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[cozage]

Another week of disappointment because I didn’t write but here’s a cool solar eclipse picture I took to make up for it 😅

[cozage]

love your account <3

I love you!!! :)

[cozage]

Gm!! I saw your inbox was open!! I was hoping to request something with Sanji, Ace n Franky with a selective mute (gender neutral) reader talking to them through their voice for the first time to confess? 👉👈

(Btw I wanted to let you know that your writing has such a grip on my heart, I must have re-read your Sleepy Afternoon hcs at least a hundred times 🥺🫶 and i hope you have a wonderful day!)

So sorry I didn't get a new chapter out today...the holidays kept me busy! Enjoy these sweet short stories instead <3 Characters: gn reader x Sanji, Ace, Franky Cw:  none :) Total word count: 1600

First Words

Sanji

Ever since you joined the crew, you had found yourself gravitating toward the kitchen. 

Being with Sanji was easy. He never pestered you with questions or asked you to speak. If he did ask questions, they were always non-invasive, yes-or-no questions that you could answer with a shake of your head. 

You realized you had feelings for him when he came into the kitchen one morning, dark shadows under his eyes. And before he began cooking, he signed good morning to you. You had signed back the same phrase before you realized that he had signed, not spoken. 

He beamed with pride as your eyes widened in shock. 

“You learned how to sign?” you signed quickly. 

He focused intensely as he watched the way your hands moved, and then slowly nodded. 

“I stayed up all night trying to learn the basics. I figured it’s lonely up there in your head.” He tapped his temple with his forefinger for effect. “I’m not very good yet, but I’ll try my best to follow you if you ever feel like communicating.”

You gave a soft nod, the thought making your eyes shine. Even just the effort of knowing good morning made your heart swell. 

As the days went on, Sanji got better at sign language. So much better that he indirectly became your translator for the rest of the crew if you ever felt like adding to the conversation. He came to your defense whenever Luffy begged you to speak, and helped make sure your voice was heard without ever judging you. 

As the two of you were sitting out on the deck one night under the stars, you decided you couldn’t hold it in anymore. You had to tell him. 

“I have to tell you something,” you signed.

Sanji stood up a little straighter, looking at you with slight concern. “What is it, my love?”

“I think-” you paused your signing. Saying the words with your hands didn’t seem right. You trusted Sanji with everything. You wanted to tell him. You wanted to say it. Out loud. 

“I think-” you whispered softly, your voice raw from time unused. But you grew more confident when you spoke again. “I think I might just be in love with you, Sanji.”

You could see him struggling to understand your words; the fact that you had spoken was enough to send him into shock. 

And then he leaned in and kissed you. 

You melted under his touch. Your body craved the feeling of his skin as he held your face against his. 

“I love you too, my dear,” he whispered back. “And my name on your lips is sweeter than anything I could ever cook up.”

Ace

Ace didn’t mind that you didn’t speak a lot. Or speak at all. He did enough talking for the both of you. 

Still, you liked being around him. At meals, you often found yourself sitting next to him. At parties, he was often at your door, dragging you out onto the deck to have a few beers with everyone. 

You liked how he could bring people together. He was always the life of the party anywhere you went. You enjoyed his warmth, both through his devil fruit ability and personality. 

You often found yourself staring at him, admiring everything about him. You knew every other person on the ship was doing the same thing. So even when his eyes locked onto yours and the two of you had silent conversations, you did your best to ignore that ache in your chest. He was loved by everyone. You weren’t special. 

“Thank you for coming tonight,” Ace said, taking a seat next to you on the deck. “I know you didn’t want to, and I know these parties can be overwhelming. So thanks for coming for me.”

You shook your head slightly, smiling softly. It’s no big deal.

“It is a big deal! You-” the rest of his sentence was cut off by a few of your crewmates screaming at each other and everyone cheering loudly. 

“Come on,” Ace mumbled, rising to his feet and holding out his hand for you. “Let’s go somewhere quieter. I can’t hear myself think here.”

You smiled and nodded, taking his hand. It was loud and overwhelming. You were here for Ace, to celebrate him being promoted. But that didn’t mean you liked being around crowds or rowdiness. 

There was only one place that was quiet on a night like tonight: the crow’s nest. So the two of you quietly snuck up the ladder and hid away from everyone. A moment of quiet amongst the sea of noise. 

“It's so peaceful up here,” Ace said softly. “I love it up here.”

You hummed in agreement. “I love you.”

Both of you froze. You hadn’t even been thinking about a confession. It had come out entirely on its own. 

You could feel Ace’s sharp gaze on you. “What?”

You cleared your throat, ignoring the heat on your face. “The view. I love the view.”

“You’re speaking.”

You finally looked at him, your voice rough. “I speak sometimes.”

“Never to me!” Ace ran his hand through his hair and took a long drink from the bottle in his hand. “You’ve never spoken to me!”

“I-” you stopped. You hadn’t spoken much since you had joined the crew. Only to Pops, really. And only whenever you were asked a direct question. Ace had probably never heard your voice. “I thought you had. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize!” Ace said, laughing. “I just want to hear more of it! Tell me a story! Your voice is- is like-” he struggled for words, and then he smiled as his eyes locked onto yours. “It’s like a breath of fresh air.”

“It is not,” you smiled at his words, though. “You just feel that way because we can breathe up here without smelling our lovely crewmates.”

Ace barked out a laugh. “Stunning and funny. You really are the total package.”

You quieted at that. A true compliment from Ace didn’t happen often, and you could feel the blush creeping its way through your face. 

Instead, you laid back and turned your head toward the sky, choosing to watch the stars instead. You were almost asleep when Ace spoke again.

“I love you too, you know.”

Franky

You liked being in the workshop with Franky. Franky never tried to get you to speak. Most of the time it was too loud in there to hold a conversation anyway. The extent of your conversation was him asking you to get a tool for him, and you silently retrieving it. 

You weren’t sure it changed into something more, but you began watching him closely as he worked. After a day or two, he began explaining what he was building and all the steps that went into it. It wasn’t long before you were working on the bench next to him. 

Some days, Franky was chatty. He talked about his home, his old life, and other projects he had done. Sometimes he asked you simple questions about your past, but he never pried too deep. 

That’s what you liked most about Franky. Everything had been on your terms, and Franky had always received your decisions enthusiastically. He always supported you when you wanted to help him build a bench, but he also encouraged you to take rest days when you simply wanted to observe. 

Franky was always on your side. No matter what you decided, he was going to agree. He was your biggest fan, always cheering you on. 

And as his strong arms wrapped around you, both of you holding the torch to weld two pieces of metal together, you realized the heat on your face wasn’t just from the flame. 

Franky pulled his welding helmet up. “So, do you like welding?”

You nodded. “I think I like you more, Franky.”

Franky’s mouth fell open in shock. For once, you had stunned him into silence. Only the hum of the generator buzzed in the air. 

The silence made you feel strange, and words began falling out of your mouth in an attempt to fill it. 

“You’re so kind and supportive to me and you always help me learn new things. You’ve been so amazing and patient these past few weeks and you’re always so encouraging and…I just…I like you a lot, Franky, and I was just thinking about how I wanted to tell you and then it just…came out.”

Franky was still staring at you, awestruck. “You can speak?” 

You covered your face. He was missing the whole point. Maybe he would forget the words you had actually said. 

He seemed to remember your words at that exact moment. “Me? You like me?”

A small smile creeped across your face. No backing down now. “Yes, I do.”

“Super!” His words made you laugh. “I’ve liked you for quite some time as well. Just didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Your smile finally widened, full and genuine. “You’re the place I feel most comfortable, Franky.”

He gently wrapped his arms around you, pulling you in for an embrace. “And I will never stop being that for you, I swear it.”

[cozage]

COZAGE-SAAANNNN Belated Happy Anniversary to your account!!! I think I'm late lol

Hi friend!! Thanks so much from the support and basically being here since day one <3 ily

[cozage]

I can’t believe your account is only a year old! You’ve done so much in that time, I can’t wait to see what else you have in store! 🎉

Thank you so much, friend! I'm excited what the next year will bring :)

[cozage]

Today marks one year of creating this account.

Im not going to be overly sappy, but thank you all for the love, the support, and the kindness you have given me over this year. I wish words could express how much it has meant to me and how much it has kept me going. Every single one of you is so important to me. I see every follow, every like, every reblog, every comment and every single one keeps me inspired to write.

Eventually I will hold a special event for celebrating one year (I’m just super busy these next two weeks, but we’ll do something!) so if you have any idea on how to celebrate everyone, shoot me a message or comment on this post. I’m curious what y’all come up with 😉

I love you all and I look forward to another year of writing and sharing this space with you all. Thank you so so much for a year well spent 💕

[cozage]

The Moss that Grew in Gloom

Chapter 7: Day One

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Masterlist | Read on AO3

Word Count: 3.5k Characters: female reader x Zoro --

When you awoke, Zoro was on the mat in the corner, his back leaned against the wall. He was snoring softly, and you found yourself smiling at him and his disposition. He seemed so comfortable in his own skin; you had to admire that about him. 

You shook the thoughts from your head and walked into your bathroom to prepare for the day. You weren’t supposed to be praising him. Cold as ice, just like your father. It was only three days. Once your father was back, Roronoa would fall back into line. It was better to call him Roronoa. It was less personal; it didn’t allow for any doors to be opened. It was better. 

After having a few moments in the bathroom to center yourself, you felt prepared to take on the day. 

That feeling immediately vanished when you opened the door and found Zoro beginning to wake from his sleep. You considered trying to silently dart out the door, but his eyes squinted open and those stormy eyes found yours instantly. 

Cold as ice, just as your father. What would he say in this situation? 

You stood a little taller and cleared your throat. “I suppose you didn’t even bother to try and return to your bedroom last night?”

Your words didn’t affect him at all. He simply let out a half smile. “I wanted to be here when you woke up so I could tell you.” His hand turned a dark metallic color. “Almost a full hour last night. I didn’t want to wake you. Figured you could use the rest.”

You bit back a smile. You were proud of him and his progress. But your father rarely let his emotions show, and you would only survive these next two days if you kept the distance he did. 

You gave a sharp nod. “Very well. We can continue with the next steps after breakfast.”

The surprise in his face made your chest ache. But he quickly recovered, and so did you. You walked out of the room to head down to the dining room, not looking back to see if Zoro was following you. 

As you got closer to the main level, the smell of bread, eggs, and bacon floated up the stairwell, making your stomach rumble. 

“Can’t believe you’re hungry after last night,” Zoro joked as he quickly caught up to you. “I’m still stuffed.”

“I recommend you try to eat something,” you said cooly. “We will be out for a while today.”

“So you’re going to help me push haki into blades?”

