A LITTLE BIT MORE

Chapter Five

"Betoni Island?"

Nami nodded exuberantly and threw her arm out toward the lush island ahead, sitting tiny and unassuming in the middle of the vast ocean. Zoro and Sanji both pulled a similar face, as Luffy came bouncing down from the upper deck to fill them in.

"It's uninhabited rainforest! The perfect place for adventure!" Luffy yelled ecstatically, springy steps taking him to his usual seat on the masthead of the Going Merry. He struck an explorer's pose, one leg up and arms akimbo, as he laughed heartily.

"Oi, no adventure today, Luffy, I have a headache," Zoro sighed in disappointment at the latest turn of events.

"No one ever goes there—it's pure wilderness! It's too small for an industrious village, and its too remote for any efficient harvesting of its resources!" Nami seemed far more enthusiastic than Sanji would have expected her to be, but somehow he had a feeling that her motives in pointing out the island had not been purely personal ones, "we can take a quick vacation before we go any further, without any fear of being targeted!"

"Are you sure about that?" Sanji raised one eyebrow suspiciously.

Her nod was immediate, decisive. "There's no beach on Betoni Island—a winding canal cuts the land in two, and that's the only safe place to dock. The rest of the coast is rocky, innavigable. No one would see us, I'm positive."

"Far be it from me to doubt you," he smiled, his fears abated. With that, he turned to Zoro, who still appeared rather leery of the idea, "if anyone needs a rest, it's you. I'm sure this isn't treating you kindly, still."

Hardly thinking, he pressed his palm to Zoro's chest, feeling the bumps of the still-unhealed wound from his battle with Hawk-Eyes Mihawk. For a moment, Sanji's eyes widened with vivid memories of the previous night, but with a soft cough and a quick drag of his cigarette, he managed to keep them at bay.

Zoro slapped his hand away with a grunt. "Feh. So we're going to cool our heels on some island? Fine, why not. I have no reason to argue."

He spotted a shaded spot on the lower deck and started toward it, presumably for a quick nap before they reached the island. As he passed Sanji, he managed to breathe, "You never know, it might be fun." In a sly, sadistic voice that made every inch of the cook's body tremble momentarily.

Nami sashayed up to him, noticing that he was still in a bit of a state. "You look excited," she giggled.

Sanji smirked. "Don't tell me this was your idea."

"Oh, you probably knew I had a matchmaker hiding somewhere inside of me." She grinned mischievously, and her hand brushed Sanji's elbow when she stopped beside him. "I just figured that it would give me a chance to enjoy myself while still giving you two a chance to get to know each other a little more personally."

She winked, sending Sanji's heart rocketing into his throat. He blushed from head to toe, simply considering that Nami would ever...could ever even think of him....doing that...

Teeth clenched around his cigarette, he felt his groin tighten. Damnit.

"You're kind." He managed in response.

"Mmhmm," she chirped, and just before she passed by, he saw her eyes wander toward his midsection before offering him a quick pulse of her eyebrows.

He stood there for the longest time after that, frozen in place, until he forced his feet to move, allowed them to stalk over and interrupt Zoro's sleep.

"Get up." He commanded flatly, reaching down to yank at one dead-weight arm.   

Zoro swore loudly. "Can't I get a FEW minutes of sleep without you barging in?" He glared up at Sanji with tired, intoxicatingly vulnerable eyes.

"Get the fuck up." Sanji snarled, and glanced around for a few moments. Luffy was still perched on the sheep's-head. Ussop was manning the crow's nest. He felt rather confident about not getting caught as he guided Zoro's hand with no hesitation to his swollen crotch, "I need you for something."

He had seen very little snap Zoro into full consciousness so quickly.

With Nami holing up as she normally did in her makeshift study, the safest place once again turned out to be the galley. The door barely closed behind them, and Sanji was already flattening himself against Zoro, breathing fast into his ear, rubbing himself fiercely against one hard, muscular thigh.

Too stunned to suggest anything different, Zoro leaned back against the wall, surrendering his body to Sanji's intense ministrations. Sanji's mind reeled but he was determined to give into his instincts, to use Zoro for exactly what he wanted, just as it had been after the Marine battle all those days ago. As it became apparent that Zoro wasn't predisposed to any objections, he took a final puff of his cigarette and tossed it into the sink.

"What are you doing?" Zoro finally asked roughly, his voice receptive, intrigued, but confused.

