Fic Collab Chapter 12
Note: We don’t own One Piece, obviously.
Beta by the amazing Ash. Thank you so much!
Title: The Nature Of Things
Authors: sinisterbug and stark_black
Rating: Big fat R to NC-17
Paring: Zoro/hookers/Zoro, Sanji/hookers, and eventually Zoro/Sanji/Zoro
Warnings: Yaoi, language, and general stupidity.
Summary: When the Sunny docks, Sanji and Zoro sometimes seek out relief in some not so savory places. After crossing paths in town on more than one occasion, the two find they have a lot more in common than they would like to admit.
The place was not much different than the other brothels Zoro had visited previously, save for The Tea Rooms. It was fancy, but not in a glittery, floral pattern way, and the amenities boasted in just the lobby were high quality and obviously well maintained. There had been security outside, patrols on the street, and one or two bodies on the roof, but their presence was very minor. Zoro figured this place, as well as the lifestyle, must have been slightly more accepted here on this particular island.
As the man who met them at the door called for someone to bind Wado, Zoro glanced at his blond companion. Sanji had seemed relaxed enough on the walk over, and he had maintained his cool as the two had climbed the stairs at the front and slipped their coins through the slot in the door.
If that was the case then that was great. If the cook was going to be chill and have some fun, actually talk to the companions and relax while knocking back a few drinks, Zoro could relax too. Trying to have a good time surrounded by things that made him think of sex while Sanji sat riddled with tension and obvious discomfort was just… Zoro didn’t think he could handle that anymore. He no longer had the emotional fortitude to act like everything was okay if it was not. If Sanji started to get uneasy or even slightly upset, Zoro knew that he would immediately suggest that they leave, and if they did that, both of them would be leaving a brothel together without being satisfied, possibly drunk-or worse, not drunk enough-and headed back to the ship where Zoro knew he wouldn’t be able to hold it in and he would do something irreparably stupid.
However, there was always the chance that Sanji would be just comfortable enough to actually meet someone he liked and-fucking hell-disappear for a bit, and that thought made Zoro’s stomach lurch.
Shit. In every scenario the swordsman could think of he was basically fucked, and not in a good way.
Finally, on top of everything, as if all that wasn’t enough, Zoro had made a monumental discovery just minutes ago that had shaken his already tenuous state of mind.
Where the FUCK has Sanji gotten his own coin?
“All right, gentleman,” the host at the front clapped his hands, “how can we please you tonight?” He was a short fellow, thin, but not in an unhealthy way. His hair was graying and his eyes were tired, but that did not take away from his overall attractiveness.
Zoro took a breath, aware that if he didn’t calm himself, Sanji was going to notice, and then the going-back-to-the-ship option on the list of horrible scenarios was going to commence. He folded his arms over his chest and put on his best show of nonchalance as he turned to the older man, expecting to be the one to negotiate.
Understandably, he was surprised when Sanji spoke up.
“Private lounge would be nice; just one companion for each of us. We’re not picky on looks so whoever is available or would like to join us. Maybe two that work well together?”
The man nodded, giving Sanji an approving once-over.
“Fit, but not bulky,” the swordsman growled, if only to get the host’s eyes off of the cook.
The man nodded again. “Will your activities be restricted to the lounge? Or will you be needing rooms for the night as well?”
Zoro couldn’t help but tense as he waited for Sanji’s answer. Then to his horror, the cook shrugged and looked at him.
“Yeah, maybe one.”
What!?
“For this guy,” Sanji clarified, turning back. “I won’t need any accommodations but the lounge, and a few classy guys that can hold their drink.”
Fuck, Zoro realized he had been holding his breath, calm down, you’re thinking crazy. He let the air out of his lungs slowly, his heart beating hard in his chest.
“A private lounge rental is twice what a room costs, just to be clear,” the man said, “but the advantage is that if any companions happen to wander in throughout the night, their services are on the house.”
Sanji nodded, “Sounds good.”
“Then if you will excuse me, I will go adjust your bill accordingly and send someone to fetch you. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
The man gave a little bow before he turned and exited through an unassuming side door. When they were alone, Zoro cocked an eyebrow.
“We’re basically paying for three rooms, cook. Your negotiation skills are shit.”
Sanji smirked and his hands sat firmly in his pockets. “I don’t need a room, I’d rather have companions come and go, and have the freedom of couches and tables to eat or play cards on.” With that, Sanji finally looked at him and leaned in conspiratorially. “Besides, I didn’t spend hardly any of my Thriller Bark booty on Spa Island. I could buy half the building and still have some left over.”
Zoro grunted, “I doubt that.”
Before Sanji could reply, the large double doors opened and two men moved into the lobby. One was lightly tanned with blond hair and brown eyes, the other was fair with jet black hair and eyes that were so auburn they were almost red. Both men seemed to be in their late teens or early twenties, and both were built like fighters. They were lean, but muscled and moved with a particular grace that only training can give you.
Dancers, the swordsman thought, no doubt about it.
“Wow,” the blond said as he made his way towards the two pirates, “Mitch said you were handsome, but that doesn’t really cover it, does it?”
“More like hot as hell.” The dark-haired one shook his head and gave Sanji a long once-over that prickled Zoro’s spine. Unfortunately, Zoro knew he was going to have to get used to it. Sanji was hot as hell after all.
“I’m Sky,” the blond one said, “this is Roe. If it pleases you, we will be your entertainment this evening. Come this way.”
He held out his hand for Zoro and the swordsman took it without really thinking. He was too busy sneaking glances at the way Roe slipped his arm under Sanji’s and smiled as he led the cook through the double doors.
“Not every day we get celebrities in here,” Roe was saying. “How long are you boys planning to stay?”
“Until the log pose resets,” Sanji said, “so however long that’s going to take.”
“Ah,” Sky released Zoro’s hand and slipped his arm underneath the swordsman’s, mimicking Roe, “So two days, maybe three?”
Sanji nodded, “That’s the plan. Of course, nothing in our lives ever goes as planned, not with a captain like ours.”
* * *
Laughing, Sanji put the glass to his lips and tipped the last of the whisky into his mouth. It burned on its way down, but it was a good kind of burn. It was a good whisky. It was turning out to be a good night overall.
Sky and Roe were smart and funny, excellent card players and absolutely fantastic dancers. The cook could not believe all the ways that Roe could twist his body. If the brunette had been a girl, Sanji was sure he would have already taken her to his room and blissed out as she had her way with him. Several ways. All the ways. Sky was nice to look at too. While he wasn’t quite as flexible as Roe he made up for it with his strength. Every time he lifted the brunette over his head it seemed effortless.
The two of them didn’t have to be doing what they were doing, they were talented enough and competent enough to have gotten jobs in a dance company, or a theater troop. Sanji pondered the duo for a little while, but knew there were probably other factors and circumstances that he was not aware of. Who was he to judge someone else’s life anyway? He was a pirate for crying out loud.
Three other companions had wandered into the lounge over the last hour and a half after hearing rumors of famous guests. Lucca, a tall, dark skinned man with dreadlocks had come in with his friend-a burly redhead named Jax, and the two of them had joined the card game enthusiastically. Sanji had been caught grinning as he studied Jax’s extensive smattering of freckles more than once, and the others had given him the proper amount of shit for it. He couldn’t help it though; there was just something about redheads…
The third companion was waifish, possibly in his mid-teens, with ivory skin and long, blond hair pulled back in a braid. He had turned grey, mischievous eyes to Zoro when the swordsman had offered the cushion next to him on the loveseat, and had murmured softly, in a breathy tenor, that his name was Edgar.
Zoro may have denied being into blonds specifically, but it seemed to Sanji that blonds were drawn to the moss-head like bees were drawn to flowers.
Oh hey, was that ironic? Was it introspective? Nope, Sanji was just making observations, nothing more.
“…but then Sky shows up, basically out of nowhere and slams this guy’s face into the table!” Roe tossed another card down and grinned at his friend across the table. “We thought we were in so much shit, but we ended up getting job offers instead!”
Sky grinned back over the top of his hand, “The most advantageous bar fight I’ve ever been in.”
“The most profitable nose you’ve ever broken.”
“You break a lot of noses?” Zoro asked, his fingers were playing absently with Edgar’s hair.
“Oh, a few,” Sky shifted closer to the swordsman and slid his hand over Zoro’s thigh.
Lucca chuckled, “One of them was mine.”
“Oh, you’re right,” Sky’s grin widened, “I forgot about that.”
Sanji laughed again as he reached for the bottle and refilled his glass. He really was having a good time, so now all he had to do was keep his cool when Zoro inevitably carried Sky or Edgar-or both-off to a private room. It wasn’t like he was jealous, no way; he wouldn’t go that far, but there was an underlying curiousness that Sanji couldn’t seem to shake. He could chalk it up to the excitement that accompanied new things if he really wanted to, but the cook wasn’t going to kid himself.
His excitement was basic, and it stemmed from the fact that he had seen Zoro fuck a lot of women, and it had all been pretty hot. Now, Sanji wanted to watch Zoro fuck another guy because he was fairly sure that would be even hotter.
Except… no, no he didn’t. That would be fucking weird.
“So,” Jax said as he tossed a card on the pile, “I need to understand the cosmic events that landed two extremely hot and infamous pirates in this lounge during my shift. What astrological forces should I be thanking exactly?”
“Chance-”
“-Bad luck.”
The lounge erupted with laughter. Apparently, they had all taken Sanji and Zoro’s brusqueness towards each other as a sign that they were close. Not that that wasn’t true, the two Strawhats were close, just not in the way these companions were thinking.
“No, really,” Sky chuckled as he studied his cards, “how do these things work in a pirate crew? One of you make a move on the other one? You catch each other in compromising positions?”
“You could say I caught him,” Sanji smiled, his eyes slid to Zoro wanting to see the swordsman’s reaction.
“More like he found out after he’d been stalking me.” Zoro’s eyes were hard to read, but Sanji thought he might have seen something playful in them. That was good, wasn’t it?
The companions fell over themselves laughing again. Roe leaned in close and giggled against Sanji’s shoulder. “You guys are so cute, tell me you two have fucked at least once. I mean, come on.”
There was a definite shift in the way Zoro was sitting, Sanji saw it in his peripheral. The movement caught his eye and the cook’s stomach fluttered with excitement.
“No,” Sanji said, “that would be like fucking my brother.”
Wrong. Fucking Zoro would be amazing and you know it.
“I fucked my brother, it wasn’t bad at all,” Edgar’s teeth flashed as his grin pulled wide.
