Title: So Good So Far
Author: AoiTsukikage (kikokus)
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing: Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, eventual Law/Zoro/Sanji
Chapter: 19/?
Word Count: 3333
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 Nineteen

"You're very in your element right now, aren't you?"

"Hmm?" Sanji looked over his shoulder, stopping to flip a couple of kebabs on the grill. "Yeah. I get restless when we're stuck on land for too long and I can't use my kitchen," he explained, spinning around to grab the salt and pepper. He turned back to the grill, seasoning the fish perfectly and checking the cook on it before replacing the spices behind him. The Inn's cook knew him well enough by now that he'd allowed him use of some of the kitchen equipment to set up an impromptu barbecue for the crew on the beach,, and Sanji was grateful for it. "I'm guessing you're the same when you're operating."

"Perhaps. It's a strange thought, isn't it, that my work is looked on as gruesome while yours is seen as an art, when in truth I'm working on the living and you're working with dead creatures," Law chuckled rather darkly and Sanji glanced at him again. He supposed Law had a point, even though Sanji had never really thought about it like that. The fish would take a bit to cook through so he wiped his hands off on his apron, going to sit beside Law on the sand and leaning his head on the man's shoulder.

"Two more days," Sanji mumbled, feeling the warm evening breeze ruffle his hair. Part of him never wanted to leave, because nobody knew what was going to happen once they got to Dressrosa. He thought by now that Law wouldn't try to get himself killed, but Doflamingo wasn't a man to be underestimated and there was this feeling in his bones, a terror that threatened to choke him at times because he just felt that something bad was going to happen.

To who, he didn't know, but there was one very obvious candidate and he'd be a fool to think it was about anybody else. He'd learned to trust his instincts by now, because they were almost always right. He could hardly say anything since Law would just accuse him of worrying for nothing, but that wasn't going to make the feeling go away.

"It's been far too long," Law sounded dark, his aura cold enough to make Sanji shiver.

"Hey," he murmured, kissing a spot under Law's ear. "Do you…"

"This week has been…" Law frowned, sliding one arm around Sanji's waist. "I never would have imagined anything like this for the path my life might take. I don't regret any of it, except having to see you get hurt, but I'm not going to fool myself into believing it'll last once we leave these shores," he was staring at the ocean, blinking slowly.

"Stop," Sanji elbowed him in the side. "We've got time yet, and I don't want you talking about what's going to happen once we leave until we do. Got it?" he swung his leg over Law's, grabbing his collar and forcing the other man's eyes to meet his.

"You must know how hard it is for me not to worry about the future," Law settled his hands on Sanji's hips, leaning up with a smirk on his lips.

"Then challenge yourself and don't do it," Sanji replied, tilting Law's chin up so they could kiss. There was such a difference in the way Law was with him now, since they'd worked out everything. He wasn't hesitant any longer, his touches firm and his kisses consuming, and Sanji wondered just how uninhibited he'd be if he ever gave all of himself to somebody.

It would probably never happen, because it wasn't in Law's personality to ever completely bare himself, but Sanji felt…lucky, he supposed, that he'd chosen to at least let down a few of his walls where Sanji was concerned.

"I'll try," Law murmured against his lips, hands clutching at the back of his shirt, and it was really fucking easy to forget they were out on the beach where everybody could see them at the moment. "It's more than a little, you know," he nearly whispered, the words catching in his throat. His eyes were locked on Sanji's, fingers digging into his back almost desperately, and Sanji felt his own breath leave him in a whoosh of breath. If Law really was more than a little in love with him…

"Fuck."

"I apologize, I…"

"No," Sanji kissed him again. "Don't, I just…I'm gonna disappoint you."

"Hardly," Law replied quietly. "I'm not asking you to reciprocate, but if you expect me to…forget about the impending future, I'm requesting that you at least allow me this," he looked utterly serious.

Sanji bit his bottom lip and stared down at the other man, his feelings in a bit of turmoil. He wanted to make Law happy, of course, and he did believe that this would, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel bad because he would never be able to fully return what Law, for the moment at least, was so willing to give.

