A/N: OMG, I got loads of reviews on the other chapter and I wasn't expecting them at all! So thank you all so much, you have no idea how incredibly happy I was to receive them! I'm putting my soul into this story and it's just so amazing that people like it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
As promised I tried to be as quick as I could with this update, so here we go! (I had also told myself that I wasn't going to write up very long chapters but then this 9300+ words chapter happened and here there you go!)
Chapter 7
For a few minutes Zoro had no idea what had happened around him, all he knew was that he wanted to hit, hit and keep on hitting, completely forgetting what being in control meant.
When the other man came at him he was able to dodge a couple of punches, until the man lying on the ground kicked Zoro in the shin, making him groan out in pain and lose his focus on the man who was standing, giving him the chance to finally hit Zoro in the face with his fist, splitting his lower lip open.
Zoro didn't even flinch, he just spat out blood and proceeded to punch his standing opponent in the stomach, then when he bent over Zoro threw him a left hook that sent him back of at least three or four steps before the girl ran up to him and tried to keep him upright.
The guy on the ground kicked him in the shin all over again, but this time instead of losing his focus Zoro stomped on the thug's leg and kept pressing his foot down on it while he listened to the man's cries of pain and the sinister creaking of his bones.
"Enough!" was all Zoro heard before he was literally swept to the ground by one of Sanji's powerful kicks, then he vaguely saw and heard Ace and Luffy sprinting forward to try and send the three punks away.
Zoro grunted as he sat up and brushed his hands together to remove dust and small debris from his palms, then glared up at the two men limping away with the help of the girl.
He was just about to stand up again when he felt a hand on his shoulder that made him quirk up an eyebrow.
"Are you okay?"
Zoro turned his head to find a flustered, distressed Bartolomeo crouched down beside him.
"Uh... yeah. What are you doing here?" Zoro asked, confused. He didn't expect to find Sanji squatting at his level and being concerned about him, but he definitely didn't think that Bartolomeo was going to run all the way from where he was standing in line with his own friends.
"W-well... I saw what happened and I just... Wanted to make sure that you were alright?" Bartolomeo quavered, as if he wasn't really sure about what he was actually saying.
Zoro scowled at him and weakly shook his head, completely oblivious of why in the world Bartolomeo would be so damn concerned for him getting into a fight. It wasn't like he was made of crystal, and he could definitely handle himself.
Bartolomeo's face turned a deep shade of red, panic clearly washing over him as he faintly raised a shaky finger to point at Zoro's mouth "Y-you're bleedin'..."
Zoro raised an eyebrow and rolled his tongue across his lower lip, it did sting a bit but nothing more. "It's just a scratch," he shrugged a shoulder "I'm fine." he patted Bartolomeo on the knee and watched him widen his eyes and twitch all of a sudden "Are you alright?"
Bartolomeo opened and closed his mouth a couple of times without making a single sound. If Zoro's eyebrows could furrow any more they probably would have, since he had no idea what was up with the other man. He would have definitely tried to ask something more or at least shake him to try and make him come down from his shocked state but...
"Oi, you shitty Marimo!" Sanji suddenly chimed in, grabbing Zoro by the collar of his shirt and yanking on it "What the fuck's gotten into you?"
Zoro growled and glared up at Sanji "What do you think, shithead?"
"I don't need you to fight my battles! I never did!" Sanji barked, his face twisted in anger.
Of course he didn't. Of course he had to remind Zoro how much he didn't need him. "Well next time I'll let them demolish you, see if I give a fuck!"
"Guys..." Bartolomeo murmured so weakly that Zoro barely heard him, but he did feel Bartolomeo's fingers squeeze lightly on his shoulder.
Sanji's ears turned almost purple as he bared his teeth and tugged sharply on Zoro's shirt again "Next time you try to be a hero I'll bash your shitty moss-brains in!"
"Sanji! Stop it!" Luffy cut in as he shoved Sanji until he fell on his ass. "Leave him alone!"
Zoro glanced up at his little brother who looked as furious as ever, then over at Sanji who was sitting on the concrete looking deeply outraged by Luffy's actions.
"Why don't you give Zoro a single break?" Luffy asked as he spread his arms "Just stop attacking him for one damn second!" he added as he kept glaring daggers down at the offended blond.
"It's alright, Luffy." Zoro sighed as he pushed himself up to his feet, immediately followed by the ever so concerned Bartolomeo who kept hovering around him like a shadow.
"It isn't alright, Zoro!" Luffy growled, full of anger.
Zoro decided that there was just no way to calm Luffy down, so he just rubbed circles on his own temple to ease off the beginning of a headache.
"Luffy's right," Ace stepped in, and Zoro didn't even want to believe that it was actually happening. "You perfectly know how he gets when people attack you."
Oh Christ, why did his brothers have to make everything ten times more awkward than it could have actually been? Zoro looked down at his boots, kicked a pebble, then accidentally held eye contact with Bartolomeo who was still staring at him with wide, worried eyes.
"I wasn't attacked! No one lifted a finger on me!" Sanji retorted "He's the one who started a fucking fight, because he's a shitty moss-brain who needs to mind his damn business!" he added in the same angry tone that made Zoro want to punch him harder than he'd punched those punks.
"They were definitely gonna start a fight, you dumbass!" Ace replied.
"Verbal abuse is still an attack, idiot!" Perona suddenly chimed in, making Zoro's head snap up in her direction.
He hadn't even noticed that she was still there, but at least she'd made Sanji's head lower in shame, or something similar.
"We all know you're capable of fending for yourself, but don't give Zoro that shit!" Ace continued, after nodding at Perona's words.
"Okay, are we done now?" Zoro jumped in, sick of the entire matter. "What happened can't be undone, let's shut up about it and just leave."
"You're-you're leaving?" Bartolomeo stammered with a frown.
