Domoto55: Thank you! It would be wonderful to have support when one is caught up in that misery – it's a tough battle to negotiate on one's own, but in the end it is up to ourselves to make the decision. And even then, it's a lifetime battle. I send you all my support and just know you can PM me – we might have more in common than you know!

Naghi-Tan: this chapter will give you some answers D:

12tailedninja-demon: I know! DX I'm just eager to get this all out before my mood ends and I end up abandoning ship at the last chapter (again! ARGH). I am inwardly an emotional person, so if *I don't feel it when I write, then it doesn't get written well. Unfortunately when the feeling goes away, so does my will to write (agh so *annoying!) I loooooooveeee lizards :D So writing Bepo as one delights me lol

Dromso: Thank you! Thank you! thank you! :D

Snowflake97: He's been so wrapped up in his issues, he can't see what's going on around him. Unfortunately, his feelings will arrive slowly…*very slowly…because of this chapter's mess. D:

WulfyFang3: They are slowly getting there! Thank you for continuing to follow!

: : 9

Sanji waited for Zoro's arrival. His insides were quivering with agitation, but his body was stiff within the booth furthest from the other diners. His hands were resting atop of the table, forearms cupping the dining settings in front of him. Zeff's only rule was that they keep their voices lowered as to not disturb the snoopy cooks that were already trying to pry in on the situation.

He had a list planned out before he'd arrived – all the topics that needed to be covered, the questions that he needed answers for. The negotiation for Brook. He was trying not to let his thoughts over Law interrupt him.

The surgeon had left for work that morning without saying anything. Sanji had no idea what was going on in his head, but he couldn't afford to focus on that aspect when he needed all his wits about him to deal with Zoro. He knew he was too emotional to stay steady.

When Zoro finally arrived an hour later – spiking Sanji's agitation levels with exasperation – Zeff led him to the table. He ended up pouring them both coffee.

"Anything to eat for either of you?" Zeff asked gruffly.

At the twin shakes of head, he grunted before leaving. The tension was thick at the table, and both of them unconsciously mirrored each other's movements by crossing their arms and sitting in defensive postures on their seats.

All the words and lists Sanji had practiced scattered. He could feel Zoro's anger simmering around him. From the expression on his face, it looked like his words had left him, too. It was awkward sitting in that booth – for two people that always had a word for each other, the absence of voices felt overpowering.

Sanji desperately needed a distraction but he wasn't about to cow down in front of the man to show any sign of weakness. In all the aftermath of the decision, he hadn't shown Zoro any of this – no tears, no sadness, no vulnerability. The other man hadn't, either. Sanji had to wonder if either of them had shown such an emotion in front of the other at all. In all their years together, to be strong individually and together allowed no room for such things.

"Well?" he croaked, shuffling uncomfortably after hearing this of his voice. He cleared his throat. "Say something. I don't want to sit here all day, staring at that angry mug of yours."

Zoro's scowl turned darker. If only Sanji could have worded that better.

"You don't think I'm allowed to be angry?" he asked Sanji. "Coming here just confirms what I've been feeling."

Sanji lowered his eyes to the coffee Zeff had poured, watching steam waft from the top. His jaw twitched.

Zoro sighed noisily. He was so tense that he seemed immoveable.

"No apology will ever be acceptable," Sanji mumbled. "No matter how many times I say it, it still won't lessen the fact that I…did these things. So you have a right to be angry."

"Anyone would be in this situation!" Zoro snapped at him. He swiped his hands through his green hair. "For you to do that, then come home…"

"For one thing, I'd like to point out that it wasn't like I pursued you after," Sanji had to say. "You had your focus on different things. And I didn't want to touch you because – "

"That makes sense," Zoro said slowly, understanding coming to his expression. "You stopped showing any kind of affection."

"I'm surprised you noticed when I gave any," Sanji muttered.

Zoro's face reddened. He speared the other man with a glare. "I wasn't deaf, blind or unfeeling, moron."

"Yet you couldn't tell me yourself that you weren't feeling it."

"Why should I?" Zoro asked.

"That's what I was looking for!"

"In other men," he scoffed, arms tightening at his chest. "In other men – where did you meet these people? Are they guys I know?"

"…No."

"But they know who we are, they know who I am, so who am I going to encounter later on down the road that's going to laugh at my face?"

"If they do, then it's up to you to deal with them."

"How is that fair?"

"It's not," Sanji muttered. "It wouldn't be."

