Archive of Our Own

When Zoro drowned he hallucinated. 

That's what Kuina told him- she said your brain wasn't getting enough air and it was just the light in the water . He said he knew what he saw, what he felt , and no amount of skepticism could remove the absolute. 

Here's the truth: Zoro couldn't swim. He fell in the water and sank like a stone because there had never been anyone to teach him how to move his arms. He forgot that if he screamed for help the water would get in his mouth, and he even opening his eyes hurt. 

Here’s the other truth, the one that stays a secret: a mermaid saved him. 

Something touched him as he sunk, making him flail harder. He could only see blurs, and even if he was going to drown he still didn't want to get eaten by something. There was a brush against his cheek, then his leg, and then there was this big thing in front of him and he stopped moving because it had a face . 

His first thought was someone had jumped in to save him, even if he didn't know any boys with gold hair and white skin. His second thought was to flail again because he was still drowning . He closed his eyes again, refusing to admit he was afraid, trying to move his body in the direction he hoped was up. His throat hurt and he felt dizzy, but he recognized the feeling of a hand grabbing his. 

When he breathed in the next time it was air, filling him up and stinging his aching throat. Hands on his arm, holding him up, and he grabbed them back- a lifeline. He was being moved toward the shore, under the dock he had tipped off of, feeling the water drag at him. He opened his burning eyes, trying to clear away the blurriness so he could see more than yellow hair. He was more focused on the first touch of sand under his feet though, bringing solid reassurance to his situation. He half stumbled up the shore, turning as the hands on his arm fell away. 

It- he - wasn't human. There were subconscious ways Zoro knew the boy wasn't human, even if he still had a nose and a mouth and eyes like a human. For one, his skin was almost translucent, like it was sparkling. His hair too, gold or not it wasn't really normal. He stared at Zoro with eyes that didn't seem to blink, and it was like he held the entire ocean in his view. His image didn't make sense to Zoro. The blue fishtail flicking below his waist probably wasn't normal either. 

They both looked at each other while Zoro tried to catch his breath, and Zoro wasn't sure what to do. He could guess that he was supposed to say thank you, or maybe a greeting, but his throat hurt too much to talk and his skin was cold. He settled for a nod, figuring it would look more mature anyways. Fish-boy didn't nod back, just cocked his head to the side. Maybe it was a sideways nod, and that was just how fish people talked. 

Zoro glanced over his shoulder, wondering if Kuina would know. When he turned back there was only a ripple in the water.

-oOo-

“Why were you on the dock if you can't swim, stupid?”

Zoro turned away, trying to hide his flush from Kuina. She had already laughed at him for stomping back to the dojo, soaked to the bone. 

“Shut up. Have you ever seen a fish person?”

She laughed at him again, and he scrunched his face up into a scowl. He would have left and asked Koushirou but he didn't want to admit he had fallen. Kuina would make fun of him, but not tattle at least. 

“What, like a mermaid? Do you think you saw one?”

Mermaid . He’d heard that word before, but didn't have context. It was just another word that went with the ocean, and he was learning about swords on land, so. 

“What’s a mermaid?”

Kuina gave him a look like he was being stupid again. 

“ Fish person then. You know, human top and fish bottom. There are stories about them.”

Zoro nodded. He waited for more, but she didn't say anything else. Zoro asked the first thing that came to mind. 

“Do they talk?”

She shrugged, getting up. Zoro waited for his answer.

“Who knows. They’re just made up anyways- It’s little kid stuff.”

Zoro bristled, because he wasn't little and the boy had been real . He said so to her back, but she waved him off, walking away. He sneezed, cold from the salt water still stinging his throat. 

-oOo-

Zoro started training alone on the dock, careful to stay in the middle and not too close to the edge. Kuina told him he was wasting his time, but Zoro wanted to see the boy again. Even if it had been some weird looking boy from the village playing a prank, he had still saved Zoro’s life. 

He put down his shinai to wipe at his brow. It was scorching under the full heat of the midday sun, and Zoro was tempted to drown again just to relieve himself from the heat. He peeked over the edge, looking at the clear blue water, thinking about the mermaid boy’s eyes. He’d seen a few people with blue eyes before, but he’d never seen someone with blue eyes like they were made of blue. Eyes were just eyes, but surely eyes so blue saw the whole world a different color. Maybe everything Zoro was seeing was a tinted version.  

He still didn't know how to swim, but he scurried off the dock to the beach to wade in the water. He splashed his face and let his toes sink in the sand, not willing to go deeper than his knees. He shuffled around, picking up rocks and seashells and throwing them as far as he could. He ran back up to the dock, grabbing his shinai and running back down, slapping the water with the wood as hard as he could. He thought about cutting open the whole ocean and walking along the bottom of it, looking for the blue-eyed boy. 

He returned to the dojo in the evening, and he must of looked sad because Kuina didn't mock him for being wet. Later, when they were putting away the mats, she told him about how sailors always fell in love with mermaid because they were so beautiful. They always left their hearts at sea with the creatures made of pearls and moonlight. 

-oOo-

On the third day of practice on the dock, Zoro fell in again. 

It was a bit expected really, since he was swinging a wooden sword around a bunch of edges, his feet sliding on patches of wet wood. He tumbled over, hitting the water and immediatly sinking again, thinking this is so stupid . If he died like this it would be so stupid . 

It was faster this time, with smooth hands grabbing his arm and practically throwing him on the shore. No grace or hesitance this time, and Zoro had barely swallowed any salt water. He still panted hard, water up to his waist and in his eyes. He rubbed at them, clearing up his vision. 

The first thing he noted this time was that the boy had his face twisted into something like annoyance. His hair stuck to his face, flat and wet but still so bright , and the blue eyes Zoro had been dreaming about were nearly hidden. Only one was really visible, and his skin was reflecting the light. He looked at Zoro the same way Kuina sometimes looked at Zoro when she thought he was being stupid. 

“Can you talk?”

In hindsight, there were probably better ways to introduce himself, but Zoro didn't really feel like wasting his breath if the guy wasn't going to understand him. It got an instant reaction though- a look of surprise, and then anger. Most importantly, it got a response. 

“Of course I can talk! What’s wrong with you? Are all humans this stupid? Do you want to drown?”

Zoro’s head spun from the onslaught of information. The boy’s voice was pretty normal, maybe a little lighter than Zoro’s but nice sounding. It took Zoro a second to realize he’s been asked a question, and insulted. 

“I fell, and how the hell was I supposed to know fish people could talk?”

The boy gaped at him, clearly still angry. He splashed Zoro with his tail, making him splutter. 

“ Fish people? Do I look like a shitty fish to you!?”

Zoro thought he didn't look that different from a fish. He had the tail, he swam around, probably breathed in the water. 

“Yeah, you do. You’re like a fish-boy.”

Zoro felt his legs move out from under him, and he landed in the water. He struggled for a second, finding the floor and using his legs to stand back up again, coughing up water. Fish-boy seemed happier. 

“Well at least I’m not half seaweed! And I don't die from a little water.”

Zoro splashed at him, annoyed. He was getting uncomfortable in the cold water, sand stuck all over his skin. His eyes focused on the boy’s face, his one visible eyebrow spiraling like some of the shells he found on the beach. It was odd, but no more so than his shiny skin and hair.

“Yeah, well, I can walk .”

Zoro moved his two legs in the water to prove it. He didn't really think it was that impressive, but he didn't have much leverage at the moment. Fish-boy glared at him anyways. 

“There’s more water than land, so whoever can swim wins.”

The blonde smirked, puffing out his bare chest like he was proud or something. Zoro scoffed.

“Idiot. There's cooler stuff on land, so I win.”

Zoro wanted to laugh at the curly eyebrow moving down to complete the scowl on the pale face. 

“The ocean is way better than some shitty pile of dirt! All you have is stupid- stupid dry stuff!”

Zoro scowled back, crossing his arms. He looked behind him at the island, picking out the things he figured they wouldn't have under the water. 

“We got big trees. And houses.”

Fish-boy made a clicking sound, crossing his arms too. His blue tail swished under the water, making little ripples in the water. Zoro watched it move, the scales catching the light like the mother-of-pearl inside shells. 

“We have kelp forests, and we could build houses if we wanted to. We just don't need them because we’re not weak little air suckers.”

Zoro opened his mouth to argue back, when the other boy’s eyes went wide and his tail twitched. A second later Zoro could hear the thud of footsteps, and then the splash of water that went with the boy diving back beneath the surface. Kuina appeared near the shore a moment later. 

“Zoro! We’re doing demonstrations, so stop playing around!”

Zoro looked from Kuina to the water, brows furrowed. He sighed, wading his way back to shore where Kuina was waiting with her hands on her hips. She eyes his wet hair.

“Did you fall in the water again?”

Zoro twisted the front of his shirt, trying to get the extra water out. He didn't look at her. 

“No. Shut up.”

She punched his arm, running ahead and sticking her tongue out at him over her shoulder. He yelled after her, trying to catch up and tripping on his wet pants.

He looked back at the water, but the surface didn't move. 

-oOo-

Before bed, he made a big mental list of all the cool things on land that he didn't think were in the ocean. Big mountains. Sword fighting. Tea and rice crackers. Sunlight.

He had never thought the ocean was all that special. But then again he had never thought people lived in it. He wondered if there were other people he didn't know about, like ones in the sky, far away and sitting on clouds. 

-oOo-

“Zoro.”

Zoro put down his staff, leaning over the edge of the dock to look down. A golden head broke the surface of the water, large aqua eyes staring up at him. 

“Zor-oh. Zorrro.”

Zoro got down on his belly, letting his head hang over the side just to be a bit closer. 

“Yeah, thats my name.”

Fish-boy blew bubbles under the water, eyes dancing around the dock. He looked back at Zoro. 

“It's weird.”

Zoro wished he had a rock to throw. 

“Well at least I have a name.”

Fish-boy splashed his tail, water hitting Zoro in the face, making him splutter. 

