Hello friends, and Happy Spooky Month! To celebrate here is the long awaited next installment of the werewolf/vampire saga!
This chapter is dedicated to a guest commenter here, who commented asking for more angst but this time with Zoro. This was always going to be the next chapter, but I do enjoy giving people what they want :)
"So, wait," Chopper bit his lip as he scribbled in his notebook, "When you transform, everything changes?"
"Yeah," the wolf ear on Zoro's head twitched, "Basically."
"Bone structure, muscular alignment," his eyes widened as he stared up at him, "that must be very painful."
Zoro shrugged. It was, every time, but by now he was used to it. He'd been turned when he was a kid, and transformed at least a little bit almost every night. At this point, the pain of transforming was just background noise to his life.
"What about when you're human?" Chopper continued excitedly, "How does being a wolf affect that?"
"Uh," Zoro scratched behind his ear as he thought it over.
"He always smells like dog," Sanji chimed in from the kitchen, "And sheds constantly."
"Hey, fuck you," Zoro growled, sending him a glare as Sanji just chuckled. He turned his attention back to Chopper, "My senses are better closer to the full moon, even as a human. And I'm stronger and have better stamina," his eye slid back to Sanji, "Unlike some people, who are technically dead."
"I'm plenty strong and have excellent stamina," Sanji growled, "And my strength doesn't wax and wane along with some shitty sky orb."
Zoro turned to snap something back at him, but noticed that Chopper had set his pen down and had a tentative look on his face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. He'd developed something of a soft spot for the inquisitive little vet, who found Zoro's transformations fascinating and Zoro himself something of a bridge for veterinary science. Zoro didn't quite get it, but Chopper was too damn cute to say no to, and having his admiration was doing wonders for his ego, "Run out of questions already?"
Chopper bit his lip, but looked up at Zoro and finally asked, "Was it scary? When you were turned?"
He blinked, not expecting that question. Becoming a werewolf was a fairly straightforward process: if you survived the initial werewolf attack you became a werewolf, if you didn't, well, you didn't.
He'd been young when he was turned, not even a teenager when he was attacked by a large wolf in the woods near his house. He could barely remember the incident itself outside of the snarling and the teeth and the claws.
Afterwards he was laid up with a fever for a few weeks, and a few days after he recovered he had his first transformation. It had been a crescent moon by then, and the unexpected wolf ears and tail were freaky, but hideable. When the phase shifted to the half moon and eventually the gibbous moon, they became harder to hide.
He couldn't remember much about his first full transformation, outside of the fear and the hunger. He'd run away into the woods to be away from everyone he knew, and never looked back.
"Yeah," he said, drumming his claws on the armrest, careful not to puncture the leather lest Sanji freak out again, "it was scary."
"Do," Chopper swallowed, but kept looking at him with those big brown eyes, "do you regret it?"
He froze. He only had one regret in his life, and that had come about due to a loss of control. Overall, he liked being a werewolf, and besides.
"If I wasn't a wolf, I never would have met Luffy, or Sanji," his eyes darted to the vampire, who was focused on stirring his soup, and smiled as his gaze returned to Chopper, "or you. So no, I don't regret it."
"Y-you bastard," Chopper smiled wide and blushed as he wiggled around, clearly happy, "saying that doesn't make me happy at all!"
Zoro grinned, endeared by his odd inability to take compliments.
There was a sharp knock on the door, and Sanji called out, "Could you get that? I can't leave this right now."
Zoro nodded as he stood up, snatched his beanie off the table and put it on his head to cover his ears in case it was one of the neighbors, and answered the door.
There was a large man at the door, his thick curly hair coming down in rivlets, his grin wide as he said, "Good evening."
Zoro's eye narrowed when he spotted the police badge on his lapel, and shut the door slightly, making sure to keep his body between Sanji puttering around in the kitchen and the cop's line of sight, "Officer."
"Detective, actually," he laughed, "Is Sanji around?"
Zoro growled slightly. Sanji was always very careful about his hunts, taking only what he needed from victims who deserved it and never leaving a trace, but he supposed it was only a matter of time before the police got involved.
"Never heard of him," he grunted and made to slam the door shut, "If you'd excuse me, detective-"
"Who's at the door, Mosshead?" Sanji asked as he popped his head out of the kitchen.
Zoro froze in panic, weighing his options, but Sanji just smiled and stepped fully into the hallway, "Jinbei! You made it!"
"Hello, Sanji," Jinbei laughed as he shouldered his way past Zoro into the apartment, "This must be your werewolf friend?"
Zoro balked. Most police detectives he knew were all about status and closing cases rather than actual detective work. Could this guy actually be good at his job, if he was able to clock him so easily? "How did you-?"
"Your tail's still showing."
Zoro snarled as he blushed, his tail wrapping firmly around his leg.
Sanji laughed, "Yes, this is my roommate, Zoro. Zoro, this is my friend, Detective Knight."
"You can just call me Jinbei," he shuffled around the briefcase in his hands and held one out to Zoro.
Zoro scoffed, but gave his hand a quick but needlessly tight shake.
"Dinner's almost ready," Sanji said as he nodded towards the living room, "Make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you for your hospitality," He gave him a nod and wandered over.
Zoro gave Sanji a look, which he returned with a snarl, "What? I told you I was having a friend over."
"You failed to mention that friend was a cop," he answered with an eye roll.
"Don't worry your fuzzy green head about it," he laughed, snatching Zoro's beanie off his head to scratch behind his ears, "Jinbei's a good guy. He's been giving me access to the criminal database so I can pick out targets properly, and he's been hiding my hunts for me. He's the main reason I've been able to stay here for as long as I have."
Zoro blinked at him, "What?"
"What?" Sanji frowned, "It's dangerous for a covenless vampire to stay in one place for too long, the risk of attracting hunters or rivals or human attention or worse is too high. I should have moved on months ago."
"Why didn't you?" He growled, "if it's dangerous to stay here-"
"I," Sanji pouted, gaze darting away, "I can't leave our pack behind."
Zoro could feel his face flush. Their pack. He should have long gotten used to the idea, but hearing Sanji say it still made him feel giddy.
"Most packs are mobile," he pointed out, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, mindful of the claws, "if it's dangerous for you to stay, we'll follow you. Wherever you need to go."
"Yeah, I'm sure Robin would love to leave her cushy tenured position at the university to follow me halfway across the country, and Franky would love to leave her behind, and Usopp would be thrilled to transfer universities this late into the semester, and Nami and Chopper can just leave their jobs and get new ones."
He had a point. This was why most packs didn't have humans, he supposed.
"Besides, I'm fine," he assured him, "Because Jinbei is helping me."
Zoro scoffed, but looked away, conceding the point.
"C'mon," he scratched behind his ears once more, "Dinner is almost ready. Help me set up."
