Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"C'mon, you little chicken shit. I wanna see the new trash kid the old hag bought!" Yonji whisper-yelled as he dragged Sanji through the hall after Ichiji and Niji.

Sanji had no interest in seeing the new foster case their house keeper had taken in. They weren't supposed to talk to staff at all, and Sanji didn't want to get screamed at again like he always was when he snuck into the kitchens.

But Yonji was stronger than him, even though he was only twelve too and he never got screamed at or banned from meals. So Sanji's pleading fell on deaf ears and they soon were crossing the statue garden and passing the hedges to the staff quarters.

At least they didn't have to look for long. A dark haired boy was leaning against stacks of firewood, just napping in the middle of the day.

Sanji would be envious, if he didn't know what was coming for the kid.

It was Niji, of course, that charged for him first. "Hey, servant trash!" He yelled and Sanji braced for the sound of someone getting hit.

It didn't come. The boy had jumped up and out of the way, grabbing a broom at his side and brandishing it threateningly.

Niji made an ugly face and attacked him again only to be avoided once more and get himself a hit to the butt with the broomstick. Ichiji and Yonji jumped in too and Sanji could only watch in awe as the boy dodged and held his own against his three brothers who always beat him up, using their kickboxing lessons to great effect.

But they were three against one and the boy couldn't win alone.

Sanji didn't know why he wanted him to win or where he found the courage to tackle Yonji from behind. But he did.

It had been a stupid thing to do, focusing his brother's attention on himself and it didn't take Niji long to turn on the easier target.

Just when Sanji had curled up on the ground to protect himself from the kicks, one of two voices that could stop his brothers called out. "Hey! Break it up or someone's gonna be in trouble!" Thank god for Reiju.

His brothers let it go and stared at her as she came up from the garden. Sanji watched from the ground, holding still in hopes that they'd forget him for the moment.

"The servant trash attacked us!" Niji started, pointing at Zoro.

The boy sneered back and took a step like he was going to start fighting again.

"Well, I guess we'll have to discuss that with father then," she started and Sanji froze in terror. Didn't Reiju know that this would get him starved for a week? "Of course you'll have to explain why you're here then. And how one common orphan and Sanji could keep all three of you busy."

The words stung, but his brothers looked uncomfortable and when Reiju turned they trudged after her quietly. It wouldn't last long and Sanji already dreaded what they would do to him later for interfering.

He flinched when a shadow fell over him. Right. The boy.

Sanji stared at the hand the boy had stretched out to him, looked at his scowl and then back again. Somehow this didn't feel like a trap, so Sanji grasped the warm hand and let himself be pulled to his feet.

"Your siblings are shitheads," the boy said, and went inside like that wasn't the coolest thing Sanji had ever heard.

Reiju called out for him and Sanji turned and ran after them quickly.

But the boy wouldn't leave his mind through changing his clothes and hiding the evidence of the scuffle. Through dinner and after, when Sanji hid from his brothers until they got over their most immediate anger his mind dwelt on the boy who stood up to his bullies and held his own.

Sanji wanted to get to know him better, he decided. And, remembering a gentle voice, he knew the best way to do that.

Usually he wasn't brave enough to sneak into the kitchen when Judge was home, too afraid of the consequences for him and the cooks, who'd always been nice to him. But today he found the courage and quietly slipped in.

He was greeted with smiles and hushed voices. It wasn't the first time Sanji came in here in search of treats or food he wasn't supposed to have.

He ignored the pitying looks as he asked for a treat and took off with his prize when one of the older cooks relented. With a handful of homemade caramels and a bag of rice crackers he slipped out into the garden through one of the staff doors and quickly made his way to the housekeeper's home.

The boy was there, sweeping in front of the house and Sanji gathered his courage and came out from behind the hedge, his gift in hand.

"Oh, it's you," the boy said with a raised eyebrow but then curiously eyed what Sanji had in his hand.

"Whatcha got there?" He asked, throwing the broom aside carelessly and sitting down on the steps leading to the house.

"Snacks," Sanji said and sat down next to the boy, "because my brothers were shitheads to you too." He repeated the insult with relish.

The boy stared at him for a second before grinning and taking the bag of rice crackers to rip it open.

He shoved a whole fistful in his mouth and Sanji had to laugh. "Hungry, huh?" He asked.

The boy shrugged and swallowed, "These are good. Orphanage never had treats. The woman doesn't have them around either." He gestured at the house vaguely.

"She took you in?" Sanji asked and popped one of the caramels in his mouth before offering the other boy one too.

The boy nodded. "There's food and a bed. 'S good enough. I don't bother her, she don't bother me," the boy said and Sanji felt envious. He'd love to be left alone. "Could be more food though, woman's stingy."

Sanji nodded and watched in anticipation as the boy tried one of the caramels. "These aren't so bad. Don't really like sweet stuff though," he said and went back to his rice crackers.

"My name is Sanji by the way," Sanji said after another few moments watching the boy eat with a strange but nice flutter in his chest.

"Zoro," the boy said with another grin and his mouth full.

It was really gross and Sanji was risking a beating and a lot of dinners just sitting out here.

And still, it seemed worth it.

***

This wasn't the worst place Zoro had ever lived. Sure, the woman wasn't exactly generous or affectionate but neither did she get on his nerves or fuck with him. There was food, clothes and a bed.

She hadn't forbidden him to go to the Dojo's Kendo classes either and didn't keep him from visiting Luffy whenever he wanted.

Really, the only issue was the shitty Vinsmokes with their shitty attitudes and love of challenging him to fights regularly.

At least they weren't bad training, though they didn't use weapons and were nowhere close to the challenge Kuina had been.

But annoying as they were, there was one redeeming factor.

Zoro didn't know when he had started to expect Sanji to swing by at least once a week or why he was looking forward to those visits so much.

He only knew that he did and it had been a while since Sanji had come by. And when Zoro came home from training that day and threw his bag into the corner he was expecting Sanji to hurry through the statue garden at any moment.

It was only about half an hour until the blond mop of hair appeared through the hedge, Sanji's quick movements slowed with a limp and marred by holding himself stiffly. Bruised up again, then. Zoro felt himself turn grim at the unfairness of it. He hurried downstairs and outside to meet Sanji.

Sanji smiled at him brightly, stretching the lunchbox out to Zoro and wincing a little as he did. Left shoulder, then. He took the offering and sat down with Sanji on the porch steps. The food inside was simple, rice and veggies, a little chicken. Leftovers most likely, but delicious.

Sanji sat quietly, rubbing at his shoulder and watching the entrance to the garden while Zoro ate.

"Your brothers fight with me all the time, they're not gonna tattle," Zoro said between bites.

Sanji muttered something under his breath and sighed. "Guess not. Reiju'd tell me if they did. Doesn't mean they aren't looking to hit me some more."

"Shoulder?" Zoro asked, setting the empty box aside.

"Niji, kickboxing training."

"He's an asshole," Zoro said.

Sanji looked at him with widened eyes before smiling broadly. "He is," Sanji agreed and Zoro found himself wanting to say more, maybe make him smile more, too.

"He shouldn't pick on you for being weak," he said before he could think and suddenly the blond changed completely. Soft blue eyes blazed with anger before Zoro found himself on his back with a furious blond on top of him, hammering fists down on Zoro's chest.

When the surprise wore off he overpowered Sanji easily, but he kept struggling, all the passivity he displayed with his brothers gone.

He kicked out, landing a good one on Zoro who held him down more thoroughly until he tired himself out.

He wasn't even that weak, that had hurt . As Zoro looked down at the livid blonde he was starting to figure out how this shit worked. Three against one and Sanji had given up on beating those odds.

