Title: One to a Thousand

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece

Spoiler Warning: Takes place after the time skip.

CHAPTER SIX

Overheated and sticky from sweat, Sanji could barely stand to be in his clothes another minute. The summer island they were nearing was sure to be unbearable; the brutal humidity felt like it coated his skin in slime. Even after he cleaned himself, he was sure that he would instantly feel unclean again.

But even if that would be the case, he still didn't want to put off the bath even a moment longer. The thought of feeling clean and cool, if only briefly, sounded heavenly.

As he undressed and stepped inside of the bath, however, his heart skipped as he realized he was not the only person there. Normally that wouldn't have mattered—it was a large bath, after all—but in this instance, despite how disgusting and unclean he felt, he nearly turned on his heel and fled.

A shitty marimo was the reason. Zoro was stretched out in the water, a towel over his head, eye closed as though he might have been sleeping. In fact, it was the thought that the idiot may have managed to pass out in the bathwater that made Sanji pause a brief moment—and that moment proved to be just a fraction of a second too long.

The swordsman's eye flickered open, and upon seeing Sanji, he suddenly sat upright, the towel on his head carelessly slipping into the water. "Oi, wait a second."

Sanji grimaced, quickly turning his naked back to Zoro as he hurried toward the door. The brief glimpse of the expression on Zoro's face felt burned into his mind, though. What the hell was that look he had on his face, that appeared so concerned and desperate?

The cook hadn't hurried enough; a strong hand grabbed his wrist, jerking him backward slightly and stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Let go of me, bastard," Sanji growled.

"I'll let go if you take your damn bath like you came here to do, nosebleed," Zoro replied.

"Tch, I don't think that's any of your concern, shitty swordsman. I just noticed the bath seemed to be overrun with moss so I decided to come back later."

With a pang, Sanji realized these were the first words he had really spoken to Zoro for days. Even their usual angry, aggressive banter had all but ceased. The most he had asked him were yes or no questions about meals.

It's not that he had been actively avoiding him; it just felt too difficult to speak to the swordsman lately. Every time he looked at his face, he remembered Robin's stare fixed upon him. The awful, nauseating feeling of humiliation in his stomach. The dizzying panic of being discovered, when he had not expected anyone to be around.

In fact, now that a little bit of time had passed, Sanji realized it was the shock of suddenly being found with Zoro that had affected him the most. But even after reaching this epiphany, it's not like it made a difference; what the hell was he going to do, discuss it with the marimo? It was unlikely they wouldn't get caught together if he kept letting himself get pulled into situations like this, so it was easier to just ignore him.

However, the swordsman did not share a similar idea. "You're such an idiot," Zoro said with irritation, yanking Sanji backward until he was nearly to the edge of the bath. "Just get in there already."

"Oi, hold on, I haven't showered yet," Sanji protested, successfully yanking himself away from Zoro's slippery hands. He glowered at the swordsman, but his line of vision was immediately diverted downward toward the slick, muscular body standing in front of him. Ripping his eyes away with difficulty, he walked over to the shower.

He silently cursed himself as he turned on the water, taking a seat on one of the bath stools. Even now, as he was trying to avoid the shitty swordsman, he still felt an unwanted stir within himself. He desperately wished he could be around Zoro without feeling that damned longing deep within him.

As he mulled over his bitter thoughts, a sudden splash from somewhere behind him made him jump slightly, even though he knew it was just Zoro returning to the bathwater.

"Why the hell did you drag me in here, anyway," Sanji muttered, but as soon as the words escaped, he knew it was a mistake. Each word he spoke was opening the door for the opportunity for them to speak. And quite frankly, he felt like they had nothing left to say to one another—or rather, each time they spoke, he'd be tempted to do something he would regret again.

An unwarranted wave of dread passed over him as he considered all the things that could happen while they were alone together in the bath... Sanji wasn't sure if he trusted himself to properly refuse if something like that started to happen. But he couldn't let it happen, not here. Anyone could just walk in, and there would be no way to explain their way out of anything in that kind of situation.

