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.

22. Chapter 22

Title: So Good So Far
Author: AoiTsukikage (kikokus)
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing:Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, eventual Law/Zoro/Sanji
Chapter: 22/?
Word Count: 4097
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-Two

"Toraooooo!"

"Shit," Law murmured, bracing himself for impact, and Sanji snagged Luffy by the back of his vest before he could catapult his way into the other man's lap.

"He's injured, dipshit," Sanji muttered, waiting until Luffy's body had snapped back into place before setting him on the floor. "Take it easy."

"Ah, sorry!" Luffy blinked at them both before very deliberately walking over to Law, sitting in his lap, and wrapping his arms only once around the other man's neck. "Is that okay?"

Law had the same look on his face now as he'd had the day before when Chopper had hugged him, and it made Sanji's heart ache a little that he was still so shocked people could genuinely care about his well-being. He was also a little surprised that Luffy was being so delicate, but he also knew that Luffy really wanted Law to like all of them so that might account for how calm he was being.

"Torao?" Luffy asked again, not loosening his grip any.

"Ah…yes, Straw-hat, that's fine," his fingers twitched in the air before he heaved a resigned sigh and returned the hug, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Shishishi. Good. I guess you and Sanji are even now, huh? Since you both saved each other," he finally pulled back and Law looked relieved at that.

"I suppose we are," Law glanced in Sanji's direction and the cook rolled his eyes. They both knew it wasn't some sort of contest, of course, but Luffy probably saw it as a weird bonding experience.

"Cool. Oh, Sanji, I wanna talk to you later, okay?" Luffy asked, not waiting for any sort of answer before he stretched his arm out to snag the edge of the open patio doors, launching himself through them with a joyful 'yahoo!' and flying off toward the beach.

"I guess I should do that now before he forgets what he wants to tell me," Sanji sighed and stood up, walking over to Law. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm not incapable of moving around, you realize," Law frowned, and Sanji knew well enough that he hated to be coddled. "If I need to go back to the room, I can manage."

"Okay. I'll be back later," Sanji hesitated before leaving, feeling like he should do more but not sure how Law would react to any sort of affection in a rather public setting.

He told himself to stop being a coward and walked over, leaning down and gripping Law's chin with a hand to tilt his head up before pressing their lips together in a chaste goodbye kiss.

Law blinked at him when he pulled away, eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything that could be considered an objection so Sanji decided that meant it was okay.

He headed out the doors Luffy had flown out of, heading along the path toward the beach, and hoped his captain hadn't gotten himself into any trouble in the meantime.

000

"I'm not stupid."

Sanji wasn't exactly sure why Luffy was opening with that, since he hadn't said anything to imply he thought the boy was (he didn't, not really, although there were some things Luffy was ridiculously obtuse about). "I don't think you are," he said slowly, settling himself on the log.

Luffy turned toward him, crossing his legs and leaning forward. "I know. But Usopp and Chopper keep acting like I don't know what you were doing that first night. I know what sex is, Sanji," he said it with complete seriousness and Sanji nearly choked, coughing and trying to figure out if he'd heard correctly.

"You…you know…"

"Sex. Yeah," Luffy shrugged. "I don't really care about it and I'm not interested in it, but I know how it works and why people do it," he frowned, blinking slowly. "But that's what I wanted to talk to you about, because as Captain it's my job to make sure everybody on my crew is happy and getting along, right?"

"Yes…" Sanji started slowly, still not really sure where this was going. That Luffy was aware of sex at all was kind of staggering.

"You and Torao. Right?" he asked, and Sanji had another coughing fit because fucking shit if Luffy knew that probably meant everybody knew, and he'd wanted to keep that information from Brook and Franky at least because they'd never let him hear the end of it. Luffy thumped his back, so hard he nearly pitched forward off the log, but he did manage to rein his coughs in.

"Um…"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Luffy's voice was deadly serious and Sanji decided to pay attention. "Because today…you looked at him the same way you used to look at Zoro when you thought nobody was watching."

