I wanted to write something spooky for Halloween, so of course I ended up with vampire and werewolf domestic fluff.
Enjoy!
Sanji raced over the stone bridge, the stupid dog hot on his heels.
He cursed his bad luck as he continued into the south side of the park, the full moon peeking out behind the clouds. It only seemed to agitate the mutt even more, and he let out a ferocious growl as he closed in on him.
Sanji turned suddenly, throwing himself into a nearby gazebo as the stupid dog ran past him.
He didn't realize there were any werewolf packs in the area, or else he would have picked another night for his own hunt. Hell he would have picked another city to hunker down in if he'd had even a whiff of mangy mutt.
Werewolves and vampires did not get along, and without a coven to back him up, Sanji would be shit out of luck once the rest of the pack showed up to reign in their crazed puppy.
Slowly, Sanji peeked out over the railing to see where the werewolf was.
He was sniffing the grass a ways away, the pupil of one eye narrowed into a thin slit while the other was sealed shut by a ferocious scar, still trying to track him down. In his crazed state, the werewolf didn't have any higher brain function - not that werewolves usually did - and was running purely on instincts.
Sanji looked around quickly. Still no sign of the rest of the pack, so he decided to take his chance and get away before they got here.
As he slipped silently out of the gazebo, the werewolf's head snapped towards him. Sanji froze, the full moon shining on him like a spotlight, as the werewolf lowered himself and let out a low snarl.
Sanji growled back. He was tired of running from this stupid dog, and at least here he could go all out without too much collateral damage. He took a defensive stance and waited.
The werewolf lunged, huge teeth aiming right for his neck. Sanji ducked and brought his foot up, kick connecting hard with the werewolf's side and sending him flying into the water.
"Leave me alone you shitty dog!" He shouted at him, still keeping an eye out for the rest of the pack. It had been a while since the chase began, they should have been here by now.
The werewolf recovered quickly, crawling out of the water and shaking out his fur. He growled again and lunged at Sanji, claws swiping at his chest. Sanji tried to dodge, but the werewolf was just a tad quicker, and his claws dug into his arm.
"You fucking bastard," Sanji snarled as he kicked at his side again.
The werewolf barely seemed to notice, instead tossing him to the ground hard. Sanji rolled with it, but suddenly the werewolf was right there pinning him down with his massive paws, mouth open wide, prepared to bite off his head.
Sanji grabbed onto his head before he could and held him back. The werewolf snarled, trying to snap his jaw shut and bite his hands off, but Sanji held firm, keeping his mouth open and away.
A pain rippled up his side and he glanced down. The stupid dog had dug his claws into his side, his blood pooling around them as he clung tight.
"Fuck!" Sanji screamed as he leaned back and kicked the werewolf hard in his stomach, sending him flying a good distance away.
He examined his side. The mutt had taken a good chunk out of him, his precious blood slowly oozing out as he started to feel light headed. Shit, this wasn't good. He needed to finish this quickly and find something to eat before blood frenzy set in.
There was a trick he had in his arsenal that could possibly end this, but he had no idea if it worked on regular werewolves, let alone crazed ones.
The werewolf barreled towards him, all teeth and claws, and he knew he had to act quickly.
When the werewolf lunged again, Sanji ducked and jabbed his sharp nails into his side. He yelped sharply as Sanji pulled his hand back and kicked him away again.
His fingers dripped with the werewolf's blood, and he brought them to his lips. He gagged at the rancid taste of wolf blood but pushed past it and swallowed as much as he could, licking his fingers clean.
In no time at all, the werewolf was up again and racing towards him. Sanji dodged the swiping claws, giving the blood enough time to settle in his stomach before he said, in his most commanding voice, "Sit."
The werewolf froze, his whole body trembling for a moment before he sat down and let out a low warning growl.
Sanji smirked and couldn't resist a, "Good boy."
The werewolf snarled and trembled, no doubt trying to lunge at him again but he was powerless to escape Sanji's control.
"Feisty, aren't you?" He laughed. Normally this put his victims in a trance, submitting both their minds and bodies to his will. But while the werewolf's body was obeying Sanji's commands, it seemed he still retained his mind, or what little he had of it in this state.
Sanji stood up and winced when the action tugged at his injured side. His control over the werewolf would last only as long as his blood was in his system, and he was losing blood fast.
"Alright, I'll do you a favor. You'll have one hell of a headache tomorrow regardless," Sanji said as he walked over to the still trembling werewolf and placed two fingers on his forehead, "Sleep."
The werewolf resisted for a moment before his good eye slid shut and he collapsed onto his side, fast asleep.
