AN: OK... a bit later than i had planned, but still I'm giving you several chapters in a row rather than only one a week, right? OK. enjoy everyone! next chapter is huge!!!
TY to all my lovely reviewers. I hope I was able to reply to each and every one of you (as long as you left me a way to do so ;) ). You guys make my days brighter with your words of praise and encouragement. TY TY TY TY!!!
Leaving It All Behind Chapter 6
By the time he had arrived to the designated location, it was already too late. The men in the back and front had been taken down and were being put in cuffs as sharpshooters positioned themselves to take out the last of the assassin's group inside the house. Fighting could be heard, though the haze from blasting the door was still hindering everyone's vision. Perona must have thrown a smoke bomb into the mix when she set up the charges. Absalom looked through the gathering of SWAT and special unit officers, his narrowed glare settling on the large figure of the lead officer on the scene. Detective Smoker was semi hidden behind an assault vehicle disguised as an electrician's truck.
Absalom snapped his head back to look at the house when he heard Perona's scream. He was about to move in when enough of the smoke cleared for him to see clearly through the front door. The pink-haired girl was laying on the ground clutching her shoulder, blood pouring from between her fingers, as a police officer held a rifle to her chest. Unfortunately he couldn't see the man's face from this angle, but he could finally see the shocked look on the blonde that was standing beside them. Paramedics arrived on scene and teams were sent out to search the neighborhood for straggling members of the group. After a final glance to where his partner lay on the floor, Absalom decided it was time he retreated for the moment, and hoped that his master would understand. The insane quack that was pretending to be in charge was of no concern, but Absalom knew he'd have to listen to the man bitch and whine anyway.
Dropping out of the tree where he'd been watching, the catlike man slipped his phone out of his pocket and pressed the numbers quickly. He waited for the phone to be picked up on the other end and relayed the less than pleasant news.
"The mission was a total loss. We warned you that she wasn't able to handle this. You shouldn't have sent a child to do our job."
"You'll get your chance soon enough as long as you are not caught as well," the voice on the other end reprimanded. "Could you at least confirm that we are dealing with the right witness this time?"
"Yes, and as thought, he is under that Smoker's care. Should we follow them?" Absalom started up the engine on his Porsche as he waited for the answer.
"No, I have another job for you. I have a feeling that the old man was lying to us about knowing where the box is. Why don't you see if you can have a private chat with him."
"Of course Dr. Hogback." Absalom put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. A sinister smile spread across his feline face as he remembered the last encounter he'd had with the difficult man. "It will be our pleasure."
-/-/-/-/-
Hogback hung up the phone and frowned, extremely displeased with the way his plans were falling apart. First the attempt to get the information by force blew up, literally, and then no one seemed to be able to decode what he had finally gotten his hands on. When Cindry came along, it was a miracle, but then the data had been stolen right beneath his nose and handed over to that slippery blonde cook. The cook had seen him with several key people in this endeavor and even witnessed the incident where Hogback had first obtained the hard drive. Should the blonde be allowed to live to testify, everything he had worked for over the past five years would be for naught. Getting the key to this software was crucial, and if he failed it would be years before anyone would be able to come close to this kind of breakthrough in AI.
A hidden switch within one of the desk drawers was flipped and a secret door hissed open, revealing the centerpiece of his research. What was possibly once a beautiful woman lay curled into a ball in the middle of a hospital bed, her head shaved and littered with adhesive electrode pads. He smiled down at the still figure and caressed her arm gently. The smile bled into a sinister grin as he watched her shiver in revulsion at his touch.
"How are you today, my dear? Fosh, fosh, fosh! It looks like we will have to try and dig into your mind again soon. Those useless idiots have lost our lead once more. If Mr. Black would only return what I rightfully took then we could end all of this and you could die." Hogback shook his head and began turning on equipment, ignoring the weak pleas from the helpless woman. True his methods were unorthodox, but the woman was supposed to be dead anyway, so what did he care if she didn't survive the process. Since she refused to cooperate, experimenting with trying to extract information seemed like the only way he would gain the knowledge he needed to further his research.
