Stupid Marimo

Part 13

Sanji woke up way before the rest of the crew just as usual. As he opened his eyes he looked at Zoro's face. It hadn't been a dream. Sanji exhaled shakily and smiled to himself. It had been real. Zoro was awake again. Well not right now but he wasn't in a coma anymore. He laughed to himself. The mosshead was surely the only person that could be in a coma for days and still sleep directly afterwards. He felt him stir in his sleep and noticed that he was waking up.

"Morning", Zoro grumbled and pulled Sanji closer to himself.

"Good morning" Sanji smiled before he planted a kiss to Zoro's cheek.
Zoro smiled and pulled his arms away from Sanji as said man tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Hey Zoro?", Sanji asked as he sat up.

"Huh?", Zoro grunted in response eyes still tightly shut.

"Why did you frown and ball your hands to fists when I told you I love you?", Sanji asked what had been on his mind the whole time "shortly before you woke up I mean".

"You really don't know?", Zoro sat up now to look at Sanji.

"I thought it was because you didn't like what I was saying, but that was obviously not it", Sanji shrugged clueless.

"I indeed didn't like what you were saying", Zoro agreed and Sanji watched him confused "you said that you thought I didn't want you to say those things and that made me angry because to hear those things from you was all that I wanted Sanji". Zoro blushed a little because this was so cheesy but Sanji smiled at him fondly.

"Sorry for doubting you then", Sanji pecked his lips and Zoro started smiling too.

"It's alright", Zoro assured him "it was a confusing situation".

"It was indeed", Sanji huffed as he straightened his hoodie with his hands. He had slept in his clothes and that could be seen now.

"That look suits you well", Zoro mumbled and Sanji turned to look at him surprised "I like that sweater on you. It makes your eyes shine".

Sanji looked himself down. He was wearing the blue sweater that he had put on after the fight. It was comfortable yes but it wasn't anything near the style Sanji usually had. Normaly he would go for a nice button down and a blazer and not for a sweater.

"Really?", Sanji asked full of doubt "I feel like garbage".

"I think you look good. More than good. But maybe this look just appears like another Sanji to me. Not the women loving curly brow cook that dressed up to look good but the Sanji that told me he loves me and doesn't need to look fancy for me to love him back. That's the look you had when you confessed I guess and I love that. You didn't want to impress anyone, you were purely you", Zoro explained.

"How are you so good at that?", Sanji asked blushing a little "how can you tell me that you love me and make me feel like the prettiest person on earth while I look like a zombie. What happened to you when you were sleeping?!"

"Love happened", Zoro exaggerated just to tease Sanji "but for real, I love that look on you. You look like you weren't trying to impress anyone and that makes you look even better".

"I didn't really have it in me to just try to impress anyone in the last days", Sanji admit sighing as he let himself fall back against the matress.

"It was bad wasn't it?", Zoro asked and spooned Sanji from behind him "everyone suffered a lot because of me".

The second part didn't sound like a question and it made Sanji's mind feel unsettled. Zoro just woke up from a coma he was in because he saved them all, he shouldn't feel guilty or anything.

"Zoro", Sanji turned around in his arms and was now facing him really close. He blushed a little and Zoro smirked at him but Sanji pulled himself together to get his point across. "Listen, none of us suffered because of you. We took care of you and we did so gladly. You saved us and we are really grateful for that. We worried a lot, hell I still do but you were never the reason any of us suffered, the worry was, but no one would hold that against you".

"But I was the one worrying you", Zoro spoke up softly.

"Yeah but you didn't make us worry intentionally. It's just because you mean so much to us", Sanji laid his hand on Zoro's cheek and stroked it with his thumb "Worry is always worse the more you feel for someone".

"So I take it you felt pretty bad", Zoro sounded sad.

"You know at one point your heart had stopped beating and Chopper needed to inject you adrenaline... I... I felt like a zombie in that moment. I was sure that if you had died I would have died with you", Sanji let his tears fall out of his eyes "it hurt so much".

"I am so sorry", Zoro kissed his temple as he hugged him close to his chest  "I am sorry I scared you that much but I made it. I am here now. Alive and I will be well soon. I promise".

"Yeah", Sanji nodded and tried to keep his tears from falling down for longer "I just don't ever want to see you like that again. Never in my life".

"I can't promise not to risk my life again", Zoro said andSanji understood because that wasn't their life "but I promise you to become stronger so that I will never be in a coma after a fight".

"That's a pretty heavy promise", Sanji smiled against him because Zoro found yet another reason to become even stronger "thank you".

"Everything for you", Zoro smiled and kissed the top of his head "I love you".

"I love you too", Sanji smiled "but we have to get up soon or the others will barge in.