A/N: welcome to forty-eight!


48. Warehouse Seven


"God, took us half an hour to get back here because your directionless ass couldn't handle a right turn."

"It's not my fault you're shit at giving directions! The fuck does 'at the next street' mean at an intersection?"

"I dunno, the next fucking street smart one!"

"Right or left, shit cook? The hell am I supposed to do, decipher your shit like a code?"

"What you're supposed to do is open your ears and listen, stupid Marino!"

Barty groans between them, and the two look down, pausing in their banter. He was coming around, but still drifted aimlessly between his consciousnesses. Hauling the slipping man back up with a grunt, Sanji juts his chin towards the door of his dorm.

"Hey, what's your code? Or do you have the key?"

Barty makes a vague gesture towards his back pocket, and Zoro digs in to find a sleek silver key. With some effort, he pushes it through the knob and it unlocks with a soft click, revealing the messy room inside. Sanji pushes through the door first, followed by Barty, then Zoro in the rear. Once situated inside, Zoro kicks the door shut and helps Sanji lay the man down on his lofted bed.

"Fuck…" Barty gargles as he's stretched out on the mattress. "God, my head…"

"Get him some water," Sanji orders as he begins stripping the man of his clothes. "He'll probably need it."

Zoro nods without complaint and moves to the small kitchenette, opening up the fridge and pouring out a small cup of water. "Luffy isn't here either," he murmurs as he closes the fridge and gives the cup to Sanji. "I wonder where he went."

Sanji shrugs and gives the cup to Barty. The man can barely grasp the object, let alone take a sip. Frustrated, the blonde pushes the curve of the rim to his lips, and Barty downs a grateful swallow.

"I don't know," Sanji says, setting the cup down, "but when I find him, I'll give him a lecture on how you don't just abandon your friends in the middle of the night."

Zoro snorts, taking up a seat at Luffy's desk. "You'd think he'd know that by now."

"Yeah," Sanji grumbles. "It's weird, if I'm being honest."

He leaves Barty in nothing but his boxers and tucks him into bed, doing his best to cover every part of him. He's fast asleep in what seems like seconds. Sanji studies his sleeping form for a moment, worry crumpling his brow. "We can't just leave him like this. He's really fucked up, Zoro." He turns with concerned eyes. "We should stay the night."

Zoro watches him thoughtfully. "You know, you're really caring when you want to be."

"What?" Sanji blushes prettily. "I'm always caring."

Zoro chuckles and stands, rounding him to hold him lightly by the shoulders. "If that's what you want, then I don't mind staying too."

"Thanks," Sanji breathes, relieved. "He'll probably appreciate someone being here when he wakes up from his hangover or whatever this is."

"True," Zoro agrees easily. "But...where will we sleep?"

Sanji looks at the single empty bed, then to Zoro, then back to the bed with a flush. "There's only one bed…"

"And two of us," Zoro finishes. He begins stripping out of his clothes and Sanji almost yelps at the exposed skin. He's seen the man practically naked before, but this, about to be in such close contact with him, was so incredibly different. Sanji watches with rapt attention as the man pulls fabric from skin, muscles bulging with every movement.

"What are you waiting for?" Zoro questions as he throws his shirt to the side. "Strip. We need to sleep ourselves, you know. It's a long night ahead."

Sanji can't help but stare. Zoro was so stupidly attractive he almost hurt to look at. "Yeah but-"

Zoro gives him a suggestive smile. "The bed is too small to try anything, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's not what I was- god damn it Zoro! Fine!" Sanji drops his shorts to the ground, toes them off, and stands proudly in his blue boxers. Zoro allows a look of hunger to cross his features before it's completely wiped off.

"That's the spirit," he intones, voice a little huskier than before. "More."

A shiver works through Sanji at the command. He slowly removes his shirt, the article joining the growing pile of clothes on the floor. He stands in the middle of the dorm one fabric away from naked and waits, wondering what Zoro would say.

He says nothing, and instead crawls up to Luffy's bed, motioning for Sanji to follow after him. He scoots to the far wall, leaving a Sanji-shaped space for him to lie down in so his back can press against Zoro's chest. Sanji's heart flutters at the realization that he was really about to sleep— and cuddle— with Zoro. It makes something within him light up in a passionate fire.

Zoro's expression remains as open as can be, arm held out in a welcoming gesture. It falters when Sanji gives pause. "Want me to sleep on the floor after all?"

"No," Sanji says quickly. "No! I was just thinking."

"Debating?"

"No," Sanji murmurs, blush darkening. "Just thinking."

Zoro hums and holds out his hand again. "Then come think over here."

God, Sanji was going to go crazy.

