8 Days to go

A loud shriek followed by a loud bang is what woke Zoro from his slumber. It took him a moment to register his surroundings, but once he did, he sat up quickly. The twins, though not entirely comfortable, still slept next to Zoro. Both had scrunched up faces and held hands, but they did not wake up. Looking around the crows nest, Zoro couldn't help but notice how everything was moving around. Some of his smaller dumbbells had fallen off their shelves and rolled away towards various parts of the room. The closet doors continuously opened and closed, dropping some of the contents onto the hardwood floor.

Hearing something scrape across the floor, Zoro turned in time to see one of the short tables slide across the room from the rocks of the ship. Hitting the wall, the table bumped into one of the loose dumbbells, causing it to roll towards Zoro and the twins. Catching it quickly, Zoro threw it away from them, flinching slightly at the crunch sound that followed. He'd tell Franky about it later but first came the twins. Standing up, Zoro thought of the best way to get the twins to the deck. Usually, if he was alone, he would carry them safely in his arms, but right now, his main concern was whether they'd get knocked out of his arms. He glanced back at them and saw that they were still on the blanket. Working quickly, Zoro wrapped Daichi and Kairi up in the blanket tightly, before tying the blanket tightly to his body. To make sure they were definitely secure, he lifted his haramaki over them as far as it went.

Turning towards the hatch to the room, Zoro moved quickly. He felt himself knock something over but didn't look back for even a second. Carefully, he made his way to the deck. Once his feet hit the floorboards, he turned around and was met with even more chaos. There was water everywhere on deck and some seemed to be making its way down the steps. From his position, he saw Nami and Chopper pushing something towards the steps. It looked like an attachable door which Zoro guessed was one of the things Franky had been working on. Usopp, Sanji, Franky, Brooke and Luffy were trying to steady the sails as best as they could. Robin wasn't too far from them, concentrating as she used her devil fruit powers to man the highest sail, too afraid to let another crew member take the risk of doing it with this storm.

Zoro rushed over to Nami and Chopper, helping them with the door as best as he could without bothering the twins. Upon his arrival, Nami turned to him, soaked.

"What are you doing?" She yelled. "Get below deck!"

Zoro ignored her and kept helping him. He saw Chopper glancing at him, making him look down at the twins. The sheet was above their heads and they were close to his body, so they weren't really getting wet and were still warm. Cursing under his breath, Zoro used more of his strength to speed up the process. They were safe now but with how the storm was going, it could change at any moment for them.

"Zoro!"

The green haired man didn't turn to the navigator. Over his shoulder he shouted back.

"They're fine." He motioned for Chopper to come to his side as they were close to getting the door intact. Turning back towards Nami he yelled back at her. "It's no safer down there without the door up, so let's hurry up."

He saw her say something but missed what it was because of the loud waves. As he turned back to focus on Chopper and the door, he caught a glimpse of the island. The storm was quiet over there and it didn't look like it would take more than an hour to get there. He focused his attention back on the door.

On the side of the ship, Usopp put one foot on the ship rail and pulled hard on the sails rope. Another wave crashed hard into the ship a moment later, making him lose his balance. With another crash against the ship, Usopp was thrown off.

"Usopp!"

Sanji, who had been monitoring Usopp after the first crash of waves, had already wrapped the rope around his arm as some of the other members came over, desperate to save their friend. A moment later, they saw the crew's cook jump off right after Usopp, just grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. The rope swung them back towards the ship to outreached hands. Looking to his side, blue eyes widened and, turning back to the outstretched arms, Sanji lunged Usopp towards them. Not even a moment later, a large wave crashed into the ship, knocking the crew members down.

Zoro, who had no choice but to keep helping with the door during the commotion, and who had closed his eyes when the wave hit, opened his eyes to see the crew on the ground. He searched through them quickly before seeing the rope hanging loosely as the sails swayed against the wind. The familiar feeling of his skin going clammy and his heart beating fast only let him speak in a whisper.

"Sanji." Zoro stared for another moment before everything registered. The crew had just started to get off the ground as Zoro took a step forward, shouting into the distance desperately. "Sanji!"

Chopper quickly brought his arm out to stop Zoro. He yelled at Zoro, but he couldn't hear a thing. He watched as the members ran to the edge to find the blonde man. He watched as Brooked pointed something out before him and Franky started pulling the rope Sanji had been holding.

Zoro started feeling a push against his back before Nami came to the front of him and grabbed his face, forcing him to look her way.

"Zoro, snap out of it. It's as closed as it's going to be. Let's go!" Nami let go and went to pull Zoro but he didn't move and went back to staring at the crew as they kept pulling the rope.

"Zoro! The twins!" Nami shouted at him. She knew how he must have felt but she couldn't risk the same thing happening to Zoro and the twins.

