Crème and spice, and everything nice

Author's Note:

Warning: This is a piece of fluff (or intended to be so), with ZoroXSanji pairing (freeform essentially, but it is up to the readers imagination) ;)

Disclaimer: Eichiro Oda being the Mangaka god he is; deserves the complete credit for all the Straw-Hat pirates' characters, the One Piece world and everything in it. (I just occasionally borrow Sanji, Zoro and Law for my fantasies… Sighs…)

Note (finally) xD:

I could have written it at the end, but then I thought it would make more sense here… xD

The word cook has been used with both capital 'C' and normal c. The difference is, 'cook' is for when Zoro thinks of Sanji as the ship's cook and the other one, 'Cook' is for when Zoro thinks of it as a pet name of sorts for our dear blonde.

The story follows a POV, jumping between Zoro and Sanji, with the entire crew's POV (or not) in the middle. This (entire crew is present scenario) has been italicized for easy understanding.

Constructive criticism most welcome! As this is my second work ever (first if you consider this as true fan-fictional pairing, the previous one was a dedication to the awesome writer TakaraPhoenix's OCs) any and all reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Please do enjoy! J

Crème and spice, and everything nice

The start of dawn promised the unusual breezy day in Grand Line and The Sunny rocked gently on the flowing waters of the sea. As the sun rose up over the horizon, he walked to the deck to view the sunrise in the rare moments of calm that the ship would ever have, several thoughts of his past and present lending his countenance a sad look to it. He sighed, once his captain was up, there was absolutely no way that he would ever be able to meditate in peace. Not that he minded his captain's boisterous, bordering on obnoxious and still loved, behavior. He climbed up to the crow's nest and sat with Kitetsu on his lap, meditating on the "problem child" as he fondly thought of it.

Unbeknownst to him, his movements had been closely watched by a person having a mop of silky blond hair and sharp piercing eyes. "The marimo… Off to train this early in the morning" Sanji thought to himself. He had been surprised, to say in the least, when he had woken up and found Zoro looking at the dawn with a sort of melancholic look in his profile.

His thoughts wandered to the recent bout of calm following their fight in Thriller Bark. "That idiot swordsman was asked not to move around much, let alone train… Especially after those massive injuries that he sustained, but as usual never follows Chopper's words… Idiot-swordsman, listen to others once in a while…" His thoughts turned to muttering as he saw the marimo leave the deck and go up to the crow's nest.

He was baffled. Since the Thriller Bark incident, he was confused as to why on earth would he have done such a thing. The marimo, honourable enough to give his life up for the crew, specifically for Luffy, clearly showed that his sense of duty was strong. So he also had offered up his life for the sake of others, to save his captain's life. Right? Even as he thought the question to himself, the shout "WRONG" flashed across his mind… He would save his crew or die trying any time, any number of times rather, but this time had been a little different. And that was the root cause of his current headache. If he was going to be completely honest with himself then, the sudden realization that he would never see Zoro again had been enough to put him into a full-fledged panic mode. That was what had caused him to stand up against Kuma and ask for the Shichibukai to leave in exchange for his own life, rather than taking the swordsman's. The blow to his side, that had left him cringing and crumpling to the ground, had been unexpected to say in the least, but nevertheless, the tortured expression on Zoro's face had been downright confusing. The more he thought about it, the more his head seemed to give up on him and he finally left the matter for later, when he found himself close to cutting his own fingers, in the process of preparing breakfast for the crew.

Later, turned out to be not more than a few minutes after, as his thoughts strayed back to the green-haired swordsman. What was he to do, when a certain muscle-head assaulted his thoughts unceasingly? He finally lost it, and went out to the deck for taking a smoke-break, after having carefully laid the muffins to bake in the oven. Taking a deep inhale, he was surprised at getting a prickling sensation of being watched, all of a sudden. He was sure, that other than Zoro and him, the rest were not yet up, due to the excitement of the previous evening. Being attacked by a Sea King, when everyone was on the verge of nodding off, had not been a good thing. But having had more than enough experience, the matter had been settled very soon. What the crew had not expected was to meet up with a couple more of the Sea Kings, who looked furious. For all the crew knew, they might have been related, or the previous one might have been their prey. They were in deep trouble, in a matter of few seconds, as the Sea Kings seemed hell bent on capsizing the vessel. This had resulted in two Hammers, Chopper and Brook, falling overboard. The overall confusion had been quieted down soon enough, what with his sweet ladies Nami-san and Robin-chwan taking the lead to give out directions on who should concentrate on what. Finally, the surplus meat, had led Luffy to asking for one more round of dinner, and since everyone had been tired after the ordeal, they had agreed. After the second round, the entire crew, save himself and Zoro had almost passed out on the floor. They had trooped silently back to their respective bunks and beds leaving him with a huge load of dishes to do. He had desperately wanted to ask Zoro to do the dishes with him, but had stopped himself before uttering something that might have sounded extremely stupid. The marimo had left silently after that.