Only two other people knew she was even in the facility, and both were under the assumption that the woman was comatose and wasn't likely to recover any time soon. Keeping up the fascade was difficult, but if either of them suspected the truth, Hogback knew the consequence would be death. This level of conspiracy went well and above what the Master was willing to forgive.
The insane doctor withdrew a syringe from his coat pocket and approached the woman cautiously. Too many times she had pretended to be lethargic only to attack him and cause damage. To be honest, the whole thing was starting to get on his nerves. The few successful attempts to extract anything had only brought forth useless babble about a playmate for her child; someone called Chopper. Hogback had just finished straightening her now lax body out on the bed when the hidden door opened again and someone slipped into the room.
The tall man walked cautiously over to the bed and looked down at the woman, a hint of concern breaking through his normally stoic mask. "She looks a little pale today,"
"I agree, Ryu. I'll check her blood levels when I'm done trying to stimulate her brain back into activity," Dr. Hogback noted; the lie slipping off his tongue with ease. "You know you were to report to Moria the moment you returned."
The man's shoulders stiffened at the name of the head boss, but he nodded in understanding and turned quickly to comply. Hogback began humming to himself as he finished connecting all the wires, anxious to get today's testing underway.
-/-/-/-/-/-
Luffy had been running non-stop for almost two hours now and Zoro knew that even the ever-energetic young man would eventually run out of energy and he would have to wrap up this conversation quickly. Zoro laced his fingers behind his head as he leaned back in his seat, grinning smugly as he finished telling Ace what he had been up to lately. It wasn't often that he was able to shock the raven and was thoroughly enjoying the amazed look on Ace's face. The part about the case had been left out temporarily, since he knew that Ace was still having a hard time dealing with things relating to the police, but he had told Ace everything about the cage fights, phone calls, and threats. He even filled him in on the situation with Kokoro and her granddaughter. The part that Ace was having the most difficulties accepting was the change in Zoro personally though the green-haired man refused to elaborate anymore on that subject. Knowing that time was running out, Zoro quickly replaced his grin with a more serious look and leaned forward to brace his forearms on the table between them.
"There's more."
Ace understood the tone, shifted in his own seat and removed his hat, laying it carefully in front of him.
"I was given another assignment. I need you to tell me what you know about a faction that hires out to eliminate key witnesses on major cases." Zoro's voice was low, but carried easily over to the now alert man across from him. Ace was one of the few that knew where Zoro's jobs came from and what they usually entailed.
"Hm. Nothing rings a bell, but then again, I've been gone for a few weeks. Do you think it's related to the guys that are trying to scout you?" Ace's forehead wrinkled in concern.
"I'm hoping so. The assassins are effective, but messy so we're pretty sure they're not professionals. If this guy that's been pissing me of is their leader, all the better, because I plan on killing him anyway for all the shit he's put me through the last few days," Zoro grumbled.
"I'll see if Pops knows anything that he's willing to share," Ace offered and grinned as Zoro nodded his thanks and relaxed a little.
They could hear Luffy's protests to the attendant that his time couldn't be up yet because they just got there. They both sat back and watched the young girl plead with him for a few minutes before threatening to ban him from the establishment forever if he didn't hand over his vest and gun. Very unhappily, Luffy gave her his gear and trudged over to the two at the table.
"I wish Usopp didn't have to work so much. It's not as much fun when he doesn't come play with me," Luffy pouted and fell into an empty chair, recalling the earlier phone call with the long nosed boy. "Can we go eat now? I'm starving."
Zoro and Ace laughed and nodded as they grabbed their hats and coats, each of them putting an arm over Luffy's shoulders and consoling him as they walked out. Luffy's phone rang and the young man reluctantly pulled it out.
"Yah. Usopp!! Hey! We're just leaving the Arena to go get something to eat at Makino's place, why? Join us? Did something happen at your job? Awesome! Yah, I'll tell them. We'll see you there." Luffy hadn't even disconnected the call before he was jumping up and down.
Checking his wallet to make sure he had grabbed enough money, Zoro sighed and prepared himself for a long evening. Ace saw his slumped shoulders and nudged him with an elbow.
