Hello again! If you've read some of my other stories, thank you so much. And if you left comments, a thousand more thanks! I just don't know how to work FFnet well enough to answer you back, so sorry about that. Just know that I appreciated it and I love all of your lovely comments. If this is your first time reading some of my work, then thank you for taking a chance of me. Anyway, I'm gonna finish up now and let you guys read another of my one shots, this one a bit more angsty than the others.
Zoro growls and picks up another beer. Some sweaty guy slams against him but he's gone in a flurry of awkward limbs and snickering laughter before Zoro can vent any of his frustrations on him. He glances at the liquor cabinet, the one Vivi personally told him not to open. A girl rushes through the kitchen and into the backyard to throw up and Zoro decides, fuck it. He deserves some strong alcohol for this.
He downs most of his beer in one gulp and grabs the tallest bottle from the cabinet, then heads back to the living room. The music is louder in here and the room is uncomfortably hot, but Zoro's reason for being in this stupid party on Sunday night when he has an early class tomorrow is standing over by the beer pong table.
Sanji Black, Student Body President of Grand Line University and Zoro's own personal brand of torture. Zoro chugs his alcohol—whiskey?—and glares at the laughing blond. No guy has the fucking right to be that hot. Seriously, who the fuck has legs that long? Or hair that soft-looking? Or a waist so slender?
No matter how hot the guy is, though—and seriously, is it even legal for his eyes to be that blue?—he's still an ass. Zoro usually tries to stay as far away from Sanji in fear of saying something stupid or giving away the fact that he's had a crush on the blond since junior year in high school when he caught the other man fighting a group of thugs harassing some girl, but they share a couple of classes together and sometimes it's just impossible to keep his distance.
The only thing that has kept Zoro's crush from totally spiraling out of control is the fact that Sanji is the most obnoxious, arrogant, annoying bastard he's ever met. And it's totally just to Zoro! That's right—Sanji hates Zoro. Of course, it's not like Zoro is totally free of guilt. He does make fun of the blond a lot, but what else is he supposed to say when Sanji talks to him in that sexy baritone voice of his that sends delicious shivers down his back?
He takes another drag of his whiskey and lets his head rest on his hand, keeping his head turned away from Sanji but still able to see him from the corner of his eye. He's flirting with some girls—like always—with his friend, Law. Zoro doesn't know much about Law other than he's a year above Chopper and the younger boy is completely, platonically in love with him. The guy doesn't talk much but he's covered in tattoos and is always seen either with Sanji or with Sanji's other friend, the red-headed Kid.
The girls walk away and Sanji turns to whine to Law.
Zoro hides a snicker and glowers at the girl trying to approach him. Her eyes widen and she quickly changes course, sitting down next to some blue-haired boy with too much acne. He really should get laid, but it sounds too bothersome to deal with right now. God, he wants to go home.
Why is he here anyway? Only because he heard that Sanji would be here. Pathetic. He doesn't even know half the people here—he's sure Vivi, the owner of the house, doesn't either—and he really can't afford to waste any time drinking and pining over hot, flexible blonds that don't even know his name.
He sighs and glances at Sanji. He's grinning widely—stupid, gorgeous smile that Zoro has never once seen directed at him despite the fact that they've known each other since high school—and leaning close to Law. Zoro's eyes widen when he sees Sanji lean in dangerously close, his lips brushing Law's ear as he speaks softly to his friend.
Holy shit, is Sanji with Law?
He feels something dark and heavy twist in his stomach and he almost throws up when he sees Sanji's arm wrap around the taller man's waist.
Zoro stands up suddenly, startling the couple that were making out next to him, and quickly strides out of the apartment. His mind is dangerously blank, the same way it gets when he's pissed off or terribly sad or any other strong emotion that may cause him to lose control. His strides are long and his stance rigid, his face drawn into an angry scowl that makes anyone who faces him give way.
He always thought Sanji was straight. The blond flirts with every goddam girl he sees! He can't see a pair of breasts without getting a nosebleed, and Zoro is pretty sure Sanji has asked out Nami at least three times—within the past year. Sanji is supposed to be straight. It's better for everyone this way because if he isn't straight—if he likes boys—then that means he doesn't like Zoro simple because he is Zoro.
It has nothing to do with his gender. Zoro can't just shrug and think, oh well, he's straight, anymore. Because that doesn't matter to Sanji. Sanji simply doesn't like him. As a person.
He lashes out suddenly and punches the nearest thing to him, which just happens to be an electrical pole. The pain startles him and makes him realize he has no idea where he is anymore. Shit, where are the dorms? Vivi lives pretty close to the dormitories, so it's not like they can be too far away. Shit, did the streets move again?
It takes him maybe forty minutes to find the dorms and another twenty minutes to find the correct room. He still has the bottle of whiskey in his hand and he thinks about maybe finishing it, but the stack of papers on his desk remind him of why that is such a horrible idea. He doesn't turn the lights on, already well-familiarized with the layout of his room, and instead moves forward to put the whiskey bottle in one of the drawers of his desk.
