Tonight is not the night for fights

[baratiesbest]

Who: Sanji baratiesbest and Zoro threesword
Where: Northern Lights
When: Nov 19, late night.
Rating: PG13-ish for ust pirates
Summary: Two pirates meet in a bar. Awkwardness ensues.

the log:
Say what you will about Sanji but if there was one thing he was an expert at it was to keep himself occupied. Whenever life got too stressful and he needed to clear his head he

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[threesword]

He didn't stop. Not because he couldn't. There was nothing holding him back; They'd both fulfilled what they had officially set out to do. But there was something more pressing, gripping. He wanted to continue. He felt his shirt tighten as Sanji gripped it, and it only served to be fuel to the fire.

He could feel his heart rate increasing, but it was different now than it had been earlier. This was more hormonal. Instinct. The fear had slipped from his body, leaving him with a passionate type of euphoria that was rare to be seen in Zoro. He felt as if he was pushing his luck, his boundaries with the cook. But that was natural, it was what they always did, even if this was in a whole different manner.

The hand that had been on Sanji's chin moved upwards, cupping the cook's cheek. He felt the strands of blond hair between his fingers, and he found himself almost smirking into the movement a little.

In a sense, it still felt like a battle, though far less violent and with extremely different stakes. He had this compulsive want to win. Win what he wasn't sure. Maybe it was just to leave the other speechless. He didn't know. He wasn't even sure he cared. His free hand traced its way down Sanji's arm again, his calloused fingers circling the other man's palm lightly when they finally reached their destination. He didn't back up; instead, his lips parted ever so slightly in his internal longing to stay as they were right then.

[baratiesbest]

This was bad news, they were getting far too caught up in what was essentially meant to be nothing more than a test. It did feel good though, fucking great and whatever part of Sanji's brain that was still functioning tried to convince him that this could be a good thing. This way they would really get it out of their system and hopefully this would be the end of it.

Not that he wanted it to end. The test had turned into a challenge and he'd be damned if he was the one to turn away first now that they had pushed past the first barrier. His mind was a blur, dizzy and disoriented but one thing was still crystal clear to him - he couldn't back off. Not yet.

So he parted his own lips slightly, tongue quickly darting out to test the waters. The initial reluctance was starting to really fade away and maybe it was about time the swordsman got a taste of that 'expertize' he had mentioned earlier.

[threesword]

It was more than expertise that Zoro got a taste of. It was one thing the swordsman really hadn't expected to happen. On a night where very little mae sense, that was somehow the most jarring thing that'd happened in the last five minutes. In this case, however, jarring wasn't really a bad thing. It made everything more blurry than it was - at this point, Zoro wouldn't even be able to say how much time had passed in that dark kitchen.

But Sanji had the upperhand once more. This was something Zoro really didn't know; at the very same time, he wasn't about to let the shitty cook figure that out. His tongue had moved slightly - enough to make contact, but barely enough to have done much else. The waters were indeed being tested, and primal instinct or not... even the swordsman couldn't imagine pushing his limit too far.

They'd both started out like kids; Awkward, uncomfortable, and almost unwilling. In a short time, they'd somehow evolved an awkward conversation at the bar to sharing saliva in Zoro's kitchen. One step at a time was all he could really do.

[baratiesbest]

One step at a time was more than good enough for the blond. Even if he wanted to take the chance to push some boundaries he was nowhere near confident enough to rush this. Their relationship was fragile as it was, probably even more so now and he'd really like to be able to look the swordsman in the eye when morning came.

This was okay though, still lingering on the innocent side of the spectrum. This they could bounce back from, should it suddenly go to hell but with each passing minute the chef felt like he wanted more. Just a little, see where it took them. That promise of one night had started out as a way to convince himself that he just had to live through a few hours of this but now it felt like they didn't have enough time. Whatever he wanted to do it had to be done tonight, there would be no second chances. That was the deal.

He let one hand trail up along the others spine, eventually nestling in his short cropped hair. This was a way to assert dominance, Sanji knew for a fact that he was far more experienced than the swordsman when it came to these things and he'd damn well let him know that he knew. He deepened the kiss slightly, added a little more enthusiasm into the mix.

