The Color of You ~ zosan (One Piece WA 2017)

Sinners Smoke

AN- long chapter...1183. It has a weak middle but bare with me. Literally 3 chapters left, including this one.
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Sanji pov

It has been 3 excruciatingly long and akward months since I have been forced to work for Zoro because of my pride. It's not that I loathe being around him, it's just his presence makes me uncomfortable.

It's like he's a forbidden treasure that in not aloud touch, and, no matter how much of my heart says 'yes', my brain and body say 'no'. Not to mention neither of us will nudge on our childish argument.
Color.
I hate the feeling of getting angry. It starts as a burning sensation in the right side of my chest, opposite my heart. Then it slithers up into my throat, and floods over my mouth until I have no more control of what comes out. It's my instinct against being sad or hurt, anger. I freeze my feelings in a permafrosted block of ice; when it's safe, I thaw them out.

Despite this, never have we thrown fist, our silent pact, and we always continue on the next day like nothing ever happened. We smile, talk, eat, and leave our separate ways.

Zoro pov

"Welcome to Nico's Flowers how may I help you?" I smiled as the door chimed, and I finished up a pre-ordered bouquet of roses. Today was none other then Cupid's Day, Valentine's Day. The busiest day of the year.

"Um," mumbled a man with a abnormally long nose, and extravagant, kinky hair. "I would like some flowers that a lady would like."

"Do you have any specific type in mind?" I asked.

"N~," before he could finish, he was interrupted by the curly-browed wonder.

Sanji busted through the storage room door and began to brag, "Here is the most elegant bouquet of flowers you will find, perfect for a lady."

"I'll take it." chanted the man happily as the began to talk about a girl named Kaya.

-------------------------time skip-------------------

The rest of the day was the same which I didn't mind. Except for the fact that Sanji insisted on me staying out of the storage room. We didn't smile, talk, or eat together like usual.

For once I was ready for him to go.

"Sanji" I yelled as I vigorously banged on the door, not noticing the rain beginning to pour. "SANJI, LEAVE!" I instantly pulled back, the harshness of my voice frightened even me.
He slowly stepped out with a contorted look on his face.

"Gosh..." he muttered, as he walked out the storage room and lit a cigarette.

"Ugh." I moaned while face-palming. "If you smoke inside you will cause the flowers to wilt prematurely." All he did was look at me and roll his eyes.

"Look." I huffed intensely, "if you are going to act like some rebellious teen with family issues, you can leave, for good."

Sanji's jaw literally dropped as his cigar tumbled towards the floor like a ancient meteor. "I'm working here to pay YOU back because that's the right think to do." He paused and we both knew that that wasn't the only reason.

He boarded his eyes into mine by I flinched away. "You know what.... I'll go."

He was on his way to the door as if nothing has happened, as if what I said didn't effect him, as if he was just another customer.
5 steps away.
4.
3.
2.
1.
"Wait!" I beseeched as his hand toke rest on the door.

"What?" He growled, but I could clearly hear the grit of his teeth. He was on the verge of a break down.

"Stay." I pleaded. He began to pull open the door, but I was determined to make him stay, just this one. I ran over and slammed the door shut before he could let one foot out. "Look it's raining. You could get sick because... you don't even have a jacket." I objected as....

Sanji pov

I instinctual lurched back as he tried to touch my shoulder. He looked offended by my sudden movement, but quickly masked it.

What he said to me earlier pained me, like a stab in the back. I wouldn't have expected something so hurtful from someone who, I thought, was so kind. I couldn't breathe. My anger hadn't come fast enough to save me.
The tentacles of something new was dragging me down into its depths, and I couldn't resist much longer. I was in its murky trap, up to my head.

"Please, come upstairs. We could wait out the rain." He instructed but stubbornly kept his place between me and the door. Suddenly, I felt appeased, as if I would no longer have to carry my chains alone.

I signed in defeat, but also to conceal joy.
I haven't had a person care about me like his in quite some time. "Okay." I turned away to face the steps and hide a smile the curled up my lips.

I hadn't smiled in a long time, but this seemed like a good time to start again.

"You know the way." He smiled as I blushed and walked ahead to the place where it all started, the stairs.

"Would you like some tea?" Zoro states as he turned on his stove.

"Yes, please." I smiled as I looked around his apartment. It was bigger and more modern then mine, and looked like it was meant for to people. Surprisingly, there were no pictures of a lover, only of family and friends. Suddenly. something I never expected caught my eye. There were traditional, antique, Japanese sword mounted on a wall, three to be exact.

"Woah," I exclaimed as I ran my fingers along the bottom one. It was a gorgeous, shiny black with red accent spikes trailing along the bottom of the blade. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." chimed Zoro from the kitchen area, "They were a gift."

"From who?"

Zoro tensed, but as he spoke, he spoke with all the love one could ever hope for in his voice. "Someone very special, very beautiful," He smiled a sorrowful smiled, "but they are gone now."

"Oh, I'm sorry for you lose." I reached out to touch him, to pull him into my embrace, but that's not what he needed.

Zoro pov

"Yeah." I sniffled nonchalantly as I noticed Sanji reached out and recoil his arm. I wanted him, no, I needed him to hold me close. I wouldn't ask for it though. I knew it wasn't in him to, nor did I deserve it because of what I said to him. Things I pieced together on my own, and his reaction told me to be true. I turned to look him in the eye.

Sanji pov

"This is also the sword I used to cut and push you that day." Zoro said as all the passion from before returned to his voice. I couldn't say a word as a blush rushed over my face like a swarm of locus. We stood like that, barely three feet apart, gazing and searching in each other's eyes.

Soon enough, we were snapped back to reality but the whistle of a kettle.

Maybe color really does exists....