He glanced around the empty park, but there was still no sign of any werewolf pack coming to claim him.
From what little he knew about werewolves, that was odd. The werewolf pack was supposed to stick together and keep each other in line, especially during the full moon, when so many things could go wrong.
Whatever. If his pack had abandoned him, that wasn't Sanji's problem.
He clutched his head as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Shit, he needed to eat something. He doubted that rapist he'd cornered before this mangy mutt had shown up had stuck around, but he could probably track him down easily enough.
He glanced back at the unconscious werewolf. If he hadn't eaten anything tonight, he was going to wake up starving tomorrow morning.
But again, that wasn't Sanji's problem. That was something for his pack to deal with when they finally showed up to collect him.
If they ever showed up.
If he even had a pack.
"Shit," Sanji groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
He still had some blood reserves at his place. They'd be enough to fend off the blood frenzy until he could get out and hunt again.
"You better be grateful for this, you shitty dog," he said as he threw the werewolf over his shoulder and started for home.
Zoro's stomach growled loudly as a sharp pain pierced through his throbbing head. His eye still closed, he reached over to where his food stash should have been, but came up empty.
Slowly, he blinked awake and took in his surroundings.
He was not in his shitty one room apartment curled up on his bed, the last place he remembered being before the full moon took over. He was sprawled out on a surprisingly comfortable but completely unfamiliar couch. The coffee table next to him had books and magazines piled on top of it, but no food.
He glanced around the room. There were bookcases lining the walls, crammed full of books and knickknacks and who knew what else, a TV, a stereo system playing soothing jazz music, pretty average things you'd expect to find in an average living room. The walls were painted a bright sky blue and there were plenty of lights making the place bright and well lit, even though all the windows were covered with heavy curtains that blocked any sunlight from coming in.
Zoro stood, clutching his stomach when it growled again, protesting at his movement when it was still so empty. He walked over to the tallest curtains and opened them to take a look outside.
The sliding glass doors led to a balcony that overlooked the city. He was a few stories up and on the complete opposite side of town from his apartment, the streets winding below him unfamiliar.
The heavenly scent of steak hit his nose, followed by a sharp scent of blood that had him instantly on edge.
"Would you close that? You're letting the sun in," a voice said from behind him.
He released the curtain and let it fall shut as he turned around.
A man was standing there, holding a plate of steak and potatoes. He was around Zoro's height but looked much slimmer, wrapped tight in dress slacks and a blue button up shirt. Soft blond hair fell elegantly over one of his bright blue eyes, framing his face and showcasing a swirled eyebrow.
His eyes went wide as he took Zoro in, pausing at the scar bisecting his chest and the one sealing his eye shut. Zoro fidgeted, feeling self conscious all of a sudden before he scowled and said, "And put some fucking pants on."
Zoro glanced down and saw he was indeed very naked.
"Fucking hell," the man cursed as he set the plate down on the table and tossed the sweatpants that were draped over the arm of the couch at his head, "Just because you were a shitty dog last night doesn't mean you have to act like one now."
Zoro grunted as he slipped on the sweatpants and eyed the man. He must have seen him transformed last night, and not only was he not freaked out about it, but he even dragged him back here.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked as he made his way back to the couch.
"The guy you tried to kill last night," he answered casually, gesturing at the food, "Eat up. You must be starving."
Zoro frowned as he sat down and took the offered fork, using it to poke at the steak cautiously before deciding he didn't care if it was poisoned, he was hungry, and dug right in.
"You certainly have the table manners of a shitty dog," he muttered as he sat down in a nearby armchair and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with an elegant flourish and taking a deep drag from it.
Zoro eyed the man as he ate what was admittedly the most delicious meal of his life. He was pretty, Zoro noted, very pretty, almost unnaturally so. His skin was paler than any living thing Zoro had ever seen, but he couldn't see any blue veins running under it. The tangy scent of blood clung to him, effectively drowning out everything else.
"You a vamp or something?" Zoro said around a mouthful of food.
"That's an incredibly offensive term, but yes," he glanced over at him and made a disgusted face, "For fuck's sake, don't chew with your mouth open!"
Zoro opened his mouth even wider as he kept eating, delighting in the scowl that spread across his face.
As the vampire looked away in disgust, Zoro spotted bandages peeking out from under his sleeve, and guilt and frustration welled up inside him. He never meant to hurt anyone when in his wolf form, but during the full moon it was always outside of his control. He should be stronger than this, should be able to maintain some semblance of control, but nothing he did ever seemed to help. If this man hadn't been a vampire, Zoro had no doubt that he would have killed him, whether he'd wanted to or not.
