Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but I do acknowledge using Eiichiro Oda's characters without his permission. Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. Repeatedly. Sometimes after lunch.

Warning: AU, Out of Character charas, profanity, slash, TWT (if it ever existed)

A/N: Get you a man that can do both. (Is he a ninja or a cook? Only his shoes will tell!)

Guest: You're welcome! I'm expecting something short and sweet but with enough flavor to leave you crying at night. I love writing/reading/oogling/spying on these guys. Don't tell my parole officer.

Mormor: Thank you! I hope to have the same type of laughs with this one! (amidst the angst)

Krito1389: Time will help…and more chapters! This chapter will answer your question. (promise a happy ending! But what kind? Only time will tell)

: No Light, No Light :

Sanji set down Luffy's bubble tea, giving the younger man a concerned look. The empty plates around him signaled a healthy appetite, but the expression Luffy wore while eating prompted alarmed glances from those around him. He reached out in an attempt to fix his hair, but Luffy swatted him away, and pulled his hat atop of his head.

"You're scaring away my customers with that face," Sanji warned him. "Try to look more like you're enjoying what you're eating."

Luffy's face stretched into a grin, but his eyebrows were scrunched with anger. "I can't help it, Sanji! I'm pissed!"

"You can be mad all you want – but if you're in here, eating, you need to look like you're enjoying what you're eating – er, swallowing. Gulping. For fuck's sake, chew your food!"

"Sanji, I know you're being brave and strong right now, but it's okay to release whatever you're feeling onto my manly chest. Come in here. Come in here for this, bring it over. Hup, hup, hup!" Luffy patted his chest with encouragement, prompting an expression of distaste from the other man.

"No."

Sanji swept away some of the crumbs littering the table, then sat across from him. He stared out the window nearby while Luffy lowered his arms, his expression darkening as he took in the other man's features. He was positive Sanji was feeling many things, right now – but none of them were showing. Luffy wished for Sanji to feel something! But he knew Zoro had killed all happiness he'd had, leaving Sanji an emotionless shell.

Time had left the man passive and lifeless, and Luffy had decided that if Sanji couldn't – wouldn't? – express whatever it was he was feeling, then he'd do it for him. But he was unsure whether or not it was his own anger he was feeling, or anger that he'd imagined Sanji feeling with Zoro's return. He chewed furiously on a thick slab of ham, mashing the edges with his teeth. A glance upward from Sanji and a scrape of the chair signaled to Luffy that the newest member of the group had arrived, and Luffy glanced at him from the corner of his eye while he gnawed on the piece of meat.

"I just finished the exam. I came right over because I knew you were here, Luffy-ya. I heard about the riot on campus, and knew you were involved in it, somehow."

"Kindly please stop stalking me. It's creepy," Luffy said. "I already told you I would scream if you bothered me, again."

Trafalgar D. Law frowned at him, pulling up a stool to sit next to him. His pale face showcased his shadowed grey eyes, the haggard effects of an overstudious med student who was determined to venture into the Grand Line as the best doctor available to cure the incurable. His tall, lanky frame was showcased in some skinny jeans, a fitted plaid shirt – his scruffed Oxfords were brilliant white and black, matching the colors of his sword, Kikuko. His gold earrings jingled as he settled in the stool, facial hair pulled with thoughtful fingers as he tried to determine whether or not Luffy was serious.

Sanji snorted, waving a hand in Luffy's direction.

"He's just teasing you," Sanji said.

"I can't tell with that face of his, sometimes," Law complained, adjusting his hat as he faced him. "He speaks so seriously with me."

"I get weird when guys admire me," Luffy admitted, running his fingers through his hair grandly, trying for a Fabio pose. Both men weren't impressed, so he gave a pouting expression. "It's not all that often when guys say I'm cool. I have to tell myself that just to feel good about myself, so when guys do it, I have to rethink whether or not I'm like Sanji."

"You're not 'like me', Luffy," Sanji assured him in a dry tone.

"After all this time, I'm finally understanding that he's only talking shit straight to my face, because he's the complete opposite with you guys," Law said with a bit of frustration to Sanji.

"He does like testing your buttons, because you believe everything he says," Sanji agreed. "I'll be back with your snack."

After he left, Law frowned at Luffy. "Please stop messing with me like that. It makes me look bad in front of him. I'm trying to make a good impression."

"I don't know what to do with you – I like it when you hang out with us, but you can't keep up," Luffy said with a sigh. "If you're going to be a member of our club, you need to live a little."

"I am a little rigid," Law agreed, brushing crumbs away from his side of the table. "I'm working on it. I spent some of my breaks studying funny videos on my phone. I'm pretty sure I can hang the next time I'm with you and the others. Maybe I can get the other's to join in with a little nae-nae and a whip."

Luffy stared at him for a few seconds, wondering if he were serious. When Sanji returned, he had a plate full of onigiri and a hot cup of tea. Law brightened as both were set out in front of him. "Thank you, Sanji! This is exactly why I keep coming back here, every day. Not only to appreciate your physical features, but your food, as well."