'You'd have kept doing this if I hadn't found out, wouldn't you?" Zoro asked, watching him.

Sanji didn't feel an answer was appropriate at this point. So he let his silence speak for him. Zoro exhaled sharply, looking away with disgust. Sanji knew at this point he wasn't going to get the reconciliation that he'd thought. He'd accepted this thought days ago, but it still cut him like a hot knife through the chest.

"I talked to you," he said slowly. "I explained what I was feeling. You didn't want to acknowledge it to start fixing it."

"I told you why I didn't," Zoro snapped. "Told you I wanted some fucking space from you. You're like some fucking needy thing, needing constant damn attention!"

"How is giving you everything 'needing constant attention'?" Sanji snapped back. "I showed you every damn day up to then that I loved you!"

"Don't use that word here," Zoro interrupted, looking at him furiously. "Don't think using that word means anything, now."

"What, love? Made you uncomfortable then, makes you uncomfortable now. What's the difference?"

"How is it 'love' when you can chose to step out - ?"

"How was it 'love' when you chose to ignore it?"

"I didn't! I was secure, I could rely on it! But you chose to fuck it all up!"

"Not like you were any happy, either! You chose not to be interested in what I was doing, you chose not to be happy with what I gave so you chose to have 'space'! Whatever the fuck that means!"

"If you felt that way, then you should have separated from me then," Zoro snapped over his rising voice. "Instead you chose to double dip. Made me look like a fucking idiot!"

Sanji exhaled slow to settle his bubbling emotions. Zoro grit his teeth to keep from speaking anything that he hadn't already had before. It felt like a merry go round.

He leaned forward in his seat, wiping his face. "I just want a clean divorce. I don't want to pay you, I don't want to give you anything."

"I put just as much money and effort into those things," Sanji said low. "But I don't want your money, nor do I want that house. I want to share Brook, and pick up the things that belong to me rightfully."

"Enough with your attention to him. You only want him to continue being a presence around me."

Sanji gave him an outraged look. "I love Brook just as much as you do!"

"I just don't think Brook should have to be shuttled from place to place when you don't even have it steady for yourself."

"I have a good place."

"Oh, with that guy?"

"My roommate and I are on good terms."

Zoro snorted. "Now that I'm aware of your shit, I can see you fucking that up, too. And I don't think Brook needs that stress of meeting so many people while you find the attention that you crave."

"Shut up, Zoro. You sound stupid."

"You know what's stupid? Is you fucking up a good thing!"

"Was it a 'good thing', you dumb ass? Because this problem started because you wanted space! I gave you the fucking space you wanted, but it was obvious that you had a problem with me in the first fucking place!"

"I didn't have a problem with you! That sounds so fucking ridiculous! How was it a fucking problem if I could depend on you?"

"Then tell me, to my face," Sanji demanded bitterly, "that you loved me. Tell me you appreciated me. Tell me these things!"

"What's the point of saying these things now? I look at you, I fucking hate you!"

"If you hated me, then you had to love me at some point, right?"

"This is so stupid!"

"Why is it so hard for you to say?"

"What a man gives is more powerful than some words," Zoro stated. "I showed enough of it with what I gave you. And it wasn't enough."

"When actions aren't being given, don't you think some words would be sufficient? Did you like my cooking, moss? Do you miss it now?" Sanji asked before Zoro could say anything in response. "Do you miss me being there?"

Zoro stared at him in silence while Sanji waited for the answer. When the silence stretched and Zoro looked away, Sanji felt his own face fall slightly. What he didn't know was that Zoro was struggling not to show any weakness in front of him. Just as what Sanji had thought of the concept earlier, he was struggling to retain his façade of strength.

With his lips tight, Sanji muttered, "All it takes is a simple admittance, Zoro. Even if it sounds corny or stupid, unmanly or whatever – all it takes is a stupid gesture or word. That's all I was looking for."

"So you found it in other men."

Sanji knew that they weren't going to get anywhere. Zoro was stuck on that while Sanji himself was stuck on his. Counseling wasn't going to help either of them, considering how stubborn they were. Both men refused to yield because both of them didn't want to show a vulnerability to the other. Whether it was because they were afraid of being mocked or afraid to be seen as weak – he understood that.

So he gambled with the concept of showing that.

Meanwhile, Zoro had convinced himself that Sanji felt no remorse for his actions because he didn't show it. Sanji was stubbornly holding onto his pride and waiting for him to give so that Sanji had something else over him. Zoro refused to give Sanji that satisfaction after humiliating him with what he did.

