Chapter Text
The metal clang of a sword could be heard across the deck of the Thousand Sunny as Zoro defended himself from a kick from Sanji. The sky was a deep hue of oranges and purples, completely clear of clouds. Zoro blocked another kick going towards his torso. He could see the light of the setting sun reflecting off of the shiny material of Sanji’s boots. Zoro wasn’t quite sure why the blonde was so mad, but he knew it was pissing him off. Sanji aimed another kick at Zoro’s face, but he was quick to dodge.
“Don’t tell Nami to shut up, you bastard!” The cook yelled, his curled eyebrows furrowed in anger. Oh my god, was he seriously mad just because Zoro had told Nami to shut up earlier?! Zoro rolled his eyes in frustration.
“Are you seriously still on about that, curly brows? That was like three hours ago!” Zoro snapped back.
“Yeah, and you still haven’t apologized to Nami-swan!” Sanji hissed.
“Oh for the love of- I’m sorry. There, you happy now shitty cook?” Zoro grumbled. He wasn’t quite sure why he’d apologized, his stubborn nature screaming at him to fight back. But something made him hesitate, though he couldn’t place a finger on what. Ever since the events of Thriller Bark all those years ago, he’d been thinking about the stupid cook. The damn blonde had taken up more space in his head than his training with Mihawk had. Brook had told him that Sanji had carried him back after Kuma left and after hearing that he couldn’t help the pink that began to dust his cheeks.
Sanji’s harsh gaze softened slightly, even with the half-assed apology. The tone of the green haired man’s voice made him falter, though he wasn’t sure why.
“Good,” Sanji replied. “But if you ever-” the cook's words were cut off as Zoro grumbled.
“Yeah yeah, you’ll beat my ass. You’re too predictable, y’know that?”
“Shut it Mosshead.” Sanji said, before almost immediately fawning as Nami walked past. He was shouting something about protecting her from the “brute Mosshead.” Zoro could almost hear Nami’s amusement at the cook’s behavior. He could faintly hear her ask Sanji for a drink before the cook rushed past him towards the kitchen. He glanced towards Nami with an eyebrow raised. The navigator smirked as she sat down as if flaunting that she and Robin had their own personal servant.
Zoro tore his gaze away from Nami’s and began walking towards the railing. He let out a sigh as he leaned against the railing, crossing his arms. I wonder what it would be like if Sanji was like that to me… he almost smacked himself at the thought. What the hell?! He internally berated himself for even suggesting the idea even to himself. It was stupid. Besides, the cook would never. He was too much of a womanizer to even give Zoro the time of day. But what Brook had told him, the way Sanji had been so caring at Thriller Bark when he was hurt… he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks as he thought about it. Plus, that had been years ago, why was he still thinking about it?! He mentally berated himself for the thought, now wasn’t the time to be getting flustered over simply being carried.
The wind picked up as they sailed, ruffling his soft green hair. He looked back at Nami, though the navigator didn’t seem bothered, probably having predicted the wind. He returned his gaze to the sea, watching as the water clashed with the Thousand Sunny’s bottom. The rest of the day went by agonizingly slow. Zoro decided he would pass the time by lifting his weights, that would take his mind off the stupid cook. His feet, almost by instinct, took him towards the crow’s nest.
After an intense workout session he set down his weights, heading over to the bench to rest. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with a towel, eyes closed. His mind drifted elsewhere and he could feel himself growing tired. Despite this, he knew he had to stay up even as the sun sunk below the horizon. He needed to keep a look out overnight like he always did. He needed to protect the crew.
His eyes slowly opened as the thought of the crew crossed his mind. They were like family to him, well, mostly. Sanji was different. Him and the cook were more like rivals, except… not entirely. He didn’t entirely mind Sanji despite the constant bickering, so what exactly was Sanji to him? We’re they even friends? Zoro couldn’t help but contemplate the question. Did Sanji care enough to wonder the same question? No. Zoro thought to himself. He doesn’t care. The thought left him feeling an unusual sense of despair, but he shouldn’t feel upset over something he thought should’ve been inevitable. There was no use crying over spilled milk after all.
Letting out a sigh, he leaned onto the wall, closing his eyes. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but he didn’t care. Maybe a nap now wouldn’t be so bad… Zoro thought. He just wanted to rest and then he could start his night watch. Though as he sat there against the wall he could feel himself slowly drifting into the soft embrace of sleep.