"We certainly aren't staying here after Mr Shithead punched the shit out of two guys." Sanji explained harshly, earning a deadly glare from Zoro.
"Sorry man." Zoro shrugged a shoulder and began to walk back to the car.
"Can I tag along to wherever you're going?" Perona asked, a hint of genuine hope clearly audible in her voice.
Zoro didn't even turn around to brutally destroy whatever hope she had "We're going home, so no. You cannot."
"You're so rude, oh my God!" Perona cried out, indignant.
"Zoro..." Ace called out.
"What now?"
"...the car's on the opposite direction."
"Shit!"
–
The ride back home was quiet, awfully quiet, not even Luffy was uttering a word and the only sound that filled Ace's car was that of the radio.
Zoro didn't turn to look at Sanji not even for a split second as he kept his eyes glued outside of the window.
That was the complete opposite of how he had intended to end that day, but sometimes he felt like there really was no other way for things to go when Sanji was involved too. And maybe Sanji was right, maybe he needed to stop punching people to protect him, he needed to stop being so concerned if every single time he tried to defend his best friend he had to be repaid like that.
It wasn't even like he expected anything in return, he didn't expect Sanji to fall into his arms and love him for eternity, he didn't even want him to be forever grateful to him, he just didn't want Sanji to attack him and be so horrible. It had always felt natural for Zoro to stand up to all the bullies who made Sanji's life a living hell, he just couldn't help it, and he knew it made Sanji feel weak and helpless but he couldn't stand the sight of his best friend being insulted and pushed around like that, holding back his tears of rage and making the palms of his hands bleed with his nails.
But maybe that was Zoro's greatest fault: always being there for Sanji when Sanji clearly didn't want him. It hurt only to think about it, but it was probably true.
Luckily enough he didn't have much time to ruminate over these sad thoughts, because the car stopped in front of his house and everyone climbed out of the vehicle, bringing Zoro back to reality.
"Fuck, I forgot the keys..." Ace sighed as he patted each one of his pockets, then cocked an eyebrow at Luffy "I'm not even asking if you got yours."
The younger boy put both hands behind his head and gave a chuckle in response that only served to make Ace roll his eyes.
Sanji huffed and threw his head back in frustration "You got the keys, Marimo?"
Zoro scowled over at him "Why? You're staying here?" he hadn't really seen that coming, he thought the cook was going to get in his own car and leave as soon as they got back.
Zoro couldn't really tell if Sanji's cheekbones had seriously flushed a light shade of red or if it was just the streetlights playing a number on his sight, but Sanji did rock awakwardly on his heels and shrugged "Well you fucked up the club thing, so we party at your house." he explained with a shrug, not even directly looking at Zoro.
"Hmm..." Zoro hummed as he studied Sanji's movements.
It was then that the front door opened suddenly and a flustered Shanks appeared before them.
"What are you...?" Shanks began, then cleared his throat "I didn't think you'd be back so early!"
The four guys turned to stare at Shanks, but only one of them managed the courage to ask something that was probably buzzing in everyone's mind.
"Were you guys... Going at it?" Ace's expression was both horrified and surprised.
Shanks' face turned as red as his hair and his eyes widened comically "W-what?! No! Oh my... No! Ace what the hell?!"
"Oh they were totally doing it..." Sanji half-giggled as he covered his mouth with his hand.
"Jesus Christ..." Zoro squeezed his eyes shut and palmed his forehead as Sanji, Ace and Luffy chuckled behind him.
"Stop it! Immediately! Or you'll sleep outside!" Shanks barked as he threatened to slam the door shut.
"No, no, no! Sorry dad, really!" Ace pressed both hands on the door and bit back a laugh.
"You damn idiot..." Shanks muttered as he pushed the door further open.
"Wait," Zoro deadpanned before looking into Shank's eyes "Mihawk isn't walking around naked, is he?" he inquired, a hint of worry clearly audible in his tone.
"Oh for God's sake! Enough with this crap, already!" Shanks cried out in an overdramatic voice "Either get in with your mouth shut or sleep in the car!"
Sanji laughed out loud and pushed past Zoro who immediately glared a hole into the back of his skull before following right behind him.
"Zoro what..." Shanks put a hand on Zoro's shoulder to stop him, then cupped his chin to get a closer look at his face "What's with the split lip? What the hell happened?" he squinted.
Zoro shook Shanks' hand off and just proceeded to step inside the house before Sanji could chime in.
"He went Wolverine on a couple bastards, that's what happened." Sanji chanted, then stretched out his arms "Hey, Mihawk!" he smirked at the man who had just come out of the kitchen sporting ruffled hair and an unbuttoned shirt.
"Shut the fuck up, Cyclops!" Zoro sneered, then threw Mihawk a weirded out glance. He was well aware of the fact that he and Shanks were sexually active, still he didn't particularly like being reminded of it.
Mihawk quirked up a sharp brow, shooting Zoro a suspicious glance "What did you do?"
Zoro groaned and just went to the alcohol cabinet to grab a bottle of his favorite brand of rum.
Ace followed behind Zoro to get an half empty bottle of gin and a couple of empty glasses "He got into a fight. Nothing new." he explained briefly, then moved to flop down onto the couch.
"And you let your guard down, didn't you?" Mihawk commented in a monotone, folding his arms across his toned chest.
Zoro grimaced "Give me a break!" he moved to sit next to Ace and almost in that exact moment Sanji dropped to sit beside him, nearly making the bottle slip from his grip.
"What's the point of training then?" Mihawk shook his head dramatically.
Luffy sat on the armrest of the couch on Ace's side "It wasn't a tournament, he was just defending Sanji's honor from some assholes who were insulting him." he explained simply.
Ace snorted into his glass of gin, luckily for him he had just brought the drink to his lips, Zoro on the contrary, inhaled the burning liquor that went straight up his nose and threw him into a chest-racking fit of cough.