Both of them sat in pensive silence, each thinking nearly similar as the other.

"Tell me you regret it," Zoro said slowly. "All of it."

"In exchange for what?"

"You never did apologize properly."

"I just said that no apology was good enough."

"It would help."

"So you want me to grovel at your feet?"

Zoro pointed at him. "This is what it felt like, Sanji. Being told to show my love when it was already present."

"Is this a fucking game for points?"

"If you can't grovel at my feet with your apologies, then you have no apology to give."

Sanji stared at him for several moments, unmoving. But he finally found the voice to say, "Even if I did, would you forgive me?"

"Probably not."

"Even if we somehow both agreed to get counseling and fix things, you wouldn't look at me the same."

"I wouldn't."

"Even if years had passed, you'd never see me as the same person standing in front of you at the wedding. You'd see someone else you can't bring yourself to touch, talk, or trust. So what's the fucking point to an apology?"

Zoro glared out the window. Sanji stared at his coffee once more.

His heart thundered in his chest as he weighed his options. When he looked back at this moment, would he regret it? Would all the should have, would have, could haves turn into a painful regret, a potential instrumental factor that might have had the power to change things between them?

If he stepped down from his stubborn position, could Zoro find it in his heart to forgive him?

Or would he just make a fool of himself?

Zoro was thinking the near exact same thing. If he chose to tell Sanji that he did miss his presence, would it be for the right reasons? Would Sanji take that and use it as a way to manipulate his position back? Make Zoro into more of a fool than he already felt he was?

Both of them knew they'd leave this café with regrets when they'd already acknowledged their own vulnerability. Both of them debated on stepping down.

Both of them convinced themselves that they shouldn't.

"Well, this was a waste of fucking time," Zoro muttered bitterly to himself. "Coming all the way out here just to hear the same shit over and over again."

"Yeah, well, you weren't any help, either. It's not like you had anything helpful."

"Did you really think this could be fixed?" Zoro asked him curiously, resettling to hear the answer. "Did you think that this whole entire thing could be fixed if I said you could come back?"

Sanji exhaled. "I did. But…realistically, I knew there was going to be further problems. I knew…neither of us would change from this moment."

"Then why even think about it at all?"

"Because - !" Sanji trailed off. Did they have a good marriage? When neither of them would give?

Zoro frowned at him when he stopped short. "Because what? Why couldn't it be?"

"Is that something you'd want?"

"No! Not at this point…"

"Then what's the point of answering?"

"Because there you go again, hiding something from me you should be sharing with me."

"I don't have to share much with you when you don't appreciate what you're being given."

"How would you even know I wouldn't appreciate it if you don't give it in the first fucking place?"

"Because you never appreciated it when I was actually there, stupid! You never said anything about that!"

"I did appreciate it because I could expect it!"

"At the fucking snap of your fingers! I'm not some damn slave!"

"I didn't think of you as one!"

"You sure treated me as one!"

"Just because your family treated you like one - !"

"My family has nothing to do with this conversation! Leave them out of it!"

Disgusted, Zoro crossed his arms again while Sanji simmered with anger. He did find himself thinking about his family – with Reiju approaching him, would he ever accept her apology for the things that they did?

Sanji knew he couldn't, but he could take a relationship cautiously. With restrictions. But he could never bring himself to trust them, her – so how could Zoro at this point? How could he?

He smirked. "This was a waste of time. But I'm going to appear in court to fight for Brook. So expect to see a lot of me."

Zoro rubbed his eyebrows. Agitation caused his shoulders to grow rigid. "You and what army? No one thinks you're stable. You look like a crackhead – is that what that guy's into? Sharing his supply with you?"

"Don't talk about someone that's better behaved than you."

"So, are you fucking with him, too?"

"Why does who I fuck with matter when you don't want me back?"

Zoro tightened up. "Is he one of those guys?"

"No."

"You're going to use him in the same manner you used me to get away from your family. Then when you're done using him, you're going to fuck him up just like you did with me."

"If I were to fuck someone up with my actions, it meant that I was actually cared for. So are you admitting to me that this hurts you as much as it hurts me?"

"You don't have any feelings, you don't have a fucking heart to feel anything with."

"If I didn't have any, I would have never agreed to date you in the first fucking place. You're about as worthless to any use I might have as a goddamn rubber spatula on a hot pan."

"So the entire marriage was a farce, huh?" Zoro asked, rising to stand from his seat. "This whole entire thing, all these years, it was just something you were using to get away from them, right?"