And oh. Well. He was just getting bombarded with surprising information today, it seemed, because apparently Luffy of all people had realized his feelings for Zoro and he was going to have to seriously re-think how perceptive his captain was.

"Did he…ever look at me like that?" Sanji asked hesitantly, but it was something he'd been wondering about for a while now. He knew that Zoro cared about him by this point, but the other man had still never let the word 'love' pass his lips and sometimes Sanji wondered if he'd ever be able to get there.

"Not really," Luffy shrugged and leaned back. "But he always looked at you like he was confused about something, so maybe he just didn't realize what it was."

"What was?" Sanji was mildly disappointed but not entirely surprised with the information, although Luffy was still being way too vague.

"Love. That's what it is, right?" he sounded completely innocent again now and Sanji really had no choice but to nod. He could have denied it, the way he'd denied it with Chopper the day before, but he had a feeling that out of everybody on the crew, Luffy and Robin were the two least likely to judge him for the current status of his…relationships. "So did you and Zoro have a fight? Did you stop loving him?"

And that was more like the Luffy Sanji had come to know. The question was asked with such innocence and concern that it made the cook feel guilty for some reason, because they all tried so hard to make sure Luffy was never disappointed in them. "No. I still love him," he said quietly, and Luffy frowned, seemingly mulling that one over.

"Okay," he finally said, like he'd just thought everything through and come to an immediate decision. "So you love both of them."

He made it sound so simple, and Sanji thought it must be nice to have so few worries or moral dilemmas. Sometimes he wished his brain worked like that, but he knew he'd always be second-guessing himself in one way or another.

"Do you think that's possible? To love two people?" he wasn't sure what sort of answer to expect from Luffy, but the boy gave him a contemplative look and then shrugged after a few seconds.

"Yeah. I mean, that's like saying you can only have one friend, or one person in your family, right? Your feelings might not be exactly the same for everybody, but that doesn't mean they're less important to you," he pointed out.

"It's…most people would think it's wrong, though. You know? You're supposed to fall in love with one person and be loyal to them," Sanji wrapped his arms around his knees and sighed, looking up when Luffy set a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Most people don't think being pirates is the best way of life, but that's never stopped us, right?" Luffy was grinning at him and his damn smile was so infectious that Sanji found himself returning it without even realizing he was doing so. "Do Torao and Zoro…I mean, do they both know? 'Cuz it wouldn't be right to lie to them," Luffy had gotten sombre again, and Sanji nodded.

"Yeah. I'm still not sure how they feel about each other, but they're…okay with it, from what I can tell," he shrugged, and Luffy nodded.

"Cool! Then that's all that matters, that you're happy," he decided, crossing his arms. "And if anybody gives you crap for it, I'll kick their ass. Okay?" he asked, and Sanji felt a surge of affection because of just how protective Luffy was of all of them. It was incredibly sweet, and normally he hated being babied, but for Luffy he found it was easy to make an exception.

"Deal," he agreed, looking up when Luffy plonked the straw hat on his head. "Thanks, Luffy."

"Shishishi. Of course!" Luffy grabbed a tree farther down the beach and rocketed off again, leaving Sanji with his hat, and Sanji stared out at the ocean and felt a little amazed at how much better Luffy was capable of making him feel with just a few words.

000

"You've been sitting out here all morning."

"Yeah," Sanji looked up at Zoro, blinking in the bright sunlight. He'd lost track of time, letting himself watch the waves.

Zoro sat down beside him, crossing his arms and looking as surly as ever. "What's the hat for?"

"Hmm?" Sanji reached to touch the brim of the treasured straw hat, running his fingers along its rough texture. "What about it?"

"Luffy never gives away his hat unless he's trying to make somebody feel better. So what's wrong?" he didn't sound all that concerned, but then, it's not like Zoro ever did.

"Nothing. I told him about…us. Everything," he added, deciding that he wasn't going to lie about this anymore. At least, not to the people directly involved in it. "He already knew about Law, anyway…I guess he's not as innocent as we all thought," he chuckled wryly and Zoro made a surprised noise.