Luffy's words made everything sound so incredibly pathetic that all Zoro wanted to do was bury himself under six feet of dirt and never come out.
"M-my honor?!" Sanji turned to stare at Luffy as he had just been suddenly punched in the face.
"Shit, why do people like this have to exist?" Shanks grumbled and shook his head "I'm sorry Sanji!" he frowned at him, then looked over at Mihawk and shrugged a shoulder "Zoro was probably too angry to focus."
Oh God, why couldn't the couch and the floor just split and swallow Zoro there and then?
Mihawk snorted "There's no such thing as being too angry to focus."
"I'm not–! He didn't–!" Sanji sputtered as his face turned more and more red.
Zoro knocked back the rest of his drink without even blinking, then poured himself another glass. What a terrible time to be sober.
"Well he was furious, indeed." Ace nodded from above his drink
Oh great, now he was hopping up on the bandwagon too.
"Homophobic assholes." Luffy shook his head.
"Just my favorite kind of people!" Shanks spat, his face twisted in a disgusted expression.
Zoro watched Sanji down his glass of gin, then grab Zoro's bottle of rum and fill the glass to the rim.
"I wanted to bash their heads in, but Zoro was faster!" Luffy growled, then looked at the bottle of gin "Can I have some of that?" he hesitated as his eyes went up to Shanks and Mihawk.
Shanks nodded firmly "Definitely! Let's all drink! In those bastards faces!"
"What's happening?" Zoro wasn't even sure he had said that out loud as Mihawk shrugged and went to grab more glasses and another bottle.
Oh Christ, they were going to get drunk with his parents.
–
An hour and a half later Shanks and Luffy were three sheets to the wind, standing on the coffee table and singing Welcome To The Jungle at the top of their lungs while Mihawk nursed a brandy with one hand and rubbed circles on his temple with the other. Ace and Sanji were both wheezing on the floor and Zoro lay on the couch, holding his stomach in hysterics.
Zoro wasn't that drunk but he definitely was very tipsy, he knew that Ace wasn't far too gone either but he was an extremely happy drunk, and by the shiny eyes and the red cheeks he could tell that Sanji was just as drunk as his little brother and father.
Luffy and Sanji couldn't handle their liquor at all, they'd drink a few cocktails and start laughing, blabbing and stumbling like idiots. Shanks was a bit more like Zoro and Ace, but he had drank an entire bottle of red wine all by himself and was completely hammered.
"We should go to bed." Mihawk tried to speak loudly enough to be heard over the out of key voices and all he got in response was Sanji laughing really hard as he repeated his words.
Zoro clutched at his chest as he coughed and laughed at the same time, then Ace threw his head back and hit it into Zoro's knee, resulting in both of them groaning and cursing in pain, then laughing more than they were doing before.
It seemed insane, but that day had suddenly taken a surprisingly nice turn and Zoro felt genuinely happy. He seriously thought that he hadn't felt that happy in a very long time, and in his tipsy state he couldn't help but smirk down at Sanji and casually run his fingers through his hair.
Sanji looked up at him, beaming, with his half lidded eyes and hot red cheeks, and in his drunken stupor he grabbed Zoro's fingers and kissed the underside of his wrist before going back to watch the show in front of him.
Zoro's heart skipped a beat, even if he knew that it didn't mean anything, it was just Sanji being his usual extremely cuddly self whenever he felt safe and happy, and the addition of booze didn't help. Still Zoro stared down at his wrist, then at the golden top of Sanji's head and smiled softly to himself.
Nothing could ruin that small perfect moment – except his younger brother slipping off the coffee table and falling butt first onto the floor and then throwing up everything he'd been keeping into his stomach, making everyone freeze and stare in horror.
"Oh God, are you alright?" Shanks hopped off the table and Ace and Zoro quickly scrambled to their feet to get to the boy.
"I... I'm hungry..." Luffy whined, making everyone groan.
"No, you need to go the fuck to bed!" Mihawk thundered from his armchair "We all do!"
"Ooh, grumpy, grumpy pants!" Sanji slurred from his seat on the floor "Shanks, make him happy, go on!" he flailed his hand in the direction of the stairs "Take him to bed!" he tried to wink but ended up blinking.
"Oh my God..." Mihawk covered his eyes with his hand.
"I'll take the young man to bed," Ace announced before looking over at Shanks "You okay with cleaning this up?"
Shanks waved a hand and nodded "Yeah, yeah, yeah! It'll be a minute..."
Zoro stared at the mess Luffy had made with a skeptical look, then gazed upon Sanji who had rested his chin on the coffee table. "I'll take the other one to bed..." he nodded and moved towards the blond.
Sanji glanced up at him and sniggered "You cannot wait to get me into your bed!"
Zoro felt the tip of his ears heat up but tried to shrug it off "Shut up, you're drunk." he grumbled as he helped him up.
"We're all so incredibly gay, aren't we?" Shanks spoke as if he had just now made that discovery.
"I really want a steak..." Luffy whimpered really quietly while he was all propped up in Ace's arms.
"'xcept the little one." Sanji snorted and pressed his nose into the crook of Zoro's neck "You gonna carry me too?"
Zoro shivered, then twirled Sanji around and steered him in the direction of the stairs "You got good legs, so walk."
"Worst Marimo ev'r..." Sanji muttered as he started walking in the direction of the stairs.
Zoro did need to catch Sanji a few times and prevent him from splitting his face open on the steps, and as he listened to him giggle under his breath he knew that even if he tried not to care about Sanji with all of himself he would have failed miserably.
When they finally reached Zoro's room, Sanji risked ripping his fishnet shirt apart during his attempt at taking it off, so that Zoro had to assist him once again.
"Couldn't wait to get me out of these clothes, huh?" Sanji muttered as he lazily leaned against Zoro's firm figure, and raised his arms to let his shirt peel off easily.
