Title: So Good So Far
Author:AoiTsukikage
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing: Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, eventual Law/Zoro/Sanji
Chapter: 18/?
Word Count: 3582
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 Eighteen

"Shit!" he woke up out of a dead sleep, breathing as if he'd run a marathon. The sky outside was just turning to grey, the sun not yet breaking free of the horizon, and there was a still mist over everything. It was the type of morning that was perfect for staying in bed and watching the sun rise over the ocean, but he had more important things to worry about.

Like the fact that he'd fucking made a promise and then forgotten about it completely once he'd had a little wine in his system.

He was an asshole.

"Whazzat?" Zoro took longer to wake up, hands groping for swords that weren't in arms reach, and he frowned, flailing his arms around rather comically before finally opening his eye. "What…"

"I told Law I'd check on him before I went to bed and it's morning now," Sanji groaned and rubbed his eyes, already feeling a headache coming on. "I need to…"

"That's why you were screeching?" Zoro snorted. "I thought we were under attack or something."

"Zoro," Sanji didn't have the patience for Zoro's bluntness this early in the morning. "I made a fucking promise to him, and instead of remembering to walk a few steps down the hall I forgot about him completely the second I had some wine in my system. So to him, I fucked him and left him there to go on a date with you, and then just never came back even though I said I would."

"Well, when you put it like that," Zoro sighed, sitting up and rolling his shoulders back. "Wait, he let you…"

"Shit. Forget I said that," Sanji squeezed his eyes shut and wondered if he could just sleep forever or something because apparently he couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut on private issues, either.

"Look, it's probably not a big deal," Zoro didn't look like he understood why Sanji was even worked up in the first place. "Go check on him now, if you really need to, but I'm sure he's not mad at you or anything."

"This is Law. He's got, like, the weirdest mood swings," Sanji muttered. He wondered what it said about him that even now he wasn't completely sure Law wouldn't dismember him as soon as he got a little irritated, but…

"Do you want me to come with?" Zoro didn't look thrilled at the idea, but Sanji knew he'd agree if he asked him directly.

"Yeah. Just in case," he looked over at Zoro, reaching to tug lightly at a mussed tuft of green hair. Zoro scowled but tossed the blankets back, getting to his feet. He slid his discarded dress shirt over his shoulders, not bothering to button it up, and stood impatiently by the door.

Sanji shrugged his own shirt on, fingers dipping into the pocket of his pants and finding the key to Law's room there, which made him feel even more shitty because the reminder he needed had been on his body the entire time.

The Inn was quiet this time of the morning, the hallways still and empty, and Sanji padded along quickly to Law's room, letting himself in with the key. To his eye, Law hadn't moved at all since the evening before, still passed out on the bed with one arm hooked around a pillow, hugging it tightly.

Sanji almost didn't want to wake him, but he told himself to stop being a coward and crossed to the bed. Sitting down lightly on the edge, he reached out to touch Law's shoulder. The older man startled awake at just that gentle touch, eyes snapping open. "Hey," Sanji whispered, not sure what else to say.

Law sighed and relaxed more fully, grabbing Sanji's hand and pressing a lazy kiss against his knuckles. "Is it morning?"

"Yeah. I know I said I'd come last night, but…"

"It's fine," Law didn't release his hand. "Honestly, I don't think I woke up since you left, so I'd probably have been more annoyed if you'd have woken me up than I am that you forgot," he raised an eyebrow, because of course excuses wouldn't work on him.

"Still, I said I would and…"

"Sanji," Law said firmly, and the blond stopped talking. "It's fine. I'm not even irritated in the slightest. But it's far too early to be up and speaking so I'm going back to sleep."

He closed his eyes, letting his hand slip from Sanji's, and went back to hugging his pillow. Sanji looked back at Zoro, unsure if he was supposed to stay or not, and the swordsman rolled his eyes before removing his shirt and crossing over to the bed. He flipped back a corner of the sheet and crawled under, sliding close to Law's back

Sanji could see him moving his hand under the sheet, and a moment later his cheeks colored and he coughed awkwardly. "Um. Are…do you normally…"

"Yes, Mr. Zoro, it is in fact quite normal to remain unclothed after engaging in sexual acts," he muttered into the pillow, golden eyes snapping open a moment later when Zoro's hand landed heavy on his back. "If that makes you uncomfortable, I can find some pants," he added, but the tone of his voice implied he'd rather Zoro just left.

