Chapter Text
“I can’t believe you actually forgot about our meeting today!”
Nami crossed her arms in exasperation, once more berating Zoro as if he was her kid.
“I know we just finished our concert, but I really wanted to get started on brainstorming as soon as we can,” Usopp chimed in, a notebook in one hand & a pen in the other.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Zoro waved them both off dismissively, which only made Nami even more furious. “Sorry I got here late. I woke up with a really bad hangover, okay?”
“That’s not an excuse,” Nami huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose before punching him in the arm. “All of us went to the same izakaya last night. And I know you can drink a lot, but who said you can sneak in a couple extra more? Ugh. I’m just glad Sanji was able to make sure you didn’t get lost last night on your way back.”
“I could’ve gone home on my own! I didn’t need his help.”
“Oh, yeah? Tell me again, who got lost on the way to the music studio today? The studio we’ve been going to since high school? Really! I don’t know what to do with your shit sense of direction.”
“My sense of direction ain’t that shit—”
“GUYS!! For the love of god, can you two stop arguing?!” Usopp finally yelled out, a hand on his forehead. “Arguing’s gonna take us nowhere. We need to get started on writing the song.”
“What d’ya got so far, Usopp?!” Luffy hopped over to him & tried to yank his notebook from his hand, but Usopp was quick to swipe it away before he could successfully take it.
“Like I keep telling you, nothing yet,” he says with a tired sigh, staring once more at the notebook that at this point was more full of scribbles & crossed out sentences & words, than it was an actual song.
“Well, we don’t have to force it,” Luffy grinned with a laugh. “It’ll come to us eventually. I trust you guys! We don’t even need to be in the studio all day to think up of something. Hey, how about we go play some games at the arcade today?! Maybe I’ll invite over my brothers.”
“As fun as that is, Luffy, I too want to at least figure out a direction we can start off with,” Nami replied, putting her guitar’s strap over her shoulders. She played a couple chords and notes on her instrument, humming as she went.
Even Zoro seemed to be more interested in working on the song than heading outside, and, ultimately dejected, Luffy went back to sit near where Usopp was sitting. “Let’s just sing something about meat,” Luffy offered as a suggestion, to which Usopp & Nami laugh at, but immediately veto.
While the rest of the group chatted idly & argued about the lyrics & even just the main direction of the song they wanted to write, Zoro couldn’t help but let his mind wander off to the night before. He normally didn’t wear jackets since it usually hindered his ability to play well, but since he had to cover up some of the more obvious marks, he chose to wear one that day.
Last night genuinely felt like a haze, a scattered blur, and the more his day went by, the more he was even beginning to doubt that that did actually happen. Maybe he really did just dream about everything, maybe it was all just in his head.
But the more he tried to think about it, the more irrefutable the proof— who else wore those stupid blue socks, which were still lying on the floor of his bathroom? Who else smelled of that specific perfume beside his bed? Who else had blond hair, blue eyes— and, god forbid, had curly eyebrows?
He frowned.
He wasn’t sure what kind of entity possessed Sanji the night before, for him to just come barging into his home & back into his life.
Even though it was the man himself who told him to stay away from him, many years ago.
“Oi, Zoro! If you were to choose, what kind of song would you wanna sing about?” asked Luffy, as Usopp beside him ripped off the page he was on in his notebook & crumpled it into a ball. “None of us can decide on anything good.”
Dragged back to reality after a brief moment in his thoughts, Zoro turned to look at the lead singer, pausing to actually think for a second.
“Hm. Don’t know. Maybe something about—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the faint silhouette of a certain blond-haired man briefly passed past the door, visible through the glass. Forgetting completely to answer Luffy’s question, he immediately made his way right out the door, following the silhouette, breaking into a near-sprint to catch up to him before he could turn the corner.
“You,” Zoro began, grabbing the other’s wrist before he could go any further. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Sanji looked like a deer caught in front of a car’s headlights, eyes wide open. He was quick to play it off casually, however, as he yanked his wrist free from the other’s grasp.
