelled, and regretted it as soon as his own voice hit his ears, making them ache. "Don't you happen to remember who it was that let you in here in the first place?" he continued, his tune quieted down a bit, "…I should have just left you out onto the deck to freeze yourself…" However, that was something he wouldn't have done. Even he himself had finally noticed the obvious concern for the swordsman he had in his actions and thoughts, though it still startled him. It wasn't something he could just easily accept as a part of himself. What an idiot he was… He still had to toughen up a notch, before he would turn into a sobbing girl…
Zoro, on the other hand, was about to snap right back at the irritated cook, but he got the unexplainable feeling he sometimes had that it would ruin the moment, which he didn't want to end yet. Not when he had the captivating blonde just where he wanted him to be.
Zoro's hands slowed down considerably, and in a while, he moved the cook's body back to its side. After a quiet moment, he brought his lips very close to Sanji's ear, holding onto his shoulder, and whispered "…forgive me..
When Sanji heard the swordsman's words and felt his hand on his shoulder, he relaxed notably and fell silent. He felt no urge to struggle or argue and just lay there, enjoying the closeness…
Zoro wrapped his arms around Sanji and pulled the cook's body lightly against his own. Sanji was a bit taken aback by the not-so-familiar sensation. It wasn't that Zoro's hands were cold…they hadn't been cold for hours now… They were just what they usually were: strong, rough, and a bit awkward with anything (except for his swords and other necessities, like beer pints). Actually, they were quite warm and comfortable against his skin…
If it would have been anyone except the swordsman in question, clinging onto something like that, it would have been labelled, at least, as hugging, if not cuddling…but that was the difference between Zoro and everybody else… A little smile was tugging at Sanji's mouth as he closed his eyes, relishing the moment of peace and quiet, feeling Zoro's strong presence near him. This was exactly how it was supposed to be, he thought.
"…Zoro", he called out the swordsman's name gently. He just wanted to express his "Thank you" to him; no matter how unusual it would be, coming from Sanji. "…Zoro?" he continued, after having no response whatsoever to his first attempt of gaining the swordsman's attention.
Sanji turned his head, just enough to see Zoro's face. No matter how he viewed it, Zoro had, indeed, fallen asleep. Sanji was slightly astounded, but it didn't take long for him to become himself again. It was so like Zoro. Sanji kept on looking at the sleeping swordsman, whose expression had softened remarkably compared to his usual self. Sanji thought he looked peaceful, and, as unbelievable as it was, quite sweet. That was one of those thoughts he would keep to himself; he was a bit too fond of his life to tell it to the swordsman… Sanji's lips curved into a smile as he sunk back down into the swordsman's warm embrace and closed his eyes.
Reviews welcomed!