1A/N: This chapter would have been posted earlier if wasn't for my great misfortune of my computer screwing up my files when it was on the verge of completion. So I had to rewrite this whole chapter again…the cruelty.
Objects of Possession and Desire
Chapter 3
The hot mouth against his, the soft velvet skin, the soft moans of satisfaction, kissing Sanji was unlike anything that Roronoa Zoro had ever felt. The way Sanji's scent of cologne and nicotine tickled his senses, the way the blond's fingertips slowly danced across his neck, and the way the cook's body fit into a puzzle with his own, it was all so intoxicating. The intensity rising with each breath and touch of his lover, it was a sensation of blissful glee. It was irrational really almost stupid, but Zoro felt that he had all he could ever need in the man lying beneath him, that somehow his life would only have any meaning if he could press his lips against Sanji's.
Then just as Zoro's soul was soaring to the heights of ecstasy, they pulled apart. They gazed silently in each other's eyes panting, trying to redeem oxygen into their systems. As Zoro had finally satisfied his lungs, he went in for another careless kiss. But he stopped as a look of panic suddenly washed over Sanji's face.
"Oh, Shit! What time is it?" Without any warning Sanji hastily pushed Zoro off of him, much to the surprise of the other man. He quickly got up off of the floor and quickly fixed his tie and ran a hand threw his messy blond locks. "I got to get dinner ready." With frenzy the cook started to take out various pots and pans from several cabinets. He had never served a meal late on the Going merry and he wasn't going to start now.
The irritated swordsman helped himself off of the kitchen floor and stood watching as Sanji took out bags of vegetables from the pantry. Zoro stood watching dumbly waiting for the cook to give him any sign of attention.
Sanji placed the vegetables on the kitchen counter and turned to face Zoro. "You got to get out of here. If you were to help me, it would only arouse suspicions from our crew mates. I think it'd be better if you just left. Why don't you go and do whatever macho things you swordsmen do." Sanji exclaimed hastily, as he steered Zoro toward the doorway.
Suddenly it hit him. "What about that damn woman! What if she asks? What if the whole crew knows already?" Zoro exclaimed hysterically, struggling to free himself from Sanji's grip.
"Don't worry Nami's a good girl." Sanji replied as he gave Zoro a quick kiss on the lips. "If she does ask her to keep the secret until tomorrow." Sanji exclaimed as he finally succeeded in pushing Zoro out of the kitchen. Without another word he locked the door in the swordsman's scowling face.
Zoro stood staring at the wooden kitchen door, after finally giving in that it wasn't going to open he sighed deeply. Maybe he'd go to his room and take a nap. If he was lucky, he'd dream of Sanji.
The green haired swordsman sulky walked down the hallway and made his way to his room. Just as he was walking, he saw a small figure up ahead. If that figure that been tall and slim Zoro might have panicked but it the figure with its diminutive size and antlers could only be the little reindeer, Chopper. Zoro walked silently toward the reindeer not giving him a second glance. But just as the green haired swordsman approached Chopper gave a sudden squeak and scrambled the other way. Zoro was taken by surprised. Chopper was acting strange, at least stranger than usual. For second he panicked. Maybe the reindeer knew something. Maybe he knew about his dirty little secret. But then again the reindeer was prone to weird behavior, Zoro decided it was nothing and shrugged it off.
Zoro continued his walk, the sooner he got to his bedroom, the better. Then just as he turned a corner, he froze. There walking toward him was the person he least wanted to meet, the tangerine haired navigator. Zoro felt panic rupture him from the inside. What should he do? Should he say something? Should he act normal? But then again for Zoro normal meant sneering irritably at the crew. Would sneering do any good? Zoro stood there dumbly trying to figure out what to do.
"Hey, Zoro." Nami greeted casually as she passed. She seemed quite normal with no signs of apprehension.
Zoro watched her walk away half-expecting her to come back and demand an explanation on what she witnessed earlier. But as he watched her disappear behind a corner he was sure that she had no plans of that sort.
