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Sanji would never have a mate, and he was fine with this.
Thanks to whatever-the-fuck Judge did in his misguided attempts to turn him into a heartless beta solider who didn't bother with trivial things like mates, what little pheromones Sanji did produce were incredibly sterile and off-putting to any decent alpha or omega. The changes his body had been going through thanks to the raid suit had made it even worse. These days he barely had a scent at all.
Which — as previously stated — he was fine with. He was fine handling what few heats he did have on his own, and in all honesty, being tied down to a needy, overbearing alpha would only get in the way.
Yes, he was totally and completely fine with spending the rest of his life perpetually alone.
He would never feel the stirring in his heart of having his mate so close, nor would he experience his eyes turning to hearts at the scent of someone that was his and his alone. And he wouldn’t get the joy of seeing his mate’s eyes turn to stars just for him, because of him, just for him and him alone.
Which was fine.
It was probably just a myth anyway.
“It’s not a myth,” Robin said when it had been brought up during breakfast, “It’s a well recorded phenomenon in just about every ocean.”
“It’s true,” Usopp nodded, “When Kaya went into her first heat, her eyes turned into hearts the second she got a whiff of me.” He sighed dreamily as he took a bite from his pancake, “It’s how I knew we were meant to be.”
“Liar. You’re a beta,” Nami pointed out as she thrust her fork at him, “Betas don’t have pheromones like alphas and omegas do, so the eyes can’t change.”
“Actually, it is entirely possible,” Chopper chimed in as he sipped his chocolate milk, “Betas are more than adequate mates for both alphas and omegas, and while betas don't produce pheromones like alphas and omegas do, some studies show that betas do produce a kind of pheromone without even realizing it that only compatible alphas and omegas can smell while in the midst of rut or heat.”
Usopp smirked as he gestured at Chopper, “See? And you doubted me. It totally happened just like I said it did.”
Nami rolled her eyes as she bat Luffy’s hand away from her plate.
“Does it matter?” Zoro grumbled as he scarfed down his rice, “Who cares if the eyes change or not?”
Sanji cracked his heel on the top of his head, “Moron! If the ladies think it’s important, then it’s important!”
Zoro growled, clearly itching for a fight if his scent was any indication, and Sanji was more than happy to give it to him.
But not at the breakfast table.
He kneed Zoro in the side for good measure and continued circling the table to refill everyone’s drinks.
“Why did you bring it up, Nami?” Franky frowned as he chewed on his bacon.
“Oh, you know,” she shrugged as she pushed her eggs around her plate, “Just figured if it did happen, it would be an easy way for two idiots to realize they were meant to be.”
Her gaze landed too blatantly on Sanji, “Wouldn’t it?”
Sanji snapped his mouth closed and wandered back to the kitchen island to return the carafe of orange juice to its proper place.
Far be it from him to disagree with a lady — especially their beautiful and brilliant navigator — but he knew what she was getting at, and she was way off base.
Somehow she — and the rest of their crew, save maybe Luffy — had gotten it into their heads that he and Zoro weren’t just mate material, but perfect mates.
The idea was simply ludicrous. Perfect mates were rare, and only came about between two people who were the most compatible with each other, who made each other better simply by being together. Sanji had read fairy tales about perfect mates finding each other, the sudden click of recognition and “oh, it's you, it's always been you” had been something he'd fantasize about happening to him on occasion.
Meanwhile, he and Zoro could barely be in the same room together without trying to bite each other's heads off. How they were expected to mate — let alone be perfect mates — when he couldn't be in Zoro’s presence without arguing with him at best and trying to drive his foot through his chest at worst was beyond him.
Not to mention the scent issue. Sure, Zoro’s scent wasn't too bad on the rare occasions when he'd washed the lingering sweat off, a nice combination of cedar and cloves mixed with the steel of his swords that Sanji couldn't say he hated. But it meant nothing in the grand scheme of things when Sanji’s own scent was so lacking.
And, as if that weren't a big enough problem…
“What do you think, Zoro?” Nami turned her focus to him instead, “You think your eye will see stars if you meet the right someone?”
Zoro grimaced as he finished off his omurice, “Prolly not.” He tapped his finger against the side of his nose, “Broken nose, remember?”
…Zoro couldn't smell pheromones anyway.
He'd confessed it early on in their journey during a drunken game of truth or dare. His childhood rival smacked him hard in the face with a shinai when they'd first met, and broke his nose in such a way that even when it had healed, there were some scents he just couldn't smell — pheromones included. It was a huge part of why he threw his scent around everywhere; he simply couldn't tell when his own pheromones were too overbearing.
Even if he and Zoro were as perfectly matched as everyone seemed to think they were, it wouldn't matter anyway. Zoro would never be able to smell it, would never get those star eyes just for him.
It was a lost cause from the get go.