“I have a name!”

“Well then what is it, huh?”

The boy paused, looking away and ducking his head underwater. Zoro worried he had left, but the head appeared again, under the shadows the dock was casting. His skin looked light blue in the darker light. 

“If you give a human your name, they can steal your soul. Humans turn us into seafoam or drink our blood- did you know that?”

Zoro looked down at the calm water, thinking about that. Kuina had only told him about sailors falling in love with mermaids, or sometimes drowning in the water trying to chase them. He hadn't heard anything about stealing souls and drinking blood and he was glad for it. 

“Drinking blood is gross. I bet fish blood is worse.”

A large splash of water covered his head and shoulders. A stray kelp weed stuck to his neck.

“I’m not a fish!”

Zoro didn't care what he was so much anymore. He spoke words and he wasn't dangerous, and there didn't need to be much else. He had moved away from the shadow, back to reflecting the sunlight like a pearl with a furrow in his brow. 

“Whatever, fish-boy.”

“Says the talking kelp!”

“At least my eyebrows aren't swirly!”

“At least algae doesn't grow on me!”

“Shitty fish!”

“ Marimo! ”

Zoro leaned over further to yell a retort, but fell over the edge. The boy dragged him back to the shore, laughing so hard his white cheeks turned pink, and all Zoro could do was laugh with him. 

-oOo-

Kuina pulled him aside after dinner, and looked him over in the serious way she did sometimes. Zoro sometimes thought Kuina was actually twice her age, stuck in a young body, and maybe that was why she was so strong too. 

“Did you really see a mermaid?”

Zoro weighed his options. If he lied then Kuina would probably find out anyways, and even if she just wanted to laugh at him again it was better then getting beat up for trying to trick her. 

“Yeah. He talks to me.”

Kuina narrowed her eyes at him, and he was sure he was about to get a bruise on his head. Instead she crossed her arms.

“You think it was a boy?”

Zoro rolled his eyes, earning that bruise on his head. 

“I dunno, I guess? He wouldn't tell me his name.”

They both stood there in silence, Kuina looking thoughtful, Zoro rubbing his bruised head. Kuina moved her eyes back to Zoro, making him stand up straight. She was back to being twice as old as she seemed, and Zoro felt very small. 

“There’s this story- one about a sailor who caught a mermaid and ate it. He lived for thousands of years because of it.”

Zoro recoiled, disgusted. He thought about the boy in the water, laughing like any other kid with gentle hands. He opened his mouth, but Kuina cut him off, speaking quietly. 

“Don't tell anyone about him, ok?”

Zoro nodded, sollum. Kuina seemed satisfied with that, leaving him to his thoughts. 

He thought about what the boy had said- about humans drinking mermaid blood. He shuddered. 

-oOo-

“Is that fun?”

Zoro paused mid swing, looking over to the water from the shore. It was too hot to stand on the dock, the wood burning his bare feet as the sun baked any surface it could. The gold of the boy’s hair seemed to catch every speck of light. 

“Is what fun?”

The boy raised a hand, pointing with long fingers at the wooden kunai. 

“You swing that around all day, but it doesn't do anything.”

Zoro brisled, pointing the fake sword at him. 

“It’s not a toy , it's for training. One day I’ll use a real sword, like my sensei.” 

The boy swam closer, stopping in the shallows where his tail rested against the sand. This close Zoro could see the paper thin fins on the side of the boy’s tail, and the way his pale skin merged into scales at his waist. 

“Why do you want to do that?”

Why. No one had ever asked him why . It just seemed like something he should do, and he’d always felt that way. For as long as he could remember, it seemed like he was meant to carry a sword and get better and better and that was it. He looked back at the too-blue eyes. 

“I want to be the best. It’s my dream.”

He wanted the whole world to know his name. This seemed like the way to do that, and he was good at it. He put down the kunai down, stepping into the cool water until he was up to his knees, right in front of the boy. He pointed at the tail, lying still in the water. 

“Can I touch it?”

The boy tensed, looking at his tail and then Zoro. He seemed to curl up into himself a little, like he was afraid despite his proud jaw. 

“Only if you sit in the water. And I wanna touch your feet.”

Zoro thought that seemed fair. He walked a bit closer, sitting himself down clumsily on the sand, the water coming up past his belly. There was a bit of shuffling and splashing as the other boy  positioned his tail to lay beside Zoro’s legs. 

“Can you move all those things like fingers?”

Zoro looked up, following the boy’s line of sight to his toes. He wiggled them, a big grin stretching his face as he watched the other boy’s eyes widen in wonder. He’d never seen anyone look at toes like they were something special. 

“You can touch ‘em.”

He looked up at Zoro, eyes still wide like he was getting some sort of grand opportunity. Slowly, he brought a smooth hand down into the water, only daring to use one finger to poke at one of the big toes. When it didn't bite him back or anything strange, he went about prodding all of them down to the little toe. Zoro wiggled them again, watching the smile grow on the blonde’s face. 

He seemed pretty busy with the toes, so Zoro moved his attention to the tail next to him. If it wasn't for the white sand giving it an outline, it might have been near invisible in the sea. It was lighter though, almost like a perfect sky blue in some places. He reached out with his fingertips, grazing the surface of the scales as gently as he could. 

It really wasn't that different from a fish. It was smooth and cool to the touch, maybe a little slippery. His own hand against the scales made them look even lighter, and he put his whole palm down on it, marveling at the slight movement he could feel. He was so sure that this was what the sea would feel like if he could pick it up and hold it in his hand. 

“Have you ever heard of the All Blue?”

Zoro looked up, the boy still looking down at Zoro’s feet, touching his ankle now. His voice was low, and for the first time Zoro realized how nice it was. 

“No. Tell me about it.”

He did. He spoke as he walked his fingers all the way up to Zoro’s knee and back down again, still so fascinated by the toes of all things. He told Zoro about an ocean no one really believed in, where everything became one and all life under the sea existed together. Zoro’s hand grazed a translucent fin, and it felt like silk. The sun got lower as the boy talked about fish so old they outlived wars and cities. 

“It’s the most beautiful place in the whole world, and I’ll go there one day.”

Zoro didn't say anything. He kind of hoped that day wouldn't be soon. 

-oOo-

After Kuina’s 1000th win, Zoro found himself sitting on a large rock overlooking the ocean, nursing his wounds. It was getting dark, but he’d find his way back to the dojo one way or the other, and it wasn't cold. 

He’s been talking to curly fish-boy for almost 2 month now, wandering over to the dock and waiting just about everyday. He still didn't know the boy’s name, but he knew a whole lot of other stuff. Mostly they talked about dreams, or about funny things in the ocean and strange things from land. Zoro tried explaining how fire could cook food, and the boy mentioned an underwater volcano he’s bake clams near. If they stayed talking long enough his golden hair would dry in the sun, turning soft and light, and Zoro wanted to touch it. He’d never thought of anyone he knew as pretty before, and he wouldn't admit it, but. 

He tossed a stone in the water, frustrated. He’d been so sure he would beat Kuina this time, and then she had gone and showed him she was still two steps ahead. He buried his face in his arms, waiting for the stars to come out. 

A rock landed near his foot, and he looked up. He picked it up, and it was wet on his skin. He threw it back in the water, annoyed. 

“Go away.”

Another rock landed nearby as a response. He growled, kicking it away. 

“I said go away!”

He appeared then, at the bottom of the rock and white as the moon. His eyes glowed in the dark like the jellyfish that lit up the beach at night. There was that word- pretty -running around in Zoro’s head again. 

“Come learn how to float on your back, kelp-head.”

Zoro scowled, turning away. He shook his head, not knowing if they could see it or not. 

“Just leave me alone, stupid fish.”

Water splashed lightly at his feet, and he knew it wasn't from a wave. He heard a grunt, and something that sounded like palms smacking. He jumped when a cool hand wrapped around his ankle. 

“Lemme show you how to float. You’ll like it, ok?”

Zoro looked down at the mermaid, and realized he had somehow scrambled up the rock side somehow. He looked uncomfortable so out of the water, looking at Zoro through his wet hair. He had never removed himself from the sea completely before now. He was entirely vulnerable, and Zoro didn't know what to do anymore. 

“...whatever. Just don't let me drown.”

The moon wasn't that bright, but Zoro could still see the large smile on the boy’s face. Those smiles were coming easier with each day, appearing like gifts that blindsided Zoro each time. 

By the time they were both in the black water, the stars were taking up the whole sky and the mermaid’s hands were taking up Zoro’s whole world. They led him further out, always holding him somewhere. He did as he was told, pretending he wasn't afraid when his head touched the water and the only thing keeping him up were the white hands on his back. 

“Just relax and look at the stars.”

He did. He gave himself completely to whatever the ocean wanted to do with him. He wasn't sure where the stars ended anymore with the way they reflected in the water he was in. 

“I did this a lot, when I was alone. It helped.”

Zoro wanted to ask him so many things. He wanted to hold him suddenly, and tell him that he wasn't alone. He wouldn't ever have to be alone if he stayed near the island, and one day Zoro would be strong enough to protect him forever. 

He didn't say any of those things though. He stared up at the stars with his arms extended, and realized he had been floating on his own for a while now. He turned his head a little, catching the glow of white skin and blue scales right beside him. 

“Why did you save me?”

He could feel those blue eyes on him, like a blankets weight. He was floating on stars.

“I couldn't just let you die.”

Zoro turned his head back to the stars. He didn't have an answer for that, but it didn't really need one. He remembered the boy picking up seashells and bringing them to Zoro, delicately placing them on his open palm like each one was as fragile as a petal. Maybe it hadn't been the shells being treated with that gentleness. 

“My name is Sanji.”

Zoro swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, closing his eyes. The ocean held him through it, giving him it's blessing. 

-oOo-

Sanji saw him from a distance the first time. He wasn't stupid- he knew better than to go near an isalnd where humans lived. But there were so many bubbles, and that always meant things like panic and flailing and something needs help . Even if someone saw him he was still small, and could always be mistaken for a large fish by stupid land people. 

