Just in time for our favorite mossball's birthday, here's part two!
Enjoy!
There was a bit of adjustment, Sanji quickly realized, in going from being alone for a very long time to having a roommate.
The biggest was that Zoro was always there, whether Sanji wanted it or not. Sanji would head into the living room and Zoro would be there, watching television. He'd go into the kitchen and find him hunting through the cabinets looking for a snack. He'd be looking for a book and find him in the sitting room, napping on the sofa.
Not that Sanji was complaining. It was nice having someone around, and it was very nice to have someone to cook for again. Zoro complimented the food sparingly, but he always cleared his plate, asked for seconds, and thanked him after each meal, and that was enough to have Sanji feeling floaty for the rest of the day.
It was almost enough for him to forgive the shedding.
It didn't take long after Zoro moved in for Sanji to learn that werewolves didn't just transform during the full moon. The full moon was the big transformation, where Zoro turned into what he called a full wolf. During the other phases of the moon, he did partial transformations, where he only had a few wolfish characteristics while remaining mostly human.
The gibbous transformation, in which Zoro turned into what Luffy called a classic wolfman, fur and all, and shed all over Sanji's apartment, was easily his least favorite.
"Shouldn't you be confined somewhere?" Sanji glared at Zoro as he vacuumed the living room again, "You know, so you don't disturb the populace?"
Zoro popped one of the chicken nuggets Sanji had prepared for him into his mouth, "You're the disturbance with that vacuum, Cook."
Sanji snarled, but shut it off, "I wouldn't have to vacuum so damn much if you weren't shedding all over my furniture!"
"It's not that bad," he said, rolling his eye, "You're overreacting."
Sanji huffed as he marched over to the couch, placing his hand on the cushion that Zoro wasn't occupying and running it quickly across. He pulled away and showed Zoro the handful of green fur that had stuck to it.
Zoro leaned forward, he snout almost touching Sanji's hand, and sniffed, "Are you sure that's mine?"
"You're right, it must belong to the other giant green dog that lives here," he snarled as he balled the fur up and tossed it at him, "Can't you at least shower and wash off the excess fur?"
Zoro wrinkled his nose, clearly disgusted with the mere idea of cleanliness. Sanji let out a long suffering sigh and considered it a lost cause.
"I shed as a full wolf too," Zoro said, scratching his furry chest as Sanji gathered up the vacuum and put it away, "You never complain then."
"You're cuter as a wolf," Sanji grumbled as he came back and dramatically flopped onto the couch next to him.
"Aw, you think I'm cute?" he snickered, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
He scoffed, crossing his arms and legs and glancing away from him, "I certainly enjoy you better when you can't speak."
Zoro let out a low growl that rumbled deep in his chest, and Sanji smirked. The one good part of the gibbous transformation was how easy he was to rile up. Sanji always liked a good challenge, and fighting Zoro had turned out to be one of the more enjoyable ones.
"You wanna fucking go?" He snarled as he leaned forward, claws digging into and piercing the leather.
Sanji's eye twitched and immediately kicked him off the couch.
"That's Italian leather, shithead!" He shouted as Zoro growled up at him from the floor, "Do you know how much that costs to import?"
Zoro lunged at him, wrapping his arms firmly around Sanji's torso as he dragged him to the ground. Sanji squealed as his back hit the floor with a thud.
Zoro was quickly on top of him, sitting on his legs to pin them and digging his claws into the floor on either side of his head. He smirked down at him like he'd won, showing off his huge, pointed teeth.
Sanji snarled and moved before he could stop him, his hands coming up to Zoro's neck, his nails digging into the fur there as he positioned his sharp fangs right over his jugular.
Zoro reacted quickly, but not quick enough, pressing one set of claws at the back of his neck and the other into his chest, puncturing holes in his shirt but not quite breaking the skin yet, a stalemate.
Sanji's eyes slid up to him, and Zoro stared back, his eye locked onto him. This close he was all but drowning in that terrible wolf scent, his fur tickling his nose, but underneath he could smell something else that he didn't hate, some piney wood scent that could only be Zoro.
They stared at each other for a long moment, and Sanji could feel Zoro's heart racing, the vein under his teeth beating an unsteady rhythm into him.
Suddenly Zoro released him, pushing him away. Sanji let go and fell to the floor as he stood up.
"Gonna take a shower," he explained as he left.
Sanji collapsed on the floor, wondering what that was even about.
If developing feelings wasn't bad enough, developing feelings for a prissy vampire cook - and then making the idiotic decision to move in with him - was Zoro's own personal hell.
If Sanji had turned out to be a selfish prick, just another vampire trying to suck the life out of everyone they met, then maybe Zoro would have an easier time. But he wasn't. He gave him a place to stay and went out of his way to make sure he was comfortable there. He cooked for him, cooked him food he couldn't even eat himself, and made sure he was never hungry.
It had been a long time since someone had done that for him. Longer than he'd like to admit. And it felt good, made him feel like finally, here, with Sanji, he could be safe.
The downside was that Zoro couldn't find a way to repay him for his kindness.
He wasn't used to someone taking care of him, at least not without wanting something from him in return. And Sanji didn't seem to want for anything, except blood occasionally, but he'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't want any of Zoro's.
Zoro didn't like it. Well, he liked being taken care of, who didn't, but he didn't like that he couldn't pay him back.
And there was also that feelings thing rearing its ugly head again. In werewolf culture when you were interested in someone, you had to prove to them you were a good mate who could provide for them.
