Sanji/Zoro (9)

(A Mistake)

Nami walked down the ship hallway slowly, biting her lip as she went and her eyes downcast.

She'd seen Sanji earlier that day and almost broke into uncharacteristic tears at how he was acting.

He had had an almost panicked gleam in his eye and wasn't smiling at all, neither was he paying any attention to her or Robin, which some part of her was glad of since she had to warn him repeatedly in the past to back of her mate, but the rest of her found it devastating.

She didn't want Sanji ignoring them because he looked so depressed and on edge and distracted away from the world around them.

It wasn't her plan for this to happen when she locked them in that room. She honestly just wanted them to get along again, or at least how they usually acted towards each other, instead of having those painful silences or seeing those looks of conflict and resignment the two seemed to express too often lately.

Instead she had unknowingly orchestrated something that could break one if not both of her nakama. People she views as pack.. as brothers..

And she may have just hurt them irreversibly.

They hadn't found out exactly what had happened until the next morning after they locked the two in Zoro's room.

That had been the scheduled time to check on them to see if they had actually gotten over themselves and if not she was going to make sure they stayed in there longer.

But when she had lifted the key from her pocket, Robin and Franky behind her, and slid the key into home things seemed to slow in her mind.

Franky turned the nob, as he was the muscle to force the door back shut if the cook or swordsman tried to rush out, and the instant the door cracked they heard the sounds.

More specifically Zoro's whimpers and a growl from Sanji.

She had never made Franky shut a door so quickly.

She had just stared at Robin a moment desperate for her mate to tell her she was wrong. Robin didn't say a word, instead she slowly and hesitantly raised her arms and crossed them over her chest before shutting her eyes.

Unknown to her Robin let her face materialize in the wall of the room, glancing down she almost didn't want to believe what she saw.

Sanji stared up at her face, buried in Zoro but completely still, he ignored Zoro's dazed pleas and clinging hands in favor of glaring his burning, gazed on instinct, eyes into her own and growling deep and loud in his throat at her.

She only risked another second as she looked down to the swordsman to see him whimper and bear his bandage covered neck in response to the growls, before letting herself disappear.

Nami waited with wide eyes and a nervous heart as Robin opened her own eyes and lowered her arms.

She watched as Robin swallowed hard, her heart falling into her stomach as Robin spoke. "Zoro's heat has apparently come early, they are both deeply submerged in their instincts."

She paled and stopped breathing. She did that. She practically forced her friends to have.. that with each other, when neither occupant was ready for that.

Sure she wanted the two to be happy together, everyone on the ship wished for that, she had seen the longing glanced they threw one another but also they pained and pinched expressions, and unfortunately she knew of the breakdown her swordsman friend had had, all because of their cook.

Guilt filled her, and she had turned and ran, retreating to her Tangerine grove and staying they for what felt like the longest time.

Eventually Robin had joined her and she had cried on her mate's shoulder. Afraid that she had accidentally hurt or even broken one if not both her friends.

She snapped back to the present as she noticed she was in front of a familiar door.

Zoro's door.

She swallowed and raised her hand to knock only for it to open quickly and her knuckles colliding lightly against a green head of hair.

She started as he winced slightly and pulled her hand back quickly.

He eyed her and raised an eyebrow a fraction, "What do you want Nami?"

Her brain stuttered at the use of her name. Zoro almost never used her name unless he was completely relaxed and content or completely worn and distraught.

Considering how rough he looked she didn't think it was the former.

"N-nothing- wait uh Zoro I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this I-"

His face seemed to tighten the slightest bit as he pushed passed her and started making his way, slower than normal, down the hall. "It's fine. Forget it."

"Zo-" her voice sounded weak to her own ears as she watched him walk, and limp occasionally, down the hall.

"Forget it." He cut her off in a firm manner leaving no room for argument.

All she could do was watch him turn the corner and bit her lip as she felt tears begin to gather in her eyes once again.

What had she done.