Choicely Taxi, an one piece fanfic

A/N: This fic was inspired by [yet another] Japanese drama, and was written for a friend's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Ab!)

Life is a neverending line of crossroads. Everyday, people stand at said crossroads, and make a variety of choices. Such decisions could be insignificant, but they might hold the potential to be life-changing as well. Regardless, once you choose a possible course of action over the other, there is no going back - such is life. However, if it were actually possible to go back to a point of decision, where would you return to?

I am the narrator of this tale of ours, and I have the ability to freely return to people's crossroads, and help them choose an alternative.

Zoro was running late - twenty minutes late, to be exact. He was supposed to have been at the restaurant twenty minutes ago. Sanji was gonna be pissed. Sighing, he continued walking towards the restaurant, fingers hovering over the keys of his keyboard, debating whether to text Sanji now, or just face him when he got to the restaurant. Shaking his head, he pocketed his phone, and just as he rounded a corner, he bumped into another man.

"Sorry."

"No, it's my fault." Zoro apologized, and both of them quickly resumed their pace, in their respective directions. Absentmindedly reaching into his jacket pocket, Zoro ran his fingers along the soft velvet lining the outside of the small box he had, containing the engagement ring he'd purchased weeks earlier. In hopes of finally asking Sanji to marry him after these five long years, Zoro had planned for this day - he'd made reservations at an exotic restaurant that he was sure Sanji would like, rehearsed what he was going to say, and bought the ring. All that was left was to actually propose.

Finally arriving at the restaurant, he pulled his hand out of his pocket, and took a deep breath, before walking up to the door and letting himself in.

START

"Welcome to Alubarna." greeted a tall man with ridiculously large, curled hair that Zoro surely would have found funny had he not been so anxious.

"I had a reservation for 7:00, under the name Roronoa." Zoro said, looking past the man.

"Just a moment please." The man flipped through a book on the stand beside him. "Ah, yes. Roronoa, table for two. Your guest has already arrived." the man said, picking up a menu off a cart. Zoro smiled thinly, and followed the man as he began to lead Zoro to his table. "Sir?" the man spoke tentatively, leaning in.

"Hm?" Zoro found himself unable to really pay attention to the waiter, but could tell that the man was looking him over with something akin to suspicion.

"Have we met somewhere before?" he asked slowly.

"Not that I remember." Zoro said evenly, glancing at the man's hair. He'd definitely remember if he'd met this man before. "Why?"

"Ah, my apologies. I just felt as though I'd met you before." The man bowed slightly, a polite smile replacing the pensive expression, and extended his hand, gesturing to the table before them, Sanji sitting there, unmoving, but clearly pissed. The waiter took his leave, and Zoro gave Sanji a small smile.

"Did I make you wait?" he asked, sitting down.

CHOICE-A

"What time is it now?" Sanji asked, sounding bored, and Zoro was instantly wary.

"7:26..." he answered.

"And what time were we supposed to meet?" He could hear Sanji's foot tapping softly, but impatient, under the table.

"7:00"

"Do you really have to ask to find out if I've been waiting?" the blond asked bluntly.

"No..." Zoro sighed, running a hand through his hair. Fuuuuuuuck...

"I got here five minutes early too, so accurately, I've been waiting thirty one minutes." Sanji added sharply. Zoro scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Right..."

Sanji sighed, sitting back in his chair, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"If you're gonna be late, at least text me letting me know."

"I just thought it'd be more efficient if I headed here-" Zoro began, but was cut off when his boyfriend interjected.

"Why haven't you apologized since getting here?" Sanji demanded suddenly.

"What?"

"You haven't apologized at all, for being late, for making me wait, or anything. When you get here late, shouldn't you apologize first, and then as if I've been waiting?" he muttered.

"You're right. Sorry."

"You don't apologize very often, do you." Sanji reached out and took a sip of his wine, while Zoro looked at him, a mixture of regret, shame, and slight irritation etched across his face.

"I just did." Zoro responded quietly.

"Because I told you to!" the blond snapped.

"I'm sorry. I really am." Zoro bowed his head for a long moment. "But more importantly-" He reached into his pocket, fingers closing in around the small box that lay in his pocket, only to be stopped by Sanji's tone of voice.

"What? What the hell do you mean, 'more importantly-'? You were late, but you're the one going 'more importantly-'?" Sanji asked incredulously.

"I said I'm sorry. I won't make you wait any more." Zoro promised with a barely noticeable but excited smile, his fingers inching towards his pocket once more.

"You've been making me wait all this time." Sanji huffed, making Zoro's smile disappear instantaneously.

"What?"

"Five years. I've been waiting for five years since you told me that you'd make it as an actor." Sanji stated, staring pointedly at his boyfriend. Zoro refrained from rolling his eyes, but sighed exasperatedly.

"This again?" he groaned.

"I don't like arguing over this just as much as you. But when the fuck are you supposed to become some famous actor?" the blond sighed looking at Zoro tiredly.

"I was in that drama not too long ago." Zoro reminded him.

"Yeah, for about five seconds." Sanji scoffed.

"It was ten." Zoro corrected with a frown.

"That doesn't make much difference. All you did was beg for your life, but you ended up dying in five seconds. I told my friends to watch it because my boyfriend was gonna be in it, but afterwards, they called me saying they hadn't seen you. I had to say that I made a mistake with the drama title because I was too embarrassed!" Sanji retorted haughtily, and Zoro clicked his tongue, irked.

"Did you just click your tongue at me?" Sanji asked, anger flaring up. Zoro glared at him, crossing his arms as well.

"I decide to bring you out to a nice dinner, but all you've done since I got here is complain!" Zoro accused indignantly.

"It's your fault for being late!" Sanji exclaimed.

"My being late and the whole drama thing are two different things." Zoro hissed.

"I'm saying you've made me wait on both accounts." Sanji shot back irritably.

"Fuck, okay, I get it. Jesus, give it a break, will you?" Zoro muttered, running a hand down his face. God, what the fuck was with Sanji tonight?

