Title: So Good So Far
Author: AoiTsukikage (kikokus)
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing: Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, eventual Law/Zoro/Sanji
Chapter: 21/?
Word Count: 3390
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 Twenty-One

Somehow, he managed to sleep through the night, and the light trilling of an eagle seeking fish broke him out of his slumber. The sun was high, probably close to noon, and his hand was still firmly beneath Zoro's so the swordsman hadn't yet woken up.

He couldn't tell yet just how sore he'd be when he tried to stand up, but considering how much it had hurt yesterday he wasn't betting on it being the most pleasant experience.

Sighing, he glanced over at Law, almost surprised when he saw the other man was staring back at him.

"Hey," he shifted a little, pressing his lips to Law's shoulder and letting his head rest there. "How're you feeling?"

"Not horrible, but I'm going to assume Mr. Tony has me on rather a large amount of painkillers," he sighed, his brow furrowed. "I'm afraid I don't remember much after you came back to that cave."

"That's not surprising," Sanji curled himself as close as he could, needing to feel Law's body heat around him just to reassure himself that the other man was alive. "Fuck, Law, you weren't breathing and I…"

"I'm sorry to have worried you," Law's voice was impassive, and Sanji nearly growled in frustration because he still didn't get it.

"That's not the point, asshole," Sanji hissed, and Law blinked slowly at him. "It's not about me worrying, it's…"

"That I should want to be alive for myself," Law murmured, giving Sanji a rather coy look. "I do realize that, and while I can't say for certain that I am, I still feel guilty both for making you risk your life just for my sake and for making you worry," he seemed to think that was an acceptable answer, somehow, and Sanji guessed that for him it probably was.

He knew he shouldn't talk, because he had about the same reaction whenever somebody willingly saved him, but somehow it was more irritating when Law did it.

Law's fingers were twitching against the sheets, like he wanted to do something with his hands but was hesitating. Sanji decided to wait it out, letting him take the initiative, and eventually Law sighed and closed his eyes as if he were in pain.

"Law?" Sanji asked quietly. "Should I get Chopper? Do you…"

"No," Law shook his head quickly. "No, I…" he let his hand rest on Sanji's bare shoulder, stroking his skin with careful fingertips. "You really…love me?" he sounded so unsure, his fingers pressed against Sanji's back now.

"Like I said the last time, I don't fuck around with things like love. Yeah, I love you. You make it almost impossible, because you're a stubborn bastard and you spend all your time pretending to be some sort of horrible person, but somehow I kind of fell for you anyway…" he squeaked when Law's arm tightened around him, yanking him closer, and the surgeon was clutching almost desperately at him now, breathing harsh against Sanji's neck.

"Thank you, then. For saving my life," Law mumbled, and it sounded like it pained him to say those words without some sort of 'but' explaining why he didn't deserve it after. He managed, though, and Sanji was kind of proud of him for it. "I would have…"

"Yeah. You would've," Sanji didn't want Law to talk about dying, didn't even want to imagine what might have happened if he'd have landed among the rocks, or if his coat hadn't been snagged, or if Sanji hadn't of found that ledge to pull them up onto, or if the knife had hit something vital…he banished the fears because there was no use dwelling, especially when they didn't happen. "But you're fine. You'll be fine," he amended, and Law groaned.

"We're not leaving tomorrow, are we?"

"With the condition you're in? Not a fucking chance," Sanji said firmly. "Chopper says it'll take a few days to get you back to full strength, and since you're the guy with the plans and the only one of us that might stand a chance against Doflamingo if things go south, you've gotta be in top form," he didn't know how strong Doflamingo was, precisely, but since he'd damn near broken his leg just trying to kick one of his subordinates, he wasn't betting on him being any sort of pushover.

They'd need as much help as they could get going in, and without Law in perfect shape, they wouldn't have any hope of coming out victorious.

Law grumbled something, eyes squeezed shut. Sanji kissed his shoulder again, breathing out slowly before he replied.

"I know it sucks, and I know you want to kick his ass, but you've waited thirteen years to do it. A few more days isn't going to make that much of a difference," he tried to keep his tone as placating as possible, and eventually he felt Law nod against his neck. "And, well…" he decided against saying anything else, not knowing if it was going too far, but Law surprised him by voicing almost his exact thoughts.

