Zoro laid awake in Sanji's room. It was quiet. Way too quiet for him to get a good nights rest. Turning over, he took a breath. The events of how he ended up alone crawled back into his mind.
The night began to approach, causing each crew member to go their own way. Luffy and Usopp began to go downstairs, followed by Franky. Brook began walking towards the Mikan trees, set on playing a new set of songs to put the crew to sleep. Zoro sat with the twins near the head of the ship, Nami and Robin not too far from him. Sanji stood near the deck stairs with Chopper talking.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Nami said, coming closer to Zoro.
Looking at the blonde man talking to the ship's doctor, Zoro shrugged. He looked back at the twins.
"They're coming this way." Robin said, also walking a little closer.
Zoro looked up at Robin before glancing at the two figures approaching them. When they were close, Zoro noticed how Sanji was avoiding his gaze a little. Guessing that it was about something serious, Zoro stood up.
"What's wrong?" Zoro asked as they came to a stop in front of them.
Chopper looked up at Sanji before looking back at Zoro. "I think that you need to rest more, Zoro."
Zoro stared at Chopper in confusion. "Okay." His response came out more like a question rather than a definite answer.
Zoro watched as Chopper nudged Sanji forward who kept silent and looked away from the group. Behind Zoro, the girls shared a look of their own before the orange hair woman called out to him.
Hearing his name, Sanji took a breath and turned to meet the confused gold eyes. "Chopper thinks that it's best that you sleep without the kids tonight. Since they keep you up and active."
Zoro stared at Sanji before looking back at the reindeer. "Huh?"
"I think it's for the best Zoro. To make sure you get better." Turning to look at Sanji, he continued. "Since you're staying in his room we don't have to worry about anyone bothering so I think it's best that Sanji keep the kids for the night." Looking back at the green haired swordsman, Chopper said, "He'll be on watch for most of the night anyway."
Zoro frowned. He didn't want to be away from the kids for a night and Sanji had been running on low sleep since his room got wrecked, not that he let it show. Zoro opened his mouth to protest but was stopped by hands covering his mouth.
"That's a good idea, Doctor-san." Robin said. She glanced at Zoro as he tried to remove the extra hands on his mouth. "We'll get him to the room for you."
"And we'll make sure he understands." Nami added with a sweet smile.
Zoro turned over with an even deeper frown. Usually, if he was having trouble sleeping, he would just turn so that he was facing the twins in their crib. Rubbing his hands down his face, Zoro contemplated on what he should do. Biting his lip, he sat up and silently made his way to the deck.
Once on the deck, Zoro calmed down enough to catch Brooke's song switch. He took a breath of the ocean air and noticed a hint of rain from the scent. Looking out into the distance, he saw the clouds gathering and getting darker. Surprisingly, though, he didn't think it was an unpleasant sight. On the contrary, he felt relaxed. Thinking that he felt good enough to sleep, Zoro turned on his heel, ready to go back below deck. As he approached the steps, his steps slowed. Looking back towards the crows nest, Zoro couldn't help but wonder how Sanji was doing. Letting his curiosity lead him, Zoro found himself at the base of the crows nest, silently going up.
Zoro lifted the door to the crows nest silently. He peeked in and froze at the sight he saw.
Off towards where he worked out, Sanji laid on his side in front of the twins who sat in front of him. In his arms, Sanji held a book that he was reading to them. He read the pages slowly but enthusiastically. At times he would laugh at the twins, making Zoro's heart skip a beat.
Swallowing hard, Zoro quietly entered. He tiptoed closer but was spotted by Sanji before he got there.
"What are you doing out of bed?" He asked, sitting up and staring at him. The book fell in front of him and Kai went for it. He quickly picked it up, with her as well. Looking back up at Zoro, he waited for an answer.
"I..uh.I couldn't sleep."
Sanji opened his mouth to respond but closed it a moment later. He didn't really know what to say to tell the truth. What could he say when this was so unlike Zoro? Well, it would've been unusual before but not now, I guess, Sanji thought, looking down at Kai in his arms.
Zoro stared at Sanji as he thought. Biting his inner cheek, Zoro held back a smile. It was cute seeing him think so hard for him. Looking at Dia, he saw that the little boy was staring at Kai with Sanji. He wasn't playing or anything, only watching with a tilted head. Smiling slightly, Zoro moved closer to him quietly, laying on his stomach when he was close. He stared at the side of his sons face before blowing on his cheek, making him jump, and then kissing him when he glanced at him.
Daichi stared at him for a moment before giggling. The noise made Sanji look towards them and he was shocked. He watched small hands grab a bronze face and kiss him. When the baby face moved away, Zoro would open his mouth feigning surprise, making the Dai laugh and repeat the action. Kai clapped as she watched. She turned towards Sanji, grabbing his face and kissing his cheek. Sanji looked at her quickly. Dai mimicked her clapping before crawling towards Sanji. He reached out for Sanji, making him pick his bubbly son up. Daichi reached for his face and kissed him, just as Kai had done moments before.
Sanji placed both twins in front of him, and stared at them. He never said anything, but the twins only played with him. They never really wanted his affection, though he tried. When they were smaller, they would even cry when he kissed them, so he stopped all together.
