I'd love to just say a big thank you to everyone who left a nice review. I'm sort of glad this fic wasn't forgotten by you all and I'm glad you're enjoying it; I certainly have enjoyed writing every bit of it. The last pieces took longer to write than intended, but very worth it.
By the time the log post set, everyone of the Strawhat crew was itching to leave. Not because of the hospitable mountain tribe, but because they WERE pirates and their dreams were out on the sea, not the island full of cambion. Zoro was more than happy to call quits to the cambion kindergarten classes and more genuinely sorry that he could not learn more from the old geezer. He'd learned enough and decided he could fine tune any aspects he'd learned on the Going Merry.
Speaking of the Going Merry, Zoro was eager to fulfill his promise to pay Sanji back as soon as they set sail. The last couple of days Sanji's lust had returned and Sanji was much more receptive to his touch. It wasn't just slight affection filled kisses but those lingering ones that Zoro remembered from the Merry's galley. They were much better than the ones in the galley though. They were slower and not jumbled with the same amount of fear and nerves. There was something about knowing that Sanji wanted more that made the last few hours of packing almost unbearable. That, and Zoro swore Sanji started teasing him as soon as he got his lust back. Whether it was intentional or not was unknown, but Sanji would bump into him lightly, catch his eye, and just smile slyly before moving off to do something else. The wake of lust left in his trail wiped Zoro's mind of whatever he'd been doing seconds before. It only left him wanting to take Sanji back to the damn woods if it meant getting some privacy and giving a detailed preview on what he planned to do when they got on the ship.
Sanji probably didn't know the affect his own lust had on him, and Zoro was not the only cambion residing in the cavern. Cambion heads would perk up nearby when such moments would happen and their eyes followed Sanji, which tended to kill his blank state of mind and send him into a defensive stance. Any cambion he caught eyes with quickly went back to what they were doing and there was less growling needed; not that he had the satisfying tiger vocal cords to back it up anymore. The old man had taught him to guard Sanji's dream cloud at least for a few nights in sleep to let the others know Sanji was spoken for. It was effective for the most part, but that did not stop wandering eyes.
There was almost a strain to consummate their titles as lovers. Not just as a human to solidify the act, but something the demon in him craved to complete that requirement for 'mate'. The demon was far more impatient to do so than Zoro was, but Zoro also had control. He was determined to wait for complete privacy and not simply as soon as Sanji's lust returned. That didn't mean Sanji made the wait easy.
Finally, with supplies packed, goodbyes yelled, and the log post set to the next island, the Going Merry set sail from Libertine. Zoro didn't even let Sanji start figuring out dinner. He claimed the boy's bunker with a sign on the trap door that had "Disturb us and die" scrawled over it and shut it after them. Sanji was standing on the floor as Zoro climbed back down, arms folded and looking like he wanted to pull out a cigarette.
"You're fine with putting a sign on the door but not with kissing in front of the crew?" Sanji asked.
"I don't care if they know we're doing it," Zoro said as he reached the floor. "I just don't want them barging in or watching." Zoro eyed Sanji, completely focused on this being the moment they forged that intimate link that they'd had to dance around; not just the past few days, but all the sexual tension that led up to it from the first moment the cook started sailing with them.
Sanji was stiff, looking a bit cornered and not as confident as before. Zoro stepped up to Sanji and leaned in, placing a kiss on his lips and curling his hands around his elbows to draw him in. Sanji relaxed into it but Zoro still tasted a mix of defensive nerves with the lust. "So?" Zoro asked.
"So?" Sanji rolled his shoulders, looking contemplative. "I'm not even sure where you expect us to do it here. The couch?"
"Or a hammock," Zoro said off handedly. Sanji blinked at him.
"Can... is that even possible?" Sanji asked. Zoro raised a brow. He personally hadn't done it in a hammock, but now that the question had been stirred, he felt the urge to answer it.
"Let's find out," Zoro said and made his way over to one of the low hanging ones, guiding Sanji with him. Sanji looked unsure, but he did not protest the idea. In fact, the more he seemed to think about it, the more his lust rose with whatever images were going through his head. Zoro dragged him into another kiss and Sanji fell into it easily, his fingers finding familiar refuge in Zoro's hair and shoulder. For a man that was always teasing him for it, Zoro suspected that Sanji liked his hair in one way or another.
