Getting into the reception had been remarkably – and almost concernedly – easy, considering the high calibre people that were attending. However, with the amount of music and festivities taking place, amongst distant relatives, friends, and colleagues it was fairly simple to slip in unnoticed. If anything was going to give them away, it was the overly enthusiastic blond looking about the large reception with an unabashed gaze of awe.
Keeping the distracted man in tow, Zoro guided them through the large hotel that had been reserved for the event, keeping a keen eye out for the woman Coby had claimed he needed to find. Eventually making their way out into the extravagant garden in an outside courtyard, they found an even larger amount of guests milling about the aesthetically lit area.
Gorgeous flowers and finely trimmed shrubbery boarded the large area and endless amounts of twinkling lights lit up the twilight and cast a magical glow over the entire area. Tables where littered about with guests snacking and sipping on refreshments, multiple catering tables were to the right, and a dance floor took up the rest of the area.
It wasn't long before Zoro spotted the woman they had come to find, surrounded by guests and looking like a vision. Spangles and jewels hung from every inch of her, and the silks of her Lehenga were a vivid crimson that caught the attention of anyone looking in her direction. A finely Henaed hand reached up to swipe a stray strand of hair from her face as she nodded eagerly to the words a friend was speaking to her, eventually tittering in laughter.
Casting a critical look about the area, it seemed best that they didn't draw attention to themselves by both going up to her at once. Not to mention if he was going to get into her good graces it was probably better if he talked to her alone. Zoro began making a beeline for her after muttering to Sanji softly, "Wait here."
"Oi!" Sanji barked loudly, voice still horribly drowned out by the music as he caught Zoro's elbow in a tight grip. Zoro looking back at the blond as he wearily hoped no one had noticed Sanji's slightly panicked tone, "Where are you going?"
Stuck in Sanji's hold, Zoro was forced to turn to look back at the confused blond and mutter cheekily, "To congratulate the bride."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Just..." Zoro trailed off, waving a hand about the wedding vaguely, "enjoy yourself."
As Sanji's eyes lit up at the prospect, and Zoro retracted himself from the blond's grip and made his way to Viola. Due to the crowd he wasn't too nervous about letting Sanji wander, and thankfully at this point the blond knew not to go off anywhere alone.
Managing to slowly make his way through the crowd swarming the bride, it wasn't long before her gracious attention was turned to Zoro. Offering his hand to her congenially, as he crooned pleasantly, "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Taking his hand, she returned the greeting as her cheerful eyes slid shut in a charming smile. However when they opened once more, there was a sharpness to them. Her gripped tightened only for a moment in a threatening manner before releasing entirely as she murmured, "What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for somebody." Zoro stated as casually as possible, keeping his demeanour as amiable as possible, considering the amount of people present that always had their eyes on the bride at any moment. Hands clasping behind his back casually, he continued to watch her. Despite her innocent appearance there was a cold intelligence about her that was clearly overlooked by many people here.
"I know where a lot of people are, sweetheart." She mused, pausing to give a sweet smile at an elderly relative walking by before continuing under her breath, "You're going to have to be much more specific."
"Law." Zoro muttered, "I was told you'd get me in touch with him."
Her motions stilled for only a moment before she was turning back to him with interest sparkling in her eyes, "And who told you that?"
"Kohza." Zoro responded simply, having gotten permission from the man earlier that day to request them to meet at his house. Boldly crashing her wedding to get a favour was pushing his luck, but requesting through an old friend just might give him the edge.
Viola's critical eyes scanned Zoro intently for several moments as she seemed to be mulling over the situation. Weighing her options before murmuring a dismissive response and turning away to return to her other guests, "I will make sure to pay a visit then, later tonight."
A smug grin curled across Zoro's lips, turning and heading back into the jubilant chaos of the wedding in relief that the exchange had gone so smoothly. Zoro ducked and weaved through tables and guests as he scanned the area for Sanji, intending to get them both out of here immediately. The music turned slow and romantic as he searched, the words making no sense to him but the singer had a deep voice and the lighting crew tuned the lights to set the mood. Taking in the impressive display on the dance floor, he finally spotted Sanji, happily taking part in the dancing and festivities as he politely escorted an attractive young Indian woman across the dance floor.
Remaining awkwardly off to the side, Zoro watched from the edge of the dance floor as part of him was immediately bitter over how easily Sanji could flirt with any woman he came in contact with. Though Zoro really couldn't begrudge the man what came naturally to him; it was foolish to even think that the man wouldn't have taken Zoro's words as an open invitation to flirt like he always did.
Sanji didn't dance with the girl the way Zoro might have expected; it had nothing to do with mutual satisfaction or chauvinistic antics. Each movement, every sway, was meant to make the girl he was with feel like she was the only one in the room that could possibly deserve anyone's attention.
Handling her with the ease of a professional, he guided her effortlessly across the floor, turning, swooping, and spinning her as a sure grip on her hip and hand never wavered. A smile lit up her face as he would occasionally spin her in close for a moment of intimacy before once more pulling away to spin her gracefully. Long, dark hair swaying hypnotically with each of her movements. The song soon came to an end as he dipped her low and she was left staring up at him breathlessly.
