All my stories have been translated from German to English. Since English is not my native language, translation errors may occur. But I hope that they are not too serious. If you notice any, feel free to tell me.
Have fun!
XXX
Loud roars could be heard on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, while the sun was already setting and very slowly revealing the stars that had been hidden in the bright daylight. The Straw Hat Gang had once again survived one of their spectacular adventures in one piece, which was the reason for the exuberant and humid celebration.
They had been at it since early noon, which led the two biggest rivals to sit down on the mast a little apart after a few hours and take a short break. Luffy, Lysop, Franky and Brook, on the other hand, didn't care one bit that they had already spent hours partying, drinking and, above all, eating. If it went after them, it could go also still many further hours in such a way. Only Chopper was only half-hearted, but he didn't want to miss a minute of the fun his comrades were having. The only ones who had already withdrawn were the women. They were sitting somewhere at the stern of the ship, trying to escape the noise of their friends for a short time.
For they had once again gone to the limits of their strength to escape from the Navy, to defeat their enemies and to save those they loved. They had made it back to the ship almost completely unscathed and were now glad to finally be able to end the last days in peace. The atmosphere on the deck was relaxed and exuberant. It even went so far that Zoro and Sanji managed to sit next to each other without immediately banging their heads. And yes, there were moments like that between them. Because even though they would like to kill each other more often than not, they were still friends, if not the best. But neither of them would ever voluntarily admit that.
Anyway, this was another one of those special moments and so they sat silently next to each other. Sanji had made himself comfortable and stretched his legs. Delightful as always, he took a drag on his cigarette, which he had lit a few seconds earlier, and risked a squinting glance at Zoro, who was sitting right next to him. - Sanji inhaled deeply the cigarette smoke - Zoro sat leaning against the pole as he did. He looked relaxed, his features seemed almost soft, and for a moment he thought Zoro was asleep if he hadn't noticed the erratic movement of his nostrils. And although Zoro left a relaxed impression, he had a strengthened posture. He was currently sitting cross-legged and had his hands hidden in the other sleeve of his green coat. - Slowly, Sanji blew the smoke out of his lungs. - He would never admit it, but he envied his friend this almost authoritarian posture. It was, after all, what earned Zoro the infinite respect that both his enemies and his friends had for him. But it could also inspire fear in people. Sanji couldn't. He didn't have that straight gait or the always tightened shoulders. He much preferred to bury his hands in his pants pockets and let his shoulders slump that way. - He took another drag on his cigarette, only to release the smoke from his lungs into the cool evening air, not caring which way the wind blew it.
"Could you please not do that?" - Zoro spoke calmly, and yet Sanji could sense the irritated undertone in it, literally cutting through the silence between them. Zorro hadn't bothered to turn his head toward Sanji, let alone open his remaining eye. But that didn't really interest the latter. He was far too distracted by Zoro's friendly choice of words, which was actually completely out of character for him. After all, he had just said 'please', which was really, really rare in the context of Sanji. - "What?"
Sanji turned his head and looked at Zorro, thus doing the exact opposite of what his comrade used to do. He looked at his friend's side profile and kept his gaze on Zoro's eye for a few moments longer. Secretly he was glad to sit on his right side. This way he had at least the opportunity to look at the fascinating green, which was just exposed by the opening eyelid and which in the red glow of the setting sun almost got a slight golden shimmer.
"Polluting my air with your disgusting cigarette smoke" - And there was an end to the nice choice of words again and Zoro fell back into old behavior patterns. Sanji simply ignored it, as he always has, and much preferred to take another drag on his cigarette. And indeed, the smoke blew directly in Zoro's direction as soon as it had left Sanji's lungs for even a second. Normally he didn't care which way his cigarette smoke disappeared, and so he hadn't noticed that he enveloped Zoro in a cloud of smoke whenever he blew out his smoke. And actually, he still didn't care. Zoro should lighten up, after all, it wasn't the first time he'd inhaled the residue from his cigarettes.
"I could say the same about your body odor," he countered, taking another demonstrative drag on his cigarette only to have Zoro enveloped in smoke again right after. It always amazed him how he could almost lose himself in his comrade's eye one moment, and then again give him such a line in the next. Their relationship was really more than verque. - He heard Zoro growl loudly beside him and nipped the hint of a reply in the bud by continuing to speak himself. - "I bet you've never smoked a cigarette in your life. Maybe you should give it a try" - Grinning, Sanji held out his cigarette to his comrade. Where this thought came from now, he didn't know himself, but it would be really interesting to see Zoro take a drag on a cigarette. It would let Sanji see a whole new side of him.
"No thanks," was only the still growled reply, however. - "What? Is that the sportsman talking out of you?", Sanji feigned and fixed Zoro with his gaze. But the latter was still looking stubbornly straight ahead, although he really shouldn't be able to see anything anymore. The sun had now fully set and only darkness remained. But soon the automatic lights of the Sunny would come on to give them light again. But until then, the stars in the sky were the only source of light on this ship.
