Title: Almost Easy
Author: kikokus (AoiTsukikage)
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing: Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji
Chapter: 17/?
Word Count: 4217
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 Seventeen

"Hello?"

Sanji nearly dumped a pot of boiling water all over himself, because the voice was completely foreign to him and that wasn't something he was used to in his galley.

He managed to set the pot back on the stove without burning any of his skin off, and he turned around with a glare that quickly dropped off of his face at the sight of the young girl in front of him. She couldn't have been more than ten, wearing a long dress and with hair that fell in chestnut waves to frame her angular face.

Sanji was weak to children anyway, but he immediately felt the overwhelming sense of need from her and vowed to do whatever he could to ease her obvious distress.

"Yes, my dear? How can I help you?" he dropped to one knee, putting himself at eye level with her, and she tilted her head to the side and blinked at him, something curious in her large eyes.

"Kogara! Mayor Zouge said the submarine!"

"Hmm?" Sanji got back to his feet as two more people entered the galley, a woman who was an older image of the girl in front of him and a man about the same age, tall and thin and pleasant-looking. "Can I help you?"

"We're sorry!" the mother of the girl looked frightened, and Sanji wondered why she would be, since by himself he was hardly very intimidating. Yeah, they were pirates, but they'd been there for long enough now that it should have been obvious they didn't mean any harm to the island or its residents.

"It's fine," Sanji wiped his hands off on a nearby dishtowel and leaned back against the counter. "If I can help, I'm happy to, my dear," he flashed his most winning smile and the woman tentatively smiled back.

"We were told to find somebody named Trafalgar," the man put in, sliding an arm around the woman's shoulders. "Mayor Zouge said that he can help our daughter."

"Look," the girl pushed up her sleeve and held out her arm, and Sanji peered down at it carefully, seeing that part of the skin was turning an ashy grey color.

"Kogara! What did I tell you about keeping that hidden!" the woman sounded horrified and the girl turned to her tearfully.

"But mama, the mayor said he'd help me!"

"He will," Sanji broke in, because while the remnants of the patches that had adorned Law's skin had mostly faded, there was no mistaking what was happening. "I can take you to him, if you'd like."

"Tell me," the man stepped forward cautiously, wringing his hands. "Can he truly help my daughter? We've all heard the stories…they say there's no cure…"

Kogara's mother had gathered her into her arms, looking at Sanji tearfully, and Sanji felt his heart clench at the waves of emotion pouring off of all of them. The girl seemed mostly confused, probably not understanding just how grave her situation might be, and her parents were so worried, so afraid, that Sanji felt like he was being smothered with the force of their fear.

He knew Law could fix this, though. If he could cut the disease out of his own body even as a child, there was no reason he couldn't help somebody else.

"There isn't," Sanji didn't see any reason to lie about that. "But Law's got his own way of getting rid of the poisoning," he promised, seeing the barest flicker of relief in both of the adults' eyes.

"The rumors…" Kogara's mother wasn't letting go of her. "Trafalgar Law…he's supposed to be a horrible man who cuts people up for fun. How can I trust he won't…" she blinked rapidly, holding back tears, and Sanji couldn't stop himself from moving forward and resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Madam, I could tell you how overblown all of the stories are, or you could come meet him and decide for yourself," he half-bowed, gesturing to the galley door, and while neither of Kogara's parents looked placated by that, at least they followed him.

He hopped over to the deck of the submarine, helping Kogara's mother and then lifting the little girl down before he headed into the vessel, hearing the family's footsteps behind him.

000

"Sanji, hey!"

Sanji turned around, not really afraid since he knew a lot of Law's crew by now, but he was still glad to see that it was Shachi, since he was one of the few that knew about Law's past as well as what had been happening in the mines on the next island.

"Have you seen Law around? I've got people from the town to see him," he hoped that would be descriptive enough, and from the quick breath Shachi sucked in it seemed to be.

