An interesting encounter.
Enjoy~
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Chapter 2
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"Oi, Chopper."
Glancing up from the massive candy apple he held in his small hooves, Chopper faced the swordsman curiously. "Yes, Zoro?"
Zoro leaned casually against the rail were the little doctor was perched. He let his gaze drift up to the sky as he spoke. "Just wanted to check and make sure no one got hurt from that storm last night. Should I watch out for anyone?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could manage. He knew that Chopper wouldn't give him any personal details. They had a silent agreement that the doctor would let him know if any of the crew needed a little extra help.
This time the reindeer was smiling happily. "Nope! Isn't that great? I was really worried for a little while, but so far everyone seems just fine!" he chirped. He then took another bite of his candied apple and nearly squealed in delight. "This is so awesome! You really need to try one, Zoro!"
It took all Zoro had to keep his pleased expression in place. "Maybe later. Anyway, let me know if anything needs my attention." He patted the top of the pink hat and walked away before the doctor could reply.
He had to leave before his irritation caused any suspicion.
'What the hell is that bastard doing? That wound needs medical attention. There's no way he can tend to it himself...' he grumbled in his head as he continued to roam the ship.
It was proving too strenuous of a task to find somewhere he wouldn't see that masochistic curlicue.
Despite the serious injury in such a vulnerable area, Sanji had still been dancing around like an idiot. Pampering the girls and fixing the obscenely elaborate treat for everyone to share. Acting like nothing was amiss. Like he wasn't cringing in pain with every move he made.
Just watching made Zoro feel a strange twinge in his back.
He knew that the wound was bothering the blonde. There was no way it couldn't. Watching him only made Zoro realize how good the cook was at hiding pain. There was only one thing out of place that told him that something was off with the blonde bastard.
When he had been cooking, he didn't take off the black jacket. Sanji always removed his jacket when he was cooking anything. Keeping the jacket on meant that Sanji was trying to hide something.
"Nami-san! I've brought your tea~!"
After seeing one more gooey show the blonde was making out of serving the pair of ladies, Zoro couldn't hold back any longer. "Oi! Curly cook! Get over here!" he called out across the deck.
Pausing from where he had been pouring a glass of iced tea for his ladies, Sanji fixed a bland stare on the swordsman. "What is it, Marimo? I'm busy."
A jerk of his thumb towards the door to the anchor room was Zoro's first answer. "Some of the cannon balls and gunpowder barrels got shifted out of place. Help me put it back."
The not so much a request had a curled eyebrow quirking upward. It wasn't often that Zoro made any attempt to gain his assistance. Actually, it never happened.
Sanji was immediately on guard. "Fine. If it's proving too much of a strain on your delicate arms." he shot back as he finished pouring the tea. Once his ladies were comfortable, Sanji followed the moss head through the door that led to the forward cannon.
The moment they were in the weapon's room his blue eyes narrowed. "Nothing's out of place here..." The sound of the door closing behind him had Sanji jerking around to see Zoro positioned in front of the door. "What the hell is this about, Kelphead?" he demanded flatly.
Zoro calmly folded his arms over his chest and leveled a steady glare. "Take off your jacket."
The visible blue eye widened briefly before a sneer twisted the pale lips. "Fuck you. Let me by."
"I know what happened, Shit cook!" Zoro hissed, his own patience wearing dangerously thin. "I also know you haven't let Chopper check you out. If you're not gonna let him do it, you better accept the fact that I am."
Sanji was a bit thrown by the strange statement. His surprise faded away as a smirk soon twitched at his lips. He calmly pulled out his black metal cigarette case from his jacket pocket and opened it. Drawing out the silence that had settled over them. He picked out one of his cigarettes and lightly twirled it in his fingers before placing it between his lips.
Zoro waited for some kind of answer, but saw the blonde was taking his sweet time. He watched those ever sure hands retrieve a lighter from another pocket. There was a brief moment where the flame lit up the dim space. The sight of that pale face lit up in the orange hue always did something strange to Zoro. He couldn't figure out what or why, but he was starting to pay more attention whenever a new cigarette was lit.
Taking a deep drag, Sanji held it in for a moment before blowing the stream of smoke at the figure blocking his path. "What exactly is it to you?"