Sanji stood abruptly, and began to walk away.

"Where the hell are you going?" Zoro demanded.

"Bathroom." Sanji replied, tone just as hostile.

The two sat in silence, the only sound from either of them being the sound of silver utensils clinking against their porcelain plates.

"You should eat." Zoro coaxed. Sanji didn't even look up at him while replying.

"I am."

"No, you're not."

"That's not true."

"What are you being so defiant for?"

"I'm not being defiant." Sanji grumbled.

"Then eat."

"I will, just leave me alone."

"What the hell is it with you and your attitude right now?" Zoro demanded.

"Will you just shut up?" Sanji growled, louder than the rest of the restaurant. The room fell silent, eyes of patrons and waiters alike on the two of them. Zoro and Sanji both froze, and slowly, the room went back to normal. They let out a sigh, Zoro running a hand down his face, Sanji putting his utensils down.

"Recently, whenever we meet, all we do is argue." he sighed. Zoro huffed out a bitter laugh in agreement. Sanji looked at him for several long moments, his expression unreadable. "We should break up." The sarcastic smirk dropped from Zoro's face in an instant.

"What?"

"I think we should. We just don't belong together." Sanji sighed, looking away and refusing to meet Zoro's eyes.

"What the hell are you saying?"

"You hate it too, don't you? Being with someone who just complains all the damn time. I don't like complaining all the time either. You'd probably be better off with some kind, compliant person." Sanji sighed removing the napkin from his lap and standing up.

"Wait a sec," Zoro stammered, getting up as well, blocking Sanji's path.

"Thanks for everything until now." Sanji said flatly, and stepped around Zoro.

"Wait-" Zoro tried, mind racing to think of something to say, something to make Sanji reconsider.

"Goodbye." Sanji uttered shortly, walking away briskly without a look back at Zoro. It took Zoro a moment before he began to go after him.

Zoro stared after him for a second before following.

"Wait, Sanji-" He bumped into a waiter carrying a glass of wine as he tried to go after him, and the red alcohol spilled all over the front of his shirt.

"Sir, I am so sorry!" the waiter apologized, panicking.

"I-It's fine." Zoro said quickly, brushing past him. Sanji was getting further and further away from him. "Sanji!"

"Sir, I sincerely apologize for this!" The man with the weird hair was back with a napkin, dabbing at Zoro's chest. "I cannot apologize enough-"

"It's fine really, I-" Zoro began.

A look of realization came to the man's face.
"I remember now! You were the victim in the latest episode of The Criminal Detective! I'm a fan of that drama."

"Yeah, I was...um...yeah." Zoro replied, trying to get past him.

"Ah, how could I have forgotten? Your performance, despite it being only three seconds, was superb!" the man said, beaming.

"Ten seconds." Zoro pushed past the man with a forced smile, and dashed out after Sanji.

"Could I get your signat- Sir? Sir!"

Sprinting out of the restaurant, Zoro caught up with Sanji on the sidewalk, grabbing his arm.

"Sanji!"

"Let me go!" Sanji ordered, trying to escape Zoro's grip to no avail.

"Just listen to what I have to say!" Zoro pleaded, earning a hard shove from his boyfriend.

"Get away from me!"

Suddenly, there was a bright light shining in their faces.

"Sirs? Is there something wrong?" Two policemen approached them, the light from the flashlight shutting off with an audible click.

"Not at all." Sanji said, heading to the street.

"Wait, Sanji-" Zoro tried to follow, but was stopped by one of the officers. "Look, I don't have time to-" Zoro tried to push past the man, and watched as Sanji got into a taxi, which quickly drove away. Cursing under his breath, Zoro shoved the policeman away, and ran after the car. "Sanji!"
Spotting an available taxi parked on the side of the road, Zoro rushed over, jumped in the back, and leaned forward towards the driver.
"Chase that t-...car." he said pointing to the taxi Sanji had gotten into.

"Alright." the driver hummed, putting the car in gear and pulling away from the curb, taking off after the car in front of them. "Please make sure to fasten your seatbelt. Safety first."

Zoro made a sound of acknowledgement, sitting back in his seat, pulling out his phone.

Please rethink this. he sent to Sanji.

"Yohohohohohoho. You've done something terrible."

"Hm?" Zoro barely glanced up at the driver - he really didn't have the patience for a conversation with this guy. And the man's laugh was fucking weird.

"What you just said. 'Chase that car.' " the driver chirped, his voice already rubbing Zoro the wrong way.

"What about it.?" Zoro grunted, glaring at the back of the man's head. Or rather, back of the man's afro. His driver was sporting the largest afro he'd ever seen, and a little top hat balancing on it. And... Was the man wearing sunglasses? At night?

"You said 'Chase that t-...car.' " he said amusedly. Zoro stared at the man, not quite understanding. "You were trying to say 'Chase that car.', but said 'Chase that t-...car.' instead. Could it be you were going to say 'taxi' instead of 'car'? That's why you ended up saying 'Chase that t-...car.'?" What point was this guy trying to make?

"Does it really matter?" Zoro asked slowly.

"No, no, not at all." the man said cheerfully. Rolling his eyes, he looked back down at his phone, anxious for a reply.

"But it's a line that you don't very well get to say every day, now is it? So dramatic, as though it came straight out of a drama." This fucking driver was getting on Zoro's nerves. "You may never get a chance to say it again, but you messed it up. It's quite a shame."

"Does it really matter?" Zoro pointed out.

"No, it doesn't. But won't you regret it? It's one of those things you'll think about looking back on tonight. 'Why the hell did I have to say "Chase that t-...car."?' and you might feel rather embarrassed about it." the man persisted.

"Could you be quiet? Please?" Zoro growled. He didn't have time for this shit.

"Oh, of course. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm sure you won't regret it." the driver said apologetically. Zoro shook his head with a quiet sigh, eyes darting back down to his phone.

"But you'll probably regret what happened with your boyfriend tonight." the man sighed nonchalantly.

"What?"