“He’s your step-brother, you skank!” Lucca teased.
“Still my brother, and it was still great.”
Just admit it. You want to bend Zoro over the counter in the galley and fuck him until he cries.
It was suddenly very hot in the lounge. Sanji’s collar was chafing and his back was sticking to the soft cotton of his shirt. He needed to get up, get some water, step away for a few minutes or something.
“Hey, I need to use the facilities,” Sanji said, and softly patted Roe on the knee.
“Oh sure! I’ll show you where they are.”
Getting up and following the dancer to the door, Sanji glanced back at Zoro. As soon as he had done it however, he wished he hadn’t. The swordsman was watching him over the rim of his glass, his eyes impossibly dark. The cook had seen that look on the faces of many women, and recently, several men.
It was obvious Zoro was extremely turned on, and it could have been his imagination, but it seemed as if the focus of the swordsman’s arousal was Sanji himself.
* * *
Get. It. Together. Zoro thought to himself. What the hell is wrong with you? What the hell have you been training for all these years if you can’t even control your fucking libido around your fucking crewmate?
“He is so handsome,” Sky shook his head as the door closed behind Roe and Sanji. “I’m so disappointed he’s a Rupert.”
Lucca had gathered up the cards on the table and was shuffling the stack. “Right? He doesn’t seem like a Rupert type at all.”
Zoro knew he was going to regret getting into any kind of conversation with these men, but curiosity got the better of him. And possibly the alcohol.
“What’s a Rupert?”
“Ruperts are the guys that come in that don’t want anything sexual,” Sky explained.
“Eh, that’s not entirely true,” Jax waved a finger.
“Okay, yeah you’re right, more specifically a Rupert is a guy that comes in who’s not physically repulsive and doesn’t want sex. Like someone you actually want to suck off.”
Edgar nodded at Zoro. “We have a lot of guys that come in here that don’t want sex but they’re like really, really old or they’re gross or something. They are not Ruperts.”
“We should have another name for men that are smoking hot and don’t want sex,” Lucca chuckled.
Sky laughed. “‘On a scale of Rupert to Sanji, how much did you want to fuck him’?”
“Oh my god that’s perfect!” Jax grinned. “Seriously though, Zoro-san-”
“-It’s just Zoro,” the swordsman muttered.
“Oh, I apologize,” Jax continued. “Seriously, Zoro, if I was you, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off him.”
Zoro wanted to bang his head against the wall. Here he was, again, talking with a group of prostitutes about Sanji-more specifically his relationship with Sanji. How did this always happen? Was he cursed or something?
“I’m sure that I’m the last person on the face of the planet that Sanji would want touching him.”
The companions laughed as if what Zoro had said had been a joke. Unfortunately, the swordsman knew just how true his words had been. He had said them without really thinking, as if the words had always been hanging there at the back of his throat, waiting to be released.
Suddenly depressed, Zoro slid his arm around Sky’s waist. He needed a distraction and he needed it right now. Preferably, before Sanji returned.
“Hey,” he said softly against the blond’s neck, “I think you’re gonna have to miss the next few hands.”
Sky’s dark eyes turned to him, and a sly smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Oh yeah?”
Zoro shrugged. “Unless you want me to take Edgar instead?”
“Absolutely not,” Sky stood and held out a hand to the swordsman. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
* * *
“Flea markets? Are you serious?”
Roe nodded, smiling proudly as he showed off the trio of marble statues decorating the entrance to the ballroom.
“Not even one hundred belli for the three of them.”
The two had made a slight detour on their way back from the restroom when Sanji had noticed a piano in the inner lobby. The tour had evolved from showing off pieces of antique furniture into Roe pointing out every treasure and explaining all the unlikely places they had been discovered.
However, they had run out of places for Roe to show him and now Sanji was stalling. He had genuinely been enjoying the stories and anecdotes of basically swindling priceless pieces from unsuspecting vendors-Roe was so very much like his lovely Nami in many ways-but he had run out of things to ask about.
“You know…” Sanji felt Roe’s hands slowly slide up his arms to his shoulders. The companion’s breath was warm against the back of his neck. “If you don’t want to go back yet, I could sneak you into one of the rooms on the second floor. No one would ever know.”
Oh, he’d been caught.
Sanji turned his head and met the other man’s dark, almost-red eyes. He was watching Sanji with calm confidence. Whether Sanji accepted or declined, it probably wouldn’t bother Roe either way. He was just politely offering another option. The cook was grateful, even if he had no intentions in that regard.
“You’re sweet,” he said, and lifted Roe’s hand to his lips. “I’m just… kind of new at this.”
Roe’s eyebrows raised. “Being with companions, or with men?”
“Men,” Sanji replied.
“Really… I wouldn’t have guessed that. How long?”
Shrugging, Sanji took Roe’s other hand and ran his thumbs over the companion’s scarred knuckles.
“A few weeks. Maybe a month.”
At that, Roe’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding! Have you been with anyone? Please don’t tell me you haven’t tried it yet, I’ll cry until you accept my offer.”
Sanji chuckled. “No, no, I’ve been with someone-well, two someones but the second time was… I don’t know what the second time was. It shouldn’t have happened, I was being a creep.”
Roe tilted his head, studying Sanji’s face. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Uh, no I…” Sanji shook his head and his gaze dropped to his hands. He was suddenly a little ashamed. “It’s a stupid story.”
Roe twisted his hands and laced his fingers with Sanji’s. “Listening is my job. I’m very good at it. Why don’t we go back and get a few more drinks. I can get rid of the others if you want, and we can just talk. You’re dying to talk to someone about it, aren’t you?”
Sanji was dying. He was aching to talk to someone about what had been happening to him over the last few months, especially someone who would understand. Zoro probably would, but there was no fucking way Sanji was going to talk to Zoro about how he had chosen a prostitute based on the prostitute’s physical resemblance to Zoro. There was no amount of fighting and not enough therapy in the universe that would get the two of them through something like that.
Shaking his head, Sanji mumbled, “I don’t think I’ll be able to if Zoro’s still in there.”
Roe smirked. “You think your friend is still going to be in there when we get back?”
Oh, right. Fuck.
“Okay, fine,” Sanji sighed, “let’s go. I’m definitely going to need a few more drinks though.”
* * *
Sky had a nice voice, a throaty keen that complimented the hard slap of flesh that echoed through the small room again and again. The dancer had wasted no time after he had closed the door. His clothes had practically fallen off as he had all but ripped Zoro’s from his body; then, he had spread himself wide and accepted the swordsman in one of the most erotic displays of submission Zoro had ever experienced.
This companion was not trying to meddle. He was not reading too much into the situation and then inserting himself into scenarios that made everyone think too hard about decisions they’ve made. He wasn’t teasing or goading or being pushy. He was just offering a service, being exactly what he felt Zoro needed.
And oh fuck was this what Zoro needed.
There had been no foreplay, no kissing or meaningful touches, only Zoro’s primal need to clear his mind and relieve the tension that was threatening to break him down. He now had Sky’s bicep under his palm, crushing a lean but muscled arm into the mattress, his other hand grasped the companion’s opposite wrist. The blond was pinned, locked in place beneath the swordsman’s iron grip. He did not flinch, did not cry out, merely panted and moaned prettily as Zoro fucked him so violently the bed scraped against the floor.
It ended quickly. Not so quickly that it was premature, but the release was surprising-and intense. It caught Zoro off guard. He pushed in deep as he came and managed to keep just enough of his wits to prevent himself from breaking Sky’s arms.
Things got hazy for a few moments, and when Zoro returned to himself, he was lying on his back, sweaty and sated. Sky lay next to him, breathing hard and murmuring softly.
“…my god… oh my god… I’ve been angry-fucked before but that… holy shit…”
Zoro licked his dry lips. “Sorry…”
“Oh, I’m not complaining,” Sky said, “it was good for me too. I got it on my chin.”
As the endorphins started to fade, remorse began to set in and Zoro chided himself.
“I’m very aware of my own strength,” he said softly, “I shouldn’t have let myself go all out on you. I know better than that.”
He felt Sky shift and then, a cool hand ran up Zoro’s arm and across his shoulder. “I told you it’s fine. I like a little pain. If it was too much, I would have said something.”
“Is this where you ask if I want to talk about it?”
“Hell, no,” Sky chuckled, “you don’t want to talk about that shit, and I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to get us another couple drinks and give you a massage. Then, I’m going to ride that amazing cock of yours until I’m ready to pass out.”
Well, if that didn’t sound like the most perfect thing ever, Zoro didn’t know what would have.
“You’re very good at your job.”
He could hear the grin in Sky’s voice as the companion shifted to sit up.
“Damn straight, I am.”
* * *
Roe had given the other companions a quick explanation before sending Lucca and Jax on a mission to find them all a late-night snack. Edgar excused himself, wanting to shower and change before he returned. He had already entertained that evening and said he was feeling a little “second-hand.”
It had taken a few more drinks and some gentle coaxing from Roe, but Sanji had finally opened up and explained his situation, from running into Zoro coming out of that first brothel, all the way through their games of one-upmanship, to sharing women, to catching the swordsman at that first male brothel, to Saul, to Christian, and then finally to Trope.
It had started out so goddamned embarrassing, but when Sanji had gotten to the part about Saul, the telling became a little easier. He spoke with as much respect as he could, wanting to convey just how special of a person that young novice cook had been, and Roe seemed enchanted.
When he talked about that particular brothel’s other companions, specifically ones that were blond and smoked and had a wardrobe eerily similar to his own, he noticed Roe was having trouble hiding his smile behind his fingers.
“Just let it out,” Sanji said, “I know you want to.”
“I’m sorry,” Roe laughed, “this Christian seems like a lot of fun.”
“Hm,” Sanji smiled around a cigarette, “he was, and he wasn’t.”
The story of what happened at The Tea Rooms raised an eyebrow but didn’t actually have the effect Sanji was expecting. Roe shrugged and sat forward to lean his elbows on the table.
“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself, it’s not as uncommon as you would think,” he said. “There are men that come in here every day asking for someone that’s obviously a substitute. I’m asked to pretend my name is something else or roleplay something very specific all the time. I’m not going to judge you for something like that.”
Sanji nodded. In the back of his mind, he had figured Roe’s response would be something like that. He closed his eyes and sucked on the last bit of his cigarette as he thought about how hearing it out loud didn’t make him feel any better.
“Anyway,” Roe sighed, “I used to think about Sky like that all the time, before we had ever been together.”