He undresses down to his boxers and puts his phone in charge before he falls back on his bed.
Except, there is someone already on his bed.
"What the hell!?" Zoro exclaims, surprised, and jumps off. He hears someone groan in pain and quickly moves to turn on his lights. He turns on the newcomer, his roommate Luffy's name already on his lips, when the breath gets knocked out of his chest at the sight of Sanji. "Y-you…how did you get in here?" he demands, voice shaky.
Sanji groans again and rubs his eyes, scowling when the light hits him. He rolls over and fall off the bed, his face slackening in surprise when he realizes he was in a bed.
"What's going on?" Sanji mutters, but his voice is so thick and slurred it sounds something more like, washonion?
He's drunk. Fuck, Sanji is such a fucking lightweight! Seriously, Zoro has seen him get drunk out of a single beer and there's no telling how much Sanji drank this time. Sanji mutters something incomprehensible again and tries to get up, only to titter softly and trip on his own feet.
"What are you doing here?" Zoro asks again, giving the room a cursory glance to make sure there are no more strangers in his bedroom. And speaking of strangers, where is Law? Wasn't Sanji acting all chummy with the doctor-to-be moments ago?
"It's my room," Sanji replies drunkenly, glaring at him. He squints a bit and makes as if to stand up but only falls again.
"It's my room, shit cook," Zoro growls angrily. "Where's your boyfriend Law, anyway? Isn't he supposed to be taking care of you!?"
Sanji looks up at with wide eyes, his hair in enough of a disarray for Zoro to be able to see both eyes (and eyebrows). His loses his breath for just one moment as Sanji stares into his eyes, and then to his utter horror, the blond starts crying.
"W-what are you doing!?" Zoro shrieks but that's clearly not the right thing do because Sanji only cries harder, big fat tears rolling down his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Everything!" Sanji shouts, startling Zoro. "It's all fucked up! I'm so fucked up. What the fuck was I thinking? What am I even doing? Why did I ever think I had a chance?"
Zoro's mouth falls open as he stares at Sanji berating himself. His whole body is shaking with the strength of his sobs and his hands are clutching at his hair painfully. His eyes look wide and panicked, his breathing erratic. He sounds so…defeated.
"It's alright," Zoro says softly, trying to calm down the panicked cook. He's never seen Sanji this upset, not even when Zoro had to work the kissing booth in high school for extra credit and Nami thought it would be hilarious to buy five minutes of his time. He seriously thought Sanji was going to kill him that day for daring to kiss Nami. "Everything's alright."
"It's not!" Sanji wails. "I ruined everything. I just…I just wanted him to…to see me. Why doesn't he see me? Am I not good enough?"
Zoro's heart breaks at the sound of Sanji's small voice, his words vicious and cruel. Why is he thinking like this? Not good enough? Doesn't he understand that he's the best thing Zoro could ever imagine?
"Did he…not want you?" Zoro asks softly and his hands ache to touch Sanji's shaking shoulders.
Sanji seems not to hear him, his gaze far away and his hands nervously playing with the last buttons of his shirt. "He just…left. Law…"
The rest of his words are lost in mumbles, but Zoro can get the gist of it. Sanji confessed to Law and other man turned him down. There's a moment of utter happiness inside of Zoro but the feeling is instantly crushed by guilt. Shit, this is really hurting the cook, why is Zoro happy about it? He should only want what's best for Sanji.
He glances at the mumbling cook, smiling a little when he sees him nodding off on the floor. He sighs and helps the cook to the bed, ignoring the soft murmur of words still spilling out of the drunk blond.
"You're gonna be so fucking pissed off tomorrow," Zoro mutters and helps him take off his shoes and jacket. Sanji wiggles in the bed and pulls on his shirt, but the task of taking off his button up seems too hard to his drunk mind and he simply snuggles into Zoro's bed covers and promptly falls asleep.
Zoro can't help but smile at the adorable sight and settles into Luffy's bed. His best friend is probably crashing with Usopp or Nami. Or he'll come some time in the early morning and crash in the floor. He sighs and rolls over on his back, staring at the ceiling.
Some part of him is extremely happy that Sanji isn't dating Law, but the bigger part of him feels bad for the blond. No matter what happens, Zoro wants Sanji to be happy. He already resigned himself to the fact that it will never be with him, but maybe he can do something about Law. He can't understand how anyone can turned down the blond, especially when Law isn't even straight. Zoro is sure he was dating that old guy Doffy two years ago.
He glances at Sanji, taking in the blond hair haloed on his pillow, the curve of his ass, the dip of his back, and the wide stretch of his shoulders. His hands ache to touch, but he fists them on the bed and closes his eyes. He's too exhausted to stay awake for long.
The next morning, he wakes to the sunrise. He's momentarily frozen in awe as he stares at the blond shining under the early sun rays, but he quickly shakes himself off and takes a much needed cool shower. He leaves a glass of water and a bottle of Advil for Sanji and the hurries to his class.
He almost falls asleep twice in the classroom, but somehow manages to write down enough notes to get the gist of the day's lesson. He gets the chance to go check on Sanji, but the blond is already gone by the time Zoro comes back. He makes himself a small breakfast then heads to his next class.