He resisted the urge to fan the smoke away from his face. Zoro kept his glare fixed on that half lidded blue eye. "You have to ask? You're nakama, asshole. We're supposed to look out for each other." he pointed out on a grunt.
As of late, he was noticing more and more that the blonde seemed to take the concept of nakama one sidedly. Sanji would do anything and everything to help out any of them, but when it came to himself he seemed to be off on his own. Never asking for help. Never showing an ounce of weakness to anyone. It was always that calm and cool exterior that glided through life like nothing could touch him.
The angry words didn't seem to have much of an affect on the blonde, but he made no move to leave. "Hm... Is that what we're supposed to do." Sanji mused more to himself.
He ignored the growl that provoked and quietly pondered his options as he cast his gaze down to the floor. His eyes followed the grain pattern in the wood until it led him to the black boots his supposed comrade wore. It honestly puzzled him that this would matter that much to the moss head. He hadn't expected it to matter much at all.
After a moment of silent thought, Sanji let out a sigh and lifted his eyes back to the dark ones watching him. "If it's bothering you that much, meet me in here tonight after everyone's asleep. You can do what you want then."
It wasn't what he had hoped for, but Zoro knew he had to make due. "You best not back out of that, Blondie. I'll hunt you down and drag you down here if I have to." he stated flatly.
The threat had Sanji snorting in amusement. "Heh... My word is absolute, Shitty swordsman. Now let me by. I have to start on dinner."
Zoro wanted to refuse, but that unwavering blue gaze had him moving before he could stop himself. When the cook walked past him, Zoro caught the scent of smoke and something spicy. Spicy yet sweet at the same time. 'Cinnamon sugar...'
"Oi."
Sanji paused. His hand was on the door handle, but didn't look back. "Yeah?"
"Did you make one of those apples for me?"
The strange question had Sanji glancing over his shoulder with a little grin. "Extra cinnamon candy coating with bitter sweet chocolate drizzle. It's in the fridge when you want it." With that, Sanji headed out of the room as if nothing happened.
Dark eyes watched the door close. The moment the cook was gone a restless breath left him. Something was making Zoro feel out of sorts whenever he had the blonde bastard's attention. It was...
Weird.
Maybe it was because the annoying cook kept bailing his ass out of trouble. Maybe it was because he never made an issue out of doing so. Maybe it was the way he always had to look so damn at ease with everything he did.
'Well... At least he's not putting up a fight. Guess I better find a way to kill some time until tonight.'
"Nami-swan! I found your sunglasses~!"
He had a feeling he was going to be very distracted.
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Time decided to be a stubborn, slow moving bitch for Zoro.
No matter what he did to occupy himself with until night fall, the day never seemed to end. It drug on like a ceaseless torture intended to drive the swordsman insane. The main form of torture was watching that blonde idiot continue to carry on without the slightest hint of concern for the injury hidden beneath the black jacket.
From cooking dinner to doing chores. Pampering the girls to goofing off with Usopp and Luffy. The bouncing bubble brained bastard would not stay the fuck still. Every time he saw him moving in ways that had to be causing pain, he had to look away. Never did his expression look any different. No hint that he could even feel it.
It made Zoro wonder. 'Has he done this before?'
What was worse was that he had no way of knowing. All of the fights. All of the not so friendly encounters. There was no end to the instances where injuries could have been hidden. Ignored for the sake of keeping things calm. His mind kept offering scenarios, each one increasingly unsettling, of what Sanji may have lied about.
When he lost count in his workout for the 5th time, Zoro gave it up. Instead he quietly began collecting any supplies he could need to treat the stubborn asshole. He hid them in their designated meeting spot, but stopped himself from leaving. He knew he would just drive himself crazy waiting.
So he plopped down on the floor and made himself comfortable. Propping his back against one of the tied down crates, Zoro folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. 'Seems like a good place for a nap for an hour or two...'
Soon a pleasant darkness settled over his senses as he drifted off.
"Oi. Wake up, Shit head."
A sharp kick to his shin had Zoro's eyes flying open. "Ow! What the fuck?!" He clutched at his throbbing shin and shot his angry glare at the figure standing above him.
