Property of Sanji 14
Sanji sits on his balcony in his boxers and watches the sun rise, it’s cold out but he doesn’t really care. He feels lonely, he understands why Robin did what she did, why she kept the truth from him, why she manipulated him and Zoro. He really does. But… it still hurts, he still feels sad and desperately lonely, it’s proof that yet another person sees him as a means to something instead of just who he is.
As always his mind flickers to Zoro and he’s reminded that somehow this man who’s not even been in his life a whole month yet seems to see right through everything to his true nature. When he remembers Zoro finding out who he was, he can still feel the heat of Zoro’s hand against his chest and the threatening raised fist, the one that fell and didn’t strike him, the assertion Zoro gave him that he wasn’t his father. He remembers being pulled against Zoro and just wishing to stay there.
He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose as he tries to force the thoughts away. Everyone is right, he does hate his father and he would be happy to see his company destroyed, he owes that much to Zoro and Franky anyway, as well as just to humanity in general. So he should be behind the plan. It seems simple enough to play along with Robin’s idea, and as Zoro pointed out they don’t have much choice anyway. How hard is it to act in public as if he has what he already wants the most? He already has a great relationship with Zoro, they’re friends and they see each other for who they are but… but he has to pretend that they have more than that. He has to pretend that a stolen kiss in high spirits wasn’t an exception but the rule. He has to pretend that he and Zoro really are together. He wants that kind of relationship with Zoro for real so much it frightens him. But until Zoro expresses an interest in him more than just reacting and without him being under the influence of something then he’s not going to pursue this. It’s not right.
He could easily make himself believe that Zoro did want him, Zoro kissed him back after all, and Zoro had kissed him at the hospital. Not to mention all of the things that he’d begged for and offered when he was handcuffed. But that was it, the status of those incidents were all questionable, every one of them. Zoro’s system had either been compromised or he was just responding to something that Sanji had started. Zoro was a much better actor than him and whilst he trusted Zoro he was still paranoid enough to worry that his lifetime of training by the institute might have dulled his ability to turn his master down. He would hate to try to start something with Zoro only to find that Zoro had just gone along with it because he didn’t know how to say no, or didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Zoro had to go more than just respond, if anything was going to happen between them Zoro was going to have to be the one to start it. And if Sanji was being honest, that wasn’t going to happen, after all why would Zoro want him?
Sanji was skinny and sort of strong and when it came to people who had a thing for skinny blondes he did okay, lots of people liked slight guys like him and he could look pretty good in a suit. But he was far from pretty and not rugged enough to be handsome like Zoro was, he wasn’t heavily muscled like Zoro either. His skin was pale and ghostly unlike Zoro’s exotic bronze. All in all Zoro was exotically gorgeous and he was just… Sanji. Ace was clearly what Zoro went for in men, and Sanji didn’t look a damn thing like Ace. And as much as he hates Ace he can’t deny that the man has abs that you could bounce pennies off of, wild hair, sexy freckles and tanned muscles that were almost as impressive as Zoro’s. Zoro already had a sexual relationship with Ace, Luffy had told him as much yesterday when they escaped from Ace and Zoro’s fight. So why would Zoro give all that up to be with someone like Sanji who clearly wasn’t his type?
He puts his hand on his stomach and ignores the flip flop of his gut that the thought of being with Zoro gives him. He remembers the dark excited look that Zoro had when he’d drunk that red drink, the way he’d looked at Sanji like he really wanted him. Sanji would give anything for Zoro to look at him like that sober, but it wasn’t going to happen. If he had any sense he’d forget the idea and just enjoy their relationship for what it was, platonic. Though it’d be easier to forget it if he wasn’t clearly aware that he was going to have to fake having a romantic relationship with Zoro in public from now on. He’d settle in private and act out his hopes in public pretending that they were reality, great.
