Here's another chapter already. I felt bad for making you guys wait for so long, so I got to work finishing this one as fast as I could. By forgoing a few things, I was able to get this chapter pumped out in three days. Hopefully I'll be able to go back to posting a chapter a week, but we'll see if it's staggered a bit or not. It would be nice to be able to post them this quickly, but we all know that won't be the case most times. Well whatever... here's the next chapter. I'll start working on the next one right away.
~!~
The duo arrived at the school gates with just five minutes to spare. As they neared the school, Zoro released the blonde's hand. He didn't want Sanji freaking out over anyone finding out without them wanting them to. Sanji surprised him by taking his hand back and leaning against his arm in response. Their gazes met, Sanji smiling up at the swordsman happily, before they focused on getting to the classroom before the first bell rang.
It wasn't until they were standing in front of the classroom door that Sanji released Zoro's hand in order to put their bentos into his desk. A few of the other teens in the classroom glances over at them, but most just ignored them as usual. Zoro shrugged it off and acted like it was just another day at school. He took his seat just as the bell sounded and the teacher entered the classroom with a huff. She immediately started roll call and they got settled back into their usual routine even after all that had happened last night.
To Zoro, it felt like a whole week had passed in the blink of an eye as their relationship took a sudden jolt into a different direction. It wasn't something unpleasant, not at all. Zoro was enjoying all of the new sides he was seeing to the cook. Even if it took them getting thrown out of their own home, pushed into a temporary home, and then getting their own place. Despite all that havoc, he didn't mind it at all. As long as he had to similar curly eyebrows to stare at and ocean blue eyes to gaze into at night, he could care less. Something fluttered uncomfortably in the swordsman's chest.
He suddenly realized that they never even asked one another out. They had just assumed that they were going out. No formalities at all. Considering the shit cook was such a stickler for formalities, it was rather surprising to finally realize that there relationship was far from that. Zoro figured he could just ask the blonde during lunch, or whenever Nami would no doubt come to make them do more disciplinary patrols. At least on patrol, they would be alone to talk it out as they worked.
Sanji, on the other hand, was pleased. His rear was very sore. It hurt to sit long hours on the incredibly hard chairs that schools insisted on using. Even though it hurt, he couldn't be happier. They were now closer than they had ever been before. Soft words had been spoken between them that night that brought Sanji into a new light and a sudden realization. He loved the damn moss.
Something about that huge ball of consistently lost moss drove him crazy. He couldn't even pinpoint the one thing that Zoro did that made him feel that way either. It was just something about the way he moved, talked, and reacted to things. The way that Zoro was Zoro. Nobody else, not even the hordes of women that surrounded him at once, had ever made him feel the same way. It wasn't even because Zoro was his first. It was just because Zoro was the big lovable ball of moss that he was.
It didn't matter to Sanji that they hadn't ever officially talked about being an item or not. He didn't even care that Zoro hadn't ever formally asked him out. All he cared was that the moss loved him the same way that he loved Zoro. The nickname Marimo had finally went from a demeaning name to a form of endearment with the way he now said it. Sanji didn't even care if the whole school found out that they were gay for each other. As long as Zoro didn't mind, he would gladly tell the world only if he could forever stay beside him.
With these thoughts swirling through their heads, Zoro and Sanji struggled to focus on anything the teacher was saying. Her rambling about history just caused them to slip further into their own thoughts. Who listens to history teachers anyway? Certainly not these two.
~!~
The bell chimed, signaling the five minute grace period between second and third period. Most of the class chattered between each other, others took this time to work on homework or reading. Zoro had drifted off to sleep during the last five minutes of class and Sanji was too distracted to kick his chair, so he slept through the bell. Sanji stared out the window until he heard someone clearing their throat loudly. His head snapped up to find Nami standing between his desk and Zoro's.
"Oh hello Nami-swann~." Sanji smiled from his seat, forgoing his usual frolicking due to the pain.
"Good morning Sanji-kun. You and Zoro have patrol duty for the first thirty minutes of third period." Nami explained, glancing over at Zoro. "Are you two alright? You don't seem to have the usual energy that you normally do."
"Is it that noticeable?" Sanji frowned slightly. "We're doing just fine. There's just been a lot going on in our lives right now. We've had to move out twice already and I've switched homes three times within the past month. I think I'm finally getting worn out."
"That's such a shame. I hope this last place is suitable enough. Maybe you should try sleeping in a little. You have a perfect attendance record, so they won't complain about you coming in tardy one of these days." Nami pointed out.