That wasn't exactly how Zoro had fantasized about undressing the blond, but it could have still worked.
"Shut up..." Zoro shook his head. Just when he was about to turn on his heels to get Sanji a spare shirt for the night, Sanji grabbed both his hands to keep him in place.
"You gotta take off m' pants too... I can't..." Sanji's expression was so far from innocent that Zoro felt his entire body being shaken by the chill of excitement.
"Just..." Zoro tried really hard not to sound as hoarse as he did, so he cleared his throat and gestured to the bed "Sit down, you can definitely undress on your own."
"But I don't want to..." Sanji's voice had got lower, warmer and way too suggestive.
Zoro stiffened, holding his breath for a few moments and telling himself that drunk Sanji might have wanted that, but he didn't, because nothing good could ever come out of that situation. "I don't care, you spoiled little bastard. Take off your clothes on your own." he shook Sanji's hands off and moved to browse through his drawers.
Zoro heard some mumbling and a faint rustling of fabric being tugged and tossed, then once he had found a clean t-shirt through the chaos of his commode, he pulled it out and turned around in order to hand it to Sanji. "There... You can use this."
Sanji grabbed the shirt "Thanks..." he pulled it on, struggling just a bit, then looked up at Zoro with his big blue eyes and extended an arm towards him "C'mhere..."
Zoro furrowed his eyebrows at him and didn't move from the spot he was rooted on.
Sanji wriggled his fingers "C'mhere, you stupid moss-brain!" he repeated, this time the tone was less sweet and more... Well, Sanji-like.
Zoro huffed and stepped ahead "What do you want?" Sanji grabbed a fistful of Zoro's shirt and tugged on it until he was bending, and their faces were way closer then necessary "Oi! What are you–"
Sanji scrunched his face as he stared at Zoro's lips "Does it hurt?"
Zoro had nearly forgotten his own name in that moment, so his split and rapidly bruising lip didn't even cross his mind in that moment "What are you talking about?" he grimaced as he tried to read Sanji's expression.
"I'm sorry I'm an asshole."
Zoro's eyebrows shot up so high that they nearly disappeared into his hairline, and he was unable to spit out a witty comeback.
Sanji shook his head "Thank you for what you did, Marimo..." he licked his own lower lip, then looked up into Zoro's puzzled eyes "I know you did it 'cause you care, and I'm an asshole."
Zoro blinked, and opened and shut his mouth a couple timed before being able to sputter anything "Y-you... What–?"
Sanji rolled his eyes "I said thank you, you idiot!" then he simply tugged again on Zoro's shirt and closed the distance between them.
Zoro was paralyzed. Completely petrified. He had no idea what to do or think. He could feel Sanji's lips pressed flush against his own, he was so aware of their mouths glued together that he could also feel that Sanji's labret was digging into his injured lip, but he didn't even flinch. He held so still that Sanji pulled back to scowl up at him.
"C'mon Marimo, loosen up..." Sanji croaked "You're a terrible kisser, you know that?"
That was it, it had always been all a challenge between them, and as soon as Sanji teased him, Zoro pinned Sanji down onto the mattress and bit down on Sanji's lower lip.
"Oh, yes!" Sanji laughed and looped his arms around Zoro's neck, opening his mouth as he welcomed Zoro's tongue inside.
The kiss was rough, driven by the thrill of the challenge and how much Zoro craved for Sanji's entire being. Their teeth clashed together a couple times in the heat of the moment, their tongue studs clicked together, they nipped and sucked and licked, and Zoro thought he was going to lose his mind.
Sanji wrapped a leg around Zoro's waist and with the force of his powerful muscles he pushed him flush against his own body.
There was no way to ignore how hard they both were, especially when Sanji ground up against Zoro's denim clad crotch, moaning softly into his mouth.
"Z-Zoro..." Sanji panted against Zoro's lips.
Sanji rarely called him by his name, and when he did he sure as hell didn't sound so erotic. Hearing his name leave Sanji's lips in that tone and in that moment made Zoro groan out long and loud, as he dipped his tongue inside the blond's mouth and kissed the air out of his lungs.
Zoro's lower lip was probably hurting, maybe even bleeding, but in that moment all he could feel was Sanji's mouth against his own and how his hands were desperately scraping and pulling at Zoro's shirt as he tried to tug it off. They broke off the kiss only so that Zoro's shirt could be removed and discarded God knows where around the room, Sanji dug and dragged his nails down the elaborated tiger tattoo that took up Zoro's entire back, making him growl low in the back of his throat and rock his hips down into Sanji's.
"Fuck!" Sanji choked on his words, his fingers running up Zoro's shoulders before he could reach up to lick and bite the sensitive skin of Zoro's neck.
Zoro couldn't think straight, not with Sanji's teeth and tongue on his neck, not while they were rutting against one another like that.
Sanji's hand sneaked between them to undo Zoro's belt, failing a couple of times in his intoxicated state, then succeeded in loosening Zoro's jeans enough to slip his hand inside them and grab Zoro's erection.
"Shit..." Zoro ground his teeth and pressed his forehead against Sanji's shoulder.
"You're so fucking hard," Sanji commented, and Zoro could practically hear the shit-eating grin. "And big..." he added, making Zoro's already heated up face burn even more.
"Sh-shut up!" Zoro sneered, trying not to rock into Sanji's hand.
"Learn to take a fuckin' compliment, Marimo!" Sanji chastised him, then thumbed at the slit of Zoro's cock, making him jerk under his touch. "I wanna suck it..." Sanji pressed his lips against Zoro's temple "Let me suck it, c'mon..." he drawled in that hot tone of his.
It was when Zoro heard him slur out his sentences that the reality of things slapped him right across the face.
"No," Zoro pulled back and shook his head "no, you're drunk. We shouldn't be doing this." he held Sanji's wrist and pulled his hand out of his boxers.