Zoro turned away before having to be subjected to anything more, scowling as he tried to wonder what his problem was with falling in love with blond's that had a habit of flaunting around with other people in front of him. Averted gaze noticing a waiter walking by as the last of his resolve fell away and he raised a hand and flagged the young lad over.
"What can I get for you?" He inquired professionally, his cheery tone barely audible over the music and happy chatter as he leaned in to hear Zoro's response better. If Zoro was going to break his clean streak, then he might as well do it the best way possible.
"Your best bourbon." Zoro ordered, "Just bring the bottle."
He seemed a little shocked at first, before nodding with a smile and making his way back to the catering tables and open bar. Zoro found a free table nearby and slumped into a seat as he assumed he might as well get comfortable, watching as the waiter returned shortly with a bottle of amber liquor. Zoro nodded in gratitude to dismiss him before cracking open the bottle and taking a large swig.
A small part of him was sickened with himself for giving in to the urge and drinking, but a large part of him was just so relieved to taste the strong, malty liquor that he had missed for so long. Loving the burning sensation in his gut that was beginning to numb some of the painful happiness that had been forced upon him ever since Sanji had forced himself into his life. He was nearly halfway through the bottle when Sanji finally abandoned his fun and made his way over to the table Zoro was sulking at.
"Oi. Oi." Sanji commented with surprise as he neared, eyes falling to the bottle with concern, "I thought you were a couple years sober?"
"Yeah?" Zoro scoffed sardonically, not really in the mood for dealing with the blond's introspection on Zoro's life at the moment, liquor loosening his tongue far more than it ever would have been while sober, "Well, it's been a rough couple weeks."
Sanji had the grace to look a little guilty - even a tad hurt - as he took a seat opposite Zoro, and he couldn't help but remain a tad smug in his drunken stupor. Glad that the blond was conscious enough to notice that thanks to Sanji, Zoro wasn't exactly in the best condition. The blond's hands came up to rest atop the table as Sanji levelled on the man sternly, "That's a poor excuse."
"So?" Zoro grunted, taking another sip as Sanji's eyes tracked the movement of the bottle. Zoro could list several reasons from the past couple days alone that would warrant him picking up his old habits of alcoholism; one of them specifically being the infuriating blond sitting across from him at this very moment.
"You quit for a reason." Sanji argued.
"You mean my cheating wife?" Zoro replied scathingly, tipping the bottle back to take another hearty swig before slamming the bottle back on the table. Resentment that had built inside him for years was beginning to bubble to the surface in an ugly form, "Or perhaps my condescending therapist? Maybe my crippling trauma?"
Remaining unperturbed by Zoro's suddenly aggressive behaviour the blond pressed, "Why'd you quit?"
A dismissive noise grumbled out of Zoro's throat as he looked away with an unimpressed shake of his head. He felt annoyed at the notion that Sanji felt he had the right to make Zoro explain himself. Eyes flicking back sharply to find Sanji still watching him, hating that the blond could drag anything out of him with a simple look as he admitted through a slur, "Because it had become a crutch."
"What do you mean?"
"My life was over, my job, everything." Zoro shrugged easily, his nonchalance growing with every moment the alcohol affected more of his system. Speaking honestly about the darkness that had been haunting him for the past couple years more fluently than he ever had with his therapist, "It was the only thing keeping me from dropping dead."
Without missing a beat Sanji responded, "That's bullshit."
Zoro blinked owlishly for a second, thinking that he had misheard the blond as he grunted, "Excuse me?"
"Things didn't go your way." Sanji jabbed, "So what?"
Speechless, Zoro just stared – having not expected such a bold reaction from the usually flippant man – and certainly having not known the man would care about something that was simply a personal issue of Zoro's.
"Everyone's dealing with shit." Sanji muttered darkly, "Everyone has skeletons in their closet that they're trying to get rid of; you think you're the only one with problems? This is your life; your problem. You take the initiative to try and fix it; because it's no one's fault but your own."
"Fuck you." Zoro spat.
Sanji remained surprisingly firm in his opinion, leaning forward over his clasped hands as his eyes locked on Zoro fiercely. Zoro's hand retracting unconsciously on the bottle - not in fear - but in something eerily close to it as he had never seen this kind of heated decisiveness from the other man before.
"You've seen death; you've caused it." It seemed Sanji's rage over the subject allowed him to ignore Zoro's venomous comment and continue unfazed, "But I've seen the other side of it. I've seen the people that don't deserve it. The mothers that lost their children. And you're selfish enough to act like being alive is a curse."
"If I had given up do you think I would have fought for so long to still be here." Zoro snapped, mimicking Sanji as he too leaned forward and found himself rising to Sanji's bait, "I'm trying; you have no idea what I'm haunted by!"