He sighs sadly to himself and goes back into his room, he throws on a too large sweater and jeans, feeling sorry for himself. He knows that he should start breakfast, at least Zoro always seemed to like his foor. He heads out into the corridor and almost runs right into Zoro who’s shutting his bedroom door. The other man is wearing a sleek dark green coat that’s got an almost velvety texture to it, it fits him perfectly, Sanji might just be over enamoured but he swears that Zoro could have walked right out of a magazine. He notices the bag at Zoro’s hip and puts two and two together.
“You’re going out?” Sanji asks surprised, it’s early though…
“Mmm.” Zoro says in agreement around one of Sanji’s pastries in his mouth. Sanji’s stomach does a clench of horror as he realises that Zoro might have been up and hungry waiting for breakfast whilst Sanji was sitting in his room feeling sorry for himself.
“I know it’s early but I didn’t want to wake you, thought I’d set off early and have the whole day. I’ll be out for lunch, so don’t wait for me or anything.” Zoro says, removing the pastry from his mouth and swallowing the bite he’d taken. There’s a flake of pastry on his lower lip that Sanji wants to lick off, he shakes the thought off.
“I- where are you off to?” He asks curiously and catches the flash of discomfort across Zoro’s face which is quickly displaced by a neutral mask.
“To see Luffy and Ace.” Zoro says simply. Sanji’s stomach sinks at the mention of Ace so soon after his earlier thoughts, perhaps Zoro misses his lover. Why wouldn’t he? Zoro has been cooped up with only really Sanji for company since he got here.
“Oh.” He manages, trying to keep control of how disappointed his voice sounds. He’s successful at sounding merely displeased.
“I know, I know. Believe me, I’m still pissed at him but… well… I’m feeling unusually forgiving today. Besides, Kuina and I used to fight all the time when we were kids, we both said some pretty nasty things to each other. I figured we had a lifetime to calm down and say sorry after each fight, and then one day she cracked her head open like a watermelon.” Zoro says with a bitter scowl.
“You think Ace is going to die or something if you don’t forgive him?” Sanji questions, dearly hoping that he might and then feeling awful for thinking so.
“No, but… you never know. Besides, I know Ace and I know he didn’t mean what he said. And I’m sure the black eye I gave him is punishment enough. So I’m going to walk over there and let him apologise and grovel a bit before I let it go. He’s a nice guy deep down, really.” Zoro smiles gently at Sanji and bites into his breakfast again.
Sanji’s insides coil unpleasantly with jealousy. He shoves it down and decides to irritate Zoro instead as that’s he’s default setting.
“You’re going to walk there? Are you sure you won’t get lost?” He teases.
“Fuck you cook, anyway, I could use the walk to calm down. It’ll be a wasted trip if I show up, punch him again and leave.” Zoro smirks back. Sanji imagines that, remembering the sight of Ace fleeing the direction of Zoro’s room the other day. The dark haired man had glared at him hatefully, his face raw from Zoro’s punch, he had then gone and defaced Sanji’s lawn but there you go. It gives him a sick kind of pleasure to imagine Zoro just smacking the freckled bastard again, his own mouth stretches into a mirror grin of Zoro’s.
“Anyway, later cook.” Zoro waves at him over his shoulder and saunters off down the hallway.
“Yeah… later.” Sanji answers weakly. He clenches his jaw and stays put as Zoro walks away. He’s not sure if he opens his mouth again that he can resist the temptation to yell out to Zoro not to go, to beg for Zoro to choose him instead. Zoro disappears from sight and Sanji whines pitifully to himself. He’s got it bad when it comes to Zoro, he should have known that the other man would be trouble for him the moment he saw him, he supposes that Robin is a rather cunning manipulator after all.
He throws together a half assed breakfast for Franky and Usopp and retires to his office like a wounded animal slinking off to lick its wounds.
He is in love with Zoro, there’s no point making any bones about it, at least not to himself. He’d thought he’d been in love with people before but that was nothing compared to this, every inch of him craves Zoro more than even his damn cigarettes and knowing that Zoro is off with Ace right now cuts him deeply.
He’s slumped over his desk when Usopp comes in to find him some hours later.
