Title: Ready to Go

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Warnings: Sexual content, explicit references.

A/N: Written for Nofreedomlove (No Freedom, here on ), my Zosan Secret Valentine on tumblr. Happy Valentine's Day, m'dear! ~*~*~ For the other secret valentines, check out the zosansecretvalentine tumblr blog (or the "zosan secret valentine" tag).

Sanji collapsed in a chair in the lobby, leisurely smoking a cigarette as he waited. It was the end of the Friday work day, and everyone in the office scurried around to try to wrap up on time and get a jump-start on the weekend.

"Ah, you're already here, good!" he heard his co-worker Usopp call out from across the large, open space. Although they did not work in the same section anymore, the tan-skinned man was one of the few colleagues he was very close to. Usopp quickly approached Sanji and plopped down in the chair next to him, letting out a relieved sigh that somehow starkly contrasted the nervous way he was adjusting his tie. "Things got a little crazy at the last minute. I was scared I wasn't going to make it."

"Yeah, our section, too. I got my bit done just in the nick of time, though. Like hell I was going to miss the goukon."

In fact, Sanji had been quite looking forward to the group date they were going to. If things went as well as he hoped they would, he wouldn't be getting much sleep that night. The corners of his lips twitched upward in eager expectation.

"Yeah, no kidding, I would've been pretty mad if you couldn't make it. I don't know how I'd find someone to fill in at the last minute," Usopp grinned.

Suddenly, a lanky man with his tie hanging loosely around his neck ran through the lobby at a breakneck pace, whizzing past Usopp and Sanji without a second glance.

"Hnn, isn't that Luffy?" Sanji asked.

He glanced over at Usopp and noticed that the tan-skinned man's face had paled several shades.

"Oi, Luffy, where do you think you're going?!" he shouted after him frantically, leaping out of his chair.

Luffy stopped just as he placed his hand on the front door, turning to look in the direction of the voice hollering his name. "Oh, Usopp!" he called back cheerfully, a smile plastered across his face, with a glimmering drop near the corner that looked suspiciously like drool. "I'm gonna get some meat! Brook invited me for barbecue!"

Usopp looked at him incredulously. "What are you talking about? It's the group date tonight. We're supposed to be there in an hour!"

"Hah? What group date?"

Sanji couldn't help but smirk. He looked over at Usopp as he took a pensive drag off of his cigarette. "Didn't I tell you, he'd forget about it."

"We've been planning this for two weeks, Luffy," Usopp explained, eyes wide in distraught. "You were really excited. You said you'd go."

Luffy laughed, scratching his head. "Ah, that's right, it sounded pretty fun. But like I said, my friend Brook invited me for barbecue. Barbecue." The dark-haired man emphasized it with a shake of his fist, as though the standalone word was a completely reasonable explanation.

"Come on, Luffy, you have to go!" Usopp pleaded. "The whole point of a group date is to have equal girls and guys! Nami—the person I know who's organizing the girls' side—is bringing three other women and she's going to kill me if I'm short on my end!" His gaze shifted to the ground dejectedly. "Who could I possibly get to go at the last minute..."

"Oh, you just need another person? Hold on a sec!" Luffy exclaimed.

As quickly as he had been barreling toward the exit, Luffy dashed back in the direction he had come from, stopping at the doorway of one of the small workrooms that was usually booked for voluminous projects. Sanji felt his blood chill a few degrees. He knew exactly who was in that room; the only person in his section that he just could not stand.

"Oi, Zoro, will you go to this goukon thing for me so I can go eat meat?" Luffy asked, his voice loud enough to pierce through the din of the people passing through the lobby.

Sanji caught a glimpse of a man with green hair, wearing a disheveled collared shirt with no tie, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He must have responded, because Luffy started to speak again, clumsily trying to describe the activity that he clearly knew nothing about.

"You'd really be helping me out, Zoro!" he finished.

Then Zoro was standing in the doorway, sighing as he ran his fingers through short, green hair. "Tch, I guess I can."

"Thanks, Zoro! I knew I could count on you," Luffy said cheerfully, smiling widely. "Next time, let's get barbecue together."