Sanji’s eyes snapped open, intrigued. “You would think of Sky when you were with someone else?”
Roe smiled. “Yes, it made things easier. When I was scared or couldn’t get past the… unpleasantness of a particular customer, it helped to think of something familiar and… safe.”
Sanji thought about that for a moment before he shook his head. “It’s different for us though.”
“How is it different?”
“We’re not lifelong friends like you two are,” Sanji sat forward and snuffed out is cigarette butt in the ashtray. “We’re crewmates, yeah, but Zoro doesn’t even like me very much-or not really at all!”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
Sanji growled but there was no menace behind it. He was just frustrated with the situation, and Zoro, and himself.
“There’s just no way.”
Roe was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “What about ‘The Thing’ with Christian?”
“What about ‘The Thing’ with Christian?”
A grin pulled at the corner of Roe’s mouth and Sanji tried not to see it. Like hell though, of course he saw it.
“Zoro goes to a brothel and picks out the one guy that looks exactly like you? How is that not the biggest ‘I want to fuck Sanji’ flag in the Grand Line?”
Sanji shook his head again. “I bet it wasn’t all sex. He probably knocked the guy around a bunch. I’m sure Zoro has fantasies about me, but they’re all about how he’s kicking my ass in a fight.”
“He doesn’t seem the type to hit a prostitute.”
Groaning softly, Sanji lowered his head to the table. “I know, I’m talking out my ass. The Marimo’s a lot of things, but abusive and sadistic he is not. So that leaves either it was purely a coincidence that the guy he fucked looked like me, or he specifically requested the guy that looked like me.”
“Which of those is more likely?” Roe asked.
“If you knew him, if he treated you the way he treats me, you’d understand why I’m leaning toward coincidence.”
Just then, a flash of memory played out behind the cook’s eyes. A quick glimpse of dust and rubble. A swift blow to the gut. An entire world-a universe-of pain taken from him. Blood running from dark eyes and green hair matted against an ashen forehead.
No, no, no, he was not going to think about that.
“There’s a difference between having feelings for someone, and just being curious about what it would be like to fuck them.” Sanji’s words were muffled as he spoke into his arms. His breath fogged the polished wood of the table as he continued. “That’s all Zoro wanted. If he chose Christian on purpose, it was probably some kind of dominance fantasy he wanted to play out. And I…” the cook closed his eyes as another wave of shame washed over him.
“When I chose Trope, it was the same thing. I was floundering, and my feelings were fucked up and confused. It was probably like what you were saying before; I wanted something familiar and safe.”
Taking another slow breath, Sanji was a little surprised to feel despair creeping into his heart.
“It was just curiosity. It wasn’t…”
Sliding close, Roe slid a hand up Sanji’s thigh and brought his lips close to the cook’s ear. “I’m going to be completely honest with you for a moment. Is that all right?”
Sanji looked up at the brunette and nodded.
“I know you were about to say that it wasn’t real, but I’m calling bullshit. There’s no way that your feelings for Zoro aren’t genuine. I see the way you two are together. You aren’t just a couple of crewmates that were thrown together. There’s a bond there that runs deep. It’s obvious that there’s something that holds you together that has nothing to do with your mutual attraction, or your sexual compatibility, or even your rivalry. It’s powerful. I can actually feel it when I’m with both of you. I bet everyone can.”
Stunned, Sanji swallowed and had to look away for a moment in order to collect himself. Roe’s words were more real than anything that anyone had said to him in quite a while. Of course the bond between himself and Zoro was deep; they were nakama. They had been to hell and back together, they had saved each other’s lives, and Sanji was sure there was much more of that to come. Bonds of adventure, dreams, and freedom connected them to a captain and a crew that was so like a family it made Sanji’s heart ache.
Roe had hit the preverbal nail on the head. How had this happened again? Sanji thought. How did he always manage to get intimate with companions that could see right through him?
Shifting again, Roe inched even closer and started to speak in an even softer tone. “I’m sure Zoro feels the same way. He’s probably upstairs right now, working out his frustration over not knowing what to do with his feelings for you because he thinks you don’t like him.”
He stopped then, blinked a few times, and then pulled away. He seemed to have just recognized where he was, as if he had forgotten. When he turned back to Sanji, he smiled, and it was sad enough that the cook straightened and reached out his hand.
Roe took it and squeezed Sanji’s fingers. “I know that you needed to get this off your chest, and I’m flattered that you’re okay talking about it with me, but I also understand that I’ve probably overstepped my boundaries. It’s not really any of my business, and I have no right to give you advice.” The brunette stopped for a moment to take a breath that stuttered in his chest.
“However… I have some if you want it.”
Still dazed, Sanji couldn’t make his mouth work so he just nodded.
Roe finally closed the distance between them completely and lifted his hands to cup Sanji’s jaw.
“You have feelings for Zoro, and you need to tell him. I know that sounds like the last thing you want to do, but it needs to happen. You guys need to get it all out in the open, and then fight or fuck or whatever happens next, because the way it is right now? You are both going to go crazy.”
Sanji sat frozen. He barely breathed as he watched Roe’s dark eyes watching him. He felt the weight of the last few months, the exhaustion, pressure, and dread that had piled up in the back of his mind, finally manifest itself. It was out; it had been spoken aloud. He had confided in someone else, and now, his secret had been released out into the world, and the cook could never take it back.
It was liberating.
He did have feelings for Zoro. Actual feelings. He liked him. Sanji knew that he might have even been a little bit in love with the stupid swordsman. But really, how could he not be? There was just so much. There were so many good things; so many great things. So much history. There were so many layers to their friendship and so many reasons to admire that son of a bitch.
“You’re right,” Sanji finally said. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I hate that you’re right, but… it’s just the way it is.”
Roe smiled, and Sanji’s heart felt even lighter.
* * *
It wasn’t as if Roe had opened his mind, and Sanji had experienced some kind of extraordinary epiphany during the course of the night. No, the cook wasn’t kidding himself. He had already known and understood his feelings for Zoro, and he had for a long time. He just hadn’t wanted to admit to them. Admitting to something, made it real, made it tangible. It made it a problem.
Not that it wasn’t already a problem.
When Zoro returned from his romp with Sky, the two of them were drunk. Their skin was flushed, and their eyes were heavy from the alcohol and, no doubt, a lot of sex. What Sanji found interesting however, was the fact that they were clean. Sky’s hair was still damp and even from where the cook was sitting, and he could see that Zoro’s skin was dry and smooth, free of that healthy after-sex sheen that Sanji begrudgingly admitted he was quite familiar with. The swordsman probably even smelled like soap. Whatever they had done it had apparently been so vigorous that they had needed to clean up afterwards.
No, Sanji thought, that’s stupid. They had probably just fucked in the bath or something. This place probably had a hot spring or a sauna or something.
Why was he even thinking about this?
Jax and Lucca had returned with food a little past eleven, and Edgar had slipped back in around a quarter to midnight. At about one o’clock, they had put the cards away in favor of stories and cigarettes. When Zoro and Sky had finally returned, it was almost two. Lucca and Jax had already gone to bed, and Edgar was tucked into Sanji’s side as Roe danced above them on the table, his body moving to the slow beat of the music playing softly in the background.
“Well, well,” Sky said with a chuckle and a slur. “Who’s this pretty thing up here?”
Roe smiled and beckoned him with a finger. Clumsily, but still with enough grace to resemble something relatively smooth, Sky pulled himself up onto the table and slid in behind his friend. His hands spread over Roe’s hips as his mouth turned up in a grin.
“Go easy, babe, my body is wrecked.”
Roe laughed and Sanji glanced at Zoro out the corner of his eye. The swordsman had the decency to look somewhat sheepish as he took a bottle from behind the bar and joined them. When he tipped it back to drink, he was not watching the dancers. He was watching Sanji.
“I thought you were out for the night, Marimo,” Sanji said.
Zoro might have grinned from behind the mouth of the bottle, but there was a possibility that Sanji had imagined that.
“I promised Edgar I’d eat him out later.”
The small blond chuckled. “Oh, I thought you forgot.”
The cook bristled at the comment, and he wasn’t even sure why. It’s not like that was the first time he had heard Zoro say something crass. Actually, Sanji had heard him say far worse. At least Edgar’s “second hand” comment made more sense now.
“Well,” Sanji forced himself to smile down at the young companion, “don’t let me keep you.”
“In a hurry to get rid of me, cook?”
The swordsman’s eyes were stone, watching him with far more of an edge than someone who was so obviously inebriated should have. It set a tingling at the base of Sanji’s spine. What did that look mean? What was Zoro thinking? Hadn’t he just been upstairs “working out some tension” or something? Why did he still look ready for a fight?
“Not trying to get rid of you, moss-brain,” Sanji growled, “just thought you might need a little more work done. You seem… tense.”
If Zoro thought Sanji’s words were bait, and for all intents and purposes they were, the point was mute. The swordsman didn’t take it. Instead, he slid closer to where Sanji was sitting in the circular booth and offered the bottle.
Not wishing to break the flow in whatever kind of communication this was, Sanji accepted and took a swallow.
“I’m gonna ask you a question,” Zoro’s voice was gruff but quiet, “you don’t have to answer if you don’t want ‘cause it’s not that big of a deal. I’m just curious.”
“Okay,” Sanji said, intrigued, “out with it.”
Zoro reached for the bottle and after Sanji handed it back, he took a long drink. Even after he lowered the rim from his lips, he still hesitated. Or at least, it seemed like hesitation. Sanji wasn’t sure what that actually looked like on the swordsman.
Finally, Zoro spoke.
“Who is Saul?”
* * *
Damnit.
Zoro knew he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box but holy shit, there were dull tools, and then there was just fucking stupid. Why had he just asked that question? What did it even matter? Who the fuck cared about some companion two or three islands ago that Sanji may or may not have had sex with?
Well, Zoro cared. He cared a lot. He was dying to know who this guy was, how it happened, what exactly they did, and what the hell that guy had that Zoro didn’t. The whole thing had been bothering the swordsman since he had first heard the name.
Sanji watched Sky and his partner for a minute before he spoke. “How do you know about Saul?”
It was hard to think straight through the haze of alcohol, but Zoro managed to piece Sanji’s words together and form an acceptable response.
“You’ve mentioned him a few times.”
Or several times. A few times too many if you asked me.
“He was one of the cooks back at that first…” Sanji trailed off for a moment, “back at the place with Christian and all them.”
