Title: From Here On Out
Author: AoiTsukikage
Rating: R-ish
Characters/Pairing: ZoSan, other secondary pairings
Chapters: 5/?
Word Count: 3437
Summary: Sequel to 'This Is Your Life.' Sanji had thought that balancing real life and working to take down a new crime boss would be easier the second time around. He was wrong. Modern!AU, ZoSan primarily, other secondary pairings.

Chapter Five

"Hey, Marimo, you up for a little trip?"

"What's going on?" Zoro looked up from where he was….studying, apparently, although Sanji was shocked because Zoro really didn't ever study, but well, good for him. "Trouble?"

"I know your swords are itching for blood…I mean, if I'm supposed to believe you…"

"It's cursed, okay, it hums when I haven't fought with it in a while!" Zoro protested, and Sanji had to admit that with everything going on maybe cursed, humming swords were the least of his problem.

"No, not trouble," Sanji plopped himself in the other man's lap and Zoro sighed regretfully. "Paulie sent me a text and said he's got some important news about what the Admirals are doing in town, but he wants us to come up to the Marina so he can tell us there and not have to leave work. That sound good?" he asked, and Zoro nodded and shoved his book aside.

"Well, more interesting than studying, anyway," he stretched his arms above his head and Sanji leaned in to kiss him, ruffling his hair when he pulled away and getting a rather irritated glare in return.

"Oh, like it's even possible to mess up your hair," he stood up and held out his hand, Zoro placing his own in it and letting Sanji lead him from their apartment.

000

"YOU MUST BE SANJI AND ZORO! HI!"

"Um…hello?" Sanji took a step back because the man who'd come to greet them, aside from being abnormally large, was also abnormally loud and Sanji thought that everybody in North Vancouver had probably heard that shout. He was followed by another man who seemed to have an unruly spike of hair sticking straight out of his head, and at least this man spoke at a normal volume.

"I'll go get Paulie for you guys, although he probably already knows you're here…"

"Tilestone! Lulu! Get back to work," Paulie himself came stalking out of the dock area, a cigar in his mouth as he jerked his thumb toward the ships. "And tell that freak to get down offa there before he hurts himself."

Tilestone opened his mouth to yell and Sanji instinctively covered his ears, but luckily it wasn't necessary as a figure back-flipped off of the highest point of the tallest yacht in the shipyard and landed perfectly, wiping his hands off on a towel attached to his belt-loops before sprinting over.

"Should have known," Sanji shook his head and Kaku grinned at him.

"I'd hug you both but I'm probably covered in grease so maybe we should forgo that for the present moment," Kaku replied. "And besides, you knew Rob and I help out here now and again." He started walking toward the exit and Sanji looked toward Paulie, who nodded.

"I figured we could head over to the Quay and grab a coffee or something. There's not really a comfortable place to sit and chat here," he gestured around the area and Sanji had to admit he was right. "Besides, Tilestone and Lulu can be idiots, but they're more than capable of runnin' the place until I get back."

"Great," Zoro set his hand on Sanji's waist and steered him out of the shipyard and across the way to the shopping area. They got their drinks and headed outside, the weather still mild enough even in early December that it was pleasant to be outdoors, and once they were seated Paulie cleared his throat and started to talk.

"So. You guys probably know that we do a fair bit of work on government and coast guard vessels and the like, and this morning Luffy's gramps came in to get one of his boats serviced and ended up tellin' me a little bit about what the Admirals are doin' in town. Seems like there's some criminal they're after that, unlike the guys we seem to get here, wants to make a name for himself everywhere and they've been tipped off he's in the Vancouver area so they're checkin' it out," he explained, causing Sanji to sigh heavily.

"Great. So one crime boss isn't enough."

"Yeah, well, let the Navy handle this guy. Sounds like he wants to be the next Roger or something; a guy that goes by the name of Blackbeard," he sniffed and Zoro sat up straighter.

"Blackbeard? Like the famous pirate?" he narrowed his eyes and Paulie nodded.

