Author Notes: Sorry it took so long to get up. I am in college as a music major. Half my day is filled with class, lessons, and practice. The other is writing and sleeping. And I've been writing a one shot for every 31_days theme this month. I hate excuses, but I do feel like I have a viable one at least.

Theme 3: jolt!

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Claimed

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Chapter 3: Stormy Weather

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Luffy spent most of the next day moping around, but the crew seemed to blame his mood on the rainy weather. Which, to be honest, he did mope in a similar fashion when there was rain and he wasn't allowed to go outside and run around on deck. Though he personally enjoyed running around in the rain, the crew had made a rule for devil fruit users - Luffy included - to stay inside unless it was a bad storm and they were required to keep the ship afloat. Too many incidents happened in rainy weather. Luffy just figured they were all overprotective.

Currently, they were all sitting in the kitchen area, crowded together, each doing their own thing. Sanji was slicing up fruit for a mid-afternoon snack. Robin was reading at a table, sitting next to Luffy. Usopp was sitting on the floor with Chopper, the two building something with a set of small colored rods and blocks of different shapes and sizes. Nami was sitting across from him, sifting through maps and glancing at the newspaper articles she had opened, multitasking as she caught up on the latest news and worked on her maps at the same time. Zoro was sleeping in a far corner, and Ace was hanging around Sanji, offering to help but really just being a bother.

Luffy really wanted to tackle Zoro and force him to play a game, but he didn't know if that was against the rules or not. To be honest, he didn't truthfully know what Ace had meant by being "straight forward" or where he drew the line. He assumed tackling was out of the question, since Ace had done that at the start of all the problems, but then again it wasn't like he would be trying to steal a kiss. He just wanted a playmate now - and his usual backups were busy.

So he pouted, elbows on the table, and stared at Nami. Watched her work. Followed her eyes as the irises moved back and forth while she read, and then blinked quickly and flicked to her maps. As she drew a line, her tongue would slowly leave her mouth and grip against her check, giving her face a look of intense concentration. A look Luffy had seen from Usopp when the sharpshooter was drawing or painting or sculpting or otherwise being artistic.

Was map-making like an art?

He had never noticed her focus for it before. He had never taken the time to notice. He had always been busy watching someone else; it was much more fun to poke at a sleeping Zoro than to annoy a busy Nami, after all.

The rain pelted outside, hitting the sides of the ship relentlessly but not hard enough to cause worry; the wind was not strong enough to mean danger. Nami would notice if something changed. He could trust in her because she was his navigator.

Suddenly, the pen Luffy was staring at stopped moving across the paper and it was set down. "What's wrong, Luffy?" Nami asked.

Luffy pouted his lips out, feeling his fingers pressing against his face, fighting a strange urge to stretch his cheeks and pop them back. "I'm bored," he groaned.

To his surprise, Zoro responded to the comment. "Keh, like that's new."

Luffy looked up at his swordsman's voice, staring across the table at the other side of the room where Zoro sat against the far wall, one leg pulled up with his knee bent, the other lying straight out in front of him. His swords were on the floor beside him, never far from reach. Of course his arms were crossed and his eyes were half-opened. It was almost like nothing had happened yesterday, like whatever had been bothering Zoro had strangely been forgotten and the green haired swordsman was glaring at Luffy for waking him up, even if Nami had been the one to speak.

It made Luffy want to pounce the swordsman even more, but a glance toward Ace - who was leaning against a counter, quiet and observant - kept him in his seat. 'Stupid deal.'

"Ne, Zoro, can I play with you?"

Zoro didn't even blink at the question. He did what he always did: he rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Not now; try someone-"

"What if I want to play with you, Zoro-kun?"

Ace's version of the question made the swordsman freeze his words, tense his body. Luffy could only watch as Zoro's hand went to his pocket; he could only watch as the blush formed on the tan skin. He wished he could read what was in Zoro's mind, wished he could know what Ace had written in that letter.

