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“Oi! Dinner’s ready!” Sanji called out to the deck before going back inside the galley and leaning against the counter. The rest of the crew would be scrambling here soon, making a ruckus no doubt. He exhaled a cloud of smoke out the window, trying his best to ignore the feeling of wanting to jump out of his skin.
Luffy was the first to barge into the galley, loudly exclaiming his need for food and immediately helping himself to a heaping of meat. He was followed soon after by the rest of the crew trickling in, sitting at their rightful places at the table. He gave the sight of his friends eating a small smile, even though he was currently feeling like absolute utter shit.
This feeling was new, unfamiliar and very, very strange. Sanji swallowed a lump in his throat, his fingers twitching at his sides. He lit another cigarette, hoping that it would at least work to calm his nerves. Perhaps it was anxiety or maybe he ate something bad, there was nothing else to explain the way he was feeling.
He frowned at the empty spot at the table—the mosshead still hadn’t arrived. Sanji clicked his tongue, annoyance surging. He was probably still up in the crow’s nest training, that sword-obsessed freak.
A feeling of restlessness washed over him, yet there was a deep ache buried inside of him. His stomach churned, his insides twisted and turned, like parasites struggling to break free.
He inhaled, focusing on the intermingling scents of his crew members. Luffy’s scent stood out the most, which made sense, considering the fact that he was an alpha and barely showered at that. Robin’s scent stood out as well; an elegant blend of sage and bergamot filled his nostrils. Sanji sighed dopily, a beautiful scent befitting of a beautiful woman.
Nami and Usopp, being betas, naturally had more muted scents but Sanji still absolutely loved the smell of tangerines following Nami wherever she went and Usopp’s woodsy scent.
The galley door swung open and a yawning Zoro walked in, scratching his belly idly. The alpha’s strong stench of earthy musk and swordsteel filled Sanji’s nose.
“Looks like the overgrown moss finally decided to join us. What an honor.” Sanji remarked, sarcasm dripping from every word. He glared at the other man, getting a glare in return.
“Fuckin’ shitty cook.” Zoro mumbled, unceremoniously dropping down onto his seat and shoving rice down his throat.
“What the hell are you doing?! You can’t even taste the food at that point!” Sanji fumed. God, what he would do to just dropkick the stupid swordsman into the sea right now.
“So?” Zoro said through a mouthful of rice, stray grains flying out from his mouth as he talked. Nami looked at him with disgust, and Sanji felt the last string of self control snap.
Sanji raised his leg up, in all fiery passion and rage, preparing to knock Zoro over the head when a sudden wave of nausea came over him, causing him to stumble. It was slight, but even still, Zoro noticed, grabbing Sanji’s wrist to make sure he didn't fall. Sanji flushed, pushing Zoro away.
He cradled his wrist against his chest, the scent glands on his wrist, where Zoro grabbed him, felt like they were on fire—something that he should most definitely not be feeling. He was a beta after all, so why…? He shook his head, getting rid of any stupid thoughts his brain was cooking up.
“Don’t fucking touch me, dumbass.” Sanji spat out, his face on fire. Zoro only stared at him blankly, his steel-gray eyes narrowing.
“Sanji, are you okay? You look a little distracted.” Robin pointed out, interrupting Sanji from his reverie. He twirled over to where she was sitting, refilling her cup of tea.
“I’m alright, my dear Robin! No need to worry about me!” Sanji gave her the biggest smile he could muster but it did nothing to stop the concerned look growing on Robin’s face.
“Is something wrong? Do you need me to check up on you?” Chopper said worryingly, hopping off his chair and running over to where Sanji was. Sanji waved his arms dismissively, backing away.
“No need, I’m okay, really.” Sanji said, hoping it was enough to appease the little doctor. As Sanji took a step backwards, his legs suddenly grew weak, and he faltered. He caught himself quickly but it was enough to alert the rest of the crew.
