In the Crisp of Fall
Summary: In the midst of fall Sanji helps a homeless man and his son. Soon enough he's engrossed in the stranger and his one too many secrets.
In the meantime Luffy makes his way into Law's carefully built world and reminds him life is meant to be lived. ZoSan, LawLu and others.
Author's Note: Hey, everyone, this is my new story!
For those of you who're reading my other One Piece fanfic The Bet, you already know I like complex AUs, lots of buildup and exploring the thoughts and motivations of the characters. The pacing here will be a little bit faster but there will still be many elements to the story. The overall tone will be a mix of romance, drama, some flecks of angst and humour as well.
The main pairings will be ZoSan and LawLu of course but there will be many characters and pairs added, among which NamixVivi, AcexMarco, etc.
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Damsel in Distress
Sanji took a lazy puff off his cigarette once he was done preparing the pumpkin dessert at hand. He eyed his creation smugly and imagined the clients savoring every bite of it, it was a nice prospect, one of the reason he loved his job.
He was on his way of exiting the kitchen and heading for the saloon to hand it over to the lovely ladies at Table 3 when he stopped dead in his tracks. There was a loud crash that came from the back alley of the restaurant.
"I'll go check out what's up in the back alley!" the chef swore under his breath as he put down the dish and shouted over to his subordinate to serve it while he headed towards the exit to check whatever was going on before dashing off in the direction of the crash.
Sanji half expected to find some homeless dog chasing a cat but instead he spotted a tall and muscular man, seemingly his age.
His vibrant green hair crashed starkly against the monotone gray of the town and made the blonde raise an eyebrow. It wasn't a sight he saw every day.
The stranger didn't seem to notice him as he inspected the contents of the trash can. Something in Sanji's chest constricted at the sight as a train of memories ran through his head.
The lid of the trash can lay discarded aside and he tied the dots, realizing what caused the crash.
Sanji took a better look at the man, he was obviously homeless but he had to wonder what landed him in that position.
He was in a surprisingly good form, strong muscles only highlighted by the thin material of his T-shirt.
The stranger was on inch or so taller than him but much more beef.
His jeans were torn as well and not in a fashion manner, his sneaker seemed to have seen better days, probably a decade or so ago. The most interesting detail about the other was his short, green hair which stood nicely against tan skin which barred a few scars.
Sanji tried very hard to ignore the way defined muscles rippled in his back and instead took a hesitant step in his direction.
"Hey!" Sanji cried out before he could stop himself. Something about the whole encounter made his heart constrict and he knew he had to do something.
The stranger turned around to face him and Sanji was surprised by the handsome face that stared back at him.
"You don't own the garbage can, prick." The homeless man shot back as he lowered his one remaining eye at him and the chef read the fury written behind the steel grey of his iris.
He could feel his own quick temper flare and had to stop himself from waving his fist at the other. Instead he took a quick step towards him, so that they were facing off.
"No, but you shouldn't come here crashing stuff, scaring the clients. Especially not the ladies."
The homeless man snorted, a low throaty laugh escaping his lips.
Sanji didn't miss the madness that flashed behind the other's one remaining eye, the way his laughter reeked of cynicism.
For all he knew the other could very well be dangerous. Still, he was more than capable of handling trouble and wouldn't have an issue kicking some sense into him.
"Piss off, rich boy," the other hissed, baring his teeth at him like a mad dog, "I just want some fucking food. I bet you throw away a ton of it."
Sanji was ready to slam the lid of the trash can in his face, the words making him red with anger. If only he knew how untrue his words were.
The chef swore mentally before fishing for a cigarette through his pockets, in a last attempt to calm himself before doing something he'd regret.
The other was homeless and he could see the hunger written all over his face. His anger sizzled down and was replaced by duty. He'd promised a long time ago he'd help any starving soul. Being an asshole didn't make one an exception to the rule.
Sanji quickly dug through his pockets, in a desperate search for some cigs. It was a coping mechanism, a relic of his past that he couldn't part way with.
He inhaled some smoke and let it lift his spirits a bit. He had to be the better man and help the other out, otherwise how was he any different from the trash whose name he had stamped over himself?
"Oi, what's your name?" Sanji asked while the other was sticking his head into the trash can unceremoniously.
"None of your fucking business, fancy pants."
The blonde gritted his teeth, this would be more difficult than he thought.
"You won't find food in the trash can since we don't throw out any."