"I…" he paused, trying to find the words, when he felt a hand tap his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Sanji, your fish," Robin called from farther down the beach, the hand disappearing in a wave of petals, and Sanji bounded off of Law's lap and raced over to the grill.

It was salvageable, thankfully, but part of him still felt like a coward for being relieved that it had given him the perfect distraction to, well, not answer Law's question.

He wasn't even sure, at the moment, that he had an answer.

000

"It's really weird," Usopp plopped down beside him later on that evening, adjusting himself on the log Sanji was seated on. The sun had just gone down, the ocean nearly still and reflecting a multitude of stars from the cloudless sky. It was dark, and infinite, and it made Sanji's bones ache in a way he never wanted to lose.

Sometimes he found it strange, that the ocean was both the source of his greatest fear and his greatest dream, because without it he wouldn't have been trapped on that rock for two months. But when he looked at it now, in all its vastness and all the danger he knew was lurking just below that glassy, deceptively calm surface, he felt nothing but yearning.

Law was right. They'd been on land for too long, and though perhaps their reasons for wanting to leave were different, Sanji could feel the same restlessness the other man did.

There were times he did wonder, if he could give it up and live a life as a simple restaurant owner living in a single sleepy town, and he knew it was impossible. Maybe once he found the All Blue he'd be more willing to settle, but until then, there was a need in him to keep moving, as if his body's rhythm was directed toward a compass point he hadn't discovered yet.

Still, those thoughts were far too melancholy when he was the one telling Law to be more positive, so he forced them aside. He dug his bare toes into the sand, lifting his cigarette to his lips and taking a long drag before responding.

"What is?"

"Today. When you were making dinner," Usopp began slowly, but Sanji still couldn't fathom what he was talking about.

Unless of course…

"You saw us, huh?"

"Yeah. Robin and I were just coming to see how long dinner would be, and you guys were…" he blushed and swallowed rather heavily, staring down at the sand. "Y'know."

"Are you embarrassed?" Sanji couldn't pass up a chance to tease Usopp, after all. "It was just kissing…"

"It wasn't that," Usopp shook his head. "It was the way he was looking at you. I didn't think he was capable of it," the younger man started, kicking idly at a rock half-embedded in the sand.

"Of what?" Sanji tried to sound completely uncaring, because damn, if other people were noticing that made him feel even shittier that he hadn't given Law any sort of answer.

"Love," Usopp laughed nervously. "I…not that he…I mean…"

"I know," Sanji said quietly, sighing. He looked over at Law, sitting a little ways away from everybody else. He was staring straight at the flames, eyes reflecting the fire's glow and arms wrapped around that cursed sword of his. "He's told me."

"And that's why it's so weird," Usopp seemed to pick up his original train of thought, frowning. "I've known you for years, Sanji, and even though I knew you and he were…sleeping together, you've only ever had feelings for women, so to actually see you…" he sighed, scratching the end of his long nose.

Sanji wanted to snicker because Usopp apparently had no idea he'd been in love with Zoro for years, but then, he'd worked really hard to hide it and he'd honestly be surprised if anybody other than Robin had figured that one out.

"Yeah, well, life's funny like that," Sanji slung an arm around Usopp's shoulders and pulled him closer, resting his cheek against the sniper's curly hair. Honestly, he was only trying to change the subject so he wouldn't have to give Usopp an answer about his own feelings towards Law. "But if you were staring at us, you had to have a reason for it…"

"N-no," Usopp denied it much too quickly and Sanji grinned, knowing he had him distracted now. "I…I just…"

"You told me you think he's hot," Sanji murmured in the other man's ear. "And I know your Kaya's blonde, so you must have a thing for blonds, too…"

"Sanji," he hissed, but he was giggling, and Sanji snickered into his hair.

"Hey," the sound of booted feet against the sand made Sanji startle, even though he knew without looking who it was.

"Hey. I need to talk to you," Sanji looked up at Zoro, who predictably had a large mug of beer in each hand, and the swordsman shrugged.

"I'll leave," Usopp slid out from Sanji's grasp, cheeks still a little flushed as he slunk away, and Sanji grinned to himself before taking another drag of his cigarette.

