So Good So Far

by BregoArodShadowfax

Being in love is hard, especially when the person you want doesn't feel the same. When Zoro rejects him, Sanji finds comfort from the one person he never would have even considered before. And if Zoro eventually decides to change his mind, well, he'll still be waiting. Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, eventual Law/Zoro/Sanji.

7. Chapter 7

Title: So Good So Far
Author: AoiTsukikage
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing:Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, eventual Law/Zoro/Sanji
Chapter: 7/?
Word Count: 3257
Summary: Written for a prompt from curlybrow who requested "Sanji confesses his confused love for Zoro, but Zoro refuses him, then Sanji turns to Law for comfort, and when Zoro secretly learns that Sanji and Law are doing it, he becomes really jealous…".
Spoilers: For recent chapters

Chapter Seven

Sanji came back to consciousness slowly, warm and comfortable, but there wasn't any urgency because he knew he was so used to waking up early that he didn't consider things would be any different that morning.

He raised himself up a little, lifting his hands to cup Law's face and staring down at him. His feelings toward Law were…confusing, certainly, although after last night they were starting to make at least a little more sense.

Law had suddenly become a lot more human, and Sanji admittedly had a weak spot for people that needed help. He felt protective of everybody on the crew just on the basis of what they all had needed to survive to simply get to where they were, and Law's past seemed…darker than most, even if Sanji didn't yet know the full extent of it.

Part of him felt exceedingly guilty, however, for the way he had snapped at Law because he was fast coming to learn that the older man wasn't exaggerating when he said that Sanji had no idea what his past had been like. Still, he thought they were in an okay place now, as long as he didn't stick his foot in his mouth again.

The bottom line, he supposed, was that he liked Law a lot as a person, and he felt a sort of kinship with him because they really weren't all that different even if Law was a much darker version of himself. And he was gorgeous, but anybody could see that. So maybe he did care about Law, but it didn't go any farther than that, and he doubted in the end they'd have enough time together for it to get a chance to.

…which was, ultimately, okay with him, especially since he still wasn't completely discounting the possibility of Zoro coming around and there was no need to make this messier than it already was.

He was still staring at Law's face, lost in his thoughts as he stroked his fingers idly along the other man's cheekbones and through the hair at his temples, and when he felt a hand on his back he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"There you are."

"N-Nami-swan?" he squeaked, the sound seemingly waking Law up as he grimaced and opened his eyes. "Th-this isn't what it looks like…"

"It's okay," she whispered, patting his shoulder. "Robin told me I might find you two…together. It's almost noon."

"Shit," Sanji started to get up but she shook her head, and he settled down again. Law was completely still underneath him, fingers curled into the fabric of Sanji's shirt. "Forgive me, my dear, I'll have brunch…"

"We'll be at the island in less than an hour," she overrode him and he turned his head so he could look up at her. "I found some muffins in the freezer and set Luffy on those, so even he should be able to make it until we dock," she explained, and he was grateful for that.

Still, it wasn't like him to sleep so far past his usual time, but obviously that meant his body needed it. Maybe a few days off to just rest would be good, after all.

"Thank you, Nami-swan," he finally managed to say. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"I can handle him," she assured Sanji, getting to her feet and setting her hands on her hips. "Still, this is useful…"

"Miss Nami, I would…" Law started and she waved a hand at him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to blab. It's none of their business, anyway," she crossed her arms and gave them a pointed look, and Sanji believed her. Yes, Nami knew when to use certain pieces of information to her advantage, but she'd never be outright cruel to anybody that was part of the crew or close to them. "I was going to ask if I can assume you two will be okay sharing a room at whatever lodgings we find," she raised an eyebrow and Sanji looked down at Law, who shrugged.

"Yeah. That's fine," Sanji replied, his throat dry, and Nami beamed at them.

"Good! That'll help out our funds a little. Oh, but muffins can only keep Luffy amused for so long, so I'd suggest you two get up and get ready to disembark unless you want somebody else stumbling in here," she advised, turning smartly and heading out of the aquarium.