You scowled, mimicking your father when you had asked him that same question years ago. “Not quite.”

You could feel Zoro’s irritation rise behind you. “I thought you said-”

“You will be practicing, but not with something so dangerous or precious as blades.”

You could feel his glare on you, but you didn’t look at him. You let the smell of food be your only guide. 

The dining table was set lavishly, but only for three. Your father must’ve told Perona of his departure before he had left. 

“Perona!” you gasped. “This is exquisite!”

She beamed at your words. “I figured we might as well go all out since that old meanie isn’t here right now!”

“You’ve certainly outdone yourself,” you complimented. “Did you pick those flowers from the gardens?”

“Sure did!” 

There was a stark contrast between the pink flowers she had gathered and the black flowers, but you didn’t comment on it. 

The food was well prepared, too. If you hadn’t known better, you would have assumed your father had made it. 

“Mihawk has been teaching me how to cook,” Perona noted as you all continued to eat. “I never liked being in the kitchen, but Mihawk said-”

“If you can’t cook, you can’t live,” you finished with her, smiling to yourself. 

Perona wasn’t so bad in small increments. She was kind and she cared about those around her, even if she didn’t always have the best way of showing it. 

“It’s a good skill to have,” Zoro agreed. You could tell he was trying to find some way to be included in the conversation. 

“One you should learn,” you retorted. “You can use your armament haki while doing the dishes as training. Perona, feel free to make the water as hot as you need to. I’m releasing Roronoa to your care for the morning.” You shot him a quick look, trying to look as disapproving as your father. “I expect an edible meal for lunch.”

Zoro’s eye twitched. “You said you would-”

“This is part of your training,” you said, cutting him off. “Do it, or you will get no further help from me.”

You left the dining table then, walking briskly and confidently up the stairwell. You needed some time away from him, time to clear your head. It was the only way you’d make it through these next few days. 

You settled in your all-too-familiar chair and picked up a book. A sense of normality would help make you feel more like yourself and be able to guard against the whims of Roronoa Zoro. 

It was almost lunchtime before a knock came at your door. You started for a moment, thinking your father may have come home early, but that wasn’t the secret knock he had created. Your eyes flicked back down to your book, trying your best to ignore it. 

The person knocked again. 

“Come in,” you said, letting out a loud sigh. 

Zoro opened the door, his eyes instantly finding yours. It was so easy to melt under his gaze, but you stiffened instead. 

You raised an eyebrow in question, as if you were being inconvenienced. 

“I’m done helping Perona,” he said. “Little witch had the water temperature at scalding levels, by the way. Thanks for that.”

Your eyes returned to the book. They had to, or else they would linger on him for too long. “Did you use haki to shield yourself like I asked you to?”

He nodded, trying to hide a scowl. “And helped Perona to prepare lunch. It’s ready now.”

“I’ll be down in a moment.” Your eyes stayed on the page, but you could see him lingering in the doorway. “Go without me.”

He hesitated as though he was going to say something, but then decided against it and shut the door without another word.

You descended the stairs a few minutes later after finishing the chapter of your book to find Perona sitting alone at the table. 

“Finally! I’ve been waiting here forever! What took you all so long? I sent Zoro up like ten minutes ago!”

Your brow furrowed as you looked around the room, finding it empty. “I sent Zoro back down here ten minutes ago.” Roronoa, you corrected yourself silently. You were supposed to refer to him at Roronoa. 

Perona huffed in frustration. “He’s always getting himself lost in this castle. Why can’t he ever find his way!”

You shrugged. “He’ll join us when he figures it out.”

You had to be cold. It was necessary for survival. But still, a part of you softened in realizing that he had found his way to your room with ease, if Perona’s timeline was correct. Perhaps that is why he was so hesitant to leave. 

He had known how to get to you. Your heart involuntarily skipped a beat. Perhaps you should go looking for him and help him find his way back to lunch. But that’s not what your father would do, so you remained at your seat and began to eat lunch. 

“How was his help this morning?” You asked Perona, trying to remain indifferent. 

“He was more hurt than help in the kitchen!” She groaned, covering her face with her hands at the memory. “I started making more dirty dishes than I needed to just to keep him away from the food.”

You smiled at that. Zoro didn’t seem like the kind who would be any help with cooking. Perhaps you could assign him kitchen duty again, this time focusing on cutting vegetables uniformly. That would certainly keep both of them out of your hair and at each other’s throats for the rest of the day. 

As if your thoughts summoned him, Zoro raced down the stairs, huffing and out of breath. 

He gave you a glare. “How big is this damn castle?!”

You shrugged, suppressing a smile. “Big enough for you to get lost in. Though I believe that could be done with a two-bedroom cottage.”

Zoro’s eye twitched, but Perona let out a howl of laughter, and that made the cheap shot worth it. 

“Eat.” You motioned to his seat. “We have work to do after lunch.”

“Don’t want to put me on kitchen duty again?” He grumbled, but he did as he was told. 

“Would you like to be put on kitchen duty, Roronoa?”

He looked over at you, shocked with the formality you had given him, and studied your face for a long time. You almost looked away, but you kept your gaze fixed on him, waiting for a response. 

“Please no!’ Perona cried. “I swear it’s more of a punishment for me than it is for him!”

You ignored her, watching Zoro intensely, waiting for a response. 

“Whatever training you want me to do, I’ll do it,” he finally said, breaking eye contact and digging into his lunch. 

“Then we will train in the courtyard after lunch to give Perona some reprieve.” You gave the bubble-gum haired girl a wink, and she let out a huge sigh of relief. 

Zoro shot you a look of confusion, pausing mid bite. “I thought we would train at-”

“The courtyard.” You finished for him, adding a sense of finality that you knew he would not challenge. You couldn’t leave the grounds anyway. It wasn’t safe with your father gone.

After a rather quiet lunch, you sent Zoro to the courtyard to start warming up while you retreated to the training room. You picked up a few stuffed animals and retreated out of the room. He was never going to do this. You could see him starting a fight the moment you walked out the door. He didn’t understand that there was a process. But you would stand your ground, just as your father had with you. 

You took a deep breath and walked into the courtyard. Zoro had already managed to work up a sweat and lose his shirt. He didn’t bother to stop what he was doing, but his eyes glanced over to you. 

And then down to the teddy bears you were holding. 

“Are you planning on making those things into scary monsters that I have to fight?”

You resisted the urge to banter back. “They are for training.”

“Scary.” He finished up his final set or workouts and sheathed his swords. “Can I only cut them if I have haki infused into my blades?”

You set the bears down on the cobblestone patio. “I want you to infuse them with haki.”

His eyes narrowed. “Is this some kind of joke to you?”

You flexed your jaw, trying to swallow back any emotion. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

His eyes flashed with hurt, but just for a moment. “Why do I have to do this?”

You stared at him for a moment, as if the answer were obvious. Your father did that to people a lot, and it seemed to be effective in making them second guess themselves. “Blades are easily breakable. Bears are not. If you infuse too much or too little, the bear will not break into a million pieces. But by all means, Roronoa, if you think you can go straight to swords, I will not stop you.”

You turned and began to walk away. He reached for you, and you quickly dodged away from him, turning back with fire in your eyes. 

But he had fire in his eyes as well. “It’s Zoro. I told you to call me Zoro.”

Your lips pressed into a thin line. “You are my pupil, and you will be addressed as such. Blurred lines don’t help anyone.”

He scoffed. “You can’t be serious. What has gotten into you?”

“Nothing has gotten into me,” you hissed back. “You came here to train. So train.”

“You said you would help!”

“I am.” You turned away. “You won’t leave this island with broken blades now. You’re welcome.”

You walked back into the castle without another word. You had hoped that maybe he would have stopped you, but he stood there stunned into silence. 

You retreated into your room and sat back down in your chair. Distractions. You needed distractions. You pulled out your book, trying to ignore the fact that you had a clear line of sight to Zoro’s training, should you choose to look out your window. You were curious if he had taken the teddy bear advice, or if he had thrown your directive completely out and was trying his own method. You were too scared to look down and see. 

You tried to read your book for an hour before you gave up. The words were swimming across the pages, your mind easily wandering out the door and down the hall to the courtyard. You should go check on him, see if there was any progress. 

You probably had been too cruel to him. And while you had good reason, he had no idea why you were responding so coldly to him. Zoro hadn’t learned much at all when your father had given him instructions and left him alone. No, he flourished under your steady guidance and ability to recognize small victories. There were ways to be a good teacher and still keep yourself emotionally distant…wasn’t there?

You put your book down and walked down the stairs, glancing out the door to the courtyard before you took a step out. 

It wasn’t pretty. One of the bears had been torn apart. You weren’t sure if his haki had done that, or his frustration. Stuffing laid strewn about the area as if you had gotten an early snow. 

But Zoro was still there, trying his best to infuse the stuffed animal. He was failing miserably. But he was trying. 

You silently opened the door and stepped outside. “Would you like some pointers now?”

“Depends.” He didn’t seem shocked to hear you. It was as if he knew you were coming. “Are you going to be an asshole about it?”

“Are you going to accept my help?” You shock back, instantly irritated. 

One eye cracked open. You could tell he was fighting between an appropriate response and what he wanted to say. 

“I will,” he said through gritted teeth. Appropriate response it was. 

You sat down across from him. “Show me what you’ve been doing. And we’ll go from there.”

He bit back a response and closed his eyes, trying to focus. He was able to instantly shroud his hand in armament haki, but he gritted his teeth as he tried to force his haki into the bear. He was acting as if it were something to be conquered, rather than an extension of himself. 

You supposed it would be hard to have him act that a teddy bear was an extension of himself without knowing that beforehand. 

“I see,” you whispered. “You can stop now.”

He opened his eyes, looking at you with caution. You couldn’t blame him for being wary. 

“Did the stuffing massacre happen from an attempt at haki or were you just frustrated?”

His lips quirked up at your joke. You started to grin back, but stopped yourself. This had to be professional. 

“The haki tore his head off,” he said. “I did the rest. It was the closest I got to a success.”

It wasn’t very close at all, but you didn’t comment on that. 

He looked at you skeptically. “Can this actually be done, or did I do something to piss you off?”

You took the bear from his hands and pushed haki into it. The brown fur instantly became metallic black, and you looked at him expectantly. 

“Got it,” he grumbled. “What am I doing wrong?”

“We’ll do that tomorrow.” You knew what you had to do to help him, and you weren’t prepared for that yet. 

“You said-”

“I need time,” you admitted, showing a shred of vulnerability. “I don’t have the reserves to help you today. Let me build it up and we can work tomorrow. Together.”

His hard face softened at your words, as if he could sense a small piece of your wall being peeled away. “How should we train now?”

