[in progress]

[embracethewaves]

Who: Zoro threesword, Sanji baratiesbest and Umi embracethewaves
Where: The shipyard
When: Backdated to Jan. 29th
Rating: pg...13? /stares at dirty pirate language 8|
Summary: There's barely a chance to catch your breath around here, but some things need to be said.
the log:

Comments

[embracethewaves]

Despite the cold, despite the trouble with supplies, even despite her leg Umi couldn't help a smile as she saw Sanji. That was one thing that Hikaru's presence did -- the redhead had a way of making bad things seem less bad. Impossible things seem less impossible. It was a terrible time for her to be there, with things going the way they were, but Umi was grateful for it, too.

Not that she wasn't happy to see him -- she definitely was. Being cooped up for the past two days made it kind of difficult, especially since she couldn't go to work. It was rare that she got to see them both together, too, but something about this struck her as a little...strange.

"There you are!" she called, and with a wave she made her way over to him, slowly but surely.

It was a minute before that little worry nagged at her again, because of all the times, why now? Of all the places, why this? Something was weird about it -- or was it just her imagination? Maybe the cold was getting to her. She shivered a little, red-faced from the wind and snow. "Jeez. Talk about a weird meeting place..."

[baratiesbest]

He closed the distance between them in a few long strides, partly so she wouldn't have to move around on that leg anymore than she already had. The cook offered her a warm smile and moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders, attempting to rub a bit of warmth into her.

"Weird, huh..? Maybe."

Stiff. Awkward. Definitely more uncomfortable with the situation than he liked to admit. It wasn't often that Sanji found himself unsure of what to do but this was one of those rare times. Hopefully the damn mosshead would join them soon enough so he at least had someone else around who could fail at dealing with this. Moral support and all that.

Speaking of... that damn swordsman was bound to be here somewhere.

"Oi! Shitty marimo! Get over here!"

[threesword]

It was still a fair enough distance away, but there was no denying Sanji's voice. Or the use of "shitty marimo" to gain his attention. It had worked, without a doubt, his ears almost perking up like a dog's at the familiar tone.

He exhaled the breath, his eyes opening to see it before finally standing up. Seeing that reminded him of just how cold it was, prompting him to put his coat back on and check to make sure his swords were secure in their holsters.

Well, he was going to have to go find them now. He followed where the sound was coming from until he was greeted with the sight of the two of them walking in his direction. For just a moment, he smiled to himself. That alone was a reminder of just how much he'd changed over the course of time -- If this had happened in the past, he would have been overcome with anger, annoyance, jealousy. But now? There was something much more pleasant about the sight of them together. Maybe it was because he knew he was just as much apart of it even when he wasn't with them. Or maybe it was because they looked as comfortable as they could.

If only telling Umi what had happened was as easy as watching their approach.

He continued walking until they were within a reasonable earshot, finally stopping and giving his head a small nod.

"Hey."

[embracethewaves]

'Maybe'? Her eyebrows lifted at that. "I mean, with all this snow...and everything else." The monsters. She trailed off, there -- maybe not a great subject to start out with. She didn't feel unsafe or anything, far from it, but she'd been doing a lot of worrying over it lately, with Luke's death and Hikaru's sudden reappearance in the city. So, at least for now, she could push it to the back of her mind.

She was grateful for the warmth, edging a little closer -- boy was it cold. Still, something about this...

And where was Zoro, come to think of it? The surprise was evident on her face when Sanji called out for him, and possibly doubled when he actually was there. How the heck did that happen--?

"There you are," she said after a minute with a smile. It had been a few days since she saw him, too, so she definitely couldn't say she minded, even if it was cold as all out here. "So, what's all this about, huh?" ...Yeah. Despite being happy to see both of them, cold was cold and standing around in the snow was kind of weird.

[baratiesbest]

It was suspicious, he couldn't deny that. In fact, that was one of the main reasons why he would've preferred if they had done this somewhere else but the risk of being interrupted or eavesdropped on just wasn't worth it - so they'd just have to make due out here in the freezing cold.

The isolated location didn't make it any easier though - more like the opposite. They couldn't stall for time out here or act like all this was about something else. It was clear that Umi already knew something was up and as much as he wanted to push this off just a little longer they really had no other choice but to get straight to the point. Right. Just... do it.

The cook hesitated for a moment, shot Zoro a quick glance.

"'Just say it', right?"

[threesword]

Zoro nodded his head slightly in response, taking a position on the other side of Umi. He paused, hesitating for a second. The idea was good in theory, but still not so easy for him to execute. He had a hard enough time speaking about matters of the heart as it was -- and this was surely something that involved all of that.

