Chapter 14

It was safe to say that Sanji hated himself, and everything about good mornings.

He was currently sitting with his face buried in his forearm, trying to block out the pure light of the sun, which was shining completely unhindered in the perfectly cloudless, blue sky. The umbrella that covered their table did little to shadow the trio as they enjoyed a light breakfast.

Chopper and Nami had bullied Sanji into joining them at the little restaurant. Not that it had not taken much effort once the red-head had batted her eyelashes, but it had been the poor doctor who had had to drag the hungover man out of his bunk, threatening to hook him up to an IV drip if he did not cooperate.

"Sanji, please drink some more water," Chopper chided, pushing the glass of ice water towards the blond.

Without moving from his slumped position, Sanji shifted one arm so that he could close his fingers around the cool glass, but otherwise made no move to take a drink. He was convinced that he might throw up if he shifted an inch. How had he let them convince him to get out of bed?

"It's unlike you to get that drunk, Sanji-kun," Nami commented, brown eyes flicking over the menu as she sipped at her orange juice.

The cook pitifully raised his head, wincing as nausea swam dangerously in his stomach. Once it settled he took a sip of the water, immediately sighing in pathetic pleasure. "Yeah, I'm regretting it," He replied, mournful.

"He's not the only one. Usopp couldn't even sit up. I had to hook up the IV for him."

This made Sanji snort in amusement, remembering the way that the long-nosed sniper had bitched and whined before passing back out, the fluids being pumped into his unconscious body. However, the action made Sanji's stomach twitch in disapproval and he mentally apologized to himself. The blond liked to drink as much as the next pirate, and it was not uncommon to see him getting drunk alongside his nakama, but the previous night had been filled with more shots than he usually encouraged.

Perhaps he had been feeling a bit guilty about sleeping with someone when he was currently in... some sort of relationship with Zoro. Especially since it had resulted in Sanji feeling like he had used a beautiful lady, something he hated himself for. But the situation had been made worse when he managed to escape Franky and Usopp's watchful eyes and had begun to drunkenly wander the streets. Sanji had not really been searching for the swordsman, but when he ran into Zoro, he remembered feeling vaguely happy about it.

Most of his conversation with the other pirate was lost after passing out, his drunken mind only choosing to remember bits and pieces of their interaction, but he remembered learning that Zoro had fucked a prostitute, and he remembered revealing that he had also slept with someone. He remembered the flash of jealousy and anger that had overwhelmed him, but after that it got hazy until the part where Zoro jerked him off in a dark alley.

That he definitely remembered.

Especially the parts where the swordsman had insinuated that his dick was little, and how Sanji now apparently owed him one.

His memories swirled with a drunken filter, but Sanji remembered the heat of Zoro's body, the roughness of his hand, and the way he had licked his hand clean of Sanji's cum like it had been a savory sauce.

The blond's cock twitched at the recalled image, and Sanji buried his face into his arm again, ignoring the way Chopper chided him. Overall, the night had been a long blur of embarrassments, but what was bothering him most was the feeling of guilt that he could not seem to shake.

It was stupid, really. Why should he feel guilty?

Neither of them had stated that they could not see other people. They were rivals with benefits, not lovers. Any strings that Sanji thought he felt were obviously just figments of his overactive brain, a fact confirmed by Zoro's lack of hesitation when it came to sleeping with someone besides him. Or, at least, he assumed that the swordsman hadn't hesitated. That was neither here nor there, though. The point was, Sanji had done nothing wrong. So where was this guilt coming from?

Maybe guilt isn't the right word, the cook thought as the waitress appeared to take their order. Now that he thought about it, guilt did not quite match the feeling that was plaguing the dark haunts of his mind. Not guilt…

Regret?

"Sanji-kun, do you know what you want?"

Sanji jerked his head up when he realized the beautiful navigator was speaking to him, immediately regretting the action when his head swam. He winced, and focused his attention on the older woman dressed in the cafe's pink and yellow uniform. She smiled at him patiently and the cook tried to smile in a way that did not reveal the way he wanted to vomit. "Uh," Sanji's mind raced to remember what foods were good for a hangover and would also not make his stomach turn in a tantrum. "I'll just get eggs, scrambled, with a side of whole-wheat toast, and coconut water."

"Also, oatmeal," Chopper added, waving towards the cook who laid back down, not sure that he was up to shoveling the goopy food into his mouth. He knew better than to argue with the doctor though, so he remained quiet as Chopper told the waitress his own order.

"Anything else?" She asked, jotting everything onto her little notepad.

