For the OP Fic for all prompt - "Crewmember in unwilling relationship with Luffy."

Warning - Yaoi.

Captain

.

You know it shouldn't be this way.

Not that you're surprised, well, not much, you didn't think it would even be able to work successfully with the Marimo, not when his life is trained on one future fight and your own desires involve cooking and pleasing women.

No, it was never going to work, but it was never meant to end like this. Because of all the problems your relationship faced, the Captain was an unexpected factor.

The confession was private, not something you were meant to overhear. But the battle had not long ended and you wanted to change your dirty suit as much as you thought they did.

Instead, you stood outside the door and heard things that brand your mind.

"…You're my first mate, my very best friend and I thought that was enough, but then Sanji mentioned some things about you and that you like boys more than girls and I realized I liked you more than girls, maybe even more than meat and though it was a mystery I was hoping maybe it was okay if I like you more than meat and if maybe we could both do that stuff I saw in Nami's book where there was lots of meat and…"

"Luffy. Focus."

"I like you. A lot. And I wanna have sex with you. Is that okay?"

You could see, without seeing at all, perfectly imagine the room at the moment. Zoro, leaning against the bed as he sat cross-legged, looking up at his captain before him, trying to decide how to answer this request properly.

And you know, before you hear the tinkle of a nodding head and the sound of Luffy wrapping round Zoro in a passionate kiss, that the swordsman will do what his Captain wants without question. Even if he doesn't want to.

.-.-.

The crew all accepted the relationship without much question, and you manage to hide your unease of it all by flirting with the women and cooking as much as possible. After all, Luffy is even happier than normal, and Zoro doesn't really change in his unwavering loyalty to his captain, just sleeps and trains more and life on the ship continues as you know it always did.

You don't talk to Zoro much anymore, his training and napping interfering with any chance you had to talk to him, to see why he's started this affair with Luffy without considering you and whatever the pair of you shared.
Because you shouldn't be jealous, not at all, because you were never exclusive or anything, just a way for the pair of you to let off steam and hormones. But Zoro seemed to want to spend more time together, not just for sex but to open up to someone, to give him ties to the current day that he needed rather than staring off into his future destination. And you were starting to open up to the swordsman too, and enjoying it, telling him about your past and All Blue and cooking and why it was all so important.

So while you know you don't necessarily need an explanation about Marimo's new relationship, because you never had a proper one to begin with, you miss the connection, the companionship that was beginning to thrive and you need to know why it was so insignificant to him.

He keeps avoiding you, so you do the same, but the only person on board who was good at picking up when you were faking emotions was the one your acting was aimed at, so all was well, until you accidentally walked in on things you didn't want to see.

It was your time for watch, climbing up the rigging to wake up the swordsman who was almost invariably asleep, and instead opened the hatch to the smell of sweat and sex.

Zoro was splayed on the sofa, Luffy moving ontop of him desperately as he neared his climax inside the swordsman. You felt your blush all the way to you feet, felt the twitch of your now rapidly forming arousal, but before you could leave them to take care of yourself you caught look of Zoro's face.

Luffy was too wrapped up in his own ecstasy to notice, but Zoro did not look to be enjoying the act as much as his partner, instead staring wistfully across the crow's nest. His despondent eyes shift and meet your gaze, yet instead of shouting and interrupting his partner's orgasm, he just closed his eyes painfully and turned away from your scrutinizing gaze. Closing the hatch, you're left with nothing but an unwanted erection to attend to and a heavy feeling of unpleasantness in your gut.

.-.-.

The confrontation you've been waiting for happens sooner than you expect, Zoro coming to find you in the kitchen early one morning when you're making breakfast before the rest of the crew rise for the day. It hurts, the memories of you and he just spending alone time in the hours. Be it kissing or talking or even just him watching you knead dough; it was the only time of day that available exclusively for the pair of you.

"Cook?"

"Fuck off Marimo, I have nothing to say to you."

You can tell, because the pair of you has this inane link that can tell, that Zoro hesitates then, makes to leave and avoid this whole awkward conversation. But his manly side wins over, and he knows this has to be done.
So do you, but that doesn't make it any easier to stomach.

"Didn't realise you were on watch that night, we wouldn't have if I kne-"

"Forget it."

