One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Broken, Only to Heal Again ❯ Target Practice, Mother ( Chapter 15 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Chapter 15
Zoro woke up stiff and sore. The torture he had placed on his body the previous night was making itself known with cramps and twinges. He sat up and stretched. He could see the sunlight pouring in from the open hatch. Everyone was already awake and had started their daily routines. Zoro could hear Luffy's faint laughter accompanied by a much higher pitched squeal. Teki sounded like he was having fun with his new family, dysfunctional as they were. Zoro looked at his hands and frowned. Chopper had re-bandaged him to such a way that he couldn't even move his wrists properly. The swordsman gave an annoyed grunt as he stood up.
With awkward maneuvering, Zoro was able to climb the ladder and make his way to the head. Fortunately for him, the door was open. Then he looked down at the fastenings of his pants. How the hell was he supposed to get them undone, and after they were, how was he supposed to take a piss? He reached for the door, thinking maybe he could get Chopper to cut the bandages off for a while. He had to be able to at least relieve himself. His cloth covered hand bumped the wood effectively shutting it. Zoro paled. He was trapped in the washroom of the Merry. He couldn't get out and he couldn't undo his pants. The longer he stood there the more upset he became. This was just wrong. If that damn piece of shit excuse of a pirate turned Marine hadn't thrown broken swords, then he wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.
“AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!” Zoro had enough. He braced himself against the wall opposite the door and pushed off. Unfortunately, the door opened just as he was about to slam his shoulder into it. Try as he might, he couldn't stop in time. He and the person on the other side both went down in a forceful tangle of limbs.
The body under him was lean and firm. The smell of cigarettes and sugar filled his senses. He shifted to get up, and felt his leg slip between the two very long ones that constantly plagued his dreams. He could feel himself hardening as he tried to inconspicuously rub his groin against the other man's thigh. This would be the only chance he would ever get to feel the man beneath him like this. He just had to make it all look like an accident. Memories of last night's caresses came to mind.
“Oi, Marimo, get off. You reek!” Sanji barked at Zoro. He was doing his best to keep himself in check. Sanji was headed to the men's quarters when he heard Zoro's scream of anger. Concerned for the safety of the ship, he headed to see what was pissing the man off this time. Not caring for the other's privacy, he opened the door only to be tackled to the floor. The air was knocked out of him and the weight on his chest didn't help him in recovering. Zoro then tried to get up. He didn't think anything of the leg between his own. In order to get up you needed to place both knees on the ground firmly, so that was fine. When he felt a half hard cock rub against his thigh, he drew the line. If he didn't get the swordsman off him soon, he too would be showing signs of arousal. His face reddened as he grew angry, from embarrassment and the knowledge that his traitorous body was attracted to the green haired pain in the ass.
Sanji tried to stay still as Zoro struggled with finding a way to get off the cook. The normally composed swordsman had to fight to keep his frustration in check. Muttered curses were barely audible as Zoro finally gained his feet. Afterwards, he glared at his hands as if he could make them burst into flames. Sanji then realized just what caused this morning's scream. Zoro had no use of his hands and therefore couldn't even take care of the simplest daily duties. He began to laugh. He couldn't help it. It was too funny.
“Oh my God! You can't even take a piss by yourself now can you? You're even more pathetic than I thought! Oh, this is priceless. Wait till I tell!” Sanji literally was rolling on the floor with laughter.
“Fuck you, dartboard brow! If that damn reindeer hadn't wrapped me up like this I wouldn't be in this situation. So either shut the hell up or help me out.”
Immediately Sanji fell silent. His color paled and a look of horror crossed his face. He hoped that Zoro wasn't asking what he thought he was asking. There was no way he could even think of that. He had been plagued with dreams all night of soft green hair, bulging muscles, and firm chapped lips. He was still coming to terms with his odd attraction to the man, and now he was point blank asking him to touch him in a most private way? There was just no way he was going to open the man's pants, reach in, and dig out his dick so he could take a piss. No way, no how.
Zoro saw the expression Sanji gave him and realized how intimate his request had sounded. His face turned dark red and he stammered for an excuse to try to clear things up.
“I, um… That's not… I mean… Shit. Just get me a damn knife or something will ya? I need these damn things off.” Zoro held his hands up in front of Sanji's face. He really needed to go now. His bladder could only hold so much.
Understanding registered in Sanji's eyes and his blush returned. He completely misunderstood what was said. He got up off the floor and dusted himself off. “Baka. Why didn't you just say so in the first place? Come here. Geeze. Don't tell Chopper I did this though. He'll have my ass if he knew I let you loose.” A small knife was produced from somewhere on the cook's body and soon the bandages began to fall away. Sanji wrinkled up his nose from the smell coming from the swordsman's body. “And take a bath while you're in there. There's no way I'm letting you sit at the table smelling like that. I would never subject my beautiful Nami-swan and Robin-chwan to your lack of personal hygiene.”
