[Fic] To be that Someone that you're with - Chapter 4
He had just shut off the TV when his world began to fall apart.
A black car with sirens on the roof had pulled into their driveway. The police officers who had climbed out of the car-the woman Tashigi was one of them-had asked if he was Zoro Roronoa. He nodded and asked what was going on. They asked him to follow them to the police station. The rest had gone so quickly, he couldn’t remember all of the details, but that was when Tashigi had told him the shaking news.
When he had the spots on the ceiling engrained in his mind he decided he’d been staring at the ceiling long enough. He turned his gaze towards the chest of drawers on his left side. It was filled with photos of Smoker and Ace: one of Smoker and Ace at a bar, both with a glass in their hand. Another of Smoker and Ace on a park bench, holding hands; Ace rested his head against the older man’s shoulder and both of them looked incredibly happy. A third with Smoker and Ace at the beach, neither of them wearing more than a pair of trunks, laying in the sand on their way to kiss, unaware that someone was taking their picture. Zoro wondered a bit who had taken the pictures since they had been so secretive about their relationship. He mentally shrugged his shoulders and returned his attention to the picture. It reminded him of his summer, in way to many ways.
To be honest, Zoro had never been interested in girls; they had been uninteresting all the way from pre-school. Really, what were you supposed to do with them? When he saw his friends getting clingy girlfriends, he wasn’t jealous. They just confirmed that it wasn’t a good idea. The years passed on and his friends came to him to complain when they got betrayed by a girl, and Zoro sighed each time. He was the only one in the gang who never had a girlfriend, but he was never teased about it. Whether it was because he was the easily strongest of them, or because the gang respected the fact that he didn’t want a girlfriend, he wasn’t sure.
Flashback: “What we did last summer”
His dad had gotten him a trip down to Florida during the summer. He said Zoro needed some time for himself, though it was more likely that his dad wanted him out of the way for a while, so Zoro went down to Florida for a week. It hadn’t been such a special week. He had spent the most time on the beach working on his already quite brown tan. The evenings had mostly been spent at the hotel bar, or alone on his room. The last night he had gone down to a beach disco to bid farewell to Florida. Zoro had sat down at the bar and started talking to a young, male bartender. He was dressed in a black, unbuttoned shirt and khaki shorts. The bartender had been good looking-really good looking if Zoro remembered correctly. A couple of hours, and several drinks, later the bartender left his position behind the counter to dance with a not-so-sober Zoro. In no time they were making out in the middle of the dance floor. Another dancer bumped into Zoro and said, teasingly, that they ought to get a room. Which was exactly what they did.
The next morning Zoro had woken up in a big bed that didn’t smell like home, but more like sweat and sex. Just because Zoro never had a girlfriend didn’t mean he never had sex before. It hadn’t been many times, especially if you compared to what the norm was for a man about his age. The question was who had he slept with? He had an exploding headache, and a huge hangover. The memories from the night before were fuzzy from all of the drinking.
He lifted the covers a bit and looked at the other side of the bed. His jaw dropped when he saw the six-pack and the beard stubble. A Man. He had had sex with a man...But a bloody good looking man. Damn, what was he thinking? He found himself thinking like that more and more often. He had never been attracted by girls, but he could turn his head around and follow a handsome guy with his gaze. He had never thought about it... that way, but still… Was he gay?
Well, he supposed he was since he had sex with another man, but…
The other man turned his face towards Zoro in his sleep, and Zoro began to remember fragments of the night before. The bar. The bartender. The disco, dancing close, very close. Making out. The hotel. Sex. Hot, mind-blowing sex.
The man sleeping next to Zoro started to wake up and Zoro began to panic. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say?
“Mm-mm... Oliver... Shit, it was like, the first time yesterday, what have you been doing lately?” the man mumbled into his pillow, and Zoro just looked at him, now really not sure what to say. Oliver?! Who the hell was Oliver? Oh…the bartender’s boyfriend! Right, that had to be it!