The look Sanji gave him was that of pure shock "I'm not drunk, you shit-head!"
Zoro arched an eyebrow "Yeah right, and I'm straight."
"You probably are!" Sanji spat as he narrowed his eyes at Zoro "You just... you didn't want me to suck your dick!" he muttered, then pouted like a kid who had just been denied his candy "I'm really good at sucking dicks..." he whispered.
Zoro let his eyes drop shut "I don't..." he huffed, then shook his head "I'm not gonna take advantage of you like this, just 'cause you're drunk." he shrugged a shoulder "I don't wanna be like all the others."
Sanji stared up at him in silence for what felt like an eternity. Zoro didn't know if he'd understood everything he'd said but he didn't like the uncomfortable silence, so he rolled off of Sanji and sat on the edge of the bed.
After that, Mihawk definitely couldn't say that he had no self-control, next time he'd heard him say that, Zoro was gonna punch him.
He rubbed his face with both hands, then took off his already opened jeans and tossed them over the pile of Sanji's clothes.
"Marimo..." Sanji murmured so softly that it made Zoro shiver.
"What?" Zoro sighed, still giving him his back.
"You're not gonna sleep somewhere else, right?"
Was it fear that Zoro heard in Sanji's voice, or was he just imagining things?
Zoro turned to scowl at Sanji "This is my bed, why would I?"
Sanji stared up at the ceiling and nodded "Good..."
Zoro blinked a few times, then moved to switch off the lights before lying down next to Sanji. He didn't know if things were going to get weird between them after what had happened, but he sure as hell hoped not.
"I..." Sanji started, paused for a moment, then sighed "Ugh, the room's spinning." he pressed both hands against his face and Zoro snorted.
"Told you you're drunk as shit."
"Argh, make it stop!" Sanji cried as he curled against Zoro and buried his face into the crook of his neck.
Zoro froze for a moment, then wrapped an arm around the blond. "I can't, but calm down... It'll pass." he spoke softly as he rubbed soothing circles on Sanji's arm.
They stayed like that, quiet, Zoro's hand never stopped caressing Sanji, trying to soothe him, and at one point he actually assumed he'd finally fallen asleep.
"You know what?" Sanji spoke at last, voice thick with drowsiness.
"Hm?"
"When I die... I wanna be buried with white lilies." Sanji slurred out, as simply as that.
Zoro's eyes widened and his eyebrows furrowed "That's morbid as fuck, why are you even saying that?"
Sanji gave a one-sided shrug "Just lettin' you know... I don't want any other flowers on my grave."
Zoro gave a long, drawn out sigh, and decided to just roll with it as he pinched the bridge of his nose "And why is that?"
"B'cause..." Sanji lifted his head briefly, just to readjust himself against Zoro "They were mom's favorite flowers..."
Zoro's stomach twisted uncomfortably and regretted asking the reason for Sanji's choice of flowers right away. He didn't want Sanji to dig into painful memories, not even while being drunk.
"And also 'cause white lilies symbolize purity... And innocence." Sanji sighed, placing a hand flush on Zoro's chest "And since I'm so far from being pure and innocent, I'd like to have those two things back... At least when I'm dead."
Zoro's chest clenched so hard that the wind was knocked out of him. The boldness and the pain in Sanji's words hit Zoro like a train, so much that he didn't even know how to respond to that.
Sanji didn't like being the way he had become, Zoro had always suspected it and now he could say that he was completely sure of it.
"You're not a whore, Sanji." Zoro almost whispered as he squeezed Sanji's shoulder "I didn't mean that..."
Sanji let out a choked little laugh, then sniffled "It's alright..."
"And what those assholes said tonight," Zoro shook his head slightly "that was a bunch of crap. You're a real man and a great singer." showering people in compliments was completely out of question for Zoro, no matter who that person might have been, but in that moment he felt that he had to.
Sanji hummed and squirmed softly, pressing his lips to Zoro's neck as a silent thank you. Zoro turned his head and pressed a kiss to Sanji's forehead really hard, refusing to pull back.
"Stupid Marimo..." Sanji murmured as he placed his hand on Zoro's shoulder.
"Go to sleep, idiotic Cook..." Zoro said softly as he carded his thick fingers through Sanji's long, messy hair.
His arousal was long forgotten by then, completely replaced by a racing heart and the want to protect Sanji from anything and anyone at all costs, even if it was impossible. If he had told himself that he was going to try and care less about Sanji, that he needed to try and cool down his feelings for him, in that moment he knew exactly why he couldn't do it.
Zoro only allowed himself to give in to sleep once Sanji's breathing had slowed down and he was sure that the blond was asleep, quickly drifting off into a peaceful, dreamless slumber while holding Sanji in his arms.
–
"Hey..."
Zoro couldn't quite place the voice that had been trying to wake him up for the past minutes, it sounded definitely familiar, but he was so completely enraptured in his sleep that he just couldn't recognize whose voice it was.
"C'mon, Zoro! Wake up!"
Zoro felt the mattress dip beside him, and he couldn't help but burrow his face into the pillow with an annoyed grunt.
"Let me sleep, Cook." Zoro croaked out as he flipped on his other side.
"I'm Ace, you dumbass!"
Zoro's eyes snapped open and he suddenly sat up "What the–?" then he groaned and placed a hand on his forehead, sitting up so quickly after having just woken up definitely hadn't been the best of ideas.
Ace stared at him for some seconds, then shook his head with a sigh "Sanji left earlier, he seemed to be quite in a hurry."
Zoro could have sworn he had felt his heart stop for a few moments as panic washed over him. It was Sunday, after all, why would Sanji leave so suddenly if he hadn't regretted what had happened the night before?
"Oi, you with me?" Ace asked as he waved a hand in front of Zoro's eyes "...something's up, right?"
Zoro looked at his brother, then covered his face with both hands and flopped back down dramatically on the bed.