The poor man turned around to face him and he had an incredulous look over his face, "Scrapes of your food too good for the bin or some shit?"
The chef felt his patience wear thin, "You know what, go fuck yourself!" he screamed to which the other seemed unimpressed.
"I was trying to give you some food here but you're too much of an ass to realize it."
The stranger threw him a scrutinizing look before bursting out laughing, "Pff, as if I'd believe that! All you rich folk care about is yourself and your nice shit!"
Sanji felt a jab at being called rich folk as it hit a little too close to home, not that the other had a way of knowing it. Before he could say anything the green haired man had already kicked the lid of the bin and left.
The chef stared at his retrieving back, swearing under his breath. He could already feel the last ambers of anger in his chest dissipating and being replaced by guilt.
He quickly went back in the kitchen but didn't feel nearly as content with his expensive creations or the extravagant clientele that snapped pictures of it before uploading in on Instagram, in search for likes for their belated egos.
He noticed most of them didn't even bother finishing the meal, being content by the mere pictures of it and the likes that followed.
Sanji sighed, suddenly feeling strangely out of place in his own safe heaven.
xxx
By the next day Sanji had almost forgotten about the whole incident though there was still the lingering air of guilt that followed him around.
It was in the late evening when he spotted the stranger once again, the splash of green catching his attention immediately.
The other was crossing over the street, clad in the same clothes as yesterday. There was however something different.
He was holding the hand of what appeared to be a kid, not older than the age of five.
The chef's pale blue eyes widened in shock as the implications of the sight caught up with him.
"Shit!" he swore under his breath as guilt washed over him like a wave.
Before he could think it through he flew out of the restaurant, grateful it was already late in the day and there weren't many clients left.
The chill autumn air made him shiver ever so slightly as the wind beat against the thin, silky material of his shirt. Still, he couldn't even imagine how the other felt in nothing but a T-shirt, not to mention the kid.
He jogged across the street as he called for the stranger.
The other seemed to recognize his voice from the other day as he reluctantly turned around once he'd caught up to them, suddenly grateful he'd always been a fast runner .
"Is that your kid?" Sanji blurted out before he could stop himself to which the other shot him an angry glare.
"No, I stole him from the market over there." He deadpanned, words drenched in sarcasm.
Sanji ignored the remark and instead took a better look at the kid- a short, skinny boy wearing a thin jacket that was at least twice the size of what he needed. He had long light brown hair that fell messily around his round face, partially covered by a greasy, worn out beanie.
His face was pale but his eyes were grey (like his father's) and more intelligent than those of the average five year old.
"My name's Chopper," the kid said enthusiastically, raising one tiny hand as a greeting, a small smile dancing over his lips.
"I'm Sanji Black." The chef explained as he returned the handshake.
"Chopper, you know you shouldn't talk to strangers. Especially not the pretentious ones." The homeless man pointed out, voice flat but still baring anger.
"Here me out, Marimo."
The man raised an eyebrow, apparently not catching the reference. Sanji's lips curled into a smile, he wondered if he'd ever have the chance to explain it to him.
"I ran after you cause I want to offer you a meal at my place," he explained, pointing in the direction of his French restaurant All Blue.
The homeless man broke into laughter, a law and throaty sound that reeked of cynicism.
Still, it was a good sound Sanji had to admit.
"You crazy or some shit? We can't allow a piece of bread and you're here offering us to pay for some fancy French dish with a name I can't pronounce?"
"You shouldn't swear in front of you son," Sanji pointed out, matter of factly.
"Oh, he's heard worse by better people."
"And I meant for free." The chef added, not missing how Chopper's eyes widened in a moment of pure childish happiness at the prospect of a meal.
"Daddy, please let's go there!" he cried out, tugging at the man's large, calloused hand as he shot him a pleading look.
The stranger seemed hesitant but his one remaining eye softened at the sight of his son. He ruffled his bangs lovingly before sighing in the end.
"You'd better not be messing with me, curly brow!" he threatened as they headed in the direction of the All Blue.
Sanji was so happy they'd accepted the offer that he almost let the insult about his eyebrows slip. Almost.
Author's Note: So what did you think of the first chapter?
What are your thoughts on Sanji and Zoro's roles in this fic? And what about Chopper?
By the way, yes, Law and Luffy, as well as the rest of the gang will be part of this in a few chapters!
Please share your thoughts on Zoro and Sanji's "meet cute"!