A/N: Thanks to Penguins-in-America-Oh-My for being my beta for this!
The next morning, as always, Sanji is the first awake. His nakama are gently snoring around him, fast asleep. He needs to be up first so that he can cook for them. He passes Zoro's sleeping form curled softly in his hammock before thinking better of it. He backtracks and kicks Zoro's hammock with his foot to jostle the swordsman awake. Zoro looks up at him blearily and scowls.
"Come on, if I have to baby-sit you all day then you at least should have to get up early with me." Sanji orders quietly so as not to wake the others. Zoro sits up and grunts his acquiescence. He stretches his arms above his head so hard that his heels rise up from the floor leaving him standing on his tiptoes with his body stretched in a lean shirtless arc. Sanji catches himself staring for a few seconds but manages to pull his eyes away as Zoro yawns and cracks his neck. He looks down at his shoes and scowls to himself, it's not like he hasn't seen Zoro like that before. And it's not like he appreciates the view or anything, sure there were guys who might appreciate Zoro's body, he knew enough about rumours of sailors on ships to know that that was true. But he'd never been like that. This wasn't to say that he thought that there was anything wrong with that, it left more ladies for him after all, and if it made people happy then who was he to say different? Cautiously he glances back at Zoro but the sleepy marimo is almost fully dressed now and just putting his boots on.
He shakes these odd thoughts loose from his head and climbs up the steps out of the bunkroom, he hears Zoro's heavy footsteps behind him so he knows without looking that the man is following him. When he and Zoro are out onto the lawn deck with the door to the men's bunkroom shut behind them he decides to light a cigarette. The familiar cheek warming flame and the hit of nicotine into his lungs soothe his nerves.
"Right," He says in a smoky breath, "Let's see if you can make yourself useful why I try to teach you to talk again."
He's talking more to himself than Zoro, heck, he's not even looking at the man. So he's not expecting it when Zoro grabs his sleeve violently and spins him on his heel so that he's facing Zoro with his arms pinned to his side in the swordsman's iron grip. Zoro's eyes are wide with shock and… a tinge of hope if Sanji is right. After a few seconds of stunned silence from both parties Zoro shakes him impatiently.
"Let me go you oaf! Stop staring at me like some stupid goldfish!" Sanji finally snaps, shaking Zoro's now loose grip off of his arms.
"You wrinkled my suit you bastard." He mutters glancing down at his slightly crumpled shirt sleeves, and he'd only just got dressed too.
When he looks up at the other man Zoro has his hands over his ears with an amazed expression on his dumb face. A current of worry surges through Sanji, is Zoro in pain or having some sort of brain problem again?
"Zoro?" He asks worriedly. A delighted laugh slips from Zoro's lips and once again he grabs Sanji's poor abused suit in one hand and makes a 'keep going' gesture with the other hand.
"What? I don't understand. More what?" Sanji frowns. Again Zoro's expression becomes one of unfettered joy and in his excitement he gathers Sanji up into a bone-crushing hug and spins him around excitedly.
"What's gotten into you Zoro? Put me down!" Sanji demands, squirming in Zoro's arms.
"No!" Zoro laughs excitedly into his ear.
"Don't you 'no' me! Let me go!" he insists, thumping his one free fist against Zoro's shoulder.
"No." Zoro repeats against his skin. Sanji can feel Zoro grinning, he can feel the man's white teeth against his skin. For some reason he shudders.
A thought occurs to him slowly. As the idea steals over him he stills in Zoro's arms.
"Did you just answer me?" He asks leaning backwards so he can see Zoro's grinning face.
"Yes." The marimo answers, his grin so wide that Sanji thinks it might split his face in half. This time he pulls properly away from Zoro and stares at him in disbelief, could Zoro really understand speech again? Or was Zoro just speaking again? Perhaps he was just pleased that he still could, that he hadn't forgotten words again overnight. Zoro could say yes and no without understanding a damn word Sanji was saying. He needed to test this.
"Okay then… prove it. How many swords do you fight with?" Sanji asks in a neutral voice, he doesn't want Zoro picking up any cues from his speech as to what he's asking. But lo and behold Zoro holds up three fingers and grins excitedly.
An excited laugh bubbles up through Sanji and spills out loudly, Zoro joins him and before too long the two of them and guffawing like morons. When their laughter simmers down they drift into the galley together, Zoro settling down on one of the barstools as Sanji flits around turning the lamps on. Zoro's grin is Cheshire cat wide and for the first time in what seems like forever Sanji feels like he has Zoro back for real, for some reason he can't wipe the grin off of his own face either.
"Well, this is going to be a lot easier if you can understand me." Sanji muses aloud. Zoro beams at him from his barstool, enough to make Sanji feel a little uncomfortable.
"If… if you can understand words surely you can speak them again. Isn't that how this works?" Sanji frowns at Zoro. Zoro shrugs slightly and purses his lips in thought. He huffs a calming little sigh and opens his mouth. Nothing but nonsense syllables come out leaving Zoro looking incredibly frustrated.
"Well, nuts." Sanji grumbles, Zoro groans in agreement.
"Better get breakfast started then." Sanji sighs and turns back to his cupboards, of course this whole thing wouldn't be that easy.
