Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Chapter Nineteen

If you love me, won't you let me know?

-Coldplay, "Violet Hill"

xxx

"Well, at least the circus has left," Zoro sighed and locked the gym door, moving the bags of groceries he had picked up into one of the locker rooms. As the day had progressed, they had told practically everyone that Sanji was safe but also told them to wait to approach him just to make sure no suspicion fell onto the gym. Don Krieg was supposed to be back in town before morning, and he knew for a fact that Iceburg and Kalifa at least would be up all night attempting to track him.

Kaya had graciously offered to bring them a bar fridge in order to keep some food on-hand, and as a thoughtful gesture she brought along a microwave as well. Sanji complained about it, of course, but Zoro bluntly informed him that they were not going to build a gourmet kitchen in a temporary hideout. This only caused Sanji to whine more and in the end Zoro ended up being the one to call Zeff because of it. The old man was understanding, naturally, and said that 'his eggplant better not forget how to wait tables by the time it's safe for him to come back,' which Zoro translated as 'I'm actually worried about the kid but I have to trust his friends to look after him for now.' Or something like that. At any rate, the geezer didn't sound angry, and Zoro was thankful.

Chopper and Kaya had decided jointly that since they had gotten Kaku from the warehouse to the gym, it should be okay to take him back home, and they and Lucci had left to do that only a while ago. Zoro knew that Sanji was still feeling guilty about what Kaku had done for him, and Zoro could understand that, but the swordsman also knew that sometimes there were situations where you have to take risks to save somebody else. He would have done the same thing, and he wasn't under any job obligations, after all.

But it had been a long day, and he was tired, and he decided that after a quick shower he would go to bed. Getting undressed in the locker room and grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist, he headed to the large and rather elaborate shower room and shoved the door open, not really registering the sound of running water until it was far too late.

"Joining me, Marimo?" Sanji glanced back, amusement evident in his visible blue eye, and Zoro desperately tried not to look down. Not that he would have objected to another one of their little sessions, per say, but Sanji had been through a lot and to force that on him was just cruel at this point.

Sanji, however, blew all of his reservations literally out of the water when he turned and leaned back against the wall, the water running in glistening rivulets down his pale body and his hair darkened to a deep gold colour by the dampness of the room.

"Jus' wanted a shower. 'M tired," Zoro turned away, feeling himself growing hard. Why was it that only a couple of weeks ago nothing could really excite him enough to arouse him, and now all it took was one look from Sanji to make his blood rush south? At least, he assumed it was south…north was up, wasn't it, and oh, Sanji did not just moan.

Except he did, of course, and Zoro swallowed convulsively and turned back, unable to stop himself, and he was sure the sight in front of him would have caused him to blush if there had been any blood to spare.

"You know…" Sanji started, panting slightly as he ran his hands all over his body. "I've been through a lot in the last day. I've been thinking I need some…mmm…stress release," he threw his head back, droplets of water flicking the wall, and arched his back. "I could do it myself, but it's so much more enjoyable…" he gave Zoro one of those smouldering glances again before his hand crept lower, cupping his already half-hard member and stroking a couple of times, hips seemingly bucking into his own touch involuntarily. "So, Zoro-kun?" he fluttered his eyelashes rather disturbingly. "You gonna be a perverted voyeur or you gonna help me out here?" This was punctuated by another slow stroke, and Zoro snorted in response even as he walked toward the blonde.

"Oi, you're the pervert remember?" he asked, moving his hand on top of Sanji's as the blonde eventually pulled it away, settling for splaying it on Zoro's back and pulling him close, nipping at his bottom lip until Zoro finally kissed him. The swordsman was continually amazed at how natural interactions like this with Sanji felt, even if he was still somewhat nervous about the attention going the other way. He'd had enough sleepovers with Luffy and Usopp and they seemed to have no reservations on nudity, but for some reason he'd always been rather conservative when it came to things like that.

