A/N: I really don't mean for the chapters to be this long... They just sort of happen...
Sanji seethed as the door to his apartment was slammed shut and the shards of the lamp now littered his welcome mat. He could distantly hear Zoro making his way down the hall but it did nothing to relax the tense anger coursing through his body. Harsh breaths came in between gritted teeth as he continued to glare at the door and thought of all the painful things he'd like to do to that stalking, cocky, lying asshole.
When the last of Zoro's footsteps finally were out of ear shot and all that could be heard was his own distressed breathing and the distant thrum of the city he felt most of the anger and tension leave his body in a wave. Legs finally giving out, he collapsed back onto the couch that was thankfully just behind him, throwing his head back and slapping the palms of his hands against his face as he groaned in sheer annoyance.
That man was utterly insane. Completely off his rocker, out the back door, away with the fairies, gone bananas, bats in the belfry, rats in the attic, lost his marbles, half a deck of cards, bloody stark raving mad! Spirits and all that other bullshit. Sanji should've known that anyone willing to climb to a fifteenth storey window was clearly not in his right mind.
Why had Sanji allowed himself to go along with it?
Standing abruptly, his shin caught on the coffee table and caused it to skid forward a couple inches as he stormed out of the living room and headed for the kitchen; now more than ever needing that bottle of spiced rum. The ice had long since melted so he didn't even bother with fetching new cubes, downing the water dredges mixed with remnants of rum he refilled the glass and took a large shot before breathing out heavily.
So much was currently buzzing around through Sanji's head he had no clue where to start panicking, and where to start analyzing the situation. The burning of the alcohol was hardly having any affect on calming his nerves from the stressfulness of the situation and Sanji found his hand's begun to shake once more.
Waking up in that alley had been the shock of a lifetime. Pressed up so intimately against a man for fuck's sakes; feeling those arms holding him so possessively had been unnerving and he still didn't know what freaked him out more; the fact that he had kissed a man or that it was a man that he didn't even know!
Yet, no matter how shocking the situation had been he calmly told himself that it wasn't the worst thing that could've happened. That man could have killed him, mugged him, or even fully raped him. Maybe all three! In the long run simply kissing the lunatic wasn't really the end of the world...
Then that man had followed him home!
What the fuck?! Who even does that?!
The man clearly had some mental issues that needed to be sorted out. Molesting, stalking, raving about spirits. And Sanji had let that lunatic into his home. Against his better judgement he inexplicably wanted those sunglasses back – no matter if he had to let a stranger preach to him about the netherworld.
Spirits.
What complete and utter nonsense. Sanji didn't know what the man was trying to achieve by telling Sanji such a tall tale, or making up such ridiculous notions. Maybe he was just one of those people that got kicks out of fucking with other peoples minds and wasting others time.
Though, there were some things that the man had said, and things that he had known that seemed like more than just a simple coincidence. His knowledge of Sanji's symptoms and of the currently odd situation had found himself in before he had even ran into Zoro was fairly unnerving.
And how had he woken up in the living room?
Sanji didn't know what kind of magic-voodoo trick Zoro – if that was his actual name – had used to make Sanji black out but he for sure wasn't going to fall for it. And he even had the gall to accuse him of being frightened and trying guilt trip Sanji afterwards with all that talk of 'a part of something bigger' crap.
Sanji groaned in pained confusion and lack of understanding as he downed the last of the glass, finally feeling the rum begin to kick in and leave a humming warmth inside him. This was just a really bad night that he was going to pretend didn't happen. He was going to wake up in the morning and forget about all this stupid talk of spirits, magic, and that insane green-haired man.
~X~
"So you found Prince?" Luffy asked as he looked over at Zoro from his place in front of the punching bag, his voice slightly broken by his panting as he was nearing the end of his session. Red tank top stained darker around the neck from his sweat and his blue shorts bouncing as he hopped lightly on the balls of his feet, "What was his host like?"
"Fucking insane." Zoro grumbled back as he continued his repetitions, mentally counting as he was going for his casual average in chin-ups while still maintaining a conversation with Luffy. An average five hundred usually did him good on a Sunday, or with just his casual workouts.
Luffy guffawed as he started on some knee jabs, thrusting his leg into the bag as hard as he could and receiving a hard smack of flesh as a reward. Doing a few more before dropping the leg and raising his left to do the same routine as he asked Zoro with a smirk, "So you like him, huh?"
"He threw a lamp at my head." Zoro griped back as he pulled himself up once more, before slowly lowering himself back down. Keeping up the carefully executed routine to keep his momentum even as he thought about that dumb blond and the night before. "He's fucking temperamental."
"That's pretty funny though." Luffy responded, though the knowing grin from Zoro's response didn't leave his cheeky face, "But I guess we'll just have to play the waiting game."
"Yeah," Zoro agreed casually, ignoring Luffy's smirk and opting for staring directly ahead of him. Watching the wall as he continued to raise and lower his body, "Just have to wait till the dumbass comes to his senses. Shouldn't be long."
"Do you remember how long it took you to realize it was going on?"
Zoro paused with his chin by the bar, holding himself up as he contemplated the question before answering in slight annoyance, "Yeah..." Zoro let himself drop and continued with his reps, grunting quietly in between his next words, "But I didn't have someone tell me what was going on. I had to figure it out on my own."
"True." Luffy agreed absently as he continued punching the worn out gym punching bag vigorously, several consecutive hits before bouncing on the balls of his feet for a couple seconds before switching arms and continued with the same reps. "Still kind of a weird thing to get used to."
"Oh yeah." Zoro chuckled slightly breathless as he began to reach the end of his reps, remembering the first time he had fully come to realize Asura's presence, though being intoxicated, it had been enlightening and when he had sobered up, he had immediately sought out the spirit.
At first their attitudes conflicted in the worst ways possible. Asura constantly being his natural unpleasant self while Zoro desperately tried to understand if he was going insane or not. Only after several weeks of tolerating each other did it become painfully obvious that their conflicting personalities were due to them being too much alike. Eventually they came to respect each other and that had been nearly two years ago. Zoro had been living with the spirit since then and could easily call him a friend now.
Regardless, Zoro could understandably see where Sanji was coming from. He had been in the exact same situation and knew all the questions and fears that were no doubt running through the blonds head. Though it did seem that this spirit – Prince – was a hell of a lot more levelheaded than Asura was.
Zoro finally dropped from the bar with a small groan at the delicious burning sensation running up his arms and stretched them over his head languidly as he watched Luffy finish up his reps. Dropping his arms he sighed heavily and muttered, "Guess we just have to wait."
"He'll come around." Luffy reassured with a honest grin as he hit the bag one last time before completely dropping his aggressive stance and leaned casually against the bag, "Besides it's not like he can run forever."