He scowls at the contents of his cupboard, how the hell was he going to teach Zoro to talk again? He supposes he could just go for the 'point at shit and name it' tactic, but then how was he going to teach Zoro any form of grammar or anything abstract? You can't point at bravery and name it, well, unless you were to point at Usopp and say 'not that'. Shit, how did people teach children to talk? Didn't they just pick it up from hearing people? But if that was the case then surely Zoro would have had his speech come back by now. Anyway, from what Chopper said it seemed like that bit of Zoro's brain was damaged somehow, so he probably wouldn't just get it even though he could understand what Sanji was saying already. Damnit, this was hard.
Zoro tugs on the back of his shirt and Sanji realises that he's just been staring into this cupboard for ages, the marimo probably thinks that his brain's dribbled out of his ears or something.
"I'm fine." Sanji answers offhandedly and starts getting out some preserved peaches to make specially filled pastries. He gathers his ingredients together as he thinks. He's already got bread and preserves as well as some cold cut meat that they can have for breakfast and some nice honeyed yogurt too. Special pastries will be the icing on the cake. He starts talking out loud as he cooks.
"So, I'm guessing this thing is like a muscle. The more you talk, the better you get at it, the more likely everything is to come rushing back – hopefully. So, I'll try and teach you, but none of this miming shit. If you know the word for something I expect you to say it, even if you don't get it right straight away. Got it?" He says seriously, glancing up at Zoro. The man nods agreeably, he gets the idea of training. Zoro's eyes widen after a second and he speaks.
"Yes." He answers with a little smile.
"That's better." Sanji grins in return and continues breakfast. Zoro looks a little bored and picks up the can of peaches in an idle manner. He tilts the can this way and that in his hand and squints at it.
"I take it you still can't read then?" Sanji asks curiously as he rolls out the pastry.
"No." Zoro answers with a shake of his bandaged head.
"I always wondered if you could before, what with how stupid you are." Sanji grins, pleased at being able to tease Zoro again. Zoro looks surprised suddenly and reaches into his pocket; his expression seems to tell Sanji that whatever he has is for him, curious Sanji cranes his neck to see what it is that Zoro's pulling out of his pocket. The man's face suddenly gets an "ah-hah, found it!" expression on. Zoro pulls his hand back up out of his pocket and flips Sanji off.
"Fuck you too." Sanji fumes and snatches his peaches back off of Zoro. His anger fades a little though when Zoro's laugh rings through the room. He had thought before Zoro woke up that he might never hear him laugh or shout ever again, he reminds himself that this isn't so bad and at least Zoro is still Zoro, even with an incredibly limited vocabulary.
"So… Chopper said that the reason you weren't able to talk at dinner is probably because it stressed you out, apparently stress makes this aphasia thing worse. That's what you've got is called by the way." Sanji explains as he trims a peach with his knife.
Zoro looks a little irritated but doesn't say anything.
"Did it stress you out? Trying to talk in front of everyone?" Sanji ask curiously. He's never thought of Zoro as shy by any means but perhaps he is a little, besides, everyone was staring at him something awful.
"No." Zoro answers petulantly, his bottom lip sticking out a little. Sanji laughs at that, knowing that Zoro's real answer is yes.
"So… I guess I'm gonna have to teach you how to talk whilst I cook, you're probably going to end up learning a lot of words you won't use a lot." Sanji concedes. Whilst being able to name everything in Sanji's kitchen will no doubt be helpful in here but it's not going to do Zoro an awful lot of good in the real outside world.
"C-c-" Zoro struggles with the sound. Sanji looks up and the marimo instantly flushes an embarrassed red.
"Go for it, what are you trying to say? Something I just said?" Sanji quizzes, trying to treat Zoro's attempt at speaking as normally as possible, embarrassing the marimo will definitely stress him out and make this whole process harder.
Zoro nods sharply, his fingers on his own mouth as he silently tries the sound a little more.
"Cuh…" Zoro mumbles with a frown.
"Cook?" Sanji guesses, running his previous words through his head to find one that fits the sound that Zoro is making.
"Yes!" Zoro exclaims and stares at Sanji expectantly. Sanji repeats himself again and after a few false starts Zoro is able to accurately copy him.
"Cook!" Zoro declares brightly pointing at Sanji. Sanji blinks in shock at him before snarling around his cigarette.
"Don't say that like it's my name! My name isn't cook, you idiot swordsman!" Sanji snaps ignoring the inherent contradiction in his own words.
"Cook." Zoro repeats again with a smirk.
"You bastard! My name is Sanji, San-ji! Say it!" He demands. Zoro puts an over exaggeratedly confused expression on his face and holds his hand up to his ear as if he can't hear Sanji.
"Hm? Cook?" He teases.
"Oi, oi! Don't act like you can't hear me, I know you can! Say my name damnit!" Sanji shouts angrily. He knows that he's acting angry but really inside he's overjoyed at being able to have a fight with Zoro again, he feels somewhat more in balance now, before he had just felt adrift. Unfortunately though at that moment the rest of the crew walks through the door and Sanji catches Zoro's evil grin for the split second it's on his face before he changes his expression to a fake confused and hurt.
"Zoro's got his hearing back?" Chopper gasps in delight, throwing himself at the marimo.
"Damn right he has!" Sanji snaps, glaring at Zoro.
"Sanji, are you shouting at poor Zoro again? It's really not fair, he's injured and he can't understand what you're saying!" Nami says scolding him immediately, her voice going high with irritation.
"I- what?! No, mellorine, he can! He got his hearing back this morning!" Sanji insists desperately.
"Poor Zoro, ignore Sanji." Nami coos, rubbing the marimo's green hair.
"You bastard! Don't manipulate… Zoro?" Sanji cuts himself off, instead of looking smug or faking innocence Zoro suddenly looks extremely worried. The marimo glances back at him and gestures at him to continue talking.