But Sanji now had a leg hooked around…not even his waist, but his back somehow, and his skin was warm and slick with water that was still pouring hot from the showerhead, steam rising between their mouths from the kiss as Zoro worked his hand. Finally breaking from Sanji's mouth, he nipped a trail down Sanji's chest to suck at a pink nipple, teeth tugging the bud as Sanji let out an enticing almost-whine from the back of his throat. Pumping his hand faster, he swore to himself that he was going to finish it this time even if Sanji told him to get off again, but either the blonde had similar thoughts or else he was just too distracted, because he said nothing, gasping and writhing as he thrust into Zoro's hand,

Zoro found his hair gripped rather harshly and his head yanked upward as Sanji plundered his mouth, little sub-vocal noises escaping his throat as his rhythm faltered and he shuddered and came with a low moan, pulsing over Zoro's hand and dripping to the floor, the water washing away all evidence of the act in seconds. He let go of Zoro, then, dropping his body to rest against the wall as the swordsman almost unconsciously raised his hand to his mouth and gave an experimental lick, finding the flavour rather salty and bitter and not all that unpleasant.

Sanji chuckled, chest still heaving and skin flushed a deep red at the completely dumbfounded look on Zoro's face. "Thanks, Marimo. You're getting good at that."

"You…you can return the favour if you want," Zoro spoke haltingly, but realized that the last thing he was was a coward, and he wasn't going to let something like this interfere with their relationship. Sanji had shown a trust in him that was astounding, and he knew that if he never let the blonde get close to him, he'd lose him.

"You sure?" Sanji's eyes immediately turned compassionate. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable or…"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure," Zoro kissed him to cover any lingering uncertainty, but the feeling of his own arousal rubbing the rough material of the towel around his hips made his mind up rather quickly.

"Anything I want?" Sanji's gaze turned feral.

"Well…I mean…"

"I promise you, Zoro, that this," and he slid Zoro's hand down his now-soft member, "is not getting anywhere near this," he finished with a sharp slap to Zoro's rear.

"Oi!"

"Pansy. It didn't even hurt; I hit you through the towel!" Sanji grinned. "Can I?"

"Yeah," Zoro appreciated that Sanji was trying to lighten the mood, but couldn't hold back the grunt that left his mouth as Sanji licked at his ear, causing the gold bars to chime as he slid his tongue over them, somehow turning their bodies so that Zoro was now against the wall as he worked lower, kisses sliding over the column of Zoro's throat to his collarbone and then down his scar, tongue dipping into the grooves in the flesh where the hasty patching job had taken place. He tweaked both of Zoro's nipples almost as a warning before kissing his navel, hands sliding over slick flesh to undo the towel, and Zoro had a last sudden flash of anxiety before it fell to the floor of the shower-room.

Zoro let out a groan as his constrained flesh sprung free, and Sanji paused in his work to examine it. Well. Seems like Zoro was born with naturally green hair, and while he supposed it may have been something the swordsman was a little embarrassed about, it was no reason to hide it. And it wasn't like Zoro was small, after all. In fact, Sanji would have bet on them being pretty close to the same size.

Zoro was feeling a little bit like a rare bug under the scrutiny, but Sanji hardly looked disgusted, and just as he was about to make a scathing comment to egg the cook on Sanji gave him a demonic smile and dropped his head, tongue coming out to lick the very tip of Zoro's erection as the swordsman gasped. "S-Sanji…you don't…" he cut off with a pronounced moan as Sanji slid forward, mouth sliding over sensitive skin and Zoro's mind was engulfed with thoughts of wet and hot and yes, more of that and…he fisted a hand in Sanji's hair and tried to steady himself, willing himself not to thrust into Sanji's mouth even though his hips really, really wanted to.

He finally opened his eyes and looked, the sight causing a curse to fall from his lips because Sanji looked so darn smug, and as soon as he noticed Zoro glancing down he swallowed, causing the green-haired man to twitch involuntarily. And then there was tongue involved, and really, that just wasn't fair, and Zoro gave up on composure and leant back, closing his eyes and letting whatever sounds came from his lips out.