He sees Sanji in the lunch area eating with Law and Kid and tries to ignore the spark of anger he feels every time Sanji speaks to Law. How can they still hang together? Does Sanji really like him that much? He growls under his breath and doesn't do anything when Luffy steals most of his lunch.
He tries to keep to himself, but it only lasts a couple of days.
He's in his Psychology class, one of the two he shares with the blond, and trying very hard to ignore the whispers exchanged between Sanji and Law. His paper rips where he presses down too hard with his pen and the ink bleeds down to the second page. He really needs to calm down before he snaps his pen in two and spills ink all over himself.
Their Professor dismisses them and Zoro slowly picks up his books. He can see Sanji still talking to Law from the corner of his eye, and he's momentarily distracted when he sees the dark-haired man take his phone out and answer an incoming call. He holds up a finger to stop Sanji from speaking and Zoro scowls when he sees Sanji's face fall. Whoever called Law, it must be important because the pre-med student quickly excuses himself and leaves without Sanji. Zoro stares as the cook quickly picks up his book and is startled into movement when he sees him stride out.
"Oi!" Zoro calls out thoughtlessly, shoving text book into his bag and running after Sanji. "Oi, Sanji!"
Sanji stops and turns to stare at him, confused. "What do you want, grass-head?"
Zoro ignores the flash of irritation at the name and forces his face into a concerned expression. "Are you okay?"
For a second, Sanji looks shocked, but then his expression smooths out. "I'm fine; why shouldn't I be?"
Zoro frowns, wondering if maybe Sanji forgot what happened that night. He was pretty drunk. "It's just…you sounded pretty upset the other night," he says hesitantly, wincing when Sanji narrow his eyes.
"Did I…say something weird?" Sanji asks him slowly, his gaze intense.
"You…um…you told me how you felt," Zoro manages to say only to instantly regret it when Sanji's face drains of color and his eyes widen in panic.
"I…I did?" he whispers, voice horrified. He quickly looks around to see if anyone is paying attention to them, but the hall is pretty deserted. Zoro hates the way his shoulders hunch and his arms wrap around himself defensively. "Just forget it," he mutters, averting his gaze. "It doesn't mean anything."
"Of course it does!" Zoro exclaims, angry enough that Sanji meets his gaze in surprise. "You really care for Law and he's an ass for not seeing that. You're a great guy, and he should feel flattered that you even like him!"
"Law?" Sanji murmurs, cocking his head to the side.
"I guess it's none of my business," Zoro mutters, scratching his head in embarrassment. "We're not exactly friends, but you…you really looked upset. So if there's anything I can help you with, you can count on me."
He doesn't know where the words are coming from, but he knows they ring true. He hates watching Sanji berate himself, hates seeing the usually confident and arrogant cook so small and defeated. Even if it isn't with him, Zoro wants him to be happy.
"You want to help me…get with Law?" Sanji asks hesitantly, his expression strange. "Law, the guy that I like."
"Uh, yeah," Zoro answers nervously. "I mean, only if you need it. It's none of my business, anyway."
Sanji gets a faraway look in his eyes, his mouth moving softly around silent words. He seems to be considering the offer so Zoro stays quiet and tries to ignore the fact that he's very late for his Biology class. It takes maybe a minute or two—thought it feels like hours to Zoro—before Sanji comes back to himself and fixes him with a hard, calculating eye.
"Alright," he finally responds and Zoro grins, the tension leaving his frame. "You can help me out. But you might not like it."
"I can handle it," Zoro says readily. "What is it?"
"I need you to pretend to date me so I can make Law jealous," Sanji says firmly and Zoro's mouth falls open.
"D-date you?" he exclaims, his voice going a little high in shock. "Like…like kissing and stuff?"
Sanji's eyes narrow and his crosses his arms. "Yeah—that is, if you really want to help me out. I know Law likes me, he just doesn't want to admit it. He doesn't care if I flirt with girls, but I'm sure he'll get jealous if I start dating a guy."
Zoro stares at Sanji with round eyes, trying to figure out if he's really serious. He has to pretend to date Sanji? He…he doesn't know if he can do that. Surely Sanji will figure out his feelings if Zoro is forced to kiss him and touch him—there is no way Zoro can keep his affection hidden.
But…well, he'll get to be with Sanji. And he did promise he would help the blond. And besides, Zoro knows he has great self-control, what kind of man would he be if he can't even control himself when facing Sanji? This can be a great new challenge.
"Alright," he answers, copying Sanji's response. Sanji smiles brightly, completely oblivious to his effect on Zoro.
"Great!" he exclaims happily. "Okay, there's a party at Delta Sig's frat house tonight. Law is gonna be there, so you're coming with me. Dress nice. See you, marimo!" he says, walking away.
"My name is Zoro!" Zoro calls out, but the blond only waves his hand without turning around and keeps walking. Zoro stares at his legs for a moment before he catches himself doing it and quickly looks away. A frantic Where are you!? text from Chopper reminds him of his next class and he hurries off before he misses anymore.
