Author Notes: This idea came about because Twinklenoob requested in a review for Sanji to start liking Zoro and it to be a fight between Luffy and Sanji over Zoro. As I was thinking of what to write about, my brain added Ace into the mix and everything became much more of a mess.
So over at 30_kisses I put in a claim for Luffy x Zoro but hrm, not officially accepted yet. Still, I want to use the themes and the only One Piece pairing that has been claimed at this point is ZoSan, so I think I'm safe ~ Anyway, my self-challenge is to use the themes as chapter titles and use them in order - and follow the challenge of 30_kisses and include a kiss with each theme.
So. There it is.
[Also, I don't know shit about ships so forgive any really bad descriptions and blame it on me not knowing the right word to use xD]
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything related to it.
Pairings: This is LuffyxZoro centered, but it includes SanjixZoro and AcexZoro.
Theme 1: "look over here"
Warning: Rated M for a reason. Involves yaoi relationships (though the lemon stuff isn't going to show til later chapters unless I lose control of my pervert self).
Spoilers/ Timeline: -Eh, well, kinda hard to place. Sometime after Alabasta. Before Skypiea stuff. Involves 7 crew members and Ace. So there. -
Summary: Ace comes to visit the crew when they're out at sea. Luffy enjoys himself until he notices that special attention is being directed at a certain swordsman. Zoro does his best to ignore the uncomfortable moments thrown at him from both devil fruit brothers, but then the cook tries to stake a claim, too, and that's just too much.
First Ace shows up and starts flirting with him. Then Sanji starts acting all possessive. And now Luffy is fighting with his brother and the cook. Over Zoro. What a mess...
~!~
Claimed
~!~
Chapter 1: Over Here
~!~
It was just another sunny day aboard the Going Merry. The breeze was cool, the sun's heat was mild, and the waves were peaceful. Nami had become quite good at controlling their ship away from rough weather, not that Zoro needed peaceful weather to fall asleep.
Currently, Zoro sat with his back against a wall that held the kitchen on the other side. He could smell the cook working on something, but the thought of food was well in the back of his mind. He rested with his arms behind his head, swords propped beside him, always close by and ready to access. Normally, his mind would be preoccupied with dreams of his past, of Kuina - she did like to haunt him like that - but for some reason, no matter how peaceful the day was, he couldn't get himself to really fall asleep.
The lulling movement of the ship was usually enough to send him to dream world, but for some reason, he couldn't get himself into that quiet, deep slumber. He had almost made it. Quite a few times over the past hour, in fact. But he would always be startled back awake by something, whether it was a comment from Luffy, "canon-practice" from Usopp, a kick from the cook demanding he move from his current position...
"Oi, shitty marimo, I don't care anymore if you sleep all day, but you could move your lazy ass away from the door to my kitchen!" Sanji exclaimed, kicking out at the trying-to-sleep swordsman.
Zoro moved a sheathed sword just enough to block the kick before it could reach his face. He opened his eyes and glared at the shit cook. So what if he was resting near the door? It hadn't bothered anyone before, so why did the cook have to complain now?
"I don't see what the problem is, shit-cook." He grumbled, one arm still resting behind his head where he was leaning against the wall.
Sanji lowered his foot and clenched his hands to his side. "You're blocking my walk area. How am I supposed to serve the ladies their mid-afternoon drinks if I have to keep stepping over your lazy ass?"
Instead of arguing back, Zoro found himself thinking over what the cook had said. After a moment, he sighed, shrugged, and stood up, temporarily placing his swords in their spot with his haramaki. "Whatever. Not like I could sleep anyway."
At this, Sanji seemed stunned. He just stared back at Zoro, his foot twitching as if it had been prepped to lash out again. Zoro stared back. He knew it was odd for him to give in so easily, or at all, but he just didn't feel like fighting at the moment. He hadn't been able to sleep all that well since Alabasta.
Too many close moments haunted his mind.
First, that Kuina-look-a-like had shown up. He couldn't stand seeing her. Why did she have to exist? Someone that looked like her...even talked like her...
And when Luffy had fought Crocodile. He shouldn't have been worried, and he told the others not to doubt in Luffy, but the worry had been there all the same. He knew Luffy could handle himself, knew Luffy was strong, but still...
"Oi, marimo, why are you spacing out?" Sanji said, breaking Zoro out of his drifting thoughts.
The swordsman shook his head, took a moment to clear his mind, and then sent a glare to Sanji. "Shut up," he growled before walking away.
He could feel the cook's eyes on his back as he walked to the side of the ship. He ignored the itch between his shoulder blades as he closed his eyes, turned around, and sat down, putting his back against the ship side railing. While sitting down, he brought his swords up to his arms, resting them against his shoulder, leaving the ends of the sheathes to sit in his lap inside his crossed legs. Leaning his head down, he kept his eyes closed, and did his best to ignore the still-staring eyes of the pervert cook.
Zoro took comfort in the sound of Luffy's happy exclamations while he played some childish game with Usopp, and the swordsman attempted to fall asleep yet again, trying to ignore the odd musings of his mind. Luffy was safe now. They were all safe. There shouldn't be any worry.