But, that still did not explain the sensation he was feeling. Was Zoro watching him from the crow's nest? Why? Had he done something to the marimo?

He was worried. Should he turn around and face the marimo? Or continue on his smoke break and ignore the turmoil that was going on around inside him. He was terribly tempted to grab a hold of the green-head and shake him a few times for the answers that he could not come up with himself.

Finally unable to take it anymore, he turned around and looked up only to find the crow's nest decidedly deserted. Huh! He was a little flabbergasted as he had expected Zoro to face him head-on. Not hide the second he turned. As he was thinking about it, he realized that he had not felt the prickly feeling for a little while now. That showed how caught up he had been when thinking. He would have to stop it… And do it right now. He'd never get anywhere if he was going to loop himself around in circles. He'd think about this later tonight, after everyone had turned in and he'd be left with the chore of doing the dishes. He didn't trust the others enough to handle his cutlery and knives with the same devotion as he did. Not that they were blasé about it. On the contrary, he was worried he'd make them too worried. And the ladies, well they were too delicate for this.

Thinking about the rest of yesterday's as well as today's dishes, he was a little intimidated by the task present at hand. The crew was not large, thankfully. Yet, he did have quite the load… Pondering on how best to stock up the rest of the meat and do the dishes, he walked back to the galley.

Zoro had watched the cook start up with breakfast and then come out for a smoke break. Thinking back on the time he had been ready to defend his crew, Zoro remembered the pain he had felt, emotionally and physically, when the cook had stood up instead of him. The slight blow had been meant to knock Curly Eyebrows out, not intentionally hurt him. But the force he had lashed out with had been a little too much. He knew for a fact that the Cook was strong, but the pain in his eyes had made Zoro cringe. He had not wanted to see that. Zoro had long since given in to the urge to look, or rather feast his eyes on the long lithe form that Sanji called his body. He had seen the cook fight the first time and had fallen, fallen hard. Completely unintentional, yet purely desirable.

He walked out of the galley having done the dishes, knowing how much the Cook cared about his work materials. He was satisfied with a job well done as well as the surprise this would be. Zoro had expected Sanji to ask him for help, or rather order. What he had not expected was for Sanji to walk off… Had the Kuma incident changed anything? He couldn't be sure. At the very least, he wanted the Cook to acknowledge him as an equal, just as he had done. If he were hoping though, things would be different. Well, he had lots of patience and time seemed to be on his side, he would wait.

Sanji, tossed the finished filter in the sea and watched the cigarette arcing over the side of the ship in a graceful yet diminishing point of light. The sun was well on its way to giving them another beautiful day, but Nami san would be the one to know that best. Shrugging, he walked toward the galley thinking on the arrangement and the stocking pattern that he had come up with. He nearly walked into the closed door of the galley and frowned. He had definitely left the door open. Who had woken up?

He opened the door, worried that Luffy might be raiding the refrigerator again, though that had long since stopped after Franky had provided those wonderful locks. Sanji grinned, the number of broken dishes and his headaches on diminishing food supply had considerably reduced since Franky had come aboard their ship. Luffy must have tried again, and most probably not have been successful, hence closed the door in frustration.

Walking to the newly installed sink while humming a tune, he nearly slammed against the side of it, deftly catching his cutting board and knives that were about to fall. He had been right. Somebody had been to the galley since he had last left. It could not have been Luffy though. The muffins in the oven remained untouched. And he knew from personal experience, that their captain minded being burnt in the least if it meant he could reach out to a handful of food. Not only had someone been in his territory, as he fondly liked to think, they had also done the dishes. That was unexpected. Chores were by far the least favorite work any of the crew liked to do and he surmised as much during dishwashing duty, the person assigned groaned. Who had done it then?