Sanji continued to smirk even as Zoro's eyes closed, and slid a hand up the other man's smooth, wet thigh before deciding to go a step farther, confident that Zoro would let him. Trailing a finger higher, he found the tell-tale pucker and rubbed his finger over it as Zoro grunted, but when the swordsman didn't protest he slid it in, the water making everything easier.

Well, that was a weird feeling, Zoro thought hazily, although it didn't hurt. There was pressure, but…he shuddered as Sanji's finger drove deeper, and suddenly opened his eyes and straightened with a gasp when it brushed against something deep inside his body. "S-Sanji…what…"

Sanji didn't answer, merely continued to grin around Zoro's arousal and repeatedly stroked that spot, causing Zoro to disintegrate into a needy mass of moans and grunts and not knowing whether to move his hips forward or backward or both because both seemed really, really good right about now, and he felt the muscles seizing in his abdomen and he was going to come and unless Sanji moved right now he was going to come inside of his mouth and…he managed to gasp the cook's name as orgasm seized him, and he arched his back as far as it could go and swore that the intense pleasure caused him to black out for a second, because when he came to he was leaning heavily against the wall. Sanji was still crouched on the floor, and he leant up to press a kiss to Zoro's stomach.

"C-cook, you…"

"Was it good?" Sanji's lips were red, his cheeks still flushed and his eyes far, far too bright as he looked up.

"That was…I've never felt anything like that…what…"

"Oh, you mean this?"

And Zoro realized belatedly that Sanji's finger was still inside of him and he managed to nod even as little aftershocks of pleasure shook him. "Nn…yeah…"

"That, little Marimo, is your prostate gland," Sanji informed him as he withdrew his finger and stood, kissing Zoro and letting the swordsman taste himself on the blonde's tongue. "And that is how two men can enjoy sex."

"Hmm," Zoro slid his arms around Sanji's waist. "Thank you."

"Anytime. And I mean that," Sanji assured him, nuzzling Zoro's neck. "But hey, should we get out of the water?"

"Yeah," Zoro agreed, and they proceeded to finish washing up and left the room, grabbing a quick snack before falling onto the pallets together. Zoro was just about asleep when Sanji asked, in a voice far quieter than Zoro was used to,

"Ne, Zoro?"

"What?"

"If I told you I loved you, would you believe it?"

Zoro woke up immediately, somehow feeling that his answer would affect their entire relationship. "Sanji, I…I think it's too soon for love."

"Knew you'd say that," Sanji sighed. "And you?"

"I don't know," Zoro sounded frustrated. "All I do know is that the only person who's ever meant more to me than you was Kuina. Is that enough?"

"Guess it has to be."

"Cook," Zoro sighed, not knowing what Sanji wanted to hear. "You're the only person I've ever let see me in that way. You're the only person I've ever let my guard down around. Heck, you're probably the only person in the entire world that I would trust to give me head, alright? I trust you and I want this whole mess to be over with so that I know I can wake up with you by my side, safe and sound, every morning."

Sanji glanced at him, seeing the truth in his dark eyes, and finally smiled. "Romantic sap once you get going, aren't you?" he snickered.

"There a problem with that?"

"Nah," Sanji relaxed and snuggled against the larger man. "Just seems weird hearing it come from you, Marimo. That's all."

"Yeah?" Zoro ran his fingertips lightly over Sanji's shoulder, softly rubbing the smooth, pale skin. "I'm just worried about you, I guess."

"I think I'm the one who should be more worried," Sanji chuckled. "The way things have been going, I'm pretty well protected."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Sanji shrugged.

"This morning you were having nightmares…I mean, I understand that, but why were you trying to pull away from me?" Zoro asked seriously, and Sanji lowered his head. "Sanji?"

"That guy who seemed to lead the team that was capturing me…the one who had the gun to your…your head? He…" Sanji cut off and shook his head quickly.

"Sanji, what did he do to you?" Zoro growled, all but crushing the blonde to his body.