"We get to spend more time together?" the other man guessed, causing Sanji to chuckle. "I'm not averse to that, you realize, but it would be much more enjoyable to do this after the threat of Doflamingo has been removed from the world."

"Yeah," Sanji couldn't really argue that, but he still couldn't completely agree. "But right now we're…"

"Alive and mostly whole?" Law pulled back and raised an eyebrow, and Sanji snorted. "Yes, that's certainly a positive to our current arrangement."

Sanji rolled his eyes and kissed Law in response, only breaking away when there was a knock on the door. Zoro was still fast asleep, by all appearances, and Law wasn't in any position to move, so Sanji groaned and got out of the bed. He straightened up slowly, his muscles screaming at him, and winced when he realized even moving to the door would be a challenge.

His first step nearly landed him on his ass, the bandages Chopper had wrapped around his feet the night before hard to manoeuvre in, but he managed to stumble across the room and only once he'd yanked the door open realized he was still only wearing a rather tiny bath towel around his waist.

Yes, Chopper was a doctor and Sanji knew he'd seen a lot more than that, but he was still a kid and it was awkward to be naked around him.

"How is he? Is he awake?!" Chopper bustled into the room, blue nose twitching and looking close to tears. Sanji leaned down, patting him on top of his hat, and Chopper relaxed at the action. "He's okay?"

"Yeah, he woke up a little while ago," Sanji replied, watching at Chopper dashed over to the bed and hopped up, wrapping his tiny arms around Law's neck. The surgeon looked rather taken aback, eyes wide, but before he could say anything Zoro finally decided to wake up.

"Shit, who's jumping on the bed?"

"Uwaahhhh! Zoro!" Chopper stumbled backwards, nearly pitching off of the bed before Zoro caught him and set him safely in the middle of the mattress. "What are you doing here?!"

"Fell asleep," Zoro grunted, which for him wasn't an unusual answer, but Sanji thought that it still didn't explain why he was so obviously in bed with two other men. "Why?"

"N-nothing!" Chopper waved his hoofs, laughing nervously before he turned back to Law. "Come on, I need to see how the wound looks, and then probably get you some more painkillers. Are you feeling it yet?"

"Not especially," Law shrugged. "I've got a rather high tolerance for pain," he smiled grimly and Sanji had to grimace at that, because he had a feeling it was something Law had been forced to develop with all of the shit he'd gone through.

"Still," Chopper sniffled and Law reached out a hand, patting his shoulder.

"I'll be fine, Mr. Tony. But I think you for your concern, and I'm grateful to have had such a skilled doctor around yesterday as I was far too weak to do anything to save myself," he half-smiled and Chopper started to wriggle.

"Don't thank me, you asshole! And don't compliment me, either; that doesn't make me happy at all!" he sniffled even though his outburst, eyes suspiciously wet as he ran to grab his medical bag and hopped back onto the bed. "Oh, Sanji, I'll need to take a look at your feet after I'm done. Meet me in the bathroom, okay?"

It was asked as a question, but Sanji knew it was as much of an order as Chopper would ever give, and he wasn't about to go against the reindeer's wishes…especially when his feet were really starting to hurt now. He wandered into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet, reaching down to unwrap the bindings around his feet and grimacing as they were removed.

There was some blood on the bandages, mixed in with the antiseptic gauze and discharge from blisters that were already beginning to bubble and pop. He wrinkled his nose and dropped them in the trash bin, flexing his toes and trying to keep his feet off of the floor.

He wasn't sure how long he waited there for Chopper, cursing the fact that he didn't even have his cigarettes with him so that he could smoke to pass the time, but when the door opened the doctor looked happier than he'd been.

"Good news?" he asked, trying to make it seem like he didn't care that much, and Chopper nodded.

"Yeah. He'll be fine," he smiled widely. "You, however, should know better."

"I couldn't let him die, Chopper," Sanji held out one foot and winced when Chopper smeared some more antiseptic over the sole. He wasn't being especially gentle, which Sanji probably deserved, but he'd gladly endure this pain if it meant Law would be okay. "I was so fucking scared, you have no idea…"

"I know," Chopper sniffed. "I mean, I don't know, but I was scared, too. I…he's really not that bad, you know?" he blushed a little and wriggled his ears happily, and Sanji had to chuckle.