“Relax,” you said. “Prepare mentally and build your reserves. With any luck, we’ll last until lunch time.”

His brow furrowed. “What exactly are you planning?”

You gave him a small smile. “A training exercise on the act of extending your haki. That’s all.”

“You say it so devilish, I’m almost nervous.”

You let out a laugh. “You should be.” 

“Is that a challenge?”

Your face was neutral, but you knew he could see the mischief dancing in your eyes.  “Only if you want it to be, Roronoa.” 

It was too easy to fall into this with him. The easy jokes and quick banter was practically second nature with him, even though you had only known each other a few weeks. But the spark went out of his eyes at your last word. His name. 

“Call me Zoro.”

“It’s easier if I don’t.” Ice flooded through your veins. You had gotten too casual again. 

“Everyone calls me Zoro,” he argued. 

You picked up the stuffed toys that were still intact instead of responding. “Tell Perona I’ll take dinner in my room tonight.”

“What? We eat together.” You could hear the frustration in his voice. 

“I need to concentrate tonight. Unless you want one of us to end up like your stuffed friend over there.” It was partially the truth. You did need to concentrate and build up resistance to the possibility of an influx of haki. But you could do that anywhere. It was an excuse to be alone. 

“Fine.” He let you walk away again, but this time you were relieved. 

As you hid in your room, you could hear Zoro and Perona fighting downstairs, but you refused to go investigate. It wasn’t until hours later that there came a knock on your door. Zoro. 

“Dinner.” He opened the door and brought in a tray of food. 

“Leave it on the table.” You kept your eyes closed, still focusing on building up energy. 

“Figured we could eat together,” Zoro said. 

Your eyes snapped open and you glared at him, irritated that he broke your concentration. “I need to be alone.”

“No you don’t.” He had that smug look on his face, as if he was capable of seeing right through you. “You can eat with me for twenty minutes.”

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath in and resettling. “Go away, Roronoa.”

“You watched me struggle,” he mused. You could hear the creak of your bed, and you bristled at the thought of him being near your things. “I feel like I should get the option to sit and watch you.”

“Get out,” you growled. “You’re distracting me.”

He let out a chuckle. “Now you know what it’s like.”

“Roronoa-”

“Come eat with me, then I’ll leave.”

You didn’t move. 

Neither did he. 

You tried to focus; tried to build your energy. But it was distracting having him in here. You could feel his presence, normally so serious and stoic, almost amused now as he watched you. 

“Do you mind?” You snapped, finally opening an eye. 

“I think what’s distracting you is hunger, actually. Let’s eat.” 

“Please, Roronoa,” you whispered. “Please leave.” 

You locked eyes with him. A battle of the wills. But you were begging, not challenging. If you had dinner with him alone again…who knew where that would end up. You could see from the corner of your eye he had brought wine too. You definitely couldn’t sit with him and have dinner and wine in your room. 

“You really want me to go?” His voice was soft, and you felt a pull in your core. 

You nodded, knowing your voice would betray you. You wanted nothing more than to be close to him. Which is exactly why you had to stay far away. 

He could see the pleading in your eyes, and he relented. He got up from your bed with a sigh and grabbed one of the trays-his tray. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Early.” 

You nodded, though you knew he didn’t see you respond. He was already closing the door. You grabbed the food and nibbled at it, not having an appetite. He had left the wine, but you resisted opening it. You needed a clear head. 

Only when you crawled into bed did you notice it. A red rose, lying on your nightstand. Perona only picked flowers of the pink and black variety. Zoro must have set it down before he left. 

Surely all pupils brought flowers to their teachers, didn’t they?

--

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[cozage]

hi coza! may i request a short fic of fem!reader joining sanji for a smoke break? reader asks sanji to light her cigarette by leaning close to the lit cigarette on his lips 😌 plus lots of flirting between them lovers 💖 thank you!

Characters: female reader x Sanji Cw: none :) Total word count: 500

Smoke Break

“I thought I’d find you out here,” you said, climbing up onto the rooftop. “Hiding away?”

Sanji smiled as he moved over, allowing you to sit next to him. “They’re so damn noisy all of the time.”

You laughed, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his box of cigarettes. “Noisy, yes.” You pulled out a cigarette and easily slipped the box back into his pocket, as you had done hundreds of times before. “But they’re all still very loveable.”

Sanji rolled his eyes. “Maybe the ladies, sure-you most of all. But those guys…”

“I disagree!” You argued. “I find the guys on this ship to be very loveable! You most of all.”

You gave him a wink as you raised the cigarette to your mouth, and you could see a hint of jealousy flicker across his face. Perhaps you had gone too far with that last comment. Better to make amends before he started thinking too much about it.

“Got a light?” you asked coyly. You both knew he did.

He didn’t have as much enthusiasm as he pulled his lighter out of his jacket pocket.

You ignored his outstretched hand, choosing to lean in close to him and press your cigarette against his, your faces so close that you could feel his shallow breath against you. 

You locked eyes with him, portraying a secret only for him. He was the only one you loved so deeply. He was the only one who knew you - truly knew you. And once you were certain he realized that, you pulled away from him with a smirk on your face. 

“Thanks, love,” you said softly, exhaling out a cloud of smoke.

You didn’t have to look over at him to know his face was beet red. “You-you can’t-you-”

“Sanji darling,” you gave an exasperated sigh. “All I did was ask for a light.”

“That is not all you did!” he huffed, taking another long drag to calm his nerves. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you giggled, letting your eyes roam across the ship to watch the others.

Luffy has somehow managed to get tangled up in some ropes and nets, and though Zoro had tried to help him, it appeared that he had also gotten tangled up in it as well. Nami had taken to screaming at them as the only avenue of helping them get out. 

“We certainly have our work cut out for us on this ship, don’t we?”

“I’m afraid so,” Sanji sighed. “But at least I’ve got you.”

You leaned your head against his shoulder, letting out a pleased hum. “And I have you, you crazy lovesick cook.”

[cozage]

The Moss that Grew in Gloom

Chapter 6: A Night Not Spent Alone

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Masterlist | Read on AO3

Word Count: 1.3k Characters: female reader x Zoro --

Zoro knew how to drink. 

You weren’t sure how he had such a high tolerance. You weren’t sure why. And frankly, you didn’t want to know. 

But as you stumbled your way up the stairs, two bottles of wine flowing through your system, anytime you tripped, Zoro’s strong arm was there, grabbing you and holding you steady. He had drunk at least twice as much as you, and yet he was still solid and confident.

“I can make it to my room,” you slurred. “You’ll get lost if I don’t lead the way.”

“I’ve caught you 5 times since we started up these stairs,” Zoro laughed back. “There’s no way I’m letting you go the rest of the way alone.”

You caught yourself looking at his face as he spoke, noticing the soft pink that now touched his cheeks. His face seemed more relaxed. He was more happy and carefree. His eyes had a shining to them, full of light and a touch of mischief. 

And he was staring right back at you. 

Your heart pounded in your chest. Too long. You all had been staring at each other for too long. You should’ve said something, made some kind of snarky joke or comment back to him, but your mind was blank. Every time you reached for a thought, it vanished. There was only his slightly pink cheeks and his enticing gray eyes. You couldn’t look away. 

Zoro looked away first, clearing his throat and blinking a few times before he was able to speak. “I was planning on training a bit, so it’s really okay if I get lost.”

“I said I’d help you!” You started walking again, trying to get up to your room. You really shouldn’t have drank so much so quickly. 

Zoro chuckled. “I don’t know how much help you-”

“Don’t finish that sentence!” You gasped. “I can help you just fine. Even if I am slightly intoxicated.”

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Slightly?”

Your eyes narrowed. “Shut up. I’m fine.”

“If you say so.” He shrugged, falling into step beside you. “I could use some pointers.”

You blinked, losing your momentum for a moment, but Zoro was right next to you, holding your arm to keep you from falling forward. He chuckled slightly, but didn’t comment on your clumsiness. 

But it wasn’t the alcohol that made you stumble. It was his words. He had asked for help so casually. Like you two had been doing this forever. Like he didn’t mind asking for help.

“I’ve never been here with guests without my-Mihawk,” you admitted. You still couldn’t find the courage to confess he was your father. 

Zoro chuckled, thinking your mistake was due to the wine. “I don’t think he was here when I arrived.”

You bit your lip. “That was different. I mean he’s never left me alone with…strangers.”

He glanced over at you, surprised. “Do you think we’re strangers? We’ve lived on the same island for a few months. I figured we’d at least…” He trailed off, unsure where to go. 

You tried to backtrack on your previous statement. “We’ve lived together for months, sure. But we’ve hardly spoken before two days ago. You were so busy defeating every ape on this island, that we’ve never really…talked.”

“Defeating the baboons is the only way to get off the island, isn’t it?”

You nodded. 

“How many more do you have left?” Zoro asked. He was attempting to be casual, but you knew he was curious.

“I already told you. I’ve beat them all.” You smirked, knowing the smugness in your voice was easy for him to hear.

He scoffed. “Then why are you still here?”

You stopped walking, trying to understand his question. “My life is here.”

Zoro stopped effortlessly next to you, his brows knit together in confusion. “But there’s the whole world to see.”

“I’m content here.” with my father, you added silently. 

“You’re safe here,” Zoro shot back. “You’re one of the best swordsmen in the world and you’re hiding on this island. Why?”

You shrugged. “I haven’t found anything that’s made me want to leave.” You started walking again. “Not yet.”

Zoro nodded absentmindedly. You thought you could feel his gaze linger on you a few times, but you refused to meet his eyes. 

The two of you silently continued to your room, Zoro occasionally holding out an arm to allow you to steady yourself. You took it when offered, but you never held it for too long. Even if you wanted to. 

When you got to your room you motioned for Zoro to come in. “You can practice on the mat in the corner. I’ll talk you through it.”

Zoro was clearly skeptical, but he entered the room and sat on the mat as you crawled into bed. You watched him stretch and begin to settle into his typical position, and finally his eyes landed on you. 

He really was handsome. You had seen him half-naked before while you were rebandaging his wounds, but you hadn’t thought anything of it. But now…maybe you could blame the wine, or the soft look in his eyes under the candlelight, but you longed for that opportunity again. To feel his muscles contract and rest under your touch once more. 

“Now what should we do?” he asked, looking at you with those usually hard slate-gray eyes. They appeared softer tonight. It had to be the wine. 

Your head spun, but you managed to let out a breath. “What?”

“To train,” he clarified, finally breaking his gaze from you and clearing his throat. “How can I put my armament haki into my blades?”

You rolled your eyes. He was always trying to get to the end without any regard for the middle. “Concentrating and building your stamina, remember?”

His eyes flicked back and locked onto you, full of mischief. “I have good stamina, remember?”