“Aw, that’s cute,” Edgar murmured and he nuzzled his cheek farther into Sanji’s shoulder. Zoro watched him do it, excited; knowing that when he took the companion back upstairs, he would fuck him and smell Sanji the whole time.
That was really messed up, and Zoro knew it, but he was just drunk enough, and still just frustrated enough, that he didn’t give a shit.
“How is that cute?” Sanji smiled and sucked on a freshly lit cigarette.
Edgar hummed, “Well, aren’t you this famous chef? You went to one of our brothels filled with companions that are trained to give you pleasure in any way that you could possibly conceive, but instead you bedded one of the cooks. The cooks aren’t necessarily trained at all, but this guy was probably a huge fan of yours.”
“Uh, well… I don’t…” Sanji scratched at the end of his nose, looking embarrassed and flattered at the same time. Zoro hated it. He knew he would never be able to make the stupid cook look like that, no matter how much praise he heaped on the bastard.
“So, like I said it’s cute,” Edgar continued. “You bypassed all the professionals and got it on with someone that was probably a little in love with you.”
“He wasn’t…” Sanji cleared his throat. “Uh-”
“-Okay, help me understand something,” Zoro interrupted, and then he really wished he hadn’t. When Sanji turned to look at him, the cook’s features were soft, gentle like he had never seen them when they were focused in his direction.
He should just shut up now, tell them never mind. Why ruin a good moment? Sanji was loose from the drinking, and he was calm. The stupid cook was never calm unless it was a fight. He was also apparently drunk enough to be okay with talking about things, so why couldn’t Zoro just leave it alone? This was such a perfect opportunity to just sit back, shut his fucking mouth, and listen!
But the alcohol was not having it; Zoro couldn’t stop even if he really wanted to. He was horrified and humiliated to realize just how jealous he truly was.
“So,” Zoro said, the words sliding over his tongue without his consent, “if you’d already fucked a guy at that first brothel, why did you need to test yourself by sucking off some guy at the fancy place? You told me…” he stopped and licked his lips. His mouth was suddenly dry and his head was spinning. He should just stop. Why was he doing this?
He began again. It was like his brain was a freight train and the brakes were shot. “You told me you were trying to figure things out, and you were hiding it from me, even though you were pissed that I was basically doing the same thing before. Now, I find out that you’re still hiding things from me.” And I don’t know how to deal with that, he thought to himself.
Sanji cocked an eyebrow at him, the gentleness of his features was fading, and Zoro mourned their leaving.
“You want me to report in? Give you details about my budding bisexual lifestyle now, Marimo?”
Fuck, he should have just shut up. Zoro knew he should have just shut. The fuck. Up.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“What the hell did you mean then?” Sanji’s face was red, and Zoro was sure there was some kind of significance to that, but his blood was mostly whiskey at that point, so understanding the various shades of Sanji was not something that was going to happen that evening.
The room was still spinning and Zoro was having a hard time holding on to the things he didn’t want to say. They were starting to slip from his grasp as gravity pulled them from his hands. Or his mouth. Wherever those kinds of things came from.
“I don’t mean you have to tell me every detail about every little thing. You don’t want to know every little detail about what I do, right?”
Sanji scoffed. “N-no!”
There was probably something significant in the way Sanji said that too, just like when Zoro had noticed how red the cook’s face had been, but it was just beyond what the swordsman could makes sense of. He would figure it out later. Maybe.
“Okay,” Zoro rubbed at his eyes, “I’m just trying to say, don’t keep important shit from me, like your first time with a guy. That’s a big fucking deal.”
“I don’t see why I have to tell you anything about anything, asshole.”
“I’m not saying you have to, I’m just saying-”
“-It’s not any of your business anyway!”
“Yes, it is!”
That, apparently, was the straw that broke Sanji’s cool.
“How the fuck is it any of your business, you son of a bitch!?”
“Because!” Zoro shouted back, “I feel totally fucking responsible!”
Well, there is was. Zoro hadn’t even thought about it that hard, but apparently, it had been lurking there under the surface, eating away at him for some time. Probably since the moment he had first seen Sanji talking with Christian. For better or for worse, Zoro knew this was all his fault. He hadn’t pushed Sanji over the threshold, no; the cook had taken that step himself, but there was the simple fact that Zoro had unlocked and opened the door for him.
Sinking back into the cushions, the swordsman took another long drink from the bottle. He didn’t want to look at Sanji, but it was like his eyes had a mind of their own. They slid sideways, catching a wide, blue stare surrounded by that stupid-sexy blond fringe. Sanji was gaping at him, the fight completely drained from his posture. The swordsman looked away again, not sure what to think after seeing that reaction, and brought the bottle back to his lips. What else was he supposed to do?
“Hey, Zoro…” Sanji said softly. “Is that really what you’re worried about? Is that what’s making you upset?”
No. “Maybe.” Part of it.
“That makes it sound like you’re ashamed,” Sanji continued. “Are you ashamed to be the way you are?”
“No.” That was the truth. Zoro would never be ashamed of who he was. That would be stupid.
“Then, I don’t understand.”
Okay, that was enough. Zoro no longer had the mental fortitude to maintain his cool. “Look, I’m too drunk to have this kind of philosophical conversation with you. Ask me again when we’re not both totally blitzed.”
The swordsman expected resistance, a fight, or something that resulted in property damage and bruises, but to his surprise, Sanji just started laughing.
“What?”
“Holy shit, Marimo,” Sanji chuckled, tilting his head back and running the fingers of his free hand through his hair. “There you go with those multiple syllable words again. ‘Philosophical’? Damn, Robin-chwan would be so proud!”
Oh good, he had dodged a bullet.
“Shut up shit-cook.”
Still laughing, Sanji pulled Edgar closer and spoke softly down at the companion. Zoro had all but forgotten there were other people in the room. Edgar had been listening with such attention he had barely moved in the last ten minutes. Also, Sky and his partner had slowed their dancing and lowered themselves to sitting on the tabletop. Sky was wrapped around the brunette and had his head resting on the other man’s shoulder. They were watching both him and Sanji with as much attention as Edgar, but there were also enjoying each other’s skin. A lot of skin. When had the two of them taken off most of their clothes?
“…but if you could just get his mind off it,” Sanji was saying, “I would really appreciate it.”
Zoro turned back to the blonds. What were they talking about?
“It would be my pleasure,” Edgar smiled and peeled himself off of Sanji’s lap. “Let me know if you… need anything else.”
Zoro saw teeth flash in a rakish smile before his vision was filled with Edgar. The young companion smelled like soap and flowers, and his skin was unbelievably soft as he slid himself over Zoro’s lap.
“Come on, Roronoa-san,” he purred. “Let’s get you upstairs. I’ve been instructed to help you relieve the last of that tension.”
He let himself be maneuvered off the couch and led to the door. He might have shot a look back at the cook, but his face felt a little numb so he couldn’t be positive. Sanji waved to him as he left.
What was Zoro supposed to do? He had promised after all, and Edgar might not have been exactly what he was looking for, but he was beginning to look tastier by the second.
* * *
“Are you going to be okay, Sanji?”
The cook’s head snapped up. “Hm?”
Roe and Sky were watching him with intensely curious stares. Sanji had been so lost in thought he hadn’t even noticed the companions had been talking to him.
“I’m sorry, I was just thinking.” He snuffed out his cigarette in the ash tray and reached for his pack. Chain smoking sounded like the best idea right now.
What just happened? Did he really just have that conversation with Zoro? Had he really just lost his cool and stammered away when Zoro had asked him about wanting to know-
-God he was so stupid! He should just paint a sign that said “I want to bang Zoro” and hold it over his head at all times. It would be less obvious than how he was acting. And what was all that about Zoro feeling responsible? What did that mean? He felt bad? Was he angry that Sanji had discovered this part of himself? Did Zoro feel threatened now?
Did he regret confiding in Sanji? Had this somehow come between them?
“Shit,” Sanji sat up straight and slapped his palms against his cheeks a few times. There were no answers to his questions right now, so there was no point in stressing over them. Zoro already said Sanji should ask him when they weren’t drunk, and the cook had every intention of doing just that. He planned on cornering the swordsman on the ship, easily done in the galley, and not letting the moss-brain loose until they straightened some things out. Until then, Zoro could do whatever he wanted, and Sanji was going to take a short break from agonizing in that direction.
Taking a good, long drag, Sanji sat back and smiled at the two companions watching him from the table. The cook had been focused on Zoro for the last half hour or so, but not so focused that he hadn’t noticed Roe and Sky practically getting it on right above him. Even now, they seemed interested in what Sanji was thinking, or what he was about to say, but they couldn’t hide the fact that they wanted each other.
“So,” Sanji grinned mischievously, “How are you gentlemen going to entertain me now that I’ve been left all alone?”
Roe’s lips turned up in a smile that matched Sanji’s. “Thought you’d never ask.”
The two companions stood and shed the rest of their clothes. They did it slowly, pulling piece by piece off each other, revealing clean lines and hard muscle. Then the dance began again. They moved together so fluidly, their bodies seemed almost as one. Sky’s hands slid over Roe with a knowledge that only an old lover would have, and Roe moved against his partner like he had been doing nothing but that his entire life.
Watching the display, feeling the pleasure mounting right in front of him, Sanji realized this was his first time seeing two men together. Not in the sense that it was two men being sexual with each other, he had seen that before. No, this was something different. This was a couple, and actual partnership. Sky and Roe cared about each other-loved each other. The feeling, the passion between them was incredible. The taste it left in the air was delicious, and Sanji couldn’t get enough.
Sitting there watching the slow grind, the heavy pulse of imitated sex, Sanji felt a wave of desire wash over him that was so intense he almost groaned. Another long drag covered it up. He was so hard it hurt. There was a ball of excitement wound so tight in his gut he almost couldn’t exhale.
Roe must have noticed because he lowered himself to his knees, mere inches from the edge of the table. He tiled his head as Sky came in behind him and started kissing his throat.
“Sanji,” he said, breathless, “you want us to fuck for you?”
Sky did not wait for an answer and slid his hand down to grip the brunette’s length. It was perfect and pink, thick, the perfect size for Sky’s palm. Roe’s eyes rolled back and his jaw dropped into a soft ah! of pleasure as the blond jerked him off slowly.
“Come on,” Roe panted, “let us do this for you. Let us show you what it can be like.”
Sanji took one last drag off his cigarette and then crushed the butt in the ash tray. There was no hesitation when he looked back up at the companions.
“Hell yes.”
