Author's Note: I don't own One Piece. I know, you think I'm crazy doing this with so many incomplete stories, but check out my profile where I try to explain what I'm doing. I've wanted to write a long story for a LONG time. Beautiful Disaster was not meant to be a long story, but it turned out that way. This story is meant to be long. Really long. Like, maybe the longest story for Zoro and Sanji ever. I love slow-burn, and I'm doing lots of experimenting with this story too, doing things I don't normally. This is AU, as I tend to do. It follows Zoro and Sanji almost step by step through their life and I know it'll be irritating, waiting for when they finally get together and all, but I swear, I'll make it worth it so if you would welcome and embrace this story the same way you embraced Beautiful Disaster I would really love you guys. The chapters will get longer the longer the story goes on. Is it too much to ask for at least 5 reviews? If you guys have any questions, I'll answer them. Please no flames, this is going to be a big project and I hope you guys like it!

Edited: It's been a day and I've decided to change the story to present tense. ALSO, IF YOU READ THROUGH THE WHOLE STORY (which will take at least a year and a half to write) & REVIEW TO THE LAST CHAPTER (signed in, or else I can't do it) I WILL WRITE A STORY FOR YOU AND DEDICATE IT TO YOU, STORY OF YOUR CHOICE!


if my heart was a house
by: Setkia


In front of him stands a boy. He's dirty looking, has green hair and his tear-stained cheeks and puffy red eyes make it obvious he's been crying. He clutches a white sword to his chest possessively and sniffles, snot dripping out of his nose.

"Eggplant, meet Zoro. He'll be staying with us from now on."


Chapter One


"He's just a boy, they can't take him away from me!"

"You and I both know that, but since the incident they've deemed you an unfit guardian—"

"But I can't just leave him! He's only eight—"

"She was only nine. If it bothers you, I can ask for custody."

Silence.

"You'd do that?"

"If it means that much to you, I'll take him in."

"Are you sure? I don't want it to be too much of an imposition—"

"I'm offering. Besides, I've met him before, haven't I? He's the one with that unnatural tan, right? If we put him in an orphanage, they'll beat him to death."

"Thank you, you have no idea how much I appreciate this—"

"Stop crying, it doesn't suit you."

That conversation takes place two weeks ago.

Zeff has been home less often, going out and leaving him in the care of Patty and Carne.

Patty and Carne are nice, but they won't let him near the stove even if he tells them he can probably cook better than the two of them. They just pat his head and agree with him jokingly. He isn't a shrimp, Zeff's taught him how to cook and maybe it looks kinda silly when he does it because he needs a stool to see the top of the stove, but he makes better fried rice than either of them, Zeff's told him so.

A week later Zeff sits him down and asks him what he thinks about having a roommate.

Sanji has plenty of friends at school but living in a restaurant means that there are no other houses on the block, which means there are no kids to hang out with after school and Zeff won't let him go out to someone's house when classes finish because he needs the extra hands. The idea of having someone at home with him, his age too, sounds good. Better than good, it sounds amazing.

After Sanji's positive response Zeff drops the topic and never mentions it again, but staring in front of him, surely this is not what Zeff had in mind.

In front of him stands a boy. He's dirty looking, has green hair and his tear-stained cheeks and puffy red eyes make it obvious he's been crying. He clutches a white sword to his chest possessively and sniffles, snot dripping out of his nose.

"Eggplant, meet Zoro. He'll be staying with us from now on."

Sanji can't speak. What is Zeff thinking? All his dreams of talking late into the night with his new roommate shatter into glass. He had been excited, staring at the empty bed that is now across from his inside his room but now knowing this little cry-baby will be the one to occupy it, he feels largely disappointed.

"Introduce yourself," Zeff says gruffly, grabbing Sanji by his hair and pulling him even closer to "Zoro". He's strongly reminded of marimo. He glares at him. Zoro's grey eyes are narrowed and harsh, something broken inside of them that he can't understand. "Now, Eggplant!"

"I'm Sanji," he forces out.

Zoro doesn't do anything. He doesn't even blink. He's shivering, whether it's because he's wearing such torn clothes or because he's still getting over his long cry, Sanji doesn't know. He has a wide forehead though and though his eyes water up, urging him to blink, he doesn't. It's as if they're in a staring contest and Zoro is the only participant.

"Is he mute?" asks Sanji.

"Idiot!" Zeff screams in his ear. Sanji doesn't even flinch. Zeff is loud, he got used to it. He lets go of Sanji's hair and pushes him forward. "Show him to his room."

"Why do I gotta do it?"

"Are you whining?" demands Zeff.

"But—"

"Do it."

Sanji sighs, his shoulders slumping. He makes a move to grab Zoro by his hand, but the boy steps back and shakes his head. Sanji grabs him by his arm and pulls. Zoro doesn't move, he doesn't let his feet even slide, his arms wrapped so tightly around that sword that Sanji is sure he has to be squishing it.

Sanji kicks Zoro behind his knee and the boy reluctantly lurches forward on reflex, his grip loosening on the sword briefly before he holds it even tighter. "Move it!" Sanji snaps. He sends a look at Zeff, as if to say "it's not my fault he won't move", but Zeff keeps staring at him, like he expects Sanji to pull out magic fairy dust that will make Zoro fly to his new room.

No, it isn't his room. He's a freeloader as far as Sanji is concerned. When did he ask for a new roommate?

Sanji reaches out, grabs hold of the sword's hilt and tugs. Zoro tugs back to keep him off of him. He bares his teeth menacingly and glares, his eyes stone cold and harsh.

What is wrong with him?

"I'm going to take it if you don't come," Sanji threatens.

That gets Zoro moving. Sanji can't understand his strange attachment towards the sword but he doesn't question it, it gets him to move his feet and that's all that matters.

He leads Zoro down the hallway and turns to the left, noticing the idiot goes right instead, walking directly into a closet. He grabs his shoulders and redirects him to the correct room.

Sanji's room is small with perhaps a foot of space between his bed and Zoro's newly placed bed. It has already been fitted and Sanji supposes that in a few days the rest of Zoro's stuff will be arriving and he'll have to help him move in properly. He has a backpack which Zeff has taken from him.

Sanji sits down on his bed and stares at Zoro, who stands in the doorway, silent.

"I don't like you," Sanji tells him firmly.

Zoro blinks.

"This is my side of the room," says Sanji. He would laid out a line of pillows to divide the room fairly in half, but decides against because he isn't that childish. He's a very mature eight year old. Or so he likes to think. "You can't go here."

Zoro says nothing. Doesn't even question how, with the way Sanji's split up the room, he will manage to make it to the door, or the wardrobe considering it's on Sanji's side.

Sanji can't imagine being stuck living with this guy. He's all silent and brutish, even though he's obviously been crying. He doesn't know why the boy looks like he's cried himself dry in a mud pile and then rolled around in it, and he doesn't care to ask. All he knows was that he doesn't like his new roommate. And from the way Zoro is acting so coldly, he's pretty sure it's mutual.