At the mention of the twins, Zoro looked down at them, noticing the damp spot above their heads. Bringing his arms to cover the spot from getting any more wet, he started for the stairs with Nami in front of him and Chopper behind him. Before descending the steps, Zoro glanced back to see Sanji's body pulled back onto deck. Chopper had also seen this and rushed to his side, switching places with Robin who rushed to push Zoro down the stairs. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Zoro looked forward, unconsciously holding the twins tighter.

Sanji coughed up water and took a shallow breath as he opened his eyes. Upon seeing the crew, he attempted to sit up and winced as a sharp pain attacked his shoulder and back. Seeing this, Chopped instructed Franky to help Sanji to his office before telling the other crew members to tie the sail ropes quickly and to go below deck to avoid any more complications. The small reindeer left after the cyborg once he got a nod from everyone on deck.

Walking into his office, Chopper thanked Franky before going to Sanji. As he checked his body, he yelled at him.

"What were you thinking, Sanji!? " The small hooves pressed against Sanji's shoulder blade, earning a wince. "You could've gotten even more hurt if the storm was any worse."

"Sorry." Sanji said. He thought back to when he caught Usopp. As they swung back to the deck, he saw the largest wave approaching with force, but with the way he had wrapped his arm, there was no way he would be able to save both of them. When the wave had crashed into him, he remembered how he hit his back against the ship at full strength before the waves knocked the wind out of him. He winced as Chopper tried to knead his shoulder. The only thing that had saved him was the rope.

Sanji looked at his left wrist that had been tied up by the rope and gasped. Chopper, who was finished with putting ointment on Sanji's back, stopped what he was doing and looked at Sanji's face. Following his gaze, he gasped too. Dropping the ointment, Chopper scurried to Sanji's sde and lifted his arm gently. Lines from the ropes covered Sanji's wrist, turning it an ugly black and blue. His fingers were curled but looked rather pale to the rest of Sanji's skin tone. Reaching to hold the cook's shoulder, Chopper kept his glance on his hand.

"Does this hurt?" Chopper asked as he stretched the arm out to full length.

"A little." Sanji said.

Chopper started to raise his arm, but stopped after Sanji hissed. Sanji gave him the okay to keep raising his arm to see the extent of the injury. By the time his arm stretched above his head, Sanji had his eyes closed tight as he tried to ignore the pain.

Knowing the answer, Chopper still asked, "Does this hurt?"

"Yeah," Sanji said quickly. Looking him in his eyes, Sanji continued, "Like a lot."

Chopper nodded and tried to bring his arm down without causing too much pain. Chopper glanced at the cooks hand and asked him to try to move his fingers. Sanji watched his fingers as he concentrated and relayed how there was pain as he did it.

Chopper sighed as he went to get another ointment and some bandages. Coming back to the bed, he spoke as he put both on.

"Your muscles are strained but should be better with some rest and with the ointment next to you. If there's ever any tightness, let me know so that can massage it for you. Your wrist, on the other hand, may be sprained. It'll be hard to cook with only one hand so I think it would be best to get a helper until this heals." Chopper leaned back and glanced at the bandage. "Try not to use it too much."

Sanji nodded as he thanked Chopper. The small reindeer watched as he shrugged on his newer, dry clothes that Franky had left outside the door before speaking.

"Are you going to check in with Luffy and the others?"

Sanji buttoned his shirt, winced as he tried to use his left hand as little as possible. "Yeah."

Chopper stayed quiet for a second before he grabbed a bottle of pills and the ointments for Sanji. Turning towards Sanji, he handed them to the cook. Sanji took them and put them in his pocket. Chopper watched as he reached the door and finally spoke.

"Sanji."

Sanji glanced back at the little reindeer. He looked down before looking at him with a frown.

"Check on Zoro. He was really worried."

Sanji stared at him for a moment before nodding. When he closed the door, he let out a sigh and began walking down the hall.

Sanji stood outside his room door after a while. He had visited the crew who held onto him for what felt like forever. It wasn't until the girls got them off that he was able to come see Zoro. He had thought that he would be with the crew, figuring that the man wouldn't want to be alone.

Taking a breath, Sanji knocked on the door. He wanted a moment before doing it again. Sanji thought for a second before hesitantly trying the knob. Opening the door, Sanji saw that the light was off. Walking in, he stood close to the door, trying to let his eyes adjust to the little light that came through the window. He glanced at the crib, surprised to see that the twins were still asleep. It wasn't too surprising considering who gave birth to them but Sanji had thought that they might be light sleepers like him at times like these.

Letting his gaze move along the room from the crib, Sanji frowned deeply. A figure sat at the end of the bed with sagged shoulders. His elbows dug into his knees and he leaned his head further into the palm of his hands. Moments later , he leaned forward more, letting his gaze go to the floorboards as his hands covered the top of his head. Sanji watched him repeat the same movements a few times before he slid his hands over his eyes and pressed hard into them. A slight shudder suggested that Zoro might be crying.