"You think I'm not haunted?!" Sanji accused sharply, "That I'm not tortured every single fucking day by the people I couldn't save! By the families of victims that I had to deal with?"
A silence hung between them.
"You think I don't wake up screaming?" Sanji asked quietly, and Zoro had the respect enough to flinch at the comment, knowing full well Sanji was referring to the several nights he was awoken screaming and covered in sweat, and even the few Sanji had gotten up with him and just stayed with him until he was able to drift back to sleep.
"You want to know the worst sound in the world?" Sanji asked softly, not even bothering to wait for Zoro's response as he continued on, "Cuz for me it's not gunshots... It's not pain, or crying, or screaming..."
"It's the ringing." Sanji murmured so softly, Zoro could hardly discern it, the blond's eyes already shimmering with unshed tears as his trembling hand curled into a fist and he pushed himself on, "It's the ringing of a phone that's not going to get answered. It's the ringing of a phone and having to listen to it while knowing that the person on the other end is waiting for that phone to get answered... and it never will. It's..."
Sanji finally cut himself off as his own recollections seemed to be too much and he ducked his head to try and regain his composure. A fisted hand pressed against his forehead to try and ground himself as Zoro was left sitting across from the blond with nothing but shameful surprise on his face. Still trying to fully process the fact that without Sanji actually admitting it, the blond was dealing with just as much trauma as he was; maybe even more...
"We are all fighting demons," Sanji managed finally, "but that doesn't mean life isn't worth living."
Zoro sat speechless in front of Sanji, hand slack on the bottle of liquor that he now felt increasingly more ashamed for caving in and consuming. The bottle felt like a testament to his failure, and a beacon of shame for his weakness. Everything Sanji had said put things he had long forgotten into painful clarity.
"So here's what's gonna happen," Sanji demanded calmly, lifting his head after it seemed he had managed to recollect himself. Zoro was still far too shocked to say anything as he watched Sanji wordlessly, "I'm going to go dump the rest of this down the drain, you're gonna sober up, and we're getting out of here."
Zoro could only nod dumbly as he watched Sanji snag the bottle off the table and storm away to the bathroom. Watching him go until he became lost in the crowd, Zoro's eyes drifted out of focus in the wake of what he had just learned. A mixture of horrifying clarity and sickening shock took over him as he fully came to understand another side to the blond he hadn't even known had existed.
And suddenly an entire collection of memories flooded through him with the knowledge provided making everything clear.
The fact that Sanji only ever had his phone vibrate – or with a stupid, upbeat song in place of a ring tone – the way he almost imperceptibly flinched at the sound of anything close to a mobile trill. Not to mention the way the blond puffed on his cigarettes like they were a lifeline keeping him grounded...
Jumping up from the booth, he strode off in the direction Sanji had went, searching for the bathroom that took a ridiculous amount of time to find. Eventually locating it inside the building, he made his way inside with the full intention of finally responding to the blond and thanking him for his enlightening words; not to mention for sharing something clearly very difficult for him.
"Look, Sanji I..." Zoro trailed off slowly, glancing around the empty bathroom in confusion before noticing the broken bottle of bourbon on the floor by the sink and the amber liquid all over the grungy tiles. Sobriety hit him like a truck as a cold panic settled in and dread began sluicing over him.
Something about the situation felt horribly wrong.
It was then that his eyes landed on the single black Morjari he had seen Sanji wearing earlier that evening. Managing to stumble a few feet to his left, he barely discerned the wall he fell into before he was sinking to the floor and trying to regain some semblance of control. Blackness encroaching on his vision as the reality of what he let happen again sunk in.
Sanji was gone.
The terrifying mantra repeated over and over in his head as he could hardly believe he had been so careless as to let Sanji out of his sight again.
Sanji was gone.
And suddenly he was back in the military, covered in Kuina's blood as his limp body was dragged from the scene and down several flights of stairs. Shooting and pandemonium swirling around him until he was deposited rather roughly to the floor as everyone began to spring into action. Zoro still useless as he remained on his knees, staring hollowly at the ground while the image of her innocent face exploding before his very eyes kept playing out over and over. Slumped in on himself as a parchness grew in his throat and the only conscious thing he could do was fist the gravel before him as a dry sob was ripped from him.
A sharp pain brought him back to reality with a rush, as he looked down to find the dirt he had thought he had been fisting was actually shards from the broken bottle. Bits of the opaque fragments were embedded in his hand as trails of blood gushed from each wound to sluice down his arm and drip onto the floor. The sting was enough to keep him grounded as he began focusing on calming his breathing, and the haziness dancing around his vision managed to quell.
Shakily removing the glass from his hand, he began to steady his breathing as he forced himself to think rationally about the situation and what the best course of action would. Hardly getting a semblance of an idea before the creak of the bathroom door being pushed open altered him to someone's arrival, and the smarmy words let him know he wouldn't have to search very far.
"Heh." Came a brutish chuckle from behind before remarking loudly, "He's in here."