He flashed back to the prickly feeling he had had previously. Not the marimo, surely. But then again, he could feel the almost deathly quiet that followed mornings after, when none other than a couple of their crew was awake. Namely, himself and Zoro. He wondered and vowed to give the swordsman a small treat for the help.

Sanji was making a crème- brûlée, easy but tasty. Halfway through it though, he stopped. Treat? He normally accepted help like the next pirate, meaning, not so much. On the rare occasions that he did though, he felt extremely twitchy for having asked. Thus, helping him usually ensued either a sweet thanks followed by refreshing drinks (in case of the gorgeous Nami san and Robin san) or a thump to the head or shoulder with a muttered thanks (to the guys, that was sufficient!). What, where and how had that gone over and changed to this, he wondered while still continuing to the make the desert. Well, he had started and might as well finish it.

Inordinately pleased with the crème- brûlée, finishing it off with an topping he had come up with by himself, he placed it aside to be given later. He really had to do some serious thinking. Till then, well, he would wait… Sanji went around waking up the rest of the crew that had not yet woken, coming back to the dining area, placed the breakfast that he had made, serving the muffins first to the ladies first. And once they were done with it, he passed the batch of it around to the rest.

Zoro had been discreetly watching the cook. He was insanely pleased by the surprised yet happy expression on Sanji's face after entering the galley. It was a small thing after all. What was to it?

He didn't want the grin showing on his face though, so he continued with his reps, counting upward till he could feel the muscles loosening up a little. He needed to be strong, so that the crew could rely on someone when their captain… No he would not finish that thought, he would become stronger. As he was sure, his captain would too.

Continuing his workout, something distracted him. Something was giving off a sweet yet rich fragrance. He was salivating a little. The fact that he had a sweet tooth was something he had not let anybody know. He wasn't particularly ashamed of it, but the Dart-Eyebrows getting to know about it, would be downright embarrassing. Not to mention the fact, that he would definitely never let Zoro live it down. Ever!

He inhaled the smell hungrily, all the while counting, so that he could lose himself in the warm burn that his muscles were giving off.

He must have succeeded in distracting himself, for he jerked violently when the blonde came out hailing "Breakfast's ready". He swung upright and righted the barbells before going to wash himself up.

Halfway through breakfast, he found that he was being subjected to the same intense stare as he had given. Had the Cook not been happy after all? Had the happy and surprised expression been his imagination? Worried a little, he looked up and met the eyes boring a hole in his head. And gasped…

The crew turned around at the noise of a gasp, searching for the source, even Nami and Robin being surprised for once. Since everyone looked at the other, they couldn't find the person responsible for that gasp, the sound bordering, rather teetering between awe, happiness and fear.

Zoro could not believe his stupidity. But then, he couldn't be blamed. He would not be blamed. Sanji had been looking at him with such naked longing, Zoro had been sure that he had imagined it. He had gasped, unable to contain the awe and joy that his feelings may be, just maybe, finally returned. Fear clouded his minded almost immediately, making the gasp end on a sour note. What if, it was his over-active imagination? Or maybe, it was his projected desires? He had to be careful now. But he had always worn his heart on his sleeve. Probably, not as openly as Sanji did.

Sanji sat back a little, looking around as lost as the rest of them, a little afraid, a little excited. He had been thinking on how to call out to Zoro, to ask him to leave just a little later than the rest. He had been starting to stare a little hard. What he had not counted on though, was the almost instantaneous reaction to his stare. Zoro's gasp… Followed by the myriad of emotions across his face and then shutting down like nothing had happened. Looking around at all their faces equally, so that none could make out the source.

He now had his answer though. For the question he had pondering since the Kuma incident. Probably even before, but buried just a little deeper. Sanji was a teensy bit worried. Probably that marimo did not particularly have such feelings. Well, that kuso-marimo always shut himself off training, "and today I'm going to get him out of his shell, even if it is by force", he finished vehemently, muttering under his breath.