You're trying, so hard trying to forget what you saw. 'Cause you don't want to see Zoro with anyone other than you and you definitely don't want to see that lost look on his face again. Not his, never his.
And you don't want to ask, don't want the answer because it's impossible for whatever he will say will make you happy. But you need to know or it will eat you from the inside out.

"Why are you with him?"

You turn, and his face is quickly reigned in from surprise to acceptance, and you know he's been waiting for you to ask. He doesn't say anything, and you can't take the silence, the dam holding in your emotions and questions shatters like glass.

"Is that all it takes? One word from him and you're off, just like every other decision? Why is it he controls you so much?"

He still doesn't answer.

"What about us, whatever it was we had? Was that nothing?"

Something happened then. You're not sure what, but that hit Zoro like an arrow, and you saw it pierce through his chest. He sighs; rubs a hand over his eyes looking so tired and you grip the counter to stop yourself embracing him.

"It wasn't nothing, Sanji, you should know that."

"Then Why? Why just leave everything at one word from him?"

You feel stupid asking, pressing something you don't want to delve into, because you know this conversation could destroy you but it's out there before you realise you said it. Zoro hovers, weighing up his answer like gold and silver, each word as heavy as such with its importance.

"Did I ever tell you how we met? I was all tied up in a Marine Base, days away from execution and he just shows, like he always does. Grinning and laughing and saying I'm gonna be his crewmate no matter how many times I told him I didn't want to."

You smirk then, because you can imagine it, and Zoro does too, as it replays in his mind.

"Then, all of a sudden, I'm still tied up but now staring down the barrels of a few guns and I've got pretty much no choice other than to listen to him. He saved my life that day."

You can see where this is going now, because you know his stupid swordsman code runs this deep, ridiculous as it is, and your stomach twists unpleasantly as he carries on.

"First Mate. I never realised the depth of it at first, just a name because I was here before anyone else. But it's not. I can't refuse him, not ever."

You feel his breath wash over your skin as he moves closer, sense his hands flexing as he wars with the conflicting desires of his heart. You push one last time.

"And what about us? About you? What do you want to do?"

Thoughts go blank then, because Zoro's arms are holding you tightly and his lips are pressing against yours with such longing you aren't sure you can breathe.
Moments, minutes, hours maybe pass and he steps away, looking at the floor ashamed. You don't let go of him, can't let go, because you know you'll never have this again.

"Zoro-"

"If he wants a relationship with me then I cannot refuse it. He's so happy, Sanji, I can't hurt him like that."

You want to scream them, kiss him and ask, what about hurting me, because you feel like you're breaking inside. But Zoro looks like he is breaking inside, he knows it's hurting you and its hurting him to do so, but this is Luffy and you will never win against him no matter how hard you try. So you settle for holding him close again, running your hand through the soft green hair, and he sighs against your shoulder.

"M'sorry Sanji. This wasn't meant to happen."

You kiss him, on the cheek, and turn back to the stove so he can't see your escaping emotions. You know he is aware of them anyway, so it's best not to take it further.

He goes to say something then, you hear the intake of breath, but Luffy bounds in then, and whatever it was is gone.

"Zoro! I've been looking for you! Oh, is it breakfast time yet Sanji?"

You shake your head, still staring at the still-warming water in the pot.

"It'll be a while yet, Luffy."

"Mnaa, okay. C'mon Zoro, watch the sunrise with me!"

"Okay, Captain."

You hear the resignation there which Luffy, in all his cheerfulness, misses completely. You mistakenly turn, figuring you should begin to accept watching their relationship grow.

Luffy is hugging his boyfriend tightly, kissing him on the cheek where your lips were so recently. Zoro was embracing him just as readily, but his eyes are trained so intensely on you it hurts. Breath is stolen from your lungs and it feels like that he's holding Luffy but he's thinking of you.

Luffy tugs on his arm, happily chattering away and Zoro follows obediently, and you're left alone as quickly as you were interrupted, just with far many more emotions forcing their way through your mind than you're able to manage.

So you know it shouldn't be this way, but it will be. Because no matter how much he wants you, or you want him, Zoro would never waiver for his captain.

And it's something you'll just have to accept.

-.-.-