"It's not like you have somewhere better to be, right?" Ace joked.
"Who says I don't have some hot blonde back at my apartment waiting for me to come home," Zoro shot back. Unable to keep up the angry glare, they both started laughing and quickly ran after Luffy who was trying to open the door to the car despite it being locked.
oOoOoOo
Smoker rifled through the keys in his glove box for the spare set to Zoro's apartment. The GTO wasn't in its normal place so he knew his god-son wouldn't be home to let them in. He frowned for a moment when he pulled out a silver keychain with "justice" written on it. How many times in one day would he be reminded of things he couldn't have? Tossing the keys aside, he ignored the blonde he was leaning partially over and continued his search. Finally the set with a Zoro's name on the tag was produced and he slammed the door shut on the glove box. He didn't notice the blonde picking the abandoned keychain up and studying it curiously before putting it in his own pocket.
"Let's go, Sunny."
"Fuck you, old man." Sanji returned Smoker's glare and watched the detective step out of the car, quickly following since he had no idea where they were going. At least the place seemed nice enough; fairly new building with a great view of the park across the street. He wondered again about the man Smoker was sending him to stay with. "So when are you going to tell me about my new keeper?"
Smoker remained silent as they walked in, headed for the elevators and pushed the call button. Sanji hefted his bag on his shoulder to a more comfortable position and scowled, trying to imagine the strange neurotic person he might be getting thrown in with. Would it be some ex-con with tattoos, scars and earrings? Or maybe a reformed hitman that had joined the force as an informant. Sanji shook his head to get the images out of his mind, remembering that the detective had told him that the person wasn't connected to the police. Whoever it was, apparently Smoker had a feeling that they would possibly clash but felt confident enough in the man's abilities to put Sanji in his care. Maybe it was one of Smoker's old military buddies or something. He didn't have any more time to contemplate it as the lift door opened and he followed Smoker out.
"Detective, how are you this evening?" An elderly woman stepped out of an apartment at the end of the hall.
"Fine," Smoker answered briskly to the old doctor, not wanting to engage Kureha in any further conversation.
Sanji smiled politely to her as they passed, a disturbing feeling crawling over his skin as she studied him intently. He almost ran into Smoker's back, not paying attention to the fact that the man had stopped and was currently trying to unlock one of the doors. It took a few tries before the knob turned and they entered the apartment.
"Be careful where you step, his place isn't the…" Smoker trailed off as he flicked on the lights and stared at the vastly different interior of Zoro's home. He was about to turn around and make sure he had the right place when he caught sight of the picture hanging on the wall.
"Detective?" Sanji asked, a little confused as to why he should be careful in a place like this. The apartment was nice, even a bit stylish. A comfortable couch with matching sidechair, a widescreen TV, and heavily filled bookcases made the place feel lived in without being over cluttered with unnecessary things. He noticed the picture that had caught Smoker's eye and wondered who the people were. "Is that the guy I'll be staying with?"
Smoker shook his head and pulled himself out of old memories. "No. He's gone. This is his son's place."
"The little kid in the picture? You're leaving me with a kid?" Sanji wasn't pleased.
"That picture is over a decade old. He's as old as you are now." Smoker closed the door behind Sanji and continued into the apartment, silently taking in the overwhelming change in cleanliness that had occurred sometime in the last week. He would have to talk to Zoro about it later, but for now, he needed to get his witness settled and find out where the missing tenant was. If the brat was out getting sliced up, he'd need to make sure to be presentable before he met up with Mr. Black. No matter how he looked at it, a major argument was sure to ensue. He needed to talk to Zoro first and get some things settled before the two were introduced. Smoker stuck his hand into his pocket and fingered the bottle of sleeping pills he had been prescribed.
"Go get cleaned up and I'll see if I can find some tea. I could use a cup right about now." Smoker headed for the kitchen, again amazed at the organized state of the place.