"Nothing. Really, nothing. But you know how in dreams…and then, waking up with somebody right there with a hand down my robe…it was a little too much. It wasn't you," he immediately assured Zoro.

"Thanks. For telling me," Zoro added.

"Yeah."

"So what happened to that pervert?"

"Ended up with a katana through his heart," Sanji grinned.

"Remind me to thank Kaku for that."

"I think he only felt it was just revenge."

"Why? Did he…" Zoro stopped and sighed.

"Yeah. Got a hold of one of Gin's tonfa balls, and he was aiming it at me, but..." the blonde stopped. "Zoro, I didn't know what to think. All I could see was blood and it was all over the floor and me and…I really thought he was dead."

"He'll make it, love-cook," Zoro tried to sound reassuring. "He's a tough little freak, whatever else he is. And Lucci would probably follow him to the afterlife just to torment him if he died anyway."

"True enough," Sanji closed his eyes and sighed, this time not even flinching as Zoro's hand slid down his side to rest on his hip, thumb moving in small circles over the prominent bone. "I'm not sure I want to see everyone else. I hate it when people fawn over me…I mean, except for the ladies, but I'd rather forget last night ever happened, you know?"

"I can let them know that," Zoro said truthfully. "And I don't blame you. But you should visit Kaku tomorrow or something anyway, right?"

"What gives you that idea?"

"You want to," Zoro shrugged. "Aren't you giving him relationship advice?"

"As much as one can when one's boyfriend seems capable of all the emotions of a stone."

"I'll head off the others for you, don't worry. You boys can come up with a story about how it 'really' happened if you want to leave out the details," Zoro suggested.

"Yeah, good idea," Sanji paused and yawned widely. "Sleep now?"

"Sounds good."

000

"Saaaaaanjiiii my darrrrrling!"

"What the…" Sanji opened his eyes and was immediately jumped upon by something. He caught a glimpse of heavy makeup and a rather outrageous outfit before breaking into a huge grin. "Bon!"

"You remember me? My life is complete!" Bon Kurei hugged him and Sanji started to laugh as he returned the embrace. "I heard all about what happened, darling."

"You did? From who?"

"Those government friends of yours. You see, I used to work for a man named Crocodile waaaay back when, but the gorgeous Robin and I got out of there once we realized how horrible he was!" the man punctuated his story with many vibrant hand-gestures, one of which managed to clock Zoro in the face, and he woke up with a snuffle and a grunt. "Sanji, is this your lover?"

"Guess you can call him that," Sanji nodded.

"He's adorable!"

"Love-cook, what is that?"

"Oh! Sorry, Zoro," Sanji managed to crawl out of the makeshift bed and pulled Bon Kurei up with him. "This is an old friend of mine: the name's Bentham, but he prefers to go by Bon Kurei or just Bon. I met him when I was out with Zeff on the streets that time and he's a real character, let me tell you. He's got some insane leg strength though, so I learned a few moves from him when he had time to teach," Sanji explained. "And…what was that about Crocodile?"

"I was one of his agents, you know, but he was such a horrible man and he was harming you and your friends by harming the Nefertari family, so I just couldn't let it continue," the man trilled, pirouetting in a neat circle.

Zoro was a little stunned, although that was probably a natural reaction when being exposed to Bon, he thought. Sanji sure had odd friends, at least if he was close to both high-ranking gang members and cross-dressers. This man also had a rather irritating habit of elongating the 'a' whenever it appeared in a word, and Zoro had a sneaking suspicion that he'd grow tired of the 'daaaaaarlings' and the 'waaaaays' all too quickly. "So what are you doing here, Bon?"

"I'm going to help you!" Bon Kurei winked at Sanji. "You see, my dear, I've never been a part of Krieg's gang, but all of us who worked with Crocodile are well known in the underground circles. While Robin is obviously a model citizen, I've never really made any statements to point to that. I've never done anything suspicious since then, of course, but I have some acquaintances in Krieg's gang, and if I can do some spy work, I'm sure it'll help you out."