He knew Sanji becoming his mate was out of the question, but the instinct to prove himself worthy of him, to provide for him, was still there.
Zoro was only really good at two things: fighting and hunting. Sanji could fight his own battles, so if he wanted to provide for him, it would have to be through hunting.
He was great at hunting, at finding food to eat no matter where he ended up, at providing.
But providing for Sanji wasn't exactly going well.
"What the hell is this?" Sanji asked, holding the dead bat Zoro had left for him up by its wing.
"A bat," he explained, because maybe the vampire was stupid.
"I can see that," he glowered, "What the hell is it doing on my counter?"
"I got it for you."
Sanji's eyes narrowed, and he shook the bat, "Is this a threat? Are you threatening me?"
"No," Zoro frowned. He figured since Sanji cooked all the time, maybe he'd like something to cook, and since he was a vampire, maybe he liked cooking bats. But shit, now that he was thinking about it for more than two seconds, weren't vampires supposed to turn into bats? Maybe this hadn't been a good idea.
"I let you into my home and you threaten me," Sanji sighed. He didn't sound too offended - which was a relief - just disgusted and exhausted as he dug through the closet for a shoebox to bury the bat in, "What am I going to do with you?"
The dead rat, rabbit, and pig that Zoro also brought him went over about as well.
Although the rabbit stew Sanji managed to make was delicious, and while he bitched and complained about butchering the pig, the pork chops were outstanding. But Sanji hadn't eaten much of either of those, which made the gestures worthless.
Zoro wasn't trying to provide for himself, he was trying to provide for Sanji.
He had to rethink his hunting tactics.
Sanji didn't need food, he needed blood, human blood.
So where could Zoro get him some of that?
His phone buzzed, distracting him from his thoughts as he looked down at it.
Nami: Where's my money
He ground his teeth together. The last thing he needed right now was another annoyance.
He'd met Nami three years ago, through a mutual friend that neither of them talked to anymore. The three of them had been at a cafe together, and he'd been a dollar short. She'd eagerly lent him the dollar, but tacked on a ridiculous 500% interest to it that he'd thought she was joking about. She wasn't.
He now owed her around $5000, as she reminded him when she hounded him about it every few months.
It didn't matter where he moved to or if he changed numbers: she always managed to find him.
Zoro: I already gave you your money I don't owe you shit
Nami: So you still don't have it huh? That's a shame
Zoro growled at his phone in frustration.
Nami: I can come over and help you come up with a repayment plan
Nami: Where are you living these days?
Like hell was he telling this annoying, greedy witch where he lived. She'd hunt him down and he'd never be rid of her.
The two problems running through his mind suddenly crashed together, and he had an idea. Whether it was a terrible one or a great one he couldn't say, but it did get two birds with one stone.
He quickly texted Nami the address.
Zoro: Sure come over for dinner and meet my roommate
Sanji hummed as he stirred the sauce on the stove. He was making chicken with orange sauce, mashed potatoes, and peas for dinner tonight, excited about trying out a new sauce recipe and the creative potential. The blood for his meal can be mixed with the sauce and the chicken - the sharpness of the blood mixing with the tartness of the sauce for what should be an interesting combination - and serve as a dye for the potatoes, turning them pink and letting him play around with presentation a bit.
The intercom buzzed suddenly, startling him and making him frown. He hadn't been expecting Luffy tonight, and he certainly hadn't made enough if the glutton was joining them for dinner.
"I got it," Zoro said as he rushed by, shoving a beanie over his wolf ears. It was the crescent moon tonight, if Sanji remembered correctly, so Zoro's only wolfish characteristics were the ears on his head and the tail tucked into his sweatpants.
"Are we expecting company?" He asked, curious but trying not to sound it.
"Sorta," he opened the door and paused, giving Sanji an inscrutable look over his shoulder before glancing quickly away, "I have a surprise for you for dinner."
"A surprise?" But Zoro was already out the door before he could question him further.
He shrugged, hoping it wasn't another dead rat.
When Zoro came back, it was with the most beautiful woman Sanji had ever seen in his life. Her bright brown eyes widened as she stepped into his apartment, a lovely smile gracing her lips as she spotted him, her gorgeous orange hair brushing her shoulders as she turned to face him.
It was definitely not a dead rat.
"Hello, my dear. My name is Sanji," he said as he slid over to her, taking her soft hand in his own and bringing it to his lips, mindful of his fangs as he placed a gentle kiss on the back of it, "I welcome you into my home."
"I'm Nami," she said with a light giggle, and if he still had a heartbeat he knew it would have skyrocketed at the sound, "My my, what a gentleman."
Sanji preened under her praise as he released her hand, letting it fall elegantly back to her side, "What a beautiful name for such a beautiful guest."
"Aw, you're so sweet," she said, eyes sliding over to Zoro, "Unlike some people."
Zoro was leaning against the counter, arms crossed and scowling, a dark look in his eye as he glared at Nami.
"Something smells wonderful," she continued, nodding towards the stove.
"I'm glad it's to your tastes," he said, gesturing to the dining room, "Please feel free to join us for dinner."
"That sounds delightful." She gave him one last smile and made her way to the dining room.
When she was gone, Sanji rounded on Zoro, "Why the fuck didn't you tell me you were bringing a guest."
"She's, not really a guest," he said, like the vague bastard he was.
"Well she's sitting in my dining room expecting dinner, so I don't know what else to call her," he grumbled as he quickly lit a cigarette, "How do you know such an exquisite beauty anyway?"