So what was this nagging feeling that wouldn't leave him alone?
~!~
Sanji stared after the marimo, and kept staring as the idiot swordsman sat down somewhere else, having gotten up without a fight, having moved without an argument. It was so not what Zoro would have done that he couldn't help but stare, watching the green hair shift ever so slightly at the light breeze.
A part of him wanted to go prod the swordsman some more, annoy him, ask him what the hell was wrong. Because something most definitely was wrong. Zoro wouldn't just give in that easily. If Zoro wanted to sleep somewhere, Zoro damn well slept there. He wouldn't let just anyone move him out of the way, especially not Sanji.
Biting at his cigarette, Sanji stared at the swordsman now sitting across the way, sighed, and shrugged his shoulders as he made his way back to the kitchen. The shitty swordsman wasn't his problem. If Zoro wanted to have an "off" day, then so be it. He would just thank his good fortune for getting the marimo to move. A grin crossed his mouth as the thought came to him. He would have something to tease the marimo about later.
Putting the swordsman out of his mind, Sanji turned to the fruit drinks he had prepared for the girls. He knew the others would complain if he didn't make them something too, so he had a mixture of not-quite-as-good drinks set out for the others. But they wouldn't notice if Nami-san and Robin-chan had slightly better quality - or if they did, they had learned not to complain. (Though he was sure the swordsman would mutter something under his breath, like he always did).
A crash resounded through the ship as Sanji picked up the tray that held the girls' drinks, and he could hear Zoro's complaining shout. "O-Oi!"
But he thought nothing of it. Luffy and Usopp were known to bug the green haired swordsman as he slept. Especially Luffy. So nothing was really worth worrying over.
Stepping out of the kitchen, he put on his best smile and called, "Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!"
He had the drinks on a tray, and he was all prepared to serve the two ladies, but when he stepped out of the door he couldn't initially find either one of them. For a moment, he puffed on his cigarette, watching the smoke laze its way through the air. Why was the rest of the crew on the other side of the ship? Didn't everyone usually hang around on this side?
When he heard Nami-san's giggle, he relaxed and started to move away, oddly enough in the same direction where the green haired swordsman had moved his sleeping position just a few moments ago. A jealous feeling churned in the pit of his stomach, but it went away shortly when Nami appeared around the corner, smiling her bright beautiful smile.
"Oi, Sanji-kun, come look over here."
He felt his face fall into a frown as she waved at him - and then proceeded to completely ignore the drinks in his hands. She barely even looked at him before walking back around the corner. So hanging his head in slight defeat, he followed her, hoping to manage a twirl and sweet smile while serving the drink to her, at least.
But when Sanji turned the corner and saw what the girls were staring at, he found that he had to stop himself from tripping over his own feet. And he had to concentrate to keep his grip on the tray, lest it fall as a mixture of shock and... horror crossed into his emotions.
Fire Fist Ace, Luffy's brother, had apparently returned for a visit. And his first surprise for the day - because Ace was definitely known for his surprises among them - involved crouching over a certain floored green-haired swordsman. Ace's face had to be way too close to Zoro's for comfort. If Sanji were in Zoro's place, he would have already pushed the devil fruit user to the side, but the shitty marimo was blushing, as if... as if...
Sanji's thoughts were thankfully interrupted - by Nami's giggle and words aimed at Robin. The two ladies were standing just in front of Sanji, eyes fixed to the position of their nakama and Ace. "Oi, Robin, it feels weird to say this, but..."
"Doesn't Swordsman-san look adorable right now?" Robin said to finish the sentence.
Sanji felt the cigarette fall out of his mouth.
~!~
Ace grinned as he looked down at the blushing swordsman beneath him. So he had landed awkwardly - and he admitted that it was a little bit on purpose. He had been cruising the sea, looking for his brother's ship so he could visit. When he finally found the Going Merry, he had spotted the green hair of Luffy's first mate, and he had been happy to see that the swordsman was sleeping outside in such an easy-to-surprise position.
So, he had jumped on board and "fallen" on the swordsman - well, he had really knocked Zoro to the deck and stayed crouched over him, sticking his face in the no-longer-sleeping man's wide eyes. And so here he was, looking down at the green hair, dark eyes, and growing blush.
Aw, that's just cute. He's blushing for me! Luffy sure knows how to pick the cute ones.
Hearing a girl's giggle, he temporarily dropped his eye-contact with the swordsman and turned to offer a smirk for the audience he had apparently gathered with his surprise drop-in. The two females were watching with wide, interested - and such, not-innocent - eyes. There was also the blond-haired cook, staring with...well, he couldn't really describe that look, though he did recognize the shock because of the open mouth and the cigarette rolling on the deck.
A hand on his chest made him turn back to Zoro to see that the swordsman was attempting to sit up. His left elbow was up and on the deck, and his right hand was on Ace's bare chest, pushing against him. But the man's face was down, as if he were hiding something - and Ace chuckled when he realized that Zoro was trying to hide the redness on his face.
"O-Oi, get off me."
Ace smirked, keeping his feet planted firmly where they were - on either side of Zoro's body. He took his own left hand and wrapped it around the one Zoro was using to push against him. "I don't think that's what you really want, do you?"