“Why, brainstorming with my band, of course,” Sanji replied matter-of-factly, trying so hard to act nonchalant. “We’re trying to win the competition, after all. Can’t have us slacking off.”
“And you just decided to choose the exact same studio that our band always goes to?”
“Well, news flash, asshole, we go to this studio a lot too. Have been, since university. Or maybe your dumb, idiot brain just never noticed.”
The insult made Zoro grimace, his eyes narrowing, but he ultimately chose to ignore it.
“I thought you guys always went to the one closer to the university?”
“We go to both, but this studio’s amenities are just slightly better. Ugh, but why am I even telling you all of this?! I really need to get back to my band, or we won’t get anything done.”
With an annoyed expression on his face, Sanji turned around to walk back to the room they were renting. He seemed to be in a frantic hurry, trying to use any excuse he could come up with in his head to just— get the hell out of there.
But before he could make his escape once again, Zoro grabbed his arm this time around, grip firmer than last time.
“You asshole—! Let me go—”
Their rising voices and their disappearance seemed to have concerned the rest of the members of their respective bands, as they heard a couple of doors open & noticed a few heads peeping out.
“Oh, hey, Sanji!” Luffy immediately walked over to the two of them, waving an arm in greeting. “And everyone else is here, too! I didn’t know you guys would be here today!”
“Yeah, what a coincidence,” Zoro snidefully remarked with a sneer, his grip on the other man’s arm tightening. Sanji shot him an irate look, but immediately softened when he turned to face Luffy.
“Yeah, well, we wanted to get started on writing our song for the competition,” Sanji explained, a cheeky grin on his face. “Can’t beat you guys if we just slacked off & did things in a rush.”
“Hahaha!!! Well, good luck with that, Sanji! You know we’re not gonna back down— we’re winning that competition!”
“We’re actually having a hard time trying to figure out what to do,” Usopp admitted, still peeping from their room— which earned him a jab on the side from Nami’s elbow. “Ow— what was that for?!”
“It’s not like we’ve figured anything out yet, either,” Chopper pouted from the other room, peeking out just a little bit that only the top of his head was visible. Robin soon appeared right next to him, gently ruffling his brown, messy hair.
“If you would all like, you can come over to our room & we can discuss some ideas,” she offered, a small smile curling on the corners of her lips. “Sanji brought some small snacks with him.”
“Snacks???” Luffy’s eyes glistened.
“Of course that’d distract him,” Nami sighed in exasperation, but made her way from their room to the other group’s nonetheless. “Well, wouldn’t hurt to chat for a bit, I suppose. Just don’t get caught eating in the rooms, Luffy!”
“My dearest Nami! Take all the snacks you’d like!” Sanji called out, about to walk over to the woman, but the grip on his arm made him stop in his tracks.
“Oi, bastard, you gonna let go or what?”
Zoro looked over at their bandmates, then over to Sanji, and pursed his lips. “No. You and I still have shit to talk about.”
Nami briefly glanced over to them with knowing eyes, before disappearing into the other room. It happened so fast, Zoro wasn’t so sure if he saw her expression clearly.
“Well, we’ll be in Sanji’s room!” Luffy said with a wide grin. “I wanna eat some snacks! I’m soooooooo hungry.”
Soon enough, Luffy & Usopp joined the rest in Sanji’s band’s room, and the two of them were left alone in the hallway once more.
“What the hell do you want?!” Sanji barked at him, tugging his arm back— to no avail.
“Not here,” Zoro snapped back, dragging him to another empty room nearby. “You & I have something to discuss.”
“There’s nothing to discuss— oi, what the fuck are you doing?!?!”
The minute the door closed behind them, Zoro immediately grabbed the collar of the turtleneck sweater Sanji was wearing & tugged it down. Just as he expected, the remnants of the previous night were still there, a stark contrast against the other’s pale skin. It almost mirrored the ones on his own neck & chest.
“Get off me, jerk—!!”
Zoro finally removes his grip on him, and Sanji immediately tugged his collar back up to his neck, desperate to hide the marks once more. The two of them looked like they were both just run over by a truck at the mutual realization.