He closed his eyes tightly, pausing for a moment to rub his aching temples, wondering why the hell he actually let the swordsman drag him into the bath when he had tried to leave.

Losing himself in his his thoughts again, the only thing he was really paying attention to was his agony-fueled musings and the sound of himself vigorously rubbing shampoo into his hair. He certainly didn't hear another splashing sound or the footsteps echoing across the hollow room.

That's why, when Zoro's voice was suddenly right next to his ear, Sanji jumped to his feet in surprise, slipping on the wet tile and falling backward.

Whatever sentence Zoro had begun to speak, Sanji didn't catch a single word of it, as it was cut short immediately. Although he expected to land on his ass, instead, his body was stopped by the swordsman.

His heart scampered inside of his chest, flip-flopping erratically as though it suddenly forgot its purpose. Even though he righted his posture instantly, that brief second was more than enough to memorize every impression of Zoro's slick, naked body against his exposed back.

A blush crept over his face, and he quickly looked downward, hoping his wet, sudsy hair would be enough to conceal his expression until he felt the heat leave his cheeks. After all, he couldn't let Zoro know he was feeling anything but fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Sanji yelled.

Zoro smirked. "I was just trying to tell you that I was leaving."

"Why did you need to do that so close to me then?!" he replied angrily. Finally, he dared turn around to give Zoro a resentful glare, fighting to keep his eyes from straying downward. Again, if someone had walked in on that, what would it have looked like? He was mortified by the mere thought.

The swordsman simply stared at him, shrugging nonchalantly and crossing his arms. He boldly took a step toward Sanji, and the cook quickly jumped backward, so that he would not be in the swordsman's reach.

But his target was actually the stream of water coming out of the shower head. When Sanji had tumbled against him, he had smeared shampoo on his cheek and face. Not breaking eye contact with Sanji, he haphazardly sprayed the jet of water over his body for a few seconds. Then, once he was rinsed, he turned around without so much as another glance, and headed to the door.

Outraged, Sanji sat back down on the stool and resumed his shower. He wasn't sure who he was more upset with, the shitty swordsman or himself, for acting like a skittish animal.

Yet apparently Zoro wasn't done just yet. As he was about to exit the room, the green-haired man paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulder.

"Ah, by the way... I talked to Robin."

The cook scrunched his face in irritation. "Is that supposed to piss me off or something? Robin-chwan shouldn't have to put up with a shitty marimo like you, but I can't help you talking to her."

"No, stupid dartboard-brow, I mean about that," Zoro replied, his tone slightly lower with agitation.

Despite the warm water streaming over him, a shiver ran down his spine. Now Zoro had his attention; Sanji abruptly spun around, utterly mortified. After all, there was no mystery as to what that was.

"You what? Bastard, why the hell would you talk to Robin-chwan about something like that?!" Sanji exclaimed, mind reeling; he could barely imagine the two of them speaking in private, let alone Zoro bringing up such a disconcerting topic with her.

He nodded affirmatively. "Though, it was more of just her talking. She said she hoped you weren't too shaken."

"Eh? Why would she say that?!"

"...And mentioned something about us making 'progression.' That's the word she used, anyway."

Sanji stared down at the ground darkly as a flood of devastating thoughts entered his mind. "What the hell do you mean by that, Robin-chwan," he agonized, his muttering barely audible.

Zoro shrugged. "I'm only telling you because I thought it might make you feel better."

"Why the hell would that make me feel better?!" he barked.

"Well, it didn't seem like she was interested in talking to anyone else about it."

Sanji clamped his jaw shut abruptly, staring at the other man with chagrin. He wanted to blurt out many things, to somehow make the shitty marimo understand just how much he didn't understand.

