"How do you know about that?" Sanji asked putting the sieve down on the counter.
Zoro scratched his head.
"Luffy told us and I went to see Ace."
Sanji breathed deeply.
"I see. So you weren't dealing with your personal problems. You were interfering with mine!" the cook stormed around the sofa so he was standing in front of Zoro.
Zoro stood up so that his head was level to Sanji's.
"Sanji, I love you and it hurts to see you in such pain. What? Did you expect me to do nothing whilst you were considering suicide?"
"You should have told him," Usopp said stretching out on his bed.
"I didn't think it was my place to intervene," Chopper whispered turning his back to his long nosed nakama.
"Still it would have been better, do you hear them now?" Usopp answered.
"Yeah," Chopper mumbled covering his ears with a pillow.
"I know, I know. But daijōbudesu and I don't need you going behind my back and interfering with my past," Sanji said.
"But it's not staying in your past, is it?" Zoro replied. "Ace called you only yesterday. What if this wasn't a one off and doesn't stay in your past, I mean it's already coming back to haunt you."
"Then it's my problem and not yours."
"Sanji when I agreed to go out with you, when I fell in love with you, I accepted all your problems. And that includes what happened with Mai."
"Whatever Zoro," Sanji said walking away." I need to get some rest, you can come and join me when you're ready."
Sanji disappeared back into the girls' dorms and Zoro took his seat back on the sofa. Why did Sanji have to be so difficult? Why couldn't he just accept Zoro's help? Why couldn't he just admit that he was weak? Why, at least just once?
"It seems like they've stopped," Usopp remarked.
"I hope so. I don't like it when they fight," Chopper trembled.
"None of us do," Franky's voice rang through the depths of the room.
"Would you guys give it a rest!?" Nami moaned her face buried into Luffy's chest.
Franky chuckled as Robin snuggled further into him.
"Sure thing Nami."
"Do you think those two will work things out?" Kaya whispered as Usopp wrapped his arms around her.
"Course," he answered placing a kiss on her forehead.
Sanji lay down in bed. Of course Luffy had told everyone about Mai but Sanji knew that the straw hat had only done it out of concern for his nakama. The sheets were cold against Sanji's bare chest and he shivered until a pair of arms wrapped around him to pull him closer.
"Gomen ne," Zoro mumbled kissing the back of the cook's head.
"It's fine, but I should have told you myself," he replied lightly kissing Zoro's arm.
"I understand why you didn't."
Sanji said nothing in reply he just leaned back into the swordsman's body.
"I just need to know one thing?!" Zoro said.
"Sure," Sanji replied.
"Are you still having the nightmares?"