Chapter 6

Sanji studied Zoro for a few moments, who was still splayed out on the kitchen table, not looking at the cook. Sanji did have an idea of what Zoro was talking about but didn't want to jump to conclusions, and Zoro's body language wasn't giving anything away.
When Sanji didn't reply Zoro rolled his head to the side so he could see if he was heard, his stomach twisting when he saw the cook looking at him skeptically, hand on hip.

'Well?' Zoro asked impatiently, his ears turning a light shade of pink.

Sanji shook his head in frustration as the tint of Zoro's ears finally told Sanji what he wanted to know, and he crossed his arms across the front of the apron he was wearing, before glaring back at Zoro.

'Are you serious right now? I thought you didn't want any help.'

Zoro hid his face against the table once again and gave a half hearted shrug.
Sanji scoffed.

'Yeah, cos that attitude's the way to go.'

Zoro forced himself to look back at the cook with extreme difficulty. He needed to calm himself down as he tried to push down how indignant he felt at Sanji's irritable attitude. Not that he expected the situation to be any easier.

'Look, okay, I kinda know you wouldn't be a dick about it but...' Zoro hesitated.

Sanji raised his eyebrows in question.

'But you're scared just in case you're wrong?'

'I'm not scared.' Zoro stated flatly, scowling.

This reaction pissed Sanji off.

'Oh no, because the great pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro isn't afraid of anything.' Sanji rolled his eyes. 'Do you hear yourself sometimes?'

Zoro grit his teeth, starting to wish he hadn't come here in the first place as his anger started to build.

'Are you trying to start a fight?'

Sanji sighed deeply before untying his apron and pulling it over his head.

'Quite frankly, no, I'm not. I just can't stand how fucking proud you are, that you can't even admit you're human. I'll help you out, but not if you won't accept my help.'

Zoro frowned, confused at what Sanji was saying.

'I was the one who asked, wasn't I?'

'Yes, but that means squat if you're gonna verbally fight with me every time I point something out that chips into your pride.'

Zoro threw his arms in the air in frustration, kicking himself back in the chair.

'What do you want me to say?'

'I don't want you to say anything. Just be aware that I'm not always trying to get a rise out of you.'

Zoro pouted, looking like a child who'd just been told off.

'Fine, whatever, I got it.'

Sanji nodded his head once, aware that this was as good as he was going to get.

'So... what exactly do you have in mind?'

Zoro's eyes flicked to Sanji once more, his eyes widening at the sudden question.

'Uh...'

Great start.

What did Zoro have in mind? He'd not overly thought about it, he just wanted the pain to be honest, although he knew that he'd feel awkward whatever they did due to the fact that it was Sanji who was helping him. Although he questioned whether he'd feel any better had it been any other member of the crew. Probably not.

'You mentioned knowing how to...' Zoro motioned vaguely, embarrassed, 'without the lasting damage.'

Sanji nodded.

'Yes. You don't have to break bones, or your face,' he looked pointedly at Zoro's still-healing nose, 'to get the effects you want.'

Sanji looked around carefully, before moving towards the door. Zoro watched him with confusion, half wondering whether Sanji was going to walk through it and leave him there. But Sanji turned the key in the lock before looking back to Zoro, who tensed up as he tried to work out Sanji's intentions.

Sanji started unbuckling his belt.

'The fuck are you doing?' Zoro asked, completely perplexed as to why Sanji seemed to be undoing his trousers.

'Calm your shit. I just need the belt.' Sanji pulled on it, sliding it out of his belt loops with a snap.

'As I said, you don't need to break bones. Take your shirt off and I'll show you.'

Zoro's eyes bulged.

'Now?'

'No, tomorrow. Yes, now. The door's locked so all you need to do is keep your voice down.'

Zoro grinned competitively, his hands gripping his shirt, pulling it out of his haromaki.

'You make it sound like you're going to be able to really hurt me.'

Sanji rolled his eyes as Zoro tugged off his shirt, dropping it on the floor in a heap.

'Turn around.'

Zoro turned in anticipation.

'Wow, so this is what it's like when you actually do what I say, huh?'

Zoro actually laughed at that.

'Shut the fuck up, cook.'

Zoro could hear Sanji snicker from behind him. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand as adrenaline started building at the thought of what was coming.

'Okay, ready?' Sanji asked.

'Yup.'

Zoro's back arched as the leather of the belt made contact, painting a sharp stripe as it hit from his right shoulder, running diagonally across his back. He breathed in deep, focusing on the deep burn that followed the initial sting, and rolled his shoulders in order to make sure he felt every aspect.

'Another?' asked Sanji as he paused after the first hit.

'Is that as hard as you can go?' Zoro taunted, playfully.

'I didn't want to hurt you too much,' came Sanji's reply.

'Isn't that the whole idea?'

Zoro had no warning before another strike hit, this time from his left shoulder, with comparatively more force than the first. Zoro groaned with satisfaction, closing his eyes and letting the burn wash over him. A third strike came without hesitation, followed by a fourth.
Sanji started building up the strikes, making sure that they didn't overlap too much as he painted the whole of Zoro's upper back with lashes. On a few strikes Zoro felt the edges of the belt slice his skin slightly when Sanji didn't manage to land the leather flat to his skin, but he figured the item wasn't made with this purpose in mind anyway. Nonetheless he savoured the sensations that it drew out. Every time the belt made contact it created a wave of elation that built up with every hit. Zoro loved it.
Sanji paused, which allowed Zoro to appreciate the full burn that was washing over him, his mind completely focused on the physical sensations he was experiencing.