He hurries to turn off the lights and quickly scurries back up the ladder and into Zoro's warmth. He settles against Zoro's front like a fitted glove, molding to him like it was a match made in heaven. Zoro snakes a hand around his middle, leaving trails of fire as he did, pulling him close. Sanji tenses at the touch, almost trembling at their closeness, but then a pair of lips materializes at his ear.

"Relax," he whispers breathily, and Sanji's glad he turned off the lights, lest Zoro see him absolutely melt at how close he was.

The bed is narrow, much too small for two bodies, but they make it work. Sanji soon relaxes against the heat of Zoro's rising and falling chest, sighing into the warmth the man provided. With Zoro so close like this, head practically nuzzled into the base of his neck, legs entangled, Sanji soon began to drift off.

He's not sure if he imagines the ghostly pair of lips that peck his shoulder blades or not. Or the hand that clutches around him protectively as he falls asleep.


When he wakes up, he finds that he somehow turned in his sleep to face Zoro.

Sanji blinks lazily, rubbing the exhaustion from his eyes. He brings up a hand to shield from the early morning rays of the sun, yawning as he squints in the light.

"So damn bright," he grumbles as he attempts to sit up in bed. Then he pauses.

Zoro was sleeping soundly away beside him, as calm as a baby. He still had an arm slung across Sanji's waist, the other folded under his head. His expression conveyed a serene kind of peace, and considering that there was usually a scowl painted on the man's features, it was a change that Sanji found enrapturing.

He indulges in his curiosity a little more and comes closer, studying his face just a moment longer. He was downright gorgeous, all the creases from his brow gone, mouth relaxed, breathing softly through his nose. Sanji blushes lightly as he takes him in. Zoro was downright beautiful, and watching him like this was a violent reminder.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Sanji nearly falls off the bed at the comment. "You're awake?"

Zoro cracks open an eye and gives him a smile that makes his heart beat harder in his chest. "Have been for a while. How'd you sleep?"

"Great," Sanji mumbles, too embarrassed to be caught in his staring to formulate any further retorts. "You?"

Zoro eyes him for a moment more, then chuckles. "Perfect."

Sanji meets his gaze, which seemed to convey more than words could say, then looks away, ears reddening. "That's good."

"Yeah."

Zoro removes his arm as Sanji makes to get off the bed, and the blonde misses the heat more than he'd like to admit. "I'm gonna try to make us some kind of breakfast."

"What can a dorm have?" Zoro snorts, sitting up in all of his shirtless glory. "I bet they eat ramen for breakfast."

"I bet," Sanji agrees, pulling on his pants and looking about their fridge. "But there should be some real food in here. Barty lives with Luffy, after all."

Zoro hums in agreement and falls back to the bed with a soft grunt. "You need my help?"

"Nah, you'd blow up the microwave." Sanji whistles as he pulls out an object from a drawer. "Oh, a portable burner! Thank god."

The blonde begins working with the limited supplies he has, turning the burner on and cracking eggs into the plate. He pulls out a few more items from the fridge and works on cutting, dicing, and frying, somehow creating a decent breakfast for the three of them. It takes longer than he would've liked, seeing as there was only one way to cook the food, but it gets done within the next forty or so minutes. Sanji sighs as he finally finishes cooking, plating a portion of the food for Zoro, who has drifted off back to sleep.

Or so he thought.

"Zoro, food is-"

He's cut off by strong hands wrapping around his middle, hugging him from behind. A head comes to his shoulder and rests, nuzzling into his neck. "Thank you for breakfast," he murmurs.

Astonishment freezes Sanji in his grip. "You're touchy feely this morning." And god he loves it.

Zoro releases him slightly. "Don't like it?"

"No," Sanji says a bit too quickly, leaning back into him. "It's nice. Really nice."

Zoro chuckles and plants a phantom kiss on his shoulder, and Sanji damn near combusts.

The plate of food trembles dangerously in his hand as Zoro continues his attack, moving from his shoulder to his neck, so feather light that Sanji can barely feel it, but he feels the heat and he feels the sparks. He sets the plate down in fear of dropping it and turns in Zoro's hands. He holds the man by the sides of his head and regretfully pulls him from his shoulder, looking deeply into his eyes.

He knows he's blushing like a madman, but he had to ask the question. Did Zoro return his feelings? Or did he feel the vibes in the air and decided to just go for it? "Zoro, what-"

"I'd hate to interrupt you lovebirds, but could I by chance have some breakfast?"

Sanji sputters and turns to the bed on the opposite wall. Barty sits up, looking anything but pleased at their early morning PDA. His hair was disheveled and he looked a little pale, but aside from that, he seemed fine.

"You're awake," Zoro says, stepping away from Sanji.

"I am, no thanks to you two," he grumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. "I slept like a rock."

"We woke you? Sorry." Sanji hopes he isn't as flushed as he feels when he goes to grab the plate and places it in front of Barty. "Here, eat up."

