The debt

When he woke up, he heard voices of children and talking people around him. His body shook and he was freezing. He was lucky the day was sunny and a little warm after the cold night. Still, he could barely move from the hard floor shaking in his body. He should have gone with Luffy. Damn it, he was screwed! If he didn't find a place to sleep by the end of the day, he was as good as dead.

Just to top it all off, his head hurt again where the white bandaged was. Damn he should have changed the bandaged hours ago, shit! But he didn't have anything he could replace it with and he couldn't buy anything around here. Well, maybe he just needed to give up…

"Oi, what are you doing curly idiot?!"

Sanji raised his eyes to see Zoro standing above him, looking at him with an angry glare. What was he so angry about?! Sanji was the one who should be angry here! Idiot bastard!

"What does it look like I'm doing, stupid marimo?!" he answered back.

"Why didn't you go to a hotel or some shit?! Don't tell me you slept here all night! Are an idiot?! You could have frozen to death!" Zoro kept yelling at him like it wasn't his fault!

"Will you stop yelling at me stupid marimo?! You have no right to be angry since you're the one who didn't want me in your place, so shut up! Like I know what "hotel" means or have the ability to pay for it!"

Zoro didn't answer him, he just sat down on the bench with one hand on his face and the other scratching through his green hair. Sanji raised an eyebrow and made himself to sit next to him. He looked so miserable and conflicted for some reason. Sanji really wanted to help. He wanted to stop the other man from looking like this, it didn't fit him.

"Not that it's any of my business, but… if something's wrong, you can… you know. Tell me. Not that you do anyway but…It might help to talk about it than to keep it in."

Zoro sent him his furious glare. Yep he wasn't going to tell him or want to talk about it. Well, whatever.

"Hey, don't look at me like that…I won't force you or anything. I just thought you should know that if you do want to talk with someone, I'm here."

Zoro didn't answer, but at least he look less angry than before. That was good in Sanji's book so he left him alone to his own thoughts. They sat there in silence, and Sanji didn't mind the silence between them. it was nice to not have to force to talk on something for once. He took out his last cigarette and put it to his mouth. Damn he needed more but he could not afford it. Well shit with this world.

After a long silence, the afternoon sun rose up in the sky and warmed Sanji a little. It felt good, but he still felt frozen to the bone. Next time, he was never sleeping outside again. It was bad for him.

"So, stupid marimo, what are you doing here?" Sanji finally asked with a smirk. He was proud at himself to successfully rile Zoro up. It was fun.

"I was going to my part time job" Zoro muttered with no will at all.

"And..? I pretty sure this is not your workplace." His smirk grew and Zoro glared at him.

"Tch! The buildings move okay?! Just shut up!" Zoro shouted, looking away from Sanji, who almost fell from the bench from his hysterical laughter that come out. God this guy was something else all right! He'd never laughed like this in his entire life.

"You're…lost marimo. The building moves, eh?" Sanji held his stomach, which started to hurt from laughing too much.

"Shut up! I'm not lost! It's the city's fault! Just shut up already!" Zoro yelled with a red blush on his cheeks, which was so cute! And he pulled Sanji's arms from his stomach, glaring at him to stop right now or he would kill him.

"Okay, okay, I'm not laughing anymore, sorry.. but really, you just got lost." With choked giggles, Sanji tried hard to calm himself down for poor Zoro's sake.

"I'm not lost!" Zoro said again and let go of his hands, looking forward with a frown.

"Yes, you are, but at least you're here now. That's something, right?"

Zoro didn't answer or move for a long time and then said, "Your hands are cold."

"Well, duh! I slept out here in the cold night air. What did you expect?!"

Zoro lowered his head, not looking at him.

"I didn't mean it that way, you idiot curlybrow! I thought you found some other place to sleep."

Sanji sighed and took a deep drag from his cigarette and blew out some smoke with a sigh.

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?"

"Yes, it does!" Zoro raised his head to him, frowning hard.

"I don't need pity. If that is what this is, then don't you even dare, or I'll kick your ass!" Sanji warned him with a glare, and Zoro shook his head.

