When Sanji was finally allowed to get up and walk on his own, he made good on his promise to go see Law. It took a few days before Usopp deemed him well enough to get up, and by then the bruises had started to fade a bit. Well, some of them. The ones on his face and sides only looked worse with time, turning from red and purple to black and blue. Coupled with the yellow and green of his fading bruises, he made a perfect rainbow of color.
It was after dinner and late enough that the halls were mostly quiet. By this time most people had already retired to the barracks to spend the remainder of their evening chatting or playing games. Sanji only passed by a few people on his trip to the infirmary. Those he see gave him strange looks before passing quickly, though Sanji really couldn't blame them. He was a walking advertisement for guard brutality. It was better to avoid him than get too close.
Sanji peeked his head carefully into the infirmary. It was far past normal hours of operation, but you never knew when the doctors might decide to pull a late night for something. Fortunately, the place looked deserted, apart from Law. He sat in one of the wheeled chairs, tossing an anatomical heart up and catching it before repeating the motion.
He was older than Sanji, maybe in his early twenties, with scruffy black hair and tired looking eyes. Those eyes looked back at the doorway, his head lolling lazily backwards to see as Sanji looked through the door.
"You're right on time," Law drawled. His voice was smooth but slow, his speech coming out almost lazily. "The long-nose said you'd be here tonight."
"Uh, yeah," Sanji said by way of greeting, stepping into the infirmary. It seemed the doctors had all gone for the evening, or Law was being incredibly brazen.
The infirmary was a long, low ceilinged room with cots laid out in increments at one end and three medical examination tables at the other. Between the cots and the tables was a complicated looking set up of crude machines, beakers, and a collection of pill bottles, both empty and filled. Sanji assumed it acted as lab or pharmacy of some kind. Maybe both, but medical knowledge was not his field, so he really couldn't say.
"You were expecting me?" Sanji asked curiously .
Sanji was a little wary of Law. He never knew what to make of the man. Law looked like a mad scientist, spoke like a delinquent, and his behavior was sometimes that of a madman's. Sometimes his eyes looked dull and bored as if nothing in the world were entertaining, and other times they sparked with what Sanji could only call dangerous attention. He had never done anything wrong to Sanji, anyone Sanji knew, or anyone at all as far as Sanji could tell. Aside from poking at bleeding wounds with little remorse for the pain he was causing, Law was over all innocent.
But that fact didn't make Sanji any less uncertain about him.
"Of course, I told you; your friend told me," Law replied with a lazy smile.
Which was a very strange thing for Usopp to do, in Sanji's opinion. If Sanji felt this uneasy around Law, a more timid character like Usopp must have been terrified to get too close to the apprentice doctor. Then again, Sanji knew how worried Usopp had been about him. Franky had given up trying to get the young man to do his job, instead excusing him to go back to the hidden workshop to keep Sanji company. Mostly he just fussed with Sanji's bandages and eyed the blond man like he might croak any second, but Sanji's condition made Usopp less secretive as well.
The first thing Sanji did was ask why Franky had a workroom hidden in back of his regular shop. It was rather cleverly hidden too, through a door that was lined with the same stone as the walls around, and that when closed entirely became a flawless part of the rock around it. Usopp wouldn't answer specifically, which raised Sanji's curiosity even more, but he did say that Franky was working on some special projects he didn't want anyone else to know about. Sanji tried to press for more information, but that was all Usopp would give him, so he let it drop.
Despite trying to get information out of Usopp, Sanji hadn't been so forth coming with his own information. He had yet to tell his friend about Zoro's offer to take them away. He wanted Usopp to be excited, but he worried in his current condition the long-nosed man would only worry more, fearing what escaping the confines of their colony might do to Sanji. Sanji hoped, after getting an approval of health from Law, that Usopp would stop looking at him with those eyes that were heavy with concern for him. Then maybe Sanji could tell Usopp his good news.
"Cook?" Law called his attention back. The man had a strange habit of very rarely calling anyone by their name, preferring to call them by their titles or defining features.
