Author's Note: So I'll be honest, this chapter's a bit weird. First of all, I read Flipped a long time ago and you know how sometimes when you read a book, a quote just sticks to you like glue? This quote was one of them. I wanted to dedicate a chapter to Zoro trying to prove to Sanji that he was worth while. This chapter was inspired by two things: one, being that I read a story in which a boy started to go out with this other guy, but this guy was really insecure, and it wasn't that he was humble or anything cause he knew exactly what parts of him people liked and how to get others to do what he wanted, but he had this genuine fear that he was disgusting. In one chapter, his boyfriend started to kiss him and let his hands go underneath his shirt. The guy froze up entirely and stopped breathing entirely. He started to cry when his boyfriend pressed him further and then his boyfriend spent the rest of their relationship trying to prove to this guy that he was worth it and he was beautiful. It was a wonderful story. But anyway, the second inspiration: I got bored one day and me and my friend decided to play a complimenting game. She got pissed at me when I said two compliments and she realized she had to give me two compliments to make the compliments even and then she just said, "You're the worst!" and I was like, "That's not a compliment" and she said, "it can be seen as a good thing!" which was my response to why I told her being stubborn can be seen as a good thing. I don't own One Piece, I know that the conversation with Nami at the beginning is weird, I know, but I kept it anyway cause I loved it. And as for Zoro ... It was kind of risky writing it, but for some reason, while I'm not into BDSM or anything like that, dirty talk is this thing that I don't mind. Don't even ask me why.

Beautiful Disaster
By: Setkia

Full Summary

Sanji is the assistant cook of the world-renowned restaurant, the Baratie, the only restaurant like it in the world. He's a successful chef and flirts with the customers every chance he can get but there's a problem. It's all a facade. The cooks give a new meaning to the word "abusive", both mental and physical. The only thing keeping Sanji alive is his love for cooking and a good ol' pack of cigarettes.

Zoro Roronoa is a swordsman who suddenly has more change in his pocket than he expected and enters the Baratie by recommendation. His waiter happens to be a curly browed man with an adoration for cigarettes. An attempt speak to the head chef goes horribly wrong and he gets sucked into the crumbling world of the chef's, wondering how he can possibly save him and better yet, why does he want to save him in the first place?

WARNINGS for this chapter: the following things are present in this chapter of Beautiful Disaster:

Hints of past abuse (really hard to see)

Zoro's dirty mouth

Chapter 25: Iridescent

"Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss…. But every once in a while, you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare."-Wendelin Van Draanen, Flipped

"You had sex."

Zoro rolled his eyes, taking a seat across from Nami and ignoring the sounds of aggressive punching from the two fighters who were in the middle of their match. "Wrong," he told her. "Couldn't be more wrong."

"You're glowing though," Nami accused him. "That's not just any ordinary glow either, that's the 'I just fucked the brains out of someone and am still in orgasmic heaven' glow!"

Zoro shook his head. "I ate pancakes this morning, Sanji's pancakes," he specified. "Maybe that's why."

"I don't think so."

"Nami, you've had his food. You know it's climax worthy," he told her.

She nodded, as though to concede to Zoro's point when another thing occurred to her. "You have Sanji's food for breakfast all the time, that doesn't explain your glow! I'm swear, you had sex, didn't you?!"

"Nami," Zoro said in a deadly serious voice, "I did not fuck anyone."

"But did you get fucked?"

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

"I know how gay sex works," she said. "It's anal and since you both have cocks, you can fuck each other."

"If you wore a strap-on, you could fuck Luffy just as easily," Zoro told her. He froze. "What's with that look in your eyes?"

"Nothing," Nami said in a voice that quite clearly said it was not nothing, but Zoro decided he didn't want to understand the inner workings of Nami's mind. They were better left a secret. "Okay fine, let's say hypothetically you didn't have sex—"

"Which I didn't."

"— why are you glowing?"

Zoro snorted. "I'm not glowing."

"Liar." Nami grabbed Luffy's arm just as he passed by their table. "Luffy, is Zoro glowing?"

Zoro rolled his eyes but Luffy actually looked at Zoro, rather thoroughly too. "Yeah," he said. "So you got laid last night?"

"Why does everyone think that?!"

"You're glowing," Nami said.

"Say I am glowing, hypothetically—"

"Which you are."

"— who says it's a sex glow?"

Nami sighed as though she couldn't stand Zoro's questions. "Luffy, is it a sex glow?"