The dim light hanging from the ceiling made the slender form dramatically shadowed. Hands were stuffed into pants pockets as a thin trail of smoke curled its way from the burning ember close to the darkened face. The light from above reflected off golden hair and seemed to glow softly, making the black clad figure stand out even more.
The strange stare that was fixed on him made a dimly lit curled eyebrow arch up. "What's wrong with you? Are you still asleep, or did your brain finally decide to leave you?"
Hearing that sarcastic tone in that smokey voice finally snapped Zoro out of the weird daze he had fallen into. "I'm wondering why the hell you kicked me! What are you doing here anyway? I thought you weren't going to show up until tonight." he asked on a grunt as he forced himself to his feet.
Sanji's visible eye blinked before he pulled his right hand out of his pocket to point at the two portholes next to the door. "It is tonight. Everyone else went to sleep an hour ago."
Zoro shot his attention to the glass and saw nothing but darkness outside. When he realized that he had slept straight through dinner to the middle of the night, a groan left him as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dammit.. I didn't mean to sleep that long."
"Apparently you needed it. I tried to wake you up for dinner, but you just rolled over and grunted something about a stubborn asshole." Sanji turned away and moved for a covered tray that was resting atop another crate. He picked up the tray and turned towards the confused swordsman. "Here. Thought you might be hungry when you finally got up."
Thrown off by the thoughtful gesture, suddenly the pain in his shin didn't seem to register. Zoro took the covered tray, and was confused the moment his hands touched the metal. "It's still warm?"
Not answering, Sanji calmly took hold of the lid to the tray and lifted it. There in the center was a bowl of steaming stew with thick slices of bread at the side. "I kept it on a low heat. Go ahead and eat."
Before Zoro could reply, the blonde calmly moved for the single cannon in the room and perched himself atop it. Seeing that the cook was going to wait for him to finish, Zoro looked to his tray and felt his stomach twist in complaint at his slowness. After one rather loud complaint nearly echoed in the small space, Zoro turned away on seeing the little smirk it pulled to the pale face.
"Drink?" he questioned on a slight grunt.
"Capstan."
Glancing back, Zoro was surprised to find a large wooden mug resting on top of the anchor line's capstan. How he didn't see that before was beyond him, but he was pleased at the added touch.
He stepped up to the capstan and was able to set the tray on top of it next to the mug. There he took up the bowl and raised a spoonful of the stew for an experimental sip. The flavors that assaulted his tongue almost made him groan in bliss. Tomatoes mingled with shrimp and oysters. Clams and crab meat. Calamari and mussels. Just about everything imaginable mixed together in such sinfully rich substance that made his entire mouth tingle.
'Shit.. I slept through dinner and missed this..' A bite of a crusty slice of bread added the perfect contrast to the dish. "Dammit... This should be illegal." he grunted before tearing into his meal.
From his seat on the cannon, Sanji smiled at the comment as he continued to smoke his cigarette. "Good thing I happen to be a pirate chef. Heh, that would be awesome. Going around cooking illegal recipes." he mused more to himself.
Images of busting down doors to restaurants and holding people at gunpoint while he commandeered kitchens to cook banned dishes filled Sanji's head. "I might have to look into that. Could be fun."
"Hn. I'm sure Luffy will give you his full support there."
Sanji's amused hum was the only reply before they settled into a silence that wasn't really comfortable, but it wasn't awkward either. Zoro continued with his meal as Sanji quietly smoked. It was one of the few times they had managed to occupy the same space without trying to kill one another.
The only other times anything resembling a companionable silence occurred were when Zoro helped out in the kitchen. The main reason for that being that Sanji didn't want any of his cookware or dishes broken. Zoro knew this very well, and held enough respect for the blonde's possessions to keep himself from provoking the volatile cook.
Sanji never even tried to touch his katana when they weren't having one of their disputes. It was like the blonde had some undeclared line that he refused to cross in the aspect. Zoro had noticed, and appreciated that. It spoke that the cook held the same respect towards him.
He took his time to savor the food that had been brought for him, but eventually he finished his meal and emptied the wooden mug in a few gulps. He sat the mug back on the capstan and let out a deep sigh. It felt good just to be full. Not engorged like Luffy always insisted on.