"You haven't seen how stubborn this guy is." Zoro warned as he tossed Luffy a towel and water bottle before retrieving his own, squeezing a bit onto his face and sighing at the relief the cool liquid brought. Luffy draped the towel over his neck and made his way over to his gym bag, quickly kicking off his shoes and shirt before pulling on his red vest.
"Give him a few days and then we can both go bug him." Luffy offered as he threw his gym gear into his bag haphazardly, "Sound fun?"
Zoro paused and wondered what else the blond might try to throw at Zoro's head if he showed up again and with Luffy in tow. Knowing Luffy he'd probably raid the fridge and the blond would potentially kill them both for reasons completely unrelated to Prince.
"So, you gonna come hang at Usopp's tomorrow night?" Luffy prodded ecstatically, completely moved past the whole Sanji problem, "He says we can raid the fridge and he just bought the new Pirate Ops: Thriller Bark. It has zombies!"
"Yeah, sure." Zoro shrugged with a fond grin as they exited the main gym and headed toward reception to retrieve their shoes. An evening watching the two kids destroying electronic zombies would be potentially entertaining. Not to mention he had been wanting to try out the new Pirates, "Why not?"
"Sweet." Luffy chuckled as he swung his red pack over a shoulder, slipping on his flip-flops as they both made their way out of the gym and toward the parking lot, "Around ten sound good?"
"I'll be there."
~X~
Arriving at his work-turned-apartment he pulled his old '89 Toyota Camry into the small back alley he used as a parking spot, grabbing his gym bag from the passengers seat he hopped out and made his way to the front of the building. Unlocking the doors, he tossed his gym bag off to the side and kicked off his shoes as he turned on the large overhead lights that illuminated the mats of the small dojo.
This small dojo was his pride and joy as he held several different types of martial arts classes here as well as ranging age groups. Today was his children's Muay Thai and later on his adult's Judo classes. As he awaited for the children to eventually arrive he quickly tidied up, making sure all the practice bokens were put away from yesterdays Kendo course.
The small jangle of the bell that hung by the door could be heard as it was slammed open and several children came running into the dojo followed by their calm yet worn out mothers. Shoes were quickly kicked off as the students came running onto the mats with their gym bags in hand.
"Zoro!"
Zoro's face broke out into a grin as the children of his afternoon Muay Thai class tried to tackle him, always determined to gang up on him and knock him over before class started – yet never fully succeeding. Laughing he pried a young hyper brunette boy – Michael – from his leg.
"How you guys doing?"
Various replies were shouted at him as the kids all spoke one on top of the other so Zoro could hardly make out a word that any of them were saying. As the kids chattered, their parents took seats along the wall to watch and more students were slowly arriving. The hysteria upon first arriving slowly dwindled until the children were much calmer and each gender quickly divided into the proper bathrooms to get their gear on.
Zoro took the silent moment to quickly shed his shirt and pants, and stumble into his own pair of shorts. Absently bandaging his hands as he tried to ignore some of the awkward stares that were placed upon him by the overly affectionate mothers. Some of them took absolutely too much pleasure in looking at him without a shirt on.
Changed into their workout clothes the children quickly filed out of the bathroom, many engaging in a game of tag, or simply running around the mats screaming much louder than was necessary; their cheerful prepubescent shrill voices echoed off the walls of the dojo.
With the finishing of the knot on his bandages he turned to the room and yelled a simple command for attention and all the children immediately went silent and looked to him instinctively. Another commanded to line up for bow in had them all running to their places with swift efficiency. Parents often came to him after class in a state of awe and wondering how exactly he was able to control – not only their own off-the-wall child – but a room full of them with barely any trouble.
He never made a comment about their bad parenting skills and merely stated that he made it clear to the children first class that disrespect for the teacher and an inability to listen would have them out on their ass faster than he could kick. Just for show he had had Luffy come by for a few practice fights just to show the children what they would be learning; and to instill some fear into them. Regardless, the parents were always thrilled with the outcome; some even stating that their child's delinquent behaviour was receding.
After a quick bow Zoro clapped his hands together with a grin before informing the kids, "Alright. Last class I felt you all grasped the concept of kicking – or Te – quite well. And I know many of you having been dying to learn, so since it's the last class before spring break I figured we would start on the Roundhouse Kick, also called...?"
He paused and glanced at the students. From the looks on their faces it was clear that they had hardly heard a thing past the words 'roundhouse' and 'kick'. Their aggressive child mentality having been affected by the type of kick that famously equated to all childhood fighting heroes like Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris.
"Anyone?" Zoro questioned again with a slight tone to his voice clearly stating that nothing would happen until they properly responded to the language aspect of the class. An enthusiastic brunette – who also took part in Zoro's Kendo and Judo classes – raised his hand quickly, straining the arm desperately. "Yes, Jason?"
"It's called Te tat..." He trailed off as he lowered his hand before mumbling, "I think."
"Exactly." Zoro stated happily, "Now before we get into pairs I want you all to try it on your own. The Straight Kick that you've all mastered is relatively simple, but now for the Roundhouse your centring is going to be a lot different. It's going to be a rotating movement of the entire body."
Zoro positioned himself parallel to the students so that they could see the side of him as he preformed a slow motion version of the kick for them all to witness. Taking a practised step forward he threw himself into a kick that he had preformed so often it had become muscle memory. Twisting professionally and snapping his leg out before lowering the leg and stepping back.
"I want everyone to start with the basic step in, and the raising of the leg." Zoro explained quickly, since it appeared a few of the kids looked about ready to pass out from inactivity, "I'll come by and once I think your set up is proper I'll show you the rest. Sound good?"
A ringing chorus of 'Yes Sensei' rang out in the dojo as all the students spread out on their own to start practising their kicks. Zoro had made it around to a few students before the heavy metal tone of 'Last Man Standing' by Hammerfall blared out through the room to announce an incoming call on Zoro's phone.
"Keep practising." Zoro ordered as he quickly ran over to his gym bag and pulled the cell from his discarded jeans pocket and grinned as he noted the Unknown Caller that popped up on the screen. Looks like the blond had finally come around; didn't take that long. Zoro pressed Answer with his thumb before bringing the phone up to his ear and grinning, "Hello."
~X~
Sanji sat in his rocker – fingers drumming agitatedly against the arm rest as he stared down the shades currently sitting innocently on his coffee table – angrily mulling over why exactly he found himself apprehensive of the glasses. He had slept for probably a total of three hours before he had awoken and lain in bed as he had contemplated everything that had recently happened in his life these past few weeks.
The insomnia had been one thing, but he had begun to worry when he started waking up in different places and he couldn't explain the gaps in his memory. At the time he had simply brushed it off, but the more he thought about it something was terribly wrong with him. Whether it be lack of sleep due to stress, or perhaps the emergence of a dissociative personality, or amnesia as he slowly lost his memories.
