Excuse the grammar if it goes wrong, I didn't have the energy to triple read it. I have a feeling this chapter got a little angsty.

Chapter Ten

Drunk at Your Doorstep

Sanji was pissed. No, that was an understatement. Sanji was enraged and was radiating a killers' aura, which is why no one in the bar dared to approach the gorgeous blonde. He gulped his shot in one go, feeling his throat burn and eyes sting. Baby refilled his glass before he could even ask and he allowed the burn in his throat to recede a little before throwing the liquor in his mouth. Images of what had happened just fifteen minutes ago flashed across his mind.

Zoro turned to leave, his features calm and relaxed and something in Sanji's mind clicked. Before he knew it, he had turned Zoro around and punched him in his face, sending him crumpling on the floor, shock now adorning his features and Camie screamed from the reception table. "You overconfident bastard." Sanji spat out as he grabbed his sling bag and exited, without looking back. He was sure he would have kicked Zoro if he had stayed and he didn't want that on his conscious. He avoided a fight when he could but sometimes, his patience gave way. He grumbled to himself, storming off to Shakki's Bar and thrusting his hands in his pockets to pull out his phone. He stared at Law's contact for a few seconds before pressing the call button.

The last drop of the drink emptied from the glass and Sanji set it down again, placing his hand on the mouth so that Baby didn't refill it. He needed the drink for the conversation he was about to have with Law but he couldn't afford getting too drunk.

He was angry. He was angry on Law for not contacting him and on Zoro for fucking trying to force him to talk. It was like his view on a matter was meaningless. He knew he was being a total girl but damn him if he was wrong.

Zoro had come up to him in his confident bravado and practically demanded a deeper relationship. Sanji didn't understand himself why that made him angry. He was not ready for anything serious and he could have told him that instead of smashing his fist into his nose. But those thoughts only lasted in his mind for a second before anger flooded in. Again, he didn't know why he was angry on the officer.

And then there was Law. He couldn't understand what the man was thinking either, lying to him about still being with Kidd. Either that or the red haired freak was cheating on him in which case Sanji knew he was forcing himself into a sticky mess.

Someone occupied the barstool next to him quietly and he didn't need to turn his head to know who it was. He clenched his jaw and tried to calm his mind. The alcohol was supposed to help but it had not kicked in yet. He raised a finger at Baby who poured out clean vodka in his shot glass and Sanji wasted no time in hitting it.

"You're angry." Law's voice wove through the air and fuelled his rage further.

Sanji chuckled darkly. "Oh. Look at that, he noticed."

Another shot and Sanji felt nothing. Law just sat there; he ordered no drinks or snacks. The two men were not looking at each other. Sanji relished the uncomfortable, tense air between them. Of course this was just going to get worse. He knew Law was waiting for him to speak. Frankly, now that he was here, Sanji could feel his want to punch rise again.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Law?" His voice came out surprisingly calm with the perfect touch of caution.

Said man turned his head to look at Sanji, studying him intently, trying to read the situation he just put himself into.

"Nothing in particular." He spoke smoothly, eyes lingering on Sanji's fingers as they tightened around the small glass as Baby refilled it yet again.

"Hmmm... So, how are things with Kidd?"

Sanji felt Law's doubtful aura shift to that of defence and unease. "It's going well," Law muttered through set jaws "Thank you for asking. How are things with Zoro?"

Sanji downed the shot and turned to look at him, anguish shining through the ice blue eyes. "Should I lie about it too?"

Law's eyes widened "Lie? What...?"

"When did you guys break up, Law?"

It looked like Sanji had slapped Law, his composure slipping and replaced with disbelief. "How... Who?"

Sanji grit his teeth and looked away from the burbling doctor. Of-course. He shouldn't have presumed that Law would tell him. He probably didn't trust him enough. But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"When, Law? When did it happen?" He hissed, letting his head fall a little.

There was a long pause before Law spoke, "Two months after we broke up."

Sanji sucked in a deep breath, his heart clenched in on itself and he bit his lip as he let the information sink in.

Two months after their breakup... Sanji had obviously still been in love with Law. Had Law told him, he would have been there for the man. Leave then. If he had told him in the hospital, Sanji would have comforted him, because he understood Law enough to know that he was hurting.

It had taken a while for Sanji to move on from Law... The days were long in the beginning; every second was dedicated to miss Law or hate Kidd... hate himself for not noticing when things got so dull. It took a while for him to get used to not waiting up for Law to return from his shift or cooking breakfast for one not two. After a while things got a little easier, Profession and gymming distracted him and by the time he reached home, he was too exhausted to think about anything other than his bed.

The memories of those days filled his mind and he tried to push them away. Law was sitting motionless next to him and Sanji blinked the moisture in his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Another long pause before Law answered, his tone monotonous. "I knew I had hurt you. You didn't need the extra weight I would have imposed on you. I ..." He took a deep breath "I knew you would take be back if I asked you to, without a second thought. But what good would that be? I didn't want to hurt you again."

A tear rolled down Sanji's eye and no amount of blinking stopped more from building up. His face was hidden from Law by his thin curtain of Blond hair and he raised his shot again, trying to concentrate on the bitter taste, his hand trembling lightly. He took a deep breath and willed his voice to remain calm when he spoke again, but it quavered. "Luffy knew?"

Law shifted on his seat and raised his hand, stopping a few centimetres away from Sanji's back. Sanji felt the warmth radiating from his hand raise goosebumps on his skin. His voice must have given him away, but he believed Law knew better than to try and comfort him. True enough, the hand returned to the bar table and Law replied with a curt 'yes.'

Sanji laughed a little, unable to stop the hysteria slowly starting to grab hold of him. One last final question and he would leave; let Law return to his duty. "Why?"