"This looks amazing," Barty marvels as he takes in the various eggs, fruit, bread, and other foods too intricate to name. "How the hell did you manage this?"

"Because I'm an amazing cook, that's how," Sanji grunts as he sets one in front of Zoro, who has taken up Luffy's desk again. "You guys need to go shopping, you have like no food."

"I will," Barty murmurs, popping a berry into his mouth.

"Barty," Zoro begins around a mouthful of toast, "are you okay? You were passed out last night when we found you."

Barty pauses in his eating, a dark look crossing his face. "Yeah, I'm fine. But Luffy…"

"Luffy? What happened to him?" Sanji asks, swallowing his own portion of breakfast. "Where is he?"

The green haired shakes his head and frowns deeply. "He was taken away by a couple of people I've never seen before in my life."

"He was kidnapped?" Sanji practically chokes, dread sinking his stomach.

"What the fuck?" Zoro seconds, anger boiling just under his skin. "How the hell does that happen?"

"I don't know, I-" Barty grimaces and holds his head. "God, my head is killing me."

"Take it easy." Sanji stabs his eggs with a fork and jams them into his mouth. "We'll figure this out sooner or later."

"Sure." Barty nods, pain etched across his face. "But for now, we should call Law."

Zoro pauses. "Is that such a good idea? Who knows how the guy will react."

"Yeah, but it's better than nothing." Sanji already pulls out his phone and begins to dial. "This is so insane. Luffy, kidnapped? He of all people deserves to know."

"Fine." Zoro hums and crosses his arms. "But if he goes apeshit..."

"The situation is dire," Sanji dismisses easily. "I honestly wouldn't blame him."

Law picks up on the third ring. "Morning, Sanji."

"Hey. Morning."

A pause. "You don't sound happy to talk to me."

"Yeah," Sanji says, "but it's not your fault."

"Okay," Law responds with a drawl, "what's up?"

Sanji casts a furtive glance in Barty's direction, who watches him carefully. "Listen, something really bad happened..."


When Law got the call that morning that Luffy was missing, he almost didn't believe it.

In all honesty, who would? He had just seen Luffy less than twenty-four hours ago in his apartment while they were having their argument. How could that somehow translate to him being abducted within the next few hours? It just didn't make any sort of sense.

Or did it?

Was this all part of someone's sick, elaborate plan? If so, when he gets his hands on them, he would-

"Law!"

The man snaps out of his thoughts and pays attention to the people around him. They had called him over to Luffy's dorm with one of the worst pieces of news he's ever had to hear. Luffy was gone, whisked away in the middle of Kuraigana by strangers, and Barty had fallen unconscious during the entire incident.

What the fuck.

"Who the hell is in charge of security there?" Law grits, pacing the room with crossed arms, pure fury fueling his movements. "Letting in someone who was dangerous enough to kidnap him? Are they mad? Or was it one of the people who worked there? God, this is fucking ridiculous. I can't believe I let him out of my sight."

"Law, I know you're angry, but calm down a bit," Sanji says softly.

"Calm down?" Law stops and glares at him. "Are you daft? My boyfriend gets taken away in the middle of the goddamn night, and I'm supposed to be calm?"

He laughs, head thrown back to the ceiling. "I'm not such an angel that I can stay still in a situation like this, Sanji. When I find out whoever the fuck did this, blood is gonna spill."

Some of the tenseness falls from Law as he sighs deeply, running a hand through his hair. "This is partly my fault. I should've trusted him more. Then he wouldn't have gone out to drink his problems away...drink me away."

Zoro narrows his eyes at him. "What the fuck are you talking about, Law?"

The tattooed man closes his eyes tiredly. "We fought right before all of this."

"Luffy wanted to get his mind off of him," Barty inserts as well. "So he went out to drink and I came with."

"What the hell?" Zoro stands and stomps up to Law, snarling in his face. "I knew your ass was bad news when I first met you! I made you promise not to hurt him and look where it gets us! What do you have to say for yourself, huh?"

"Zoro," Sanji interjects, "it's not like Law wanted this to happen, either."

The green haired falters, balling shaking fists at his sides. "I know, but-"

"All I did was not tell him anything!" Law bursts angrily. "I don't understand why that had to escalate into a full blown fight!"

"Maybe if you just saw things from someone else's side for once-"

"Or maybe if you butted out of our personal business-"

"Stop it you two!" Sanji chides, sharp tongue and all business. "No use fighting amongst ourselves now."

Law glowers at Zoro one more time before tsking, walking off to stand a ways away from him.

"Hey you guys," Barty begins slowly. He digs in his pants pocket and pulls out a small, folded note. "Look what I found."

"What the hell is a paper gonna help us with right now?" Law spits, anger lighting fires in his eyes. "We need to be in the club and asking that damn owner some questions."