Finishing removing the last of the glass shards from his hands, Zoro slowly turned and pushed himself to his feet to face the large man standing in the doorway. An arrogant smirk was plastered across his portly face, hands raised as he began cracking the knuckles of one fist menacingly.
Glaring up at the man from under his brow, Zoro refrained from outright snarling as he undid the top button to his tunic just in time for the man to throw a quick jab. Deflecting it with a tilt of his head and a forearm he managed to get a second button undone – needing to get at his concealed guns and hopefully continue this fight in a less constricting piece of clothing – before the man was swinging a hay-maker.
Ducking under the wild swing, Zoro kicked in the man's knee before rising back up with his fists raised readily in front of his face. Not allowing the man fully finish his first scream of pain, Zoro's fist was cutting the man off with a jab to the throat, followed by a second to the face as he snarled, "I don't have time for you."
Sending the man tumbling backwards into the door, his colossal frame keeping the door propped open as it revealed several more men just beyond in the hallway looking from their coworker to Zoro. Sighing regretfully, Zoro stepped over the unconscious man as he continued to attempt to undo the buttons on his jacket. Many of the men were already beginning to draw their own weapons – many with silencers on their guns in an attempt to not draw attention - as it seemed they weren't intending to make this easy on Zoro.
Not even bothering to give them a chance to explain themselves, or to get the upper hand, Zoro darted for the nearest one and only barely missed the shot fired. A searing pain to his arm let him know it had grazed, but it was all the guy was going to get as Zoro was now too close for a second shot. Hand coming up to cup the bottom of the gun, he jerked the weapon back to slam it directly into the thug's face, while a quick kick to the stomach sent him to the ground.
A ruthless bullet to the back of the head had the man falling limp, Zoro turning to do the same to one of the others before a familiar tremble began to take over again. Opting to empty the rest of the magazine, he tossed the useless weapon aside as he turned on the remaining four.
Disarming another man of his gun, he kept his arm in a tight lock as he spun around and whipped the into one of the other assailants faces. A pained squeal letting him know it had connected rather pointedly before he was turning back to the man in his hold and getting a firm hold on his hair.
Reefing his head back in time to smash his elbow into the man's face and send him to the floor with a nose gushing blood. The tunic was annoyingly restrictive and he could already tell he had torn the seams around the shoulders – making a mental note to buy a new one for Kohza if he could get out of this alive.
Hands attempted to grab him from behind, tangling in the waist of his jacket as he turned and slipped out of the ruined fabric. Managing to get all the way free until the man only held the jacket and Zoro had the cuffs of the shirt in his hands, he jerked hard so the man stumbled forward and he was able to wrap both sleeves around the assailants throat and pull tight until all he could manage was a breathless grunt.
Spinning them both around, he turned the man in front of himself just in time for his comrade to embed a blade meant for Zoro deep into the other man's guts. Panicking, the man withdrew the blade while Zoro dropped the injured man to the floor and instead stalked after the still standing man.
Keeping the man forcibly confined with his arm and sleeve tangled around his head, Zoro wrestled the knife from his grip and sunk it into his body with three succinct stabs before immediately turning to whip it after the two men currently fleeing the fight. The blade sunk directly into the man's back with a satisfying thud that sent him to the floor in a lifeless heap.
Barely getting a moment to catch his breath, Zoro finished dropping the bound man to the ground before his previously discarded jacket was being pulled across his face. The fabric cinched tight around his throat as he stumbled backwards blindly. It seemed like the man that had previously been stabbed had managed to get enough energy to get back up and try a second him.
Stumbling backwards with the currently wounded man, he waited until a poorly placed step had the man fumbling into Zoro and he dropped low. One arm reached across his chest to snag the man's lapel as the other came to wrap around his hip, leg shooting out to catch his inner thigh as he threw the man over him and into the ground with as much force as he could muster.
Surprisingly, the man did try to get back to his feet. Hands raised weakly as he swayed dangerously, a groggy expression on his beaten face. Huffing in annoyance, Zoro strode forward – not really having the time to waste with the stubborn fool – fist lashing out to connect with his face and sending him back and through the inconveniently placed window and the garden outside.
A shattering of glass broke through the uproarious festivities and immediately cut all conversation short as the only thing still audible was the music blaring distantly from the speakers. Horrified crowd gazing down at the bloody man sprawled across one of the tables before up at the window where Zoro stood panting angrily. Not pausing to give a word of apology, Zoro was turning and sprinting off down the hall in the direction the last man went running.
He rounded the corner in time to see the thug dart into the elevator. Zoro ran as fast as his injured body could carry him – suddenly thankful for all those summer days Sanji had forced him to race around the lake – as he skidded to halt in front of the doors just before they slid shut. Managing to get his fingers wedged in the doors enough to pull them open to see a very frightened man desperately pressing the 'close' button.
The man whimpered in fear as Zoro stepped into the elevator with an unimpressed huff, letting the doors slide shut and effectively cut them off from the startled guests in the lobby behind them. A jerk had the elevator sliding into motion as it began to descend to the floor the man had already selected and a dark grin slid across Zoro's face, succeeded by a terrified sob from the man.