Luffy nodded. He gave Nami a kiss on the forehead and let go of her hand. "I've gotta go, I've got a fight right after these people." He gestured towards the brutes who were fighting each other. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, Captain," Nami said, pulling him by his shirt to give him a quick kiss. "I'll be betting on you."

Luffy grinned.

With that, the straw hat went off to fight, wearing a rather stupid smile on his face. Oh who was Zoro kidding? Luffy always had a stupid smile on his face.

"Okay, if you didn't have sex, then something else happened," Nami conceded. "Something to do with Sanji." Zoro said nothing. "Sanji and kissing?" Zoro turned his head away. "You know I can still see you blushing, Marimo."

"Don't call me that," Zoro snapped through gritted teeth.

"Sanji calls you that."

"Yeah well he's …" Zoro searched for a word. "Different."

"You mean special."

"Whatever makes you happy, bookie."

Nami grinned. "You kissed Sanji, didn't you? And something came out of that, right? Oh my God, Zoro, are you dating Sanji?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Zoro snapped, looking left and right as though scared someone would pop out of the shadows.

"It's no big deal," Nami said, rolling her eyes. "Not everyone here's interested in your love live, Roronoa." She grinned and leaned onto the table, resting her head in her hands. She bat her eyelashes. "So …?"

"So what?" Zoro asked. "And stop that, it's not cute, it's creepy. Looks like you have gunk in your eye and you're trying to get it out. It doesn't look attractive in the least."

She rolled her eyes. "Like I care about that. So you guys are dating, huh?"

"Maybe …"

"In your language, that means yes. So how is it?" Nami asked. "You guys seem to have so much chemistry, did it just like, explode and you ripped each other's clothes off?" She whistled and fanned herself. "God that'd be hot."

"Does your boyfriend know you have a gay fetish?"

"It's not a fetish."

"Okay sure, fujoshi." Zoro sighed. "I don't see how it's any of your business anyway." He shook his head. "We still haven't gotten everything figured out yet," he said softly. "There are still some … complications."

"Complications?"

Zoro bit his bottom lip. "Nami, what do you think of Sanji?"

Nami looked slightly taken aback. "What do I think of Sanji?" She paused as though she was thinking. "I think he's a nice man, very polite. He's got good manners, even if he has a foul mouth. He's a good man." She gave Zoro a funny look. "Where are you going with this?"

"What about physically? What do you think of him physically?"

"He's handsome," replied Nami. "Nice long legs, not a bad dresser either. He's got smooth hands too …" She trailed off, as though in a different world with a big grin on her face.

"You have a promise ring, remember?"

"I know that!"

"So in short, you think he's attractive," Zoro said slowly.

"Well yeah, he's gorgeous!"

"So you don't think he's ugly?"

"For goodness sake Zoro, you're dating a fucking Adonis!" She saw the worried expression on Zoro's face when she said this. "What's this about?"

Zoro bit his bottom lip. "It's just …" He shook his head. "I don't think he realizes he does it, but … Whenever I hug him or just put my arms around him, he … he sucks in his breath. Fuck, Nami, he sucks in his breath and he won't fucking breathe until I let him go." Zoro shook his head. "He …" Zoro's hands began to unconsciously shake. Fuck those cooks, what they did to Sanji … Just thinking about it made his blood run cold.

"Zoro, do you think Sanji sees himself as—"

"No," Zoro said immediately. As much as he hated to remember the look on Sanji's face when he told Zoro he was a train-wreck, he said he was a skinny. He said you could see his bones. He knew he wasn't fat, he knew that. So why did he tense whenever Zoro tried to hold him? Was it Zoro? Did he make him uncomfortable? No, Sanji would tell him if that was it. What was it then? Fuck, he wanted to know. He wanted to know so he could fix this mess and Sanji wouldn't have to worry anymore. Was he ashamed of himself? Of his appearance?

It was too late to back out now, not that Zoro wanted to. He didn't regret falling for Sanji, he was still falling. He wouldn't say he was in love with him, not just yet, but he was on the brink, he was almost there, he could taste it on his tongue.

I need to fix this. How do I … how do I convince him? How do I get him to see him the way I do? He sighed and let his head hit the table, running his hands through his hair. "I'm not cut out for this shit," he muttered. "I am so not cut out for this …"

There was a loud smack that forced Zoro's head up. He saw Nami, her fist clenched. She had hit the table. "Who the fuck are you?" she demanded.

"Z-Zoro Roronoa," Zoro said stupidly.

"What?" Nami asked. "I can't hear you."

"Zoro Roronoa," Zoro repeated, louder this time.

"What?"

"I'M NOT FUCKING SCREAMING MY NAME TO YOU!"