Something about his tone had your core tightening, and the words were out before you could think twice. 

“Prove it.” Your entire body froze when you registered your own words, and even Zoro’s eyes widened for a moment. 

He quickly reverted his face back to calm, and arched a brow in question. “How so?”

Your throat felt like it was closing up. You weren’t sure when the temperature had risen in the room, but you wanted to rip away your bedsheets and pull your clothes off. 

You wanted to pull Zoro’s clothes off too, if you were being honest with yourself. 

But you couldn’t. This was Roronoa Zoro here with you. A man who wanted to best and defeat your own father. You had to diffuse the situation. This flirtatious mood was only because you were both drunk, and you certainly didn’t want to make your circumstance worse tomorrow morning. If things were awkward with Zoro, you’d have to resort to associating with Perona…

You had been gawking at him and his comment for entirely too long. 

“30 minutes of armament haki in both of your hands, and then I’ll teach you the next step.” You rolled over so you wouldn’t have to look at him any longer. “Wake me when you're successful.”

The only way you’d get through these next few days without your father around was to be just as cold as him. You couldn’t be involved with Zoro. It was too messy to even think about. Better to be cold and distant. 

But when you fell asleep, your dreams were filled with the distinct color of moss-green. 

[cozage]

The Moss that Grew in Gloom

Chapter 5: A Secret Code

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Word Count: 1.6k Characters: female reader x Zoro

The next morning, you woke up far later than usual, your head pounding from last night’s wine. You could have laid in bed all day, but a specific knock came from your door: your father’s secret code. 

 “Come in,” you mumbled back, turning your head back into the pillow. 

You heard the door turn and your father’s almost-silent footsteps approach your bed. 

“You certainly chose to sleep in.”

“Tired,” you groaned, still face down on the pillow. 

“Up late last night?” your father asked. “I suppose the book you were reading was entertaining.”

“Captivating.” It was too early for a conversation. You needed breakfast, water, and a good bath before you took on the day. 

“I thought we could train today. Are you up for it?”

You resisted the urge to outwardly cringe at the thought. “Raincheck?” you asked, finally looking up at him from the bed. “Roronoa asked me to help him today.”

He stared at you for a long moment, but finally nodded. “Let me know when you would like to train, then. I’ll be ready.”

You gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

Zoro didn’t knock on your door until noon. His green hair was unkempt and disheveled, and his eyes looked tired, but he was awake. 

“Ready to train?” you asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

You rolled your eyes. You had done your best to shake off the hangover, but the lasting effects were still there. Your head still pounded softly and your movements were sluggish, but you were mostly okay. 

You grabbed Nikko and passed by him, heading out of the castle. When you stopped in the courtyard, he looked around as if he was missing something. 

“So, now we need to work on maintaining your levels of haki for long periods of time,” you started. “We’ll have to build up a tolerance and-”

“Why are we here?” Zoro asked, interrupting you. 

“What do you mean?” you asked. “This is where you like to train, isn’t it?”

“Well normally, sure. But-” he glanced back at the castle. “I kind of liked your spot better.”

You chewed on your lip, thinking. It was possible that the baboons would sense your weakness today and be more willing to attack. If that were the case, you wouldn’t get much training done. But if you stayed here, you knew your father would be watching your every move, critiquing how you were training. 

“All right,” you finally said. “Let's go to the ruins.”

The walk to the ruins was tense. Your eyes were constantly darting around, watching for any sudden ambushes the baboons may try to pull on you. It had been a while since one had tried to challenge you, and you knew it was only a matter of time before one became bold enough to try. 

“Seems like that wine really got to you last night,” Zoro quipped. “You’re quiet today.”

“Huh?” It took you a moment to process his words, and you chuckled softly. “It’s been a while since I drank that much.”

“What, can’t handle your alcohol?”

You almost snapped, but when you looked at him, you could see the ghost of a smile on his lips. He was taunting you.

You shoved him lightly, your lips jerking upwards for a moment. “I’ll make you regret those words, Roronoa Zoro.”

His smile grew wicked, and you could see his eyes light up for a moment. “I’d like to see you try.”

You rolled your eyes again and pushed deeper into the jungle, heading for the ruins. As much as you wanted to respond to his words, his gaze had your heart racing and thoughts muddled. 

Thankfully, the ruins were just up ahead. You wouldn’t have to focus on him during your time training. You could just focus on his progress. That would be much easier. 

You sat in silence most of the day, Zoro barely spoke. You offered gentle guidance and little words of encouragement, but it didn’t seem to matter to him. By the time the sun was setting, you could hear him grunting in frustration. 

“Let’s go back. I don’t like to be out after dark.” Your father didn’t either. He would certainly come looking for you if you stayed much longer. 

“I haven’t mastered it yet,” Zoro said, gritting his teeth. 

“You can train tonight,” you offered. “While you eat, while you sleep. Honing that ability and building up your stamina is what’s important.”

“My stamina is perfectly fine!”

You scowled at him. “You’re not used to being critiqued, are you?”

“I know my limit,” he growled, wiping the sweat off his face from a day of concentration and effort. “And I’m not at it yet.”

You were so irritated that you leaned forward and flicked his forehead. “You need to calm down, Roronoa. And maybe consider eating something if you’re going to be so moody. I’m trying to help you here, but if you don’t want it, I have better things to do.”

He grabbed your wrist as you began to pull your hand away, causing you to tense. You could’ve easily gotten out of his grip if you wanted, but you let him keep you there, waiting for whatever he would lash out about next. 

“I told you-” He looked into your eyes. “-it’s Zoro.” 

“Well, Zoro,” you hissed, finally pulling your arm from his grasp. “Stop being an ass and take some constructive criticism.”

He rubbed at his eyes, clearly exhausted. “Will you help me train back at the castle?”

You gave a nod. “As long as you listen to my advice.”

“All right then.” The edginess from his voice seemed to disappear. “Let’s get back before the sun goes down. I’m starving.”

The two of you trudged through the woods and back into the confines of the castle just as the sun dipped behind the ocean. The smell of a delicious meal invaded your nostrils as you stepped through the door, but you could tell something was off. 

The castle felt oddly…empty. Your father never hid his presence from you, but you couldn’t sense him anywhere in the castle. You pushed your observation haki out further, tendrils reaching to find his comforting presence. But there was nothing. Only the negative emotions surrounding Perona up in her room. 

You stopped abruptly, causing Zoro to bump into you. “Something’s wrong,” you whispered softly, your eyes darting around the room. 

“Huh?” Zoro looked around, eyeing the room. “Nothing seems off to me.”

You rolled your eyes, though you knew he couldn’t see you do it. But Zoro seemed unbothered by the silence in the castle, and he pushed past you to find the food that you could both smell. 

“Come on, let’s eat. At least someone left us food. You think it was Mihawk?” he asked, heading for the dining room. 

“Probably. He likes to cook.” You followed him cautiously, scanning the area for anything out of place. 

“How do you all know each other anyway? Surely there's a story there.” Zoro rounded the corner to the dining room and his eyes lit up. “Hey! Looks like there’s a whole feast! That’s great, because I’m starving!”

You followed quickly behind him, your eyes scanning the table. It truly was an immaculate dinner that your father had prepared. Your eyes fell to a piece of paper sitting in front of your usual chair. 

A note. 

Zoro beat you to it, but he squinted his eyes in confusion as his eyes scanned the page. Then he glared at the bottom of the note and mumbled something too soft to hear. 

He handed the note out for you to read. “This doesn’t make any sense. It’s just a bunch of nonsense.” 

Not nonsense; you knew that. You and your father had created your own code of communication, so nobody could ever impersonate you. Only the two of you knew it. If it was ever written in any other language but your created code, it was not to be trusted. 

You snatched the paper out of Zoro’s hands and your eyes ran over the jumbled letters. The words you knew were from your father read:

I have been called away by the World Government. I will return in three days. Do not leave the castle while I am gone. Try not to pamper the guests too much. Enjoy the food, I’m sorry I could not stay to share it with you.

Written in common language at the bottom, it read:

P.S. Roronoa - STAY OUT OF MY WINE. 

You smiled slightly at the words left for Zoro and pocketed the letter. The feast had been intended as his farewell meal. Even though he would only be gone for three days. Your father was always one for the dramatics. 

“Well?” Zoro asked, looking at you expectantly. 

You sat down at your seat. “Mihawk has been called away on World Government business for a few days.”

You weren’t sure why you called him Mihawk. You should’ve just said he was your father. But that hadn’t come up in conversation with Zoro, and you didn’t feel like discussing it now. You would tell him, it just didn’t feel like the right time yet. 

Zoro gave a fiendish smile. “Sounds like tonight would be a great time to raid the wine cellar.”

You frowned slightly at that. “He told you to stay away from the wine.”

Zoro began walking toward the cellar, giving a taunting chuckle. “Do you always listen to what he says?”

You scoffed at his comment, but you found yourself following Zoro down the steps, picking out a red wine that would pair perfectly with the steak waiting for you upstairs. And then you grabbed a few more bottles, just in case you felt like drinking more tonight.  

You had never broken your father’s rules. Not once. Not until the day Roronoa Zoro fell out of the sky.

[cozage]

A Journey of Two Cooks

Chapter 4: Reunited

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A/n: This sweet little fic is all finished! I hope you enjoyed it :) Word Count: 2k CW: some family trauma/manipulation done to the reader Characters: female reader x Sanji ---

You didn’t leave your room until the next morning. Luckily, you had stored snacks in your room for days when you felt on the outskirts of your family and alienated from everyone on the ship. They could all make their own food for one day. 

You rose early and began breakfast, working quickly to avoid confrontation with anyone. Even though you didn’t want to speak to anyone, you still had duties you had to do on the ship. You may have been a lot of things, but a freeloader wasn’t one of them. You could hear the crew starting to rise as you finished up the biscuits, and left everything on the stove top to keep warm until the others showed up for breakfast. You could cook and still avoid everyone. 

Berk knocked on your door almost an hour later. “Time to eat.”

“Eat without me,” you called back, not bothering to be pleasant. 

“We eat as a family. Hurry up, we’re docking today.” There was no room in his tone for argument. You sighed and rose from your desk, treading after him down the hallway and to the dining hall. 

You were the last to arrive for breakfast, and it was clear the group had been waiting for you. As you sat down at the table, Berk cleared his throat. Your stomach lurched, knowing a fight was about to come. 

“We’re landing on an island today,” he said. “Should be there in ten minutes. Once we restock, I have a pretty good idea about a target we can hit.”

You clenched your teeth, but didn’t say anything. You wouldn’t make a scene two meals in a row. 

He went through the details vaguely, but everyone knew the way it worked. You would be the distraction, they would be the thiefs. Even in these high-level missions, you were always the one who was alone. 