Although, Zoro had killed vampires in his wolf form before, so the fact that this one was able to subdue him was pretty impressive. Assuming, of course, he did it by himself.
He glanced at the vampire again. He didn't look like much of a fighter, but looks could be deceiving. His gaze shifted from the sharp, almost claw-like nails on his pale hands to where his slender fingers held his cigarette against his mouth, lingering on his soft lips and the fangs just barely poking out.
Zoro glanced away quickly, instead looking around the room again.
He hadn't known there was a coven in this city. Right after the full moon like this, he wasn't in any shape to take down an entire coven. But as he looked around he noticed that, while the space was clearly lived in, it also looked incredibly solitary.
Vampires always had a coven, he knew from experience, creepy little cults full of creepy little assholes that lived and died for the coven leader and couldn't think for themselves. It was common knowledge that if you saw one vampire there were dozens more nearby, just waiting to pounce.
"Where are the others?" he eventually asked.
The vampire blinked at him, "What others?"
"The rest of the coven," he clarified as he ate another mouthful, "Where are they?"
He scoffed, "I don't have a coven."
Zoro raised a brow, "All vamps - vampires - have covens."
He grimaced as he took another hit from his cigarette, exhaling the smoke away from him, "And all werewolves have packs, but you seemed to be flying solo last night."
It was Zoro's turn to scoff, "I don't need a pack. I do better on my own."
"Yeah sure," he rolled his eyes, "That's why you went crazed last night, right?"
Zoro frowned, unfamiliar with the term, "Crazed?"
"You know," he leaned back in his chair and gestured with his cigarette, "Crazed. Mindless. So out of your mind you were attacking perfectly innocent vampires who were just trying to enjoy a pleasant evening stroll."
Zoro's eye narrowed. The slight red ring around his blue iris suggested that what the vampire had been up to last night was neither innocent nor pleasant, but that was beside the point, "That's just what the full moon transformation is like."
The vampire stared at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open like an idiot, "What?"
"When the full moon hits, you turn into a mindless beast," Zoro shrugged. It wasn't pleasant, but it was his life, and he was pretty used to it by now, "That's just how it is."
"Are, are you telling me," he rubbed his temples, "That you've never had a transformation when you weren't crazed?"
He swallowed another mouthful of food, "I guess."
The vampire put his cigarette out in the nearby ashtray and looked at him with something close to terror in his eyes, "You, you're new right? You just got turned a few months ago and you're still figuring this all out, right?"
Zoro blinked and focused on the food as he admitted, "I've been like this for as long as I can remember."
"What the shit?" The vampire growled, "And no one told you not to starve yourself before you transform?"
"I don't starve myself," he growled, turning his attention back to the vampire as he shoveled more food into his mouth, "I eat, it just doesn't help."
"Because you're not eating enough," he snapped, "Transforming to and from your wolf form burns a huge amount of energy. If you don't eat enough and properly, you'll go crazed and start attacking, well, everyone in an attempt to fill your stomach!"
Zoro snarled, his eye narrowing, "I know how to eat."
"Sure you do," he said with an eye roll, "What were you planning on eating this morning, huh? Junk food, I'd bet."
Zoro thought about the food stash he'd had prepared, several bags of chips, some soda, a box of crackers, and some beef jerky he'd saved from Luffy, "No."
"Empty calories," the vampire clicked his tongue and ran a thumb across his bottom lip, his fangs protruding slightly, "You burn through that shit so fast it's not even funny. You need to properly carbo-load before your transformation."
"How the hell do you know so much about it?" he grumbled around another mouthful of food.
"I've been around, you mossy idiot," Zoro balked at the insult and ran an irritated hand through his hair as he continued, "And I know shit about food. I pick things up."
"The hell does a vampire know about food?"
"More than you," he gestured towards the meal Zoro had all but devoured, "Apparently."
He frowned down at the empty plate, "You made that?"
"No, the Tooth Fairy made it," he snapped as he snatched the plate up, "Yes I made it. Who else would?"
"Dunno," he shrugged, eye squinting suspiciously as his gaze slid over to him, "The human blood-bag you've enslaved?"
"I don't enslave people," he scowled, "And I don't play with my food. I live alone."
Zoro figured - the cigarette had diluted the overpowering blood smell enough, and he couldn't smell anyone else nearby - but the verbal confirmation was nice, and he began to relax.