The entire bar fell silent. Luffy in the middle of punching his opponent froze momentarily. "Oh fuck, not this again," Zoro sighed. He shook his head. "What are you looking at?" he snapped at everyone before turning back to Nami. "The whole bar thinks I'm crazy thanks to you."

"They already thought that," Nami said, "it's no big loss. But seriously, you're Zoro Roronoa, kendo champ, kenjutsu master!"

"I wouldn't say master exactly …"

"Cut the bullshit," Nami said. "Anyway, you're a martial arts genius, a prodigy in sword fighting. Surely you can figure this out, can't you?"

"I'm not Superman! What do I know? I swing a sword? I can't cut down his inner demons," Zoro said. "No matter how much I want to."

Nami stared at him.

"What?"

"You … you can be really sweet when you want to be," Nami said softly. "Sanji's a lucky man."

"He'd be ten times luckier if I could figure out how to get rid of those fucking delusions of his," Zoro muttered. He sighed. He was so going to regret doing this, but he decided to do it anyway. "Hey Nami? What would you do if someone you knew had low self-esteem?"

Nami blinked. "Are you asking me for advice?"

"Look, can you give me an answer or not?"

"You are! Zoro Roronoa is asking me for advice!" She laughed. "Oh God, this is great!"

Zoro stood up and pushed back in his chair. "If you're going to laugh at me, I can go elsewhere. You're not the only one I can try to get advice from."

"You don't know how to help him?" Nami asked.

"Duh, that's why I'm asking you," Zoro said in a huff. God, he was never asking the woman for advice ever again.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" She shook her head. "You just compliment him. Tell him things you like about him, boost his ego."

"How the fuck do I do that?"

"You're the one who's dating him," Nami reminded him.

"Why is this so fucking hard?" Zoro muttered. "Compliment him?" He shook his head. "Fuck, on what?"

"You're dating him, you have to like something about the man. Didn't we already go over this?" She shook her head. "You're unbelievable. I'm sure you'll figure something out, you're not that stupid."

Correction: Zoro was that stupid.

The moment he got back to the apartment, he told Sanji to brace himself cause Zoro wanted to fight.

Fighting cleared his mind, as weird as that sounded. He grabbed his swords and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at owning Shusui. It was Sanji's gift to him. Surely Zoro could figure something out, couldn't he? He could figure out a way to compliment the cook, right? Well, what did he like about Sanji anyways?

Sanji stood across from him, hands stuffed in his pocket as usual.

"Eyes," Zoro muttered under his breath. He really did like Sanji's eyes. Well, eye. It wasn't his fault Sanji's fucking hairstyle wouldn't let him see both of his eyes.

Sanji gave him a strange look, but he quickly recovered and went to deliver a blow to Zoro's chest. Zoro dodged and thought a little harder. What else did he like about Sanji? "Skin," he mumbled. Sanji just seemed so … sensitive to him. The way he had reacted to Zoro's fingers, it drove him absolutely insane. Sanji frowned, blocking Zoro's dual swords attack with his foot.

"What are you muttering about?" he asked.

"Legs …"

Block.

"What the fuck, Marimo?"

Parry.

"Hands."

Lunge.

"Answer me, dammit, you bastard!"

Zoro ducked to avoid a kick to the head and instead, tried to kick him in the ankle. The cook dodged his attack and sent a glare in his direction. "What the fuck are you doing, idiot swordsman?"

"Voice," Zoro said a little louder. "Definitely."

Sanji frowned, a harsh kick coming to hit Zoro in the side. He tried to avoid it, but he missed. He staggered back, taking a moment to regain his bearings. "Hips."

The more things Zoro seemed to say, the more pissed Sanji seemed to get. After vaguely mumbling other things, such as "hair" (he received a roundhouse kick for this), "lips" (for this, he nearly lost his balls) and "flexibility" (a harsh kick to the gut that was unavoidable, no matter how Zoro bent himself), what really set Sanji off was when Zoro muttered "eyebrows".

Almost immediately, Zoro got a kick to the face.

Zoro was pretty sure his nose had just been broken, but instead of worrying about that, he looked up at Sanji from the floor. Giving only half of his attention towards a fight with Sanji was a dangerous thing to do. Though, it wasn't as though he wasn't thinking about Sanji while he was getting his ass kicked by Sanji. The blond looked pissed, his fists curled. He would've thought Sanji would punch him, but he didn't. Instead, his fingers merely curled and uncurled, flexing. He stared at the ground for a moment before harshly kicking Zoro in the head once more. With that, he grabbed his blazer off the couch and left the apartment, closing the door with a loud SLAM!

