Work Text:
Ritoru Garden is a beautiful and magical place and every human that lived to speak about it will tell the same. The colours are vibrant and lively, painting a picture of nature at its most powerful and impressive. Every plant seems to radiate with energy and they say if you close your eyes and listen closely, if you truly let go of yourself and succumb to the constant pull on your soul, you can hear the very heartbeat of the forest.
Every creature living in the forest’s shelter can feel it, their hearts beat in accord, drawing power from the energy and magic that the forest breathes .
Creatures that cannot let the magic flow through them and don’t know how to move with the magic are consumed by it. The moment in which humans let their walls fall, let the magic in their head, their soul, they are damned. Rarely a human who enters the forest finds their way out again and if they do, they leave behind a piece of them, collected by the creatures of the forest to consume.
Sometimes they hunt the humans, just to taste it. They cannot steal a soul fragment but they wait for a human to offer it. Sometimes it’s easy. If a human accepts offered food, it’s a trade. If the whispers of the forest lull a human to sleep, they lure out the human’s desires and most secret wants and they consume it.
It’s a play and a dance, and mostly it’s a competition.
Which makes it even more hilarious to watch the newcomer human resisting the temptations being thrown his way and totally overgoing all of the carefully laid out traps.
Sanji is sitting high up on one of the branches of a tree and he looks down at the human, while making himself comfortable. The greenhaired has been running around in circles for the past hour, so there is no reason for Sanji to move from his spot.
Faint music starts playing from somewhere and it comes closer by the second, weaving a net of notes in order to catch the human's attention and, in the end, his heart.
But the human isn’t reacting at all, other than sticking his pinky into one side of the ear as if the music is disturbing him instead of charming him.
Sanji can see a dryad turning into a gorgeous, naked man and he steps out on the path.
“Traveller…” His voice echoes through the woods and it’s sweet as honey while he steps closer. He runs his finger over the greenhaired’s jawline and his body is pressing against the human that stopped in his track. “Come with me~... Spend the night with me,” he hums looking up to him, whispering into his ear: “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
Sanji still hears it, his voice being carried by the magic he puts into his spell.
He does not expect the hand in his face, pushing him out of the way.
“Not interested,” the human says with the most deadpan voice Sanji has ever heard, and then he just walks past the dryad.
Sanji has to stifle his laugh and presses a hand over his mouth. It’s not the first time Fey creatures tried this but it gets more amusing every time they fail. It looks like this guy is immune to every trick and spell they are throwing at him but they just don’t stop trying.
Another Fey steps onto the path, a small kobold offering the human all the riches he can think of, but the only reaction is an exasperated sigh as he carefully pushes the kobold out of the way with his foot. This time he doesn’t even say anything and the kobold blinks a couple of times as if they can’t believe that this has happened.
Another circle and he’s back at Sanji’s tree as another Fey comes out of hiding but before they even start talking, the human stops again and growls: “Stop it! If someone is trying to seduce or trick me one more time, I’m gonna go insane! I don’t want it, I don’t care, leave me alone!”
The Fey looks so shocked and terrified, Sanji can’t hide his laughter now and he has to hold his stomach because it hurts. The irony is definitely not lost to him, considering that the human is supposed to be the prey and profoundly refuses to act like it.
Sanji is aware he probably gave away his location but he just can’t stop snickering, until he loses his balance on the branch.
With a very undignified sound he lands in the grass, not far away from the human. For a moment he curses himself and groans, while pushing himself on his feet again.
“Well, that’s new,” the human says, arms crossed in front of his chest but he seems to freeze after getting a good look at the goldenhaired Fey with the butterfly-like, deep-blue wings on his back. His gaze travels down the Fey’s body, vines and other plants wrapped around his limbs like they are part of his clothes, or even part of himself.
His eyes are blue as well but the iris is completely filling the space. There are different shades of blue, seemingly deepening the gaze of the Fey when he meets the eyes of the human.
The greenhaired clears his throat. “If you’re also here to trick me into anything, you should have thought more about your entry.”