With an arch of his back and an evil grin, Sanji raked the bulge of his erection against Zoro's leg harshly. "Getting off," he gasped, punctuating the rather blunt explanation with a wet, hurried kiss.

"Wouldn't it be easier if I...." Zoro reached for his hip, but with a steel grip Sanji clutched his wrist.

"No! No....just let me...let me do this..." he breathed raggedly, still rocking himself in a steady rhythm against his lover's ample muscle. Zoro felt a bit of moisture warm the fabric of his pants, felt Sanji's fullness press against him so firmly that he could envision every detail of it, inch by ridiculously thick inch.

"Suit yourself," Zoro exhaled, unable to hide his own fascination. After a few more moments, a few more hot blasts of Sanji's breath into his ear, he whispered, "but I want to touch it."

"Oh yeah?" Sanji smiled to himself, now moving at a rapid stroke, "you didn't seem so eager when you were fucking me."

A strange jolt went through him then, a peculiar intense reaction to his own voice. It felt good to hear himself talking like that. Those words simply heightened the carnal reality of their position, elevated it to a pedestal of hedonistic indulgence. He wanted to hear more, he wanted to say more. He was giving into the urges he had thought only came to mind at Zoro's mercy, wanting to do everything dirty and unrefined now that he had no appearances to keep. He wondered if it would feel even better to hear Zoro's voice, saying those things.

"Cocksucker." Zoro growled, and Sanji noted the beads of sweat on his forehead, the telltale way he furrowed his brow.

"Oh, no, not quite yet, but if you really want me to, I could be persuaded..." he almost laughed, finding it hard to form words in between his frantic, erratic breathing.

Zoro gave his closest approximation of a chuckle, a short gust of breath and the echo of a growl as his lips curled ever-so-slightly. Though it pained him to prolong the agony of waiting for release, Sanji forced himself to slow down, changing his rhythm and the roll of his hips, moving against the slickened spot on Zoro's pant leg with a deep, guttural moan.

"Change your mind?" Zoro remarked cockily at his change of pace.

Sanji suddenly wished that Zoro's hair was like his own, long enough to wind his fingers in and tug insistently, adding an undeniable force to his words. He tried to replicate the ferocity with his mouth alone, dragging it next to Zoro's ear, passing by his earrings to heave one unquestionable directive. "Talk dirty to me."

There was the expected confusion, though Zoro was considerate enough not to spoil the mood. "I'm not sure I can."

"Of course you can," Sanji found one hand traveling over Zoro's body, over the broad, rippling expanse of his abdomen and past the bas-relief of his scar. Before continuing he clenched one of Zoro's nipples between his fingers, and twisted, his smile catlike as he did, "what do you want to do to me?"

Zoro arched against the wall, gasping and hissing, his eyebrows bowing in pleasure despite it all, "Damnit! Just...just finish already!"

"No." Sanji answered firmly, reaching down to cup Zoro's own burgeoning hardness in his fingers. "I know you can....come on...." he tightened his grip, and began to massage the fast-firming handful, "I'll make you feel good...if you do..."

"This isn't a good start to our vacation, bastard!" Zoro said through clenched teeth, unable to deny what his full-fledged erection was now loudly proclaiming.

With a smile, Sanji stroked Zoro through his pants, still nursing his own concerns as slowly as the encounter was progressing. "And what were you planning on doing once we get to that island?" He pushed his lips close to Zoro's, close enough to let their eyes dance together angrily, "didn't you say we got to do things my way?"

"I think this constitutes your way, you fucker," Zoro's teeth still ground together, as he fought against the urge to overcome the tension by force, "this is....it's....damn...."

"Feels good, doesn't it?" He smiled. Zoro muttered vaguely in response, but Sanji could tell he agreed. "Well, fine. If you won't cooperate, we'll try again later." With a smirk, he rode Zoro's thigh a little harder, every phantom memory of soft curves and delicate sex now replaced with the all-possessing desire for Zoro to be inside him again. He tightened his hand around the hardness at Zoro's groin, remembering the breathtaking feeling, the unparalleled mixture of bittersweet pleasure...