He looked back at the person of interest, pleased to find him looking. He subtly pointed at his plate and showed a sweeping motion, hoping that the swordsman got the point. He would assign the chore, but he wanted to make sure that Zoro didn't groan. Usually the person who groaned was given another task by dear Nami san, almost immediately. She knew Sanji liked people to take their chore up willingly rather slough through it, which usually ended up with broken dishes. Point in case: Luffy. Though that thought stopped him short. Zoro had been assigned to dishwashing more often than not, and Sanji had never heard him complain. Not once. Possibly, he could delve further into it.

Sanji snapped back to the present, to find Zoro giving him an imperceptible nod.

Once the crew was done, Nami san asked Usopp to do the chores, and thankfully, he groaned. Sanji, like in a scripted reality, looked frustrated, feeling anything but that, ground out Zoro's name. Nami started a little, but gave no indication to otherwise being surprised. She looked at Zoro, who gave a shrug and nodded.

To say he was relieved would be an understatement. Zoro had given his word, or in this case, nod, but Sanji had been jittery yet calm on the outside, till Zoro had accepted. Waiting for the rest of the crew to file out, Zoro stood waiting by the door and patiently closing it after the last person had left.

He turned around and walked to the dishes so dutifully, Sanji had to bite back a snort of laughter. Zoro had taken to wearing the apron while washing and dressed in it now, Sanji had an almost clear picture of a faithful and strong yet beautiful and mellow housewife. He just couldn't hold back anymore. The giggles he had been suppressing worked their way up and undignified snorts escaped his lips now and then.

Zoro lifted his head up from the dishes, but continued doing them. He was taking extreme care in handling each one. Seeing this sobered Sanji up. He went over and they finished it in companionable silence.

When the green-head went to wipe his hand in the towel to leave, Sanji stopped him wrapping his hand around the thick wrist. Guiding, almost pulling the other man to the seat beside the stove.

Zoro had heard the snort and the giggles. He assumed that the reason that made Sanji so deliriously happy might have been him. Seeing him in an apron seemed to crack the cook up every time and Zoro would do anything to keep the smile on Curly Eyebrows…, no, Sanji's face.

He lifted his head, continuing on with his work, more worried about the pots and pans that Sanji valued. He suddenly found the blonde beside him, the smell of excellent food and cigarette smoke, a unique blend that created Sanji's scent. He inhaled deeply, but as discreetly as he could, without rousing suspicions. Though Sanji seemed to notice the gesture, he didn't comment or even move back. Rather they continued in a warm and friendly silence.

Having done the dishes for the second time that day, Zoro was about ready to leave, when slim yet strong fingers wrapped around his wrist, pulling toward the only seat next to the stove. He sat, but looked up at the Cook and cocked an eyebrow.

Sanji was nervous. He could feel the typical sweaty palms, wobbly-kneed and the feeling of having two left feet, that people said were signs of nervousness. He had never been nervous before and had no point of reference. He would take them at their word.

Would Zoro like it? Was he even fond of sweet things? He groaned… He had never seen the swordsman looking at sweets, let alone with anything more than remote interest. He was definitely worried.

He bit his lip, needing a cigarette, but decided not to smoke one now. He was in this, till the end hopefully.

Zoro stared at the cook. He was going to work himself into a heart-attack. What was going on with Sanji? He looked about ready to pass out and that had never happened before. Not even when he had been more than half-dead, thought Zoro, a little bittersweet.

He was about to get up and offer his chair, when he saw the determination in Sanji's eyes. He had made some internal decision and was going to act on it.

It was almost funny, how well he could read the Cook like he was an open book. Funny and painful, because of the almost constant open adoration that the ladies received in this ship. He had wished for it more than once from the blonde, but had not yet given it up as a lost cause, would not.

Sanji went to over to a corner and brought in something in a covered plate. Zoro waited expectantly and looked at the Cook. Was it something new for the ladies? Sanji had the habit of using the rest of the crew as test experiments when he wanted to serve something new and exciting to Nami and Robin. It was always superbly delicious and he got to taste it before them. This thought made Zoro cringe a little. He was sounding ridiculous. But the food was undeniably good and that was something he could count on. Sanji placed the plate in front of him and Zoro went ahead and removed the cloche covering the dish.

He opened it to find the tantalizing smell from today morning assaulting him in full. He was instantly and undeniably excited, feeling like a little kid getting an unexpected gift. He was about to eagerly take the proffered spoon, when he went a little rigid. Zoro remembered with startling clarity that this would most probably be for Nami and Robin. He couldn't work himself up, not now. He calmly schooled his features and looked at Sanji, who stared back a little confused.