"Sorry," Sanji shook the thoughts from his head. "What did you say?"
"I said hop up on the table, and I'll look you over," Law repeated himself, gesturing to the metal exam table nearest to Sanji.
Sanji complied, hopping up on the hard surface. It wasn't unlike the surface he'd been sleeping on the past few days, that even with the added cushioning of his blanket that Usopp had taken from the barracks was a miserable uncomfortable place to sleep.
He tried not to feel uncomfortable or disturbed when Law asked him to remove his shirt and began prodding around his chest and stomach. Law's fingers were colder than his skin, and it made a shiver that was more discomfort than cold run down his back.
"Ah, the woman wasn't lying," Law commented, startling Sanji slightly.
"What woman?" He asked, trying not to look as curious as he felt.
"The tall woman with the dark hair. She came with long-nose and told me your condition," Law explained.
Robin had been here? With Usopp? It took Usopp a long time to trust people, so that was pretty strange, particularly given the news that Robin was from the surface. Though Sanji trusted Zoro, even he wasn't quite sure what to make of the tall, elegant woman or her wild companion. Zoro seemed to trust them, and that lent them some credibility, but not enough for Sanji to trust them entirely.
Maybe Usopp had thought it safe to go with Robin for this kind of task. She was the one that knew best what kind of shape he was in, she'd been the first one to examine him and determine that he'd live. It made sense for her to go, but…
Sanji would definitely need to be filled in on everything that had happened while he was stuck in Franky's workshop.
"Your ribs will be okay, though I recommend not participating in any strenuous activities for a little while," Law advised.
Sanji wondered if escaping from the colony would be strenuous.
Law moved on, allowing Sanji to put his shirt back on and asked him to roll up the leg of his pants, revealing the long gash that ran a good portion of his shin.
"Who stitched this," the doctor scoffed. "This looks awful."
"I don't know," Sanji replied honestly. His leg had been stitched when he woke up, but no one had actually owned up to the task. "It was like this when I woke up."
Law smirked. "Well I'll look at your head in a moment, I'm going to have to redo this," he stood from his chair, gathering up what Sanji assumed to be the necessary supplies for proper suturing, Once they were gathered, Law returned with a gleeful smile that made Sanji's insides freeze.
"The bad news, Mr. Cook, is that supplies are short, so I won't be able to give you any anesthetics," Law told him, the twisted smile still on his face. "This might sting a bit."
Sanji limped out of the infirmary roughly an hour later. His leg was throbbing, the pain of Law's needle coupled with the already tender wound on his leg made for a hellish experience. The entire process had gone quickly, according to Law, but Sanji felt like Law had been stabbing him for hours.
He'd recover though, and even he had to admit the stitches Law had placed looked a lot neater than the ones that had been in his leg before. They'd been thick, dark things, unevenly stitched in a jagged, messy pattern. Law's were straight and clean by comparison.
Now that he had a clean bill of health, Sanji was dying for some action. He wanted to tell Usopp the news about Zoro and their escape, he wanted to find Zoro and start up a plan for getting out of here. Heck, he would have settled for running into Luffy right about now. Anything to get something into motion, to burn off the energy and idea's he'd had building in his mind while he was stuck to a table under watchful eyes.
Unfortunately, it was too late at night to go find Usopp to tell him the news. Lights out would be any minute now, and he didn't want to be caught strolling into the barracks past curfew again. At least not until he found out which coward had sold him out and made that person pay.
He considered heading back up to Franky's workshop, but the thought of one more night on that godforsaken table made him quickly reject the idea. It might have made a convenient place to hide away when he needed it, but he shuddered at the thought of voluntarily going there.
That didn't leave him many other places to go. He was considering making a bed out of the sacks of flour in the kitchen. The guards made their rounds near the mess hall, but very rarely bothered to wander all the way back to the kitchen itself. If he tucked into the crevice Zoro spent his days there in, he could sleep peacefully and undiscovered for the night.