"What's wrong?" Sanji asks in concern. Zoro shakes his head and sighs in nervous relief, his face tense. Zoro catches his eye, points at Nami and shakes his head with a genuinely worried expression on his face.
"What's he doing?" Nami asks with a frown.
"I don't…" Sanji says in confusion as he watches the worried Zoro.
"Are you saying that you can't understand Nami?" He guesses. Zoro nods sharply at that, his face a picture of fear. It's one that Sanji's insides are echoing. If Zoro is losing his ability to understand again then he could slide back to not being able to understand him at all or not being able speak at all again. He's not sure that he or Zoro could cope with that.
"But he can understand you? What's so wrong with my voice?!" Nami squawks indignantly.
"That's very unusual!" Chopper pipes up in his high voice.
"Oh my." Robin agrees.
Zoro's head snaps around to Robin instantly, his eyes wide. The archaeologist and the swordsman look at each other for a moment and understanding flashes in Robin's eyes.
"Swordsman-san, do you understand me?" She asks carefully. Zoro nods urgently in response and shoots Nami and Chopper a confused look.
"What's so special about you and Sanji?" Franky wonders aloud, scratching at his head.
"Yeah, why them? I'm your captain Zoro, you have to understand me!" Luffy demands loudly, bouncing to the forefront.
Clearly completely baffled Zoro looks from Franky to Luffy and then with a worried look back at Sanji. He points to Franky and nods and then points to Luffy and gives a 'sort of' hand gesture.
"This doesn't make any sense!" Sanji exclaims, Zoro nods along in agreement.
"Yohoho! I think I may have the answer!" Brook trills musically, Zoro stares in confusion at the skeleton.
"It seems like pitch and vocal range affects how easily Zoro understands us! Sanji and Franky both have quite deep voices and Robin's lovely alto is very smooth and even, so understandably easier to pick up!" Brook laughs excitedly, his voice high with amusement.
"You understand me in this tone of voice now, Zoro?" Brook asks in his more serious, deeper voice. Suddenly Zoro's eyes sharpen on Brook and he nods.
"So, if you understand us, does that mean that you can speak again?" Usopp asks eagerly, looking at Zoro. Zoro shifts in his seat to look at Sanji, his eyes conveying perfectly well that he doesn't understand a damn thing that Usopp just said to him. It must be pretty frustrating for the marimo to have such selective understanding.
"He wanted to know if you could talk now, seeing as you can understand most people." He explains to Zoro, he figures that Zoro has been left out of enough conversation recently to make him not translating for Zoro when it doesn't hurt him a bit of a dick move. Having explained he figures he'll answer for Zoro, or else Zoro might try to talk again like he did yesterday, which had only succeeded in making people think Sanji was a liar and Usopp laughing at Zoro's expense.
"Not really, and not in front of lots of people. He can't understand you either, maybe you should come back when your balls have dropped Usopp." He retorts, remembering how the sharpshooter had embarrassed the pair of them yesterday. He doesn't miss the sly grin curling the edge of Zoro's lips. Usopp splutters indignantly and stomps off to the table in a strop, the others laugh and most of the straw hats make their way to the table to sit down.
"Hm, it's a little unusual for Zoro's hearing to become selective like this, but I suppose a lot of the healing going on in Zoro's brain right now is to do with reduction of swelling. I suppose it could also be that since you were the one he's started copying to speak that he's somehow attuned to your voice and those closest to it in frequency. The brain is a strange thing." Chopper babbles with childlike excitement.
"Very interesting, take this to the table would you? Don't put it near Luffy." Sanji sighs, handing over a bread basket to Chopper and ushering the doctor away.
Zoro's giving him a curious look and his gaze flicks from him to Chopper and back again.
"Marimo," Sanji says slowly, lighting his cigarette, "I understood every word that Chopper just said but I still don't have a fucking clue what he was talking about, so don't ask me to explain."
Zoro laughs then, it's a nice laugh too, genuine amusement. Some part of Sanji's mind hums happily at the sound, it's Zoro starting to be more like himself again and it eases the tightness that's been coiled in his chest ever since Zoro splattered his head on that rock. He shoots Zoro a wide grin and hands him some stuff to take to the table for breakfast as well.
He isn't sure what he thought having Zoro constantly around him would be like, but he hadn't considered the fact that Zoro is still Zoro and Zoro works out. The marimo had, in his defence, cleaned a little bit with Sanji and watched him start on lunch before getting bored and starting on his work out. He's on his ninety billionth push up or something by the time Sanji snaps.
"Look, I know that you have a tiny and damaged mind, but does that not get boring? Even for you?" He demands exasperatedly as he chops mint leaves for a refreshing mid-morning drink for his ladies.
Zoro pauses mid-push up and tilts his head in what looks like consideration. Zoro shifts his left hand inwards and takes his right hand and raises it up and makes an indecisive noise in his throat before holding his thumb and forefinger a few centimetres apart.
"A little bit?" Sanji guesses.
"Yes." Zoro agrees, dropping out of the push up to sit back on his haunches. He makes a gesture that Sanji is starting to associate with repeating things.
"A little bit." He says again. Zoro stands up; brushing his hands on his trousers before reaching for Sanji's face.
"Oi, oi marimo! You've just had your hands all over the floor, I'm not letting you stick them in my mouth until you at least wash them!" Sanji says with a squawk, backing up out of Zoro's reach.