The thought of Robin telling others, while disconcerting, was such a small part of the reason he was upset, it was almost laughable that the swordsman brought it up. He wanted to try to get across just how much the shock of being unexpectedly discovered had crawled under his skin, the interruption that had made his heart feel like it could have withered and died at that moment. And how there were so many things he couldn't understand about himself and how he felt, about them-his frustration that there could even be a "them"—and maybe he didn't ever want to understand it.

But he didn't really want to share these things aloud with the marimo; in fact, he was fairly certain he was completely incapable of doing so. Instead, he kept his jaw clenched shut, silently cursing that the other man was denser than a block of granite.

Zoro turned his head a bit more, just enough for Sanji to make out the indecipherable look in his eye. "So whenever you're done avoiding me, ero-cook, maybe we can finish what he started."

Then he swiftly disappeared, closing the door with a loud click that seemed to echo a little too loudly across the empty bathroom. Sanji hung his head between his knees, his expression dark, as he tried to process the exchange that had just happened.

Robin called it progression when she had seen the two of them locked in a kiss. He could hardly bear the thought of his beautiful, magnificent Robin-chwan observing him and coming to that kind of conclusion about him and the shitty swordsman. It was appalling. Utterly humiliating. He could never find fault in Robin, but for a moment, he wanted to curse how overly-perspicacious she could be sometimes.

And then there was the swordsman. How could Zoro say so openly, so unashamedly, that he wanted to continue what they started.

But didn't he want to, too? He closed his eyes, barely aware of the warm water streaming over his head and back. He pressed his hands to his tingling lips as he thought about Zoro's insatiable mouth, about just how abruptly they were interrupted when Robin found them in the woods... about just how many times he had wanted to feel that mouth again.

Sanji sighed heavily as he realized there was one fact he desperately needed to face. Beyond the dread and apprehension that felt like it was consuming him, there was also something else, a very desperate ache, that seemed to burn in a slightly lower region.

A thought crossed his mind. It was a troubling thought, but it also felt like it may have been something somewhat resembling a solution.

Maybe if there was no way for anyone else to find out...

"If it's for Nami-swan, of course I will," Sanji crooned, winking at Nami as he dashed off to the kitchen to comply with her request. It was several hours after dinner, and he had actually been headed to the men's quarters to sleep, but there was no way he could turn down such a request from the beautiful navigator.

The cook swiftly fixed a stunning array of hors d'oeuvres for Nami and the rest of the crew, who all seemed to be gathering together on the deck with cold beverages. Although he probably should have joined them, he really wasn't really in the mood for carousing.

Difficult thoughts had been swirling around his mind all day, all related to the shitty conversation he had had earlier with the shitty marimo, and that stupid faux-solution that he couldn't stop thinking about; it was making him feel more weary than what was probably reasonable. He thought he would just quickly clean up and head down to the men's quarters, but the cool evening air seemed to energize him, and instead, he let himself get distracted by various things that needed to be done in the kitchen.

Before he knew it, a full hour had passed and he had run out of things he could clean and prep for the morning. Languidly, he lit a cigarette, trying to decide what he should do next. Probably sleep.

From the increasingly louder sounds coming from the lawn deck of the Sunny, it seemed the crew was awake and lively with no plans to retire anytime soon. On nights like this, Sanji knew that if he tried to sleep instead of joining the revelry, he would be awakened many times in the middle of the night as his nakama came back into the men's quarters, one by one, stumbling and crashing into many things before they actually made it into their beds.

Sanji eyed the large bags of grains resting on the floor the pantry as he took a pensive drag, letting the smoke escape from his lips slowly. He had slept up there a handful of times before, when he felt he needed some peace and quiet, but it wasn't the most pleasant experience; he usually woke up feeling stiff and only slightly rested.

A thought of another place he could sleep crossed his mind, making him bite his lip as he tried to convince himself it was a bad idea... He cursed at himself under his breath, wishing he would stop having these ridiculous thoughts.

With a sigh, he flicked off all of the lights and exited the kitchen and dining hall, stepping out onto the lawn deck. In the cover of darkness, he was fairly certain no one actually noticed him, and he stayed in the shadows as he started to head back to his quarters.