He turned and went back to the kitchen.
Zoro turned to follow, but paused when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out and glanced down at the notification from the astronomy app Sanji made him download to help him keep track of the moonrise times.
BLOOD MOON ALERT: A full lunar eclipse will be visible in your area during the full moon next week. Here are the best spots to view it!
Zoro's stomach dropped out, dread spreading through his entire body as his hands started shaking.
A blood moon? Already? Granted it had been years since the last one, but weren't eclipses supposed to be rare?
But he had a week. He had time, he could plan, he could-
"Hey, Mossface," Sanji popped his head out of the kitchen, "That wasn't a request, get over here and help."
"Huh?" He shoved his phone back into his pocket as he looked up, "What?"
Sanji frowned, "Are you okay? You look spooked, what's wrong?"
Sanji had enough on his plate already, Zoro couldn't worry him about this. He shouldn't have to worry him about this. This was something Zoro should be capable of dealing with himself.
If he wanted to protect their pack, protect Sanji, then he had to.
"Nothing," he said, making his way past Sanji into the kitchen, "I'm fine. What do you need?"
Sanji gave him a searching look, but shrugged and pointed out the things he wanted Zoro to bring into the dining room.
Zoro would protect his pack this time, protect his alpha.
No matter what.
Sanji finished plating the steaks, one for him and four for Zoro, and added heaping piles of mashed potatoes for the side. He drizzled his special blood-and-marinade concoction over his steak and dumped the rest of the unbloodied marinade onto Zoro's, then stepped back and admired his work.
Not bad, if he did say so himself. It looked and smelled amazing - a top restaurant quality meal. 200 years and he still had it.
"Alright, you mossy wolf," Sanji turned to call Zoro, taking the plates to the island, "Dinner's rea-"
Zoro snatched his plate from his hand and sat down on the other side of the island, shoveling the food into his mouth at a rapid pace.
"Relax, Mosshead," Sanji frowned as he sat across from him, a little perturbed they weren't eating in the dining room, but he could tolerate it if it was just the two of them, "The food's not going anywhere."
"Sorry," he said around a mouthful of potatoes, Sanji's glare doing nothing to stop him, "Promised I'd meet up with Luffy before I transform."
"Oh." This was the first he was hearing about it, "Luffy's more than welcome to come over here."
"I know," he nodded, more focused on getting as much food in his mouth as possible than the conversation, "But he wanted to try something out with me as a wolf, so he asked me to come over."
"I see," he frowned and pushed his green beans around his plate, "Do you want me to come with you?"
He shook his head, "Nah, don't bother. It's probably something stupid and dangerous. You know how Luffy is."
"I do, that's why I know you'll need adult supervision."
Zoro glared at him, "I am an adult."
"An adult that's going to be a wolf in a couple of hours."
"Luffy's an adult too, you know."
"You're going to look me in the eyes and say Luffy counts as supervision?"
He looked away and clicked his tongue, and Sanji knew he won that round.
"Franky will be there too," he mumbled, shoving the rest of his food in his mouth, "So you don't have to worry."
Franky, at the very least, knew how to take proper caution with his crazy stunts, so they probably would be okay without Sanji hovering around them.
Probably.
"It'll be fine," Zoro reassured him, "You can just relax tonight, read your dumb romance books and drink blood margaritas or whatever it is you do. It's been awhile since you've had a full moon to yourself."
It had been a while, he realized with a start. Actually, this would be the first full moon he'd spend without his wolf companion since he'd met Zoro.
He didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, taking care of Zoro when he was a wolf was a lot of work. He needed to be fed almost every hour, he needed to be walked and played with to burn off any excess energy or else he'd destroy the furniture, he needed pets and cuddles and would whine at and tackle Sanji until he got them.
On the other hand, Sanji liked taking care of Zoro as a wolf. He liked feeding him and playing with him and petting him. Zoro was cuter as a wolf, was more friendly as a wolf, didn't protest when Sanji spent the evening draped all over his soft fur.
It was only for one night, but Zoro was only a wolf once a month, and he was already missing him.
Still, Zoro was Sanji's roommate, not his prisoner. He could do what he wanted with his transformations, and spend time with whoever he wished. If he wanted to spend the full moon with Luffy instead of him, he was free to do that. All Sanji was really responsible for was making sure he was well fed so he didn't get crazed and hurt people, and he'd already done that for this evening.
"Okay," Sanji forced a smile on his face, "I'll have a me evening. Relax. Take some time for myself."
Zoro's shoulders relaxed, and he smiled back, "Okay. Good."
He finished the rest of his meal in record time, and Sanji forced him to take the leftovers for him and Luffy.
"You're usually hungry again after you transform," he reminded him as he shoved the containers at him on his way out the door, "So don't forget to eat."
"Yes, Mom," Zoro rolled his eye, but tucked the food away in his bag. He paused in the doorway, and turned back to Sanji, "You're not planning on hunting tonight, are you?"
"No," he frowned. He tried not to hunt during the full moon, since the increased visibility meant he was more likely to be spotted, and the last time he did he got attacked by a werewolf. His plans for the evening had been to take care of wolf Zoro – which Zoro should have known – so the question struck him as odd, "Why?"
"Nothing," Zoro muttered as he turned away, "Just, stay home tonight."
Before he could ask anything else, Zoro was gone, slamming the door behind him as he left.
That was strange, but Zoro always got a bit testy right before he transformed, so Sanji pushed the incident out of his mind.
A few hours later, when the sun was gone and the moon was up, Sanji found himself in his living room, a glass of wine on hand as he read through a captivating book about a princess and her long lost love who had amnesia. He reflexively reached over to scratch Zoro's head, and tried not to be disappointed when he met empty space.
His phone buzzed, and he set his book aside to answer it, a little surprised to see it was Luffy, "Hello?"
"Great news, Sanji!" Luffy said in his normal exuberant tone, "I got fired!"
Sanji blinked, "You have a job?"
"Not anymore," he laughed, "But that means I can hang out with you and Zoro tonight! I'll be there in a few."
He frowned, his brows furrowed in confusion, "Aren't you already hanging out with Zoro tonight?"
"Wasn't planning on it, 'cause I had to work," he laughed, "But now I don't, so now I can!"
Sanji sat up, his confusion replaced by a bone chilling fear. Zoro was out there as a wolf right now, and Sanji had no idea where.
"Luffy," he said slowly, doing his best to keep the urgency out of his voice, "Zoro's not here. He told me he was going to your place tonight."
"But, I'm at my place. And he's not here."
"I know," he could feel the panic starting to set in, but he rushed to the closet to grab a cloak, "Which means he lied to me for some shitty reason and he's a wolf and I don't know where he is."