It's going to be a hard night.
Zoro isn't part of any fraternities, but Luffy is friends with everybody, so his roommate knows exactly where Delta Sig's frat house is. Apparently, his straw-hat wearing friend was already planning on going to the party and is ecstatic to find out Zoro is going as well.
"It's going to be so fun!" Luffy exclaims happily, skipping next to Zoro as they head out.
It doesn't take them long to arrive—Luffy sort of wanders off halfway through and blames Zoro for getting lost—and the party is in full blast when they walk in. Zoro immediately heads over to the kitchen for a drink, glad that it's Thursday and he doesn't have any classes on Friday. It is on days like these that he's thankful he signed up for early morning class in exchange of a free weekend.
"Oi, marimo!" a baritone voice calls out and Zoro turns to face Sanji, his eyes immediately drawn to the two red cups in his hands. "Want a drink?"
Zoro takes the red cup and looks into the amber liquid. "What is it?"
"A gift from your best friends: Jim, Jack, Johnnie, and Jose," Sanji says, grinning.
Zoro takes a sip and grins when the strong taste fills his mouth. Man, this is his type of drink. "You're not drinking this, are you?"
"Nah, this is some Mixta shit," Sanji says, glaring at his own cup. "It won't get me drunk. If I drink less than four."
"Good. You get…weird when you're drunk."
Sanji scowls and kicks him in the shin. It's not as hard as he's used to, but Zoro still winces. "C'mon, smartass."
Sanji grabs his hand and tugs him into the mouth of the lion where the music is loud, the men are stupider, and the air stinks of sweat and sex. Zoro numbly follows along, his mind concentrated around the hand Sanji has in his grip.
To his surprise, Sanji's hand isn't that soft. He always imagined the cook had soft hands—they certainly look that way. But he can feel callouses under his fingers and strength in his grip.
"Where are we going?" Zoro yells over the loud music, having to lean in a bit close to Sanji.
"Spin the bottle," Sanji says simply and tugs him into a second room, this one with much quieter music but loud conversation.
Zoro is surprised to see a few of his friends sitting together with Sanji's friends. Just like Sanji said, they're sitting in a circle with an empty beer bottle in the middle. Just as they arrive, Vivi spins and has to kiss Usopp, the kiss awkward because Kohza, Vivi's boyfriend, is right there.
"Zoro, you're here!" Chopper exclaims happily. Zoro is happy to see that the teenager has a water bottle in his hand and is sitting outside of the circle, clearly not participating. Nami, who is sitting on Vivi's right, looks up at him and lifts an eyebrow when she sees them holding hands.
Shit, Nami knows about Zoro's crush. She and Robin are the only ones who know, since Zoro really was never able to keep secrets from the two women. He only hopes she doesn't say anything stupid and outs him in front of Sanji.
"Is there room for two more?" Sanji asks, taking the spot next to Kid. Zoro is about to sit down next to him, but Sanji shakes his head and points across from himself. "Sit over there. I'll never get to kiss you if you're right next to me, marimo."
Shit. Zoro takes a long gulp of his stupidly strong drink and sits next to Shachi, ignoring the curious look Nami and Usopp send him. This is going to be so much harder than he thought.
He doesn't know whether to be happy or upset that Sanji's spin never lands on him. It does, however, land on Law and Zoro has to bite his cheek in order to keep himself from shouting whenever he sees the two kiss. Maybe it's nervousness on Sanji's side, or maybe it's Law, but the kiss stays short and innocent.
The game doesn't last long, the larger party from the other room quickly bleeding into this one and ruining the mood. Sanji tugs Zoro away before Nami can get to him and Zoro is thankful for that. Unfortunately, Sanji drags him over to where Kid, Law, Bepo, and Hancock are and sits down practically on Zoro's lap.
Zoro tries to keep his touch innocent, despite the entirely not-innocent way Sanji is sitting on him. He tries not to think of the fact that Sanji's ass is on his lap, his face just inches from Zoro's. He feels Law's dark eyes on him and steels his nerves before he leans in and plants a soft kiss right where Sanji's jaw starts. He hears the blond's breath hitch and his hands grip Sanji's shirt tightly for just one moment before he lets go and leans back.
He expects to be glared at, at the very least. Or for Sanji to jump off of him. Or maybe for him to punch him.
Instead, Sanji turns and kisses him.
It's just pressure and slickness, his lips sliding against his in a smooth, controlled movement. No tongue, but open mouths and heavy breathing. His hands slide into Zoro's hair and tug him closer and Zoro's breath shakes at the slight pain. Fuck, he loves it when people pull on his hair.
But the kiss is quick and Sanji turns back to the conversation afterwards, no sign whatsoever that the kiss stirred him in any way. His lips are red and slick, but that's about it. And here Zoro is willing a blush away and hoping against hope that Sanji won't notice his awakening interest.
He takes in a deep breath and brings his red cup to his lip. Oh thank god, he's empty.
"I'm gonna go get another drink," he says, interrupting Kid's story and shifting underneath Sanji.