He was just about to head in the direction of the kitchen when another thought occurred to him. The kitchen was quite a distance from here, but there was a place Sanji could think of that was much closer, safe from the guards, and likely to be more comfortable than Franky's workshop.
That was if its occupant let him stay.
Sanji stopped just outside of the crack in the stone that led to Zoro's small hideaway. Inside he could hear voices talking quietly, but loud enough that Sanji could hear from where he stood. Zoro wasn't alone it seemed, and Sanji couldn't help but listen to see who else was inside with him.
"We're supposed to be leaving now that I have the map," Robin's low, soft voice said.
"I know, just… give me a little more time," Zoro sighed in response.
There was a gap of silence. Sanji listened harder, thinking perhaps there was something he was missing in that silence, but there was nothing, just the quiet of the stones around them.
"Zoro…" Robin finally spoke. Her tone was sympathetic, and she spoke slowly as if his name came out with her breath rather than by thought.
"We can wait, Robin," another voice spoke. It was Luffy's. "We aren't in that much of a hurry. Besides," the young man laughed "You know you can't change Zoro's mind once it's made up!"
Sanji swore he could hear Robin sigh, even over Luffy's laugh.
"I hope you know what you're doing," she said.
"I don't," Zoro replied, and Sanji could hear the cocky, half-smile in his words. "But when has that ever stopped me?"
Luffy laughed again, and this time Robin chuckled as well. They then started saying their goodnights, and Sanji looked around frantically for a way to hide himself before he was caught eavesdropping. Aside from the crack in the wall that led to Zoro's room, however, the hallway was empty, and the stone walls were smooth. He could only hope they would assume he'd just arrived and hadn't had time to overhear him.
Robin emerged first, her light blue eyes falling on Sanji immediately as if she knew he was there the whole time. The knowing look in her gaze told him that she did.
"Hello, Sanji," she greeted warmly. "It's good to see you up and about again. I take it you've been to see Law?"
"Uh, yeah," he replied awkwardly. He felt a little like a kid being caught stealing from the cookie jar. "He had to restitch my leg, but he said I was making a good recovery, no permanent damage."
"That's wonderful to hear," she beamed.
"All thanks to you, my dear!" He dropped to one knee dramatically, hands over his heart in a gesture of undying love and gratitude.
Laughter not belonging to Robin distracted him.
"Sanji, you're an idiot," Luffy laughed, appearing from behind Robin. Truthfully, the blond had been so distracted by her he had completely forgotten Luffy was there at all. "No wonder Zoro likes you."
Sanji's face reddened in what he swore was anger and not embarrassment. "Hah?! Has that bastard been making fun of me?!"
"Not at all, Sanji," Robin assured him. "Quite the opposite, in fact."
Sanji was about to ask what the heck that was supposed to mean when Robin turned her attention to Luffy instead. "Come, Captain, I suppose we should go back to our room now."
Luffy said goodbye and followed after the tall woman, chattering enthusiastically over what kind of games they could play tonight.
Sanji watched them go, a feeling of slight apprehension welling in his gut. It was obvious that the conversation from before was about him. Zoro had obviously informed his friends of his plans to take Sanji and Usopp with them. From the sound of it, Robin wasn't entirely enthusiastic about the idea, and that made Sanji nervous. What if this was a bad idea? Was Sanji putting them at risk with his selfish desire to see the surface? He didn't want that. He might not have been entirely sure what to make of Robin and Luffy, and he still wasn't sure where exactly he stood with Zoro, but he liked them all well enough not to want them to be hurt or endangered for his sake.
"Are you going to stand out there all night, or are you going to get your ass in here?"
Sanji jumped slightly as Zoro's voice filtered through the break in the stone. He'd been lost in thought for the moment and had forgotten entirely about what he had come here for in the first place. Though he hated to do it after Zoro had asked so impolitely, Sanji pulled himself into the tight space and entered Zoro's room.