Touching Sanji was easy, and the cook responded accordingly. He leaned into it, a mix of eager and nervous because Zoro's hands wandered a bit quicker than Sanji's did. He smoothed his hands down Sanji's sides until he reached the buttons on his jacket and started popping them through the holes. Sanji tugged his own tie loose and let it slide down to the floor. Then Sanji tugged Zoro's shirt from his haramaki, up over his head. Sanji's hands paused there, even as Zoro was still working on buttons; the annoying things that Zoro was currently hating. He wasn't sure why Sanji liked dealing with them. He peeled everything down Sanji's arms at once and immediately ran his hands up Sanji's warm, fairer flesh. Zoro leaned in and kissed Sanji's neck and collarbone as he felt the cook's arms wind safely around his neck and he allowed Zoro to partake in a small taste.
Being close to Sanji at that point wasn't just feeling the dips and spikes of energy. It was being in a haze of lust. Any fluctuations were minimal, like waves on a calm sea. Zoro's hands pressed into Sanji's pecs and dragged down, enjoying the firm muscle that was always hidden by layers of shirts. Sanji's pleasured breath was a satisfying reward, especially when he dragged him closer, their bodies flush and warm. Sanji's fingers clenched against his shoulder but there was a strained moment and Zoro pulled back, eyeing Sanji curiously.
"You do still want to do this, right?" Zoro asked and Sanji nodded.
"Yeah, of course," Sanji said firmly, even a bit defensively.
"Then why are you so tense, cook?" Zoro let his hands fall to Sanji's waist, finding a comfortable junction at the hip bone and waist.
"I've never done this before with a man, not... you know," he waved his hand dismissively, "besides what happened in the woods. I'm not... sure what to do. I'm still getting used to this."
Zoro's let out a breath of something between annoyance and begrudging acceptance. He kept forgetting that Sanji had never been with a man before. Even with all those dreams, they didn't count towards any real life experience. He didn't want to hold off. He wanted to take Sanji. Complete that last step to actually being called lovers. He wanted to not only cross that line he'd put down when Sanji had come aboard but jump clear across it. "So, what, you don't want to go all the way or..."
"No, I do," Sanji corrected quickly. "I don't want to wait or anything." He looked away and his fists clenched on Zoro's shoulders. "But... touching you is, um... I'm not used to being allowed. Allowing myself, I mean." Zoro paused but he slowly nodded. They were crossing all sorts of boundaries that day. And damn it if Sanji didn't look cute when he was admitting his insecurities; shy even. It was far from any look he'd seen before and he kind of liked it.
"Alright, it's fine," Zoro said. "Just do what you're comfortable with. Tell me when you don't like something and I'll stop, okay?"
Sanji nodded and relaxed a bit before adding, "If you drain me again before we actually do it, I'm going to kick your ass."
Zoro smirked. "Got it, got it." He happened to be ignoring the knee jerk reaction to drink from Sanji's lust, especially since the promise of something better was to come out of it. He wanted to taste Sanji's orgasm as soon as possible and remind himself of what he couldn't remember when he was the demon. He wanted to savor it. After all, at that point, the cook was putting himself in Zoro's hands; that thought alone was a huge turn on.
Zoro shucked his pants and kicked off his boots before he sat in the hammock, beckoning the cook to do the same. He pulled his haramaki off last and watched Sanji unlace his belt and push down his pants with a mild bashful look on his face. Both bare, Zoro took Sanji's hand and pulled him into the hammock with him. They were both used to sleeping in the nets and knew the balance that was required to keep steady in the hammock. Balancing with two took some slight finagling but Zoro lay comfortably and Sanji sat astride Zoro's waist. The ropes gave a bit of a whine at first, unused to two people, but they held and Sanji let out a held breath. Zoro snickered, running his palms up Sanji's thighs; prime accessibility to Sanji's legs and ass was within arm's reach.
"You thought it was going to break, didn't you," Zoro guessed.
Sanji huffed. "I thought you were going to topple us over, but... I suppose you have a bit more coordination than that." He placed his hands on Zoro's abdomen and then curiosity seemed to take over as his warm hands slid up his skin. Zoro smiled and took it as a sign that Sanji was relaxing into it. He pulled Sanji down into a kiss, his arm curling around his back to pull him closer and encouraged him to lay on top, though the hammock seemed to insist that they be side by side as it rolled them into that position. Sanji snickered and Zoro frowned, but he supposed he could work with it at the moment. Sanji's legs were still within reach and he squeezed his thigh right under his ass, ceasing the light laughter into a flush faced look of mild surprise.