'Oh shit, I broke skin in a few places... I should have checked the belt beforehand...'

Zoro turned slowly to glance at Sanji, who's eyebrows were knitted together as he ran a finger down the edge of the belt, testing it.

'Hm?' Zoro questioned, his head feeling slightly woolly. Sanji came closer, taking hold of Zoro's shoulder with one hand and pushing him straight so he could examine the lashes.

'I said I broke skin. You've got a few marks.'

'So?'

Sanji let go of him which allowed Zoro to turn around again to look at him. Sanji's seemed irritated.

'What do you mean 'so'? The whole point was me helping you to stop leaving marks on yourself. What's Chopper gonna say?' Sanji quickly threaded his belt though his trousers again, the annoyance still on his features.

Zoro's mind was starting to clear again now as he became aware that their session had come to an end.

'I thought the point was to stop me from seriously hurting myself.'

Sanji paced the room a few times in his restlessness, not responding to Zoro's comment. Zoro watched him, not understanding why he was so annoyed.

'Cook?'

Sanji stopped, turning to look at Zoro.

'We'll have to wait until I can get something decent the next time we make land.'

Zoro frowned.

'That's gonna take weeks. What the hell am I supposed to do til then?'

Sanji started pacing again, something obviously really getting to him.

'Oi, cook. Can you stop freaking out? It's no big deal.'

Sanji stopped and looked at Zoro sternly, breathing deep to try and relax himself.

'Zoro, for one, if you did anything to me which left a mark I'd be fucking fuming at your lack of restraint. And two, this is going to build up if it's a recurrent thing and every time I see it I'm gonna be pissed at myself.'

Zoro shrugged.

'Can't you just get some healing creams or something? Cos I hate to break it to you but I don't think it's gonna cut it for me if you restrain yourself as much as you want to. I may as well go back to breaking things.'

Sanji huffed, glaring at Zoro.

'You're an idiot, do you know that?'

Zoro glared back, his body aching for more of what he'd just been denied.

'You're the one having a breakdown over a few scratches. If you're gonna stop every time you get worried about the condition of my skin then you shouldn't have got involved in the first place.'

He knew he was being harsh, but he didn't ask for Sanji's help until it was offered. Frustration was beginning to build in him again, and he just wanted something to disperse it.

Sanji let out a sigh, the tension dissipating from his shoulders as he relaxed.

'You need me to continue?'

Zoro raised his eyebrows, taken aback by Sanji's sudden change of heart.

'Are you sure you're not gonna have another aneurysm?'

Sanji snorted, hands reaching for his belt.

'Just... make sure you get some cream from the medical bay, okay?'

Zoro nodded once. Sanji pulled out his belt, frowning slightly as he ran his hand down its edge with concern.

'Stop being a pansy. You didn't care this much when you kicked me in the face.'

Sanji scowled at the insult, readying the belt in one hand for the first strike. Zoro turned so his back was available, and didn't have to wait long as he felt the leather lick at his skin. He was immediately in a state of bliss once again as the burn returned, spreading out through his muscles.

His mind remembered the image he'd seen in the previous town's red light district; a man chained up on his knees, being flogged by a woman brandishing a whip, and then it flashed, as though to torture him, to him and the cook in the respective positions.

A sense strong arousal washed over him going straight to his dick, followed swiftly by a stomach-dropping sense of dread. He turned, eyes wide, to look at Sanji unexpectedly in his shock.

'Fuck!' Sanji cussed, his eyes widening. As Zoro turned, the belt had obviously been mid swing, and struck him across his neck and arm awkwardly, which caused the leather to slice into his skin.
'Argh! What the fuck Marimo? Are you a fucking idiot?'

Zoro didn't really register Sanji's words as he bent over to pick up his shirt, fumbling to pull it over his head, eyes still wide and body twisting so that Sanji couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, namely his hardened dick. Zoro thanked the gods that his trousers were as loose as they were.
Sanji hesitated as he noticed how hurriedly Zoro was moving. He sighed.

'Did you get hard?'

Zoro's face immediately went the brightest red as he stuttered over Sanji's blunt observation.

He needed to get out of there. He rushed to the door, pulling on it in his haste before remembering that it was locked.

'Hey, can you chill?' Sanji's voice was slightly strained as he realised just how much of a situation Zoro had worked himself into.

Zoro fumbled with the key, accidentally knocking it out of the door in his eagerness to leave.

'Fuck!'

Sanji raised his voice as Zoro bent to pick up the key.

'Marimo, stay!'

Zoro froze.

Sanji chose this opportunity to walk over to him.
Zoro didn't freeze out of obedience, far from it, but out of shock that Sanji just ordered him, like a dog. And in his current state it did things to him that he couldn't comprehend.

'Stand up and look at me.'

Zoro slowly got to his feet, his face giving the impression that he'd just seen a ghost, and turned to look at the cook, who was standing only two feet away. Sanji glared back at him angrily.
'This was expected.' Sanji said shortly.

Zoro came back to his senses at Sanji's words. He became aware that Sanji's gaze was making his skin burn and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He was beyond flustered and as it occurred to him again to just get out of there in order to calm himself down.

'Like fuck it was.'

Zoro swiftly bent down with new conviction, picking up the key and shoving it into the lock as Sanji stepped back to give him a bit of space as he did so.

Zoro disappeared with a slam of the door, leaving Sanji wondering whether this would work at all and whether it was even worth it.