Title: Almost Easy
Author: kikokus (AoiTsukikage)
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing: Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji
Chapter: 14/?
Word Count: 3492
Summary: Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .
Spoilers: Up to chapter 773.

Chapter Fourteen

He probably could have stayed there all afternoon, splayed out on the bed and not caring about anything other than the fact that Law was finally allowing himself to not feel guilt for enjoying himself, but he had been prepping for dinner before Zoro had interrupted him the first time and he really needed to get back to it.

"Well, I need to go," he slowly disentangled himself from the mess of limbs that the bed had become and stretched, rubbing at his lower back. Zoro was fast asleep, flat on his back with his mouth open and snoring rather loudly (and fuck, it must be love, since Sanji even found that kind of adorable).

Law blinked slowly at him, motioning him back with a crooked finger, and Sanji let the older man draw him into a slow kiss.

"Mm, Law, I'm serious," he suddenly really didn't want to leave, because there was such a feeling of peace in the room at the moment that was far too rare where all three of them were concerned. "Unless you don't want food…"

"Go, then," Law wrapped his metal hand around the back of Sanji's neck, holding him close for a few more seconds. "We need to talk later."

"Yeah," Sanji had a feeling that was coming after what had happened earlier, but he wasn't exactly dreading it since Law seemed to be in a fairly good place at the moment. "Tonight, okay?"

Law bit his lower lip and nodded, lying back on the bed and hesitating for a breath or two before he turned and cuddled up to Zoro, the swordsman wrapping his arm around Law's shoulders even though by all appearances he was still fast asleep.

"I'll come call you when it's ready," Sanji said as he re-dressed, buttoning up his shirt and smoothing out the collar so he looked semi-presentable.

"Okay," Law had his eyes closed again so Sanji left him be, although part of him was a little nervous for their impending talk, because with Law one never quite knew what to expect.

Right now, though, he had other things to focus on.

…like dinner.

000

"Hey," he walked into the aquarium, wondering why Law had wanted to meet here instead of back in his room.

The surgeon looked up briefly before staring down at his metal hand and flexing his fingers. Franky had whisked him away after dinner to 'check on things,' as he'd put it, but by the time Sanji had finished cleaning up and doing the dishes they were done with whatever it was.

It didn't look different, anyway, but the way Law was frowning Franky must have done something.

"What's up?" he stuck his hands in his pockets casually, unlit cigarette clamped between his lips to cover his nerves, and settled himself beside Law on the long couch.

"I'm not even sure," Law admitted with a heavy sigh. "He said he…modified it, but near as I can tell nothing's different, and I've told him multiple times I don't want any additions to it," he grumbled, running his fingers along the fabric of the couch. "I'm half-tempted to see if I can re-work the nerves myself…I think all it would take it using the nerve endings that still exist and essentially fooling my brain into believing there's still a real arm attached to them, but that might take some time to do properly."

"Well, if anybody could figure it out, it's probably you," Sanji said honestly, because Law's fruit could do some amazing things but it wouldn't be half as useful if Law wasn't a fucking brilliant surgeon in his own right.

"We'll see," Law predictably shrugged off the compliment. He didn't look inclined to say anything else so Sanji figured that meant he had to take the lead.

"So, um, why did you want to meet here?"

"I thought it fitting since it was the location of our first…tryst," he noted.

"Not that it's really worth remembering," Sanji grunted, since that had been back when Law had been about as responsive as a rock. "But go on."

Law didn't reply verbally, instead patting his lap and giving Sanji a rather pointed look. Sanji lowered himself onto the bench and laid back on it so that his head was resting there, and although he doubted Law would have prompted him if this conversation was going to end badly, one never really knew with him. "You look tense."

"I'm not gonna lie, I half-expected you to tell me that after what Zoro and I did today you didn't want any part of this anymore," he figured being upfront about it was the best way to go about things.

"Would it be so strange if I did?" Law looked down at him and raised an eyebrow, and Sanji reached up to run his fingers lightly down Law's cheek. The other man grabbed his wrist, folding his real fingers over Sanji's and keeping his hand there. "It's about that, but perhaps amazingly, not because of my own doubts this time."

"That's a relief," Sanji nuzzled his nose against Law's soft t-shirt. "So what's this about, then?"

"What the two of you did…did you enjoy it?" Law asked quietly, and Sanji shrugged.