"Sanji...." Zoro's voice broke into his reverie, and suddenly his hand came down on top of Sanji's, "are you—"

Maybe it was the feeling of his hand, maybe it was the sound of his voice, but whatever happened in that moment sent Sanji spiraling uncontrollably over the edge. With a rush he had been foolish to think he would be able to control, he let a miniature, rolling scream escape, every nuance of pitch and tempo and breath spilling directly into Zoro's ear. As he slowed his rhythm, the warm wetness of his release spread over the fabric of their clothes, and Sanji calmed himself enough to smile. "Fuck...oh, fuck....." he panted, head still spinning.

He slumped against Zoro's shoulder, and chuckled deeply. "I feel very dirty right now."

Zoro, though Sanji's hand and his own were still cupping his groin, felt enough sympathy to answer, "Yeah, I know, you just came all over my pants."

"No," Sanji leaned back slightly and bunched Zoro's shirt in his free fist, more for effect than anything else, "I mean I want to be very bad."

His eyes, he knew, sparkled with something completely different. A glimmer of independence ignited behind them, firing his brain and illuminating the fact that, once and for all, things had changed. He wasn't the same old Sanji who nurtured his ego, fed it through women and wine, and only ended up getting shoved around in the end anyway. He wasn't the glorified little boy who fought for no good reason and took out his frustrations on his own psyche.

Not in the least. This was the Sanji that took matters into his own hands, believed in his honor, and fought for his pride. This was the Sanji that knew himself well enough to know what he wanted.

"I want to suck you." He couldn't believe the words, even when they escaped his mouth.

He'd never had a blow job, himself. None of his debutantes and lonely trophy wives had ever been the type. And the "bad girls," well....those were not the element his ego had desired. And somehow, Zoro didn't intimidate him. This worldly swordsman of honor, so brimming with ambition and life's lessons, didn't even seem the type that would have experienced the gamut of corporeal pleasure by his own lonely explorations. In fact, Sanji hadn't been very shocked at all to learn that their initial kiss had been Zoro's first. Surprised to hear him say it, more than anything.

He felt perfectly confident that any effort whatsoever wouldn't go to waste on Zoro.

"Want to finish what you started, eh?" Zoro's hand came up behind his head, and combed through his hair. Sanji suddenly remembered what he had tragically almost forgotten. The events of that day seemed so distant, so long ago, only Zoro's words finally confirmed that they had happened at all. Even now, though, with the memories so fleetingly gossamer in his mind, he remembered the taste.

His palate was a sensitive one, but something about Zoro made his mind twist around everything that was potentially offensive, and focus on the simple truth: he had to taste it again. Deeper, more fully.

I want to, he repeated to himself, pulling Zoro into a sudden, powerful kiss. I want to!

"Make me feel like a whore," he suddenly whimpered, not at all sure where the words were coming from. Zoro gasped against his mouth, and pulled back slightly. But Sanji just kept talking, still not entirely in control of what he was expressing, "you heard me. I want to be filthy for you."

Zoro paused, his lips unmoving against Sanji's, moving aside when he spoke. "Sanji....what in the world makes you want that?"

Suddenly he found the weight of his desires almost enough to bring tears to his eyes. "I just do," he reiterated, "you're never kind to me any other moment of the day, so don't start now! Take it all out on me if you want to, just—"

Before he could go on, before he realized he no longer needed to, he was interrupted. Zoro's hand fell on top of his head. "All right," and pushed him firmly to his knees. His face was cold, deadpan as usual, even as he said, "but don't cry about this later."

A worshipful look crossed Sanji's face as he collapsed in front of Zoro, almost tempted to say something smartass in response. But no. The moment was just too fleeting. Besides, they'd be reaching land any time now.

He pressed forward, acquainting his mouth with the view, pursing his lips against the tiny wellspring of dampness at the tip of Zoro's cloistered erection. Immediately, Zoro's stomach clenched above him, and his fingers tightened in Sanji's hair. A little moan was enough to let Sanji know that he was doing exactly what was expected, exactly what was appreciated.

Smiling triumphantly, he slid his hands beneath Zoro's haramaki and clutched the band of his pants, bringing it down in a slow but steady pull. He listened intently, and was more than pleased to hear the gasp of relief from Zoro when he was finally freed from the already too-tight fabric. 

"So how does it feel to be at my mercy?" Sanji nearly whispered, wasting no time in wrapping his fingers around Zoro, and letting his tongue roll out for a long sampling lick.

"What did I tell you before, about talking?" Zoro's voice was something heavy and dulcet, nowhere near impatient just yet. He was enjoying it. Simply knowing that, Sanji felt vindicated.