Except the thing that was flailing in the water was unmistakably human. Small like him, and with strange emerald hair, but a human with a human heart and human cruelty. It was sinking in the water, movements unorganized and unhelpful, and if it kept sinking the bubbles would eventually stop and the human would drown. The ocean would eat it's bones and life would go on. 

It was utterly helpless, eyes squeezed shut and a garbled sound escaping it's throat. Tanned hands reaching up like it could grab the water itself to pull, only to fall back into directionless movement. It was when it’s eye’s- his eyes opened-that Sanji found himself swimming towards himt. 

Fear wasn't a human emotion alone. All creatures knew fear, knew survival, knew death. Fear was primal and so honest it could burn away layers of skin until all that was left was a living being. Sanji saw it, burning away the humans skin until he was just like any other thing of the world and in need of help. 

So Sanji reached out, and the human reached back.

He hadn't meant to go back the next day. He had just been fishing, maybe looking for the oysters he liked, and then he was back by the large wooden thing built out of the ground so humans could walk above the water. He stuck to the deeper waters, under the wood in the shadows. He flinched at the sound of creaking, coming in the rhythm that humans walked in with their one-two one-two. He stayed hidden, peering up as a figure came into view at the end of the wooden path. 

His hair was still green, which Sanji thought was very unusual for a human. Green was a color for large oceans and kind turtles and the kelp that grew forever. It was a beautiful color, and one Sanji hadn’t thought to associate with anything outside the sea. 

The boy looked out over the water for a long time, swinging his piece of wood for most of the day. The sun dried out the air, and when it set low Sanji thought the boy and the wood were the same color. Human skin did that though- it changed color. The sun baked them without the reflecting scales and shiny skin. Sanji thought it was pretty. 

He went back the second day without an excuse. He thought about when he had saved the boy, how warm he had been to the touch. With his dark skin and warm blood, Sanji wondered if there was fire inside the human the way there was water inside Sanji. He watched the green-haired boy swing his wooden stick, watched him run all over the place on his two legs, sticking his feet in the water and making noise. He was entertaining, and when he threw rocks in the water Sanji dived low so he could pick them up where they sunk. He stacked them under the wooden path, like a tower dedicated to his own foolishness.

The third time he went back he was looking at the clams growing on the wood when a splash startled him almost out of his tail. When he looked around, he saw the boy again, sinking like the first time. It angered Sanji, mostly because he had just saved the human and here he was, tumbling back into the water to die. He was either an incredibly unlucky human for living around water he couldn't swim in, or ridiculously lucky because Sanji was there. Either way, he was clearly stupid, and Sanji grabbed him by the arm, all but throwing him towards the shallows. 

The fact that Sanji didn't hide himself right after may have been stupid. The fact that the human thought he couldn't talk was even stupider. 

Zoro

He had heard the name come from someone else, someone Sanji wasn't going to risk being seen by. But it was the name of the human Sanji had saved, the boy with his seaweed green hair and sun warmed skin. Zoro, the name of a stupid human who wanted to know if Sanji talked and then called him names and made silly faces. Zoro liked swinging wooden sticks and looking angry and laughed when Sanji talked about the dolphins being idiots. He kept falling in the water, and Sanji kept catching him and dragging his ass to the beach. 

Sanji was afraid to tell him his name. 

Long ago, when his father had him in that cage and his brothers wanted to scare him, they told him about the humans that captured mermaids and ate them while they were still screaming. The took all their blood and sold it for gold, or cut off their tails and displayed them like trophies. Even Reiju said they were evil, and Reiju told the truth. If Sanji tried hard enough, he could remember his mother warning him about the people that lived on land and walked with two legs. He carried those warnings in his heart wherever he went. 

But Zoro didn't seem cruel. He held out his hand and waited when Sanji brought him interesting shells, never grabbing at them. He let Sanji bring him back to shore, entirely trusting him to keep his air breathing head above water. He complained about his friend, Kuina, and how she punched really hard and was good at everything. He smiled with all his teeth, and that made Sanji smile. 

In the back of his mind he knew what he was doing was dangerous. They were young now, but Zoro could still grow up to be a human with a dark heart and cold eyes. It didn't stop Sanji from always going back to him, always excited to tell him about the crab he had chased for an hour or the glass bottle with snails living in it. to It didn't stop him from spilling his soul and telling Zoro about All Blue. He decided that for now, Zoro was Zoro and it was ok to trust him. 

And then Zoro had to go and stare up at the night sky while floating on his back, looking so sad . He looked like he was losing his place in the world, and Sanji couldn't let that happen because if Zoro didn't know where he was, then Sanji wouldn't know where he was. Sanji didn't want to lose this person, his human. 

“My name is Sanji” 

He gave himself away to Zoro, the same way Zoro had given himself to Sanji and the ocean, floating on his back in the stars. 

-oOo-

“I don't care what it is, just get it away !”

Zoro smirked, tossing the beetle over his shoulder so it could scurry back to the grass. He had found out by accident that Sanji hated bugs, and had abused the knowledge whenever he could. The downside was Sanji was likely to stay in the deeper water most of the day, unwilling to go closer in case Zoro had more bugs. 

“I’m coming in the water, see? No more.”

Zoro held up his arms and he trudged in the water, shirt long forgotten on the beach. Sanji blew bubbles in the water, looking skeptical. It wasn't until the water touched Zoro’s neck that Sanji swam over, gently touching his shoulder. Zoro nodded at the touch, kicking his feet up so that he was relying on his arms to tread water and keep himself afloat. 

As it turned out, Sanji didn't make a great swimming teacher since he didn't swim like a human. He didn't know what humans did with their arms and legs in the water, so Zoro figured he would just train himself, and Sanji would make sure he didn't sink. They were on their second week, and Zoro could float, tread water, and move a bit on his own. Sanji was still convinced that Zoro needed to put his legs together and move them like a tail.

“I swam past the last reef today. There was a ship really far out that was bigger than the island.”

Zoro scoffed. A ship couldn't be bigger than an island .  

“A ship can't be bigger than an island.”

Sanji smacked his leg with his tail, hands still gently perched under Zoro’s hands for support. 

“It can if the island is small. All the islands around here are small.”

Zoro moved his hands, paddling like a dog closer to the shore, looking at the island. He didn't think it was that small. 

“Just because you can swim around it doesn't mean it's small.”

Sanji blew more bubbles, diving behind Zoro to swim under his feet and pop back up in front of him. 

“Just because you get lost and walk in circles doesn't make it big, either.”

“I don't get lost!”

Sanji laughed, and Zoro couldn't help but grin because Sanji looked so nice when he laughed. Zoro hadn’t told Kuina about Sanji’s name, but he had asked her if all mermaids were nice looking. She had looked at him oddly, and then asked him if he thought his mermaid was nice looking, and Zoro had felt hot in the face and run off. 

“Wanna go fishing later?”

Zoro was brought back to the present by Sanji’s question. He gave the blonde a nod, because turning down fishing with Sanji would mean turning down free fish, and Sanji always knew which fish tasted the best. 

“Sure, but sensei said a storms coming. And I still gotta to do my training.”

Sanji rolled his eyes, diving back under the surface while Zoro paddled. Sanji seemed to think kendo practice was a waste of time. Then again, Sanji seemed to think a lot of human things were a waste of time. Zoro took a deep breath and plunged into the water, opening his eyes despite the sting to watch the blurry image of Sanji swimming around. He felt a cool hand slip into his, and he squeezed it, letting Sanji pull him around until he had to resurface for air. Zoro moved toward the beach, deciding he should get his training done sooner rather than later. 

“When the storm comes the wave will get big and I’ll have to stay in the deep. The dolphins will go far away, but I don't want to.”

Zoro frowned, stopping in the knee-high water. Sanji had told him about the three dolphins he usually swam with, how they treated him like their own but weren't exactly great conversationalists. Sanji moved up beside him, sitting on his tail in the shallows. Zoro wanted to touch it again.  

“Will you be ok?”

Sanji reached out, poking Zoro on the forehead lightly.

“I’ll be fine, marimo.”

Zoro was about to say more, but the sound of his name being called made him turn and Sanji dive. He moved back to the beach as Kuina appeared over the hill. 

“Zoro, come help board up the windows already!”

Zoro grumbled, kicking sand and grabbing his shirt.

“I’m comin’!”

He looked over his shoulder as he ran up the hill, but Sanji was already gone. Kuina nudged his shoulder as he caught up with her. 

“How’s the nice looking mermaid doing?”

Zoro’s cheeks burned and tried to shove at her, her laughter catching in Zoro’s ears all the way to the dojo. 

-oOo-

The storm was harsher than they were expecting, and they had to move the next day to sleep on higher ground. After three days, they returned to a wind battered dojo where seaweed was clinging to every surface and crabs were stuck in corners. 

Zoro waited at the beach for Sanji everyday. He waited weeks, learning to swim on his own, always adding to a pile of inland gifts for the mermaid boy. Then he lost to Kuina for the 2000th time, and she ended up taking Zoro’s secret to her grave. 

Sanji never came back.  

-oOo-

9 Years Later

-oOo-

“I’m going to be the world’s greatest swordsman, and find the All Blue ocean.”

Luffy seemed keen to accept both those things, and took Zoro along pretty fast. Zoro, for his part, hadn't heard shit regarding the All Blue in a good 5 years, and even then the only lead he had was to talk to a few chefs who were now dead. But Luffy wanted to be pirate king, and Zoro had a mermaid to find, and for now they were heading towards the grand line with nothing but their own ambitions. 

-oOo-

“Isn't having two big dreams like that a little much?”

Zoro wasn't too fond of Nami right off the bat, even if she was good at getting them places. She always had something to say and she was infuriatingly right all the time. She also tended to stick her nose in other people’s business. 

“What do you care?”

Nami gave him an unimpressed look. 