The doors opened onto the parkade with a sharp ding, and were barely open before Zoro was tossing the unconscious body of the beaten thug onto the harsh pavement and stepping out with gun drawn. Making his way out with cautious steps and wide sweeps, his sight landed on a rather wiry looking man wrestling a rather pissed off looking blond towards a vehicle, with a gun poised in hand.
"OI!" Zoro barked fiercely, marching forward with his gun raised and trained on the assailant as both turned to look at him when he called out. Annoyance graced the stranger's features while Sanji's lit up in clear relief as Zoro took in the ragged cuts and marks marring the man's face as it was clear Sanji had put up a fair fight.
"Ah. Ah." The man tutted tauntingly, readjusting his grip in Sanji's hair with an aggressive tug that had the blond wincing unpleasantly. Barrel of the gun shoved pointedly into Sanji's temple, he rounded on Zoro to keep the blond as a shield between them, "Don't get bold."
Zoro paused.
Gun still raised and trained on the other man, he halted his footsteps so that they now stood several yards from each other, each eying the other carefully. In his younger years, Zoro wouldn't have hesitated in aiming for the man's still visible head - but considering the thug had something far more valuable to him - it didn't seem like a good time to be cocky.
There was also the unfortunate matter of the alcohol that was still affecting him far more than he had expected it would and he realized there was no way he could confidently take the shot without potentially putting Sanji at risk. While his shooting had improved the past couple months he wasn't sure he could even make the shot on his best day without letting the stress get to him; he wasn't the man he used to be, he knew that.
"This is gonna go nice and easy Roronoa!" The man ordered angrily, "Heard through the grapevine that blondie here is your dead weight; so you're gonna back off nice and easy. Ya hear?"
Hands growing suddenly clammy, an idea occurred to Zoro - one he had never thought he would ever actually consider - but it was the only thing he could think of in the moment. With him incapacitated and the man very clearly having the upper hand, the element of surprise might just let them pull it off. However, if it failed then he would've just taken the biggest gamble of his life and lost.
"Sanji." Zoro spoke very carefully, taking in a deep breath as he hoped to convince himself he wasn't making the stupidest decision of his life. Hands tightening their hold on his weapon, his eyes flickered from where they were trained on the other man to stare directly at the blond, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do..."
Sanji stared back, fear apparent in his gaze but also a flicker of acknowledgement as he glanced to the gun pointed at his head and back at Zoro. An understanding passed between them and he seemed to know exactly what Zoro wanted him to do as his gaze hardened. Zoro nodded once, very carefully to confirm the blond's thoughts as the assailant seemed to assume that the nod was merely a gesture of reassurance to Sanji.
Lowering his gun very slowly, Zoro relaxed his stance as he began to make a motion to toss his gun to the side, causing the other man to drop his guard ever-so-slightly at Zoro's surrender. It was all Sanji needed to take initiative, hand flying up to twist the gun away as his elbow came down to embed in the man's gut. However, instead of pinning him to the floor with the gun trained on him, Sanji pulled the gun back and kicked the man hard in the ribs.
"I'm so fucking sick," Sanji emphasized with a second kick, "of being taken," Another vicious kick, "as a hostage!"
A final kick had the man keeling over and clenching his side as Sanji stood holding the gun in a trembling grip as he was clearly still in shock over what he had just managed to do. Zoro was not doing much better as he could hardly believe Sanji had managed to pull it off without being shot; clearly the guy didn't think Sanji would have any training what-so-ever.
Zoro strode towards Sanji swiftly, arm raising to train his gun on the other man and without removing his eyes from the blond, he pulled the trigger. A dull whistle hung in the air before a thud impacted the body. Zoro didn't need to look as the sound of the man's body falling limply to the floor was all he needed. Reaching Sanji, Zoro felt his gun fall from his numb fingers and didn't stop to think before embracing the other man with trembling hands.
They both sunk to the floor until the blond was seated on Zoro's thighs as he held onto Sanji desperately. One hand gripping the man around the waist mercilessly in his relief as the other had raised and was now hovering erratically near Sanji's jaw. Head dipping low between them as Zoro refrained from fully grabbing the man and pulling him to him like he actually wanted.
Even this was probably pushing it a little far but Zoro had never known such relieved desperation before in his life. All he wanted to do to attest to Sanji being real was grab onto him with all his might and never let go; run his hands over the man's body to affirm that everything before him was real before pulling him down by his neck and sealing his lips over the other man's to try and express even an iota of his gratitude at seeing him alive.
But of course he couldn't do any of that so he remained collapsed on the floor with the other man sprawled partially on top of him while he held his hands inches above the other man's skin, as though a touch would break him. A light touch to his forearm had him jumping minutely as Sanji's fingers just barely brushed across the skin there in reassurance. And Zoro couldn't help but wince in gratitude that the man was allowing Zoro this moment despite how uncomfortable it must have been for him.
