Author's Note: So I realized that in the last chapter of Beautiful Disaster, I had skipped like 6 months of Zoro and Sanji's relationship so I've decided to make a collection of one-shots of scenes that were mentioned, but never seen, or certain scenes through a different person's perspective. I take requests if you want. Basically, these one-shots happen throughout Beautiful Disaster, between chapters, or between chapter 41 and chapter 42. This is NOT a sequel, however I'm kinda thinking of doing one for this story since I had so much fun writing it. The first 2 stories you'll know, they've been on my profile for a while, the others though ... You can request scenes, and I can surprise you with others. I don't own One Piece. Note: this conversation differs slightly cause I realized the one in the story did not include Zoro mentioning Kuina at all... Yeah, I'm fixing that in editing.

Beautiful Moments
By: Setkia

Shit Coffee

Moment Summary

Takes place during the ending of chapter 18, what was happening on Zoro's end of the line during their sleepy, late-night phone conversation.

"When you get out, I'll make you the best fucking coffee you've ever had."

Zoro stared up at the ceiling of the hospital room. It was so dull. He had counted the tiles at least a thousand times and yet, still, he wasn't able to fall asleep. Stupid fucking coffee.

He shifted his head to the side to see the clock that hung above the door. The door he had been waiting for a certain blond cook to come walking through, but he hadn't showed. Zoro tried not to be disappointed, after all, it wasn't like Sanji had written it in stone or anything, but still …

Zoro shook his head. Thinking things like that about the curly browed blond would surely lead to disaster. Thinking about Sanji at all was driving him insane as it was. He had to go and get into a stupid fucking fight to try and distract himself and what did he get for his efforts? An injured arm, a hospital bed and a mind still trying to get him to think about Sanji.

I'm incorrigible, Zoro thought, inwardly groaning to himself.

Ring! Ring!

Zoro quickly picked up the phone at his bedside table before anyone outside in the hall or the guy in the bed next to his could hear.

Pulling the phone to his ear, he hissed, "Who the fuck is calling at eleven fifty-three at night?"

"Well, pardon me, Marimo."

Zoro's eyes widened.

"Curly Brow?"

Did he just need to think of him to make him appear? Or at least, to hear his voice? Zoro had gotten quite used to his baritone voice and hearing it now, in his sleep-depraved state, it sent shivers down his spine that weren't entirely unpleasant.

There was a sigh from the other end. "Are my eyebrows really that screwed up?"

"More like fucked up," Zoro corrected him with a grin. "But seriously, what are you doing, calling at this time?"

Sanji couldn't be awake in bed, worrying about him, could he? It would be incredibly selfish to think that, not to mention incredibly not straight of him, but he still wondered it anyway. Seeing Sanji the night before, with his fucked up brows creased in worry for Zoro's sake … It knotted Zoro's stomach.

"You don't sound tired," said Sanji, breaking into Zoro's thoughts.

"I'm not," he replied. "Can't sleep," he admitted. "The coffee they have here sucks, but it's enough to keep me up." In all honesty though, Zoro was pretty sure the affects had begun wearing off about half an hour ago and it was just his busy thoughts keeping him up. Now it seemed as though Sanji's voice might lull him to sleep. He wouldn't mind Sanji's voice being the last thing he heard before sleep.

"Seriously?" Sanji demanded. "You're injured! Didn't I tell you that you needed rest?"

Zoro smirked. "Worried, cook?" he asked.

The image of Sanji staring out the window while trying to hide his blush was burned in his mind and the words Sanji had said …

"Of course I was fucking worried, Marimo."

It played through his head like like a song on repeat, keeping him up all night and apparently, Sanji's actual voice might keep him up all night this time.

The cook's bad for my health, I'm going to develop insomnia at this rate!

"You already know the answer to that," Sanji said.

Yeah, I do. How could I forget?

"Anyway, I called to apologize for not turning up today."