"The car you've asked me to go after - it's the taxi your boyfriend got into, is it not?" The driver peered over his shoulder at Zoro with a smirk that Zoro could only describe as smug.

"How do you know?"

"He came out of the restaurant, you followed out to bring him back inside, he shakes you off, gets into a cab, then you also get into a cab, and go after him. No matter how you look at it, you're a couple in the middle of an argument." the man said, turning back to the road. Zoro's silence was enough confirmation for the driver.

"Did you do something wrong?" the man inquired. Zoro shifted uncomfortably, not entirely willing to admit that he had indeed done something wrong. "Were you cheating?"

"No way. I was late getting to the restaurant that we promised to meet at." Zoro mumbled.

"Would he really be that upset from just that?" the man wondered aloud.

"Well, there was a bunch of stuff going on before that as well." he huffed, definitely not willing to elaborate on everything that had lead up to this.

"Ah, so as a result of everything building up, what happened tonight just made everything blow up, did it?" the driver said knowingly.

"I...guess you could say that." Zoro sighed. "If I had just apologized, this wouldn't have happened."

"Ah. You really ought to, you know." the driver chided, and Zoro rolled his eyes.

"I will. Properly, this time. That's why I'm going after him. Could you hurry?" he asked, leaning forward to peer out the windsheild.

"I don't know about that." the driver said with an uncertain tilt of his head.

"What?"

"I'm very sorry to say, but with this distance between us and the taxi your boyfriend is in is a little too far to catch up to at this point." he pointed out.

"You've got to be fucking with me. C'mon." Zoro pestered.

"Even if you say that..."

"Just go faster!"

"But I've already lost sight of them." the driver said, pointing a long, bony finger down the street, and Zoro saw that there was no sign of the taxi in sight.

"What the fuck- You're kidding." Zoro leaned further forward, grabbing the man's shoulder.

"I'm not."

"Speed up and find them!"

"It can't be helped. Safety comes first." the driver said, not sounding the least bit apologetic.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Zoro groaned, slumping back in the seat. "Taking this cab was a mistake." he muttered. "This whole day was one huge fucking mistake."

"Yohohohoho. Your day may have been full of mistakes, but your choosing this taxi was certainly not one of them." the driver said.

"What do you mean?" he asked tiredly.

"If you'd like, shall we go back?" the man offered with a quirky smile.

"To where?"

"To the restaurant." he said, and Zoro's frown deepened.

"There's no point in going back now." he groaned.

"I mean to the restaurant your boyfriend is at." the driver added.

"Have you been listening? He's not there." God, how fucking dumb could this guy be? What part of 'not there' was he not understanding?

"Have you been listening? I mean return to the restaurant when your boyfriend was still there." the driver persisted.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zoro asked exasperatedly.

"That's the kind of taxi this is." the man said smugly.

"I seriously have no fucking clue what you're saying." Zoro deadpanned.

The light ahead turned red, and the driver slowly brought the taxi to a stop.

"Then allow me to explain. You at least have an understanding of the fact that people encounter countless crossroads throughout their everyday, don't you?"

"...Yeah?"

"For example, what kind of job you get, what kind of house you live in, what you'll have for dinner, or..." The man looked over his shoulder at Zoro through his sunglasses. "What you ought to say to your angry boyfriend. It's the choices you make at such crossroads that go on to shape your life."

"And?"

"This taxi is capable of taking you back to the crossroad that you wish." the man said, turning back around, just as the light turned green. Zoro blinked rapidly.

"...What do you mean?"

"I can take you back to the moment before the argument that you had with your boyfriend begins. You'd be able to change the situation in a way so that you two don't end up arguing. You could go ahead and apologize, if you want. Of course, if you wish it, you could go so far back to the point where you don't meet him to begin with as well."

" "The Choicely Taxi"?" Zoro read aloud.

"Naturally, going back to your crossroads isn't cheap, and the further you wish to go back, the more expensive it'd be." the man reasoned. Zoro felt his phone buzz in his hand, and quickly looked down, opening the message from Sanji. It read: It's over. We can't just go back to the way we used to be.

"You've got to be fucking with me..." he whimpered.

"I most certainly am not. Ah, but just because you go back doesn't mean things will go over well. It all depends on you, and the choices you make. So what would you like to do?" the driver tempted.

"If it were really possible...I'd want to go back." Zoro said reluctantly, half wanting to believe this crazy man, but knew that this was utter bullshit.

"Understood."

The driver pulled over, and Zoro watched he fiddled with some dials on a clock embedded in the dashboard, curious despite the impossibility of this all.

"How long ago would you say it was?" the man asked, looking to Zoro. Thinking for a moment, Zoro checked the time on his phone now.

"About...half an hour." he replied.

"Ah, then it shouldn't cost you too much. Yohohohohohoho!"

The taxi started to move again, and Zoro gripped the seat, bracing himself for whatever was to come. He watched out the window, half expecting something to actually happen. Unfortunately, all that passed by was the normal city scenery. He felt utterly ridiculous for waiting for some portal to open up for the taxi to zoom through, but he was waiting nonetheless.

"We've arrived." the driver said, the car coming to a slow stop.

"Already?" Zoro asked cautiously, releasing his grip on the seat.

"Yes." The man nodded.

"That was it?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, were you expecting something more?"

"I...don't know. I thought it would have more of a going-through-a-wormhole sort of feel to it." Zoro admitted.

"Ah, because it didn't have that feeling of a timeslip or anything. I apologize, but we don't have that kind of service." the driver apologized. Zoro shook his head, wondering just what kind of nutcase the driver was, and pulled out his phone. He checked his messages, hoping that Sanji had replied, only to find...nothing. Absolutely nothing. Their message history ended with Sanji's text informing he'd reached the restaurant. There weren't any texts after that. He looked up at the driver with wide eyes.

"Let's see, the fare will be...$100 flat - you needn't worry about the $6." the driver said, glancing at the meter.

"A hundred dollars?!" Zoro repeated, jerking up to look at the man.