Nami perked up, her adorable smile beaming as she caught the waitress' attention. "Actually, I had a question. Do you know anything about the next island?"

"Wakuko?" She asked, putting away her order booklet and facing Nami. She brushed back strands of auburn hair as she thought about it. "I know it's a summer island, but I'm not sure how long it takes for your pose to set. It's about eight days away from here. I don't really know much about it, except for the occasional rumors- we don't have much interaction with the people there."

"Oh, you're fine!" Nami reassured. "But do you mind telling me some of those rumors? We are headed there next, so it'd be nice to know something, even if it's just gossip."

The woman smiled back, before nodding as she grew thoughtful, stepping aside to let another server hurry by. "There really isn't much, since most people that go to the island don't come back this way. But we do occasionally trade goods with them. Everyone always says that the natives are a very happy people, but that they love their privacy."

"Well, that doesn't sound terrible," The navigator replied, chuckling softly since she had expected the rumors to be negative.

"No, not at all," The waitress agreed, waving her hand dismissively. "Most of what I hear makes it sound like a pleasant place. The only bad thing I've heard is that the people of Wakuko are actually in a cult. But I think that's a bit unfair. Just because people are happy doesn't mean they are brainwashed!" Her laugh was just high enough to make Sanji's head throb, and he mentally apologized to the woman for insulting her, even in the privacy of his own head.

"I totally agree!" Nami laughed, watching as the woman left to put in their orders. When she turned back to her companions, Sanji looked like he might be dying, which was unrelated to their newest bit of information, while Chopper looked terrified, which was definitely due to their newest bit of information.

"You don't think they are really in a cult, do you, Nami?!" The little reindeer squeaked, eyes wide with fear.

Taking a sip of her drink, Nami's thoughts slipped an unconscious frown onto her face. "I doubt it. But we should be on our guard just in case. You never know. They might just be extra friendly." She heard the doctor whimper and continued, trying to think of a way to reassure him. "And besides, even if they are a cult, we have lots of strong people on our crew who can protect us! Right, Sanji-kun?"

Without looking up from his slumped position on the table, the cook gave a thumbs up, which somehow calmed the reindeer down, even with his lack of enthusiasm.

Sanji could not give a single fuck about a cult on a future island. He would deal with that if it came up. For now, all he cared about was nursing this stupid hangover, and hoping that Zoro did not give him too much shit the next time that they saw each other.

"How you feeling, curlybrow?" Zoro asked teasingly.

Sanji looked up from where he had been resting against the bar. After a nap, Sanji had gone to the galley so that he could make himself a simple bowl of miso soup. His nausea had calmed down, but his head still throbbed, adding to the general shittiness that made up his current existence. A shittiness that was not going to be helped by asshole marimos.

"I'm fine, fuck you very much."

The swordsman laughed, snatching up one of the apples that sat in a bowl on the kitchen counter. He did not get yelled at, so he proceeded to chomp down on the juicy red fruit, enjoying the crunch as he studied the other man. He looked like shit and probably felt worse. "How much do you remember?"

Even with Sanji's head drooped over his bowl of soup, Zoro saw the blush that lit up the blond's cheeks.

The cook did not look up when he begrudgingly replied with, "Enough."

"Do you remember the part about you owing me one?" The green-haired man asked, smirking when this made Sanji jerk his head up to glare at him.

"Yes," He hissed, growing more annoyed as he added, "and the part where you said my cock was small. I don't remember you complaining when it was in your ass. In fact, you seemed to fucking love it."

Zoro only laughed, taking another bite of his apple. When the crunchy quiet stretched between them, Sanji frowned suspiciously.

"You aren't expecting me to pay up now, are you? I feel like shit."

"I thought you said you felt fine." Before the other man could explode from irritation, Zoro laughed around the apple, "Calm down, shit-cook. I wasn't expecting anything right now."

Sanji immediately relaxed, curling over the bar again and spooning miso into his mouth. He only glanced up when he heard the other man leave, apparently done poking fun at him.

Well, at least that's over.

The teasing had actually been quite tame, all things considered, and Sanji could not decide if he should be thankful or suspicious. It was unlike Zoro to not grab such low hanging fruit, especially when it involved the cook. Such a humiliating moment was prime ammunition in their war against each other.

"Whatever," Sanji grumbled, giving up on trying to understand the marimo. "I'll just kick his ass if he brings it up again."