And through it all Zoro was the only person out there that seemed to have a ready answer for everything that was starting to go wrong in Sanji's life. But that answer was probably the most insane diagnosis of them all and seemed so thoroughly impossible.
Sanji sighed heavily as he let his eyes slide shut and block out the image of the glasses as he pressed two fingers to his temple and rub gently to stave of an impending headache. All of these problems had started since he had bought these damned glasses. Coincidence or not it seemed like they were at fault.
Those glasses...
They were just a stupid pair of sunglasses that he had bought in a pawn shop; there was nothing marvellous or special about them. And yet he found himself stalling to put them on, all thanks to that damned green-haired bastard who had to plant the idea of ghosts and possession into the blond's mind.
Slowly opening his eyes he once more glared down the innocent looking specs and inwardly scolded himself. Was he seriously about to admit that the raving lunatic that had followed him home last night had been perhaps telling the truth?
Sanji snorted at the very idea that what that man was telling him could possibly be true and snatched up the sunglasses. He would prove that smug bastard wrong. Zoro wasn't anywhere near him to cast any stupid spell and Sanji would prove that he could where these damned glasses.
With renewed confidence Sanji smirked confidently at the knowledge that he was right and nothing supernatural could possibly happen as he slipped the glasses onto his nose. Without pause everything immediately went black and he couldn't even remain conscious long enough to feel his body begin to slip off of the couch.
~X~
"You stupid blond." Prince cursed out loud as he glared down at Sanji's body. If Sanji was going to be this damned stubborn then Prince was going to properly teach him a very clear lesson. Several hours lost from his day and maybe a few creepy messages were going to have to be in order, "I'll make you believe Zoro."
Pausing only to grab a jacket, Prince stormed from the apartment as for the first time he actually used the door, not wanting to risk anyone in broad daylight seeing him climbing out of a fifteen storey window. The door slammed shut behind him and he locked it with a flick of magic before he looked up and was faced with a reflection of himself.
Prince stared at the two panels of iridescent metal panelling opposing him on the wall, shut tight and refusing to open unlike so many other sensory operated doors he had come across in the city. Two small buttons on the wall adjacent to the doors were present – an arrow pointing up and an identical one pointing down – they appeared most likely to be responsible for operating the doors so he tentatively reached out and pressed the arrow pointing down.
Nothing happened besides the arrow beginning to glow a dull orange, and vaguely from beyond the doors a sound could be heard. Prince stood in front of the baffling contraption still completely confounded by the workings of the twenty-first century and just as he was contemplating taking the window outside there was a prominent ding and the doors slid open.
The spirit stared into the small cubicle in confusion as it seemed that these doors in fact lead to no where. A simple small room with reflective walls that pseudoed Prince's contorted perplexed expression. Nothing however seemed dangerous about the box room.
Cautiously, he entered the room and before he had barely stepped across the threshold the sliding doors threatened to slam close on him. Throwing himself into the elevator he stood with the palms of his hands flattened against the wall in terror as the doors innocently finished closing like they hadn't just tried to guillotine him.
Silence rang out as Prince remained frozen in the small room as nothing happened aside from the glowing panel on the wall lighting up with various numerical symbols. When no threat presented itself Prince slowly pushed himself off of the wall and carefully stepped over to the panel. It seemed that most things in the era were operated by fancy buttons and touchable glass.
Prince decisively pushed the number '1' as it seemed like the most reliable of numbers in this situation and with a small jolt the room moved. At first very slowly but then it began to gain speed.
The room began to drop with what felt amazing velocity and Prince instinctively panicked, casting an explosive wave of magic up to tear way the pitiful tiles on the ceiling that acted as protection. The spirit leaped up and out of the room, barely noting the long shaft he now found himself trapped in, and latched onto the wall. Magic coated his hands and feet so he was able to keep himself in place as he glanced down at the still plummeting room.
A large cable that seemed to be attached to the roof was forcing the small room down and to it's inevitable crushing death at the bottom of the long shaft. Extending an arm out he sent a wave of as much magic as he could muster to slice through the thick metallic vines that were forcing the room to it's eventual demise. The tension released with a sickening crack, the cables snapping up at the sudden loss of its weight and the elevator came to screeching halt in the shaft with no longer having any support.
Prince let out a relieved sigh before climbing carefully up the wall until he found the back of what must be one of the reflective doors that was on the landing of Sanji's apartment complex. Forcing them open with a simple snap of magic he jumped out of the elevator shaft, closing the doors just as decisively before he began dusting himself off.
Straightening his jacket he cast a glance over his shoulder at the doorway and snorted derisively. There was still so many things he didn't understand about this era. Why would humans willing create a room that caused them to plummet to their death?
Striding to the window he threw it open as he decided that he really didn't give a crap about whoever saw him and he just need to get out of this infernal building.
~X~
Sanji sat in his reclined rocker, blearily blinking up at the ceiling as the afternoon sun glared through his apartment windows and cast orange rays of light throughout the room. Wallpaper and ceiling became tinged with the glowing supple colours of the sun and it took Sanji only a moment to realize that it couldn't possibly be that time of day.
Sitting up in complete shock he nearly screamed as he witnessed the vandalism done to his wall. Large, blackened words were scrawled across the wall, appearing to have been burned into drywall by some form of precisely controlled flame. Two simple words that had his mouth drying, forehead sweating and his breathing escalating to near hyperventilation levels.
Panic immediately settled in and Sanji jumped up in fear that someone else was in his apartment and playing a nasty trick. Upon hurried inspection he found the door locked and his bedroom and bathroom were completely empty; his flat was small and there really was no place to hide. He was completely alone.
Once more back in the living room Sanji stood in front of the words that bore down upon him like a visage of complete carnage that made him sick to his stomach but unable to turn his eyes away. Swallowing thickly around his dried throat Sanji stared up at the words that were very clearly written by his own hand – the writing unmistakably familiar in an eery way – as he read the words.
I'M HERE!
To anyone else, at any other time, Sanji would have been confused. But after such recent events the symbolization of the simple words was obvious. Spirits, ghosts, whatever the hell you wanted to call it, it was making itself clear that Sanji was wrong in his belief that this was all simply foolish ravings of a madman. Sanji blinked up owlishly at the words, panic now replaced by terrified confusion.
Barely a moment later he was fumbling with his phone as he quickly typed the number into his cell and hit call. Hand shaking as he held the phone up to his ear he stared at the large writing on the wall in front of him trying to keep himself from hyperventilating once more.
Three rings and still no answer and he was starting to worry that maybe Zoro was just a figment of his imagination and he was actually starting to just go insane. On the fourth ring there was a click and then a deep baritone spoke into the phone, "Hello."