When he was finished, you stood up and cleared away your plates without a word.

“I’ll get the groceries,” you said. There was no point in reigniting an old argument. You had said your piece. You wouldn't be a part of this mission. They were welcome to proceed without you, but you refused to be involved with any more honey traps. 

“Be back in an hour!” Berk called. You ignored him. You would take as long as you needed. You had nothing else on the schedule for today. 

You got ready quickly and departed the ship, finally breathing a breath of fresh air for the first time in days. Island air just felt so much cleaner than sea air these days. The air held possibility. 

You intentionally spent a long time at the market. You searched the crowd for golden hair and refused to give up. You browsed over every fruit and vegetable, every fish and spice you could see, meticulously picking apart every specimen. Anything to delay your return to that dreadful ship. 

“Y/N.” A sharp, husky voice came from behind you. For a moment you hoped it was Sanji, but that voice was familiar. It was your captain. 

“You’re late,” he said. 

“I told you I’m not doing it,” you hummed, trying to keep a pleasant tone in your voice as you browsed the bread selection. 

“You will. That’s an order from your captain.”

You finally turned to him, glaring. He was at least a foot taller than you, but you refused to let that intimidate you. “Did you call the Navy to attack Sanji’s crew?”

He raised an eyebrow. You could see him trying to figure out how you had discovered his plan.

“So what if I did? I was doing it to protect you.”

You frowned at him, your entire body tensing at his practical confession. “You weren’t protecting me. You were trying to control me.”

“Because I know what's best for you!”

“You can’t keep controlling me like this! I said I’m not doing it, Berk!”

He grabbed your wrist, putting it into a vice grip. “And I said you will.”

“No.”

He scoffed, almost amused by your defiance. “Are you disobeying a direct order? Do you know what type of punishment that gets you?”

You could see the sinister look in your eye, and you suddenly realized you had crossed a line. You tried to pull your hand away, but he squeezed harder and twisted, causing you to cry out in pain. 

“Berk stop,” you pleaded, still trying to get away from his hold. “You’re hurting me.”

“Oh-” he gave you a demented smile. “A sprained wrist will be the least of your worries when we’re finished.”

“Stop, please,” you begged. “I’m sorry-”

Out of nowhere, the pain disappeared, and Berk seemed to vanish before your eyes.

And then, sunshine gold. Crystal blue orbs, staring back at you. 

“Sanji,” you whimpered. You were frozen in place, unable to move even though every muscle in your body was screaming for you to run to him. 

Thankfully, he approached you. He had a look of pure concern and worry, and his eyes darted back and forth between your face and your wrist. 

“My dear, are you alright?” he cooed, gingerly touching your wrist. “It looks like it hurts quite badly. Let me take you to a doctor.”

Your hand felt like it was on fire, the heat intensifying every time you tried to move it, but you did your best to hide it. “Sanji, I’m fine.”

He frowned, examining your hand closely. “I think you need to see a doctor. We have a good one back-”

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” Berk’s harsh voice made you flinch, but he wasn’t directing his anger at you this time. 

Sanji gently ushered you behind him to keep you out of danger, making sure you were properly supporting your wrist. 

“You shouldn’t harm a lady,” Sanji growled. “The likes of you shouldn’t even be allowed near one.”

Berk went in for a swing, which Sanji gracefully dodged. He had a playful smile on his face, as if this were a game. 

If he actually was a member of the Strawhats, it probably was. 

Sanji’s dodging only pissed Berk off even more. “Stay the hell out of our affairs!” your captain screamed. “This is a crew matter, you bastard!”

Sanji delivered a strong kick directly to Berk’s chest, sending him flying backwards. 

“Berk!” you screamed, starting to run to him. But you could feel his rage exuding from him and you hesitated. When Berk got this angry, he usually attacked whoever was closest. And you had caused this whole mess. You stood between Berk and Sanji, unable to move forward but too headstrong to retreat. 

Berk stood to his feet, breathing heavily. If looks could kill, you were fairly certain they would already be planning your funeral. 

“Choose,” he snarled. “Your crew or him.”

“Choose?” you glanced back at Sanji, unsure how to proceed. 

The chef was calm and relatively unbothered, opting to smoke a cigarette instead of acknowledging your captain’s words. The only hint of concern was in his eyes, which were stuck to you, watching you carefully. 

Your family, or a man you barely knew? No, that wasn’t an accurate depiction of the choice you had to make. Your crew had taken you in and been kind enough to you, but despite your captain’s overuse of the word, they weren’t your family. They barely knew anything about you. You were just the person who helped them out around the ship and who made robbing other pirates easier. 

Sanji, on the other hand…you weren’t sure. He knew more about you than anyone else on this planet, but you weren’t sure if he wanted you to come along with him. What if you chose him and then he left you? You would be left with nobody, forced to fend for yourself on an unfamiliar island. 

“I-”

Berk spat at you. “The fact that you're hesitating proves you aren’t loyal.” He turned and began walking away. “Your belongings are now property of the Buckaneers, since it’s on our ship. Have a good-”

Sanji was next to him in a second, kicking Berk down to the ground. Sanji put his foot on your ex-captain’s chest to hold him down. 

“We’ll be getting her stuff. If you have a problem with that, then we can fight like men instead.”

For a long time, Berk said nothing. He kept his eyes locked with Sanji, and you could feel a battle of wills occurring between the two. 

“She has thirty minutes,” Berk finally said, cutting his eyes away. 

“She has as long as she needs.” Sanji spat back, and then lifted his foot from Berk’s chest. 

When Sanji looked back at you, he was a different man than the one who was staring at your ex-captain. His features instantly softened under your gaze, his warm smile returning. He held a hand out to beckon you toward him, and your body moved on its own. You walked to him and took his hand, and the two of you walked to the ship together. 

When you could see your ship again, you couldn’t help but grip Sanji’s hand a little tighter. You didn’t want to have to face all of these people alone. 

Sanji squeezed your hand and you were reminded that you weren’t alone. He was there to protect you and fend off anyone who gave you problems. 

“I never even asked if you wanted me around,” you whispered, letting out a light laugh to ease the tension of your words. 

“My darling, I always want you around.”

You gave a half-hearted smile at his words, and then lowered your voice to a whisper. “Are you really a part of the Strawhat crew?”

“How did you…” he trailed off, and then gave a bold smile. “I am. And you can be too, if you’d like. You’ll never have to cook again. You’ll never have to do anything.”

You doubted that. Surely you’d have to pull your weight, but you understood what Sanji was saying. You’d never have to do something you didn’t want to do. You gave a small nod, and the two of you started toward the ship. 

It was empty. You didn’t see anybody onboard. They must’ve all gone to rob their target, whoever it was. You wondered how that was working out for them, since you hadn’t distracted the captain. 

You quickly went to your room and packed up the essentials: your clothes, important memories, other small things that were easy to pack away. Your wrist still ached, so Sanji packed as you instructed him around the room, all without a single complaint. 

Lastly, you popped into Berk’s captains quarters and grabbed 50,000 berries. Your payment for the free labor you had given him against your will. He probably wouldn’t miss it too much. You didn’t care if he did. 

Sanji carried all of your bags and still managed to hold your hand as the two of you departed your old ship and headed for his ship. It was his home, and hopefully it could be yours too.

“This is the Sunny. Nice ship, isn’t it?”

Their ship was similar to the size of your old ship, but you could tell it was crafted by an expert. The wood alone was a hundred times better than the quality of the Buckaneers’ ship. Whoever had created this ship truly had a vision. 

Sanji squeezed your hand. “A new journey awaits you, my dear.”

You smiled at him, and then looked up at the Sunny. “A better one, now that I’m with you.”

[cozage]

A Journey of Two Cooks

Chapter 3: Conspiracy

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist | Read on AO3

Word Count: 1.2k CW: some family trauma/manipulation done to the reader Characters: female reader x Sanji

---

You and Kline stumbled to the ship. He was much heavier when you had to hold him by yourself, and nobody on the ship seemed to be paying much attention to your struggles. 

“Hurry up!” Berk called when he saw you. “The Navy is coming in hot!”

As soon as you and Kline were on board, the crew realized he was injured. 

“Fuck,” Berk whispered, staring at the bruised marking that was growing across Kline’s face. “He’ll just sleep it off, won’t he?”

“I’m not a doctor,” you snapped. 

You were still irritated with how he had treated you when you left for your date. You were angry that your date had gotten ruined, that Sanji had beaten up your crewmember. You were furious that the Navy had chosen today to come to this random little island. Everything would’ve been perfect if they hadn’t shown up. 

“Where’s the Navy ships? Shouldn’t that be the priority?” You looked out to sea, searching for the blue crest of your enemy. 

“Out there.” Berk pointed to the far left. Five Naval ships, heading for the island. 

“Then let's move.” You went to adjust the sails to catch the wind just right. You could hear the crew talking softly about your bad mood, but you chose to ignore it. 

You and the crew easily maneuvered around the Navy ships that were approaching the island. There were a few stray canon balls, but they mostly left you alone. 

“That’s weird,” you noted, watching them fade from view. “Why aren’t they coming after us?”

“Takes a lot to turn a ship that big,” Kodak, the navigator, noted. “We’re going the opposite way. Too much time to turn. We’ll be gone from view by the time they start heading this way, and they have no idea which way we went. Looks like we dodged a bullet.”

You nodded, but said nothing. His rationale made sense, but you never knew of a Navy ship that would turn down a chance to take down a pirate ship. The Navy, by design, was not rational. It felt strange…almost as if it were planned. 

The thought quickly left your mind. You were back on the high seas, the place where you felt the most free. At least, it had been until you had met that lovesick cook. 

You wanted nothing more than to see him again. To apologize for the way you acted. But you knew it would be a while before you saw him again. If ever. 

A few days later, right before you walked into the kitchen to begin dinner, you heard Berk and Kline talking softly. 

“Any updates in the News Coo?” Berk whispered.

“None.” Kline let out a sigh. “They must’ve escaped too.”

“That’s impossible!” Berk hissed, and you could hear him snatching the paper from his second in command. “They were the only other pirates on the island! The Navy knew they were there!”

“I dunno, Captain. It hasn’t been announced, and I think the Navy would be pretty quick to tell the world about the capture of the Strawhat Pirates.”

The name of the notorious pirate group sent a shiver up your spine. The Strawhat Pirates. Their captain had made a name for himself at Marineford, when he managed to free hundreds of prisoners from Impel Down and his brother from execution. His brother had still ended up dying, but the feat itself was not something to be overlooked. 

And the crew was just as strong as their captain.