“You sure don’t look okay.” Usopp frowned at him, cocking his head to the side. And shit, Sanji sure didn’t feel okay right now. That feeling of uneasiness only grew tenfold as seconds ticked by. He slumped onto a chair, unable to take the sudden dizziness that overcame him.
Chopper placed a gentle hoof on Sanji’s forehead, the doctor reeling back in shock almost immediately. “Sanji! You’re burning up!”
Sanji would feel guilty about distraught Chopper sounded if he wasn’t currently fighting to stay conscious. Sweat dripped down his forehead as an all-encompassing feeling of heat washed over him. But it felt wrong— this was no ordinary fever, this was something else entirely.
Spots began to appear in his vision and he could barely register what was happening in his surroundings—he could hear the sounds of muffled conversations and he vaguely felt himself being lifted up.
The scent of earth and steel filled his lungs once again and suddenly, the world was quiet again. He could breathe again. He inhaled the scent again obsessively—he couldn’t get enough of it. Sanji lifted his head, his nose seeking the source of the comforting scent. He absentmindedly nuzzled his face against the source, still drunk on the endorphins.
Slowly, he felt himself falling deeper into slumber, lulled to sleep by that scent and the gentle heartbeat next to him.
Sanji woke up with a gasp, clutching his chest where his heart was beating rapidly. His shirt clung to his body in the most uncomfortable way possible. He fought to get rid of it, feeling like the fabric was suffocating him somehow. The internal heat persisted, settling somewhere deep in his belly. But that wasn’t the concerning part.
He clenched his trembling hands into fists. He wanted…he wanted . He stumbled to the closest mirror. Oh god, oh fuck. The scent gland on his neck was completely inflamed, ready for a bite. Sanji fell back, his mind spiraling.
This shouldn’t be happening. He was a beta, there was no possible way, right? He hesitantly sniffed himself, the scent of cinnamon sugar greeting him. Oh fuck, only omegas had sweet scents. His eyes scanned his surroundings, noticing the mountain of blankets and pillows he was currently resting in. Oh no.
The door opened, Sanji snapped his head to find Chopper looking at him with concern.
“Chopper, please don’t tell me it’s what I think it is.” Sanji crawled over to him, grabbing him and shaking the little reindeer in desperation. “I can’t be…”
“Well…” Chopper started, once Sanji let him go. “I can always test it again?”
“Oh fuck .” Sanji cradled his face in his hands. “How is this happening?!”
“It looks like your endocrine system had been stunted for quite a while due to malnutrition and only now did your brain signal your pituitary gland to begin the onset of your presentation.” Chopper explained matter-of-factly; Sanji stared at him blankly. “Oh! Sorry, basically your presentation was just delayed due to…extenuating circumstances.”
Sanji sighed, falling backward so that he was laying down again. “This is a lot of information to take in.”
“I know, if you have any questions, you can always ask me!” Chopper trotted up to him, placing a hoof over Sanji’s hand. “And you know that whether you're a beta or an omega, you’ll always be nakama.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Sanji gave him a small, but genuine smile, enjoying how Chopper squirmed.
“That doesn’t make me happy at all!” Chopper giggled, rubbing the back of his head shyly. Sanji chuckled, ruffling the top of Chopper’s head.
Chopper left soon after, leaving Sanji with just his thoughts to keep him company. That rock sure did a number on him—not only was it absolutely traumatizing but it actually still affected him physically, even after years of recovery.
And honestly, he had no idea how to feel about his new secondary gender. It explained a few things: his instinctual urge to care for others, for instance. But omegas were usually pretty little things, docile and sweet. Sanji was the complete opposite of that—he was rude, loud, abrasive and smoked a pack a day. If anything, he should probably be an alpha.
Being raised by a gruff alpha who was an ex-pirate, it wasn’t surprising that he also picked up some of his alpha posturing. Perhaps that’s why he and Zoro fought so often. He remembered Zoro being surprised when he found out Sanji was a beta. Well, now he’d be even more surprised to find that Sanji’s an omega.
