Looking for balance

10. Sea, (no) sex and sun

Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

The Thousand Sunny was speeding along the sea. The days followed one another more or less peacefully according to everybody's moods and the adventures inherent in the Grand Line. Every night, sundown progressively diminished the highly charged atmosphere.

Taking advantage of this relative calm, Zoro turned up abruptly in the galley occupied by the master of the place leaning over the sink. Without a word, he immediately squeezed up against his back, already putting one of his hands under his shirt while the other unfastened his belt but the blond pushed him back with his shoulder.

"Not tonight," He mumbled while rinsing his dishes.

"Why?" The other man grumbled, not stopping.

"I'm not in the mood." Sanji didn't want to confess that his muscles were painful with each of his motions. Their little game of the day before had been more violent than usual and stiffness hadn't been long in coming. The cook was tough but he knew he was reaching his limits between lack of sleep, fights and restless nights for several weeks.

"I don't believe you," Zoro carried on. He placed small kisses on his neck and made him shudder.

Sanji was weakening but he tried to stay upright and he finished rinsing his plate. "Stop, the others are next door."

"Can't. Need it."

The swordsman had switched to monosyllabic mode, passing his desire on to the blond who hesitated for a second before shaking himself off. In addition to his body being on the brink of collapse, he absolutely wanted to show a little more resistance when the fencer was propositioning him. He was the one who was protesting the most but he was well aware that this was his way of regaining some control over the situation, of trying to convince himself that what he was accepting wasn't as incredible as it seemed. As if he wasn't totally addicted to their new hobby.

Soon, Zoro would just need to snap his fingers and the cook would only ask himself if he should rush right this minute or right this second. Okay, he might exaggerate a little but anyway, he wanted to prove to the swordsman he could oppose him and his resolution was intensifying tonight.

Besides, there was no way he could admit he was exhausted. He could only imagine the dazzling smile of the swordsman that would remain etched in his memory...

However, Zoro wasn't letting go of him and he had to find a way to calm him down so that the refusal wouldn't come from him.

"I thought about something, marimo," He said in a matter-of-fact voice, finally turning off the water.

"Hm?"

Sanji turned to him and the swordsman took the opportunity to kiss him but he pulled away gently. "Something... important."

"What?" The other sighed reluctantly.

"I was thinking we could experiment a little. You know... doing new things."

His tone was just evasive enough to draw the attention and the curiosity of the swordsman who immediately pricked up his ears with interest. "No shit? You're unbelievable, cook," Zoro noticed with a smile, "To think that until a short time ago, you didn't even know you were interested in guys. You had a fucking revelation!"

"I'm not sure you'll be excited," Sanji casually dodged, "It's not the kind of thing everybody appreciates. You have to be a bit open-minded, you know?" With this touch of defiance, the cook was sure to definitely set the hook and he kept himself from smiling when his lover jumped into it with both feet.