"Do you think it's expensive? I mean, going back in time isn't cheap, you know."

"...We really went back in time?" he asked warily.

"Do you not believe me? Look at your own shirt." the driver said complacently. Confused, Zoro looked down, and found nothing there. ...Literally nothing there. There wasn't a drop of the wine that had most definitely been spilled on him back at the restaurant.

"...Holy shit."

"Yohohohohohohoho! I told you, didn't I? Still, I don't mind if you go back into the restaurant and confirm that you've indeed gone back in time. I'll wait here." After staring at the driver for a second, Zoro nodded.

"...Okay."

RETRY

Zoro stepped into the restaurant, and was greeted by the same guy, large, curly hair and all.

"Welcome to Alubarna." the waiter greeted.

"I...had a reservation for 7:00, under the name Roronoa."

"Just a moment please." The man flipped through a book on the stand beside him. "Ah, yes. Roronoa, table for two. Your guest has already arrived." the man said, picking up a menu off a cart. Zoro smiled, still not quite able to shake this feeling of utter insanity, and followed the man as he began to lead Zoro to his table. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Have we met somewhere before?"

"Yeah, just a little whi- I mean, no, not that I remember." Zoro said, quickly correcting himself. "Why?"

"Ah, my apologies. I just felt as though I'd met you before." The man bowed slightly, a polite smile coming to his lips, and extended his hand, gesturing to the table before them. Sanji sat there, unmoving, but clearly pissed. Zoro waited until the waiter left them to bow, startling his boyfriend.

"Sorry for being late."

CHOICE-B

"I'm really sorry. For being late, and for not letting you know that I was gonna be late."

Somehow, they still ended up eating in silence, yet again the only sound between them being the clinking of the silver against porcelain.

"Are you okay?" Sanji asked carefully. Zoro looked up from his food, and at his boyfriend. "You aren't talking at all, but when you open your mouth, all you say is 'I'm sorry'. Why are you apologizing so much?"

"Am I?" Zoro asked, taking a large bite of his food.

"You are. You always make me wait, and you've never apologized once before."

"That's why I'm apologizing." he said, swallowing and looking at Sanji.

"What's with the condescending tone?" the blond challenged, and Zoro blanched. That hadn't been his intention. He shook his head, trying to right things.

"I'm not- no, I... I just felt bad for making you wait all this time." he amended.

"You really have been making me wait all this time." Sanji huffed, and Zoro felt an incredibly strong sense of deja vu, along with dread, creep along his chest.

"What?"

"Five years." Sanji stated, staring pointedly at his boyfriend. Zoro knew he needed to act fast, or else this was going to end like it did a while back. ...or would you say a while later? Shaking his head slightly, Zoro nodded, jumping in.

"You've been waiting for five years since you told me that you'd make it as an actor, right?" Zoro added quickly.

"What?"

"I've been making you wait, haven't I?" he sighed, looking at Sanji apologetically.

"I don't like bringing this up, but when the are you supposed to become some famous actor?" Sanji asked tiredly. Zoro ran a hand down his face. Why are we back here again?

"I was in that drama not too long ago." Zoro reminded him.

"Yeah, for about five seconds." Sanji scoffed.

"It was te-...Yeah." Zoro stopped himself, and quickly agreed. He tilted his head, as if thinking. "I dunno, I thought it was longer. Was it really that short?" he asked with a forced laugh.

"It was. All you did was beg for your life, but you ended up dying in five seconds."

"Te-...Yeah." He nodded reluctantly. Don't argue here!

"I told my friends to watch it because my boyfriend was gonna be in it, but afterwards, they called me saying they hadn't seen you. I had to say that I made a mistake with the drama title because I was too embarrassed!" Sanji retorted haughtily. Zoro bowed his head in apology. But what the hell am I supposed to do?

"Ah." Zoro glanced over his shoulder at the waiter with the insane hair standing not too far away. "You know, there are people who watched that drama and remembered me." he mentioned, earning a disbelieving look from his boyfriend. Zoro looked around for the waiter that had greeted him at the door, and spotting him, quickly waved him over.

"Yes, how may I help you?" the man asked, his tone as gracious as ever.

"You know me, don't you?" Zoro asked, cutting to the chase. Sanji looked scandalized, and terribly embarrassed, on Zoro's behalf.

"Zoro, what the hell are you doing?" he hissed, kicking Zoro's shin under the table.

"You know..." Zoro made a series of gurgling, dying sounds, much to the horror of Sanji. It took a moment for the waiter's expression to change from bewilderment to recognition.

"Oh! I remember! You were in The Criminal Detective! I'm a fan of that drama!" the man gushed.

"Ah, thank you very much." Zoro said, standing, his business smile on his lips, glancing over at Sanji for just a moment before turning back. "Your performance, despite it being only three seconds, was superb!"

"Ten seconds." Zoro corrected.

"You mean five." Sanji snorted, earning an uneasy look from Zoro.

"Yes, well, um, despite how short it was, the greatness of the impression you left is absolutely stunning. In my humble opinion, I don't think most actors would be able to make such an impact in such a short time." the waiter confessed. Zoro could see out of the corner of his eye just how impressed Sanji was by all of this.

"If you'd like, shall I give you my signature?" Zoro offered, standing, and the man lit up.

"Would you?" he gasped.

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

"I'll bring a board for you to sign- I'll be right back!" The man dashed off, seeming positively giddy.

"See?" Zoro said, sitting back down. Sanji stared at him for a while longer, before smiling as well.
"I'm happy for you." he said quietly.

"Well, I mean, it's nothing great yet, but..." Zoro trailed off, feeling rather sheepish all of a sudden.

"But you're happy too, aren't you?" Sanji simpered, his expression unbearably proud. Zoro couldn't have been more relieved. The silence that settled over them was a comfortable one, and Zoro quickly decided that this was his chance.

"Sanji..." he began, getting his boyfriend's attention.

"Hm?"

"I didn't ask you to come out tonight just for this..." he admitted softly.

"What?"