"Yeah. I mean…you couldn't tell?" he laughed, a little awkwardly, but Law had been staring at him the whole time, so…

"Of course I could. I had a rather excellent view of your face," Law was smirking and Sanji groaned and buried his face against Law's stomach. "Which leads me to my question, because I suppose I hadn't considered the possibility that you would…enjoy that sort of sex."

"I'm a romantic, Law, you know that," Sanji smiled. "I mean, not that it's something I'd want all the time, but like I told Zoro, once in a while…it does feel good to know that it's not just about the release," he moved back enough that he could peer up at Law's face through the fall of his hair.

Law was looking guilty, eyes narrowed and lips pursed into a thin line. "We've never…"

"No. We haven't," Sanji didn't see any reason to dispute that one, because for all Law had talked about 'no rules' when they'd started their arrangement, he always seemed to have a ton of them during the times the fooled around regardless. In fact, pretty much every time they'd been together there'd been some sort of power-play involved. It was all completely consensual, and it wasn't as if Sanji didn't like it, after all. In the afterglow Law had turned out to be a fucking massive cuddler, but during the sex itself that sort of careful intimacy had never really been part of it.

"Would…" Law sighed. "Would you ever consider it? With me? I didn't mean to go into this to have it turn into some sort of…control exercise, but you seem to enjoy that part of it, so…"

"Fuck, no, I do," Sanji promised, rolling onto his back so he could look up at Law properly. "It's really hot, but I think it's pretty stupid to act like there's only one way to have sex."

"It's the only way I've ever had it," Law's tone had gotten defensive.

"Me, too…until today," Sanji felt compelled to add, and part of him was still floored that Zoro of all people had come up with the idea. He'd be about the last person Sanji would ever imagine making love to anybody, but he'd been so earnest about it that Sanji knew he wasn't doing it just for the cook's sake. "And it was…there was just this…connection that I've never felt before, like we were just doing it because we wanted to be close and connected and not just because there was an orgasm at the end of it," he frowned, because his fumbling, stilted words weren't doing the emotions that had surged through him in those moments any sort of justice.

"I see," Law sounded impassive, and Sanji really couldn't tell how he felt about the concept. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Because you should fucking know the answer, shitty surgeon," Sanji finally pulled his hand away from under Law's and let it rest draped over his own waist. "I didn't think you'd want that, either."

"I didn't," Law said immediately. "I always thought it would make me weak to fall in love with somebody and freely admit it, but you've rather shattered all of my expectations in that department," he chuckled softly, starting to stroke Sanji's hair with his mechanical hand. His movements were still a little jerky, and deliberately careful, and while Sanji had noticed he still tended to use the hand as little as possible it certainly seemed to be functioning close to the level of a real hand.

"So next time we do it that way. No rules, no commands, just us," he smiled and Law eventually gave him a tiny smile in return. "I mean, if you want…"

"I do," Law said quickly, still moving his fingers, and he scratched at Sanji's scalp a little in a way that made the blond groan appreciatively.

He heard a 'click' then, barely audible over the bubbling of the fish tanks, but he nearly rolled off of Law's lap when the hand started vibrating and Law snatched it away.

"What the fuck?!" Sanji sat up, reaching to grab Law's wrist and examining the shaking appendage. "Is that Franky's…" he wracked his brain for a reason as to how this could possibly help Law, but the only thing he could come up with was…

Of course. Franky was a fucking pervert too, after all, and he probably thought it was funny since he knew about their…relationship.

"I'm gonna kill him," he decided, going to stand up until Law yanked him back down and smacked his hand against the back of the couch to get it to stop. "He's mocking us."

"Naturally," Law stared at his hand and flexed the fingers again. "Lie back down."

"Why, what're you…oh," Sanji realized where this was going when Law activated the vibration again and went back to giving him a scalp massage. He turned so that he was resting his chin on the other man's thigh, letting Law's fingers run down over his shoulders and the back of his neck and feeling the tension there release. "Mm, guess there's a medical benefit to it after all," he was pretty sure Franky hadn't thought of that, but he wasn't complaining.

"I'm tempted to use it for its intended purpose now just because I doubt he expects us to," Law's voice had dropped again and Sanji smiled up at him, happily blissed out under the affection. "With your consent, of course."