But then the Strawhats had all collectively disappeared for two years. Some people had thought they had died, others thought their captain had lost his will to be a pirate. Still others thought they were biding their time, waiting for the right moment to reemerge into the pirate world. You weren’t sure what you believed, but you knew they were out there. 

Had you all been on the same island as the Strawhats? Had your captain met theirs? God, what was the name of that captain?

With a horrifying realization, you remembered: Monkey D. Luffy. Surely it wasn’t a coincidence that Sanji’s captain was also named Luffy. 

You felt sick to your stomach thinking about it, but it also gave you butterflies in a strange way. You had caught the eye of a man who worked right next to the Strawhat Luffy. There was some level of confidence-boosting that was caused by that fact. 

The only way to know for certain was to ask Sanji himself. So the next time you saw him, you would ask him if he was a part of the legendary crew. And then, you would ask him what on earth he saw in you. 

Every time you stopped at an island, you searched for him. You waited in the marketplace, searching for his sunshine-blonde hair. You spent so much time searching that you frequently lost track of time and someone from your crew had to come retrieve you when they were ready to leave. 

On the ship, things were tense. Especially between you and Berk. You weren’t sure why, but every day he seemed to grow more irritated. He was the first to read the News Coo every day, and his mood instantly soured after he had read it. After he had seen there was no news about the Strawhats. 

You didn’t know that for certain, but you had to guess. It was like this giant elephant in the room. All of the crew seemed to be a part of this plot they had explicitly left you out of. Berk hardly even spoke to you anymore unless he was barking orders. You did what was expected of you. Nothing more, nothing less. 

“We’re going to pull a honey trap at the next island,” he said over breakfast one morning. 

It had been about three weeks since you had last seen Sanji, and you were afraid you were never going to see him again. He visited you frequently in your dreams, and you spent most of your days thinking about him.

You frowned, afraid you had heard him wrong because of your daydreaming. “A honey trap?”

“That’s what I said.”

“No.” You shook your head. “We agreed not to do those anymore in the New World. Last time showed us. It isn’t worth it.”

“We messed up last time,” Berk said. “We’ll be fine.”

“I’m not doing it.” The last time had been a close brush with death for everyone on the ship and had caused some fatalities, but you had been personally scarred by that deranged captain. “We said-”

“We need the money.” Berk glared at you, trying to will you into submission and agreement.

“No.” You glared back. “You promised we wouldn’t do that.”

“Don’t be a bitch,” he hissed. “You don’t mind putting out for that lovestruck pirate.”

Rage coursed through your veins at his words. “You don’t know shit, Berk. It’s not-”

“Kline said that scummy pirate was willing to do anything for you. Maybe if you had put that level of effort in last time, we wouldn’t have lost three members of our family.”

You stood up from the breakfast table. You struggled to keep the fear out of your voice, replacing it with anger instead. “Fuck off. I’m not doing it. Kick me out if you want, but I’m not doing it.”

You locked yourself in your room, hoping they couldn’t hear you cry yourself to sleep over their cruel words. 

[cozage]

A Journey of Two Cooks

Chapter 2: Fate is a Funny Thing

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist | Read on AO3

AN: going to finish out the Sanji series before returning to Zoro's story! It's only four chapters and will be posted throughout the week :) Word Count: 2.3k CW: some family trauma/manipulation done to the reader Characters: female reader x Sanji ---

The fates would have your paths cross again, just like Sanji had said. 

A few islands later, you saw a blonde man at the marketplace, browsing the fish options. 

“Impossible,” you whispered. “Sanji?!”

His head quickly snapped around to find you. A wide smile broke across his face when he realized you were only a few feet away from him, and he dropped his baskets and took off toward you. 

You squealed with delight as he picked you up and spun you around, giggling the whole time. 

“How are you here?!” You had to blink away the tears. You had dreamt of this so many times, and yet this was a hundred times better than what you had imagined. 

“Looks like our crews chose the same path for the New World,” he said. “I told you I’d see you again.”

“You’re crew…” the pieces were starting to fall into place. “You’re a pirate too?!”

“Correct!” He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, his fingers lingering on your cheek. “As your prize, you win one date! How’s that sound?”

God, you couldn’t stop smiling. He was here. In front of you. Taking you on another date. 

“I think I would like that,” you said, blush dusting your cheeks. 

“Give me two hours to prepare? Meet back here at this spot?”

“Sure!” You were already so giddy at the thought of going on a proper date with the man you thought you’d never see again. You had cried over him several nights, even though he was a complete stranger. You wished on every star and thought about him at every meal. 

“Wear something cute and comfortable!” Sanji shouted as you skipped away. “A dress!”

Oh, you had the perfect one. 

A blue dress, long and flowy. It matched Sanji’s eyes almost perfectly. It had been one of the few things you had brought from your home in the North Blue, and it paired nicely with the blue ribbon in your hair. It was perfect. Today was perfect already. Just seeing Sanji had made it infinitely better than any other day you had recently. 

Your captain stopped you on your way out, giving your body a full scan. “What are you doing?”

“I have a date!” you said, your face radiant.

He scowled. “A date?” He looked around the deck for another person, but the two of you were alone. 

“Yep!” you giggled. “Turns out that local from that island isn’t actually a local! He’s a pirate too!”

“A pirate?” Berk stepped in front of you to block your path off the ship. “I don’t like the idea of you going alone on a date with a pirate.”

You gave a nervous smile. “We’re pirates, Captain.”

“But we trust each other! We’re family.”

“I know!” You sighed, trying to calm your quickly-rising temper. “It’s just a date. I can handle myself.”

“Fine,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Go. Don’t come crying for help if anything happens, though.”

“I won’t.” You quickly stepped around him and made a beeline for the dock.

“He’s just pulling a honey trap!” He called to you as you left. 

The honey trap was a common swindling move the crew forced you to be a part of. You would often bat your eyes a few times or play the damsel in distress card, and a captain would come running to your rescue. 

The rest of the crew would normally take that time to raid their ship and take everything they had while the captain was preoccupied with you, and then you would all disappear without a trace. 

Funnily enough, you had caught Sanji in an unintentional honey trap. He had rescued you. But you had no intention of robbing him blind. Besides, he wasn’t even the captain. He was just a chef, like you. 

But that didn’t mean he was trying to distract you or attempting to get information. A pit formed in your stomach…

No. You refused to let your captain ruin your mood with his paranoia. Sanji was here on this island, and you were going to go on a date with him. A proper date. 

Your nerves and excitement made you fidget restlessly as you looked around the marketplace, waiting to see his sparkling blue eyes again. 

“Mon amor.” Sanji’s smooth, silky voice came from behind you, and you twirled around to find him waiting for you, a basket in one hand and flowers in the other. 

Your brow furrowed in confusion. “Where are we going?”

“On a picnic,” he said. He held out the flowers: a beautiful arrangement of carnations, roses, and daisies. “These are for you.”

“For me?” you squeaked, breaking into a wide smile. “Sanji, they’re beautiful!”

Sanji held out an arm, smiling as he watched you admire your flowers. “Shall we?”

You smiled at him. You took a hold of his arm and let him lead you away from the crowd and down a beaten, worn path. It was a bit of a walk, but Sanji filled the silence by asking questions about your life and telling you about his own adventures. 

After a while, the two of you emerged onto a small, private beach. Your eyes scanned the unique layout, and you gasped in delight when you saw a grill and picnic table next to the water. 

“I’d like to cook for you, if that’s okay,” Sanji said. 

“Cook for me?” You didn’t quite understand his words. 

“The menu is a vinaigrette salad, seared steak, cooked asparagus, and an apple custard for dessert.” He gave a nervous smile. “If there’s anything you dislike, I can happily change the menu.”

“No!” you said quickly. You didn’t want to inconvenience him more. “Everything you said is perfect.”

A wave of relief washed over Sanji’s face. “Take a seat. Dinner will be ready shortly.”

Sanji lit up the grill and began cooking. “So, why’d you become a pirate?”

The question took you by surprise. You rarely talked about yourself on the ship. You were more of a listener. Plus, people rarely asked you about yourself. 

“I, uh-” you gave a nervous laugh. You hated talking about your past. “I got kicked out of an orphanage when I was 16. Couldn’t stay on the island, so I had to turn to the sea. The Buckaneer Pirates took me in as their chef.”

Sanji seemed to sense you were uncomfortable talking about your first home, so he moved onto the pirate life. 

“How long have you guys been on the Grand Line?”

“About five years,” you admitted. “We just recently came across the Red Line, actually. We spent a lot of time in Paradise. Got a little too comfortable, if you ask me.”

Sanji raised his eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Berk-my captain-basically ruled a part of the Grand Line. Spent a lot of our time raiding other pirate ships and taking their belongings. He got complacent. Finally decided he wanted to do that in the New World, but it’s not turning out as he planned. Things are more dangerous over here.”

“Tell me about it,” Sanji mumbled to himself, flipping over the steaks and beginning to toss the salad. “Pirates in the New World are on a whole other level.”

“I like Berk,” you quickly said, trying to backtrack some. “I don’t necessarily like how he handles some things as a captain, but he’s a good guy. He took me in when I needed a home. I can’t really talk bad about him.”

“My dear,” Sanji paused to look at you and smile. “You can talk however you want about him. I trust your word over anyone on this island or the sea.”

You rolled your eyes at his comment, but you could feel your stomach clench with giddiness. This man was smooth. You had only met him twice and he was already making you fall head over heels for him. If he was pulling a honey trap, you wouldn’t even be mad. 

“What about you, Sanji? How did you get on the Grand Line?”

He smiled softly; clearly it was a fond memory for him. 

“I used to work at a restaurant in the East Blue. Luffy came and demanded that I join his crew. I had nothing better to do, so I decided to set out on an adventure to find the All Blue.”

The All Blue. You had heard of it. You had dreamed of it. Long ago, you had even hoped to find it. But the Buckaneers had made you realize your dreams were childish and impossible. A small piece of you still wanted to find it, though. 

“You’re looking for the All Blue too?” you whispered, unable to stop yourself. 

His eyes instantly lit up. “You know the All Blue?!” 

“Of course I do!”

“And you’re searching for it?!”

“Who wouldn’t be!” you laughed. You couldn’t believe you had found another person with such a similar goal. 

“Idiots, mon amor. Idiots.” 

You giggled at his words, and he paced over to you with a smile on his face, setting your food down for you. He quickly returned with his own plate, sitting down across from you to eat. But he was watching you anxiously, refusing to take a bite until you had tried his food. 

It was probably the best thing you had ever eaten in your life. The heavenly blend of herbs and spices complimenting one of the best cuts of meat you’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. It was the perfect combination of tender and chewy, somehow exploding in flavor the more you kept chewing. 

“Sanji,” you moaned, closing your eyes to bask in the beauty of his work. “I would die happy if this was my last meal.”