Zoro reached into his pocket, and pulled out the small velvet box, and placed it gently on the table between them. Looking from it to Sanji, he met his boyfriend's eyes, and took a breath.

"Will you marry me?" he asked. There was a long stretch of silence.

"You know, you have really bad timing." Sanji said flatly, and Zoro's tentative smile dropped

"What?"

"I mean, usually you'd say these things after making a better atmosphere, don't you think?" Sanji asked, an eyebrow quirked. Zoro felt like punching himself, but instead, just hung his head.

"I fucked up again..." he muttered.

"But..." Sanji began, and Zoro peeked up at him, defeated. "I'm happy."

"You mean...?" Zoro asked, his head snapping up again.

Sanji nodded, and Zoro breathed a sigh of relief, grinning back at his fiance.

Out of the blue, there was a loud exclamation of "I have waited to come here for so long!" from the doorway, and everyone, customers included, instinctively turned to look. Zoro quickly turned back, uninterested in the woman that had just walked in with a group of friends, but Sanji had turned pale, and was shielding his face with his hand as casually as possible. Frowning, Zoro leaned in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. Sanji shook his head, not quite looking up to face Zoro.

"Nothing." Sanji muttered quickly.

"It can't be nothing. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." he insisted.

"Sanji?" a woman's voice said from surprisingly closeby. Zoro looked up, to find that it was the woman who'd walked in loudly just now. He glanced at Sanji, who was deliberately looking the other way. Which was strange, considering Sanji's infatuation with just about all women. If anything, she seemed to be the type he'd hit on. Long pink hair, enormous breasts pulling her tanktop tight across her chest, an exposed slender waist, shamelessly short shorts... There was no denying that she was pretty, despite the odd green hat she wore, the piercing below her eye, and the fact that she was underdressed - in more ways than one - for being in an establishment like this one.

"Sanji, right? Don't you remember me?" she asked, leaning in closer.

"Sorry, what?" Sanji mumbled, trying to feign ignorance.

"I was at the matchmaking party last Friday!" she whined, surprising Zoro. Matchmaking party? What was Sanji doing at a matchmaking party? Suspicion began to replace the surprise, and he looked pointedly at Sanji, waiting for him to respond.

"I think you have the wrong guy..." Sanji said with an awkward laugh.

"You don't remember me?" the girl pouted. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. You were pretty drunk." she sighed. Looking at Zoro, she wore an expression as if only now realizing he was there. "Oh, is this your boyfriend? The, um, useless actor?" she asked, her tone a stage whisper.

"Hey, wha-!" Sanji whipped around, now facing her. He looked at Zoro fearfully. "Zoro, this isnt't what you think! It's just-"

"Wow." Zoro breathed, feeling incredibly done with everything. "Unbelievable." He laughed bitterly, and shook his head. Standing, he grabbed the ring box off the table, and quickly began to walk off.

"Zoro, wait!" Sanji called after him getting up as well, but Zoro paid him no mind, picking up speed until he was running out of the restaurant.

"Ah, thank you for waiting, I've brought the- oh?" The waiter had returned, only to find the table abandoned. "Sir? What about your signature?"

Zoro climbed into the taxi, staring straight ahead, refusing to face Sanji,S who came running out after him.

"See? Just as I told you, wasn't it?" the driver asked happily, turning around.

"Drive." Zoro ordered. Sanji made it to the taxi, and pounded on the window.

"Zoro! Just wait! Listen! It's not what you think!" the blond insisted.

"Just drive." Zoro repeated.

"...Yes, sir."

Sanji ran after the car for a ways as it pulled away, eventually coming to a stop and watched in dismay as the taxi drove off. Pretending not to notice, Zoro kept his eyes glued to the seat passengers seat before him.

"What happened in the restaurant?" the driver asked after a while.

"Leave me alone." Zoro grumbled bitterly. There was a moment of silence, and Zoro thought that the man had actually decided to listen to him for once, but he was wrong.

"Even if you tell me to leave you alone, you haven't paid for the last trip - I can't very well let you be. Especially since you did in fact go back." the man insisted.

"I shouldn't have gone back." Zoro sighed, running his hands through his hair frustratedly.

"Even if you say that... I mean, I did take you back to where you wished to go. From that point, it all depends on your decisions."

"A hundred dollars, you said?" Zoro confirmed, pulling out five twenties and handing them to the driver.

"Ah, yes, thank you very much. Did something happen? Your boyfriend seemed rather upset. First you were the one chasing him, but this time you were the one being chased. I see you made a very different decision. Making such a good boyfriend cry is a shame." the driver chatted.

"A good boyfriend?" Zoro repeated, his voice sounding unnaturally hollow.

"Indeed."

"...I don't deserve someone like him. He'd be better off with someone else." Zoro sighed, slumping in his seat. The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

"You should have proposed, at least." he commented. A bitter smile came to Zoro's face.

"I did." he told the man. "I went out of my way to make reservations at a fancy restaurant, bought him a ring, but all the while, he was going out with girls and talking shit about me."

"Hmmmmmm."

"What do you mean, 'Hmmmmmmm.'?" Zoro asked, jaded.

"Well, it's not uncommon that people speak lowly of their partner." the driver disclosed. Zoro snorted, and stared out the window, feeling like some main character, being so dramatic.

"Do you think?"

"Well, imagine this: Your friend asks you to go out for drinks with some girls for a matchmaking event because there aren't enough people attending. Do you, A.) insist that because you have a significant other, say that you can't go, leading to being thought of as someone who can't read the mood, or B.) go along to do your friend a favor. What would you do?" the man asked gently.

"...B, I guess." Zoro answered.

"Yohohoho. Now, you're at the event, and perhaps it's because you're known to have a partner, but the atmosphere isn't very lively. The person beside you, in an attempt to lighten the mood, begins asking you about your significant other. Do you, A.) make it difficult for them to respond to by telling them how wonderful your significant other is, consequently making the air more awkward than before, or B.) say some bad things about them, now able to carry on conversation."