“Shut up!” the blonde snaps but his cheeks seem to be red with embarrassment. “I’m not here to put a spell on you, I can do without that.”
“So you are here to steal my soul,” the human notes, raising an eyebrow. He doesn’t seem surprised or even a little bit worried.
“I don’t need your soul,” Sanji scoffs and shakes his head. “You honestly were entertainment enough, without trying any mind games. Especially since they don’t seem to work on you.”
“Huh, then you’re smarter than the other creatures I keep meeting.” The human thinks about it for a moment, then he adds: “On the other hand you just fell from a tree. Aren’t Fey supposed to be agile and graceful?”
“Shut up!!” Sanji stares daggers at the human. “I don’t need a lecture from a clumsy human looking like a plant, Marimo .”
“Curly-Brow,” the other replies as impulse and the Fey’s hand shoots to his eyebrow, frowning.
He would have kept arguing with this man, but his curiosity gets the better of him after all: “Why did you enter this forest? Surely you must have been warned.”
The man shrugs. “They did warn me, but I have strong self-control.”
Sanji would have called him naive and maybe he would have tried to prove him wrong. He doesn’t care much for the taste of souls himself, but he would have felt challenged. Only that he saw with his own eyes that the magic doesn’t seem to affect the greenhaired.
Sanji steps closer to the man and he doesn’t draw back. He holds Sanji’s gaze with almost the same intensity while the Fey tries to find the truth through those steel eyes.
“Why did you enter this forest?” Sanji repeats his question, but this time there is a small smile on his lips as he adds: “Zoro.”
The greenhaired stumbles back a few steps now, clearly taken aback. “How do you-”
“I asked first,” the blonde interrupts him. “But if you must know, I can read it in your eyes. You have built a lot of walls, but you can’t hide your soul from me. I can see your true colors.”
“Are you reading my mind?” Zoro asks and he frowns, but Sanji shakes his head.
“No, I only know your name and that your intentions are - surprisingly - pure, even if your soul itself isn’t.”
The human doesn’t seem to like this development and he turns away from the Fey to continue on this path. He doesn’t comment on Sanji’s words.
The Fey follows him. He is still curious for the human that doesn’t seem to notice that he’s been running around in circles for hours.
“Where are you going?” Sanji asks and his wings flutter for a moment, drawing in another glaze from the greenhaired.
“I’m looking for a seed,” the other answers shortly. Somehow Sanji isn’t surprised. He is not the first human stepping into this forest, hoping to find the miracle seed, and to then lose their way or get distracted. But for now, he’s doing pretty well, at least regarding the distraction.
“You’re not the first one,” Sanji states but then a small amused smile makes its way to his lips. “But you are definitely the most interesting one so far.”
The greenhaired slows and turns towards him. “Do you know where it is?” His expression is stern and serious and there is an urgency in his voice that surprises Sanji.
“I know where you can find one, yes,” the blonde Fey admits and his smile widens as he trails his fingers up Zoro’s arm. Immediately the mosshead frowns, but he doesn’t pull away. “I can lead you to it.”
“What’s the price?” the human asks warily. He’s careful but he didn’t say no, which leads Sanji to believe he was warned about accepting anything from Fey creatures in the forest, but his reasons for coming here in the first place weigh heavier.
Sanji laughs and starts walking again, but then he whirls around and extends a hand in Zoro’s direction. “A dance.”
Zoro raises an eyebrow and his eyes widen a little. He hesitates and eyes Sanji carefully, as if he is looking for any sign of trickery. “Just a dance?”
“Unless you don’t know how to move your feet, Marimo,” the Fey teases and it seems to work because Zoro’s eyes instantly narrow again and he takes a step towards Sanji. “Fine. You get your dance, but nothing more.”
“I’m not asking for anything more than that,” Sanji replies and the mosshead finally takes his hand.
The Fey leads him through the forest, away from the path that has led Zoro in circles up until now. The plant life seems to grow much closer here, Zoro’s clothes catch on branches every couple of steps and he has to be careful not to trip on a root or vine, but Sanji moves through the space with ease and light footwork. If he touches the leaves from the bushes he squeezes through then there is no movement from them that Zoro can see.