“What are you doing?” Usopp asks in an unimpressed tone.
“Nothin’.” Sanji answers petulantly, doodling on his fancy desk’s blotter with a thousand beli fountain pen.
“So you’re sulking because Zoro’s out? I know you’re pretty hung up on him but he’s just gone out on his own, it’s not a big deal.” Usopp says disapprovingly.
“It is when he’s gone to see his lover.” Sanji retorts, thumping his forehead on the desk.
“Lover? I thought the institute only sold virgins, isn’t that part of their whole spiel?” Usopp frowns at him. Sanji looks up and winces, that sounds even seedier when Usopp puts it like that.
“Yeah well, Zoro doesn’t follow rules very well does he?” He grumbles and looks back down at the desk morosely. Who knew what Ace and Zoro could be up to right now? Who knew what wonderful sounds Ace might be coaxing out of Zoro? Certainly he doesn’t know.
“Oh. I’m… oh. Sorry I guess.” Usopp says awkwardly.
He hears Usopp’s feet shuffle against the thick carpet in awkwardness.
“What is this? You’ve been giving away your money again? Feeling that bad huh?” Usopp comments on a different track. He looks over Sanji’s shoulder at the sprawl of cheques to charitable organisations that are spread out over his desk. Sanji shrugs, he always gives away his money or his father’s money when he’s feeling down, right now he’s giving a lot of it away.
The phone ringing is just another irritating thing to a thoroughly depressing morning. He reaches for it across his desk. He has an implant in his ear bone, he forgets what it’s called, that lets him hear calls right in his head but he doesn’t like it, it feels too intimate for most people. He certainly never wants his father’s voice right inside his skull, his friends he’s happy to take calls like that but only sometimes.
“Hello?” He says grumpily.
“Sanji?” Zoro’s voice says in his ear.
“Zoro?” Sanji gasps sitting bolt upright with a pleased grin on his face. Usopp smirks at him and slides out of the room. Sanji grins and presses the button on the phone, now he can hear Zoro’s soft breathing and the sounds of traffic right in his head.
“Hey, uh… you okay?” Zoro asks kind of awkwardly.
“Yeah, you?” Sanji answers, really hoping that he’s not with Ace. He hears someone else shout something in the background.
“Wh- I’ll cut your dick off first you bastard! Yeah, you’d better run! Fuck… ugh. Sanji, have I ever told you that I hate people?” Zoro growls angrily in his head.
“Dare I ask what just happened?” he asks with wide eyes, what did someone just say to Zoro to make him that angry that quickly?
“You don’t want to know. Let’s just say that if you ever feel like getting harassed by total strangers then feel free to wander around in public with a collar on. Everyone just treats you like… you know what? Never mind, let’s not talk about that.” The other man says with an angry huff of breath.
“I’m sorry.” Sanji apologises quietly, bringing his knees up to his chest in his chair. He’s sorry both that Zoro has to experience that and that he’s also partly responsible for it.
“Don’t be. Uh… hey… you know how the institute can track me through my collar?” Zoro begins quietly.
“Yeah.” Sanji frowns, where is Zoro going with this?
“Can you do that too?” Zoro asks.
“Hm, yeah. Hold on.” Sanji answers, digging around in his drawer for his computer tablet. He pulls it out and opens up the case, the screen instantly coming to life. He logs into the program that his father’s lackeys gave him just before he got Zoro. It boots up quickly and shows him a map of the city with a flashing dot where Zoro is.
“Yeah, I’m looking at you on a map right now. Why do you ask?” he says curiously. Zoro grumbles noncommittally in his head and on impulse Sanji hits the history tab that’s displayed under the map. A green line stretches from Sanji’s house and around the city in a seemingly random path that lately has decreased into ever shrinking circles, Sanji can even see that Zoro has been exactly where he is now three different times. Zoro must have walked miles today!
“You’re lost.” He laughs loudly.