Well, fuck that noise. He had lost against Zoro, but he had fought with fire and that was more than enough to work with.

If Sanji wasn't too angry at him, at least.

Sanji was breathing hard under him and when he shoved Zoro off he winced. He held his shoulder as he got to his feet, already stalking off towards the garden.

"You can fight," Zoro said, suddenly desperate to stop him.

Sanji stopped and made a choked off little noise. "I lost," he said.

"So?" Zoro asked.

"What do you mean, so?" Sanji turned back to him, frowning now.

"You can fight, don't mean you always win," Zoro said with a shrug and thought of Kuina.

"I never win," he said, sounding bitter.

"We'll see about that," Zoro said and grinned at Sanji's confused expression.

***

When Sanji was sure Judge's car had driven off he snuck into the kitchen. It was just after five and Ichiji had closed and locked his door. Niji was blasting his music and Yonji was screaming at his computer for whatever reason.

If he was quick about it he could be at Zoro's in a few minutes tops.

Apparently he was transparent too because the head chef just grinned at him and passed him a container. "Seafood pasta, still warm."

Sanji took the box with a quick thank you and turned to leave. "You know, we can get that boy the food too, right?" He asked and Sanji froze in his tracks.

"No it's fine," he said and clutched the box harder.

"Alright… just so you know," the man said and Sanji tore out of the kitchen at full speed, his ears burning. He skidded into the garden and was almost home free.

Except there was Reiju, looking perfectly prim as usual and waiting for him.

She was smiling but it was as fake as always and Sanji held the box tighter. "I have to admit, you're quite careful, little brother," she said.

"You're not gonna tell Judge, are you?" Sanji asked and her face cracked for a second into an unhappy expression.

"No. But it's only a matter of time until father catches you playing servant boy to that kid. I just want to help you," she said.

"Then help me. Reiju, he's my friend and bringing him this… it's nice..." Sanji said and looked at her, really looked at her forced smile and straightened blond bangs.

"Vinsmokes don't get to have friends, little brother," she reminded him and Sanji glared.

"I'm not accepted as a Vinsmoke in any other way. Why can't I have this one fucking thing?"

He knew his sister hated all of this. Was sure she didn't really care about the extra classes Judge was having her take for university credit already. Her life planned out for her in the offices of Germa 66 where she would direct the overcharging for medication at least to the end of Judges natural life and probably beyond.

But she had resigned herself, and had often asked the same of him. To become the mask. Even now he couldn't tell what she really thought when she sighed and crossed her arms.

"I will cover for you if I can… and since you've made progress with your sparring and your studies have been going better I think father is putting less scrutiny on you," she said and looked through the opening in the hedge to where Zoro likely was waiting.

"I'm glad you found a friend," she said and tucked a strand of blond hair back, giving him a rare genuine smile though it was tinged with sadness. Then she was on her way back to the mansion and Sanji hurried along to Zoro's while the food was still warm.

And Zoro was evidently glad to see him. He grinned and ate the food with an enthusiasm that made something in Sanji flutter and unfold.

"I gotta do some laundry and then I can kick your ass," Zoro said when he was done.

"If I don't kick yours first!" Sanji said, then registered the rest of Zoro's words. "Can I help?" Sanji asked.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at him then shrugged "Sure, rich boy," he said and walked ahead inside with Sanji hot on his heels.

"I can probably do that better than you can, shitty slob!" Sanji yelled and kicked at Zoro's ankle, which got him shoved into the wall.

"Pff sure!" Zoro said and just grabbed a bunch of laundry from a hamper to throw in the machine.

Sanji slapped his arm and yanked the stuff out of his hands to start sorting like he'd seen the maids do when he hid in the laundry room. "You sort by colour, idiot!"

"And how'd you know?" Zoro grumbled but watched Sanji intently all the same.

"I know because I pay attention to the staff. You separate by colour and read those tag thingies," Sanji said and looked at one of them… which didn't tell him a whole lot- except temperature, maybe?

"What's it say then?" Zoro asked, all but hooking his chin over Sanji's shoulder. Way too close and Sanji felt heat rise into his head.

"Dunno. But you sort by colour and don't wash too hot," he said decisively and stuffed a whole lot of Zoro's greyish hoodies into the machine, added detergent and set the temperature a little lower before pressing start. The machine hummed to life and Sanji felt an odd satisfaction as he watched the laundry be thrown around.

Zoro shrugged next to him, "I always just throw it in and press the buttons I was told to press and it works out fine."

"I'm sure it does," Sanji said as condescendingly as he could, only to be grabbed by Zoro and have his hair ruffled to hell. Their scuffle devolved into a race which turned into their spar.

Sanji didn't win but with that warm feeling still in his chest he didn't feel like he needed to.

***

The shithead brothers were strong, Zoro had to give that to them at least. But they were also undisciplined. Fighting without purpose and frankly terrible winners.

Though no tattlers, since so far Zoro hadn't been taken to task for getting into it with the royal brats of the household. He had no clue if the hag even had noticed, since she usually gave Zoro his orders for the day, left him his allowance and then fucked off for the rest of the time working and going to church or whatever.

Didn't matter, it suited Zoro just fine that she didn't care all that much for raising him. He would be in some shit otherwise with the three blond bastards and him strewn on the grass and bruised up.

"Gotta say, you're a decent fighter," one of them, the stockier one, Yonji, said. God they all looked alike.

"I wouldn't say decent, but not horrible, I guess," that was Niji, spiteful bastard.

"Passable. Or at least decently trained," the last one said and sat up to have a better look at Zoro.

He wasn't in the mood to tell them his life's story, so he shrugged. They didn't need to know about tournaments he had won or the scholarships teachers were considering for him. They definitely didn't need to know about Kuina or about all the training he put in to become the best. "I guess," he said.

"Doesn't matter. Not like it'll make you less of a peasant," Niji said with a grin and they finally pissed off snickering and shoving each other.

Hard to believe that Sanji was actually related to these asshats, though there was some resemblance in the face, probably.

It was hard to tell between their resting bitch faces and Sanji's ever shifting emotions. But even if they would honestly smile, their smiles probably wouldn't be as nice as Sanji's.
Would Sanji smile at him if Zoro told him of his wins? Would he maybe even be impressed?

It would be nice if Sanji could come to one of his fights. Stand in the audience with another lunch, watching him, looking at him in awe after he won a fight, smiling at him, maybe even giving him a peck on the…

The world stopped. And it had not quite started again when Sanji leaned over him with a grin, presenting another lunchbox.

"This one has onigiri!" Sanji declared, smiling too bright and hair too pretty with the sunlight falling on it like that.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck. Zoro's ears were incredibly hot. The whole world could probably see what he had just learned because he was glowing like a neon sign.

"Thanks." The world sounded choked off as he took the lunch box but Sanji didn't seem to notice, instead dropped into the grass next to Zoro and started to babble about shapes in the clouds, leaving Zoro to his crisis.

***

Sanji silently cheered to himself as he snuck out through the kitchen. He had perfectly given Niji and Yonji the slip by using the hidden service door to the dining room.

He could even hear them yelling as he rounded the corner to where there were no windows and then ducked behind one of the hedges.

From this point he could move a little more freely, without constantly looking over his shoulder.

Soon he was at Zoro's place, hopped up the porch steps and rang the doorbell, confident that Zoro would be home alone.
And indeed it didn't take long until the door swung open with Zoro on the other side.

Sanji's good mood evaporated at once when he took in a bandage around Zoro's arm and a whole lot of scrapes and bruises littering his face and what little Sanji could see of his arms.