"Not for me, no, but we all know the Marimo over there needs an escort or he'll never show up on time." Sanji chuckled. "If it wasn't for me, he'd still be missing classes."
"You two have gotten pretty close over this past week. I'm glad to see you two making friends. I was worried you would keep fighting forever." Nami smiled, being polite.
"You have no idea..." Sanji muttered before perking up. "Well, I better wake his lazy ass up and get him moving so we are on time for duty."
"Yeah, that might take a while." Nami gave the blonde a sideways glance at his quiet muttering before turning to leave. "I'll see you guys around then."
"See you Nami-swann~!" Sanji waved the ginger off before stiffly getting to his feet.
Sanji glanced around the class for anyone watching before giving the swordsman's desk a sharp kick. Zoro jolted up in his seat with a panicked expression before calming back down and glaring over at the blonde. Confusion passed over his face once he noticed the blonde standing when class was going to be starting in a few minutes.
"Nami-swann said that we have patrol duty at the start of this period. So you need to get up." Sanji huffed, watching the confusion wash off the swordsman's face.
"Ugh. Do we have to?" Zoro groaned. "I'm too damn tired for this."
"Yes we have to and you shouldn't be tired. You slept in this morning and was just sleeping you shitty moss." Sanji grumbled.
"Fine." Zoro caved in with a growl. "I have something I want to talk to you about anyway."
Sanji gave the swordsman a questioning look, but brushed it off. There was nothing that moss could say to him that would dampen his mood at the morning unless he tried to end things, which was highly unlikely. They left the class without a word since all the teachers were informed of their new positions in the disciplinary committee. It was also stressed that they duty together every time. Nami had been the one to push that rule.
~!~
The cook took the lead through the halls once they had stopped at the disciplinary committee office to pick up their pins that gave them access to the entire school without rhyme or reason needed. Zoro tagged along beside him silently. He had made mention that there was something that he wanted to talk about, but then kept silent the entire walk. Sanji shrugged it off and kept walking. His gait was slightly off from the stiffness traveling down his thighs, but he pushed that to the back of his mind in order to focus more on the task at hand and the lost moss beside him.
"So... there was something you wanted to talk about." Sanji spoke up after a few minutes of walking.
"Yeah... about that..." Zoro scratched at his hair nervously. "We never really did discuss if we were a... thing... or not."
"That's fucking obvious." Sanji deadpanned. "Of fucking course we're a thing. Why the fuck wouldn't we be?"
"I don't fucking know! I just thought I'd fucking ask!" Zoro threw his hands up in the air in frustration.
"What? You want to go ahead and ask me out right now? Get it out of your system?" Sanji smirked, a teasing tone to his voice.
"Fuck no! I already fucked your ass, I'm not asking you out afterwards. That's just bullshit." Zoro hissed. "Your ass is already fucking mine, so what the hell is there to claim?"
"Pfft..." Sanji sputtered before laughing loudly, red dusting his cheeks.
"What?" Zoro snapped defensively.
"You're so damn blunt about it." Sanji chuckled. "This is why I fucking love you so much."
Zoro shuffled uncomfortably at Sanji's words. That was the second time he was hearing them and he still couldn't believe his ears. He was pretty convinced the first time was either his mind playing tricks on him or a dream, but now he was certain those words were spoken aloud. His gaze drifted to the cook's happy smile, mirth pulling his lips up into an attractive curve with his teeth peeking out from between his soft lips.
"Excuse you for being so damn hot." Zoro grumbled, the words flying out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"What's that Marimo?" Sanji smirked, leaning closer for emphasis. "I didn't quite catch what you said."
"Just this..." Zoro mumbled.
The swordsman roughly grabbed the front of Sanji's shirt and kissed him with enough force that their teeth smacked. A surprised squeak came from the blonde before he settled into the kiss. Zoro made sure to force his tongue into the blonde's mouth, turning his knees to jelly in one swift motion, before he pulled away. Sanji panted slightly. His cheeks were dusted red and his lips were parted slightly as he recovered from the swordsman's sudden actions.
"Now shut up and do your job." Zoro grinned, starting down the hallway.
"That's not fucking fair!" Sanji snapped, jogging in front of Zoro slightly. "You can't just do that and leave me hanging."
"I do what I want." Zoro laughed.
"If that's what you fucking think. I hope you remember that I make your fucking food every damn day. You pull shit like that and I'll make sure my cooking actually tastes like the fucking shit you claim it to be." Sanji threatened.
"Keep threatening me like that and you won't last the day." Zoro gripped the blonde's tie, pulling him close to whisper in his ear. "I'll pound the fuck out of you in one of these bathrooms or a damn closet if you continue to threaten me."