Zoro sat in the empty apartment, the sound of the door shutting still ringing in his ears. He only knew one thing.

I fucked up again, didn't I?

"What did you do to Sanji?"

Zoro sighed. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking you," he growled.

Nami sighed and crossed her arms. "You can't think of any reason you pissed Sanji off?"

"None."

Clearly, this wasn't the right answer.

"Zoro Roronoa, you better contemplate on what you did and fix it!" Her eyes turned a tad sad. "And after what you told me this morning …" She trailed off.

Zoro froze and sat up straighter. "You know, don't you? Why Sanji's pissed at me?"

Nami threw her hands up in the air. "Of course I know!"

"So?"

"So what?" she snapped.

"So tell me what I did wrong!"

Nami shook her head. "It doesn't matter that I know what you did wrong, it matters that you figure it out yourself what you did wrong. Otherwise, where's the lesson in that?"

"Look, the guy I'm in a relationship with is now completely and totally pissed at me and I don't have a fucking clue why! At least give me a hint, I can't do anything if I don't know!"

"You should know why he's pissed at you—"

"Well I don't and there's no changing that unless you fucking tell me!"

Nami sighed. "Sanji came by a while ago and he asked me if it was common for you to be muttering things to yourself. I told him he should know, since he lived with you, but he insisted I tell him. I said you didn't do it often, only when you were really concentrating on something. You fought with him earlier, didn't you?" Nami shook her head. "What were you saying? Under your breath and all?"

"I was …" Zoro bit his lip. "I was complimenting him." He paused. "Sort of."

"What do you mean 'sort of'?" Nami asked. "Either you were complimenting him, or you weren't."

"I don't know! I was just thinking about what I liked about him and I guess my thoughts just kind of … came out."

"Did he know you were listing things you liked about him?"

Zoro froze. "Wait, don't tell me—"

"Fix this Zoro. I don't know much about Sanji's past, but I can tell he's been through hell before. If you hurt him, I swear, I'll kill you." Nami had that look on her face that said she meant business and that she would dismember him if he ever did hurt Sanji. "He doesn't deserve to hurt like this."

Zoro knew that. He knew that more than anyone.

"Let's play a game."

Sanji looked up from his dinner and stared at Zoro. "What?"

"Let's play a game. You always play games with me, this time I propose a game."

Sanji gave him a strange look. "What kind of game?"

"We're going to play a complimenting game," Zoro said. "You compliment me and then I give you a compliment. We can't repeat compliments we've already said to each other and the first one to run out of compliments loses."

Sanji frowned. "You're going to lose, you know."

"You think I can't think of enough things?" Zoro teased. "Come on, humour me. Let's play. Oh yeah and another thing, you need to explain why you find what you said is a compliment. Just in case it isn't self-explanatory."

"That isn't a game, that's an ego boost."

"So? It doesn't hurt to inflate someone's ego a bit."

Sanji frowned and looked down at his meal. "You sure you want to play?"

"Yeah." Zoro took a bite out of his food. "Do you want to start?"

Sanji sighed. "Okay."

He seemed reluctant to play. Probably because he thought that this would hardly do him any good. Zoro wasn't stupid, he could see the slight crease in Sanji's forehead that he got when he was a little upset over something but didn't want to say anything. He waited for Sanji to start. Zoro knew playing this game one-sidedly— having Zoro say all of his compliments to Sanji without interruption— would surely never pass with the blond. He'd say Zoro was just trying to boost his confidence, seeing things that weren't there. This way, at least Sanji would think Zoro had some credibility.

"You going to start?" Zoro pressed.

"I'm thinking," Sanji snapped back.

"Is it really that hard to think of something you like about me?"

"Do I have to stick to anything in particular? Like, can I only compliment on physical things, or things like personality or something?"

"Anything is fair game," Zoro said. "But the only thing you can't do is repeat a compliment. Say, I dunno, say you tell me you like my earrings, or, some shit like that, you're not allowed to say you like my earrings again. I'm allowed to tell you I like your earrings though, since I haven't said it yet. If you wore earrings, that is," he added quickly.

"You suck at explaining games," Sanji told him.

"That's not a compliment."

"Fine." Sanji bit his lip and thought for a moment. "Your commitment towards your sword fighting."

Zoro waited. When Sanji didn't seem ready to tell him anything more, he said, "Elaborate. You have to elaborate on everything, in case the compliment isn't clear."

"What the fuck isn't clear about liking your commitment?"

"Come on, humour me."