He glanced back at the vampire. Between the solitude and the cooking, he certainly wasn't like any of the bloodsuckers he'd met in the past, but what stuck out to Zoro the most was that he saved him. He brought him to his home after he attacked him and made sure he was fed after his transformation.
The list of werewolves that would do that to a complete stranger was short, if there even were any. A vampire doing it? Unthinkable.
He was strong enough to take Zoro in his wolf form by himself, and kind enough to bring a starving werewolf into his home and cook him a meal. What could he say, the guy was interesting, and Zoro wanted to get to know him better.
He threw an arm over the back of the couch and said, "So, you think you can fix my transformation with food?"
He scoffed, "I know I could. Since you seem incapable of doing it yourself."
Zoro smirked, voice dripping in sarcasm and challenge as he said, "Well I'd like to see you try."
He snarled, then thrust his hand into his shirt pocket and pulled out a card.
"Here," he said thrusting it under Zoro's face, "Come back next month and I'll cook you a fucking feast that'll blow your shitty fur right off!"
Zoro took the card and turned it over. On one side, in black, glossy font was the name Sanji, a phone number, and assumedly this address. The back had a stylized S with a swirl on the end, wrapped around what looked like a kitchen knife.
Zoro grinned, flicking the card before putting it in his own pocket, "It's a deal."
Sanji hadn't really expected the shitty werewolf to show up. He had cooked the pasta-based feast like he said he would just in case - and like hell would he go back on his word - but he was expecting to eat it himself. Not that he ate all that much, but he could eat it over the next few weeks if he had to.
So when the intercom buzzed, he was surprised. He lowered the heat on the sauce and strolled over to answer it.
Instead of the mossy werewolf's face appearing on the screen, he was surprised yet again to see someone else. A young man with unruly black hair and a small scar under his eye was pressing his face up against the camera.
"Are you him?" He said, putting his brown eye right up against the lens so that was all Sanji could see.
"Am I, who, exactly?" Sanji asked cautiously.
"The vampire chef. Are you him? Hey, Zoro," he leaned back from the camera and now Sanji could see the werewolf, "Is this him?"
"Yeah," the werewolf, Zoro apparently, nodded, "That's him."
"Awesome," he laughed and looked back at the camera, "Zoro said you had food. Do you? Can we come up and get food?"
"Uh, sure," he said as he buzzed them in, "Come on up."
The man whooped in excitement as the screen went black.
Sanji frowned, perplexed. Zoro had said he didn't have a pack, so who the hell was this guy?
A few minutes later there was an excited knock on the door. Sanji opened it only to get bowled over by Zoro's friend as he lunged into the apartment.
"I smell meat!" He said, then looked down and noticed Sanji under him, "Oh, hi. I'm Luffy. It's nice to meet you."
"Uh, I'm Sanji," he looked up at him in a daze. From this close, he could easily smell that he was completely human, not a trace of that disgusting wolf blood in him, "Pleasure."
Luffy laughed, then scrambled off of him and ran for the kitchen.
Sanji scowled and brushed himself off as he sat up. A hand appeared in front of him, and he followed it to find Zoro looking down at him, almost sheepish.
"Sorry about him," he said as Sanji took his hand. He was startled by how warm it was as he tugged him back up to his feet and continued, "I made the mistake of telling him there would be food."
His hand lingered a bit before slowly letting go, and Sanji already missed the warmth.
He ran his own hand through his hair to distract himself and asked, "I thought you said you didn't have a pack?"
"Luffy's not pack, he's just a friend," he explained.
"So, you brought your completely human friend over to a vampire's house for dinner?"
"I mean, yeah, I guess," he rubbed the back of his head, "He's never met a vampire before, and he's never one to turn down free food, or any food. He wouldn't leave me alone until I brought him."
Sanji smirked, showing off his fangs, "Risky, isn't it? Bringing a defenseless human into a vampire's den?"
Zoro's face hardened, his eye boring into him, "Luffy can handle himself, but it doesn't matter. You touch him and I'll kill you myself."
"Like you could," he scoffed, but Zoro's face was serious, so he sighed and relented, "Don't worry, I don't feed on my guests."
Zoro grunted, face relaxing once more as he headed for the kitchen, "I figured."
Sanji blinked, frozen for a moment, before charging after him, "What do you mean, you figured?"
He shrugged, "You brought me home and fed me after I attacked you, then let me go and invited me back. I figured you had some," he waved his hand, "Ethics thing? Vampire chivalry code? Whatever you call it, about feeding people who are hungry, and not eating people you feed."
Sanji huffed, hating being pegged so easily by someone he barely knew, "I wouldn't feed on you. Wolf blood is disgusting."