Relief flooded through Sanji as he swallowed thickly and he prepared himself for the inevitable conclusion that he was going to have to admit that Zoro was potentially right and that he had been the one being a lunatic in this situation. He nearly hung up in embarrassment when he stuttered over his question, "I-Is this Zoro?"
"Hmph." The man huffed into the phone, "Finally coming to your senses?"
"Shut up alright." Sanji snarled as it became apparent that Zoro already knew full well that it was Sanji and seemed to sound very confident in the fact that he knew he had been right, "I just need to figure out what the fuck is going on and then fix it. Can you come over?"
"I'm at work right now." There was some shuffling static as the phone hit something, "But does nine work?"
"Yeah." Sanji mumbled absently as he stared up at the words scrawled across his wall and realized that he'd need some time to clean it up before the man came over, "That'd be perfect."
"See ya then." Came the short reply before a voice could be heard asking something in the distance and Zoro abruptly hung up leaving Sanji once more in the silence of his house.
~X~
There was knock at the door and Sanji took a moment to calm himself and check that the painting he had bought fully covered the scorched words on his wall before opening the portal to reveal the green-haired man. Zoro was dressed much like he was last time they had met; wearing a pair of worn jeans and a baggy dark green hoodie with a red insignia of a scorpion on the front. It seemed that the casual look was all the man went for.
"Not gonna throw another lamp at me are you?" Zoro asked with a sneer that made Sanji sorely tempted to slam the door in the man's obnoxious face. Keeping his anger in check he reminded himself that he needed this man's help as much as it pained him to admit it.
"That depends," Sanji began calmly, happy at how controlled his voice had come out, "You gonna keep stalking me?"
Zoro just rolled his eyes with a snort and pushed his way into the apartment, ignoring the strangled noise of indignation from Sanji. A hand casually scratched at the back of the green head as he made his way into the living room and plopped down on the couch as if he owned the place.
"Getting comfortable are we?" Sanji asked in annoyance.
Zoro clasped his hands behind his head, kicked off his shoes and placed his feet on the coffee table before grinning up awardingly at Sanji, "Yes. Considering you need me; I don't give a fuck if I piss you off."
Sanji pursed his lips into a thin line and closed his eyes as he took a few calming breaths. Of all the inconsiderate, rude, obnoxious, self-righteous assholes that he needed to meet, of course he had to meet the only one on the fucking planet that could help him with his problem. The blond breathed out harshly through his nose before opening his eyes and returned the grin falsely.
"Do you want anything to drink?"
Zoro seemed to contemplate this for a moment before grinning, eyes flashing in a way that told Sanji that the man was thoroughly enjoying fucking with Sanji, "That spiced rum you were pounding back when I came here last time looked rather good."
Sanji closed his eyes once more and took in a calming breath that did little to help his frustration, "Right away."
While Sanji quickly fumbled through his kitchen to find the necessities Zoro had requested the blond paused for a moment to tangled his hands in his hair and double over as he let all of his current frustration in one long, silent scream. Once most of his anger had been drained through the silent yell he let the tension drain from his body and stood. Retrieving the ice that he needed while Zoro could distantly be heard humming a tune.
Sanji returned with two glasses filled with ice and a new bottle which he placed on the coffee table for Zoro. Feeling a bit calmer he took a seat opposite the man in his chair. The host immediately poured himself a glass, leaned back in his chair, downed half and then finally turned to Sanji. "So what do you need?"
"I – well..." Sanji drummed his fingers lightly on his knee trying to best think of how to start this conversation, "I'm willing to keep an open mind. This whole spirits shit is completely ludicrous, but recent things have put into light a situation that I cannot ignore and nothing I can think of or – or fucking Google – will make any sense. And since you're the only person who seems to have a ready answer I feel like I should hear you out."
"I don't care one way or another if you believe me." Zoro replied as he finished the drink and poured himself some more, ice clacking against the glass, "When I leave you're the one who has to deal with reality and stop acting like a scared child."
Sanji scowled but refrained from insulting the man, "I'm not scared."
Zoro only snorted, the sardonic look on his face saying all it needed to about how pathetic he thought Sanji was acting. In return Sanji pictured pushing Zoro out of his kitchen window and watching as the smug man fell to his death. The image of Zoro lying dead in the alleyway helped with his current urge to punch the man in the face.
"Alright." Sanji stated as he fought to keep himself opened minded, reaching out and filling up his own glass to the brim with rum, feeling that he was going to need the alcohol to make it through this as he muttered, "Explain to me the whole spirits in the objects thing."
Zoro watched him calmly for a moment, dark brown eyes assessing him silently as he seemed to be contemplating something unspoken. Swilling his drink lightly, the clacking of the ice on the glass was the only sound between them, a look of decision flashed across the man's face as he finally leaned forward.
"When you put on the glasses you black out right?" Zoro waited for Sanji's nod of confirmation, "That's because you were going into your minds..." Zoro waved his hand as though looking for the right word, "room so to speak. And because you didn't know about the spirit your mind had put up a protective mental wall. Since you were confined to your mind the spirit would then take over."
"So he's been running around in my body?" Sanji asked lightly as he tried to keep up with Zoro's train of thought, still wondering whether or not he should believe if this was all true or not. Though the idea of a spirit possessing his body and running around Grand Line causing chaos did not bode well with him. It did however explain his sudden lapses in memory and the writing on his wall, "All those times?"
"Yes." Zoro replied as he downed the second glass, placing it on the table and not reaching for the bottle, instead settling back in his seat and waiting for Sanji's next question. Sanji was still sceptical but played along nonetheless, taking a sip from his own glass before setting it down on the table.
"So how do I talk to mine? Or communicate? Or -" Sanji shook his head and placed a hand to his face trying to ignore how utterly stupid he sounded, "Or whatever."
"Put them on." Zoro replied, "If you're ready to accept the fact that he's there then your mental wall should drop, then you'll be able to talk to him and come to an agreement."
"And you've come to an agreement?" Sanji asked as his eyes flicked to the black bandana on Zoro's upper arm, vaguely remembering the man mentioning that there was a spirit trapped within the fabric. He mentally snorted at this whole ordeal and casually pulled his glasses from his pocket.
"Yes." The man's hand gently covered the garment, "We've come to an agreement."
"So were you conscious when you were molesting me in that alley?"
"No!" Zoro blushed profusely, "Look sometimes Asura does what he wants, but as long as it doesn't harm my body I don't complain. Usually I control him, but sometimes he has stuff to do; he probably sensed your spirit had been mortalized."
Sanji frowned, not entirely satisfied with such a misgiving answer. If Zoro was telling the truth then he just let this spirit run around in his body without any restraint? And why would the spirit want to contact Sanji's? How had the spirit even found him in the first place? And what the fuck was an-, "Asura?"
"Yeah." Zoro snorted condescendingly as though the answer was obvious and Sanji was the one being ridiculous here, "His name. They were people before getting sealed in these objects you know."