“I am NOT! The streets just keep moving!” Zoro protests angrily inside of Sanji’s skull. He can’t help but laugh louder though, his total lack of direction is almost adorable and it also means that he’s not spent all morning having mind blowing sex with Ace, a fact that makes Sanji endlessly happy.
“Look, if I give you Luffy’s address will you just tell me where to go and stop fucking laughing?!” Zoro snaps irritably and starts walking again, the dot on Sanji’s screen moving.
“Sure, sure.” He sniggers.
“It’s eighteen mountain path.” Zoro answers smoothly. Sanji smiles to himself and looks the address up.
“Hm, turn around marimo, you’re going the wrong way.” Sanji purrs with a grin.
“Seriously?” Zoro questions warily. Sanji nods, then feels stupid because Zoro can’t see him and instead hums in agreement.
“Great. Just… great.” The other man grumbles and heads back the way he came, the dot on Sanji’s screen going back on its previous path.
“So… I can give you directions as you’re going if you like?” Sanji offers, sliding down in his seat and watching the Zoro dot on his screen.
“Sure.” The man grunts, clearly irritated about being lost.
“Left here.” Sanji instructs and the dot on his screen follows, thankfully to the left.
“So, what have you been doing while I’ve been walking around the city?” Zoro asks after a pause. Sanji bites his lip to hold back the grin because Zoro simply caring how he spends his time shouldn’t do this to him.
“Giving away my money to charities.” Sanji answers instantly, hoping that the answer will please Zoro and then hating himself a little for caring quite this much about Zoro’s opinion of him.
“Oh? How much are we talking about here? Will bailiffs have kicked you out when I get back home? Will we be penniless on the streets? If you can always stay at Luffy and Ace’s with me.” Zoro teases, although the thought of Zoro living with Ace sours Sanji’s mind.
“No, we will not.” He answers tersely.
“Well- oh. Speaking of charities I’m just on the corner where Revolution’s head office is.” Zoro remarks, in the background Sanji can hear traffic stopping and sees that Zoro is crossing the street. He frowns, the name is familiar.
“I know that name.” He says slowly, trying to remember where from.
“You should, they’re an anti-slavery and social justice charity. They do a lot of work abroad but also an awful lot of work here trying to make slavery illegal here and protesting your father’s company.” Zoro’s voice says with a pleased rumble that shoots straight to Sanji’s groin. He bites his lip and wants to be a part of anything that Zoro speaks about with that much admiration in his voice.
“What were they called again?” He asks, leaning forward and grabbing his chequebook and pen.
“Revolution, why?” Zoro asks, the note of interest clear in his voice.
“Just writing a cheque to give them an obscene amount of money.” Sanji smiles as he adds lots of zeros to the number he’s written.
“I look forward to hearing about that later.” Zoro says inside Sanji’s head in a voice that could easily be talking about sex. Sanji isn’t sure if Zoro means that to sound sexy or if that’s just how his voice always sounds to him now.
“Oh, hey! I know where I am from here now! This isn’t too far from the institute and I can get there easily from there!” Zoro announces, sounding unreasonably pleased with himself. Sanji glances down and sees that Zoro is right, it’s more or less a straight shot from where he is now.
Zoro hangs up then and Sanji pouts, he wanted to talk to Zoro some more, but he supposes that Zoro is eager to get to Ace. Depressed once again Sanji slides back down further into his chair, puts all the cheques in envelopes with the standard notes saying the he supports their cause and so on, although in the Revolution’s envelope he adds “if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know” and puts them in a pile to get Usopp to post them later.
Because he’s feeling a little depressed and vindictive he makes Usopp go deliver his cheques by hand rather than simply posting them. As pathetic as it is the anxiety in his chest doesn’t quite go away until Zoro returns. Sanji is in the kitchen at the time cooking when he hears the front door open and shut with familiar laughing voices ringing through the hallway. Sanji tilts his head and recognises Zoro’s deep soothing voice instantly, the higher more animated voice he manages to place to Luffy. He strains his ears as he nonchalantly chops vegetables but only hears two sets of footsteps.
