Zoro sat in the chair across from Sanji, the latter had his leg propped on the swordsman's lap. The blond was leaned back, still fighting against unconsciousness, just barely coming out victorious. He blinked sluggishly, never allowing his eyes to drift from the other. Meanwhile, their host was busy tending a fire, stirring the pot that hung over it.

Sanji's leg was finally cleaned and bound with actual bandages. He was also able to take something for the pain, Zoro as well.

The effects of the herbs coupled with blood loss had the chef fighting sleep. His head dipped every few seconds, eyes fluttering in an attempt to stay awake. But it was a losing battle. Zoro watched every second in pure amusement.

"You know, you can go to sleep if you want. We're probably going to be staying here through the night."

"M'not that tired," Sanji replied, voice sluggish from a stifled yawn. He straightened up and forced his eyes open, but not without having to blink a few times to get them to cooperate.

They both looked over when Dodge hummed lowly with satisfaction. "Food will be ready in no time," he announced. "I figured once you two had a bit of it, you can use my bed and get some rest before mornin'. From the looks of it, you both could do with it." He sat down in the last remaining chair with a heavy sigh. "I know you don't trust me, and I ain't blamin' ya for that. But, ya both look exhausted."

Zoro just nodded once. He wasn't going to deny that - he was sure it was written all over their faces. He could feel the bags under his eyes and he could plainly see them under the blond's. The swordsman held back a deep yawn of his own. "We appreciate it," he muttered. "But I'd prefer not sleeping in unfamiliar territory."

To his surprise, Sanji was still awake enough to snort. "That'd be the first."

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Shut your mouth before you waste what little energy you have left. And with the way you're dozing off over there, you have no room to talk."

Something was muttered in response, but it was too quiet for him to make out. He had no doubt it was some sort of insult though. It was muffled as the man finally let a deep yawn escape him. Shaking his head with a sigh, the swordsman got to his feet and with some effort, helped the cook move from the chair to the bed. The fact that there was barely so much as a peep of complaint out of him spoke volumes of how worn he was.

It wasn't long before he was out and dead to the world, a matter of seconds, really. Zoro perched himself next to him on the edge of the bed, and didn't move so much of an inch until Dodge announced the stew was ready. The swordsman looked back to Sanji, debating waking him. He was actually sleeping peacefully and he knew the man desperately needed it. With a deep breath, he chose to leave him be. He could just eat when he woke up. Disturbing his slumber would have just felt almost cruel.

The other two finished their bowls in silence. Only the crackling of the fire and the light snores of the blond kept it from being utterly quiet.

Once finished, Dodge cleaned up, moving about the small area as quietly as he could. During all of this, Sanji hadn't twitched even once. Even halfway through the night, as long as Zoro sat there, the blond stayed asleep.

"You're that worried about him, huh?" the elderly man finally asked, breaking the long silence.

The swordsman perked up, feeling his face heat a small amount. "What? No, don't get the wrong idea. It would just be an inconvenience if I didn't get the idiot back to the ship alive."

He hated the sly grin that tugged at the other man's lips with that. "Coulda fooled me," he chuckled lightly. "I thought for sure you were 'bout to stab me through with that sword out there. Seems you were awfully protective and I got a little too close for your likin'."

"I don't trust strangers," Zoro answered flatly.

Dodge hummed. "Despite bein' injured yourself, you still rushed to his side without a moment's hesitation."

Zoro narrowed his eyes and bit his bottom lip. "So, why are you out here all by yourself?" he asked, shoulders tense.

"What can I say, I'm not fond of living in groups. Prefer the peace an' quiet." His eyes flicked from Zoro to Sanji, taking in the way the former never left his spot. In fact, the way he was sitting reminded him of that of a guard dog. "You mentioned a ship?" he asked after a moment. "So, are there more of you out there then?"

The swordsman stiffened at the shift in tone. "Yeah, there's a ship, the rest of our crew. They're waiting on us." He made a move to get up. "In fact, I'm sure we've kept them waiting long enough."

"Hold up now, I already said you fellas can stay the night. There's no rush, and I'm sure they won't mind waitin' 'til mornin'." He gestured with his hands for Zoro to sit back down. "I didn't mean nothin' by it, jus' hafta be cautious out 'ere, ya'know?" Slowly, the younger man eased back down, but the distrust never left his gaze. "Trust me, I don't want any trouble more than you do."

Zoro nodded once, firmly, but he remained on edge.