"What's up?" Zoro plopped beside him, downing one of the beer mugs in one breath, throat muscles working in a rather obscene way to swallow the bitter liquid. Sanji cleared his own throat, trying to keep his mind on the conversation and not think about what a guy who had no gag reflex and could talk with a sword in his mouth could do while giving head.

Sanji pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and chewing on the end of his cigarette before starting to speak.

000

By the time he was finished telling Zoro what Law had said earlier, the green-haired man was frowning, but he didn't look surprised or even angry about it.

"Let him," he said after a few seconds of silence, proceeding to finish off the second beer and belching in a way that had Sanji wondering why exactly he'd fallen for him.

Zoro was crude and didn't put any stock in personal hygiene, he had no regard for proper manners or even basic politeness, having an intelligent conversation with him was damn near impossible, and for the most part he was content to spend his days sleeping or fighting.

And yet, despite all of that, Sanji loved him. Zoro wasn't perfect, of course, but he was fiercely determined to protect everybody on the crew, he was amazingly perceptive when he needed to be, he was strong and brave and completely unafraid to be exactly who he was, and above all, Sanji knew he was truly a kind man with a good heart underneath all of that machismo. He was a little rough around the edges, certainly, but none of that really mattered compared to the true glimpses of him Sanji had seen.

"Why?" he broke out of his thoughts to ask. After all, only a few days before Zoro hadn't really wanted him even touching Law, and now he seemed perfectly fine with them having an even more intimate relationship, one-sided as it would be. Yes, he'd given them his blessing to still fool around, but this was a decidedly different level.

"I already told you, didn't I?" Zoro nudged him with his elbow, glancing furtively around before setting his hand on Sanji's upper back and rubbing his shoulder gently. "I've got my dream, Law's got his mission, and neither of us are being fair to you when it comes down to it. And…" he sighed, scrubbing at his hair with his free hand. "After yesterday, I can see why you like him. When he's not being all prickly and cold, he's a good guy," he sounded like it was painful to admit that after all the time he'd spent hating Law, but Sanji was glad to hear it.

"And he's hot," he added, obviously teasing. Zoro snorted and rolled his eyes, although since those had been words that had come straight from his mouth, he couldn't do much to deny them.

The swordsman didn't say anything, his eyes locked on Law from across the fire. Sanji watched as Chopper staggered over to Law under the weight of a book much larger than the one he'd brought the other day, but the little reindeer didn't even ask before hopping up into Law's lap and opening the book, pointing to something with a tiny hoof.

Law's eyes widened a little, his fingers clenching around Kikoku reflexively before he set the nodachi aside. He settled one hand on Chopper's waist to hold him in place, leaning forward so he could see the book. Chopper laughed and looked up at him, blue nose twitching in a way that Sanji had come to learn meant he was extremely happy.

It was strange, but also incredibly sweet, and Sanji felt himself again wishing they had longer because Law really did fit in remarkably well with their crew of misfits.

Sanji wasn't sure how long he spent watching them, seeing Law relax by increments until the tension seeped from his shoulders and the worry lines on his face smoothed over. Chopper kept talking, gesturing now and then for Law to turn the page, and eventually the tiny doctor yawned and rubbed at his eyes with the back of one leg.

Law said something then that Chopper nodded to, yawning again, and Sanji watched as the surgeon created a Room and switched out a piece of driftwood that had been beside them with a soft blanket from the other side of the fire. Chopper wrapped it around himself, snuggling against Law's shirt and closing his eyes, never moving out of Law's lap.

The older man hardly looked put-off even by this, since he just kept paging through the book Chopped had brought, one arm snug around the reindeer to keep him in place.

"Really not a bad guy, if Chopper trusts him that much," Zoro mumbled, his hand still heavy on Sanji's back. "Can you…I mean, I know you're not gonna break his trust, but can you tell me anything about him?"