"That's, complicated," he said, blushing slightly and scratching his cheek.
Sanji frowned. She wasn't his girlfriend was she? His chest deflated, somewhat disappointed at the notion. He had plenty of space if Zoro wanted to move her in, and he could give them a more private room instead of the one right next to his if they wanted, but the idea of them being together, of Zoro being claimed by someone, had this ugly squirming feeling crawling through his chest.
No. Not of Zoro being claimed. Of Nami, exceptional beauty that she was, being with an ungrateful mutt like Zoro. That must be it.
"I figured you could," he gestured vaguely towards the dining room, "You know." He didn't elaborate further, instead giving Sanji a pointed stare.
If Sanji had been capable of blushing he was sure he would be. Was Zoro implying what he thought he was implying?
So, she wasn't his girlfriend then.
He cleared his throat, "Despite what you may believe, I am perfectly capable of finding my own bed partners if and when I want them. I do not need you to-"
"Fuck, shit, no." Zoro's face was crimson, and he yanked his hat off to scratch behind his twitching fluffy ear, agitated, "Not that."
Sanji huffed, crossing his arms in front of him as he puffed on his cigarette, "Then why the shit is she here?"
"I just, I owe her a lot of money and she's always hounding me about it, so I figured you could have her," and Sanji glared harder, because how the fuck was that not meant to be sexual, until Zoro continued with, "For dinner."
Sanji's foot was already colliding with Zoro's head and sending him sprawling to the floor before he'd fully processed what he'd said. When he had, he yanked him back up by his shirt and slammed him hard into the wall. The wall cracked under the force, and knew he'd have to repair it later, but right now he couldn't care less about that.
"What in the shitty fucking hell, Zoro!" Sanji shouted in his face, teeth bared as his nails pierced his shirt and dug into his skin.
Zoro's eye was wide, the pupil almost vanishing into the green iris as his fingers dug into the wall behind him. His gaze slid down to Sanji's mouth, then quickly back up again as his face grew even redder.
"I, I just," he stuttered out, "Just figured, you might be hungry, and-"
He slammed his foot into the wall by Zoro's head, creating another hole to be fixed later as he leaned in closer.
"Despite whatever shitty stereotypes you may have of vampires," he hissed right into his stupid face, and Zoro visibly swallowed, "I do not feed on defensless maidens. Understand?"
He glared hard at him, keeping their eyes locked so he got the message through that thick wolf skull of his. When Zoro slowly nodded, he released him, letting him drop ungracefully back to his feet.
He scooped up the cigarette that had fallen to the floor and tossed it into the sink, lighting up another one and taking a long, deep drag from it, slowly exhaling the smoke as he tried to calm down.
Zoro rubbed absently as his chest as he regained his bearings, giving Sanji a frantic look.
"I am very particular about who I feed on," Sanji explained as he handed him silverware and wine glasses, "Now go make yourself useful and take these out."
Zoro nodded, still in a daze as he entered the dining room.
Sanji braced his hands on the counter and tried to get his temper under control.
There were lots of things Sanji despised about being like this, and his constant never ending need for blood was the top of the list. He'd made the best of it, had certain rules about who he could and couldn't feed on, and always made sure he fed often enough so he wouldn't lose control and attack someone he didn't mean to.
But none of that changed the fact he needed to drain the life out of others to sustain his own, that he was a monster through and through.
Is that how Zoro saw him? As some bloodsucking leech, willing to bite into the first neck he saw?
As if on cue, a pang of want thrummed through him, and he could feel the craving start to tug at the back of his mind. It was small though, manageable, and he was able to push it away as quickly as it came on.
He'll need fresh blood soon, but not tonight. Nami and Zoro should be safe from him and his insatiable appetite. For now, anyway.
If Zoro knew how truly monstrous he was, would he bother sticking around?
The thought made him sick, a panicky feeling filling his gut.
He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and put out his cigarette. He had guests to serve, he couldn't think about that right now.
When he was back in control, he grabbed the food and entered the dining room.
Nami glanced uneasily at the door to the kitchen.
So, Zoro had brought her here to be killed by his vampire, what were they exactly? Roommates? Boyfriends?
It didn't matter. Zoro had tried to have her killed to get out of paying his debt.
She knew she should be more upset about the trying to kill her thing, but honestly it was the dodging his debt part that really irked her the most.
She frowned as she played with the fringe on the tablecloth. Sanji sounded like he had no interest in killing her, which was good, she certainly didn't want to be sucked dry by a vampire, but the fact that Zoro had tried disappointed her.
She didn't have a lot of friends, wasn't really good at establishing long term meaningful connections with people. When she'd met Zoro through their mutual friend, she'd liked him. Not like liked - she wasn't into guys - but he seemed nice. Well, not nice per se, but like a good guy past the resting murder face. And he didn't put up with her shit or give her grief because of her life circumstances, which she appreciated.
He seemed like someone she could be friends with.
But from her experience people didn't usually stick around her unless they wanted something. So she kept him close the only way she knew how: by making him indebted to her.
While she certainly wouldn't say no to Zoro paying her back, she had no intention of ever collecting on his debt. It was only an excuse to keep seeing him.
She didn't think he'd try to have her killed over it, or fed to his vampire lover or whatever he'd had planned, and the thought that he did made her feel queasy.
Zoro entered the dining room and started setting down silverware and wine glasses, red faced and looking like he'd either been slapped or kissed within an inch of his life, but that wasn't what caught Nami's attention.