TBC
All previous chapters here.
:]
Beta by the amazing Ash. Thank you so much!
Title: The Nature Of Things
Authors: sinisterbug and stark_black
Rating: Big fat R to NC-17
Paring: Zoro/hookers/Zoro, Sanji/hookers, and eventually Zoro/Sanji/Zoro
Warnings: Yaoi, language, and general stupidity.
Summary: When the Sunny docks, Sanji and Zoro sometimes seek out relief in some not so savory places. After crossing paths in town on more than one occasion, the two find they have a lot more in common than they would like to admit.
The place was not much different than the other brothels Zoro had visited previously, save for The Tea Rooms. It was fancy, but not in a glittery, floral pattern way, and the amenities boasted in just the lobby were high quality and obviously well maintained. There had been security outside, patrols on the street, and one or two bodies on the roof, but their presence was very minor. Zoro figured this place, as well as the lifestyle, must have been slightly more accepted here on this particular island.
As the man who met them at the door called for someone to bind Wado, Zoro glanced at his blond companion. Sanji had seemed relaxed enough on the walk over, and he had maintained his cool as the two had climbed the stairs at the front and slipped their coins through the slot in the door.
If that was the case then that was great. If the cook was going to be chill and have some fun, actually talk to the companions and relax while knocking back a few drinks, Zoro could relax too. Trying to have a good time surrounded by things that made him think of sex while Sanji sat riddled with tension and obvious discomfort was just… Zoro didn’t think he could handle that anymore. He no longer had the emotional fortitude to act like everything was okay if it was not. If Sanji started to get uneasy or even slightly upset, Zoro knew that he would immediately suggest that they leave, and if they did that, both of them would be leaving a brothel together without being satisfied, possibly drunk-or worse, not drunk enough-and headed back to the ship where Zoro knew he wouldn’t be able to hold it in and he would do something irreparably stupid.
However, there was always the chance that Sanji would be just comfortable enough to actually meet someone he liked and-fucking hell-disappear for a bit, and that thought made Zoro’s stomach lurch.
Shit. In every scenario the swordsman could think of he was basically fucked, and not in a good way.
Finally, on top of everything, as if all that wasn’t enough, Zoro had made a monumental discovery just minutes ago that had shaken his already tenuous state of mind.
Where the FUCK has Sanji gotten his own coin?
“All right, gentleman,” the host at the front clapped his hands, “how can we please you tonight?” He was a short fellow, thin, but not in an unhealthy way. His hair was graying and his eyes were tired, but that did not take away from his overall attractiveness.
Zoro took a breath, aware that if he didn’t calm himself, Sanji was going to notice, and then the going-back-to-the-ship option on the list of horrible scenarios was going to commence. He folded his arms over his chest and put on his best show of nonchalance as he turned to the older man, expecting to be the one to negotiate.
Understandably, he was surprised when Sanji spoke up.
“Private lounge would be nice; just one companion for each of us. We’re not picky on looks so whoever is available or would like to join us. Maybe two that work well together?”
The man nodded, giving Sanji an approving once-over.
“Fit, but not bulky,” the swordsman growled, if only to get the host’s eyes off of the cook.
The man nodded again. “Will your activities be restricted to the lounge? Or will you be needing rooms for the night as well?”
Zoro couldn’t help but tense as he waited for Sanji’s answer. Then to his horror, the cook shrugged and looked at him.
“Yeah, maybe one.”
What!?
“For this guy,” Sanji clarified, turning back. “I won’t need any accommodations but the lounge, and a few classy guys that can hold their drink.”
Fuck, Zoro realized he had been holding his breath, calm down, you’re thinking crazy. He let the air out of his lungs slowly, his heart beating hard in his chest.
“A private lounge rental is twice what a room costs, just to be clear,” the man said, “but the advantage is that if any companions happen to wander in throughout the night, their services are on the house.”
Sanji nodded, “Sounds good.”
“Then if you will excuse me, I will go adjust your bill accordingly and send someone to fetch you. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
The man gave a little bow before he turned and exited through an unassuming side door. When they were alone, Zoro cocked an eyebrow.
“We’re basically paying for three rooms, cook. Your negotiation skills are shit.”
Sanji smirked and his hands sat firmly in his pockets. “I don’t need a room, I’d rather have companions come and go, and have the freedom of couches and tables to eat or play cards on.” With that, Sanji finally looked at him and leaned in conspiratorially. “Besides, I didn’t spend hardly any of my Thriller Bark booty on Spa Island. I could buy half the building and still have some left over.”
Zoro grunted, “I doubt that.”
Before Sanji could reply, the large double doors opened and two men moved into the lobby. One was lightly tanned with blond hair and brown eyes, the other was fair with jet black hair and eyes that were so auburn they were almost red. Both men seemed to be in their late teens or early twenties, and both were built like fighters. They were lean, but muscled and moved with a particular grace that only training can give you.
Dancers, the swordsman thought, no doubt about it.
“Wow,” the blond said as he made his way towards the two pirates, “Mitch said you were handsome, but that doesn’t really cover it, does it?”
“More like hot as hell.” The dark-haired one shook his head and gave Sanji a long once-over that prickled Zoro’s spine. Unfortunately, Zoro knew he was going to have to get used to it. Sanji was hot as hell after all.
“I’m Sky,” the blond one said, “this is Roe. If it pleases you, we will be your entertainment this evening. Come this way.”
He held out his hand for Zoro and the swordsman took it without really thinking. He was too busy sneaking glances at the way Roe slipped his arm under Sanji’s and smiled as he led the cook through the double doors.
“Not every day we get celebrities in here,” Roe was saying. “How long are you boys planning to stay?”
“Until the log pose resets,” Sanji said, “so however long that’s going to take.”
“Ah,” Sky released Zoro’s hand and slipped his arm underneath the swordsman’s, mimicking Roe, “So two days, maybe three?”
Sanji nodded, “That’s the plan. Of course, nothing in our lives ever goes as planned, not with a captain like ours.”
* * *
Laughing, Sanji put the glass to his lips and tipped the last of the whisky into his mouth. It burned on its way down, but it was a good kind of burn. It was a good whisky. It was turning out to be a good night overall.
Sky and Roe were smart and funny, excellent card players and absolutely fantastic dancers. The cook could not believe all the ways that Roe could twist his body. If the brunette had been a girl, Sanji was sure he would have already taken her to his room and blissed out as she had her way with him. Several ways. All the ways. Sky was nice to look at too. While he wasn’t quite as flexible as Roe he made up for it with his strength. Every time he lifted the brunette over his head it seemed effortless.
The two of them didn’t have to be doing what they were doing, they were talented enough and competent enough to have gotten jobs in a dance company, or a theater troop. Sanji pondered the duo for a little while, but knew there were probably other factors and circumstances that he was not aware of. Who was he to judge someone else’s life anyway? He was a pirate for crying out loud.
Three other companions had wandered into the lounge over the last hour and a half after hearing rumors of famous guests. Lucca, a tall, dark skinned man with dreadlocks had come in with his friend-a burly redhead named Jax, and the two of them had joined the card game enthusiastically. Sanji had been caught grinning as he studied Jax’s extensive smattering of freckles more than once, and the others had given him the proper amount of shit for it. He couldn’t help it though; there was just something about redheads…
The third companion was waifish, possibly in his mid-teens, with ivory skin and long, blond hair pulled back in a braid. He had turned grey, mischievous eyes to Zoro when the swordsman had offered the cushion next to him on the loveseat, and had murmured softly, in a breathy tenor, that his name was Edgar.
Zoro may have denied being into blonds specifically, but it seemed to Sanji that blonds were drawn to the moss-head like bees were drawn to flowers.
Oh hey, was that ironic? Was it introspective? Nope, Sanji was just making observations, nothing more.
“…but then Sky shows up, basically out of nowhere and slams this guy’s face into the table!” Roe tossed another card down and grinned at his friend across the table. “We thought we were in so much shit, but we ended up getting job offers instead!”
Sky grinned back over the top of his hand, “The most advantageous bar fight I’ve ever been in.”
“The most profitable nose you’ve ever broken.”
“You break a lot of noses?” Zoro asked, his fingers were playing absently with Edgar’s hair.
“Oh, a few,” Sky shifted closer to the swordsman and slid his hand over Zoro’s thigh.
Lucca chuckled, “One of them was mine.”
“Oh, you’re right,” Sky’s grin widened, “I forgot about that.”
Sanji laughed again as he reached for the bottle and refilled his glass. He really was having a good time, so now all he had to do was keep his cool when Zoro inevitably carried Sky or Edgar-or both-off to a private room. It wasn’t like he was jealous, no way; he wouldn’t go that far, but there was an underlying curiousness that Sanji couldn’t seem to shake. He could chalk it up to the excitement that accompanied new things if he really wanted to, but the cook wasn’t going to kid himself.
His excitement was basic, and it stemmed from the fact that he had seen Zoro fuck a lot of women, and it had all been pretty hot. Now, Sanji wanted to watch Zoro fuck another guy because he was fairly sure that would be even hotter.
Except… no, no he didn’t. That would be fucking weird.
“So,” Jax said as he tossed a card on the pile, “I need to understand the cosmic events that landed two extremely hot and infamous pirates in this lounge during my shift. What astrological forces should I be thanking exactly?”
“Chance-”
“-Bad luck.”
The lounge erupted with laughter. Apparently, they had all taken Sanji and Zoro’s brusqueness towards each other as a sign that they were close. Not that that wasn’t true, the two Strawhats were close, just not in the way these companions were thinking.
“No, really,” Sky chuckled as he studied his cards, “how do these things work in a pirate crew? One of you make a move on the other one? You catch each other in compromising positions?”
“You could say I caught him,” Sanji smiled, his eyes slid to Zoro wanting to see the swordsman’s reaction.
“More like he found out after he’d been stalking me.” Zoro’s eyes were hard to read, but Sanji thought he might have seen something playful in them. That was good, wasn’t it?
The companions fell over themselves laughing again. Roe leaned in close and giggled against Sanji’s shoulder. “You guys are so cute, tell me you two have fucked at least once. I mean, come on.”
There was a definite shift in the way Zoro was sitting, Sanji saw it in his peripheral. The movement caught his eye and the cook’s stomach fluttered with excitement.
“No,” Sanji said, “that would be like fucking my brother.”
Wrong. Fucking Zoro would be amazing and you know it.
“I fucked my brother, it wasn’t bad at all,” Edgar’s teeth flashed as his grin pulled wide.