"Yeah, but you could have killed me or left me to starve, and you didn't."
"You don't know me," Sanji insisted, "I could have a different policy for humans."
"You could," Zoro smirked at him, and it made something inside him twist and flutter as much as it infuriated him, "But you don't, do you?"
Sanji glanced away, "Whatever."
They entered the kitchen to find Luffy's bare hand hovering over the sauce pot, perfectly poised to plunge right in.
"Don't!" Sanji shouted as he came over and slapped his hand away, "Wait until it's done!"
"Okay," he laughed, "It smells great!"
Sanji smiled, pride filling his chest as Zoro leaned against the counter and scowled.
"Go wait in the dining room," Sanji said as he gestured towards it, "It'll be out soon."
"Awesome!" Luffy grinned as he dragged Zoro away, "Can't wait!"
Once the food was ready, Sanji brought out three plates of spaghetti and meatballs, setting the largest portion in front of Zoro.
Luffy glanced at his still plentiful but slightly smaller portion and whined, "Why does Zoro get more?"
"Because he's going to turn into a giant wolf later and needs the calories he can get so he doesn't try to rip our heads off," Sanji explained as he set down the smallest portion at his place and turned to bring out the extra sauce and cheese.
"No fair," Luffy pouted, "He gets to turn into a super cool wolf and gets more food."
He eyed Sanji's portion and slid his hand towards it.
Reacting quickly, Sanji slammed the heel of his foot down on Luffy's wandering hand.
"Do not touch my food," he snarled, placing the sauce and cheese on the table as Luffy's hand twitched where he had it pinned, "It's not fit for human consumption."
Luffy blinked up at him innocently, "Huh? Why not?"
"There's blood in it," Zoro answered around a mouthful of spaghetti. Sanji shot him a disgusted look fit for a boorish oaf, but he just opened his mouth wider, "Probably."
"Oh," Luffy sighed, disappointed, and Sanji finally released his hand.
He frowned, slightly guilty as he stared down at his food. Before he'd been turned, about two hundred years ago give or take, he'd been a chef, a damn good one. He still loved to cook, loved to try new recipes and create new flavors, but the depressing reality was food did nothing for him. He could still taste it and swallow it and digest it to a degree, but nutritionally it was worthless, unless there was blood in it.
Mixing in and trying different blood types and incorporating them into his food ended up being an exciting and interesting culinary challenge, but unfortunately it wasn't appealing to anyone other than himself. Humans certainly couldn't eat blood, and other vampires didn't bother with food.
"There's more in the kitchen if you're still hungry," he said, much to Luffy's delight, "I only put blood in my portion."
"Awesome," he said with a grin, and dug right into the meal.
They both finished their first helping quickly, with Luffy exclaiming it was the best thing he'd ever eaten. Sanji grinned, the praise warming a part of him that went cold long ago, and eagerly brought them seconds.
"How much do I have to eat?" Zoro asked as he twirled more spaghetti onto his fork and shoveled it into his mouth like a mannerless barbarian, "To not go crazy, according to you?"
Sanji frowned, doing quick math as he guesstimated Zoro's weight and how much energy he would likely burn through, "A lot. Just eat until you can't anymore. There's plenty."
"That I can do," Luffy chuckled, finishing the rest of his plate in three large bites, "More, please."
"At least one of you has manners," he grumbled, but couldn't hide the pleased smile on his face as he gathered the empty plate and brought out more.
The sun was setting by the time Zoro and Luffy were completely stuffed, the food finally finished.
"Is there a place I can, you know, go?" Zoro asked as he anxiously glanced at the time on his phone, "Just to, like, be out of the way in case this doesn't work?"
"It'll work," Sanji grumbled, but nodded towards one of the empty spare rooms, "But if you need privacy, then go ahead."
He nodded in thanks, and then glanced at Luffy, "You should probably get going."
"What? No, c'mon," he whined, flopping down on the couch and spreading out, "You never let me see you as a wolf!"
"Because it's dangerous," Zoro insisted.
"You said that Sanji said it wouldn't be dangerous this time," he glanced over at Sanji, who was pouring himself a glass of wine, "Right?"
"Yeah, it should be fine," he placed the wine back in the cabinet and swirled the glass.
"See?" Luffy bounced back into a sitting position, "I can stay!"
Zoro huffed and glared at Sanji, who just shrugged and took a sip of wine.
"If you do end up crazed again somehow, I'll just take you down again." Sanji smirked at the indignant look on his face, then added, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to him."
That seemed to be enough of an assurance for him. He nodded again, and locked himself in the room.