"No, common sense. It's unhealthy, tarring the lungs, aging the skin and causing quite a few diseases. And I'm clearly too young to die" - Zoro's tone had returned to a monotone, and none of the anger left by Sanji's teasing remark shone through. - "You're starting to sound like Chopper," Sanji remarked, grinning broadly and taking another drag on his cigarette. He released the smoke from his lungs, which immediately wafted back in Zoro's direction. - "And passive smoking is also unhealthy, by the way" - Although Zoro still hadn't turned his head in Sanji's direction, the cook could clearly see the grim expression on his face. The lights had come on by now, leaving a dim glow on the deck of the ship. As Sanji found, it was almost the perfect atmosphere for a romantic meal. Briefly, his fingers itched, but he refrained from going to the galley to cook something in this situation.
"That you even know words like 'passive smoking' impresses me. I wouldn't have thought your monkey brain would," - Sanji had to admit to himself that he simply couldn't refrain from bullying his comrade. Far too often he simply offered the opportunity to do so, making it Sanji's favorite pastime, right after cooking and smoking. - "And yet you're the last person who should be giving a speech like that. After all, you drink like a hole" - Unfortunately, as Sanji found, Zoro was not drinking at that moment of all times, but that did not change the fact that his words were true. For such a high consumption of alcohol was at least as harmful as chain smoking. - "Everyone has their vices" - Zoro spoke soberly and continued to look straight ahead, which instantly made Sanji laugh. That was just typical Zoro. As soon as it came to himself, it didn't matter what was unhealthy or not.
"You sure you don't want to give it a try? One vice more or less-", Sanji left the sentence open but he knew that Zoro understood what he wanted to say. And finally! Finally Zoro moved his head in Sanji's direction and looked at him out of one eye. Sanji almost thought Zoro was checking him out, but his gaze quickly moved back to the Smutje's face and stayed there. Zoro grinned. The first time he'd done that since they'd been sitting here together. - "Are you really trying to seduce me into smoking?" - Sanji was grinning now, too. - "Then we'd have at least one thing in common"-Sanji laughed lightly, gazing into the deep and unfathomable green, which captivated him almost every time he dared to look into it for even a second too long. But this time it was too late. He still tried to tear himself away from this sight, but it was no longer possible. He was completely lost in it. - "Believe me, we have more in common than you think" - As much as Sanji was lost in that look, he couldn't help but notice that Zorro felt at least the same way. He returned his gaze stiffly and didn't seem to be able to tear himself away from it anytime soon. Or was it even that he didn't want to? Sanji wasn't exactly sure about that.
"Alright, let me try" - With these words, Zoro had torn Sanji so rudely out of his thoughts and especially out of this spell, that it was almost like a punch in the stomach to find his way back to reality. And for a moment, Sanji didn't know what exactly Zoro wanted from him either, until he could see his hand, which he held out to him, waiting. Sanji handed Zoro the cigarette and looked at him, waiting. It would be the first time Sanji saw his comrade with a cigarette in his hand. And after Zoro had taken it between his index and middle finger and looked at it suspiciously, he brought it to his lips. Without Sanji noticing, he held his breath and looked spellbound at Zoro, who now took the cigarette between his lips and dragged on it. He made the burning tobacco glow and colored the filter brown with the smoke that was forced through it. Sanji couldn't take his eyes off it, and the thought immediately popped into his head that he hadn't seen anything so aesthetically pleasing in a long time. He was a huge womanizer, but at this moment, absolutely no woman in the world could compete with the sight he had just seen. Zoro, sitting cross-legged, leaning against the mast and dragging on a cigarette. It was perfect. This one moment burned itself so strongly into the memories of the Smutjes that he would never forget this sight again. And if he was honest, he didn't want to either.
Zoro released the cigarette from his mouth and inhaled the smoke instead. Deeply he inhaled it into his lungs which instantly burned and brought a gagging feeling inside him. He blew the smoke out again and couldn't prevent a suppressed cough after all the smoke had left his lungs. A bitter aftertaste spread across his tongue and he felt an urgent need to wash it away with a hearty gulp of sake. - "Smoking really isn't my cup of tea" - Zoro cleared his throat briefly and then handed the cigarette back to Sanji after giving it another quick glance. He really didn't understand how the chef could smoke those devil things 24/7 and still not drop dead. They were disgusting and unhealthy. At least his sake still tasted good!
Sanji, who had been following all of this intently, took the cigarette back to himself. It was almost completely burned, but one last deep drag, would still be in. - "Maybe you just need to start small?" - Of course, Sanji knew that Zoro could do absolutely nothing with his words, but it didn't matter now. He took a quick breath and put the cigarette to his lips. He took this last deep drag that the cigarette still gave and inhaled it. Before Zoro, who was still a bit confused, could even react or say anything, Sanji leaned over to him. Again captivated by those eyes, Zoro didn't manage to dodge backwards, which probably wouldn't have been allowed by the pole behind him. He looked with his eye into the pair opposite him, and immediately felt soft lips resting on his own. They exerted a light pressure and yet were not intrusive. Zoro found it pleasant to feel them and also immediately opened his mouth as the couple opened on his as well. Immediately he tasted the cigarette smoke that slowly spread in his mouth, again leaving that bitter aftertaste. But this time it was different. It wasn't as extreme as the first time, which was probably because the smoke had already passed through Sanji's lungs before and now found its way into Zoro's.