“He’s your step-brother, you skank!” Lucca teased.
“Still my brother, and it was still great.”
Just admit it. You want to bend Zoro over the counter in the galley and fuck him until he cries.
It was suddenly very hot in the lounge. Sanji’s collar was chafing and his back was sticking to the soft cotton of his shirt. He needed to get up, get some water, step away for a few minutes or something.
“Hey, I need to use the facilities,” Sanji said, and softly patted Roe on the knee.
“Oh sure! I’ll show you where they are.”
Getting up and following the dancer to the door, Sanji glanced back at Zoro. As soon as he had done it however, he wished he hadn’t. The swordsman was watching him over the rim of his glass, his eyes impossibly dark. The cook had seen that look on the faces of many women, and recently, several men.
It was obvious Zoro was extremely turned on, and it could have been his imagination, but it seemed as if the focus of the swordsman’s arousal was Sanji himself.
* * *
Get. It. Together. Zoro thought to himself. What the hell is wrong with you? What the hell have you been training for all these years if you can’t even control your fucking libido around your fucking crewmate?
“He is so handsome,” Sky shook his head as the door closed behind Roe and Sanji. “I’m so disappointed he’s a Rupert.”
Lucca had gathered up the cards on the table and was shuffling the stack. “Right? He doesn’t seem like a Rupert type at all.”
Zoro knew he was going to regret getting into any kind of conversation with these men, but curiosity got the better of him. And possibly the alcohol.
“What’s a Rupert?”
“Ruperts are the guys that come in that don’t want anything sexual,” Sky explained.
“Eh, that’s not entirely true,” Jax waved a finger.
“Okay, yeah you’re right, more specifically a Rupert is a guy that comes in who’s not physically repulsive and doesn’t want sex. Like someone you actually want to suck off.”
Edgar nodded at Zoro. “We have a lot of guys that come in here that don’t want sex but they’re like really, really old or they’re gross or something. They are not Ruperts.”
“We should have another name for men that are smoking hot and don’t want sex,” Lucca chuckled.
Sky laughed. “‘On a scale of Rupert to Sanji, how much did you want to fuck him’?”
“Oh my god that’s perfect!” Jax grinned. “Seriously though, Zoro-san-”
“-It’s just Zoro,” the swordsman muttered.
“Oh, I apologize,” Jax continued. “Seriously, Zoro, if I was you, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off him.”
Zoro wanted to bang his head against the wall. Here he was, again, talking with a group of prostitutes about Sanji-more specifically his relationship with Sanji. How did this always happen? Was he cursed or something?
“I’m sure that I’m the last person on the face of the planet that Sanji would want touching him.”
The companions laughed as if what Zoro had said had been a joke. Unfortunately, the swordsman knew just how true his words had been. He had said them without really thinking, as if the words had always been hanging there at the back of his throat, waiting to be released.
Suddenly depressed, Zoro slid his arm around Sky’s waist. He needed a distraction and he needed it right now. Preferably, before Sanji returned.
“Hey,” he said softly against the blond’s neck, “I think you’re gonna have to miss the next few hands.”
Sky’s dark eyes turned to him, and a sly smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Oh yeah?”
Zoro shrugged. “Unless you want me to take Edgar instead?”
“Absolutely not,” Sky stood and held out a hand to the swordsman. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
* * *
“Flea markets? Are you serious?”
Roe nodded, smiling proudly as he showed off the trio of marble statues decorating the entrance to the ballroom.
“Not even one hundred belli for the three of them.”
The two had made a slight detour on their way back from the restroom when Sanji had noticed a piano in the inner lobby. The tour had evolved from showing off pieces of antique furniture into Roe pointing out every treasure and explaining all the unlikely places they had been discovered.
However, they had run out of places for Roe to show him and now Sanji was stalling. He had genuinely been enjoying the stories and anecdotes of basically swindling priceless pieces from unsuspecting vendors-Roe was so very much like his lovely Nami in many ways-but he had run out of things to ask about.
“You know…” Sanji felt Roe’s hands slowly slide up his arms to his shoulders. The companion’s breath was warm against the back of his neck. “If you don’t want to go back yet, I could sneak you into one of the rooms on the second floor. No one would ever know.”
Oh, he’d been caught.
Sanji turned his head and met the other man’s dark, almost-red eyes. He was watching Sanji with calm confidence. Whether Sanji accepted or declined, it probably wouldn’t bother Roe either way. He was just politely offering another option. The cook was grateful, even if he had no intentions in that regard.
“You’re sweet,” he said, and lifted Roe’s hand to his lips. “I’m just… kind of new at this.”
Roe’s eyebrows raised. “Being with companions, or with men?”
“Men,” Sanji replied.
“Really… I wouldn’t have guessed that. How long?”
Shrugging, Sanji took Roe’s other hand and ran his thumbs over the companion’s scarred knuckles.
“A few weeks. Maybe a month.”
At that, Roe’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding! Have you been with anyone? Please don’t tell me you haven’t tried it yet, I’ll cry until you accept my offer.”
Sanji chuckled. “No, no, I’ve been with someone-well, two someones but the second time was… I don’t know what the second time was. It shouldn’t have happened, I was being a creep.”
Roe tilted his head, studying Sanji’s face. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Uh, no I…” Sanji shook his head and his gaze dropped to his hands. He was suddenly a little ashamed. “It’s a stupid story.”
Roe twisted his hands and laced his fingers with Sanji’s. “Listening is my job. I’m very good at it. Why don’t we go back and get a few more drinks. I can get rid of the others if you want, and we can just talk. You’re dying to talk to someone about it, aren’t you?”
Sanji was dying. He was aching to talk to someone about what had been happening to him over the last few months, especially someone who would understand. Zoro probably would, but there was no fucking way Sanji was going to talk to Zoro about how he had chosen a prostitute based on the prostitute’s physical resemblance to Zoro. There was no amount of fighting and not enough therapy in the universe that would get the two of them through something like that.
Shaking his head, Sanji mumbled, “I don’t think I’ll be able to if Zoro’s still in there.”
Roe smirked. “You think your friend is still going to be in there when we get back?”
Oh, right. Fuck.
“Okay, fine,” Sanji sighed, “let’s go. I’m definitely going to need a few more drinks though.”
* * *
Sky had a nice voice, a throaty keen that complimented the hard slap of flesh that echoed through the small room again and again. The dancer had wasted no time after he had closed the door. His clothes had practically fallen off as he had all but ripped Zoro’s from his body; then, he had spread himself wide and accepted the swordsman in one of the most erotic displays of submission Zoro had ever experienced.
This companion was not trying to meddle. He was not reading too much into the situation and then inserting himself into scenarios that made everyone think too hard about decisions they’ve made. He wasn’t teasing or goading or being pushy. He was just offering a service, being exactly what he felt Zoro needed.
And oh fuck was this what Zoro needed.
There had been no foreplay, no kissing or meaningful touches, only Zoro’s primal need to clear his mind and relieve the tension that was threatening to break him down. He now had Sky’s bicep under his palm, crushing a lean but muscled arm into the mattress, his other hand grasped the companion’s opposite wrist. The blond was pinned, locked in place beneath the swordsman’s iron grip. He did not flinch, did not cry out, merely panted and moaned prettily as Zoro fucked him so violently the bed scraped against the floor.
It ended quickly. Not so quickly that it was premature, but the release was surprising-and intense. It caught Zoro off guard. He pushed in deep as he came and managed to keep just enough of his wits to prevent himself from breaking Sky’s arms.
Things got hazy for a few moments, and when Zoro returned to himself, he was lying on his back, sweaty and sated. Sky lay next to him, breathing hard and murmuring softly.
“…my god… oh my god… I’ve been angry-fucked before but that… holy shit…”
Zoro licked his dry lips. “Sorry…”
“Oh, I’m not complaining,” Sky said, “it was good for me too. I got it on my chin.”
As the endorphins started to fade, remorse began to set in and Zoro chided himself.
“I’m very aware of my own strength,” he said softly, “I shouldn’t have let myself go all out on you. I know better than that.”
He felt Sky shift and then, a cool hand ran up Zoro’s arm and across his shoulder. “I told you it’s fine. I like a little pain. If it was too much, I would have said something.”
“Is this where you ask if I want to talk about it?”
“Hell, no,” Sky chuckled, “you don’t want to talk about that shit, and I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to get us another couple drinks and give you a massage. Then, I’m going to ride that amazing cock of yours until I’m ready to pass out.”
Well, if that didn’t sound like the most perfect thing ever, Zoro didn’t know what would have.
“You’re very good at your job.”
He could hear the grin in Sky’s voice as the companion shifted to sit up.
“Damn straight, I am.”
* * *
Roe had given the other companions a quick explanation before sending Lucca and Jax on a mission to find them all a late-night snack. Edgar excused himself, wanting to shower and change before he returned. He had already entertained that evening and said he was feeling a little “second-hand.”
It had taken a few more drinks and some gentle coaxing from Roe, but Sanji had finally opened up and explained his situation, from running into Zoro coming out of that first brothel, all the way through their games of one-upmanship, to sharing women, to catching the swordsman at that first male brothel, to Saul, to Christian, and then finally to Trope.
It had started out so goddamned embarrassing, but when Sanji had gotten to the part about Saul, the telling became a little easier. He spoke with as much respect as he could, wanting to convey just how special of a person that young novice cook had been, and Roe seemed enchanted.
When he talked about that particular brothel’s other companions, specifically ones that were blond and smoked and had a wardrobe eerily similar to his own, he noticed Roe was having trouble hiding his smile behind his fingers.
“Just let it out,” Sanji said, “I know you want to.”
“I’m sorry,” Roe laughed, “this Christian seems like a lot of fun.”
“Hm,” Sanji smiled around a cigarette, “he was, and he wasn’t.”
The story of what happened at The Tea Rooms raised an eyebrow but didn’t actually have the effect Sanji was expecting. Roe shrugged and sat forward to lean his elbows on the table.
“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself, it’s not as uncommon as you would think,” he said. “There are men that come in here every day asking for someone that’s obviously a substitute. I’m asked to pretend my name is something else or roleplay something very specific all the time. I’m not going to judge you for something like that.”
Sanji nodded. In the back of his mind, he had figured Roe’s response would be something like that. He closed his eyes and sucked on the last bit of his cigarette as he thought about how hearing it out loud didn’t make him feel any better.
“Anyway,” Roe sighed, “I used to think about Sky like that all the time, before we had ever been together.”