The swordsman stood there in the empty hallway unable to move with the thought of his encounter with the navigator. She had done nothing. Her reaction had only half-relieved Zoro. Part of him was relived because he had avoided an awkward situation in which he would have to gingerly explain to Nami what his true relations were to Sanji. But the other half of him felt uneasy. He felt like he still had a dark shadow looming evilly over him and the weight of secrecy still weighing him down. Zoro gulped. Telling the whole crew was going to be a fiasco.
If there was ever one time that Zoro didn't want to be with the straw hats it was on this particular meal. It had started out quite normal, but normal is never good.
Zoro stared down at his food and groaned. He had no appetite whatsoever due to the fact that he was too full of worry and anxiety. All he could bring himself to do was stare down at his plate hoping that if he stared long enough that he food on his plate would magically disappear. But with no such luck he finally looked up from his food and observed his fellow crew mates.
The whole crew ate in silence except for the usual slurping, smacking, and chewing made by Luffy. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the meal and wondering in their own thoughts. Zoro gave a sideways glance at the cook sitting next to him to see how he was holding up. Bastard! Zoro felt his insides shout. The damned cooked looked extremely composed and not the least bit worried, actually he seemed more sparkly than usual.
"What do you think of the meal Nami-san?" Sanji asked. His voice silky, his eyes sparkling, and his lips curled in a soft smile.
"Delicious, as always." Nami replied as she smiled politely.
"Robin-chan would you like more some more wine?" The blond cook asked gently sending the dark-haired woman a charming smile.
"No, thank you." Robin answered returning Sanji's smile with her own.
Zoro could feel his muscles tighten, his lips forming an involuntary frown. The only thing that stopped Zoro from grabbing Sanji by the waist and carrying him off was knowing that a stunt like that would really set off suspicions. So while internally he was cursing the cook, externally he sat quietly trying to hide is utter displeasure.
Sanji on the other hand was watching Zoro from the corner of his eyes the whole time. Well aware that what he was doing was driving the other man insane. He turned to face the green-haired swordsman. "Zoro, is there something wrong?" He asked his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Why would there be anything wrong?" Zoro asked defensively, giving the crew shifty glances.
"You haven't touched your food." Usopp pointed out as he swallowed a mouthful of food.
"Is there something wrong with my food?" Sanji asked. His expression was of false hurt but his eyes where shimmering with roguish delight. The interest of the crew was caught by the odd spectacle of Sanji and Zoro having a conversation that didn't involve cursing or name-calling. Luffy started to eat slower, Usopp watched the pair wonderingly, Chopper watched in nervous silence, and Robin and Nami watched with increasing interest.
Zoro gave Sanji a narrow-eyed look of contempt. "I just feel a little sick." He explained, emphasizing the last word and shooting Robin and Nami a spiteful look.
At this point Zoro would have retorted Sanji with a nasty comment, but the thought completely left his mind as the swordsman felt a leg rub up against his own. Zoro shot a look of shock and horror at the cook unable to speak due to the utter surprise. Sanji returned it with an innocent blink.
"You don't look so good, Zoro. Your face is pink." Luffy exclaimed causing bits of food to fly everywhere. It was true. A blush had invaded Zoro's tanned cheeks. Zoro stared hard at Sanji as he tried to conceal his blushing, throwing an expression of loathing towards Sanji and his tactical ways of embarrassing him.
"Maybe you should go to bed early tonight." Sanji replied again with mock concern for Zoro, his eyes still glowing with relentless waywardness.
Again Zoro opened his mouth to curse at the blonde chef but was completely thrown off as a hand suddenly groped his inner thigh. Then staring at him, a pair of playing eyes challenging him.
He panicked. Zoro stood up so fast that the chair he was sitting in fell over. "Yeah, I think I'll go to bed." He proclaimed quickly and hastily ran off to his room, avoiding the quizzical stares of his crew mates.
"What was that about?" Luffy asked curiously after he watched Zoro quickly disappear to his room. The whole crew and Luffy turned to Sanji for an answer.
The blonde cooked just shrugged dismissively and returned to the face the table. "I guess we'll never know."