The giant furry ears on top of his head did.
"So if he's a vampire what are you, a werewolf?" She asked.
"What?" He glanced at her, confused, "Why would you think that?"
Her eyes slowly trailed up to his ears and stared pointedly until he got the hint. He rubbed his hand over them to confirm that they were exposed, then sighed and shrugged, accepting this turn of events with the nonchalance he did most things.
"Yeah," he confessed as he sat down across from her.
As she continued staring at him, his face paled in realization, his gaze slowly turning to her as he sheepishly asked, "Uh, did you overhear-?"
"The entire conversation?" She smiled sweetly at him and took some grim satisfaction at his squirming, "Yes, I did."
He winced, crossing his arms as he glanced away, "Sorry."
"Did you really," she drummed her fingers on the table as his eye looked everywhere but at her, "try and feed me to your vampire boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend," he muttered and sunk further into his chair.
"Crush then? Wait, is that what this was," she smirked, almost completely over the 'he tried to kill her to get out of paying her back' thing in favor of relentlessly teasing him, "Were you presenting me as some kind of gift? To try and impress him?"
"Shut up!" he barked at her, his blush coming back in full force, proving her absolutely one hundred percent correct.
"Oh my god, you were!" She cackled, laughing so hard she started tearing up, and Zoro finally looked at her again, if only to glare daggers.
"Well," she wiped the tears from her eyes, "I can't fault your taste. I am quite a catch, and I'm sure I'm a real delicacy blood-wise."
Zoro growled at her, but before he could respond, Sanji entered the dining room, his arms ladened with food.
He placed Zoro's plate in front of him with more force than strictly necessary, and hers gently in front of her with a charming smile as he filled their wine glasses. The food on his plate, she noticed, had a slight red tinge to it, and she tried not to think about it too hard.
She bit into the chicken and was surprised by how good it tasted. Not just good, incredible. The orange sauce reminded her of one her mother always made growing up, and she let the flavors swirl around her tongue as she let herself get lost in the memory for a moment.
"Oh wow," she said when she came back to herself, "Do all vampires cook like this? If so, I've been missing out."
Sanji froze with a forkful of potatoes halfway to his mouth. He chuckled nervously, "My dear, I haven't the faintest idea what you're-"
"She overheard us earlier," Zoro responded around a mouthful of chicken, his wolf ears twitching obviously on top of his head, "She already knows."
"I see," he set his fork down and smiled at her, "I can assure you, I never feed on guests, and I would never harm someone as lovely as yourself."
"I got the gist of that, yeah," she smiled back at him, "It's good you have manners and ethics," her gaze slid over to Zoro, "Unlike some people."
"Yes," Sanji's gaze followed hers, and Zoro squirmed under their combined stares, doing his best to ignore them, "Some people really are hopeless."
Zoro snarled, and violently stabbed his next piece of chicken.
"All this over money," she shook her head, "You really should just keep better track of your finances."
The glare Zoro gave her would have felled lesser men. Nami was unphased.
"About that," Sanji said as he picked up his fork again, "How much does he owe you?"
"Oh, around ten thousand dollars."
Zoro choked on his drink, "What? No, it's only like five thousand!"
"It's been doubled," she answered, swallowing another bite of delicious chicken and reveling in Zoro's flustered gawking, "Because you tried to have me killed to get out of paying it."
"That's fair and completely reasonable," Sanji answered over Zoro's protests, "I can pay it for him, if you want."
They both stared at him, Zoro's face going red while Nami's went white.
"O-oh, really," Nami turned back to her food, trying her best to seem like she didn't care one way or the other, "You just have ten thousand dollars lying around?"
"Yes," he answered easily, "I have a lot of old family money. I can clear up this debt thing so nothing like this happens again."
"I see," she pushed the food moodily around her plate. It wasn't that she couldn't use ten thousand dollars - she absolutely could - but it was never about Zoro paying her back. It had always been her way of keeping Zoro in her life, and without that anchor, he would have no reason to stick around.
He may have tried to have her killed, but he was still one of the only friends she had.
"That's, very kind of you," she said as she glanced back up at Sanji, "But, really, it's Zoro's problem, and I think he should take responsibility for it and pay me back himself."
She quickly took a bite of food, her eyes darting around the room, but they eventually fell back to the vampire.
Sanji was staring hard at her, his blue eyes practically glowing under the pale lights of the chandelier. Zoro's ears were twitching on his head as he wolfed down his food, but Sanji only had eyes for her, searching for something. When he found it he smiled, his fangs protruding a little as his eyes softened.
"I see," he said, taking a bite from his own food, "In that case, you should stop by for dinner more often."
Nami blushed, her heart rate speeding up and making her feel almost giddy.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Zoro growled around a mouthful of peas, "She's extorting me and you want her to come back?"
"She's a lovely dinner guest, who doesn't talk with her mouth full," he gave Zoro a pointed look before smiling sweetly at Nami, "She's welcome back any time."
She returned the smile, more grateful for the invite and the promised companionship then he probably knew, and finished her meal in high spirits.
After dinner, Sanji made Zoro walk her downstairs. He grumbled about it, but shoved his ears back into his hat and went with her to the elevator.
The ride down was long and awkwardly silent, and Nami tried to think of something to say to break it.