Sanji grinned a smile that made your heart melt. “I should take you back to the Sunny and cook for you in a real kitchen. I can’t have you dying on me though, so you’ll have to promise to stay alive.”

“I actually wouldn’t be surprised if this food made me immortal,” you said, smiling back at him. 

Oh, you were falling for this idiot chef. You couldn’t help it. Everytime you looked at him, your stomach exploded with butterflies and your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest. The way to your heart was food, and Sanji had made a direct shot. 

“Y/N!” A voice shouted, running down the path. “Y/N?!”

It was Kline, the second in command of the Buckaneers. He burst out onto the beach, startling both you and Sanji. 

“You!” he hissed, pointing his sword at Sanji as he stepped toward him. 

“Kline!” you screamed, placing yourself between Sanji and your crewmate. “Stop! We were just having dinner!”

“Just having dinner?!” He yelled, shaking his sword at you. “Yeah right. I’m sure all those Navy ships coming into port are just coincidence, seeing as we’re the only pirate crew here. It was a honey trap, idiot!”

“It wasn’t-” you trailed off, looking back at Sanji with hurt in your eyes. “Sanji?”

But Sanji was glaring at Kline, fixated on him. “Apologize to the lady.”

Kline's face contorted in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Bringing a weapon to a meal, turning that weapon against her, calling her an idiot!” Even when those men had tried to rob you, Sanji hadn’t been as angry as he was now, hatred clearly coursing through his veins. “I said apologize!”

“I aint apo-” Kline’s words were cut off by a swift kick to the head, and he fell to his knees, dazed and confused. 

“Kline!” you screamed, rushing to check on him. 

“Apologize!” Sanji growled, hovering over you and Kline. 

“Sanji, stop!” Tears were forming in your eyes. “Please, just go. We all have to leave. The Navy is coming.”

His eyes lightened when he looked back at you, and it dawned on him that you were scared of him in that moment. 

“I’m sorry, mon amour,” he whispered, dropping down to help Kline. “Let’s pick him up and take him back to your ship.”

“No!” you shouted, refusing to look at him. “Just go! I don’t want to see you!”

Your heart ached. Your words were a lie, but you needed him to get back to his ship. You knew he hadn’t called the Navy, but he was a pirate. He would be in danger. Even more danger when Berk found out what he had done. 

He tilted your chin up so you were forced to make eye contact with him. “I’m not leaving you, my dear. I caused this, and I’ll make sure you get back safe. Okay?”

You could tell he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so you nodded. You slipped yourself under one of Kline’s arms, and Sanji grabbed his other side. Together, the two of you lifted him to his feet and walked back to the ship. 

You were almost back to the ship before Kline started to become fully coherent again. He began cursing and spitting at Sanji, but there wasn’t much he could do in terms of power. He was still struggling with motor functions, and you could only hope it wouldn’t be permanent. 

“You should leave now, Sanji.” You could see your ship, and you knew Sanji would be a primary target once Kline relayed what happened. 

“I don’t mind-”

“You’re just making this harder for me!” you screamed. He was too damn considerate. Willing to risk his life just so you wouldn’t be slightly inconvenienced.

“As you wish, my darling.” He slipped out from under Kline’s grasp. “I hope we see each other again.”

“Goodbye Sanji,” you mumbled, trying to keep the tears out of your voice. This wasn’t how you expected the date to end. You wanted more time with him. 

But you hardly ever got what you wanted. 

[cozage]

A Journey of Two Cooks

Chapter 1: Introduction

Next Chapter | Masterlist| | Read on AO3

A/N: Just a short Sanji fic that I wrote a while ago but never posted :) Word Count: 1k Characters: female reader x Sanji

---

He came into your life like a knight in shining armor. 

Not that you needed one. But it was certainly nice to have. 

You had been shopping for your crew, trying to find the correct ingredients to prepare some of your best dishes. You never knew what the New World had in store, so it was best to stock up when you got the chance. 

And then a group of men shoved you to the ground, demanding your money and your possessions. 

You were just about to teach them a lesson when a blonde-haired man roundhouse kicked them all at once, instantly knocking them unconscious. 

“Are you okay, my lady?” He asked, extending a hand out to you. 

“Yes, thank you.” Normally you wouldn’t have taken a stranger's offer to help you up, but his blue eyes only showed kindness in them. 

As you stood to your feet and brushed yourself off, the man instantly began picking up your scattered belongings. 

“That’s okay, I can pick them up.”

“Nonsense.” He smiled at you, holding out your basket with all of your things neatly packed inside. “A lady shouldn’t have to pick up things off the ground.”

You ignored his chivalry. “Is there anything I can do to repay you for helping me out with those thugs? I have money-“

“I will not take money from a lady,” the blonde said, a smirk on his face. “But I would like a date.”

Oh he was bold. Very bold. You weren’t sure how you felt about it, but he had piqued your interest. 

“Very well,” you smiled, trying to ignore the blush rushing to your cheeks. “Take me on the best date you possibly can, er-“

“Sanji,” he said quickly. “My name is Sanji.”

You introduced yourself as well, and then he led you off away from the marketplace and toward the coast. 

You were a bit delusional, letting a strange man take you on a date. Perhaps you had hit your head when you were pushed down. It was about the only explanation for doing this. You were normally so cautious, especially when it came to pirate ports on the Grand Line.

“What are you thinking about, my dear?” His question jerked you from your thoughts. 

“Honestly?” You chuckled. “I’m thinking how insane it is that I’m going off alone with some stranger. You could kill me and nobody would even know I was gone.”

“Sure that’s not true,” Sanji said, scowling. “You have to have someone who cares about you.”

You shrugged. “My crew is all I’ve got.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re a pirate?”

You gave him a teasing smirk. “Does that scare you?”

“Not at all,” he hummed. “It must be quite the life.”

“It’s a good life. Better than I had before.” You instantly regretted your words. You shouldn’t have given him a reason to pry. 

But he didn’t ask any further questions, thankfully. The two of you arrived at the coast just in time to see the sun begin to sink behind the waves. 

“Unfortunately I don’t have much time to make your date perfect. I’m afraid we’ll have to settle for a sunset on the beach.” Sanji sounded disappointed, but you appreciated something simple. 

“You shouldn’t try too hard on the first date anyway. You can’t show all your cards at once,” you said in a joking tone. It’s not like you’d get another date with him. You’d be gone by sunrise. 

“What is your dream date?” Sanji asked. “For next time.”

You laughed at his comment, but you thought long and hard about your answer. You couldn’t be this vulnerable with your crew. It was nice to have someone who wanted to hear your opinion on things. 

“This is pretty close,” you admitted. “A sunset on the beach. I would just have to add a bottle of wine.”

Sanji raised a curly eyebrow at you. “That can’t be all.”

You sighed. It wasn’t. 

“Flowers,” you said. “I’d like a guy to bring me flowers. Oh! And have somebody cook for me for once. And…” you bit your lip, embarrassed to say the next part. But Sanji’s encouraging gaze pushed you on. 

“I really want to go dancing.  Even if it’s just a dance with street music. It’s silly, I know-”

“It’s not silly, mon cherie.”  His eyes were aglow listening to you speak, and you felt like for the first time in your life, you had finally been heard. 

You smiled back at him and returned your gaze to the sunset, silently watching it sink beneath the sea. 

“Are you a cook?” Sanji finally asked. “You said earlier you wanted someone to cook for you.”

Your face scrunched at his question. “I’m not very good, but my crew mates don’t complain too much.”

“I’m sure you’re amazing,” Sanji said. “I’ll cook for you every day, if you want.”

You wanted to stay with him. Even if it was impossible. You wanted to ask him to join your crew, but your captain was strict on who he let in. You couldn’t even extend the offer to this amazing man in front of you. You’d have to break his heart instead. 

“I can’t stay here, Sanji,” you finally whispered the words, breaking your heart. “I’ll be gone by morning.”

Sanji grabbed your hand and held them tightly. He didn’t look sad though. He looked hopeful. 

“Our paths will cross again,” he promised. 

“I hope the fates allow that to happen.”

And with a quick kiss on the cheek, you left him on the beach, hoping that somehow, he was right. 

--

You missed him desperately. You thought about him constantly. Every time you landed on an island, a piece of you searched for his blonde hair and blue eyes. You knew you wouldn’t find him, but you still had to search. 

“Are you okay?” your captain, Berk, finally asked you. “You’ve been different recently.”

“I’m fine,” you said. “I just made a connection with one of the locals on an island recently. I kind of miss him, that’s all.”

Berk raised his eyebrow at you at the mention of you missing another person who wasn’t on the crew, and you could see his body tense. 

“Come on girl.” He gave a nervous laugh. “You know we’re the only family you’ve got.”

You gave a sad smile and turned back to the meal you were preparing. “I know, Berk. I know.”

[cozage]

Could you write a short fic for Zoros reaction to his s/o falling down some stairs (but she is ok just bruised) please. BTW love your writing

Characters: Zoro x female reader CW: none :) Total word count: 1k

Slip and Fall

One second you were upright, walking down the stairs.The next moment, you were staring up at the ceiling. 

The pain caught up with you quickly, and you groaned from the aches that riddled your body. Judging by the pain in your back, you must’ve slid down the stairs. Nothing seemed to be broken, but you were certain you’d have a few bruises to show for your misstep. 

You closed your eyes and focused on your breathing, trying to recenter yourself and minimize the pain.

“What the hell was-” Zoro’s irritated voice cut off abruptly, and you braced yourself for some kind of cheap joke at your expense. 

But nothing came. You were certain he hadn’t left, but he also made no move to get closer to you. Or do anything. 

“Y/N?” Zoro’s voice came out as a harsh whisper. 

“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” You breathed out a laugh. The pain seemed to be getting worse the more you lay there. “Help me up, will you?”

“No!” Zoro finally moved, rushing over to you to keep you still. “You shouldn’t move. It could-you could-I don’t want you to-”

“Zoro,” you groaned, finally opening your eyes and instantly meeting his. 

His eyes were so full of worry. They raked over your body, searching for any sign of injury. And you realized that Zoro was truly scared. 

Naturally, his fear made you panic. 

“What?” you tried to lift your head, but Zoro refused to let you move. 

“Chopper needs to check for a spinal injury. If you landed wrong…” He shook his head, as if he were shaking a thought from his head. 

“Zoro, I’m fine.” Though your back was probably blossoming with bruises, you were sure you’d survive.

“Let me go get Chopper. Just stay here for a minute. Please.” His last word was barely a whisper. It was that word, that small act of begging, that kept you anchored to where you laid. 

“Alright, alright.” You closed your eyes. “You fuss too much.”