Zoro could take care of himself, of course, he'd been taking care of himself for years before he'd met Sanji, but then why lie to him about where he was?
And then the flurry of thoughts started coming.
What if Zoro was hurt? What if he was hungry? What if a hunter or a coven or a pack had found him wandering around by himself and-
"Sanji," Luffy's voice was serious for once, his tone steady and grounded in his panicked state, "We'll find him. Don't worry."
"But he could be anywhere," he shut the closet and leaned his head against the door and let out his greatest fear, "He could be long gone."
Zoro had led a fairly nomadic existence too, before he met Sanji. Maybe he'd grown tired of living here, maybe he'd grown bored with Sanji. Maybe he felt trapped being part of a pack with a vampire and decided to move on, to leave Sanji behind.
His heart clenched at the thought.
"Maybe he doesn't want to be found," he admitted softly to Luffy.
"He wouldn't leave you like this," Luffy insisted, "Not without saying anything, and not without a reason."
"Okay," he pulled away, tucking his words into his heart and forcing himself to believe them, "Yeah, okay. I just saw him a few hours ago, he couldn't have gotten far."
He paused as he remembered Zoro's last comment to him. He had wanted him to stay in. Just what was he doing tonight?
"Okay, good," Luffy said in his ear, jolting him out of his thoughts, "You head out and search for him. I'll let everyone else know what's happening. If we all work together, we'll find him in no time."
"Right, yeah, of course," he nodded as he rushed over to the balcony, "Thanks, Luffy."
"Of course!" He could hear Luffy's grin through the phone, "I'll let you know what we find."
He hung up just as Sanji stepped off the balcony and into the night, determined to find his lost dog.
The moon was up. The moon was red. The moon was making Zoro angry. Zoro wanted to fight, wanted to claw and scratch and bite and kill.
Zoro growled. He scratched at the tree instead.
Zoro was alone. Zoro was alone on purpose. He did not want to hurt his friends. He did not want to hurt his alpha.
But the moon was singing to Zoro. The moon was telling him to fight, to hurt, to kill. Zoro could not ignore the moon forever.
Zoro wanted to hunt. Zoro wanted to kill. He was not hungry. His alpha had given him food, and he had eaten it. He wanted the violence. The moon wanted violence.
Zoro growled and snapped and bit the tree. The tree snapped and fell over. Zoro bit and clawed at the log.
It was not enough. Zoro wanted more. The moon demanded more.
A twig snapped nearby. Zoro turned and saw a wolf. It was not like him, it was a normal wolf. It could not hear the moon.
The wolf growled at him. Zoro growled back. The wolf turned to run, but Zoro did not let it. Zoro pounced and clawed and bit until there was blood, until the wolf stopped moving, until the wolf was dead.
Zoro howled. He could taste blood on his tongue, but it was not enough. The moon wanted more.
Zoro sniffed the ground. He smelled something familiar and began to follow it.
Zoro followed it until he found Chopper.
No. Zoro growled. Why was Chopper here? Chopper needed to be safe.
Zoro tried to turn around. Zoro tried to run. But the moon sang for blood. The moon wanted violence.
And Zoro could not resist the moon.
"Zoro?" Chopper turned around, "Is that you?"
Zoro lunged.
Sanji spotted his friends gathering at the meeting place just outside the park. He took one last quick flight around the area, but still didn't see any sign of Zoro. Disappointed and frustrated, he regathered the flock of bats and swooped down, landing in front of everyone as they all reassembled back into him.
"Jesus Christ!" Usopp gasped, clutching his chest, "What the actual fuck, Sanji?"
"What?" Sanji snarled as his face came into view, "You've seen Zoro transform before, it can't be that strange!"
"Zoro turns into one wolf, not ten million bats," Usopp said, gesturing wildly as the bats finished assembling, "And, by the way, him transforming is still freaky!"
"We don't have time for this," Sanji waved his hand. Usopp's eyes grew wide as they followed the movement, so Sanji glanced down to see his left hand was still missing, "Oh, c'mon…"
The last bat finally showed up, landing on the empty space of his wrist before turning back into his hand. He flexed it a few times to make sure everything was good, then waved it in front of Usopp, "There, happy?"
"If we can refocus to the task at hand," Robin said, her hand clenched around the handle to Brook's violin case, "How did everyone do?"
"Usopp and I checked around campus," Nami said with a sigh, "There was a lot going on, but no sign of any giant green wolves."
"I paid a visit to the precinct to see if anyone reported an animal attack," Jinbei said, "Quite a few dog bites this evening, but none matching Zoro's description." He nodded towards Luffy, whose hat was pulled over his face, "We searched the streets on foot, but couldn't find anything."
"I couldn't see anything from the air," Sanji shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. That wasn't quite true, he saw plenty, but none of it was Zoro, so none of it mattered, "Shit, he could be anywhere."
"Robin and I searched around here," Franky shook his head, "No sign of anything going on in the park."
"Chopper thought to call all the local zoos and animal hospitals to see if a wolf showed up," Robin shrugged, "but so far nothing."
"Where is Chopper?" Sanji looked around for the little vet and found him missing, "And Brook, for that matter?"
"Chopper remembered the local wildlife preserve just outside of town," she explained, "He figured if Zoro left when you said he did, he should have had enough time to get there before he transformed. He and Brook went to go check it out."
"If he did want to disappear, a place with other wolves would be ideal," Jinbei mused.
Sanji's heart clenched. All the evidence pointed towards Zoro wanting to go away, wanting to leave him. Zoro had every right to leave if he wanted to, this wasn't a coven and Sanji didn't want to force him to stay. But it still hurt that Zoro would just leave without even saying anything, without even telling Sanji what he did wrong or let him attempt to make it right.
"Zoro wouldn't disappear," Luffy said, a rare edge to his voice, "Not without saying anything."
"He's done it before," Nami sighed in resignation, her fists clenched at her side, "You know he has."
"This is different," Luffy insisted, his eyes locking with Sanji's, "We're different. He wouldn't leave us without saying anything."
"Then where is he?" Nami bit back.
Before he could answer, Robin let out a bone chilling laugh, and Brook's violin started glowing.
"Forgive me for interrupting," Brook said through Robin, "But I believe I have located Zoro."
"You did?" Sanji sprung forward and grabbed Robin's shoulders, "Where is he?"
"He's pretty deep in the nature reserve," he explained, "I'm following him as best I can, but you should come quickly and bring help. Chopper's hurt quite badly."
Dread spread through Sanji's chest as he clenched Robin's shoulders tight, "Chopper's hurt?"
He couldn't believe it. In his desire to bring Zoro back, had he thrown Chopper to the wolves, so to speak? Had he sacrificed one pack member for another? Some Alpha he turned out to be, "What happened?"
"Well," Brook hesitated, "I regret to say Zoro attacked him."