“What happened last night?” Zoro asked, lacking the usual edge in his voice. More than anything, he wanted answers— but the other man took it as an accusation.
“Nothing happened,” Sanji bit back, trying to straighten his clothes back into place. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Explain those, then.”
“I told you, it’s nothing! We both probably got in a fight or something, I don’t know. I was drunk as hell— weren’t you? Last night was all just a blur in my head.”
Zoro narrowed his eyes at him with suspicion. The marks on both their bodies clearly weren’t from a fight— if it was, the bruises on their necks would be all over their faces instead.
“But I remember you were in my apartment—”
“You probably made all that shit up in that mossy, good-for-nothing head of yours,” Sanji replied with a sneer. “I wasn’t even there at your apartment at all. I left after you made it back. Nothing happened. Got it? Now let me go. I really need to get back.”
Sanji shoved him back, walking hastily towards the door. But before he could open it to leave, Zoro dropped another bomb.
“You left your socks at my place, by the way.”
At those words, Sanji immediately froze, his face growing pale.
Oh, of all the things— he just had to forget something, didn’t he?! He was so sure he left nothing that would indicate his presence— but clearly he was in too much of a hurry to leave to even think properly, or at the very least double-check.
“Give those back, you idiot! Zeff got those for me.”
“You get it back yourself,” Zoro huffed, crossing his arms. “You left them, not me. Not my fault.”
“I’m not going anywhere near your place! Or you, for that matter.” Sanji raised an accusatory finger at him, before finally opening the door, about to step back out into the hallway. Before he left, he raised his middle finger in the air, though didn’t bother looking back.
“Get lost, mosshead. I’m not gonna let you ruin the rest of my day.”
“Got it. Guess I’ll just throw those socks out the window.”
Sanji finally turned around to shoot him a nasty glare at his words, but left without another word, slamming the door behind him & leaving Zoro alone in the darkness of the empty room.
———
“So, what’d you guys talk about?” Luffy asked between mouthfuls of snacks that he stole from the other band’s room. “You were both gone for so long.”
“Did you manage to find out what they’re planning to do for the competition?” Usopp added.
“Nothing,” Zoro responded dismissively, sitting down behind the drumset. “Just something he said last night that ticked me off. It’s not important.”
Nami shot him a glance from the corner of her eyes— as if she knew something. Zoro stared back at her with an eyebrow raised, wondering if she knew more than she let on— but thankfully, she said nothing.
“Did you guys manage to come up with something?” he asked.
“Yeah, actually! I knew talking to the others would help a lot,” Usopp replied cheerfully, a smile on his face. One look at the notebook in his lap showed that he did actually manage to come up with something.
“Granted, I still don’t know what they’re doing, and Robin & Chopper refused to tell me anything, but at least now I know what we could do for ours.”
“Brook let it slip that they’re writing another love song,” Nami added with a snicker, sitting down on the floor right next to Usopp. “I mean, typical for their band, isn’t it? That’s all they sing about, anyway.”
“I don’t know anything about love, but I know I do love my friends,” Luffy chimed in with a laugh. “So I told Usopp to write something about that.”
It’s not like it was something new & different for their own band— they did have a couple of songs about friendship, and having fun in a group. And although a majority of their songs were usually about the freedom & sense of belonging that Luffy always subconsciously yearned for… trying out something slightly different this time around wasn’t exactly a bad choice, either.
In fact, it was a nice challenge. A change of pace from their usual songs.
“Still, I wonder what happened between the two of you,” Nami noted, glancing at Zoro as she lifted her guitar, putting the strap back on her shoulders. “You and Sanji, I mean. Both of you seem to be more on edge today than usual.”
“That’s just how they always are, isn’t it?” Usopp said with a sigh, putting down his notebook to the side of his lap & pulling his bass close to his chest. “Like Zoro said himself, it’s probably just something Sanji said that pissed him off.” He looked up at Zoro, who was already starting to glare daggers at him. “...which isn’t that hard to do, actually.”