Usopp brought up the fact that smells didn't matter, Chopper reminded him they very much did, just not in the way everyone thought, and Luffy stole half of Jinbei’s omelette, bringing the conversation to an abrupt end.
Sanji sighed and lit a cigarette as he watched the chaos unfold.
He was fine without a mate. He had his crew, after all.
“Hey, Chopper,” Sanji knocked on the doorway as he entered the infirmary, “Forgot I ran out of suppressants last time. Can I have some more?”
“Uhhhhh…” Chopper dug through some drawers of his desk, then turned his wide eyes to Sanji, “...no.”
Sanji could only blink at him, “Come again?”
“I'm so sorry, Sanji!” Chopper winced as his eyes started to water, “I gave the last of the suppressants to Luffy, and I'm out of the herbs I need to make more.”
“Shit,” Sanji groaned as he rubbed his temples, already feeling the headache coming on.
Nami said they were still a couple of weeks out from the next island, and his heat was due within the next few days. He hated having heats when they were out at sea. It forced the crew to sail the ship down a man and cook for themselves, which was not an ideal situation in the middle of the New World, where anything could happen.
Still, his heats were better than Luffy’s ruts. Luffy never wanted sex — even during the height of his rut — but he did get clingy and overly aggressive to the point where he'd growl if any of them left his side and try to fight anything that approached them, whether it was an entire Marine armada or a seagull. When Luffy did have to have a rut, they made sure it happened on land so no one had to worry about manning the ship, with a bed big enough for all ten of them and a clear line of sight to the kitchen.
So if one of them had to have their cycle at sea, Sanji was more than willing to take that hit.
He didn't have to be happy about it though.
“It’ll be fine,” Chopper assured him, patting his hoof on his knee, “You should be having a heat soon anyway to help keep your hormones balanced. It'll just happen a little early.”
“And while we're stuck at sea.” He groaned as he sat down in the free chair and buried his head in his hands.
“We’ll set up one of the storage rooms as a heat room for you,” Chopper reassured him, “And we’ve got plenty of time to figure out the cooking. I'm sure Nami will only charge half price since you'll be in distress and all.”
“I'll prepare meals for everyone,” Sanji leaned back and gave him a small smile, “Make sure you guys don't go hungry.”
“Don't overwork yourself,” Chopper reminded him, “Too much stress will make your heat that much worse.”
“Relax, I'll be fine,” Sanji assured him, rising to his feet and patting Chopper’s head, “I’ll only do whatever's necessary and take it super easy, promise.”
When he found himself in the kitchen still cooking up a storm at 2am, he realized he may not have taken Chopper’s instructions to heart.
He frowned as he glanced over the individual lunchboxes he’d prepared. He’d made enough meals for the crew to last the three days his heat would, added a few more to last the week for everyone just in case, and included about ten extra meals for Luffy so he didn't eat everyone else's.
Was that enough? What if his heat went over the week? What if Luffy just ate everything in one go anyway? What if they hit a storm while he was in heat and he wasn’t on deck to help get the ship through and they capsized and-
The door slammed open, and Sanji glanced up to see Zoro saunter into the kitchen. He was shirtless and sweating, clearly having just finished his late-night workout, and blinked owlishly at Sanji when he noticed him.
Zoro sighed heavily as he crossed his arms, “What are you fretting about now?”
“I’m not fretting,” Sanji growled at him.
Zoro gave him his blankest stare, “You’re stress cooking and tugging at your hair.”
Only when Zoro mentioned it did Sanji realize his hand was buried in his hair.
Sanji scoffed anyway, trying to play nonchalant as he released his locks and dug a cigarette out of his pocket, “I’m fine.”
“Yeah, you look it.” Zoro lumbered over to the bar and took a seat on the opposite side, “What’s eating you?”
“Nothing.” Sanji insisted as he tried and failed to get his lighter to start. Zoro rolled his eye, then took the lighter from him, giving it one solid flick to create a steady flame.
Sanji scowled, but leaned forward to light his cigarette, taking a deep inhale of nicotine to calm himself before speaking, “Why do you care? You’re just here to steal booze.”
“Well yeah,” he shrugged, not even trying to hide his ill intentions in Sanji’s kitchen, “But it’s clear there’s something bugging you, and that’s more important.” He leaned his elbows on the counter, getting right into Sanji’s face, “So spill.”
Sanji let out a sigh, wisps of smoke escaping from his lips, and conceded, “We’re out of suppressants, and my heat’s coming soon.”
“Ah.” Zoro nodded as if that explained everything, “Yeah, that makes sense. You’ve been a little off lately.”
“You can’t even smell my pheromones," Sanji growled, “You can’t possibly tell I’ve been off.”
“I don’t need to smell anything to know you’ve been extra bitchy lately.”
Sanji kicked him right in his stupid head for that, and blew cigarette smoke in his face just for good measure, “Shithead.”