The green-haired man was sitting back against the wall of his small space, watching Sanji carefully as the blond came in. Sanji should be used to that kind of attention for Zoro. Since they'd met, Sanji had been on receiving end of that look far too many times. Zoro was a quiet person, but he wasn't stupid. He was in the habit of sizing up opponents, Sanji had noticed it during their first run in, Zoro had seemed slow to react to his speed, but now Sanji realized he did that on purpose. Zoro studied his enemies and dissected their movements frame by frame.
However, lately that attention had been different. At first it was because Sanji was an enemy, but now Sanji wasn't sure. He'd caught Zoro giving him the same look while he'd been recovering; a studious, thoughtful look that Sanji wasn't sure what to make of.
Frankly, it made Sanji slightly uncomfortable. He wasn't sure he liked the golden eyes dissecting his every movement as if they might figure out all his secrets just by observation.
"Robin doesn't seem too pleased," he commented. Zoro had probably heard the whole conversation outside of his hole as well as Sanji had heard the conversation inside, so there was no use pretending he hadn't heard anything. Plus, Sanji would have started talking about anything to get those eyes to leave him be for a moment.
It worked, and Zoro's eyes tore themselves from Sanji for a moment while the green-haired man sighed.
"It's nothing personal," Zoro assured him. "Robin is as much for breaking the rules as everyone else, she just likes to remind us of the consequences of our actions."
"What kind of consequences?" Sanji asked curiously. He'd been fighting the losing battle in his mind to keep from being too excited about going to the surface. He knew, with what reason he could muster for the situation in the back of his mind, that Zoro's offer was made spur of the moment, without any planning or consideration. He also knew there had to be some risks in taking other people back out with him. An escape for one who knew what he was doing might have been simple enough, but a party of people with no clue was not as easy.
For this reason, a part of him expected Zoro to take back his invitation at some point. Surely, the green-haired man would come to his senses and realize there might be some danger in taking other people with him. When that time came, Sanji would have to accept his let down as best as possible, which was why he was trying not to be so hopeful. Now that he had asked, however, he was setting himself up for the perfect rejection.
Zoro smiled, a wicked grin that was all teeth and a sharp look of glee flickered behind his golden eyes. "Nothing I can't handle," he replied with a kind of unsettling happiness. If Sanji didn't know any better, he would think Zoro was happy about the idea of trouble finding them. But what kind of lunatic looked forward to danger?
Zoro, apparently.
"Zoro," Sanji frowned seriously. "If this is going to be too dangerous, then maybe…"
He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. He knew exactly what he wanted to say. The words were hanging on the tip of his tongue, right there and ready to roll off into the rest of his line. If things were going to be too dangerous, then maybe it was better to forget about taking Sanji and Usopp with him. That was what he wanted to say, and logically it made sense. It wasn't worth it to risk Zoro's and potentially Robin's and Luffy's lives just to take a couple of guys to the surface. Sanji and Usopp were used to their caves, not going only meant staying here in a place they were already well acquainted with. It wasn't like they were in danger and had to leave, life was normal here.
He couldn't get himself to finish the sentence though. Not because he was stuck on the words, but because he couldn't bear to offer such an alternative. Despite how logical it was, the idea of being left behind when he could have gone to the surface would sting worse than the stitches Law had just put into his leg. He wanted to go with Zoro, and to have the offer snatched away from him now was an unbearable thought.
"Cook," Zoro spoke, filling in his absent words. "If you want to come, we'll get you up there, no matter what. It's a promise."
Sanji didn't have words for how grateful he really was. He could feel tension breaking like a dam, and tears welled in his eyes. It was stupid to cry over such a thing, he mentally scolded himself, quickly looking away from Zoro to hide those traitorous tears. That was too embarrassing.
"Thanks," Sanji muttered. He meant it sincerely, but it came out as sort of an irritated grumble. Zoro didn't comment on it anyway.
"So, why are you here anyway, Curly-cook?" Zoro asked, folding his arms across his chest and looking smugly up at the blond.
Sanji frowned. With that look on the marimo's face, it was more tempting to kick him than to ask him a favor, and Sanji was so tempted to do just that. It was too late now to sneak back to the kitchens, however, and in his current condition he really preferred to avoid another confrontation with the guard.