Sanji sighed and fell back in his chair rubbing his temples as he began to feel a headache coming on. Keeping up with Zoro's ramblings and theories was almost as difficult as following a child's imaginative train of thought, "Okay, so my spirit – whatever the fuck his name is – will contact me if I put on the glasses and look for him."
"I'll stay right here in case it doesn't work." Zoro offered.
"Okay." Sanji said calmly but was internally grateful to the man for the offer. If anything of this insane talk was actually real – if a spirit was in fact possessing his body and running all over Grand Line – then he'd like it if someone who actually knew what he was dealing with would be there to stop the spirit from doing anything else without Sanji's permission.
But that was of course only if Zoro was actually telling the truth.
Sanji picked up the shades and looked them over carefully, they certainly didn't look like something that contained a thousand year old spirit, the very idea of a spirit trapped inside them was completely ridiculous. But with no other explanation possible he assumed he might as well give it his all. If there was in fact a spirit in them then that meant that Zoro wasn't a madman and was telling the truth. Something that seemed just as unpleasant.
Sanji took a steadying breath and slid the glasses onto his nose, and felt the scenery around him dissipate. Everything around him tinged black as he began to loose consciousness. Zoro's presence faded, his vision blurred and the couch beneath him disappeared completely as everything was engulfed in nothing.
There was not a single sound; no traffic out on the road, the stomping of the tenants above him, or even his own breath. He couldn't hear a single thing as he kept his eyes shut in slight fear of what he would be met with upon opening them. What if he was transported to a weird dimension like in Lord of the Rings and the evil eye of the spirit would be peering into his very soul?
Or worse what if he was dead?
Reaching out all his senses to the utmost of his abilities he tried to find even the tiniest iota of sound or movement; instead it was complete, eery silence. It took actual effort on his part to calm his breathing and try to keep from having a panic attack. Once feeling a little less lightheaded he steeled himself, took a deep breath, opened his eyes and saw... nothing.
It felt like he was in space – everything around him was black – though he could still completely see himself and was able to discern that he was in fact standing on something. Though that something blended into the rest of nothingness. It was vaguely reminiscent of The Matrix where Neo and Morpheus had stood in the data space of pure white. Though he doubted he could conjure up a Costco full of tactile weapons and machine guns with a thought.
"Hey." A deep, sensual baritone stated from directly behind Sanji and the blond spun around, arms raised and heart pounding in his throat. He had thought that he was alone.
A man with strange familiarity stood before him. He wore a tight fitting, stylish black suit that made him look entirely made from angles. A blue collared pinstripe shirt was visible, and was set off with a sleek black tie that was smoothed impeccably against the man's hard chest. The eyes were a shockingly familiar blue that matched his shirt and his choppy blond hair set off the whole look mixing the style of the suit and the crazy bedhead.
It was odd staring at this man that seemed so alike to him in ways, but then was subtlety different in others. Like hair choice and his lack of curled eyebrows. But that cocky grin was eerily similar is ways that made Sanji shiver.
"You – you..." Sanji stuttered awkwardly, "Who?"
"I'm Prince." The man intoned formally with a slight bow, his burning blue eyes watching Sanji intently, "I'm glad we finally meet."
Sanji's mouth hung open as he stared at the man in utter shock. There was no way. No fucking way that this was happening. It was completely and logically impossible. Maybe Zoro had spiked the rum and had specifically requested the bottle so Sanji would hallucinate and start seeing shit.
"Stop hyperventilating will you?" Prince snorted lightly as he straightened his stance and smoothed down his suit, "I can feel your agitation and it's making me uncomfortable."
"This can't be possible."
"Oh, I thought the same." Prince smiled charmingly, "Waking up to find myself bound to a pair of glasses. Trust me; I thought it was bad dream for a good couple decades."
Sanji watched the spirit cautiously – still not sure if he was trustworthy yet – as he began to filter through everything Zoro had told him; as crazy as it had all sounded at the time. Oh God! Had this man been running around Grand Line in his body? Had he molested others like he had done to Zoro? What the fuck had he done?!
"So let me get this straight," Sanji began nervously, "Your spirit is stuck to these shades and whenever I've put them on you've been in control of my body?"
Prince inclined his head lightly, "Not to worry. I merely was exploring the city; you can imagine how annoying it is to be stuck inside a pair of glasses and unable to take part in the changes in the world. Still haven't used a computer of fuck's sake."
The simple admission had Sanji relaxing visibly at the fact that he wouldn't be getting any unexpected visits from the cops thanks to this man. Though whether or not he was telling the truth and was trustworthy was still a matter that he had yet to determine. However, the man didn't seem hostile or untrustworthy in any way.
"That's why I've been so exhausted?" Sanji asked slowly as the spaces were finally beginning to get filled in, "Because you've been up at all hours of the night?"
"Yes, I apologize." Prince seemed sincere in his apology before he continued, "But it was partially necessary to get your attention. I regret having to resort to vandalizing your apartme-"
"Shh." Sanji commanded harshly as he shut his eyes abruptly, placed his hands over his ears and took several deep breaths to try and calm himself. This wasn't that strange. Zoro had warned him about this, and apparently been telling the truth the whole time. Strangely, he was more annoyed that he was going to have to admit Zoro was right than he was about all this spirit nonsense.
This spirit – Prince – did in fact exist. Past that Sanji hadn't even started to fathom what it could possibly mean and instead of finding his mind overflowing with questions he found that he had been shocked into silence. Dumbfounded to the point of mute. This must have been what shock victims must have felt like.
Finally – with a bit more composure – he was able to lower his hands and look back up at the spirit with stronger resolution. Once more looking up at the identical entity that watched him with something close to concern in his sharp eyes before asking, "You okay?"
"I'm not sure." Sanji replied honestly and finally tore his eyes away from the spirit that was staring at him far too intently and instead inspected the black surroundings once more, "Where exactly are we?"
Prince glanced around feigning interest as though it was the first time he had even noticed being hung in this black void. A cigarette suddenly vaporized between his lips and he took a heady drag before blowing the smoke out with a thoughtful hum, "My bet would be your mind."
"My mind?" Sanji frowned, and glanced around as though expecting something to have changed. He vaguely recalled Zoro saying something along those lines. What had he called it; a mind room?
"Seems about right." Prince muttered before grinning cheekily at Sanji, "What? Still don't believe Zoro?"
At this Sanji's eyes widened and he fairly began to panic once more at the idea that the spirit could read his mind. "How do you know about that?!"
"I may be bound to a pair of specs but I can still see and take in everything around me." Prince took a quick drag and tucked his free hand into his pocket, "I saw the whole conversation."