"I'm not a piece of meat, asshole, but you're welcome."

Stuffing his mouth once more, Luffy scowled at him, then looked at Sanji "What are you going to do, Sanji?"

"Absolutely nothing, Luffy. There's nothing for me to do," Sanji answered, leaning against the table with one elbow. "I'm going to go home, do the usual, and begin the day as usual. Just because he's back means nothing to me."

"Who?" Law asked, pausing in mid-bite.

"Our friend Zoro," Luffy answered.

"Oh, the ex-roommate."

"The ex!"

"Yes," Law agreed, looking at Sanji with a concerned expression. "Does that make you feel weird? After all that? I bet you're tense. You should let me give you a massage. I'm told I'm wonderful at it."

"You can give me a massage," Luffy said cheekily, bending his way. Law made a face, pushing him back onto his stool with one foot.

"No thanks. I like humans. Men ones."

"Did you girls drop by just to gossip, or what? Because I've nothing more to say on the matter," Sanji said with a bored frown.

"Tell us your feelings, Sanji. Let it out. Just amongst us girls," Luffy encouraged, gesturing at himself and Law, who only nodded gravely. "We care about your feelings."

"We'll probably discuss them in length with the others, though. I'm very positive Chopper would be very concerned about your mental health," Law said, smiling. "Oh, but we'll let you know what we think about it once we've discussed it."

"There's nothing to discuss."

"It's totally okay, Sanji! I got this! If you can't do it, I can! If you want me to talk to Zoro, I'll do it! I've got a lot of pent up frustration to release, and I always find myself feeling better once I let it out with some physical contact!" Luffy exclaimed, reaching out to hold onto his hand. Sanji jerked his hand away. "Skin to skin contact!"

"Skin to skin contact releases a lot of those frustrations, Sanji," Law chimed in, sipping at his tea. "My offer will always be there."

"Both of you, keep your skin to yourselves!" Sanji complained. "I'm going back to work. Behave yourselves. I do not want any one of you running in here to tell on each other, either. And you, sir, are old enough to know better. Don't let them talk you into doing anything that doesn't sound appropriate, or against those morals, of yours. Stay in school."

"I'll need more convincing, than that," Law said, frowning as Sanji left them. "Damn it."

Luffy laughed, then choked on his food, Law looking at him with concern. "You are seriously the worst, Trao!"

"I'm regretting everything, at the moment. My dreams of becoming the best doctor on the Grand Line are cutting into my fantasies of connecting to real life humans," Law said with frustration. "He still won't give me the time of day."

"Don't worry about it. He doesn't give any of his suitors the time of day. Zoro killed the love in him! Damn him! Damn him and those well rounded glutes!"

Law stopped chewing, staring at him with puzzlement. "Do you always notice men's bodies, Luffy-ya? Are you sure you're not bi?"

"Oh, I'm positive. Boobies! Haha! But that's not to say I don't pretend not to notice another guy's attributes – I'm always looking out for Sanji, Law, that's what buddies do. If I see a guy with stuff that Sanji might like, I let them know. I let him know."

"Oh, okay, well…I'm curious, Luffy-ya. Introduce us."

"Heh heh, whoa there, guy," Luffy said, hands up. "Sorry, but I know exactly what will happen. I can't do that. I saw what you did to the other one."

"I apologized for that. But how will I know if I'm adequate enough for Sanji-ya if I don't know who my competition is?"

Luffy blew his cheeks out, giving an exasperated expression to the table. "Oh, Trao, I've no idea where to start with you, sometimes. Finish your snack, and let's go back to the apartment. Maybe he'll be there. I'm sure he's made Chopper cry, already."

"That's a bad thing, right?"

"We're all broken boys, Trafalkjdlfkj. We never know how we're going to fix ourselves with Zoro being back."

"Please say my name right."

: :

Sanji stared out at the sea, feeling the hot summer breeze whip through his hair. He was struggling to figure out what he was feeling underneath the numbness in his chest, to figure out the words that felt as if they were permanently stuck to his throat. He saw Zoro standing there in the restaurant, looking rather dashing and moronic at the same time – but Sanji couldn't quite put to words just what he felt. He felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.

When Zoro had left and Sanji finally accepted that he did because of their blooming relationship, it had killed him inside. All the emotions he'd ever felt for the other man melted into nothingness. The kids reaction was the worst – Chopper cried, Luffy was angry, and Ussop was sad. Sanji had to hold them together. He struggled to be what Zoro had been to them, but he just could not fill that role. After that, Sanji lost feeling for everything. For all the admirers that came up to him, that tried to woo him their way – he hadn't any interest. His wandering eye stopped wandering, and suddenly it was just too much work to feel.

So he slogged his way through each hour doing whatever it was he had to do, meeting the needs of the kids as they demanded. He worked, he attended, he went home alone – admittedly, he had kept some of Zoro's things, and there were times when he went through them. Remembering his scent, looking at the pictures, rereading some of the crap Zoro had written for class.