"What, that you can't do it?" Before there came a snappy retort, Sanji threw his inhibitions to the wind, opened his mouth, and took the head of Zoro's cock between his lips.

Zoro's hips pushed up from the wall, arching desperately toward Sanji's mouth, as he let out a long, tortured whimper barely loud enough to hear. Sanji waited, knowing he didn't have the time to savor the moment, but tempting fate nonetheless.

It boggled his mind; why, not even a week ago, he had been anything but willing to consider himself being used. Bent over the table and fucked like a whore, he had wept at the image of his own humiliation. But now, he was humbling himself, not just willing but eager, not just eager but insistent, as he found himself on his knees. He rolled his tongue slowly around the firm, rounded tip, tasting the strangest taste and enjoying the strangest feeling.

The fingers in his hair were tightening. Zoro's hands were trembling with haste, and they were pushing now, pushing against the back of Sanji's head, forcing his mouth wider, threatening him once again with the exhilarating unknown.

Yes, Sanji thought, not letting his fear push more insistent to the forefront of his mind, this is exactly what

I was talking about...

He panted hard through his nose, as Zoro's hands guided him into a firm, efficient rhythm. Within moments he didn't need Zoro to set the pace anymore, silently grateful that his lover was considerate enough to let him take over again. His lips were enchanted by the new, beautiful texture, the way Zoro's cock twitched at the back of his mouth, pleadingly toward the tightness of his throat. He even loved the way Zoro's fingers were digging into his scalp, hard enough to leave marks, barely holding back from pulling out his hair in enthusiasm.

It feels right, he repeated in his own mind, even as Zoro began to manage his name in small, reluctant little bursts of breath, I want this....I want this so badly....and I want it again and again...

He nearly lost his senses for a moment, stumbling as Zoro suddenly jerked him forward. Sanji's throat objected in a momentary spasm as Zoro rammed himself deep into his mouth, an uncharacteristic whine signaling the onset of his orgasm.

Fighting for a calming breath, he couldn't even bring himself to move as Zoro came inside of his mouth, warming his throat with his release, and again gasping Sanji's name. For a tense moment, he felt panicked, coughing as Zoro withdrew, pulling back as the hands on his head went lax. Sanji lifted two fingers to his mouth, touching the little rivulets of hot liquid dripping from the corners of his lips.

He knew Zoro was watching, but he knew that he was too wise to say anything just yet.

For shock effect or for proof of his comfort, as a little 'fuck-you' to the lover who was still his fiercest rival -- or maybe just because he wanted to – he licked up the final traces, wiped his mouth clean, and looked up at Zoro with an expression of smug accomplishment.

A grin started without warning and spread in an instant before he spoke. "Did you like that?" He asked forcibly, amazed at the unwonted look on Zoro's face. Even in the silence of sleep or in the depths of injurious pain, he had never seen such a fragile, vulnerable expression from the swordsman.

He looked absolutely beautiful. Any verbal sparring that Sanji wanted to engage in during their afterglow became moot. He found himself incapable of an unkind thought toward Zoro at that moment.

"Yes." Came his reply at last, a bare articulation on a heavy, satisfied breath.

Though unsure what made him remain silent and reverent of the moment, much less what made him remain in the subservient kneel he had almost grown to enjoy. It was quiet but for the gentle sound of their breathing, and the steady swell and crash of the tide leading them to the shores of Betoni Island.

With gentle, swift hands, Sanji redressed him, smoothing out the wrinkles in the fabric as he tucked the stretchy fabric back into place. He was still acquainting himself with the bitter, stodgy taste in his mouth, convinced somehow that he loved it, even if he was unable to completely understand why. His fingers lingered below Zoro's waist, running softly over his thighs, bringing a smile to his face as he skimmed the wetness he had left behind.

"We'd better get back out there." Zoro surprised him, his voice robust yet calm, tethered to the undeniable stillness of the moment.

"Yeah." Sanji glanced up, and steadied his hands on Zoro's hips as he rose to his feet. Not wanting to let go, and unwilling to take the first step either, he stood still, glancing quietly at movement of Zoro's chest as he breathed. The rhythm somehow matched the sound of the waves outside. Hypnotized, Sanji was powerless to end the silence.

Unexpectedly, he felt Zoro's arms encircle him, drawing him in for a quick, powerful, but obviously placating hug. "I'm serious. They'll be needing us."