"What?" He gasped as he released Robin.
A rare chill passed over him as fear clenched his heart. If Zoro had attacked Chopper, what did that mean for Chopper, even if they could save him? What did that mean for Zoro? What the fuck was Zoro doing attacking Chopper?
A warm hand landed on his shoulder, startling him out of his panicked thoughts.
"What happened, Brook?" Luffy said, his eyes steeled and face firm.
"I'm not quite sure myself, although I did witness the whole thing," he admitted, "It all happened so suddenly. Our friend is not himself this evening. He's even tried to kill me a few times," he let out a stilted, forced laugh, "Or, well, kill me again."
"Are you still with Zoro?" Sanji asked, then realized, "You left Chopper?"
"Unfortunately there's not much I can do for him, considering, well," he gestured at the body he was currently possessing, "aside from doing my best to lead Zoro away, lest he finish him off."
Finish him off. The words sent a shiver through Sanji. How could Zoro have attacked him? How could Sanji have let this happen?
"If Ms. Robin would be so kind as to continue letting me use her body," Brook continued, "I can guide you to where I left Chopper whilst I continue to track our wayward wolf."
Sanji glanced at Luffy, who was looking back at him with a fierce determination in his eyes. He took courage from him as he turned back to Brook.
"Do that," he nodded, "We're on our way to get Chopper, then I'll follow after you to find Zoro."
They all piled into Jinbei's squad car, and with the lights and sirens on made it to the nature preserve in record time.
With Brook's instructions, they were able to find Chopper.
The scene they came upon was a mess. Chopper was unconscious, but alive, which was a relief to Sanji. He was bleeding from several deep claw marks across his arms and torso that smelled heavily of Zoro.
Between Nami, Robin, Jinbei, and Jinbei's first aid kit they were able to at least get Chopper bandaged up.
"What's going to happen to him?" Usopp asked Sanji as the other put him in the back of the car, "I mean, with the whole getting attacked by a werewolf thing? Will he be a werewolf too?"
"If he lives, he will be," Sanji answered as he sniffed the air, his attention turning towards tracking Zoro now that Chopper was safe, "His first transformation will be in a few weeks."
"And, uh," he swallowed audibly, "if he doesn't?"
Sanji's face darkened, but he refused to think of any other scenario other than the one where Chopper lived.
"It doesn't matter," he answered, "Chopper will live, he'll be a werewolf, and we'll figure that out once we deal with…"
Sanji glanced down the forest path that smelled strongest of Zoro. It was one thing if Zoro wanted to leave them, but attacking Chopper was taking it too far.
Zoro was hurting the pack, his pack, he reminded himself. As the pack leader it was his responsibility to confront him, and end him, if necessary.
He remembered the time when he'd lost control and turned on his friends. Zoro had fought him then, had held him off and kept him from hurting anyone. But he'd also shown him compassion, given him his blood and the chance to return to normal.
How did Zoro go from that guy to this wolf that attacked his pack members? How could Sanji fix it?
It would help if Sanji had any idea why Zoro was doing any of this, but he was clueless. It seemed, despite their living arrangement, Zoro knew much more about vampires than Sanji did about werewolves.
"Do you think that has anything to do with it?" Luffy asked, pointing up.
Sanji's gaze followed his finger to the blood red moon hanging in the sky.
He had heard there was going to be a lunar eclipse tonight. Did something as simple as that have this kind of effect on Zoro?
"Maybe," Sanji sighed and looked back towards the woods.
If that was the case, why the hell didn't Zoro say anything?
Once the others were all set, he turned to them to say, "You guys get Chopper to the hospital. I'll deal with Zoro."
"I'm coming too," Luffy said.
"No, absolutely not." Sanji replied firmly, "It's far too dangerous."
"Zoro's one of my best friends," Luffy insisted, "if he's in trouble, I want to help."
"He could kill you."
"He could kill you too," he said, and Sanji would have protested if not for the seriousness of the situation, "but you're still going after him."
"He'll have a far easier time killing you then he will killing me."
"It doesn't matter," Luffy said, planting his foot firmly down, "because Zoro's not going to kill anyone."
"You saw what he did to Chopper!" Sanji shouted at him, his frustration and anger building, "Do you want that to happen to you?"
Luffy simply stared at, his face set and determined as he said, "He didn't kill Chopper."
"He was clearly trying to!"
"No, he wasn't."
Sanji growled, but before he could say anything in response, Luffy continued, "If he had been trying to kill him, Chopper would be dead."
Sanji flinched at the harshness of his statement, but couldn't find fault with his logic. Zoro was a skilled hunter, and especially tough as a wolf. He was a damn good fighter who could go toe to toe with Sanji even during the new moon when he couldn't rely on any of his wolf attributes.
If Zoro wanted something dead, it usually ended up dead.
So Sanji clung to that hope like a lifeline. Chopper was still alive, so Zoro might not be completely gone. He could bring him back.
Even so, "It's still too dangerous. Stay with the others."
"No," Luffy insisted, and Sanji growled again, "I'm going after Zoro, with you or without you."
At this point Robin stepped in and held up Brook's violin case, "I think we can all agree, you'll find him much faster with our ghost friend's help, since Brook is still with him. However, in order for him to help, he does need a body to possess."
Sanji held back a frustrated snarl, but knew she was right.
"Okay," Luffy nodded seriously as he took the violin from her, "Brook can use me."
"We'll take care of Chopper," she turned to Sanji and nodded, "So make sure you bring back Zoro."
"Of course," he nodded back, "I will."
This was his pack after all, and he'd do his job to protect it, all of it. Even if he had to save Zoro from himself.
Zoro growled. Zoro walked through the forest. Zoro tasted blood on his tongue and hated it.
The moon kept singing. The moon kept asking for more.
"Our friends have located Chopper," Brook said, "I'm sure he'll be alright now."
Zoro was relieved. Zoro wanted to be relieved. But the moon demanded blood, so Zoro snarled.
Zoro lunged at Brook, but passed through him. He growled and scratched and bit, but nothing happened.
"I must say Zoro, everyone is quite worried about you," Brook said, "We know this isn't you. Sanji and Luffy are on their way. Do you think you'll calm down for them?"
Zoro snarled. Zoro was scared. He did not want Luffy and Sanji here. He did not want to hurt them.
But the moon was singing. The moon was singing for blood. If they came here he would hurt them. If they came here he would make them bleed.
Zoro howled. It was a sad howl. He did not want to hurt his friends. He did not want to be like this. But everything hurt and he could not stop himself.
"Yes, that was him. You're going the right way," Brook said, but Brook was not talking to him, "Yes, he's been marking the trees as we go. I'm not sure if he's trying to leave a trail or if it's just his instincts…I'm afraid he's mostly instincts."