"Okay... okay okay okay okay." Sanji placed a hand to his forehead as the shock was slowly beginning to fade and the reality of situation was really starting to settle in, "Let's say that this is all real and I'm not on drugs. Why me?"
"I don't know." Prince shrugged, "Probably some bloodline, or destiny crap. Do I look like I care?"
"I CARE!" Sanji shouted hysterically, as he waved his arms to emphasize his hysteria, "Why does it have to be me? Can't you find someone else to inhabit? I have a life!"
"Trust me, I've tried." Prince muttered quietly, "I spent centuries trying to find a way out of those glasses. Year after year I was jostled around – worn by some unsavoury people – and not one of them allowed me to be free. Then you put them on and I was kicked into your body."
Sanji pursed his lips in annoyance at the answer that simply brought them back to the beginning of the conversation making nothing clearer for the blond. He decided to go back to the original topic of discussion, not exactly knowing what you were supposed to talk about with a spirit currently trapped in your body. The weather wasn't an option so the surroundings were the next bet, "So is it always just nothingness in here?"
"This is your mind." Prince waved a hand absently, "Create what you want."
"...and by create you of course mean...?"
Prince shrugged indifferently, "It's your mind; think of what you want to be your surroundings and they'll appear. Think of this as a dream; you can make whatever you want happen."
"Impossible."
"You like that word even though you keep being proved wrong time and again."
"Fine!" Sanji muttered in annoyance as he furrowed his brows and focused on the blackness around him. If he could be anywhere else at this moment he'd want to be at a beach relaxing in the sand and forgetting that all of this was happening to him. He began to picture the white, sparkling sand, and the glittering ocean as it rocked calmly, and the warm sea breeze that would hit his cheek and-
And in a sudden whoosh everything changed. The hard invisible floor in the void was replaced with sand and the black infinity was swept up in a sudden wind and changed into a beach with the ocean stretching on toward the horizon. Palm trees waved lazily in the breeze that a few gulls were riding, and the hot sun beat down on Sanji's neck warming the skin.
"No. Fucking. Way." Sanji managed as he turned – feeling the sand slipping between his toes – as he inspected all of his surroundings in complete and utter disbelief. Everything looked so real. Completing an entire circle he viewed all of his new surroundings in wonder before coming to stop once more in front of the spirit.
"Very nice." Prince muttered as he glanced around appraising, "At least my host seems half way intelligent."
"Host?" Sanji raised a brow, beginning to feel the threads of anger seep into him.
"You are host to my spirit." Prince explained dryly, "What else shall I call you?"
"I'm Sanji." Sanji intoned sharply.
"Very well, Sanji." Prince smiled fondly before continuing, "Listen, we're in your mind and I can literally feel every emotion and thought that's buzzing around in your head. Let's clear up what's bothering you, huh?"
Sanji frowned at the perceptiveness of the spirit, especially not liking the fact that he could supposedly feel everything currently going on in Sanji's mind. It just felt like an extreme invasion of privacy. What were you supposed to do when even your mind was open to be read. What was more; why had the spirit hid?
"Why haven't you contacted me before?"
"I wasn't able to." Prince admitted casually, "Until you realize that I am there your mind put up a mental wall. You had to search for me."
Sanji accepted the answer reluctantly, the story seemed fairly congruent with Zoro's explanation. A mental wall, or whatever exactly he had called it. It seemed at least the spirit seemed to be honest, and from his formal attitude he at least seemed like a respectable and considerate person – spirit – thing. Staring levelly at the spirit Sanji calmly assessed the man. He didn't seem to be lying, nor malicious in anyway, and his tone was nothing but sincere. And yet, Sanji was still annoyed, still felt betrayed by the fact that the spirit had used his body without his permission.
"Listen," Prince gave heavy sigh and his hand patted Sanji's shoulder, "I wanted to apologize for the past couple weeks."
The water lapped gently onto the beach, sand swirling in its currents before drawing back to create small waves that splashed up onto the beach weakly. A few gulls croaked in the far off distance, as the wind swept around and between them, whipping the fresh scent of sun tan lotion and coconut up to invade his senses. Sanji remained silent as the manufacturings of his mind overwhelmed him and waited for the man to continue.
"I'd waited for so long to be free that I admittedly was a bit selfish. I promise that I didn't do anything illegal." Prince was watching him steadily, but Sanji still didn't answer, "You're annoyed about Zoro, right?"
"If I am going to share this body with you I need to be able to trust you." Sanji began as he stared into matching blue eyes, "And already you've gotten on my nerves."
"What?" Prince chuckled, "Cause I made you kiss a boy? Grow up."
"It's not that." Sanji growled in annoyance as he fought against the memory of waking up in Zoro's arms with his tongue shoved half-way down his fucking throat, "You violated my body without my permission. I can't forgive that."
Prince sighed heavily and dropped the spent cigarette into the sand, grinding it out with the sole of a finely polished dress shoe, "You've clearly never been in love, huh?"
"What does that have to do wi-"
"I'm sorry." Prince interrupted firmly, as those intense eyes were once more looking directly into Sanji's and this time the pained longing was clearly visible, "I'm sorry I went against your wishes, but if you could even understand a fraction of what I feel for him you'd understand why I couldn't keep him at arms length."
A gust of wind lashed between the two men, rustling the branches of the nearby palm trees and causing Sanji's hair to whip against his face as he watched the forlorn spirit quietly. Prince did seem sincere in his apology but the melancholy in his voice while talking about Asura was heartbreaking. In retrospect of everything that had happened it made Sanji feel somewhat guilty about getting angry at the spirit.
"I just-" Sanji cut himself off as he looked away from Prince's ardent stare and glanced down at his feet – the grains slid between his toes and under his feet and felt so real it was hard to believe that this wasn't a real world that he was standing within. Glancing back up at the spirit he fought down a blush as he said more firmly, "I need to know how far you and him intended to go with our bodies."
Prince seemed to assess Sanji for a moment before a small smirk quirked the spirits lips as he muttered around his newly appeared cigarette, "Well we were lovers if that's what you're implying."
Sanji finally lost in his fight against the blush as his cheeks became a bright red due to Prince's blunt answer and the spirit started chuckling. Pursing his lips childishly he tried to think of something to say while also being annoyed at the mocking laughter being directed his way.
"Listen," Prince began with a light smile, "We can discuss this later. You need to come to terms with all of this, and I believe Zoro is waiting for you to wake up."
Zoro was waiting.
That was right. All of this was currently happening inside of his head and for some reason was actually real. Sanji stared at the spirit as he mumbled quietly, "This is really happening, isn't it? This isn't a dream?"
"Unfortunately, no." Prince responded with slight remorse, the sadness in his words implicating something painful that the spirit was obviously keeping to himself.
"So..." Sanji trailed off pathetically as he glanced around the vastness of the beach he had created within his mind, looking for an exit or some sign of how he had gotten himself in here, "How do I get out of here?"