Zoro huffs and rolls his eyes, holding his hands up as if to show off just how clean they are.
"I don't care, wash 'em. I've no idea where your hands have been since you last washed them!" He insists.
Zoro pauses before a slow mischievous grin spreads over his face. It's amazing how expressive Zoro's eyebrows can be, because with one filthy look and a suggestive eyebrow waggle Sanji knows just where Zoro is implying his hands have been.
"Oh god, Zoro! Go! Wash! NOW!" He yells, shoving the now cackling man at the sink. Sanji is glad that the swordsman is facing the sink with his back to him as he's red from ear to ear. Why did the marimo have to go and say something like THAT? He forces his mind to think of something, anything, else so that he won't end up with a mental image of that inside his head.
Zoro turns back to him with clean, but wet, hands and holds them up as if to say "See, clean. Happy now?"
"Stupid marimo." Sanji mutters.
He tells himself that he's just embarrassed about Zoro's earlier crudeness, that's why he's flushed still when Zoro's water slick fingers touch and part his lips. Zoro quirks an expectant eyebrow at him and Sanji scrambles to jump start his brain again.
"Oh, right. A little bit. I wonder if this is too soon to give you a whole sentence..." Sanji wonders aloud. Zoro gives him a frustrated look and Sanji realises that continuing talking is probably making this harder for Zoro.
"A little bit." Sanji repeats with a sigh. Zoro's other hand traces the pattern out on his own mouth.
"A li... Hm?" Zoro frowns, clearly asking Sanji to repeat himself. Sanji sighs and does, within two repetitions Zoro has the whole sentence, far quicker than he got the word water.
"You're getting better at this." He remarks as Zoro pulls his hand away and dries it on his shirt, destroying any cleanliness said hand had.
"Pft, no." Zoro snorts irritably scowling off to the side.
"Hey, I know it doesn't seem like it right now and your vocabulary is still pretty small but you can understand now and you just picked up a whole sentence really quickly." Sanji argues. Zoro still doesn't look convinced, stupid perfectionist.
"I guess I was going to ask you why you spend so much time training if it bores you sometimes, but I know why. You need to beat Mihawk." Sanji says with a shrug, changing the subject back to what it was.
"Yes." Zoro agrees. Sanji nods, he gets that, Zoro works for his dream. A curious look comes over Zoro's face then.
"Cook?" Zoro asks, pointing at him.
"Damnit Zoro, I have a name, it's Sanji, say it!" He snaps irritably.
"No, no... Cook?" Zoro asks, gesturing to the room around them. Sanji frowns, not getting it. Zoro grumbles and stomps past him to the wall before reaching up and pulling the clock off of the wall.
"What are you doing, idiot?" Sanji frowns.
Zoro turns back to him, clock in hand and pulls his finger along from six to ten, then from eleven 'til two, then from taps three and then finally drags his finger over from four to eight. Sanji suddenly realises that those are the hours that he typically spends in the kitchen.
"Cook... A little bit?" Zoro asks with an air of hope in his voice, like he hopes Sanji will get what he means. Sanji frowns, he tries to give some context to Zoro's brief and stunted question. Hmm… he'd asked Zoro if he finds training boring and Zoro had just gone and shown him how much time he spends cooking.
"You asking me if I find cooking boring sometimes?" He guesses.
"Yes!" Zoro exclaims, clearly pleased.
Sanji feels surprised, no one has ever asked him that, and no one on this ship has ever asked about how he felt about cooking at all.
"No, not really. Cooking is always interesting, I enjoy it. I get to be creative and experiment or if it's something I know by heart then it's peaceful. I don't get bored." Sanji answers honestly.
Zoro tilts his head for a second before pressing his palms together and closing his eyes, making a quiet 'ohm' noise low in his throat.
"Oh, yeah it can be a little like meditation when it's something I know well." He agrees, catching on. Zoro smiles, he's clearly pleased at being understood and understanding, it's his first real conversation in so long.
"So, I'm never bored, no." Sanji answers, taking the clock back from Zoro.
"Hmm." Zoro hums in an unconvinced tone.
"I'm not! What I do is different from what you do, you can't compare them like that." Sanji argues.
"No." Zoro snorts, clearly unconvinced.
"It is, when you have a breakthrough it's flashy and everyone sees. You perfect a new technique and you get to cut a building in half. I perfect a béchamel sauce and no one notices, it's... different." Sanji answers, hanging the clock up. When he turns back to Zoro though, the other man has a troubled look on his face.
"What?" Sanji sighs.
Zoro moves past him and opens the pantry cupboard, when he emerges again he's got an apron in hand which he swiftly ties around his waist before turning back to Sanji with a determined expression on his face.
"What are you doing moss-brain? Is your head that scrambled?" He asks in exasperation. Zoro rolls his eyes at that remark.
"Cook." He states simply.
"You... want to cook?" Sanji guesses with a frown, Zoro has never ever shown any interest in cooking until now, so that can't be right. But... how else does he explain that comment and the apron currently around Zoro's waist?
"Yes." Zoro nods firmly.
"Why?" He gawps. Zoro gives him a flat look, he doesn't have the vocabulary to explain clearly.
Sanji frowns to himself and thinks. What had he said that prompted this?
Zoro sighs and points to the clock then jerks his thumb behind him.
"In the past?" Sanji guesses aloud, it seems like Zoro is going to explain this to him even if he has to play charades to do it. Zoro nods and continues. He gestures to himself then taps the side of his head.