Sanji grumbled some curse words under his breath for a moment before sighing. "Okay. I like your commitment towards kenjutsu because … because you rarely see it now a days. You're always out at the gym, or at Partys, practicing. Lots of people would quit, but you've got this goal —don't think I haven't heard Usopp going off about how you want to beat this Mihawk guy— and you won't rest until you reach it. Most people would've given up by now, but you're still up for it. In fact, I think the longer it takes you, the more you want to beat him." Sanji shook his head. "I don't know, you have this fire in your eyes when you're fighting, like you won't accept defeat. It's serious commitment and I appreciate that you have it towards something that you love."

Zoro nodded slowly, unable to hold back his grin, but he tried to hide it anyway.

"Oh shut it," Sanji snapped. "I told you, this is just boosting your ego."

"It's my turn," Zoro reminded him.

"Good luck," Sanji muttered.

What did Zoro want to say? Where should he start? Hmm … "Your passion for cooking," Zoro decided. "Your eyes just totally light up when you're in the kitchen. Have you ever seen yourself cook?"

"That'd be kind of hard," Sanji said with a light chuckle.

"I should video tape you next time. You just … it's in everything you do when you're in the kitchen. You just totally lose yourself in it, which is the main reason why I still don't know how to make shit. It's the way you take it so seriously, you're like a perfectionist when it comes to cooking. I can tell you're really doing what you love when you cook. You put everything into every meal you ever serve and maybe that's why your meals are better than anyone else's."

Sanji blushed, looking down at his plate. "I'm not the only passionate cook in the world you know."

"And I'm not the only committed swordsman," Zoro pointed out. "Your turn."

Sanji was still blushing when he gave Zoro his next answer. "You're stubborn. Remarkably stubborn." He had a ghost of a smile on his face as he spoke. "I wouldn't be here if you weren't. You're very persistent—"

"Wouldn't most people call that annoying?"

"Not when they need it as desperately as I did," Sanji said. "I'm glad you came when you did. I don't … I don't know where I'd be without you, what I'd be doing. Maybe I'd be lying dead in some alleyway …" Sanji let out a short laugh but Zoro knew there was nothing funny about the cook's comment. "You were the intervention I needed, I guess and I just didn't realize it. You were the catalyst that pushed me forward."

"That's what catalysts tend to do you know," Zoro said, giving him a small smile.

"I don't think I ever thanked you—"

"Don't," Zoro cut him off. "I don't want your thankfulness." He shook his head. "It was nothing, really."

"That's a lie," Sanji said. "Looking after more than just yourself, that's—"

"Look, as much as I may have affected your life, you've affected mine just as much, if not more," Zoro cut him off. "That's just what happens when people get into a relationship," he said with a shrug. "It happens with everyone. I met Luffy, I changed a bit. I met Nami, changed a bit then too. I have to say though, you've probably made the biggest impact on my life in such a short amount of time. Now, shall I build up your ego? It's my turn."

Sanji didn't say anything in protest, but from the grim look on his face, he didn't seem certain Zoro could produce another thing he liked about Sanji.

"Okay. Your clothes. I really like them. Don't even ask me why, but that blazer makes you look really sophisticated. Where'd you get the golden buttons anyway?"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "That doesn't really matter, it was just another thing Zeff got for me at one point. Had it since I was nineteen."

"And it still fits?"

"Yeah," Sanji said in a soft voice. He shook his head, as though trying to get rid of some of his thoughts before continuing. "Your earrings." Zoro raised an eyebrow and Sanji shrugged. "Don't ask, I don't know why. They're just …" He reached across the table, letting his fingers gently skim over the golden hoops, sending shivers down Zoro's spine. "I don't even know. I'm not a big fan of jewellery on men, earrings seem so … impractical, you know what I mean? But they suit you. I know they should probably make you look fierce and intimidating, but I don't think they do. Not to me at least. They just … complete the whole look."

"The whole look?"

"The Zoro Roronoa-chic style," Sanji said with a shrug. "I just can't imagine you without them and I kind of don't want to." He cleared his throat, as though he felt awkward. "Anyway, your turn."

"When you swear, I really like it," Zoro said with a smirk.

"Huh?"

"There's just something about it that I can't quite place my finger on. Maybe I just like dirty talk."

"Dirty talk?" Sanji squeaked.