Zoro gave him a cold look as he turned around and hurried back into the ship's washroom. He did his best to be careful with the stitching in his hands. The shower that Usopp had rigged up was wonderful. He could feel the sting of every cut on his back as the water washed away the sweat, grime and residual blood from the battle that Chopper and Sanji were unable to get. Judging from the stiffness of his muscles, it felt like they would heal just fine. He had slept on his stomach last night just in case. The floor wasn't as comfortable as the couch, but he was too exhausted to make it over there. Besides, Muteki would probably be more comfortable there alone. He turned his thoughts to his son. With his hands bound up like they were, it would be difficult for him to do any training, but maybe he could still instruct. First they would work on building up their strength, and then they would go into katas. Or maybe he could get the Cook to work with him until his hands were back in working order. Zoro paused in washing his hair. No, he would do this on his own. Like hell he would ask that bastard for help again.
He looked down at his hands and frowned. He should have been more careful. How could he become the world's greatest if he couldn't even hold a sword? It was killing him to not practice, but he understood the importance of his hands in his line of work. The memory of the blonde telling why he used his feet came to mind. He let out a laugh. They were more alike than he had known. He rinsed out all the shampoo and turned off the water. Looking around he noticed his clothes were missing. Well, they weren't his clothes. It was the remnants of the Marine uniform he acquired in the base. They didn't take his boots at least. But, laying on the edge of the sink was a fresh set of his normal attire. Black pants, white shirt, and green… wait, where was it? He looked all over for his signature piece of cloth, but it wasn't in there. Maybe he had a spare in his personal things. If not, he'd put it on his list of things to get at the next stop.
As he was wondering who had brought him a change of clothes, a loud persistent knock was heard. Zoro opened the door to a very upset Doctor.
“What are you doing? You took off the bandages! How am I supposed to heal you if you keep undoing all the work?” Chopper shook his hoof at the dripping wet swordsman. “At least I caught you before you got dressed again. Now I can check your back easier.” The brown fur ball pushed his way into the washroom and climbed up on the toilet seat. He completely ignored that the man before him was naked and roughly turned Zoro around so he could look at his back. Zoro quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his lower extremity. He grumbled, annoyed, as the ship's Doctor reapplied salve and wrappings to his injured back.
“Oi, Chopper? Do you think you could wrap my hands a bit different this time? I need to be able to do a few things with them. Like take a leak.”
Chopper stood there with his mouth hanging open. Zoro stood before him asking to be bandaged. He wasn't fighting. He wasn't complaining. He wasn't protesting that he didn't need help. He was actually willing. Chopper immediately started checking him for fever and any swelling around his head injury. “Did you hit your head? Are you feeling ok? What happened?”
Zoro shoved him away and started getting dressed. Chopper noted his effort to bend his hands as little as possible. The movements made him realize how hard it must have been for him to get in the bathroom earlier. Just how did he get his hands free anyway? He would have thought that Teki did it, but he was with Usopp and Luffy playing some game. As flustered as Sanji looked a while ago, it was probably him. He didn't even say `Hello' when the Doctor greeted him on deck.
The little Doctor waited until Zoro had his clothes back on to look at his hands. He had to admit, they already looked much better. He was always amazed at the superhuman healing abilities that the green-haired man possessed. Anyone else would probably lose the use in both hands, but Zoro would pull through this and persevere. Besides, nothing short of losing his hands completely would deter the obsessed swordsman from his dream.
A short time later, Chopper and Zoro emerged from the confines of the small room. Zoro looked appreciatively at his hands. They were still bandaged quite heavily, but now he had use of his thumbs and forefinger. It wasn't much, but it would be enough to allow him to function alone.
“Thanks Chopper. This will help. You're the best.” Zoro smiled down at the now blushing reindeer.
Chopper started dancing and swaying. “I don't need your praise, asshole. It doesn't make me happy you idiot.” He clapped happily while shouting in a sing-song voice.
The comical antics of the furry nakama did nothing but lighten Zoro's heart. Over time he had grown accustomed to the Doctor's refusal in accepting praise. The former youngest member of the Straw Hat Pirates had wormed his way into the heart of every one of the crew. He listened to Usopp's stories, played with Luffy, had intelligent conversations with Robin, kept Luffy out of Nami's hair most of the time, carried supplies for Sanji and helped keep Luffy out of the fridge. But for Zoro, Chopper was a little different. Often Chopper would be sent to bring him back when he didn't show up at the meeting place on time. The reindeer's keen sense of smell made it easy for him to track down the wayward swordsman. And every time, Chopper would only shake his head and lead them to the place they were suppose to go. He respected the little guy for that.