"Nah, I don't really care. Just wasn't expecting it, 's all," Zoro's fingers were tracing the jolly roger tattooed on Law's back, his brow furrowed. Sanji honestly wasn't sure what he was up to anymore, especially since Law didn't look comfortable at all with Zoro being so close.

"Do you want to explain to me what you're doing?" Law glared over his shoulder, an aura radiating from him that was damn near murderous, but Zoro only grinned and kept his hand steady.

"Tell me to stop," he countered, stroking his fingers down Law's skin again, and the surgeon sighed and flopped back onto his pillow.

"I don't mind," he finally mumbled into the fabric. "I just don't…"

"Look, he says you deserve good things, and I trust him," Zoro glanced up at Sanji, who snickered to himself because it took a lot for Zoro to actually admit that in front of somebody else. "So I know you're not as much of a bastard as you pretend to be, and this is all gonna be a hell of a lot easier if the two of us stop pretending to hate each other for no real reason. If you want me to leave, I will, but I think it took so much for you to let down your walls around him that you don't want to go through that again.

"I don't need to know about your past, and I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that the two of us are ever gonna have any sort of emotional bond like you and the Cook have, but the way I see it this whole thing is so fucked up anyway that trying to, I dunno, draw lines between you and him and him and me is only gonna make everything go to shit that much faster."

It was the most Sanji had heard Zoro say at once in a long time, and he wasn't even sure he understood it exactly, but he didn't think Zoro was wrong.

"So you're saying that…what? We should just ignore normal boundaries when it's the three of us?" Law looked back over his shoulder. "Because I don't hate you, Mr. Zoro, but that doesn't mean I want you around all the time," he wasn't trying to be rude, Sanji knew, but sometimes Law could be even more direct than Zoro.

"Yeah, well, me neither, so we're on the same page there," Zoro replied in turn, and Law half-smiled at that response. "But if we are all together, instead of being weird about it…" he sighed.

Law still looked confused, eyes narrowed and fingers tight in the pillowcase fabric, but eventually he shrugged his thin shoulders and nodded. "I believe I can see the merit in what you're saying. I know for a fact Sanji won't stand for it if we start behaving like rivals fighting for a prize, and he shouldn't in that case."

"Damn straight," Sanji sniffed.

"So I agree, in that case. If we're all together, I'm…okay with this," he let out a slow breath, but his shoulders were still tense. "I'm quickly coming to find that I don't hate being touched nearly as much as I'd somehow convinced myself of," he added, "but perhaps we should limit it to that."

"Hey, I'm not interested in getting naked with anybody but him," Zoro grinned over at Sanji, who rolled his eyes. "I mean, I know you're naked now, but…"

"I understand, Mr. Zoro," he promised. "Now, as I said, it's much too early for heavy conversations so let me sleep for a few more hours," he closed his eyes.

Sanji shared a look with the swordsman, although honestly the blond thought that the fact Law was so sleepy might make him more complaint. Truthfully, he was still a little surprised Zoro would even go that far for him. He knew that's all it was, and that he wasn't trying to get closer to Law because he secretly harbored any sort of feelings for him, but Zoro had admitted he found Law attractive so maybe it made more sense, at least on a basic level. Zoro wasn't the type of person to seek out relationships, and Sanji knew that he was probably the one exception when it came to that, which certainly wasn't lost on him.

Well, he reasoned, he shouldn't over-think it when both of them were basically agreeing to put any sort of lingering jealousy between them to rest.

He took off his own shirt, sliding under the covers and cuddling up to Law's chest. The other man pulled him close, no hesitation any longer in his movements when it came to Sanji.

Oh well, he thought, kissing Law's shoulder and letting his eyes close, Law was right.

They could talk about it more later.

000

"Here, I'll do it. Shove over."

"What?" Sanji glanced down at the bottle of oil in his hands, narrowing his eyes. "I haven't even started!"

"Yeah, but I know how to give a proper massage, so let me," Zoro held out his hand and Sanji passed the bottle over, still completely confused.

They'd woken up about mid-morning and Sanji had scooted down the kitchen to grab some coffee and breakfast. When he'd returned Zoro and Law were actually having a normal conversation, most of the lingering tension between them seemingly erased with their discussion earlier. Law had excused himself to the washroom after they'd finished eating, moving stiffly, and Sanji had glared at him when he'd come back until he'd reluctantly admitted that his shoulders and back were sore from the day before.