What's that supposed to mean? Does that mean he didn't forget, but he decided not to bother? Or did he remember, but decide not to come? Fuck, you're speaking in code, Curly Brow, shut up and start making sense!

Of course, Zoro knew this was silly since Sanji was speaking plain Japanese. There was no reason for miscommunication, with the expectation of if Sanji decided to actually prove he knew Latin. Why did Zoro even remember such a thing? It was so insignificant in comparison to the other conversations he had had with the cook, but for some reason, he remembered this fact. Actually, he remembered every fact the blond had ever told him but if he ever admitted that, he'd start to sound sappy.

Fuck, no he needed to pay attention and answer him!

"Yeah, you know, that was kind of a dick move," Zoro said. "I mean, telling someone you'd run up and then totally not be there?" He considered what he was going to say next, whether or not he dared to. After all, Sanji was his friend, and if memory served right (as it always did when it came to Sanji), Sanji said they were nakama. Which meant saying this couldn't damage anything, right? "I'd think I was stood up," he finally said when in reality, there could've been only a slight pause to breathe in between this sentence and his last one.

He sucked in a breath, instantly regretting saying it, unsure of what Sanji would say to his careless words.

"Don't make it sound like a date," Sanji said. Zoro could practically see the crease in the blond's forehead as he stared at the phone in confusion.

"Right," Zoro said, though he already knew that would be Sanji's answer would be something along those lines, he still felt slightly disappointed. Even if Sanji had agreed and said it was a "date", (which would be weird, considering how much Zoro knew Sanji enjoyed flirting with girls) that wouldn't make him feel any better. After all, if it really had been a date (which it hadn't been, and Zoro shouldn't even think of it like that), then wouldn't that mean he had actually been stood up? He'd probably kick that guy's ass for it and then delete his number from his phone.

Since when am I an emotional bitch? Zoro shook his head and tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "Course not," he said, feeling as though the words were a little strangled to his own ears. Fuck, there was no way Sanji didn't notice that, did he?

Zoro glanced at the clock.

It was late, maybe Sanji would just brush it off?

It wasn't as though Zoro could take his words back, they had already been said. As long as he kept things simple and didn't do somethings stupid like that again, he'd be fine. Right?

"Anyway," said Sanji, sounding just a tad distracted, "I will be there tomorrow."

Tomorrow? Zoro felt as though there was something important about tomorrow that he should probably remember, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Oh well, if it was that easy to forget, clearly it didn't matter much, now did it?

"Don't get my hopes up for nothing," Zoro teased him. Like you did today, you fucking bastard, he finished to himself quietly in the confines of his hospital room. Sanji didn't have to know he had kind of, sort of waited for him to come. Course the nurse thought it was adorable, how Zoro seemed to perk up the slightest bit when the door opened slightly and then slump back down when some geezer with another stack of papers with his name all over it came again.

"Yeah well, it'd be stupid not to go," said Sanji.

Zoro's brow furrowed. Huh?

"I've got a surprise for you, and I can't very well give it to you if I'm not there, can I?"

"Surprise?" Zoro repeated in— well, in surprise. He knew there was something about tomorrow he was missing, this just proved it. But he still couldn't figure it out. After all, Sanji's voice had an affect on him that had him practically falling asleep, but in a good way. "If you're a no-show, I'm really going to kick your ass," he added as a warning. Now Sanji was going around promising gifts. Well, those words would be meaningless if he didn't actually turn up. Not that Zoro cared. Much. "Don't offer gifts if you aren't planning on delivering."

"Like you could kick my ass in your condition," said Sanji and Zoro could feel the smirk through the phone.

There was the sound of some in the background, saying something about a stop and then he could hear the phone as it was being moved around. He heard Sanji thank someone and the sound of change being given out. There was the sound of scrambling, rearranging and then Sanji spoke again after a brief pause of maybe two minutes. "So, what's the hospital like?"