"Did you two...?" Ace raised his eyebrows and his eyes widened as his mind computed the various possible conclusions that could have made both Sanji and Zoro react like they had. "Oh God, you did!"
Zoro groaned and removed one hand from his face to punch his brother in the side "Shut up!"
"Ow! You asshole!" Ace moaned as he bent over, holding his hurting side, then returned the blow, aiming it at Zoro's hip.
"Ow, fuck you!" Zoro cried out as he glared at Ace.
"No, you fucked Sanji!" Ace growled as he massaged his ribs.
"I did not!" Zoro barked back at him.
Ace furrowed his eyebrows as he scanned his brother like a lie detector. "Well what happened then?"
Zoro groaned and ran his fingers through his hair in distress "Why would you even think that? Of all the times he's slept here!"
Ace rolled his eyes "Maybe 'cause you were drunk and the whole thing from outside the club happened?"
Zoro's eyes darkened as he deadpanned "So a drunken pity fuck?"
Ace threw his arms in the air "Oh God! That's not what I meant! Stop putting bullshit in my mouth!"
Zoro scrubbed a hand over his face and turned to see the time: 11:15. "At what time did he leave?"
Ace shrugged a shoulder "I casually bumped into him while I was going to the bathroom earlier," he scrunched his lips and glanced up at the ceiling as he tried to remember "probably around... I don't know, 8? Or earlier?"
Zoro blinked and stared down at the pillow that Sanji had used that night. He couldn't really say he was surprised, but he had kind of hoped that Sanji wouldn't have ran away like that.
"Hey, maybe he was just busy," Ace suggested as he tilted his head in search of Zoro's distracted gaze. "Maybe he had to go to the Baratie!"
Zoro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose "We didn't fuck, I swear..." he began as he decided to finally share what had happened. "There was kissing and..." Zoro swallowed thickly and a shiver ran down his spine as he recalled images and feelings from the night before "...and there was grinding, but nothing else."
Ace stared at his brother in disbelief, his mouth hanging slightly until he decided to finally speak "Why did you... Fall asleep before or?" Zoro shook his head and Ace widened his eyes "Why... How did you stop?!"
Zoro grimaced and rubbed at his brow with his fingertips "I stopped him when he stuck his hand down my boxers." then he huffed at Ace's expression "Stop staring at me like that! We were drunk! Especially him! It wasn't fair, and it wasn't how I wanted it to happen!"
Ace stared at Zoro in silence, with his lips pressed together in a thin line and furrowed eyebrows, then shook his head slowly.
"What?!" Zoro growled out in frustration.
"You're a fucking hero, little brother." Ace admitted at last.
Zoro widened his eyes "Eh?! What are you on about?"
Ace smiled softly and clapped a hand on Zoro's shoulder "I mean it, Zoro. What you did... Other people might have just gone for it, just because they would have seen their chance." he squeezed Zoro's shoulder and nodded "You're a good man."
Zoro's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, and if his eyes could have widened even more they would have probably popped out of their sockets. "Shut the fuck up, you idiot!" he slapped Ace's hand away, but his reaction only served to make his brother laugh out loud.
"I'm not making fun of you, really." Ace placed a hand on his heart, as if he was swearing that he only spoke the truth "I seriously think that you're the best thing that happened to Sanji."
Zoro snorted really loud "Yeah right, he's so lucky to have me."
Ace's eyebrows raised "He is! And he knows it too!" then he shrugged a shoulder "He just doesn't like to show it."
Zoro glared at his brother "Could you stop sugarcoating this for me?" he grabbed his cellphone and frowned when he found out the battery was completely dead. He had forgotten to charge it the night before, of course. "I know he couldn't give less of a shit." he muttered as he plugged in his cellphone.
"You're such a pessimist!" Ace groaned as he rolled his eyes.
"Maybe, but you're too much of an optimist." Zoro didn't know whether he should have turned on his cellphone or not. Maybe he would have found a missed call or a text from Sanji telling him he was sorry for leaving so suddenly. Or maybe there wouldn't have been anything and Zoro wasn't quite ready to have his morning ruined.
Ace sighed and shook his head "Whatever." he pushed himself off the bed and stood up, cracking his neck before turning to face Zoro again. "Speaking of optimism..."
Zoro arched an eyebrow as he looked up from his cellphone "Hm?"
"You should tell Kidd that we are gonna tour with them." Ace beamed down at his brother.
"Oh!" Zoro blinked a few times as he remembered about Freakshow's proposal, then scowled down at his cellphone again as he remembered about Sanji ensuring Kidd's offer. "Yeah I..." he paused for a moment as he decided to just put the cellphone on the nightstand and get up "I'll call him after coffee and a shower."
Ace nodded with that proud older brother look of his "Let's make some before Luffy wakes up and makes a mess in the kitchen."
Zoro snorted and followed his brother.
Whatever, he needed a small break from Sanji if he wanted to preserve his mental health, he could deal with him later.
–
Sanji dropped two tablets into a glass of water and glared down at it as if it had personally wronged him, while he tried to gather up all the memories he had from the night before.
A few images had slapped him awake in the morning and Zoro's heavy arm and leg slung over his body had contributed to throw Sanji into sheer panic, making him scramble out of bed and get out of the house as soon as he could.
"What a fucking idiot!" Sanji cried as he rested his head against the cupboard, eyes falling shut as an uneasy weight settled into his stomach, combined with the awful hangover he'd been nursing since he'd first blinked his eyes open.
Sanji was terrible at handling his liquor, more than he cared to admit, no matter his physique and how often he drank it still took him just a few drinks to lose it. The good thing was that he could still remember what had happened, even if not in the smallest of details, and knowing that he hadn't gone all the way with Zoro was slightly comforting.
How could he be so incredibly stupid? Of all the people he had hit on Zoro, the only off limits man in his life, the only one he cared so much about that he didn't want to mess things with by getting physical.