"I, uh," Zoro was blushing as he rubbed his hat where his wear was tucked away, "I am sorry. I didn't really want him to kill you I just," he sighed and glanced away, "You were annoying me with the debt thing, and I was trying to think of something nice to do for him and," he growled and crossed his arms, "It was a stupid idea. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," she smiled at him, and he relaxed, "And don't worry about the money. You don't have to pay me back right away. I mean, you'll have to pay me back eventually, but not right now."
"Right," he sighed, but there was a small smile on his face, so she considered everything squared between them.
"And," she continued, "If you need help courting your vampire crush, just let me know. I was obsessed with vampire romance novels when I was in high school, so I'm an expert."
His gaze slid to her, and he raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Of course," she grinned and winked at him, "But my advice comes at a price."
Zoro huffed and looked away, a smile on his face, "I'll think about it."
The elevator dinged and opened up on the bottom floor. She stepped off and waved at him, smirking as she said, "We can start brainstorming seduction tactics when I come over next week."
"Yeah right, like I'd trust any of your advice," he grunted and hit the elevator button. As the doors closed he smirked at her and said, "See you next week."
Nami smiled, steps light as she walked down the street to her apartment.
A vampire and a werewolf weren't the most conventional of friends, but they were hers now, and she wasn't letting them go that easily.
Giving Nami to Sanji to eat as a gift had blown up in his face spectacularly.
For starters, now Nami was always around. Sanji had her over for dinner at least once a week, and for afternoon tea whenever she had the time, and the two of them together were always bitching at him.
But the worst result of the whole catastrophe was that Sanji was uncomfortable around him.
He didn't want to be alone with him, inviting Luffy and Nami over whenever he could or making excuses to be out of the apartment during the evenings. During the day he was either holed up in his room or working on something in some other part of the apartment, far away from wherever Zoro happened to be.
It sucked. This was the exact opposite of what he wanted to happen with these gifts.
He had to find Sanji someone he could feed off of, prove to Sanji that he did understand his needs and could provide for them, and fast.
Sanji said he was particular about who he fed off of, and he never fed on maidens, but that didn't leave him with much to go on.
Zoro growled as he glared at the crowd of people milling about the street.
By maidens did he mean all women, or just young pretty ones? And how the hell was Zoro supposed to figure out what made someone's blood palatable to the finicky vampire?
He glanced at the horizon. The sun was already setting, and he wanted to finish this up before moonrise when he transformed and wound up bringing attention to himself.
Maybe he should just give it up and try some other way to fix things with Sanji. But no, Zoro never gave up. He just had to finish this quickly.
He'd pick a guy, to be safe, just some random guy and let Sanji sort it out.
He snatched the first guy he saw by the hood of his sweatshirt and started dragging him back to the apartment, "You're coming with me."
Usopp prided himself on his ability to not get murdered, having survived his entire life fairly successfully so far. But, well, he'd been studying all afternoon, and he was tired, so it's not his fault he didn't see the hulking man standing there, waiting in the shadows for his next victim.
And really, the guy was twice his height and looked like he could crush his skull with his bare hands. He was missing an eye for pete's sake, lost no doubt in a harrowing, deadly battle with someone even bigger and scarier than him. Usopp never stood a chance.
He'd lived a short life, but a good one. Sure he never got to ask out that cute girl in his art class, and yeah maybe he spent most of his life avoiding any potentially dangerous situations instead of doing anything, and yeah most of his free time was spent between doing odd jobs and commissions to pay his way through school, so it's not like he had friends or anyone who would miss him, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Oh shit. He was going to die and he'd never actually lived.
The man dragged him into a surprisingly nice building and onto the elevator, and wasn't it always the hedge fund billionaires that were murderous psychopaths. Or maybe he wasn't going to kill him. Maybe he just had weird kidnapping hobbies.
Suddenly the man grunted and hunched over, clutching his sides like he was in pain.
"Uh," Usopp raised a tentative hand. Maybe he was sick. Maybe he was kidnapping Usopp to steal his organs because the waitlist was too long and he didn't have that much time left. At least Usopp wasn't dying for nothing, "Are you-?"
The man gasped and flinched violently, his whole body shuddering as he let out heavy, labored pants. Usopp backed up as far as he could in the enclosed space, eyes widening as big, fluffy green ears sprouted from the man's head. After another shuddering gasp his teeth grew, long and sharp and deadly, and his nails turned into sharp claws, primed for ripping someone's heart out.
His one eye opened wide, the pupil a thin slit, and turned on him with an animal like ferocity.
Oh, he was definitely going to die.
Usopp started shaking as soon as the man stopped. He looked down at his clawed hand, completely unphased, and flexed his fingers, "Is it the half moon already?"
"Uh," Usopp was too busy freaking out over being kidnapped and possibly tortured and definitely killed by some wolfman to worry about trivial things like what phase the moon was at tonight, "Sure?"
He scratched his claws along the wall of the elevator, seemingly satisfied.
Usopp gulped and tried to come up with some way off this elevator alive, but no, he was done for. His life was about to come to a violent and bloody end and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The elevator dinged near the top floor, and the man dragged him off it, "C'mon."
Usopp whimpered, but, having no choice, followed after him.
"Hey, Cook," he shouted once he entered the apartment, "I got you something."
Not only was Usopp going to die, he was going to be eaten, chopped to bits and cooked by some psychotic werewolf chef. What did he ever do to deserve such a macabre death?
"Where the hell have you been, you mossy idiot? It's past sunset!" Someone shouted from the next room, the kitchen probably, judging by the delicious smells coming from it.