"I... I'm so glad..." Zoro croaked painfully, his hand trembling as he could faintly feel the silky tresses of the blond's hair brushing against them and he had to fight the urge to tangle in the hair and never let go. A stiffness was beginning to take over Sanji that had Zoro forcibly withdrawing his hand and letting the clenched fist fall to his side lamely. Keeping his face turned away from the man to hide as much of the embarrassed flush lighting up his face as he could, "We should get out of here before the cops arrive."
"You were right..." Sanji admitted while pushing himself to his feet, a grim look cast shamefully to the side, "I shouldn't have come..."
"It's not your fault." Zoro assured as he too pushed himself to his feet. Hand coming up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly as he stood opposite the dejected blond, fumbling as he tried to console the man, "Everything's fine."
Confliction was clear on Sanji's face, mouth opening to say something before a bewildered look took over and he demanded, "Wait... Why are you shirtless?"
Zoro hooked his thumb in the strap of the shoulder holsters as though it was all the explanation that was necessary.
Sanji's bewilderment turned to exhaustive acceptance as he shook his head wearily and began undoing the buttons on his jacket. Zoro fought to keep his blush – that has just managed to wane – from returning full force as Sanji shucked off the tunic and extended it towards Zoro. Dressed now in his blue pathani and white kurta, he rolled his eyes, "At least one of us dresses like a civilized human being."
Zoro didn't rise to the jibe, however he did take the jacket and pull it on before they made a hasty escape out of the large hotel. Eventually blending into the crowd, they made their way back to Kohza's on foot, Zoro pointedly ignoring the fact that the Sherwani already smelt heavily of the blond.
~X~
There hadn't been anymore complications on their return to Kohza's, however their arrival had been met with some concern as they had walked into the dining room looking decidedly worse for wear. Sanji's face looked far more ragged since the swelling had set in and his missing tunic didn't help with his dishevelled look, and Zoro had looked rather frazzled since he had spent most of the walk stumbling in a drunken stupor to walk off the damn bottle of liquor he had foolishly attempted to down.
After explaining the situation to a rather exasperated Kohza, they had both returned upstairs to deal with the aftermath of the evening. Sanji taking some time to clean and patch up the numerous cuts and bruises he had received from getting the bottle of bourbon smashed across his face. Once done he had graciously turned the area over to Zoro, who had immediately ran an ice cold shower in an attempt to fight off the last vestiges of his drunkness and wash away the smell still lingering on him.
He stayed in the shower for perhaps a bit longer than was polite, only now stepping out from the cool spray into the hot humidity of the summer heat. Slowly towelling himself dry, he was keenly aware that the moment he left the bathroom, he would be alone with Sanji for the first time since they had had their talk at the wedding and he wasn't sure how it was going to go.
Making sure to properly attend to his wounds before rebandaging them - it was best to do it right the first time so as not to give Sanji a reason to have to redo it and put Zoro through a different kind of hell - he started getting dressed and finally pulling on a ratty tank top, fingers pausing on the hem before heaving a sigh and stamping down his nervousness.
Steeling himself, he pushed open the door and made his way cautiously across the hall and into the other room, finding Sanji leaning against the balcony railing with a cigarette dangling from his lips. He didn't move at the sound of Zoro's arrival which only put the man more on edge as he awkwardly shuffled over until he stood beside the blond, hands coming down to rest on the railing to keep them from sweating nervously at his sides.
"Look," Zoro urged, voice catching as he coughed softly before continuing resolutely, "I want to apologize for my behaviour at the wedding."
Sanji seemed taken aback for a moment, head turning so he could watch Zoro in confusion before a bit of clarity began to shine through on his face and quickly dismissed around the cigarette still clinging to his lower lip, "Hey, don't worry about it. You were drunk, and I-"
"No." Zoro interrupted firmly, "I needed to hear it."
Sanji had the grace to stay quite this time.
"I've been pitying myself for so long I forgot about everything else." Zoro muttered quietly, "About what's important."
"Anytime."
"And apologize..." Zoro murmured softly as he could hardly raise his head to look at Sanji. He was painfully reminded that the blond was actually going through the exact same hell he was, although it seemed that Sanji had a tad better handle on things than Zoro had. "I didn't know..."
"I don't exactly advertise it." Sanji shrugged from his position on the railing, shoulders lifting lazily before turning to look up at Zoro shrewdly, "Guess we're both a little stubborn like that, huh?"
Casting a sidelong look at the comforting look on the other man's face, Zoro felt the unease in his chest loosen almost immediately so he could respond in a breath, "Yea..."
It had never been like this with Kalifa; she had always been a helpful distraction, or a way to focus his attention on other more meaningful tasks to drive the dark thoughts away. But she had been a mild obsession compared to the burning desire he currently felt for the man standing beside him; it had never been like this.
It had never been this effortless.
It wasn't in what Sanji did, or said, or even the way he treated him; it was the unequivocal combination of everything about him that took Zoro's breath away just by looking at him. Sanji had a way of making the darkness fall away, leaving Zoro to bask in the reassuring safety of his presence; there was no struggle to stay in control, no anxiety that his concentration would slip, no fear over his dull unpleasant life.