Oh shit, since he was an omega now, that meant he could have kids now, in that way. He slapped himself, throwing that thought away immediately before he went into a full blown panic attack. He did not want to think about the logistics of that right now. Absolutely not. He was a man , he would rather die than be on the receiving end of… that.
His heat-riddled mind immediately conjured up the image of a certain swordsman, of the moss kind. His abs, the muscled arms that could certainly manhandle Sanji into submission, the gruff voice, the sharp jawline, those long eyelashes-
Sanji screamed into his pillow, punching the floor. This couldn’t be happening, there was no way he could be thinking about the overgrown moss that way. Hell, that damn gorilla barely even showered , there was no way Sanji would ever let that brute around his more sensitive parts.
Sanji lifted his head up slightly to get some air. He imagined Zoro on top of him, in all his sweaty glory, and his scent completely unconstrained, filling up Sanji’s lungs until all he could breathe was Zoro’s air.
He screamed again. He was fucked .
Sanji finally left the heat room a few days later, trying not to think about the unspeakable things he had done while under the influence of heat. He didn’t think he’d even have the courage to look at his friends' faces anymore. Chopper gave him one last check up and declared him alright enough to continue his regular duties on board.
Sanji cooked up a lavish meal as a gift to his friends and also to help ease the feelings of guilt in him at leaving his crew without proper meals. Dinner came around and Sanji was pleased to find that nothing had really changed, his friends were still there same selves and treated him as their equals.
“Wow! Sanji, you smell really good!” Luffy said after stuffing his nose into Sanji’s neck. Sanji pushed Luffy’s face away from him with a grimace, that area still a little sensitive.
“He’s right, you do smell amazing!” Nami added.
“Really? You think so?” Sanji swooned, eyes turning into hearts, his own heart fluttering with happiness. His scent spiked, growing even more sugary sweet. Robin sniffed the air, humming. “We may need to teach you how to control your scent and reign it in, but it is very nice.”
Sanji dropped, his scent turning from sugary sweet to burnt. “I’m sorry, Robin…”
“We’ll work on it. It’s only natural since you're a late bloomer.” Robin gave him a warm smile.
Sanji beamed at her, eyes darting around. They fell on an empty chair, reminiscent of the last time he’d been here.
“Is Zoro not coming?” Sanji asked, feeling disappointed for some reason.
“He says that he has training to do.” Luffy said, chomping on an onigiri, which were supposed to be for Zoro. Sanji glared at him, but let Luffy off the hook this time since the mosshead was getting on his nerves.
“What kind of training is he doing this time?” Sanji asked the air and he most definitely did not pout. Grown men, especially Sanji, did not pout, much less for Zoro.
“Something about self-control and meditation, I think.” Usopp scratched his head, thinking deeply.
“It’s fine, I’ll just bring his food up to him later.” Sanji shrugged, deciding to just leave it at that.
Much later, Sanji prepared a new plate of onigiri to replace the one Luffy ate and even grabbed a bottle of booze. He climbed up to the crows nest, delicately balancing everything so it didn’t fall.
When he finally reached the top, Sanji was greeted by the sight of Zoro looking out at the vast ocean, hugging his swords against his chest.
“Oi.” Sanji called out to him. Zoro didn’t move a muscle. “I have your food since someone decided not to show up to dinner.”
“Not hungry.” Zoro muttered back, his back still turned to Sanji. Sanji set down the bottle and the plate, making his way to where Zoro sat.
“I feed you and this is the thanks I get?” Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, giving Zoro a nudging kick. “Come eat, you sentient plant life.”
Zoro exhaled loudly, his hands balling up into fists. Sanji raised his eyebrows, surely that miniscule little comment didn’t offend Zoro that much.
“Just leave it there, you can go.” Zoro said tightly, still with his back turned. Sanji frowned, this was unlike Zoro to refuse to rise to the bait. He crushed his cigarette beneath his heel.