Zoro snarled. His friends needed to go. His alpha needed to be safe. They all needed to be far away from him.
Zoro picked up a new scent, a blood scent. His alpha, his Sanji.
The moon was screaming. The moon wanted blood. Sanji was blood.
The moon wanted Sanji.
Zoro growled. He rammed his head against a tree to silence the moon. He dug his claws into the dirt to resist it. But the moon was loud. The moon was demanding. The moon was singing and he couldn't ignore it.
Sanji's and Luffy's scents were bolder now. They were here.
They were here and the moon was singing.
Zoro couldn't ignore the moon anymore.
Zoro turned to face them.
Sanji and Luffy followed Brook's instructions and heard a lone howl echo around them. It was a lonely, miserable sound, and Sanji's heart clenched in sympathy.
"Was that…Zoro?" Sanji asked.
Luffy's eyes glazed over as Brook's violin glowed, and Brook said through him, "Yes, that was him. You're going the right way."
"Yeah, I figured," he gestured towards the clawed up trees as they made their way further into the woods, "This was him too, right?"
"Yes, he's been marking the trees as we go." Brook continued, "I'm not sure if he's trying to leave a trail or if it's just his instincts."
"How's he doing?" Sanji couldn't help but ask, wary at the increased destruction the closer he got, "Is he at least a little normal or…?" He trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
"I'm afraid he's mostly instincts." Brook admitted.
Sanji sighed, but pressed forward as they entered the clearing.
There was a low growl, and suddenly he was faced with a snarling Zoro, with the ghostly form of Brook just behind him. There was blood dripping from his teeth and painting his claws red, his fur was puffed and stood threateningly on end as his snout twitched fiercely. His eye was a solid black, no sense of recognition in it at all, just violence and anger.
This wasn't a Zoro who was hungry and desperately looking for food. This was a Zoro attacking just for the thrill of it.
Sanji's hackles rose as he moved slowly to stand between Zoro and Luffy, his gaze locked on the wolf, his every instinct telling him that this was a dangerous threat, and to not ever turn his back on it.
"Brook," he said as he sized the wolf up, "Keep Luffy safe."
"Of course," he said as he vanished.
Moments later there was a sharp intake of breath from Luffy behind him, and he assumed Brook had now possessed him fully.
"Get him out of here," he told him as Zoro began circling him. He turned too, keeping the agitated wolf in his sight at all times.
"He very much wants to stay," Brook informed him.
The words caught Zoro's attention, his eye leaving Sanji and darting for Luffy instead. Almost too quick to follow, Zoro lunged past Sanji, his teeth bared as he bounded towards Luffy.
Sanji was just a hair quicker, landing one kick solidly on his back to force him to the ground, and another on his side to kick him a decent ways away.
"Then make sure he stays out of the way," Sanji barked back, his eyes narrowing as Zoro got up again.
Zoro growled again, a low thing that Sanji felt more than he heard, and lunged at him, his claws swiping at his side. Sanji dodged as best he could, but the claws still found their mark, sinking deep into his side.
Sanji screamed in pain, bringing his own nails up to scratch at Zoro's face in an attempt to keep his mouth from biting him. He managed to break the skin, sinking his sharp nails into Zoro and gathering as much blood as he could before he brought his leg up and kicked him away again.
Zoro's claws were ripped from him as he was sent flying, and Sanji's side throbbed as the blood spilled out of him. He ignored it for now and instead licked Zoro's blood off of his fingers, gagging at the horrible taste but making sure to drink every last drop.
Zoro was up again quickly and bounding towards him once more. Sanji swallowed the rest of the blood and said, in his most commanding voice, "Stop."
To his relief he did stop. His body trembled as he tried to fight the command, but he stopped just in front of him. Sanji sighed, his shoulders slumping as he began to relax and took another step towards Zoro.
Zoro's trembling grew worse as he approached. When Sanji was right next to him, he lunged, breaking free of Sanji's control to swipe at him, leaving a long gash along his other side.
Sanji gasped as he stumbled away, clutching his side. If Zoro was so far gone that not even Sanji's commands could reach him, how the hell was he supposed to bring him back?
Zoro snarled as he turned to face him, his feet padding silently across the ground as he made his way towards him. Sanji instinctively backed up, a cold dread spreading through his chest as his panicked mind could only think no no no no no, and Sanji realized suddenly that he was afraid of Zoro.
His foot caught on a root, and he fell to the ground hard. The fear spread through him as Zoro came even closer, and he crawled backwards until his back hit a tree trunk.
Zoro was almost on top of him now, his snarling, angry face only inches away from Sanji's own. Sanji held up a trembling hand in an attempt to hold him off.
"Z-Zoro," he stuttered out, his other hand scrambling behind him to try and find something, anything to hold him off for just a moment longer, "Zoro, please…"
Zoro paused at that, his growl deepening as his claws dug into the dirt next to him. He hovered over Sanji, caging him in completely.
Sanji was still trembling, but the longer Zoro stood there not attacking him – the longer he got a chance to really look at him – the more he realized that Zoro wasn't attacking for no reason. He was in pain, trembling almost as bad as Sanji was, his teeth barred against it, his claws digging into the dirt to restrain himself from lashing out.
"Zoro," he repeated, his tone much softer this time as he reached a hand out to pet his head, "My poor Zoro, does it hurt?" His gaze darted up to the blood red moon hanging in the sky, "Is the eclipse hurting you?"
Zoro growled, his teeth gnashing towards his hand. Sanji pulled it away quickly lest he lose it, and waited a few moments for him to calm down before he reached out again, this time scratching behind his ear in that way that Zoro liked.
Zoro slowly melted under the attention, his growls turning into whines as he turned into Sanji's touch. He was still trembling, still tense and ready to snap at any moment.
"Relax, Zoro," he said, putting the command in his voice as he switched from scratching to gentle pets, "I'm here. You're okay now."
Zoro followed his command, relaxing completely as he rested his head against his chest. He whined softly into his shirt, the shaking continuing to wrack his body as he settled fully into Sanji's lap.
He wrapped his arms full around him, bringing him into a tight hug as he kept whispering, "You're okay Zoro, I'm here. I know it hurts, but you're okay."
A twig snapped, and his head darted up to find Luffy standing a few feet away, still clutching the violin.
"Is he alright?" He said as he took a step forward.
Zoro's ears flattened as he heard him approach. He tensed up again, his eye going black again as he let out a low growl.
Sanji held him tighter as he looked back to Luffy, and said, calmly so as not to startle Zoro, "Stay back. Coming too close will just agitate him further."
Luffy nodded as he stepped back towards the edge of the clearing, "How's he doing? What's happening?"
"I think the lunar eclipse is bothering him," he said as he stroked Zoro's neck, "He's calm enough now, but bringing him anywhere else right now is only going to make it worse."