Sanji sighed and sat up properly, glancing back when Law tugged on his collar. "Wha-mmm…" he broke off as Law kissed him, and it was maybe a little unexpected but he was coming to almost anticipate that with Law by now. "You're okay sharing a room?"

"Having a real bed will make everything much easier, wouldn't you agree?" Law asked, something rather coy about the tilt of his head and the look in his eyes. "And well, if Mr. Zoro is still blissfully unaware as to the…state of our relationship, I doubt he'll be able to mistake what two of us in the same bedroom will mean…"

"Yeah, that should be obvious even to him," Sanji agreed, but part of him couldn't help but feel like Law had only added in the part about Zoro as an afterthought, which meant that he wanted to share a bed with Sanji.

Or, at least, that's what it sounded like.

"Don't misunderstand me," Law seemed to be reading his mind and he smirked at Sanji, reaching up to whisper in his ear, "I told you: I just want to fuck you."

Sanji groaned quietly, feeling his cock twitch at the words, but now was not the time and he could tell by the look on Law's face that he knew exactly what effect his words were having.

"You'll get your chance," Sanji promised, because he was rather looking forward to it, too, and he leaned to kiss Law again, forcing himself to pull back rather quickly because he had a feeling it would be easy to let it go too far again.

He pushed himself upright, stretching his back out and lifting his arms over his head before dropping to the ground in a back-bend, groaning as his muscles stretched out a little. He wasn't used to sleeping that long, and especially not lying half on top of somebody, but when he pushed himself upright again he saw Law regarding him curiously.

"What?"

"Nothing," Law shook his head. "You're very flexible. That could prove…useful," he mused, and Sanji tried not to imagine what he could possibly mean because last night had shown him that Law was fairly…inventive when it came down to it.

"We'll see," he turned around and left the aquarium, pleased to see an island already in view, and decided that he probably had time for a quick shower and a change of clothes before they docked.

And then, he grimaced, he had a lot of shopping to do.

000

He made Zoro come with him to be his packmule, but it still took all afternoon by the time he felt they had enough supplies to make it to Dressrosa (and enough to last them if they had to leave quickly without being able to re-supply there).

By the time they'd put everything away it was nearing dinnertime, and Sanji had seen a few restaurants along the way that looked interesting. The town itself was a typical port town, catering to both locals and travelers, and there were ample amenities for even a pirate crew needing to take a few days off.

He decided to eat dinner somewhere along the way before meeting up with the rest of the crew, and a cursory invitation to Zoro was surprisingly accepted, so he set off with the swordsman in tow and chose a place that was relatively busy but not so full that they'd have to wait for a table.

"You didn't have to come along," Sanji said once they were seated and he'd ordered a glass of wine (Zoro had, predictably, told them to bring him whatever the darkest beer they had was, and he looked at least moderately satisfied with the almost black house brew that was set in front of him). The menu was primarily seafood-heavy, as expected, so he decided on the cioppino since it would offer the most variety as far as the local fare was concerned.

"What's that?" Zoro leaned over, glancing at his menu, and Sanji sniffed but didn't bother moving away.

"It's basically a seafood stew, or at least I suppose that's what an uneducated lout would term it," he replied, earning himself a kick from Zoro under the table, but the swordsman was grinning and Sanji couldn't help but smile back. "You're going to need more to sustain you, though, so order the pasta," he pointed and Zoro read the menu description over, frowning a little.

"I'm going to like it, right? You're not trying to trick me?"

"Come on, Marimo, you know that I never joke about food," Sanji leaned back, crossing his legs and swirling the wine around in his glass.

"Yeah, I know," Zoro scratched the back of his neck, and when their waiter came over he did indeed order the pasta. "So. Um, I talked to Law today," he started after the man had left, and Sanji blinked but tried not to let any emotion show on his face.

"What for?"

"I asked him about…you know…" Zoro swallowed and lowered his voice. "…sex."

And Sanji was, again, glad he had nothing in his mouth at the time because he would have spit the wine halfway across the restaurant. He coughed to cover his shock and cleared his throat, setting the glass down before he could spill it accidentally. "Why Law?" he questioned, trying to make it sound like he thought the idea was unappealing, and Zoro shrugged.