"What happened?" Sanji asked, dreading the answer even as Zoro shrugged and picked on a scab on his elbow.

"Got cocky, fell down a slope," he said but gestured for Sanji to come in. Sanji felt his shoulders relax. That still sucked but he knew from bitter experience just how much worse it could be with bruises.
Then again, Zoro was such a good fighter...

Inside Zoro sat down at the table next to a dirty cereal bowl.
Sanji wrinkled his nose before grabbing the bowl and bringing it to the sink where yet more dishes were waiting.

He filled the sink with hot water and as he waited he turned to find Zoro absently curling a small barbell up and down with his good arm.

"Should you be doing that?" Sanji asked.

"Eh?" He was making that confused face again and Sanji rolled his eyes. "It's nothing," he said after following Sanji's eyes to his bruised up arm.

"Looks like it hurts though," Sanji said cataloguing the injuries like he would his own.

Again Zoro just shrugged it off. "Not that much anymore. And even if it does, I can't let stuff like that stop me if I wanna be World Champion."

"World Champion?" Sanji repeated. And then felt stupid. Of course Zoro would be cool enough to aim for something as amazing as being the best in the world. Not like Sanji himself, who was proud of successfully running away from his brothers.

"Yeah, gonna make it all the way to the top," Zoro said and when he looked at Sanji there was something wild in his eyes that had Sanji's heart racing. "So I can't be bothered by small stuff, and I can't be distracted."

He said the last part under his breath, but Sanji was in awe all the same. Zoro was his age, but here he sat, dreaming so big and already on his way chasing that goal.
In a flash he turned to the sink and turned off the water. He'd never live it down if Zoro saw him all starstruck.

Silently he worked away at the dishes and as the simple task settled his mind he resolved to become brave and determined like that too.

***

Wind softly rustled the leaves overhead as Zoro tried to calm down.
Usually visiting Kuina helped him do that, no matter if he had been beaten by one of the older students or was struggling with his training or banned from proper exercise after getting hurt.

Her presence had helped him decide that he wasn't going to live with Koushirou and made him believe that he could reach their dream.

Today it wasn't working. He had washed the gravemarker, the sleek black stone polished to a shine, like he did every week to help calm his mind.
But it wasn't helping. He had failed today, epically. His first loss against someone his own age since Kuina passed away.

And now that he was here he didn't even know what to say, much less how to explain his lack of focus.

"You seem distracted lately."

Zoro flinched at Koushirou sensei's voice.
Caught out.

"Am not," he said and crossed his arms, staring at Kuina's grave.

"Denial is a hindrance, Zoro," his teacher softly said as he placed down a single white flower on the grave that Zoro didn't know the name of before settling down beside Zoro.

Zoro kept staring ahead, his arms tightening ever more across his chest when he thought of a bright smile, unbidden. "How do I get rid of it?" He finally asked without turning.

"The denial or the distraction?" Koushirou asked and Zoro felt his ears burn up at the smile in his voice.
Stupid, not like Koushirou would know what this was about when Zoro barely understood it himself.
There were a few beats of silence before his teacher continued.
"I think what you really want is to find your calm again," he said. "And to do that, first you should honestly accept what is."

Again Zoro's ears burned up. Stupid, pretty Blondie with his stupidly kind smile and his stupidly blue eyes.
"What if what is distracts me?" He asked. He had sworn to himself and to Kuina that there would be none of that until he made it to the top. Yet here he was, with this feeling he couldn't do anything about, like his insides were all twisted up.

"Then you have to decide what to do about it," Koushirou said, sad now as he looked at the grave of his only child. "And whatever decisions you make, there will be consequences to see through," he added.

When Zoro turned their eyes met and he bowed his head before his teacher in thanks.

They sat in silence although calm still wouldn't return, thoughts and images racing each other until a simple truth emerged from the noise.

I like Sanji.

And there it was, crystal clear.

I like Sanji, a lot.

The thought echoed louder and with it all the things Zoro had tried not to think about.
Did Sanji like him back?
Did Sanji even like boys?
Could they still be friends if he made Zoro feel like this?
Was he betraying Kuina?

Thoughts kept racing through his goodbye and on his way home.
By the time he got back it was too late for Sanji to visit, and he was kind of glad about it as he sat on the floor in front of his bed crosslegged.

Acknowledge what is honestly.

He closed his eyes and said the words.
"I like Sanji."
He breathed, slow and calm
"I like Sanji, a lot."

It helped, a bit of weight lifting with every repeated acknowledgement of the truth until it didn't feel so scary anymore.

And then he decided.
Decided to train harder, to overcome the distraction.
Decided that he was strong and stubborn enough to stay friends and be the best.

Most importantly, he decided that the flutter in his chest when Sanji smiled at him was okay to feel.

That night he stared out of his window for a long time, looking at the bright lights of the mansion where Sanji was.

***

The world spun by their limousine as Sanji pressed himself as far into the corner as possible so Yonji wouldn't hear the growling of his stomach.

Useless of course. His brother snickered at him all the same. If that was for his weakness showing like that or the subpar performance at the history quiz that had led to him not getting dinner last night or breakfast this morning Sanji didn't know or really care.

Judge making him go hungry for failing to meet expectations wasn't anything new after all.

So he stared out, determined to take in what little he could of the shops, trying to identify names he'd overheard the staff using on the colourful signs.

It was the only distraction he had from dreading the upcoming kickboxing practice. Other than thinking of Zoro maybe, but that also involved losing a lot of fights.
Not to speak of that strangely tingly feeling Sanji had started getting in his chest when thinking of the other boy.
He'd had that before with some of the younger maids, when they were nice to him.

He wasn't really sure what it meant, but it made him think of Judge thundering across the dinner table about having to fire a researcher for being disgusting and his brothers snickering amongst themselves and throwing Sanji looks.

Much like Zoro, the whole thing spelled trouble. Maybe Sanji was stupid for still liking the feeling so much.

He hid his smile in his hand, even though Judge was unlikely to turn in his seat to look at him. Couldn't stop himself from thinking about Zoro after all. Silly to miss him so much after not being able to visit for a week.

They passed Hachan's Diner and a place called Shakky's and the Big Mom sweets store.

Seeing the Pappag boutique, where some of their clothes came from, told him they had changed neighbourhoods and when he saw the ornate facade of Enies Lobby hotel he knew they were almost there.

He fought down the dread and ended up thinking about Zoro again when he got out of the car quickly, so Yonji wouldn't feel the need to push him.

Breathe, Zoro had said when Sanji had rolled up in front of him in a panic after being wrestled to the ground. Stupid. He should have known by then that Zoro didn't kick him when he was already down. Breathe, think, and fight back.

His stomach growled when he did breathe and he scowled at his brothers laughing about it. As they went inside Ichiji shoulder-checked him and Yonji grabbed his arm way too hard, pulling him along.

Judge followed them, cold eyes staring from a looming shadow as they went through their warm ups and training routines.
Those weren't so bad. Sanji could kick higher than Yonji, and keep up with flexibility with all of them.

The bad part was always the sparrs, especially when he was feeling woozy from not eating. The trainer had barely called it before Niji's hand clamped around his wrist like a vise and he grinned at Sanji.

Predictably he was getting another beating and could feel familiar fear well up.

Breathe, think, fight back, Sanji desperately tried to remind himself through the haze and the panic. And when his brother charged at him again he saw an opening- and dodged.

He was almost as surprised as Niji when he followed it up with a rotation and nailed his knee in Niji's side.
That surprise was his mistake. Niji recovered first and looked at him with rage.
He tackled Sanji to the ground, ignoring even more rules than usual and while Sanji was busy protecting his face, pain exploded in his leg.