Sanji nodded, too frustrated to care anymore and coming to the decision that if he wasn't able to get along with this man he'd just have to see about surviving on his own for the next few weeks. This whole fiasco was out of control and all he wanted was for it to end so he could go home. He found the bathroom just down the hall and instantly fell in love. The shower called to him and he dropped his bag on the floor so he could start peeling of his ratty clothes. The instant the hot water hit him from both sides he could feel his muscles begin to relax and he no longer cared who it was that lived here. He would put up with a dozen copies of his father if it meant that he could enjoy this luxury every day again. It was the closest he had felt to being home since he was thrown into that squad car months ago. Sanji took his time finishing, and wondered if this new host would have some clothes for him to borrow.
Wearing only a pair of simple cotton boxers, Sanji neatly hung the towel back up on the rack and headed out to find the bedroom, and therein, clothes. He could smell the delicious blend of jasmine green tea coming from the kitchen and made a detour in his plans to acquire a cup first. Sanji didn't think anything of it when he walked, mostly naked, into the kitchen and picked up the cup that he assumed had been poured for him since Smoker was already sipping his own. The taste was bitter, and very welcome as the warmth spread through Sanji's body, relaxing him further until he felt the need to sit down. The blonde took his tea to the couch and sat back, enjoying the cool feel of leather against his bare skin. He began nodding off and soon the cup fell from his fingers to the floor as his chin dropped to his chest.
Smoker continued to sip his tea, a small turn of his lips the only indicator that he had anything to do with how fast Sanji had become unconscious. When his cup was empty, he set it next to the sink and picked up the sleeping man, carrying him back to the master bedroom and depositing him in the large bed. Smoker took the time to look around the room and again wondered what prompted the change. He picked up the small picture on the nightstand and smiled sadly. It was of Sarah when she had gone to Japan right after graduating. Not long after that she met Zoro's father and they immediately fell in love, getting married a short month later. That was twenty-five years ago and the last time he remembered seeing it, the picture had been on sitting on the mantle in the former Roronoa estate.
The picture of Sarah, the family portrait he saw when they first entered, the tea set; these were all things that he thought had been lost or forgotten after the funeral. Smoker took a deep breath and opened the door to the spare bedroom. He had been the one to change out the knob to a locking one at Zoro's request, so it somewhat surprised him when the door opened easily and revealed a nearly empty room. The only things left aside from the basic furniture, were Sarah's computer equipment and two lonely boxes in the corner.
"So he finally decided to face the facts," Smoker sighed, knowing that he himself had troubles accepting that his best friend wasn't returning. Closing the door softly, Smoker decided to see what else his god-son had dug up and headed for the living room again.
oOoOoOo
"I told you I can't discuss work right now, Luffy. I'm sorry," Usopp apologized for the hundredth time that night.
"I know, but you were so freaked out when you got here so I thought something bad had happened. If something bad happened you'd let us know, right?" Luffy's eyes were wide with worry as he studied Usopp's face.
Usopp hung his head and frowned as he tried to figure out how to explain his earlier unease to his friends. He couldn't just come out and tell them that he was upset because he had just shot two people, one in the middle of the forehead. He also couldn't tell them that the reason he was working so many hours was because he had been put in charge of guarding a high profile witness on a major case. So just what could he tell them?
"Well, you see, there was a break-in at the zoo and all of the animals were let loose. I of course was called on because I'm the last remaining descendant of beast masters and they needed my expertise in recapturing all the creatures," he began. "There were a dozen tigers that had me surrounded, but I was able take each one of them down with a slingshot, knocking them unconscious. Only one bear gave me any problems, but as you can see, the mighty Usopp prevailed and conquered each and every one of the wild beasts before any backup could arrive."
Ace had made the mistake of trying to take a drink during the story and ended up snorting soda out his nose when he began laughing. This in turn made his eyes water due to the burning of carbonation in his nostrils and all Zoro could do was fall onto the floor as he laughed. Ace tossed the pepper shaker at him, getting the black powder all over the green-haired man's face and in turn made him start sneezing forcefully. Luffy thought it was a game and decided that he needed something in his nose too, so he stuck a straw in each side and began making faces at the kids in the booth next to them. Usopp by now had gotten a tablecloth from one of the unoccupied tables, tied it on so he could pretend it was a cape, and was standing in his chair singing about the king of snipers.