And so Sanji had offered to give him a massage, until he realized that he didn't exactly know how to give a massage. He was good with his hands, after all, so he thought he'd be able to figure it out, but…

"Look, I grew up in a dojo. One of the women in town was always coming around to help with stress injuries or over-extended muscles, and I watched her when I was bored," he said the words flatly, but there was a hint of red on his cheeks like he was expecting the others to make fun of him.

"Well, well," Sanji was impressed. "Hidden depths indeed."

"Hey, I'm not a total barbarian," Zoro grunted. "Oi, Law, you okay with…"

"I'm quite convinced by now that you're not trying to come onto me, so yes," Law folded his arms under his chin, not even flinching when Zoro straddled him and rubbed some of the oil onto his hands.

"Tell me if I'm being too rough, okay?"

"Mm," Law sighed, but his eyes snapped open when Zoro started, digging his thumbs into the skin just below Law's neck.

"Fuck, you're tight," Zoro muttered, and Sanji almost choked on his own spit because Zoro might not have meant it like that but it echoed something Sanji had said the day before while doing something, well, rather different. "How do you not have headaches all the time?"

"I do. Often. I don't get to relax very mu-ah!" Law arched his back, mouth dropping open.

"Should I be jealous at all that he's louder when you're doing that than he was all yesterday?" Sanji asked idly, because the sounds Law were making were increasingly sexual and Sanji made a mental note to get Zoro to teach him how to give a proper massage as soon as possible.

"No, this is just…unexpected," Law sounded almost breathless.

"Wait, you're saying you have to…what…prepare yourself emotionally before sex? Fuck," he wondered how Law could keep surprising him in the worst ways. The other man was so tightly wound that one day he was just going to shatter, and Sanji wasn't sure if he could handle seeing him break.

"Not with you. Not really," Law admitted, closing his eyes and nuzzling into the pillow. "I'm never going to feel comfortable being completely open with anybody. It's just who I am."

Sanji sighed, but he understood on some level. Even though he'd never begrudge either Law or Zoro for the things they chose to prioritize, it still damaged his ego a little to know that now both of them had as good as told him he'd always come second.

"You know you can, though," he felt compelled to add, and Law gave him a wry smile and nodded.

"I do. I daresay if there's anybody who could get me to ever completely let down my walls, it would be you," he reached a hand out and Sanji took it without even thinking, clasping his own around it.

"Fuck, you idiots are sappy," Zoro grunted, sliding his hands down Law's back and pressing his thumbs on either side of the older man's spine, something that caused Law to let out a little sigh. "I hope you don't expect that from me, Cook," he added, and Sanji rolled his eyes.

"No, I doubt that's even within your abilities," Sanji replied. "But you know, up until last night I didn't realize willingly putting on nice clothes and going to a fancy restaurant just to impress me was, either, so maybe you can learn."

"Ch," Zoro scoffed, but he didn't discount the idea outright, and Sanji had to grin to himself at that fact. "Anyway, how'd you get that witch to spring for an extra room? 'Cuz that's a talent I'd like to learn," he moved his hands back up Law's body, going to work on his shoulders once more.

"I didn't," Law mumbled. "I offered to pay for it myself, but I didn't end up having to because the owner of the Inn knew who I was."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Zoro frowned and Law shrugged his shoulders.

"Not really. Most people fear the Warlords, after all, and since my bounty's frozen it's not as if they can exploit me in any way. It's a position that has its advantages, as much as some might say that it's contrary to the very nature of being a pirate," his voice was slurred, proof of his current state of relaxation. "But since I managed to finagle a discount on the other rooms as well, I think at the moment I'm rather on the good side of your navigator, which I've come to realize is a preferable place to be. She's quite the formidable woman," he sounded sincere, and Sanji felt reassured at that.

Anybody that insulted Nami or Robin was on his shit list, after all.

"I think she goes out of her way to piss me off," Zoro grunted, so Sanji extended his leg from where he was sitting and nudged Zoro's side with his toes in obvious warning. "Well, she never gives you shit about spending money!"

"Because I spend it on supplies, moss-head, and not copious amounts of cheap booze," he grumbled, and Zoro leveled a glare at him. He knew that Zoro didn't actually dislike Nami, but he was definitely wary of her and for somebody like Zoro that had to be a blow to his pride.