Well, if he was going to be their meal, at least he was going to be a good one.
Another man, this one blond with striking blue eyes, stepped out of the kitchen with a scowl on his face. He froze when he saw Usopp, his scowl falling away as his eyes went wide.
"Who the hell is this?" he asked.
The first man shoved Usopp towards him and said, "I got him for you."
"What," he scoffed and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it in a fluid motion, "Do you owe him money too?"
"No," he frowned, scratching behind one of his furry ears, "I just, thought you might be-"
"Hungry?" The scowl returned, accentuated by the cigarette smoke leaving his mouth. Usopp started shaking as he continued, "So you just kidnapped a guy off the street?"
"Yeah," he shrugged, "Pretty much."
Usopp's eyes darted to the door, wondering if he could make a break for it. But he was trapped between the two men, pinned by their mutual gazes, and he knew any escape attempt would be for naught.
"Fucking hell, Zoro," the blond sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "You can't just kidnap people off the street!"
"Why not?" Zoro asked, "You need to eat someone, so why not him?"
"For starters, he's a shitty kid!" He snapped, gesturing at Usopp, "He's like, what, ten? Twelve?"
"I-I'm twenty, actually," Usopp managed to squeak out, but regretted it immediately when all three of their eyes turned to him.
"See?" He said, as if his point had just been made, "A child."
"Twenty's not-" Zoro started, but the other guy interrupted him.
"And look at him!" He circled him. Usopp tried not to tremble under his gaze, but failed miserably, "He's got a bag full of books! He's still in school! You're in what, middle school?"
"College, actually. Art school," he answered. Some people had said he had a baby face, but come on. He'd be insulted if he wasn't about to die.
"He's in college," he said as he turned back to Zoro, "He's got enough problems without me adding to them."
Usopp flinched as he leaned in and sniffed his head before saying, "And he reeks of anxiety! Even if I wanted to feed on him I couldn't!"
"What's wrong with anxiety?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the door jam.
"People with anxiety are fucking saturated in adrenaline and cortisol," he knocked the ash off the end of his cigarette, and took another puff as he explained, "Adrenaline is like a spice, like a good paprika. A spike of it is good and can enhance a meal, but for him it's like someone dumped the whole container in!" He shook his head, "Completely inedible."
They stared at each other, Zoro growing more uncomfortable by the second, before the other guy sighed and turned to Usopp, his voice much softer, friendly even as he asked, "What's your name, kid?"
He swallowed and managed to get out, "Usopp."
"I'm Sanji. Sorry this idiot werewolf kidnapped you," he nodded towards the kitchen, "Are you hungry? I'm making trout tonight, and there's plenty."
Usopp loved trout, and it smelled divine, but, "You're, uh, not just fattening me up so you can eat me later, are you?"
"I already said I wasn't going to feed on you. You're fine," he put a hand on his shoulder and led him to the kitchen, "C'mon."
Sanji paused in the doorway and turned back to Zoro, "You can't have any until you promise me you'll stop bringing humans here for me to feed on."
Zoro scowled, but said, "I promise to stop bringing you humans."
Sanji nodded, seemingly satisfied, "Good."
Usopp couldn't help but drool a little as he entered the kitchen, the smells even more delectable at their source.
"Make yourself at home," Sanji said as he went to the oven and fiddled with something, "This'll just be a few more minutes."
Usopp glanced around the kitchen. It looked just like any other kitchen, a bit fancier than most maybe, but nothing that would indicate a cannibalistic serial killer and his pet werewolf lived here.
Curious, he opened the fridge and peeked inside. Most of it was average food stuffs, fruits, vegetables, milk, and the like, but one shelf was crammed full of jars filled with something red.
"Oh," he said as he studied the jars, wondering what they could be, "You make your own hot sauce?"
"Uh," Zoro said from somewhere behind him, "Those aren't-"
"Yes!" Sanji exclaimed, coming over and opening a pantry near the fridge. Inside was a plethora of hot sauces, each carefully labeled, "I've been experimenting with different peppers and intensity ranges lately. Feel free to help yourself if you want to try them."
Usopp's eyes darted between the hot sauces and the red jars in the fridge. Hand trembling, he reached in and pulled one out, "Then what's-?"
He caught sight of the medical label, reading the bold 'B+' before realizing what it was.
"I-is this…?" His face paled, the blood draining from it as he gazed at the blood in his hands.
Sanji snatched the jar out of his hands and placed it back in the fridge, shutting it with a dismissive, "That's not for humans."
Usopp stumbled backwards, his back hitting the counter, and braced himself against it, "Are, are you some kind of, of...?"
"Vampire?" Sanji said, flashing him a smile that showed off his fangs, and Usopp noticed a threatening red ring around his blue iris, "Yes."
Usopp let out a high pitched squeak and started trembling again. His eyes darted between the vampire and the werewolf, and he realized he was trapped with two monsters and no escape.
"Please don't suck my blood!" He pleaded, "I'm sure I taste terrible and-"
"I know you will, and I already told you I'm not," Sanji scoffed as he handed him a plate, the delicious smell of the fish and vegetables doing little to calm his nerves, "Relax. As long as you're here, no one is eating you."
"But…" He started, but Sanji had already handed Zoro a plate and was leading them into the dining room.
"You're my guest now, and I don't hurt my guests," he said as he sat down at the head of the table. Zoro took a seat to his right and started eating, ears twitching and tail wagging, as if this was all normal, "Now sit down and eat your fish."