"You mean, he…"

"Well, he knew what we were doing, anyway. I believe him when he says he doesn't care about sex, but that doesn't mean he's oblivious to what it is, I guess," he stretched out his legs, reaching his arms over his head and sighing. Chopper had let him take the bandages off that morning provided he wore well-padded shoes even if he was just going to the beach, so he'd agreed because anything was better than stumbling around with the gauze pads on his feet.

"Oh," Zoro looked a little afraid, and Sanji knew that he did care deeply what Luffy thought of him…maybe even more than the rest of them, he wanted to be somebody Luffy was proud of. "Did he…"

"He's fine with it, as long as all of us are," Sanji could see the tension seep out of Zoro's body with the words, and he leaned his head onto the swordsman's shoulder. "But he…" he bit his lip, wondering if it was wise to bring this up yet. "He said something that made me wonder…and you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but…do you think you'll ever love me?"

Zoro's entire body stiffened, his breath coming out in a rush, and Sanji swore he could hear his own heart beating in the stillness between them until Zoro spoke again.

"Honestly, I don't even think I know what love feels like, Cook. I know there's nobody in the world that I'd rather have at my back during a fight, and I know that if it came down to me or you I'd give my life to protect yours without even hesitating. I know that sometimes I can't stand you, and I think in some ways that's part of the reason why I like you so much. You challenge me, and you keep me on my toes, and you're strong and so fucking smart and I can't imagine life without you by my side. If that's love, then I think I already love you. If it isn't…well, it's not something I feel about anybody else, at least not in the same way, so it's gotta be something, right?" he wrinkled his nose, sounding rather endearingly confused by the end, but his little speech made Sanji more sure than ever that they'd find a way to make things work.

Zoro was so damn hard to read sometimes but this was as close to a confession as he might ever come, and Sanji was going to take it.

"And, well, the thought of you being with anybody else made me jealous," he added, a slight flush on his cheeks, and Sanji was betting that wasn't something that was easy for him to admit.

"You can call it whatever you want," Sanji told him, patting his leg. "I mean, I'd probably call it love…or something close to it…but if that's how you feel, that's good enough for me," he promised. Zoro set his hand in the small of Sanji's back, steady and grounding, and nudged his head up for a kiss.

Sanji let him lead, eyes fluttering closed, and thought how even a couple of weeks ago he never could have imagined getting to this stage with Zoro. Maybe it was because they hadn't given each other much of a chance in the past, but while he'd always been able to see Zoro's good qualities, there was so much pseudo-animosity between them that even having a simple conversation had been damn near impossible.

A lot had changed in the last few days, and he was starting to realize Zoro was a much deeper person than he'd initially given him credit for. They still had fairly contrasting personalities, of course, and nothing was going to change that, but at the core they valued a lot of the same things and it was easy to find common ground in that.

Besides, he'd always known even if things miraculously worked out, they'd still snipe at each other and get into fights over petty things and pretend to hate each other.

Really, he wouldn't want Zoro any other way, if he was being completely honest with himself.

"Hey," Zoro mumbled, eye narrowed. "Um. So. I was thinking…we've got a few days here, now, but do you…I mean, I want to…do it. With you. For real."

And if he wasn't blushing before, he almost certainly was now. Sanji had the urge to compare him to a tomato, red-faced with a shock of green on top, but he tamped that down because Zoro obviously wasn't joking and the last thing Sanji wanted to do was dissuade him or make him feel like the offer wasn't appreciated.

"I've wanted to 'do it with you for real' for years, shitty Marimo," he snickered, Zoro shoving at his chest. "Yeah."

"What about Law?" Zoro asked, somewhat surprisingly, because Sanji had figured he wouldn't care one way or the other.

"What about him? He's got nothing to do with us," Sanji pointed out.

Zoro mumbled something that Sanji couldn't hear, and he kicked the other man's knee with his foot until he repeated himself.