"Yeah," Zoro said. "You know, like …" Zoro thought for a moment. He was in a relationship with Sanji, that meant he was allowed to tease him, didn't it? He licked his lips as an idea formed. "My cock's so hard for you right now. You like it, don't you? Feeling my big cock moving inside you? It makes you hot, doesn't it? You like it when I fuck you." With each sentence Zoro spoke, Sanji turned a deeper shade of red. The swordsman leaned across the table, supporting himself on his hands which were on the counter, whispering in Sanji's ear. "I'm so fucking hard for you right now," he said softly. "So horny. Fuck me, won't you?" Zoro pulled away slightly, looking down at Sanji. He smirked. "Seems like you like it too."

"Fuck, no!" Sanji snapped at him, turning his head away and crossing his legs. He shook his head. "T-that's not it, it's just … it's different when you say it," he said quietly.

"Different?"

"Yeah," Sanji said quietly. "Patty and Carne, they …"

Oh fuck, did I bring up bad memories by accident? Was he a fucking moron or something? "I'm sorry, should I have not done that?" he asked Sanji softly.

"No, that's not it either …" He bit his bottom lip. "I don't know why but … It's just not the same when you do it. I don't … I don't feel as dirty when you talk like that."

"Why do you think that is?" Zoro asked, honestly curious.

"How the fuck am I suppose to know?"

"What, so you like it?" Zoro smirked. "Like a fucking slut, aren't you?" He saw the moment Sanji tensed. He stopped immediately. "That's why, isn't it?" he asked. "You don't like that word, do you?"

"N-not really," Sanji said quietly.

"It's fine, I just won't say it. Besides, we've already gone over this. You aren't a slut. Not in the very least. I'd almost call you prude." He gave Sanji a small smile. "So yeah," he said, moving to a different topic. Hopefully it would make Sanji relax. "I like your dirty mouth."

"But I don't say anything like that!" Sanji spluttered. "How do you … how does that translate to …" Sanji blushed even more, unable to fishing his sentence.

"I don't know," Zoro said with a shrug. "I think I might just have a kink for it." He gave Sanji a look that clearly said, 'what can you do?' and got back into his chair. "Your turn."

"R-right." Sanji seemed slightly out of it and Zoro was pleased to see he was flustered. "Um, okay. I like the way you treat your swords. You act like they're the most precious thing to you, they're your treasures, aren't they?" Sanji asked. "I don't know, I think you take better care of your swords than yourself sometimes. You just seem like one of those guys who credits his strength towards his swords as well as his own skills, unlike others who'll say it's them that's amazing. You … if swords were people, I swear they'd fall in love with you. You treat them with so much respect, if that even makes sense."

"Even Shusui?"

Sanji gave him a strange look. "What?"

"You said they'd all fall in love with me. Even Shusui?"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "Are we really going to talk about your swords as though they're animate objects?"

"They might be," Zoro said with a shrug. "They could be like those weird toys you hear about in fairy tales that come to life when your back is turned." He grinned. "Okay, it's my turn." He reached across the table and gently took one of Sanji's hands into his own. "Your hands. I really like them— no, I love your hands."

"What, so I can cook you food?" Sanji asked with a smirk.

"No, for tons of reasons, none of which have to do with your cooking. Like say, you couldn't smoke if you injured one of your hands." Zoro paused. "Then again, knowing you, you'd figure it out somehow. We wouldn't be able to fight over the remote if you suddenly couldn't use your hands. You couldn't grab my hair like you do," Zoro said, making Sanji blush, "or this," he said, running his thumb over Sanji's knuckles. "And yeah, you wouldn't be able to cook either, which would be kinda shitty," he added with a grin.

Sanji pulled his hand away, laughing. "Of course, it always comes back to the food, doesn't it?" He rolled his eyes before biting his lip. "I like the way you fight with everything you have," Sanji said. "It's so … you have so much power and confidence when you fight. I don't know, I just feel like when you fight, you're always on the offensive while your opponent has to be on the defence, without a single opening—"

"Hey, I need to defend myself plenty when I fight you," Zoro said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, well …" Sanji shrugged. "You just have this graceful way of fighting. You make it look so easy …"

"I might just want to teach you how to fight with some swords," Zoro said. "I think you'd be good at it. You handle the knives pretty well."

"Knives and swords are not the same thing," Sanji reminded him.

"Maybe not, but they're both sharp and can cut someone down, can't they?"

"So can your words," Sanji said teasingly, but the look in his eyes said he himself had been cut down several times by words alone and this was no joke.

"I like your hair," Zoro said, reaching across the table in an attempt to brush aside Sanji's bangs. Sanji backed away from him and Zoro pulled his hand back, chuckling softly. "I think it's unique. I don't know many blonds. In fact, I'm sure I could count them all on a single hand. It's something different from the norm."