"Yeah. I think I know," he bit his lip and looked away, hoping that Chopper didn't press the issue. Yeah, he'd heard them that first night, even if he didn't know who Sanji was with, but after he'd seen them in a rather compromising position that day on the beach the cook was pretty sure Chopper had figured out what was going on.

"Oh yeah, you and him," Chopper said it in a voice that was entirely too knowing considering he was a teenaged reindeer, and Sanji sighed and dropped his head, holding his other foot out. "It's not bad! I mean…right?" Chopper asked tentatively, and Sanji shrugged. "You…are you guys in love?"

"No. Fuck," Sanji rubbed his hands over his eyes and groaned, feeling a stab of guilt at saying that. Chopper didn't know the whole story, though, and it wasn't his place to tell it, so that was the safest answer he could give.

"…okay," Chopper said in a tiny voice, pulling out some bandages and wrapping them firmly around Sanji's feet. "Take it easy for a couple of days, but your feet should heal up fine. And use this for your muscles," he reached into his bag and drew out a tiny jar of cream, something that Sanji was inwardly grateful for. He hadn't really said anything to Chopper about it, figuring he'd deal with it on his own, but if Chopper had noticed how much pain he was in he must have been moving really stiffly.

"Thanks," Sanji patted Chopper's hat again, the doctor growling and swatting at his hand. He packed up his bag and turned to head out of the bathroom, stopping at the last moment and looking over his shoulder.

"Um, I probably shouldn't ask, but do you need anything for…y'know…sex?" he whispered, and Sanji started to snicker. "It's not funny!"

"Law's a doctor too, remember?" Sanji gave the reindeer a soft smile, and Chopper eventually smiled back.

"Okay. Good. Um…" Chopper cleared his throat. "I don't want to tell you what to feel, but I think you guys make each other happy," he nodded once, as if convincing himself he'd said the right thing, and left the room.

Sanji dropped his head to his knees, knowing that Chopper was only trying to help, but when he only knew half of the story it wasn't really helpful at all.

It amazed him, a little, just how accepting everybody on the crew had been so far when they'd found out about him and Law, but he wasn't sure how far that lack of judgement would extend if they ever learned why he'd started the whole thing with Law in the first place. Or, well, if they found out that it wasn't just Law he was involved with, because somehow he had a feeling most of them would be far more surprised he was in love with Zoro than they were that he was sleeping with another guy…two other guys…

Fuck.

He stood up, padding carefully across the bathroom floor. It was hard to walk; even though there was only a thin layer of bandages on his feet, it still felt like he was stepping on pillows and it made him awkward and off-balance.

The sight that greeted him when he opened the door wasn't what he expected. Zoro was half-leaning over Law, the surgeon's hands on the other man's face and his fingers stroking the scar over Zoro's eye. It was strangely intimate, especially with Sanji out of the room, since the blond had kind of figured they were only keeping up their front of being okay with each other for his sake.

Apparently that wasn't the case, and he felt a coiling jealousy settling deep in his stomach. It was unfounded, and he knew it, but it would be just his fucking luck if they ended up falling for each other instead.

"Hey," he said, the word loud and harsh to his own ears, and while both of them turned to look at him they didn't move apart. "What…um…" he stopped, sighing and scratching the back of his neck.

"I was just informing Mr. Zoro that, should he desire it, it would probably be possible for me to find him a replacement for his eye," Law took his hands away from Zoro's face, giving Sanji a look that was entirely sultry, eyes half-lidded and a smirk playing about his lips.

"Fuck, what sort of painkillers does Chopper have you on?" Sanji knew that Law wouldn't be acting nearly this open and flirty if he'd been in his right mind, but he was certainly capable of being playful when the mood struck him.

"Rather good ones, considering how I feel presently," the other man blinked hazily. "Come. Join us," he patted the bed between them and, well, that wasn't an invitation Sanji was ever going to turn down. He crawled onto the bed, careful not to shake the mattress too much, and flopped between them.

"So. A new eye, huh? You taking him up on that, Marimo?" he glanced over his shoulder at Zoro, who threw an arm carelessly over his waist and shrugged.

"Nah, probably not. 've got my Haki to help me in fights anyway," he grinned. "Plus I look way more badass this way."