"I know," Sanji replied sharply, his voice suddenly eight years old again and not wanting to obey his bedtime, "everything's just...so nice right now..."

"Hey," pushing two fingers beneath his sharp chin, Zoro lifted Sanji's face until their eyes met. He was smiling, subtly, but just enough to be noticed, "we'll have time for that, soon, right? You're so impatient."

He pushed forward and kissed Sanji's lips gently.

"Nnnnn," Sanji moaned in reluctance, his lips pouting as Zoro pulled back from the kiss, "why do you always have to be so sexy at the worst times?"

Not that it took much, but he could tell that Zoro was flattered. "Instinct." He leaned forward and pursed his lips lightly against the top of Sanji's ear. The move sent a tremor through Sanji's body, but he was beginning to build up more of a defense to such deliberate torment.

He shoved him away with a triumphant chuckle, wagging his finger as he glided toward the door. "You're good...you're very good. Just wait. I'll have you squirming soon, too."

Zoro caught him from behind on his way out the door, and they walked together, Sanji glad to be so spontaneously embraced. "Mmm-hmmm, that was a threat, wasn't it?"

"Damn right."

"Hmmmm." Zoro broke away, his bearing and tone almost instantaneously changing as they set foot on the sun-soaked deck once again. Sanji was shocked at how close the shore of Betoni Island suddenly seemed, so shocked in fact he didn't even give the customary pout when Zoro slipped away.

Sighing in contentment, listening to the seagulls and their incessant squawking as they approached land, he rested a cigarette between his lips. The Going Merry drifted lazily into the canal, and suddenly a canopy of trees was shielding them, casting dancing shadows everywhere, as they were surrounded by the fragrance and thickness of the rainforest.

All he could think of, leaning against the railing and gazing into the kaleidoscope of bright, verdant nature, was what it felt like to make love on the wet grass. How rain would feel on his naked body.

Whether Zoro might finally be able to say he loved him, too. 

He was pleased when Luffy gave the order to "Drop Anchor!," and might have admitted to the excitement building inside.

But not quite.

~*~*~

Nami was droning on about something concerning the unusual tropical climate of the island, a bit of meteorological mumbo-jumbo combined with several mentions of the Grand Line's proximity, but for once Sanji wasn't listening, enraptured by her every word.

Something about the way Zoro was carrying the usual katana on his hip....somehow it seemed slinkier than usual-even with only one sword remaining, it slung a little lower than Sanji remembered. He was practically shaking his ass as he walked ahead, purposefully at the head of the pack, by Luffy's side. Zoro's ass, focusing his attention even when he tried to listen to Nami's words.

Sanji forced himself to keep his hands in his pockets, hunch a little lower, and resist every strangely compelling urge to reach forward and slap it.

He didn't realize he was scowling until Nami pointed it out with a firm poke to his shoulder. "...that means you'll have a great time stocking our provisions."

It was like a bucket of cold water poured on his head – he snapped to attention and grinned over at Nami, raising his eyebrows in what even he subconsciously considered a peculiar way. "Ah? What was that, Nami-san?"

Nami's smile was telltale, but he could still tell she wasn't pleased at having been ignored. "I was just saying that the untouched wilderness has bred some strange flora and fauna. Several varieties of fish, and one berry in particular, are indigenous to this island."

His face lit up, genuinely intrigued by the prospect. "How do you know all these things, huh?" He gawked in breathless admiration.

A smug smile on her gorgeous face, she shrugged. "What can I say, I like doing research. Most things just stick."

They were at least a mile into the jungle, walking down an obviously traveled path, before the first mentions of setting up camp were heard. Of course, the rallying cry was Luffy with his expected "I'm hungry!"

"So I guess most everyone who visits here just cuts through this path?" Zoro pushed at some of the overgrowth on one side of the trail with the white sheath of his katana. "Seems boring."

"Right!" Luffy piped up immediately, "why don't we see what's around the rest of the island?"

Nami looked a bit flustered, like a school-marm intent on keeping her students in line. "But....the path leads to a lake...and a small beach....it's perfect place to camp, and there's fresh water!"

"My vote is for the lake!" Ussop expectedly agreed. Nami seemed pleased with his compliance, "we're less likely to get eaten."

"Really, our main concern should be snakes and insects," Nami explained further, as Luffy and Zoro continued to peer into the brush as if searching for a reason to break away, "the rainforest isn't big on man-eating beasts."