“Just drop the subject, the two of you,” Zoro demanded, his grip on his drumsticks tightening as he crossed his arms. “Are we gonna work on the song, or?”
Nami & Usopp exchange looks, but ultimately decide to let it go.
“Alright! So, for the beginning— around this part— Nami, you should open with the guitar,” Luffy darted, pacing back & forth between the members while holding Usopp’s notebook. “Then I’ll go right after with a screaming entrance. Usopp & Zoro come in around this part— something like this.” He hummed a tune, which Usopp tried to replicate on his bass & Zoro tried to match the pace with.
“Sounds good so far,” the bassist commented, pausing every now & then to take his notebook from Luffy & scribble down some notes. “I’m not feeling too confident with this part, actually, but I think we can hammer it down later. Maybe I’ll change the lyrics around a bit, switch some parts with another…”
When they’re actually playing music, the band gets quite serious. Luffy may just look like a goofy, absent-minded frontman, but he is also the one that gathers everyone else’s ideas & steers them in the right direction. Though he never really learned to play an instrument— which is a shock, considering that both his brothers were proficient at some— he makes up for it with strong, powerful— and best of all, convincing— vocals.
Even during brainstorming sessions or practices, he preferred to give it his all.
‘If I can’t give it my all even during practice, I won’t be able to give it my all during the concert! I’d rather give it my all, for all our fans!’
And for that stubbornness alone, the band decided to stay together for all those years, through thick & thin. Competitions, school festivals, university— the list goes on & on.
Luffy’s dream was to ultimately perform at the Laughtale Music Festival— and the group knew that performing at the Sabaody Music Festival was a big step towards fulfilling that dream.
And though they were— and are still— good friends with Sanji’s band, Luffy wasn’t going to give up on his dream that easily. Friends or not, he is going to perform on that stage.
———
“Still nothing good, huh?” Chopper frowned, poking his chin with his pen.
“Well, we keep goin’ back & forth on the lyrics,” Franky noted from behind his drumset.
“For once, we’re at a loss, hoho.” Brook looked over at Sanji, who was sitting right next to Chopper, alongside the mess of torn, crumpled paper balls. He had Chopper’s notebook in his hand, and was frowning at it.
“Or maybe our dear singer is intimidated by Luffy,” Robin added with a small laugh. “I know Luffy can get quite stubborn & determined, but you mustn’t let that get to you. Even though we’ve lost to them several times.”
“It’s not that at all, my dear Robin,” Sanji replied with a sigh, placing the notebook on his lap. “I’m not trying to compete with Luffy or his band. I just want to make something good to get us on that stage. Show my old man that I’m someone he can be proud of.”
“I’m quite certain Zeff is already proud of you, Sanji. Several times over, actually, even though he wouldn’t admit it.”
“But I want to show him my thanks some other way! If not as a sous chef of his restaurant, then at least in my own way, on the stage. I feel like I’ve been nothing but a burden for him.”
Sanji lifted the notebook back from his lap, once more staring at the words that filled the page. As was typical of their band’s songs, it was yet another love song, once more about an anonymous woman who lit up his heart & set him aflame. It wasn’t that bad, and was completely in line with everything else they’ve written up to that point, but something about it still felt… off.
Like it felt… empty.
Sanji motioned for Chopper’s pen, who handed it to him.
“I think if we revised the lyrics a little more, maybe we can get somewhere…”
Although Sanji’s managed to charm & woo his way into several women's hearts, he wasn’t quite sure himself if he’d ever actually felt true love. Every time he would go out on a date, the thrill of the chase would excite him, but it never took him long before he would drop his pursuit, realising several times over that it wasn’t what he truly wanted.
He had gotten close to what felt like true love once, many years back… but now, all it left him with was a massive aching pain in his heart, and the bitter aftertaste of regret.
Maybe that’s why he kept writing & singing songs about love.
Somewhere deep inside his subconscious, his heart yearned to know how it truly felt.