He's going to pay for this. He's going to play ever so dearly. Zoro laid in his bed and recalled the events that had taken place a few hours ago. Internally he was cursing the blonde and thinking of unorthodox ways to punish him. He bitterly turned in his bed and sighed, he was having a harder time than usually falling asleep. Maybe it was because the time of revealing his relationship with Sanji was drawing nearer.
Zoro tossed and turned for a few more minutes. Then his ears picked up a low but distinct sound of creaks coming towards his room. There was a flash of light as the intruder entered Zoro's room and quickly shut it. After some more creaks Zoro felt a rustle of his bed sheets as someone joined him in his bed.
"What are you doing here?' Zoro hissed as he turned and faced Sanji.
"I was cold and I was lonely." Sanji replied with a pout.
If it had been someone else that had pissed him off and then wished to stay with him Zoro would have undoubtedly refused. But it wasn't just someone, it was Sanji that had pissed him off and now wanted to share Zoro's bed. Of course he didn't want to admit it but staring at that false apologetic look made him melt.
He quickly turned away before his expression gave him away. "Fine you can sleep next to me." He answered roughly.
"Good." Sanji whispered softly as he pressed his lips behind Zoro's neck and started kissing it repeatedly. His body was pressed against the swordsman's as his hands made to grope Zoro's inner thigh again.
"I sleep next to me not with me." Zoro whispered as he slapped way Sanji's hand. He had allowed Sanji the privilege of sleeping next to him but hadn't completely forgotten his bitterness.
Sanji acted like he had been waiting for a similar reaction. He wrapped his arms around Zoro's abdomen and rested his head in the crook ok Zoro's shoulder. "I'll let you be top"
Zoro's heart skipped a bit. If she hadn't been irritated, Sanji he probably would have grabbed the bastard but the waist and taken him up on his offer. But he was still mad at what Sanji had pulled earlier. "No." He answered firmly but this time he didn't removed Sanji's arms. He liked the warmth that the embrace had supplied him with.
"Are you still mad about what I did at dinner?" He asked incredulously as he removed his arms from Zoro's stomach.
"Maybe." Zoro answered as he slapped away Sanji's hand a second time as they made a grab for Zoro's ass.
"I was just having fun." Sanji explained with another pout.
"Trying to screw in front of the fucking crew is fun to you?" Zoro retorted apprehensively. He inched away from Sanji to show how disdainfully he felt toward what happened earlier.
Sanji inched closer to Zoro and embraced his lover tightly. "I'll even wear that skirt I stole from Nami…" Sanji whispered as he playfully kissed Zoro's ear.
This time Zoro's heart didn't skip. It was a full-blown jump. If it had been any other circumstance, he would have accepted the offer in a heartbeat. But just remembering the catastrophic scene earlier made him avoid such actions. "No." Zoro repeated stubbornly
"Ok. Ok. I'm sorry. And I promise that I will refrain from any forms of public display of affections." Sanji exclaimed, surrendering to Zoro's coldness. "Well that is unless you do something extremely appalling in which I will be force to do something drastic such as grabbing your ass in public."
Zoro smiled to himself in the dark, his angry slightly receding. "And what appalling things are those?" Zoro could never stay mad at the blond very long. Of course he found pleasure in taunting and teasing the swordsman endlessly. But in the end he always managed to make Zoro forgive him. Zoro hated him for it. The damn man with his strange charismatic charm always seemed to soften Zoro with his words and actions.
"Oh you know holding for my hand, wrapping an arm around my waist, or pretty much anything as inexcusable as that."
"I wonder what punishment I'd get for kissing your in public…" Zoro proclaimed slyly.
"Oh there's a corresponding punishment to that too." Sanji exclaimed solemnly while nodding his head slowly, his face breaking out in a gorgeous smile.
With that Sanji moved in closer and rested his head into the back of Zoro's shoulder. The two lying in the thin bed sheets their dual bodies merging into one, supplying not only a warm feeling in their bodies but a warm feeling in their hearts. Sanji meekly nestled his head in Zoro's shoulder, enjoying the moment of solitude. "So does this mean that you forgive me?" He asked hopefully.
"No." Zoro said as he slapped away Sanji's hand for the third time.
To be continued…