“Oi...” Zoro shook the other man’s shoulder. He opened his eyes, caught the sight of Zoro, and a look of terror immediately spread across his face. He wasn’t expecting to see Zoro next to him, that was for sure.
“You... you’re not Oliver. Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the guy you got drunk, picked up on the dance floor, and brought here. Who the fuck is Oliver?” Zoro asked, sounding thoroughly pissed off. This was not how he wanted things to go, and this guy certainly didn’t help the situation. The two of them naked in a hotel’s double bed wasn’t what either of them had planned.
“Oh.” Was the only thing the bartender could say, “You do realize I have a boyfriend, right?” he added a little later.
“Let me guess, his name is Oliver?” Zoro glared at him.
“Hey, I guess that this partially my fault, but yesterday you didn’t seem to have any problems with it!”
Zoro blushed slightly and thought back. It was pretty obvious now, he was gay. He just wished he had figured it out with a nicer guy.
“I’ll leave now anyway.” Zoro's tone was short and when he got up from the bed he kept the covers around him. The bartender managed keep his eyes away from him, reserving them for that Oliver that obviously was so special.
“Wait a second, you. I’ll just give you my number before you leave!”
Zoro turned around while walking and stared shocked in to the other man’s eyes with a wild look.
“You sick bastard! What do you take me for, huh? Forget about me, and go back to your precious Oliver. I hope you two get a happy life together forever, but I am sorry to say that I doubt it will happened if you keep that attitude. Don’t go fucking around with other people if you claim that you have a boyfriend and you love him. That’s just fucking sick and pathetic.” Zoro snapped. At this point he looked like he could win a battle against a tiger with just a look. His black eyes were even darker than usual, like deep holes.
He pulled on his boxers and pants, grabbed his shirt and left with stomps that threatened the health of the floor. He went directly to his own hotel, picked up all his things, placed them in his backpack and headed for the airport to get home. Fucking good start on a day.
₪₪₪₪
Since that day he had lived with the ‘fact’ that he was gay, but did nothing more than that. No more sex adventures with unknown men, he didn’t tell his father, he didn’t tell his gang, he didn’t tell anybody. What would his gang say if their leader openly admitted that he liked men?
And his father, Carl. What would Carl have said if Zoro told him about it? Would his father have tried to have sex with him? Or told him he was old enough to follow his own path in life? Would he tell Zoro that they were alike, the same? The same. He and his father, alike in everything? That couldn’t be true, right? Just because he liked men and had a father like Carl, didn’t mean he wanted… to rape someone? Was he going to be like his father when he got older? Zoro frantically shook his head and bashed himself on his forehead.
Stop thinking stupid stuff like that, he thought to himself.
His eyes wandered back to the photographs portraying Ace and Smoker. He could also become that happy, if he found his right one. Ace and Smoker were the total opposite of Carl. They cared about other people, but mostly importantly about each other, and their love was second to absolutely nothing.
Zoro laughed a bit to himself.
“When I grow up, and find my special one, we’ll be just like uncle Geoff and, heh well, uncle Ace.” How ever stupid it sounded, it was a bit reassuring. Once again he repeated that he was in control of his own life. A new week of school started after the autumn holiday on Monday, so he could; a bit discreetly of course, begin his hunt for his prince Charming.
He smiled as he lay on the sofa, it really sounded like a drama. But it was true; the latest hours had been a rollercoaster of drama. The police visiting him, the information about his father being a rapist and that he was about to get locked away for several years, the meeting with Smoker and Ace, the conversation with the shit-tasting coffee, and now he was laying on the sofa like a love struck teenager, not able to sleep. He turned around to his other side, facing the back support of the couch, closed his eyes and tried to relax. The voices in the other room were silent now, and he suspected that the others had gone to sleep.
Today had probably been one of his worst days ever, if you counted away the day his mother passed away. It was a nice feeling, knowing that the day was over, and a new day was coming. Even if he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be one of his best, he had problems seeing that it could be worse than this one.