"So I should keep threatening you, huh?" Sanji whispered back seductively.
"Teasing little shit." Zoro growled as he released the blonde.
They continued down the hallways, throwing insults the entire way. Sanji laid of the threats for now since they had a job to do, but he kept the idea in the back of his mind. He was enjoying figuring out what exactly would get the swordsman to do what he wanted. It wasn't too hard to seduce the moss-for-brains since all he saw was flirtatious actions as it was. A lot of things tended to snap the swordsman's control even though he prided himself on his levels of control. Especially when it came to Sanji.
A shrill cry echoed through the hallway as Sanji and Zoro passed a particularly deserted section of the school. Most of the classrooms around there were in the middle of being renovated, so the students were moved into other classrooms while construction was being done. The workers couldn't work while the students were in school, so nobody should be on this side of the school at this time of day. Sanji cursed their luck while Zoro mumbled something about pretending like he didn't hear it. After Sanji chided him for what he said, they started to follow the occasional cry through the hallways.
"I hope this is just some fucking kid trying to pull a prank." Zoro snarled. "Because I'm going to pulverize this asshole when we are done."
"Calm the fuck down. You don't even know what's fucking going on yet." Sanji snapped.
They turned the corner at the end of the hallway to see a kid in glasses who was about half their height surrounded by four others. Sanji and Zoro stiffened as they instantly recognized the one leaning against the wall a few feet away from the three others and the kid. It was Enel. The kid was cowering with tears streaming down his face. Blood splattered his clothes and he looked to be injured enough that it was noticeable, but not enough to keep him from begging for forgiveness. Zoro groaned in irritation as Sanji sighed.
As much as the two really didn't want to do this, they knew that had to.
"Let the damn kid go." Zoro growled out, eyeing the three brutes surrounding him.
"He owes me a few things." Enel spoke up, his tone calculating and cold. "I can't just let him go without being paid back."
"Just let him go this time. It's not like you can't just hunt him down later anyway." Zoro grumbled, scratching his head in irritation. "I'm not in the mood for this, so let's just settle it that way. In my defense, I'm not promoting violence. I'm just directing it elsewhere."
"I still can't do that." Enel snapped harshly. "Once I catch my prey I don't let go."
"I guess you're letting go today." Sanji piped up. "There's a first time for everything, you know."
Sanji's tone set Enel off immediately. His eye twitched and his expression darkened at the same time. Zoro leveled him with a dark look of his own, silently telling him that he means business if Enel decides to lash out at the blonde. The cook ignored both of their brooding looks. He locked gazes with the cowering kid, flicking his chin slightly to signal the kid to scram. It only took a second for the kid to take off through the hallways screaming as tears streamed down his face.
"Get him." Enel commanded the other three as he locked gazes with the ballsy blonde.
"Not so fast." Zoro hissed, blocking their path. "You three have a play date with us first."
"Kill them." Enel snarled, his voice dropping dangerously.
Zoro immediately prepared himself for the worst as the three larger guys pulled out knives and picked up metal pipes that were leaned up against the wall. Sanji clicked his tongue in irritation, digging for his cigarettes even though he knew he shouldn't light one. He popped one in his mouth and left it, deciding to use its presence as comfort instead. Enel glared them down as his three lackeys started to circle them.
Sanji gave Zoro a fleeting glance, telling him thousands of things all at once without ever opening his mouth. Zoro nodded before rushing at one of the men who carried two pipes in his hands. The swordsman knew he was pretty defenseless without his swords, so he decided to use a substitute instead. He got right in front of the man, knocking the pipes out of his hands with a few well-placed hits. Once he had the pipes in his hands, Zoro twirled them around in a wide arc. They scattered quickly, the guy in front of Zoro being the only one to take the beating.
Once the other two noticed that Zoro was armed, they changed tactics. One scurried off after the swordsman while the other kept his attention on Sanji. The cook scoffed at the display, knowing full well that Zoro would be able to handle two armed assailants with ease. He was more worried about what kind of action Enel would take if his men are dealt with quickly. Clicking his tongue again, Sanji somersaulted out of the way of the man's first attack. His back and rear were sore, but he could easily use his full strength without problem. It wasn't like he was actually injured this time around.
The cook glanced at Zoro again just to make sure that the moss knew there were two after him. Once he noticed the swordsman engaging in battle with them both, he looked away and focused on his own fight instead. Sanji tapped his toe on the cement as he watched the man's every move. He swung his metal pipe in a wide arc, aiming for the blonde's head. Twisting out of the way, Sanji avoided the attack effortlessly. Zoro's attacks were a lot faster and stronger than this. It was almost as if the man was moving in slow motion.