"Well, he's a doctor, and I'm not gonna ask Chopper because the kid shouldn't even know about sex yet, plus he's…"

"A talking reindeer. Yeah," Sanji grinned.

"Anyway, I figured Law would know the best because, well, a guy that looks like him…" he stopped talking and glanced down, seemingly suddenly very interested in the tablecloth.

"Didn't think you looked at guys that way," Sanji mentioned, rather coyly, and Zoro flushed a little in obvious embarrassment.

"I don't," Zoro, predictably, denied it, but Sanji could see right through him. "I mean, I'm not blind, Cook. I can tell when a guy's attractive, but that doesn't mean I want to sleep with them."

And that Sanji believed, because Zoro really didn't seem to want to sleep with anybody, and while Sanji didn't understand that, he respected it.

"So. Did you find out what you wanted to know?" Sanji asked, figuring it was safe to pick up the wine again, and Zoro sighed.

"Yeah. Well, mostly, but…" he wrinkled his nose and Sanji chuckled to himself because he could just imagine how Law would have explained things, and it probably didn't make it sound appealing.

"It's not something that can be fully understood without a…practical demonstration," Sanji replied, lowering his voice and looking intently at Zoro, who gulped down about half of his beer and stared at him.

"You…"

"Of course. If you want," Sanji set the wine glass back down, looking directly at Zoro. "But not because you pity me or you're doing it just to learn. I'm not that easy," he grinned and Zoro half-smiled, looking a little more at ease.

"Didn't think you were," he said, sounding completely honest. "And, I mean, I'd never do that to you. I know that you…how you feel about me, and I'd be a total bastard if I took advantage of that just to get some experience," he continued, his gaze never leaving Sanji's face, and Sanji was floored for a few seconds because Zoro was continuing to surprise him and he wondered if the other man had always been so...considerate, or if he was just being more careful now that he knew Sanji's feelings.

Whatever the reason, it was a side of him Sanji had never had directed toward him, and he almost wished it wasn't now because convincing himself that he truly disliked Zoro was really hard when Zoro was being almost nice to him.

"So what's this, then?" he cleared his throat and gestured. "You didn't have to come with me…"

"I know. But honestly, I wanted to see if it was even possible for the two of us to go a couple of hours without fighting," he smirked then and Sanji took another sip of wine, smiling back. He and Zoro might be fundamentally different, sure, but they valued a lot of the same things in other people. They also knew exactly what it took to rile each other up, which more than anything else convinced Sanji that most of the time even Zoro was doing it on purpose.

Fighting with Zoro was fun, though, so he couldn't say that he minded too much.

Their food came then, and Sanji was suitably impressed by the freshness of the seafood and the selection of herbs in the dish. Zoro, predictably, mowed through his meal like he was hardly tasting it, but Sanji had known him long enough to tell that he was actually enjoying his food.

And if tonight had proved nothing else, at least Sanji knew now that they could spend a couple of hours together without fighting.

Although, truth be told, he'd always known it.

000

The walk back to the inn was mostly quiet, Sanji smoking thoughtfully and Zoro stalking along glaring murderously at the ground, because apparently he hadn't realized how much money good food actually cost. Sanji had offered to pay the bill, because he'd been able to barter for a number of their supplies and had ample money left from the allowance Nami had given him, but Zoro had insisted he could pay for his own food and so Sanji had left it at that.

If one of them had completely taken care of the bill it might feel too much like a date, after all, and Sanji knew they weren't close to that yet.

The inn was homey, quaint and well-kept, and they stopped in the lobby as Zoro shuffled his feet before asking, "What room are you in?"

"Why?" Sanji tilted his head to the side, because Zoro typically didn't care about things like that.

"Well, that witch stuck me with Franky and Brook, so they'll probably be up all night telling fart jokes," Zoro grimaced. "Which means Luffy, Usopp and Chopper've got the other room, and they're not gonna be any quieter. And you're not with the girls, obviously," he leered and Sanji kicked his ankle gently, although he told himself it was mostly because Zoro had called Nami a witch and not the jab at his…preference for bed-partners. He knew by now that Zoro didn't care, but it wouldn't be like him at all to not rub it in now and again.