He didn't like the idea of staying here, but there was the constant worry of getting caught in another trap in the back of his mind. Not to mention, Sanji was barely able to stay conscious when they were coming here. Taking a deep breath, Zoro slowly released it and prepared himself for a long, sleepless night. Through the lightless hours, he never moved from his spot and never let his attention stray from the other man. Not even when he fell asleep in his chair. The swordsman stayed awake through it all, and only allowed himself to relax when rays finally shone through the curtains.

Slowly, Dodge stirred with a groan, rubbing the back of his neck. It took a moment for him to finally come around. And, seeing as it was finally morning, Zoro decided perhaps it was time to wake Sanji up.

"Hey," he mumbled, prodding the blond's shoulder. "Wake up, you've been asleep for like twelve hours, you lazy ass."

Sanji's brow furrowed and he cleared his throat as the discomfort slowly found its way back to him. His breath caught and his fingers curled into the sheets. "Fuck…" he mumbled, cracking an eye open. His hazy gaze went from Zoro to the rest of the room as familiarity flowed back into his mind. "How long was I asleep?" he asked, voice raspy from lack of use.

The swordsman helped sit up. "Long enough."

Once upright, the chef's hand was reaching for his leg, hovering just above the knee. Zoro was tempted to ask Dodge for more of those pain meds, but he'd prefer if Sanji were fully awake for when they leave.

"You still need to eat something," he reminded, not forgetting for a single second. "I'm not having you pass out from lack of energy and then having to haul you around." Even though he was already sort of doing that, but that wasn't the point. "And before you complain, you're not getting a choice in the matter, I will leave your ass here until you have something if I have to because you sure as hell aren't going anywhere on your own."

The blond held up a hand. "Alright, alright, I get it already. I got it the first time." He straightened up a little more and rubbed at his eye. He was still exhausted, but he fought against his body's pull and accepted a still slightly warm bowl.

His low appetite was clear by just how long it took him to finish the small amount there was. Each bite was tentative and cautious. Zoro had to guess it was the pain making him wary of consuming anything, which was understandable enough. He was just glad he actually finished it without any complaint.

"If you two want, I can help y'all get back you your ship. Make sure you don't get in anymore trouble along the way. I remember where all of the traps are, after all, so I'll lead you guys around them."

Zoro carefully helped Sanji up, again taking the majority of his weight. Now that his arm was better secure, the pull on it wasn't nearly as bad as it was the night before. Supporting the blond was no longer adding unnecessary strain on himself. Now he just hoped that they would make it back quickly. From the looks of it, the man wasn't up for covering long distances, or any distances for that matter. Sanji was putting up a strong front, but he could see the wear in his eyes and could feel the slight tremble as he struggled to hold his own.

"You good?" Zoro whispered.

Sanji nodded, jaw tight. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a couple of seconds before slowly blowing back out. "Yup. M'fine." He's had worse than this.

The first hour of walking went fairly smoothly with only a couple of stumbles. Both of which the cook was able to right himself quickly enough. It wasn't until the second hour that he started to slow his pace and began depending more on Zoro to keep him upright. He was out of breath and the pain was catching up to him. The lines of distress were enough to figure that much out.

"It's not too much farther," Dodge assured from a few feet ahead. "Another half an hour at the most an' we'll be at the shore."

Keeping that in mind, Sanji pushed on, using his remaining energy to focus on just moving forward. Zoro had to smile to himself as some of the weight was lifted away from him and the blond's eyes shone with new determination.

Just as the elderly man had promised, it wasn't too much longer before they could hear the crashing of waves and smell the scent of salt. "Almost there," Zoro promised. "Try to keep it up for a few more minutes." Even he was starting to feel the pulls of his body's need for rest. He could only imagine how it was for Sanji by now. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, Dodge stopped and stepped to the side.

"Well, this' as far as I go," he sighed. "You boys be careful, and sorry again about the, uh, ya'know."

Zoro hummed in understanding. "Thanks," he breathed out, hefting Sanji up when he felt him start to slip a little. He earned himself a little hiss - of either pain or annoyance, he couldn't tell which. He just hated they were going back empty handed, all this for nothing. Oh well, he supposed it was enough they were going back alive. One look at Sanji and he was thankful they weren't hurt more than they were.

"Appreciate it," the blond added curtly. He shifted, trying to stand more on his own, much to Zoro's irritation.