"Bring me something," Sanji says, moving off him and letting him up. Zoro is about to ask him what he wants when Law picks up the conversation again and instantly grabs Sanji's attention.
Zoro rolls his eyes and walks away. It takes him a few moments out in the cold air to calm down and then he sort of loses track of the door and spends around ten minutes trying to find it. He's surprised to find Sanji in the kitchen, downing a bottle of Heineken.
"What are you doing? You'll get drunk," Zoro accuses, picking up a filled red cup. It's beer, nothing too strong.
"Where were you?" Sanji asks, ignoring his question.
"Outside, just getting some air," Zoro shrugs. "I thought you were with Law."
"He left," Sanji says flatly and takes another gulp of beer. "So I guess we can head back now."
Of course. With Law gone, there's no reason for you to hang out with me.
"Good," Zoro answers. "I fucking hate these parties."
"Then why did you come, idiot?"
Zoro glares at him. "You asked me to, curly freak."
Sanji scowls and huffs, but doesn't throw back another insult. "Whatever. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Nothing. Day off," Zoro says, grinning in spite of himself. He loves Fridays. He doesn't have to do anything. Thanks to his four scholarships, Zoro doesn't have to pay a penny out of pocket for school. Sometimes he gets the odd job during breaks just to have some change in his pocket, but he really doesn't need it. His father is more than willing to put money in his back account if he ever needs him to.
"Good. We're going to a water park," Sanji declares. "Noon. Be ready."
"Sure, boss," Zoro says sarcastically. Sanji rolls his eyes and walks around him to leave.
"Don't be late, grass-head."
"It's Zoro," Zoro growls, but Sanji is already gone.
Zoro never thought he would ever date Sanji. He hoped for it, sometimes even dreamt about it, but he never actually put any though into it. And it turns out…it's pretty fucking awesome.
Well, only if he ignores the way Sanji schedules all of their dates around Law and how the blond never seems to stray too far away from the pre-med student. If Zoro pretends that Sanji kisses him because he wants and not because Law is watching, he can almost fool himself into thinking they're a happy couple.
And it's not that bad, anyway. He and Sanji do argue a lot, especially when Sanji wants to do something stupid just to get Law's attention on him, but it's clear that they have chemistry together. Sanji is funny and well-rounded, not easily pushed down and quick witted-which makes him all the more perfect in Zoro's book.
They do have a couple of glitches in their plan, though. Zoro puts his foot down on anything other than kissing and holding hands—he's never been one for much PDA, especially when the affection is not even real—and Sanji stops talking to him for about a week because of that. But then he comes back and asks him—more like orders him—out on a date night.
No one has realized that their entire relationship is a farce, not even Robin and Nami who usually see through everything. Zoro manages to make Nami promise not to tell Sanji about his crush, faking embarrassment and putting himself in debt, but it's totally worth it. Robin even congratulates him in finally getting the courage to ask the other man out.
Everyone knows Sanji and Zoro are dating now and Sanji's plan seems to be working perfectly from the on. It's already been five weeks, but Zoro can see the way Law scowls when he and Sanji hold hands. Or the way he grabs Sanji's attention when Zoro is talking to him. Or how he immediately leans in to touch Sanji's hand after Zoro has kissed him.
Sanji laps it up and Zoro pretends it doesn't break his heart. Sanji is happy, everyday more excited about the way Law is starting to act.
"Just a couple of more weeks and he'll crack," he tells Zoro excitedly. "I'm sure of it! Just put up with me for a couple more weeks."
"It's fine," Zoro reassures him. "I don't mind."
He doesn't mind. In fact, his whole being hopes that Law will never get the courage to try and 'steal' Sanji from him. Of course, the thought alone leaves him feeling completely guilty, but he's unable to keep himself from thinking it.
And then, things change.
He's running late for his Kinesiology class but Chopper has ordered him to go to the Nurse's Office because he cut himself with one of Chopper's scalpels. He's pretty embarrassed at having cut himself on a blade—he's supposed to be a swordsman, goddamn it—and pretty guilty for making the teenager worry. It's not even that bad a cut. Chopper's blade are sharp, but Zoro was able to keep the wound from getting too big. He's still going to need stitches, though.
He gets a little lost trying to find the office—and here he can admit getting lost because the University is a puzzle and even Sanji and Nami somehow have trouble finding their way around the place—but he finally finds it twenty minutes later. He's not bleeding anymore, but the bandage that Chopper wrapped around his hand is soaked.
He opens the door, frowning when he sees the office is empty. He's only been inside this office once before, but he knows that even when Dr. Kureha is not in here, she usually has a couple of student aids covering for her. He walks in and checks around the corner, where a couple of beds are lined up with curtains to provide privacy. Someone forgot their bag in here and Zoro leans in to check if maybe he knows the person when the door opens.
He gets a half a second to react, but when he hears Law's voice, his body moves without thinking and he hides behind the last bed, pulling on the curtain to hide himself just in case the black-haired man walks his way.
Shit, why is he even hiding?
"…I know I left it in here!"