Zoro dodged a few of their attacks without attacking back. He watched their every move to see what they would do next and if they did thing repeatedly like most low-level delinquents seem to do. His eyes darted between them like a hawk, taking in everything from their posture to the twitch of a muscle before moving. The swordsman didn't miss a single detail as he began piecing together what they fought like as a team as well as alone. Once he felt like he knew enough, Zoro prepared himself to start attacking.
Growling in frustration, the guy threw his pipe around a few more times before Sanji decided that he was done playing with the guy. Sanji bent backwards, avoiding another attack, and used the motion to kick the guy's jaw from beneath. The man snarled in pain before recovering and taking another swing at Sanji. His attack missed again as the blonde twisted into a roundhouse kick, knocking the pipe out of his hands and into the wall on the other side of the hallway where Zoro fought. Zoro's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the pipe before shrugging and taking it. Now he had all three of his "swords" and was rearing to go.
The swordsman gripped a pipe between his teeth before wrenching the last pipe out of the wall. A manic grin spread across his face as he flipped the pipes in his hands effortlessly. Something about the look he had made his two assailants back off slightly and hesitate before they both attacked at once. Zoro slipped through their attack, using his own pipes to defend himself against the one's knife and the other's pipe. His pipes connected in two different places, making the men groan in pain.
Sanji sighed in a bored manner. He shuffled his toe on the ground as he watched the man in front of him dig out a dagger. It wouldn't matter how many weapons the guy decided on pulling out, he would still end up with the same fate. The blonde took two steps forward before slamming the heel of his shoe into the guy's face with enough force to slam him onto the ground. His dagger slid across the smooth flooring as Sanji ground his heel into the guy's face, making a bloody mess of his nose and lips.
The blonde had been so engrossed in exacting his revenge in the form of digging his heel into the guy's face that he failed to notice Enel bend down for the first time since they confronted him only to pick up the dagger. He turned it over in his hands before stepping away from the wall and right toward the blonde. Sanji sighed, running a hand through his hair, as he finally stepped away from the man. His head snapped up at the movement out of the corner of his eye. Something whizzed toward his head, so Sanji put his hand up to block it while simultaneously moving out of the way.
Whomever had thrown the object had anticipated his movements and thrown it at an angle because the object smacked into his hand. Pain rippled through his palm as the tip of a blade came out the back side of his hand. Sanji's eyes widened as his mind tried to comprehend what had just happened, as well as the fact that his hand was damaged. The world came to a halt as he fought to come to terms with what was happening to him. It wasn't until someone grabbed his shirt roughly and slammed him into the nearest wall that he understood what was going on completely.
Zoro fought off his two attackers, wearing them out until they could barely keep up anymore. He knocked the one unconscious and was focused on the other when he caught sight of Sanji grinding his foot into the one guy's face from the corner of his eye. An amused smirk passed over his lips as he focused on beating down his last opponent. His attacks found purchase repeatedly until the guy was having issues standing. The swordsman smirked in victory as he landed one last good hit to the guy's head to knock him out.
As Zoro turned to regroup with the blonde, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He watched helplessly as Sanji stared at his hand, a small blade sticking completely through it, while Enel closed in on him with one fell swoop. Sanji was against the wall before Zoro could even move his feet. Blinding rage coursed through the swordsman as he could only think of what was probably about to happen to the blonde cook. His cook. His roommate. His boyfriend. His love.
Sanji hissed in pain as Enel ripped the blade from his hand and went to strike at his face with it. The blonde had half a mind to throw his hands up to protect his face, no longer caring about the consequences of his actions as he fought to stay alive. Enel slashed at his hands a few times before someone came up behind him. Zoro swung at the male, his attack being dodged by a hair's width. He readied himself for another swing when Enel suddenly whipped the blonde against the wall, a sickening crack resounding down the barren halls.
Zoro saw red as he closed in on Enel with the fury of a thousand tigers. Enel dodged what he could and tried blocking what he couldn't dodge. He ended up taking quite a few blows to his arms as Zoro's attacks got faster and faster. The more the swordsman heard that sound echo through his brain, the harder his swings got. It got to the point that getting hit by one of his pipes was like being beaten with a lead brick. His strikes were so hard that his pipes were beginning to bend with every hit, leaving blood and bruises in their wake.
