…Don't you ever say I just walked away, I will always love you…
If he was fast enough, if he could break his fall, if he could walk on air, if he could stop time, if he could, if he simply could man up and speak up for himself… If he might tell him…
But he was just a stargazer, lost in his daydreams, a nakama, a childish prude, nobody…
When did he ever hit that hard in love? Why him? Why now?
Blonde hair, dusty and dull, stained with blood and dirt and gunpowder.
Mind to frantic to focus, eyes squeezed shut, burning with tears, hadn't the captain told him to look after his nakama, to prevent him from getting lost?
Luffy did, and he messed up! Gloriously.
"I'm screwed, so damn screwed…", he whispered to himself. How could he meet his captains' eyes when he knew that their Vice was missing? That he was responsible for him being gone?
XXX
It all started so normal, so easy. Just a bar, a few drinks, some comfort in each others' company, but then it happened. She came in. Shortest skirt he had ever seen her in, and he fell for her, like he always did, as if he could resist…
"Nami-swan! You are BEAUTIFUL, say do you like me, do you love me, because I do, did I mention you're beautiful, so pretty, you're looking so good tonight, say did you come here to spend your precious time with me?", he babbled.
"No I didn't and now shut up, will you. Luffy send me, told me I should tell you he wants more meat in the fridge and that you are responsible for bringing back Zoro to the ship Don't let him get lost again. The Logpose will have its new course tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. We can't spend more time on this island! Well that's it; I'm going back to the sunny. Lysop is busy updating my Clima – Tact, can't wait for the outcome, so bye", she said and waved.
"Hey, hey, Namichan, let me walk you back to the sunny, it'll be much saver for you this way", he said and offered his arm to her. Nami gave it a thought, than took his arm and started walking. "And you, marimo, don't get lost while I'm gone, you're listening, douche bag?" Sanji yelled over his shoulder. Zoro shrugged and stated: "What so ever shit cook!" and with that said cook was out of sight.
Sanji walked Nami back to the Sunny, enmeshing her all the way. But Nami didn't buy that, in front of the Sunny she pulled him close and gave him one serious look: "Listen Sanji, if you want him, get him tonight, or otherwise Robin will do it. Understood?" Sanji swallowed. "Yeah…" he replied. "Well fine then", Nami cheered and hugged him tightly. "Thanks for walking me back. Don't forget the extra meat. Good night!" and with that she hopped on board and left Sanji alone in the middle of the silent dark bay.
XXX
It took him 10 minutes to walk back to the bar, but when he arrived the front door was hanging ajar, the whole establishment was blown up and the green haired Swordsman was nowhere to be seen. "Zoro, OI, Zoro", he yelled, but said nakama didn't respond. Someone cleared his throat behind him, Sanji spun around hoping to face his marimo, but it was only an old hag. Sanji grimaced at the old woman, but asked: "What is it?" "You're looking for the green haired Swordsman, aren't you?"She asked, "He's been taken hostage by a group of mountain thieves. They poisoned his rum with sleeping pills, tried to take him away, but he defended himself quite well…"she said nodding to herself. "And then? Go on!" Sanji demanded. "Well then they pumped a barrel of lead into him and dragged him out into the streets, blew up the whole bar. I bet they want to collect his bounty…Bet they are at their hideout, 30 minutes outside the town, up on the cliff…" she ended.
Sanji thanked the old woman and made his way towards the cliff, after 20 minutes he could hear them. Voices, cheering and celebrating their victory and he saw blood on the ground, a small smear turning into a bright, thick trail… Zoro had to be in an awful state! He was drugged and badly injured! His nakama needed his help, NOW. He had to speed up, he had to catch up, he had to help him, save him, he had to… Sanji didn't see the blow coming, but he felt it, as the fist collided with his skull and he hit the concrete… Through the pain he heard laughing and the clatter of weapons. And he felt eyes on him, many eyes staring at him, the prey. No he won't make it that easy for them. In a smooth motion he was back on his feet and kicked 2 of his opponents into their guts, sending them flying.
"Where is Zoro? Where is my nakama?" he asked angrily. "Don't worry I'll take you there!"A big brute said and lunged at him. The blonde saw that coming and dodged the attack, but he couldn't see the movement behind him the only thing he felt was a sharp pain in his back, close to his spine. One look over his shoulder and he knew what was going on. The asshole behind him had stabbed him with a knife and was now tearing his back up towards his head.
"Hey, don't kill him! Alive his bounty is way much higher! It's worse enough the other one killed 5 of our best men, plus, he cut of the arm of our boss", the brute said. So Zoro wasn't injured, that lucky bastard, one thing less to worry about, Sanji thought. Right at this moment he was knocked unconscious.