"Like hell I'm going to pity on an idiot curly eyebrow! That's not it..I don't mind if you stay with me…it's just…" He looked away as long as he could with Sanji curious look on him.

"So…there is more to it than just the 'I don't need anyone living with me' kind of thing?" Sanji decided to pry. Zoro was too interesting not to dig into. Damn, did he just say that in his mind? He's becoming too disturbing! Even to himself.

Zoro nodded but kept his hard look on his boots.

"Promise…no swear you won't tell them or anyone! If you do, I will cut you to little.." Sanji stopped him with a raised hand and nodded seriously. Somehow he knew when Zoro was serious and needed someone to listen to him. Even if he ends up not helping him at all, he was ready to listen and curious.

"I promise not to tell anyone."

"You better keep it to yourself, stupid curly!..so it's just…I have a debt to pay by the end of this year. And if I don't pay up all of it, they'll take the house and everything I have."

"Oh, I see."

"You get it now, you idiot dart-brow?! I can't let you in even if I wanted to because I can't afford it."

"Why didn't you tell them? I mean even one of them could help you. Aren't they your friends?" Sanji asked slowly and softly. He didn't want to attack Zoro on this since he knew not everyone likes to share their problems with others. He was like that too, so he got where Zoro was coming from.

"You've seen how they are! I don't want them to stick their nose into my business, which they'll do for sure if they find out! This is my problem, not theirs! I can solve it by myself, and I don't need anyone's help."

Sanji sighed deeply and bent over to his knees. Yep this Zoro was just like himself, too proud to ask for help. He should have known that he would say that.

"I get it, Zoro, I get it, but how you did end up in this debt?"

"It's a long story, but in short, I helped someone get away from a very nasty situation, but the one that wanted to hurt them sued me as accomplice in this shit! The court was on his side, so I have to pay him, or I lose everything I own. They'll just take it by force."

Sanji listened to Zoro but didn't understand everything he was talking about, he didn't interrupt Zoro until he finished talking and was looking at him for his response.

"I'm not very sure…but how much is it?"

"1,000,000."

"What?! Are you nuts?! How you manage to get so much you idiot!" Sanji screamed at him, and Zoro shut his mouth with his hand.

"Will you shut your trap?! We're not alone in this park."

"Still... you can never get so much alone, can you?" Sanji whispered through his hand. He was so warm, and it felt good.

"I'm trying with two or three part time jobs, but…yeah, kind of."

Sanji looked straight in Zoro's eyes, hard, strong and confidently. He wouldn't let Zoro struggle like this alone, even if he needs to work hard for it.

"Let me in too!"

"Didn't you hear anything I said until now!? I don't want anyone help!"

"My little proud marimo, will you listen to me first before you start rumbling again?!" Sanji snapped. He just couldn't be patient with this man anymore!

Zoro shut his big mouth and waited for Sanji to keep going. Sanji gathered his thoughts together and then spoke again.

"We both need something the other has; you have a place I need! You need to pay off some debt, so if we work together, we should be able to have both! We kill two birds with one stone, you let me use your place and cook, and I give you all I make when I find a job or two."

"I don't want to take your money! You earned it!" Sanji hit his forehead with his own with fist.

"Listen to me stupid marimo, I don't give a fuck how much I earn! I had plenty of beri before! I can have it again. What I need is a warm place to sleep and cook in. That's all…you got that through that thick skull of yours?!"

Zoro looked at him with a powerful look, but Sanji didn't back down, so he sighed and gave up in the end. He knew Sanji was right anyway, and there was no way for him to pay the debt alone.

And he really wanted Sanji to have a warm place to sleep and not in the cold streets like he was doing. So he backed down for now; he didn't like it at all, but he didn't have any choice in the matter.

Sanji smiled and moved his head away, feeling good about his victory and stood up.

"Come on, show me where your place is. I'm dying here!" Sanji said and hugged himself with trembling body and shaking teeth. Zoro giggled a little at the poor trembling cook and rose to his feet as well.

"It's not that cold today, you know."

"Fuck off!"

TBC