Sweat ran ticklish lines down Zoro's neck and back as he trudged along. He licked his lips, and the salty taste made him think longingly of the cool pool in the suspended basin. He really should have gone for a swim when he'd had the chance. Too bad somebody was determined to give himself brain damage.

Zoro shifted the other man's weight with a grunt. He'd collected the idiot cook—completely knocked out again and with a fresh new gash above his left eye this time—from the subterranean lake and had been following the snaking tunnel system for some time now. Given that it looked like he'd have to do this for a while, Zoro switched to a piggyback position with the other man's arms draped over his shoulders and ass firmly planted on Yubashiri, held like a makeshift seat by Zoro's aching arms.

To make matters even more exasperating, he'd been forced to sacrifice his shirt to stop the other man from bleeding all over him. Sanji's own shirt was made of some kind of slick material that neither stretched nor absorbed properly and had been completely useless for bandages. Truly, everything about the cook was annoying and pointlessly showy.

Bare-chested and uncomfortably sticky in the stifling heat, Zoro growled and muttered to himself.

"You are the dumbest, clumsiest, most idiotic, amazingly stupid, perverted moron. I don't care if Luffy likes you. I should leave your ass here, however good your food is."

He frowned.

"Not that it's that good. It's all right. Don't get a big head about it."

Zoro thought he felt a minute shift in the stubbly cheek pillowed against his shoulder. His mind wandered back to dinner the night before. Sanji had grilled chicken skewers dusted in some kind of spicy-nutty seasoning over charcoal briquettes and made crispy fried noodles that had just the right amount of chew and crunch. The sauce had been sweet and salty and the portion sizes very generous. His mouth began to water.

"Stupid cook…"

Light bloomed ahead, and Zoro was relieved to see an end to the steamy tunnels. They emerged into an afternoon sky that was a clear and rich azure blue. After a careful look around, he deemed it safe enough to go to higher ground and get his bearings. Zoro crested the rise of lichen carpeted rock and looked out over the boomerang-shaped expanse of island. To his dismay, they were now closer to the central part of the bay where the island's main town—and marine base—was situated. Farther off and to the west he thought he could make out the rippled edge of the north side of the island where the inlet they'd initially dropped anchor in was. It was a sheltered, difficult spot to reach by sea, and large ships had no hope of getting near it. The cook was probably right that the Merry would head there.

"All right," he said to no one in particular. He looked up. "Just have to keep the sun on my right and head away from it…"

He set off down the slope with stoic determination. All he had to do was look up to navigate. Dead simple.

Verdant green ferns with orange tips and vivid purple flowers filled the lower reaches. He pushed his way through.

Strange, twisted trees and ropey yellow vines grew in wild, tangled copses. He wove his way around them.

A canopy of broad-leafed palms blocked his view of the sun for a time, but that was okay because he was confident he could make out the correct direction in the dappled light. He ventured stalwartly on.

Zoro stopped under the shade of a strange bulbous plant to wipe his forehead on a sunburnt shoulder and sighed. Despite what felt like endless walking, he didn't seem to be terribly closer to the goal. The last sighting he'd had of the lay of the land had put him still very nearly center. The island wasn't that large.

He tried to console himself with the fact that he was at least getting some good exercise out of it. The cook was a nice weight, and a pleasant burn had built up in his thighs and shoulders.

Once again, his mind meandered back to the other man. The wiry muscle of Sanji's chest felt pleasingly firm against his skin. The blond hair would occasionally catch in the breeze and brush against his chin, and those lethal thighs that he so enjoyed seeing in motion rubbed against his hips with every step. It was a bit maddening really.

Zoro wondered idly if the other man might entertain an offer of mutual stress relief instead of sparring for a change sometime. It was hardly unusual on ships, and it's not like there were many options to be had on theirs. He rolled the idea over in his mind and knew he was treading dangerous territory but couldn't help himself with the solid, warm pressure on his back and tantalizing smell of spices and tobacco nestled against his shoulder. Sanji mumbled something then, and the tickle of warm air against his neck sent an electric shock straight to his groin.

"You really are nothing but trouble…"

As he plodded along with what he imagined would probably be his last thoughts if the other man ever found out, the ground suddenly cleared and neat rows of fencing pushed back against the wild of the interior. Several white-washed buildings came into view, each marked with various symbols. One sporting a blue outline of a fork and spoon caught his eye. His stomach rumbled angrily.