"I mean, not that I'd ever considered that before but…it would probably feel fucking amazing, so yeah," he let himself bask for a few more moments before pushing himself upright and pulling Law into a kiss, deliberate and slow. Law responded in kind, wrapping his arms around Sanji's waist and holding him there, and Sanji was reminded of how terrified he'd been the first time they'd made out just because they wanted to.

He still felt it, that clenching in his chest and that sensation of falling into something too deep to crawl out of anymore, but instead of terrifying him he wanted to soak up as much as possible to hold him over for when he wouldn't have it any longer.

He knew now that he and Zoro probably would probably be together for at least as long as they were sailing on the same ship, and maybe longer if things worked out, so the feelings he had for Zoro didn't really intimidate him any longer and after that afternoon there was really no question that Zoro felt the same as he did.

But he and Zoro could take care of themselves, and he was damn sure neither of them were dying before they reached their dreams. It was immensely reassuring, and he was kind of awed that he'd somehow managed to get Zoro to admit to things that only a couple of months ago he was sure he was insane for even contemplating.

Law, however, wasn't nearly as sure a thing, and maybe that made him more desperate when it came to stealing every moment he could with him, but as long as Law was eager to reciprocate he didn't think it was a bad thing.

Law broke the kiss, leaning in so that his lips were barely brushing Sanji's ear, and when he spoke his voice was low and rough. "I want to fucking tie you down and make you cum just by touching you with this," he slid his metal hand under Sanji's shirt and down into the back of his jeans. "Make you fucking beg for it," his voice was still so even, calm and measured though the words were undeniably filthy, and Sanji shivered and nodded against the other man's neck.

"You realize this is why we can't ever have, um, normal sex, right?" he asked with a tiny laugh, because he was trying to stop himself from getting hard again just from Law's words.

"Like you said," Law tapped his fingers against Sanji's lower back and the vibrations started again, making the blond yelp and clutch onto Law tighter. "There's more than one way to do things."

"Sanji-kun? Torao? Are you decent?"

"Nami-san," Sanji hissed, hopping off of Law's lap as quickly as he could and reflexively smoothing down the collar of his shirt as he sat beside the surgeon.

His face was probably flushed, but luckily the distorted blue light from the fish tanks should hide that. Law quickly stopped the hand from vibrating again and leaned back against the couch, looking perfectly composed.

"Of course we are, my dear!" he called, hoping his voice didn't sound too tight. "We wouldn't perform such lewd acts in a public area!"

"Robin tells me different," she stepped into view and smirked, and Sanji was reminded of the fact that Robin had found them out the very first time they'd done things together. "But I wanted to let you both know that we're planning on going back to the mines tomorrow. Robin talked to the mayor after you guys did and I guess somehow managed to get a map of the mines out of him, and it looks like there are other ways to get to where the treasure is besides the tunnel that collapsed," her eyes were shining again and she looked so radiant in the glow from the tanks, so excited, that Sanji was immediately excited right along with her.

"And you'd like us to accompany you again, is that it?" Law asked, getting a nod from her.

"Yeah. If we get into trouble you and Robin still have the best powers to help us out," she noted. "And I'll need you both to keep Zoro headed the right way, since he can be my pack-mule for any treasure we find," she winked and Sanji couldn't really dispute that point. "So get lots of rest tonight because we're not leaving until we find that treasure!"

She turned to leave, but before she even took a step her shoulders slumped a little and she looked back.

"Law? If you don't want to come, that's okay. I know it brought back some bad memories the last time," her voice was kind now, and Sanji was struck yet again that while Nami could be a little shallow and short-sighted when it came to money being involved, she was also incredibly caring and hated seeing anybody in pain and that side of her was coming out now.

"It's fine, Miss Nami," Law assured her with a tiny smile. "It was a shock last time because it was unexpected, certainly, but truth be told the town there bears no resemblance to my own and knowing what I'm walking into means I won't be caught off-guard again."

"Okay. If you're sure," she looked at Sanji then, eyes narrowing.

"Yes, my darling?" he asked, sitting up straighter. "Do you need anything?"

"I was going to ask if you'd make some coffee, but if you're too busy…" she sighed, pouting a little, and he was up on his feet in a second. He offered her his arm, feeling a tiny thrill when she took it immediately, and walked with her to the galley with the heavy steps from Law's boots following them all the way there.