"So, you're just gonna spend the night out here?"
"I guess so," he sighed, resigning himself to spending the night in the woods as Zoro burrowed further into his chest.
"Would you like us to get you anything to make your evening more comfortable?" Brook said through Luffy.
Sanji's instinct was to decline, but as he thought about it he did realize he'd need some supplies. He dug around in his pocket for his wallet and keys and tossed them at Luffy.
"I'm going to need clothes for him, for when he wakes up tomorrow morning," he said as he stroked Zoro's head, his fingers playing with the fur, "And food. Something high in protein and carbs, and a lot of it." He respressed a shudder as he realized what the best option was, "I guess just get a fuckton of fast food burgers."
Luffy's eyes lit up as he picked up his stuff, "Can I-?"
"Yes you can get something for yourself," he rolled his eyes, "Get whatever you want, just make sure you bring at least thirty burgers here."
"I'll make sure he does," Brook assured him
Sanji nodded, and was hit with a dizzying wave of cravings. He shook it off and added, "And some blood for me. There should be some in the fridge."
Luffy nodded, and they ran off, leaving Sanji and Zoro alone in the clearing.
Zoro whined again, and Sanji glared up at the moon. He had the ridiculous urge to go fight the damn thing, even though he knew that was impossible. How dare that shitty orb hurt his pack member like this? How dare it hurt Zoro?
"You're okay, Zoro," he assured him again, burying his face into the soft fur around his neck, "You're going to be just fine. I'm not leaving you."
Zoro whined as he turned further into Sanji's touch, and Sanji couldn't help but melt at the show of trust. Zoro was hurt and crying and all but out of his mind with pain, but he let Sanji close, let him hold him like this, trusted him to comfort him.
Was it because Sanji was his alpha? He assumed so, but the thought of it being more than that made something stir in his chest.
He sighed, pushing those thoughts aside for now, and glanced up at the horizon as he waited for dawn.
Zoro woke up overheated with a massive headache. He was resting on something nice and cool, and groaned as he burrowed into it, letting the comforting scent of blood and spices and cigarette smoke surrounded him. Someone was stroking his hair soothingly, and he leaned into the gentle touch.
"You awake then?" Sanji's voice rumbled above him.
Sanji, that was right. Sanji was here. He was okay.
Memories from last night exploded in his mind, the pain and the blood and the need to lash out and-
He flinched awake and tried to throw himself back, but Sanji's hold was unyielding, and he only got far enough away to look at his face.
Sanji's blue eyes were tinted red, the arm around Zoro's waist firm as he held him steady. His sharp nails scratched comfortingly at his scalp as he took him in, and he couldn't help but relax at the attention.
"How're you feeling?" He asked, his voice soft and a little husky from the long night in the woods.
Zoro opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. The flashes of memory from last night overwhelmed him, and he ended up falling forward into the dirt, his hands clasped over his mouth as he tried not to puke.
Sanji caught him easily though, and pulled him back up, "It's okay. Are you hungry?"
Zoro nodded, and a bag of greasy burgers was shoved towards him.
"Here," Sanji pulled away, and Zoro's breath hitched, missing the contact and the comfort in the moments it took him to grab a change of clothes, "At least put some pants on first, okay?"
He nodded again, carefully shuffling into the offered pants before falling back against Sanji's chest. He knew he was being needy and desperate, but he was still shaken from the blood moon, and the contact with Sanji was helping him keep calm.
Sanji didn't complain or tease him about it. He just handed him the burgers and picked up a mason jar full of blood to sip at.
As he munched on his burger and watched Sanji drink, the memories came in clearer. Of him biting and scratching Sanji, making him bleed and hurt and-
"I…hurt you," he said, the cold dread slipping through him like an anchor, "didn't I?"
"You did," he said as he set his blood back down, "Chopper too."
Chopper too. Those memories became clearer as well, and he felt sick to his stomach. What kind of asshole was he to attack Chopper, poor defenseless Chopper, who only ever wanted to help, and Sanji, his alpha, who he was supposed to love? What kind of monster attacked his own pack?
"Chopper's okay," Sanji said, wrapped his arm back around his waist, "He's in the hospital, but he's fine. He'll recover."
Zoro started trembling, because Chopper may recover from the attack physically, but he would never be the same. Zoro's fuck up had changed the poor vet forever.
"I…" he started, but couldn't think of what else to say. Apologies wouldn't help Chopper, wouldn't appease Sanji's wrath.
Because of course Sanji was mad. Zoro was supposed to protect the pack, and instead he was the one causing it harm. Under all the tender care he must be furious.
"Eat," Sanji insisted, holding him tight as he rested his forehead on his shoulder, "We'll talk when you're done."
Zoro ate, scarfing down about half of the burgers without pause. He used to eat this fast food junk all the time after his transformation, but after spending so long eating Sanji's personally crafted meals he could only say, "This shit sucks."
Sanji chuckled, his breath ruffling the hair on the back of his neck, "That's because I spoil you. Sorry, this was all I could think of to get you on such short notice."
Zoro grunted as he continued eating the rest of the greasy food. After what he did last night, he deserved at least this.
When he was done, he pulled away from Sanji's arms with a sigh and turned to face him, "Okay, I'm ready."
Sanji was always volatile and ready to fight, his anger coming quickly with the smallest of triggers and leaving a fiery destruction in its wake as he gave hell to whoever set him off – and that was just when Zoro left fur on the couch. Zoro could only imagine how he'd react to him actually harming his pack, but whatever he did was sure to be violent and terrible.
Not that Zoro deserved any less.
But Sanji surprised him by leaning forward and cupping his face, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," he growled as he slapped his hand away, annoyed that he'd picked now of all times to go easy on him, "I'm better than you or Chopper."
"I'm fine, I'm healed already," he said as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up, "And I already know Chopper will be fine. What's going on with you?"
"Chopper's not gonna be fine," he snapped, avoiding the question, "He's gonna be a werewolf, and it's my fault."
"I know that," Sanji sighed softly, the smoke escaping his mouth in wisps, "What I don't know is how you're doing."
Zoro scowled and looked away, his eye fixed on the dirt.
Eventually Sanji sighed and asked again, "What happened last night, Zoro?"
"It's obvious what happened," he growled, frustrated that he was still being so kind and gentle, "I attacked your pack. I'm a danger and a menace."
"No, you're not," he said, firmer than he'd been all morning, "You are many things, Zoro Roronoa, but a danger is not one of them, at least not to us. You care about your friends and you protect your pack."
Zoro ground his teeth, his praise crawling under his skin and making him frustrated. If he was so good at protecting his pack, why was he always hurting them?
"You saw me last night," he muttered to the ground, "You fought me last night. You know I was the one who attacked everyone."