“You’ll have to ask him if he’ll feed you himself, you did nearly empty his fridge last time you were here.” Zoro laughs as he enters the room. Sanji feels his face heat as Zoro peels off his soft green coat, revealing the tight black sweatshirt he has on underneath. Zoro’s eyes flick over to him and his brightens with a flash of genuine warmth at seeing Sanji, the blonde has never felt quite so special as he does when Zoro looks at him. And yes, he’s a sap, he knows that thank-you-very-much, but this is a bit much even for him. Even for Sir Prince, renown for turning into a wiggling wet noodle for anything with sexy eyes that deigns to bat their eyelashes at him, going soft on the inside from just a mere ‘pleased to see you’ smile.
“SANJI! Will you feed me?!” Luffy demands, hurling himself at Sanji and wrapping rubbery arms around his waist.
“Sure, now sit down or you won’t get anything.” Sanji orders, pointing to the table. Luffy eagerly bounds away and looks at him brightly and expectantly from the chair at the table, as if expecting to be fed instantly.
Zoro slides into the kitchen and into the space next to Sanji as if he’s always been there. He pulls down a glass, his finger hesitating on a second as Zoro’s golden eyes shoot him an unspoken question.
“Please.” Sanji nods and Zoro grins as he pulls down a second glass and fills them both with bourbon (the bottle claims that it’s whiskey but it really isn’t, even if it is nice). Sanji looks at him sidelong in secret through his hair and notes the way that Zoro’s cheeks are slightly red from the cold wind outside. Zoro flashes him a smile again and tilts his glass at Sanji before he drinks with his eyes shut, effectively melting Sanji into a puddle on the floor.
“So, you got there in the end.” Sanji states rather than asks after he manages to get control of his brain again.
“Fuuuuck you.” Zoro retorts without any real venom and continues drinking.
“So. How did it go?” He asks in as nonchalant voice as he can manage as he chops chicory at the speed of light. ‘It’ within the context of that sentence meaning: ‘Ace, that lucky bastard, I will kill him out of jealousy if I can find a way to do it without you ever knowing’.
“Not even there, after all that.” Zoro snorts into his glass, something in Sanji’s chest unwinds all at once and suddenly he can breathe again.
“But going there, even if he wasn’t there, means something. Probably means he’ll be a little more convinced about what I said about you.” Zoro adds thoughtfully.
“What did you say about me? Should I be blushing?” Sanji teases instead.
“That you’re not an abusive psycho and you let me go where I want when I want.” The swordsman answers flatly.
“You say the sweetest things.” Sanji snorts and slides the chicory into the pan of oil.
Zoro flips him off and is heading for the table that Luffy is sat at when the front door rings, he shrugs and heads off to get it.
Sanji strains his ears but manages to categorise the unknown voice into the new mental category of ‘not Ace’. He’s curious though and is about to go investigate when Zoro’s lovely voice comments:
“It’s Sanji that you want, then, through here.”
Zoro appears back in the kitchen with a strange man in tow behind him. The man seems to be wearing something that’s a mishmash between a swimsuit and a corset with entirely too much netting involved, he looks like he just fell off of the cover of the rocky horror picture show and all Sanji can manage to do is just stare in bewilderment. The man gives him a steely hard look which Zoro is oblivious to.
“Iva-chan!” Luffy yelps excitedly, breaking the silence and flings himself at the man in a big rubbery hug.
“Mugiwara boy!” The man coos, spinning the rubber boy around in a huge hug.
“You’re Ivank- oh of course you are! I wanted to thank you!” Zoro beams suddenly, making Sanji irrationally jealous in the way he is of anyone that Zoro beams like that at.
“Who the hell is this?” Sanji demands with a frown. Zoro smiles at him, soothing Sanji’s ego a little, though he doesn’t miss the glare that this “Iva-chan” is still giving him.