"Guess so. Anyway, that's not the worst of it. This Akainu fella that came with Garp…he's serious business, and I'm worried about him. I dunno if he had some grudge against Roger or what, but he's not out here just lookin' for Blackbeard. I guess it's a pretty common rumor that Roger had a son, and that his son might possibly live here…"

"Wait," Sanji held up a hand. "Even if this guy theoretically had a son, what can Akainu do? It's not like you can arrest somebody or have them charged just because they're related to a criminal!" he tried to keep his voice impassive although he could see that Zoro and Kaku both looked concerned as well.

"Yeah, well, Garp kind of implied that Akainu plays by his own rules, and he's tryin' to throw him off the trail, but I guess a lot of Roger's old buddies still live in the area. Including your pal Shanks," he added, and Sanji absorbed that bit of information without even really being surprised by it. Shanks, he knew, was much more than a humble bartender.

"So you're saying he did have a son?" Zoro asked impassively and Paulie snorted.

"Cut the crap, you guys, I've been friends with Iceburg and CP9 for years. Iceburg and Franky's mentor even built a ship for Roger so I know all about him and while, yeah, he did some bad shit and he was greedy, he wasn't some sort of monster," he sat back, looking surly and puffing away on his cigar, and Sanji lit a cigarette of his own and looked out at the harbour.

"So you know that his son…"

"Ace, yeah," Paulie shrugged. "Nobody's gonna hear it from me, but it'd probably be better if Akainu never finds out. I mean, like you said, he can't really do anything, but I'm sure he'll try,"

"Ace already doesn't like the guy, and that's just from meeting him one time. I guess he's got good intuition," Sanji looked over at Kaku, who'd been rather uncharacteristically silent this whole time. "So?"

"No, I think Paulie's right. I've heard the name Blackbeard before but we need to focus on what we're doing right now, and it's probably better if we don't interfere with the Navy regardless. Yes, some of them are on our side, but since we're not exactly…operating within the law, it's probably for the best that we don't flaunt what we're doing," he shrugged. "And I can't speak for anything to do with Roger since I was barely a toddler when he died, but Ace from what I've heard wants nothing to do with his name. And, since Ace's mother didn't really make a habit of flaunting who her lover was, I don't think his name will draw any suspicion his way."

"Okay. Cool," Sanji sipped at his drink and pursed his lips, the wind ruffling his hair are he looked around the outdoor area. "And these…friends of Roger's?"

"Shanks won't talk, you know that," Paulie replied. "And I'm sure any of his other buddies have no love for the Navy, so we're probably okay there. Just…you know, stay out of trouble until they're gone."

"Yeah, okay," Zoro conceded, crossing his arms and looking a little less than happy although Sanji knew that was pretty much his normal expression.

"Kaku, did Lucci tell you about…"

"Enel's weapons? Yes. You heard anything else from Law and Kid recently?" he looked curious but Sanji shook his head.

"Nah, both of them really only get a hold of me when they feel like it, and it's been a few days. I'm sure if they find out anything important they'll tell us, but there's not much we can do in the meantime," he checked his phone on instinct but there was still nothing, and he really had to stop worrying because he knew those boys could take care of themselves.

"Right, then. So we lay low for a while and let them keep working underground, and once the Admirals have moved on we can focus on Enel again," Kaku nodded decisively and Sanji knew that his word was pretty much final. Yes, Lucci could override him, but Sanji knew them well enough by now to know that he never would because though he'd never say it, he trusted Kaku's judgment implicitly.

"I hope they don't stay long," Zoro sighed, sounding disappointed that they weren't heading into battle straight away, and Sanji leaned against his shoulder and thought that he kind of felt the same way.

000

"So I was right to not like the guy," Ace wrinkled his nose and slumped over Sanji's kitchen table, although for once Sanji knew that he hadn't just fallen asleep out of nowhere.

"Yeah. I mean, it doesn't sound like he has any idea who you are, but it's probably better if you don't meet him again," Sanji turned back from the stove, a wooden spoon in his hand that he gestured with idly as he spoke.

"I don't get it," Luffy was seated on the table and Sanji didn't have the energy to try and move him so he left him be. "I mean, my dad's not a good guy either, but people aren't after me," he blinked his wide eyes innocently and Ace lifted his head up enough to reply.

"That's 'cuz Gramps is well-respected, Luffy. If I've got other family members, I don't know who they are," Ace propped his chin up on his hand now. "I mean, I've heard the whispers: that Roger was a demon, that he had the devil's blood in him, that anybody who shares that blood is evil and incapable of loving or being loved, and it's…it sucks, you know? That even if people don't know it's me, I know it's me, and I'm not like that," he said firmly.