"In the past you thought…? Hm, no that can't be right, moss doesn't think." Sanji teases. Zoro flips him off and continues.
Zoro holds his hands out as if he was holding a sword and then gestures to himself again before holding his hands really far apart.
"You… had a big sword?" Sanji says in exasperation, really not understanding what Zoro is trying to say.
"No!" Zoro snaps, clearly frustrated.
"Don't shout at me! This isn't exactly easy, moron!" he argues back. A swell of guilt in the back of his mind reminds him that no matter how hard guessing what Zoro is trying to say is, it must be far harder for Zoro having no other way to communicate. He sighs and thinks about it.
"Okay… so… something about swords and something big." He says, unable to think of what Zoro could mean.
Zoro bites his lip for a second before miming putting a hat on his head and then punching the air, then touching his nose and pulling his finger away from it before miming firing something. That was Luffy and Usopp obviously but… no… it was Luffy and Usopp and the things that they were good at!
"Oh! Your skill! You used to think that your sword skills were big- no… great?" he exclaims, getting it suddenly.
"Yes!" Zoro nods.
Sanji is about to protest that Zoro's swordsman skills are great when Zoro holds his finger up as if to interrupt him. Zoro points at the clock again and makes a forward gesture, when Sanji looks back Zoro has pulled his shirt off and is dragging his finger down his scar.
"Little." Zoro says aloud.
"Mihawk make you realise that you weren't as strong as you thought you were." Sanji finishes for him.
Zoro hums indecisively, as if that's sort of what he means but not quite.
"You mean Mihawk had to cut you open before you realised just how much stronger he was than you thought he was." Sanji guesses again.
"Yes." Zoro nods.
"Well, I already knew that. What does that have to do with cooking?" he grumbles, the image of Zoro's blood spraying from his bloodied body flashing through Sanji's mind again. Mihawk's blade may have scarred Zoro's body but seeing that has left its own scar in Sanji's mind.
Zoro huffs in frustration, he leans to the side and pulls one of Sanji's precious knives free of the knife block that it rests in and slides it into Sanji's hand.
"Cook." Zoro says quietly, touching Sanji's chest before snagging Sanji's knife holding hand and pulling it against his bare skin.
"I'm assuming you don't want me to cut you." Sanji laughs nervously, pulling back away from Zoro. He uses the pretence of putting the knife back in the block to gather up his rapidly scattering thoughts.
"So… it was only when Mihawk cut you that you realised the extent of his skill, and you want me to do the same to you. Not cut you open but… show you how to cook so that you can see mine?" He says quietly.
"Yes." Zoro says behind him.
"Why? Why do you care? You've never cared before." Sanji challenges Zoro defensively. Zoro doesn't answer though, he doesn't mime or try to string together some half answer from the words that he knows Zoro just stares him down.
"Whatever, I've never understood how your weird moss brain works. You can help I guess. But you've got to do what I say." Sanji states, not sure whether he wants Zoro to back out or not. Instead Zoro just grins that wide sick grin that he gets when he's facing some insurmountable challenge and waits.
"Go… take the potatoes out of the bag and wash them in the sink, I'll need about half the bag." He mutters in a flustered order and sends Zoro off to the other end of the room.
"So, as much as having my own personal kitchen wench around is fun, don't you think I should probably be teaching you some words?" He smirks, trying to cover up his own awkwardness.
Zoro flips him off and gives him an incredibly sour look as he pulls potatoes from the bag.
"Oh, what? You don't like your new title? How about deputy assistant lowly chore boy?" He suggests instead, delighting in the particular angry shade of red that Zoro is turning. The situation is becoming more normal now after that strangely intimate moment earlier, Sanji feels on steadier ground now.
"… cook!" Zoro snaps, somehow stressing the silence that came before the word, his mouth open and clearly searching for a word. Sanji's mind searches for possibilities until…
'Shit cook'
Something Zoro's said a thousand times before but now apparently can't.
"You're calling me a shit cook, you bastard!" He accuses angrily.
"Sh- agh!" Zoro yelps in frustration and gestures for Sanji to repeat himself.
"Oh, no no. I'm not going to repeat that so you can insult me. In fact I'm going to teach you some manners, stupid swordsman." He laughs leaning back and grinning as Zoro looks like he's contemplating strangling him.
"So come on, say 'please' and I might just teach you some other words too." He smirks, leaning in close to Zoro.
Zoro grits his teeth and stares him down.
"Please." Sanji repeats teasingly. The only answer he gets is a low angry growl from somewhere deep in Zoro's chest.
"Oh well, I guess you don't want to talk then." He says innocently, turning to walk away.
"No." Zoro grits out with some effort.
"Well then, please." He repeats smugly. Zoro growls again but touches Sanji's lips as he repeats himself once more. Zoro takes his hand back and traces the same pattern over his own lips, mouthing the word.
"I'm waiting." He challenges in a sing-song voice.
"Please." Zoro says roughly through gritted teeth in a tone that is impressively packed with promises of physical violence for such a short one word sentence.
"Well, since you asked so nicely, how about "thank you" or "you're welcome" next?" Sanji smiles, easily ducking the punch that Zoro sends his way.
The next day they come to an uninhabited island that isn't so much an island as it is simply land that's poking out of the sea. Technically Sanji supposes that's all an island ever is, though the wondrous Nami-swan would probably know the technical definition of an island, this land (whether it's an island or not) doesn't register on the log pose. What it means for them is a chance to stretch their legs off of the ship, resupply with whatever they can find on the island and get out of the sometimes cramped ship.