They were pressed together flush in the netting and Zoro curled one arm under Sanji for comfort as his other hand wandered up over Sanji's ass, hip, and back, taking in his shape with his hands. Sanji's skin was taut with muscle; warm and inviting. He craned his neck down, kissing Sanji's shoulder, tasting his slightly smoky flesh. Sanji arched into him and his hands slid down Zoro's chest, seeming to give into the desire to explore. It was almost lazy and sweet, the rocking of the hammock only added to the pleasure of pressing against the cook. Sanji's breath hitched as Zoro left love marks along his neck and his pelvis moved whenever his hand caught something sensitive, such as a nipple and particularly between Sanji's thighs. Sanji's hands seemed to stick to the 'safety' of touching his chest but Zoro didn't leave one part untouched; chest, back, legs- especially legs. Those legs were both sexy and deadly. He even stroked Sanji's cock, bringing it to a complete hardness, and in turn, Sanji let out a soft, strained groan. It sent a shiver down Zoro's skin because Sanji had been fairly quiet since they began. It sounded restrained, an attempt to control his reactions and Zoro felt a determination to make Sanji lose that control.
Zoro moved, rolling back so he could grab his pants from the floor. It took a couple swings and a muffled curse but he dragged them closer and got out the corked flask from his pocket that he'd brought with him. While the people of the mountain didn't have any stores, they did have their own methods for lubrication and he made sure to get some before they left the island. It was a sort of mildly scented plant oil.
"Roll over," Zoro said as they adjusted back to the first position with Sanji balancing on top. "Ready?" a courtesy question maybe, because Sanji was flushed, hard, and his lust was at a strong steady throb. Sanji nodded and he didn't bother asking the obvious 'what for?' as he saw the flask. Zoro poured the oil onto his fingers and tucked it at his side as his wet fingers pressed between Sanji's ass cheeks. Sanji closed his eyes tight but Zoro didn't press in immediately. He pet the valley between his cheeks and watched the heat rise in Sanji's face and neck. Sanji's whole body was tight with nerves and Zoro pet his thigh as well. "Relax."
Sanji let out a muffled laugh in his throat. "Easy for you to say." In normal circumstances Zoro would have retorted but he just curled his finger and in it slid into Sanji. Sanji gasped, and a startled moan left him before he clamped his teeth down on his bottom lip, "Fuck..."
"Told you to relax," Zoro said and let the finger rock in and out. Sanji didn't comment but his leg twitched and attempted to spread a bit more in the netting. Sanji was hot and tight inside. Zoro licked his lips at the thought of getting to be inside very soon. Sanji's head bowed, his hair falling forward to cover his face. Zoro worked the finger in, going as slowly as he could bare, though with Sanji being so quiet, he only had minimal signs to go by. His body was tense but willing. His lust was almost quivering with fluctuations. Zoro frowned and pulled himself up to press a kiss to Sanji's half hidden lips. "Hey. Talk to me, cook."
Sanji blinked, seeming to snap out of his own head. "What?"
"Is this fine, or what?"
"It's fine," Sanji said quickly and Zoro gave him a deep frown. Sanji's face was so red he was surprised the man still had enough blood for his cock. "It's just... embarrassing, okay." Sanji's eye was fixated on Zoro's chest. "Every time I look at you you're looking at me so intensely..." Zoro couldn't help the laugh that escaped his throat and Sanji glared at him. "Shut UP, you have your damn finger in my ass and it's so... fuck..." Sanji's body tensed, squeezing around Zoro's finger and the cook made a surprised sort of moan again along with a clear spike of lust. Sanji stayed very still and breathed heavily. Finally he lifted his head and said, "I need to turn around." Zoro blinked but nodded. He pulled out the finger and Sanji readjusted. He still straddled Zoro's lap but Zoro was getting a mighty fine view of Sanji's rear end. One of Sanji's hands rested on his thigh and he nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Zoro. "Okay." Zoro added more oil and again, slid his finger back into the tight warmth. Zoro got to see Sanji's shoulders hunch up and his back quivered. Then of course the lovely view of Sanji's body taking his finger to the knuckle, arching forward gracefully. Zoro worked it in and he held Sanji's hip in his hand to keep him steady. Within moments Sanji seemed more relaxed and little pleasured breaths left him more easily.