Usopp gulped, but did what he asked, sitting across from Zoro and taking a huge bite of fish.
It was the best meal he'd ever had, and he couldn't help but tell Sanji as much.
"Damn right it is," he said, flashing him a charming smile, "Much better than whatever you get at that middle school cafeteria of yours."
"College," he reminded him, "And yeah, this is way better than the instant noodles I've had for the past three months."
"You've, been eating nothing but noodles for three months?" Sanji asked, more concerned than a vampire probably should be about the eating habits of a potential victim.
"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "Meal plans are expensive, and it's not like I can afford much else."
Sanji's eyes widened, and Zoro muttered, "Here we go," under his breath.
"You must stop by again sometime," Sanji insisted, "Whenever you want. I'll give you a proper meal, and I promise no one will eat you."
Usopp hesitated. The food was good, but could he really trust a vampire and a werewolf to not kill him and drain his blood and feast upon his organs?
Then again, even with the threat of potential death, it was nice to eat with someone. It made his lonely existence feel a little less lonely and a little more filled.
A few more bites of the trout had him convinced.
As far as last meals went, he supposed he could do a lot worse.
Sanji saw Usopp to the elevator, making sure he and the leftovers he'd given him got there safely, then glanced back at his apartment door.
Zoro had brought him yet another human to feed on. As much as he was dreading the conversation, it looked like it had to happen before this got out of hand.
He found Zoro sitting on the balcony, leaning against the railing as he gazed longingly up at the moon. He poured two glasses of wine - because if they were going to have this conversation they needed them - and joined him.
Zoro glanced over at him as he approached, but quickly looked away. He'd untucked his tail from his pants, and it was making long, sweeping drags against the ground as he offered him a glass of wine.
"Here," he said, and Zoro took it carefully, unsure about the gesture as he said, "We need to talk."
Zoro froze, his ears going flat against his head as his claws scratched across the metal railing, "Okay."
Sanji took a sip of his wine, steeling himself before he started, "You don't have to keep doing this, you know."
His claws grated harshly against the railing as he clenched them, "Do what?"
"Bring me humans," he glanced out over the city, the lights below flickering as the humans went about their lives in the bustling night. He took a sip of his wine, teeth clenching as he spat out the words, "As sacrifices."
He could feel Zoro's gaze on him, but kept his own locked on the landscape below.
"I'm not," Zoro started, stopped to take a sip of wine, and tried again, "I'm not bringing you human sacrifices. That's not what I'm trying to do."
"I get it, really," Sanji sighed as he swirled his wine, "If I don't feed enough and regularly, I'll get desperate. I could go after you, even if normally I find your blood repulsive. I know that that," he paused and stared into the dark surface of the wine, snarling at his own frustrations and inhumanity, and corrected, "that I can't be easy to live with. So I get why you keep bringing me humans."
He finally glanced at Zoro, who was frozen to the spot, face an unreadable mask as his eye bore into him.
"But you don't have to. I have a system that works, and I can find my own blood. I've gotten really, really good at finding the worst of humanity to feed on." He glanced away again, "I get it if you're worried, but-"
"I'm not worried about you," Zoro said quickly, drawing Sanji's gaze back to him. The moonlight reflected off the green of his eye, making it almost shine, "Or, I'm not worried about living with you. Even if you do get uncontrollable blood lust or whatever, I know you won't kill me. I trust you."
Sanji stared at him wide-eyed. Zoro trusted him. Something warm bloomed in his chest, and if he'd been capable of blushing he knew he would be.
But he frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. If Zoro hadn't been bringing humans for him for his own self-preservation, then, "Why do you keep bringing me humans?"
Zoro shifted, his eye darting away as his ears twitched and his tail curled tight to his body, "I, uh, just wanted to make sure you were, well fed."
Sanji's eyebrow twitched and he growled, "You just said-"
"Not," he cut him off, "Because I'm afraid you'll feed on me otherwise. If I could give you my blood I would, but you've said you're not interested."
"Your wolf blood is disgusting," he agreed.
"So I was trying to find you human blood you could have instead," he frowned, tail flicking back and forth in an agitated pattern as he took a sip of his wine, "Not to keep you appeased, or whatever the hell you thought I was doing. But because," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, redness slowly creeping across his face, "Because, I wanted to make sure you were taken care of too."
Sanji could only blink at him, mouth slightly open, before he got his bearings and said, "I'm over two hundred years old, I can take care of myself."
"I know that," Zoro sighed and looked at him, the pale moonlight illuminating the green of his eye and the softness of the fur around his ears, "But, you've given me so much already. You've given me a place to live and food to eat. You take care of me, even though you know I can take care of myself. I just wanted to give some of that back to you, take care of you a bit."
It had been a long, long time since someone had wanted to take care of him, to make sure he was safe and looked after. Zoro's methods were a bit convoluted, but the intent was clear, and he couldn't help but be touched by it.
Zoro's gaze on him was fierce, and a part of Sanji knew he should be frightened of it, frightened of the intensity and the genuine emotion he could see and hear and feel coming off of him. But if anything, it was drawing him in, pulling him closer to the werewolf.
"Thank you," he said, almost breathless as he reached up and scratched behind Zoro's ear. Zoro leaned into the touch, eye fixed on Sanji, "But, if you want to help me out, there's better ways than kidnapping and attempted murder."
"Anything," Zoro said, and Sanji was again struck by how earnest and genuine he sounded, "Whatever you need from me."