His wings are folded behind his back, right next to Zoro, who's being led by the Fey a couple steps behind him. The pattern on the fragile membrane looks breathtaking. Depending on how the little light of the full moon pushing through the treetops falls on it, the colors keep changing and shimmering. It’s like staring into a deep ocean to see a beautiful reef just beyond the crystal blue water.
Their hands are still touching and Zoro notices just how soft the skin there is, how slim and tender his hands feel under Zoro’s bigger and rougher palms, that are used to cold steel and hard metal.
Soon they arrive on a green field, where the moon is more successful in illuminating the ground beyond the treetops. Wild flowers in all different sizes and colors seem to be growing here and there is almost something like soft music reaching them through the trees nearby.
“Who is singing?” Zoro asks, frowning again. He doesn’t see anyone and the thought of being watched by more creatures of this forest doesn’t sit well with him.
“The forest is,” the Fey answers him. “The wind picks up the song everywhere it goes. This is the place where you can hear it best.”
This time the mosshead actually seems impressed and stunned by this revelation, looking around with wide eyes and wonder. Sanji smiles to himself. The ever-frowning swordsman seems to have a soft side, too.
Sanji has noticed the swords when Zoro first entered the forest, but he hasn’t once drawn them to threaten anyone here, even though he easily could have and would have reached his destination earlier perhaps. It’s the reason Sanji assumes the marimo isn’t here to hurt anyone.
His reason for being here is much more kind hearted than his appearance would suggest.
The winged Fey extends his hand towards Zoro once more, and again he takes his hand. This time Sanji pulls Zoro closer and puts his other hand on the mosshead’s waist. He intends on leading in this dance and the other complies without a word.
Sanji takes a step and they slowly begin to dance. The human is unsure and a little bit clumsy but the Fey doesn’t mention it and just smiles, while Zoro tries not to step on his toes.
“A dance is a weird request,” he says after a while. He’s getting the hang of it quite fast, Sanji has to admit.
“What kind of request did you expect?” the Fey asks curiously, even though he can guess the answer. It’s fun teasing the mosshead though.
“Well… I thought you wanted my soul or something,” Zoro says and shrugs. “I was warned, creatures like you would try to steal it from me.”
“We don’t steal.” Sanji shakes his head. “We trade.”
“Whatever…” Zoro mutters and looks back at their feet. Sanji has picked up the pace and he is trying to match the speed and agility. But he doesn’t seem to be satisfied by Sanji’s answer yet. “What do you need our souls for?”
Sanji half expected a question like that and he leans his head to the side in thought for a moment. He never had to explain it before, so a human can understand what a Fey feels every minute of the day.
“A human soul is magic in its purest form. Fey don’t have souls, our magic comes from the forest. It’s a constant wave, pulling and pushing the magic from and into our bodies. Everything here is connected, our soul is the forest’s soul. But humans own a soul just for themselves. And I hear it’s delicious.” He smirks and Zoro only rolls his eyes, but Sanji isn’t finished: “We never take more than a small part, something humans offer to us in some way. We don’t kill humans. Nevertheless, the Feywild is not a safe place for your kind.”
“I have seen far more dangerous places in the world,” Zoro says, unbothered, and Sanji has to laugh at that.
“Yes, you do seem exceptionally resistant to our magic abilities. But you are letting down your guard.”
As to prove his words, he suddenly dips Zoro during the dance, his hand resting on Zoro’s back to make sure he doesn’t fall into the grass, but it’s so unexpected for the swordsman, his cheeks burn a bright red, when Sanji pulls him up again.
Sanji continues their dance in fluid movement, his hand still resting on the other’s back.
“I’m not letting down my guard,” Zoro defends himself, but his blush tells the Fey otherwise. “You asked for this dance, and I need this seed.”
“What do you need it for?” Sanji asks out of curiosity now. The dance still continues, slow and followed by the soft music that seems to be flowing with the wind.