God he so hoped that Zoro didn't hate him now. He probably had been right to call Sanji a whore if he couldn't even keep his hands off his best friend.
Sanji sucked in a deep breath and brought the glass to his lips to down the aspirins, but as soon as he did so, he had a sudden flashback of himself asking Zoro if he could suck his dick. Useless to say that the water went up his nose, making him choke and cough for a solid minute.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Zeff's voice suddenly came from somewhere behind Sanji, making him cough harder. Just what he needed in that moment.
"W-weren't you at Baratie for brunch?" Sanji croaked out as he tried to even out his breathing, then wiped his lips on the back of his wrist.
"I saw your car outside, so I came to see if you were alright." Zeff explained casually as he moved to sit down on a chair.
"Why the fuck wouldn't I be?" Sanji asked, still not turning around. He stared down at the glass and squeezed his eyes shut as his brain brought up memories of him sneaking a hand into Zoro's boxers.
"Because I thought you were gonna stay at your friends'." was Zeff's dry explanation "You might as well come help us out since you're here."
Sanji sucked in a shaky breath and finally drank his medicine, grimacing at both the awful taste and his father's request. "You gotta give me a few minutes, then I'll come down."
Sanji heard Zeff stand up "That's fine, but move your ass." and with this last sentence he stomped out of the kitchen and went back to the restaurant.
Sanji waited to hear the front door click shut, then let himself sink to his knees on the floor. He wanted to claw at his face and bang his head into the counter for being so damn stupid.
He had no idea what to do if he were to ruin things with Zoro, and sex ruined everything if done with people you actually care about. It creates expectations, awkwardness, the wrong type of attachment and Sanji didn't want that, he dreaded things to change between he and Zoro. That's why he always had sex with people he didn't know, with people who didn't care about him and he didn't care about, because it was only about that raw pleasure that both men craved and that was it. No bond, no strings attached, no useless feelings.
Sanji couldn't believe how after all those years he could have been so foolish to just give in to his most primal instincts with Zoro. It wasn't even like he wasn't attracted to that Marimo bastard, because Zoro was way too fucking attractive in Sanji's opinion, but he had always been different from everyone else, he was special and far too important for Sanji to lose because of a fuck or anything else.
Sanji rubbed his face with both hands then forced himself to stand back up and wash his face before getting ready for work – for once Zeff and his requests had actually been useful, Sanji definitely needed a distraction, staying alone with his own mind for too long was dangerous.
He had also been thinking that he should have at least sent Zoro a text or something to apologize or let him know why he had left his house so suddenly and without even saying goodbye but... How? He couldn't write 'hey, sorry I left but I got so paranoid about us nearly banging that I had to leave'. Maybe he shouldn't even mention the night before, maybe Sanji should have just pretended to be completely clueless and only say that he had remembered about his shift at Baratie and he had had to run.
Yeah, that could work, he had been drunk after all, and Sanji often forgot about what he had done while being completely wasted that it would sound totally plausible.
Sanji grabbed his phone, opened his convo with Zoro and scrolled up to re-read their past messages. He toyed with his tongue piercing, placing it between his teeth and rolling it around as he remembered the phone call from two nights before, how Zoro had assured him that he wasn't worthless and that he was more important that he thought he was. He remembered the blind rage with which Zoro had fought off the thugs who had insulted him so bad, and all of a sudden a knot formed in his throat.
Sanji swallowed down the lump, or at least tried to, and with his free hand he rubbed at his stinging eyes. He definitely wasn't going to be able to forgive himself if he were to lose Zoro, he didn't know where he would have been without him.
"Ah, shit..." Sanji growled as a single tear escaped his control and rolled down his cheek. He wiped it off and shook his head, drew in a few soothing deep breaths, then finally began to type in his message.
'hey marimo, sorry i left so early and without a word, but i had promised the old fart i was gonna to the brunch shift and i had nearly forgotten about it. he would've killed me if i didn't show up.'
He hit the send button, then tapped his teeth down on his lipring a few times before adding something else.
'i got a bitch of a hangover btw, how about you? i bet luffy and shanks feel like shit too haha'
Sanji scowled down at his own messages, unsure about whether they really sounded casual, but then he just stuffed the phone into his pocket and finished getting ready. He needed to stop thinking and just get to work already.
Sanji worked his ass out the entire morning and didn't even stop to eat his own lunch, as he decided to do both the brunch and the lunch shift.
Focusing on cooking definitely helped him take his mind off other things and also made him feel very good about himself, since he was incredibly great at it. He baked, fried, boiled, arranged courses on the dishes and also took the time to wander around the tables to speak to the customers and make sure that everyone was enjoying their meals and there were no problems of every sort.
Of course he smoked like a chimney, of course he cursed and argued with both his colleagues and his old man, especially when it started dawning on him that Zoro was probably ignoring his texts. Sanji had tried to think that Zoro was still asleep, that no matter what time it was Zoro still had to read them because he was completely dead to the world, but in Sanji's situation the quickest thing to assume was that Zoro was ignoring his very existence.
"Fucking asshole, douchebag, dickwad, cocksucker, bastard..." Sanji muttered around the filter of an unlit cigarette as he thinly sliced a cucumber and fantasized about chopping off Zoro's dick. Or maybe he was actually hating on himself but he couldn't admit it.
"Damn eggplant, you're supposed to slice that cucumber not blend it!" Zeff barked from over his shoulder.
Sanji was so deep in his own thoughts that Zeff's voice scared him so much that he accidentally clipped his forefinger.
"Fuck!" Sanji cried out as he dropped the offending knife on the cutting board and wrapped his other hand around the injured finger, while the cigarette he had been keeping between his lips lied forgotten on the floor.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Zeff groaned as he tried to grab Sanji's finger himself.