Zoro waved the smoke away, but otherwise didn’t react, “If your heat is due soon, you should be resting. All this stuff can wait until tomorrow.”
“What if it can’t?” Sanji growled as his hand drifted to his hair again, “What if my heat comes early? Or we get attacked by Marines? Or there’s a cyclone or-”
“Hey,” Zoro snatched his hand away from his hair, holding it gently between both of his own, “Relax. Even if any of those things happen, we’ll deal with it as a crew.” He ran his thumb along the side of Sanji’s hand, “Your only job is to get through this, let us worry about the rest.”
“I…” Sanji’s shoulders slumped almost against his will as something in his chest unwound at Zoro’s words, “Yeah, alright.”
“Good.” Zoro smiled and gave his hand one last squeeze, then let it drop as he circled the counter and began gathering up the lunchboxes, “Where do you want these, the fridge?”
“Yeah,” Sanji took another puff from his cigarette as he went to unlock it.
Zoro nodded, then started stacking the lunchboxes inside as Sanji finished his cigarette. When they were both done, Zoro turned to him, “Go to bed.”
Sanji scowled, “Don’t steal any booze when I’m gone.”
“No promises,” Zoro smirked, then bumped his shoulder as he passed him on his way to the pantry.
At the brief contact, Sanji caught a whiff of Zoro’s scent, the cedar and clove mix that was uniquely Zoro overpowering all his senses for a moment. His heart pounded in his chest at how enticing it was, and Sanji had to fight his instinct to follow after him and bury his face in Zoro’s neck to get more of it.
He shook his head of those thoughts and scowled. His heat was much closer than he thought if he was reacting this way to Zoro’s stupid alpha scent.
He grit his teeth and forced his feet to move away from him, out of the kitchen and into the men’s bunkroom as he climbed into bed.
He was sure this would all be fine by morning.
Everything was not fine by morning.
Despite the late night, Sanji forced himself out of bed at 5am like he always did.
He shuffled blearily around the men’s room as he got ready for the day, his head pounding at his temples as his shoulders and lower back ached with each movement.
He dragged himself into the bathroom, washed his face, then took a look at his reflection.
And a pair of hearts stared back at him.
Sanji blinked, then blinked again, but the hearts were still there, right in the middle of his eyes.
Impossible. His eyes could only turn to hearts if he smelled his mate, and the only people here were the crew. Chopper, Brook, and Jinbei couldn’t have set this off, Robin and Franky were already mated to each other, Nami was mated to Vivi, and Usopp was already claimed by Kaya. That left Luffy — who it couldn’t possibly be, since Sanji had spent his ruts with him and never had this happen — and…
Zoro.
Sanji clenched his teeth at the thought. Zoro always spent his ruts alone, so Sanji had never gotten the chance to smell him during them.
Shit. Maybe they were mate material.
It must have happened last night in the kitchen. Sanji tried to remember Zoro’s eye during their conversation, but it had been as gray and circular as ever, no stars in sight from Sanji’s presence.
Sanji sighed as he braced himself against the sink. Of course there wouldn’t be, Zoro couldn’t smell and Sanji didn’t have anything to smell.
Was it possible they were one-sided mates? Zoro could be right for Sanji, but perhaps Sanji wasn’t right for Zoro. It was rare, but it did happen, and of course with Sanji’s luck it would happen to him.
He kept his eyes closed as he turned away from the mirror.
He just had to ignore it until his heat was over. By his initial estimates he had about another day before he was in the thick of it, so he just had to finish getting everything ready today, then lock himself in the heat room until everything passed and his eyes went back to normal.
He made his way to the kitchen and dug through one of the drawers until he found a pair of sunglasses, sliding them onto his face as he went about making breakfast.
The crew trickled in one by one as they woke up, grabbing their breakfast and settling at the table. He got a knowing glance from Robin and a chuckle from Brook about the sunglasses, but only Usopp and Nami bothered to question him about them. Although, he wasn’t sure how well his off the cuff lie of it suddenly being too bright in the kitchen went over with them.
Zoro arrived last, letting out a huge yawn and scratching his bare stomach as he entered the kitchen.
“Do you own a shirt?” Sanji scowled as he handed him his sausage and eggs.
Zoro hummed sleepily instead of responding, his gray eye finding Sanji’s as he grabbed his plate.
Sanji stared at it for a moment too long, but it was still as circular as ever.
His heart sank as Zoro gave him a quick, “Thanks, Cook,” and settled at the table with the others.
He quickly shook his head and brushed the feeling aside. He’d spent 21 years knowing he’d never have a real mate; he wasn’t about to fall to pieces just because he was now faced with that reality.
Breakfast was its usual chaos, but the cacophony helped Sanji settle back down into something approaching normalcy. His head still hurt and his body still ached, but at least he was surrounded by his friends.