Chapter 5.
A black car with sirens on the roof had pulled into their driveway. The police officers who had climbed out of the car-the woman Tashigi was one of them-had asked if he was Zoro Roronoa. He nodded and asked what was going on. They asked him to follow them to the police station. The rest had gone so quickly, he couldn’t remember all of the details, but that was when Tashigi had told him the shaking news.
When he had the spots on the ceiling engrained in his mind he decided he’d been staring at the ceiling long enough. He turned his gaze towards the chest of drawers on his left side. It was filled with photos of Smoker and Ace: one of Smoker and Ace at a bar, both with a glass in their hand. Another of Smoker and Ace on a park bench, holding hands; Ace rested his head against the older man’s shoulder and both of them looked incredibly happy. A third with Smoker and Ace at the beach, neither of them wearing more than a pair of trunks, laying in the sand on their way to kiss, unaware that someone was taking their picture. Zoro wondered a bit who had taken the pictures since they had been so secretive about their relationship. He mentally shrugged his shoulders and returned his attention to the picture. It reminded him of his summer, in way to many ways.
To be honest, Zoro had never been interested in girls; they had been uninteresting all the way from pre-school. Really, what were you supposed to do with them? When he saw his friends getting clingy girlfriends, he wasn’t jealous. They just confirmed that it wasn’t a good idea. The years passed on and his friends came to him to complain when they got betrayed by a girl, and Zoro sighed each time. He was the only one in the gang who never had a girlfriend, but he was never teased about it. Whether it was because he was the easily strongest of them, or because the gang respected the fact that he didn’t want a girlfriend, he wasn’t sure.
Flashback: “What we did last summer”
His dad had gotten him a trip down to Florida during the summer. He said Zoro needed some time for himself, though it was more likely that his dad wanted him out of the way for a while, so Zoro went down to Florida for a week. It hadn’t been such a special week. He had spent the most time on the beach working on his already quite brown tan. The evenings had mostly been spent at the hotel bar, or alone on his room. The last night he had gone down to a beach disco to bid farewell to Florida. Zoro had sat down at the bar and started talking to a young, male bartender. He was dressed in a black, unbuttoned shirt and khaki shorts. The bartender had been good looking-really good looking if Zoro remembered correctly. A couple of hours, and several drinks, later the bartender left his position behind the counter to dance with a not-so-sober Zoro. In no time they were making out in the middle of the dance floor. Another dancer bumped into Zoro and said, teasingly, that they ought to get a room. Which was exactly what they did.
The next morning Zoro had woken up in a big bed that didn’t smell like home, but more like sweat and sex. Just because Zoro never had a girlfriend didn’t mean he never had sex before. It hadn’t been many times, especially if you compared to what the norm was for a man about his age. The question was who had he slept with? He had an exploding headache, and a huge hangover. The memories from the night before were fuzzy from all of the drinking.
He lifted the covers a bit and looked at the other side of the bed. His jaw dropped when he saw the six-pack and the beard stubble. A Man. He had had sex with a man...But a bloody good looking man. Damn, what was he thinking? He found himself thinking like that more and more often. He had never been attracted by girls, but he could turn his head around and follow a handsome guy with his gaze. He had never thought about it... that way, but still… Was he gay?
Well, he supposed he was since he had sex with another man, but…
The other man turned his face towards Zoro in his sleep, and Zoro began to remember fragments of the night before. The bar. The bartender. The disco, dancing close, very close. Making out. The hotel. Sex. Hot, mind-blowing sex.
The man sleeping next to Zoro started to wake up and Zoro began to panic. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say?
“Mm-mm... Oliver... Shit, it was like, the first time yesterday, what have you been doing lately?” the man mumbled into his pillow, and Zoro just looked at him, now really not sure what to say. Oliver?! Who the hell was Oliver? Oh…the bartender’s boyfriend! Right, that had to be it!