Sanji smiled at him as he pulled away and finished off his wine
"Well, if you really want to help," he said, placing the empty glass down as he lit a cigarette, "I do have a shopping list."
Zoro returned from his shopping trip with three pounds of garlic. This seemed excessive to him - especially since Sanji was allergic to garlic - but he'd insisted, claiming it was a crime against flavor to cook for humans and not use garlic.
He opened the apartment door and was greeted by shouts and shrieks. He rushed into the living room, brandishing the garlic like a weapon, but only found Luffy, Nami, and Usopp on the couch playing video games.
"You cheated!" Nami snarled as she jabbed the buttons with a fervor, "There's no way you could have hit me otherwise!"
"The Great and Talented Usopp has extraordinary hand-eye coordination," Usopp said with a shit eating grin on his face. This was the most relaxed Zoro had ever seen him, firing off virtual shots like it was nothing, "Why, once I hit a pigeon with a slingshot from three rooftops away, blindfolded."
"You're a liar and a cheater," she mumbled.
Once he spotted him standing there, Luffy tossed his controller aside and launched at him instead, "Hey Zoro, what'cha got there? Is it food? Can I have it?"
"Uh," he didn't realize they'd all be stopping by today, and stared down at the garlic in his hands dumbly, "Garlic."
"Oh, that's no fun," he sighed as he flopped down on the couch and picked up his controller.
"Garlic?" Nami smirked as her gaze slid over to him, "Are you having a fight with Sanji?"
"He asked me to get it," he said as he lowered the bag.
Before Nami could respond, colorful lights flashed across the screen, and she cursed at Usopp, "You son of a bitch!"
"You lose your focus in war, you reap the casualties," Usopp explained, with a satisfied grin, "This is known."
"War?" she scowled, "This is fucking Mario Kart!"
"Same thing."
Zoro glanced around the room, and noticed a lack of a certain blond vampire, "Where's Sanji?"
Usopp and Nami ignored him, but Luffy shrugged and said, "Sleeping? He was here before."
Zoro frowned, but left them to it, entering the kitchen and placing the garlic on the counter. He didn't know where Sanji wanted it - and if he put it in the wrong spot he'd never hear the end of it - so he went to go look for him.
He found him in the sitting room, draped over the fainting couch like the heroine in all those romance novels Sanji had lying around.
Sanji didn't sleep much, he didn't really have to. He was more active at night when the sun wasn't around to bother him, but he could find ways to occupy himself during the day, and it was a rare moment when Zoro caught him actually sleeping. Sanji only really slept when he felt safe and comfortable, whenever that was.
But here he was, lying on the couch without a care in the world. The pale light from the lamp reflected off his pale skin, making him almost glow. His hair was mussed, his clothes were wrinkled, and he looked as relaxed and comfortable as he ever got.
To an untrained eye he would look dead, no better than a lifeless corpse, and he was, in a sense, but Zoro knew better.
He looked beautiful.
Zoro wanted to touch him, cradle his face and run his hands through his hair. But he held himself back. Sanji was only sleeping because he trusted Zoro to protect him, to not invade his space with unwanted touches, and Zoro would die before he broke that trust.
As he watched him, Sanji blinked and woke up, rubbing his eyes as he sat up, "What time is it?"
It took a moment for Zoro to tear his gaze away and look at a clock, "Just after two."
Sanji smiled at him, mischievous, and said, "What took you so long? You get lost?"
He crossed his arms in front of him and growled, "I never get lost."
"Keep telling yourself that, wolfboy," he smirked, then yawned and stretched.
Zoro's eye darted away, and he tried very hard not to think about how good Sanji looked, clothes rumbled, hair tousled with sleep, and soft lips looking very kissable.
"Why are you sleeping in here?" Zoro asked to distract him, "Something wrong with your room?"
"Our guests are very, loud," he said, running a hand through his hair as he stood up, "I forgot how loud having people around can be. Are the others still here?"
Usopp's shout of victory and Nami's curse of defeat answered his question.
"Didn't realize they were coming over," Zoro said as he followed Sanji back into the kitchen.
"Me neither, but Usopp needed a place to study, apparently the library is full and his dorm is too loud. Then Luffy came over with his switched thing and they started playing, then Nami stopped by to share this orange cake recipe she'd found and got roped into the game too."
"You didn't want to play?" he asked, picking the garlic up off the counter. Sanji opened the fridge, pointing out the drawer he wanted it in, and Zoro put it there.
"I played for a little, but it's still all a bit, much," he sighed and shook his head as he turned on the oven, "I needed a nap."
"You want me to tell them to leave?" he offered, "If you're feeling overwhelmed-"
"They're fine," he waved them off as he gathered the ingredients for what looked like the orange cake, "They probably want snacks though."
"You don't have to make them snacks if you don't want to," Zoro said, glancing at them from over the kitchen counter. They'd started a new race, and from the sounds of Nami's cheering and Usopp's disappointed moans, she was winning this time.
"I do want to," Sanji insisted as he began mixing the dry ingredients into a bowl, "It's an adjustment, sure, but it's nice, right? Having people around?"
Zoro looked over at him, and he didn't look overwhelmed. A bit tired, sure, but he had a bright smile on his face as he put the cake in the oven.
As Sanji smiled at him, and the baking cake filled the room with sweet smells, and their friends cheered happily from the living room, a feeling of peace settled over him, of belonging, and he couldn't help but agree.
"Yeah," he said, smiling back, "It is nice."