That sounds like Kid. Shit, if Kid sees him hiding, he'll never hear the end of it. The guy is as prone to violence and mockery as Sanji is, though it's a lot less sexy on the red-head than on the blond.
"You're always forgetting your shit in here. Dr. Kureha is going to kill me if she finds out I've been letting you crash in here," Law snaps.
"Maybe you should stop distracting me so much," Kid answers and Zoro frowns at his tone of voice.
He shifts on his feet quietly to lean forward just enough to catch a glimpse of Sanji's two friends. He holds his breath when he realizes just how close Kid and Law are, the red-head's hand holding on tightly to Law's narrow hips.
"Oh, so now it's my fault?" Law murmurs, a smirk on his face as his eyes follow the way Kid licks his lips.
"You're the one who always makes the first move," Kid replies, a clear challenge in his voice.
Law huffs and rolls his eyes but he leans in and plants a kiss on Kid's lips. There is nothing innocent about that kiss and Zoro averts his eyes, somehow feeling like a perverted voyeur.
"You know, these beds are pretty comfy," Law murmurs and Zoro feels something cold slide down his spine. Please don't stay. Please don't have sex in here. "How about we skip lunch and stay here?"
"Babe, I love you…but I'm pretty damn hungry," Kid answers and Zoro inaudibly sighs in relief.
Law huffs and pushes Kid away, but there's a smile on his face. "Fine. But you're paying for me."
"What!? Why?"
"Because you luv me."
"You're such an ass."
"I know. Yet you still luv me."
Zoro leans back and sits down on the cold floor, closing his eyes and listening to the couple banter good-naturedly. He stays sitting down well after Law and Kid have left, and it's only Dr. Kureha arriving a few minutes later that startles him out of his stupor.
She fixes him up pretty quickly—she makes fun of him for looking away, thinking him squeamish, but in reality Zoro finds it extremely weird how her body is superhot and her face super old—and sends him off with a couple of pain meds.
Sanji finds him pretty quickly in his dorm room, a bounce in his step and a huge ass smile on his face as he holds up two tickets.
"MMA fight. Cox vs. Silva, front row seats," Sanji says, handing him a ticket. "Kid loves MMA fighting almost as much as you and he's dragging Law out with him."
He should keep quiet. He knows how stubborn Sanji is, he knows that if he keeps quiet and lets the blond think that he still has a chance, he will keep up this charade for months. Just watching him work, knowing all the effort Sanji puts into getting Law's attention, it's enough to show him just how much Sanji cares for Law. And who knows, maybe Law will forget about Kid and be with Sanji. He certainly seems to be bothered by Zoro dating him.
"Sanji…I don't think we should do this anymore."
Who is he kidding? He can't keep quiet. It would be selfish and Zoro can't be selfish—no matter how much he wants to. It's not right for Sanji to waste his life trying to get with Law when the other man is so clearly in love with Kid. It's not right for Sanji to get his hopes up. It's definitely not right for him to have to put with Zoro just for the chance to be with Law. Sanji deserves so much more than just scraps.
Why couldn't he fall for Zoro? If Sanji loved him…shit, Zoro would make him so happy.
"W-what?" Sanji stammers out, his whole stance changing drastically. Zoro still can't understand how Sanji can change from confident and cocky to nervous and defeated so quickly. There's a part of Sanji that's very self-conscious, a tiny chip in his armor that the blond pokes at repeatedly, putting all of his attention on it instead of focusing on the whole picture.
"What do you mean?" Sanji asks, his eyes shifty. "We're so close! I promise, just one more week and I'll make him—."
"Law and Kid are dating, Sanji," Zoro interrupts softly. "I saw them kissing. I'm sorry but…I think they really care about each other."
"No, they're always doing that," Sanji says quickly, surprising Zoro. "They like to fool around. Trust me, it doesn't mean anything!"
"Wait, you knew about it?" Zoro gasps. "Why are we even doing this, then?"
"I told you, it doesn't mean anything," Sanji growls. "Look, I know it's bothersome but—."
"I don't care about that!" Zoro yells, angry. "I told you I would help, but not when it is this hopeless. Law is in love with Kid, Sanji. He will never be with you, why don't you get that?"
"Y-you d-don't understand—."
"Fuck, how can you be so fucking stupid!?" Zoro yells and instantly regrets it. Sanji's face goes eerily blank and his shoulders drop. He ducks his head to hide his eyes and his hands fist on his side. The fight leaves Zoro when he sees the cook bite at his trembling lip. Zoro sighs and leans in close, grabbing Sanji's biceps with his hands and resting his forehead in the blond's shoulder.
"You deserve someone who cares about you," Zoro says, his voice low and muffled. Sanji is tense and Zoro wants to confess so badly right now, but he knows it's not the right time. It will only make Sanji confused—or worse, feel pitied. "He isn't the only guy in the world, Sanji, and he won't be the only one you fall in love with. There's a right person out there for you."
Why can't it be me?
"You don't understand," Sanji repeats and pushes him away. He doesn't look up but he rubs at his face with his sleeve and leaves it damp. "Thanks anyway, marimo."