"Yes, that's obviously important," Sanji muttered dryly. Trust Zoro to want to look as macho as possible.

"I'd have to find somebody willing to give up an eye, too," Zoro added, his fingers tracing idle patterns across Sanji's stomach. "I mean, unless you want to give me yours, since you never have them both uncovered…"

"No, thank you. I'd rather keep both my eyes," Sanji would probably do it if Zoro actually asked him, but he knew the other man wasn't being serious.

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask about that," Law raised a hand to brush through his fringe, pushing the shaggy hair back. Sanji reached to catch his wrist, stopping him from moving it completely out of the way. "What? I can assure you, being in the profession I'm in, there's very little that will scare me off."

"You never noticed when you guys were…" Zoro stopped, coughing awkwardly, obviously still a little uncomfortable talking about them being intimate.

"I never really thought to look, to be honest," Law didn't move his hand away, fingers still brushing through Sanji's hair. "You don't have to show me if you truly don't wish to."

"If you laugh I'm gonna kick you," Sanji decided there was nothing for it and shoved back his bangs, blinking in the brightness of the room. Law's face didn't change at all, his thumb brushing over the curl in the eyebrow that Sanji was currently keeping covered.

"This makes you extremely uncomfortable, doesn't it?" Law, of course, immediately picked up on how tense he was. It did feel like he was baring himself, something far more intimate than just being naked. Law let his hand slip away after only a few more moments, Sanji breathing a sigh of relief as his hair fell back into its normal place.

Zoro wasn't saying anything, which was rare, because Sanji couldn't remember the last time Zoro had passed up an opportunity to tease him about his eyebrows. Normally he didn't care, and he'd shoot back with a remark about Zoro's hair, but maybe the swordsman had figured out that it wasn't the time for jokes. Zoro was amazingly perceptive when he wanted to be, after all, and his arm around Sanji's waist right now was more a comfort than anything.

"Sorry. I know it's stupid, but I hate them," he frowned, realizing how petulant that sounded. Law gave him an appraising look, hand moving to rest against Sanji's neck.

"You're extremely attractive," Law didn't sound like he was trying to placate him although Sanji had a hard time believing those words at face value…especially coming from somebody that looked like Law. "Hmm, you should take this off…" he moved his fingers down Sanji's side, so light that it was almost ticklish, and tugged at the towel around his hips.

"Why?" Sanji yawned, not really opposed to it since both Law and Zoro had obviously seen him without any clothes on by now…and honestly, it wasn't as if the towel was really protecting his modesty.

"Why not?" Zoro was smirking, Sanji could tell, and he sighed and nodded, feeling Zoro undo the towel and sliding it out from under him before tossing it aside. Law's hand was resting on his hip, thumb running over the ridge of his hipbone, and Sanji felt his eyes sliding closed under the careful caress.

"Hey," he mumbled before he got too sleepy, reaching back to smack Zoro's leg. "Chopper left me some cream for my muscles. Give me a massage when I wake up," he mumbled, hearing Zoro chuckle and feeling the other man's lips press to his shoulder briefly.

"I don't owe you anything, Cook," Zoro's voice was so full of affection that it made Sanji's heart feel like it was being squeezed, but instead of feeling guilty about it again he decided to just let himself bask in it for once. "I owe you a lot, though," Zoro added, and Law made a questioning noise in his throat. "For yesterday. Thanks. You know. For saving me," he sounded extremely out of his element with the expression of gratitude.

"How could I not, knowing what you mean to him?" Law's hand was still gently petting Sanji's skin, almost feeling like a protective touch now.

Sanji didn't hear if they said anything else after that, sleep pulling him under no matter how much he tried to fight it. He finally felt like maybe the three of them could make this work, as unconventional as it was, and perhaps it was time to stop worrying about what other people would think and just…do what felt right.

Of course, first he'd have to convince himself there was nothing wrong with it, but with how good everything was in that moment, it might not be as hard to do that as he'd once thought.

Notes:

1. I don't think there's going to be too many chapters of this left, although plot tends to sneak up on my when I least expect it so I can't make any sort of official guess on the number remaining, but things are rather angst-free at the moment!

2. I know it's a busy time of year what with final exams and holidays and Christmas coming up, but if you feel so inclined to leave a review or comment, please do! And I hope the chapter was enjoyable, even if it was mostly fluff.