“Greatest swordsman I get, but mythical ocean doesn't strike me as very Roronoa Zoro .”

Zoro shrugged, turning away towards the sea. 

“I’m looking for someone, and that’s the only lead I have on where they might be.”

Nami seemed to accept that. Zoro touched wado’s hilt, thinking of blue eyes. 

-oOo-

Getting a new boat and a sniper in one stop was pretty nice, and the Going Merry was a good ship. Usopp was a decent guy too, despite every other thing out of his mouth being a lie. He and Luffy got along in such an immediate way that it made Zoro ache a little. 

“Usopp, you ever seen a mermaid?”

Usopp looked around like he wasn't sure if Zoro had been talking to him or someone else. Eventually he realized he was being asked, and fumbled with an answer. 

“W-well, you see, the great captain Usopp once sailed to the island of mushroom, and on that island there was this priest- 

“Usopp.”

“No I have not.”

Zoro sighed, not having expected much really. Usopp went back to fiddling with the sails, and then playing with Luffy. That night Zoro dreamed of a mushroom island with a blonde haired prince made of seashells. 

-oOo-

The Baratie was a weird place with weirder staff. The food was good though, and Luffy seemed content for the time being playing waiter, so Zoro was left to deal with Nami and Usopp fussing about random things. A blonde waiter seemed hell bent on making Luffy actually work for the trouble he caused, kicking him all over the place, but that just meant Zoro didn't have to babysit the captain for a change. The swordsman had felt eyes on him since the moment he walked into the place, but no hint of a threat. It was unnerving, but not enough for Zoro to feel like doing anything about it. 

“Oi, food.”

Zoro had to nearly catch the plate thrown at him, the blonde waiter already turning his attention towards Nami and Usopp. Long-nose got a normal serve, and Nami received a princess treatment that made Zoro want to gag, and then the blonde was nearly running away. He didn't so much as spar a look in Zoro’s direction. 

“Hey, wait.”

Surprisingly, the guy did. His shoulders were hunched under his black suit, soft blonde hair still the only detail of the man’s appearance available to Zoro. 

“What?”

He turned his head a bit to ask, still not facing Zoro. His voice was low and rough like someone who had swallowed too much sea water, but the echo of something softer was still there. He was still just a waiter though, and an asshole to boot. 

“I need to talk to the head-chef.”

The blonde stiffened, and Zoro thought it would be enough to make him turn around. It wasn't, and something like disappointment curled up inside Zoro. 

“Anything you need to say can be said to me. I’m the sous-chef, second in command around here.”

Zoro wasn't expecting that- not from a guy who looked the same age as him. Zoro had come to meet quite a few chefs in his travels, having learned early on that the food industry had the largest interest in the All Blue rumors. They were almost always old and fat, but here was some pretty boy filling out a slim cut suit. 

“Whatever. I’m looking for information about the All Blue, if you’ve even heard of it.”

It was like a switch came on, lighting up the blonde chef. His spine flexed straight and he turned, wide eyes swallowing Zoro whole. The surroundings faded off and all that was left was blue . 

Like clear, quiet waters under an old dock. Like an empty sky merging into unending horizons. Like scales, redefining what beautiful was and sucking up all the blue on the whole planet. 

And it was all wrong, because under eyes that blue there the skin of a human, leading down to two legs standing firm on the boards of a ship. Zoro had one moment of overwhelming desire to rip the place apart with his bare hands, chest breaking open with a nearly decade old ache and Sanji- gone. Sanji, a mermaid, alone and beautiful and so gentle , and Zoro was getting swept up in some random human’s pretty eyes. 

“I’ll speak to the head-chef about it. What’s your name?”

Zoro lowered his gaze quickly, staring at his plate of artfully decorated food. If there was a tremor to the chef’s voice, it was probably just Zoro hearing things. He tried to focus on what Usopp was saying, on how Nami was responding. Curled eyebrows didn't mean anything in this circumstance. 

“Roronoa Zoro.”

He didn't get any other response other than footfalls, growing fainter with distance. The rhythm of human feet making Zoro feel sick. 

-oOo-

Past

-oOo-

Sanji learned what it was like to drown as a creature of water. 

It came in the form of a slowly disappearing puddle in the middle of a barren world. It came in the form of an unforgiving sun, eating up all the liquid. It came in the form of a human, suffering by his side with his skin sinking into his body and clinging to his bones. 

It came in the form of hunger, and dryness. 

Sanji felt his stomach eat itself hollow and then give up. They call it hunger pain for a reason, but he had never felt so betrayed by his own body before. He had never expected so much injury from within himself, so much absolute torture. Zeff was there, feeling it too, maybe feeling it twice as much, and Sanji just didn't understand, he didn't understand. 

He remembered clawing his way across the dry rock, tail a dead weight and fingers bleeding. He remembered Zeff picking him up, throwing him back in the puddle with the last of his strength, not even having the breath left in him to call Sanji an idiot. 

Then the puddle dried up, and Sanji understood why humans were so afraid of drowning. He gasped, throat burning and making water leak from his eyes , like his body was squeezing it all out. He choked on the dryness of the air, suffocating at the emptiness. He was so sure that was going to be how he died- drowning, but on air. 

Months of starving in a puddle after being tossed over hell in a storm, the final drop of ocean left Sanji’s body and his tail split into legs. He could only be thankful that he was so far gone he barely felt it. He was able to regain consciousness and walk as humans did, walk past Zeff’s dying body, walk far enough to get attention and help.

After that he learned balance in his new life. Zeff kept his secret, giving him a home both in the sea and on the restaurant, helping him train and test his limits with legs. There was only so long in a day he could be out of the water before the sea seemed to be screaming in his ears and chest, begging for him to return as it's child. He learned all the ways possible to cook the things he had liked before, learning to love them, to honor them as food. 

He never forgot about the boy with green hair, nearly drowning and swinging wooden swords. 

Sanji knew that somewhere out there, Zoro was becoming a swordsman and growing up to be a human who didn't believe in fantasy creatures like mermaids. He wouldn't be stupid and think Zoro was missing him, and even if he did it wasn't like he knew where the island had been. He allowed himself to mourn the loss of a friendship he had loved, of a boy he would only ever know as a memory. To Sanji, Roronoa Zoro was a cherished treasure, but not one he was allowed to have. 

Then there was a wanted poster, those big dead or alive letters staring up at Sanji right under the name that always seemed to be in the back of his mind. A somewhat familiar face caught on film, swords present and wet with some unknown blood. Pirate hunter- the demon living in human skin. Sanji brushed his fingers against the paper, unable to tell if the eyes in the photo had become permanently cold. It made him ache to think of the boy with rough hands and quiet patience being replaced by a world-hardened fighter. Sanji couldt talk though- he had become the same. Sacrifice was a part of survival after all. 

I want to see him again

He whispered the name Roronoa Zoro to the ocean, late at night in the dark water. He held the poster in the sea, under the ship where he was hidden from the world, letting it fall apart in his hands. He looked at his blue tail, attached to his unnaturally light skin that always changed in the water. In his more human form, his skin was pink and rough, and even his hair was different. There was no denying how inhuman he was once the tail appeared though. Zoro hadn’t been frightened of him as a child, but maybe now in his older age he would appear less like a fantasy and more like something- wrong . 

He can never see me like this

Sanji curled up into himself, his long tail catching light even in the late hours. It was better that Zoro forget him, as he surely already had. It was for the best that they never meet again. For both their sakes, it was for the best. 

Traitorously, his heart disagreed. 

-oOo-

Present

-oOo-

Zoro found Luffy by accident, somehow below deck even though he had gone up stairs. 

“Oh, Zoro! Did you meet-

Zoro cut him off, taking note of the neatly labeled emergency rations box which was now empty in the rubber boy’s hands. 

“Are we staying here long?”

Luffy’s grin didn't falter, but he cocked his head to one side, giving Zoro a long look. 

“You don't like it here.”

Not a question, just Luffy being Luffy and somehow knowing and Zoro still wasn't used to it. Zoro swallowed, nodding. There was something here, crawling through Zoro’s skin, reminding him of everything in his past. 

“Not much point in hanging around here, ‘s all.”

“Don't you like the food?”

“I’m not sure we can afford the food, captain.”

“But I’m working! I should get free food for that.”

Zoro pointed a finger at Luffy. 

“You’re working here because you busted open a wall and hurt an old guy. We can't push our luck, so we ought to get going as soon as we can.”

Luffy blinked at the finger pointing in his face, pouting a bit. He gave an overly dramatic sigh, flopping backwards onto a flour sack. 

“Fiiinnneee. But I want to take San-

The ship shook under their feet, and Zoro drew his swords instantly. Dust fell on their heads, and the distant sound of shouting could be heard. Luffy jumped to his feet, grinning wide at the swordsman. 

-oOo-

Sanji stood at the edge of a broken bit of deck, acting as the barrier between hunger-ridden pirates and Zeff. Gin looked at him with his shoulders hunched tight, standing on the strength Sanji had given him. Sanji couldn't find it in himself to even look surprised at the betrayal. 

He is human, with a human heart . 

Don Kreig walked forward, desperate the way weak men often are, but speaking with the audacity of a self-proclaimed king. He demanded, unfair and hateful, and any answer Sanji had wasn't his to give. He looked to Zeff, always faithful to Zeff, always ready for an answer to a problem from the man. 

“We’ll feed your crew, but this ship is ours.”

Sanji wasn't surprised by this either. Even if Zeff hadn't said so, Sanji would have brought more than enough food to the starving men, just as he had with Gin. The ship though, their precious home- containing secret rooms full or salt water tanks and tubs just for Sanji, and old recipes memorized for life- Zeff would sooner part with his other leg and Sanji would give his own life. 

The sound of footsteps behind them made Sanji glance over. His heart stuttered in his chest at Zoro appearing, swords drawn. The idiot boy, Luffy, by his side. 

“What’s going on?”