When breakfast was over, Sanji did the dishes, then glanced around the rest of the kitchen. It was a mess, as it always was after a meal, and with him going out of commission for the next few days, he should really do a deep clean of the kitchen so the others could still use it.
With that decided, he grabbed the cleaning supplies and got to work.
He finished the table top and counters with no problem, everything scrubbed down and sanitized to his standards. While he was cleaning out the burners and the stovetop, he started to feel a little too warm. Compounding with all his aches and pains it was uncomfortable, but manageable. He was positive he could finish before his full heat hit.
By the time he started on the floors, he was feeling downright miserable. Still, he was almost done, so he might as well finish up here before he got too out of it. And see if he couldn’t get a load of laundry done while he was at it before it really started, and-
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Sanji glanced up from his mopping to find Zoro standing in the doorway. He panted as he leaned most of his weight on the mop, “The shit does it look like I’m doing? I’m cleaning the kitchen.”
“Your heat’s hit.” Zoro growled as he stepped fully into the kitchen, “Go lie down in the heat room! It’s why we set it up for you!”
“I’ve still got some time,” he insisted, even as his head throbbed and he grew even hotter in protest, “How could you even tell, anyway? Your nose is broken.”
“My eye works just fine,” Zoro snapped, “And I don’t even need that to tell you’re about to collapse.”
“I’m fine,” Sanji grit his teeth as he went to push the mop again, “Just gotta finish…”
The mop slipped out of his slack grip and went careening to the floor with a clatter. Sanji fumbled as he tried to catch it and steady himself, but couldn’t find his balance and started tumbling to the ground after it.
A warm, sturdy arm wrapped around his waist, saving him from face-planting on the floor.
“You wanna try that again?” Zoro’s voice was low and deep in his ear, setting off something warm and pleasant in Sanji’s stomach as he hauled him back to his feet.
“I’m fine,” he said again as he shook off Zoro’s touch, “I’ll go down when I’m finished here.”
Zoro’s eye narrowed as he stared at him, “You’re a stubborn bastard, you know that?”
Sanji scowled, but refused to give an inch. He couldn’t leave the floors half done like this, no matter what his condition was.
“Fine,” Zoro heaved a heavy sigh, then scooped Sanji up into his arms like he weighed nothing at all.
Sanji squawked, his arms wrapping around Zoro’s shoulders in reflex as he carried him across the kitchen, “What the shit are you doing?”
“You’re clearly not gonna rest until this is done,” he explained as he stopped in front of the couch, “But if you keep going you’re gonna hurt yourself.”
He dropped Sanji unceremoniously onto the couch, “So just hang tight here, lie the fuck down, and I’ll finish it for you.”
Sanji’s head bounced against the couch cushion, knocking his sunglasses askew. He scowled as Zoro turned back around, picked up the mop where it had fallen, and got to work.
Sanji removed the sunglasses completely and placed them on the side table. Now that Zoro had forced him to stop moving about, the exhaustion was hitting him like a tsunami. He groaned as he lay down, and watched Zoro mop.
He wasn’t half bad at it. Sanji supposed in his moss-ridden brain there wasn’t much difference between mops and swords. Even as he observed him, Sanji could see some of Zoro’s kata forms at play as he mopped. Sanji chuckled, but the thought that Zoro was taking the chore seriously enough to put his all into warmed his heart.
“You’re not bad,” Sanji slurred as he tucked his arms under his head, “Should help out more with the cleaning.”
“I could,” Zoro grunted as he turned to him, “You just gotta ask-”
Zoro froze, his eye widening as he stared at Sanji.
“What?” Sanji frowned. He thought about sitting up, but his head was suddenly too heavy for him to move, “I got something on my face or something?”
“It’s…” Zoro continued staring for a moment before he turned back to his task, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Sanji hummed, but it sure seemed like something. The tips of his ears and the back of his neck were flushed, as if he was blushing.
The thought made Sanji smile. A flustered marimo, how cute.
The room grew too warm all of sudden, and his sweat started sticking to the back of his shirt.
“Shit,” he groaned as he turned onto his back, undoing the top few buttons on his shirt, “Is it just me or is it hot in here?”
“It’s you, moron,” Zoro huffed, but kept his back to Sanji, “You’re in heat, or did you forget?”
“M’not in heat yet,” he murmured, but was less convinced of that by the second, “Still gotta do laundry too…”
“Robin and Jinbei can handle the laundry,” Zoro said as he gave the mop a final swipe, “You need to lie down. Are the floors done to your satisfaction, your highness?”
Sanji turned back over to examine the floor. Parts were still wet from the mop, but it practically glowed with how clean it was. He could probably serve food off of it, if he was so inclined.
“Yeah,” Sanji forced himself to sit up, his entire body protesting at the action. He groaned, clutching his head as he tried to push himself to his feet, “Just gotta…”
He swayed, his knees giving out completely as he tumbled back to the floor, only to find himself in Zoro’s hold once more.