Ussop didn't seem relieved by her words, but no one in their right mind would have doubted Nami when she sounded so confident. Sanji was still gazing at her, vicariously enjoying her moment of leadership, when he felt Zoro's hand clamp unmistakably on his shoulder.

"Are you afraid of spiders?" He asked gruffly.

"Not really," Sanji shrugged, not particularly interested in the talk of danger when they were supposed to be on vacation, "but I don't much care for them, either."

"Then don't move."

Before he could even question what was going on, he heard the steel swish of Zoro's sword, followed by a firm "thwacking" sound, the sort of sound a cleaver made when it sliced through a honeydew.

Two halves of something bigger than his head, with eight legs, each longer than his arm, fell to the ground.

Knees knocking toward each other, he suddenly felt the irrepressible need to piss his pants.

"That's two you owe me." Zoro whispered at a volume the others couldn't hear while they nursed their respective reactions to the giant arachnid.

"Oh, I'll make it up to you," Sanji found the presence of mind to reply, stepping deftly away from the twitching remains of the dismembered insect, "trust me."

While Luffy cooed in wonderment over the size of the thing, Nami urged the others down the path, which Ussop was already beating with feet flying. "We can't hang around!" She warned them pleadingly, "let's just go set up camp!"

"I'll second that." Zoro mumbled, flashing Sanji the most subtle of smug smiles before he yanked up Luffy by the collar and proceeded on his way.

~*~*~

They managed to start a bonfire on the shore of the beautiful lake, making camp lazily as the evening drew to darkness. As Nami kept firm watch on Luffy, who continued to beg for someone to go into the wilderness with him, Ussop enjoyed the challenge of picking every melon from the tall trees that encircled the lake. Though best bets projected that half of the fruit would be eaten by Luffy before it even saw the ship, Sanji was pleased that a few fresh provisions would come from the stopover.

The last ounces of rum swirled in the bottle that Zoro offered him. "Drink."

"I told you, that stuff makes me cranky." Sanji held up one hand and refused as politely as he could.

Zoro shrugged indifferently and polished off the bottle on his own, letting out a pleasant sigh after he did. They were perched atop a bluff overlooking the rest of the camp, a strange clearing that had obviously seen its share of inhabitants before. All around the lake there seemed to be little cubby holes and safe spots where travelers, most likely pirates as well, had taken it upon themselves to set up temporary housekeeping. The clearing on the bluff was perfect for lookout, isolation, and privacy all at once. Only one steep climb led to their precipice, and Sanji was confident that Nami had spread the word to leave the lookout duties to them. Undisturbed, they watched the bonfire light up the night, watched Nami and Luffy dance like fools and sing nonsense songs around the flames, watched Ussop paint strange, beautiful designs on them like some sort of tribal ritual. It looked like fun. But when he moved his hand, touched Zoro's, and didn't feel the swordsman yank it away immediately, Sanji knew he wouldn't have traded places for the world.

"Hey." He spoke up, smiling down at Nami as she balanced precariously on Luffy's shoulders.

"Mmm?"

"They make a cute couple, don't they?" He sighed.

"Who, Nami and Luffy?" Zoro didn't sound the least bit shocked by the suggestion.

"I trust her with him." He found his voice naturally happy, naturally content with things the way they seemed to be working out.

"Well that's all well and good, but I don't think romance is one of Luffy's primary brain functions," Zoro expressed his doubts as plainly as he knew how, peering into the empty rum bottle as if some modicum of liquor might just be hiding.

"Well isn't that what you said about yourself? That's what everyone thinks about you." Sanji turned to him, puffing smoke out of the corner of his mouth.

"That's still true."

"Hey." Sanji snapped suddenly, removing the cigarette from his mouth and leaning toward Zoro slightly. He lifted one hand and stretched a finger out, beckoning the swordsman like a servant.

It was an unexpected kiss, but even more unexpected to Sanji was the fact that Zoro knew exactly what he had been requesting. Their lips fit together smoothly, the taste of rum and the taste of tobacco somehow mingling and becoming something oddly perfect. Though Sanji knew he wasn't obligated to pull away from the kiss, he did anyway. It was simply that freedom, the freedom to do it again, and not to rush off until the next opportunity, that exhilarated him. The chance to look Zoro in the eye after they kissed, enjoy the mildly pleasant look on his usually stoic face, study the effect of the tingle his lips left behind.

"Fucking liar." He finally scoffed, smirking and dragging on his cigarette once more.