Sanji closed his eyes to escape the accusation and put his control back in line, even as his blood boiled.

"These things you're saying is shit I'd expect you to say," he said slowly. "You're angry, you have a right to be. I know I hurt you more than you'd like to admit to me or yourself. But there is nothing I can do to fix it. Nothing I can say to repair it. All this time I'd thought that things could be restored if we work on them together, but it appears that's not going to happen."

Zoro's hands clenched into fists. "So are you admitting to wasting years of my time for your own fucking amusement?"

"To have 'wasted your time'," Sanji said, "would mean you'd invested your own into it. So don't think this was all one sided. It never was. There's two of us present. So either one of us is lying about how much it hurts, or neither of us felt anything in the first place."

After a few moments of contemplation, he was surprised when Zoro ripped the table from its steel bearings and tossed it over his head. People looked with surprise and horror at the sheer strength involved, the crashing noises of the table settling against the far wall causing the kitchen cooks to dash out for a look.

"You've never apologized for what you've done, and you keep making yourself the fucking victim in this thing!" Zoro shouted furiously at him. "You're not sorry – your apology has conditions attached to it! All that's needed is an apology! Of course you wouldn't feel apologetic after what you've done – you're only fucking sorry you were caught!"

After that, the conversation was over and Zoro stalked away, causing other diners to scram out of his way. Sanji sat there in silence, coffee dripping from the seat around him.

From that reaction, he could deduce Zoro that for a man to have so much anger in him, there was still much pain he was dealing with. Sanji wouldn't know what kind, exactly, since neither of them would relinquish their position to admit it.

Zeff walked over, looking at the mess with disdain before looking at Sanji. He leaned onto the booth seat Zoro had been sitting in, hand on his hip. "Ain't no apology going to fix that," he said.

Sanji nodded to agree.

: :

During a meeting, Law found himself thinking about various matters that had been bothering him for the past few days. Staring at a blank notepad, pen settled over it in case something came up, he realized that his feelings felt strange and misplaced. Improper.

Were they only there because Sanji was the distraction he needed from his day to day routine? Or were they genuine feelings sprouting from a useless crush? Obviously Sanji wasn't interested romantically in any way about him. Why should he be when Law was such a mess? Law couldn't give anything to him – he was right in that no one else mattered but himself, because anyone coming between him and his disorder was just someone that was in the way. And Sanji would interrupt that if Law gave him the power to do so, and Law was sure to refuse that interruption even if it came from Sanji.

He acknowledged that this disorder was his own battle to fight – he brought it upon himself, cultivated it, nourished it, protected it – no one else gave it to him. If he couldn't bring himself to love himself, how could anyone else?

Sanji was young, he had potential to secure the interest of someone that didn't put themselves first. Holding onto him when he was obviously struggling to save his marriage to someone he did love was a hurtful sort of selfishness that Law couldn't put on another.

Law had to acknowledge that this was another one of those useless crushes he had, where he would hopelessly pine after someone and say nothing, convincing himself he was of no worth. And besides, what could he say that would be supportive to Sanji in this time of need? Should he root for Sanji's success, or drag him down to a point where Law could only manipulate his time for his own selfishness?

Law could see himself doing the latter because rooting for the former was just like shooting them both in the head. From the way it sounded, Zoro was not in the mood for any reconciliation. So to set Sanji's hopes to pursue it would be…cruel.

Law couldn't think of himself being a champion in Sanji's world. But he could be the distraction Sanji needed. Sanji was the type of person that needed to focus on other people's problems before facing his own. It was obvious from the way he disregarded his own problems to jump when Law was struggling.

Law felt he was good at being selfish – so if this was the only part of Sanji he could have, then he would take advantage of it for however long he could. Until Sanji packed up to leave, until Zoro took him back, until Law himself was manipulated back into his cycle – but at the same time, he had been thinking a lot about recovery.

Not because of Sanji, but for himself.

For his job, for Bepo, for his friends – there was every reason for him to think of it. Now that he was on shaky ground with the process – having started with the meals, allowing himself to eat sporadically on outings, being threatened to take steps to take care of himself, the constant concern and criticism from friends – he felt like he could continue those steps. He acknowledged that he felt a little more energized than before. He was okay with taking extra bites – he was okay venturing slowly into the forbidden foods zone. He was not thinking of recovery for Sanji's approval – this was for himself.

So he thought once more into taking advantage of outpatient services. It didn't fill him with as much trepidation as it did before. If it didn't work out, then perhaps he could just do this on his own. Push himself more and more a little at a time.

