So, BregoArodShadowfax is back! And no, it's not the next chapter of 'Bound by Destiny,' but that's coming soon, I promise! This is a new project I've started, based upon one-shot ficlets that are inspired either by lines of songs or entire songs, and will be on various topics and have various pairings. Expect to see a lot of ZoSan, though, because that's my One Piece OTP and probably what I can write the best, but I'm certainly not adverse to writing both gen fics and het fics, so keep on the lookout! I'll try to keep the rating T, but if anything gets too out of hand I'll post a warning in front of the chapter so that you can skip over it if it doesn't appeal to you. I'll also list pairings and other warnings in front of the various fics.

Great, now that that's cleared up…Disclaimer time: I don't own One Piece (which belongs to the fantabulous Eiichiro Oda) nor do I own the songs used here. This chapter's title song, 'The (Shipped) Gold Standard' belongs to Fall Out Boy. That is all.

Enjoy! And please, drop me a review! Concrit is fine, although flames will be used to light my fireplace (and I don't have a real one, so don't flame).

Title: The (Shipped) Gold Standard

Rating: T

Warnings: Fairly minimal male/male interaction and blood; angst; sap…pretty much the usual from me:)

Pairing: ZoroxSanji

Word Count: 1644 (and these were supposed to be drabbles??)

The (Shipped) Gold Standard

I wanna scream 'I love you' from the top of my lungs,

But I'm afraid that someone else will hear me.

Where had that thought come from?

It wasn't as if he didn't have complete control over his body or his actions, after all (well, there was that one time after that dream, but that wasn't his fault. He'd really thought that he was under attack). And it wasn't as if the feelings suddenly sprouting rainbows and choreographed dancing in his chest were new, so to speak, but he had always been able to ignore them before. Apparently someone upstairs hated him, even if he didn't believe in them, because this was ridiculous.

Purple velvet. Purple…where did the darn sadist keep all of his clothes? He had as many as that orange-haired witch, and that was saying something. But that shirt…never mind the fact that it was so skin-tight he may as well have been wearing nothing, but the deep v-necked collar showed off a wondrous expanse of pale skin that normally was kept hidden under a button-up shirt and tie. It also didn't help that the shirt was barely long enough to reach the hem of his pants…which were not much better. Camel-coloured and completely form fitting with a slight flare at the bottom, accentuating both the fact that the other man had an amazing a…he pushed that thought away, but it was true, and the flare made his impossibly long legs look even longer, and Zoro wondered how they would feel wrapped around his waist while they…pushed that thought away, too.

"Oi, Marimo, you coming?" the bane of his existence turned, giving him a fleeting smile, and Zoro had to remember to breathe again. For some reason, the other man looked hotter in glasses than he normally did, and with the whole outfit, Zoro wasn't sure if he wanted to admire him in all of his glory or rip all those wonderful clothes off right then and there. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he calmly lit a cigarette and tapped the toe of his teal…teal shoe on the ground before rolling his eyes and turning away. "Well, since you seem incapable of talking, I'll just catch you later."

And he walked away, even though Zoro had yet to fully comprehend what had happened. When he did…that Sanji…Sanji…had just asked (in that roundabout way of his) if anything was wrong, he felt an odd sort of pressure in his chest and wondered absently what it was as that strange unbidden thought came up again. Because whatever he was feeling, it sure as heck wasn't love (maybe indigestion? He'd eaten that strange fruit a while back) and if he said anything out loud, chances are the one listening wouldn't be the one he wanted to hear it.

You can only blame your problems on the world for so long,

Before it all becomes the same old song.

But then, life was too reliable anyway. Especially after they had encountered the evil island people who had decided that they were to be used as sacrifices to appease whatever gods they worshipped. Not knowing where the others were was a bit of a problem, but Zoro took out all of the warriors that had rushed him and, in trying to get back to the ship, somehow ended up bumbling into their camp. Which was empty, save for the blonde cook smoking by the open fire-pit.

"Oi, cook."

"What?"

"You run into those crazy natives, too?"

"Yeah. Piece of cake," Sanji paused, and Zoro gave him a careful look.

"Where're you hurt?"

"I'm not! Mind your own business, idiot," Sanji bit his lip, and Zoro knew he was in pain. Because Sanji always became irritable when he was injured, and even through his tinted glasses Zoro could see the creases at the corner of his visible eye and the slight furrows in his forehead.

"Then let's go."

"Want to rest for a second. You go," Sanji shifted on the log, this time completely unable to keep the wince from crossing his face.