After a moment, he spoke, but it wasn't the words Sanji was expecting. No, not at first.

"Yeah. On the way to the ship. It's a little warmer in there." His tone wasn't particularly tense or awkward, but his eyes focused on the ship for just a moment while his brain searched for the words that would make sense of this situation. After that pause, he got out all his brain could manage to find as a start to this horrifying conversation.

"Some shit happened a couple of weeks ago.."

[embracethewaves]

Heading for the ship was something Umi definitely wouldn't object to, not with the snow and the wind; besides, it'd be nice to sit for a minute. She could be a big girl about the injury to her leg, of course, but it was still bothering her a bit and she was still supposed to not be on it very much.

And...getting there might be a good distraction from this weird tense feeling in the air.

She started in that direction, slowly but surely, although it wasn't exactly a far walk from where they were. Zoro's words made her stop, though; she turned to look at them both, concern written on her face. What did he mean by that...?

"...What is it? Is everything okay?" All this secrecy and hesitation -- she didn't like it. It made her nervous.

[baratiesbest]

Here they go, the start of this damn roller-coaster of a story. He'd be surprised if she still wanted to stay in this strange constellation once this was out - if she even believed them in the first place. Hell, Sanji didn't really know what to think about the things that were about to be said. It was... bizarre. Really bizarre. But that didn't make them any less there. They should've dealt with it weeks ago, back when it was still fresh and new. This way... he couldn't be the only one doubting the sanity in this endeavour.

Shelter was a good idea though so he made a start to go with the other two. Stopped. A pause, a sigh - it didn't look like they'd get very far without at least saying what this concerned. The phrase "making a mountain out of a molehill" floated through his head and he had to wonder if that wasn't exactly what they were doing. Umi looked honestly concerned, worried and in this town any news were potentially bad.

The cook attempted a reassuring smile, though it didn't go as well as he planned. Nervous. Really, bonechillingly nervous.

"Everything is fine, it's nothing... bad. Not necessarily."

Great. Let's try this vague thing again, shall we? See if that actually works for once.

[threesword]

Despite the circumstances, Zoro really couldn't help himself, snickering slightly at the expression on Sanji's face.

"You trying to scare everything away with that face, shithead?"

Maybe making a joke would make the situation seem less severe. Really... In the big scheme of things in Discedo, this wasn't that bad. Not bad enough that they had to stop out there in the freezing cold while Umi worried.

"We can talk and walk at the same time, you know." A small sigh passed Zoro's lips. His eyes closed for a second, gathering his thoughts. How the hell was he supposed to say any of this? Zoro places one boot in front of the other, taking slow strides. He raised a hand to his head, ruffling the green hair a bit while his eyes traced the ground.

"Me and that shitty cook. We..."

He sputtered a little. The words were sitting on the edge of his tongue, but they wouldn't leave his mouth for whatever reason.

[embracethewaves]

'It's nothing bad'...but they still couldn't say it? Whether it was the conversation, or trying to trudge through the snow on a bum leg, or maybe both, Umi was definitely getting a little frustrated. What the heck was this supposed to be about, anyway, and why was it so hard to say if it wasn't even anything bad?

She didn't reply for a minute. The snow, her own frustration, the vague conversation...

Honestly, she wasn't sure what to say.

The walk gave her a minute to calm down, at least. She finally stopped when they stood by the ship, and sighed a bit, now more confused than anything. "Whatever it is..." She paused, looking from one to the other, not quite sure how to finish that sentence. "Just say it, okay?"

[baratiesbest]

"Oi."

A low growl and that's all the response Zoro is going to get to that remark. Normally it would've required a kick to the shins or at the very least a snide comment about the state of the swordsmans facial structure and how it could use a renovation but the situation doesn't really allow for more than an 'oi'.

Snow. Always the damn snow. It seemed like every turning point in this strange relationship happened when it snowed.

Over a year ago, outside of Marshall. That first, bitter fight about things neither of them understood at the time. His blood, painting crimson peonies in the snow. And then in August, same setup even though they had figured out quite a bit by then. It was supposed to be the height of summer, sweltering hot but the streets had been covered in ice and snow and once the adrenaline died down it had been freezing.

And now this. January. Snow. Cold, but not as cold as that growing lump of sheer panic at the pit of his stomach. Just say it. Easy to say but not nearly as easy to do, especially with something you haven't really admitted to yourself yet. But she deserved to know, so he took a deep breath. Readied himself for the plunge. The damn marimo had done the ground work, they couldn't stall forever, someone had to do it.

Might as well be him.

"We..." Pause. Eyes on the ground, expression hidden by that convenient blond curtain. "Let's just say you won't have to worry about us trying to beat each other to death anymore."