Some how Sanji knew just the right portion size to give him to make him comfortably full. He noticed it was the same for all of them except for their psychotic captain. It was a wonder the cook could keep up with that bottomless pit.
His eyes focused on the blonde to see his head turned to look out the cannon port at the night sky. A gentle breeze blew in from the open space and tousled the sun colored locks. It managed to brush aside the gold strands that seemed permanently plastered to the left side of the cook's face. It was rare he ever got a glimpse of that pale face in its entirety. Whenever he did, Zoro found something that always lingered in his thoughts.
'He always looks so far away. It's like his eyes are always fixed on the horizon...'
Deciding that was enough private musings, Zoro took a deep breath and let it out. "Hm.. That was good." he commented to signal the end of his meal.
Sanji didn't bother to turn his head. "Glad you approve."
His cigarette had burnt down to its filter by now, but his teeth were still lightly chewing on it. He knew what was coming, and he really wanted no part of it. It was his problem. The idiot marimo had no right to butt in.
'But... If I put up a resistance he'll tell the others. That will cause a massive headache since I haven't been up front about it.' It pissed him off, but he had to let the swordsman have his way to avoid a larger conflict.
It didn't take Zoro long to figure that he was going to have to follow through with this. "Alright, take off your jacket." he stated in as firm a tone he could without raising his voice.
Biting back the snide remark that immediately wanted to leave him, Sanji began popping open the buttons to his jacket. He promised to allow his nakama to do as he wished. 'Why did I say such a stupid thing?' he wondered in annoyance. Still, he was a man of his word.
Soon the jacket was slipping off the lean frame, but Zoro was puzzled by the way it was allowed to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. Normally that jacket was given the utmost care. "You're not going to fold it up?"
"Not much point." Sanji pulled free the black tie around his neck and began unbuttoning the green shirt he had changed into when they returned to the ship. "The lining is ruined and there are tears from where glass had sliced it up. Might go back to town and see if there's a tailor that can make me a new one."
"Would a tailor be able to make one that quickly? We only have a few more days here." Zoro commented while he retrieved the supplies he had managed to get from Chopper's work area.
"A good tailor that doesn't have any prior items to work on could. As long as they have the right materials on hand. Doesn't really matter, though. I can go a while without it." With a flick of his thumbs, the cuffs were unbuttoned and the green shirt easily slid off his arms. It fell to the floor to pool with the ruined jacket.
The moment he heard the fabric hit the floor, Zoro glanced over his shoulder to his unwilling patient. To his surprise there were bandages already wrapped snugly around the slender torso. "I thought you didn't see Chopper."
Sanji gave a soft snort as he began picking at the tape that held the gauze in place. "I didn't. I always had to patch myself up whenever that shitty old man decided to kick my head in. I know enough to tend to myself."
Zoro's eyes narrowed on seeing the bandages wouldn't cover the entire length of the scrape he had seen. "You can treat a back wound that large on your own?"
A rueful smirk curled Sanji's lips as he got down from his perch on the cannon. "Not very well." With that he calmly turned around to show the extent of his capabilities.
The moment he saw the once pristine back, Zoro nearly dropped the bandages in his hands.
A dark crimson stained the white gauze that stretched from his waist to just under his arms. However both of the sharp shoulder blades showed an ugly mass of black bruises surrounding the edges of a raw wound that appeared to still be bleeding.
Seeing it like this made a painful chill tear down Zoro's spine. He swallowed hard and forced himself to focus. "Shit... You're insane. Why the hell didn't you go to Chopper?" he asked flatly. He was hesitant to even imagine what the rest of it looked like beneath those soaked bandages. 'Shit.. I may be over my head with this...'
"Hm. That's a good question." That was Sanji's only answer as he finally pulled the tape free.
The bandages, heavy with blood, seemed to slowly fall from their place. Revealing the rest of the wound inch by agonizing inch.
Zoro bit his lip hard when it seemed as if it wouldn't stop. The hideous mark that had come so close to taking the blonde out of the world. His feet took him hesitantly across the room. They came to a stop just behind the injured form where the scent of fresh blood instantly assaulted him. Already some spots were beginning to bleed and trail down the curves of the normally sleek back.