He gave Chopper a pat on the hat and went up to the galley. If he was lucky, Sanji would be out on deck with the girls and he could sneak his food. Anything to avoid a confrontation. His actions this morning outside the washroom door were inexcusable. He'd almost let everything slip. Ah yes, there was the cook, fawning over Robin and hanging on her every word. It was so sick. He wondered why he was even considering the man in any way. Well, in any way other than to fight with. He really hoped that he could find a blonde at this next port. Maybe Luffy and Nami would be willing to watch Teki for him. It had been way too long since he'd had sex. With his hands like this, there was no way he could pleasure himself either. It would be at least a week or so before the stitches were removed. He had discipline, but shit, he was a man too. All he had to do was get that money grubbing witch to give him his share without charging him a fortune. Zoro took a bottle of rum, a loaf of bread and some leftover meat from the icebox. How that had survived Luffy's notice he didn't know, nor did he care. He hurried with his stash and found a decent resting place in the sun to relax for a while.
*******TBB,OTHA******
Sanji stood staring at the closed door for a few moments. When he heard the water start from the shower, he blushed and turned away. This was ridiculous. He was a man, and men didn't have secret sexual thoughts about other men. He liked women. They were soft, and beautiful. They smelled good and had voices like bells, high and light. Yes, he did love women. He wanted to bury his face between their ample breasts and breathe in deep. He wanted to feel their long legs entwine with his own. He wanted to bury his hands in their hair while they were kissing his neck. He wanted to feel the strength in their body as they pinned him to the bed. He wanted to rub his body against them and feel his cock rub up against theirs. He wanted…. Wait…. Shit. He wanted these ludicrous thoughts to leave him immediately.
Sanji shook his head angrily, hoping that the images he had just envisioned would leave. How would he be able to face the man anymore? He needed to get this idiotic thought out of his mind. There would never be a `them'. Zoro liked women, at least enough to have sex with one. That had to mean something. Sanji liked women. He'd had sex with many women. Why would he be changing his mind now? He needed to find a brothel when they ported. Maybe they would even have a woman with green hair there.
…
Damn, he did not just think that, did he?
For the rest of the morning, Sanji hovered over the women as much as possible. He flirted with Nami until Luffy came and took her away to sit on the figurehead. He then turned all his attention to Robin. The raven politely declined his attention at first, but eventually gave in. Sanji couldn't have been happier. She gave him the perfect escape from his current worries. He felt the swordsman exit the galley and hurry off. He hoped that Zoro had found the meat he saved for him. If not, Luffy would soon be eating it for himself. Sanji sighed. There he went thinking of the welfare of his swordsman again. He redoubled his efforts to flirt with their archeologist.
Robin saw Sanji's distress and decided to give in a bit and let him flower her with attention. She and Nami had discussed the two stubborn men late into the previous night. They decided that they needed to get Zoro and Sanji together as much as possible, and have someone flirt with one or the other. Depending on the reaction, it would give them all the information they needed to continue. Maybe they could convince a couple of the women at the next island to help them out. It would be simple to tell them they just needed to flirt with one of the men to get the other jealous. Of course, they wouldn't realize just what the other was jealous about. It seemed like the perfect plan. All they had to do was set it up, then sit back and watch.
Nami smiled at the scene. Robin was doing her best to be patient with Sanji's affection. Sanji was really pulling all the stops today. He brought her drinks and snacks. He massaged her feet and offered to do other parts of her body. He hovered constantly. When it was time for him to begin lunch, he seemed almost scared to leave her side. Soon, they would be able to start the plan for those two. Nami shifted her gaze to the sleeping swordsman. Zoro had finished his food and drink, and then taken his normal position against the railing. Usopp and Chopper were showing Teki the wonders of marksmanship. They took a piece of cloth and tied it to his head like a bandanna, making him resemble his father even more. Across his shoulder was Usopp's bag. It was way too large for him, so it drug the ground, but he carried it proudly. In his hands was a small worn slingshot. So far, Teki hadn't hit a single target. He had, however, come very close to hitting his father a time or two. Because of that, they had changed to softer ammo and were using the unconscious man as the new target. Luffy giggled behind her. He had seen her looking around the ship and wondered what had caught her attention.
“He's sure gonna be upset when they wake him.” Luffy stated.
Nami leaned back against him and smiled. “Maybe, but he'll forgive them. After all, if Teki hits him, that means his aim is getting better.”