It clicked in Zoro's head what was happening on the other end of the line. "Why the fuck are you out so late?" he demanded. Checking the clock again, (though he usually wasn't good at reading analog clocks, they were annoying to estimate where exactly the minute hand was pointing, he had learnt how to read them quite well and it was pissing him off how slow the second hand seemed to tick. Maybe he was just ADHD or something) he said, "It's eleven fifty-eight at night!"

"As you've mentioned before," said Sanji. Zoro wanted to correct him and tell him that he had said it was eleven fifty-three the last time he had told Sanji the time, but decided not to. "Worried about me?" he teased.

Zoro froze, the phone held tightly in his grip.

What the fuck was he supposed to say?

If he said yes, that would sound weird, wouldn't it? Saying you were worried over a phone just seemed awkward to him, or maybe it was cause Sanji was on the other end of the line that made it awkward. Well, he knew the cook cared about him, he had said so just yesterday. So that had to mean something, right? Or Zoro was reading too much into things. God, Luffy just totally spun his world around, didn't he? Saying something stupid like, "You're in love with Sanji!" and then smiling his big, dumb, stupid smile at him like it wasn't the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Fuck, now he was making Zoro second guess himself.

He wanted to act as though nothing had happened, as though Luffy's words had no affect on him, but as much as he hated to be like those cliché movies, it was hard to just ignore it and move on. It just felt different now. How one sentence from that straw hat could possibly make him think like this was beyond him. Had that been one of those life changing moments that Zoro just didn't realize until it was over? He shook his head and decided that if Sanji managed to lecture him about his recklessness and show actual care, it wouldn't hurt for him to tell him that, yes, he was worried for the cook. For the cook and his health, for his well-being, for Sanji, his friend, nakama, his … maybe crush? Zoro shook his head again. Now was not the time to think of that. He'd just say yes and move on with his life, right?

"Maybe."

Fuck, I'm an asshole, aren't I?

He had just agreed with himself he'd tell Sanji the truth and what did he do? He gave him some screwed up, cryptic answer.

Maybe, his mind repeated in an obnoxious tone. Maybe I'm worried, maybe I was scared about whatever the fuck you could've gotten wrapped up in, maybe I'm scared you might go back to that shit restaurant, maybe I want to pummel those guys until your past is forgotten. Maybe I want you to talk to me about your happy memories until they take over all the bad, maybe I want to help you forget, maybe I want you to learn you can lean on me, maybe I want to give you those precious, happy memories that'll make the past non-existent. Maybe I want to heal you, maybe I want to see you stand strong and be fully healed and stay with me anyway, because you want to be here with me. Maybe Luffy's right, maybe I'm just a little bit in love with you. Maybe I might just be falling ever so slightly in love … Just a little. Maybe.

"Oh yeah?"

Zoro was pulled out of his thoughts by Sanji's voice, breaking into his mind. Fuck, what was he thinking?

"Sleepy?" he asked, changing the subject.

"No."

He's yawning.

"You sure?" Zoro teased.

"Okay, maybe a little."

Zoro couldn't help smiling. He couldn't help gripping the phone just a bit tighter in his hand, pressing it just a little closer to his ear. He couldn't help taking the phone off the table and using its long chord to put it on his lab. It was strange to hold something with his right hand, but he'd deal with the discomfort if it meant talking a bit longer with Sanji. He couldn't help letting affection accidentally slip into his voice as he muttered, "Baka," to the cook.

He couldn't help it, but he should've been able to.

"Ahou," came Sanji's response, also soft.

"You should get some sleep," Zoro said. As much as talking to Sanji was interesting him, enjoying hearing his voice, he knew the cook needed sleep. Especially if he planned on visiting Zoro. He wouldn't let the cook get away with sleeping in and missing a meeting with him, one he said he had a surprise for.