"And I also know you," he insisted, "and I know you wouldn't do that for no reason."
"Maybe I would," he buried his head in his hands and clenched his hair, "Maybe I'm just a mindless beast that attacks whoever comes close."
There was a cold grip on his chin, and suddenly his face was yanked up so he was staring at Sanji again.
"The wolf I fought last night was in pain," Sanji explained, a hint of desperation in his voice, "He was hurting, he was desperate." His hand shifted to hold his face instead, running a thumb across his cheek, "Someone once told me we aren't who we are when we're desperate, we are who we are when we have a choice."
"I had a choice last night," he growled.
"You did," he nodded, his gaze softening, "You could have killed Chopper, but you left him alive."
His eye darted away, "That wasn't-"
"You could have killed me," he continued, "But you didn't. You chose not to."
Zoro did remember that. He had Sanji cornered, and the moon was singing to him, telling him to claw him open and make him bleed, to kill him, but Zoro couldn't. He was Sanji after all, he loved Sanji, he didn't want to hurt Sanji, no matter what the moon said. And it had hurt to ignore the moon, to resist its call, but he knew it would have hurt worse if he gave in.
Then the next thing he knew it was Sanji's voice singing to him, telling him he was going to be okay, Sanji's coolness surrounding him and blocking out the moon.
Doesn't Sanji get it? If it had been anyone else, Zoro wouldn't have been able to stop himself.
"If it hadn't been you-" He tried, but he was cut off by Sanji's other hand coming up to hold his face too.
"But it was me," he insisted, the cigarette dangling out of the corner of his mouth as he cradled his face so gently, "And you were the one who was able to stop."
Zoro started trembling, his eye taking in every inch of Sanji's face, "I could have killed you. You shouldn't want anything to do with me."
"But you didn't," Sanji's entire face softened in a way that made Zoro's heart skip a few beats, "and that's exactly why I'm not letting you leave this pack."
Zoro broke at that, falling into Sanji's chest as he held him close, comforting him as the frustration and relief and the love he felt for Sanji overwhelmed him.
Sanji didn't hate him. Sanji didn't want him gone. Despite everything, Sanji wanted him to stay.
When he calmed down, Sanji asked again, "What happened last night?"
He whined and buried his face into Sanji's chest, letting his familiar scent wash over him, "The moon, the blood moon…"
"The lunar eclipse?" He asked as he stroked his hair.
Zoro leaned into the comforting touch, "Yeah. It's…it's hard to describe, but it's overwhelming. Normally the moon makes me, happy, I guess. It's like a friend. But during the eclipse it just makes me angry. It hurts, and I want to lash out and make everything hurt. I can never control myself, and I…" He shuddered as he burrowed further into Sanji's hold, "I always end up hurting the people closest to me."
"I'm okay Zoro, you barely hurt me at all," Sanji said with a sigh, "And Chopper will be fine."
"I know, I know," he shook his head, "But my first alpha…"
Sanji remained silent, keeping up his ministrations as he let Zoro gather his thoughts and find his words.
"I ran away from home when I was first turned," he admitted softly, "and I ended up finding Kuina and her dad. Her dad was just a human, but Kuina was the first other werewolf I met, and she was the alpha of a small pack of cubs like me. They took me in and raised me as their own. Then came the blood moon.
"Kuina handled it just fine. The others were overexcited and a little violent, but she was able to keep them in line. Me though…" He shuddered, and Sanji held him tighter. He took strength from that as he continued, "I was uncontrollable. She tried everything, but I wasn't listening to her, just the moon. We ended up fighting. We fought all the time normally, but I could never win. And I shouldn't have won that night either, but there was this cliff and…" He swallowed and turned his face away, hiding it in the crook of Sanji's neck, "She fell."
Sanji's hand moved to stroke his back, and he continued, "She fell, and she died. I couldn't bear to be there anymore, not without her, so I ran away. I guess I've been running ever since."
Sanji's voice was soft in his ear, "That wasn't your fault. It sounds like an accident."
Zoro shook his head, "It wouldn't have happened if I could control myself."
"You were young, you were a child," Sanji insisted, "You can't blame yourself for your past mistakes forever. You didn't want to hurt anyone, not that night and not last night."
Zoro took a deep shuddering breath as he let his words sink in. He didn't want to hurt anyone. It wasn't his fault.
Eventually, Sanji asked, "Why did you lie to me? About spending the night with Luffy?"
"I…I didn't want to hurt you," he admitted softly, "I knew I was gonna lose control and go wild, and I wanted you as far away from me as possible."
"I see," he shifted and stroked his back, "Why didn't you tell me about the blood moon?"
"I didn't want to worry you," he turned more into his hold, settling down until he was comfortable, "I figured I could handle it myself if I was away from everyone."
"That was very good of you, thinking about how to protect our pack," Sanji said, and Zoro's heart soared at the praise, "But tell me about things like this next time, okay? I was worried about you when I found out you weren't with Luffy."
"I'm sorry," he said softly against Sanji's neck, the guilt welling up inside him, "I didn't mean-"
"I know you didn't," Sanji soothed, "But I do worry, it's my job."
"Why did you come after me?" He asked, the question had been bugging him since last night, "I told you to stay home."
Sanji's hand clenched where he was holding his waist for a moment, then he relaxed with a sigh, taking a deep drap from his cigarette as he answered, "I don't want you to be alone. You've been on your own for so long. I have too, and I know how the loneliness gets to you, how the isolation eats at you. I don't ever want you to feel like that. I don't ever want you to be alone."
Zoro wrapped his arms fully around Sanji, holding him back just as tenderly as he all but melted into him. He had never thought to find safety and comfort and home in another person before, but now that he had it, he never wanted to lose.
Sanji put out his cigarette and tossed the butt in the empty food bag as he continued, "So next time something like this comes up, tell me and we can work out a solution that works best for everyone."
Contentment washed over him at Sanji's words. Sanji really wanted him around, wanted him in the pack. Despite everything, he still accepted him.
He smiled as he leaned back enough to look at his face and said, "You been reading some leadership books or something?"
Sanji let out an indignant squawk, his eyes darting away as he said, "Maybe."
Zoro laughed, and Sanji scowled, "Shut the hell up."
"You're such a nerd," Zoro teased as his chuckles died down, "Why the hell did you get a book about leadership?"
Sanji shifted, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden, and a sharp ping of regret for the teasing zipped through Zoro as he admitted sheepishly, "I just, I wanted to be a good alpha for you guys."
Zoro's chest filled with warmth, and he wondered how he ever got so lucky to have the vampire in his life, "You are a good alpha."
Sanji looked at him, almost shy, "Really?"
"Yeah," his smile softened, "You're here aren't you? Taking care of your pack?"
Sanji's smile spread as he leaned his head back against the tree, "Don't scare me like that again, alright?"