The rest of the Straw Hat's time on Leeki passed without much excitement. They had taken a break from partying, and had instead spent their time relaxing and exploring what little the city had to offer. Sanji felt like himself again, having recovered much quicker than his

other hungover nakama. Though that did little to deter Dr. Chopper from following after them like a furry shadow. Usopp had eventually hid in the galley with him, both men avoiding the crew's doctor and chugging water.

The energy on the Sunny was upbeat as they cast off from the harbor. Everyone was excited to go on another adventure, even if the rumors about the next island were a bit foreboding.

Sanji had stocked up plenty, actually able to buy extra since Luffy had won some bets that brought in extra grocery money, and he had been planning a party for the past few days. He had accidentally revealed this to the crew, much to his regret, and it had taken a few hard kicks before Luffy had finally stayed out of the kitchen. Sanji still occasionally caught sight of the straw hat through the galley's windows, but otherwise he had been left alone to prepare.

The fun would begin at lunch, and the crew had already gotten into their party clothes. Wakuko was definitely a summer island, a fact that was made evident by the warm weather that the Sunny had sailed into. This meant that the party would be pool themed, with outfits that were fitting for hotter climates, aka the ladies were barely clothed.

Sanji was eager to finish cooking and join his crewmates so that he could gaze upon the beauty that was Nami and Robin. He had seen them earlier, and had nearly had a nosebleed from how beautiful they looked.

Nami had gone with a hot pink bikini top with matching bottoms and a sheer, deep purple robe that hung off of her delicate shoulders. Robin was wearing a one piece bathing suit, the top dipping deep into her cleavage, and the bottom rising high on her hips. The fabric had been dyed an elegant emerald, and she had accented it by donning a cream colored sarong and a matching wide brimmed hat.

Sanji still could not thank the gods enough for placing him on a ship with such beautiful goddesses.

The men of the crew had gone with interesting rather than beautiful, which was really not all that surprising. Luffy was wearing bathing suit trunks that were bright yellow with red polka dots, his straw hat pushed back to accommodate the royal blue scuba goggles. Usopp was wearing pale blue trunks, patterned with white sharks and he had somehow found a hat shaped like a shark to match. Chopper was looking adorable with his orange and pink striped onesie that Franky had designed to help keep him cool, an orange football helmet with a bright purple star finishing the ensemble.

The cyborg was practically naked. He had kept with his general speedo theme, this one being silver with black stars, and had added floaties to his already ridiculously large arms, painted to look like donuts. And, naturally, he had shaped his blue hair into a large mohawk.

Brook was wearing a loose fitting white tank top, which was not difficult to accomplish due to his skeletal form, and the shirt had a smoking teddy bear depicted on the front. He had finished the look with orange swim trunks and gold sunglasses that covered his eye sockets .

Then there was Zoro.

The mosshead had stayed within his species' color group; aka green. He was wearing camo swim trunks and a matching military style cap. That was it. And yet it was somehow still incredibly sexy.

There was just something very manly about it and Sanji was horrified to realize that it was just as distracting as the ladies' bikinis had been. He had even felt a trickle of blood escape his nose- once he had been alone- which was extremely confusing while also fascinatingly arousing. While the woman-loving cook had managed to control himself around the female pirates, he had been unable to prevent the silly reaction to the mossmonster.

Fascinating.

Horrifying.

AND FUCKING STUPID.

He did not need to be worrying about this right now.

"Fucking asshole," Sanji muttered to himself as he finished up the last of his preparations. He began to remove the love-cook apron he had put on, revealing his own outfit of choice.

While on Leeki, Sanji had found a pair of swim trunks that were almost the color of a sunset. The top was a brilliant yellow that shifted into shades of gold until turning into a deep vibrant red. He had paired it with a pale pink button down, which he had left open to reveal his muscular chest. There had been a red cap, but Luffy had 'accidentally' chewed on it so Sanji had chosen to forego the headpiece.

On cue, the galley door opened and a curious captain stuck his head into the room. Luffy appeared to be using caution. So. The moron can be taught. Sanji lit up a cigarette and glared at the other man. Too bad his attention span is comparable to a goldfish's.

"Sanji.. Is the food ready yet?" Luffy asked, his voice quiet, as if his loudness might set off his cook. Which it very well could, but the meal was complete, so Sanji was in a more amicable mood.

"Yes, captain, it's ready," The cook replied after sending a stream of smoke towards the ceiling, "Go tell the others." His last words were almost drowned out by Luffy's joyful cry, and Sanji could not help but smile as the younger pirate bounced away like a rubber ball.