"Yeah, I think he's in his lab. D'you know where that is?" Shachi tilted his head to the side and Sanji laughed nervously, because honestly, he pretty much only knew the way to Law's bedroom (and wow, that sounded bad, now that he thought about it…).

Shachi must have been able to tell from his expression because he grinned and motioned Sanji to follow, and he led them through a completely different path in the submarine until they stopped outside of a sealed door.

He rapped on the door with his knuckles, the sound echoing in the metal interior of the sub, and a second later it slid open to reveal Law. What struck Sanji the most in that moment was how much he looked like his father from the photograph, down to the white coat and glasses, and part of him wondered if Law didn't dress like that on purpose because of that very fact.

At any rate, it did make him look like a respectable doctor as opposed to his normal casual clothes, and Sanji could feel the man and woman behind him relax at the sight of him.

"Dr. Trafalgar?" the man asked, striding forward hesitantly, and Law hummed and looked up at him.

"Please, just call me Law," his eyes narrowed but the rest of his expression remained neutral. "I assume Sanji wouldn't have brought you here had he not had a good reason, so is there something I can help you with?"

He was being remarkably cordial, but then, Sanji had a feeling he'd probably figured out what was going on since there was no other reason Sanji would lead random people into his submarine.

"Mayor Zouge told us to come here," the woman cleared her throat, setting her hands on her daughter's shoulders and moving her forward. "My darling Kogara is…" she stopped, her voice catching, and Law knelt down in front of the girl.

"Can you show me?" he asked softly, and she nodded and pulled up her sleeve. Sanji watched Law carefully, but there was no change in his expression as he examined the limb and then nodded. "I can help her, but it may take a while and I'd ask that you give me privacy while I work. I can promise you no harm shall come to your daughter, but removing the poisoning from her body is a tedious process and I need to be sure I've gotten it all," his voice was even, soothing, and Sanji could tell that Kogara's parents were starting to break down no matter how opposed they were to Law initially.

"Is it…gonna hurt?" Kogara asked, her voice tiny, and Law gave her a half-smile and shook his head.

"No, you won't feel any pain at all. My methods may be a little…off-putting for those who have never seen them, but they won't hurt," he promised, and Sanji noticed that her parents were looking a little less trusting now.

He sighed, wondering if Law was going to pull out his old 'let-me-prove-it-by-ripping-his-heart-out-of-his-chest' move, and deciding he'd better be ready just in case.

It didn't bother him much anymore, even though there would always be something disconcerting about seeing his heart outside of his body.

"Trust me," Law stood, staring directly at Kogara's parents. "First and foremost, I am a doctor, and regardless of what you've heard about me, I take my duties as one very seriously. There is no other way to cure your daughter," his tone was final, and Sanji sighed in relief when Kogara's father nodded, since that meant he wouldn't have to be a guinea pig this time around.

"So I can go with him?" Kogara blinked at her parents, and her mother smiled at her.

"Yes. Be good, and be brave," she bent down to tuck a lock of hair behind the girl's ear, kissing her on the forehead, and she happily bounded over beside Law and latched onto his pant-leg.

He looked less than impressed and Sanji was trying not to laugh, because Law did seem to attract the attention of both fluffy animals and children and it was kind of adorable.

"Right. Well, Sanji, perhaps you'd like to take Miss Kogara's parents up to the Sunny and provide them with some refreshments while they wait? I don't think I should take longer than dinnertime to finish," he gave Sanji a pointed look and the cook sighed.

"What, do I run a catering service for you now?" he grumbled, although of course he'd do it. He would have done it anyway, probably, since to leave them sitting outside the door in the belly of a submarine would make him a rather poor host.

"Well, even if you don't, there's nobody else I'd trust with it," Law replied, something a little flirty about his tone, and Sanji rolled his eyes because that was not going to work on him.

"Yeah; yeah. Just do your job, shitty surgeon," he grunted, hearing both of Kogara's parents gasp, and he realized that mouthing off to Law probably didn't look like the smartest thing to do from their perspective.