Zoro opened his mouth to apologize for attacking him, but before he could Sanji continued, "I thought you were leaving the pack, and I…I was worried."
"Never," Zoro's hand found his, and he thread their fingers together and squeezed tight, "I'd never leave like that. I'll stick around as long as you'll have me."
"Good," he answered, the soft smile spreading across his face, "I've gotten quite used to having you around, and I'd hate to have to readjust my life again."
They sat like that for a while, until the sun was high in the sky and filtering softly through the trees.
"Alright, the suns getting to me," Sanji said with a sigh, "You good? Can you stand?"
"I can stand," Zoro grumbled, forcing himself to pull away from the comforting hold and get to his feet.
Sanji gathered their things and tossed the shirt at Zoro, "C'mon then. Jinbei's waiting with his car back on the road. Let's go home."
Home. The word bounced around in Zoro's head, filling him with warmth as he followed Sanji through the forest.
Home sounded pretty damn good.
Sanji watched from the kitchen as Zoro and Chopper talked in the living room. They were seated together on the couch, Chopper looking wide-eyed and a little shaken as Zoro talked him through what was going to happen to him now that he was a werewolf.
Luckily Chopper didn't seem too distraught by the news. He had been scared and worried when they'd first told him, but Zoro had promised to be there for him if he had any questions, and take care of him throughout the whole process. Having a guide relaxed him immensely, and he instead became excited about how he could use his new wolf attributes to help his patients.
The most important thing was he didn't blame Zoro for the attack at all – he'd been a wolf after all, Chopper reasoned, and reacted as a wolf would. And that lack of blame, Sanji was glad to see, went a long way towards Zoro finally forgiving himself for what happened.
Sanji wondered idly how many werewolves bothered to stick around after they turned someone. He imagined it wasn't many, and was glad Zoro was here to help ease Chopper into this. If it had been just him dealing with this, Sanji knew he'd be floundering.
"Hey, what would happen now if you bit Chopper?" Luffy asked from his seat at the kitchen island, "And turned him into a vampire? Would he be a werepire? A vampwolf?"
"What?" Sanji scowled as his attention turned back to him, "I'm not biting Chopper!"
"I know, I know," he was quick to assure him, but the mischievous smile stayed plastered on his face, "But like, what if?"
"You can't have a werepire," Usopp shook his head from where he was sitting next to him, "That's too much! Can you imagine? Someone with the powers of a werewolf and a vampire? They'd be terrifying." The blood drained from his face as he turned to look at Sanji, "It's…it's not possible, is it?"
Sanji hummed, puffing on his cigarette as he considered the question, "I've never heard of it happening. I don't think vampirism and lycanthropy are compatible, since one requires you to be dead and the other alive."
"Oh man," Luffy pouted as he sunk on his stool, "Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure. Zoro attacked me too, but I'm not a werewolf."
"Right, yeah, I guess," he sighed, clearly disappointed, but began eyeing Sanji suspiciously, "Are you sure you're not a werepire?"
"I'm very sure I'm not a werepire," he growled.
"So wait," Usopp said, "How do you make more vampires?"
The smirk slowly slid across Sanji's face as he released a puff of smoke, "Why, you wanna become one?"
"No no no," Usopp waved his hands in front of him, "I'm fine thanks, just call it professional curiosity."
"I might want to try it," Luffy laughed, "Sounds fun."
"Well, all vampires take up smoking," Sanji explained, his smirk growing, "It hides the fact that they produce smoke naturally. And if a human breathes in their smoke, well…"
Sanji exhaled his cigarette smoke right in their faces. They coughed and batted the smoke away as he pulled away.
"That should about do it," Sanji chuckled as he put out his cigarette in the nearby ashtray, "You should feel your first changes soon."
Luffy cheered, while Usopp paled, "We what? What changes?"
"Oh you know," Sanji gestured as he spoke, "Fangs, cold skin, an irresistible sexy aura, the works."
"Irresistible sexy aura…" Usopp's eyes went distant as he considered something, then shook his head, "No no, it's not worth it. There's got to be a way to stop it, right?"
"Sure, you can stop it," he nodded, "But you have to do it before the cravings start."
"I…I am getting cravings," Usopp gasped as he covered his mouth, "Oh I'm craving something so bad."
"Me too me too!" Luffy was practically bouncing in his seat, "I want something so bad! I want something sweet!"
The oven dinged, and Sanji put on his oven mitts and took the finished cookies out.
"Yeah, it starts with sweets, cookies even," he said as plated the cookies and brought them back to the island, "Then once you satisfy those cravings, you crave more and more…"
Luffy snatched a handful of cookies off the plate and shoved them into his mouth, "Mmm being a vampire tastes so good!"
Usopp hesitated, his shaky hand reaching for the plate.
"You can resist of course," Sanji smirked and inched the plate closer to him, "But eventually you'll have to give in."
Usopp sighed, grabbing his own cookie and munching on it gloomily, "Well, if being a vampire means I get irresistible sexy charm, maybe I can finally ask Kaya."
"Who's turning into vampires now?"
They all looked up as Zoro came up behind them, Chopper sitting happily on his shoulders.
"Sanji blew smoke in our faces and we started craving cookies," Luffy said around his mouthful of cookies, "So now we're going to be vampires too."
"Oh my gosh!" Chopper gasped from his perch, "You guys are gonna be vampires? Wait, I'm craving cookies too! Will I be a vampire?"
Zoro rolled his eye, "He's fucking with you. That's not how you make vampires."
Usopp let out a sigh of relief, and Luffy groaned loudly, "Oh man! Then how do you become a vampire for real?"
"One bites you," Zoro explained, and Sanji rubbed subconsciously at the bite mark on his neck, "With the intent of turning you into a vampire. They release something that infects your bloodstream, you get sick and die, and you wake up as a vampire."
They all turned back to Sanji, and Luffy asked, "Is that true?"
"Pretty much," he shrugged, frowning at Zoro, "How do you know so damn much about it?"
Zoro shrugged back, completely nonchalant, "Just do."
"Can I have a cookie, Sanji?" Chopper asked, "Even though I'm not gonna be a vampire?"
Sanji smiled at him, lifting the plate out of Luffy's grabbing range and offering it to Chopper, "Of course you can."
He cheered as he took his own cookies, eating them happily.
Sanji set the plate back down and turned his attention to Zoro, "What about you, Mosswolf? Anything I can get you?"
"I'm good thanks," he smiled softly at Sanji, and he felt something flip in his chest, "I've got everything I need right here."
Sanji smiled back as he went back to the kitchen to get everyone drinks, basking in the delighted sounds of his pack being happy and content so close by.
His pack. It was still new to him, but they were his, now more than ever, and he was so damn lucky for that.