Zoro’s voice wasn't that different from all that time ago. Even as a child, Sanji had thought it had been calm the way low tide at sunset was. Sanji looked away, betrayed by his own loyalty to a friend long gone. Don Kreig threw his voice at them, demanding the ship. 

It was the way fate worked, Sanji thought, that always led him back to odd beginnings. He faced Gin as an enemy, won as a son to a human, and then stood on two legs while Luffy- ridiculous, young, far too kind- beat down a man twice his everything. All the while Zoro hung back, eating up Sanji’s mind. It would have been so easy, to introduce himself and see if there was a part of recognition, like how the words all blue seemed to connect them both. But Sanji didn't know this human with three swords and hard jaw, and that unknowing was a threat. 

He knows your name

But many humans knew his name now. The chefs on board, even if they didn't know his true form, they knew his name. They knew him , nearly as much as Zeff knew. Even Luffy knew his name now. 

It didn't change the fact that Zoro had been the first.

“It’s Dracule Mihawk!”

And then it was Roronoa Zoro, a man Sanji couldn't let go of, cut apart and accepting death.

So he dived. 

-oOo-

Zoro was dying. 

He was fairly sure he was going to die with his last look on life being Mihawk, throwing his blade down through his skin. He thought he could survive the wound though, and heal all the stronger so he could sail with Luffy. He had a title to get to Kuina, he had All Blue to find and-

He had to be dying, because Sanji was there, touching his face with his too-smooth hands and looking so sad . He had to be dying because this Sanji, grown up into the most beautiful thing the sun could touch, was saying Zoro, Zoro, Zoro . He reached up, fingers gentle and shakky as they caressed the sharp cheekbone near eyes so blue they swallowed the world. 

“ Sanji .”

He made a sound like a broken animal, perfect face contorted into anguish and Zoro wanted to smooth it out. Why was he sad? Who had made someone as sweet as Sanji this sad? He looked at his chest, catching the bright red color and oh, is Sanji sad about this?

“He’ll live. I didn't make the wound life-threatening.”

Words spoken by an outside voice- Zoro didn't care. If death was what gave him Sanji, let it come. He would find some way to pay tribute to Kuina in the next life, or maybe he would meet her on the way there. He would never forgive himself for failing her, but for now Sanji’s tail was shining just like the water’s surface and his hands cradled Zoro’s face. 

“ Sanji… ”

He hadn't said that name in so long. It came off his tongue like such a heavy secret, catching blue eyes and drawing them in. 

“Don't you die, marimo.”

Zoro would have laughed if he’d been able. He settled for a smile, all teeth and closed eyes, the kind that Sanji used to bring out so easily. His hand fell away from Sanji’s face, and his vision blurred like he was underwater. He settled into the darkness, fingers moving through his hair like ocean currents. 

-oOo-

Sanji watched the white bandages move with Zoro’s every breath. The cloth, only a little bloodstained by now, made the man’s skin seem even darker. 

“So you’re a mermaid?”

Sanji startled, having forgotten Luffy while he focused on Zoro’s sleeping form. His legs ached, and his body was desperate to return to the water after so many hours in this form, but he refused to leave Zoro’s side. There would be consequences to face outside the room. He turned to Luffy, with his dark eyes and bruised arms. 

“Yes.”

Luffy only smiled at that, young and cheerful. Sanji didn't understand him at all. 

“And you know Zoro?”

Sanji looked back at said man, sleeping away. His face wasn't completely relaxed, his body obviously still in discomfort. Sanji thought of the green haired child, always looking grumpy even when he was happy. 

“Yes.”

Luffy laughed beside him, and Sanji turned back to face the boy. Luffy looked elated, but Sanji supposed he would be, what with his friend alive and a mermaid talking to him. 

“So are you Zoro’s All Blue?”

Sanji’s eyes widened. He looked from Zoro to Luffy, then his own hands. 

“Why is he looking for the All Blue?”

Sanji wasn’t blind. He knew Zoro didn't have an ounce of interest in cooking for food or fish . He clearly hadn’t gained any new interest either, and above all else, Zoro was going to be a swordsman worth far more than some magic ocean. The All Blue was Sanji’s fantasy, and for some reason Zoro was carrying it. 

“Zoro wasn't looking for the All Blue though. He was looking for someone he thought would be there.”

Sanji felt his heart clench. He looked at Luffy, trying to figure out if the boy was joking. He was speechless, feeling crushed by the possibility that Zoro had never forgotten him. It was selfish to assume so- but. But Zoro had looked at him so adoringly just a short time ago, like he’d been waiting . 

“So, Sanji, are you Zoro’s All Blue?”

Sanji wanted to cry. 

“I don't know.”

Sanji stared at the rise and fall of Zoro’s chest, wondering when it had become so broad. They’d taken on so much weight, so far away from each other, and who even was this man with green hair and a gentle touch? Sanji wanted to jump overboard and curl up under the ship, safe by a rusting anchor and angel fish. 

“Well you guys can figure it out later, as nakama.”

Sanji laughed, a dry, unsteady noise. Luffy’s bright face from earlier, demanding he be his cook- as if Sanji was going anywhere anytime soon. As if this bizarrely strong kid wanted some useless mermaid trailing behind his ship. 

The door burst open, the long-nosed boy and the two other swordsmen falling into the room.

“Oi, Luffy! Nami took Merry!”

The room became chaotic enough to push Sanji out, anxious even at just not being able to see Zoro. Hands shaking, he contemplated smoking, but now that he was outside all he wanted to do was be in the water, to let it reclaim him. He could feel it in the way his legs hurt and his throat itched from breathing the air. 

“Eggplant.”

Sanji let out a long sigh, fishing in his pocket for the cigarette. He lit up, feeling Zeff’s eyes burning his skin. 

-oOo-

Long ago, Zeff had woken up, shipwrecked and alone. He took what he had, which wasn't much, and walked inland for god knows how long. A week in, he finally caught sight of a bone dry river, keeping a single puddle alive. His water had run out 2 days ago, and he was starting to believe in a higher power.

The puddle had its own resident though. Skinny and shaking, the boy had still hissed and swatted as Zeff like a stray cat. He curled into himself, his small tail wrapped around his smaller torso, one wide eye watching Zeff like he was waiting to be struck down at any moment. Zeff had his own problems, since with all the boy’s thrashing the truth that came was that the puddle was salt water. The storm had thrown the boy far, far from his home. 

“I’m not gonna hurt you.”

He meant it. He didn't give a shit about some mermaid when he, himself, was on the cusp of starvation. He’d heard his fair share of stories though, but at the end of it the boy was trapped, and was clearly going to die. Zeff had to find water. 

Fresh water came the next day in the form of rain, light and not nearly enough, but just the right amount to bring Zeff back to life. He walked back to the dry river, disappointed that it was barely even mud now. Blue eyes looked at him hopelessly, and Zeff crumpled a little. 

“What’s your name, kid?”

The boy didn't answer. The water was low enough in the one puddle that he couldn't hide his head under it anymore. His cheekbones stuck out too much, and he still hissed at Zeff when he got close. Zeff reached into his bag, and then changed his mind, handing over the last of his survival. 

“Take it.”

Even starving and stuck in a puddle, the mermaid turned away in stubborn distrust. Zeff raised a brow. 

“I got my own food, this stuff’s gone bad. Guess the birds can have it.”

Zeff walked off, intent on finding anything in the desert hell. He hadn't seen a damn bird in days, and when he wandered back, the bag was moved, and a stray bread crumbs floated in the water. Blue eyes bored into his soul, stuck in the face of a very helpless child. 

“Are you going to eat me?”

Zeff wondered what kind of life a boy must have had to assume the worst so quickly. He sat down, the closest he’d ever been allowed to the puddle. 

“No, I’m not gonna eat you, kid.”

The sun set after a while, and in the dark the boy told him his name was Sanji, and Zeff held him while he cried. 

---

One the second week, Zeff could practically feel himself dying. A small voice reached him, small hands touching his fingers. 

“Have you ever heard of the All Blue?”

Zeff wanted to cry. He waited for Sanji to fall asleep, and then he stumbled a ways off, cutting into flesh to make the sacrifice of his leg. 

He never regretted it. 

-oOo-

Zoro opened his eyes, greeted by Luffy’s smile. 

“Where’s Sanji?”

Luffy just smiled wider. Usopp came forward, looking ragged and flustered. 

“Yeah, so, how long have you been friends with a mermaid?”

“Long story. Where is he?”

Luffy poked his cheek, grabbing his attention. 

“Talking with the old guy.”

Zoro looked at Usopp for clarification. 

“Zeff, the owner guy, I guess he’s Sanji’s boss? He wasn't happy when Sanji jumped in the water. I think the whole mermaid thing was supposed to be a secret.”

Zoro raised a brow. How the fuck would you keep it a secret if you knew Sanji? It’s not like he could just grow legs. 

“What, no one knew? He has a tail .”

Usopp gave him a blank look, and Luffy laughed. Zoro looked around the room, noticing a distinct lack of red hair. 

“Where the hell is Nami?”

Usopp and Luffy shared a grim look. Luffy shuffled a little closer, pulling his hat more securely on his head. 

“We gotta go after her.”

Zoro groaned. Leave it to the witch to be causing them more problems. Zoro swung his feet over the side of the bed, gritting his teeth as he stood up. The pain was just shy of unbearable, so he took a step.

“I gotta find Sanji. How much time do I have, captain?”

Luffy jumped on the bed, rolling around. Usopp held his hands out like he was waiting for Zoro to fall over, muttering under his breath about monster humans. 

“Eh, I dunno. Sanji needs to pack his stuff, and then we gotta get a boat to chase Nami-

“Pack his stuff?”

Luffy looked at Zoro like he was being stupid. 

“yeah, he’s gonna be our cook!”

Zoro gave Luffy a look. 

“Sanji’s a mermaid, not a cook.”

“But he’s-

Zoro held up a hand, interrupting him. He didn't have time to Luffy’s antics right now. 