He screamed and pushed, and then Niji was gone but the pain wouldn't let up.
A rough hand grabbing his arm too hard startled him into a slightly more coherent state and he swallowed the next whine when he saw Judge's murderous glare.
"Stop being pathetic," he hissed and Sanji wanted to scream more just to get some of the hatred out. But he also wanted to eat so he clamped his lips shut tight.

He glanced through the room to find the trainers looking away, as they usually did when Niji overdid it. Judge all but shoved him at one of them while calling the driver. The man then led him outside, taking at least some mercy on Sanji when they were out of the room. "Lean your weight on me," he said quietly, and Sanji would have scoffed, but his leg was screaming with every step so he took the offer. "I'm sorry," he said and actually looked it when he helped Sanji into the car.

"Not like you can do anything if you want to keep your job," Sanji muttered and winced when he accidently moved the leg a little.

He could see the man stare when the car took off, looking guilty. With some petty satisfaction Sanji thought it served him right.
He rubbed at the bruises on his arm and again stared at the shop signs, trying to concentrate on them instead of his leg.

He wasn't surprised when they passed Vegapunk manufacturing and Galley La Construction to pull into the underground parking garage of Germa66's HQ.

There were doctors waiting for him or maybe they were researchers, probably both. Sanji knew one of them from their yearly check ups and another one from the science lessons they took here.

The next bit was a rush of examinations, tears and pills. Then he was unconscious.

He came to in his room with no idea how he'd gotten there and a cast around his leg. When he tried to sit up, cold hands pushed him into the bedding again.

"You should rest some more," Reiju said, not pretending to smile for once and Sanji barely had the energy to even look at her, so he stared at the pitcher of water on his night table instead.

"How long am I stuck with this?" He asked. He'd had a broken arm before, and ribs and a dislocated shoulder more than once. He couldn't remember clearly how long healing had taken then when lonely days just blurred together.

"Probably not too long on bedrest, but you'll have to keep the cast for longer," she said and they both knew what that meant for him

He closed his eyes and swallowed. No way he could sneak away to Zoro's with a cast slowing him down. "How long Reiju?"

"Six weeks, maybe eight," she said and Sanji felt like crying again.

He hadn't been to see Zoro in a week because all of the stupid extra classes Judge had them take.

"Shit," he murmured as he blinked the wetness in his eyes away. He wasn't going to see Zoro for the next two months. And no one would feed him extras during that time.

He huffed a laugh at that stupid thought. It wasn't like Zoro was starving or anything. Just Sanji's stupid way of keeping his one friend.

And it wasn't like Sanji could even feed himself. His stomach reminded him off that loudly, the emptiness now painful. He looked at Reiju, not stupid enough to hope but needing to know.

She clenched her hands and looked away, her version of dramatic sobs. "Father says you get to eat when you can make it to the dining table on your own."

He huffed a laugh, "Of course he does."

He looked past Reiju, staring at the window. Couldn't even see the garden, much less the little house behind the hedge.

This was going to suck so bad. The sound of water being poured snapped his eyes back to Reiju.

This time when he tried to sit she didn't stop him. "I'll see what I can do," she said, then looked down while he took the glass. He emptied it in one, pouring another awkwardly.

While he did, she pulled up her bag and got out a book, quickly laying it on his bed like it might burn her.

He raised an eyebrow at her but took it, carefully turning it around in his hands and then freezing when he saw the title.

Zero-Waste Cooking it said in bold letters, by Zeff Redcliff.

He didn't know how Reiju knew that he'd been eyeing the books neatly lined up on one of the kitchen shelves, or how she knew that this title kept standing out to him.

"Don't get caught with it," she said before Sanji could thank her and then she fled the room, closing the door behind her.

He drank another glass of water before starting to read, as good a distraction from his hurting stomach as any.

He read until a butler knocked to bring water, and Sanji hastily hid the book until he was gone again. Then he read more, only stopping twice to drag himself across the room to the bathroom, the book safely stuffed in the space between mattress and frame. He kept reading until his eyes were closing by themselves and then hid the book again before falling asleep, dreaming of kitchens at sea and stews and breads.
Of never needing to rely on someone else to get to eat ever again and of making art from scraps.

Hunger woke him to reality, and- what was worse- to Niji staring at him, from the same chair Reiju had sat in yesterday.

"What the fuck?" He rubbed his eyes, not quite sure he wasn't seeing things. Maybe Judge was trying weird new painkillers on him and he was hallucinating.

"You kicked me," Niji said, still staring.

Sanji blinked at him, but he didn't seem violent right now so he carefully sat up. "Yeah, I did," he said. "What about it?"

Niji leaned back, sprawled in the chair and sized him up. Then he scoffed. "Lucky hit. It's not gonna happen again," he said and got to his feet, slinking out.

"What the fuck," Sanji repeated to himself.

But something about the weird encounter made him feel lighter and stumbling across the room to his window went easier than expected.

Looking out he sighed. He couldn't even see Zoro's house and didn't know how to get a message to him. It was probably stupid to worry about, since Zoro was unlikely to be waiting for him or even thinking about him, but the thought that he might had the nice fluttery feeling back in Sanji's chest so he indulged in the idea.

Unfortunately there was also real life to deal with and his stomach reminded him of its emptiness painfully.

He breathed, and made his slow way towards the dining room.

***

It had been Zoro's mistake for getting excited, really.
He'd just seen the first bit of blond in a whole month and bolted outside like mad.

"You aren't Sanji," were the first words out of his mouth when he saw who was visiting him.

The girl smiled, a horribly fake expression on a face much too similar to Sanji's. "No, I am not. Zoro, was it? I'm Reiju, Sanji's older sister."

Zoro crossed his arms over his chest, meeting her eyes head on. "I know who you fucking are. You gonna run tattling?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean. I was just curious about you," she said, still with that eerie, wrong smile while she was scanning every damn inch of him.

He scoffed, shifting his weight under the unnerving stare. "What's there to be curious about for a goddamn princess like you."

She actually laughed at that, a sound as freaky as everything else about her. "Charmingly bold. Honest too, I can see why Sanji likes spending time with you," she said and tucked a strand of hair back, adjusted the strap of her bag.

"Can you get to the fucking point of this stupid visit or are you just here to annoy me like your asshole brothers," he asked, desperately uncomfortable.

"No interest in befriending them I see?" She said, and stepped around him in a wide arch with her hands behind her back.

Before he could stop her she had settled on the porch steps and was looking up at him expectantly.

"Who'd want those shits for friends?" He answered, staring back at her as it dawned on him that this was starting to feel like a test.
A little like his first fights with Kuina, when she would lead him around to see what he was made of instead of really fighting him.

"I gather Sanji is different then, since you like him a lot?" She prodded and laughed when he startled.
"You really need a better poker face."

"How do you-?" He started, feeling the heat in his neck. "Where the fuck is Sanji?" He then asked instead because that was much more important than whatever snooping she had done about him.

She considered him for a moment, the pretense of smiling gone. "Laid up with a broken leg," she said evenly, eyes boring into his.

"Broken how?" He asked through his teeth. Stupid question. He felt that familiar anger rise in his throat until it was thick enough to choke him and he started seeing red.
"It was Niji, wasn't it?"

She hummed, confirmation enough. "I sincerely hope you won't do anything stupid. Sanji would be inconsolable if you got in trouble because of him."

He returned her unnerving stare once more, considering her now, the way she sat there all prim with that smile and not a hair out of place. "Why do you pretend to care? Don't seem like you help him much when the rest of your family are being assholes," he asked.