"We're gonna have to work on your mental abilities." Prince chuckled lightly before dropping his cig in the sand and grinding it out, "Just focus on your real body and open your real eyes. It's like a dream; just wake up."
Sanji closed his eyes for a moment and tried to block out the sounds of the ocean, instead searching for what would usually accompany him in his apartment. When he heard the loud honk of a car horn down on the street his eyes snapped open to see Zoro sitting across from him watching intently.
The glasses were still in place on his nose but he was conscious, still in control of his body. A shaking hand rose to remove the shades as he started at Zoro in complete and utter awe at the realization that the man really hadn't been lying. That all of this was real.
"You okay?" Zoro asked as he inspected the blond carefully.
"I need a drink."
~X~
The pub had a nice rustic feel to it; rich woods made the atmosphere dark yet comfortable. Televisions were strategically placed for sports lovers and were playing everything from football and hockey to baseball and even golf. The bar was lit up to show the various bottles of coloured alcohol that could be purchased and the bartender was cleaning a glass as he watched a nearby football game.
It was empty aside from a few patrons that were most likely regulars. A couple sat at a table with two ciders forgotten as they were talking amiably together about something unheard. A man in a suit who looked haggard was having a pint at the bar and looked as though he was preparing himself for the tongue wagging he'd receive when he returned home to his wife. And there was a young gentleman perched right in front of one of the largest television's with beer in hand as he was mesmerized by the game.
They found a small table in the corner of the pub with a couple beers, a bottle of purchased Irish whiskey and two shot glasses. Zoro didn't know how well the blond could hold his liquor and he wasn't about to ask, but judging from that fact that the two times he'd met the blond he had had drink in hand; maybe the blond was an avid drinker.
"You sure you can handle that?"
Sanji snorted derisively as he poured them both a shot, "I'm barely holding myself together, and this here," Sanji raised the shot glass, "Is the wonderful glue."
The blond tossed back the shot like it was water and poured himself another, and tossed that back as well, before finally turning to Zoro. "So what happens now?"
"What do you mean?" Zoro raised a brow as he picked up his own shot, taking it back and relishing in the happy burn. It wasn't that he didn't want to drink – free alcohol was free fucking alcohol – but at the rate the blond was going he probably wasn't going to be able to find his apartment afterwards. And Zoro still had to drive home.
"Like..." Sanji waved his hand as he seemed to be searching for the right word, "There's a spirit that lives in my body now; what the fuck happens? Surely he isn't just sticking around the world for kicks?"
Another shot was filled and downed before the blond finally turned to his beer and took a swig as chase.
"I'm not really the person to explain their story." Zoro began slowly as he took a swig from his beer, "They trapped themselves into these objects because they had no choice, they were forced to. You should ask Prince to show you what happened."
"Show me?" Sanji asked in confusion, taking a sip from his beer as he watched Zoro with a frown. The lack of understanding showed on Sanji's face and Zoro had to remind himself the blond was still really behind when it came to the situation regarding the spirits.
"Yeah." Zoro grinned, "His memories."
Sanji's eyes narrowed lightly, but like he had done most of the night, slowly seemed to contemplate the response before seemingly accepting the answer. Zoro didn't really mind if the blond remained confused at the moment, at least he now believed Zoro. And was no longer throwing lamps at Zoro's head.
"What about us?" Sanji asked finally, the weight of his voice betraying what had been bothering him all along. The blond's eyes purposefully avoided Zoro's as he lightly scratched at something stuck to the table.
"What about us?" Zoro raised a brow. He already knew what the blond was implying, but he wasn't about to speak out and make a fool of himself.
"Don't be thick." Sanji scowled as he fiddled nervously with his beer bottle, "There's something between the two spirits that we have."
"Yeah." Zoro scratched at the bandana absently, remembering exactly what Asura had shown him and the bond that the two spirits shared, "So?"
"So?" Sanji laughed with absolutely no humour, "That means that we – or them – well both of us..." Sanji poured himself another shot of whiskey in annoyance as he stumbled over his words, "Look I'm not homophobic or anything; I'm just not into guys. And if sharing my body with that spirit means he's gonna fuck around when my back is turned; I can't allow that."
"Sanji." Zoro stressed the man's name to get his full attention, blue eyes turned to look at him intently and for once the talkative man remained silent as he allowed Zoro his chance to speak, "It's your body. Prince will respect that."
Zoro could tell that Sanji wasn't satisfied with such an answer; Zoro had to admit that he knew that this situation wouldn't simply be resolved by Sanji saying no. These spirits had vigorously remained alive for a millennium for each other, and Sanji would hardly stand in their way. Sanji pursed his lips but nonetheless seemed somewhat placated.
"Besides," Zoro snorted lightly as his eyes travelled up Sanji's body, causing the blond to blush furiously as his expression became extremely uncomfortable, "I have standards."
"You ass." Sanji gritted through his embarrassment, and from the slight slur of his words it became apparent to Zoro that the tinge of red on his cheeks was from more than just a blush.
Zoro chuckled, shoulders shaking slightly as he watched the slightly annoyed blond send him an insulted glare from across the table. Blue eyes burning in indignation as white teeth gritted out another insult before the neck of a beer bottle was pressed against his lips and a large swig was taken.
"Regardless," Zoro took a swig of his beer before giving the blond an honest smile, "Try to look on the bright side. You know the truth now."
"True." Sanji amiably agreed with a small chuckle before he thoughtfully poked at the neck of his beer bottle, tilting the bottle on its side. A sudden look of decisiveness flashed across the blond features and he looked back up at Zoro as he raised his beer with a grin, "And at least I know that I'm not going insane."
Zoro grunted noncommittally as he clacked his bottle against the blond's, watching apprehensively as the man pounded back the beer and requested another from the barkeep. Somehow he felt like he'd have to be carrying this distressed host back home.
~X~
Zoro supported the clingy blond who seemed to think that the most productive thing to do was wrap his arms around Zoro's neck and sloppily giggle into his shoulder. To top it all the blond wasn't even trying to walk, just dragging his feet as he laughed about something that probably wasn't even that funny.
"C'mon, blondie." Zoro muttered as he stopped walking altogether and tried to pry the blond of of him, "I'm not carrying your ass all the way home."
Sanji just started laughing harder, and his legs completely gave out as he hung from Zoro with an entirely too tight and sure grip for a stumbling drunk. Managing to get an arm under the blond's armpit, he hefted the man into a better position to assist Sanji's stumbling walk.
"Yo – you -" Sanji snorted loudly as he fell into another fit of giggles trying desperately to talk through his laughter but only serving to make himself laugh harder until he was gasping for breath, "You wanna know what's really funny?"