Dodge waved one last time. "Don't wanna see you fellas 'round here again, ya'here?" he said with a light chuckle before turned back towards the forest. The other two watched for only a few seconds. Their attention was pulled away by,

"Zoro! Sanji!"

The two shared a heavy breath as they looked over their shoulders to see their captain, leaning over the railing, beaming. The swordsman had to hold up a hand to keep Luffy from springing over. He wasn't sure either of them could handle the impact right now.

Together, with the help of Nami and Ussop, both of them were able to get on board without much issue. In a matter of seconds, their doctor was looking them over. His face was a constant mask of both anger and concern as he checked leg and arm. "What did you two do!?" he asked as he removed the bindings from the blond's leg. "I'm going to have to set this properly. Luckily it's a clean enough of a break," he sighed.

"Lucky me," Sanji muttered, rolling his eyes. But the bite was lacking from his tone.

As Chopper went to start taking a closer look at Zoro, the man waved him away. "He's worse off," he muttered. "Take care of him first."

For once, the reindeer didn't pester, knowing those words to be true based on the amount of dried blood still left on the blond's leg. Zoro stepped to the side, getting out of the way while Chopper changed to his human form and carried Sanji away. The latter allowed it to happen, not so much as a whimper out of the man.

The swordsman wandered back towards the rail of the ship and leaned against it, propping his bad arm on top. He stared out into the forest, scanning the area. He was pretty sure he could still see some light rustling as Dodge moved about, and he could only assume the man stuck by to make sure they actually made it all the way. He waved his good hand, hoping it was seen before the movement died down.

He didn't know how long he stayed there, must have been a couple hours at the least. It had to have been a while because next thing he knew the ship was moving. It was only a few minutes more until a sound grabbed his attention: tapping. It moved in a pattern, only broken up by light 'thumps'.

Zoro glanced over when the noise stopped next to him and he caught the recognizable shade of gold, ruffled.

"You're next," Sanji announced, shifting one crutch to the other hand to free up his left hand. Just as expected, he fished out a cigarette and placed it between his lips.

"Should you really be moving around?"

The chef shrugged. "There's only one bed and you still need to be checked out. And I slept enough last night. I'm wide awake…"

Zoro snorted. "Really? What the hell did Chopper give you? You could barely keep your eyes open last I saw you." He looked over, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the still too pale skin. "You still look like you're ready to keel over." He pushed himself away with a grunt as his arm was jostled. He turned to head towards their quarters.

"Wait."

The swordsman paused without turning around. "What?"

He stiffened, caught off guard. For a few seconds the arms that were wrapped around him didn't register. "Thanks," he heard muffled against the back of his shoulder.

"For?"

Zoro felt another shrug. "Didn't know you could be so protective," Sanji mumbled. "So…" he sighed heavily, "thanks for helping me out back there. But, if you tell anyone I had to ride your shoulders...you're dead."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. Like he would even tell anyone about that, it wasn't his proudest moment either. Shaking his head, Zoro spun on the spot, reaching out to grab one of Sanji's upper arms before he had the chance to topple over. Once the blond had his balance, he moved his hand from the man's arm to his chin and lifted it ever so slightly. His mouth fell open, causing his smoke to hit the deck, which was instantly stepped on and snuffed out by the other.

Sanji's one visible eye widened as soon as he realized what was happening, but the feel of the larger man's lips against his own still came as a small shock. He felt firm fingers travel around to the back of his head and interlock with his hair as he was pulled in closer. There was nothing left to do other than close his eyes and return the kiss.

Slowly, Zoro finally pulled away, his eyes reflecting the same surprise the other was feeling. He blinked a couple of times and carefully removed his hand from the other's hair. "Dunno what came over me," he muttered.

Just as confused, the chef shook his head. "N-No...it's fine." Sanji took a step back, balancing on his good leg. "But...Chopper is still waiting on you. You probably should go there before he comes after you."

The swordsman breathed out with a small roll of his eyes. "Yeah." As he went to turn around, he paused one more time. "And no need to thank me. I was just doing what was natural. I'm sure you would have done the same." He offered Sanji one last soft smile as he turned around, leaving the blond to himself.

With a shuddering breath, the blond turned back around, feeling somewhat light-headed all of a sudden. Hopping over to the railing, he plucked his crutches back in his left hand as he pressed his back against the wood. His free hand raised to touch his lips, which still tingled a small amount.

"Dumbass," he muttered, taking another cigarette from his pocket.