“Why won’t you turn around?” Sanji stepped even closer until his legs were nearly touching Zoro’s back. Looking down, he could see Zoro’s hands tighten from where they were grasping his swords. There was no response from the marimo. “I asked you a question.”
“You reek.”
A soft gasp escaped from Sanji’s lips in his shock. For a moment, he wondered if he simply imagined it. Zoro was a lot of things but heartless was not one of them, even if the other man sincerely wanted it to be. Underneath all that violence, Sanji knew that a kind man lay there. Zoro wasn’t the type of man to look down on someone for their second gender, so why?
Maybe that was the case. Maybe the moment Sanji presented, he lost all respect from Zoro. Omegas weren’t exactly well-known to be fighters after all—they were home makers, nurturers, ones that would keep the nest cozy for their mates. He had hoped that his display of strength before he presented would be enough to earn Zoro’s trust, for Zoro to continue trusting him with the safety of the crew.
“I’ll leave you to it then.” Sanji escaped down the hatch, wanting to get as far away from Zoro as possible. He tried to not let it get to him, it was just Zoro after all and why should he care about the opinion of someone who couldn’t tell right from left?? But it still hurt. It really hurt.
He fled to the safety of his galley, busying himself with making snacks to take his mind off of things. His mind was so occupied in fact, that he didn’t even register Usopp coming in.
“Phew, what’s got you all worked up?” Usopp said, pinching his nose. Sanji turned towards him, biting his bottom lip.
“Usopp…do I really reek?” Sanji asked quietly, fidgeting with his fingers, fighting back waves of sadness. Fuck these damn hormones.
“Uhhhhh, I mean in what way? Reek is kinda harsh.” Usopp sat down at the table, Sanji slid a cup of tea his way, sitting down across from him.
“Like, you know,” Sanji shrugged helplessly. Usopp hummed, taking a sip of his tea. “Zoro said I reeked.”
Usopp spit out a mouthful of tea, leaving Sanji’s face dripping. He hacked his lungs out. “He said that?!”
“Yeah.” Sanji wiped his face, offering some napkins to the still coughing man.
“Jeez, he really is bad with words.” Usopp rubbed his chin, thinking deeply. “You know he didn’t mean it like that, right?”
“I dunno, he seemed pretty resolute about it.”
“Hmm, it’s probably because you were all over him when you were in heat.”
“I what?!”
“Yeah, like he carried you all the way to the heat room and you refused to let go.”
“Fuck…no wonder.”
“I still don’t think he meant it in a bad way, but you know, alphas and omegas and all that scent stuff.” Usopp gestured to the air. “That’s probably why he wants to train his self-control.”
“Thanks, Usopp. I think I’ll just give him some space for now.” Sanji sighed. No wonder Zoro was avoiding him—he was probably trying to train himself to not vomit every time he was near Sanji.
“You do that, Sanji. Don’t take his words to heart, we’re all friends here.”
Sanji waved him goodbye as he left the galley, leaving Sanji gripping his cup of tea in his hands. Zoro was disgusted with him, he would be too if he had an omega he barely tolerated all over him. Honestly, Sanji was grateful that Zoro even helped him get to the heat room in that state, he must’ve been fighting the disgust all the while.
Sanji sighed, burying his head in his arms. Just when their relationship was starting to get better, he just had to go and fuck it up. Their arguments had started to grow from actively antagonistic to playful bantering and now Sanji wished they could at least revert back to antagonizing each other instead of ignoring each other.
They finally landed on an island a week after the incident. Zoro never came to dinner and Sanji asked Usopp to deliver his meals to him. Usopp would agree but not without a concerned look thrown his way.
The rest of the crew picked up on it as well, or at least they knew that something happened between Zoro and Sanji. The underlying tension on the ship grew almost unbearable at times, so he was extremely relieved to finally get away from the oppressive atmosphere. He stretched his legs, finally setting them on land after so much time out on sea.
