Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.
A / N : Thinking of making up a Stanchez fiction, if that interests anyone? I just really love that pairing, almost as much as Zosan, and I have a couple ideas on where I want to go with a story with them. Maybe a nice Cryptid? I love that AU! That and the one where Rick has star pupils -don't know the au name- and Stan is the only one to attend his shows. Hella cute.
Sanji groaned gently as he rolled his head around on his neck, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders as he tapped his dead phone gently from it's spot in his pocket with a shaky hand. He had attempted to turn it on a few more times in the cafe with no success, so eventually he had to use a payphone to tell his father that he was going to be spending the night at Gin's.
Of course the elder man freaked out and cussed up a storm at the teen, which just made the pissed off blonde hang up and rant about how much of a jerk Zeff had become lately. Gin just smiled and nodded as he yelled, he too ignoring the looks that all the passerby's were giving the two as they walked to the older males current apartment. It wasn't even a personal decision on Sanji's part, to go to the mans house that is, but at some point as they sat in the cafe Sanji began to feel queasy and ill.
His vision had began to get blurry and his head fuzzy, making him unable to sit upright in the booth or stand without assistance. Gin had noticed and suggested taking him home. But Sanji didn't want to go and get yelled at while his head felt so off, so he begged the other to stay in his house for the night. Just until he felt better. The fugitive agreed with little hesitation before hoisting the teen up and bringing him to the nearest phone booth to at least inform Zeff of where he would be.
"Mmmggh." Sanji groaned once more as he leaned his shoulder against the taller's shoulder, squinted eyes locked on the ground in order to watch his feet and not trip on any misplaced stones or cracks.
"You OK?" Gin asked softly and in a concerned tone as he leaned over slightly to try and look at the blonde, but failed to do so as the cooks fringe covered the good majority of his face.
"No... What the fuck is going on..?" Sanji asked in a growl before tightening his grip on the others shoulder.
Gin, knowing that the other wasn't looking couldn't help but grin stupidly as the lean arm was wrapped around his shoulders and the soft hair brushed against his cheek. He hadn't touched the teen since they had met and even then it was just a short hug of gratitude for saving his life.
The man would never forget that day. It always raced through his mind and every little detail of when he first caught sight of the blonde angle, from when he walked into the Baratie from when he left, was firmly etched in his mind. At first he just looked like some pretty boy from Gin's perspective, and he never would of guessed that he was a cook due to the suit, face and just the way he carried himself which is why he paid him no mind as he walked into the restaurant and pointed his gun at the nearest waiter, insisting they bring him food with no pay but was almost immediately thrown outside on his ass.
He sat there for a good 5 minutes before footsteps were heard from the backdoor and a heavenly scent filled the air. A plate of rice and a large glass of mineral water was placed in front of his face and a lean figure sat to his right, lighting up a smoke as he acted as though he didn't just feed the 2nd most wanted man in the world.
He had denied it at first, not wanting the pity of the blonde next to him. But... But then he said something he would never forget.
"I know you think it's pity. But isn't it worth sucking up for pride worth having now and in the future?"
And after the words were uttered, Gin couldn't help but eat every last grain of rice on that plate, complimenting the flavor all the while as he cried tears that had built up over the years. And Sanji did nothing to ridicule him, didn't even look at him until he finished eating, but at that moment when the blonde gave him a wide smile with sparkling white teeth, blue eyes squinted in joy as he implied he already knew the food was great, he knew he was in love.
And only then did he feel regret for his previous decisions in life. Because now he was a criminal, unable to stay in one place to long and unable to stay at Sanji's side. So he knew at that point that he needed to watch from afar, keep tabs on the man and protect him when needed. Not that he really needed it, Gin thought with a thoughtful smile. He was strong, and could fend for himself.
But once he heard one of the 4 teens the blonde had decided to hand around with gloat about how tight the cook was he couldn't just sit back idly anymore. Especially when he caught the cook crying in his room and trying to convince Zeff not to go to the police over it or take him to the hospital, claiming it wasn't worth it.
So he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. He killed the four, unsure if all of them took part but not wanting to take any chances. He didn't leave his crews symbol, not wanting the murder to get linked to him and Sanji being scared of him. He would probably kill himself if he hurt the blonde in anyway, so he stayed anonymous, even in the letters and gifts. He wanted to wait until the blonde fell in love with him before seeing him again, but he couldn't wait any longer.
No, not after seeing the blonde get along with this new group of friends. He couldn't handle it anymore, the thought of him going into potential danger with these strangers fueled thoughts in him that he would rather not have. It scared him to think on how much he loved the man to his left, but at the same time he knew it was alright. Sanji deserved the concern.
He deserved everything.
And no one gave him anything but him. Not even Zeff cared enough about the blonde to ignore his wishes and go to the police. He would of dragged the blonde to the hospital if he knew he was hurt, fighting or not. Because he needed it. It was for his own good.
And so was this, Gin thought with a small sigh as he gently rubbed the slim teens hip, he needed to drug the teen and take him with him. He would give him anything he needed, and fulfill his dream of sailing the sea. He would keep him happy and make sure that the gorgeous smile that the blonde carried never left his face.
He deserved nothing less.