The meal was designed to fit the scene. There were various cocktails and smoothies, all lined up like a rainbow, and fruit salads coated with whipped cream. There were grilled vegetables to go along with the burgers that the cook had just started to cook, and even a large shark that had been caught earlier that morning. For dessert, Sanji had wanted something light and simple, so he had gone with strawberry shortcake.

The cakes were the last thing to come out of the kitchen, having just been pulled from the oven. Sanji brought them, along with the strawberries, and set them next to the bowl of whipped cream, making sure to keep extra in the refrigerator in case he lost control of the bottomless pit that was their captain. He then took a moment to take in the scene..

While he had been cooking, the rest of the Straw Hats had been decorating. Twinkle lights were strung up about the ship, barely noticeable during the daylight, but Sanji knew that they would increase the party atmosphere once the sun set. Someone had blown up a plastic pool, filling it with shallow water so that the devil fruit users could attempt to escape the heat in a fun, safe way. Luffy had been playing in it until he was given permission to eat, which somehow translated to attack the food tables.

The ladies had snuck in early to prepare their plates, and were sitting nearby on their sun-chairs, enjoying smoothies and plates piled high with a little of everything. Franky was holding back Luffy as Usopp helped Chopper make his plate, Brook still playing his guitar while simultaneously sipping on a pomegranate cocktail.

The only one not active in the festivities was the mosshead.

Zoro was sitting against a wall, right behind where Sanji was standing. A bottle of stolen sake was by his side, half empty, along with a plate of crumbs. His arms were crossed behind his head, his one eye watching everything from under the brim of his cap. "You really went all out, huh?"

Sanji glanced down at the swordsman, holding his cigarette between his thumb and forefinger as he took a drag. As he released it, he shrugged. "Things have been kind of peaceful. Figured we could have a party to liven things up. It is summer after all."

Zoro snorted, but one corner of his mouth curled up in a smile. "Summer's a great reason to celebrate."

And it was, even if summer came every few islands.

Besides, this next island, Wakuko, was promising to be beautiful. They were a few days away, but the waters of the New World had already shifted. Instead of the dark blue that appeared as deep as the night sky, the ocean had turned a beautiful turquoise that grew lighter and more clear with every passing wave.

Sanji did not look at the swordsman, but he could not help his own smile from spreading across his face. "That it is."

Once the shark had been devoured, the other dishes long gone, everyone began to lounge about with plates of strawberry shortcake. Sanji was busy helping Chopper pile on whipped cream when Zoro appeared next to him, one brow raised at the bowl of white.

"Cream, huh?"

Sanji managed a quick glance at the other man, his expression equally unimpressed. "If that's too sweet for you, you don't have to put any on."

Just as Chopper scampered off, his plate mostly a pile of the white fluff, the cook turned to face the green-haired man, who was in the middle of sticking his finger in the bowl. Sanji's eyes widened and he jerked forward to grab the other man's wrist.

"What the fuck are you doing, moron?! Don't stick your dirty hand in there! There's a spoon for a reason!"

Ignoring the blond's grip on his arm, Zoro swiped up a dollop of whipped cream on the tip of his finger and guided it up between them. Sanji stared at him, confused and suspicious. He kept his grip tight, but allowed the swordsman to maneuver his hand without much resistance.

However, once that whipped cream covered finger disappeared into Zoro's hot mouth, any annoyance that the blond might have been feeling vanished. He stared with wide eyes as the swordsman sucked softly, his tongue darting out to lap up the melted remains along the rest of his hand. Arousal shot down through Sanji's core, his cock twitching in interest as that steely gaze held his own.

Drunken memories of Zoro licking a different liquid off of his fingers came to mind, and Sanji felt himself swallow hard.

When the other man released his finger, the cook dropped his hand back to his side, suddenly realizing where they were. Had anyone seen that little display?

Zoro smirked at Sanji's blank stare as he picked up a plate. He quickly made a pile of strawberry shortcake and proceeded to take the spoon and smack a decent amount of whipped cream on top. Then the swordsman just wandered off, leaving the other pirate with a half hard member and a flushed face.

Sanji glared after him before realizing blood was beginning to trickle from his nose. He snatched up a napkin with a growl, mentally planning all the ways he would make Zoro pay.

Just you wait, asshole.

Hello everyone! I know I was gone a long time again . sorry! But seriously thank you for all of your comments, and for the continued love of Fire & Steel! I can't promise quick updates, but I'm definitely working on the next 'arc' of the story, and I'm very excited about it :D (even though I have a feeling it's gonna be a bitch to write...)
I know I take forever, but thank you again for your patience. I'm still here and I'm happy to see you guys are still enjoying it!
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-snapp