For a moment, Zoro seriously doubted himself. He was about to insist that the idiot just man up and see their doctor, but something suddenly caught his attention. The pale shoulders were slumped slightly and the blonde head looked as if it was bowed low. Those hands that were always so steady and sure now hung lifelessly at the cook's sides.
It was a posture that Zoro thought he would never see.
Sanji was submitting. Baring a weakness to him without hesitation and awaiting whatever attention would be bestowed. There was no tension in the lean frame. Just compliance.
Zoro was confused, but part of him wondered if he should possibly feel honored. He moved to a stack of nearby crates and sat down the bandages as he attempted to find the words to ask his next question.
It ended up not being much of a question. "Didn't think you trusted me this much."
A faint hum left Sanji as he glanced over his shoulder at his comrade. "Didn't think you would care."
That calm response had Zoro stopping in place. He met the single blue eye watching him, and, for the probably the first time, things seemed to clear a bit. They never gave one another a chance beyond their volatile tolerance of each other. With the way they constantly fought, it was no wonder they doubted one another when it came to something that wasn't fighting.
"Looks like we both don't give each other enough credit." Zoro finally answered.
Sanji didn't expect that sort of reply, but soon his smug smirk was forming back on his lips. "Like I would give credit to a shitty Marimo." Ignoring the glare that soon formed on the meat head's face, Sanji turned his attention to the wood grain of the wall a few feet in front of him. "Hurry up before I bleed to death."
Irritated that the blonde so readily insulted him, Zoro grunted a few words under his breath as he gathered up the rest of his supplies. "Damn curly bastard. You should be grateful I'm going out of my way."
"Heh. You're doing this on your own. I'm just allowing it. Get on with it. I'm starting to get dizzy over here." Sanji inadvertently admitted. He wished he hadn't, but he was amused when the sounds of Zoro's movement sped up. 'Heh.. Guess he really is worried..'
With the threat of severe blood loss now driving his actions, Zoro was soon tapping into a small water cask to wet down a clean cloth. "I'm going to clean up your back first. Do you need anything to bite down on?" With the size and appearance of the wound, he knew every touch to it was going to be painful.
A light chuckle left Sanji as he slipped his hand into his left pocket. "Don't bother. Brought my own." His long fingers then pulled out a thick piece of hard woven leather. It was around six inches in length and two inches in width.
And it was covered with teeth marks.
Zoro had seen similar items given to heavily wounded patients, or people receiving corporal punishment in the form of whip lashings. It was for the sake of preventing clenched teeth from cracking when under a great deal of pain. For the cook to have one of his own... 'What the hell is with this guy..?'
Unaware of the swordsman's growing concern, Sanji easily placed the hard leather between his teeth. His teeth easily found their way into the perfect indentations that had been worn in. He lightly ground his teeth into the leather to get a good hold on it then took a deep breath. Sanji then raised his hands and placed them flat on the wall in front of him before he finally closed his eyes.
The blonde head nodded once. Signaling that he was ready.
The swordsman felt nowhere near ready.
Just seeing the cook braced and waiting for him was a strange sight. It looked more like Sanji was awaiting punishment. 'Damn idiot... Now I'm really worried.. Irritating bastard...'
Forcing himself to get on with it, Zoro finally approached the wounded man. He tried his best to be careful as he made the first swipe with the wet cloth, but he was amazed when the blonde didn't even flinch. Sanji's breathing stayed the same, and the muscles around the wound didn't tense at all as he continued.
Soon the cloth was completely stained, so Zoro tossed it aside and reached for the bottle of alcohol. He didn't care how badass the blonde was. Alcohol on a scrape of this magnitude was going to hurt like a bitch.
"I'm going to pour on the alcohol now." he warned so Sanji could brace himself.
Sanji gave another nod, and immediately after he felt an intense burn travel the length of his back. His eyes snapped open and his teeth bit viciously into the woven leather. He refused to make a sound. Used every ounce of his will to keep his breathing normal. Forced his muscles to stay relaxed and his hands pressed against the wall. If he moved his hands even an inch, they would be balled into fists until his nails cut into his palms.
'This is nothing. This is nothing. This is nothing.' he chanted over and over in his mind until there was no room for the pain to register.