"I've been made fun of for it," Sanji said softly.

"Well they're bastards. That's the way it always is, isn't it? I've been given shit about my hair too. I got yelled at in school cause they thought I dyed it and when they found out it was natural, they got even more pissed and told me I had to dye it." He shrugged. "That's how people are. They see something different, something that's not the average and they get scared. They get scared and instead of confronting their fear, they try to crush it, make it disappear so they don't have to face it."

"Does … does it scare you?"

"Sanji, I love your hair," Zoro told him sincerely.

"Do you even hear half of the bullshit that you're saying?" Sanji shook his head. "God …" He trailed off.

"It's your turn," Zoro said.

"I know that!" Sanji bit his bottom lip for a moment. "Your tan. I don't know, I know a lot of pale people but you just seem so tanned naturally, to the point where it's unnatural." He shrugged. "It's subtle, but it's obvious at the same time. You're tanned, but you're not overly-tanned that it looks like it came from some cheap spray bottle."

"Your voice."

"My voice?"

"I like hearing your voice," Zoro said. "I think it's the pitch or tone of it, or something technical like that, but I really like the sound of your voice. It's like … it's like the kind of voice that you could drown in, the kind of voice you want to make love to."

Sanji coughed, turning his head away. He was totally a tomato. "You called me old school? Who uses the term 'make love' anymore?"

"Fine, hearing your voice makes me want to fuck it," Zoro said. "You know what? I think that sounds even kinkier."

"You're such a pervert!" Sanji snapped. He seemed to be trying to get the colour out of his face but it didn't seem to be working. "Um … your hair," he said finally. "It doesn't look soft, but it kind of is. Just a tad prickly, otherwise it's totally soft." He shrugged. "I like it."

Zoro grinned. "Your eyes. I love your eyes. They're just … do you know they remind me of the ocean?" He smiled. "They remind me of the sea. When the waves are calm and also when they're choppy and crazy and send sailors' to their deaths, plummeting to the deep depths of the ocean. You said your eyes didn't have any depth to them. You're wrong Sanji, you've never been more wrong."

"I like your eyes too," Sanji said softly. "They're … they're a very unique colour, did you know? I thought they were grey, but they're not. They have this hazel colour too, it's like a kaleidoscope."

"Those things make me dizzy," Zoro said in a soft voice, matching Sanji's tone.

"So do your eyes."

Zoro wasn't sure if Sanji realized what he had said, but he decided not to mention in, for fear that Sanji would take it back. "Your eyebrows," Zoro said. "Don't explode on me, I swear. It's weird but … I really like your eyebrows. They're fucked up, I know, but like you said about my earrings, it'd be weird if you didn't have them. They just … I don't know, I like them. Don't get me wrong though, I do think they're still the most fucked up thing I've ever seen, but I don't know, I've just … gotten used to them I suppose?" He shrugged. "Your turn."

"Um …" Sanji seemed deep in thought.

Zoro smirked. "Running out of things already?"

"No!" Sanji snapped. As much as this game seemed to embarrass him, he seemed to still be stuck on winning. "I like the way you try to help Nami stop gambling. It's just very … considerate, you know? You don't give off the impression you're a good guy, but you really are. And I think it's sweet that you want to help her."

"Yeah, tell her that, the fucking bitch," Zoro muttered, much to Sanji's amusement. "Your legs," Zoro said. "I love your legs. They're so long …"

"Isn't it disgusting?" Sanji asked. "My limbs seem too long for my body."

"You know, I wonder how I didn't know I was gay before you. I'm more of an ass and leg man," he said. "I swear, girls would kill to have your legs. So powerful, so strong … They're your strength, aren't they? And besides, long legs are fucking sexy, don't you know?"

"Your muscles," Sanji blurted out.

"My muscles?" Zoro repeated.

"Yeah," Sanji said, clearly embarrassed. "They're not bulgy and weird, they're like … they're like your tan. They're there, you can't deny them, but they aren't excessive. They make you look strong, but you don't look overly-muscular." He shrugged. "You're more finely toned or something like that. Fuck, I don't know, you have abs!"

Can he turn any redder?

"Your skin," Zoro said. "You're very sensitive, did you know?" he asked, gently caressing Sanji's cheek before letting go. "I like how you're sensitive, how you seem to just be so aware of everything and anything that touches you …" He trailed off. "Plus, you have really smooth skin."

"I like your smile," Sanji decided. "It's … I don't know, you don't smile a lot, did you know?"

"You don't either," Zoro reminded him.