Or maybe it wouldn't be him. It was a start though and if this didn't clue her in... well, they'd just have to clarify. One way or another.

[threesword]

There was something that felt horribly embarrassing about the situation. The statement had been pretty vague on its own, and if Umi didn't figure it out just from that alone... well, then what would it take? Would they be able to say something concise, or would it spread into this awful explanation of details that he never wanted to share?

Because the latter of the options was completely terrifying. Their relationship with Umi - or his, at the very least, since he never bothered to ask for details - had been lighthearted in its way. Innocent in the way a first relationship should have been.

With Sanji... Things were so different. So opposite. It was physical and lusty and held lingering desires that made his entire body quiver whenever it came to mind. But it wasn't something they spoke of. Hell, they had reputations to uphold. And... say the rest of the crew found out. Then what?

It was all these little thoughts rushing to his head that instilled a tense fear in him. His muscles tightened and he took in a quiet breath. His cheeks, already pink from being exposed to the cold for so long, had intensified greatly. His eyes continued to droop, sheepishly staring at the ground.

"Most of the time, anyway."

[embracethewaves]

The first thing Umi felt was relief. She had put their near-deadly fights to the back of her mind since August, but she had far from forgotten them. To be honest, she was worried when they were so sullen that they had done something like that again... The reassurance that that wasn't the case was definitely something she needed to hear.

"Good...that's good."

But then, what was the big deal? Why did they both look like kids with a hand caught in the candy jar? It didn't really...make sense.

She looked back and forth between the two, watching their expressions with more than just a bit of confusion on her face. Although when she thought about it, really thought about it...the look was familiar, that was for sure. It was the same look Fuu had when she met Ferio, the same look Umi was sure she was wearing when Carrot had asked her that weird question. Could it really be something like that, even with those serious expressions?

"You don't-- ...wait a sec, do you mean--" She stopped there. It was...unexpected enough that she couldn't be sure -- was she just coming to some weird conclusion?

[baratiesbest]

Oh, they had done something alright. Something that, with a little luck, she never ever had to hear about. Or witness for that matter - that thought alone was enough to make Sanji cringe on the inside. What the hell had they gotten themselves into? The alternative would only lead to trouble though, quite possibly in the form of more near-deadly fights just to let off some steam.

No, this was really the only way to go and it did look like she had a good idea of what this was about. Maybe. So far so good but they couldn't just leave it here, could they? Unresolved. Uncertain. A problem waiting to come back and bite them in the ass, so to speak.

Someone had to do something and it might as well be him, even though he was at a complete loss for words. He just couldn't find a way to fill in the blanks here, no words or clever phrasing seemed to be good enough for what he needed to say. So he sighed, shoulders slumped in defeat. When words weren't enough...

The cook turned towards the other man, gave him a nonchalant glance.

"Sorry."

And with that he brought up a hand to grab the swordsmans neck before leaning in, planting a quick kiss on his mouth. If that didn't clear things up... nothing would.

[threesword]

There had been the mildest feeling of relief that washed over him. Umi had understood. Even if she wasn't completely sure, she had an idea.

One that was confirmed very completely by Sanji's action. At the word 'Sorry,' Zoro had no idea what the hell the cook was apologizing for. But then it was there. The sensation of a firm hand on his neck, and then lips against his own.

It sent a chill down his spine, but in the very same second, his entire body went tense, his eyes widening in shock. Zoro pulled back, his face looking whiter than a sheet.

"What the hell are you doing, shithead?!"

Well, he knew the answer that. Sanji was trying to prove a point - one that could easily be conceived in an entirely different way. He ruffled his hair again, looking over at Umi. The color had returned to his face; Now he was completely red in a way he never thought was possible for himself. His hand landed on the back of his neck, rubbing the now-damp skin. All of this was causing him to work up a sweat.

"Yeah, it's that." He paused again, awkwardly. "But I... We... Still feel the same way. About you."

[embracethewaves]

...So that would be a "yes." But that...that definitely wasn't something she had expected. Of all the ways to confirm something--

Surprise was the simplest, mildest way to put how she felt in response to something like that -- it was just something that seemed so...unexpected for them. Or was it? Even she had said before how alike they were, how close they seemed. But that...

Maybe shock was a better word for it.

Every inch of that showed on her face, with complete solidarity. She didn't know how to respond yet, although the color rose in her cheeks both at witnessing the kiss and at Zoro's words. But even through the shock she realized she was falling back into that old pattern, not being able to say things, not knowing what to think or feel...

"I-- Well-- ... O...oh," she began, but she didn't know where to go from there. Not yet. She just needed a moment to absorb it -- and more importantly, what it meant.