"So should you," Sanji shot back, but his voice was gentle, lacking its usual sharp wit. It wasn't a normal tone either, it wasn't the voice Sanji used when he was talking to others, it wasn't the voice he used when he was trying to teach Zoro how to cook while he was half-awake. It was a tone Zoro and never heard before and he enjoyed it. Every time he thought he might have the cook figured out, he'd surprise him. He liked being kept on his toes by the blond.

"I have an excuse," Zoro reminded him. "Coffee, remember?"

He heard a brief sigh on the other line, one that was probably more out of tiredness then out of boredom. "If the coffee's shit, don't drink it," he told Zoro.

The coffee's shit? Zoro tried to remember when he mentioned bad tasting coffee. Oh yeah, that's when. Fuck, Sanji was getting his tired. "I needed to try and counteract the anaesthetics," he said. "I couldn't be a slug, could I?"

"Aren't you normally a slug?"

Zoro couldn't hold back a yawn. He remembered hearing somewhere that people yawned as a sign of empathy towards others. When someone else yawned, people who were close to them yawned too. Considering they were far apart at the moment, it didn't make sense and yet at the same time Zoro felt as though he could almost see the blond leaning against the wall near the window, just like he had the night before. "You're tired, so I won't say anything,."

"You going to sleep yet, Marimo?" asked Sanji.

Marimo. Somehow, the insult had become something that sounded almost like a nickname of affection to him, but in his delusional state of mind, perhaps that was why he thought the way Sanji said it was filled with affection. He's a lady's man, remember? "Not yet," Zoro said. Though he was tired, he didn't want to end the conversation just yet. He searched his brain for something to keep Sanji on the line. "You know, the place still smells of nicotine."

"Really?"

"Yup." The smell had surrounded him the entire day, driving the swordsman to the brink of insanity. It smelled like Sanji was there and yet he wasn't there. Almost like his senses were teasing him. He could hear Sanji's voice, his familiar baritone nice and warming, he could smell him all around him, and had all day, he could feel his presence in the room and yet he just couldn't see him. "That's strong stuff," he continued. "Just watch, you'll be the next one in this bed," he added.

"Hey Zoro?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

The question hung in the air and Zoro wasn't sure what to say. His tongue felt too big for his mouth and before he knew it, he was speaking. "Yes," he admitted. "But that was a long time ago."

"How about now?"

"Huh?"

"Are you ..." He heard Sanji take a deep breath. "Are you in love now?"

"No," Zoro said slowly.

Don't do it, his brain told him. This is suicide, he's straight, remember?

So am I, Zoro's subconsciousness countered. I think.

Don't, it warned again.

Zoro decided his brain knew nothing and therefore there was no reason to listen to its mindless babble.

"I think I might be soon …"

Now you've done it.

But Zoro was too tired to care.

"That's nice," came Sanji's voice accompanied by another yawn. "I think I might too."

"Oh yeah?" asked Zoro, his eyes beginning to drift close. "With who?"

Please say me, please say me. Pleasepleaseplease.

"Not telling." Another yawn. "I think I'm going to bed."

"Okay." Was that the end of the conversation? But Zoro wanted to know who Sanji thought he was falling in love with!

Yes, clearly you're so straight, his brain told him and Zoro swore, if brains had eyes, his would be rolling theirs.

"Oh and Zoro?" asked Sanji.

These are his last words tonight, pay attention, they might be important! They might hold the answers to the world! Now, sit up straight and give him an answer that doesn't sound like you're a zombie!

"Yeah?"

Or you could just stay there, slouching with your eyes closed. That works too. Ahou.

"When you get out, I'll make you the best fucking coffee you've ever had."

Zoro smiled. "It's a deal."

There was a click on the other end. Sanji had hung up. Zoro stared at the phone for a moment before putting the phone back on the table.

"Someone special?"

Zoro turned his head to the sound of the patient in the bed next to him. What was his name? Ah, it didn't matter. Zoro smiled, not even caring that he had woken him up. "Yeah. You could say that."