"Yeah well, I don't know, you just smile in this way that … It's just different from seeing others smile. It's genuine."

"Your strength," Zoro declared. "You are so strong Sanji, did you know?" He reached for Sanji's hand again, this time holding it palm facing the ceiling. His fingers brushed against the faint white scars across his wrists before feeling every callus on his hand. "You're so strong. You've been through so much and you're still here, you're still breathing. That you lasted so long, that you still haven't given up yet …" He trailed off. "You're amazing, you know? Patty, Carne, I could probably never brave through that. I might be strong, but I'm only that way because I have others I can fall back to when it gets bad. You've been strong for so long on your own … And I know its hurt you, I know that, but … God Sanji, you really don't know how beautiful you are, do you?" He raised his hand to Sanji's face, still holding onto his hand with his other. He let his fingers trace the contours of Sanji's lips, watching as they parted slowly. "It has to be a sin," he said softly. "You're so, so beautiful …"

And then Zoro kissed him.

The dinner was long forgotten— it had probably gone cold anyway— and now all Zoro was focusing on was the feel of Sanji's lips against his own. Hearing the small sounds he made, the small intakes of breath, the soft, quiet gasp that was almost impossible to hear. He was so glad he was able to do this, that he was able to be like this with Sanji.

Sanji pressed against him a little more and Zoro gently bit Sanji's bottom lip. He let out a gasp and Zoro slowly entered his mouth. He tried to pull him closer, but he knew that even if they were pressed against each other without even a trace of air between them, it still wouldn't be close enough. Not for him.

It was when he couldn't breathe anymore that he finally let him go.

"I like your lips," said Zoro softly. "I win."

The next morning, Sanji woke to a piece of paper which was stuck to his forehead. It read:

Curly Brow, don't expect me to be all sentimental and shit like I was last night all the time. But just in case you're a fucking moron or get amnesia or something, I've made you a list so you don't forget.

And then the paper proceeded to list all of the things Zoro had complimented him on the night before, along with many others he hadn't mentioned.

Sanji never lost the paper. Ever.

Author's Note #2: the thank-yous!

S.P. Tripathi: Okay so uh, yeah, I kinda screwed up before. The movie's a Tom Cruise movie, not a Tom Hanks movie ... haha ... haha ... I changed it after you sent your reply. Sorry about that. I haven't heard from you in so long! And I know, fanficiton is weird and doesn't bold things anymore. If you go on the mobile site, it'll leave things bolded, on the full site it won't. I read on the mobile just cause it's easier for me.

JustCallMeLucie: Okay as long as your sister's fine with swearing. I don't swear myself, but I feel as though I'm letting out all the swear words I would say through these guys. Swearing, but not swearing aloud. Writing that scene with Sanji I was just thinking it was totally logical for him to act like that, to think that, considering his life and stuff, so I made him do it. Which lead to Zoro's somewhat sappy speech.

Dyola: Yup, same here. Love Brotherhood. Me and my friend came up with drinking games for some of our favourite animes (not that we're legal to drink yet. Almost there, but I've already sworn off contaminating my body so ...) and we did one for Fullmetal Alchemist. We considered both shows and were like, "well, you NEED to take a shot every time Ed says he's not short and when people confuse his brother with him" and then I said I needed a shot every time I got confused about Envy's gender and then we both said, "Every time you have no fucking clue who the antagonist is" cause we were just so confused about it. Just when we thought we knew who it was, they threw something at us and we totally blanked.

Okay, the movie is a Tom Cruise movie called Edge of Tomorrow, also called Live, Die, Repeat, about this officer who goes and relives this day over and over again. There's this warrior who they called "Fullmetal Bitch" and it was spray painted onto this moving train or something and every time he woke up, he'd see it pass by him. My friend had a heart attack every time that happened. I don't want to sound whiny, but I'm hoping for five reviews before my next update ...

Another thing: my friend started watching Blue Exorcist and decided she wants to take me to Comic Con with her. She decided I have to be Rin, which means I need blue flames and an awesome sword, which is great, but my school uniform already forces me to wear a tie and now I have to wear another one! My brother says he knows a place where I can get a sword for 40 bucks though, so I think it's all good.

Now my question for you all: While I was writing this chapter, I had a few specific things I wanted Zoro to explain to Sanji about why he liked him, but in order to do that, since they were going back and forth, Sanji needed at least the same amount of things he liked about Zoro. Since I spent so much time tearing Sanji down in his own explanation, I for some reason, had trouble thinking of things that Sanji liked about Zoro. So here's my question, if you played this complimenting game with Zoro, what compliments would you give him?