Sanji’s eyes snapped open, intrigued. “You would think of Sky when you were with someone else?”
Roe smiled. “Yes, it made things easier. When I was scared or couldn’t get past the… unpleasantness of a particular customer, it helped to think of something familiar and… safe.”
Sanji thought about that for a moment before he shook his head. “It’s different for us though.”
“How is it different?”
“We’re not lifelong friends like you two are,” Sanji sat forward and snuffed out is cigarette butt in the ashtray. “We’re crewmates, yeah, but Zoro doesn’t even like me very much-or not really at all!”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
Sanji growled but there was no menace behind it. He was just frustrated with the situation, and Zoro, and himself.
“There’s just no way.”
Roe was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “What about ‘The Thing’ with Christian?”
“What about ‘The Thing’ with Christian?”
A grin pulled at the corner of Roe’s mouth and Sanji tried not to see it. Like hell though, of course he saw it.
“Zoro goes to a brothel and picks out the one guy that looks exactly like you? How is that not the biggest ‘I want to fuck Sanji’ flag in the Grand Line?”
Sanji shook his head again. “I bet it wasn’t all sex. He probably knocked the guy around a bunch. I’m sure Zoro has fantasies about me, but they’re all about how he’s kicking my ass in a fight.”
“He doesn’t seem the type to hit a prostitute.”
Groaning softly, Sanji lowered his head to the table. “I know, I’m talking out my ass. The Marimo’s a lot of things, but abusive and sadistic he is not. So that leaves either it was purely a coincidence that the guy he fucked looked like me, or he specifically requested the guy that looked like me.”
“Which of those is more likely?” Roe asked.
“If you knew him, if he treated you the way he treats me, you’d understand why I’m leaning toward coincidence.”
Just then, a flash of memory played out behind the cook’s eyes. A quick glimpse of dust and rubble. A swift blow to the gut. An entire world-a universe-of pain taken from him. Blood running from dark eyes and green hair matted against an ashen forehead.
No, no, no, he was not going to think about that.
“There’s a difference between having feelings for someone, and just being curious about what it would be like to fuck them.” Sanji’s words were muffled as he spoke into his arms. His breath fogged the polished wood of the table as he continued. “That’s all Zoro wanted. If he chose Christian on purpose, it was probably some kind of dominance fantasy he wanted to play out. And I…” the cook closed his eyes as another wave of shame washed over him.
“When I chose Trope, it was the same thing. I was floundering, and my feelings were fucked up and confused. It was probably like what you were saying before; I wanted something familiar and safe.”
Taking another slow breath, Sanji was a little surprised to feel despair creeping into his heart.
“It was just curiosity. It wasn’t…”
Sliding close, Roe slid a hand up Sanji’s thigh and brought his lips close to the cook’s ear. “I’m going to be completely honest with you for a moment. Is that all right?”
Sanji looked up at the brunette and nodded.
“I know you were about to say that it wasn’t real, but I’m calling bullshit. There’s no way that your feelings for Zoro aren’t genuine. I see the way you two are together. You aren’t just a couple of crewmates that were thrown together. There’s a bond there that runs deep. It’s obvious that there’s something that holds you together that has nothing to do with your mutual attraction, or your sexual compatibility, or even your rivalry. It’s powerful. I can actually feel it when I’m with both of you. I bet everyone can.”
Stunned, Sanji swallowed and had to look away for a moment in order to collect himself. Roe’s words were more real than anything that anyone had said to him in quite a while. Of course the bond between himself and Zoro was deep; they were nakama. They had been to hell and back together, they had saved each other’s lives, and Sanji was sure there was much more of that to come. Bonds of adventure, dreams, and freedom connected them to a captain and a crew that was so like a family it made Sanji’s heart ache.
Roe had hit the preverbal nail on the head. How had this happened again? Sanji thought. How did he always manage to get intimate with companions that could see right through him?
Shifting again, Roe inched even closer and started to speak in an even softer tone. “I’m sure Zoro feels the same way. He’s probably upstairs right now, working out his frustration over not knowing what to do with his feelings for you because he thinks you don’t like him.”
He stopped then, blinked a few times, and then pulled away. He seemed to have just recognized where he was, as if he had forgotten. When he turned back to Sanji, he smiled, and it was sad enough that the cook straightened and reached out his hand.
Roe took it and squeezed Sanji’s fingers. “I know that you needed to get this off your chest, and I’m flattered that you’re okay talking about it with me, but I also understand that I’ve probably overstepped my boundaries. It’s not really any of my business, and I have no right to give you advice.” The brunette stopped for a moment to take a breath that stuttered in his chest.
“However… I have some if you want it.”
Still dazed, Sanji couldn’t make his mouth work so he just nodded.
Roe finally closed the distance between them completely and lifted his hands to cup Sanji’s jaw.
“You have feelings for Zoro, and you need to tell him. I know that sounds like the last thing you want to do, but it needs to happen. You guys need to get it all out in the open, and then fight or fuck or whatever happens next, because the way it is right now? You are both going to go crazy.”
Sanji sat frozen. He barely breathed as he watched Roe’s dark eyes watching him. He felt the weight of the last few months, the exhaustion, pressure, and dread that had piled up in the back of his mind, finally manifest itself. It was out; it had been spoken aloud. He had confided in someone else, and now, his secret had been released out into the world, and the cook could never take it back.
It was liberating.
He did have feelings for Zoro. Actual feelings. He liked him. Sanji knew that he might have even been a little bit in love with the stupid swordsman. But really, how could he not be? There was just so much. There were so many good things; so many great things. So much history. There were so many layers to their friendship and so many reasons to admire that son of a bitch.
“You’re right,” Sanji finally said. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I hate that you’re right, but… it’s just the way it is.”
Roe smiled, and Sanji’s heart felt even lighter.
* * *
It wasn’t as if Roe had opened his mind, and Sanji had experienced some kind of extraordinary epiphany during the course of the night. No, the cook wasn’t kidding himself. He had already known and understood his feelings for Zoro, and he had for a long time. He just hadn’t wanted to admit to them. Admitting to something, made it real, made it tangible. It made it a problem.
Not that it wasn’t already a problem.
When Zoro returned from his romp with Sky, the two of them were drunk. Their skin was flushed, and their eyes were heavy from the alcohol and, no doubt, a lot of sex. What Sanji found interesting however, was the fact that they were clean. Sky’s hair was still damp and even from where the cook was sitting, and he could see that Zoro’s skin was dry and smooth, free of that healthy after-sex sheen that Sanji begrudgingly admitted he was quite familiar with. The swordsman probably even smelled like soap. Whatever they had done it had apparently been so vigorous that they had needed to clean up afterwards.
No, Sanji thought, that’s stupid. They had probably just fucked in the bath or something. This place probably had a hot spring or a sauna or something.
Why was he even thinking about this?
Jax and Lucca had returned with food a little past eleven, and Edgar had slipped back in around a quarter to midnight. At about one o’clock, they had put the cards away in favor of stories and cigarettes. When Zoro and Sky had finally returned, it was almost two. Lucca and Jax had already gone to bed, and Edgar was tucked into Sanji’s side as Roe danced above them on the table, his body moving to the slow beat of the music playing softly in the background.
“Well, well,” Sky said with a chuckle and a slur. “Who’s this pretty thing up here?”
Roe smiled and beckoned him with a finger. Clumsily, but still with enough grace to resemble something relatively smooth, Sky pulled himself up onto the table and slid in behind his friend. His hands spread over Roe’s hips as his mouth turned up in a grin.
“Go easy, babe, my body is wrecked.”
Roe laughed and Sanji glanced at Zoro out the corner of his eye. The swordsman had the decency to look somewhat sheepish as he took a bottle from behind the bar and joined them. When he tipped it back to drink, he was not watching the dancers. He was watching Sanji.
“I thought you were out for the night, Marimo,” Sanji said.
Zoro might have grinned from behind the mouth of the bottle, but there was a possibility that Sanji had imagined that.
“I promised Edgar I’d eat him out later.”
The small blond chuckled. “Oh, I thought you forgot.”
The cook bristled at the comment, and he wasn’t even sure why. It’s not like that was the first time he had heard Zoro say something crass. Actually, Sanji had heard him say far worse. At least Edgar’s “second hand” comment made more sense now.
“Well,” Sanji forced himself to smile down at the young companion, “don’t let me keep you.”
“In a hurry to get rid of me, cook?”
The swordsman’s eyes were stone, watching him with far more of an edge than someone who was so obviously inebriated should have. It set a tingling at the base of Sanji’s spine. What did that look mean? What was Zoro thinking? Hadn’t he just been upstairs “working out some tension” or something? Why did he still look ready for a fight?
“Not trying to get rid of you, moss-brain,” Sanji growled, “just thought you might need a little more work done. You seem… tense.”
If Zoro thought Sanji’s words were bait, and for all intents and purposes they were, the point was mute. The swordsman didn’t take it. Instead, he slid closer to where Sanji was sitting in the circular booth and offered the bottle.
Not wishing to break the flow in whatever kind of communication this was, Sanji accepted and took a swallow.
“I’m gonna ask you a question,” Zoro’s voice was gruff but quiet, “you don’t have to answer if you don’t want ‘cause it’s not that big of a deal. I’m just curious.”
“Okay,” Sanji said, intrigued, “out with it.”
Zoro reached for the bottle and after Sanji handed it back, he took a long drink. Even after he lowered the rim from his lips, he still hesitated. Or at least, it seemed like hesitation. Sanji wasn’t sure what that actually looked like on the swordsman.
Finally, Zoro spoke.
“Who is Saul?”
* * *
Damnit.
Zoro knew he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box but holy shit, there were dull tools, and then there was just fucking stupid. Why had he just asked that question? What did it even matter? Who the fuck cared about some companion two or three islands ago that Sanji may or may not have had sex with?
Well, Zoro cared. He cared a lot. He was dying to know who this guy was, how it happened, what exactly they did, and what the hell that guy had that Zoro didn’t. The whole thing had been bothering the swordsman since he had first heard the name.
Sanji watched Sky and his partner for a minute before he spoke. “How do you know about Saul?”
It was hard to think straight through the haze of alcohol, but Zoro managed to piece Sanji’s words together and form an acceptable response.
“You’ve mentioned him a few times.”
Or several times. A few times too many if you asked me.
“He was one of the cooks back at that first…” Sanji trailed off for a moment, “back at the place with Christian and all them.”