The moment he was certain that the alcohol had gotten every inch of the wound, Zoro pulled the bottle away. The only signal that he had noticed that Sanji was in pain was the quiet creaking of the leather being crushed between the cook's teeth. 'His restraint is impressive..' He knew he should expect no less from a fighter of the blonde's caliber.
Getting another cloth, Zoro carefully dried off Sanji's back before getting the jar of healing salve that Chopper had a stock supply of. He dipped two fingers into the cloudy gel and started at the scraped shoulder blades. He noticed a faint wince at the contact, but Zoro made no comment as he continued. Even though he was being as easy and he possibly could, Zoro still wondered if he was hurting his nakama.
Sanji wondered why it wasn't hurting more. 'Why is he being so gentle? I thought he was just gonna clean me up and slap some new bandages on..' Despite the direct contact with his injury, he barely had to bite down on the leather between his teeth. The moss head was almost more careful than Chopper when he worked on him.
Confused, Sanji glanced over his right shoulder. Immediately he caught sight of the deep frown of concentration that was pulled over the tan features. Seeing that combined with the near tender touch made a frown pull at Sanji's brow. He looked back towards the wall, but a pang of guilt had him bowing his head. 'Guess I haven't given Zoro enough credit...'
It took a while with how slowly he was moving, but eventually Zoro finished applying the salve. He resisted letting out a sigh when it appeared that he hadn't caused further discomfort. 'He could just be that good at acting.' he reminded himself as he moved to the pile of bandages.
Zoro made quick work of carefully applying gauze pads to the deeper portions of the scrape, then moved on to the rolls of gauze that were waiting on him. He started at the blonde's narrow waist and wrapped the bandages up the length of the sculpted torso.
He never got to see the blonde without a shirt often. With the harsh sun and the ever changing elements they were subjected to daily, it was best that Sanji's pale skin stayed covered. He couldn't recall him ever getting a sunburn, so it was obvious that the cook took care of himself in that respect.
When the bandages reached up to the same height Sanji hand managed on his own, he was a bit surprised when the gauze roll began moving over his shoulders. Zoro was almost embracing him as he worked. It made a strange feeling well up in Sanji's gut. Having Marimo that close and taking care of him. He wasn't sure if he completely disliked it.
'He almost seems human right now..' Sanji mused as he watched the large hands carefully crisscross the bandages over his chest for another pass at his back.
It took several rounds before Zoro was satisfied. He finally taped off the end of the bandages and stood back to look over his work. "How does that feel? Tight anywhere?"
Sanji pulled his hands away from the wall and took the leather out from between his teeth. He turned and shifted slightly to test out the patch job, and was pleasantly surprised. "No, it's good. I still have a decent range of motion." He proved so by bending over to retrieve his discarded clothes from the floor. They were both ruined, so he carelessly balled them up and tucked the cloth under his arm.
It surprised the swordsman how relived he was to hear he had done good. "You should probably limit yourself. It'll bleed again if you over do it." Zoro added as he began cleaning up the mess scattered on the floor. No one needed to find bloodied bandages all over the place.
The advice had Sanji snickering as he switched the woven leather for a cigarette. "I can't believe you just said that. Is there such a thing as limiting yourself on this floating psycho ward?"
"Heh.. Okay. You've got a point." Zoro dumped all the remnants of their encounter on a stack of crates and started to wad everything up for quick disposal. "Keep in mind that if you do something stupid, I'll have to change your bandages again."
There was a strange silence that filled the air for a moment before the striking of a match broke it up. "I don't think I'd mind."
Those words had Zoro turning around in time to catch the pale profile lit up in that familiar glow. He couldn't think of a way to really respond to that.
He didn't have to.
"I feel like having a drink." Sanji suddenly announced as he headed for the door.
He was almost out of the door when he paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Oi. Why ya standing there, Shit head?"
Zoro raised a brow at the insult. "Was that an invitation?"
That blue eye rolled sarcastically while Sanji let out a frustrated smoke filled breath. "It's a wonder I put up with you." He gave a wave of his hand and stepped out on deck. "I've got an overstock of old booze that needs to be cleared out. I need a Marimo sponge to sop it all up."
Figuring that was as polite an invite as he would receive in this life time, Zoro smirked and readily followed.
'Maybe... He's not so bad.'
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TBC
Does this count as bonding?
Later~