Title: Frostbite
(A/N): I have this weird fetish with sick/injured/torture fics, and yes, I am placing the two of them as already being a couple. There will be no smut!
Just about every day on the Going Merry was the same as the last, unless the crew was docked at an island. Days like those were pretty hectic, to say the least, and they happened every week or so. Nevertheless, the entire crew was overjoyed to hear that an island, despite it being a winter one, was coming up. They had been sailing for nine days straight and supplies were extremely low. Well, that and the fact that Zoro was being a total ass about the lack of sex with his lover, Sanji. The chance to be alone was too tempting to let it slip by.
Should I try to convince Nami-san to let the two of us stay at an inn…or that we should "guard" the ship while they stay in town? That is, if the place is even populated. Sanji had come up with every logical, incognito excuse to be with Zoro, but he might as well have said, "Hey, Nami, is it okay if I have gay sex at your expense?" However, the captain snapped him out of his thoughts.
"SANJI! MAKE SURE TO GET SOME REALLY TASTY FOOD, M'KAY?" Sanji released his puff as the veins on his forehead throbbed. He stood up from the deck chair, obviously pissed off. Wordlessly, he spun Luffy around, grabbed the back of his shirt collar and kicked him, headfirst, into the mast.
"IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A SHITTY THEIF, WE COULD AFFORD MORE FOOD! EVEN I HAVE MY LIMITS!" the cook screeched as Luffy pulled his rubbery noggin out of the wood.
"Sorry…" Luffy trudged off, leaving Sanji to his cigarettes and angst. Moments later, Zoro snuck up from behind and hugged the blonde, burying his face in Sanji's neck.
"What's got you so upset, Swirly?" Zoro murmured in his uke's ear. Sanji suddenly relaxed, turning his head to respond.
"I really need to get off this damn ship, Marimo, and I know you're prepared to kill if it means private sex, because I won't do it any other way," he whispered with increasing volume. "And you've been a total statue towards me," he snarled, tensing again.
"How many time do I have to tell you? The odds of someone walking out on deck in the middle of the night are slim to none, so it's perfectly safe for us to-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sanji shrugged off the vegg-head's arms, took a long drag, and walked inside, muttering something about getting his coat. It was starting to get cold, but Zoro hardly noticed- he'd been cold for the last few days, long before they were being driven to a frozen island. He brushed it off as nothing, but he began to feel funny the day before; fatigued, light-headed, and the appetite that rivaled Luffy's was nonexistent. Zoro felt worse when he woke up, but not by much, therefore, he continued to dismiss it.
Probably just air pressure change or something. I can barely remember the last time I got sick, so why now? Icy wind suddenly whipped the green-haired seme's skin. Definitely felt that… He shivered and stepped into the (much warmer) male cabin. 'Twas nap time for Zoro, and for the third time that day, despite the fact that it was only noon. Moments later, he was out like a light, and the island was within sight.
"Zoro…time to get up…" Chopper carefully prodded Zoro through his blanket.
"Ugh…we're there already?" he yawned and slipped out of his hammock.
"Yup. We just dropped anchor and Nami wants you and Sanji to go inland and see if there's a town we can get supplies at," Chopper explained as Zoro put on his coat. The tiny doctor and drowsy swordsman climbed onto the deck to be greeted by their frozen nakama.
"D-Damn it's so c-cold," Usopp complained as ice hung from his nose. Sanji smirked at Zoro as he lit up another cigarette. Zoro was about to confront the cook when Nami cut in.
"Okay, Sanji-kun and Zoro will take the trail Luffy found earlier, and later, Robin-san and Usopp will follow."
"Why can't we all just go together?" Chopper inquired.
"Because I have a feeling that a blizzard will come soon, so we need help to move Merry further east, and smaller groups travel faster. That and those two can take just about anything," Nami concluded, unaware that Sanji still had nightmares from his agonizing experiences on Drum Island. (A/N: Just kiddin')
"Oi, Swirly, lets get movin'," Zoro grabbed Sanji and threw him onto the rocky shore.
"OI! What the Hell was that for, shitty-Marimo?" Sanji yelled as he dug himself out of the cold pebbles. That simple move left Zoro mildly winded, but he responded at full force,
"Just wanted to get you fired up for the trip!" he shouted before he leaped off the side of Merry and landed just feet away from Sanji. Cussing and screaming death threats at one another, the cook and swordsman walked off as snow began to fall and thoughts were seconded.
"Navigator-san, do you really think it was a good idea to send those two together?" Robin asked as said duo vanished from sight.