Sanji made all of that insignificant just with his existence alone.
And call Zoro selfish, but he would defend that existence to the end of the damned earth if it meant he could remain this peaceful for the rest of his life. He'd be anything, do anything, just to keep this perfect ray of light alive until long after he had breathed his last breath, because if this is what Sanji could do for Zoro's miserable life, then he couldn't even begin to imagine what it had done for countless others as well.
Chest growing tight for a completely new reason, Zoro found his lungs locking as he remained poised beside the blond as those blue eyes watched him heavily. Saying far more than he had time to understand, and boring deeper into him than anyone else ever had.
All Zoro wanted to do was lean in and finally find out what it would feel like to place his lips over the other man's; no longer swayed by trivial thoughts of rejection, or gender. Just for a moment he wanted to know what it would be like to kiss someone with his entire soul as he tried to express even an iota of his love in a single motion.
Head dipping forward, watching Sanji's daring eyes, he found the distance between them closing far faster and easier than he had expected it to. Inches crept by as the motion became completely unconscious, something utterly foreign was pulling him to the other man.
Barely a breath apart, Zoro's eyes stared into unwavering blue that widened a fraction in surprise over what was about to happen. Nervousness dropped like a cold stone in his gut as Zoro pulled away hastily and jerked his head aside; far too afraid over what he had almost done to properly meet Sanji's gaze.
"Zoro."
Zoro's head whipped to the side to see Kohza approaching, completely unaware of what had been moments from transpiring between the two men on the balcony. Straightening to face the man as Sanji slowly turned to watch the interaction as well, Zoro purposefully didn't glance to see whatever expression could possibly be on the blond's face - far too afraid to see the possible look of relief at being interrupted. It was clear from his surprise moments before that he had not been feeling the same tension in the situation as Zoro had.
"Hm?" Zoro intoned curiously, perhaps a little too desperately.
"Viola's here." Kohza informed grimly, "And she's not pleased."
Zoro grimaced, but at the same time was relieved he had an excuse to no longer be left alone with Sanji. Hand coming up to run through his hair wearily as he grumbled, "Right..."
Beginning to make his way out of the room, Sanji silently in tow, Zoro hoped that was a conversation he would never have to revisit again, instead focusing on the much more pertinent issue at hand.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Viola came into view standing haughtily in the middle of the foyer, dressed in simple jeans and top, hair tied up in a bun, with a very unimpressed look on her face. Watching with sharp eyes as they descended the stairs and waited only until Zoro reached the final step before snapping.
"You show up uninvited to my wedding, make requests, and then proceed to make a spectacle of yourself!" Viola mused with a livid tone before cracking a smile, "You are a bold man, Roronoa."
"It was not my intention." Zoro intoned apologetically as he finally came to a stop in front of the fuming woman, "Someone is trying to have me killed."
"Clearly." She scoffed. "You're just lucky half the people in my life are gangsters and are unfazed by that uncouth behaviour. My aunt is a little unnerved however."
"I'll make it up to her?" Zoro slowly offered with an infliction to the end of his words.
"See that you do. And you. Darling." Viola crooned with a moue of displeasure, sauntering past Zoro while heading towards Sanji with open arms, "I must apologize for the unsavoury way you were treated; I hate to think I let something so heinous happen to one of my guests."
"Oh no, don't worry yourself!" Sanji behest with a quick wave of his hands, "You're far too kind."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Viola pouted firmly as her hands came up to cradle Sanji's face, "If there's ever anything I can do for you; let me know. Alright, sweetheart?"
"Hah!" Sanji's cackle was more of a nervous shriek than an actual laugh, voice cracking as a blush climbed up his face and his hair began to fall in a dishevelled mess on his face. An inhuman garble fumbling out as Viola leaned in with a playful smirk and stroked his bangs aside, tucking them behind an ear.
A notable pain had Zoro looking down to his hands where they were clenched in a white-knuckled death grip and were aggravating the cuts still marring both of his palms. Forcibly unfurling them as he once more had to remind himself that he had absolutely no claim on the blond and therefore nothing to be jealous of.
Grunting softly to interrupt the two, he politely prodded, "Law?"
Viola's gaze snapped back to him, hands finally releasing Sanji as she huffed, "Yes. Yes. Everything is all in hand. He's willing to see you tomorrow. Until then I suggest you lie low; there's a dead man at my wedding and police looking for you."
"Thank you."
"You know..." She huffed irritably, "You could have just called."
"Would you have taken the job?" Zoro countered.
Lips falling into a thoughtful pout, Viola mulled over Zoro's words for several moments as Zoro watched her expectantly. Knowing for a fact that an anonymous phone call asking for her help would've been rejected immediately, and without actual proof of his situation it would've been even more unlikely. Heaving a sigh, she caved with a chuckle, "Very true."