Feeling bubbles in the pit of his stomach mixed with anger, Luffy turned to his brother, hating the grin hiding under shadowed eyes. He stuck his tongue out and Ace shrugged in response.

Everyone else seemed poised on Zoro's answer, waiting for the usual, listening in because they knew it was taking Zoro too long to answer such a simple question. After a moment, the swordsman took a breath and stood up, taking his swords with him as he aimed for the door.

"I need some air," he muttered, walking outside into the pouring rain, much to Luffy's disappointment.

'He never answered Ace's question. Does that mean he...?'

With a growl, kicking his legs under the table, he turned a glare to his brother, who was still leaning against the counter, arms crossed, hat down to shade his eyes. "Can't you just leave him alone?"

Ace looked up but his smirk didn't drop. "He's fun to play with; isn't that why you like him?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Luffy grumbled.

Ace stepped over to his brother and pressed down on the straw hat, but he put too much force into it and ended up shoving Luffy's face into the wooden table. "Besides, we made a deal and I'm not being straight-forward." Luffy's arms reached around and grabbed onto Ace's wrist, but his brother didn't let go. "It's not my fault if you're being too subtle for him to get the message."

Growling into the table, Luffy clenched his teeth and snapped at his brother. "I just don't want to scare him off."

In a sudden movement, Ace released his hold on Luffy. When Luffy sat up again, rubbing his neck, he looked over to see Ace with a hand at his chin. "Do you think I'm scaring him off?"

Nami was the one to answer, smiling as she tried to focus on her map making. "I don't think Zoro is used to the attention so you might be."

Ace nodded his head, opened his mouth to say something else, but the squeak of the door opening brought the room's attention away from the fire devil fruit user. Since no one came in and Luffy hadn't managed to see who had left, he started looking around the room to figure out who was missing. Usopp and Chopper were still on the ground, a miniature ship still in the process of being built with their blocks. Robin hadn't moved from her position next to him, though her book had closed. And Nami hadn't moved either, beyond craning her head around to see the door.

Luffy blinked when he thought of the two people that left. He spun his eyes to the sink and found the cook missing.

"Why would Sanji go out in the rain?" Usopp asked, being the first to speak the question.

Luffy shrugged, not thinking anything of it, until Ace voiced his opinion. "Maybe he's got a crush on Zoro, too, and this is his chance to have our favorite swordsman alone."

Nami laughed, as if the idea were absurd, but Luffy felt his heart skip a beat as his body tensed at the idea.

'Not Sanji too...'

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Sanji had his hand on the cigarette before his mind could tell his fingers about the rain. He grimaced, threw the soaked thing away, and shifted his jacket to try to keep the rain from streaking down his back between skin and shirt. Eventually, he gave up and let his eyes search the deck for his reason for coming out here.

He found Zoro near the front of the ship, hands stretched apart on the railing, face leaning into the angle of the rain. The green hair shifted ever so slightly in the light wind and the white shirt was now completely soaked through, as were the dark pants and haramaki.

Honestly, he hadn't excepted to find Zoro standing in the rain; he had more or less planned to find the marimo in the men's quarters down below. Now he had to think of a new excuse to confront the swordsman. After a few moments of being pelted by rain, Sanji shook his head and gave up on the idea of an excuse; if Zoro read too much into his choice to come talk, then so be it. Then again, he didn't think Zoro read between the lines on anything so maybe he would be safe.

Picking up his feet, he moved forward and made his way to the railing beside the green haired swordsman. Avoiding the urge to meet the gaze that moved to him, he instead placed his arms on the wet railing - wincing when he realized how much water had collected on the wood. He focused on a random spot in the ocean and decided to watch the waves as they moved across the waters.

He thought about why he had come out here, unable to give himself a satisfactory answer. Why did he suddenly care about the problems surrounding the marimo? It wasn't like Zoro needed help or advice or... Well, come to think of it, maybe he did. Sanji had never known the swordsman to deal with flirtation, well or otherwise. And Ace and Luffy were so suddenly jumping him with attention, he probably felt incredibly overwhelmed.