“Aw, that’s cute,” Edgar murmured and he nuzzled his cheek farther into Sanji’s shoulder. Zoro watched him do it, excited; knowing that when he took the companion back upstairs, he would fuck him and smell Sanji the whole time.
That was really messed up, and Zoro knew it, but he was just drunk enough, and still just frustrated enough, that he didn’t give a shit.
“How is that cute?” Sanji smiled and sucked on a freshly lit cigarette.
Edgar hummed, “Well, aren’t you this famous chef? You went to one of our brothels filled with companions that are trained to give you pleasure in any way that you could possibly conceive, but instead you bedded one of the cooks. The cooks aren’t necessarily trained at all, but this guy was probably a huge fan of yours.”
“Uh, well… I don’t…” Sanji scratched at the end of his nose, looking embarrassed and flattered at the same time. Zoro hated it. He knew he would never be able to make the stupid cook look like that, no matter how much praise he heaped on the bastard.
“So, like I said it’s cute,” Edgar continued. “You bypassed all the professionals and got it on with someone that was probably a little in love with you.”
“He wasn’t…” Sanji cleared his throat. “Uh-”
“-Okay, help me understand something,” Zoro interrupted, and then he really wished he hadn’t. When Sanji turned to look at him, the cook’s features were soft, gentle like he had never seen them when they were focused in his direction.
He should just shut up now, tell them never mind. Why ruin a good moment? Sanji was loose from the drinking, and he was calm. The stupid cook was never calm unless it was a fight. He was also apparently drunk enough to be okay with talking about things, so why couldn’t Zoro just leave it alone? This was such a perfect opportunity to just sit back, shut his fucking mouth, and listen!
But the alcohol was not having it; Zoro couldn’t stop even if he really wanted to. He was horrified and humiliated to realize just how jealous he truly was.
“So,” Zoro said, the words sliding over his tongue without his consent, “if you’d already fucked a guy at that first brothel, why did you need to test yourself by sucking off some guy at the fancy place? You told me…” he stopped and licked his lips. His mouth was suddenly dry and his head was spinning. He should just stop. Why was he doing this?
He began again. It was like his brain was a freight train and the brakes were shot. “You told me you were trying to figure things out, and you were hiding it from me, even though you were pissed that I was basically doing the same thing before. Now, I find out that you’re still hiding things from me.” And I don’t know how to deal with that, he thought to himself.
Sanji cocked an eyebrow at him, the gentleness of his features was fading, and Zoro mourned their leaving.
“You want me to report in? Give you details about my budding bisexual lifestyle now, Marimo?”
Fuck, he should have just shut up. Zoro knew he should have just shut. The fuck. Up.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“What the hell did you mean then?” Sanji’s face was red, and Zoro was sure there was some kind of significance to that, but his blood was mostly whiskey at that point, so understanding the various shades of Sanji was not something that was going to happen that evening.
The room was still spinning and Zoro was having a hard time holding on to the things he didn’t want to say. They were starting to slip from his grasp as gravity pulled them from his hands. Or his mouth. Wherever those kinds of things came from.
“I don’t mean you have to tell me every detail about every little thing. You don’t want to know every little detail about what I do, right?”
Sanji scoffed. “N-no!”
There was probably something significant in the way Sanji said that too, just like when Zoro had noticed how red the cook’s face had been, but it was just beyond what the swordsman could makes sense of. He would figure it out later. Maybe.
“Okay,” Zoro rubbed at his eyes, “I’m just trying to say, don’t keep important shit from me, like your first time with a guy. That’s a big fucking deal.”
“I don’t see why I have to tell you anything about anything, asshole.”
“I’m not saying you have to, I’m just saying-”
“-It’s not any of your business anyway!”
“Yes, it is!”
That, apparently, was the straw that broke Sanji’s cool.
“How the fuck is it any of your business, you son of a bitch!?”
“Because!” Zoro shouted back, “I feel totally fucking responsible!”
Well, there is was. Zoro hadn’t even thought about it that hard, but apparently, it had been lurking there under the surface, eating away at him for some time. Probably since the moment he had first seen Sanji talking with Christian. For better or for worse, Zoro knew this was all his fault. He hadn’t pushed Sanji over the threshold, no; the cook had taken that step himself, but there was the simple fact that Zoro had unlocked and opened the door for him.
Sinking back into the cushions, the swordsman took another long drink from the bottle. He didn’t want to look at Sanji, but it was like his eyes had a mind of their own. They slid sideways, catching a wide, blue stare surrounded by that stupid-sexy blond fringe. Sanji was gaping at him, the fight completely drained from his posture. The swordsman looked away again, not sure what to think after seeing that reaction, and brought the bottle back to his lips. What else was he supposed to do?
“Hey, Zoro…” Sanji said softly. “Is that really what you’re worried about? Is that what’s making you upset?”
No. “Maybe.” Part of it.
“That makes it sound like you’re ashamed,” Sanji continued. “Are you ashamed to be the way you are?”
“No.” That was the truth. Zoro would never be ashamed of who he was. That would be stupid.
“Then, I don’t understand.”
Okay, that was enough. Zoro no longer had the mental fortitude to maintain his cool. “Look, I’m too drunk to have this kind of philosophical conversation with you. Ask me again when we’re not both totally blitzed.”
The swordsman expected resistance, a fight, or something that resulted in property damage and bruises, but to his surprise, Sanji just started laughing.
“What?”
“Holy shit, Marimo,” Sanji chuckled, tilting his head back and running the fingers of his free hand through his hair. “There you go with those multiple syllable words again. ‘Philosophical’? Damn, Robin-chwan would be so proud!”
Oh good, he had dodged a bullet.
“Shut up shit-cook.”
Still laughing, Sanji pulled Edgar closer and spoke softly down at the companion. Zoro had all but forgotten there were other people in the room. Edgar had been listening with such attention he had barely moved in the last ten minutes. Also, Sky and his partner had slowed their dancing and lowered themselves to sitting on the tabletop. Sky was wrapped around the brunette and had his head resting on the other man’s shoulder. They were watching both him and Sanji with as much attention as Edgar, but there were also enjoying each other’s skin. A lot of skin. When had the two of them taken off most of their clothes?
“…but if you could just get his mind off it,” Sanji was saying, “I would really appreciate it.”
Zoro turned back to the blonds. What were they talking about?
“It would be my pleasure,” Edgar smiled and peeled himself off of Sanji’s lap. “Let me know if you… need anything else.”
Zoro saw teeth flash in a rakish smile before his vision was filled with Edgar. The young companion smelled like soap and flowers, and his skin was unbelievably soft as he slid himself over Zoro’s lap.
“Come on, Roronoa-san,” he purred. “Let’s get you upstairs. I’ve been instructed to help you relieve the last of that tension.”
He let himself be maneuvered off the couch and led to the door. He might have shot a look back at the cook, but his face felt a little numb so he couldn’t be positive. Sanji waved to him as he left.
What was Zoro supposed to do? He had promised after all, and Edgar might not have been exactly what he was looking for, but he was beginning to look tastier by the second.
* * *
“Are you going to be okay, Sanji?”
The cook’s head snapped up. “Hm?”
Roe and Sky were watching him with intensely curious stares. Sanji had been so lost in thought he hadn’t even noticed the companions had been talking to him.
“I’m sorry, I was just thinking.” He snuffed out his cigarette in the ash tray and reached for his pack. Chain smoking sounded like the best idea right now.
What just happened? Did he really just have that conversation with Zoro? Had he really just lost his cool and stammered away when Zoro had asked him about wanting to know-
-God he was so stupid! He should just paint a sign that said “I want to bang Zoro” and hold it over his head at all times. It would be less obvious than how he was acting. And what was all that about Zoro feeling responsible? What did that mean? He felt bad? Was he angry that Sanji had discovered this part of himself? Did Zoro feel threatened now?
Did he regret confiding in Sanji? Had this somehow come between them?
“Shit,” Sanji sat up straight and slapped his palms against his cheeks a few times. There were no answers to his questions right now, so there was no point in stressing over them. Zoro already said Sanji should ask him when they weren’t drunk, and the cook had every intention of doing just that. He planned on cornering the swordsman on the ship, easily done in the galley, and not letting the moss-brain loose until they straightened some things out. Until then, Zoro could do whatever he wanted, and Sanji was going to take a short break from agonizing in that direction.
Taking a good, long drag, Sanji sat back and smiled at the two companions watching him from the table. The cook had been focused on Zoro for the last half hour or so, but not so focused that he hadn’t noticed Roe and Sky practically getting it on right above him. Even now, they seemed interested in what Sanji was thinking, or what he was about to say, but they couldn’t hide the fact that they wanted each other.
“So,” Sanji grinned mischievously, “How are you gentlemen going to entertain me now that I’ve been left all alone?”
Roe’s lips turned up in a smile that matched Sanji’s. “Thought you’d never ask.”
The two companions stood and shed the rest of their clothes. They did it slowly, pulling piece by piece off each other, revealing clean lines and hard muscle. Then the dance began again. They moved together so fluidly, their bodies seemed almost as one. Sky’s hands slid over Roe with a knowledge that only an old lover would have, and Roe moved against his partner like he had been doing nothing but that his entire life.
Watching the display, feeling the pleasure mounting right in front of him, Sanji realized this was his first time seeing two men together. Not in the sense that it was two men being sexual with each other, he had seen that before. No, this was something different. This was a couple, and actual partnership. Sky and Roe cared about each other-loved each other. The feeling, the passion between them was incredible. The taste it left in the air was delicious, and Sanji couldn’t get enough.
Sitting there watching the slow grind, the heavy pulse of imitated sex, Sanji felt a wave of desire wash over him that was so intense he almost groaned. Another long drag covered it up. He was so hard it hurt. There was a ball of excitement wound so tight in his gut he almost couldn’t exhale.
Roe must have noticed because he lowered himself to his knees, mere inches from the edge of the table. He tiled his head as Sky came in behind him and started kissing his throat.
“Sanji,” he said, breathless, “you want us to fuck for you?”
Sky did not wait for an answer and slid his hand down to grip the brunette’s length. It was perfect and pink, thick, the perfect size for Sky’s palm. Roe’s eyes rolled back and his jaw dropped into a soft ah! of pleasure as the blond jerked him off slowly.
“Come on,” Roe panted, “let us do this for you. Let us show you what it can be like.”
Sanji took one last drag off his cigarette and then crushed the butt in the ash tray. There was no hesitation when he looked back up at the companions.
“Hell yes.”
TBC
All previous chapters here.
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