I am back to writing! :) I had a nice trip :3 So here goes the 9th chapter already! :D So in this chapter there will be slight BL and hints of ZoSan so watch out! :) And I remind you that I would love to hear your ideas of what I should write in my fanfics or if you would like to have a story with some specific person's POV :) But here goes this chapter! :) Hope you will send feedback :3 This chapter is maybe a little bit shorter than the other chapters, but the last two chapters will be longer than normal chapters! :) Next chapter will be out as soon as possible! :3

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Sanji was surprised at how well he got along with Zoro. Their swordman kept him some company when he was awake and this time he didn't come to the infirmary just to sleep in there. Somehow it also annoyed Sanji how they didn't fight with each other anymore but he got to wait for his healing to do so anyway. It took all of his patience to just lay down and wait his wounds to heal while every minute felt like hour.

Luckily he also spent some time outside the infirmary. He sat there on the deck and looked how their crewmembers fooled around: Luffy wanting to play something and Usopp being the master in hide-and-seek. Nami asking Luffy to be more quiet while she was trying to draw maps and Robing was trying to read. Sanji just laughed and everyone, expecially Nami and Robin, were surprised how he didn't get angry with those who bothered his lovely ladies.

"This is going beyond my understanding..." Nami sighed and Robin chuckled next to her. It wasn't enough that Sanji didn't defend his ladies but he was also acting friendly towards Zoro. They thought something had changed between the two men but they said nothing. Robing thought that it might have something to do with Thriller Bark but said nothing because she felt like she shouldn't gossip about the events.

...

One week after they had left the island, Sanji's wounds were already much better. Chopper said there should be no danger for his wounds to reopen anymore but he advised Sanji to be careful. Their chef was happy to get back to work and have his routine back to normal. He was careful, however, not to stress himself too much at first and to his surprise Zoro volunteered to help him to clean the kitchen. Zoro didn't even dare to ask if he could help with cooking because he doubted their chef would allow it.

"Why did you bother to help me, Prince Charming?" Sanji teased and saw how Zoro tried to keep his temper. New nickname was something he simply hated apparently.

"I just thought you should not stress yourself too much yet, Skunk-boy," Zoro answered with the same irony in his voice and Sanji got pissed off.

"I am not Skunk-boy!" Sanji blurted. He didin't like his new nickname too.

"Then I am not Prince Charming!"

"Fine, I got your point! Do we have a deal?" Sanji suggested.

"Okay, Ero-cook!" Zoro said and Sanji almost smiled.

"Now when you think about it, Ero-cook is pretty good nickname..."

"Oh?Are you praising me?"

"No I am not! I am simply saying 'Ero-cook' is better nickname than Skunk-boy!"

"Yeah Yeah, I understand..."

"Oh? A plant understood me?" Sanji joked.

"I am not a plant!" Zoro almost shouted.

"Then what's wrong with your hair?"

"What's wrong with your eyebrowns?"

They stared at each other for a while before Sanji sighed deeply.

"There will be no answer for these guestions I guess?"

They chucled slightly and got back to work. The silence between them was comfortable and neither of them was scared that another would do a surprise attack.

After they had cleaned the kitchen, Zoro went up to the crows nest to train and Sanji went to ask if Nami or Robing would like to have some small snack.

"My ladies!" Sanji shouted,"Would you like to have something?!" Something seemed to amuse Robin and Nami about Sanji and they started to laugh when he came closer to them,"Something on my face?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong, Sanji-kun!" Nami giggled,"Nothing for me, at least!" Sanji turned to face Robin who was slighlty chuckling.

"Coffee for me, perhaps?"

"I will make it with joy! I will be back soon!" Sanji promised and headed towards the kitchen to prepare some coffee for Robin. Nami and Robin had behaved somehow suspiciously before but Sanji was not one to judge ladies. Of course he would love to know what had been so funny but somehow he didn't want to know.

Sanji returned soon to bring some coffee for Robin.

"Here is your coffee, my dear Robin-swan,"Sanji said and gave her the coffee.

"Arigatou, cook-san," Robin thanked.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Sanji said and smiled away. He looked at Robin taking a sip of her coffee. Then he started to think if the idiot up in the crows nest would like to have something to drink. Of course their Marimo wouldn't mind having some sake in the middle of his training but on the other hand it would be something he had never done before. Then he decided to come up with an excuse to give Marimo some drinks and he climbed up their mast.

"What do you want?" Zoro asked, somehow annoyed that someone dared to disturb his training but then he saw the sake bottle,"There is no way that bottle is for me, is there?" Sanji laughed a little.

"Actually it is for you," Sanji said and offered the bottle to Zoro. He didn't bother to climb up to the crows nest so he just hang there on the trapdoor, keeping himself there with his hands only. Even thought he didn't want to use his hands they were stronger than average humans so he had no trouble keeping himself there. Zoro took the bottle carefully and opened it.

"Why did you voluntarily give me this?" Zoro inquired.

"I just wanted to say 'thank you' I guess..."

"For what?"

"For you helping me clean the kitchen. I know it's weird but I thought you would like it. Thank you for your hard work"

Zoro looked at the bottle, then he looked at Sanji.

"Thank you." Zoro said and took a mouthfull of sake.

Sanji was about to leave when Zoro stopped him.

"Sanji", he said in a gently tone,"What's wrong with us?" Sanji was somehow surprised at the guestion.

"What do you mean?" Sanji inquired even though he knew what the other man meant.

"Well...we should be fighting...it's somehow paranormal for me to help you with your duties and you bringing me sake..."

"Maybe we have changed?"

"You mean we have grown up?" Zoro suggested.

"Maybe, maybe not..." Sanji said and gave Zoro a genuine smile, " There is nothing wrong with us, Marimo."

"Yeah, maybe, Ero-cook..." Zoro said in a somehow annoyed tone.

What did I do to annoy him?

"Well, I will take my leave then..." Sanji said when the silence grew unbearable and closed the door and left one astonished Marimo standing there and forgetting where his training was left of to.

...