Makino came out from the back and smacked each of them atop the head with a serving tray. "If you boys don't straighten up I'll call your grandfather to come down here and take care of you."
They all four began apologizing for their behavior and straightening up the messes they had made, though they couldn't keep from snickering occasionally. After watching Makino make her rounds around the dining room, apologizing to customers and whatnot, Zoro stood and stretched his body out, grimacing slightly when he felt the pull of one of the wounds he had received from Daz. It was time to call it a night.
"I'm outta here. I've got places to be early in the morning," he told them as he slipped on his coat.
"Yah, and that blonde's waiting for you too, right?" Ace teased and laughed at the bewildered look on Zoro's face. Apparently it took a moment for him to remember what he had said earlier, which made everything even funnier to Ace.
"You're dating someone? Is that why your place is so clean?" Luffy perked up at the thought of Zoro finally finding someone.
"Is that who made you cut your hair? I thought when I walked in I must have accidentally used my time machine to travel back a few years." Usopp tapped his chin in thought as he studied Zoro's now short hair.
"There's no woman guys, drop it," Zoro scoffed as he pulled the knit cap on, trying to adjust it over his ears enough to keep them warm until the car was heated. Maybe he should have waited till summer to cut the added warmth from his head. "Hey Ace, come over tomorrow."
The freckled raven nodded, used to the request, and promised that he'd be there around noon. Zoro waved to everyone and reluctantly allowed Makino to kiss his cheek before hurrying out into the cold. His car roared to life and soon he was on his way back to the apartment, unaware of what lay in store for him.
oOoOoOo
Zoro could hear the music softly behind his door and wondered if the bitch from before had decided to show back up again. He swore under his breath and tried to remember if his swords were left in their case by the door or if one was still setting on the dining table. Realizing that it didn't matter, Zoro opened the door quietly and slipped inside, hoping to catch the intruder off guard.
"It's about time you got home, brat," Smoker's voice called out from his spot on the couch. He used the remote to turn off the television and shut the book he was looking at before setting both on the coffee table and getting up to face the younger man. "I tried to call you earlier, but it seems your phone is dead again."
Zoro reached a hand in his pocket and pulled out the black cell as he tried to remember the last time he had plugged it in. "Nn. If it was really important you would have found a way to get a hold of me."
Smoker internally smiled as he thought about the sleeping blonde in Zoro's bed. He was about to mention the added presence when Zoro pulled off his hat and showed off his new appearance. The detective studied him hard for a moment before speaking. "Did something happen?"
"More shit than you could imagine." Zoro tossed the cap on the table and shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on the back of a dining chair on his way to the kitchen. "It's good you're here because I needed to see you anyway."
"Progress with your investigation," Smoker voiced; more of a statement than a question. He knew that the boy would come up with something, but he honestly didn't think it would be this soon.
Zoro was about to continue when he noticed the tea set on the counter. It was a gift he had bought for his parents when he graduated from High School. "I see you've made yourself at home."
"I thought I'd make tea while I waited for you. Don't use that cup," Smoker warned Zoro when he picked up the second cup that was sitting by the sink. Although it had been rinsed out, there was still a chance that enough of the drugs remained that Zoro would fall asleep before he could get any information out of him.
There was still a slight residue of tea in the bottom of the cup, so Zoro assumed that maybe the detective had someone with him earlier while waiting for him to get home. It wasn't usual, but on a few occasions Tashigi had accompanied Smoker when he came to visit. He took a clean cup from the cabinet and poured the last of the tea before placing it in the microwave.
"I went to see Kohza the other night." Zoro glared at Smoker when the man snorted, outwardly showing his disapproval of Zoro's actions. "I managed to gain the attention of someone, and I have a feeling that they're the ones you're looking for."
"You stupid shit," Smoker grumbled, though if you knew what to listen for you could hear the slightly pleased tone in his voice.