[threesword]

Under normal circumstances, even letting the blond assert that much dominance would have been completely stopped in its tracks. But these weren't normal circumstances. And hell, they were both men. Zoro was finding himself okay with with the situation at hand. Somehow, he didn't find himself emasculated by what Sanji was doing in the slightest. In fact, it was really quite the opposite.

He liked it. Every last bit of what was happening felt as if it was breathing some sort of new life into him. He didn't want it to stop. Eventually, it would have to. They really couldn't continue like this, could they? It was them. And this was one night, to try and satisfy the strange desires that were lurking within him. But in this situation he found himself wondering if it could all be substantiated in one night. Would this be it? Would they be okay with it?

Zoro didn't know, but he wasn't about to let himself get lost in those thoughts when there were more pressing matters at hand. Like attending to Sanji. His hand shifted, pushing the hair that usually covered half the cook's face back, letting his fingers intertwine with the silky blonde strands. He complied with his tongue, letting it press against Sanji's as his free hand grasped the other's, pulling him a bit closer.

[baratiesbest]

They were both men. That was something that was both reassuring and unsettling all at once and also something that Sanji tried his hardest to not think about. They were stealing time, a few hours where manly pride and principles and even the core of his very being didn't matter. If this had happened any other way he would have been freaked out of his mind, frozen solid by the mere thought. And now? He was encouraging it and even taking charge of the situation. How this would affect him - them - in the long run... there was no way to tell.

But he did like it. He couldn't lie about that though he might try once morning came and the realisation of what they were actually doing had sunk in. He enjoyed how different it was, the feel of firm muscles under his hands in sharp contrast to the usual softness of female flesh that he normally lived for. This was something else and he couldn't help but wonder just how it would play out if they let this go even further - judging by how their fights usually played out it would be one hell of an experience.

He wouldn't push it though, in part because he wasn't entirely sure how far the swordsman really wanted to take it and in part because he was just as unsure how far he himself was willing to go. This was good for now but if they kept it up... oi, there was just no telling how it would end.

Maybe that was why he found himself hesitating. At first he went with it and pressed himself even closer but after a moment he pulled back slightly, broke the kiss. His voice was surprisingly strained, breath coming out in short, quick pants.

"...you sure you know what you're getting yourself into, marimo?"

[threesword]

There was something in that hesitation that was both disappointing and exciting all at the same time. He was also a bit short in his breaths, taking quick, shallow gasps of air.

Did he know what he was getting himself into? Well, here they were and he didn't seem to perturbed by it. So maybe he did. But that pause was still long enough for him to think. To realize where things could go. That concept was a little more than terrifying, to say the least.

But he had enough control either way; It wasn't as if this could escalate to something before they'd snap back to reality... right?

Either way, there was still this insatiable urge to be near the cook. To stay close in the heat of the moment. To stop denying everything that had felt so wrong about even considering it - actually having it at his fingertips seemed to make it even more desirable than it already was.

He gave his head a short nod, not really moving from his spot. "...The fuck stupid do you think I am? Do you?"

[baratiesbest]

Sanji shook his head, chuckling softly. Truth be told it shouldn't really matter whether they knew what they were doing or not, this was temporary at best. No need to worry about long-term consequences, they'd find a way to deal with it.

"Not a fucking clue."

That was part of the excitement - not knowing. He knew how to handle women (or at least he pretended to know) and there was really no mystery there but this was uncharted territory to say the least. Now that he had some time to process this whole bizarre turn of events he found himself strangely intrigued, excited to see just what else he could find.

The blond tilted his head a little to lock eyes with the other, eyes gleaming in the dark as a crooked grin spread across his face. In a way they thrived on moments like these, impossibilites and the thrill of the unknown. That was part of being a pirate and it finally dawned upon him that this - whatever it turned out to be - should be handled just like they had handled Reverse Mountain or Skypiea or anything else they encountered in the blank space known as the Grand Line. They moved forward. Fearless.

"Then again... it's always like this, isn't it?" He quirked an eyebrow, grin growing just slightly wider. "Question is just how far we want to take this shitty adventure."

Was that a challenge? Of course it was.