"Mah, you have two people that love you in this room, so that means it's not true," Luffy made it sound so simple, as he always did, and Ace reached out to ruffle his hair.

"Thanks, Luffy. And I know you guys do, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if I'm…wrong, somehow," he looked genuinely conflicted and Sanji set the pot of sauce he was working on to simmer before crossing the floor and kneeling in front of Ace.

"You're not. You're no more wrong than anybody else born into this world, and if you ever forget that you've got a whole lot of people that will remind you," Sanji said firmly and Ace sighed and gave him a tiny smile, reaching to run his fingers through Sanji's golden hair. And Sanji let him, because Ace was one of the only people that could actually get away with mussing up his hair that way. "So chin up, alright?"

"Yeah. You're right," Ace sat up a little straighter and Sanji patted his knee and stood up, moving back to the stove and barely having time to check his sauce before a knock came at the door. He wasn't really expecting anybody (Zoro was at the gym, just like usual, and didn't think he'd be home until later) but while a year and a bit ago he would have been hesitant to open the door to anybody who came unannounced, he felt more at ease now with everything.

"Who is it?" Luffy yelped from the kitchen and Sanji sighed and tamped his annoyance down because Luffy knew damn well he hadn't even gotten to the door yet, and he could hear Ace berating his younger brother as he pulled the door open.

"Well, well; the prodigal son has returned," he grinned and Law rolled his eyes and practically fell through the doorway. "Woah, hey! You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Tired," Law sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes, and he did look exhausted; the dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than ever and he staggered like he was going to drop on his feet. "It's hard to get a proper sleep when you're constantly on-guard for anybody to figure out you're not really on their side."

"You up for some dinner?" Sanji asked then, because he'd let Law crash on the couch if that's what he needed, but Law nodded.

"I'd be a fool to turn down your food. That is, if there's enough…"

"Ace and Luffy are over so I made way more than even they can eat. It's fine," he promised, and Law seemed to think a good answer to this was just staring at him and blinking slowly. "Law."

"Sorry. Fuck. I need to eat," he shook his head and strode forward, stopping to rest a hand on Sanji's shoulder as if that should be enough to reassure him, but Sanji wasn't having any of his stoic act today.

"Hey. Get over here," Sanji tugged him by the wrist and Law came with very little resistance, all but collapsing against the blond's body. "You know it's not weak to ask for a little bit of comfort, right?"

"I know, Mr. Blackleg, I'm just not used to it," Law hugged him back regardless and Sanji could feel the other man shaking with exhaustion.

"Come on, let's get some food in you and then you can sleep. Okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Law pushed himself away with what looked like a fair amount of effort and strode into the kitchen, and Sanji winced as Luffy shouted loud enough to alert the whole neighborhood.

"Luffy, he's exhausted, give him some space!" Ace yelled over his brother and Sanji muttered under his breath about braining the both of them with his spoon before he went to make sure his sauce hadn't broken.

It hadn't, luckily, and soon enough he was plating dinner and sitting down to eat himself, making sure to stick a plate for Zoro away in the fridge before Luffy just inhaled what was left in the pot.

"So Mr. Kid told you about Enel's weapons," Law cleared his throat and Sanji nodded.

"Did you find out anything else?"

"Nothing major, just that he's got quite a cache of these electric guns and I daresay he knows how to use them. We were right about him having a massive ego, though, and it's not hard to get information because he seems to brag about himself a lot. Whether any of it's true, I don't know, but I have a few good sources now and as long as my cover isn't blown I should be able to keep plying them for information," he replied, smirking a little, and Sanji reached over and shoved his shoulder. "What?"

"Don't kill yourself over this," he warned, causing Law to let out a sharp bark of laughter. "I mean it."

"Mr. Blackleg, I'm a doctor, or damn near close to it. I know what my body can take, believe me," he spoke with such confidence that Sanji had no choice but to, even though he still had his doubts.

Things were relatively quiet after that, except for Ace and Luffy ravenously devouring everything in sight (and the one time Sanji had to catch Ace by a fistful of hair before he face-planted in his food because he'd fallen asleep mid-bite again). He was debating whether or not to ask Law directly about Doflamingo, but in the end decided that it wasn't any of his business and if it was important, Law would tell him.