“None of that now,” Zoro said as he scooped him back into his arms, “C’mon, Cook. Let’s get you to that heat room.”
“Y’r not the boss a’ me,” Sanji grumbled, but the fight fled him as he rested his head against Zoro’s shoulder. It was nice, it was warm, and he got a noseful of the cedar and clove mix that he liked so much.
He closed his eyes just to rest them for a moment, and somehow drifted off to sleep.
Sanji woke up sweating with a pounding headache, an erection at full mast chaffing against his pants, and a very pressing need to be fucked into the mattress.
He groaned as he cracked his eyes open, seeing the dark wood of the spare storage room’s ceiling above him. He rubbed his forehead, pushing sweat soaked sheets off of him as he tried to sit up, but the room’s spinning forced him back down.
It seemed his heat was well and truly here.
“You up?”
Sanji stiffened, his head turning slowly as the all too familiar cedar and clove smell hit him.
Zoro was here, sitting in the corner of the room on a crate, his face cast in shadow.
Sanji let out a groan that sounded more like a whine as he burrowed his face into his pillow, trying to resist his body screaming for Zoro’s touch, “What are you doing here?”
“You started growling every time I tried to leave.” Zoro huffed as he crossed his arms, “Chopper thought it'd be best if I stayed.”
“Well, no need for you to stick around now,” Sanji turned over so his back was facing him, “Unless you get sick pleasure out of watching me suffer.”
“...Do you want me to leave?”
Sanji grunted instead of responding, and he heard Zoro rise to his feet and made his way over to him.
“If you don't want me here I'll go,” Zoro said, his voice low and igniting something in Sanji’s stomach, “I'm here to help you. I won't do anything you don't want me to. So tell me to leave, and I will.”
Sanji opened his mouth to do just that, but his body ached when he tried to force the words out. He wanted Zoro to stay, to touch him, to claim him, to hold him and surround him with his scent.
“...Stay.” He whispered, almost too soft to hear.
“Okay,” Zoro answered just as soft. He shuffled around for a bit, then held a bottle in front of Sanji’s face, “Can you sit up and drink this?”
He nodded, taking the bottle from Zoro as he shifted to sit up. Zoro moved as he did, turning to dig through the supplies Chopper must have left for them.
Sanji watched him as he sipped his water and snuggled further into the blankets surrounding him. Zoro’s scent filled the room thanks to his actual presence, but he could also smell the rest of the crew mixed into his little nest. Usopp’s gunpowder and daisies, Nami’s tangerines and chamomile, Luffy’s sunshine and rubber, Robin’s chrysanthemums and books, Franky’s cola and coconut, Chopper’s candy and medicine, Brook’s tea, and the smell of the ocean that was uniquely Jinbei all mix together, giving him the feeling of home.
Zoro’s scent lingered above the others, enticing him, making him want with an intensity he’d never felt before.
“Did you know your eyes are hearts?”
It took a moment for his heat-addled brain to process Zoro’s question. When he did, he choked on his water, taking a moment to swallow and get his breathing back under control, “What?”
“Your eyes are hearts,” Zoro repeated, his back still to him, “That only happens when you smell your mate, yeah?”
Sanji pat his face quickly, realizing his sunglasses were long gone, his eyes exposed to the world.
“It’s for Luffy.” Sanji quickly lied, sinking further into the pillows in an attempt to hide his flushed face, “Must’ve gotten a good whiff from him before you brought me here.”
Zoro scoffed, his shoulders tensing ever so slightly, “Leave the lying to Usopp, you suck at it. I’ve been in Luffy’s cuddle piles with you during his rut, and you’ve never gone all heart-eyed over him. However…” He paused, tapping his fingers against the crate, “you’ve never smelled me during my rut.”
“You must have not been paying that much attention to me,” Sanji scowled as he turned over, burying his face in the blankets, taking comfort from the scents of his family, “Just ignore them if it’s bothering you.”
“I didn’t say it was.”
Zoro’s voice was close, and Sanji could feel his body heat hovering right above him, all too tempting.
He wanted, no, needed Zoro to touch him. He was sure he’d combust if he didn’t get it.
“I’m here for you, you know,” Zoro’s words danced across the shell of his ear, making the yearning maw grow in his chest, “Whatever you need me to do.”
Sanji closed his eyes and grit his teeth. No matter what Zoro was offering, no matter what he wanted, Sanji knew it was meaningless. Without a scent of his own, there was no way Sanji could incite Zoro to reciprocate.
“Cook,” Zoro said, right in his ear, “Look at me.”
Sanji tried to resist, but there was something so strained and desperate in Zoro’s voice that he found himself rolling onto his back almost against his will, his eyes sliding slowly open.
Zoro was braced above him, not touching him since — Sanji was floored to realize — Sanji hadn’t given him permission to yet. His arms were shaking with the restraint, his face flushed, his chest heaving with pants.