"B." Zoro replied quickly, beginning to see what the driver was implying.

"Right?" the man said with an air of amusement.

"But that's not fair."

"When presented with such a situation, it isn't always easy to make the decision you want to, so don't be so hasty to jump to conclusions. You ought to look at the situation from the other's perspective." "So are you certain you're alright with this? If you don't act soon, your boyfriend may be the one making rash decisions this time." the driver warned. As if on cue, Zoro's phone buzzed.

"Ah." he blanched. It was a text from Sanji.

"What's the matter?"

I'm sorry. Let's break up. the text read. Zoro looked up sheepishly to the driver.

"Do you think...I could go back again?"

"If you wish to, but if you repeat your mistakes-" the man began, but Zoro cut him off.

"I won't." he said firmly, and the driver nodded with a smile.

"Alright, well now, is the important question, how far back in time can you afford to go?" the man asked. Zoro pulled out his wallet, and counted his money.

"I have...$130 left." he said, counting the bills remaining in his wallet.

"A hundred will get you back a half hour or so." the driver suggested, to which Zoro nodded.

"Then half an hour, please."

"We've arrived. That'll be a hundred dollars." the man informed Zoro, who handed another five twenties to him.

"Here."

"Thank you very much. Ah, I should tell you, when you go back inside, there will be something of a marker to indicate what you need to do." he called after Zoro as he got out of the car.

"What?"

"Explaining is rather bothersome. Just look this over." the driver said, handing Zoro a pamphlet. "Although, you'll probably understand once you're inside again." Zoro looked at it for a moment, skimming over the description of how he was supposed to 'start time' again.

"Right."

"Good luck! Yohohohohohoho!"

"Thanks."

RETRY

Walking into the restaurant for the third time, Zoro found that this time was a little different. There was no sound at all, though, after looking around, he understood why. Everyone was frozen in place. The coffee that a waiter was in the middle of pouring was levitating, not yet completing it's journey from pot to cup. The fork that had been dropped was hanging in space, unable to continue it's descent to the floor. And looking to where he'd been sitting at this time, Zoro nearly laughed aloud. There was a cardboard cut out of him in his chair. He walked over, removed the cut out, and sat down, doing his best to imitate the position he'd been in. He waited several moments, waiting for time to start again, but nothing seemed to be happening. Looking for what might have been out of place that would prevent time from going on, he realized that the ring box wasn't on the table. Pulling it out of his pocket, he placed it on the table, and jerked back into position as everyone and everything went back to moving.

"Sanji, right? Don't you remember me?" she asked, leaning in closer.

"Sorry, what?" Sanji mumbled, feigning ignorance.

"I was at the match maker last Friday!" she whined, and Zoro had to fight the knowing smile from showing - he wouldn't fuck up this time.

"I think you have the wrong guy..." Sanji said with an awkward laugh.

"Hey, wha-!" Sanji whipped around, now facing her. He looked at Zoro fearfully.

"Yes, I'm Sanji's boyfriend, the useless actor. Nice to meet you." Zoro said, smiling pleasantly.

CHOICE-B-B

"Zoro, this isnt't what you think! It's just-" Sanji began, but Zoro looked at him with a genuine smile, and shook his head.

"It's okay, I get it." he assured Sanji.

"It was a matchmaking party, but I-"

"I know, you were just asked by a friend to go, and you couldn't refuse, and you went just to make the numbers match, right?" Zoro said, sitting back down, and sipping his wine casually.

"Yeah...?" Sanji mumbled slowly, clearly shocked that Zoro was being so understanding.

"And so you went, but there wasn't much to talk about, and you didn't want to make the atmosphere weirder than it already was, so you figured you should say some bad things about your boyfriend just to liven the mood. Right?" Zoro went on, both the girl and Sanji staring at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah, but..." Sanji trailed off.

"Thinking about this logically, I can't see you having some sort of actual relationship with someone like her anyway." Zoro said flippantly, the underhanded insult not quite sinking in with the girl.

"Ah, thank you for waiting. I've brought the board for you to sign, if you don't mind." the waiter interrupted, signing board and pen in hand.

"Of course not." Zoro flashed a smile, taking the board, and uncapping the pen.

"You mean this guy's famous?" the girl suddenly asked, intrigued.

"Yes, don't you know? He was in The Criminal Detective as a guest, and he was simply amazing in doing his role." the waiter confided, and the girl looked astounded.

"Here you go." Zoro said, handing the board back to the waiter.

"Oh, thank you, sir! I'll go hang it up right away!" The man rushed off, humming happily to himself.

"So you're pretty amazing, huh?" the girl said with an upturn of her lips.

"No, I wouldn't say that." Zoro said humbly.

"That's right, Sanji was saying so too. He said 'He might not be getting jobs now and being kinda useless now, but I know he has the potential to become great.' " she said, looking from Zoro to Sanji, then back to Zoro.

"What?" Zoro blinked, eyes meeting Sanji's briefly, before Sanji looked away. "You said that?"

"I don't remember..." the blond muttered, cheeks pink, clearly embarrassed.

"Ah, I guess you wouldn't. You were really drunk. We all thought he was gonna talk shit, but all he did was praise you in the end. Well, later." And with a wave, the girl walked off, going to her own table, leaving Zoro staring at her for a while. Slowly, turning his attention back to his fiance, he bit his lip to suppress a smile.

"So...seriously?" he asked.

"Shut the hell up, okay? I don't remember saying any of that." Sanji fretted, taking several gulps of his drink.

Zoro couldn't help but smile at Sanji, and Sanji eventually smiled back. The atmosphere was getting very ideal for such a night, and it would have ended in a 'happily ever after' if their story ended here. But alas, it doesn't.

There was a gunshot, and a scream. Zoro and Sanji looked to the source of the sound, and found three large men, armed with automatic firearms, dressed in black with ski masks covering their faces standing in the entranceway, the waiter who had so excitedly asked for Zoro's autograph held at gunpoint.