"I just…I want to do it right, y'know? I've never even…that thing in the hot springs, that was the first time I've ever been with somebody else," he cleared his throat. "I know there are…things I've gotta do to make sure I don't hurt you, and you might be able to tell me but he'd be able to show me and I…I learn better that way," he mumbled, looking so innocent that Sanji cupped his face and leaned to kiss his forehead tenderly. "Plus if I do something wrong you'll kick me, but you won't do that to him," he added.

"I knew it was about your fear of getting kicked," Sanji ruffled Zoro's hair and pulled back, adjusting the straw hat on his head. "I'm fine with that if you are," he wanted to leave the decision up to Zoro in the end, but the thought of both of them being involved with him at the same time was making him half-hard already.

"Yeah," Zoro looked relieved that he'd gotten everything out, and Sanji kissed him again before standing up and holding out his hand to help Zoro to his feet.

"C'mon. Let's tell him before you chicken out and change your mind," he stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed back toward the Inn, hearing Zoro grumbling behind him as they made their way inside.

000

"And you're not playing some sort of elaborate joke on me."

"You really think I'd do that at this point?" Sanji was a little offended, even though he probably should have known Law would respond with a healthy amount of scepticism. He was certainly the sort of man to look a gift horse in the mouth, and it probably had proved beneficial to his own survival in the past, but at this point there wasn't any need for it.

"In all honesty, no," Law admitted, sitting up a little. He was in one of the chairs on the balcony, turned toward the ocean enough that the breeze could ruffle his hair. There was another medical book set on the table in front of him, maybe even the same one Chopper had been looking through with him the other night, and he still looked exhausted but there was markedly more color in his cheeks than there'd been even the night before. "But the negative part of my brain is still trying to convince me that the two of you will shut me out entirely despite your assurances to the contrary."

"Not gonna happen," Sanji glanced over at Zoro, who shrugged and jerked his head toward Law in a rather obvious motion. The blond nodded, crossing the balcony and dropping himself into the other man's lap. "Hey. Trust me," he said softly, tipping Law's chin up and forcing him to meet his eyes.

"I do," Law sighed. "Completely against my better judgement, perhaps, but I do," he gave Sanji a rather genuine smile then, and Sanji thought that he could get used to seeing that expression on Law's face instead of his seemingly perpetual scowl.

"Good," he shifted forward, the straw hat on his head sliding into his line of vision. He had a sudden thought and took it off, plopping it on top of Law's fluffy hair even as the other man opened his mouth to protest.

He blinked a few times, reaching to touch the brim.

"Is this…will your Captain approve of me wearing it?" he sounded dubious and Sanji shrugged.

"Yeah. I mean, he usually only lets people he really trusts wear it, but I think you count as that now," he glanced over his shoulder at Zoro, who nodded in obvious approval, and Law seemed to relax a little after that. "We'll, um…we'll do this when you're healed up enough, okay?" he reached to lay his hand gently over Law's stomach, the bandages covered by the baggy sweater he was wearing.

"If you still feel the same way by then."

Sanji looked up, prepared to berate him, but something about Law's almost haunted expression made the words die in his throat. "One day, Trafalgar," he started, settling his hands on Law's shoulders. "One day you'll learn that when I make a promise, I don't fucking go back on my word."

"Like you did the night you said you'd come back to check on me?" Law quirked an eyebrow and Sanji felt a stab of guilt, because that definitely hadn't been his best moment.

"Law, I…"

"You were drunk, you were distracted, you were so taken aback by Mr. Zoro making an effort toward your relationship that all other thoughts flew out of your brain..." he stopped, sighing heavily.

"You said you weren't angry."

"I wasn't," Law sounded honest. "And I'm not, but I only trust realities. Promises are empty words," he scowled, then, and Sanji felt about as small as a bug even though Law really hadn't even raised his voice. "I trust your…intentions, Sanji, and I trust that you won't break your promises on purpose, perhaps, but that's it."

"You really know how to make a guy feel like shit, don't you?" Sanji sniffed, realizing that had come out a lot more bitter than he'd intended. He didn't take well to people undermining his character, even if Law had a valid reason to think the way he did. "I think I liked you better when you were hopped up on pain meds."