“This is Ivankov, he runs Revolution, the charitable organisation I told you about. He also got Luffy and Ace out of prison abroad a few years ago, stupid false charges really, but, all the same thanks.” Zoro says, directing that last part at Iva himself.
“It was no problem, not for mugiwara-boy here.” The man responds with a kind smile at Luffy.
“What are you doing here Iva-chan?” Luffy asks delightedly. Sanji raises a curious eyebrow, what is this guy doing here? Someone else who wants to manipulate him into something, he’d thought that giving money to that charity would be enough, he didn’t expect to actually hear from anyone from it beyond a courtesy phone call or a nice card.
The blue haired man steps away from Luffy though and glares at Sanji across the kitchen counter top, on instinct Sanji turns the heat off on his food and stares back, knowing a challenge when he sees it.
“I actually came here to tell Sir Prince here to shove this cheque up his ass, why would some slime bag who owns the institute give money to the revolution?” Ivankov says, pulling the cheque out and sliding it across the counter top with his long gloved nails. He doesn’t release it though, he keeps it pinned there like some small helpless creature.
“Well, first of all,” Sanji starts, flicking his lighter on to light his cigarette, “I don’t own the institute, my father does.”
“Same thing.” Ivankov tuts, shaking his overly large head.
“No, there’s a big difference.” Zoro corrects, stepping around the counter to stand at Sanji’s side and scowl at Ivankov with a hand on his swords. Sanji appreciates the gesture and Ivankov certainly clocks the weapons, his dramatic eyebrows raising at the sight of them.
“You’ve armed your mate? You’re using him as an unpaid bodyguard now are you? Or are you just putting him in harms way for fun? I’m surprised you still have a head, what’s he threatened you with to stay your blade green boy?” Ivankov asks with a scowl.
“Zoro’s always been a swordsman, Sanji got him his swords back almost as soon as he got here. He’s not a bodyguard and he’s not being threatened either.” Luffy says with a smile in Sanji’s direction, Sanji smiles back and likes the straw hat kid a little more.
“Sanji hates the institute and Spandam just as much as I do, just as much as you should. I would have thought you’d be pleased to have the ally. Or can’t you see that he’s trying to help?” Zoro says defensively with a venomous glare at Ivankov. Sanji leans a little closer to Zoro and feels bad that Zoro has to keep doing this to people, he feels even angrier about the fact that his father is so bad that this is even necessary.
“It doesn’t matter Zoro, if he doesn’t want the money he doesn’t have to have it. He can think what he likes of me, everyone does.” He says softly into Zoro’s shoulder and then turns back to his food and resumes cooking. He can feel Zoro stiffen with anger next to him.
“Sanji, that’s not right!” Zoro protests angrily.
Ivankov pauses and seems to think, or at least the silence that Sanji can hear with his back to him seems to be a thoughtful one. When Ivankov speaks again his tone is less aggressive and more curious.
“If you inherited the institute…” Ivankov begins slowly.
“I’d dismantle it in a day, free everyone and give all the money away. I hate that thing almost as much as I hate my father. Before you even ask, I didn’t want Zoro here any more than he wanted to be here, that was my father too.” Sanji answers flatly.
“Charming.” Zoro snorts by his side, but the smirk lets Sanji know that Zoro is only playing with him. He flips Zoro off anyway just for good measure.
“Hm, you’d let your slave here go too would you? Or is that a perk you’d be tempted to keep?” Ivankov challenges.
“Sanji’s already offered to let me go free, I had the device to take my collar off in my hand. Despite how much his father would punish him Sanji practically shoved me out the door. I chose to stay, I don’t throw people I care about to the wolves.” Zoro retorts irritably. Luffy seems surprised by this knowledge, he guesses that Zoro didn’t tell him.
“My, my. Luffy wasn’t exaggerating when he spoke of his green haired swordsman friend.” The blue haired man comments in surprise.
“I judge people on what they do, not on talk. But if you’re not prepared to do the same then maybe you don’t deserve his help. Maybe you’re not the man Luffy said that you were.” The swordsman says darkly.