No matter how much you love your nakama and no matter how big your ship actually is, sometimes it just feels too small. Sanji would sometimes give anything for just five hours without something rubber assaulting him and demanding food, or smelling one of Usopp's experiments turned explosive or without the constant yelling and shouting that their crew caused. Sometimes, just sometimes, he'd like a little peace on his own. Or, apparently, peace with Zoro.
Sanji half wonders if he perhaps sustained some brain damage too, he's clearly not the only one as the rest of the crew are looking at him with surprise and confusion on their faces after the words "Zoro should stay with me" left his mouth. Even Zoro looks surprised. They're all standing on deck deciding who will do what on the little island that can't be more than four miles wide in any direction.
"Look, he's just going to get ass backwards lost in that jungle anyway and I need someone strong to help me collect barrels of fresh water. Does anyone else have a better reason to babysit him?" Sanji explains with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.
"Well, I need someone to help me cut into rubber trees. We need more rubber on the ship, both for my work and Franky's. I could use Zoro." Usopp muses, looking at Zoro thoughtfully who only gives their sharpshooter a blank look. It seems like Zoro still can't understand Usopp then.
"Except Zoro still isn't allowed his swords back, unless Chopper has changed his mind. And even if he did, if we ran into any danger you'd let Zoro fight it and he'd probably get his brains splashed all over the beach. Again." Sanji argues back. After a moment of consideration he adds:
"Besides, if Zoro knew that you planned to get him to cover his precious swords in rubber of all things he'd probably-"
He's interrupted by the furious sounding growl that comes from Zoro's throat as he reaches past Sanji to snag Usopp by the throat and shake him threateningly before dropping him on his ass on deck.
"Thanks for that Sanji." Usopp coughs and glares up at him.
"No problem, anyone else?" Sanji asks with a grin.
"No way. I want to draw a map of this little island and I don't need Zoro stomping about the place distracting me." Nami snorts dismissively- if such a lovely lady could be said to do something as unladylike as snort. Which she couldn't.
"I'd like to see if there might be any ruins here, so I'll accompany you Nami." Robin smiles serenely.
"Well, I'll help you with the rubber trees bro." Franky grins, picking up the fallen Usopp with his hand by the scruff of the neck like a cat and setting him back on his feet.
The others all launch into plans about what they're going to do on the island and hotly contesting who will stay and whether there will be two shifts of people going out and staying. All of which Sanji is broadly uninterested in. He jerks his head in the direction of the storerooms and heads down, Zoro following just a few steps behind him.
"You cool with coming on the island with me? You don't have to." Sanji says over his shoulder conscious of the fact that he just decided something without really asking Zoro.
"Yes." Zoro says simply, suddenly, almost magically able to talk again once it's only him there to hear. He opens the storeroom door and wonders if Chopper was right about there being something special about him in Zoro's mind that lets the swordsman talk to him but no one else.
"Round up the empty barrels for me, we're taking them on the island." He orders, taking one half of the storeroom and Zoro the other.
"Water?" Zoro guesses aloud, holding up an empty barrel.
"You got it, we're not exactly running low, and I know we have systems for catching rainwater and we use grey water and all that but… you never know when it's gonna stop raining for a month just to fuck with you or how off course you could get. Dying of thirst is not something that'll happen on my watch, not when I have the opportunity to restock." He explains as the memory of drinking rainwater from a puddle on that blasted rock flashes through his head. The thirst was almost as bad as the hunger, only it would have killed him quicker. But it always rained frequently enough to keep him alive and he could never repress his urge to drink enough to let himself die.
"Cook?" Zoro's concerned voice says, breaking through Sanji's thoughts. He looks up to find Zoro holding two empty barrels and flashing him a disconcerted expression.
"Is that all of the empty barrels over there?" Sanji challenges, somewhat embarrassed at being caught in those kind of thoughts.
"No…" Zoro says slowly and suspiciously.
"Then get back to it, no one pays you to stand here staring at me." Sanji snaps and turns his back on Zoro, his hands giving each barrel a shake to test how empty they are.
"Cook." Zoro says flatly, poking him in the side. There's a challenge in his eyes and Sanji instinctively stands up, ready for a fight.
Instead of fighting though, Zoro just pokes Sanji in the chest before touching Sanji's nose and drawing his finger away from it, about to the length of Usopp's nose. He then shrugs and walks off. Zoro might not have said a word but his meaning was clear. You're lying, and I know it. I'll leave it alone but don't think I'm too stupid to see.
Sanji scowls at the barrels but keeps on with his job and before too long the two of them have at least ten empty barrels for water between them. Without speaking (Which is more of a choice on his part than Zoro's he supposes) they haul the barrels up on deck, lash them together into two large piles and heft them up onto their shoulders as they walk down the gangplank onto the island. They have to go through some water first, so Sanji is glad that he wore sandals as the first five minutes spent back on land leave him entirely covered in sand up to his knees.
"From what Nami said of her view of the island as we approached, she thinks that there should be fresh water this way." Sanji remarks as they walk.
"Water." Zoro echoes softly.
"This is weird, you being so quiet. Or rather… you not being an ass." He remarks as they skid down a sandbank together. Zoro pauses at the bottom and gives him a considering look, his head tilting to the side thoughtfully.
"Sh… cook." Zoro offers with a smirk and flips him off, the swordsman is still not able to insult him, no matter how hard he tries. Sanji would find it endearing if it wasn't so irritating. He scowls at Zoro who is carrying on ahead of Sanji in the direction that they were walking in.