And his lone gray eye had a star in the middle.
Sanji could only gawk at him, completely entranced by the star that shone bright in Zoro’s eye, just for him, because of him.
“Fucking hell, Cook,” Zoro groaned as if it was painful, and buried his nose into Sanji’s neck, “How the hell do you smell so good?”
“What?” Sanji was still trying to process just how this could happen. Zoro couldn’t smell, Sanji didn’t have a scent to smell. These had been immutable facts of his life until two seconds ago, “I don’t…smell. You can’t…what?”
“You do, it’s gotta be you,” Zoro brushed his nose right against the crook of Sanji’s neck, “Like cinnamon and lavender…like home.”
Sanij keened at that, arching up against Zoro so their chests brushed together, and even that small contact sent a jolt of warmth through Sanji, making him want more.
“Zoro…” he panted, his arms wrapping around Zoro’s neck to pull him close, “...touch me.”
Zoro’s hands were on him in an instant, one cradling his head as the other slid under his shirt. He collapsed on top of him, his weight a comforting balm against the growing fire inside of Sanji as he pressed against every part of him.
Sanji sighed, something unwinding in his chest as he pulled Zoro closer, nuzzling his neck as he wrapped his legs around his waist, clinging to him like it was the only thing that mattered.
“Zoro,” Sanji whined as he pulled away enough to cradle his face in his hands, “Kiss me.”
He did so instantly, turning his head to place a soft kiss on the palm of Sanji’s hand first, then leaning down to capture his lips. Sanji moaned as his lips opened for him, letting Zoro lick his way into his mouth, tasting and claiming it as his own.
They parted with a pant, a string of saliva connecting them as they stared into each other's eyes. The star in Zoro’s seemed to shine the longer he looked at Sanji, completely in awe, as if mesmerized by Sanji’s existence.
“Zoro,” Sanji groaned, pulling him back in to claim his mouth once more. Zoro moaned into the kiss, following Sanji’s lead as his hand traveled up under Sanji’s shirt, playing with his chest and setting Sanji on fire with each and every touch.
Sanji ground his hips up against Zoro, feeling the hard length in his pants. His tongue darted against Zoro’s, wanting to feel all of him, every bit of him pressed against every bit of Sanji, fuse with him so he couldn't tell where Zoro ended and he began.
He pulled away again and tried to catch his breath. Zoro’s eye followed his movements, the star in his eye glowing against his flushed face, and Sanji found he couldn't look away.
Keeping eye contact, he tilted his head to the side, exposing his vulnerable neck to Zoro as a clear invitation.
Zoro’s eye widened, the star growing, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Sanji whispered, every nerve in his body screaming him forward, “I want to be yours…”
He reached up and rubbed his thumb at the corner of Zoro’s eye, “I want this star to be all mine.”
Zoro sucked in a breath, swallowing thickly as he nodded.
Zoro bit down hard at the juncture of his neck. For a moment Sanji worried that his toughened skin would prove to be impenetrable, but Zoro’s sheer jaw strength proved to be more than enough, and he bit through the skin.
Sanji moaned, another burst of heat surging through him as the claiming bite took. After what felt like hours, Zoro finally pulled away, licking the blood off of his skin as he nuzzled against Sanji’s neck.
“Mine.” Zoro’s low voice rumbled through him, claiming him as effectively as the bite had.
“Yours,” Sanji agreed, clutching him tight, holding him closer, “Always yours.”
Zoro growled in agreement, then pulled away to bare his neck for Sanji.
Sanji could only stare, stunned by the gesture. Zoro wasn't even in rut, yet he still wanted to be claimed.
“Are you sure?” Sanji asked, his voice small, still in awe of the gift being offered.
“Yes,” Zoro said as he caressed Sanji's cheek, running his thumb under his eye, “I want these hearts for me always. I want to be yours too.”
Sanji scrambled forward, tugging Zoro’s shoulders until his neck was right near his face. He bared his teeth, hovering them over the sensitive skin, breathing in the scent that was purely and wholly Zoro, then bit down hard, claiming him as his own.
He was in heaven. Zoro’s essence and Zoro’s presence surrounded him, digging into every part of him, invading his senses until all there was was Zoro. He could feel Zoro’s heart beat right alongside his own, feel the fire growing inside of Sanji echoing inside of Zoro with a low thrum.
Sanji pulled away with a gasp, his eyes finding Zoro’s, the star at the center brighter than anything in the sky.
“Zoro,” Sanji whined, wanting him in him and around him, wanting him in every way a person could be wanted.
“Yeah…” Zoro panted, struggling to catch his breath. He leaned in and kissed Sanji right above his eye, “Yeah…”
He quickly divested them of their remaining clothes, and Zoro slid inside Sanji like he'd always belonged there.
