Water 7 – Part 1
The people of Water 7 sure knew a thing or two about distilling booze. Paulie had told him twice already what that stuff was called but Zoro couldn't remember the name which didn't really matter because there was plenty of it and his glass was refilled as soon as it was empty.
It was a great evening. His nakama were safe, the food was outstanding – you had to give it to the shitty love cook, he had his way with condiments – and a good time was had by everyone.
He and Paulie were rehashing the attack on Enies Lobby. 'Man, the way you and Strawhat split that wave – that was... outstanding.' Paulie exclaimed in what seemed genuine admiration. He leaned in to pad the swordsman on the shoulder.
Zoro grinned back. Usually he didn't care for flattery but a little appreciation from time to time didn't hurt either.
'And later, the way you cut through that gate I thought I must be dreaming. That couldn't possibly be real! Sure as hell gave those Marines a reason to shit their pants. Mwhaha.' Paulie continued his praise, leaning into Zoro's personal space again.
'It was a good day,' Zoro agreed, smiling and watching his nakama dance around the fire. Almost instinctively he tried to account for all of them, ticking their names of an imaginary list. He could see them all except for... no, there he was trying to feel up Robin under the pretense of dancing. Not that it looked like he was having much luck. Feh. That woman was too smart for him anyway. Perverted love cook!
'More?' Paulie's voice asked suddenly very close, dragging his attention back to the shipwright who had yet to remove his arm from Zoro's shoulder.
A warm feeling started to spread in Zoro's stomach, probably the booze, but something felt a little off by now. Yet not weird enough that he would turn down another round of free drinks. He extended his glass.
'Yeah, that's the spirit!' Paulie exclaimed enthusiastically, refilling the glass with one hand while his other somehow landed on Zoro's neck in what could be interpreted as a friendly clasp between comrades but actually felt more like a rough caress.
'Kanpai!' Their glasses clinked together and both men drank deeply.
Strong calloused fingers were definitely massaging the nape of Zoro's neck by the time he had emptied his glass again. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It actually felt kind of nice but he had never been the touchy-feely type, even with his nakama who were on the whole quite big on hugging each other. On the rare occasions he did touch someone else it was usually to pummel them into the ground which probably meant the person he had most physical contact with was Sanji.
As if the thought had conjured him, Zoro was suddenly seized from behind by familiar strong hands and dragged backwards, away from a very puzzled looking Paulie and his caressing fingers.
'You are coming with me, marimo,' was all the owner of the hands was saying while he dragged Zoro into the shadows of deserted buildings.
'The hell...,' the green haired man struggled free once he had recovered from the shock. Copious amounts of alcohol had obviously affected his reactions, he made a mental note to train more.
'What the fuck, cook?'
Sanji had let go as soon as he had started to struggle. Annoyed, the swordsman scrambled to his feet a little less gracefully than he usually would. 'What are you doing, idiot?'
They hadn't gone far, Zoro could still hear faint laughter and music but the light from the party fires didn't reach wherever it was they were. The cook's lighter briefly cast a golden glow between them before the familiar smell of nicotine mingled with the overpowering scent of brine.
'Saving your virtue, stupid marimo!' Sanji replied calmly.
'You... what?'
Sanji exhaled, making a sound somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle. 'Two more minutes and rope guy would have had his tongue down your throat. Ten more minutes and you would have lost your virginity in one of those deserted buildings,' he explained, gesturing with the cigarette towards the tall shadows around them.
Zoro's chin sagged out of its own volition. His mind tried to settle on a train of thought but nothing coherent would emerge for a good long while.
The bloody cook just stood there smoking and going by the smirk around the corners of his mouth, enjoying Zoro's temporary befuddlement.
The swordsman's jaw snapped shut with an audible clack. Changing his stance, arms folded across his chest, face set in grim lines, he waited for Sanji to crush the cigarette butt under his shoe.
'Who said I needed rescuing?'
The line had the desired effect. Sanji's head snapped up. Several emotions played on his face before the expression settled on something akin to mild disbelief. 'I happen to have some experience in that department,' Sanji explained with an air of arrogance and added magnanimously, 'You are welcome! Now if you excuse me I left some ladies devastated when I had to rush off to safe your sorry ass.'
'Oh, I don't doubt you know everything about molesting, I saw you with Robin. But what makes you think I wasn't exactly where I wanted to be?'
Now it was Sanji's turn to gape. Zoro knew he would treasure this moment for some time to come. Predictably, the cook automatically fumbled for another cigarette. He noticed with glee that the other's hands were shaking.
Zoro waited patiently for his nakama to smoke the cigarette down to the filter and was about to speak when he caught Sanji's expression. He felt the smirk slip from his face.
'For real?' Sanji asked, perfectly serious.
End of Part 2