“I do not-” You could hear him clench his jaw in frustration. “Just stay still for a minute!”

His hurried footsteps receded, and you could hear distant shouts from off in the distance, followed by footsteps coming back to you quickly. 

“She slipped and fell,” Zoro said softly, and you could hear Chopper set down his medical kit and open it. 

“Can you open your eyes for me?” Chopper asked. You opened them. 

“Do you know your name?”

You laughed. “Of course I do!” 

Chopper and Zoro didn’t join your laughter, so you gave your full name to the doctor. 

The reindeer nodded. “And do you know where you are?”

You sighed. “The Sunny. The Grand Line. Don’t ask me where on the Grand Line, because I wouldn’t even know that on my best day.”

Chopper gave a slight smile at that answer, but Zoro was still watching you from a few feet away. He was tucked back in a corner, almost as if he was scared of you. 

“Did you hear me?” Chopper asked, waving a hand in front of your face. 

You blinked. You hadn’t heard his question. You hadn’t even realized he was speaking. 

“What is five plus five?” Chopper asked again. 

“Oh. Ten,” you answered quickly, taking your eyes off of Zoro for only a moment before finding him again. He looked so pale, and his mouth was pressed in such a tight line as he watched Chopper. You opened your mouth to speak, but Chopper spoke first. 

“Zoro, can you come help her sit up? I’d like to check her back for any signs of injury.”

“Chopper, I told you already! I’m fine!” Your words were accompanied with a groan as you tried to sit up on your own. 

Zoro was suddenly there, gently guiding you into a sitting position. You rolled back your shoulders, trying to shake off the stiffness of your muscles. Zoro only watched you, his face still hard as stone. 

“Zoro.” Your fingers cupped his face, forcing his eyes to lock onto yours. “I’m here. I’m okay, really.”

“She’s right,” Chopper agreed, looking at you. “Some icky bruises for a few days, and you probably have a minor concussion, but you’re okay.”

“See?” You smiled. “I’m okay.”

Zoro nodded and pulled his face away from your grip. The panic in his eyes has subsided, but only slightly. 

“I probably need a lot of bedrest though, right Chopper?” You gave a slight nudge to the reindeer. 

“Huh? You don’t-” Chopper caught your wink and worried glance at Zoro. “Oh! Yes! She needs lots of rest. And she shouldn’t be alone…because of the concussion! Zoro, can you look after her?”

Zoro narrowed his eyes slightly, and you gave him a sheepish grin and you held out your hands. “Help me up?” you asked. 

He did you one better, gently picking you up off the ground. He was careful to avoid the sensitive spots on your back. How he knew exactly where they were, you weren’t sure, but you were thankful he was considerate. 

You were quick to pull him into bed and snuggle into his chest. Even if it wasn’t the most comfortable for your sore body, you were happy to be close to him. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“No.” His response was short, clipped. 

“Okay,” you hummed, curling in closer to him. 

A few minutes passed in comforting silence, and you were almost asleep when he kissed the top of your head. 

“I thought you were dead,” he whispered hoarsely. “I thought I lost you and I just…I couldn’t go through that again. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t. I’m right here,” you murmured softly into his chest, letting his warmth lull you into a deep sleep.

[cozage]

The Moss that Grew in Gloom

Chapter 4: Celebrating the Little Things

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Masterlist | Read on AO3

Summary: As the daughter of the best swordsman in the world, your life has been a lonely one. You've never minded the quiet life, until a mossy-haired swordsman falls to your island and shakes things up. Word Count: 1.3k Characters: female reader x Zoro

You decided to read for another hour before you risked venturing up to the third story. Based on a lifetime with your father, you knew it took him 15 minutes to get ready for bed, then 15 minutes to fall asleep. But you wanted to make sure he was in a deep sleep before you made any noise that might wake him. 

You crept past your fathers door and down the hall to Zoro’s new bedroom. You knocked softly on his door, trying your best not to disturb your father. He was a few rooms down, but he had always been a light sleeper. 

Zoro softly opened the door with a light creak, and you held up two bottles of wine and two glasses. “Celebration time!” You cheered quietly, raising the wine bottles in the air. 

Zoro frowned. “Just two?” he asked, looking at the bottles with disappointment. 

You rolled your eyes and sauntered past him into the room. You waited until his door had shut before you talked more freely. “We’re celebrating,” you hissed. “Not getting drunk off our ass!”

“Boring,” he said, but you could see a teasing smile dance across his lips. 

“Wanna make it a competition?” you asked, holding out a bottle to the swordsman. 

He raised an eyebrow as he took the bottle. “You’ll lose.”

You could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t bluffing. You didn’t doubt it either; you had seen him down alcohol at dinner. The substance barely affected him, even after several bottles. If it were a drinking contest, you were certain you’d lose miserably. 

“Not quite what you’re thinking,” you said. “Whoever can cut the cleanest cut across the bottle wins.”

Zoro laughed, turning the bottle over in his hand. He looked at the label, and you watched as his eyes practically popped out of their sockets when he saw the price tag. 

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “You can’t risk wasting such good alcohol for a competition.”

You bit your lip, trying to suppress a smile. “Scared to lose?” you asked innocently. You could see irritation spring up in his expression from your taunting. “We don’t have bottle openers anyway. You’ll have to slice it open.”

“Why the hell don’t you have a bottle opener?!” He demanded, his voice rising.

“Shush!” you hissed. “I don’t want to wake the others! Unless you want to share.”

Zoro frowned, obviously not wanting to lose his celebratory bottle. 

You placed your bottle on the floor and held out Nikko, readying yourself to make the cut. Zoro did the same, looking at the bottle uneasily. 

“If anything, I’m at a disadvantage. The teeth on Nikko could shatter the entire bottle.”

Zoro scoffed. “If you break yours, I’m not sharing.”

You sliced at the bottle without another word, a perfect cut across the neck. You suppressed a smile. Your father had always said there was no point for bottle openers; if you were too sloppy to open a bottle with a sword, you didn’t deserve to drink its contents. 

Zoro went next. There was some slight hesitation in his movement, but he was strong and had a good grip on the sword. The cut was clean, though upon further examination, not perfect. 

You clicked your tongue. “I see an imperfection right here.” You shook your head. “I think that means I won.”

“Oh piss off!” Zoro grabbed his bottle from your critical gaze and took a long swig. 

You grabbed your own bottle and sat down on the floor, savoring the rich flavors of the wine. It had to be at least 20 years old. Your father always picked the best wine when he was away. 

“So, you’re going to be the best swordsman some day?” you asked, trying to make small talk. 

“I am.” He let out a deep sigh. “This is damn good wine.”

“Why do you want to be the best?” you asked, looking at him inquisitively. 

He bit his lip, waiting a moment before he responded. “I made a promise.”

You raised an eyebrow. “To your captain?”

“No.”

The shortness of his answer surprised you. “Then to who?” 

He gritted his teeth. “Can you stop with the questions?”

His irritation made your face burn, and you took a long drink of wine to cover it up. It had been a long time since you had constant interaction with another human being who wasn’t your father. 

Sure, you had gone on small missions, but you had never gotten to know anyone. You were usually killing people or sneaking around, finding the highest bounty pirates you could so you could return home with some money. 

Being with Zoro was nothing like that. 

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I just don’t like talking about it.”

“That’s okay,” you said quietly, taking another drink.

“What about you?” Zoro asked. “Don’t you want to be the best?”

You shrugged. “Not really. I just want to be good enough to survive in the outside world.”

Zoro gave a dry laugh. “Trust me sweetheart, you’d be one of the best anywhere on the Grand Line.”

His compliment made your face flush again, and a heavy silence fell between you two. You weren’t sure how to tell him that even if you wanted to leave the island, you had nowhere to go. You could survive on the Grand Line, but you weren’t entirely sure what you wanted to do if you left Gloom Island. You had no idea who you wanted to be. 

“Thanks again for today,” Zoro said, finally bringing you back from your thoughts. 

You waved him off. “It was nothing.”

“It was everything,” he said, looking in your eyes. 

You weren’t sure when he had gotten so close to you. You could feel his body heat radiating off of him. You tried to blink a few times to clear your head, but your thoughts grew cloudy again the moment you looked at his slate-gray eyes. The wine must’ve gone to your head faster than you anticipated.

You weren’t sure why, but the alarm bells in your brain were ringing. Dangerous territory. You shouldn’t be here with him. Your father’s enemy. The one who would bring him down. You shouldn’t have come here. And yet all you wanted to do was move closer. 

You finally found the words you were looking for, and they came out in a whisper. “Whenever you need help, just let me know.”

He gave a small smile. “Tomorrow then. You’ll help me infuse the haki into my sword?”

You scowled, pulling back from him and taking a drink of wine. “You’re at least a month away from trying that, Roronoa.”

“I have a good teacher.”

You gave a light chuckle, finishing off the last of your wine and setting the bottle down. “That’s why I gave you a month.”

“Call me Zoro.” He set down his bottle and shook his head. “No need for the honorifics if you’re going to be training me.”

You weren’t sure why it mattered, but you nodded. 

Your body felt heavy, the wine coursing through your bloodstream. You needed to get to bed before you started feeling the negative effects of the alcohol. You stood to your feet, heading for the door, swaying much more than you intended to. 

“Let me walk you back to your room.”

You snorted. “You’d get hopelessly lost if you tried that.”

He narrowed his eyes at you. “I think I can find my way back to my room.”

“I don’t!” you barked out another laugh, the wine amplifying your giddiness. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

You could feel his eyes on you as you opened the door, and you turned back to him one last time. “Goodnight, Roronoa Zoro.”

His eyes bore into your soul as he said, “Goodnight.”

You could feel his gaze on you as you gave him one last smile. You could feel him staring at you, even as you quietly shut his door. And you could’ve sworn his eyes followed you all the way back to your room, until you fell into your bed and promptly fell asleep for the night. 

[cozage]

Hi Coza! I’m lily.

I wanted to say it has been my routine this past week to end my day reading some of your stories and to start my day reading them.

I enjoy the way you write characters, I feel like you really know how to embody them. I read my first Ace fic bc of you!! (I kept agreeing internally ‘Ace would do/say something like that’) And I feel like it’s hard to find something like that in this fandom so thank you!!

I used to write a lot and saw you said you’re busy and sometimes struggle with writers block(?) and I just wanted to send love and encouragement- it’s ok!! Don’t push yourself too hard!! I felt like I wanted to scream that at my phone hehe.

Thank you for being the thing I look forward to ending and starting my day with! I love this silly little blog <3

Ah Lily you are SO KIND! Thank you so much for your sweet words, they mean the world :) It's also really nice to get encouragement and all that stuff <3 coming back from a very extended break it's lovely to know that there are still new people coming and enjoying my work <3 ily