“It’s a cure for my sister,” the greenhaired hesitantly admits. “She fell ill and there is no other way to help her. A witch told me about the seed I could find here, but she didn’t say where…”
Sanji watches the swordsman carefully. He would have spent hours, maybe days running around here, to look for something he didn’t know existed. The Fey has to admire him for his determination.
“If you were looking for something material, you couldn’t have found it,” the Fey tells him softly. He can see the worry on the face of the human when he talks about his sister, and it sparks something inside the Fey. “The seed you are looking for…” He carefully puts one hand on Zoro’s chest, pressing his palm against the muscle beneath the clothing.
“It’s the seed of life. Every creature owns one, usually it’s right here, where your heart is.”
Zoro’s eyes widen.
“Then… Can I give her my life?” he asks quietly. Sanji leans his head to the side.
“You could,” he admits and nods, but before Zoro can ask further, he puts a finger over the other’s lips. “Just dance with me a little more, will you?”
Just then the clouds that have been hiding most of the sky, move away just enough so the moonlight comes shining through. It falls onto both of them, reflecting off Sanji’s wings and illuminating the small spot of grass and flowers in mysterious and shimmering light.
Sanji leads the dance once more and Zoro follows his movement with his body close to the Fey’s. His eyes are taking in all of the Fey’s features. The golden hair, the soft skin that reminds Zoro of pearls, the way the moonlight falls on Sanji’s face. The swordsman is entranced by the look he receives, the blue eyes studying him the way he studies the Fey. Fascinated and enchanted.
Sanji leans in closer during their dance, there is barely anything separating their bodies now, and Zoro doesn’t want it any other way. His heart is beating fast and breath trembles when he feels the blonde’s lips tracing his jaw ever so slightly.
Slowly the music loses its volume, it gets quieter until it’s barely audible and Sanji slows the dance until he comes to a stop and takes a step back from the human. Zoro has to stop himself from following the warmth of Sanji’s body, but he can’t pretend he isn’t a little disappointed.
“I will show you the way out. Follow me,” the Fey offers and takes Zoro’s hand to lead him through the trees once more. Zoro follows him, his mind elsewhere, distracted. He wants to kiss the Fey, he wants to spend the night with him. He doesn’t want to leave.
A while they travel through the forest this way. Zoro isn’t sure how long they were walking, when Sanji suddenly stops. He nods to two trees that branches intertwine on their way up towards the sky, forming some kind of arch.
“This is the way back to your world,” he says before looking back at Zoro. The swordsman hesitates and the Fey smiles.”It looks like there is some magic that can get through to you after all.”
He steps closer to Zoro again and the swordsman holds his breath when he feels the gentle touch of the other’s fingers on his neck. Sanji pulls him closer and kisses the swordsman, gently pressing his lips against Zoro’s. Zoro closes his eyes and moves his fingers through the golden hair, returning the kiss more fiercely, when the Fey suddenly pulls back again.
Zoro takes a second to catch his breath and open his eyes, and Sanji must have seen the disappointment on his face, because he laughs and brushes over his cheek with his thumb.
“Your sister needs you,” he reminds the swordsman. Zoro takes a deep breath and nods. He is right, he can’t stay.
“How do I…?” he starts, not sure how to phrase his question. “Do I need to give her my heart?”
Another smile spreads across Sanji’s lips and again he raises his hand to put it over Zoro’s heart. “You don’t need to. A Fey’s heart is far more useful for this cause. And you’ve won mine.”
For a moment their eyes lock again and Sanji can see how much Zoro wants him to come back with him to the mortal world. It pulls at something inside of Sanji, a longing he knows he can’t give into. He can’t leave the Feywild, as much as he desires to join Zoro.
They don’t need any words for their feelings. In this one moment Zoro can read Sanji as much as the Fey has been able to read Zoro.
But when Zoro leans in to capture and steal another kiss from the Fey, it’s Sanji who is left breathless afterwards.
There are no words to express the emotions between them, so when Zoro steps through the arch, he vanishes quietly, leaving behind only memories of this one moment they both shared, but with an unspoken promise that they would see each other again.