“… felt this way for a while … do anything to see your smile …” he mumbled to himself quietly, writing down the words on the notebook. “… wouldn’t even dare … go near your green hair…”
… green hair?
Sanji caught himself as he wrote those words, immediately crossing them out from the notebook. Scratch that— he scribbled over the whole verse he just wrote, and quickly tore off the page, crumpling it into a ball. What the hell kind of cornball shit was that?
“I think we should call it a day here. Let’s think about it some other time— I think I’m still tired from the concerts.”
———
“Alright, good session today!” Luffy beamed, wiping some sweat off his forehead.
“That’s our frontman for ya! Now we’ve definitely got this show in the bag,” Usopp grinned back, slinging his instrument’s case onto his back. “I still think there’s parts we need to rework as a whole, but it’s nothing too bad yet. It's definitely a good start.”
They all said their goodbyes to each other, promising to see each other a couple days later— since they were all still tired from their last performance, the group ruled that they should take a quick break first before proceeding. At least they got pretty far into their song, all things considered, especially since they just started working on it today.
Sanji’s band was nowhere to be seen after their group finished, so they didn’t get to say their goodbyes to them. Maybe it was for the best, Zoro thought to himself. After last night and their argument earlier, he didn’t want to see that man at all.
After the others had left, Zoro began to walk off to the direction of his apartment— even when completely sober, he still couldn’t manage his bearings, every turn & streetlamp just as unfamiliar as the last one. He could’ve sworn there was a convenience store nearby his building…
And, to think, he’s lived in this city since he was young.
It took him almost an hour to get back to his apartment (which was a good 20-minute walk from the music studio). Even if it takes him a longer time than others, at least he does somehow manage to end up where he needs to be.
He wasn’t expecting, however, to see a familiar frame slouching against the pillar right next to the entrance of his building, a lit up cigarette in his hand and a puff of smoke emanating from his lips.
He tried to ignore him— that maybe, if he didn’t acknowledge his presence at all, he wouldn’t even bother looking his way— but the moment he touched the door handle, the other man turned his head towards him.
“Oi, bastard, let me in,” Sanji spoke, following him as he entered the building.
“And why the fuck are you here?” Zoro grumbled, still refusing to look his way, determined to ignore the problem in the hopes that he would just go away on his own. He took his keys from his pockets, fumbling at them absentmindedly. He was getting really sick of asking that question several times over in the past two days.
“You told me to get my socks back myself, so I’m getting it myself,” Sanji huffed stubbornly, an annoyed look on his face. He entered the escalator the moment Zoro also stepped in.
“Oh, pity, I was genuinely thinking of throwing it outside my window.”
“Bastard! Don’t you dare touch my shit, or I’ll kick your ass.”
“I wouldn’t even dare touch your shit,” Zoro sneered at him in an exaggerated manner, a mocking smile on his face. “Not with my bare hands, at least. It’s filthy. Gross.”
“Ugh, just let me get my shit, alright?! I swear it won’t take long. Who the hell even wants to be inside your place? It reeks of you.”
“The hell is that even supposed to mean?!” Zoro flung his door open in annoyance the moment he was able to get his keys in. “Fine. Go get your socks, they're still on the bathroom floor. I swear I haven't touched them at all.”
Sanji spared no moment & closed the front door behind him, then made a beeline for Zoro’s bathroom, which was inside his bedroom.
Zoro opted not to follow him into his room, choosing to set down his bag & himself on the couch. He took his jacket off, throwing it over to the side of the couch.
The mere presence of Sanji in his vicinity was giving him a headache.
After a couple minutes of opening doors & rustling, Sanji finally emerged from Zoro’s bedroom, socks in his hand. He immediately folded it & placed it in his bag, then he got up & headed straight for the door.
Like hell Zoro was just gonna let him leave just like that.
“So, you’re really not gonna say anything about it, huh?” Zoro prodded, just before Sanji can open the door & fully make his escape. “About last night, I mean. Just gonna pretend that nothing ever happened, and that your socks mysteriously appeared in my bathroom, even though you—” he gestured air quotes with his hands— “‘left after I made it back’.”