"I honestly have no idea...oh, well. Chopper, raise the anchor! The storm is coming in faster than I anticipated!" Nami ordered.
"Then why didn't you wait before you sent them off?" Usopp shrieked angrily. Nami shrugged. Usopp screamed again.
The storm was right on top of Sanji and Zoro, but they continued on in silence. They had walked uphill in knee-deep snow for the better part of a half hour. About ten miles or so, and Zoro finally realized how much he actually felt like crap. He recognized the feeling of a nasty fever from his fight with Arlong, but with the wind picking up, he chose not to make Sanji worry and slow them down.
"Oi, Marimo, how ya doin' back there?" Sanji called over the gusts of snow and ice.
"Fine, Swirly, just fine," Zoro lied. One moment he was sweating, and the next he was ice cold; exhausted and ill, the world seemed jut a little blurry to Zoro. Snow and ice suddenly came down harder, and the wind was a deafening roar in the two men's ears.
One more step, one more step, one more step… Zoro kept repeating the phrase in his mind, to no avail. He collapsed in a growing drift, entire body aching. The cook stopped dead. Something had moved in his peripheral vision. Sanji spun around and saw his seme in the snow.
"Marimo!" He cried as he dashed over to his fallen lover, "Oi, oi, oi! What the Hell's wrong? OI!" The cook flipped Zoro over and noticed the bright shade of crimson all over his face. Zoro's eyes snapped open and he stood up, drawing his katana. His ever was high enough for delirium to set in.
"Sanji, run! I'll hold them off!" he ran forward, slashing an invisible enemy.
"Zoro, there's no one there! Cut this crazy shit out!" the cook stood up and grabbed Zoro's shoulder, only to be cut at himself. He stood stock-still in shock.
Damn. Sanji realized something. He felt hot when he hugged me earlier, I should've known! Zoro was still a whirlwind of power, murdering invisible enemies in a fevered frenzy. Minutes later, the swordsman panted and sheathed his weapons. He turned to Sanji and smiled in triumph, eyes rolling back into his head and muscles giving out. The blond-haired uke caught him before he fell. A nearby tree cracked and fell, scaring the crap out of the wired cook.
This blizzard's getting worse, and there's no town in sight. Shitty-Marimo, he should've said something. Sanji threw the unconscious Zoro over his back in a loose piggyback formation. He stepped forward, hell-bent on finding shelter for his sick lover.
Back on the Going Merry
"What's wrong Luffy?" Chopper questioned his frightfully solemn captain.
"Nami say's the blizzard got to big for us to go after Sanji and Zoro. I have a really bad feeling about it."
"C'mon, Luffy. It's Sanji and Zoro we're talking about. Those two will be fine, after all, they have each other," Usopp cut in.
"I think that's what he's so worried about," Chopper whispered into the marksman's ear, earning a giggle.
"Just be glad we avoided the storm!" Nami called from the middle deck. "And I think I see something up on that cliff top! Holy crap, it's a town!" Nami suddenly felt a pang of guilt at sending her nakama out into a horrible snowstorm.
"Don't feel bad, Navigator-san. If either one gets too bad of frostbite, Doctor-san can amputate without any pain," Robin gave her personal brand of misplaced reassurance.
"That is sooo grooosss!" Nami cried in disgust as the boys tried to keep Luffy from sulking. Little did they know that frostbite wasn't the real problem. Both Zoro and the storm were getting worse.
Come on! Why does my luck suck so badly? Sanji was desperate to find a spot where the wind wouldn't touch him and Zoro, and said wind was about to blow him over. It seemed come from all directions, and the snow and ice clung to Sanji and Zoro's coats, soaking and freezing them simultaneously. The cook had been walking- no, swimming in snow for what felt like hours when he finally got a break. The sharp slope he was crawling up was starting to flatten out into an ice covered mountain ledge. Sanji stopped dead when he noticed the shiny film on the wet rock.
For the love of God! I have to be even more careful now. Well…here I go! The cook jumped as high and far as he could, narrowly missing a patch of exposed ground. He shifted Zoro on his back, gripping the green-haired man's inner knees as best he could with numb hands. He jumped again, and again, and again until the ice was behind him. Then Sanji began to run as fast he could, thankful for the warm blood in his lower appendages. The blonde suddenly skidded to a stop for, right in front of him, was salvation. A fully intact cabin.
Whew! I wrote this in about two days, and there will be more! I'm also writing some Naruto stuff, but that's on hold for the time being.
Pretty lucky they found that cabin, huh? Please review!
Fishy-Neko-Fangirl