"She's good at what she does, I'll give her that," Zoro grudgingly admitted, and Sanji took his foot away.

"Your crew has lucked out exceptionally in nearly all areas," Law commented. "All of you are incredibly proficient at your respective specialties. My navigator is, after all, a polar bear."

He said it with such fondness that Sanji realized he hadn't even considered how hard it was on Law to not only be carrying such a heavy burden on his own shoulders with the goal he felt he had to accomplish, but also that he was doing it alone without his own crew to support him. It was by his own choice, of course, but it was still something Sanji could see was affecting him.

"You miss them," he said, probably stating the obvious, and Law nodded.

"Of course I do. But I know they'll be okay until I can meet up with them again. The…advantage of having a submarine as my main vessel means I'll always have the upper hand in terms of fleeing enemies. Bepo might need somebody to take care of him now and then, but Penguin and Shachi are fully capable of leading the crew in my absence," he mumbled, and Sanji thought that he'd like to meet Law's crew. From what he'd seen of them back at Sabaody, even if it was very little, they seemed much like his own crewmates: respecting and genuinely liking their captain while still not being afraid to let him know when he was being reckless, which more than anything told him what sort of man Law was. He'd never be able to warm up to somebody who ruled their crew using fear or threats.

"Hey, surgeon-boy, get my cigarettes, will you?" he poked Law's shoulder and Law growled softly at him, popping one eye open and lazily sliding his hand out of Sanji's so he could create a Room and zoom the objects over from Sanji's shirt pocket.

"I'm sure the five steps it would have taken you to get them yourself were so impossible," Law yawned, his nose wrinkling rather adorably when Zoro stopped moving his hands. "Are you finished?"

"Pretty much. I'm gonna crack your back, though, so hang on," he said. "You good with that?"

"If it'll help," Law didn't look like he trusted Zoro completely, but eventually he nodded.

"It will. Breathe in," Zoro instructed, pressing his hands down when the other man did, and the resulting popping sound was almost loud enough to make Sanji jump.

"Fuck," Law didn't sound like he was in pain, at least, and he slumped against the bed as Zoro got off of him. "Mm. I suppose I should thank you."

"Nah, I like showing off in front of him," Zoro grinned at Sanji, who rather maturely stuck his tongue out. The swordsman kept grinning in an irritating manner as he headed to the washroom to presumably wash the oil from his hands.

Sanji stuck an unlit cigarette in his mouth and chewed on the end of it thoughtfully, glancing over at Law who was looking at him through half-lidded eyes.

"Hey," he moved closer, trying not to be surprised when Law decided to use his lap as a pillow. "Fuck, you're like a giant cat."

"I'm a what?" Law asked grumpily.

"A damn cat," Sanji replied, tugging at Law's hair. "You're all prickly most of the time and then suddenly decide you need to be loved," he snickered, only laughing harder when Law swiped a hand irritably at him. "Seriously, though, are you…is this okay? With Zoro?"

"I'm not entirely opposed to it," Law replied after a few seconds of silent pondering. "It's…unconventional, of course, and you know that without you neither of us would ever consider creating any sort of…casual intimacy between us, but for what it's worth…" he shrugged, which Sanji supposed was answer enough.

"Don't feel obligated…"

"Oh, believe me, I don't do things I don't want to," Law gave him a rather wicked smile. "And I still expect to have you to myself some of the time."

"Demanding," Sanji admonished him gently. "But I did mean what I said yesterday."

"I know," Law assured him. "Being even a little in love with me is probably a recipe for disaster, but I have a feeling you take people telling you what to do about as well as I do," he mentioned, which Sanji couldn't disagree with.

He started to idly trace the swirls of the tribal-style heart on Law's shoulder, fingers lightly skimming over his skin. When he looked up, Zoro was watching them from the bathroom door, his face unreadable. He crossed to the bed once he realized that he'd been noticed, climbing to sit beside Sanji and loosely throwing an arm over his shoulders.

None of them said anything after that, because they didn't really need to. Sanji still had his doubts that everything was going to work out perfectly just because they'd all agreed to some sort of temporary truce, but at least it was a start.

And for right now, that was enough.

Notes:

1. Yes, I wrote an entire chapter where nothing horribly dramatic happened. I don't know if I would classify this as pure fluff, but it's probably as close as I'll ever come to it, so I hope it was an enjoyable change of pace!

2. That's about all I have to say, so as always thanks for reading :)