"No, wait," Barty murmurs, unfolding it. "I don't remember having this in my pocket before I left for the club."

He scans the contents and pales. "...Oh my god."

"What is it?" Sanji questions, worried at his reaction.

Barty hands the paper over wordlessly, the slightest shake to his hands. Sanji takes it, curiosity winning him over, and Law and Zoro crowd him to read.

Sanji gasps aloud. "Is this-?"

"Yeah," Barty rasps, "it's from them. The people who took Luffy."

Warehouse Seven

5PM Tonight

We have Luffy.

Try anything and you'll regret it.

"Fuck," Law curses, frowning deeply, "it's the goddamn Family!"

Sanji chances a glance at him. "What do you mean?"

"That has to be my old family," Law explains plainly, taking the paper from the blonde and balling it up. "The people who raised me. Only they would do something like this."

His voice grows cold. "I can't believe I grew up with the people who took my boyfriend."

"What in the world?" Zoro shakes his head in disbelief, words punctuated with so much anger that the air shimmers with it. "Law, what the fuck- who the fuck are you?"

"I'm not a part of them anymore. Haven't been for most of my life now," Law continues, staring down at the crumpled paper with quickly growing rage. "But now that I've brought down Doflamingo, they think they can take Luffy and get away with it? They're going to pay. Absolutely suffer."

"If I remember right, there were two people at the club that took Luffy away." Barty holds up a finger. "One was a woman. Curly brown hair, tan skin, gold or amber eyes. The other was shorter, a blonde guy. Wavy hair, big dark eyes. I swear he had shark teeth or something."

"That must've been Viola and Dellinger," Law groans, rubbing his face with both hands. "God damn it. It has to be them."

"So if they know you know what they look like, and that you saw them take Luffy," Sanji starts, scratching his head, "then why in the world did they keep you alive? Not that I want you to die or anything, but..."

Barty shrugs. "Valid question. I don't know."

"And Luffy was still alive too when they took him, right?" Zoro perks up.

At Barty's nod, Law scowls, brows furrowing in an interesting combination of annoyance and fury. "They left you alive because they wanted you to bring this note to me," he says softly, too irate to raise his voice. "They knew I would see it. And there's no use having a hostage if the hostage is dead."

Law raises his eyes to the men in the room. "They weren't after Luffy. He was just a lure. They were after me."

Sanji purses his lips. "Does that mean Mihawk is part of it too?"

"Who?"

"Our boss."

"No way he is," Law shakes his head. "The Family always does things by themselves. No outside help. So they must have infiltrated the club somehow."

Law begins pacing again, head lowered in serious thought. How could those fools do this to him? If they wanted his attention, they should've just come to him first, damn it! Why did things have to go this way? All they did was succeed in pissing him off. Hell if he was going to listen to them now. The moment they laid a finger on Luffy, all deals were off the table. If they so much as brush against him while he was in their care, Law is gonna-

"Fucking hell," he grits, "this is all my fault."

"Law-"

"No Barty," Law holds up a hand. "It is. We fought, he stormed off, and now the Family has him. God, if I wasn't so damn stupid, then maybe he would be-"

"No point of beating yourself up over it, Law," Sanji cuts him off.

"I agree," Zoro nods, "let's just think about how we're going to get Luffy back."

"Should I tell Sabo?" Barty questions, reaching for his phone. "He deserves to know as well."

Law rubs his temples as he thinks. The 'don't try anything' applies to letting other people know about the situation as well. And knowing the Family, they will not hold back or show any mercy if he breaks that word.

If they tell Sabo about what happened to Luffy, there's no way the blonde would stay still. And the Family will surely do something in retaliation— with Luffy in their grasp, that was simply too big a risk to take.

But Sabo is a smart man. Even without them, he would eventually realize on his own and put the pieces together himself.

He would have to stay in the dark for a little bit.

"What time is it?" Law asks instead.

Zoro glances down at his phone. "Quarter to one."

"So four hours until we have to go there." Law turns and makes for the door.

"So what are we doing?" Barty calls out. "Telling Sabo or no?"

"Don't," Law says from the door. "I have a plan. Just get ready to leave with me to go to the warehouse in a few hours."

He twists the knob and steps through with a newfound bloodlust. The Family went too far this time. They know they shouldn't mess with him, but they did it anyway. Did they not remember who he was? He could rip them apart while laughing in their faces, bring them to their downfalls like it was elementary. He could, and he would.

Law makes his way down the hall, smiling to himself at the prospect of fucking them up beyond repair. He almost couldn't wait to get his hands on them, show them just how wrong they were for what they did. He glances at his watch. 12:52.

It was only a matter of time.


A/N: Thanks for reading! Until the next!

P.S. another short chapter. oop.