She flickered her gaze away. "It does look like that, doesn't it…" The words were quiet, thoughtful and Zoro was just about fed up with her cryptic bullshit when she shot to her feet suddenly.
"But really I am here to give you this," she said and produced an all too familiar box from her bag, holding it out to Zoro.
Sorry for the delay, shit head. a note stuck to it said in stupidly neat handwriting.

His cheeks were burning and it distracted him so badly that Reiju was almost back at the hedges before he turned.
"Hey," he called after her. "I don't think I like you, but thanks."

She actually stopped and when she turned she was smiling again and this time it did actually look sad. "No, thank you, Zoro."

And then she was gone.

***

The silence was different with all of the Vinsmokes gone, Sanji decided, trailing through the halls in the early morning hours, just after the rest of his so-called family had left on a business trip.
It more than likely was meant to be a punishment, excluding him like this and letting him know that he was too dumb and not presentable enough to show off along with the golden children.

It was a testament to Judge's arrogance that he thought Sanji still gave a shit about what they thought of him.
For once he wouldn't complain about it though because with them gone Sanji didn't have to worry about running into one of his brothers or Judge. Maybe the first time in his entire life he was free to just be for more than a few stolen hours at a time.

So today he could very gently tell Conis, one of the newer maids, that he would like to make his own bed, please.
Even doing that little bit felt good, although it took him half an hour to change the sheets and tuck them as nicely as they usually were.

With that out of the way, he could run straight to the kitchen and ask for something he had been wanting for months if not years.

The one cook remaining on staff, George was his name, didn't bother trying to make Sanji breakfast, instead shaking his head at him with a smile Sanji liked to think was fond instead of pitying. "All yours today," he said. "Just don't make a mess or it's my funeral." And like that he left Sanji alone to browse the collection of recipes and then set to work

He didn't need to worry. Sanji wasn't about to cause trouble here. Instead he rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands very thoroughly, his nails trimmed down neat.

A Chef's hands were his pride after all.

Braced like that he set about simple poached eggs to start, pan-toasting some of the heartier rye bread they had on hand.

He spread a bit of herbal butter on the slices and then put the eggs on top.

They weren't as round as he'd hoped for and when he broke one of them open the yolk didn't come out quite as runny as the chefs served them.

He tried it and then stared.
It was such a small, simple meal that he'd been eating all his life- his mother's favourite whenever she had been healthy enough to sit with them.
He probably hadn't made them well by any objective measure, but he'd made them himself and that had something in him swell and expand.

He couldn't help wondering what Zoro would say about the simple breakfast and cursed the spring break training trip he had fucked off on.
He'd come up with something fun to do in the empty halls for sure and if Sanji could feed him something he made himself... He blushed at the thought and shooed the flutter in his chest away. There was still breakfast in front of him after all.

He took his time finishing before cleaning his plate and the workspace, only to get into the next thing after checking the fridge and retrieving what was left over from the day before.

A simple batter for pancakes was mixed up quickly, wholly unsweetened to be baked out thin in a large pan. After a few attempts they stopped ripping and folding when he tried to flip them and came out less uneven. The ruined ones he saved to the side for a dessert and set the others to cool.

He finely chopped what was left of yesterday's chicken and the vegetables that had come with it, adding a bit of red bell pepper along with a spoon of tomato paste and some spices and herbs that smelled good to him.
A little more than had been ideal, maybe, he thought as he taste tested.
Still he stirred it all up and then filled the pancakes, carefully folding and rolling them before putting them in an oven dish.
Yet more tomato paste and onions and garlic went into a sauce to pour over the filled pancakes.

Finally he sprinkled cheese over the dish. Just that it was way too early for him to eat again. So instead of popping that in the oven he picked through the recipes for something to add to the broken up pancakes.
He found a nice fruity sauce and then some frozen berries to go into it. After setting that to cool he cleaned up after himself, whistling a tune and surveying the space.

Like he'd never been here.

He was looking at a job well done, even if it was a borrowed pleasure.
He shook himself from the thought, better to enjoy it while it lasted. Who knew when he'd get a chance at this again.

All of a sudden he really regretted that Zoro wasn't home. Again he couldn't shake the thought of serving the oaf something Sanji had made…
He felt his cheeks heat and rubbed at them as he tried to talk himself down.
It wasn't like he'd be impressed by Sanji's amateur efforts. He was a rude bastard at the best of times and would maybe even dunk on Sanji's attempts.

"Fucking training camp," he still muttered as he wandered out of the kitchen and through the halls, thinking on what else he could do without his shitty family in the way.

Judge's office and all his siblings' rooms were locked. But without Yonji there to hog the home gym Sanji could use it to practice his high kicks and work on his balance while keeping his hands safe.

He worked up a sweat doing that and left pleased at how easily he could kick to his head now and how effortless his splits and handstands had become.

Training with Zoro really was helping, even if Sanji could never tell him without risking a massive ego explosion.

After his shower he brought his laundry down to the washing room, earning himself weird looks from the girl working there.

He felt a little self- conscious greeting her without knowing her name. But he was there now, so he sorted his laundry into the correct piles before gliding out again, feeling the confused stare and hoping that the girl knew to keep silent about this.

He still wasn't hungry yet, so he busied himself by looking at the cook books, and copying a few recipes he liked by hand, so he could hide them under his bed along with the few mementos he had of his mother and the books Reiju kept sneaking him, now that she had a few more freedoms between university classes and interning at Germa.

Finally he put his pancakes in the oven and watched as the cheese melted and the sauce started gently bubbling.
By the time he had arranged his plate George came back around, probably to check that he hadn't set anything on fire.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised, which made Sanji grin as he lifted his chin.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said. "Spotless. And that doesn't smell half bad."

Now that made Sanji blush and duck his head. "You can try some," he still said, trying to hide his excitement. He wasn't a small kid anymore god dammit.

He still prepared two small plates when George nodded.

He couldn't quite bring himself to look as the cook tried his attempt at food. Instead he took a bite himself, finding himself not quite disappointed but not overly impressed by his own work either.

"This is the leftovers," George said after a few moments of chewing and Sanji turned his head at the tone of his voice.

"Hope that's okay," Sanji said carefully.

George kept looking at Sanji while he took another forkful, swallowed. "What do you say I give you a few pointers tomorrow?" He finally said in lieu of an answer.

He was insane for offering, he'd probably been insane for even letting Sanji use the kitchen in the first place.

But he also meant it, Sanji could see.

And with every second spent cooking Sanji had realised more and more that that was what he wanted to do.
Stand in a kitchen and cook, every day, for the rest of his life.

He bit his lip and nodded.

***

"That looks soooo goooood," Luffy said, practically drooling into Zoro's lunchbox.

"Fuck off Luffy, this is mine," he answered, hunching over the box protectively after picking one of the onigiri from it to eat.

Normally he didn't mind sharing whatever Luffy would steal from his plate. Then again, normally he didn't get to bring the food Sanji gave him to school.

"Onigiri? That one of those famous lunchboxes from your mystery friend?" Ace asked, setting down two overladen trays of cafeteria junk on the table and shoving one in Luffy's general direction while considering Zoro's lunch.

Zoro pulled the box closer to his chest again and shoved the rest of the rice ball into his mouth, pointedly chewing and not answering.

"Oh, come one, don't be stingy. You've been bragging about the fancy food he sneaks you for months, least you can do is let us try some of it," he added.

Zoro scoffed. "Haven't been bragging. Just wasn't as hungry in the evening." So what if he had repeated a bit of the stuff Sanji told him about the dishes whenever he handed a box off.

