Me: To Guest, I imagine a marimo frowning with bushy eyebrows. ^-^ Bushy like Rock Lee.

Pink Dust isn't Always Magical

The next morning on the Sunny was not Zoro's easiest start of the day. Sanji usually beat everyone out of bed in order to prepare breakfast, but the swordsman found the slightly beaming cook hugging his waist snugly as soon as he opened his eyes. Of course Zoro questioned why he was still in bed which, in retrospect, would have been better to just let him be. But this was not the case since Zoro had to fucking ask it out of curiosity. What the blonde said nearly tore his heart out right then and there for having such despicable thoughts the night before. "I love sharing a bed with you, Marimo. I always had to sleep alone at the Baratie. It's nice to know I have someone to wake up next to." Zoro groaned unintentionally, causing the blonde to give him a quizzical look, but disregarded it.

Not to mention the small doctor commented on Sanji's improved posture and energy at breakfast. The chef smoked his cigarette calmly through a genuine smile, giving the credit to a certain fluffy marimo pillow aloud. The crew laughed good-heartedly, except for Zoro, who was feeling a tad guilty. He was helping Sanji so much by just sharing a bed with him, and he couldn't endure it because of a few measly kicks and slaps?

Zoro was torn between getting a good night's sleep or helping the one he loved. Well, no doubt he would pick Sanji over himself, but what about him? He didn't know how much longer he could go without sleeping properly; hopefully Chopper could give him something strong enough to knock out an elephant. Or maybe a dinosaur.

There he stood, outside of the infirmary, furiously debating with himself. Little did he know, Zoro was mumbling as he processed his options, tapping his boots practically into the floorboards. The door in front of him opened, though he didn't notice, and Chopper looked up at the swordsman with concern. "Zoro? What's wrong?! Are you hurt?! IS ANYONE HURT UP THERE?"

The squeaky voice startled Zoro out of his thoughts and he looked at the hysterical reindeer. Damn, he hadn't made a conclusion yet. Winging it seemed like the only solution. "Uh, I need some pills," he stated, hoping that his terrible lying ability wouldn't give anything away. Chopper raised a visible eyebrow as his ear twitched, "Pills? Zoro, I can't give you pills just because you want them. Something has to be wrong."

"I can't sleep. And I haven't been for...a while," the mosshead admitted.

"A while? How long is a while?" the doctor's tone had menace to it, probably in disappointment.

"...I don't know...uh, months?"

"MONTHS?" Chopper bellowed, "Why didn't you tell me? Your body could shut down on you without getting rest!"

"I've been napping," the swordsman numbly pouted.

"How long has your naps lasted?"

"About ten minutes before I need to train or help the cook with something."

"THAT'S EVEN WORSE! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE INTERCOURSE WHILE YOU'RE EXHAUSTED, DAMMNIT!"

The swordsman felt like there was a stove inside his mouth. He willed the damn blush to fade as he choked out, "O-Oi, who said anything about sex?!"

"I'm not a fool, Zoro," Chopper stated, "I may be a kid in everyone's eyes, but I'm still an animal. I know what sex smells like and, frankly, I'm pissed that you've done it so many times without telling me about this! You may have insomnia, and you could contract an illness!" The reindeer ranted on about how this lack of sleep was putting a damper on his health as he rummaged through his medical cabinet. Chopper retrieved a small clear bottle with pinkish powder filled to the brim. Zoro watched in silent amazement how the young doctor never ceased his ranting, not even for a breath, as he wrote something down on his clipboard and handed him the bottle.

"-or the next time I give you a check-up my otoscope will go so far in your ear no surgery or hearing-aid could ever help you. Got it?"

Zoro sort of tuned out the threat, but he got the idea of it. He nodded and thanked Chopper for the medicine gratefully, making the reindeer wiggle in non-contained happiness.