With that she began rooting around in her purse before pulling out a burner phone and tossing it to Zoro. He snatched it out of the air rather easily as Viola set about readjusting his purse on her shoulder before looking back up at Zoro pointedly, "If anything goes wrong call the number in the contacts; otherwise expect my call tomorrow when I will come get you."
Zoro nodded in understanding, watching as Sanji was already readily leaping forward to help the woman to the door, still apologizing profusely for the mess Zoro had caused. Viola waved him off jovially as Zoro took the reprieve to check the number that had been set in the phone and committing it to memory in case of an unfortunate circumstance.
"Still going through with this?" Kohza inquired as he came to stand casually at Zoro's side while they watched Sanji and Stussy bid Viola farewell in the foyer. Zoro pocketed the phone silently as it seemed Kohza already suspected what Zoro's true plan was.
"Once I'm gone," Zoro paused, making sure his words were spoken out of earshot, "Get him back to Merryville. Get all his finances in order – apartment, everything – and keep an eye on him until you hear from me."
"I can already tell this is going to be a massive pain in the ass." Kohza mused offhandedly before contemplating, "Although might be nice to be back in America for a bit..."
"Do you disagree?"
"No..." Kohza admitted carefully, remaining delicate with his words as he phrased his next bit slowly, "he obviously compromises you."
Zoro nodded stiffly in agreement.
"I just don't look forward to having to take the blame." Kohza admittedly simply, "He seems like the fiery type."
"He'll be pissed."
"Are sedatives acceptable?"
"No sedatives."
"Ugh..." Kohza bemoaned heavily, "It's like Brazil all over again."
Zoro didn't say anything. Couldn't.
It was hard enough already forcing himself to leave the blond behind for the better, that his reservoir of smarmy quips was practically run dry. All he could think about now was getting this whole ordeal over with so maybe there was a chance he could return home and patch everything up. Maybe despite this whole mess and his feelings, he'd still be able to keep Sanji in his life; at least as a friend.
Kohza noted his silence with an accepting nod, instead asking, "When are you leaving?"
"In a few hours."
~X~
All the excitement from the day had finally taken its toll on the blond paramedic - unconscious before his head had even hit the pillow. However, no such sleep could find Zoro as he lay awake on the makeshift bed next to Sanji's, listening to the cacophonous sounds of the city surging well into the night, barely drowning out the soft, steady breaths of the blond. Each soft sigh tore a whole new hole into his chest as he realized that their conversation over dinner that evening was the last one he would be having for a while, maybe ever...
As the time crawled later into the night – and Zoro was comfortable in assuming Sanji was deep asleep – he quietly pushed himself out of bed and began getting ready. Dressing in his gear as softly as possible, he then made the bed and grabbed his pre-packed bag of anything he thought he might need. Pausing in the middle of the room, he realized there was nothing else for him to do other than leave; and finding that the hardest task on the list.
Gaze turning to Sanji, willing his feet to carry him away but finding himself walking towards the man's bed instead, despite the voices in his head telling him not to. Staring down at the sleeping blond as his peaceful face only affirmed to Zoro that he was making the right decision, but also feeling it ripping him apart at the notion that this was finally it.
His knees buckled under the weight of what he was about to do, and the fear of not being able to do it without having Sanji there to anchor him and keep him sane. Falling to a seat on the edge of Sanji's bed, hands hanging between his knees hopelessly, a sudden calamity of words rose to his tongue despite his usually untalkative nature.
"I'm sorry." Zoro choked out into the darkness, words coming out as a hoarse whisper, barely disturbing the hushed din of the humid room. Talking into the silence as it felt like he was at confessional, hands raising for a moment only to fall limp once more as he grumbled hopelessly, "I'm sorry for getting you into this mess, for forcing you to be a part of my life... This wasn't how anything was supposed to go..."
Finally finding the strength to raise his arms, he placed his hands over his face and rubbed at the weary skin while murmuring into his fingers, "I know you won't be happy... when you wake up..."
A hollow laugh got caught in his throat as he lowered his hands to once more stare into the darkness of the room, the chuckle nearly becoming a sob as he managed around the lump, "You'll probably be fucking livid..."
Turning his sights away from the shadows playing across the walls, he settled on the sleeping man who hadn't heard a word of his omission. Still snoozing calmly with an utterly peaceful look on his gorgeous face as Zoro mused around a heart-wrenching smile, "but I know you'll understand why I did this..."
Zoro found himself reaching out for Sanji's head, hand aching to run through the blond strands one final time. Unable to shake the haunting memory of that afternoon in Sanji's apartment where it all began, when he had clutched the blond to him desperately and held Sanji's head to his shoulder protectively. It was so brief - and unfortunately interrupted by being tossed across the room in the explosion - but he could vividly remember each silk-soft strand that had rested under his palm.
Fingers trembling inches from Sanji, he slowly retracted them and pulled away. Forcing himself to his feet, he readjusted his jacket as he softly made for the door, pausing in the entryway to murmur back, "Bye... Curly."
TBC...