"Fucking dumbass, idiot, retarded, baka-eggplant." Zeff grumbled under his breath as he hung up the phone. Almost immediately after the blonde had called him on an unknown number, sounding like he had just drunk himself into a slurring stupor as he informed the elder man about how he was going to be spending the night at his fucking stalkers house, he called the cops.
The head officer, Smoker, who the kids that were crowded around him apparently knew, answered and said that he was sending a squad car to their house. He said he would also have one patrol around the school and visit any cafe's within the area, so all the group could do now was wait.
"What's going to happen to him..?" Usopp mumbled out with pinched features, worry pouring out of both him and everyone else as they sat in the living room, awaiting the cops arrival.
"He'll be fine." Luffy stated with a firm nod.
"How can you be sure though?" Nami asked with anger lacing her tone as she glared at the air headed captain. She couldn't help but feel thankful that he was still being positive, but their friend was in danger. And simply thinking positive would do nothing in this situation but raise everyone's hopes.
And she didn't know if that would be for the best in this situation.
"Because it's Sanji. He's strong."
Zoro kept to himself as he stood up and leaned against the wall of the living room. He knew more than anyone how strong the cook was, but Zeff has said that he sounded drunk.
But he doubted the cook was stupid enough to get wasted with someone he barely knew. So obviously he wasn't drunk, he was drugged. And it really didn't matter how strong you were if you were incapable of thinking correctly or seeing properly. But at the same time the swordsman had no idea as to what drugs had been used on the blonde, but either way he felt as though his captor wasn't stupid enough to leave the cook in a state where he could fight back.
Especially since he had apparently been watching him constantly. He knew how tough Sanji was.
"But what if he's hurting him?" Nami asked harshly but quickly snapped her mouth shut as she looked over at Zeff, who wore a grave and angry expression as he stared down at his knees.
"Well... The guy said that he loved Sanji, right? I don't think he would hurt him if that's true." The artist of the group supplied quietly. "And he.. Killed those guys because they hurt Sanji..."
"That's true... But we can't say anything for sure." Zeff stated, drawing the younger teens into a somber silence as they decided to not assume anything more, but instead just hope for the best and wait.
Zoro on the other hand, wouldn't just sit there. Not when the blonde just entered his life and made it all the more brighter with the simplest of actions. It was like giving him a taste of the greatest sake on the planet only to rip it out from under his nose.
But he would never tell anyone that. Especially not the cook.
Sanji rubbed his temples gently as Gin set him down on the ripped and old looking sofa that was planted against the wall in a very run down apartment complex. It was obviously not a permanent thing in Gin's case since he was incapable of staying in one spot for too long, but Sanji really didn't mind. He didn't have enough thought process at the moment to care about much of anything after all.
"Mhh." The blonde hummed as he blinked his blurry eyes open, not even realizing that he closed them as Gin gently shook his shoulder and offered him a glass of water. Sanji took it with a grateful smile before sipping on the beverage, hoping it would help subside his growing headache as the other male sat next to him.
"You need anything else? Hungry at all?" He asked in a low tone, already knowing how the pills effected your head on an empty stomach and he couldn't help but hate himself as he didn't find out if the cook had actually consumed anything before hand.
"No... I'm OK." Sanji shot him another smile before setting the glass down on the table in front of the two. "Sorry... We meet for the first time in forever and I..."
He paused to wince and rub his eyes, as if that action would clear his vision and thoughts before continuing.
"I don't feel well... It's weird though, I felt f-fine all day!" He exclaimed in confusion. "Maybe it was that coffee..."
"Maybe... You want to just lay down? I have some movies if you want to watch any..?"
"Sure... Whatchu got?" The cook asked as he hugged his arms around himself and layed his head down on the armrest, getting himself comfortable as the other stood up and walked towards the television. He then grabbed the small pile of DVD's that were piled up on the floor and began to name them off.
"There's Lilo and Stitch?" Gin asked as he showed him the case and smiled. "I know it's your favorite."
Sanji nodded idly, trying to focus on the small part of his mind that was screaming at him on how he needed to really think on the mans previous statement. But as the disk was put into the retro looking player, and the television was turned on the cook could do nothing but flutter his eyes to try and keep them open, that simple action taking up all his focus as his mind grew even hazier.
Gin looked over at the curled up blonde and smiled gently as he pressed play on the home menu of the disk before going into the attached kitchen. "I'm going to make some pasta, is that alright?"
"Mhmm." Sanji mumbled in turn as he finally succumbed to his minds demands and closed his eyes gently, listening to the beginning of his favorite movie before he finally fell asleep. Gin on the other hand stopped his actions in the kitchen and moved back into the living room, simply staring at the slumbering blonde for a few moments before sitting next to him and running a hand through the soft blonde locks.
Watching him in his room was nothing compared to this, the convict thought with a smile as he scratched the teens skull, relishing in the smile it brought Sanji and the murmurs that escaped the lean teenager as he leaned into the hand. He couldn't risk touching the cook in fear of waking him up before, but now he knew that the blonde would be out for the next 5 hours at the very least.
But he would need to make the most of this time, he thought as he finally -and regrettably- took his hand off the other and opened a box that was hidden under the couch which held several items, such as a blue collar, an anklet looking device with a red bulb on the side, and a leash.
None of which were for an animal.
Tbc.