Zoro stepped back into the cover of the trees and scanned the area. It seemed deserted save for the cawing of seagulls somewhere in the distance. He took a closer look at the building marked with the fork and spoon. It was large, warehouse-sized, and there were two sets of doors, neither of which seemed to be bolted or chained. Some kind of food storage, then. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and it had been non-stop action all day. He would kill for even a heel of bread. His stomach grumbled again.

He glanced over his shoulder at Sanji.

"In and out," he said. "That's all. I'll grab whatever's sitting around, and we'll go, okay?"

The fringe of golden lashes twitched.

"It's not a stupid idea," he growled back at the still figure. "It's your own fault for knocking yourself out and not making a big enough breakfast."

There was a huff of what felt like reproachful breath against his skin.

"Yeah, whatever. Just be grateful I'm not leaving you here. You'd probably fall into another hole or something."

Moving quietly and careful to hug the walls of the building, Zoro made his way to the door and was gratified to find it unsecured. He nudged it open slowly and peered in. It was dark and cool inside and smelled a bit like their own pantry aboard the Merry—lightly scented with hints of fruit and flour. Not meeting any resistance, he slipped inside and nudged the door closed again with his foot.

Rows and rows of tidy shelving, boxes, and crates spread out before him. He stepped lightly, cautious of disturbing anything and scanned for items he could grab. His eyes settled on a barrel of apple-sized fruits. A couple of those could be tucked into his haramaki. Then his nose detected a faint savory, meaty smell, and he abandoned the barrel to look further in. Towards the back, he found an entire table of wax paper wrapped pies still radiating a slight warmth. He couldn't believe his luck.

Glancing around for somewhere to set the idiot cook so he could pocket a few, he found a cleared space next to the end of some shelving overflowing with sacks upon sacks of rice. Sanji slid bonelessly against one of the support struts and almost slipped back and under the shelving where there was a raised space between the floor and first shelf. Zoro leaned down and caught him by a fistful of collar before he could topple.

"Stay put," he instructed, propping him back up.

He went over to the table and inhaled deeply. Beef and potato, he thought, salivating. He grabbed two of the hand-sized pies and was about to shove them into the band of his haramaki when the sound of voices caught his ear. He bit down on a snarl of frustration and dashed back to the cook. The voices were right outside the building now.

Casting about for somewhere to hide, Zoro seized upon the space Sanji had almost fallen into. He crawled under the shelf and dragged his insensate crewmate in after him. It was difficult in the tight space, but he managed to snag two of the bags of rice as he went and pulled them closer to better cover the broad side of the shelving unit. Unless someone crouched down and actually peered underneath, he thought they should be hidden well enough. The only problem now was that he was wedged into a space so tight that he couldn't really move without his swords catching in the shelving. That, and he was practically sandwiched against the cook. He held his planked position inches above the other man perfectly still with grim determination as the door to the storage building banged opened and several people came in.

"Again! This is the third time he's left it unlocked! I'll have him demoted to seaman recruit for this!"

"He's already been demoted to chore boy. I don't think you can go lower than that…"

"Then reassign him to the latrines or something!"

Zoro's mouth went dry. He glanced down at Sanji, but only the barest of features could be seen in the darkness. Was he smiling? Was that a smirk on his lips? He would never live it down if the other man found out he'd led them right into the marine base. No cutting remarks were forthcoming, though, and Zoro thought he might get away with it.

"—and look! The shipment from yesterday hasn't even been sorted yet. Does that mollusk have a braincell to spare?!"

"I'm sorry to report that he's actually one of the…um, better ones of the new batch. We're not exactly getting the best recruits these days…"

The voices passed the shelf they were concealed under. Zoro held his breath and willed them on. He wasn't worried if they were discovered from a safety point of view. Honestly, he wouldn't have minded taking out his frustration on them since the object of his ire wasn't awake to take it. He was less inclined, however, to be discovered trying to steal pies and found in a compromising position with said object of ire. That was the kind of thing that happened to Usopp, not Roronoa Zoro.

Despite the coolness of the warehouse, sweat began to bead on Zoro's forehead. He stared resolutely ahead and focused on his form. It was like holding a push-up at the peak. Real core workout stuff. Excellent training. The drops slid down his jaw and collected under his chin.

The body below his shifted slightly as the sweat fell onto bare skin. One long leg slid up, slow and directionless as if Sanji was dreaming in his sleep. A length of iron-hard calf brushed against Zoro's inner thigh as it rose and fell. Zoro closed his eyes and counted slowly to ten.