"What the hell is with this?" Zoro hissed frustratedly, struggling against the duct tape holding him immobile.

"I've got no fucking clue." Sanji murmured, glancing from Zoro to the armed men.

"Earlier today, there was a bank robbery, and reports said that the men hadn't been caught yet." the waiter whispered from behind them where he sat, bound in a similar fashion, as was everyone else.

"There were a bunch of cops outside earlier." Zoro said, remembering the cops that had stopped him the first time he'd gone through this night.

"What?" Sanji asked, confused.

"You know, not too long ago, when I chased y-...oh. Right. Nevermind." Zoro said with a slight shake of his head. Sanji looked at him questioningly, but pressed the matter no further.

"Someone's gotta do something." he said, eyes darting from each armed robber. "These bastards can't just expect us to sit around on our asses and be hostages." Sanji muttered, glaring at the three men. Two of them kept an eye on the police outside, while the third held his gun at the ready, watching the hostages.

Zoro felt trepidation creep into his gut.

"Sanji-" But before he could get another word out, Sanji stood, running at full speed towards the closest of the three men, kicking the man's feet out from under him and knocking him unconscious with a solid kick to his head, but the commotion quickly caught the attention of the other two robbers. He managed to make it to a second armed man, jumping up, leg coming up for an impromptu roundhouse kick, and nearly made contact, but a shot rang out, and Sanji crumpled to the ground with a cry.

"Sanji!" Zoro shouted, his stomach dropping instantaneously. "You bastards!" He somehow managed to get to his feet, and ran at the armed men, no plan of attack in mind at all. He was bound and unable to use his arms, and he wasn't as good a savate fighter as Sanji, but he didn't give a shit. He wasn't just going to sit around after seeing his boyfriend get shot. But he had to stop short when one of the men cocked his gun, and aimed it at Sanji's head.

"Calm the fuck down, man." he drawled, a sadistically amused smirk on his lips. "That's right, just back off, and go back sit down like a good boy." Zoro grit his teeth, but did as he was told, his eyes flickering from the armed men to this boyfriend who lay on the ground. Blood was slowly seeping through his pant leg, and through the tense silence of the room, Zoro could hear Sanji's heavy, pained breaths. He dropped to his knees, coming to kneel beside Sanji.
"Shit, who knew it hurt this fucking much to get shot in the leg?" Sanji hissed, forcing out a sarcastic laugh. He tried to shift, but stopped with a sharp intake of breath. "Fuuuuuck..." he groaned.

Zoro opened his mouth to reply, but there was a thundering crack along with a shock that reverberated through his head, and the world faded to black.

Zoro slowly gained consciousness, the first thing he became aware of being his splitting headache and the too-loud police sirens not too far off. He knew he hadn't been unconscious long - the feeling of waking up was different. Finding that his face was pressed against a hardwood floor, he reluctantly righted himself, and looked around. Sanji sat next to him, suppressing a grimace, for which Zoro gave him credit - there was no way it was easy to sit down with a bullet lodged in your hip. His mind still felt too foggy to entirely grasp the situation, but he had a good idea, which was only clarified as one of the armed men spoke.

"I think it's time to kill one of the hostages." one of the armed men said, bored. "Gotta let the cops know we're willing to kill if we don't get what we want." A fearful murmur rippled through the cluster of bound patrons and restaurant staff, all averting their gaze from the robbers with desperate hope that they wouldn't be selected. Amused eyes traveling over the group of hostages, his eyes settled on Zoro, who blinked slowly. "You." the man finally said, taking the short few steps towards Zoro and looking down at him. "We'll kill you."
"C'mon, get up." Another man gripped Zoro by the collar of his shirt, yanking him up, and slamming him against the wall, sending Zoro reeling. He felt nauseas.

"Get your fucking hands off of him!" he heard Sanji yell, and managed to focus his vision in time to see Sanji trying to stand and make his way over. But it was no use - Sanji couldn't put pressure on his leg without it giving out or nearly passing out from the pain. "Zoro!" he cried out.

Zoro heard the click of a safety lock on a gun being turned off, and looking before him, he found himself staring at a gun, pointed at him. Sighing, Zoro closed his eyes, and was surprised to find himself so resigned to dying already. Perhaps it was the muddled state of his brain. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he'd be the only one to die if things went as he hoped. Whatever it was, he was prepared for the last thing he heard to be the bang of the gunshot. ...Except instead of the gunshot, he heard the footsteps of someone limping towards him, coming to a stop somewhere in front of him. He opened his eyes, confused, and realized with trepidation that Sanji had put himself between Zoro and the gun.

"Shoot me." Sanji ordered flatly.
"Sanji, what the hell are you doing?" Zoro demanded, but Sanji ignored him.

"Go on. Shoot me. I am sure as hell not gonna let you lay a fucking finger on him. My fiance has a dream that he's going to fucking achieve." And as Sanji finished his sentence, a shot rang out, and Zoro felt something warm spray across his face. He watched in horror as Sanji's entire frame swayed, before falling forwards, hitting the ground with a thump, blood pooling around his head as it flowed from the hold in his head.

"Sanji...?" Zoro whispered, unable to believe what had just happened. "Sanji!"

One of the armed men began to cackle, and the two others joined in shortly.

"Great boyfriend you had there." one commented, while he watched his comrades pick up Sanji's body. They began carrying it to the entrance of the restaurant, eager to prove their willingness to kill to the police. Kicked to the side, Zoro landed on the ground, but barely felt the pain of his injury being jolted. This couldn't be happening. This shouldn't be happening.

"SANJI!" Despite the cloudiness of his mind, he managed to get to his feet, and before any of the robbers took notice, he began stumbling towards the door, slowly picking up speed as he went.
"Hey!" a voice shouted after him, and the tables and floor around him began to explode as a barrage of bullets flew at him. He felt a sharp sting in his shoulder and another in his calf, but ignored it, charging out the door.