Sanji stirs his sauce in silence. He’s red faced at Zoro’s words and is glad that no one can see him.
“Hm, I too judge people on what I see rather than what I hear. On Wednesday Revolution is having a fundraising ball, all of our major fundraisers will be there. If I accept this cheque from you it’ll be more than many of them, so it’s only fitting that you should be there.” The man says with a purr in his voice. Sanji turns and frowns at him, he’s not sure if this is an invitation or a threat, there’s every likelihood that it’s both.
“If you survive then we’ll talk again, if not I can always claim I conned the money out of the son of our greatest enemy. See you there candies, heehaw!” The weird man laughs and saunters off, taking Sanji’s cheque with him, though god only knows where the freak is keeping it, his outfit doesn’t exactly leave any room for pockets.
“You never told me how bizarre that guy is Luffy.” Zoro states in a faintly accusatory way.
“I think he’s funny.” Luffy laughs boyishly and Sanji stares into his sauce feeling out of his depth.
The feeling doesn’t go away even when on Wednesday night he’s staring into his wardrobe unseeingly trying to pick out a shirt. He doesn’t even notice Zoro leaning against the door watching him until Zoro actually steps into the room.
“You know…” Zoro hums, placing his hands on Sanji’s hips as he looks over Sanji’s shoulder into the cupboard.
“That you really didn’t have to do this. You didn’t have to write that cheque, but you did. So why are you acting like this just happened to you instead of something you chose?” Zoro presses. Sanji bites back the real answer of ‘it made you happy, so what choice did I have?’ and instead says:
“I just don’t know what my father will say.” He sighs.
This turns out to be the wrong thing to say and he can see the sneer on Zoro’s face in the wardrobe mirror.
“You’re trying to destroy his company and him, what did you think was going to happen?” Zoro snorts and drops his hands. Sanji instantly misses the warmth.
“I just… it’s all so final. I can’t go back when I’ve done this you know, I’ve got a lot to lose!” He declares angry at Zoro’s derisive behaviour as he spins on his heel to glare at the other man. His glare certainly loses a little force as he realises that Zoro is again dressed like a magazine model and that it’s a little hard to look fearsome shirtless when you’re as skinny and pale as Sanji knows he is.
“Oh fuck you, if I piss your father off I end up in some sociopath’s torture cave and likely get all of my friends murdered!” Zoro snarls at him.
“At least you have friends! Mine all seem to just be using me for things! I have an adoptive family that can get killed to teach me a lesson and if I piss my father off too much then the only person that actually cares about me ends up in some sociopath’s torture cave so I can live a long guilty, lonely life!” Sanji shouts back with far more raw emotion than he’d intended.
“Assuming that you even do care!” He adds nastily and turns back to his wardrobe again and scowls at his shirts. Of course he has a lot to lose, he has Zoro.
“And… and that’s assuming that I don’t just get thrown in there myself! After all, apparently my father is a genocidal maniac too as well as a slave-owning corporate slime bag! Which is probably why no one likes me and the only friends that I have are paid to be here or have double motives! So forgive me if it takes me a little time to pick what shirt best suits that occasion!” He adds angrily and pulls one off of a hanger before furiously discarding it with shaking hands. He breathes in and out rapidly and feels a little like his world is spinning so violently that it’s liable to throw him off like a demented children’s merry-go-round.
Zoro’s hand is warm against his stomach and he’s pulled a half step back into an embrace. Zoro’s lips are on his shoulder, closed and not quite a kiss but not an accidental press of lips either. He can feel Zoro’s padlock cold on his back and it makes him shudder. It’s not an apology but just sympathy.
Zoro’s lips leave him and Zoro’s free arm reaches out past him and snags a mid blue shirt with black pinstripes on it.
“This one. You always look good in blue.” Zoro breathes and slides it into his hands.
Zoro doesn’t leave the room but instead pauses halfway between Sanji and the door.