The cook tried to roll onto his side next but was stopped by Zoro's chest being mere inches from his own. Blocked, the head turned away instead, fanning golden hair over a pale cheek. Salt, cigarettes, and spices again tickled Zoro's nose.

"At least the lunch order is ready…" said one of the voices.

Zoro had a sinking feeling they were talking about the pies and felt his chance at a halfway decent lunch slipping away. Sanji chose that moment to mumble groggily. Wanting to laugh hysterically, Zoro tried to shift his balance to his left side so he could clamp a hand over the idiot cook's mouth, but the space was so tight that when he tried to bring it around, his elbow hit a support strut, and his swords banged lightly against the shelf. The noise did not go unnoticed. The conversation between the two marines faltered.

"Did you…?"

"Hm? What?"

"I thought… Well…"

"Probably rats again," one sighed. "Another thing to add to the list. We really need to get a cat…"

The two voices moved slightly farther away as they continued their inspection.

Zoro relaxed slightly, then immediately tensed again when he heard a low intake of breath from below. He knew with 100% certainty that the moron was about to give them away by babbling whatever brain scrambled thoughts were going on behind the curly eyebrows. In desperation he did the only thing he could to shut the other man up—he pressed his mouth over his.

Soft, he thought. Smoky but not unpleasantly so.

The contact thrilled like a flash of static charge that fluttered over his cheeks and made his ears feel searingly hot. The sensation gathered at a point in the nape of his neck and rippled down his spine. He squeezed his eyes shut as Sanji murmured sleepily against his lips, mouth opening wider, inviting. Zoro couldn't help himself and accepted the invitation, flicking his tongue over the other's teeth just a little, just tasting. The fool sighed contentedly into his mouth, and Zoro thought his composure would break entirely. The bang of the storage door and click of a deadbolt returned him to reality.

He pulled back, achingly slow, lips tingling, and hung his head.

"You really are the worst kind of trouble for me…"

A minute passed in silence, and confident they were alone now, Zoro backed out of the space. Once clear, he then dragged Sanji out. The other man stirred again but still didn't open his eyes. He lay there as if sleeping, and Zoro thought it was extremely poor form of him to look so good that disheveled.

"Focus," he said severely under his breath.

Moving quickly and efficiently, he secured the pies and collected the cook. He grabbed some fruit for good measure. Haramki bulging with loot, he undid the bolt and slipped out. Someone was definitely going to be reassigned to the latrines now, he thought. A burst of speed later and they were once more in the safety of the tree line. He glanced back at the warehouses before setting off again.

"We will never speak of this," he told the other man.

The late afternoon sun beat down as Zoro marched up another plant-choked hill. He'd kept the sun resolutely on his right and had not deviated course, stopping only once to scoff down one of the pies he'd pilfered. The other he'd (very generously) saved for Sanji if the bastard ever awoke. Zoro was beginning to think the other man was just taking an extended nap at his expense now. His color did look better at least. Or was that sunburn?

He reached a semi-cleared area and paused to take a breather. There was the smell of water in the air, and he knew they both could use a drink if he could locate the source.

Letting his nose do the guiding, Zoro followed the cool scent around the rocky hill and through a dense thicket of shrubs. He came out into a glade dotted with purple and yellow scrub leading up to a lip of smooth rock. The babble of a flowing stream and tinkle of small waterfalls filled the air.

Zoro froze, then slowly dropped to his knees. Sanji slid off his back to sprawl on the soft, mossy earth.

He groaned and sat up, touched his head. "What…? Zoro…?"

Zoro let Yubashiri fall to the ground. He didn't speak.

Sanji winced as his fingers explored the makeshift bandages around his head. "Zoro. What happened? Where are—?"

The swordsman suddenly spun. He caught Sanji by the shoulders, and his dark eyes bored into the confused blue one.

"Zoro?"

"I need…"

Sanji frowned as the fingers gripped him with almost painful force. Zoro was shaking, muscles quivering and taut. He suddenly pushed hard, and Sanji fell back against the soft ground with Zoro looming over him, hands planted on either side of his head.

"Zoro?! What are—"

"I need you."

Sanji gaped. The words settled in and a deep blush began to creep up his neck.

"Wh-What are you saying, you moron?!"

Zoro leaned down, voice husky and strained. "I need you…to get us off this fucking island."

He glanced over at the lip of rock. Sanji followed his line of sight.

A cool, inviting pool waited there. Natural holes and dips in the rock basin holding the water created small, glittering waterfalls that spilled into the gap below and over a subterranean lake. It was the kind of place that might be worth exploring…one day.

...

The End