" 'm not a liar." Zoro mumbled, almost like he was pouting.

"No one kisses like that when they're not the romantic type. You only kiss like that when you want a little bit of perfection and stillness. You're looking for the moment. You're not just gunning for a fuck. That's the difference between knowing romance and only knowing your primal instincts."

"Does it change the situation that I'm absolutely sure I'll get to fuck you tonight, anyway?"

"NO," Sanji replied firmly, flabbergasted that his argument was falling on such staunchly deaf ears, "see, this is why you're just strange."

"So what if I admit it? What if I say 'okay, fine, I can take a stab a romance' – no pun intended – I don't win a trophy or change my life or anything. So why change my perceptions?" He leaned onto his back, folding his hands behind his head as usual. Sanji glanced down after him, and puffed thoughtfully.

"Because it would make me feel better." He answered, quite truthfully though he kept his tone as non-confrontational as possible.

"Psheh," Zoro lifted one eyebrow, "if I make you feel good, it won't be in the emotional sense."

"See, and that's what I love about you. You're so delightfully disdainful!" Sanji exclaimed mockingly, and fell onto Zoro's chest with a lazy slump. For effect, he added, "lose your virginity and suddenly you think you're a sex god, is that it?"

"I don't need to defend myself for you, as I recall you nearly chewed a hole through my do-rag trying to hold back your screams."

"Perhaps that was because you were fucking me like a freight train."

"Oh, I didn't hear any complaints at the time!"

"I WAS GAGGED."

"And what complaints might you have WANTED to voice, I'm dying to know?"

"Okay," Sanji propped himself up against Zoro's chest and stared at him as he counted off on his fingers, "1 - your dick is not a sword. You do not need to use it like one. There is such a thing as slow, sensual love-making, and I intend to introduce you to it. 2 – I'd really appreciate it if you'd touch me once in a while."

"I made you come." Zoro whined in his own defense.

"Oh, yeah, that didn't take much, did it? Kuso, it was like being reamed by a machine. I mean, your hands never moved! You could have touched my back, my legs, my hair, too! Make it a little more personable."

"I spanked you."

Sanji was momentarily speechless, jarred by the memory and Zoro's self-important smirk at once. "Okay, yes, that was nice. You're allowed to keep that. But that's not my point! You understand where I'm coming from!"

"You're such a woman."

"YOU WOULDN'T KNOW!" Sanji practically yelled in indignation, his annoyance only fueled by Zoro's outward carelessness toward the topic. However, the moment of boiling frustration seemed to alleviate some of Zoro's nonchalance, making way for a sudden raucous guffaw from the swordsman.

"I'm kidding," He wrapped one arm around Sanji's neck, and pulled him down to his shoulder. Sanji let out an affronted snort, unwilling to accept his apology so quickly, "we'll work on the romance thing, okay? You're gonna compromise yourself, so I guess I will, too."

"And I still get to sleep with women."

"No, you still get to fuck women. You only sleep with me."

Sanji turned his face to Zoro slowly, and lifted a hand to his cheek. "Thanks so much for proving my point," he cooed, undeniably warmed by Zoro's unusual expression of devotion, "that was almost sweet."

A glaze of fear swept over Zoro's eyes, and he stammered to explain himself. "Well, I mean....for you that's as natural as Luffy eating! It's just...you know, I wouldn't ask you to give that up, just—"
 

"Mmmm?"

"You're making this so difficult."

"Oh, don't worry, I know exactly what you want to say, I just want to hear you say it."

"Just don't fall in love with anyone else, I'm warning you," Zoro mumbled, trying to sound as gruff and manly as possible, "or I'll cut your dick off."

Sanji's fear was understandably piqued. "You wouldn't dare."

"Well, it's getting to the point where I'm not even sure that it exists." He snapped in a hushed whisper. Their voices had dropped to an intimate softness, as Zoro cradled Sanji's head against his shoulder.

"Well, I'm not exactly stopping you right now."

"Right now I'm tired."

"You're always tired." Sanji whispered with a smile, but his eyes, too, were already closing.

For three days they were scheduled to remain on Betoni Island. In that time, Sanji figured as he fell into an inescapable slumber, he was pleased to at least have the luxury of falling asleep wrapped in Zoro's arms, under the stars, while the rest of the crew continued their own festivities below. In the jungle around them, thunder broke and rain fell intermittently.