The moment he made it out, he was assaulted by a flurry of flashes, from police car lights and cameras alike. Still not stopping, he blew past the police barricade and the news reporters, and when he finally laid eyes on the taxi he'd gotten so familiar with in the past few hours, he sprinted towards it. It's door opened for him, and he threw himself inside just as he felt his legs give out on him.

"Take me as far back as you can with $30." he pled, struggling to sit up properly.

"Understood." the driver said grimly, putting the car into gear.

RETRY

Zoro entered the restaurant for what was his final chance. Taking a look at his surroundings, he sighed, seeing the three armed men frozen in place, along with the hostages huddled in the corner of the restaurant.
"So we're here again." he sighed, walking over to where his cardboard cut-out was, beside Sanji. Before he took his place, he sat down beside where Sanji sat, and took him into his arms. As he expected, Sanji was stiff and unmoving, but he held him close anyway. "Sanji...Last time, you saved my life. This time...I'll save yours." he whispered into the crook of his fiance's neck. He held Sanji for several moments longer, knowing this would likely be the last time he ever would. Planting a kiss to Sanji's frozen lips, he pulled away, and took his place, and time began to move once more.

"I think it's time to kill one of the hostages." one of the armed men said, bored. "Gotta let the cops know we're willing to kill if we don't get what we want." A fearful murmur rippled through the cluster of bound patrons and restaurant staff, all averting their gaze from the robbers with desperate hope that they wouldn't be selected. Amused eyes traveling over the group of hostages, but before the man could decide, Zoro stood, and walked over to the wall he had been thrown at not too long ago.

CHOICE-B-B-B

"What the hell are you doing?" a robber demanded.

"You need a body to prove your seriousness to the police, don't you?" Zoro returned, his expression blank as he stared down the masked man. He didn't dare look at Sanji, for fear that the look on the man's face would break his composure. The man stared back at him for several long, tense seconds, before he broke out grinning.

"What a hero you are. Sacrificing yourself for the people." he praised, raising his gun and clicking the safety off.

"Zoro! What the fuck are you doing?" Sanji shouted. After a long moment of internal debate, Zoro turned to look at Sanji.

"Hey, Sanji," he began. "Thank you. For saving me." He swallowed thickly. "For forgiving me. For staying."

"Wha-? What are you talking about?"

Zoro shook his head with a short laugh.
"I'm glad I met you, Sanji. I'm glad we dated, and I'm glad I proposed." His eyes darted back to the gunman, before looking back to Sanji. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't become famous. I'm sorry I couldn't live happily ever after with you." There was a loud bang, and he looked to the gun that was now smoking, his eyes slowly traveling to his abdomen, where dark red patch was blossoming. The pain came a split second after. Slowly sliding down the wall, he slumped down, collapsing on the floor, breathing coming in gasps.

"ZORO!" Even with the duct tape binding his upper body and his wound on his hip, Sanji inched his way over, a panicked look that Zoro had never seen on his face. "Zoro, shit- fucking... Shit! Zoro, you fucking idiot-" He cradled Zoro's head on his lap.

"Sanji," Zoro gasped, looking up at him. "Being with you was the best decision I've ever made. I don't regret it." Sanji bit his lip, eyebrows drawn together in anguish.

"What the fuck are you saying, you damn marimo?"

"I love you." Zoro murmured, feeling as if the pain was fading, and that he was starting to float.

"I love you too, Zoro." Sanji quavered, "So don't you fucking die on me!" Zoro opened his mouth to apologize and admit that that would be something he wouldn't be able to comply, but found that he couldn't speak. Darkness was playing at the edge of his vision. "Zoro!" He found himself distantly wishing that he could tell Sanji just once more that he loved him, and with that last thought, he closed his eyes, the darkness swallowing him whole.

"Sorry."

He had just turned onto the street of where Alubarna was, when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Taking it out and checking the message he'd received a bit apprehensively, he read it, then read it twice. Let's not eat out tonight. Come over to my place, and I'll cook you something., Sanji had sent him.

"What the fuck?" he mumbled under his breath, and reluctantly turned, and began heading back to Sanji's house.

Several blocks away, Sanji sat in the backseat of a taxi, smirking down at his phone, before putting it away.
"Thanks for the lift." he said to the driver.

"Yohohohoho! Not a problem." the man remarked amiably. Sanji stepped out of the taxi, dropping his cigarette on the curb and crushed it, putting it out quickly. "I hope everything goes well for the two of you." the driver said, rolling down the window and peering out up at him. Grinning, Sanji stuck his hands in his pockets, and nodded.

"I'll make sure it does."

And thus concludes the situation of Zoro and Sanji's engagement. It's a bit unfortunate that Zoro had his role as the hero of this story taken away. Still, the two of them ending their story with a happily ever after is just as well, don't you think?

Are you wondering what happened afterwards? After Sanji managed to keep Zoro from the whole incident at the restaurant, he called in an anonymous tip to the police, letting them know that the armed robbers would likely attempt to break into and take hostages from Alubarna. Thanks to Sanji, the police got to the restaurant first, and got everyone to safety. And as Sanji had said, the robbers did indeed bust in, but this time, they were confronted by an entire police brigade, and were taken into custody immediately.

Zoro and Sanji spent the evening in, Zoro being entirely oblivious to what happened, as well as to what would have happened. The two of them enjoyed Sanji's cooking, and when Zoro proposed, naturally, Sanji said yes.

Quite a lovely conclusion to a story that could have ended very differently, don't you think? Well, then. Until next time, dear readers. Make your choices carefully.

Yohohohoho...

A/N: Thanks for reading! This is by far the longest thing I've ever written at once, and to think that I actually managed to do this in less than three days! (Haha I wish I could work this fast on Zoro's Promise…) I'm not sure if I'm going to add more to this, but if you guys like the idea, I might try to? I don't know. For now, this is a oneshot.

Anyway, reviews are very much appreciated! Please let me know if you find any errors, or if something doesn't make sense! (There'll prob be errors galore because I didn't have this beta-ed, and I did this kind of in pieces, so…)

Thanks for reading through all of this ridiculousness! ｡^‿^｡