000

"So, did you really like it?"

"I'm not one to lie about things if I don't, Marimo," Sanji glanced over his shoulder as Zoro stepped up behind him. The night was calm, tiny waves in the harbor barely even rocking the Sunny, and the sky was clear and bright with stars. He lit up a cigarette and turned back to the water, leaning his elbows on the rail and feeling Zoro's arms slide around his waist as the swordsman's chin came to rest on his shoulder.

"Okay. I really didn't know what I was doing," Zoro admitted, which Sanji had kind of figured. It had all been very spur-of-the-moment, but sometimes that sort of thing yielded the best results and this certainly seemed to be one of those instances.

"Well, your instincts were good," Sanji promised, leaning his weight back against Zoro's strong chest. "And trust me, if you do something I hate, I'll kick you."

"Yeah, I figured," Zoro chuckled in his ear. "I just thought…I mean, you and Law are really into that kinky shit, so I didn't know."

"As I told him earlier, it's possible to like more than one thing," he noted, blowing some smoke into the air before replacing the cigarette between his lips. "And it's not like we do that all the time," he added.

"You have every time I've been with you, pretty much," Zoro mumbled. "So when didn't you?"

"The first time," Sanji frowned, because that was about the closest he and Law had come to it, and that could hardly be counted since neither of their feelings were fully realized. "But you're not one to talk, y'know, since you were the one that said I looked hot tied up," he elbowed Zoro in the side and got a sharp laugh from him, though he didn't deny it.

"And now that he's got that vibrating hand thing…"

"He told you, huh?" Sanji grinned around the cigarette. "I dunno whether to kill Franky or buy him a fucking unlimited supply of cola," he paused then, thinking. "Why are you so concerned about what Law and I have done, anyway?"

"I'm not," Zoro said quickly…much too quickly for it to be true, "I just know that you guys love each other and I still don't get why that has to be part of it, I guess. If you like it, it's not really my business, but…" he kissed the side of Sanji's neck and the cook nodded because he'd kind of gotten that impression already.

"It's about trust," Sanji decided slowly, trying to find the right way to word it. He'd kind of explained it to Zoro that night, but since he'd been a little emotionally messed up and more than a little aroused it probably hadn't been that clear. "Law and I…we're both people that like being in control, especially him because for a lot of his life he hasn't been, but on the other hand we're also both people who have a hard time giving up control and to find somebody that understands that…I think we both latched onto it and kind of let ourselves run with it."

"Okay, yeah, I get that," Zoro didn't sound particularly convinced but Sanji was sure he understood the basic concepts. "I guess as long as both you guys are cool with it, it's fine," he said it in that tone that told Sanji he'd made his decision and nothing was likely to change his mind, and he was thankful at least this time it was the decision he'd hoped Zoro would come to. "I'm still having a hard time believing he let you tie him up, though…"

"Fuck, that was hot," Sanji groaned, because it had been. "But seriously, Marimo, stop worrying about me. I'll kick him too if he pisses me off," he pulled the cigarette from between his lips again so he could turn his head to kiss Zoro, letting his free hand trail through the other man's earrings and hearing them chime in the still night air.

"He'd let you," Zoro murmured against his lips before he dove in for a second kiss, and Sanji knew that he was right.

And maybe he'd always take a little bit of pride in the fact that, when it came to Law, he might be the only person in the entire world that could get away with something like that.

Notes:

1. I don't have a whole lot to say this time around, other than that I didn't get a whole lot of feedback on the last chapter so if you're still reading/enjoying, please feel free to leave a review or comment! It does inspire me to write faster and it's nice to know what exactly people are enjoying since just looking at the number of hits per chapter doesn't do much in the way of telling me why you're all still reading the updates! I do try to personally respond to every signed review :)

2. There is actually a bionic arm that exists now that can be controlled by the brain through the use of nerves that are still functioning, so that part of the chapter was taken from real life and I thought it was pretty amazing when I heard about it! Obviously the OP 'verse doesn't function on realism when it comes to some of their medical procedures and limb-replacement ideas, but I thought as a surgeon it would probably be something Law would look into.

3. Other than that, this probably wasn't a terribly exciting chapter, but it's been a while since I focused on their relationship(s) since the last few chapters have been rather plot-heavy and that will pick up again in the next update…