“Look, I gotta go find him. We’ll figure out a boat later.”

Zoro stomped out of the room, only a little unsteadily. Usopp and Luffy watched him go, the sniper turning back to Luffy once he was gone. 

“Is Sanji really coming with us?”

Luffy nodded. 

“Yup. He’s just got some stuff to do first, but he’ll come.”

Usopp grinned. They were going to have a mermaid chef . A really cool head-kicking, chain-smoking, freaking mermaid chef . He turned back to look at the door, frowning. 

“Should we tell Zoro that Sanji can grow legs?”

“Nah, this is funnier.”

-oOo-

Sanji breathed in the ocean water, feeling his body relax and heal. He was in one of the shallower tanks, nestled on an old couch that Zeff had thrown in there for him. Zeff himself was sitting in a chair by the side of the tank, arms crossed. 

“You’re not safe here anymore.”

Sanji blew bubbles in the water, glaring at the man. His suit was hanging on another empty chair, safe from the salt water. Constantly changing forms had made Sanji a very quick dresser, even if suits weren't the most convenient. 

“Someone was bound to figure it out and tell the world eventually.”

Zeff rubbed at his face, the wrinkles dragging. 

“A crackpot theory wouldn't have made the news. You growing a tail, in front of a shichibuka no less, will.”

Sanji was tempted to make a retort about how he didn't just grow a tail , but instead he sunk down in the water, closing his eyes. Zeff was right, of course. He’d been careful up until now, and had the luxury of everyone assuming mermaids were mythical. He knew that even in his human form, he didn't look entirely human, but he could pass. But he threw that away for Zoro, didn't he. 

“So what makes some algae-head so special that you expose yourself for him?”

Sanji turned to glare at Zeff through the glass. He’d only mentioned bits of his past to Zeff, keen to skip over the details. He’d said there had been a human boy who was his friend, but that was it. 

“When Zoro was a kid, he almost drowned and I saved him.”

It wasn't the full story, but it was the big part he supposed. Zeff raised his eyebrows at that. 

“And did he remember you?”

Sanji sighed, letting the bubbles float out of his mouth. He pushed himself up, head back above the water. 

“Not in my human form. But when I went to him, in the water…”

Zoro’s eyes, brightening so much, and the way he had said his name- like he was breathing out for the first time in a long while. There’s been something profound in his face, seeing Sanji. 

“And why did you go to him in the water, eggplant?”

Sanji looked away, wrapping his arms around himself. He didn't want to explain it to Zeff, but the old man would understand, wouldn't he? The responsibility that was left over from saving Zoro all those years was part of it. The other part- Sanji didn't know. 

“I couldn't let him die the first time, and I couldn't let him die now.”

I was afraid . 

“So what, you gonna follow him around, make sure he stays alive?”

Sanji flicked his tail, annoyed. He turned back to glare at the old man, splashing water over the side of the tank. 

“No, I just-! I don't know, ok?”

He flopped back underwater, curling up. In his head he remembered Zoro, young and laughing and falling in the water. He remembered what it had felt like to be accepted by a stupid kid with gentle hands. Now, the most he knew about Roronoa Zoro was that he was still and idiot, just twice as dangerous and had a smile like sunshine. 

“Sanji, you can't stay here forever.”

Sanji rose from the water, growling. 

“Fuck you, I can stay as long as I want.”

“I heard him ask about All Blue.”

Sanji shrunk back, hair falling over his face. He heard the sound of a chair scraping wood, and felt Zeff’s hand on his shoulder. He didn't know what it meant. 

And then Zeff was gone, having left the room and Sanji was alone. Distantly, Sanji remembered the soft touch of his mother’s hand on his head, comforting him while bruises faded. He remembered her words, brushing against him like sea currents, telling him the ocean brought gifts in strange ways.

-oOo-

Zoro wouldn't say he was lost, but the ship was large and he’d lost a lot of blood and why do all the doors look the same . He’d passed a storage room full of cheese twice now, and everytime he went up a ladder he always ended up down . 

“You lost, boy?”

Zoro bristled, turning to face an old man in chef whites. Right, the boss guy. Zoof or something. 

“You’re Sanji’s boss, right?”

The man gave Zoro a quick once over, folding his arms over his chest. 

“Yeah, I’m the head-chef.”

Why does Sanji work for a chef? Questions for another time. 

“Right, well, I’m looking for him. Sanji, I mean.”

The old chef sighed, uncrossing his arms. His big moustache twitched. 

“‘Course you are. Come one then.”

He made a follow me gesture, and Zoro walked behind him, passing doors. Zoro’s brow furrowed when then took a turn to move deeper into the ship. They walked down a long hallway, passing old and unused rooms with broken door handles and chipped paint. They came to stop outside a metal door, reinforced unlike the others. He looked at the old chef, his gruff features hollowed out and worn. 

“Sanji’s in here?”

He nodded at Zoro, and then gave the swordsman one last appraising look before turning on his heel. Zoro watched his walk away, peg leg swinging back and forth, back and forth. 

The door creaked on rusted hinges when it opened, and Zoro had to squint in the dim lighting. The only light came from a corner lamp, and a porthole tinting the room into the green-blue of the ocean. It had a lonely feeling to it, with it's worn out chairs and cold walls. Zoro’s eyes settled on the large tank taking up most of the room.

“What, back to lecture me some more? Tell me I’ve gone and ruined my life forever?”

A marble white back was all that Zoro could see. His voice, muffled but still clear under the water, held the strong presence of something soft and musical interlaced. It was much deeper than Zoro remembered, but undeniably sweet sounding. Zoro wondered why he had never asked Sanjit to sing. 

“I know what I did was stupid. I still won't go back on it though.”

A tail flicked out in the tank, unsettling the quiet surface. In the low light it still ate all the reflections in the room, gathering up everything that shined and giving it back tenfold.

“And- and I don't need you lecturing me about saving people anyways.”

His skin was still so white, different from the normal paleness some humans had. It was like smoothed over stone and mother-of-pearl. The light danced over that skin, kissing it. 

He was astoundingly beautiful. He had only grown into something more beautiful. 

“Well what -

He turned, argument on his tongue and stopped at the sight of Zoro. Frozen, with a wide eye and one still covered by hair, Zoro could have mistaken him for an alabaster statue. It was the too-perfect features making him handsome in an ethereal way, but it was also the grace of his movements. His eyes, drowning Zoro in their sea- of course sailors fell in love with them in all the stories. Who would stand a chance if something so breathtaking appeared before them?

“...Zoro?”

Zoro moved, realizing he had been standing speechless by the door. Sanji rose above the surface, head coming out of the water with his shoulders and chest. Thin white fingers clutched the side of the tank, and Zoro still wasn't sure if it all was real or not. 

“You can't be up yet, your injuries-

“I thought I’d never see you again.”

Zoro was sure there were other things to say, but he had never admitted that one out loud. In all his searching, all his longing, he had never been willing to even think it. But standing before Sanji now, feeling so uprooted and unbalanced, part of him had believed that whether he ever found All Blue or not, Sanji wouldn't be there. That Sanji wouldn't be anywhere. That maybe, like how Kuina had left him, Sanji had left him too. 

He reached out slowly, cautious of how fragile the moment was whether it was real or fake. Sanji looked so startled and unsure, frozen with his unending eyes fixed on Zoro. It was the first touch of Zoro’s fingertips on his cheek that seemed to shake him, make him reach out too. 

“You sure grew up pretty, fish-boy.”

Sanji gave a soft laugh, something too close to a sob for Zoro’s liking. He closed his eyes, pressing his cheek into Zoro’s palm and looking torn between some great pain and relief. With his free hand, Zoro gently took Sanji’s outstretched fingers between his, rubbing his thumb over the pearl-smooth skin. The hand trembled in his hold. 

“And you sure stayed stupid, marimo.”

Zoro couldn't help but chuckle, trying to ease the sadness out of Sanji’s voice. He pressed himself further into Zoro’s hand, as if he could hide in it somehow. He opened his large blue eyes, looking at the swordsman with too many emotions to discern. Zoro thought he finally understood Nami’s obsession with treasure- in wanting to keep such remarkable things for oneself. Sanji was some sort of gift from the old gods surely, made out of the last remains of magic. Zoro was sure he was under the spell of that magic by now- stuck in Sanji’s eyes. 

“I trained by the water everyday.”

What he didn't say was how he would jump off the dock sometimes, still not a completely confident swimmer, but so sure Sanji would be there to catch him at some point. Sanji never was, but he never stopped jumping off the dock. He used to scream himself hoarse under the water, scaring away every single fish. He used to whisper Sanji’s name to the stars, floating on his back in the black ocean. 

“I’m sorry. I was stupid, and that storm-

Sanji cut himself off, looking haunted. Zoro squeezed Sanji’s hand, moving his other thumb gently along a marble cheek. Zoro didn't mean to impose guilt or bad memories. Things clicked into place though, confirming a long belief that it had been that terrible storm washing Sanji away or hurting him or worse. Zoro tried not to imagine the small boy being swept away, alone and scared. He focused on the man before him now, grown and strong.

“It doesn't matter anymore. We’re both here now.”

He meant it of course. He couldn't undo his own loss, and he certainly couldn't undo whatever Sanji went through, but he could take what was presented in the moment and cherish it. Sanji’s eyes, wide and devouring, told him the other man agreed. The blonde removed his hand from Zoro’s grip, hesitantly running his fingers up the tan neck, around the shell of his ear and the three earrings. Zoro suppressed a shiver at the light touch, letting Sanji move his fingers over his jaw, his nose, his brow. He wondered if he looked very different to Sanji, with his roughened features and scared over skin. 

“You were looking for All Blue.”

Zoro flushed, trapped by Sanji’s gentle hand. 

“Yes.”

He didn't elaborate, and it clearly frustrated the mermaid. Sanji huffed, his breath pushing Zoro’s hair a bit. The proximity dawned on Zoro, making him flush for a different reason. 