But it did nothing for him.

Now that Zoro was back, Sanji wasn't sure what to do. He just knew that it'd affect the kids, and he knew he had to do something for them. He knew he should say or do something to show/tell Zoro what damage he did. But he couldn't bring himself to feel a thing.

"I thought you should have this, Sanji."

Sanji jerked around, nearly sucking in his cigarette. Law had a way of sneaking up on him, but Sanji had admitted to himself that he didn't pay much attention to the man if he wasn't in his line of sight. He looked down at the carton of cigarettes atop of a carton of flour.

"Flour?" he asked with a puzzled expression.

"Luffy said you'd like flour," Law said with a grave nod.

Sanji caught himself snorting. He was pretty sure Luffy had told him to buy 'flowers'. "That's, uh, very nice of you."

"I wasn't sure which ones you liked, so I pretty much picked what was available down there at the market," Law said, giving the carton a serious expression. "There's self-rising, there's wheat, there's rye, there's original…maybe it'll cheer you up."

"Yes, well…thank you. That's very thoughtful of you."

"I couldn't help but overhear what you guys were talking about," Law then said, setting the carton aside. "About being unable to feel about Zoro's return. I know you can't feel anything. I am absolutely certain it is a chakra blockage, or even a – "

"It's nothing for anybody to discuss."

"But I can help you."

"It was absolutely huge for the kids when he left," Sanji said, looking back at the sea. There were ships sailing into the harbor, gulls flying in the open air – there was the smell of seafood wafting through the salty breeze that made him appreciate it. "I'm sure they're experiencing all sorts of things, right now."

"And you are not?"

"No," Sanji admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "I feel nothing."

"Not even a shred of nervousness? I would. I mean, if I had an ex that had left a humongous impact on me, I'd be feeling things," Law said, peering at him. "It's okay, and it's totally normal. To feel nothing is be a curable thing, Sanji. Maybe you are purposely blocking yourself from feeling anything because you were so hurt."

"Maybe – "

"I know from the kids that you loved this man, and when you finally came out, it was a huge thing," Law interrupted him. "It mentally impacted you. I don't think you're supposed to be this unfeeling, Sanji. I think you should allow yourself to feel as much as possible to get over him."

"I don't think you – "

"I wish I'd known you as the passionate man that the kids described," Law cut him off, reaching out to grab his hands. "Right now, you're traumatically beautiful, and I can't help but be attracted to that, so, maybe it's a good thing you had your heart broken. I would've avoided every one of you noisy bastards – "

Sanji yanked his hands away. "Are you trying to be nice?"

" – but at this moment, I feel like I'm being drawn to you because you need help. My help. I intend on helping you, Sanji. I will cure this emotional blockage of yours, and you will be the man you were, I swear it!" Law vowed, looking rather intense.

Sanji was unimpressed, scowling at him. "Please stop."

"Even if I have to kill this man, I will save you, Sanji, I vow to you this!" Law promised fiercely.

At that, Sanji laughed. "Now that's funny. Trust me, that's an impossible feat."

"Even when you challenge me so casually, you boil my blood," Law exclaim. "Look, I understand you're shy, and you're afraid of being hurt, again. I think we've spent enough time together for you to know what I'm about."

"I didn't agree to this."

"I know, I've had a hard time negotiating my way through the kids, Brook and Franky just to get this far. I didn't expect so many obstacles just to make my way to your feet, but I'm here, now. After all those tribulations, I'm not giving up, now. I'm more determined than ever to prove to you that I always get what I want!"

"You're almost charming, you know that? I can never tell where exactly you're standing," Sanji admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "One minute I think you're wooing me, then the next I feel like you'll be slicing me up to wear my skin for some medical experiment of yours. And charming the kids at the same time…it's almost criminal until I catch you doing something nice for them without me around."

"Well, curses, you figured me out," Law said dryly. He reached out, brushing strands of blond hair from Sanji's face. "While I'm not as conniving as Gin was with you – which, seriously, I don't know what you saw in that guy. Scourge of the seas. Did I tell you I met him, once?"

"He was an absolute gentleman. The best of them. Stop talking shit."

"Well, see, with that in mind, it only makes me more determined for you to think of me that way. You're making me think about what I have to do to convince you that I'm amazing for you. I had a plan, Sanji – that was to graduate and move on from this stupid place and find something bigger out there," Law said with a sigh, looking at the sea with an exhausted expression. "Something grander. I want to fix people. I want to fix all the people, and getting off this island is the only way I can do it. I can't stand watching them die, anymore. I have a promise to keep, Sanji, and you just…you make me forget. You make me want to fix you."

"Well, nothing can do that," Sanji muttered. "I wish you'd give up and just focus on your dream."

"That only makes me more stubborn, Sanji-ya."

Sanji sighed, rubbing his face. He turned with a shake of his head and walked back into the restaurant with a wave over his shoulder. With a determined expression, Law watched him go, thinning his lips. With narrowed eyes, he then took off, planning Zoro's fate.