“Kuina was always brave, I hated her for that.” He says conversationally to Sanji’s bedside table,
“I demanded to know how she did it, how she didn’t get scared. She told me that being brave wasn’t about being scared of what could happen but accepting what might happen and doing it anyway.” The other man says simply. Sanji wants to kick him for being so hackneyed and cliché, but he also wants to be nasty and point out that she’s dead now so it was hardly advice that worked well for her. He does neither of those things and Zoro leaves the room.
“Doing it anyway.” He murmurs as he slides the shirt on. He thinks about Zeff, about the Baratie and his family there and knows that they would tell him to do it regardless of the risks, that they could handle themselves. He thinks of Zoro who clearly is telling him to go for it no matter what. He thinks of Franky who is so committed to destroying Sanji’s father regardless of the consequences that he started without him. He thinks about Usopp and Nami’s surprising weapon that resembles some things Usopp has in his room and suspects the same of him too. Everyone else seems to have accepted the possibility of the worst and is instead shooting for the best. Perhaps he needs to let go of his obligations and try to change things.
He slides his tie around his neck, adjusts it and goes out to find Zoro.
The camera flashes outside the venue are relentless and there are journalists of various liberal magazines pointing microphones at him. Before Sanji has always run from them or threatened legal action but now he has to stand and answer the questions, it’s easier with Zoro at his back, everything is.
“Sir Prince, don’t you think it’s hypocritical to own slaves and give money to an anti-slavery charity?” One demands with a ‘of course it is’ voice.
It’s all or nothing, now or never. Behind his back he clutches at Zoro’s hand and flashes everyone a winning smile as he remembers Zoro’s encouraging words about bravery.
“Not at all. I obviously don’t speak for my father’s company but my personal beliefs and my own money are free to do what I wish. I strongly believe in this cause. However, I absolutely cannot discuss what motions I table in board meetings, how I vote on mate welfare and my position on the direction that my father’s company takes. All of that is confidential of course.” Sanji answers smoothly hoping that the reporters will get the obvious hints to what he isn’t saying and do their own goddamned research.
“But what about your own slave, sorry, mate?” Another reporter asks sarcastically.
“I’m… I’m lucky to have Zoro. Not in the sense of owning him, but in knowing him.” Sanji answers honestly, looking at the ground. He closes his eyes and remembers to speak as if he has the relationship that he wants with Zoro. As far as these reporters need to be concerned Zoro and he are both in love.
“I love Zoro, and I know that a lot of people who own mates don’t get that. They’re too busy thinking about the people that they own as property instead of as people, I don’t think of Zoro like that and he doesn’t think about me like that. The only way we make our relationship work is by leaving all that other crap behind.” Sanji answers with more honesty than he’d expected. The reporters are silent for a moment so Sanji continues.
“I think that Revolution’s work is important because if mates were given a chance to leave and instead chose to stay with their master well… that’d show something important. After all, if you love someone they should be free to leave, it’s only when they are that them choosing to stay means something.” He smiles genuinely as he remembers Zoro deciding to stay for him. He glances to the side to see Zoro giving him a kilowatt smile and he can’t help but beam back, to everyone else they must look every bit in love and Sanji at least knows that he is.
“So, hypocritical? No. Contradictory, perhaps. I just want to make things better is all.” Sanji finishes as he tears his eyes from Zoro and back to the reporters. He turns and walks inside with Zoro, ignoring the way the reporters suddenly explode with questions. Zoro beams at him when they’re inside and pulls Sanji into a kiss against a wall that melts Sanji’s bones, they quickly reassert themselves when he reminds himself that Zoro is just pretending and that like Robin he’s doing things for appearances sake. He’s not sure that he can survive though if he convinces himself that the smile was fake too, and some part of him which he hopes is his sense of intuition rather than deep seated denial, says that it’s real.
“Come on, you’ve got awards to accept.” Zoro grins and pulls him into the party. Sanji sighs and follows him, at least tonight he’ll be dealing with different sycophantic people than normal. He supposes that he should at least enjoy tonight before the papers hit tomorrow morning and his father shoots him.