The blonde had collapsed against the wall where he was thrown. He hissed in pain as he curled up into the fetal position. Sanji quickly did a mental scan for anything being broken and came up clear. Confusion set in as he recalled the sound that he had heard echo through the walls and the amount of pain he was in, yet he could still move everything and nothing hurt to move without hurting while still. His hands slowly traveled along his body, searching for what broke.
Something sliced into his fingertips, making the blonde wince at the added damage to his hands. He slipped his fingers into his back pocket to fish out his phone, or what was left of it. The shards dug into his flesh where he had smacked into the wall, but otherwise it crumbled in his fingers. Realization set in as he figured out that the sound they heard was his phone taking its last breath. Sanji relaxed once he found out that nothing in his body had broke when he was slammed into the wall.
His thoughts turned to the burning pain all over his hands. He hadn't looked at them yet, and he doubted that he really wanted to, but he knew that he would have to in order to assess the amount of damage that Enel had done. Slowly turning his hands around, Sanji's breath caught in his throat as a strangled gurgle left his lips. Multiple deep cuts were slashed across both of his palms. Blood dripped everywhere, making it harder to see the pure extent of the damage caused. Both hands were ripped up, his right having a hole going straight through it that Sanji could almost see through.
Bile rose in the blonde's throat as he looked down at his hands. Enel had done the worst possible thing that he could have done to the blonde. He took away his passion, his release, his everything. Without his hands, Sanji couldn't cook. The blonde wouldn't care if he lost an eye, a leg, or even both legs. Losing his hands was like cutting off his head. It killed him on the inside. Tears streamed down the blonde's face as he curled tighter, holding his hands out shakily while they burned.
Zoro's blows continued to connect to the delinquent. His eyes had turned murderous as soon as he heard the strangled gurgling sound coming from Sanji. It sounded like the blonde was unable to breathe properly, so Zoro had to finish this quickly and get him help immediately. The swordsman's one pipe snapped off, creating a sharp spear, when he bent it back and forth one too many times. He used the sharpened end to slash at Enel's arms and hands like he had done to Sanji. Once the second one snapped off as well, Zoro started to twist and whip his attacks so they sliced deep into the delinquent's flesh, spilling his blood all over the hall.
A roar tore it's way through Zoro's throat as he slashed at the other male's chest and abdomen. Pained grunts came from Enel as he was backed into a wall and slammed upside the head with the remaining pipe that hadn't broken off yet. The delinquent's body crumpled against the wall like a wet paper towel and Zoro gave him another good smack to the head before turning back to the blonde on the floor. He dropped the pipes half way over to Sanji before sliding down onto his knees in front of the cook.
"Sanji! Sanji!" Zoro screamed frantically. "Are you okay? Is anything broken? What was that crack? What's hurt?"
Sanji's shoulders shook as he curled his hands into weak fists so that Zoro hopefully wouldn't see them right away. He slid his elbows beneath himself and heaved himself into a sitting position. Tears were streaming down his face and Zoro instantly started to wipe them off gently, crouching in front of the blonde carefully. His eyes spoke volumes in how worried he was that Sanji wasn't going to make it, but the cook could only think of how guilty he's going to feel about the blonde's hands when he tells him.
"Shh... it's okay. It's all over." Zoro cooed gently as he wiped Sanji's tears. "Take your time to calm down first before you tell me. Just nod yes if you need to go to the hospital right away because you might die or no if we can proceed slowly."
Sanji nodded his head no. His hands would need medical attention, but the most he will experience is a little blood loss and not enough to kill him in the long run. The bleeding should stop before that happens. He was having a harder time coming to terms with the fact that he wouldn't be able to hold a knife for at least a few weeks, if not a few months. This was the biggest problem he had at the moment, but what's been done is done and he can't change that fact.
"I'm... okay. No broken bones." Sanji mumbled out at last as his tears finally slowed. "That sound... was my phone."
"Oh thank the gods." Zoro breathed a sigh of relief, pressing his forehead against Sanji's as tears collected in the corners of his eyes. "I thought for sure that was your back. I was afraid you would never be able to walk again, let alone do what you love."
"I'll still... have issues with that..." Sanji muttered, the tears starting to pour out again. "My... my ha-hands..."
"One little stab won't take long to fix. You'll be good as new in no time." Zoro whispered comfortingly, not realizing the extent of the damage.
"Zoro..." Sanji sobbed out. "It's not just... one stab. It's several cuts. Deep cuts."
"Sanji. Listen to me. You're going to be okay, alright? It might take a while to heal, but you'll be doing what you love in no time." Zoro hissed stubbornly. "Here, let me see them."