"Well gosh, I just feel all warm and fuzzy inside now don't I?" the cook says flatly, sprinting slightly to catch up with him.
"You're welcome." Zoro grins at him.
"I didn't teach you that so that you could be sarcastic at me, I taught you to say 'please' 'thank you' and 'you're welcome' so that you'd have some manners this time around, you ape. Be polite!" Sanji growls, kicking at Zoro's knee just about hard enough to bruise.
"Hm, no." Zoro remarks in a sing-song tone and laughs to himself.
"You know what? I preferred it when you were unnervingly silent. How about we go back to that?" Sanji declares loudly and cuts ahead of the laughing swordsman. He leads them along the beach until they find a spring that feeds into the ocean, as soon as they find that they turn left into the jungle following it to its source. Before too long they're walking along the trickling spring in a pleasant kind of silence.
Sanji needs to make sure that they get to the source of the water and he can confirm that there's nothing dangerous in it. One dead animal by a river can be enough to poison the whole thing, since it's possible to trace the source of this one he'd be foolish not to do it.
He hears branches and twigs snapping behind him which is odd as there wasn't any branches or twigs in his path so…
Sanji turns only to find no Zoro behind him and no trace of where he's gone.
"Goddamnit Zoro! Where are you?" He yells, but receives no response. Great. Stupid directionally challenged marimo.
He grumbles and takes a left into the trees and brush lining the path of the stream.
"Marimo! Get back here, how the hell do you get lost following me alongside a RIVER in a STRAIGHT LINE?!" He hollers irritably. Suddenly the jungle gives way to a slight clearing that's more a break in the trees than it is a real clearing. There's no Zoro there but there is a big stack of barrels that just a moment ago was on Zoro's back.
"ZORO!" He curses and drops his own barrels, heading in the direction of some still gently swaying leaves. He jogs carefully through the jungle only to run right into the back of Zoro having not seen him until the last minute, damn the jungle here was thick!
"Oi! What the hell Zoro?!" He snaps angrily.
"Shh." Zoro replies, shushing him and walking on. Sanji stands there frozen for a moment. What the hell?
"Hey! Don't shush me, you bastard, you're going the wrong way! How do you even manage to do this?" he exclaims, catching up to Zoro. Zoro just shushes him again and grabs his hand, pulling him along.
The blonde falls silent for a moment, both on the basis that Zoro might be leading them somewhere for a legitimate reason and to recognise the weirdness that is him holding Zoro's hand. Seriously, that's just odd. He's searching his brain but he can't think of any time that this has ever happened before. EVER. He can't think of a single time, Zoro's grabbed him plenty of times before to lead him somewhere or to pull him off course, but by his arm, or his jacket… even one time he'd grabbed him by his hair! He's damn near broken Zoro's nose for that one. But this… his hand nestled between Zoro's warm strong fingers, that was a first.
Zoro pauses in the dense forest, a vine just brushing his shoulder and looks around him. Sanji knows which way is back of course, but the jungle around them gives them no clue at all, it's so thick.
"Admitting that you're lost? It's back that way dumbass." He says smugly and gestures behind him with his free hand. Actually, why hasn't he taken his other hand back off of Zoro?
Zoro shakes his head, shushes Sanji again and closes his eyes. The moron stays still with his eyes shut for a moment, before spinning on his heel and turning in a seemingly random direction and heading off that way, pulling Sanji along for the ride.
"What are you doing, Zoro. God… damn…." Sanji trails off as they break through the trees, bushes and hanging vines into the open air. The two of them are standing on a hilltop clearing with a frankly spectacular view over the island and the mountain above them. The hill is not quite a cliff top but Sanji wouldn't fancy trying to run down the thing, it's way too steep. But up here is a small suddenly clear space, totally apart from the almost claustrophobic crowd of the plants in the jungle. He can see for miles and it's quite genuinely breath-taking as far as scenic views go.
Zoro smiles and pulls him down onto the floor.
"How did you find this place?" Sanji asks, sitting down reluctantly. Zoro rolls his eyes and points to his boots before making a walking motion with two fingers.
"You… followed your feet? Is this what happens when you get lost?" He asks wide eyed, thinking of all the times that Zoro inexplicably loses them. Zoro makes an indecisive noise at the back of his throat as if to say "sometimes".
"I-" Sanji starts only for Zoro to clap a hand over his mouth and shush him again. Zoro holds his hand there for a few moments before taking it away and looking off into the distance. Sanji takes the hint, though has no idea why Zoro needs him to be quiet. He huffs and obeys though, figuring that if Zoro is trying to get him to hush then it's probably for a reason, and he should give the marimo the benefit of the doubt at least.
The island is actually… quite beautiful. The Sunny can be seen in the distance, bobbing by the shore, her sails flapping in the wind. Without his shouting the sounds of the jungle start to return around them, small bugs chirping in the foliage and little birds cheeping somewhere in the trees. The wind blows through the tufts of Zoro's green hair that have managed to escape the swathe of bandages covering his head, Sanji can't help but grin, Zoro really does look like someone who's been sitting there so long that moss has grown on him.
He sighs softly and leans back on the tree behind him after surreptitiously checking it for creepy crawlies. He's not scared of bugs or anything, he's a big manly pirate, get real. He just… isn't fond of them is all. The birdsong is actually quite nice to listen to, and there are butterflies and humming birds flitting around now that they're quiet and still too. One zips by Sanji's face, making his gaze follow it. Zoro is leaning forward slightly with his forearms resting on his upright knees, his eyes are shut and he looks simply serene.