Heat rising to his head and to his cheeks, Sanji stormed back inside the room & towards Zoro, every step he took a large thud against Zoro’s wooden floor.
“I was drunk!” he yelled, chest heaving heavily as he grabbed Zoro’s collar & dragged the man up to his face. “I was drunk, and I wasn’t thinking straight. I could barely even remember anything past dinner. So whatever it was that happened last night, just— forget it.”
“You expect me to forget it all, just like that?” Zoro yelled back, fisting the other man’s collar as well. “You know what— fine! But if I really disgust you that much, how about you follow your own words & stay the hell away from me?!”
Sanji stopped at those words, a sudden sharp pang hitting his chest like he had just been shot.
That was exactly the problem— he couldn’t stay the hell away from him.
He’s tried before, countless, several times.
He’s done everything to try & push Zoro away, but somehow, their paths kept crossing, and they kept getting pulled into each other’s orbit. He’s tried hard to keep himself distracted, too— amidst his band, their performances, and the countless women he’s slept with— but somehow, the one thing he kept trying so desperately to push out of his mind kept coming back, over & over again, like some relentless ghost.
It felt like a curse.
“I can’t,” Sanji whispered to himself, words barely audible despite Zoro’s proximity to his face. He glanced away from his eyes, his gaze settling on his own hand, which was still clinging weakly on to Zoro’s collar.
“What?”
“I said, fuck you, mosshead,” he said, voice raising as he lifted his eyes up to look at the other man’s face again, an irate look all over his face.
“I hate that you won’t leave. I hate that you exist. I hate that I can’t even stay away from you. I hate you, and everything about you.” He pulled Zoro’s shirt closer to him, until there was barely any space between their faces.
“Fuck you, mosshead. I hate you so much.”
And yet, despite his harsh words, he closed the distance between the two of them with a kiss. But it was neither soft, nor gentle— it was rough, hard, and full of anger.
It completely caught Zoro off-guard. With the way Sanji was acting just mere seconds before, a kiss was the last thing he was expecting he would do. Anger and confusion both swirled in his head, and his head felt blurry.
Why was Sanji always doing this to him? Saying one thing, but doing the opposite? Screaming at him to leave, but constantly coming back into his life?
Claiming that he hated him, but kissing him right after?
None of it made any sense— and it only angered him further.
Pulling away from the kiss, he pushed Sanji down on the couch, towering over him. He kept both hands on the other’s shoulders, pinning him into place.
“Fuck you, Vinsmoke.”
Just like that, he returned the earlier kiss with just as much ferocity & rage, heat rising to his head— whether it was from anger or something else, he didn’t know. Years & years of pent-up rage, confusion, feelings & anger consumed him as he pressed his lips against the other’s— it felt like his entire body was on fire.
He wanted to press him further, ask for answers— but right now, his body was so consumed by an overwhelming amount of emotions that it was making him act differently from how he was thinking.
“I hate you even more.”
Zoro pressed his tongue against Sanji’s, forcing his mouth open. A small moan crept up Sanji’s throat, but he immediately tried to stifle it, and he retaliated by pushing his tongue against Zoro’s. His hands wandered down to Zoro’s pants, rubbing it against his crotch, which earned a groan from the other.
Zoro’s lips soon drifted to Sanji’s jawbone, nipping as he went, sending shivers down the other man’s spine & causing his breath to shake. His mouth eventually stopped at Sanji’s neck, on an area that was exposed just above the collar of his turtleneck. He bit & sucked into the skin, leaving a dark purple mark— bigger than the one from the night before.
“What the fuck are you doing, mosshead?” Sanji complained between heavy breaths, using his other hand to grab the other’s hair. “It’s impossible to hide this one!”
“You got your way with me,” Zoro replied, undoing Sanji’s pants with one hand. “It’s unfair if I don’t get my way with you.” He took Sanji’s cock in his hand and began rubbing it up & down, causing the other man’s legs to tremble.