"You'd really do that?" Sanji looked pleased. "Won't it put you in danger, though?"

"Darling, they'll never suspect me. As far as they know I'm just a miscreant transvestite with an uncanny knack for getting out of tight situations," he winked once more. "But I'm afraid I can't stay, dear. If they see me skulking around a gym of all places," he tittered, rather unnervingly in Zoro's opinion, before giving Sanji a last hug and turning to go. "Oh, say hello to that Straw-Hat boy for me, will you? He and I get along so well. Toodles, love!"

He did some sort of fancy ballet twirl out the door and Sanji looked at Zoro, the smile still firmly in place. "You, pervert-cook, have weird friends."

"Ah, they're helping though, right?" Sanji stood and started stretching, noticing Zoro's eyes on him the entire time. "Do you want me to go somewhere else?" he asked with a laugh. "I don't think we have time for another session this morning."

"Uh…" Zoro blushed. "Nah, 's fine. I'll…get breakfast ready."

"What've we got?"

"Dunno…cereal for sure. That okay?"

"For now. Maybe Lucci and Kaku'll have decent food," Sanji's stomach rumbled and he grimaced before straightening up. "At least they'll have a kitchen I can use."

"Once again, I'm sorry I can't install a five-star kitchen in here," Zoro headed for the room where the microwave and fridge were being kept.

"At least snag a Bunsen burner from the Chem. Lab or something," Sanji grinned and followed him, draping his arms over Zoro's shoulders and nuzzling his neck. "Please, Zoro-kun? For me?"

"Oi; oi," Zoro blushed as Sanji dropped quick kisses on the back of his neck, hands sliding under his shirt and running up his chest. "Who's horny now?"

"Not stopping until you agree to get me a proper stove," Sanji murmured, grinding himself against Zoro, who instinctively pushed back.

"Okay, okay. Maybe somebody has a camp stove or something. Man, you're needy," Zoro pulled away. "Here. Eat," he shoved a bowl of cereal at Sanji. "And then I'll take you to Kaku's."

"You know where he lives?"

"I've never been there, but I know where the apartment is."

"Where?"

"Somewhere near Kitsilano," Zoro shrugged. "I've got his phone number, though, so I'll give them a call."

"You do that."

000

"Do I even want to know why you have a five-foot-tall giraffe in your room?"

"What's wrong with my giraffe?" Kaku glanced up.

"It's wearing a baseball cap, Kaku," Sanji walked around the wooden giraffe and shook his head.

"I like giraffes!" Kaku protested. "They're underappreciated!"

"It's cute. Really," Sanji grinned and went to sit on the bed. "You've heard about the meeting?"

"At Vivi's again?" Kaku asked. "Yes, Rob mentioned it."

"Can you come?"

"You think it's important for me to be there?"

"I'm guessing you got a better look at some of these guys than I did, and it'll be important for Bon to know, even if he isn't going to be there." Sanji replied vaguely.

"That's hardly an answer."

"Alright, then," Sanji sighed and admitted. "I'd just like for you to be there, because you're my only link to what happened, you know? There's so much junk in my head right now it's hard to figure out what really happened and what I'm imagining, and just…I need to know you're alive."

"You worry too much," Kaku told him briefly. "But I'll be there."

"Good," Sanji smiled at him before glancing up as Lucci and Zoro came in.

"I need to make a point here, Sanji," Lucci said calmly, waving a picture around that Sanji couldn't quite get a look at. "You accuse us of being odd, but I believe that this cross-dressing friend of yours tops all of our quirks." Ah. So that explained the picture.

"Oi, I don't know him all that well," Sanji protested, standing up and moving to lean against the wall. "You got a hold of everyone?"

"Yeah," Zoro clapped his phone shut. "Tonight at eight works for them, so I guess that'll be when it is."

"Good, then."

"You're coming, boy?" Lucci glanced at Kaku.

"Sanji feels it necessary that I be there, and I agree with him."