Sanji drew in a deep breath, avoiding looking at the moss head's stupid face while he grit out, "I need a place to stay for the night."
Zoro looked genuinely surprised, and Sanji felt just an ounce of pride in himself for that. Whatever Zoro had expected Sanji to ask for, this was not it.
"Here?" The green-haired man asked in confusion. He looked around his small space, a sweep of his eyes that took hardly a moment. "Won't that be uncomfortable?"
"If you're really going to make me sleep on the stone floor, yes," Sanji snapped. "I was thinking you'd be generous enough to share your, uh…" He looked to Zoro's spread of blankets, creating his makeshift sleeping space. "Bed."
Zoro's frown deepened. "Isn't that a little bit of a tight squeeze?" He asked.
Sanji moved towards the bed, kicking off his shoes as he went. No matter how much of an ass Zoro was, it would be rude to soil his bedding. "Usopp and I have done it before."
"Oi!" Zoro dove, his body taking up a majority of the blanketed space before Sanji had managed to sit down.
The result was a wrestling match between the two that was more childish than necessary and silly since Sanji knew for a fact they both fought better than that when they wanted to. Zoro had sharp reflexes, and he was strong, but even with all his bruises Sanji could hardly feel the man's hands fighting him off.
They fought until Zoro's knee accidently caught Sanji in the ribs, and the blond let out a hiss of pain. It hadn't been a hard hit, just a light bump, but the bruising and cracked bones there ached in protest of it. Zoro conceded after that, sliding over to allow Sanji space to lie down. It irritated Sanji to know the man had probably thrown the fight because of Sanji's injuries, but as the ache in his ribs was still beating at a dull ache, he couldn't protest much. He'd just have to kick the marimo's ass first thing when he was recovered.
Zoro lay with his back to Sanji, facing towards the wall. He was snoring moments later, so loudly Sanji was sure he wasn't going to be able to sleep. The bed was a tight fit with the two of them, despite Sanji's arguments otherwise, and even though he lay as close to the edge as possible, he could still feel the warmth of Zoro's back brush against his with each noisy breath the moss head took.
Sanji shifted uncomfortably. Maybe this had been a bad idea. The tight space, the snoring, it was almost certain he'd be awake all night. The kitchen would have been a much better choice.
The thought had only just crossed his mind when he felt the weariness of his body press down on him, pulling at his consciousness and tugging him into a deep, restful sleep.
Sanji couldn't ever remember sleeping so comfortably before. He woke slowly, his conscious drifting back to him in small increments, his body not quite ready to surrender the comfort it had found. Maybe it was the last few days of lying on the table in Franky's workshop that made him feel like where he was lying down now was truly a slice of heaven. It was much softer here and so warm, and he felt safer here than he could ever remember feeling in his life.
Where was he again?
His brain was wrong to be curious. His consciousness returned much faster now, and he was aware before he opened his eyes that wherever he was - he was not alone. He was also aware that he was constrained and in one panicked moment was wide awake, his mind rushing to remember what had happened last night. Had he run into a guard? Did Law keep him in the infirmary? No, he remembered leaving the infirmary, but he didn't go back to Franky's workshop afterwards, he came to…
Zoro!
Sanji's eyes snapped open, glancing quickly down at the tanned arm slung across his shoulders. It wasn't constraining him the way he had thought, though it did pin him down effectively with its weight alone. It was loose though, as if it had been lazily thrown there without a concern for the person lying in the way. His legs too, one had kicked itself over Sanji's, and now he was trapped.
He could hear the faded echoes of the breakfast bells. From Zoro's cave they sounded so far away, Sanji only barely able to hear their call. He wouldn't make it to breakfast today, but if he got himself up and ready now, he might be able to get back to work. Usopp would probably kill him for it, but with Law's medical examination out of the way Sanji felt he'd been away long enough. Zeff would probably hunt him down personally if he didn't return soon. Besides, the boredom was starting to drive him insane, and he could use work to get his mind off of their escape.