He imagined himself gaining weight. He imagined wearing clothes he didn't have to pin or belt, imagined being confident into wearing less. Imagined having successful relationships. None of this was about Sanji – it was about him.

Hours later Law locked his bathroom door behind him. Sanji wasn't home, yet, and Law wasn't sure how to feel about that. But in the privacy of his own bathroom, he looked at the mirror he kept covered over, the old t-shirt movable only to allow him to see to shave. He pinned a corner back, looking at his reflection. It made him wince to see the concave shadows of his cheeks, the sharpness of his bones pushing against his skin, the thinning of his hair around his hairline. He could imagine patients and colleagues looking at him, thinking of how horrid it was to think that he was 'okay'. The collar of his shirt was wide and gaping – but a normal size for a small man. It hung on him like a curtain. Slowly, he pulled the shirt up and over his shoulders and head, hesitating for a few moments before letting that drop onto the sink. Every visible part of him was sunken or knobby, jutting or sharp.

He touched his collarbone, his very soul hurting just to see himself. This was why he avoided mirrors, avoiding seeing any part of himself in any reflective service. Looking at himself, it was a wonder he was existing at all.

His eyes looked dead – his expression was flat. His lips pale and flaky, his eyes heavily shadowed and hooded. His skin grey and over stretched. He looked like the living dead.

He exhaled for as long as he could, watching the action on his body as he did so. None of this was something he imagined looking at when he was a child. None of this was something that made him proud. He was ashamed, sick, horrified and angry at himself. If he couldn't love himself, how was anyone going to love him?

He looked at the rose quartz bracelet on his wrist.

He remembered Sanji's touch on his bare skin, comforting him. It had been awhile since he'd let anyone touch him. His flesh responded to the memory by growing into a hot flash. He couldn't imagine anyone touching him out of their own desire or comfort. He was too sharp of a person to allow that.

Normally he'd contribute to rejection in the effort by talking himself out of it. There was nothing to motivate him to do so when he was at the age he was, when he was comfortable. But the edges of thought regarding recovery persisted with more strength than that. His exhaustion in battling himself at every meal was catching up. He thought about how he could barely hold onto Brook – how his hand trembled when Bepo was laying there. How cold he was all the time, wearing layers upon layers to maintain warmth and to look somewhat "normal".

He thought about how everyone thought he was "ugly" – how Rocinante unintentionally contributed. He thought about how peaceable it would be to just sit down with one of Sanji's meals and just enjoy it without worry of numbers.

Law took a deep breath and exhaled slow, watching the movement in his seemingly deformed body. He was tired.

A door slammed in the apartment, causing him to jump. He pulled his shirt back on, fixed the t-shirt over the mirror. He checked to make sure the door was locked behind him. In the quiet of his bathroom, his hands trembled as they clung to the edge of the sink. His stomach growled noisily, but he'd already had his sixth meal for the day, and he couldn't imagine Sanji wanting to cook anything after his meeting with Zoro. More than likely, judging from the slam, the younger man was hiding in his room to deal with his own thoughts and feelings. He continued to focus on his future.

He could take administrative leave to check himself into outpatient services, take a week to recover and plot his recovery with qualified professionals. Attend the funeral with the freedom of knowing he didn't have to go to work right away. He'd put the necessary effort in and see how it went from there.

It wasn't going to be an easy road. He had himself as his own enemy for much of his life, so he figured facing off against himself wasn't going to ease up just because he was tired and was ready for recovery. He acknowledged reaching this stage a few times before and failing those. Those old feelings came back like an old wound, his own inner voice telling him he was setting himself up for another failure.

But he was tired of failing.

He was tired of not living.

He was tired.

Maybe…just maybe…this was his last chance. Maybe this time he'd be successful. There were more maybes after that, but he acknowledged having the strength to hope.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the bathroom door rumbled underneath the strength of a kicking foot.

"You alive in there?"

"Whatever shit I had in my system, it's gone now," Law said in response, settling his jumpy heart as he straightened away from the sink.

"Did you eat? I smell eggs, so what did you make?"

Assessing the other man's tone and determination to distract himself, Law decided that Sanji was in need of something to do. He pulled on his robe, tied it closed as he unlocked the door and opened it. He examined Sanji's expression, but he couldn't tell what mood the man was in as he frowned up at him. He was startled to see the look in his eyes – it told him immediately that the meeting had not gone well.