Ace snorted and slapped Luffy's wandering hand away from his grilled cheese sandwiches before stuffing one in his mouth and swallowing in one bite. "Yeah, because seafood pasta and filet totally are things we normally eat," he said and raised an eyebrow at Zoro. "You, my friend, are living the life."

Zoro grumbled into his water bottle. It wasn't like Ace was exactly wrong. The food was good and all, but really if it was up to him that wasn't what he'd ask of Sanji.

"What are we talking about?" Nami asked and slid into the seat next to Ace, and popped a tangerine slice into her mouth.

"Zoro's rich, generous friend," Ace said and grinned like the traitor he was.

Nami's eyes lit up as she smiled at Zoro. "Again? I'd still like an introduction to that one, you know," she said and leaned forward on her arms.

"Sanji doesn't have money of his own, witch. I already told you" Zoro muttered and grabbed another riceball.

"Sanji, is it? What's he like, other than happy to feed you?" It wasn't the first time she asked and the way she was looking at him spelled trouble.

But she was also one of his best friends.

He took his time enjoying the rice ball before leaning back, one hand still decisively on the box lid. "A pain in my neck mostly," he said, thinking of the blond criticizing every little thing about how he did his chores and making that dying whale noise before cursing when he went over Zoro's notes for the academic part of his scholarship application.
"He fusses and he nags and he keeps feeding me like some mother hen," he went on, pretending to be annoyed. "He actually likes doing housework, I think, and talks about cooking and food all the time," he said and kept quiet about his smile and all that intense enthusiasm and the way he got all stompy and foulmouthed when he was angry.

He was still sure he'd said too much from the silence around the table. "What?" He barked

"You gonna eat the rest-?"

"I will stab you," Zoro interrupted Luffy and pulled the box closer to himself again. He grabbed a third riceball and stuffed it into his mouth on principle, giving Luffy the stink eye.

"He sounds nice," Ace said at length, exchanging a look with Nami.

"Guess so," Zoro answered through a mouthful of rice.

"What's he look like?," Nami went on.

Zoro swallowed and frowned. What the fuck did that matter to her? "Blond, big blue eyes, always hides one of them behind his bangs. Idiot, messing with his field of vision like that," he eventually said when she didn't stop staring.

"Wait, is that the same guy you always fight?," Ace asked. "I thought that was a dojo thing."

"We spar, for training," Zoro corrected with a scoff, although keeping the slippery fucker under control was becoming harder by the day. If he didn't have that stupid thing about not using his hands anymore, winning would be a struggle now. "I fight his brothers. They suck."

"Wait, who did you have the bet about the hair with again?" Nami asked and gestured toward the green on top of Zoro's head. Sanji hadn't stopped laughing about it all month, thinking of one nickname after the other until he settled on moss head.

"Sanji," he grudgingly admitted. How the fuck had Zoro been supposed to know that the blond was that fucking flexible? Who the hell could just drop into the splits looking bored?

Again Nami exchanged a look with Ace who now pushed aside his empty tray leaning forward in a weird mirror of Nami. "And those lunchboxes… does he make them for you himself?" He asked.

Wouldn't that be the fucking dream. "Nah… don't think his dickhead father likes him cooking, or doing anything at all except studying and training," Zoro said to push away the image of Sanji making lunch for him after one of his fights.

"Shishi, I'd like to meet that guy if Zoro likes him so much," Luffy said into the

"I don't," Zoro lied through his teeth, earning himself another set of looks from Nami and Ace.
"Stop looking at me like that."

"You sure you want to finish that?" Luffy asked again and Zoro finally relented. shucked the box across the table so the black hole could have the last of his rice balls.

He had eaten quite enough and all this talk about Sanji had his stomach in knots besides.

***

Sanji watched Zoro curiously and a little nervous as they sat in the mansion's dining room. The whole place was deserted again save for a few guards at the main entrances, the housekeeper and a few maids.

"Something on my face?" Zoro asked with his mouth full and Sanji rolled his eyes. Gross barbarian.

"Just wanted to know how the food is, moss head," Sanji said and grinned at Zoro's glare. Seeing that green in the mirror every day had to be a rather prickly reminder of his loss against Sanji.
Idiot.

"Food's good," he said, sending Sanji's heart fluttering.

It was a simple meal, really.
But Sanji had taken great care to get the mashed potatoes fluffy, the steak juicy and tender with a hearty red wine sauce and the veggies nice and crisp.

He'd never been more grateful to the chefs helping him out with practice when Judge was busy touring the world with his siblings, visiting branch offices or whatever they did on those trips Sanji was deemed not good enough for.

This was much more interesting to him anyway. The first meal Sanji had cooked for someone else.

"I made it," Sanji said and bit his lip as Zoro's brows climbed into his hairline.

"For me?" He asked with his mouth full. Sanji rolled his eyes again and kicked his shin under the table.

"No, I made it for the cat," Sanji snarked. "And close your mouth when you chew, gross moss," he continued as Zoro emptied his plate and leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach happily.

"That was good, figure your asshat father doesn't like it?" He asked and Sanji scoffed at his words.

"He doesn't know. But he's not here, none of them are. They are all in Drum or something. On business," Sanji said and shrugged. He'd given up on getting any positive attention from his sorry excuse for a family years ago. And with them gone he could finally make his own meals and wash his own clothes and dishes like a regular ass person.

The freedom of it was palpable even in the stuffy air of the dining hall as he stretched. "And I'm good with the staff, so they let me use the kitchen sometimes."

"You wanna be a cook then?" Zoro asked and blinked at him lazily like he was going to take a nap.

"A chef actually," Sanji corrected and nudged Zoro's leg under the table again. "Don't fall asleep you lazy bastard, I still got a fight to get in."

"Yeah, whatever," Zoro said and when he stretched Sanji tried not to stare too hard.

Instead he looked at his fingers feigning indifference. "Actually beat Niji's ass the other day," Sanji grinned at the memory of his confused brother on the floor before him. It had taken almost two years but he was on equal enough footing that it wasn't as fun for them anymore even when they ganged up on him. These days he could win one-on-one sometimes. Not that Judge cared either way.

Zoro was watching him with a lazy grin. "Good, fucking hate Niji."

"Who doesn't?" Sanji asked and felt a smile tug at his lips. "We gotta get going for that spar. You're meeting your friends later, right?"

Zoro followed him out of the kitchen to their usual space. "Y'know. You can come along," he said and Sanji scoffed.

"I'm barely allowed to speak to you and that only because you turned out to be some type of sword swinging prodigy," Sanji said, trying not to sound too bitter. Judge reading about Zoro's tournament win in the paper and declaring him semi appropriate company was definitely not something Sanji had expected to happen.

"Who gives a shit? I doubt even your asshole of a father does," Zoro said as if there weren't guards at the front door with the instruction to keep him inside.

"He does when he can deny me something I want. Thank you, by the way, now I'm pissed. Makes it easier to kick your ass," Sanji said and went into an attack first, burning off some of that anger.

Zoro dodged and grinned at him. "If I win you come along," he said.

Sanji was hesitating, but only for a second, only as long as it took to parse Zoro's mocking expression.

"Alright, moss head," he agreed.

Maybe it was the extra motivation, or the confidence of Zoro's recent win, but Sanji found himself on his back quickly, staring up at his friend.

"Fuck," he said, without any real emotion "Where are we going?" He then asked and watched Zoro shrug.

"Wherever Luffy wants to go."

***

The hardest part of smuggling Sanji out through the staff door was for Zoro to keep his mouth shut about his stupid crush. The blond had suggested wearing one of Zoro's hoodies to hide his hair and that- unfair as it was to Zoro's self control-, combined with forcing a slouch as they passed the guards did the trick. Then again, he was the ghost of the family. Chances were these guards had never really seen him at all and he could have just walked out the front door.