The island that they landed on had a tiny port where they docked at and to Sanji’s delight, they had a market right next to it. He got his budget from Nami and immediately set off to restock the pantry. The rest of the crew, with nothing better to do, followed him to the market, wanting to see the wares themselves.
As he walked through the market, his hairs on the back of his neck stood up, he was on edge immediately. He was being watched. He could feel eyes following him everywhere. No one else seemed to notice, however, so he relaxed minutely. They split up, each gravitating towards different stalls.
A sudden whistle interrupted his stupor, he turned around to face two men staring at him with obvious lust in their eyes. “How much for a pretty little thing like you?” One of the men leered, his companion laughing alongside it.
Sanji, frozen in shock, stayed completely silent. He’d never been catcalled before, plus he was a man! Okay, well, he was an omega now but still, this was something completely out of his depth.
“You smell absolutely delicious,” They continued, staking towards him. “I bet you're ready for breeding, huh?”
Sanji’s face twisted and he steeled himself, preparing his legs for a fight. But that opportunity never came as a loud growl came from behind Sanji. He turned around, seeing Zoro with a feral look on his face, his eyes completely wild. It took Sanji aback a little, seeing Zoro in such a primal state.
“What the fuck did you just say to him?” Zoro growled, putting himself between Sanji and the other men.
“I said what I said.” The man said, lifting his chin up in defiance. “I don’t see a claim on him. He’s not yours buddy.”
Sanji saw red. How dare these men talk about him like he’s property?! And talk about him as if he wasn’t standing right in front of them?! He rushed forward, making quick work of the two nobodies. They were down before they even realized it. Sanji gave their balls an extra kick for good measure.
He turned back to face Zoro who was looking at him sheepishly. “I don’t need you to fucking protect me.” Sanji spit out venomously. “I know how little you think of me, but surely you don’t think I would’ve let the likes of them hurt me?”
Zoro opened his mouth then closed it again, his expression turning stormy. “I know you can take care of yourself.”
“Sure you do.” Sanji gave him one last glare before turning on his heels to continue shopping because some people actually have jobs to do.
“Wait!” Sanji stopped in his tracks, turning around to face a distressed Zoro. “Uh, I…”
Zoro groaned, rustling his hair. “Fuck, I’m not good at this.”
“Out with it.”
“What I said before, I didn’t mean it like that.” Zoro dragged a hand across his face, uncharacteristically anxious for such a composed man.
“Okay?” Sanji simply looked at the other man, waiting for him to get to the point.
“You don’t reek , I don’t know why I said that.” Zoro grunted, gritting his teeth. “It’s just, I’m trying to control myself y’know?”
“Do I really disgust you that much?” Sanji asked, his heart shattering. He had come to the revelation recently that he might have…ugh, he didn’t even want to say it, feelings for the green-headed gorilla. He looked forward to their fights every day and even enjoyed their playful back and forth. Losing that would mean losing a part of himself.
“What?” Zoro straightened his back, confusion on his face. “What the fuck are you talking about, cook?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?! You’re the one who said that shit!” Sanji stuck a finger into Zoro’s plush chest.
“Stop putting words in my mouth, curly brow!” Their foreheads butted against each other. They were so close, Sanji could smell the sake on Zoro’s breath and his earthy scent.
“I’m not putting shit in your mouth, dumbass! A real man doesn’t go back on his word!”
“You’re fucking insane!” Zoro shouted, pushing Sanji backwards until his back hit a wall.
They stared into each other’s eyes, panting. A hum of adrenaline coursed through Sanji’s veins—a familiar sensation that he often felt before a tough battle. There was something else in the mix, however. It was a low churning in his gut, threatening to consume him whole. The familiar adrenaline soon turned into a more voracious craving, so overwhelming that it left him breathless, blood roaring in his ears.
It didn’t help that he could smell Zoro’s scent changing too, an undercurrent of lust seeping into his usual calm musk. And from the way Zoro’s looking at him, he could probably smell Sanji’s arousal as well.