Law just smirked at him, however, leading Kogara into the lab and closing the door. Sanji noted that her parents were staring at him in open disbelief and, it seemed, a little bit of awe.

"He's really not that scary," he promised. "But if you'd like to come back up to the galley, I'll make some tea and see if there's anything else we can snack on in the meantime."

Kogara's parents followed him after a few moments, and he noticed that Shachi was tailing them as well and turned to look at the man.

"Hey, it's your food. I'm not turning it down," he grinned and clapped Sanji on the shoulder, and blond had a feeling it would be a long afternoon since, when one of Law's crew showed up for food, that meant the rest weren't far behind.

000

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I…fuck," Law stumbled sideways and Sanji tried to steady him, but the other man was so damn gangly it was hard to keep all his limbs going in the same direction. "Sorry. I need to lie down."

"Here," Zoro promptly scooped Law up bridal-style, the surgeon looking murderous about it. "Where d'you wanna go?"

"Out," Law replied promptly. "I was stuck in that room for hours and I want to get some air," he let his head rest against Zoro's shoulder, eyes half-closed, and he looked paler than normal.

Sanji was pretty sure it was just the after-effects of him using his fruit for such a prolonged period of time, but it was still a little frightening to see him looking like death warmed over so soon after he'd almost died back on Dressrosa.

Zoro carried him out to the deck and over to the Sunny, stopping in the middle of the grassy lawn when Law directed him to and setting the man down. Law sprawled on the grass, face turned up toward the evening sun, smiling faintly.

Sanji lowered himself beside him, not at all surprised any longer when Law rolled over to pillow his head on the blond's thigh. "Hey. You did good," Sanji was pretty sure Law didn't need the compliment, since he'd been the one actually performing the operation, but he could tell that the girl's happiness and her parents' overjoyed smiles were boosting his mood. Well, they'd been overjoyed until Kogara had excitedly talked about being cut up, and then they'd looked sort of horrified before she promised them that it didn't hurt and she was 'all better now.' Indeed, the patches on her skin already looked faded and Law had assured her parents that within a matter of weeks they would disappear completely. He'd let them leave with a warning to come to him the moment they started developing the patches themselves, since it was sure to happen, and also to make sure that anybody else in town experiencing the same symptoms did indeed come seek him out. It would likely be easier now that he'd proven he could indeed do what Mayor Zouge had promised, but Sanji guessed that some people would likely still be reluctant so having Kogara as an example of success would only make things easier.

He let his fingers trail idly through Law's fluffy hair, the other man damn near purring in obvious contentment. "If you've got a hundred people to heal, how are you gonna manage if doing just one knocks you on your ass like this?" Zoro asked. Law glanced over at him, shrugging, and nuzzled into Sanji's lap.

"Well, I can't do more than one every couple of days, but since nobody else is showing symptoms yet I doubt that will be a problem. It's not damaging to my body, it just tires me out," he promised, making a questioning sound in his throat when Sanji's hand stopped moving. "What's wrong?"

Sanji blinked, staring out at the ocean, because Law's words had slammed into him like a sledgehammer to the chest and he felt strangely out of breath.

No matter how much he'd prepared himself for this moment, how many scenarios had played out in his head, it still didn't make it any easier.

"Sanji?" Law sounded concerned now and Sanji shook his head as if to clear it, looking down at him.

"Law…" he started slowly, because Law seemed honestly confused and Sanji had no idea how that was possible. "As soon as we get word that Kaido's moving, we have to leave or risk having him come here."

"Yes…" Law drew out the word slowly, eyebrows furrowed.

"You're not going to leave here until you've healed everybody and that could…fuck, if they're not showing symptoms, that could take years. The rest of us have to be prepared to move at any moment," his voice hitched a little and Law sighed, reaching up to stroke his fingers down Sanji's cheek.