The outline of the Crow's Nest against the starry night sky caught his attention, and once again, the idea he was trying to ignore flooded his mind.

He stared up at it for a long moment, and as he did, Zoro's words from earlier echoed in his head. Sanji realized he really didn't want to keep ignoring the swordsman, the way he had been. He still felt a painful twinge in his chest every time he remembered how he felt when Robin had found him and Zoro together, but up there, where the crew seldom had a purpose to visit, it would be more isolated.

As long as no one would find out...

That speculative solution flickered through his mind again. He was sure it was just poor judgment caused by his fatigue, but for some reason, the thought of a quiet night sleeping in the Crow's Nest didn't sound so bad... Well, how quiet it would be was questionable, but the appeal was still completely overpowering.

Sanji glanced back at the lawn deck. Zoro was with the rest of the crew, sitting off to the side, periodically taking large gulps of beer out of a large tankard as he observed the rest of the crew's antics.

Because it would be completely isolated from everyone else...

Unconsciously, Sanji loosened his tie, his neck suddenly feeling inordinately hot.

Before he knew it, his legs had brought him to the ladder that would take him up to the Crow's Nest, and his heart pounded slightly harder than it probably should. He had a vague notion that he was going to quickly regret this, but for some reason, he didn't seem to be able to stop himself from acting on this impulse.

Although Sanji knew he would find the Crow's Nest empty, when he thought about Zoro coming up to sleep later, he felt some sort of excitement in his chest that he didn't quite want to admit to; and likewise, as he considered the possibility that the swordsman would pass out on the deck and never come up, or worse, actually sleep in the men's quarters for a change, he felt a pang of disappointment.

Discarding his tie and tossing his shirt aside, he cautiously sat down where he assumed Zoro usually slept; it's not like there was a bed up there, but there were some telltale cushions and blankets. Then, he gathered his courage, leaned back and closed his eyes. He thought he may not be able to sleep, especially when his heart was pounding so crazily, but once he closed his eyes, he fell asleep quickly.

And then, the sensation of warm lips on his mouth woke him up again.

Hot, demanding lips that were instantly recognizable.

In the back of his mind, Sanji felt like he probably should have put on the appearance of fighting back a little, but really, it's not like he hadn't expected such a thing to happen. Instead, as that increasingly urgent mouth pressed against his, he responded with a similar intensity. Unable to see much in the complete darkness of the room, he let his other senses drink in the details of the swordsman.

Like the texture of his soft, somewhat bristly hair. Sanji roughly clasped the strands, enjoying the feeling of the coarse strands sliding between his fingers.

Or the other man's calloused hands against his bare skin. It was surprising just how gentle the touch of those strong hands could be, as they glided over his skin at an almost agonizingly slow pace, tracing the lines of his muscles and bones on his chest and abdomen.

As usual, the faint smell of steel clung to the other man's hair and clothes, mixed with the salty air of the sea... and the scent of him. Sanji breathed deeply, taking in his scent, letting it fill his lungs. In the back of his mind, he realized that this could be addicting... Maybe even better than cigarettes.

As the other man's tongue fought its way into his own mouth with increasing force, he could pick up on the barely perceptible taste of the lager Zoro had been drinking, mixed in with the surprisingly sweet taste of his saliva. It was such an inconsistency with his salty personality, and it made Sanji want to drink it in endlessly.

And then then there was his voice. In the dead silence of the Crow's Nest, the low, rumbling voice filled his world, so that he could hear even the most hushed murmuration. He had never realized just how many slight sounds of pleasure that the swordsman let leak out. His resonating voice mesmerized him, making him want to do whatever he could to make the other man cry out louder and more frequently.

Sanji felt the stir within himself start to churn more urgently. He reached around Zoro, who was still leaning over him, wrapping his arms around his back so he could pull him down onto him. Bare chests firmly pressed together and Sanji began to kiss him even more desperately as their bodies grinded together.