XVX

"One hundred thousand five hundred sixty-seven...one hundred thousand five hundred sixty-six...no, wait," Zoro grunted in frustration as he faceplanted with the floor, his body finally giving out on him. Sighing, the swordsman forced himself to sit up, which apparently wasn't happening any time soon. He couldn't even train now, thanks to his wandering thoughts about upsetting Sanji and wondering if the powder he carelessly threw on his bed would work or not. Knowing Chopper, the medicine would indeed be foolproof, but Zoro had a bad feeling in his gut. He couldn't tell from what exactly, but if he had to chance it, it was the medicine. Zoro didn't mind taking pills or liquid, so he wasn't concerned about the taste. Was it possibly the effect it might have that irked him so much? Perhaps the color of it? He never ate anything pink before, so maybe that's what was bothering him so much.

What if it didn't work? Zoro refused to speak to Sanji about it, no matter how many times he got hit in the damn face. The cook was so emotional it was ridiculous. Plus, the things he said earlier tugged at his heart-strings and made the fuzzy feeling ten times stronger. Zoro didn't want to fuck anything up just because he couldn't sleep. He'd endure it until Sanji was sick of sleeping with him, if it ever happened. And honestly, did Zoro want it to happen? He wanted the toe ear plugs to stop for sure, but the cook's presence was incredibly soothing even if he couldn't sleep. Zoro could hold whatever part of Sanji wasn't moving and watch him peacefully sleep on him. It made him feel somewhat content.

While climbing down the rigging, the smell of something burning invaded Zoro's nostrils. Fueled on fear, the swordsman jumped the rest of the way, landing hard on his feet and making his bones vibrate. Whatever was burning, it wouldn't be in the kitchen, lest Sanji gave Zoro a better reason to complain about his (secretly delicious) food. Zoro could hear Franky in the distance along with violent sounds of water, yelling something along the lines of "there it was".

Confused but not at all hesitant, the swordsman traveled below deck to the men's quarters. The burnt smell grew stronger as he opened the door slightly. Franky was wielding a giant hose and spraying water towards the beds. To Zoro's dismay and shock, the force of the water shot a bed straight through the Sunny's wall and into the ocean.

His bed.

"Oi..." Zoro growled.

Franky glanced over his shoulder and quickly shut off the hose. He grinned nervously at the fuming swordsman as he scratched his large forearms. "Ehehehe, Zoro-bro! H-H-how you doing?"

"What happened down here?"

"...Well, your bed was on fire."

"I kind of fucking figured or else we would have had a problem with you blowing my damn mattress out to sea. How the hell did it get set on fire?"

The cyborg held up the bottle Chopper gave him, but it was empty, charred and the top was blown off. Zoro gave a puzzled look at it before he frowned. What the hell happened to it? Franky tossed it to him, which he caught on impulse. "Uh, the powder did this...?" Zoro concluded.

Franky nodded, "Usopp-bro's been looking for that. I don't know how it got in here, though. It's his new invention. The powder is full of RDX and gun powder, so all you need to do is shake the bottle before it explodes. I really don't know what it's doing in here..."

Gun powder? Zoro's eyes widened in utter terror. "So, what if it was digested?"

"Digested? Uh, the toxin would cause the body to go into shock; possibly poison someone. Why?"

Well, fuck. I almost died, Zoro thought. How the hell did that end up in Chopper's medical cabinet? Franky left the room after all questions were confirmed, leaving the swordsman to wallow in his former bed spot. He would have been poisoned...and now he has no place to sleep. And now there's a giant hole in the ship letting a cold draft in. Franky would fix it before the day was over, but that didn't solve his mattress problem. Where could he possibly...?

Oh, fuck, Zoro groaned. His eyes darted over to the cook's bed, untouched for months, looking almost brand new. There was no other choice. He literally had to sleep with Sanji. Unless he settled for the rowdy captain, but no man in his right mind would bunk with Luffy. Mainly because the boy would try to eat you in place of meat. Zoro ran a hand over his face in defeat. Maybe Sanji would act differently in his own bed?