They fucked for hours, Sanji’s need growing the longer Zoro was in him. Sanji keened as he held on to Zoro, never letting them part, not even for a moment. Zoro seemed only too willing to give in, teeth biting and nails clawing at every part of Sanji he could reach, marking him as his in every possible way.
Never had Sanji felt more needed, more cherished, more wanted, more loved than he did here in Zoro’s embrace.
When they were finished, the fire inside him calmed by Zoro’s touch for now, he collapsed back into the nest, fully sated and well fucked.
Zoro kissed the nape of his neck, then had the gall to get up and leave the nest.
That wouldn't do. Sanji whined and reached out for him, doing his best to move his exhausted body enough to bring him back.
“Relax,” Zoro chuckled, his voice sex-rough as he dug through the crates, “I'm getting you food. You're hungry after that, right?”
Once Zoro mentioned it, he felt the familiar empty pit in his stomach, a low growl coming from it to confirm.
Zoro made his way back to the nest with water and a couple of snack bars Sanji had made last night. He fed them to him bite by bite, handing him the water once he'd gotten them all down.
When Sanji finished everything Zoro offered him, he sighed and leaned back against his chest, feeling content and satisfied for the first time in…maybe ever.
Zoro wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer, nuzzling against his neck like he couldn't get enough.
Sanji smiled as he leaned into him more. He could still smell the rest of the crew’s scents in the nest, but Zoro’s scent hovered prominently over the space, dispersed even more around the area by their activities. The cedar and clove scent cradled Sanji like a hug, but there was a certain edge to it now that there wasn’t before, a sweeter smell cutting through it, enhancing it, making it all the more enticing.
His own scent, he assumed, or whatever it was Zoro smelled on him.
Their combined scent relaxed Sanji completely, and he melted against Zoro’s chest. Zoro's claiming bite throbbed on his neck, sending a content and satisfying feeling through him with each pulse.
Sanji reached up and rubbed his own claiming bite on Zoro, grinning to himself.
Zoro tightened his grip on him, pulling him even closer as he bit and kissed his way up to his ear and whispered, “Mine.”
“Yours,” Sanji purred, letting the word vibrate across his throat as Zoro made a mess of his neck. He played with Zoro's earrings, enjoying the chime they made when the clacked together, and inhaled more of his delicious scent, “Mine.”
“Always,” Zoro growled, the rumble of his voice dancing across Sanji's neck, the promise of it sinking into his sink, “Always yours.”
Sanji smiled as his eyes grew heavy. He snuggled more securely against Zoro, and just let himself be held as he drifted off to sleep.
Maybe he could get used to having a mate after all.
Sanji and Zoro emerged from the heat room three days later smelling heavily of sex and sporting scores of new bite marks on pretty much every surface of their body.
They were greeted with cheers and wolf whistles from the rest of the crew, making Sanji blush and Zoro’s confident smirk grow. When they were done, Chopper immediately rushed them both to the infirmary to check them over.
Sanji sat on the examination bed as Chopper looked him over, Zoro’s steady gray eye watching over him. Once Sanji’s heat had passed the star in his eye had faded, and while Sanji was sad to see it go, he did enjoy having the entirety of Zoro’s intense gaze on him once more.
A quick glance in the nearby mirror showed that the hearts in Sanji’s eyes were gone too, the blue surrounded the circular pupil as it always did. Zoro had been the first one to notice the eye change — and the end of Sanji’s heat — and Sanji recalled his smile falling a little when he did. Still, he kissed Sanji’s eyelids softly, reverently, as if to say he loved them — loved him — no matter what they looked like.
“Okay,” Chopper said as he pulled away from Sanji and returned his stethoscope to his neck, “the mating bites are clean, and you’re both taking to the claiming well, so you’re officially mated. Congrats, guys! You both may feel some hormonal and mood imbalances as your bodies adjust to it, but it should even out within the next week or so. Any other problems you guys’ noticed?”
“Yeah,” Zoro raised his hand, “Why does the cook smell?”
Sanji let out a very dignified squawk as he glared at Zoro, “Excuse fucking you. We just had marathon sex for three days straight, and I haven’t showered yet! You don’t exactly smell like roses either!”
“Not roses,” Zoro growled back, “I told you before, you smell like lavender.” He sniffed the air again, “And cinnamon.” He blushed and looked away, “It’s nice.”
“Oh.” Sanji’s face went red as well, and he glanced pointedly away.
“It sounds like it’s just Sanji’s natural pheromones you’re smelling.” Chopper answered with a smile, “You're his mate now, so you’ll be more attuned to his scent and mood.”
“I figured,” Zoro scowled, “but I’m not supposed to smell anything like that. I never have before, and I still can’t smell the rest of the crew’s.”
“And I thought I didn’t have pheromones anymore.” Sanji added.