Zoro added the second finger as Sanji relaxed and squeezed his hip right when Sanji jumped from it. The oil was added liberally, even dripping onto his own stomach as the fingers gained momentum. Sanji's body had delicious signals that showed the effect it had on him. His legs flexed and his abdomen contracted under his fingers. Hitches in his breath and little moans started to leak out of him the more he rubbed and teased his insides. His lust was a growing swell and Zoro licked his lips and he squeezed in the third finger.
Sanji's hands had a tight grip on his thighs and his hips were soon in tandem with Zoro's movements. Occasionally Sanji's body would tighten around him and it made Zoro only want to get inside more. He decided enough was enough when Sanji let out a shuddering whimper before a moan. He slid his fingers free and applied the oil to his ignored cock. Sanji looked over his shoulder at him again, this time his face was definitely less composed and a sweat had broken over his skin.
"Relax," Zoro told him as he positioned himself under Sanji and squeezed the red butt cheek in his hand. "And lean back." Sanji did lean back slowly and only jumped a little when he felt what was under him. Zoro guided him down and took most of the cook's weight easily in one hand as he was lowered. A soft gasp left Sanji but he did try to relax and took a few inches in with some effort, his weight shifting to brace himself on Zoro's stomach. Zoro let out a soft curse, warmth surrounding him and his hands gripped Sanji's hips, telling himself to relax as well because he wanted to slam up into that heat.
Finally, Sanji's ass was flush with his pelvis and they were both breathing hard. Sanji seemed to hardly believe it himself because a hand briefly explored the space between them, -which there was none- and he sounded amazed. "Shit," he muttered between a couple pants and Zoro smirked, which he probably would have gotten shit for if Sanji had been facing him.
"You feel good," Zoro said, his own voice heavy.
Sanji hushed him sharply and Zoro got a glance of Sanji's completely red face. "Shut up. Don't start talking like that." Normally that would have enticed Zoro to continue goading him, but he noticed that the swell of lust had receded. Not in the way that meant that Sanji was turned off, but in the way the ocean receded before a tsunami crashed down on shore. It meant that Sanji was very, very close. It wouldn't take much to get Sanji to cum then, maybe a few jerks of his cock would make the fun end very quickly. Zoro briefly wondered if Sanji was susceptible to dirty talk and he immediately told himself that was for another time because it sent another wave of arousal to where he was already straining to hold back.
Zoro adjusted his feet in the netting to stabilize them both a bit more and he took Sanji's shoulders, pulling him back so that the cook lay on top of him, this time without rolling to their sides. Sanji twitched and made a mild noise between protest and pleasure. He kissed Sanji's nape and shoulder, his hands sliding over Sanji's chest to relieve all the focus from where they were joined. Sanji let out a strained whimper but the receding lust returned without the crashing finish that Zoro anticipated. Zoro mused that they fit nicely together in that position. Flesh against flesh; like two locking pieces.
Sanji's legs stretched out along his, toes pressing against the netting and his fingers touched Zoro where he was able; which was mostly along his side but one hand insisted on running through his hair at least once. Then they went to Zoro's hands, pressing them more against his skin and his body arched as a sound of pleasure left him. Zoro groaned and rocked up into him, unable to hold back a moment more. Strained curses left Sanji's mouth with nearly every exhale. The hammock started its own rocking motion and they fell into it, flowing with the motion of the sea and their lovemaking.
Sanji was not as loud as Zoro expected him to be but he was far from silent. Small, throaty noises escaped him and his body twitched against Zoro's. The only reason he stayed on top of Zoro with all of his writhing was because of Zoro's hands on his chest and belly. Heavy panting was interrupted by trembling moans. Hip movements rolled when leverage allowed. Zoro didn't have room for powerful thrusts but he was deep in Sanji and the minimal movement alone seemed to overwhelm the cook.
Eventually Sanji's hand left Zoro's to start jerking himself off and it wasn't long before Zoro felt the lust recede for the wave to come in. Zoro's freed hand gripped Sanji's ass and he drew back as far as he could to thrust in hard. That was moment Sanji's voice broke; no cursing or words, just a loud keening groan that didn't stop for several long seconds before the orgasm crashed into both of them, not unlike the proverbial wave.
It was deafening for a moment and it drowned out Zoro's own completion, leaving his mind to tingle and his skin drenched with more than sweat. It was more than taking lust by mouth. It almost had a physical feel; wet and abrasive. Not unlike the sea, but then it was also Sanji, bold and powerful. It was all pretty much an essence of Sanji. It satisfied a deep carnal need in Zoro. Not just his hunger, but on some deeper level, Zoro had to agree: that was what perfection felt like. He wished it lasted longer than a few seconds but coming back to reality, he DID still have Sanji in his arms and that was just as good. Though any quiet reverie was interrupted by Sanji kicking him in the knee and demanding he reach over for his pants for a cigarette.