So, that's why Sanji was out here. Because Zoro was nakama and having love issues. Not because he cared like that, but because he was concerned for a friend.

"Why are they doing this?" Zoro muttered into the rain.

Sanji risked a glance over to see the swordsman focusing at a point in the distance, much in the same way Sanji had earlier. The dark eyes squinted against the rain but didn't close, staying focused on that singular point in the distance as if it were the only thing he could trust in.

Clearing his throat, Sanji answered, "Simple answer: they like you, though why is beyond my reasoning because to me you're just a shitty marimo."

At the insult, Zoro's lips actually tilted up in a small smile, as if thankful for the one consistency he could rely on. The smile didn't stay long, quickly falling to a frown. "So what's the complicated answer?"

Sanji sighed and moved a hand to the back of his head, rubbing against his hair as if the movement would will the thoughts to coalesce into words. "Well..." he started, finding himself without the needed words. So he stopped and dropped his arm, placing his hand a little too close to Zoro's - seeing as the marimo winced at the closer proximity. "Apparently, Luffy is trying to be subtle and win you over by being nice, which I guess in his mind translates to him leaving you alone."

Zoro grunted, muttering something under his breath, his eyes glancing down at the waves near the boat instead of out in the distance.

Sanji let out a breath, wished for a cigarette, and continued. "Ace, on the other hand, apparently made an agreement with Luffy to be less straight forward."

Zoro spun his head to face him. "If he's being subtle, I don't want to know what his idea of a serious flirt..."

"Probably rape," Sanji said, surprised to hear the growl in his voice.

Zoro blinked and narrowed his eyes. "I could stop something like that, I just..."

"Just choose not to?" Now Sanji knew for sure he was scowling.

"What? No!" Zoro exclaimed at the very idea, his eyes now wide, throwing one arm up as if to accent his point, keeping the other holding tight to the railing. "Why would I allow something like that to happen? Why would you think I'd allow something like that?"

Feeling his own eyes narrow, Sanji decided to ignore the contact bubble Zoro had placed around himself. He positioned himself in front of the marimo, who now had both hands and his back on the ship's edge. Jabbing a finger at the swordsman's chest, Sanji felt his voice raise with his anger.

"You almost did yesterday, idiot marimo!"

At the words, Zoro grimaced and looked away, as if afraid to meet his eyes. He could almost read the dazed expression, guessing that the green haired man was thinking back to the other day, hating the reminder. Because it was true.

"I was just put off balance," Zoro mumbled into the rain, as if even he thought the excuse was pathetic.

Sanji crossed his arms and stared him down. Glared, even. "Uh huh. Sure. That's fucking pathetic, marimo. You? Off balance? Did you even know what Ace was doing or were you just trapped and reacting like that because..."

He drifted off. An idea had hit him. A preposterous idea. Something he had assumed from the beginning but had never asked about. Maybe his assumption had been wrong. Maybe Zoro was actually in fact...

"Because what, shit-cook?" Zoro growled, his eyes now connecting with Sanji's, meeting him glare for glare. "Don't leave the sentence hanging when I know you have an insult ready. You've never held back before. What's wrong now?"

Sanji ignored him, pouncing with his question instead. "Are you a virgin?"

For a moment, Zoro just stared back at him, his eyes blinking in confused silence. The rain ran between them, leaving tracks on their skin. Sanji watched it drip from the short green hairs near the top of Zoro's forehead, only to be quickly wiped off by a large tan hand. And of course the water started to gather again, fueled by the pouring rain - it had started to pour harder the longer they spent out here.

"What kind of question...?"

"Just answer it," Sanji snapped. "Or are you afraid of telling me because you are one?"

Zoro scowled in response, his teeth grinding against each other. Sanji noticed the hands clench around the railing, and he recognized the actions of someone trying to decide whether or not to lie. But why would Zoro want to lie unless he...?

The cook snorted and turned his glance down. "Well that explains a lot."

"Oi, I didn't even say anything!" Zoro snapped, but his face was red because he knew Sanji had figured out the answer.