“Bastard,” Sanji hissed, but the way his hips bucked against his will completely betrayed the look on his face. He tugged Zoro’s boxers down as well, taking his cock in his hand. ‘Two can play at this game, you piece of shit,’ he thought to himself, giving Zoro a smug look.
The look on Sanji’s face only served to piss Zoro off even further. Spited, he quickened his hand movements, and, with his other hand, pulled Sanji’s sweater up, exposing his chest. He began to bite at Sanji’s nipple, licking & sucking it until it was raw. Sanji tugged at Zoro’s hair, trying to pull him away from his chest.
The overwhelming sensation of Zoro’s hand around his cock & Zoro’s tongue against his nipple caused Sanji to buck his hips erratically, until he could feel himself getting close. Heat was quick to pool in his crotch, and his fingers tightened around Zoro’s hair.
“Zoro, stop, I’m—”
Ignoring his words, Zoro kept on going, until Sanji couldn’t bear the sensation anymore, finally releasing his load. Thick, viscous fluid dribbled onto his fingers, which he licked away.
“I told you to stop!” Sanji yelled at him after he’s caught his breath, face completely flushed red. He felt embarrassed— how the other’s hands were able to make him cum as easy as that. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he enjoyed it way too much— but he’d rather die than say it out loud.
“Sorry,” Zoro finally said, the look on his face unreadable. But there was a pang of regret already forming at the bottom of his chest. He braced himself for rejection— one he’s heard before— but somehow, that never came.
“Sorry’s not gonna cut it, mosshead.”
Unexpectedly, Sanji pushed Zoro towards the direction of his bedroom, locking lips with him once more as they went. The door was already left unlocked from when Sanji went to pick up his socks, so it didn’t take a lot of work to push him inside— and shove him onto the bed.
Sanji pinned him against the bed with his legs, kicking his shoes to the floor. He pulled off his own pants & boxers as well, tossing them over to the side.
Zoro shot him a confused look, but it didn't last long— whatever questions he wanted to ask were immediately interrupted by the feeling of lips pressing against his once more. Sanji deepened the kiss, pushing him harder against the bed, then began to tug Zoro’s pants down— which Zoro ended up kicking off the bed.
“I’m not letting you get away with that one.”
Sanji positioned himself over Zoro’s crotch, holding his cock in his hand, the tip just barely teasing his entrance. He hadn’t prepped himself at all that night, but he was desperate to prove a point. He pushed himself against him regardless, causing him to wince a little in pain. The feeling of Zoro inside him & the feeling of Sanji around him both caused the two of them to moan, and they both had to take a moment to pause & catch their breaths.
“Still can’t handle my size after all, curlybrows,” Zoro snickered, and was about to thrust his hips, when Sanji pinned him down with his hands.
“Oh, don’t you worry about me & size, mosshead” Sanji answered back with a smug grin, before moving his own hips up & down.
Zoro wasn’t sure what to make of the sight in front of him. On the one hand, Sanji pleasuring himself by riding his dick turned him on so bad, he wanted to keep his eyes open & take it all in. On the other hand, a part of him still felt confused on where they stood— on what crossed the line, and when.
But the rising heat in his crotch was quick to kill off any of the latter thoughts.
Sanji nipped at his neck, leaving more red marks against his tanned skin. He stopped at an area on Zoro’s neck that was equally just as exposed as the one Zoro had left on him— and began to bite and suck at his skin. Payback for what he did to him earlier that night, he thought.
“Sanji,” Zoro moaned breathily between sighs, chest heaving up & down in the same rhythm the other man kept. He brought a hand up to reach towards the other— but Sanji was quick to pin him back down with a firm hold on his wrist.
“You stay down there,” Sanji replied, equally just as breathless. He moved his other hand from where he was propping himself up on the bed, dragging his fingers across Zoro’s chest. He gave it a squeeze, earning another moan from the other man, before he began to toy with his nipple once more.
“I’m not letting you one-up me tonight, Zoro.”
He managed to keep Zoro pinned down against the bed— which was somewhat surprising, given that the other man was slightly bigger than himself— and whenever Zoro tried to buck his hips up against him, he pinned him down harder, and moved his hips faster.
