This idea randomly popped into my head and I just had to write it. Thank you ni21 for beta-reading and giving me such great advice :)
An entire hour. That was how long Zoro had been waiting outside a shady building for that idiot cook to return.
He had asked Zoro to wait for him while he did whatever the hell he was doing. He told him it would be quick, and Zoro had grudgingly conceded. Mostly because Sanji had left him a bottle of sake and if he was being honest with himself, he had no idea how to get back to the ship. Also, it was late, and he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit concerned at the thought of leaving Sanji alone. He could take care of himself of course, but they had both had some drinks and this was the kind of town where trouble emanated from every street corner… Another reason why he was keen to leave. He was attracting unwanted attention hanging around the alley by himself, with three swords strapped around his waist. Not that he was particularly worried, it would only take him a second to cut down any fool who was stupid enough to pick a fight with him, but he was just not in the mood tonight. All he wanted was to get back to the ship and sleep. Instead, he was stuck here because of that dumbass cook.
He wasn't a child, he had an inkling of what kind of experiences were offered in seedy areas such as this one. He just personally never had any interest in them. Of course, Sanji hadn't actually told him what he was doing here, but he assured him it wouldn't be more than twenty minutes. Zoro respected privacy. He never overstepped and never sought out information that wasn't offered to him. Which was why he hadn't gone to fetch him before now. Sanji hadn't asked him to come along, so he assumed he didn't want him to know. But he was getting tired and irritated, and frankly, he didn't give a shit anymore about that jerk's privacy. If he wanted privacy, he shouldn't have asked him to tag along.
That was it, he thought, he was going in to get him. He'd drag him out if he had to.
Inside, the building seemed to be a sort of hotel. He could tell because he spotted a dodgy looking reception area that doubled as a bar, with numbered keys hanging on the back wall and several liqueur bottles littering the counter. A man and a woman were the only ones in the room, and they both seemed to be very preoccupied with each other's tongues in their mouths.
Zoro coughed loudly.
The young woman pulled away from the man's embrace, took one glance at Zoro and lazily called out, "Queenie, there's someone here," before pulling the man away from the reception by the collar and vanishing into the hallway.
At that moment, who he assumed must be Queenie, an older woman with a heavy layer of makeup creasing on her lined face and a lit cigarette in her mouth, appeared behind the bar. Without even looking at Zoro, she said in a raspy voice, "We've only got one more for tonight and you're going to have to wait fifteen minutes or so."
"I'm not here for that… I'm looking for someone."
The woman rolled her eyes. "Listen, sweetheart, she's probably long gone by now-"
He interrupted her impatiently, "No, I'm looking for a man. Skinny blonde with curly eyebrows." He did not at all appreciate being called sweetheart by some chain-smoking grandma.
She took a long drag of her cigarette before replying, "Yeah, I remember him. Jacked up eyebrows. He's in 143. Just go straight down the hall, it's at the very end to your right."
He mumbled a thanks then made his way down the hall. Easy enough to follow a set of numbers. When he reached room 143, he knocked on the door loudly. No response. He knocked again, even more aggressively this time. Still, no response. He brought his ear to the door, listening for movement on the other side. It sounded empty. Now, he was worried. What if Sanji had been drugged? What if he had been kidnapped?
He slowly opened the door taking a step in, "Hey Ero-Cook, are you in here?"
But what Zoro saw promptly answered his question for him. Sanji was in the room, and he was not alone. A woman was with him. A naked woman. And she was on top of Sanji, who was also naked. Neither of them had taken notice of his entry. In the second it took him to realize what was going on, he caught a glimpse of Sanji's face – flushed and shining with sweat, his head thrown back in bliss, his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted.
Zoro left just as abruptly as he had entered, slamming the door on his way out. His heart was racing. He could feel his face burning, not just from embarrassment, but also from a bubbling anger that was rapidly rising inside him. He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting. It was a stupid idea to have gone and checked on him. He shouldn't even be here in the first place. Why would Sanji drag him along with him? Did he think he was his own personal bodyguard waiting dutifully for his return while he got his dick wet? He was furious.
He didn't make it very far down the street before he heard hurried footsteps and Sanji's voice from behind him, "Oi, Marimo! Wait up!"
Zoro only walked faster, "Fuck off."
"Jesus, what crawled up your ass and died?"
Zoro turned around to glare at Sanji. His blonde hair was uncharacteristically dishevelled, cheeks still flushed, and the top buttons of his shirt still undone.
Sanji sighed, "Oh, come on, listen, I'm sorry, I really didn't think it would take that long. Guess I have more stamina than I thought," he joked, which only incensed Zoro further.
He wasn't even sure why he was so angry. He wasn't surprised that Sanji frequented brothels, but he resented being asked to wait outside like a naïve watchdog. But it wasn't just that. Truthfully, he was disappointed. He had tried to ignore this from the beginning, but the combination of alcohol and exhaustion and then finally actually seeing it happen, seeing the way his jaw clenched and his eyebrows creased, the way the muscles in his arms strained as he guided her moving on top of him…"You're disgusting," Zoro snapped back.
At this remark, Sanji's grin turned into a scowl. "Oh right, because you've never given in to the sin of lust because you're just so much better than all us lowly humans-"
"I don't pay for it." Zoro didn't mean to say it, but it slipped out before he could stop himself. In truth, he didn't particularly care if people payed for sex, it was a service like any other after all, but for some reason it bothered him that Sanji did. The realization that this certainly wasn't the first time either irked him too.
Sanji let out a sardonic laugh, suddenly grabbing Zoro by the arm with a hard grip which stopped him in his tracks. His eyes darkened and his face twisted into an expression Zoro didn't recognize. He spoke in a strained, quiet voice, and he was closer than before, which was unnerving. They only ever screamed at each other. "I'm sorry for making you wait for me. But don't you go fucking judging me, you self-righteous prick. One day, even you are going to get lonely, Zoro, and you're going to cave and you're going to realize that you are just as pathetic as you think I am." Then, he pulled away just as suddenly and continued ahead, leaving Zoro behind, dumbfounded.
They didn't say another word all the way to the ship.
Zoro felt sick to his stomach. Bitterness and shame, he realized. That was what had appeared in Sanji's eyes a moment ago.
When they arrived, Zoro broke the silence, "I don't think you're pathetic."
Sanji merely looked at him, "What?"
"I don't think you're pathetic. I just think you deserve better."
A wave of emotions passed over Sanji's face. Then, he scoffed lightly and replied, "I wish that were true," before turning around once more, leaving Zoro for the second time that night with a tightness in his chest he couldn't explain.