Zoro can only stare as Sanji leaves, the small sound of the door clicking shut deafening in the silence left behind.
"My name is Zoro," he mutters.
Sanji doesn't speak to him anymore. He doesn't even look his way. The others quickly notice, of course, but Zoro doesn't want to talk about it. Especially not to Nami, not even when the girl promises to reduce his debt by 15% (though it's tempting).
Kid and Law make their relationship public three days after Sanji and Zoro talked, and Zoro worries for Sanji. But the blond looks okay, even happy to see his two friends together. Zoro tries to talk to him, but Sanji leaves before Zoro can even get close to him.
He doesn't know why he's in the doghouse when he didn't even do anything wrong.
Or maybe things are just going back to the way they used to. He and Sanji never really spoke to each other but to fight, and now that they've kissed and held hands, maybe Sanji finds things too awkward. Maybe the blond just wants to forget anything ever happened. Maybe he's mad at Zoro for refusing to keep up their charade. Whatever it is, it makes Zoro feel sick.
Whatever is going on, Zoro doesn't get much time to dwell on it. Summer vacation is quickly approaching and he's too busy studying for finals to pay any attention to his own feelings. He pulls a couple of all-nighters studying and refuses any invitation to go out. He asks Chopper for help in his few medical classes, knowing he needs to keep his GPA at a 3.5 or above to keep his scholarship and make it into the postgrad Physical Therapy program next year instead of in two years.
Maybe he should've just entered the workforce straight out of high school. But nooo, he wanted to get a stupid degree in Physical Therapy. It's only Chopper's constant cheering that keeps him going through final's week.
Now he can relax at least until early July comes and grades start getting posted. He and Luffy spend an entire weekend packing together, though mostly it's just Zoro helping Luffy pack since he doesn't have a lot of personal belongings. He only leaves his bed made since he, technically, still has to stay a couple more weeks in the dorms.
Now free of finals, Luffy puts more effort into his year-long goal of attending every party hosted in the University. He tries to convince Zoro to go, but he's seriously over the whole party jig. He only wants to sleep and maybe drink a beer. He can do that in his own room, thank you very much.
"You're no fun!" Luffy complains but in the end, leaves alone.
Zoro uses the quiet to his advantage and pushes his bed and Luffy's together to make one large bed. He turns on the projector Luffy bought a couple of months ago and connects it to his laptop and settles for a night of binge watching Spartacus on Netflix in just weatpants, a bowl of popcorn and a beer in his hand. Man, he would have made a badass Spartan.
A knock on his door distracts him and he clicks pause halfway through the ninth episode.
"I'm coming," he huffs when the knocking comes again, this time louder. "What do you—Sanji?"
"Hey, marimo," Sanji says nervously, running a hand through his hair.
Zoro simply stares at him, shocked and surprised. Sanji is not wearing his regular suit, opting for a simple pair of jeans and a SGA t-shirt. "Uh, hey," he finally stammers out.
"Can I come in?" Sanji asks, startling him into movement.
"Uh, yeah," Zoro says quickly, moving back to let him walk in. "Sorry, I was just watching—."
"Porn?" Sanji asks, his gaze on the projected screen on the wall.
"What!?" Zoro exclaims, cursing when he sees he paused on a sex scene. "Shit, no. It's Spartacus."
"So, soft porn," Sanji corrects and it takes a minute for Zoro to realize that he's joking.
"Mostly," Zoro agrees and Sanji snickers. But it only lasts a moment, and then it's back to awkward silence.
There's a thousand questions clamoring for attention in Zoro's mind, but his mouth is too dry to form any of the words. What is Sanji doing here? What does he want? Why did he ignore Zoro for so long? Is he still trying to get with Law?
"Look, Zoro, I just—."
"You said my name."
"What?" Sanji frowns in confusion, staring at him.
"My name," Zoro repeats, still a little bit in shock. "I didn't think you knew my name."
Sanji's frown deepens and he looks at Zoro strangely. "Why wouldn't I know your name? We've had a class together since the seventh grade."
"We…have?" He only remembers Sanji in high school. Sophomore year to be exact, since that was the day Zoro accidentally threw a basketball at the blond during the gym and ignited their first fight.
"This was a really bad idea," Sanji mutters, clearly just to himself.
"No, wait—just…why are you here?" Zoro asks curiously.
"I just wanted to apologize," Sanji says firmly, his words coming out as if he'd rehearsed them in advance. "For the way I treated you."
"Oh. You don't have to apologize," Zoro says quickly. "I offered." Sanji shakes his head but doesn't say anything else. Zoro swallows a question but a completely different one—but not less important—spills out. "Are you okay?"
Sanji looks up and meets his gaze for the first time since he walked in. "Me? Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Zoro pressures. "I wanted to talk to you when Law—."
"Why do you even worry?" Sanji interrupts suddenly, his voice derisive. "Why did you even offer? Why do you even care?
"I…" Shit, this is dangerous territory. He can't let Sanji know how he feels, especially not know. "You were crying," he says simply, honestly. "And you're a good person. You deserve to be happy."