Zoro gently took a hold of the blonde's hands and extended his fingers out so that he could see the damage that had been done. Sanji was right when he said he would have issues doing what he loved to do with the injuries he sustained. A soft curse left the swordsman's lips as he slowly curled the blonde's fingers back up to put pressure on the still-bleeding wounds. His gaze caught with Sanji's sad blue, making Zoro's heart wrench painfully.
"Come one, let's get you to the nurse's office and cleaned up. We'll go see Chopper as soon as we can. I don't trust the nurses here, so I'll help you." Zoro sighed, brushing his lips against Sanji's in a comforting manner.
"Okay..." Sanji wept, clutching his hands to his chest protectively.
Something in Zoro tore in two as he watched the blonde practically crumble on the inside. No amount of comforting words or promises of getting better could keep the blonde's mind off of how badly injured his hands were. A flame of rage lit in Zoro's belly when he realized that the blonde used his hands to defend his face. If Sanji hadn't risked his precious hands, then his face would have been ripped into by Enel. He would have lost at least one of his eyes, if not both. There's even a chance that he would have been unable to breathe out of his nose until a doctor reconstructed it. The amount of damage on the blonde's hands would have mangled his face within moments. Zoro was slightly glad that his hands were injured and not his face. At least his hands would heal and be usable again. Losing his eyes would have made basic living difficult, let alone cooking.
~!~
Zoro carefully pulled the blonde's hands under the warm running water. They had escaped to the nearest bathroom after Zoro had sent Nami a text explaining that they caught Enel and his lackeys surrounding a kid and knocked them out. He mentioned having injuries, but he didn't dare describe the extent of the cook's injuries. Sanji leaned against Zoro tiredly, his head lolling to the side slightly as he started to fall asleep standing up. Bruises were starting appear along his collarbone and arms where Enel had grabbed him and threw him. It didn't take Zoro long to imagine what Sanji's back must look like where he collided with the wall.
Quiet whimpers left the blonde's lips as Zoro gently ran his hands over Sanji's to clear away the dried blood and grit that had gotten around the wounds. Sanji's eyes had looked distant ever since he received the multiple lacerations, making him look almost dead inside. Zoro cussed as he fumbled with his phone, dialing Chopper while simultaneously working on cleaning up the blonde. He had gotten a few cuts and bruises himself, but he didn't care about that right now. Right now, he was focused on getting Sanji back to his usual cheery self.
The phone line crackled as Chopper picked up the phone. His voice sounded exhausted, but he tried his best to sound awake and focused, "Zoro. You should be in school right now, why are you calling me?"
"The cook and I got into a scuffle with another delinquent at school. Can I head over to your place as soon as I stop by the nurse's office and grab some bandages?" Zoro asked, getting a better look at the Cook's hands and clicking his tongue irritably.
"Of course! What happened? Are you two alright?" Chopper shouted, switching into doctor-mode as Zoro heard someone grumbling in the background.
"I'm fine Chopper, a few cuts and bruises but nothing serious." Zoro started before dropping his voice as low as he could while watching Sanji out of the corner of his eye. "The cook, well, he's not so fine. He's bruised pretty badly; I swear he has to have a broken bone somewhere because I heard a crack, his phone be damned, and well... his hands... were cut up pretty bad. Enel slashed at his face, but he put his hands up and they ended up cut up pretty bad. I swear I can see right through his right hand and there's blood everywhere."
"Try to stop the bleeding as best as you can and get here right away! If you aren't here in ten then I'm coming to get you, got it?" Chopper scrambled, the sound of things being thrown about wildly echoing through the phone. "I'm going to make a spot here for him, so don't let him run away this time."
"Alright Chopper, I understand. I don't think he'll be running anytime soon though. He's been staring off into space and hasn't responded in quite a while." Zoro muttered before saying his goodbyes and hanging up.
"Okay curly, let's get you some bandages so we can get going. I don't want Chopper trying to come get us when he can't drive." Zoro mumbled, grabbing the blonde's wrist before carefully dragging him out of the bathroom.
Zoro came to a complete halt as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom. He threw a protective arm in front of Sanji as he stared down his, now, most hated enemy. Enel staggered in place, a dangerous glint still in his eyes. His legs shook with the effort to even hold himself up, so Zoro sneered at him and sidestepped the delinquent. The swordsman barely got past when he noticed Enel lunge for his back and Sanji. A snarl tore through the swordsman's throat as he twisted back, grabbing Enel by the throat and chucking him into the bathroom wall behind them.