He didn't know how to give any comfort, or say anything appropriate. So he said the one thing that he could.

"Can you make me something to eat?"

: :

In the end, Sanji said nothing about the meeting, but was gearing up to head into court for the first hearing. He'd decided he was going to try and get some type of custody over Brook, but didn't have any confidence in the matter. All the experience Law had with divorce proceedings came from Judge Judy and Divorce Court, so he couldn't offer any helpful advice. When he noticed that Sanji was dressed up and ready to go, Law went with him. It was weird that Sanji let him. His mind was too discombobulated to argue against the older man's decision to do so, and he displayed annoyance that Law was curious about how the process went – each of them refusing to admit it was a gesture of support.

Maybe too scared to truly admit to themselves what it was.

It wasn't what Law was thinking – he expected a tough judge in a wide, empty courthouse setting but in reality it was a small room with some old chairs tied in small rows, and a judge that looked as if he'd stepped out from some senior retirement group. The speakers on the walls buzzed lightly as the recording system captured the proceedings that happened there. When they arrived, Zoro wasn't on his own – he had the trio from the museum with him, as well as a couple that looked upset. None of them acknowledged each other, but it felt wrong to Law that Zoro would have so much support after all these years and Sanji was left standing there like some despicable villain.

The couple, a tall man with blue hair and a tall woman with long dark hair watched Sanji with eyes that were rimmed red but said nothing in his direction. Luffy glared at Law the entire time, which Law found amusing. Ussop's head was down, but he didn't give any space between himself and Zoro. Standing there for their turn was unbelievably uncomfortable.

Once everyone was seated – to their respectable sides – Law was aware of the curious looks from the others. But he kept his eyes either on the middle of that tense, rigid back that Sanji held or his hands, which trembled slightly with rising adrenaline. The judge flipped through the papers and asked both men a series of questions that Law didn't pay any attention to. All basic things that each man answered in a firm, strong voice.

When it came to Brook, it was stated that there were no laws dictating the dog's custodian. Both men would have to come upon an agreement right then and there what would happen. Both men argued their case. The single bailiff standing there looked a little nervous. The judge awarded Zoro the dog just because Sanji had broken a restraining order to break into the house to retrieve him. But he granted Sanji permission to enter the home to take his things. He was given direction where to go to change his last name, and to remember to file for a new social security card. Both men were reprimanded for arguing about Brook's placement.

The woman cried quietly into some tissue. Ussop struggled to keep from showing any emotion but his chin trembled. The tall guy wiped his eyes, sitting stiffly with his hands on his knees. Luffy looked from Sanji to Law with fury, like he had been personally wronged in all of this. The whole mood was similar to that of a funeral.

At the end, when the judge finished his determination of the matter, everyone rose to their feet. It hadn't taken more than twenty minutes. The two men in front continued to sit in their chairs, looking worn – but they didn't look at each other. Sanji rose first to leave, revealing nothing in his expression. Law made to accompany him out when the woman pushed past Luffy and Ussop to reach out to hug him. Sanji hugged her stiffly then pulled away to leave. Luffy reached out to grab him, but Ussop yanked him back. Law noticed the kid looked furious, but his eyes were just as red and watery as the others'.

The pair of them left the room first in silence, walking the narrow hallway towards the front of the building. Nothing could be said at that point. Law couldn't tell what Sanji was thinking. He wasn't sure how to comfort him. Feeling that the battle for Brook was going to depend only on Zoro's mercy, Law had to compare the feeling as being helpless. He missed that dog, so he couldn't imagine how Sanji felt about it.

They were home in less than twenty minutes. Law expected Sanji to go to his room and fade out of drunken existence for a few weeks like he did earlier. But Sanji went to the kitchen and started dicing up vegetables and warming up soup stock, making lunch for both of them. Since he was acting like normal, Law changed out of his clothes and into his preferred pajamas. He was on the couch with an old episode of "Mash" on when Sanji announced that lunch was ready. Both of them ate at the counter. Law's stomach was too upset to finish more than a few bites – admittedly, he wasn't even thinking of numbers.

When he set his bowl aside, Sanji looked at the content left behind, then at him accusingly. That short, small moment held some significance in it; the weight of the things that happened, the stress and tension – whatever it was finally made him break down. Being in the presence of someone breaking down allowed Law clear thought. Awkwardly, he placed an arm around Sanji's shoulders and let him sob against his chest. It felt somewhat natural to cradle his head to him, lightly ruffling his hair.

It was surprising that he had the strength to support them both.