First, however, he needed to get away from Zoro's hold. Carefully he lifted the bronzed arm up and away from him, moving slowly in the hopes of not disturbing the other man. He wasn't sure what Zoro would make of their current position. It wasn't exactly normal for two men to sleep together like this, and Sanji could only picture how embarrassing it would be for both of them if Zoro woke up.
As if summoned by Sanji's thoughts, Zoro grumbled slightly, his arm falling out of Sanji's grip and securing itself around the blond. The moss head's eyes opened slowly, blinking sleepily into focus. Sanji watched him, wide-eyed and slightly panicked but paralyzed as he waited for Zoro to realize the position they were in.
Zoro looked at him, his eyes unfocused and tired, and he squinted as if that would help him see better. Sanji watched his eyes move from Sanji himself down to his arm and back before realization seemed to suddenly drop onto Zoro all at once. The marimo's eyes widened, and he quickly pulled his arm away, rolling closer to the wall and giving Sanji some space.
"Sorry," Zoro muttered, still looking a little disoriented. It was obvious the man had been very deeply asleep, which surprised Sanji a little. In all the time he'd known him, Sanji had discovered Zoro woke up easily, usually he was already awake before Sanji had even realized it, like that time in the kitchen the marimo had successfully avoided Sanji's kick while Sanji had thought he had been sleeping.
That was usually while Zoro was napping though, and aside from the time Sanji had woken up to find Zoro sleeping in Franky's workshop, propped against the wall in a sitting position, Sanji had never seen the man sleep at night. Maybe he slept more deeply when he was safe in his bed.
"No problem," Sanji replied. He had to admit, it had been kind of comfortable with Zoro's body against his, and now there was a kind of a chill working its way up his back.
He stretched, arms over his head. A few joints popped, mostly from the stiffness left over from too many nights on that able. He groaned happily as the cracking joints eased the stiffness and pain from his body. One night in Zoro's bed - and he was feeling better already. Tonight he'd be back in his own and better than ever.
"I should get going," he said to Zoro. "I want to be able to get back to work today, or the old man is going to kill me."
He turned to look at Zoro, expecting a reply, but instead was greeted with the image of Zoro's hand reaching toward him. He froze again. His natural instinct should have told him to back away, but his body refused to obey, keeping him still and waiting as Zoro's hand brushed the fringe of his hair away and rested one palm against Sanji's head.
"No fever," He noted. He did this often since Sanji had come to, though Sanji never got any more used to it.
"You should be fine," Zoro added on withdrawing his hand and pulling himself into his own stretch.
Sanji scowled, determined not to be distracted by the interesting shape Zoro was bending himself into. "I thought the whole point in seeing Law was so that people would stop checking on my health every waking minute."
Zoro released his stretch and smirked, a look Sanji took to mean the man was about to say something to piss him off.
"Well, you still look like shit to me," he said, looking very satisfied with himself.
"Bastard," Sanji countered. "At least I have my bruises as an excuse."
Zoro made a move to grab him, but Sanji ducked out of the way, rolling to his feet quickly and ignoring the twinge of pain in his side and leg. Zoro was making to stand up too, but Sanji wasn't going to give him the opportunity to catch up, turning and darting through the small opening faster than someone as broad as Zoro would be able to. He was down the hallway and out of sight before the marimo could even get his head out of the crevice.
Sanji slowed his pace then. He knew Zoro wouldn't follow him out here just yet. He was panting slightly, his sore body making him a little weaker than he would have liked. He paused to steady his breathing before going to get ready for work. A smile worked itself onto his face. He was looking forward to getting to see Zeff and the others, actually, and his day was already off to such a good start, he couldn't wait to see where it would go.
A/N: I always feel like ten chapters is a big deal. I don't know why. It took a long time to reach chapter ten though, didn't it?
I'm sorry there isn't much action in this chapter, if I included everything I could have, it would have been three times as long and hard to read. I think it was better this way but maybe you'll let me know. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me through ten chapters, and reviewing me every step of the way :)