They continued like that for awhile—how long, Sanji couldn't really say—but when they finally pulled their lips apart, they were both panting heavily. Not breaking the contact between their bodies, both men slightly overheated from the zeal of their kisses, Zoro rolled off of the other man onto his side, and Sanji turned to face him. As they stared at each other, Sanji could just barely make out Zoro's face in the darkness of the room.

He could see just enough to notice the swordsman start to smirk, though. "I thought it was strange when I noticed you climbing up here," Zoro commented.

"Ah, you saw? I didn't think anyone did," Sanji said, trying to mask the embarrassment in his tone.

Zoro nodded. "When you didn't come down after awhile, I decided to come up." The smirk widened into something more resemblant of a grin. "I have to say, I didn't expect to find an ero-cook in my bed."

"Tch, I was just looking for a quiet place to sleep," Sanji replied indifferently, averting his gaze, grateful that the darkness hid the tinge of pink in his cheeks.

"Then why the hell would you come here, dumbass cook," Zoro said, a bit threateningly, ending his sentence by reconnecting his lips with Sanji's.

This kiss was a little less forceful, although certainly not for lack of enthusiasm. It was softer, gentler, and a bit more slow-placed. Sanji took it in ardently, savoring the soft tongue gently sweeping against his. He felt fingers lace together with his own, and he pulled Zoro's hand up to the spot just underneath his chin, still keeping it intertwined with his own, pressing the swordsman's skin against his bare neck.

Once the kiss ceased, Sanji pressed his lips against Zoro's hand, and they laid there together in silence. At first, he expected the swordsman to continue, but then he realized the other man's breath was gradually slowing, as though he may have been drifting to sleep. He listened to his breathing for awhile, until soon, sleep overtook him as well.

When he woke up, his head was pressed against Zoro's bare chest and their bodies were tangled together. He could tell that the sun was starting to come out, and knew he would need to get up soon to start preparing breakfast, but he wanted to put it off just a few moments longer.

The swordsman was snoring lightly, and there was probably no way he could unravel their limbs without waking him. Not that he cared about waking the marimo up, he told himself—he just wanted to rest a few more minutes, that was all. Here, where they were safe from the eyes of the rest of the crew; it was okay for him to remain comfortable, for just a few more moments.

He was a little bit surprised at how noisy it was in the Crow's Nest, actually; there were strong winds outside, howling loudly and seeming to echo through the room. Yet over the noise from outside, he realized he could just barely make out the beating of Zoro's heart. Curiously, he pressed his ear against his chest a bit more firmly. He felt the green-haired man start to stir, but Sanji did not make any move to let him know he was awake.

Zoro sleepily pulled Sanji closer to him. The cook heard the swordsman's heartbeat began to grow more rapid, and he felt a mixture of surprise and wonderment over it.

Sure, his own heart was pounding thunderously in his chest, but he was surprised that it was happening to Zoro as well. Hadn't he seemed completely nonchalant about everything going on between them?

But maybe he had been more affected than he put on. He thought about the hot, flushed look on the swordsman's face while they were in the woods at the last island; surely at that time, the other man was feeling just as bothered as he was. Maybe it had been naive of him to believe the other man was unaffected.

"Oi, you're awake, aren't you?" Zoro asked suddenly, and Sanji felt a warm hand rest on top of his head.

"Ah," he said sleepily, pulling himself away from Zoro's pounding chest with a tinge of regret.

He sat up and looked back at Zoro, who he noticed was glancing toward the other end of the Crow's Nest with a slightly apprehensive look on his face.

"What?" Sanji asked, starting to pull himself upright.

Zoro glanced over at him, his expression slightly grim. "Can you hear that?"

"Ah, the wind? Yeah, I was surprised that it got to loud up here," Sanji replied, glancing out the window as he rose to his feet.

Zoro shook his head. "No, not that." He glanced to the other side of the Crow's Nest again, but Sanji couldn't see anything. "Just don't... don't act like a dumbass."