The smile Law gave him then was ugly, teeth bared in a rictus. "I see."

"Fuck, Law, I didn't mean…"

"No, it's fine," Law reached out a hand and Sanji felt a stab of fear even though he still didn't think Law would hurt him. As it turned out, he only warped himself to the other side of the balcony, leaving Sanji flailing in mid-air until he landed rather awkwardly on the chair Law had been occupying. "I've long since accepted that people don't really like me for who I am when I'm in my right mind."

"Hey…" Zoro started, eye narrowed, but Law simply walked by him and passed over Luffy's hat.

"Here. I'm sure Mr. Blackleg can bring you up to speed on sexual intercourse without me needing to be some sort of pity-invite as a third wheel. Have fun," he straightened up and walked into the room, although he barely made it to the bed before he had to sit down, one arm wrapped around his stomach.

"Shit," Sanji sprung up and dashed inside. "Idiot, you over-exerted yourself using your ability…"

" 'm fine," Law's breathing was short, sweat beading on his forehead. "Just…leave me alone."

"I'm a fucking idiot and I talk out of my ass because I get angry way too easy," Sanji blurted out. He knew if he didn't say it now, Law wouldn't give him the chance to apologize again. "I didn't mean it."

"You wouldn't have…said it if it weren't…at least a little…true," Law was shaking a little. "I know I have a rather…unpleasant personality. I do."

"You could stand to loosen up a little," Sanji mumbled, stepping back and crossing his arms.

"You assholes are hopeless," Zoro grunted, handing Luffy's hat to Sanji before he took Law's arm and guided him back against the pillows.

Law didn't say anything, eyes squeezed shut. His fingers were clenched in the blankets, and Sanji felt helpless because he was obviously in pain and Sanji wanted to help, but Law probably wouldn't even let him near him right now.

"Should I get Chopper?" Zoro asked quietly, barely blinking when Law grabbed his hand and curled over himself.

"Yes. Shit. I didn't think I was this weak still," he looked more angry with himself than anything, and Zoro slipped his hand from Law's grip, giving Sanji a look that implied he should fix whatever was wrong between them before leaving the room.

Sanji didn't think Law wanted him to move any closer, but maybe it was the best time to do this since he couldn't exactly run away. He sat down carefully on the edge of the bed, not looking at Law although he reached to place his hand between them, palm-up on the blankets.

It took a few breaths, a few long moments of silence, before Law's fingers curled against his own.

Neither of them said anything, but Sanji didn't think they had to. He knew they were both prone to saying things they didn't mean in the heat of the moment, and while none of it had been nice, it also wasn't entirely untrue. Sanji was pretty sure part of the reason Law had gotten so annoyed was because he didn't exactly like his own personality and Sanji's words had hit a little too close to home.

"More than a little, right?" Law's voice was nearly a whisper, breath hitching in anticipation of Sanji's answer.

"Yeah," he said honestly, because one little tiff wasn't going to change how he felt. "More than a little."

He felt Law's fingers stroking his palm, rhythmic and gentle, and put the straw hat back on his own head as they waited for Zoro to come back.

"I'm trying," Law finally said. "I don't want to be cold and bitter forever, but it's so ingrained in me by this point…"

"You try to loosen up a little, and I'll try to prove to you that I'm a man who can keep his word when it counts. Deal?"

Law's fingers never ceased their almost hypnotic movement, even as the silence stretched between them until he finally replied:

"Yes. Deal."

Notes:

1. Once again, I hadn't intended this to get angsty at the end but it kind of did…

2. I'm on Christmas break from school and work for a couple of weeks, so hopefully updates will be faster over the next little bit! And speaking of Christmas, I wrote a Law/Sanji semi-fluffy Christmas-themed fic called 'Subversion' that you can find on my main page, if anybody wants to check it out!

3. I'm sure some of you have seen this, but the magazine OP runs in did a popularity poll on the characters (the last one they did was way back in 2008) and Law, Zoro and Sanji ended up 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively, which I'm rather pleased about!

4. Thanks again for all the support and lovely words of encouragement I've received for this fic!