He didn't need to specify what he was asking. Law understood him and Sanji was dreading the answer that he was going to receive.

"He never loved me." Law's voice was soft and light, and the words he spoke wrapped cold fingers around Sanji's heart, the pain in them piercing through his soul. "Guess I was a fool."

Sanji said nothing. He just slouched on his stool and waited for Baby to return, barely holding his feelings at bay. They sat in silence next to each other till Law's phone rang and he answered it. Sanji barely paid attention to him, still struggling to control himself. Law cut the call and cleared his throat.

"I have to leave. Duty calls..." He slid off his seat and stood next to Sanji for a few seconds. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Sanji shook his head, not able to think of any response. Law hesitated before turning around and leaving. Sanji felt his presence leave him and he slid off his own stool, dropping the money he owed for his drinks.

Zoro removed the two blood soaked napkins he had stuffed in his nose to stanch the bleeding. He had decided a minute after receiving the punch to not underestimate Sanji's fighting skills. He pretty much deserved what he got. What was he thinking, stalking the guy and then treading into his personal space. But he was glad that he got a reaction from Sanji. He had a menacing look in his eyes before he left and Zoro was sure he could have caused more harm than he already had.

The soft patter of raindrops falling on his window filled his kitchen as he opened his fridge to get some cold beer. He screwed off the cap and downed half the bottle in one go. He caught a glimpse of himself in the small mirror placed in the room and noticed the blood on his shirt. He set the bottle down and unbuttoned the top two buttons of the shirt before slipping it off his head and dumping it on a chair.

Camie had freaked out when Sanji had punched him and begged him to forgive Sanji. He had raised a questioning eyebrow at her and she told him that she thought Zoro would arrest Sanji for hitting a cop. He had laughed it off and reassured her that it was not going to happen.

His doorbell rang and he glanced at the watch set on the fridge before walking to the door, wondering who was calling in at this hour. A peek through the peephole showed blonde hair and he immediately unlocked his door to let Sanji in, grinning in anticipation of the heated conversation they were probably going to have.

His stomach fell when he saw Sanji soaked to the bone, his hair plastered to his face and one red eye looked at him through a haze of pain and anguish. He was trembling though he was trying his best and failing to control it. The grin wiped itself off his face as he noticed Sanji's nibbled lip, a little blood clotted at the place where he had cut skin. His stance looked defeated and he was breathing heavily, left foot lifted lightly to avoid putting pressure on it.

"Sanji, what the hell?" Words escaped his mouth and he automatically grabbed Sanji's wrist, pulling him inside, making him gasp sharply as he tried walking on his recovering leg. "Get out of these clothes," Zoro tugged on his jacket, trying to force the soggy fabric off his trembling frame but Sanji shook his head and held on to it. "What is it? Sanji? Hey, look at me."Zoro held his oddly burning face in his hands and forced Sanji to meet his eyes.

Words failed him when he saw how broken they looked as a tear tumbled off his puffed lid and trailed down his face. Zoro wiped it away with his thumb, not understanding what to do. Was it his fault? Had he pushed too far? What was it that troubled Sanji so much?

"I j- just came... to t-talk." Sanji's teeth clattered together as he tried to speak through them. Zoro held him around his waist, pulling him closer and Sanji flinched a little at the touch. His clothes stuck on to Zoro's bare chest as he loosened his grip on his jacket and fisted them on his scar, eyes still stuck on Zoro's.

"We can talk, Sanji." Zoro spoke, a little scared of how hot his hands were. Sanji probably had fever and not a mild one. "Just... change out of these first, alright? Take a hot shower."

Sanji's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer, setting his forehead on Zoro's tanned nape.

"You want to... know me... more." Every word he spoke was accompanied by a pained huff, the hot air hitting Zoro. He got his arms around the blond, returning the embrace. "Have you... ever... been in... Love?"

Zoro remained silent, taking in every word that left Sanji's trembling lips who was chuckling a little now.

"You're... lucky. It's... good that...you never... felt that pain." His voice broke a little and Zoro gripped on him tighter, a knot forming in his stomach.

"You ... don't under...stand... the hurt... when it's... over." Sanji nuzzled into Zoro's neck, his eyes closing, tears flowing from his eyes, down his cheeks to Zoro's shoulder. "It's ... like... your heart... is s-stabbed... with a knife... You can... feel... your heart...trying to... hah." He sagged a little and Zoro held him straight up, feeling his heart clench and hands curling themselves into tight fists. "Hah... trying to... shred... itself apart... bit... by... bit... every second... of the... day."

Zoro stared at the hallway outside his apartment. They were standing at his doorstep, a drunk, hurt blonde and a bewildered moss head.

"You lose...yourself... to that... person...and torture yourself... when you try..." He hugged Zoro tighter, "try to just forget... it all."
Zoro felt his heart throb as he listened to Sanji.

"I can't... do that... again... Zoro" Sanji whispered his name, "I can't...lay myself... bare... for the... third time in... my life. I... I won't... be able... to return... from the pain again."

With the last word, Sanji sagged completely into Zoro's hold, losing consciousness after telling Zoro what he needed to know. The last tear rolled down his face as Zoro lifted him.

To Be Continued...

A/N:

1) YouTube: BTS Dope. Enjoy.

2)Reply to the reviews:

Blackpiece: God! Your reviews are amazing! I heard the song you mentioned and it really is a beautiful song and touched my heart, though I don't understand French. Sanji really is a wreck isn't he? And in this chapter he has a complete breakdown! (I love Halloween and will dress as fem Zoro this year, though very few people in India celebrate it.) I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

Sinamoni: Oi oi... You make me feel bad! Feel free to review if you feel like it, there is no force... anything you say will motivate the writer into writing more (Not just me, any writer.)! Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter as well! :D