The sound of wings above them startles Sanji, it's much louder than any he's heard so far. They both look up. Sitting in the branches above them is a bright green parrot with its head tilted to the side watching them. Zoro smiles and shifts to the side and digs around in his pocket for a second or two before coming up with some scrap of bread or something, he smiles and holds it up and in a flutter of surprisingly large wings the bird goes from the tree to onto Zoro's arm across his knee. The swordsman offers the scrap of food to the bird which takes it in its beak before transferring it to one large grey talon equipped foot which holds it and allows the big bird to eat slowly.
Zoro laughs softly and smiles and the bird. The creature swallows the last of its gifted meal and bobs in a little bow-like movement. The swordsman smiles widely and reaches forward with his other hand and scratches the bird behind the neck as if it was a goddamn puppy or something! Much to Sanji's surprise the bird lets him, its small golden eyes sliding shut in pleasure as the swordsman's thick fingers scratch and stroke the feathers.
The cook finds himself transfixed, he's seen those hands of Zoro's end the lives of countless men and maim considerably more, those hands are merciless and fatal. Yet here Zoro sits, petting some wild creature which has no reason not to turn around and take a chunk out of the reckless man's finger. And he's seen that happen, birds with beaks that size can really hurt a man. But Zoro's kindness always has seemed to extend to wild creatures like animals, small kids and the like, Luffy and Chopper too which made sense as they were a mix of the two really!
"RAWK. Thank you." The bird squawks and nuzzles at Zoro's finger.
"You're welcome!" Zoro laughs with a tone of amazement.
"Great, you'll be polite to some shit-parrot but not to me?" Sanji snorts in disbelief, surprised at the bird's speech.
"Shit!" The parrot repeats and scratches its beak with its foot.
"Shi…" Zoro tries, squinting at the parrot.
"WHAT?! No! Don't copy the parrot!" Sanji squawks desperate to keep Zoro from learning that word.
"Shit!" The parrot repeats again, clearly pleased with Sanji's distress.
"Shit… shit cook!" Zoro exclaims pointing at Sanji.
"Great. Stupid bird, get lost!" Sanji grumbles, swatting at it.
The parrot screeches and flies up into the trees.
"Shit cook!" The bird squawks down at him, sending Zoro into fits of laughter.
"Green feather-brained morons, both of you!" He huffs, stomping off into the jungle again. Zoro's laugher and the parrot's squawks follow him and soon Sanji finds himself followed by the pair of them, the parrot riding happily on Zoro's shoulder playing with his earrings and saying words until Zoro repeats them successfully.
Sanji grumbles and follows the river upstream ignoring the variations of the word "pirate" that Zoro is coming up with in his attempt to copy the parrot. The marimo seems to find it harder to copy the bird at least than he does him, he supposes that the parrot not having lips makes it harder for the swordsman who has to just listen to the words rather than see and feel them like he does with Sanji.
Sanji's fingers brush his own lips and his rebellious cheeks heat up of their own accord. He shoves the thought aside before it can fully form, not wanting to look at it or think too much.
"Oi, cook. Pie-rate?" Zoro says, catching the back of Sanji's shirt with his hand and tugging lightly. Sanji pauses and turns, he's got half a mind to kick Zoro's ass for pissing him off, but the moment he catches Zoro's hopeful expression he halts, the tension bleeding out of his leg.
Ever since Zoro woke up and couldn't talk he's become more… open somehow. Zoro couldn't use words so he had to rely on his tone or his expression to do the talking for him. The previously stoic swordsman was a completely open book now, it was hard to get used to. Previously he would have assumed that Zoro was just trying to irritate him more, and if his expression had been its usual flat self he'd have just kicked the bastard. But now… Zoro's expression was hopeful, pleading almost, and Sanji could see the undercurrent of frustration running through Zoro's frame.
"Pirate!" The parrot chirps happily.
"Pyrite?" Zoro repeats incorrectly, his mouth pulling downwards as he hears the wrong word slide from his tongue again. A frustrated growl slips from Zoro's mouth.
"That parrot doesn't understand the words it says Zoro, it just repeats sounds. You at least understand things." Sanji sighs, stepping a little closer to the swordsman. What he really means is 'don't be so hard on yourself', but for some reason he finds that hard to come out and say.
"Pirate!" The parrot repeats again, bobbing its head happily.
"Fire-aRHG!" Zoro snarls, his speech getting less and less accurate the more stressed he gets. Chopper is right, it does deteriorate his skills.
Without letting himself think he catches Zoro's tense fist and pulls it towards himself, unfurling Zoro's palm and touching it to his cheek. Zoro's thumb ghosts over his lips and after a second his fingers curl around Zoro's jawline.
"Pirate." Sanji smiles.
"Pirate." Zoro repeats quietly.
"See? You'll get there." He grins, and if Zoro's touch lingers enough to make Sanji's chest feel a little light well… Sanji just doesn't think on it.
"Shoo bird!" He snaps, flapping his hands away at the parrot who squawks at him angrily and flies off.
Sanji turns and continues walking up the river, after a moment or two Zoro catches up to him and bumps his shoulder against his.
"Pirate cook." Zoro says with a small smile.
"Well… that's a step up from shit cook but don't you think you could just call me Sanji? Come on, say it, Sanji." He pronounces his name slowly.
"Hm, no." Zoro smirks tauntingly and sprints off up the river, leaving Sanji in a spray of water and irritation.