"I had hoped you wouldn't reach that conclusion so quickly, but then, you're brilliant, aren't you?" Law dropped his hand, although the fondness in his tone was undeniable. "Yes, if your captain will permit it, our alliance has to end here. I feel…guilty, leaving you to face Kaido alone, but I'm not much use in battle anymore. This hand may be good for most things but I still can't make Rooms with it, and it's never going to be the same as having a real arm," he didn't look particularly upset about that any longer, but Sanji knew he had a point. "This…this is something I can do and feel like I'm making a difference. I know what happened in Flevance was hardly my fault, but if I can prevent that happening again, if I can stop anybody from feeling the immense pain that the latter stages of the poisoning cause…" he bit his lip, his expression tight. "It hurt worse than anything that happened to me on Dressrosa. It was like my body was burning from the inside, like I was going to crawl right out of my skin, and it went on for weeks," he whispered, his eyes getting that haunted look again.

Sanji tugged him up and into his lap, hugging him close, and he supposed it said a lot that Law willingly let him and didn't seem at all averse to seeking out comfort any longer.

"I've been trying not to think about what else it would mean that I'm planning on staying here indefinitely, but of course…" he sighed, his head jerking up when Zoro's arms came around him from behind, before he relaxed again. "I apologize."

"It's not your fault," Zoro said firmly. "If this is what you've gotta do, neither of us are gonna stop you. It'd be selfish to let an entire town suffer just because it means you won't be around anymore."

Sanji tried to say something, to assure Law that he felt the same, but when he opened his mouth no words would come and he settled for just holding him as tightly as he dared.

It was selfish, what he was feeling, and probably rather cowardly as well.

He certainly wasn't proud of it, and he disentangled himself from Law's embrace and mumbled something about getting things ready for breakfast the next morning before leaving the deck without looking back once.

He knew Zoro and Law would wonder, probably, but he hoped they wouldn't follow him because, right now…he needed to be alone.

000

He didn't go to the galley, instead leaving the ship entirely and wandering until he found himself back on the beach. Sitting down on a log, he let his chin rest in his hands and stared out at the ocean, smoke rising from the lit tip of his cigarette.

The night was calm, much too peaceful for the current storm of emotion roiling inside of his chest, and the fact that none of them even had any idea how long they'd be able to stay here…well, that only made it worse, since it wasn't he could really prepare for the moment it happened.

Because somehow he knew that this would be goodbye. Luffy wouldn't stop until they found the One Piece, and there was no telling how far away that was or long it would take to get there. The chances of them ever coming back this way were slim to none, and if it did happen, it likely wouldn't be for years.

Plus, if the All Blue was out there, Sanji wouldn't have time to leave anyway once he'd found it. Between building a restaurant, getting that shitty old geezer out there to see it, and then running said restaurant (since no way in hell was he trusting that to anybody else), he wouldn't have any time to take an extended vacation.

He shouldn't care so much, maybe. Truth be told, he'd really only known Law for a couple of months, and out of twenty-one years of life that was barely a fraction of time. It should be easy to move on and forget about him, since that's likely what Law would do with him. He was surprised that Law was holding on this long, really, because based on past experience it would have been more in-character for him to have shut down as soon as he realized how long he was likely to stay at Zou.

Whatever, he decided in that moment, flicking some ash off of his cigarette and sighing heavily. He could get over Law, and Law was only supposed to be a fuck to begin with so really he'd gotten pretty lucky that things had worked out as well as they had until now.

Yeah. Pretty soon, it wouldn't bother him at all.

He'd started this whole thing to get Zoro to notice him, and that had happened, so that was all that mattered.

"You look troubled, my friend! Is it anything that I and my boundless charisma can assist you with?"

Sanji looked up, shielding his eyes from the force of the glow assaulting them, and he wasn't even going to guess how Cavendish could create his own light but apparently that was what was happening.

He sighed again, wondering why it was so hard for him to actually say anything, and the sparkles surrounding the other blond faded, winking out sadly as if realizing they had no effect on Sanji's dreary mood.

"You were right," Sanji finally mumbled, hanging his head, and he looked up when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Fufufu, I'm always right," Cavendish flipped his hair over one shoulder. "So you're going to have to be more…specific."