Sanji frowned, leaning back against Zoro and trying to frame his words carefully. "I think he doesn't know how to relax because he's never been able to. He was supposed to die from the time he was born, pretty much, and instead all that's happened is he's seen everyone he's loved die damn near in front of his face. He's not cold because he's evil, he does it because he thinks that if he pushes people away he'll never have to deal with the pain of losing somebody he loves again."

"Shit," Zoro sounded a little taken-aback. "I know what it's like to lose somebody important to me, but I didn't see it happen. Was it…"

"His whole family, and then a few years later the one guy he'd finally opened himself up enough to to trust completely," Sanji wasn't sure if that was crossing a line but it was still vague, and if it helped Zoro get over the last bit of lingering uncertainty he still had about Law, it wasn't a bad thing.

He knew Zoro wouldn't tell anybody, after all.

Zoro sighed heavily, pressing his nose into Sanji's hair and holding him tight for a few seconds before he got to his feet and ambled over to where Law was sitting.

The other man looked up in surprise, something defensive about his posture even as he made sure Chopper was steady on his lap. He looked…nervous, like he thought Zoro was going to attack him for Chopper being there at all.

Zoro sat down heavily beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder and saying something into his ear that Sanji had absolutely no chance of hearing, but Law's reaction was immediate and his body relaxed again. He gave a tiny nod, turning into a glare when Zoro stood up and ruffled his hair, and Sanji watched the swordsman head toward the Inn, hopeful that the bright blinking lights would guide somebody even with his abysmal sense of direction safely inside.

Sanji waited for a few breaths, not wanting to look too eager, before he stood up and shuffled across the sand. Law set the book aside, blinking up at him, but Sanji didn't wait for an invitation before he took a seat. The warm evening breeze had faded with nightfall and it was pleasantly brisk now, coming off of the ocean with a hint of salt-spray and heavy with the scent of brine.

The fire gave enough warmth for it to be comfortable sitting there even in his shirtsleeves, but he wasn't too proud to lean against Law for some extra body heat.

"Have you reached a decision on what I told you before?" Law's voice was soft, barely audible over the distant waves and the wind in the trees behind them. Sanji kept his eyes on the ocean, the dark surface breaking as a small fish flipped itself out of the water, scales shining like the finest silver in the moon's glow.

"What did Zoro tell you?" he asked instead, knowing it was cowardly.

Law shrugged, not looking particularly inclined to answer, but eventually he did. "He told me he trusted me."

In hindsight, it wasn't really that surprising, since he'd said almost the same thing to Sanji before he'd left, but Zoro wasn't a man who gave away his trust freely so that was pretty significant.

"Good," Sanji decided it was time to stop chickening out and reached for Law's free hand, lacing their fingers together. He heard Law draw in a startled breath, his body shivering for a moment before he got himself under control once more.

"Am I to take this as your reply?"

"Yeah. Yes," Sanji repeated, because it was all the answer he could give. "I'm done worrying about whether or not it's right or moral or fair. If all of us are okay with it, that's all that matters, and I…" he sighed. "I know that love's hard enough to find in this fucking messed-up world that giving up on it just because it's not what most people would expect is a shitty thing to do."

"Good," Law's face didn't change and Sanji grumbled, nudging him in the side. "What?"

"Fucking smile, you bastard," he poked Law's stomach again and Law chuckled, but he did smile. He ducked his head too quickly for Sanji to appreciate it fully, but still, it was a start.

"Two days," he said then, as if Sanji needed the reminder.

"Yeah. Don't think about it."

Law squeezed his hand, pulling him closer, and Sanji wondered if they could actually make it through the next two days without something unexpected happening again.

Knowing them, probably not, but tonight was peaceful and he was going to savor every second of that while it lasted.

Notes:

1. Yes, I know it's been a long time since I updated, but last week's OP chapter kind of messed me up and I wasn't able to write for a while (I did write a Law/Sanji one-shot as my way of dealing with it, though, if anybody's interested…it's called 'Comfort' and it's on my main page). This chapter was also supposed to include another scene but I really just wanted to write fluff so I'll leave that for next time, probably…

2. I haven't gotten a whole lot of feedback on the last couple of chapters of this fic, so if you're still reading and enjoying, do feel free to leave a comment or review!