Once the delinquent was still once more, Zoro quietly pulled Sanji down the hallways until he found the nurse's office. Her door currently said that she was off duty eating lunch, so Zoro took it upon himself to just waltz inside. His eyes scanned the rows of medicines and bandages until he found two non-stick band-aid pads and some gauze. Working quickly, the swordsman gently wrapped the blonde's hands so that nothing would get in them. He stole a glance at the cook's sullen look before leading him back into the hallways. They roamed the halls for a good five minutes before Zoro navigated his way out of the school and over to the school gates.
Chopper was already waiting for him at the gates. There was someone taller standing beside him with a cow print hat on. He had an eerily creepy smile stretched across his face as he looked at their injuries. Zoro shuddered, hoping that his buddy knew what he was doing, before heading over to them. A black Mazda sat parked a few feet away and Chopper quickly motioned the swordsman over to it and into the back seat.
They climbed into the back seat, Sanji leaning against the swordsman as he stared blankly at his hands. Zoro put his arm around the blonde's shoulder and pulled him closer. He waited for Chopper and the other guy, who he learned was named Law, get into the car to lean against Sanji more. A sharp pain pinched at his side, but a quick twist to the side slightly stopped that immediately. The swordsman dug his nose into Sanji's hair before speaking quietly.
"Everything is going to be alright. We'll get you home and cleaned up, then we'll sit down and watch some TV. How does that sound?" Zoro spoke softly and comfortingly. "First, you need to come back out of wherever you went, okay?"
"I know..." Sanji mumbled almost inaudibly, his distant eyes sharpening to focus on Zoro. "I'm right here... just... trying not to think about it."
"Good. I was worried you went somewhere I couldn't reach you." Zoro muttered, squeezing lightly.
"For a while, I did... but there's no use running away. I'm stuck with this for a while." Sanji sighed.
"It could be worse." Zoro pointed out.
"If it isn't already. Now I have to teach your shitty ass how to cook. We'll be eating shit for weeks." Sanji grumbled. "Plus, you have to get your ass out of bed when I do, so look forward to waking up at fucking three in the morning."
"Aw hell. Why must I be the one punished for this shit?" Zoro growled.
"We are both fucking being punished here! I don't want to eat shit for the rest of my life!" Sanji hissed before leaning into the swordsman more. "I am glad you are here though."
Zoro grunted in response, gently taking one of the cook's injured hands in his own and kissing it softly. Sanji looked like he was ready to cry, but the blonde held it back. The swordsman glanced at the two in the front seats to make sure they weren't looking before capturing Sanji's lips in a chaste kiss. He ran his hand through the blonde locks under his chin afterward in as comforting of a gesture as he could manage. His heart ached every time the cook gave him that look, but he hid it behind a mask of worry.
~!~
The drive back to Chopper's didn't take very long. They were rushed inside to a hastily put up infirmary in one of the spare rooms the moment they stepped out of the vehicle. Zoro refused any kind of treatments for his injuries, ushering the small doctor to work on Sanji first. Chopper pouted at first, but then went to work right away checking over the blonde's injuries and unwrapping Zoro's messy bandaging job. A couple quiet criticisms slipped out of the brunette's mouth as he looked disgusted by Zoro's technique.
"Sanji, please tell me this wasn't your doing." Chopper muttered, lifting up one of the ends of the bandages.
"Nope. I bet you can guess who did it though." Sanji chuckled.
"You can really tell." Chopper sent the swordsman a quick look before focusing back on the task at hand. "Zoro, you are really bad at this. I need to teach you how to wrap gauze correctly sometime soon so this doesn't happen again. I'm struggling to get it off."
"Just cut it then." Zoro grumbled, crossing his arms and taking a seat in the corner.
"I could hurt Sanji!" Chopper snapped.
"I'll be fine. There's not much more you could do to make my hands worse unless you went ahead and cut them off at the wrists." Sanji mumbled darkly.
"Of course it could get worse!" Chopper snarled, yelling at the blonde. "You at least have a chance to be able to use them again right now. If I go ahead and cut away, then I could risk snipping a tendon or something while trying to get these awful bandages off!"
"Way to be positive there Chopper." Zoro sighed. "I'm going to go get a drink. Want anything curly?"
"Don't fucking call me curly!" Sanji hissed. "I'll take some water."
"Moody much?" Zoro chuckled, glad to have his cook back to normal.
"Who the fuck are you calling moody you damn kelp?" Sanji howled as Zoro shut the door quickly behind himself.