The thought of misty gold eyes squeezed Sanji's heart and had his stomach flipping. He called out quietly to the man in the small room.

"Zoro?"

The voice was like a melody to Zoro's ears. Trying to hide his tears, He slid his hands down his face, wiping the tears in the process. Clearing his throat, he turned to see the blonde haired, curly eyed cook.

"Cook." He stood up and turned to face him. "You're okay."

From Zoro's mouth, the words were a mix between a statement and a question. Sanji didn't say anything.

Zoro couldn't stand looking at Sanji. He could feel the lump in his throat coming back. He averted his eyes and continued to talk.

"Thanks for saving Usopp." There was a small toy that rolled near his foot that he kicked a little towards the closet. "He wouldn't have made it without you, I don't think."

Zoro glanced up to see that Sanji was still staring at him. He trailed his eyes down the skinny body and stopped at a bandage that seemed to hang from under the cooks shirt cuff. Feeling a build up of liquid at his eyes, Zoro strained to keep his voice steady as he turned towards the crib.

"You need to be more careful." He said as he approached the crib. He stared at his - their kids. "The twins were worried about you. They kept searching for you, ya know."

Sanji stared at the broad shoulders as the lies slipped from his mouth. Sighing, Sanji walked towards the green haired man.

"Zoro."

"What shit coo-"

Feeling Sanji's hand on his shoulder turning him around surprised him. He hadn't thought that the man had even started walking or that he had crossed the room in such little time. But what surprised him even more was the hands that brought him closer, embracing him lightly as rough hands rubbed his back. Zoro couldn't seem to produce words and instead focused on the warmth from the body.

"I'm sorry."

Zoro closed his eyes as he stayed silent. His hands stayed by his sides as he made tight fists.

" I didn't think and acted on instinct alone. I didn't consider the effects it could have on the crew, the kids…" Sanji stopped for a second and moved his hand up to Zoro's head and rubbed his head. "...of you."

Zoro felt the tears spring forward but tried to keep his composer as the embrace tightened.

"I'm really sorry, Zoro."

Zoro took in a sharp breath as he pulled away and stared at Sanji's expression. He was a mixture between shocked, sad and apologetic. Zoro turned away from him before turning back around.

"What would I - we have done?" Zoro asked, hysterically. Sanji reached for Zoro who stepped away. He remembered the feeling that ran through him as the cook flew off the ship and didn't return. He thought of what would've happened if Brooke hadn't noticed the rope and thought to pull it.

"I…" Zoro's eyes darted around the room before landing on Sanji's blue eyes. "I couldn't do anything. Now and before."

Sanji felt his blood run cold. In front of him stood the great swordsman of the strawhat crew. Crying. Hysterically. Sanji didn't feel right seeing him look so gone...so lost. There was nothing that he could say to make him feel better or to reassure him. Just like when the marines came when he was pregnant, Zoro was put in a position where he could only do what was best for the twins. Sanji clenched his fists at the thought. Any one of the crew members would risk their lives for the next member, but no one thought of how it could affect the members as a whole. Looking at Zoro, who sat on the bed now with hands covering his eyes, Sanji couldn't help but think that it would be worse for the swordsman than kept to himself to avoid losing loved ones before joining this crew.

Sanji ran his hand through his hair and looked at the ceiling. He stared at it for a second before walking to stand in front of Zoro. He bent down on one knee and reached up to grab Zoro's wrist lightly.

"Zoro."

Zoro didn't move but Sanji figured he would listen.

" I really don't know what to say to make you feel better." He looked at the ground. " I mean… I get it. It scares me that anything could happen to any of us. It's ten times worse when it comes to the twins." Sanji looked back at the rough hands covering the face of the man he loved. "But we're pirates, Zoro. We knew the consequences but we still joined. We'd all save the next person without a second thought and we're all focused on the twins' safety. We'll all have to be more careful in the future and not be so instinct driven. Especially me and you."

Zoro heard everything but stayed silent. It wasn't anything he wanted to hear in the slightest. Everything he said was true but he wanted to hear something better. He wanted Sanji to come up with a solution - for anyone to come up with a solution. It was hard. He couldn't think the way he used to. He couldn't act like he was oblivious to the numerous problems. He hated how weak he was becoming and hated that he was so emotional. He hated that he didnt know anymore.

Letting his hands fall, Zoro stared into the worried eyes of the cook. He let his eyes slide to the twins in the crib.

"Does it get easier?" Zoro asked. He let his eyes go back to Sanji's. "Does it?"

Sanji stared into the gold eyes he loved. He saw how dull they looked and swallowed hard. He thought about it. It was the same questions he had been asking himself lately. He started to nod his head before sighing and shaking his head instead.

"It doesn't get easier." He moved his hand from his wrist to his hand, holding it tightly. "But…." he let a smile appear on his face slowly. "..it gets adaptable. We'll adjust like we've always done."

Zoro stared at the blue orbs, and just squeezed the pale hand back.