"No." Zoro deadpanned as he finally gave up on prying the blond off of himself and strode down the street dragging the annoying blond in his wake. The fucking things he put up with for his spirit, all because Asura wanted to bone the spirit attached to this emotionally distraught blond alcoholic. And his friends called him bad with his drink.
"But it's so funny!" Sanji whined through his giggles and once more let his feet drag. Zoro defiantly kept walking despite the blond's attempts to make Zoro stop walking to listen. He managed about a block before the pokes, giggles, and dragging feet got too annoying to ignore.
"Fine what?!"
"We're gonna end up fucking." Sanji could barely finish his sentence through his laughter and completely let go and fell to the ground holding his stomach as he laughed. A car drove by and the couple looked down at the laughing drunk blond and then at Zoro before gracing him with a sympathetic look. Zoro just sighed and looked down at the hysterical blond.
"That's not that funny."
"But it is!" Sanji guffawed and rolled onto his side. "I mean I'm not even gay! And now I'm gonna get fucked by some punk with green hair that I just met in a back alley."
"Okay, dude." Zoro grumbled and bent down, "Get up. You're rolling in gum and bird shit. And whatever else ends up on the sidewalk."
This didn't seem to faze the blond at all, though he allowed Zoro to pull him to his feet and seemed to actually stand on his own for the first time since they left the bar. Still giggling he stumbled beside Zoro as they made it the rest of the way to the apartment complex.
Pushing the double glass doors open they managed their way into the lobby, and made their way over to the elevator. Having not worked when Sanji and him had first headed out for a drink Zoro had assumed it would be fixed upon return but instead found a large 'OUT OF ORDER' sign hanging from the doors. Grumbling in his annoyance he turned and stared up at the ominous staircase in silent dread.
Sanji began to lose his humour and instead opted for nuzzling his face into Zoro's collarbone as he tried to drift off while standing up right. A large yawn was placed into the crook of Zoro's neck and he realized that blond was about to try and drift off.
"Oh, no you don't." Zoro growled firmly, pulling the blond off of him and holding him at arms length, shaking his shoulders slight to try and get the half-asleep blond to look at him, "You are not falling asleep here. I'm not carrying you up those stairs, you fucker."
Sanji's half-lidded eyes fluttered lightly before closing and he made a small grunt of acknowledgement before relaxing in Zoro's grip so the only thing keeping him from falling to the floor was Zoro's hold on him. For a moment Zoro was tempted to just let go. Let the damned blond fall to the floor and sleep in the lobby for the night. But he was almost positive that if he ditched the man when he was drunk then any and all progress they had made as friends would be mute.
Sighing in resignation he pulled on the black bandanna, allowing the demon's aura to fill him before flexing his arms and coating his arms in a stable mass of black magic before hefting the unconscious man into his arms and beginning the trek up stairs. The aura made the blond light as a child, and Sanji's head lolled against Zoro's arm as he made his way up the ridiculously large staircase.
By the time Zoro had gotten to the fifteenth floor he was ready to punch the smiling sleeping idiot right in the nose. Only the mantra of reminding himself that this was good training kept him from being too thoroughly pissed at the drunk blond. Vaguely, remembering Sanji's apartment number he got them outside the door and them placed Sanji once more on his own feet. The small nap up the stairs seemed to recover some of the blond's consciousness and he stood on his own while tiredly staring at his door.
"You get your keys out or I will break down your door and leave you in the foyer." Zoro threatened flatly, tempted to use magic to open the door, but not wanting to risk Sanji seeing it and questioning him later about it. He'd bring it up when the blond was sober and could link two thoughts together.
Sanji nodded tiredly as his fatigued hand dug around in his pocket absently, pulling out a ring of keys and fumbling with the lock. Zoro took the opportunity to pull off the bandanna and return it to his arm, keeping a cautious arm beside the man in case he decided to fall over.
Once inside Zoro tossed the blonds keys on the kitchen counter and steered the blond directly to his bedroom, wanting to just get the stupid man to sleep. In his room Sanji seemed to understand the routine and started working at getting his shirt over his head. There was a moment where Sanji got his elbows caught in the sleeves and he stood there struggling to get the fabric off his head and Zoro just watched the ordeal in slight awe, wondering if he should laugh or feel sorry for the drunk dumb ass.
Sanji finally managed to get the tee shirt over his head, but when he looked down to undo the zipper on his pants the alcohol seemed to rush to his head and he fell forward. Zoro caught him for the umpteenth time that night and like every other time Sanji clung desperately to Zoro's frame to keep from toppling over and potentially giving himself an injury.
Though this time instead of just clinging, Sanji slowly slid to his knees and rested his head against Zoro's thigh as he began to lightly sob. Zoro stood for a moment with his hands hovering inches from Sanji's shoulders as he watched the sudden change in behaviour in confusion.
"Oi. Oi." Zoro dropped down and grabbed the blond's shoulders in concern, holding him at arms length as he tried to get Sanji to look at him, "What's wrong?"
"Everything!" Sanji wailed as he looked up at Zoro with watery blue eyes, "I was going to University. I was gonna be a lawyer. Now I have a spirit in me. My life is over. And now I'm gonna be gay. And to top it all off I'm gonna get ass-raped by yo-o-ou."
The twitch in his eyebrow was due to a mixture of not only having to drag this dumb pessimistic blond all the way to his fifteen storey apartment, but also listen to his whining accusations about them fucking. He could take jabs but having to sit and listen to someone cry over the fact that they might have to fuck him was just a little too insulting to his ego.
Zoro took a firm grip on the blond's shoulder before drawing back and slamming his fist into Sanji's jaw. Sanji fell back on the floor – surprisingly still conscious – as he looked up at Zoro with a bit of clarity. Clarity which was quickly masked by anger, and confusion.
"What the fuck?!"
"First off; shut the fuck up." Zoro shouted as he towered over Sanji, who made a move to interrupt but a look from Zoro had him reluctantly leaning back on his elbows to listen to Zoro. "Your life is not over; whatever you wanna do; you do it. Yes, there is now a spirit that shares your body, but you are in control, not it. And as for us fucking; never gonna happen. It's your body, the spirit can't force you."
Sanji slowly pushed himself up so he was sitting, still leaning back on one hand as he sighed and ran a hand over his face with an exhausted sigh before admitting quietly, "I know... I know."
"I just..." Sanji breathed quietly before shaking his head sadly, "Everything's happening so fast."
"I know." Zoro said gently as he drew the blond up onto his feet, "But let's get you to bed and we can discuss this better when you're sober."
"'Kay." Sanji muttered in agreement as he teetered dangerously as he stood on his own, blue eyes going slightly out of focus and face looking unhealthily pale. Zoro realized a moment too late before Sanji leaned forward and threw up all over his feet, stumbled backwards and collapsed on his bed unconscious.
TBC...
A/N: Aren't they just adorable drinking buddies?