Sanji sat down next to Luffy and swirled his wine, "So, how do you two know each other?"
Luffy shrugged as he scrolled through his phone, "We've just known each other forever. But he's been staying with me since he got evicted last month."
Sanji frowned, his glass stopping just before his lips, "What? Why?"
"Apparently he destroyed three doors, two windows, a couch, and a wall during the full moon last month," Luffy frowned, "Oh, but my landlord found out about him, and he has a strict no pets policy, so he'll have to move out."
Sanji sipped his wine, trying not to act too concerned, "Where will he go?"
"Dunno yet," he sighed and flopped back on the couch, "Which sucks. Zoro moves around a lot to avoid drawing attention from any nearby werewolf packs, so I barely get to see him anymore."
"Does he have a lot of trouble with packs?"
"Sorta. I guess they view lone wolves like him as potential threats to like, pack order or whatever, so whenever they get a whiff of him they try to hunt him down. He can handle himself, but it gets annoying."
"Why isn't he in a pack already?" Sanji sipped his wine and glanced towards Zoro's door.
"He was when he was little, I think, but something happened," Luffy frowned and tapped his phone, "I think someone died and he blames himself, but he doesn't like to talk about it."
Sanji mulled it over as he continued sipping his wine. He never really got the hierarchy of werewolf packs, but he knew they were important to werewolves. Knowing Zoro was all alone seemed, well, lonely.
And Sanji knew a thing or two about loneliness.
He glanced around his apartment, with it's too many empty rooms and the cold silence that pervaded them. It was safer this way, he knew, being alone. He was a vampire, a creature of the night, a monster that drained the life out of innocents to sustain his own. Spending a meal and an evening with a werewolf and a human was one thing, but anything more than that was pushing it.
Alone was better than hurting people he cared about. Alone was better than being trapped in a coven, and maybe Zoro felt the same about packs.
For monsters like them, alone was for the best.
Sanji reached over and refilled his wine glass. It may have been for the best, but it didn't stop the loneliness from getting to him sometimes, creeping in and seizing his heart in a vice grip and making him do stupid things like invite a werewolf that tried to bite his head off over for dinner.
He glanced back at Zoro's door.
It was just one night, he told himself. He'd fed on fresh blood last night, so he would be fine spending one night with these idiots. Then back to his solitude.
It was better that way.
When the moon rose higher, they heard growling and scratching from behind Zoro's door. Luffy leapt to his feet and raced for it, maniacal grin on his face.
"No," Sanji said, cutting him off and planting himself in front of the door, "Wait."
"You said he'd be fine," Luffy pouted.
"Yeah, I know," and he did. He knew he'd fed Zoro more than enough to keep him sane even after he transformed. But now that he was faced with an actual werewolf on one side of the door and a literal human that he'd promised to protect on the other, doubts and uncertainties were starting to seep in.
"Just," he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open a crack, "Let me check first."
He opened the fully door cautiously and crept inside, closing it softly behind him.
The room was dark, lit only with the pale moonlight that shone in from the open window. Zoro's clothes were torn and piled haphazardly on the floor, tufts of green fur sticking to them. Deep scratch marks covered the floor, and Sanji felt his eyebrow twitch as he took in the destruction.
A low growl in the dark corner of the room startled him. Sanji glanced over at the giant green wolf, good eye blown wide and the jagged scar over the other no less threatening than it was last month, and crouched low, ready to defend himself if Zoro attacked.
Zoro barked sharply once and lunged, mouth aiming straight for Sanji's face. Sanji only had time to lift his arms to protect himself as he was tackled to the floor, helplessly pinned under the werewolf. He tried his best to fend off an attack that he quickly realized was more tongue than teeth.
"Ugh, gross," Sanji whined as Zoro broke through his defenses and started eagerly licking his face, "Get off of me you shitty dog!"
Zoro let out a low growl that was more like a chuckle, but backed off enough to let Sanji sit up. His tail was wagging enthusiastically, beating an erratic rhythm against the floor as he leaned in again and gave the side of his face a very deliberate lick.
"Stop that," he snapped, pushing Zoro's head away. Zoro leaned into the touch though, and Sanji somehow found his hand scratching behind the mutt's ears instead.
The door banged open as Luffy entered the room, "He's good, right?"
Zoro barked happily and lunged at Luffy, tackling him to the floor too. Luffy laughed and began fighting back, wrestling with the giant wolf like it was nothing.
A smile crept across Sanji's face as he watched them play. He sighed as he stood up and dusted off his pants as he went to the door.