Zoro took his now hot tea and went over to the couch, ignoring the photo album that his godfather had been looking at on the coffee table. Smoker joined him and Zoro filled the detective in on what had happened over the last week; beginning with the fight against Braham and ending with Chimney going to Franky's. Through it all Smoker had kept fairly quiet, only asking a few questions for clarification before quieting and waiting for Zoro to continue.
"I wish you had come to me sooner with some of this." Smoker leaned back and rested his head against the top of the couch as he rubbed his face, showing his frustration for the first time during the discussion. "My witness was attacked again tonight. Two more officers were wounded, though I guess I should be thankful they are alive at least."
"Again? I thought you had the leak fixed."
"So did we, but apparently that guy was just a pawn. They've somehow hacked into our mainframe and are reading our e-mails. Garp sent a copy of a work order for a safe house as an attachment in a message to me and they located my guy through that. I barely had enough time to send someone out to double security before they showed up to kill him. He actually took out a couple of the attackers himself before getting a gun to his head. Ironically it sounds like it might be the same girl who broke into your place."
"Shit. I swear I'll fucking kill that bitch if I ever see her again."
Smoker shook his head and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't bother. She took a hit to the shoulder and is now in custody. Her partner wasn't so lucky, but he doesn't sound anything like the other guy you described. Absalom, was it?"
Zoro nodded and ran a hand through his short hair, the length still strange after all this time of not cutting it. "Is your witness ok? I'm guessing that if he wasn't you wouldn't be this calm."
"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Smoker chuckled. "He's in your bed."
"What the fuck!" Zoro glared at the detective as he stood up and stormed towards his room.
He flipped the lights on, not caring if he woke up whoever was currently trying to sleep or not, and ripped the comforter off the bed. Sure enough, a slender blonde was snoring softly in the middle of his bed wearing nothing but a pair of baby blue boxers. One look at the lithe body and Zoro instantly knew the man was trouble. Flawless pale skin prickled with goose bumps from the sudden change in temperature and the snoring stopped only for a small groan to escape before the man's breathing evened out again. Zoro's eye twitched when he noticed the thin line of drool coming from the side of the blonde's mouth and his hand gripped the blanket tightly to keep from lashing out at the unconscious man.
Zoro took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look at the intruder once more. The blonde was fairly skinny, though there was a definite hint of lean muscle in the legs and abs, and he had dark circles under the one eye that was visible beneath shaggy hair. A small shadow of stubble graced the smooth lines of the man's jaw, but it was the strangely curled eyebrow that Zoro knew he would have to fix if he ended up looking at this man for very long. The comforter was tossed carelessly back over the blonde and Zoro kept repeating to himself that the man was important and he couldn't kill him. He returned to the front room and glared at the detective.
"That's why I told you not to use the other cup. I laced his tea with some sleeping pills and wasn't sure how much was left in the mug. He probably won't wake up before noon tomorrow." Smoker pulled out a cigar and patted his pockets for his lighter. "I don't care what lie you come up with, but I need you to keep him here until the trial. I want it to seem that you guys have known each other for a long time and are very close."
"So what? You're just dropping off a guy in my lap that I've never met before and expect me to introduce him to everyone as my best friend? Oh sure, no problem." Zoro's sarcasm was thick as he glared at Smoker. "The few friends I have all know each other. How do you expect me to pull this off? No one will believe that I just suddenly had a change of heart and let an old college alumni stay with me for a few days."
"Then tell everyone he's your new boyfriend!" Smoker got to his feet and closed the distance between them as he spoke.
"Unlike you, I don't get my kicks off of having some guy suck my cock."
"No you'd rather just play with yourself! Look, Roronoa, I don't give a damn if you pass him off as your long lost brother, just keep him safe or so help me I'll kill you both myself! We've lost five officers so far to these assholes and I'm not about to let it be for nothing. You WILL guard him, you WILL keep his identity secret, and you WILL NOT give me any more grief about it."
By this time they were both in each other's faces and yelling quite loudly, the echo of Smoker's threat still settling around them in the open room. Each one as stubborn as the other, they refused to back down and give any leeway. Finally, the need to have his cigar back in his mouth was too great and Smoker backed away slightly, chomping down harshly on the end as soon as it was between his teeth.