Sure enough, right then a rubber ball hit Zoro square in the forehead. He opened an eye and glared in the direction he thought it came from. Luffy and Nami laughed and shook their heads. They pointed across the way to a box with three nervous figures standing behind it. Usopp and Chopper stepped back and pointed to the small boy. Teki looked back at them with surprise at their betrayal.
“Hey, you guys helped me. That's not fair. You said he would think it was funny, but he's not laughing. He's mad!” The little boy started to cry. He was so happy that he had hit his target. Now all his hard work and practice was going to get him in trouble.
“Oi, you did this?” Zoro held up the small ball and pointed to the red mark above his brow. Sniffling, Muteki nodded. “Have you ever used a slingshot before?” With tears still flowing down his face, he shook his head. “Not bad. Next time shoot at Luffy. The bullets bounce right off him and don't leave marks.” Zoro let out a laugh. Teki wiped his face on his sleeve to rid the tears, and ran to embrace his father.
“Arigato, Tousan. Sorry for hitting you in the head. I know you are having enough problems with it.” Snickering could be heard from Usopp and Chopper. It stopped immediately when Zoro spoke.
“For now, why don't you just aim at those two? This way you can practice on moving targets as well. But we'll switch to these red balls instead.” Teki still had Usopp's shoulder bag dragging behind him when he ran over. Zoro reached inside and took out one of the dreaded Tabasco filled balls.
“AAAHHHH!” Both Chopper and Usopp took off.
Zoro and Teki laughed at the silly pair. Luffy, Nami and Robin joined in. Teki loaded up the slingshot and took aim. For the next hour, shouts of encouragement were mingled in with shouts of protest. Luffy decided to join Zoro and Teki leaving Nami to watch with Robin. When the fiery ammo was gone, they decided to go back to the rubber ones used on Zoro. Luffy changed sides and went to act as target for Teki's practice.
Zoro rolled with laughter as his son creased his brow in concentration. He'd only managed to hit Usopp once with the Tabasco, but had hit Luffy every time. Zoro knew it was because the Captain would stretch his body into it, but no one told Teki that. When the ammo was gone, Zoro grabbed his son in a big hug.
“You did great. We'll start working on your other training after lunch. It looks like the Ero-Cook is waiting for us.” Zoro tipped his head in the direction of the galley where Sanji stood smoking another cigarette.
“Tousan, why does Sanji-san smoke so much? It's not good for him. You should tell him to stop.” Concern was evident in the child's words.
“Why me? What makes you think that pain in the ass would listen to me?” Zoro was confused. Sanji's cigarettes were a part of him. They were almost like his own hakama, which he was still missing. It was a signature piece of his appearance. It seemed almost wrong to take that away.
“Well, because he's your best friend, and you like him.”
Zoro looked at him as he had grown another head. “What makes you think I like that bastard?” He shifted nervously under the other's curious stares.
“Oh, I just thought… that maybe… Never mind.” Teki's shoulders slumped in dejection. He had hoped that maybe his father had some liking for the blonde cook. Sanji definitely had feelings for him, so he had gotten his heart set on having a new mother figure. He could see now that it would never work out that way. Usopp must have been wrong to think the two of them were best friends. He turned and drug his feet as he made his way to the water barrel to wash off.
Sanji couldn't hear the conversation from where he stood, but he could sure see the shock in Zoro's face and then Teki's crushed one when he went to wash. It angered him to know that Zoro had caused that look. Whatever was said was unacceptable. He glared at Zoro before returning to the galley to finish setting the table.
After lunch, Teki made sure to stick around and help with dishes. He promised he would be there after every meal until his father could return to the duty. Silently Sanji prayed the man would never recover. He had no desire to be that close to Zoro ever again.
Teki left the galley slightly wet and still down. His mood lifted immediately when Usopp produced an old mop handle for him to use as a bokken. Chopper had mentioned that Takuya showed him a picture of Teki in a Dojo uniform, so the appointed carpenter of the ship decided to see what he could give the boy to use as a sword. At the moment, the stick of wood was the best he could do.
“Usopp-san!! This is great. Thank you so much. Now I can show Tousan what I've learned so far.” Teki hugged the blushing man and took off to find Zoro.
Zoro was standing on the deck where he usually lifted weights, and was trying to argue with the Doctor about his training.
“Look, I understand, but how am I suppose to get better and train at the same time? You won't let me use my hands, and everything I do includes them!” Zoro threw his hands up in defeat. He'd been arguing for the past half-hour on this.