Funny that he'd never even tried that before. Then again, maybe not. The Vinsmokes were so cooped up between private tutors, chauffeurs and staff Zoro wondered if the others ever even considered moving about freely.

Sanji breathed in deep when they were out of view. He pushed the hood back and shook his hair out, smiling like even getting off that property was a revelation. Maybe it was.
Again Zoro forced himself to not stare or blurt out the stupid things he was thinking. Instead he looked for Nami, focusing on how dumb it was that she wouldn't just send him the address to his phone.

At least she was already there, waiting at the street corner and Sanji made a small noise of appreciation that annoyed Zoro already. Sure, Nami didn't exactly have a brick for a face, but Zoro didn't get why guys kept falling over themselves for her.

Sanji obviously did though and Zoro was starting to regret inviting him out. Nami looked up from her phone as they approached, quickly mustering the both of them. Eyes clinging to Sanji for a moment before giving Zoro a look like she scammed him out of his life's savings.

"Witch, this is Sanji. Sanji, this is Nami. She's a witch," he said, indicating the girl.

"You are an uncultured swine!" Sanji said at once and hurried to greet Nami and do her bidding, probably. Zoro wouldn't be surprised with Sanji's love of doing chores.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nami. Though if the moss head is always like this to you I'll have to kick some manners into his head," he said and Zoro scoffed. Pretty boy could try.

"Oh, I am liking you! Sanji, hm? Zoro talks about you aaall the time," she said while setting their little group into motion and Zoro felt his face burst into flames. That witch. That fucking witch knew!

"Does he now?" Sanji dared ask with a grin and a sideways glance at Zoro who wanted to become one with the ground. Shit. That crush was his to deal with not… not Nami's bullshit!

Nami snickered and that mischievous expression was straight from Zoro's nightmares. "Yup, he-"

"Where are we even going?" Zoro interrupted and pushed between the two of them, only to have his face mushed by Nami's hand and be pushed back a few steps.

She kept him at arm's length that way, though thankfully heeding his change of topic. "Oh it's a restaurant, the owner has this zero waste philosophy, so if you time it right you can get amazing food for real cheap. You can imagine how Luffy and Ace feel about that," she said. Zoro could imagine it and it wasn't a pretty picture.

"Wait. Are you talking about the Baratie?" Sanji suddenly asked and got that goddamn adorable, excited expression on his face.

"The owner is a legend," he said and then broke out into a whole tirade of the man's life story. Something about working on a ship and martial arts, lots of food words too that Zoro had no idea what to do with.

But Sanji was happy and excited and smiling and Zoro was fucked.

"Ah I'm sorry, that must have been boring for you," Sanji said with a little laugh and he was blushing. Zoro was going to die.

Nami was looking a little stunned but smiled too, glancing over at Zoro again. "No, no, you're so enthusiastic, it's nice."

"That's so kind of you!" Sanji said, holding his hands in front of himself. "Ah I've always wanted to meet the man…"

"Well, isn't it your lucky day then?" Nami said with another grin as they arrived in front of the restaurant with a large Fish hung above it as a sign.

Noise from the back suggested Luffy and Ace had already arrived and indeed when they went around the building there was yelling and chaos and all things Luffy.

Some middle aged dude with a massive mustache was there too and from Sanji's excited noise that was that famous cook then.

Whatever. Nami took matters into her own hands and a few minutes later they were sitting inside at the counters and the guy- owner Zeff- grumbled at them while throwing something together in pots and pans that smelled amazing.
With how good the food was it was strange that the place was so empty.

Sanji didn't seem to mind. His eyes were shining and when he started asking questions he couldn't stop. Zoro would have thought the poor man would find it annoying, but he didn't seem to mind at all. Even smiling sometimes while Sanji seemed to vibrate with curiosity and happiness.

Zoro must have been staring because Ace nudged him in the side with a grin. "Careful there, you're showing your hand," he whispered. "Though I get it. He is cute, swimming in that hoodie. Yours?"

Zoro made a frantic shushing motion and thanked his stars that Sanji was occupied, talking with lots of hand movements and indicating the soup in front of him. Did everyone really know and have to rub his face in it?

They finished their meal and when they were at the door to leave the old man looked at Sanji

"How old are you, kid?" He asked

"Fifteen, Chef," Sanji answered.

"Fifteen eh?" Zeff said and gave a little smile, barely a twitch of his mustache. "Once you hit working age, come see me about a job."

Luffy's whooping and laughter could be heard for a long time after they separated, he was so ecstatic to have met a future cook. Nami and Usopp split off from them a little ways away and then they were alone, on their way back to the mansion.

They snuck back in through the side staff entrance where Zoro knew the guard liked to sleep on the job.

Sanji was smiling bright enough to light the night up all by himself but when they arrived at Zoro's place he deflated a little.

"Shit that I can't actually start working there," he said and Zoro hated that defeated tone.

"Who says? Your shitty father?" Zoro asked heatedly, suddenly angry at the whole world that wouldn't just let Sanji cook when he wanted to.

"I'd need permission. He's never gonna allow it," Sanji said and Zoro hated that it was true.

There had to be some way though. There had to.

***

Sanji tapped the ash off his smoke, leaning against the porch rail of Zoro's place. He pushed down the dread welling up with the hit of nicotine flooding him along with the disgusting smoke and the naughty pleasure of having contraband. Even if he had just bummed a few cigs off Ace on his last trip into freedom.

Chef Zeff probably wouldn't approve but Sanji fucking needed it with the news before him.

"So you're gonna move out?" He asked and looked at Zoro, who was sitting on the steps, looking all calm and self satisfied.
As he probably should with his latest win under his belt that now was taking Sanji's only real friend away.

"Yeah, guess so. I got a spot in the dorms for the next two years, full ride and all, gonna be an adult after that. Just gotta check in with some dude called Cutty Flam sometimes, social worker or whatever."

"Lucky," Sanji said and pulled more smoke into his lungs staring at the hedge hiding the place he was going to hate that much more without Zoro here.

"Just run away. Judge doesn't care. You've been doing what you want for months and he hasn't so much as blinked," Zoro said.

Sanji sighed and blew a plume of smoke in his direction, grinning a little at the annoyed scowl before turning serious again thinking of the packed bag sitting under his bed.

Like it was that easy. Sure, he had been able to sneak out more and he seemed welcome at the Baratie, but no school would take him without a legal guardian's signature and he didn't exactly want to live off the grid for the foreseeable future or pull anyone willing to give him a job into this mess. "That's because my tutors and trainers deem me adequate right now," he said instead of having the talk he kept having with himself with Zoro.

"And if they don't anymore?" Zoro asked and gave him that look that had always made Sanji uncomfortable. The one that made him feel like he was running away.

Sanji looked away and puffed on his smoke. He wasn't exactly dependent on Judge for food anymore, but that didn't mean the old bastard couldn't make his life hell in other ways.

"Just kick his ass," Zoro said. Because that had always been his solution to everything.

Sanji snorted. That might be fun, if he could manage it, but it wouldn't get him the signatures he'd need either.

He fidgeted a little, at the thought that getting himself disowned might be a quicker and easier way to freedom. And he knew just the fastest route to achieve that.

He glanced at Zoro again, hoping that his speeding heart wasn't obvious.
Stupid of course, he was lucky that Zoro had become his friend in the first place. So he knew, he knew he should shove away all these little fantasies of going to school together or on some stupid date. Put them in a box in a dark corner of his mind where they couldn't make a mess.