"Stop saying that," Sanji growls, surprising Zoro. "I'm not a good person—you don't even fucking know me!"
Zoro blinks and opens his mouth, only slightly hesitating on his next words. "I know you. We're friends, right?"
Instead of answering, Sanji strikes out, his attack powerful enough to knock Zoro on his back. He groans in pain but before he can get up the blond jumps on him, his hands quickly wrapping around his wrists to hold him down, his entire weight pinning him.
"What—?"
His protest is cut short by the blond's lips on him. Zoro gasps in surprise at the feel of the soft, slightly chapped lips and Sanji takes advantage to lick his way in. Zoro groans when the wet organ drags over the roof of his mouth, sending shivers down his spine and directly into his groin.
"We're not friends," Sanji whispers, stopping the kiss. "You're such an idiot; you never even realized."
"Sanji," Zoro gasps out, shuddering when the blond bites at the tendon on his neck, his hips grinding down against Zoro's. What the hell is going on? "What are you—?"
"It's not Law that I like," Sanji murmurs in his ear, his words followed by the downright filthy suck the cook gives to his earrings. "I didn't even know you could be that fucking naïve."
Zoro jerks in surprise when he feels Sanji's hand sneak down his torso, his finger dragging over his bare naked skin and leaving red marks behind, until he reaches the waist band of his pants.
"So easily manipulated," Sanji hisses and his hand explores lower, gripping him through the thick material of his sweats and ripping a soft moan out of him. "I knew you were kind, but to let yourself be used? Tell me, Zoro…would a good person trick you like I did?"
"You didn't use me," Zoro manages to say, but his voice dies out in a loud moan when Sanji bites his Adam's apple, his hand tightening around his erection.
"Why would you say if I told you I've dreamt of kissing you?" Sanji groans and leaves a trail of wet bruises behind as he explores he expanse of Zoro's neck with his lips and teeth.
Zoro is honestly too fucking turned on to answer, his brain shutting down after understanding that Sanji likes him.
"Of touching you?" Sanji continues. "Dreamt of you just like this, underneath me, hard and begging for me to fuck you? Or that I've touched myself to the thought of you inside me, fucking myself on fingers and coming with your name on my lips? You cannot imagine how fucking filthy my dreams can get."
He grinds down hard on Zoro again, his breath hitching when their clothed erections rub against each other. Zoro groans and the rest of his blood rushes down when Sanji rolls his hips and digs his fingers into his pecs. Sanji meets his eyes and they're just as black as his, his blue irises pushes into a tiny sliver around his pupil by his lust.
His grip slackens and Zoro immediately surges up, wrapping his arms around the blond's narrow waist and bucking up into his delicious heat. He almost comes right then and there when Sanji cries out and grips his shoulders tightly, his back arching in pleasure.
"I'd say we've been having the same dreams," Zoro says, answering Sanji's rhetorical question. He takes a quick second to appreciate the shocked and surprised expression in Sanji's face before he tugs him down by the hair into a second kiss, this one as greedy and ravening as the first one.
The kiss distracts Sanji enough that he doesn't stop Zoro from standing up with the blond in his arms, only breaking apart when Zoro dumps him in the bed and tugs off Sanji's shirt.
"Wait," Sanji gasps out, body shuddering underneath Zoro's fingers. He twists and bites his lip when Zoro drags his fingers over his nipples, but trudges on. "Since when?"
Zoro shrugs and works on Sanji's belt, the task a little daunting in the face of his eagerness. "Junior year in high school. You?"
"Freshman," Sanji mutters and tugs him up for a kiss.
They don't do much but kiss and touch each other. They want to—fuck, how Zoro wants to—but Zoro doesn't have condoms or lube. But it really doesn't matter, because this isn't a onetime deal. Zoro gets to spill all of his secrets out, tell Sanji how much he wants him, how fucking perfect he is, how he hasn't been able to look away since that faithful summer afternoon back in high school.
And Sanji reveals his secrets as well—from his decision to trick Zoro into dating him to his fear of rejection up to the moment when Zoro kissed him back.
They talk all night, sweaty and stained, but satisfied and content. They talk about each other and they talk about school. They talk about time wasted and the time to come. They talk about stupid stuff that doesn't even make any sense but who cares when Sanji is in his arms, bare and satiated, his skin peppered with Zoro's marks?
And when morning comes, Luffy sneaks in and stops at the sight of a naked, sleeping Sanji resting his head on Zoro's chest.
"My bad, Luffy," Zoro murmurs, feeling just a bit guilty since he is laying on Luffy's bed. He doesn't even want to start thinking about how dirty the covers are.
"That's fine," Luffy shrugs easily. "I'll crash at Usopp's place. Oh, and Zoro?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm glad you two figured things out," Luffy says, grinning. "Sanji's a good guy."
Zoro stares at his best friend in stunned silence, wondering just how much Luffy knows. This is not the first time, and will probably not be the last, that Luffy surprises him with his perception. It's rare, but it does happen.
"I know," he finally answers, looking down at Sanji. "He's a really good guy."