Zoro growled suddenly, leaving Luffy to place himself between Sanji and the door.
"I'm just going to get you more food," he explained, placing a hand on his furry head, "You're hungry again, right? You should eat something."
Zoro whined and nudged his head into Sanji's legs, sending him crashing to the floor again. Before he could get up, Zoro lay across his chest, effectively trapping him.
"You needy little shit," Sanji growled as he scratched behind his ear. Zoro's tail whacked into his leg with how fast it was wagging, and he sighed dramatically, resigned to his fate.
"Luffy, there's steaks in the freezer for the dog," he said, and the human perked up immediately, "Can you get them? And bring me my wine. It's going to be a long night."
Luffy nodded, already halfway out the door before he could finish.
"There, I'm staying," he shoved at Zoro, hands sinking into his surprisingly soft fur, "Let me up."
He did, backing off just enough to let Sanji sit up and instead planting himself firmly into Sanji's lap.
Sanji sighed again and draped himself across Zoro. scratching behind his ears again. Zoro let out a content whine as he nuzzled closer. The warmth Zoro was giving off was pleasant, and he couldn't help but bury his hands deeper into that soft fur.
Luffy came back with a bottle of wine for Sanji and the steaks for Zoro, chewing on something in his mouth.
Sanji took a gulp straight from the bottle as he eyed the three steaks, knowing there should have been four, "Please tell me you didn't eat it raw."
"Okay, I won't," Luffy said as he swallowed, giving the rest of the steaks to Zoro as he sat down next to Sanji.
Zoro finished the steaks quickly and returned his head to Sanji's lap, closing his eye and sinking into his touch.
Sanji wondered how he could possibly be comfortable like this. He knew for a fact his lap was very boney, and being undead meant he had no body heat to share, but Zoro didn't seem to mind any of that. The look of contentment on his face made it seem like Sanji's lap was the most comfortable place on earth.
"Is he usually this cuddly?" Sanji asked as he stroked his head.
"No, not really," Luffy shrugged as he leaned over and scratched Zoro's head, "He likes you."
Sanji scoffed. He was a vampire for fuck's sake, he wasn't particuarly likeable, but Zoro only leaned more into him, enveloping him in his comfortable heat.
Sanji sighed as he lay on the floor and got comfortable, wrapping an arm around Zoro's head as he settled down for the night.
He could get used to this.
Zoro woke up very comfortable, with something warm pressed up against his back and something cool at his front, cradled in his arms. The coolness felt nice on his overheated body, so he held it a little tighter.
For the first time since he began turning into a giant wolf, he didn't have a headache after transforming back. He was hungry, but not ravenously so, and he couldn't wait to see what Sanji would make for him this morning.
Wait, Sanji. He cracked his eye open and sure enough the vampire was fast asleep in his arms and curled up against his chest, looking for all the world like he belonged there.
Zoro's heart stuttered in his chest as he gazed at him. Sanji looked peaceful and fragile, almost like porcelain. He knew that the perceived weakness was a ruse, a guise vampires had to give their victims a false sense of security, and since Sanji had gone toe to toe with him he was anything but. Still, as he looked down at his sleeping form, he couldn't help but hold him just a little bit more tenderly.
He reached out and brushed the soft blond hair away from his face. Up close his swirled eyebrows were even more ridiculous, but they complemented the rest of his face in a way that was almost graceful. His whole face looked softer as he slept, less threatening for sure, but also less angry and much more relaxed, and he slid his hand down to caress his cheek, mesmerized by the sight of him.
Sanji stirred, and Zoro quickly pulled his hand away, embarrassed. Bleary blue eyes locked onto him, and he smiled, his fangs poking out in a way that should have made him feel threatened, but instead something inside him melted.
"How're you feeling?" Sanji slurred, still sleepy.
"Great," he answered honestly. His hand twitched like it wanted to go back to touching Sanji, but he kept it firmly away.
Sanji hummed, a pleased grin sliding across his face that made Zoro blush, "Told you you would."
Sanji closed his eyes and stretched, and Zoro finally released him, leaning further into Luffy, who was curled up against his back, as Sanji sat up.
"You sure are friendly as a wolf," Sanji said with a teasing smirk.
Zoro scowled and blushed. He'd always been a bit more honest in his wolf form, released from the need to put up a front and hold back his emotions that he always felt as a human. Between the fight last month and the meal this month, he may have been developing a little crush on the vampire.
He shook his head. That notion was as stupid as it was dangerous. While he had always liked a good fight, and the vampire certainly wasn't unattractive, having feelings for and getting involved with a bloodsucker was just plain dumb.