"What are you thinking about?" Zoro asked the blonde man, breaking him from his trance. Zoro was now behind the twins, with both arms on either side of them.
Clearing his throat, Sanji turned away. He stared at the far side of the room for a moment, trying to compose himself. He wasn't sure if he was the only person thinking so, but he felt like this moment couldn't be more perfect.
Looking back at his 'family', Sanji smiled before letting out a chuckle. In front of him sat Zoro and the twins, all with tilted heads.
"Ah," Sanji stopped laughing and raised his eyebrows. "Give me a second."
Three pairs of eyes watched as the slender man got up from his seat and move towards a box in the corner of the room. He rushed back a second later and sat diagonally in front of them. Zoro started to move but stopped when Sanji turned away quickly.
"Don't move." Blonde hair shifted fast when the head spun away again. "Just give me a second."
Zoro pouted but laid back down behind the twins. He watched Sanji's back with low eyes.
A moment later, a 'got it' could be heard from the small group. Sanji's arm stretched high into the air a moment later, holding a camera high in the air.
"Cheese!" Sanji screamed, before clicking the button.
Zoro lay frozen as Sanji checked the picture as it came out the device. He looked in it and muttered something to himself. He repeated his previous actions, actually catching everyone paying attention. When the picture came out, he smiled wide and turned towards Zoro with both in hand. He sat the camera down and handed the pictures to Zoro.
Zoro stared at Sanji for a moment before smiling and taking the pictures. He glanced at them and then looked back at blue eyes.
"Should I sleep here tonight?"
Sanji's mouth shut quickly. He blinked a couple of times before speaking. "Huh?"
Zoro leaned on his arms and pouted. " Can't I?" He glanced at the twins. "I can sleep more comfortably."
Sanji stared at the green haired man before glancing at the twins. Seeing this, Zoro continued.
"It's been a while since you slept with the twins, hasn't it?"
Sanji let his eyes wander to Zoro before looking at the twins again. He was right. He hadn't slept in the same room as the twins in forever. But, letting his eyes go back towards Zoro, he thought about the last time they slept in the same room. Looking at the ground, he let a faint smile appear on his face.
"Yeah." Sanji whispered. Looking up, he nodded at the green haired man slowly.
Smiling, Zoro got up and went to the closet. It was where they kept the blankets and covers for anyone on watch. He grabbed a few and wend a few feet away from where the twins and the cook sat. He worked hard on making a comfortable makeshift bed. When he was done, he patted the area as he stared at the group with a smile.
Daichi and Kairi worked hard on crawling over to the spot Zoro now sat in. Sanji watched them the entire time before getting up and going to the area as well. Zoro helped Sanji by putting the twins between them. Laying on his side, Zoro urged Sanji to do the same facing him. It took a moment before Sanji decided to follow suit.
The two parents didn't say anything and instead rubbed the twins stomachs as they drifted off to sleep. Early on, they found that they liked having their back or stomachs rubbed, if neither could be done, they were okay with an arm or leg.
Zoro felt calmer with them in his sights. He leaned over and kissed each of their foreheads as they drifted off slowly. Sanji watched the entire time, feeling a tug at his heart the entire time. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked away and focused on Kairi. He bit his inner lip and he laid on his arm more, folding his arm more to cover his face. Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind, or even think of things that made him happy. A moment later he tightly closed his eyes and he felt liquid glide over his skin and into the crease of his arm. He cursed internally, hating that he couldn't stop them in time.
From the opposite side, Zoro watched Sanji. He saw his breath hitch and opened his mouth to say something. Seeing him move his face a little, Zoro decided against it. What would he even say to him? Turning away, he stared at Daichi's sleeping face. He felt bad that Sanji was hurting, but, at the same time, how would he know how to get everything back if he didn't realize what exactly he had lost in the first place?
Sanji scrunched up his face as he felt the violent rocks of the waves. Opening his eyes, his breath got caught in his throat. The image of the twins and Zoro sleeping beside him was obviously a sight he hadn't seen in a while. Taking the camera that didn't sit too far from them, Sanji took a picture of them. He stared at them a while longer through the lens after taking the picture. He let his arms fall slowly, staring at the actual scene. The picture was perfect whether he was in it or not. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
Slowly, Sanji leaned over and kissed the twins softly. When he got to Zoro, he stared at him. His sleeping face was one of his favorites. He brought his hand forwards and slowly ran his hand over the side of his face. He let his fingers glide down the sharp jawline before moving to his lips, where he let his thumb glaze over his bottom lip softly. Moving back to his temple, Sanji rubbed the skin gently before doing circular motions on the back of his head as he leaned in to give him a kiss on the forehead.
The blonde man leaned back and smiled before whispering "I love you" to the group.
Standing up, Sanji moved to the window and stared out of it. He could see the island in the distance and frowned at how dark the clouds around it were or how he could see the waves getting rougher the closer they got. Looking back at the twins with Zoro, Sanji decided to go and quickly make breakfast. It would be bad if the rough waves interfered with the crews meals.