One cigarette light later they were still spooning but it had turned a little more sideways in the netting. They unlocked and finally let post coitus bliss take over. It was nice and quiet as Sanji worked on filling the ceiling with smoke and tiny sighs of pleasure left Sanji's lips occasionally. It was one of those moments where words would just ruin the mood so Zoro didn't even return the noises, he just rested his mouth against Sanji's shoulder and gave lazy half kisses, which sometimes sparked one of those little pleasured noises. Sanji insisted on lacing their fingers together so even if Zoro wanted to doze off he couldn't because Sanji's fingers flexed and rubbed as though he didn't know what hands felt like and he was using Zoro's as a point of reference. It was pleasant, but ultimately distracting.
"So, what's it taste like?" Sanji asked after he finally put his cigarette out and made an excellent toss into the ashtray that was by the mast.
"Hm?" Zoro asked, head still in a nice foggy haze and his eyes were closed.
"You're always 'eating' but you never say what it tastes like. Lust or energy; whatever you call it." Sanji was very languid and relaxed, a state Zoro never really got to enjoy with the cook. Not until then, in any case.
"It doesn't really have one," Zoro answered, a yawn threatening in the back of his throat. "Not like food anyway. It's um…" His brain was fogged because the lust had receded into a calm well again, deep inside the cook. "It's like tasting… someone." He shrugged and just said whatever came to mind. "It's like drinking fog. Like… being able to taste what season it is by the smell." Sanji made a movement as though nodding and he rolled over so he lay half on top of his chest. Zoro opened an eye to look at him and Sanji had relinquished his hand in favor of resting his arms on Zoro's chest and using them as a pillow for his chin. His hair was ruffled but still stubbornly covering one eye, leaving the other to stare curiously at Zoro.
"What do I taste like?" Sanji asked. Zoro blinked, far more awake than he wanted to be then. And damn the cook for somehow looking cute again. Sanji was a full grown man and he was not supposed to have a wide eyed look of curiosity on his face.
"Uh…" Zoro scratched his hair, not really sure how to answer that. Or rather, he wasn't exactly sure how to answer that without it sounding completely cheesy and being taken far too romantically by a love-cook like Sanji. Though 'perfection' was pretty hard to misinterpret. Even Zoro couldn't put all the elements that were in that taste into words, and he'd been taking Sanji's lust for months. He just knew it was Sanji's immediately and nothing else felt like it.
Sanji poked Zoro's chest after a long stretch of silence, raising his curly brow. "Explain it, damn marimo."
Zoro's face heated up and he really didn't want to get into it right then. "It's not important."
"Come on, tell me." Sanji scooted closer and landed a kiss on Zoro's lips. Zoro huffed and felt stupid for it but he gave in because of that little peck.
"It's not…" He huffed. "It's not one thing, it's too many. It's the nature of the sea. It's the way a fire burns. It's the way a fight makes a heart race. The way alcohol first burns as it goes down." Sanji blinked at him and didn't reply. Zoro felt his face heat up because he felt stupid for saying just that much. "What?"
"Nothing." Sanji settled down on him, as though ready to listen to more. "Go on. It actually… sounds kind of romantic." Sanji had one of those bashful, love struck grins on his face and it was utterly ridiculous. It just made Zoro's heart thud uncomfortably so he looked away. Damn cook. He rolled them over so Sanji was pressed more into the netting, his chest a tangled mess of feelings and he did not want to see hearts radiating off the cook when the moment had been nice and careless.
"Shut up, I'm taking a nap whether you like it or not," Zoro said firmly. Sanji made a muffled noise but lay content with Zoro after his arms snaked their way around his neck, chuckling lightly in warm contentment. Zoro wasn't sure whether it was too much gooey affection or just right. Either way, he was going to pretend he was asleep far faster than he actually was.
So, little note about hammock sex. I've seen very little of it done, and almost none done well so I feel like a bit of a pioneer when I wrote it. The straw-hat crew actually have hammocks so I don't think it would be a far stretch for possibilities. I actually sleep in a hammock so I guess that's what really made me want to do it. I protest the ones that are built with stabilizing bars though, because those are the ones that will make you flip over.