[threesword]

Sanji's tone of voice struck a chord with Zoro. He could hear that it was something the both sought. It was the challenge - what they were both good at. And if there was one thing that wasn't going to happen, it was Zoro backing down from a challenge.

With all that had happened that night... hell, all that had happen over the course of weeks, months... he couldn't dare refuse a challenge. It may have been one of a different sort, but it was a challenge, nonetheless.

Zoro finally hopped off the counter, stepping the cook with a smirk.

"Sounds like a challenge to me, shitty cook," The tone of his voice was a bit different. It was more confident. Ready for the challenge at hand. He wasn't sure what was coming over him - he felt almost as if he couldn't control the motions of his own body. His hands graced the chest of the cook. Smaller, slender, but still very masculine. He lacked the curves of a woman, but it had a different feel that still was almost soft. His hands traveled down. They paused at the waist for just a moment, but then move again, finally stopping at the other man's hips. For a moment, he dared to press forward slightly, but he psyched himself out at the thought, just allowing them to remain there.

"Then a challenge it is."

[baratiesbest]

At first it seemed like a good idea. Of course he knew that Zoro would accept and he had been prepared to take the consequences, whatever they may be - Sanji wasn't one to turn down a one-night stand if it came to that. New experiences and all that. Sure, he had only been with women before but sometime had to be the first and he sure as hell was adventurous enough to try---

And then those rough, calloused hands reached his hips and the gravity of the situation finally came crashing down like a bucket of ice cold water. What the hell were they doing?! This was stepping over the line and the fact that he liked where this was going only served to add to the shock. He stepped back, flinched like the touch of the other had burnt him.

"..."

He had suggested this. He had been the one to take the first step, the one who upped the ante and that wasn't something he was supposed to do. Not with this guy. Not in this situation. Sanji swallowed, felt his throat tighten with that familiar sense of panic that he was sure he'd come to associate with the swordsman for a long time. Another step back and another and he practically had to force himself to not turn and run.

"I got to go."

[threesword]

At first, Zoro didn't get it. His eyebrow quirked at the feeling of Sanji jumping back. The cook was the one who'd pushed all of this in happening. Into forcing the feelings to come out. To pushing it a step further.

But the change was instantaneous. His eyes caught the expression on the cook's face, and it all came to a screeching halt, hitting him like a ton of bricks. Not only had they kissed, but they had both... almost taken it further than that.

His stomach had completely flipped, and he turned around, staring directly into the sink with his hands gripping the counter's edge so tightly he was positive it was going to crumble under his grasp. His face was locked into a horrified position.

That had just happened.

And what was worse was that he liked it.

And what was even worse than that was there was a piece of him that wanted to keep going.

Of course he didn't, paralyzed once more with fear. What the fuck was happening to him? This... this wasn't Roronoa Zoro. He felt as if he was a stranger in his own body.

He wanted to respond. Whether it was a 'get the fuck out of here, you shitty cook' or 'don't go yet.'

Anything was better than the silence. He tried to speak. To say something. Anything at all. But all he could do was let out a defeated and horrified sputter.

[baratiesbest]

That reaction was both terrifying and comforting at the same time. He hadn't been the only one to realize what a mistake they had been about to make and if he hadn't broken it off there... that sort of damage would have been near impossible to repair. The caresses had been alright, the kisses were manageable but going even further than that? That would have meant acknowledging that this was more than some bug in their system and nothing in the world would be enough to bring them back from stepping over the line.

And still... he couldn't help but feel like he had just stabbed Zoro in the back. Twisted the knife. That he had led him on and tricked him into starting something neither of them knew how to finish. It left a bad taste in the cooks mouth and he regretted ever coming here. Fucking hell, why couldn't he have just pushed that stupid fucking notion aside?

He remained still for a few more seconds, watching, waiting for a reply with a sinking feeling in his chest. Shit.

And then he finally forced himself to leave, stumbled out of the room and headed towards the door. A tiny part of him wanted to stay, at least long enough to mend the rift this sudden departure was bound to leave between them but he didn't even know where to start and he sure as hell didn't know if he'd be able to face Zoro again after that. Not for a while. It looked like they were back at step one: avoiding the hell out of each other.