Zoro was at his limit. Between the moans & sighs & breaths exchanged between them, and the way Sanji felt against him, he hit a loud groan, before shooting his hips up & bursting inside Sanji.
It wasn’t long until Sanji came, too, hips still moving erratically as he spilled his load all over Zoro’s stomach, a loud groan leaving his lips. He collapsed on Zoro’s chest, completely out of breath as he pulled Zoro’s cock from his ass. He let himself lie on top of him for a while, chest still heaving, the two of them sweaty.
“I’ll get the towels,” Zoro finally spoke after a moment of catching his breath, nudging the other with his hand. Sanji moved away from his chest & pushed himself up, opting to sit at the edge of the bed.
Zoro pushed himself off his bed & made his way towards the bathroom, returning with two moist towels in his arms. He handed one to Sanji, who kept his back to him as he wiped himself clean, choosing to stay at the corner of the bed.
“Hey, listen.”
“Hm?”
“You can’t tell anyone about this,” Sanji began, still refusing to look in his direction. “You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone else about this. About us.”
Those words felt like a sharp knife in Zoro’s stomach, twisting & turning against his guts.
It’s not like this was the first time he’s heard him say those words… but it still hurt all the same. Of course it would— years & years of this, all the way back when they were younger, like some sick, cruel cycle he just can’t seem to break out of.
And even though their lives finally started drifting apart when their bands got more popular, when both their groups had to be on the road more often… Somehow, Sanji’s managed to find a way to crawl back into his life.
He wasn’t even sure if he knew what they even were, exactly, not after all this time.
But if it kept Sanji in his life, just like this, just like before…
He can keep his mouth shut once more.
“Fine,” Zoro finally replied, trying to hide any hint of emotion in his voice. “I won't tell anyone.”
“I need to head back.”
Sanji finally turned his head towards him, but his eyes still refused to look at him directly in the face.
“Stay,” Zoro asked, and although the tone of his voice never changed, there was a hint of pleading in his eyes. “At least just for the night. You can leave in the morning.”
As much as Sanji wanted to run away & flee the scene, and forget about everything again, something about the look in Zoro’s eyes made him stay.
“Fine,” he grumbled after some hesitation, moving towards where Zoro was on the bed. He nestled his face against the nook of Zoro’s neck, while Zoro wrapped an arm against his body.
They mostly stay in silence after that, with Zoro staring at Sanji’s head against him, and Sanji watching Zoro’s chest heave up & down with every breath he took.
Eventually, the sound of their breaths & the warmth of their bodies lulled them both to sleep.
———
When Zoro woke up, the warmth beside him was gone, and only the scent of perfume lingered in the air. Another morning waking up alone, he supposed. Like it had been the night before. Like it always had been.
Maybe if their situation was a little bit more different, Sanji would’ve actually stayed through the morning. Maybe he’d make him breakfast, like he heard he liked to do with all the other people he dated before.
‘People,’ Zoro scoffed to himself. Who was he kidding. It was only women Sanji ever dated— publicly, at least. And Zoro was the furthest thing from one.
He got up from his bed, pushing himself to get started on his day— even though there wasn’t practice with the band today, there were still other things he had to do.
As he made his way towards his bathroom, he couldn’t help but notice a turtleneck sweater thrown haphazardly on the floor, right beside the bathroom door. He immediately knew whose it was without even checking.
He went to grab the piece of clothing from the floor, then walked over to his bedside table to retrieve his phone.
‘u left ur sweater’, he quickly sent a message to Sanji, snapping a selfie with it.
‘I’ll pick it up later’, Sanji replied a few minutes later, with a selfie of him flipping the camera off.
‘if u dont come im throwing it out.’
‘I’ll get it I swear jfc. Now leave me alone’
Although this arrangement isn’t exactly what Zoro would’ve liked, at least he could pretend, even just for a little bit, that he & Sanji had something together.
Even if it was something between just the two of them.
Even if it meant waking up every morning alone in his bed.