“Why do you smell like that?” Sanji whispered, his eyes already half-lidded, focused solely on the other man’s lips.
“Do you need me to spell everything out for you?” Zoro raised an eyebrow, smirking cheekily. Sanji kicked him lightly in the ankles.
“I want you, cook.” Zoro said reverently, closing his eyes and letting out a shaky breath. “Fuck, you don’t know how bad I have it.”
“And you’re not just saying that ‘cuz you finally have an omega on the ship?” Sanji asked, his head still in a daze.
“This looks really bad, doesn’t it?” Zoro chuckled, letting his head fall onto Sanji’s shoulders, Zoro’s nose dangerously close to his mating gland. Sanji swallowed imperceptibly, forcing down a flush. “I’ve been crazy for you since the moment I saw you kick that guy's ass for wasting food.”
“But you have that whole…woman thing going on so I kept it to myself. It was easier to hold back when you didn’t have a scent but god,” Zoro inhaled deeply, letting out a shaky exhale, his body trembling in ecstasy. “You smell so fucking good.”
Sanji’s breath hitched when Zoro finally met his eyes. There was no mistaking it—Zoro’s eyes held such insatiable yearning in them, for him . His eyes held the same weight as a man dying of thirst and finding an oasis.
Sanji tried to force the words out of his mouth, any words really, but they caught in his throat and wouldn’t come unstuck no matter how hard he tried to let them out. It felt too soon to put how he felt into words, like the mere act of speaking it out loud would damn him. Maybe it was too early for the dreaded word, but Sanji knew that despite everything, it was always going to be Zoro.
“Stupid mosshead.” Sanji laughed softly, hands reaching up to grab Zoro’s hair. “I’m a lot more trouble than it’s worth.”
“You think too much.”
“Well, you don’t think enough.” Sanji snorted, playing with the strands of Zoro’s hair. It was surprisingly soft for someone who barely showered.
“You don’t have to return my feelings. I’ll take anything you give me, as long as it’s you.” Zoro gently took Sanji’s hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and brushing his lips against it. It was an act of tenderness so unfamiliar to him—no one had come this close besides his mother.
“How did you learn this?” Sanji bit his lip, trying his best to keep his compuse against the welling up of emotions inside him.
“Dunno, I’m just doing stuff and hoping it works.” Zoro said unabashedly. Sanji barked out a laugh.
“You’re stupid.” Sanji beamed up at him, feeling the lightest he’d been in a while.
“Yeah, the stupidest.” Zoro said absentmindedly with a dopey grin on his face. He took a few steps back, allowing Sanji to reorient himself. Honestly, he was already missing the warmth that radiated from the mosshead.
“Cmon, be my pack mule.” Sanji jerked his head towards the direction of a stall, a cheeky grin on his face.
“Fine, just this once.” Zoro let out an overly dramatic sigh, following Sanji down the street. As they walked side by side, Sanji nudged his pinky against Zoro’s hand. Slowly, their pinkies intertwined, leaving the two men flushing, refusing to make eye contact with the other. A large switch up from when they were previously all over each other just a few minutes ago.
Sanji snuck a glance at Zoro, who was pointedly looking straight ahead with redness across his cheeks. How cute. Oh, he’s absolutely done for, he just thought of Zoro as cute— the same man that licked the blood of his sword like a freak and drank like there was no tomorrow.
The more he thought about it, the less mad he found himself to be. Sure, Zoro could be a brute at times but the man was unquestionably loyal and reliable. And he wasn’t half-bad on the eyes either.
“Why are you lookin’ at me like that?” Zoro grunted out, the blush on his face completely ruining the ‘tough guy’ look.
“You can be kinda cute sometimes, for a stinky marimo.” Sanji said with a smirk, enjoying how it immediately riled him up.
“You’re the one who’s fucking stinky, shitty cook!” Zoro pulled out his swords, ready to strike. Sanji grinned wildly, ready to let out some of his pent up energy in a spar.
There was no place he’d rather be.