“You’re still a stubborn shit-head, aren't you?”

Zoro let out a bark of laughter, leaning back. He had nearly forgotten Sanji’s cursing, and his strange fondness for sailor’s rough words. It looked out of place on such a pretty face, but then again Sanji was full of contradictions and surprises. It reminded Zoro of a question he had.

“Why a floating restaurant?”

Sanji hummed, moving his hands away from Zoro and ducking underwater again. Zoro mourned the loss of contact, looking down at Sanji’s tail as it flicker water droplets everywhere. He briefly noted a suit on the wall, which was a question for another time. Sanji’s head broke the surface again to speak. 

“I was always interested in food. There was only so much I could do in the water, but the way I consumed what I caught- it mattered . Then the old man saved me, and he was a chef so it all just, fell into place. He taught me how to honor the things the ocean gave, y’know?”

Zoro nodded. It made sense that Sanji would have a stronger connection with the things in the sea, but it still didn't explain how Sanji cooked with his whole mermaid situation. Zoro looked around the room again, frowning at the unremarkable tank Sanji was in. It had a ratty couch in the water of all things. How the hell did Sanji even get out of the tank?

It made Zoro think about Merry, and how even though it was small there was plenty of room for a tank on it. He dispelled the thought as quickly as it came, horrified at how pet-like it seemed in his head. What was he thinking? That he could just take Sanji with him? It was dramatically sobering to realize that even if he had just found Sanji again, their time together was bound to be brief. It made Zoro’s chest ache, and not from the wound. Which, did hurt. He looked Sanji in the eye.

“What about the All Blue?”

Sanji ducked in the water a little, saltwater kissing his chin as he looked away. Zoro let his hands rest in the tank, leaning forward on its weight as he watched him. 

“It’s still my dream to find it- and I will- It’s just, Zeff needs me. Here. To help him and shit.”

Zoro wondered if Sanji could tell how hollow that sounded. Even as a kid, Sanji had been wandering around with fire in his eyes and the ocean in his heart, and why was he stopping now? 

In his head he said something consoleing to Sanji. Something like you'll find it when you find it or the old man is lucky to have you . Instead what came out of his mouth was:

“You should come with us.”

And Zoro may or may not be a complete and total idiot, because there's this thing . This thing with Sanji specifically where his heart beats really fast and his palms feel sweaty and he just can't really think that well, ok? And normally that would just be another thing to train away and ignore so hard he could block the whole thing from memory, but it was Sanji and he was special or some shit and not just because of the whole mermaid bit. Well, ok it was partly because of the pretty mermaid bit and fuck now he was thinking about how pretty Sanji was . 

The pretty mermaid was looking at Zoro with his giant blue eyes, like he was surprised that Zoro had asked that. Surely Sanji had stolen hearts before- had men offering up all sorts of valuables just for a look or a word or who knows what else. 

“...Luffy already asked me.”

Zoro nodded, remembering. Luffy had said that Sanji needed to pack things, convinced the mermaid was coming already. 

“Yeah, he wants you to be our cook. If you wanted.”

Do you want to come with us? Do you want to come with me ?

“I can't.”

It was like a punch in the gut, followed by the sting of a knife.

“I’m sorry.”

-oOo-

In the end, Usopp found them. With a lot of excuse me and please don't drown me and wow you’re even cooler up close , eventually he pushed Zoro out the door, telling him he really needed to rest or he would probably die . Zoro looked over his shoulder, catching Sanji sinking low in his tank, facing away. 

Luffy said that the old man was lending them a boat as a thank you. Apparently Luffy was also off the hook as working his debt off, seeing as he was causing a lot more financial distress being onboard and could he please go now and do not come back and how does a human eat so much meat. Zoro did sleep, off and on since it did hurt, and Johnny and Yosaku hadn’t stopped crying the whole time . Things were being packed up, and Zoro closed his eyes, pretending he was making peace with leaving Sanji. 

-oOo-

The next time Zoro woke up, he pushed himself out of the bed because fuck that, he wasn't dying anymore so he needed to find Luffy and they needed to find Nami. He tucked everything to do with Sanji into a box in his head, and decided he would open that later, thank you very much. 

Luffy was getting kicked in the head by that blonde waiter- no, cook. The soup-chef or whatever. Zoro nearly turned around right then, because this guy brought some funny feelings up in Zoro’s chest, and he just didn't need that on top of everything else. Pretty boy cook could just fuck off. Luffy caught sight of Zoro, throwing him a giant grin.  

“Zoro! Tell Sanji he needs to be out cook!”

Zoro sighed, walking over to them. He avoided looking at the cook. 

“I did. He’s gotta want to come though, Luffy.”

“But he does want to! C’mon Sanji, you gotta find All Purple!”

For whatever reason, Luffy was looking at the cook. Zoro quickly reminded himself that his captain was on the idiot spectrum, and maybe he just thought every blonde-haired guy was Sanji. You know, minus the tail. 

“It's All Blue , you shitty rubber glutton.”

Ok, that was weird. The cook’s voice was jarringly familiar, kind of like his face. Had Zoro met him before? Maybe he was being stupid, accosiating blonde people with Sanji just a little too much. He shook his head. It was probably the blood loss playing with his hearing. He pointed a finger at Luffy, making sure to grab his attention. 

“Look, Luffy, it’d be hard for him to cook on Merry anyways. It’s not exactly a mermaid friendly space.”

Luffy, being the bastard he was, just laughed outright. Zoro growled, poking Luffy in the head with his finger. 

“I’m serious! How would he move around? Where would he sleep? You can't just tie a rope around him and drag him with the ship.”

Beside him, the cook made an indignant sort of noise. He crossed his arms, and Zoro could feel  the man’s glare. He ignored it completely, focused on Luffy. 

“Usopp said there's a tank we can keep! It even has a couch in it, isn't that cool? Mermaid couch!”

Before Zoro could argue the obvious flaws again, the cook spoke, addressing Luffy. 

“You don't get the merma- the couch! Because I’m not coming, got it?”

Luffy pouted, and Zoro ground his teeth together. Who the hell was this guy, just butting into the conversation? Zoro nudged his shoulder.

“No one asked you to come, shit-cook.”

The cook, for his part, just gaped at Zoro. Zoro pointedly looked away, because damn did the guy remind him of Sanji. He felt a hard toe hit his shin, and he winced. 

“Call me that again, I dare you, mosshead.”

Zoro growled, side-eyeing the asshole. Luffy seemed entertained, watching them argue. He opened his mouth. 

“Shi-

“Oi! Luffy I got- oh good, Sanji’s here. So how do you move the tank, can it be taken apart? ‘Cuz it’s really heavy and the mermaid couch-

Zoro turned to Usopp, then looked around because Sanji was here? He skittered over to the railing, looking down. What was Usopp playing at?

“Oh my god, it's just a normal shitty couch. And you’re not taking it, long-nose.”

Zoro whipped his head around, staring at the cook. Usopp had jumped to hide behind Luffy, stuttering an apology. 

“R-right! Of course, Sanji-san! We would never touch your magical mermaid couch, sir.”

The cook pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted. Zoro zoomed in on Usopp, looking at the cook. Who he had called Sanji. 

“Usopp.”

Usopp jumped, turning to Zoro. 

“Uh, yeah?”

“Why’d you just call him Sanji?”

Usopp’s face took on a blank look, while Luffy just laughed. Usopp looked back and forth from Zoro to the cook. Zoro looked from the cook to Usopp. The cook looked form Zoro to Usopp. 

“Why’d I call Sanji...Sanji?”

Zoro looked at the cook, who looked at him. Both parties seemed equally confused. 

“Usopp, he’s got legs .”

“Uhhhhh-

“Sanji is a mermaid .”

“Uhhhhh Zoro-

“Zoro.”

“This guy isn't Sanji .”

“ Zoro .”

Zoro glared at the cook, who just stared at Zoro. With his stupid curly eyebrows. And really blue eyes. Zoro squinted at him. 

“Marimo, it's me.”

Zoro stared. He looked down at the cooks legs. His head moved up and down in a continuous pattern, eyes going from face to legs, face to legs as his brain caught up. The cook smiled at him, something like endearment in his features.  

“YOU WERE THE COOK?”

Sanji jumped at the exclamation, looking at Zoro’s wide eyes. Behind the swordsman, Sanji could see Usopp shushing a very loudly laughing Luffy. Sanji gave a long sigh, unable to help the growing smile slipping past his annoyance. It was proof of how hopeless his heart was, fully aware of the boundless idiocy he was getting himself entangled in. Zoro kept gaping, very much like a fish. 

“You’re such an idiot.”

Zoro made a strangled kind of noise, hands in his hair. 

“Why are you wearing a suit !?”

Sanji kicked him in the head. But, gently. 

-oOo-

They couldn't wait any longer. Nami needed them (at least according to Luffy) and Usopp wanted Merry back as soon as possible. Zoro could stand, and that meant he could fight, and they had to leave. 

“Tomorrow morning though! And we still need Sanji.”

Luffy was too damn optimistic. Zoro had watched Sanji retreat to the kitchen, but have been in there for hours. Wasn't coming out, or wouldn't come out. Didn't want to come out. 

They ate dinner in the restaurant, and Zeff served them. He didn't say, but somehow Zoro knew that Sanji had prepared the fish. 

-oOo-

“You could still come with us.”

Numbly, Sanji turned off the stove. He turned to face Zoro, standing in the doorway of the empty kitchen. It was late, and he should have been resting. 

“You should be resting.”

Zoro walked forward, lantern light catching the white gauze and the gold of his earrings. Real gold, too. It suited the man in Sanji’s opinion. 

“All Blue is out there.”

Sanji swallowed, stepping back. He knew is Zoro touched him, showed that gentleness again, it would be over and he would crumble all the way to their boat. He lowered his gaze. 

“And Zeff,” He said. “is here.”