"About Law. About him settling down in one place if he found something to do that," he swallowed, and Cavendish squeezed his shoulder before spreading his cape and sitting next to him.

"Ah. And you and your crew shall sail on, leaving him behind, is that it?" he did sound genuinely sympathetic, so Sanji didn't see any reason to lie.

"I don't see how it can work out any other way, so yeah," he replied, lifting his eyes to stare out at the calm waves once more. Cavendish seemed to sense how serious the moment was because he lost most of his dramatics, his voice even and sombre when he spoke next.

" 'Tis the nature of being a pirate, my friend. Life changes all the time, sometimes in the most unexpected ways, and perhaps he might just be one of those unexpected, yet surprisingly good, things that cross your path for a time," he left his hand on Sanji's back, and it was something the cook strangely appreciated because, for a man who seemed to cover up everything with sparkles and roses and flowery words, this was straightforward and honest. "However, it's up to you to decide how you proceed from here. Will it hurt more to drive him away now, knowing that it will inevitably happen anyway, or to hold on to every shred that you can until the very moment fate rips you apart?"

And okay, the end of that was a little too much, and accompanied by a flailing hand gesture that nearly ended up smacking Sanji in the nose, but Cavendish's words only echoed something that Sanji had been struggling with for almost as long as this…thing with Law had been going on.

"What would you do?" he asked instead, hoping that an outside perspective might give him another way to think about things, and the man blinked his large blue eyes and pursed his lips.

"I? I would choose the second option, because my situation is much the same as yours. Shacking up with another pirate captain is hardly something that can last indefinitely, after all, and once we separate it's all up to luck when, or if, we'll encounter each other again on the high seas. Fate is a fickle mistress, after all," he sighed dramatically, and while Sanji still didn't quite understand the whole…thing him and Bartolomeo had (the two of them were more volatile than himself and Zoro, after all, and that was saying something), he knew Cavendish at least understood the decision was struggling with.

"Isn't giving yourself false hope only going to end in disappointment?" he questioned then, and Cavendish chuckled and stood up, bracing his hand on the sword at his hip.

"It may be, or else it may end exactly the way you'd hoped for all along. Which one of the two will give you more peace of mind is something you'll need to decide for yourself," he nodded, touching the tip of his hat in a respectful gesture before spinning on his heel so fast his cape swirled around his knees. "Whatever you choose, be sure it's something you won't regret later. Life's too short for that," he raised his hand in a wave, heading back the direction he'd come from.

Sanji groaned, scrubbing his hands through his hair, and knew that Cavendish had been implying he should hang onto this as long as he could, but…

But he wasn't sure if he was willing to do that, this time. There was a difference between believing the All Blue existed when there was still a chance it did, and believing that somehow he and Law would meet again when all the signs pointed away from that.

He stood up, brushing his pants off, and shuffled back toward the ship.

The deck was quiet now, Zoro and Law no longer on the lawn, and while part of him felt an almost…magnetic pull telling him to go the submarine and crawl into bed with them, he knew that would be the worst thing for thinking clearly. For tonight, at least, that was what he needed to do.

And so, for the first time a long time, he crawled into his lonely hammock in the boys' room, staring at the ceiling with a blanket pulled up to his chin and wondering if whatever choice he made was one he'd come to regret.

Knowing him, it probably would be, since that was how his life tended to always play out.

Finally deciding he'd deal with it in the morning, he settled down and tried to sleep, although that proved to a fruitless pursuit soon enough.

Because, up until that moment, he hadn't realized how cold and empty a bed could feel without anybody to share it with.

Notes:

1. I feel bad for not writing a fluffy chapter after the…events in the manga this past week, but these guys have been content in their relationship for too long so it was time to shake things up a little. Also, a lot of the female characters in OP are named after birds, so I decided to go the same route with Kogara (which means 'chickadee').

2. Once again, thank you for all the lovely feedback I've gotten, and please feel free to comment/review if you feel so inclined because I appreciate them immensely :)