“Well, then you'll just have to wait. You can do sit-ups and run, but that's it. Teki made me promise that you would get better. If I allow you to work out before you're ready, you won't! Then I'll break my promise and I refuse to do that.” Chopper's high pitched voice rang out over the deck.
Teki could see that both of them were refusing to budge. He looked at the `bokken' in his hands and came up with an idea.
“Um, Chopper? What about teaching? Can he do that? Jii-chan had me in a class at the Dojo and I was doing really good. Maybe Tousan could help me with my lessons. I want to show him what I've learned so far.” He held up the makeshift sword for them to see.
“That would be great, Teki. It would keep his hand off things, but still let him accomplish something. I think that's a wonderful idea.” Chopper clapped his hooves together.
Zoro looked down at the blue eyed boy with pride. He was already on the path. All he needed to do was continue the training and one day, maybe, Teki could follow in his footsteps. He nodded in agreement to the Doctor. Teki shouted with joy and hurried to an open spot to take his position. He waited for the starting command. When given, he concentrated hard to remember every detail about his footing and hand placement.
They spent the afternoon working on proper hand placement and footwork. Zoro was highly impressed with his knowledge so far. He told the boy of his plans to buy sets of bokken at their next stop. You would have thought it was Christmas already with his excitement. He hugged the swordsman with everything he had. Zoro pulled him into a bear hug and swung him around in circles.
The cook watched through his small window above the sink. The scene before him tugged at his heart. He wanted so much to be a part of it. He wanted someone to look up to him like that. He wanted to be that important to someone. Depressed, he turned away and sat at the table. He lit up another smoke and just looked at it. He really should stop. He just didn't see any reason before now. Maybe he'd just cut back.
The door flew open and a green and black blur flew at him, almost knocking him from the bench. His cigarette fell to the floor and he quickly crushed it with his heel. Teki sat in Sanji's lap grinning like mad. His cheeks were flushed with exertion and a faint sheen of sweat covered his brow. If he smiled any bigger it would surely split his face in two.
“Sanji-san, guess what! Tousan is gonna buy me my own set of bokken. He said he's really proud of me. Did you see me out there? Usopp gave me a mop to practice with. Well it was the stick part, but still. I did great! This is the most fun I've had in a long time.”
Sanji laughed at the overjoyed boy. He remembered the little praise he got from Zeff as a child. He knew how important those little comments were.
“Hai, Teki-kun. You were magnificent. You'll be as strong as your old man in no time.” The cook gave his hair a ruffle.
Teki's eyes went wide. “Do you really think so?”
Sanji nodded and gave the boy a hug. Without thinking he placed a kiss on top of the green hair, before sliding the boy off his lap. He blushed as he realized what he did. Teki blushed as well and leaned in to place a kiss on Sanji's cheek.
“Arigato, Sanji-kasan.” Sanji couldn't move from his spot. He was shocked.
Teki ran back out the door to his father. He hoped that Sanji didn't mind that he called him that. His own mother was missing and probably gone for good. Sanji cared for his father, even if the stubborn man didn't know it. Even if they didn't get together, he could still think of Sanji as his mother figure. His decision was final.
Sanji went through the motions of preparing dinner almost mechanically. He was torn between emotions. Should he be happy that Teki called him that, or should he correct the boy? He was a bit offended that he was placed in the feminine role, but he could see how a small child would confuse his profession with woman's work. That would have to change. Being a cook was hard work. But, if Teki wanted to think of him as a mother, he would act like one. Starting tomorrow the boy would be learning to cook as well as fight.
The meal was superb. Sanji's happiness was mirrored in the mouthwatering flavors. Teki sat between his father and Usopp at first. But with a little pleading, and his best puppy dog eyes, the long nosed marksman moved down to make room for Sanji. Sanji's ego took another giant leap forward when he noticed Zoro's jealousy. Robin and Nami kept their heads together more than normal during dinner. They tried to keep their glances at the two relationship-challenged men unobtrusive. Fortunately, they didn't notice, but others at the table did. Teki tried to draw both of them into the same conversations, but they were pigheaded and refused to look at the other. Usopp kept shifting so that Sanji finally scooted closer to Teki and therefore Zoro. Luffy moved around so much that Zoro shifted in more toward his son as well. When Teki lifted Zoro's arm so he could lean up against him, Zoro's forearm brushed against the Cook. Sanji jumped at the contact and colored deep red. The swordsman tried to ignore him, but found his own cheeks a little hot as well.
Luffy asked his navigator about their destination, and drew the attention away from the two blushing men. Nami had `acquired' two Eternal Log Pose from a merchant on the island. One led to a large island with lots of people, while the other was a more remote and less populated place. She had been following the route to the latter. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Nami announced they should be reaching land around noon the next day.
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