Zoro's face snapped up at the question, letting Ace see the fully flushed embarrassment of the swordsman. "H-Huuuuh?"
Damn it, Luffy, I can't hold back from this one. He's just too damn cute.
Letting his eyes light up, Ace forced Zoro's arm down, stopping the swordsman from blocking him. Then he leaned forward, noting how Zoro seemed to instinctively move back to keep the small distance he had. "I said," he whispered, loving how the dark eyes of the swordsman seemed to be shaking in their sockets as he realized that he was trapped. "I don't think that's what you really want," Ace continued, putting emphasis on each word before leaning down and putting his mouth near Zoro's ear. "Do you?"
Ace absolutely loved the shiver that coursed down the swordsman's body when he spoke, and he couldn't resist letting his tongue lick over that ear before pulling back. He smirked when he saw the deep blush still present on Zoro's face, as well as the newly parted lips and the fact that the swordsman had closed his eyes - as if he were so embarrassed by his inability to control his body's reactions.
Running fingers over Zoro's right arm, Ace managed to get Zoro to open his eyes just in time to surprise him again. Leaning forward quickly, he locked his lips with the swordsman's, pushing his tongue between the slightly parted lips before Zoro could react and close them.
He heard a girl squeal and a door slam but didn't think anything of it.
~!~
Luffy had taken Usopp and Chopper down with him into the ship to search for more cannonballs for their practice. It was actually a lot of fun watching Usopp hit absolutely everything he aimed for. When he had invited Usopp into the crew, he hadn't even known the liar had such an awesome ability. He had just become impressed with the way Usopp handled the situation in his village - with the will he had possessed, the courage he had thrown together even if he was shaking the whole time.
But Usopp had shown to be an excellent marksman, too. Like his dad, as Usopp was proud to state. He wanted to be a "brave warrior of the sea" like his father. And Luffy would just grin, nod his head, and think how cool it was that he had chosen such a funny group of people to be his crew members.
"Oi, Luffy, did you hear that?" Usopp asked, his face currently buried in a stack of boxes, his voice muffled as he searched through the piles of random supplies. Chopper poked his head up from a rather large box he had crawled into, pulling things out of it as he searched.
Luffy stopped his own chaotic search - he honestly hadn't known there had been a pile over there. He thought the one pile of stuff had been right in front of him, but now there was a second pile - and it looked awfully familiar.
He lifted his head and turned to his sharp-shooter. "Hear what?"
Usopp shrugged and went back to turning boxes over. "I thought I heard Zoro shout something."
Zoro? His mind whispered.
"Zoro?" Chopper exclaimed, his face instantly scrunched up in worry.
At the name, he shot to his feet, putting his hand on his head to keep his hat still. "D'you think there's trouble?"
Chopper responded to it first, standing straight up with a hoof at his chin, his nose titled as he sniffed at the air. "Well, I smell fire."
Usopp stopped his searching, turned his face around, his nose even shaking at the idea of trouble. "W-Wouldn't Z-Zoro be able to handle t-trouble, though?"
Luffy laughed on the outside. "Oh, of course," he said, but he glanced to the floor, rethinking his decision to stay down here. If Zoro had shouted... Maybe that earlier crash had been something serious after all.
Zoro was strong. And reliable. And his favorite nakama. But Zoro also came back from every battle covered in his own blood and way too close to death.
Just for a moment, he hesitated. Trying to decide if he should check up on his nakama or not. Trying to decide if it was necessary. Trying to decide if he would hurt Zoro's pride if he went up and nothing was wrong.
But in the end, his worry won out. Zoro was strong, but there was always that chance. And as much as he trusted his nakama, if he was here, he wanted to help. Besides, if there was serious trouble, a fight would be fun.
So, he left Usopp and Chopper sputtering around the boxes of supplies and he raced back to the top of the ship, trying to push away thoughts of Zoro in trouble. Working to keep himself positive. Mentally berating himself for not trusting in his nakama. They hadn't let him down; he shouldn't be worried. But what if it was someone like Crocodile? What if...?
Luffy opened the door at the top and felt his insides run cold at the scene before him. Ace, his brother, was sitting on top of Zoro. And they were kissing.
He wanted to run. Scream. Cry. He wanted to do a lot of things. He felt weak in the knees, and he felt red in the face - red from the anger. And his chest hurt.
I told Ace not to... I told him I had chosen Zoro because I... I... I told him...
Luffy's hand left the door knob in a rush, pushing it completely open, hardly hearing it slam against the wall. Still, Ace didn't look up. And even Zoro seemed lost in the moment. His heart was beating fast. It was really cold. And hot. And he couldn't tell anymore.
Clenching his hands into fists, Luffy fought the tears, welcomed the anger. But when he opened his mouth all that came out was a wimpy little whine. "Aaaaaaace..."
~!~
End Chapter 1
~!~
A/N: Thoughts? Comments? ... hate mail? Leave a review, lemee know! Remember, 30 chapters are planned for this, so it's gonna be a long one, and because each chapter is a theme the chapter length may vary. Chapter 1 came out to about 3000 words.