The smoke escaped upward between their mouths into the sky as Sanji released the last remnants of cigarette smoke from his lungs. And really, this would have been the moment to retreat, but he couldn't. He could still feel those incredibly soft lips on his, driving him almost crazy. And he wanted more of it. Slowly, Sanji dared to let his tongue wander into his counterpart's mouth, which until then had dutifully lingered in his own oral cavity, hoping not to have a sword stuck in his chest right away. In a moment his tongue would - as he hoped - touch Zoro's and turn this somewhat shy lip contact into a real kiss. He first licked tentatively at his friend's lower lip and waited a moment until Zorro would do the same and come towards him. Which he did. For he was not remotely different from Sanji. He was stunned by his touch and was only too happy to meet them.
Long after all remnants of the cigarette smoke had disappeared and were no longer visible in the air around them, Zoro and Sanji were still kissing, with no sight of an end. Both of them were far too befuddled by the sensation that the contact of lips caused in them. But when Sanji slowly realized that he could no longer breathe, he couldn't help but pull away from Zoro's lips with a heavy heart. - Stupid smoker's lungs!
They looked at each other again. Zoro's gaze was still unfathomable, at least to Sanji. Still intoxicated by the feeling, Sanji cautiously raised his hand, intending to touch Zoro's cheek, to finally feel the soft skin under his fingers and find out if it felt the way it looked. He was merely peripherally aware of his own action himself, until he heard these words that immediately made him pause. - "Don't ever do that again."
Zoro's voice sounded rough and whispery, and though he couldn't hear even a hint of distaste, Sanji's heart instantly slipped into his pants. He wanted to say something back but his dry throat, coupled with the huge lump he felt stuck in there, knew to prevent that. But even if he didn't, what was he supposed to say? What did Zoro want him to say now? Why had he said that in the first place? Sanji no longer understood the world, he no longer understood Zoro, and most of all, he no longer understood himself. His ears grew hot with embarrassment, and that heat slowly spread throughout his body, even to his hands, which grew damp with nervousness. He averted his eyes.
"I can live with you tasting like smoke. But don't ever make me consciously inhale cigarette smoke in any way again."- Zoro sighed and leaned back again, so far that the back of his head touched the mast. Sanji, who still didn't quite understand what those words meant, did the same, and silently leaned against the mast next to him. His thoughts rushed through his brain, he felt like he was wrapped in absorbent cotton, and blood rushed in his ears. It pumped frantically through his body, causing his pulse to skyrocket. - They had really kissed.
Sanji gasped, almost choking, and just managed to stop himself, completely clichéd, from touching his lips with his fingertips, which were still tingling from the kiss. They had really kissed. And they had both enjoyed it, Sanji was sure of it. This was totally crazy. How could this have happened? When had it started that he was attracted to Zoro in this way? - Of course, Sanji had no way of knowing that Zoro was asking himself the exact same question right now, but it caused them both to hang on to their own thoughts without saying another word about that kiss. But that didn't mean it wasn't still omnipresent in both of their minds. It took over their senses completely and Sanji had to smile slightly. He propped his hands on the ground and continued to lean his head against the pole as he stared up into the sky. He looked at the stars, shining brightly and not letting the Sunny's lights get them down. Suddenly, Sanji felt a touch on the fingers of his left hand. Actually, it couldn't even be called a real touch, it was more like a breeze that brushed his fingers and still left a pleasant warmth. That is, until he felt groping and rough fingers that seemed to be searching for his own. And they had found them. Sanji knew it was Zoro's hand, his fingers just gently touching his own with no intention of leaving again. And so now they sat there. Silently, the fingertips of their pinky and ring fingers touched, nothing more. But that was enough for one evening.
The two of them would not be all over each other like pubescent teenagers. They wouldn't end up wildly making out in a corner, let alone in their cabin, and they wouldn't talk about it for now. What they had right now was more than enough for one evening and, more importantly, more than they had dreamed of. For both of them it was unusual to suddenly feel the closeness of the other in this way, but that was all right. They would get used to it, they were both sure. So they remained sitting like that.
They sat there and watched Chopper, who was peacefully sleeping on the deck, next to his friends, who were still eating and singing. They looked at Lysop, who was snoring more than singing, and they looked at Franky, who was doing one of his crazy dance moves, and Brook, who was playing his violin so beautifully that it was almost a shame that Luffy was drowning out the melody with his crooked singing. But that's what made this moment so incredibly perfect.
They were sitting here, on this evening that couldn't have been more perfect. They were free, they were exuberant, they were happy. And Zoro's hand was the only reason Sanji didn't immediately light his next cigarette. He didn't want to risk that Zoro's hand - that warmth - might not be there once he pulled his own hand away from it. And at the same time, Sanji had to smile at that thought. No, that wasn't going to happen. For better or worse, he had to admit to himself that he wasn't going to get rid of Zoro anytime soon. But that was okay, too. Because it made Sanji happy to have Zoro with him like this, even if he would never have thought that before. - What was that again? Smoking harms you and the people around you?
24.09.2010