Sanji stared at the door angrily for a few minutes before his shoulders dropped again. Chopper had finally gotten the gauze off and was muttering something under his breath as he worked. The blonde couldn't understand a thing he was saying and he found himself not even wanting to know. For all he knew, Chopper could be complaining about the state of his hands. He didn't want to hear it unless it was good news.
Law stared at the blonde the entire time with a flat expression. Sanji shivered uncomfortably at the disgusted feeling he was getting from being stared at. Chopper worked quickly to lather the blonde's hands in some creams and put on new bandages the correct way. The blonde sighed as he thought of all the things that were going to be hard to do without the use of his hands. Zoro came back into the room a few minutes later as Chopper was prodding him, looking for anything broken or bruised badly. After being given a clean bill of health, Chopper stepped away from the blonde.
"Got your water." Zoro stated, walking over to the blonde and holding the glass out to him.
Sanji frowned at it irritably as he went to grab it, hissing at the pain it caused in his palms. "Can't even fucking hold my water for me, huh? Aren't you a lovely ball of moss." Sanji grumbled.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean shit cook? Hold your own damn water." Zoro snapped back, realizing a bit late at what he just said.
"I would if I fucking could you insensitive piece of shit." Sanji snarled, glaring the swordsman down.
"You wanna go shit cook? I'll beat your ass here and now!" Zoro hissed.
"Stooping so low now Marimo? You'll beat the shit out of a fucking injured person now huh?" Sanji shot back, swinging his legs off the cot and dropping to the floor.
"Now, now guys! No fighting! Zoro, don't you dare hurt my patient!" Chopper screeched as Law held him back.
"Just let them settle this out." Law sighed.
"Injured my ass! You're probably just milking the system too!" Zoro roared, reaching for the blonde's arm.
"You're fucking asking for it." Sanji growled lowly.
The moment Zoro went for Sanji, the blonde twisted out of the way. He brought his leg up to kick the swordsman only to have it caught. Clicking his tongue in irritation, Sanji used his momentum to bring his other heel around in a roundhouse kick aimed right for Zoro's other side. His entire body had been off of the ground the moment he brought his other foot up, having been unable to use his hands to stabilize himself.
Zoro's eyes widened the moment Sanji swung his other foot. He didn't think that the cook was capable of such a feat and couldn't stop the surprise on his face. Sanji's lips curved into a shit eating grin the moment he realized that he had caught the swordsman off guard. The swordsman did not have enough time to react before the cook's leg was already too close to block. His foot collided with Zoro's ribs, only for his ribs to bend inward at the contact. Realizing that ribs shouldn't bend in that far, Sanji quickly halted his movements which caused him to hit the floor roughly with his one shoulder.
Sanji watched with wide eyes as his foot was dropped to the ground and Zoro doubled over. He could hear Chopper screaming in the background as Law held him back with an amused look. Zoro's eyes were wide with realization as a string of curses left his mouth. The blonde stared at the swordsman before he started looking him over. His ribs must have been broken beforehand because Sanji knew he wasn't using enough force to break bones.
"Sanji what did you do?" Chopper hollered angrily.
"He didn't do nothing Chopper." Zoro groaned out, tapping at his side tenderly. "I must have broken these earlier."
"How the fuck didn't you notice?" Sanji screeched angrily.
"It didn't fucking hurt until you dug your god damn toes into it!" Zoro snapped back.
"Broken ribs don't just fucking not hurt!" Sanji hissed. "You should have just fucking said something before I caved your fucking ribs into your organs you shitty moss! What if I fucking killed you?!"
"I know you wouldn't kill me shit cook." Zoro muttered. "How the fuck was I supposed to know that they were broken when it doesn't hurt?"
"Just get your ass over to Chopper before he blows a gasket." Sanji huffed as he rolled onto his side.
Zoro watched with worry as the blonde used his elbows to prop himself up off of the floor. Once his chest was off the floor, he used his strong legs to pop back up onto his feet like he wasn't handicapped. The swordsman quickly looked away before Sanji could glare at him for giving him that face, staggering toward Chopper painfully in the process. Sanji stared at Zoro's back as he leaned to the side slightly to relieve the pressure on his broken ribs. He felt bad for being the one to make it hurt, but Zoro needed to get it looked at anyway. They wouldn't have known that his ribs were broken until it was too late otherwise.
"Come lay down so I can reset the bones and wrap it so it doesn't move." Chopper instructed as Sanji took a seat on the chair in the corner.
"Ugh... do I have to?" Zoro grumbled.
"Just do as he says Marimo." Sanji chided, making the swordsman obey the young doctor's words quietly.