Luffy decided after they'd finished eating that he wanted dessert, and that dessert had to be ice cream (despite Ace's protests about 'Luffy, it's December!', but he looked resigned to the fact that he'd be taking Luffy for ice cream regardless of that little detail).

"So we're good? No more feeling sorry for yourself?" Sanji asked as he walked them to the door, and Ace shook his head.

"Nah, I know I'm not some kind of demon-spawn. 's all good. This one, though, I'm not too sure…" he jerked his thumb at Luffy, who very maturely stuck his tongue out in response.

"I think he'd drive a demon crazy, honestly," Sanji muttered as he hugged Ace briefly. "But have fun!"

"We will! Bye, Sanji, thanks for dinner!" Luffy tore out of the apartment with Ace chasing after him, and Sanji closed the door and slumped against it, thankful they were gone because as much as he loved them, dealing with both of them at once took a lot of energy.

"Oi, stop that, go sleep," he ordered, coming back into the kitchen to see Law loading the dishwasher. "I made it, I'll clean it up, don't worry."

"Right. Thanks. Should I take your couch, or…"

"Nah, take the bed. Zoro'll be home soon and he'll just wake you up clomping around here so go into the bedroom and close the door. I promise the sheets are clean," he held up his hands and Law grinned rather knowingly at him.

"One more thing…" he turned with a hand on the kitchen doorframe and Sanji looked up curiously.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful in the next week or so. I don't know if this has to do with the Admirals, or with Enel, or just with life, but…"

"Your psychic friend?" Sanji guessed, raising his eyebrow.

"Mr. Hawkins, yes, he's strongly implied that if we're not careful something bad's going to happen to at least one of us this week, 'us' I assume being our little group of crime-fighters," he added, and Sanji filed that information away but it was just one more reason to stay out of trouble for a while.

"And he's never wrong?"

"Never," Law shook his head, still swaying a little on his feet, and Sanji moved to take his arm.

"C'mon. You can spew doom and gloom at me once you're rested," he pulled Law into the bedroom and left him to rest, lighting up a cigarette and deciding to watch some television until Zoro got back.

000

"Why's the bedroom door shut?"

Zoro, of course, noticed this only after eating, but at least he was perceptive enough to do that much.

"Law. He's sleeping," Sanji replied, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes a little as the other man's words came back to him. "His psychic friend apparently told him that we're all in danger this week if we start digging too deep, so that's one more reason to stay out of it for a while," he added, Zoro nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. I don't like it, but I guess I can wait a while before I go looking for fights," he grinned. "Anyway, how is he?"

"Dead on his feet, but otherwise okay,"

"Good," Zoro looked marginally pleased by that and slung his arm over Sanji's shoulders, pulling the chef closer to his side. "So I guess we're sleeping on the couch again, huh?"

"Probably. I have a feeling he thinks he'll be up in a couple of hours but I'd bet good money he'll sleep through the night, the way he was looking," Sanji let his head rest on the other man's shoulder and blinked sleepily, because he was kind of tired, too. "So, just like old times?"

"Yeah," Zoro's tone was fond, and Sanji had to admit those days when he'd get home from a bad shift and crash with Zoro on the couch, both of them still treading carefully around each other, they brought back some good memories. "You ready for bed?"

"Mm, if you are. Fuck, I guess I'm stuck sleeping in this," he realized, because all of his clothes were in the bedroom, but he slid off his dress shirt and decided the shirt he had underneath wasn't going to be ruined if he slept in it.

"I'm good," Zoro replied, but since he was basically wearing a T-shirt and sweats anyway, Sanji was kind of failing to see how it was any different from pyjamas.

"You would be," Sanji kissed him briefly before going to the washroom to brush his teeth, and by the time he came back Zoro was already snoring softly. He shook his head and turned off the television, pulling a blanket over them both as he snuggled close and dropped off to sleep almost immediately.

Notes:

1. Not a whole lot to say this time around, because I know people are reading this but I'm not getting any feedback…but since this is the longest thing I've been able to write in months I'm going to keep posting and if you feel like it, please drop me a review :)