Sanji stretched again, his shirt rising up. Zoro's gaze followed as a tantalizing bit of pale skin was revealed, and he had to resist the urge to reach out and touch.
Shit.
He had always been attracted to danger but this was ridiculous. He'd just have to do better about controlling his feelings and maybe never see Sanji again.
"You must be hungry, right?" Sanji said with a head tilt and another dazzling smile, "What do you want to eat?"
His heart fluttered, and he knew then he'd never be able to cut Sanji out of his life completely.
"Uh," Zoro's mind blanked in the face of that smile, and he forgot every dish he'd ever eaten, "Whatever's fine."
Sanji hummed again and nodded towards Luffy, "What's he like to eat?"
Zoro sat up, causing Luffy to slide off his back and onto the floor, still snoring slightly, "He'll eat whatever. Anything with meat."
"Pancakes and bacon it is," he decided as he made his way to the door. Before he left, he stopped in the doorway and gave Zoro one last look over, his critical gaze running up his form.
Zoro tried his best not to blush and fidgeted under his stare, but he was unsuccessful on both fronts.
"And put some fucking pants on before you come out," Sanji rolled his eyes and left.
Zoro glanced down and yeah, he was still very naked.
He groaned and ran a hand down his face, his heart beating hard in his chest.
His memories of his time as a full wolf were always hazy and vague, more impressions and feelings rather than specific events. Last nights were much clearer than usual, another side effect of Sanji feeding him maybe, and he could recall more. Play fighting with Luffy. Sanji's annoyed little frown as he liked his face. Being so goddamn happy that Sanji was there, and wanting nothing more than to be with him forever.
Shit. Fuck. He was so screwed.
Eventually he located his pants and put them on. They were tattered and torn, but all of his important bits were hidden, and he decided that was good enough and wandered into the kitchen.
Sanji had an entire breakfast spread set up, with two full plates of pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, and toast already on the table. On a much smaller portion he was dumping what Zoro thought was ketchup until he saw a medical label and an 'O-' on the bottle.
"Where exactly do you get your blood?" Zoro asked as he sat down in front of the larger helping.
Sanji scowled as he glanced up at him, "Don't ask shitty questions you don't want to know the answer to."
That was fair. He shrugged and took a huge bite of pancakes. Like everything else Sanji had served him, it was delicious.
Sanji placed his own food on the table and sat down across from him. He took small, measured bites of it, rolling the food across his tongue as if he was savoring it.
Zoro didn't know what if anything the vampire got out of eating food, but he couldn't help but be entranced by the pleased look on his face.
"So," he said suddenly, startling Zoro out of his staring, "Luffy says you're homeless."
"What?" He blinked, then remembered that Luffy's landlord had found tufts of his fur the other day and had come down hard on him for hiding a dog, " Oh, yeah, I guess."
Sanji was staring at his food, pushing it around his plate with his fork, "I mean, it's probably not a good idea, but I do have a bunch of extra rooms here that I'm not using, if you wanted to, you know…"
Zoro's brow furrowed as he tried to process what Sanji was saying, "If I wanted to, what?"
Sanji frowned in a way that was more of a pout, and quickly took a bite of his eggs, swallowing deliberately before saying, "If you wanted to move in. Here." He glanced up at him, but his eyes quickly darted away again, "With me."
"Oh." Zoro's eye went wide as a ferocious blush overtook his face.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Sanji quickly added, twirling a longer strand of his hair around his finger, "I just figured, I have the space if you had nowhere else. And this way I could make sure you were well fed for the full moon so you don't interrupt my hunts anymore. And-"
"No, yeah," he interrupted, hoping his face wasn't nearly as red as it felt, "Yeah, it sounds good. I'll move in with you."
"Good. Great. Fantastic." Sanji took another bite of eggs as his eyes darted around the room, landing anywhere but Zoro, "Then, you can bring your stuff over this afternoon, and I'll get you a key made."
This was a bad idea, Zoro thought as he chomped down on a mouthful of sausage. A small, pleased smile spread across Sanji's face, as if he was trying to hide it but couldn't, and Zoro felt his heart flip in his chest.
Sanji was a vampire, he had to remind himself, and he was a werewolf. Two creatures of the damned that shouldn't be around anyone, let alone each other, if they didn't want to unleash maelstroms of violence and death wherever they went.
But as Luffy sleepily wandered into the kitchen, summoned by the smell of meat, and showered compliments on Sanji, who lit up and practically glowed under the praise, Zoro couldn't bring himself to take back or regret the decision.
If anything, it all sounded perfect.