HEY

"You can't keep ignoring me forever, Zoro!"

When Zoro walked into his apartment, he felt the Cook's presence even before he turned on the lights and saw him there; sitting on the table, dangling his feet carelessly like a bored child, humming an unrecognizable tune. Zoro sighed and pointedly avoided eye contact as he slid past Sanji on his way to the sink to wash his hand.

"Finally!" whined Sanji. "Do you have any idea how bored I was? Also I'm pretty sure something died in your bathroom. The stench is unbearable. What did you have for breakfast to leave something like that down there,Seriously, can't you smell it? Don't you have manner Marimo?"

When Zoro didn't respond in any way and casually wiped his hands before opening the fridge and taking out a beer.

"No, I don't drink.. u know I don't like Booz, but thanks for asking," whispered Sanji, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. "Anyway… Hey. How was your day? Ate anything mention-worthy? Do you still go to the Dojo? What about my lovely Robin-cwan and Nami-swan how are they? How is it with your new sword move? well anything?"

Zoro rubbed his temple and took out another Booze before closing the fridge and heading to the bedroom.

"You can't keep ignoring me forever, Marimo!" he heard through the closed door.

Oh yes, he could. And he fully intended to.

Before Sanji decided to "hang out," for the lack of better expression, at his place, Zoro hadn't seen him for two weeks. They had their thing for a while, which was more than nice, with lots of orgasms and pizza, and it ended. Suddenly? Sure. In tears? You bet. But no harm done, shit like that happened every day to everyone. Especially to Zoro.

So he went on with his life because he was more than used to those kinds of situations. He moved on like a pro and that was why he wouldn't cave in. He wouldn't talk back – he was better than this, stronger. No matter what Sanji would say to him, day after day, Wade would just drink another beer in silence.

"Have you visited Zeff lately? The old man probably worried about you . You were really close to him beside me. He really liked you, you know?"

"Did you know that Ace had a more freckles ? Of course you knew, with how you two were sneaking behind all of our backs with your secret bromance. Why didn't you tell me? I could have been teasing him about it for months!"

"I miss the way you used to look at me. You don't look at me like that anymore. You don't look at me at all. What do you want me to do? Leave? That's what you want? I don't believe you. I left you for two weeks, and look what happened to you. You're a mess. More of a mess than usual even. When was the last time you had anything except booze in your Hand? Zoro, look at me. Look at me dammit!"

"Are you mad that I came back?"

Zoro did eventually cave in after a week of… that. Of Sanji's constant presence, his unyielding determination during the day and silent sobs in the night.

"Hey," muttered Sanji without much expectations; it was just something he did every day, he greeted Zoro when he came back home from training.

"Hey."

Zoro watched Sanji's face light up like a fucking Christmas tree and he grimaced. Truth be told, that wasn't supposed to happen. He had no idea what made him talk back but he did and it was too late to go back. He would hate himself for that later.

Sanji leapt off the table with that disgustingly happy grin on his face and reached out for Zoro, only to stop his arm mid-air, as if realizing only now that he couldn't do that, and clenched his fist before letting in fall against his side.

"Hey," he repeated searching Zoro's face.

Zoro sighed and shook his head, reaching for Booze like he had been doing every day he got home, but this time he turned around to see Sanji bite his lip with worry. He wanted to ask if he wanted some, but that would be too weak and pathetic, even for him.

"Why are you here, Sanji?" he asked instead.

Sanji blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? You're… you know." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "You're the only one. The only one who- you know."

"Am I now. Sucks to be you."

He was lying on his back in his bed, arm thrown across his face as if it would make Sanji curled up next to him disappear. He could feel his eyes on him, touching his body like his hands used to. Both of them released a tired hopeless sighs almost at the exact same moment, but they were way past giggling and calling jinx. Zoro sighed again and turned to his side to face Sanji. He was a bit surprised, if the soft gasp he let out was anything to go by, but he didn't break the eye contact; he was looking at Zoro with his mouth o-shaped and his chest heaving.

"I want you to leave," said Zoro.

"You want me to sleep on the couch again? But it's so uncomfortable, come on!"

"No, I want you to leave my place. Me. I want you to leave me alone."

Sanji frowned in that adorkable way of his, and Zoro's chest started to hurt. "But why?"

"I'm crazy enough without you here Baka-Cook. Just go."

He turned to his other side and closed his eyes, praying that sleep would come, not faster, but at all.

"You're still here."

Sanji was sitting on the kitchen counter, legs and arms crossed, pouting. "I'm not going anywhere."

Zoro had been sighing entirely too much those days. But he was exhausted and he didn't have any will to fight, the urge to sigh or anything else for that matter. Sanji was right, he was a mess. Training from morning till night and drink booze all the time But his presence certainly wasn't helping. Zoro willed himself to snort and he opened the fridge. It was quite unsurprisingly empty,the booze he stock is out. He cursed under his breath and started checking the pouches for money.

Sanji cleared his throat, clearly displeased with being ignored again. Zoro looked at him reluctantly and smiled bitterly.

"Fine. So I'll go. I'm too tired for this, Sanji, I really am. I can't have you here, it's too painful. If it makes me a coward or scum or whatever, be it. But I can't take it anymore. If you want to stay, I'll leave."

"I'll follow you."

"No, you won't. All Blue is your City and we both know you won't leave it, no matter how lonely you are."

Sanji gritted his teeth and gripped the counter with his hands, refusing to look at Zoro. Zoro wasn't expecting to see tears in his eyes. Futile anger, maybe. Desperation perhaps. But what he saw, when Sanji finally lifter his head and looked at Zoro, was acceptance. Understanding. Permission. He smiled to himself and went out to the store.

Zoro was packing with Sanji hovering over him, rocking on the balls of his feet with his arms behind his back. None of them talked since morning, not even Sanji who spent the previous night apologizing to Zoro, believing he was asleep.

"I saw Zeff today," Zoro suddenly blurted out.

"Yeah?" Sanji sounded dejected and bitter but also, somehow, mildly amused. "How is the old man?"

"Old."

Sanji hummed as Zoro was checking the drawers for anything he might have left behind. When he was sure he was ready to go, he looked at Sanji.

"I told him I was leaving and he kick me in the head. Not because he was mad I didn't eat in the baratie this past week, he was angry for not telling him sooner. He wanted to pack me some food. He's truly a Great father figure."

Sanji's face was a painting of conflicted emotions, of pain and joy, of relief and hope. "Stop crying, you idiot," he said around a choked-out laugh.

Zoro nodded and wiped his face. "He left beautiful flowers on your grave."

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