"Gotta go back in my cage, I guess," Sanji said after shaking the thought. "Congrats, and say goodbye before you leave for good."

He stubbed the cigarette out against his shoe and pushed off the porch rail.

"I'm still in town, Blondie," Zoro said and Sanji kicked him in passing.

"Yea.h yeah," he said and was craving another cigarette already, more so when he found himself arrested midstep with a firm hand around his wrist that sent his heart racing.

"I'll still be around, and if you think Luffy will ever leave you alone now you are delusional."

Sanji bit his lower lip then hung his head so he didn't have to see Zoro look at him so goddamn earnestly. "If you say so."

"I do," Zoro said with conviction and Sanji wanted to believe that so badly.

But a mere hour later, alone in his room with his sneaked cookbooks hidden below floorboards under his bed like so much smut, no phone or computer at his disposal he knew that staying here, he'd be alone again in no time at all.

Dread settled deep in his bones with cold clutches at the memory of that feeling and this time when he crawled under his bed to loosen the floorboards he didn't pull out one of the books or bundles of recipes.

Instead he retrieved the binder of documents Nami had assembled for him and the duffel bag Zoro had given him for christmas and that he'd kept packed ever since.

He took out the filled in forms for the thousandth time.

His application to Loguetown Academy and different programs for cost of living and scholarships.
Info on opening a bank account and insurance policies, legally changing his name and labour laws.

And finally:

Petition for the Emancipation of a Minor

Just lacking a date next to his signature.

It was his birthday in a week and if he could get this shit filed he might get the fuck out of this prison and maybe even have a life out there.
But he stood no chance against Judge's army of lawyers, especially not with all the care he had received on paper in the form of private tutors and trainers and no hard evidence of abuse.

He let his head fall back onto the duvet and stared up at the ceiling, craving another smoke.
Zoro would be gone in a few months at the latest, as soon as a dorm room was ready for him.

And then-

With a burst of determination Sanji took the petition from the binder and jumped to his feet. He got his favourite recipe books from under the bed and the All Blue storybook his mother used to read him. He threw those into the duffel along with the binder on top of the clothes he had stuffed in and grabbed it. Then he sneaked into the hall and past his brothers' rooms and their usual early evening mutterings.

At least they all seemed too busy to interfere.

In front of Judge's office he set his pack down, took a deep breath and then walked inside, clicking the door shut behind him.

He looked at Judge defiantly when all he got was a scowl.

"What do you want?" He asked and Sanji had a few ideas, some of which involved kicking him in the balls for hours.

Instead he crossed the room in quick strides and slammed down the Petition on Judge's desk.

"I want out," he said, firm as he could. "And you've never even fucking wanted me in, so you can do the first decent thing of your life for me and just agree to this and noone will waste time in court."

"Aren't you behind on your studies as usual, failure? Stop wasting my time with this nonsense and try doing something useful for once," Judge said and pushed the petition aside.

"I fucking am, just let me go at the fucking hearing, you'll disown me anyway, in time. So let's just get this over with now," Sanji demanded.

Judge glared at him, finally agitated enough to get up to tower over Sanji.

"There'll be some use to find even for someone like you, now go before I forget myself you little-"

"I'm gay," Sanji said, firm and determined and the way Judge's face fell and turned ashen was more satisfying than that first hit of nicotine.
Actually Sanji was pretty sure at this point that he liked both, but it wasn't like Judge would be able to parse the difference- or care. "I'm into men and I will live that sooner or later. So you can have a gay failure attached to your name or just let me fucking go. If you do, I'll get another last name and you never have to see me again."

He stared up at the man that had never been a father to him anyway. Watched the rage and hate swirl around on that ugly face.
"You can't lock me up forever and I doubt you want a body on your hands," he added.

"You," Judge started as he stalked around the table, now gripping Sanji's papers, then stopped, glared. He was outmaneuvered and it made Sanji grin, which unfortunately had him let his guard down.

He should have seen the punch coming, but was too late to protect his face. It hurt and he didn't have a chance to dodge when Judge grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him up. "You disgusting freak get out of my house and never use this name again," he spit and pushed Sanji away again, throwing the papers at his feet.

Like lightning Sanji gathered them up and bolted to the door, grinning despite the pain and the anger brewing in his stomach.

He'd rage later about everything wrong with this, but for now he could get out.

He stopped at the stupidly ornate door and turned. "See you at the hearing," he added with a grin, then bolted out as Judge roared and threw something that shattered against the door. He grabbed his duffle and ran down the hall, dodging when Niji stuck his head out of the door.

Of course he didn't make it out like that though, instead being grabbed by one of the guards at the bottom of the staircase in the entrance hall. He was dragged out through the staff entrance, although he would have left on his own. Not that it really mattered, within minutes he was out in the side alley, just looking at the faint lights of the mansion, hopefully for the last time.

He shifted the pack around a little, pulling out the winter coat and slipping inside before walking the few steps out onto the main street out of view of any windows or guards.

He was… out.

He leaned back against a neighbour's garden wall and fumbled for another smoke, enjoying the drug hitting his lungs as he breathed in deep, watching the swirl of smoke fading in and out of lantern light.

Should have brought gloves, he thought as he looked at his fingers. Stupid to forget them with how long he'd been thinking about doing this.

At least the cold dulled the pain in his cheek.

He could taste blood now too as the adrenaline wore off.

"Asshole," he muttered into the early evening.

But that wasn't news and now he needed to find a place to go to.

Normally that would be Zoro, but he doubted he'd be allowed back on the premises.

"Sanji!"

He startled at the familiar voice and turned to look at Zoro, flushed in the cold with a hoodie and wearing house shoes. And grinning like he was the one released into liberty.
"You got out!"

Playing it cool was difficult with his insides melting but he thought he managed to take a relaxed drag as he smirked back at Zoro. "Yup, now I just have to find a place to crash."

Zoro snorted. "I know just the- Your face…," he suddenly said and the look on his face turned murderous. "He hit you."

"Should have seen it coming," Sanji said with another drag. Judge had never hit him himself before, but he was familiar enough with his puritan tirades to have known that saying what he had would get him punched.

Zoro, though, looked ready to kill over it.

"Calm down mossy. Mission accomplished, right? I'm going to file for emancipation and chances are he's not gonna be trouble," Sanji said and frowned as he noted Zoro's teeth clattering. "You should get back inside, before you freeze to death."

Zoro didn't look any less murderous when he grit his teeth.

"Don't go anywhere," he said and slipped away into the night. Briefly, Sanji wondered how long he'd have to stand out here in the cold waiting for a guy that managed to get lost on a straight street every time they went out together.

Zoro seemed motivated enough though, coming to find him within minutes in his ratty coat and boots. Jerking his head towards the road. "Follow me," he said.

Sanji raised an eyebrow not moving. "Follow you where, just so I know we're not getting lost as fuck."

"I don't get lost," Zoro barked. "We are going to Luffy's place."

"Luffy?" Sanji asked but followed Zoro. "Got an address?"

"I know the fucking way, Blondie," Zoro muttered. "Luffy lives alone with Ace, so no one's gonna ask dumb questions." He said.

Ace. Sanji thought. Not good for the heart, that one, with all that swaggering confidence that didn't care who knew what or whom he liked.

But if he could survive crushing on Zoro day in day out he could probably deal with a night or two under a roof with Ace.

The trip was surprisingly long for the neighbourhood they ended up in to the point that night had completely fallen when they arrived in front of an aging apartment building with cracks along the dirty walls and the stairs leading upstairs broken up in places.

It was the best sight Sanji had ever seen.