Lucci's response was to sigh as he went to sit beside Kaku on the bed, the younger man leaning instinctively towards him even as Lucci gave him a look that clearly stated he should back away. Kaku matched his look evenly and Sanji cringed because this looked like a repeat of the staring contest from the day before, but eventually Lucci shrugged and let the younger man lean against him.

"As long as those two students say that you can travel, I suppose you should," he finally replied, and Kaku had a hint of a smirk on his face at the words. "Don't think this means you've won, boy. You get a bit of lenience because you're injured, that's all," Lucci added with a growl, and Sanji marvelled again at what a strange relationship these two men had.

000

Sanji hadn't quite known what to expect when pulling up to Vivi's mansion, but luckily the welcoming party was much smaller than he had feared it would be. They had phoned Chopper and he and Doctor Kureha had given them the go-ahead to move Kaku, which was something that of course Lucci took entirely upon himself and wouldn't even let them provide a stretcher, quite convinced that walking would jar the other man less.

"Sanji," Vivi came out and gave him a light hug. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Rumors always get blown out of proportion, Vivi," Kohza smiled at Sanji and held out a hand, and Sanji shook it with a smile. "Besides, we had Zoro's word."

"Yet I seem to recall Zoro remarking that it was 'just a scratch' after his battle with Mihawk," Pell looked highly amused, and Zoro shot him a glare. "It's just a comment…"

"Is everyone here already?" Sanji asked.

"Yes. We told them to wait inside," Vivi assured him. "To make it easier for you."

"Vivi-chan is so considerate," Sanji sighed happily. "But we should go in, shouldn't we?"

"Right," she nodded as Pell opened the door. "You'll stay out here, just in case?"

"Of course," he nodded.

"Thanks, Pell," she gave him a radiant smile and led them all to the parlour, opening the doors as Sanji swallowed a tad nervously. Zoro seemed to notice and set a hand gently on his back, but a second later the swordsman had given him a slight push in order to urge him into the room.

He braced for impact, but surprisingly nobody moved from their spots on the couches. Huh. Zoro must have really given them a warning. He managed to make his way over to the free loveseat and seat himself, Zoro sliding in beside him and slipping an arm around his shoulders, before anyone even spoke.

"Alright, everyone!" Vivi broke the awkward silence. "The reason we've called you all here tonight is simply to explain what's going to happen next. Of course since Krieg's men now know the location of the apartment it would be impossible for Sanji and Zoro to stay there, so our main priority at the moment is making absolutely sure to watch for any suspicious men around the University or the Baratie, and also covering them whenever they return to the gym where they're currently staying. We have an inside man on the job…" she looked to Sanji for confirmation, who nodded, "…but his identity will remain a secret so as to not compromise his delicate mission. That's all," she heaved a breath and sighed, an easy smile coming onto her face. "Now. Terracotta is making some snacks for all of us, and I'll find Chaka and get him to take drink orders. Please feel free to enjoy yourselves and stay as late as you want."

She sat, looking rather pleased, but even after that it took a long time for the conversation in the rook to start up again.

Notes:

1. Kitsilano is actually an area of Vancouver; it's across from downtown and has a lot of trendy shops and such ;)

2. I'm also guilty of having a five-foot-tall giraffe in my room xP. I bought it when I was quite young and the house I used to live in had a jungle-themed basement, but I refused to lose it when we moved to our smaller place, and so now my room (which is mostly black-and-white Parisian/movie themed) has this giant giraffe by the bed. And, of course, a One Piece calendar and my Sanji and Ace figurines. I'm weird like that :P.

3. I've started working on this story in fits and starts again, but I can't promise anything. I have up until about halfway through Chapter 22 written at the moment. Yeesh, it's going on forever xD. Hopefully inspiration for where I want to take it will hit again soon…but then, I'm working so much this year that I barely have TIME to write x(.

Anyway, I think that's it. Hope you all enjoyed, and drop me a review on your way out!!

Oh, and to Paloma, thanks a lot! Glad you like the Lucci/Kaku, and thank you for the amazing compliment. Your review was more than okay :D