Chopper frowned as he sniffed the air, his nose wrinkling a little, “True, I don’t smell anything like that coming from you. Your eyes did change during the heat, right?” They nodded, and he tapped his hoof against his cheek as he thought it over, “Then it’s possible that Sanji’s pheromones act like a beta’s. They release on a frequency that only Zoro can smell, even — maybe even because of — his broken olfactory senses.” He turned to grin at them, “Considering both your conditions, it would be something of a medical miracle. I can look into it further for you guys if you want.”
Sanji knew Chopper only had the best of intentions, but he would rather not be poked and prodded like a science experiment over this. One glance at Zoro told him he felt the same.
“It’s fine,” Sanji assured the doctor with a smile, “We’re just…us, I guess. We make it work.”
Zoro’s gaze on him softened at that, and Chopper nodded as he turned to the papers on his desk, “True, you two do always manage that. Anyway, Zoro since you just went through Sanji’s heat with him, it might be too taxing to have you guys go through your rut this month, so I recommend pushing it off until next month. We can start you on suppressants in the coming days, although eventually we’re gonna want to get your rut synced with Sanji’s heat, so-”
“Wait one shitty second,” Sanji growled, his eyes narrowing as Chopper froze like a deer in a searchlight, “You told me you were out of suppressants until the next island.”
“D-did I?” He laughed nervously as he looked everywhere but at Sanji, “I’m sure you just misheard me or something.”
Sanji snarled as he slammed his foot on the top of Chopper’s desk, “I wouldn’t have gone through the shitty heat if you had any. You better start explaining, or we’re having venison for dinner tonight.”
Chopper gulped as he turned his wide, watery eyes to Sanji, “Nami made me do it. Robin supported it, and Luffy gave me a captain’s order too.”
Sanji clicked his tongue, the triple combo extinguishing his temper as quick as it had appeared. He huffed as he sat back down and crossed his arms, “Why?”
“Because you’re both idiots.”
Sanji and Zoro both blinked, not expecting that answer, “What?”
Chopper groaned as he buried his face in his hooves, “Neither of you seemed to realize that you were perfect mates. Sure, you both have medical conditions that exasperated the problem, but that can only explain so much! It was like you two were given every conceivable hint of your compatibility and were maliciously ignoring it! And you both insisted that the other one wasn’t interested when confronted directly with it! It was driving us insane!”
Sanji glanced at Zoro, and found his face as red as his own surely was. They hadn’t been that bad, had they?
“We weren’t that bad,” Zoro scoffed, echoing Sanji’s thoughts.
“You were scent marking each other,” Chopper hissed, “Constantly, all the time. Everything the other touched and everywhere the other went, you guys marked it.”
Sanji groaned and buried his face in his hands, fully embarrassed now. Scent marking was done by kids with their first crush who couldn't fight that initial instinct to put their scents together, or mates that had been with each other for decades as an extra level of claim. There was no reason for two fully grown adults who were just crewmates, nothing else to be combining their scents so intimately across every surface.
“I don’t even have a scent,” he muttered into his hands in a last ditch attempt to save his dignity.
“Yeah, you just kinda amplified and spread Zoro’s around,” Chopper reached out and pat his knee, “It was getting unbearable, you couldn’t go anywhere on the ship without smelling him. You probably didn’t notice because you liked it so much.”
Zoro laughed, a full belly thing that had him bend over almost in half and wheezing, “Aw, Curly had a crush on me?”
Sanji’s eyebrow twitched as he sprung forward and kicked him square in the ribs, “We’re mated, you jackass! And you did the same thing!”
Zoro snarled, about to snap something back, but Chopper interrupted, “We were all pretty desperate to get you guys to realize it. It was Nami’s idea to let you have your heat on the ship, and medically there wasn’t any reason you couldn’t. So I maybe told a little white lie. For the good of the crew.” He turned his big, pleading eyes to Sanji, “I’m sorry, Sanji. It won’t happen again, I promise!”
Sanji sighed, it was hard to stay mad at Chopper. He reached forward and ruffled the fur on his head, “Yeah, it better not. It all worked out, so I guess it’s fine.”
Chopper smiled, and after a quick rundown of things to expect post-mating, he let them leave.
Sanji groaned as he stretched his neck, “Shit, I need a shower.”
There was a soft touch on his hand, and he glanced down to see Zoro’s fingers brushing his own.
“Find me after?” Zoro said, his gaze never leaving Sanji’s as his touch fell away.
Sanji’s heart kicked in his chest, his face flushing at the awe and adoration still on display in that eye, even without the star.
In response, Sanji leaned forward and captured his lips, putting everything he was feeling towards Zoro — towards his mate — into it.
“Yeah,” Sanji breathed against his lips when they pulled apart, “I’ll find you.”
Zoro grinned, then stepped away completely, allowing Sanji to head to the bathroom.
Being mated, being loved so thoroughly and completely, wasn’t bad at all.
Sanji grinned to himself as he stepped into the bathroom, already counting down the days until Zoro’s next rut.
He couldn’t wait to see his star again.