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Zoro's trance was interrupted by the softest brush of fingertips across the back of his neck. Pulled from his meditative state, he suddenly became aware of the hot sun that bathed his skin, the whisper of a light breeze through the tall grasses around him, the quiet chittering of the local wildlife that ran and played throughout the meadow...
...the warm presence that had settled in behind him, teasing him lightly.
He remained motionless, refusing to give in, and felt those fingers travel up the back of his neck and into his hair, winding through loose strands.
Lips brushed the shell of his ear then, gliding down to a spot just below his lobe that always made him shiver, and that was where he felt warm breath whisper across his skin:
“Marimo.”
It took all the self control he had not to tilt his head to give better access, but he managed to resist. He felt blunt nails graze his scalp, sending a shiver down his spine.
“You know you can't win.”
And then there was a quick, firm tug at his hair, and he let out a sound that would have been thoroughly embarrassing in front of anyone else in the world.
He heard soft laughter behind him. “Told you so.”
Unable to hide the smile that had settled on his face, Zoro at last opened his eyes, admitting defeat.
“I think that's cheating.”
“I'd hardly call using your own weakness against you ‘cheating,’” Sanji argued, trailing a finger across his lover's earrings so they chimed pleasantly. “And anyway, I had to snap you out of it. You were due back at the ship nearly an hour ago.”
Zoro glanced at the sky, only to find the sun much lower than he had expected. “Ah.”
“And the overgrown houseplant has no defense,” Sanji laughed, draping an arm around Zoro's shoulders from behind, “as usual leaving his partner with the sole responsibility of marimo-finding duty.”
Zoro rolled his eyes and fell backwards into Sanji's lap, grinning up at him. “I can't help that you're so good at it, cook.”
“Oh, yes,” Sanji agreed playfully. “There's no one better in the world at noticing the kinds of things that might catch a marimo’s fancy.”
Laying comfortably in Sanji's arms, Zoro closed his eyes again. “I couldn't help myself. Isn't it the perfect place to meditate?”
Humoring him, Sanji let his eyes wander around the lush grassland his marimo had discovered, full of waving green grasses, idyllic ponds, and lazy streams.
“You mean the perfect place to photosynthesize with your botanical brethren?” Sanji asked, smirking.
Zoro cracked an eye open to glare at him, but there was no real heat behind it - especially when Sanji's comment drew his attention to Zoro's hair, and he began to card his fingers through it affectionately. Zoro relaxed again, melting into him with a gentle sigh.
They stayed that way for some time, sharing in the comfortable silence. One of Sanji's hands settled on Zoro's chest, catching the steady beat of his heart in his palm. The other absentmindedly trailed light patterns over his skin, tracing the line of his jaw, his cheekbone, his lips. Without opening his eyes, Zoro easily caught the slim hand in his own larger one and kissed it reverently, hearing a soft, pleased hum from his lover as he did so.
The waving shadows of the grass around them grew longer, the clouds along the horizon beginning to take on shades of orange and pink and purple. Finally, making a considerable effort not to doze off entirely, Zoro peered up at Sanji and murmured, “I thought you were supposed to be getting me back to the ship, cook.”
Sanji shrugged carelessly, gazing down at him with a smile that reminded Zoro of the sun itself. “Like they'd ever leave without both of us, marimo.”