"Cook…" Zoro said in a warning tone as he strode forward and, even though this was going to come back to haunt him, gripped Sanji's arm and pulled him up. The blonde gasped and his breath cut off in a sob as he collapsed against the swordsman, unable to even hold his own weight.

Tell that boy I'll leave you alone, now

Like a stone, I'll turn my love down.

Zoro saw the blood and didn't know what to think, other than that Sanji's clothes were beyond ruined. "Oi, love-cook, what happened?" he asked quietly.

Sanji shook his head and clung harder to Zoro, hands fisting in the fabric of his white shirt. "Not important," he shuddered, blood already soaking through his shirt and dripping to stain the fabric of his pants. "I was an idiot, that's all."

"Okay," Zoro shrugged. He could appreciate pride, after all, and if the cook didn't want to tell him, he wouldn't press him on the subject. That strange flutter was stronger than ever now that the other man was right there in his arms, but he had to stubbornly push all thoughts of attraction away until he was certain that Sanji wasn't going to die on him. He was losing a lot of blood. "How are we going to get you back to the ship?"

I gotta feel the wind chill again before I get old

"I can lead," Sanji supplied. "But…"

"Yeah," Zoro put a hand under his knees and carefully scooped him into his arms, wincing as Sanji whimpered and buried his nose in the junction between Zoro's neck and shoulder, breath hot and harsh on the younger man's tanned skin. "Oi, Sanji?"

"I'll be fine," Sanji promised. "Just…get me to Chopper."

Zoro nodded and started to walk, following Sanji's instructions. The jungle was deep, and he knew for a fact that there were still ornery natives around. A fact which was made all the more true when about five burst out of the bush in front, yelling in a strange language. Zoro didn't quite know how to react to this; after all, he couldn't really shift Sanji anyway, and there was no way…

Luckily, the blonde answered his question for him by pushing himself up and flinging his leg out, even with the awkward angle managing to gain enough momentum to knock the leading man into the others and back into the bushes. Zoro took that as his cue and ran off, careful not to jostle the blonde too much.

"Oi, I thought I was the one rescuing you."

"Like heck. You couldn't carry out a successful rescue mission if your life depended on it. Oh, you might get the rescuing part okay, but getting them out? You'd get lost," Sanji smiled, although it was really more of a painful grimace, and Zoro let the debate drop. They could argue when Sanji was recovered.

The time my dad caught me a horseshoe crab,

And I asked him if throwing it back into the sea would bring our luck back.

He couldn't mask the grin that stole over his face when they finally spotted the ship, and his stoic hold on his self-control nearly toppled overboard when Sanji nudged him gently with his nose and muttered, "Thanks, Zoro."

"Che. Causing me all this trouble, idiot," Zoro muttered, letting his forehead rest against the blonde's gently as Sanji let his arms circle Zoro's neck in what almost could have been an embrace. He pulled back and smiled, a strange hooded glaze to his eyes under the glasses that was no doubt the result of blood loss, and he seemed almost too pale, but he was alive and they were at the ship, meaning that help was only a few minutes away.

I wanna scream 'I love you' from the top of my lungs,

But I'm afraid that someone else will hear me.

Zoro decided that declarations of love were for pansies, anyway, and chances are some orange-haired sea witch would hear him even from half a mile away, or else a conveniently placed ear courtesy of a black-haired ex-assassin would materialize from the tree next to them and then she would relate the information to the witch.

And so, he decided to go with the less audible method and leant forward, giving Sanji plenty of time to tell him off, but the cook surprised him by meeting him and pressing they lips lightly together, his hand coming up to grip at Zoro's hair and angle his head so that the kiss was more comfortable. Zoro could tell he was weak, though, because he'd always imagined (not that he'd thought about it often) that Sanji would kiss with as much force as he himself, but it was barely a press; a tiny exhalation of breath.

Sanji's hand dropped back to rest on Zoro's shoulder as they broke apart and he gazed at the swordsman with half-lidded eyes. "I mean it," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Thank you."

He closed his eyes and slipped into a half-doze, soft hair tickling Zoro's neck as the swordsman started toward the waiting ship, who realized that he no longer cared if anyone saw them. This island would soon be behind them, and he knew instinctively that nobody on the crew would make a fuss over whatever this thing between them could be called. That was what being nakama meant, after all: accepting each other no matter what. So he wouldn't be proclaiming his love from the crow's nest, not yet and probably not ever, but for now, this was enough.

"You're welcome…Sanji."

As soon as we hit the hospital I know we're gonna leave this town,

And get new passports and get; get; get; get; get out now.

And that's all she wrote, folks! I can't say when this will be updated, as it will depend on inspiration, but all of these are stand-alone fics regardless.

Hope you enjoyed, and drop me a review:)