Zoro said nothing, and then he left. Sanji returned to the ocean, trying to breath. 

-oOo-

Zoro watched the Baratie grow smaller, slowly becoming just another ship on the water. Sanji had stood on the dock a while, then disappeared- gone back to his life probably. He felt Luffy at his side, watching it shrink too. 

“Are you still gonna look for the All Blue?”

Zoro closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before opening them again. How was he supposed to explain that the All Blue had only been important by proxy to Sanji? It made the dream seem almost shallow, like some sort of lie. It could still be out there though, and if it was it would be waiting for Sanji to be the rightful founder. Sanji would be so happy there, wouldn't he? Swimming with all the world’s creatures gathered in one place- wouldn't it be where he belonged most? If Zoro could somehow give some of that happiness to him, then the answer for Luffy was simple. 

“Yeah, I’m still gonna look for it.”

-oOo-

Sanji was serving the crew lunch. He had been making soup for hours, pouring his heart into it as Zoro sailed away. His shoulders were tight, and he was extremely aware that though he stood on two feet, everyone knew the truth now. 

“Tastes fishy.”

Sanji looked over at Zeff, eyes narrowing as the old man pushed the bowl away, spoon forgotten on the table. 

“Yeah, tastes like an old aquarium or some shit.”

Sanji knew what they were doing. He knew exactly what all of them were trying to pull. 

“I’m not leaving.”

He said it quietly to his own bowl, swallowing a spoonful. It was perfect.

“Too bad. I bet it's your fault the kitchen always smells like dead fish.”

Sanji felt like he’d been slapped. He didn't lift his head though, just continued to eat his soup. 

“Should he even be eating with us? I don't wanna be sweeping up scales later.”

“I bet that's why this soup is too salty- he put seawater in it!”

They’re all horrible liars. 

“He should really piss off and go live with other freaks.”

“Like that weird rubber kid.”

“Or the freaky green-hair.”

“I bet they could stomach this shit.”

Why are they doing this.

“I bet they’ll find All Blue long before anyone here.”

Sanji slammed his spoon down on the table, glaring at Zeff. He felt his stomach rolling with anger, his teeth nearly cracking with the force of his jaw. He looked around the room, no one meeting his eyes. 

“So that’s how it's gonna be, huh? So what if I’m not human! I’ll still kick anyone’s ass and make amazing goddamn food! So you can all just fuck off .”

There was silence, and only Sanji picked up his spoon to continue eating. He ignored the slight tremor in his hand.

“Eggplant.”

“No.”

“They’ve all known for a while.”

Sanji put his spoon down again, covering his face with his hands. He didn't want to cry. He hated crying because he leaked the sea from his body and made him feel weak. 

“I don't want to go.”

“Yes, you do.”

Sanji stood up, upsetting the table and making drinks spill. He leaned into Zeff’s space, grabbing his chef’s whites. 

“ FUCK YOU! You think you know what I want!? You think you’re doing me some shitty favor !? I’m staying here at my -

“ IT'S NOT YOURS!”

Zeff knocked away Sanji’s hand, standing up at his full height. Sanji took a step back. Zeff jabbed him in the chest, mustache quivering. 

“ I built this place! You were just some lost fish brat I took in! I never hired you! I never promoted you! You don't even work here, eggplant! ”

Sanji wanted to scream. It hurt, he knew it was all a big dumbass front and a lie but it hurt . He knew he was the sous-chef here, this was his fucking home. This is my home . 

“But if you need some clarification, I’ll make it simple. You’re fired, so take your piss-poor cooking skill and get the fuck off my ship.”

Sanji closed his eyes. Weakly, he argued. 

“You can't fire someone if they don't work here, dumbass. Get your story straight.”

“I already packed your bag.”

“They already left.”

“What, your tail just for show or some shit? Make like a fisherman and go catch them!”

Sanji felt the ocean leaking, slipping through his careful control and out of his eyes. He raised his head, standing up straight to look Zeff in the eyes. 

Zeff, with his human soul and human heart. He could have left Sanji, he could have eaten Sanji, and it would have been so easy. He would have died, and that would have been it. No one forced Zeff to take him in, to teach him everything he knew and to give him a home. And now Zeff was asking him to ignore all that, to abandon him?

“How the fuck am I supposed to repay my debt to you, huh?”

Zeff brought a hand up to Sanji’s head, tussling the soft hair in the way he always had. 

“A child doesn't owe their parent a debt, shit-head.”

Sanji let out a sob, tears puddling on the floor. He knew from the way Zeff’s hand shook that the old man was crying too. 

“Go find All Blue, Sanji.”

He would. Even if he had to crawl along the entire ocean’s floor. Even if he had to trade his own tail. Even if he had to give up the very ocean in his blood. 

He grabbed his bag. 

-oOo-

Zoro leaned over the railing with half his weight, aware that he was risking a man overboard situation and not really caring. In the distance there was something flashing in the sun like diamond, making Zoro feel just as hopeful as he had been as a dumb kid. He knew, in the rational adult part of his head, that it was foolish to even think it could be what he hoped it would be, but the other part of his head said shut the fuck up . Water splashed again, closer, and Zoro gripped his sword, body vibrating. 

And enormous splash came from right by the ship, and then it was Sanji, leaping from the water and clearing the ship like gravity didn't affect him. He twisted in the air, high above the boat with his eyes wide and searching, landing on Zoro. 

“ZORO!”

He moved faster than he ever had in his life, ripping the swords from his belt and throwing his shoes off, not bothering to waste time with his shirt as he leapt over the side of the ship where Sanji had only just disappeared. The water hit him and he forced his eyes open, looking around in the infinite blue as he allowed himself to sink. 

He didn't flinch when he felt the touch. Even in the cold water with the cool to-the-touch skin, the hand was so warm on his face. The warmth traveled across his chest, filling him up and he cursed his blurry vision as a recognizable face drew close to his. 

Sanji. 

"Zoro.”

In the ocean, Sanji’s voice wasn't rough at all. It was like the water had actually cleared it, made it as close to perfect as any voice could get. Soft like white sand and whiter clouds and a breeze that kissed a person’s skin just barely. It was too much, and Zoro wrapped his arms around the form before him, pulling him as close as he could. 

Sanji. Sanji, Sanji, Sanji. 

There was something about the way Sanji held him back, his arms wrapped almost delicately around Zoro’s shoulders. It was like how when they were kids and Sanji had held him in the water, so heartbreakingly gentle. Zoro didn't think there could be a touch from Sanji that wasn't anything other than soft and kind. The man could cut his throat and it would still be gentle. 

Zoro had to curse his body, ashamed at its need for air. He starved it off, head spinning, but at the last second detangled himself for Sanji’s arms. It was a sign of trust that he didn't struggle to resurface even when Sanji held him back. He cupped Zoro’s face in his hands, thumbs smoothing over his cheekbones. 

“Take mine.”

The question of your what died in his mind, replaced by cool lips on his. It was by shock that Zoro’s mouth parted, and suddenly he was inhaling air. Sanji’s lips, firm and sweet, breathing him life. If there would ever be another person Zoro kissed, it would always pale compared to something like this. He realized how easy it was to admit he didn't want to kiss anyone else, ever. 

They broke apart eventually, realizing at probably the same time that they should get back to the ship and stop sinking into the ocean. Luffy was waiting for them, after all. 

They broke the surface at the same time, Zoro rubbing water from his eyes so he could immediately look clearly at Sanji. The first thing Zoro was able to note was the large smile carved in alabaster skin, transforming Sanji’s too-perfect face into something as warm as sunlight. There was so much more showing in his eyes- so much bone deep relief and joy and newfound excitement. Adoration too, focused right back at Zoro. If Zoro were a braver man he’d call it love, but he wouldn't flatter himself with that. One step at a time. 

“Saaanjiii! Does this mean you’ll cook me meat!?”

A ladder was tossed down the ship, And Zoro and Sanji looked up at Luffy and Usopp’s faces. Zoro grabbed onto it, pulling himself up as Sanji laughed. 

“Well I suppose if my captain wants meat, I should cook him meat.”

Zoro hauled himself over the railing, catching the tail end of Luffy’s bright grin. He looked down at Sanji, probably wearing his own stupid smile. 

“Get your ass up here then, cook .”

He got saltwater splashed in his face, catching Usopp too and making him squawk. Sanji was looking up at him with that heartbreaker smile of his, probably not knowing how gorgeous he damn well was. 

“Yeah, yeah. Pass me my bag.”

Usopp already had it on hand, tossing it down. Zoro watched, captivated, as Sanji seemed to fly from the water with just a simple flick of his tail, twisting and spinning in the air as he dispelled the ocean from his body. The transformation was backlit by the sun, making Sanji look like just a speck of black against the sky for a moment, and then he was crashing down towards the ship, landing gracefully on two feet. He was fastening black slacks to his waist, shirtless and human looking. 

“Guess I better get started on lunch. Can't have my nakama going hungry after all.”

Zoro watched as he grabbed out a button up along with shoes and a tie. He left the front of the shirt open, tie simply hanging around his neck and shoes dangling from his hand as he walked towards the tiny galley of the borrowed ship. Zoro followed, eyes on the long, graceful legs he was sure he was already getting obsessed with. Sanji eyed him over his shoulder, and then again as the door swung shut behind the two men. The blonde leaned back against the counter, smirking.

“And what do you want, marimo?”

The smirk didn't change as Zoro stepped closer, footsteps loud in the small place. Sanji just watched him with those eyes of his, still so blue they practically drowned the swordsman. 

“Thought you might need some help, being out of the water and all.”

Sanji’s smirk faltered, his brow raised in confusion. 

“Why woul-

“Thought you might need help with the air.”

Zoro leaned in, hands resting on the counter beside Sanji’s hips, bringing their chests together. Pink dusted over pale cheeks as Zoro only moved closer. He watched as the smile returned to Sanji’s lips, small and warm and absolutely made to be kissed. 

“Here,”

He said. 

“Take mine.”