"Sorry, Marimo, you'll have to deal with Franky and Brook's bodily functions by yourself. I'm staying with Law," he said it casually but he could see Zoro's eye narrow suspiciously, the other man's hand coming to grip his shoulder.

He looked like he was about to speak, finger digging into Sanji's suit jacket, but eventually he let go and stepped back with a sigh. "Whatever. It's not like you're gonna tell me what's going on with him, anyway."

"Nothing's 'going on,'" Sanji scoffed. "I just know he's going to be a quiet roommate. Unlike yours," he patted the top of Zoro's head before turning away. "Have fun, Zoro!" he sing-songed, heading up the stairs, and hell, if Zoro wasn't suspicious now there really was no hope for him.

000

"And you survived without causing damage to the restaurant," Law looked vaguely impressed.

Sanji shrugged off his jacket, undoing his tie and placing it over a chair. The room was well-appointed, with a large bed and couch, a desk in the corner and a small attached bathroom that had perfectly acceptable amenities. He knew he was spoiled getting to live with Franky's plumbing on the ship, but this was hardly primitive.

"We're not that volatile," Sanji unclasped a few of the buttons on his shirt, sinking down onto the bed. Zoro had been treading more carefully around him since Sanji had blabbed out his feelings that night, but instead of it being awkward they'd apparently found some sort of strange equilibrium. It might not have been what Zoro intended, but it was much easier for Sanji to justify his feelings when he knew they at least weren't totally incompatible.

He still wasn't sure if it was love, or if he'd just convinced himself that it had to be, but the desire to be something far more than friends with Zoro hadn't dimmed in the slightest. And now that the swordsman was apparently voluntarily learning about sex, well…

"What did you tell him, anyway?" he realized after saying it that he was probably being too vague, but Law merely smirked

"About sex between men? The basics. I tried not to scare him off," Law promised, and Sanji figured that was all the detail he was going to get.

"He told me that he thinks you're hot," Sanji rubbed his hands over his eyes, and when he looked up again Law was looking a little shocked. "What?"

"Nothing," Law shook his head. "He simply doesn't strike me as somebody that would pay much attention to that."

"I'm not sure he does, normally, but you…" Sanji swallowed and sat up, reaching out his hand, and Law moved closer slowly. "You're fucking…" he sighed, pulling at Law's wrist so he half-fell onto the bed and wrapping his arms around the other man's neck. "You're really fucking attractive, okay?"

Law looked…guilty, of all things, and Sanji wondered if he could even accept a compliment without somehow feeling like he didn't deserve it. He was so different from Zoro that way, because while both of them had an air of bravado that intimidated most people they came across, Zoro's was mostly real while it was becoming more and more apparent that Law's was a carefully constructed front.

"So are you," Law said after a few moments of silence, leaning down, and Sanji felt his breath hitch before they kissed because he knew this wasn't part of the deal.

It wasn't casual, it wasn't for comfort, and this time it wasn't even sexual. Law was kissing him because he wanted to and that was a surprise in itself, although certainly not an unwelcome one.

"Are you okay with this?" Law pulled back to ask, and Sanji thought absently that maybe he shouldn't be but…fuck it, it felt good, and he knew both of them still knew better than to think this was anything other than temporary. He must have taken too long to answer, though, because Law huffed an annoyed-sounding breath and started to move away.

Sanji threw a leg over his waist, trapping him there, and moved his hands to grab Law's face so he could force the other man to meet his eyes. "It's okay," he promised, "I want to."

"You're certain?" Law didn't look convinced, but he stopped trying to get away and leaned a little closer.

"Yeah," he nodded firmly, pulling Law down again and telling himself to stop thinking so much.

Because this was easy. And there was no reason it shouldn't be.

Notes:

1. I don't really have much to say here other than to thank you all for continuing to read and comment on this fic, because it means a lot as a to know people enjoy my writing :)