He stirred awake when someone was poking his side. "Ah, thought so, well don't worry it's not that bad you can still get him you know young one… No need to worry the wound isn't fatal, it's just skin deep and ugly… So get up, get up! Make them pay…" "What the hell…", Sanji murmured while he stared at the old hag, who was poking his side with her cane and chanting in a constant, unnerving tone. "Wait… didn't you tell me they shot him?" "Did I? Oh I think I've mixed it up with the guy from last week…Sorry" "God… you…But wait…Why didn't they take me with them?" he asked. "'Cause they said it wasn't you on this wanted poster", she replied while shoving said poster in his face. It took some time for the information to sink in, but when it finally hit his grey matter he felt relief bubbling up in his chest. Many times he had cursed the ugly portrait on the wanted poster labeled as Black Leg Sanji, but this time, he was more than grateful that he and his wanted poster were no look-alike. He got back on his feet, his head and back still hurting. "Which way?" he asked. "There" the woman said and pointed south. "Well then let's go", Sanji thought and ran off.
XXX
Only five minutes later he was standing in front of the cliff, a nearly 500 feet high, massive natural wall of concrete rock. No way to get up there and while he was glancing up the wall he saw it. Those bastards! They had have hung him! Zoros' body was dangling up there, 500 feet high in the air, from a thin rope. "Zoro!", Sanji nearly screamed. The Swordsman stared at him, a silent warning: Don't get close idiot! But it was too late, somewhere from far behind the arrow swooshed by and hit the rope, made it snap and the gravity did the rest. "I'm screwed, so damn screwed…", he whispered to himself. How could he meet his captains' eyes when he knew that their Vice was missing? That he was responsible for him being gone? Panic flooded his veins, his mind was too frantic to focus, his eyes squeezed shut, burning with tears, hadn't the captain told him to look after his nakama, to prevent him from getting lost? Luffy did, and he messed up! Gloriously. Sanji scolded himself. He had to make it in time! After being paralyzed for a millisecond, Sanji finally reacted and started towards the falling male. If he was only fast enough, if he could break his fall, if he could only walk on air, if he could only stop time…
"ZORO!"
He stumbled, found himself falling to the ground feet kicking high into the air, but miraculously he didn't fall, he was still moving forward, he could make it, could save his nakama. One last powerful step, one last jump and he had him in his arms. "Gotcha!", he said triumphantly as they landed on the ground, slightly injured.
"Man, shit cook, that one was close, I could've died!" Zoro muttered while Sanji squatted in front of him, untying his bonds. "Will you shut up marimo, if you wouldn't have taken their drink, you wouldn't have ended up here!" "If you wouldn't have played gentleman again and walked Nami back to the ship nothing would have happened at all!" Zoro answered. "Shut up, will you? I'm not your babysitter, you can think for yourself, or do you even get lost in your own brain?" "Say that again shit cook!" "Stupid marimo!" "Undo my bonds and we can fight it out!", Zoro threatened him."Shut up, as if I would lose to you, you can't make me buy that, moss-head." "Make me Mr. lovey - dovey oven cloth!"
"Listen Sanji, if you want him, get him tonight, or otherwise Robin will do it. Understood?" Nami had said… Sanji was sitting in front of him, stopping mid-motion whilst untying his bonds… If he simply could man up and speak up for himself… If he could only tell him…But he was just a stargazer, lost in his daydreams, a nakama, a childish prude, nobody…When did he ever hit that hard in love? Why him? Why now?
"Oi Sanji, what's wrong, undo these fetters, will you, oi, you listening or what, Sanji!" "Say Zoro", Sanji began while lighting up a smoke, "do you like Robin?" Zoros' jaw folded down and he stared at his nakama, as if he was Rob Lucci wearing Mr. 2s coat. "Whaddayamean", he stammered. "Just asking, you know…She is a beautiful woman…" Sanji said, finishing his cigarette. Zoro still looked at him, as if he was crazy, but then it began to dawn on him, that damn shitty cook liked him! While Sanji undid his bonds he made a decision. "Yeah, I like Robin", he said as soon as Sanji bend over his shoulder to have a better view of the knot. The blonde stopped, "Oh I see…" "Yeah, she's nice and all, but I'm not into black-haired woman." "Ah okay" Sanji mumbled still fumbling with the rope, enjoying the nearness of Zoro. "I like you", Zoro stated. At this moment the knot loosened and the rope slid to the ground. In one swift movement Zoro grabbed the cooks' thin waist and pulled him in his lap, holding him close. "What the hell, stop it, will you, don't do and say something like that", Sanji shrieked. "Stop struggling, otherwise I can't do this…" "What?" Sanji asked and looked Zoro directly into his eyes. "This" the Swordsman said and kissed him. Sanji was surprised, but then he melted into the kiss only to break it after a few seconds: "Well…You know I still have to get that extra meat for Luffy…" "Shut up and kiss me. I'll hunt something big enough later on, I promise", Zoro answered and pulled him close again.