“Oi...” Zoro shook the other man’s shoulder. He opened his eyes, caught the sight of Zoro, and a look of terror immediately spread across his face. He wasn’t expecting to see Zoro next to him, that was for sure.
“You... you’re not Oliver. Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the guy you got drunk, picked up on the dance floor, and brought here. Who the fuck is Oliver?” Zoro asked, sounding thoroughly pissed off. This was not how he wanted things to go, and this guy certainly didn’t help the situation. The two of them naked in a hotel’s double bed wasn’t what either of them had planned.
“Oh.” Was the only thing the bartender could say, “You do realize I have a boyfriend, right?” he added a little later.
“Let me guess, his name is Oliver?” Zoro glared at him.
“Hey, I guess that this partially my fault, but yesterday you didn’t seem to have any problems with it!”
Zoro blushed slightly and thought back. It was pretty obvious now, he was gay. He just wished he had figured it out with a nicer guy.
“I’ll leave now anyway.” Zoro's tone was short and when he got up from the bed he kept the covers around him. The bartender managed keep his eyes away from him, reserving them for that Oliver that obviously was so special.
“Wait a second, you. I’ll just give you my number before you leave!”
Zoro turned around while walking and stared shocked in to the other man’s eyes with a wild look.
“You sick bastard! What do you take me for, huh? Forget about me, and go back to your precious Oliver. I hope you two get a happy life together forever, but I am sorry to say that I doubt it will happened if you keep that attitude. Don’t go fucking around with other people if you claim that you have a boyfriend and you love him. That’s just fucking sick and pathetic.” Zoro snapped. At this point he looked like he could win a battle against a tiger with just a look. His black eyes were even darker than usual, like deep holes.
He pulled on his boxers and pants, grabbed his shirt and left with stomps that threatened the health of the floor. He went directly to his own hotel, picked up all his things, placed them in his backpack and headed for the airport to get home. Fucking good start on a day.
₪₪₪₪
Since that day he had lived with the ‘fact’ that he was gay, but did nothing more than that. No more sex adventures with unknown men, he didn’t tell his father, he didn’t tell his gang, he didn’t tell anybody. What would his gang say if their leader openly admitted that he liked men?
And his father, Carl. What would Carl have said if Zoro told him about it? Would his father have tried to have sex with him? Or told him he was old enough to follow his own path in life? Would he tell Zoro that they were alike, the same? The same. He and his father, alike in everything? That couldn’t be true, right? Just because he liked men and had a father like Carl, didn’t mean he wanted… to rape someone? Was he going to be like his father when he got older? Zoro frantically shook his head and bashed himself on his forehead.
Stop thinking stupid stuff like that, he thought to himself.
His eyes wandered back to the photographs portraying Ace and Smoker. He could also become that happy, if he found his right one. Ace and Smoker were the total opposite of Carl. They cared about other people, but mostly importantly about each other, and their love was second to absolutely nothing.
Zoro laughed a bit to himself.
“When I grow up, and find my special one, we’ll be just like uncle Geoff and, heh well, uncle Ace.” How ever stupid it sounded, it was a bit reassuring. Once again he repeated that he was in control of his own life. A new week of school started after the autumn holiday on Monday, so he could; a bit discreetly of course, begin his hunt for his prince Charming.
He smiled as he lay on the sofa, it really sounded like a drama. But it was true; the latest hours had been a rollercoaster of drama. The police visiting him, the information about his father being a rapist and that he was about to get locked away for several years, the meeting with Smoker and Ace, the conversation with the shit-tasting coffee, and now he was laying on the sofa like a love struck teenager, not able to sleep. He turned around to his other side, facing the back support of the couch, closed his eyes and tried to relax. The voices in the other room were silent now, and he suspected that the others had gone to sleep.
Today had probably been one of his worst days ever, if you counted away the day his mother passed away. It was a nice feeling, knowing that the day was over, and a new day was coming. Even if he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be one of his best, he had problems seeing that it could be worse than this one.
Chapter 5.