Something about the swordman's tone made his heart skip. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked, a bit nervously, as he went to grab his shirt.

"Ah, it stopped now," Zoro said.

It was only when the noise ceased that Sanji realized it wasn't only wind he had heard. When he first noticed it, it had sounded kind of like something scraping against metal. Since it was steady and repetitive, he had just assumed it was just wind hitting a certain part of the ship—especially since they were so high up.

Uneasiness washed over him as he looked in the direction that Zoro kept peering toward. If it wasn't the wind, there weren't many other things it could be, but they were supposed to be isolated up in the Crow's Nest...

Usopp suddenly stepped out of an area that was in a blind-spot to where they had been sleeping, lightly dabbing sweat off of his forehead with a towel. His eyes instantly met Sanji's and the long-nosed man's jaw dropped in surprise. He sputtered a few guttural sounds, but none of them actually formed words.

Sanji was instantly aware of what he looked like—what this looked like. It was barely light out, he had obviously just awakened, his shirt was unbuttoned and disheveled, and he was holding his tie in his hand. He shifted his gaze to Zoro, who was still laying down, bare-chested, rubbing sleep from his eyes, a blanket messily strewn across his lower half.

"Shit," Sanji muttered.

Finally, the long-nosed man seemed to find his voice. "S-sorry, I didn't know you were—I mean, I thought it was just Zoro in here," Usopp stammered, holding his hands in front of him as though in surrender. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"Usopp comes up here a lot," Zoro added, not bothering to get up.

"That isn't the first comment you should be making right now!" Sanji barked at Zoro. Shouldn't the shitty swordsman realize he should be trying to explain the situation to Usopp instead of to him?!

Then Sanji turned toward Usopp. "You're not interrupting anything. This isn't what it looks like."

"Well, not exactly what it looks like," Zoro added indifferently.

"Why are you no help at all?!" Sanji shouted as he turned toward the green-haired man again.

Usopp's eyes flickered back and forth between them nervously. "Ahh, I'm sorry, I'm going to get out of here," he said quickly, starting to back up toward the exit.

"There's no need, I'm the one who's leaving," Sanji said, fumbling to button his shirt as he rushed to the trapdoor.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't think to check to see if there was anyone else here…" Usopp called out after him.

You shouldn't have to, he thought in horror.

"Just forget about it," Sanji cried out as he disappeared through the trapdoor, slamming it shut behind him. He flew down the ladder and raced to the kitchen, feeling completely and utterly mortified.

When he was finally alone and out of sight, he sank down to the floor and cupped his hands over his mouth.

Again. It had happened again. A third time. This time, he thought they were being careful, and that there was no chance of anyone catching them together, but lo and behold, it had happened...

He clenched his jaw in agony, sinking even lower to the ground.

His mind was filled with horrible thoughts as he imagined his nakama, gossiping in hushed voices about a possible love affair.

A love affair? Can it even be called such a stupid thing? Sanji thought to himself, falling deeper into despair, feeling utterly crippled by his remorse.

He had no idea why he thought the Crow's Nest would be some kind of safe-haven, where none of the crew would unexpectedly venture, as if Zoro would have locked the rest of the world out while they were alone together. He had been so foolish allow himself to by lulled by a false sense of security that he had conveyed to himself.

More horrible images flooded his mind, this time of each of his nakama approaching him, one by one, asking him about it, searching for information, prying... The worst part was that even in his fear-fueled daydreams—more like day-nightmares, he thought—he imagined the humiliating support they might show. That acknowledgment truly terrified him, as though their recognition of it would make it feel more real somehow.

He bit down on his lip, hard, until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Shit, this is really bad. Pressing a shaking hand against his chest, he could feel his heart galloping like a wild stallion. It was hard to breathe. It was hard to move. It was so hard to do anything.

The only thing easy at that moment was the decision.

That's the last time I will ever let this happen.

This time, there was no hesitation and no room for compromise. It simply had to be over.