"Don't let him out of the apartment. If that guy from No Man's shows up here, I don't want to run the risk of him being spotted. Call me as soon as you know something new."
Frustrated and tired, Zoro just nodded. Things had gone from bad, to worse, to completely fucked in less than a week. He just hoped that the guy didn't have any weird quirks that would cause them to not be able to get along. "Anything in particular I should know about him?"
Smoker chuckled as he thought about the chaos that would ensue when the two finally came face to face in the morning. "He might not look like much, but he's probably the second best cook here in the state; his father being the best. Take advantage of it and eat something decent. Oh, and he likes to smoke. In fact I recommend that you head out and buy him some cigarettes when you get groceries tomorrow."
Putting aside the fact that he had just been forced into this unwelcome situation, Zoro thought it all over and decided that having his own personal chef might be kind of nice. He had lived with the detective's smoking for all these years so the cigarettes were no problem. As long as the guy wasn't a total ass the time might even pass fairly quickly. The only problem would be a certain pair of dark headed fools. "What about Ace and Luffy? You know they'll ask questions."
The detective froze with one arm halfway in his jacket; his eyes clouded over with a mixed look of sadness and anger. "Lie. I don't want to chance that they'll let something slip to that feebleminded grandfather of theirs and have him slip up again. We're risking enough by putting him here." Smoker finished sliding on his jacket and reached for the door. "I'll be busy all week, but I'll be sure to check in with you periodically. Play nice with the new boy, Roronoa."
Zoro didn't have time to respond before the older man had closed the door, leaving the green-haired man standing alone in his living room. Having decided that he'd suffered enough excitement for the night, Zoro turned off the lights and headed for the bathroom on his way to bed. The added clothes in the laundry basket annoyed him, though only because that meant an increase in time in the basement, but the thing that really bothered him was the unfamiliar bag that he tripped over in the middle of the floor. Zoro picked it up and sat it on the bathroom counter next to the sink, giving in to the urge to look through the other man's things while he was asleep.
Worn faded clothes that didn't look like they would even fit that skinny body, a beautiful set of kitchen knives in their own leather case, a bag full of spices that looked like they had just been opened recently, a handwritten recipe book, a worn issue of some magazine called Culinary Trends, and a pink cell phone was all that he found. It was a good thing that Smoker had warned him the guy was a chef or some of those things in there might have caused Zoro to worry a bit about the man's sanity. The pink phone was a little odd though and Zoro chuckled as he opened it up; the wallpaper background a beautifully painted koi. At least it wasn't Hello Kitty or something equally as feminine.
He tossed everything back into the bag and carried it into the bedroom, setting it next to the dresser so the guy would be able to find it and put some clothes on in the morning. Zoro took one last look at the sleeping man and debated shoving him onto the floor so he could have his bed back. The thought of just sharing the bed with him sent Zoro almost running out of the room. He hadn't had thoughts like that in a long time, and he wasn't about to start exploring them now; especially with some unknown blonde who would be out of his life in hopefully just a few short weeks.
Remembering all the shit Smoker said the blonde had been through, Zoro decided to leave things be for the night and sleep alone. When this was all over, Zoro swore that he'd find someone to hole up with for an entire week and sate the pent up sexual tension that had been building for the last… Holy shit, it'd been almost a year since he'd gotten laid. No wonder he was starting to contemplate a male partner. Zoro shook his head to clear the unbidden thoughts and went to the freshly made bed in the spare room.
The twin bed was his from his parent's house and should have been comfortable enough just due to familiarity, but being surrounded by too many haunting thoughts in the room, Zoro found it impossible to fall asleep. He gave up after an hour and decided he would spend the night on the couch instead. He made the bed back up and grabbed the spare blanket from the closet as he passed by. Tomorrow he would make sure to let his visitor know that was Zoro's room he had slept in and he needed to keep the fuck out of it. Zoro fell asleep with a small grin on his face as he pictured the blonde's body sliced to shreds by his swords.