It was the harsh glare of fluorescent lighting that first greeted Sanji upon awakening, his thoughts muddled and sluggish as he absently gazed about the room around him, a sharp contrast to the oppressive darkness that had settled upon his apartment. His peripherals began to blur and he could feel the hot tears of disappointment and regret running unabashed down his cheeks as he came to understand his surroundings and their implications of his failure. He hadn't been able to escape, to make the world flow on in the endless stream of time without him, instead finding himself confined to a shitty uncomfortable hospital bed, his clothes replaced with an ill-fitting light blue unisex gown that barely went down to his knees. It wasn't until he rolled his head to the side and looked to the right of his bedside that his blood ran cold and his heart seemed to stutter in his throat as he took in the marimo's crinkled sleeping face, worry etched deep into his features.

Warm tanned arms encircled the blonde's right forearm, a gentle cradle on top of which lay the swordsman's rough wind-blown locks, now thoroughly tousled from stress and sleep, his soft even breaths tickling against the lightly colored hairs of Sanji's arm. A smile briefly graced the corners of his mouth as he watched the swordsman sleeping, but it was wiped away in an instant as the door to the room creaked open, revealing the middle aged balding nurse who had come to check on him. The sudden sound of movement alerted the swordsman and he sat up with a start, his eyes locking onto the curly browed idiot's tear stained features and, before he could even process the action, his arms were already slipped around the blonde, dragging him into a deep embrace. Sanji could feel the trembling of Zoro's hands as he closed his eyes, not bothering to lift his own arms in return, although he desperately wanted to. He was well aware that he had hurt the green haired bastard with his actions, but as the marimo pulled back in order to let the nurse do a quick examination, he couldn't shake the nagging questions that still floated unanswered in the back of his mind.

Why was the swordsman here? And, for that matter, why was Sanji here? He had been positive that the wounds were deep enough to ensure the cessation of his life, that no one should have even known his plans or course of actions, and yet here he lay very much alive. Sanji struggled to try to recall anything being amiss before he had lost consciousness, but all he could remember was the searing pain fading into a dull throbbing as he'd stumbled into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind himself. Never one to wish to be found naked after death, he had bothered to kept his clothes on when he sank into the warm water of the bath, a hiss slipping between his teeth as the ragged cuts stung sharply when submerged. He hadn't liked how the pain was sharp in his mind, keeping him mildly alert of his surroundings so he had settled on resting his arm on the tubs edge and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall into the endless slumbering embrace of death. And yet here was, alive and well in the caring hands of professionals who had probably seen more than their fair share of cases like his.

Sanji risked a glance at Zoro after the nurse had stepped out of the room and found himself trapped in the soul-wrenching gaze of the swordsman's one good eye, agonizing worry and unabashed relief storming behind his steely visage. His heart slammed heavily in his chest, weighed down with guilt and regret and he diverted his gaze off to the side, tears prickling shamefully in the corners of his eyes. A gentle hand grazed over his cheek and the ex-chef closed his eyes, unable to bring himself to glance back into the swordsman's ever saddening gaze as the question stole quietly past his lips.

"Who... you know...?" The blonde failed to elaborate further, bracing himself for the incoming answer, but Zoro could clearly feel the implications of the question settling heavily in the room. His good eye slid shut, images of Sanji's bloodied form laying near still in his arms haunting his thoughts as he forced himself to answer the question.

"Me."

With a single word from the marimo, Sanji could feel his resolve crumbling to pieces, but it seemed the swordsman hadn't finished besieging the blonde with guilty despair.

"I... I spoke with Zeff..." A pained gasp tore its way out of the ex-chef's chest and his blue eyes darted to Zoro's, searching for the answer to a question he already knew the answer to. The green haired bastard knew his secret, knew he hadn't had his job for quite some time now, knew that he had been constantly lying through his teeth about his busy schedule, knew he had been wallowing alone in that wretched apartment filled with sad shadows of his former life. His vision blurred as the shameful tears that had threatened to fall earlier found their way down his cheeks, the final crack in the dam of his turmoiled emotions and, with a choking sob, everything broke. Pain filled wails filled the air as Sanji openly cried, feeling wave after wave of hopeless despair and regret crash over himself.

He could sense Zoro reaching out to pull the blonde in close, but couldn't bring himself to allow such comforting actions, instead choosing to curl up on his left side, arms desperately clutching at the opposite shoulders as he shook with agonizing sobs. He hadn't even noticed the pain of his stitches ripping until the marimo noticed the blood smearing on his hospital gown and slammed down on the nurse's call button before gently trying to calm the blonde. He didn't notice the nurse entering the room, nor did he feel the sedative injection he was subsequently given, but he did feel the effects of the shot as he slowly stopped sobbing long enough to slip into unconsciousness, unaware of Zoro's pained steely gaze that watched his face forcibly relax.

After the nurses had succeeded in subduing the anguished ex-chef, Zoro settled back down into his chair and watched as they skillfully replaced the stitch and replaced the blood soaked bandage with a fresh clean wrapping after thoroughly sanitizing the wound. He had been sure his heart would pop when he saw Sanji awake but he cursed aloud as he realized he shouldn't have answered the fragile blonde's questions so early on, not after what had happened. A quiet knock at the door brought him back to reality as the young face of his friend and doctor, Chopper, peered through the cracked entryway. He walked slowly over to the bed, taking in Sanji's unconscious form before taking hold of the chart hanging from the end of the bed, flipping through the pages silently. The tension in the room felt palpable as the young doctor continued to read the chart, glancing sadly at Zoro every so often before he replaced the chart on the end of the bed and went to check Sanji's vitals for safe measure. It was Chopper who broke the silence after seeing Zoro bury his face in his palms, unable to keep himself from checking on a struggling close friend.

"I know that I can't fix this, but is there anything I can do for you? I hate seeing you both like this... Seeing Sanji like... this..." Chopper cut off, his eyes filling with tears almost as fast as he was able to wipe them away. It was a good moment before he was able to gain enough composure to finish his words. "He's on a mandatory 72-hour hold until we can determine if he is a safe enough state of mind to be released but..." Chopper paused again, eye flitting over the unmoving swordsman's tense form before continuing. "I don't want him going back home to that apartment... He can't be left alone, not when he's been damaged this much..."

Zoro could sense the young doctor's concern, feeling it reflect his own sentiments on the matter at hand as he quickly reached a decision of his own.

"Don't worry, Chopper." Zoro begun softly. "He won't be alone." Their eyes met and mutual understanding arched between them. "When he gets out of here, Sanji will be staying with me for as long as needs be."

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I will work on getting the next chapter out as fast as possible, but I greatly look forward to reading your comments!