Sanji, had been glad. That was putting it mildly. He was giddy with relief, having seen the almost childlike excitement with which Zoro had been about to attack the dessert. And then something had changed. What had happened inside the marimo's head in the fraction of a second that Sanji had taken the spoon and proffered it to Zoro? He definitely could not fathom it. But he had seen an instant of an almost acute pain. It looked greater than the one when he had found Zoro nearly dead in the sea of his own blood. What had caused it? The closed almost distant and passive face that Zoro had now, frightened Sanji a bit, liking he was closing himself off even further. Sanji startled a bit when Zoro turned his head like an automaton and looked at him, clearly waiting for Sanji to say something.

Needing a response, Sanji quickly handed him the spoon like he had been about to and gestured at Zoro to try it. Zoro did and there was definite pleasure in those eyes at the taste.

Pleased that Sanji been able to get Zoro to eat made Sanji ask a question. The first in his list of others.

"Do you like sweets?"

"Hngh…"

"You know, grunts don't count as a response. Now tell me clearly, do you like sweets?"

"Mm hmm…."

"That's an extended version of your grunt!"

"Hmm…?"

Zoro was purposely annoying him, Sanji knew that much. But he would wait and get the answer that he looked for.

"Come on, I'm not asking you to fight against the Marines!"

"That's… Easier…"

The mumbled response had Sanji shaking with laughter.

Sanji teasingly sidled up against Zoro. He was in it till the end after all, and he wanted to know one way or another.

"So… Do you like sweet things?"

It seemed like Zoro would hyperventilate now, he was blushing that hard. Sanji almost groaned at the expression. This was just unfair and was triggering weird instincts in him, both to aggravate and to cuddle. Huh… Who knew!

"So… "

Sanji almost cooed.

"Yes…"

The mutter, hardly audible, had Sanji nearly leaping off his feet crowing… Oh sweet mercy!

"And did you like this?"

Another mumbled "Yes, a lot…" and Sanji was literally jumping off his seat doing a victory dance. Who knew, indeed!

Zoro could feel his face flushing scarlet. He had not expected this. Definitely not!

The Cook could be insanely persistent, he realized.

The tips of his ears glowing, he continued looking down at the half-finished dessert. At the very least, he was a happy man for having tasted it first. He grinned. It was a small victory, then.

Sanji looked at a grinning Zoro and was glad for it. He gently approached the marimo again and said softly,

"I made this specifically for you".

This time it was his turn to blush, and with his pale skin, it was a lot more visible.

But he wanted to know, once and for all, whether Zoro returned his feelings or not.

The shocked look from Zoro had him frowning and backing away a little.

Oh god! He had been wrong. Mortified at his temporary lapse, he was about to leave and curl into a ball when a solid body landed against his.

Zoro had been shocked. It was not for the ladies. The blush on Sanji's face had momentarily made him lose control of his faculties.

It was for him. Oh good god! It was made 'specifically for' him, in Sanji's own terms... How had this happened?

He was feeling extraordinarily pleased. He looked up and found that Sanji was backing away, looking like a deer, ready to bolt. He would not have any of that. Not anymore.

Zoro collided with Sanji's lithe body, finally, finally.

They brushed their lips together, in what started out as something very innocent, moving to heated and finally ending up in them hastily and frantically searching for their clothes when a pounding started at the galley door, followed by what was unmistakably their hungry captain's voice, bellowing for food.

They had stupidly happy grins on their faces.

The End

Author's Note:

I know… I know… Why is there another one over here? Right, even I am a little surprised. You see, I am writing this at 5 am after all, so not all senses are completely in cognizance.

So… Onward!

Hope you guys liked it. My characters might have been a little (or probably a lot OOC (-_-);), but it was intentional in the sense that these two have obviously not done such a thing as per RL in One Piece. (I'm counting on that, because if they do, I might get a major rush of blood to my head and die of severe nose-bleeding. Imagine them doing this in color… )

Oh a P.S. (I have wanted to do that forever xD):

I have corrected all the errors (grammatical and linguistic) that I could find, do let me know in case I have forgotten any.

And, I don't think there is any spice in here is there? (*Groans* But I love the title) *sulks*