"Fuck off! It's your fault, you shitty geezer!" Sanji growled venomous as he stormed out of the kitchen and into the toilet, sucking on the small yet profusely bleeding wound.
He locked himself inside the toilet ignoring Zeff's banging on the door, then immediately ran his finger under the tap. He grimaced down at the wound and hung his head in defeat – he actually couldn't see how that day could turn any worse.
Sanji was still holding his finger under the cold spray of the faucet and mentally cursing at himself and the rest of the world when his cellphone vibrated. Sanji quickly stuffed his other hand into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone to find a message from Zoro.
"You fucker..." Sanji sneered as he opened the message.
'oi cook, i was helping ace fix his car. it's alright, i figured as much. i didn't have a terrible hangover but I did have a headache, and luffy threw up his breakfast and lunch, while shanks slept 'til 2pm. bunch of losers.'
Sanji's eyes fluttered shut as he let out a shaky sigh. Zoro had finally answered, he wasn't avoiding him.
He placed the cellphone on the small shelf below the mirror, turned off the water, then proceeded to look for the first-aid kit into the cabinet. A band-aid wrapped tightly around his finger did its job perfectly, and now that the cut was protected Sanji could finally grab his phone and move to sit on the closed toilet.
'omg poor luffy, i hope he's better now. what was wrong with ace's car btw? it seemed fine to me.'
That was all that Sanji could type, and no matter for how long he stared down at the message he couldn't tell Zoro how scared he had been, how he'd accidentally clipped his finger because of how nervous and jumpy he'd been. Sanji rubbed at his forehead with the back of his hand then finally hit send. That small talk sounded kind of pathetic, but it was the only way to keep things the way they were between he and Zoro.
He needed a smoke, badly. He would have gladly stuck four cigarettes between his lips and smoke them all at the same time. No matter what, he went with just one and made sure to open the small window, or else Zeff would have killed him for smoking into the toilet.
Sanji's cellphone vibrated after the second drag of tobacco. He was starting to feel a little less tense, even though nicotine couldn't exactly work miracles.
'he's better now, he and ace are playing master of puppets on their guitars. btw something was wrong with the brakes on ace's car.
oh, i forgot to tell you that i spoke to eustass, we should meet up with them and discuss some tour stuff. let me know when you're free.'
Sanji's eyes got wider and wider as he read the text, he had completely forgotten about the entire deal with Freakshow, and now that it was all coming back to him he was slowly getting more and more nervous about what had happened with Law and what he had told Zoro.
'yeah? you spoke to him? when do they wanna meet?'
He hit send so fast that the phone slipped from his hand but he managed to save it by kicking it back up and catching it again. God if his anxiety kept being so bad he was gonna need a drink, a damn strong one too.
Sanji puffed on his cigarette and focused on the smoke filling his lungs, keeping it in as much as he could, feeling it burn and scrape until he physically needed to exhale it in a long huff. His cellphone buzzed again and he cursed at it.
'...i just asked you when is it that you could be free? they haven't decided yet. some time this week, he needs to check in with the others and then he'll let me know. i just asked nami when's a good time for her too.'
Sanji blinked for a moment, then scrolled up to re-read the previous message that Zoro had sent. He seriously needed to chill out if he couldn't even read and compute a text properly. Sanji tugged and chewed on both his oral piercings as he tried to think when it could have been a good time for him to skip a shift or anything, then started tapping away on his phone.
'right, oops. mm can't do tomorrow, and on tuesday we had practice planned? i dont know... maybe wednesday? unless we reschedule practice.'
Sanji wasn't exactly looking forward to spending time with Law and Zoro in the same room, especially not after the Metal Mayhem night, but he was a good actor after all, he could definitely make things work.
Suddenly there was some banging on the door again and Sanji flinched so hard that he hit the back of the head into the flush, activating it.
"Shit!" Sanji hissed as he massaged the back of his head.
"You damn Eggplant! What the fuck are you doing? Did you die?" Zeff barked from the other side of the door.
Sanji groaned, exasperated "A man can't even take a shit now?"
"That's one hell of a big dump, if you still haven't finished!" Zeff replied loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.
"Fuck off!" Sanji barked as his cellphone vibrated in his hand.
"I saw you cut yourself! Are you alright?" Zeff insisted, and Sanji wanted to crawl out of the window and run away.
"Just leave me alone, for fuck's sake! I'm fine!" Sanji cried as he opened the text.
'i guess wednesday could work, don't forget about it.'
Zeff did say something in return but Sanji couldn't hear it, as he was way too concentrated on texting.
'i dont have a moss-brain, i'll remember.'
He didn't even have the time to stuff the mobile into his pocket that Zoro responded right away.
'good.
and next time you need to leave early wake me up and tell me.'
Sanji bit his lower lip and hung his head, before taking the last drag of cigarette and replying.
'you need me that much, huh?'
He reached over to the sink and extinguished the cigarette with some water before throwing the wet filter into the trash.
Zoro texted him back shortly after.
'i just need to know that you're ok, dumbass.'
"Aww..." Sanji smiled softly and shook his head. Now he was feeling seriously sorry for leaving like that in the heat of the moment, but he had had his good reasons.
'i'm fine marimo, but if it does make you feel better i'll do that next time. now i gotta go, zeff's being a pain.'
Sanji wasn't particularly looking forward to exiting the toilet, especially not after dramatically leaving the kitchen just like he had done. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep, especially now that adrenaline and anxiety were wearing off, leaving him completely powerless.
Buzz buzz.
'go ahead, shitty cook, don't anger him too much.'
Sanji rolled his tongue across his lower lip and finally pushed his phone into the pocket of his jeans, then rested his head back against the wall, letting his eyes fall shut. Yes, he definitely needed to go home, he had strained himself enough for the day.
To Be Continued...
A/N: I didn't put warnings at the beginning because I didn't wanna spoil anything... OOPS!