"And that's all I needed," Sanji retorted with a shrug. "You should work on lying, marimo; maybe Usopp could give you lessons."

"I didn't say anything..." Zoro mumbled, but his repeated words were soon forgotten when a loud crash resounded around the ship.

Sanji glanced up in time to see the bright flash of a lightning bolt still blurred against the darkened sky. His eyes blinked, feeling blinded because the damn thing had been so close and left an imprint in the air nearby. Not to mention, his ears felt like someone had shot a gun right beside him without a warning. The light left eventually and sound returned to his ear drums shortly after, allowing him to both see that Zoro had spun around and hear the all-too-predictable curse.

"Shit!" Zoro snapped, starting to turn again. "Oi, cook, go get Nami -" but his words were cut off yet again as another lightning bolt crashed nearby. This time it almost hit the ship.

Seeing as Zoro was on the edge, he stumbled backward at the close proximity of the electricity attacking from the sky. Sanji watched as if in slow motion as the swordsman lost his footing and started to fall back. He reacted instinctively, seeing as Zoro would have taken him down to the deck floor as well if he had continued to fall. So he reached out, catching the stumbling swordsman underneath his armpits.

"Well, that was interesting." Sanji commented.

There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Even without being called, Nami was out of the ship cabin, along with the rest of the crew and Ace. The navigator started to do her work, shouting orders as the storm escalated in power around them.

"Sanji, Zoro, grab that rope!"

Apparently, Nami's order was enough to get Zoro to move. He started to twist out of the cook's grip, but Sanji had a strange urge to hold him back, so he held fast, refusing to let go. "Oi, cook, what the hell are you doing?"

Smirking, wishing he could be in front of the green haired man to see his reaction, Sanji leaned down and kissed the side of the marimo's neck, feeling the swordsman's entire body tense as a warmth immediately appeared, spreading. Trying to hold back his laughter, he let Zoro free, only to lose it when the man spun around, face flushed red and angry as hell.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, shit-cook?" Zoro screamed, clenching his fist but keeping a distance now, as if afraid to get anywhere near close contact.

Sanji just laughed in his face, working hard not to double over, gripping his side as the rain continued to wash over his soaked hair and skin. "Now I know why Ace enjoys this," he said, losing himself to laughter once again at Zoro's frozen, slightly dazed deadpan stare.

"What?"

Sanji took a breath, forced himself under control, and resolved to smirk and nothing more. "You're so fun to tease." Zoro's face paled and Sanji had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep control of his laughter. "Don't take it too seriously, marimo. It was a joke."

"Sanji! Zoro!" Nami screamed from a spot near the helm where she was trying to watch what everyone was doing and stare into the darkness of the storm all around them.

"That's a sick joke," he heard Zoro mutter as he started to reach for the rope Nami had indicated earlier.

But then Chopper's scream broke through, interrupting Sanji's chance at a response. "Luffy fell overboard!"

Sanji immediately reached for his tie, intending to take it off as his shoes were kicked off his feet. But when he glanced to where Zoro had been standing, he realized that the marimo hadn't even hesitated. The swordsman was already jumping in the water to search for his captain. Sanji sighed. Even after all the weird shit and awkward moments Luffy had put Zoro through recently, the marimo hadn't even hesitated.

As he went back to the more pressing matter of following Nami-san's navigation orders, Sanji realized he was frowning. He snapped at himself, wondering why the fuck he was acting like he was jealous or something. He was just mad at getting water in his shoes for no reason. That was all.

With a grumble, he glanced over to see Ace standing on the edge of the rocking ship, staring down into the water, and he actually had to wonder. Didn't Ace realize who Zoro actually responded to? Or was that longing look one of envy? Did Ace know and yet not care?

Sanji scowled, and then frowned when he realized what he was doing. Why the hell did he even give a shit?

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A/N: Whew, again, sorry that took so long. I did a little at a time as often as I could. Sleep is good, too, after all.

Kairi says: The lightning bolt idea was mine. Keheh