A troubled expression flickered across Zoro's face. Sanji raised his eyebrow, taking a pensive drag off of his cigarette. That's interesting.

A moment later, Luffy raced past Sanji and Usopp again, calling out a noisy, "Later!" as he disappeared through the exit.

When Sanji turned his gaze back to Zoro, he realized the green-haired man was returning the stare, his brow knitted slightly. "Hah, you're going too?" he asked derisively.

The blond man took an agitated drag from his cigarette. I really hate this asshole.

"Ow, sorry I'm late!" someone cried out. Sanji turned and saw Franky, a tall, blue-haired man, grinning and waving at them. "Are you guys ready for a suuuper date?"

The group date was indescribably average. The meeting place was small cafe, where they were seated at a long table, with the four girls on one side and the four men on the other. After a round of introductions, they spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other a little bit better. Sanji thought that all four of the women were lovely, but usually with these things, it was easy to see how everyone would "pair" up, and this was no exception. Within thirty minutes, it was clear which woman would have to be his target for the evening.

She was a petite blonde with long curls and Sanji was more than happy he was able to direct his many affections toward her. Maybe he came off a little bit too strong; after all, she seemed a little hesitant to respond to his lengthy compliments and constant declarations of chivalry. But at the end of the evening, when he handed her a business card with his personal contact information written on the back—along with a string of "XOXOXO's" and a heart—she said she might call him sometime.

After he walked her to the door to the cafe to say his goodbyes, he turned around and thrust a fist upward in the air in success. Even if she only said she might call him, that was more than some girls had given him. He would gladly accept this small victory.

As he passed a hallway leading to the restrooms, he heard the familiar rumble of his green-haired colleague's obnoxiously baritone voice, followed by a feminine laugh. He glanced over and saw Zoro with the shapely brunette who had taken an instant liking to him—and she was leaning in dangerously close. Unthinkingly, Sanji ducked out of sight, leaning back against a wall to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Hmm, I know everyone's starting to leave, but don't you think it's a little early to call it a night?" her sultry voice rang out.

"Not really, this place closes in a half hour," Zoro replied.

Sanji slapped a hand over his forehead. What the hell's wrong with this dumbass?

"I meant we could go somewhere else together," she suggested coyly.

Zoro hummed. "Like a bar?"

"Ah, maybe a bar... Or perhaps someplace a little more private?"

Sanji reached up, clutching tendrils of his hair in frustration. That lucky bastard!

But then Sanji relaxed, letting his arms fall to his sides, as a familiar sensation of déjà vu crept over him. The was not the first time he had eavesdropped on his idiot co-worker getting propositioned, come to think of it. The other times, the shitty meathead had gracelessly turned them down.

The blond realized his heart was thumping rather loudly, as he awaited Zoro's response.

"I don't really know of any bars with much privacy."

She laughed lightly. "You seem to be stuck on that. Maybe this is a little forward," she purred, "but I was thinking more along the lines of a room. For example... there's a hotel a couple of blocks from here that I've heard is quite lovely."

Sanji quietly seethed with jealousy.

"I don't see any reason for that," Zoro replied bluntly.

Sanji raised a fist to his mouth, letting his knuckles crush against his lips in an attempt to keep the inward screaming in his head from bursting out.

"What... Why's that?" she asked, her seductive tone giving way to incredulity. "You understand what I'm saying, right?"

The blond held his breath; he was actually wondering the same damn thing.

"Did you think you were being subtle?"

Sanji almost expected a slap. In fact, a small part of him really hoped he would hear it, because the idiot deserved far worse for speaking like that to a lady, but instead the sound of agitated high heels noisily clicking against the tile started to draw near him.

The blond quickly retreated, fuming as he replayed the conversation over in his head. He had wanted to spend the night in the lovely arms of a lady, and even though the idiot moss-head could have had the exact same thing, he turned her down. And what was worse, he did it insultingly.

At first, Sanji was going to keep quiet about it, but as the rest of the goukon group exited the cafe, he realized he could not help himself. He rushed after Zoro, clapping a hand on his broad shoulder. He was slightly surprised to feel the layers of coiled muscle beneath his dress shirt, actually; not the build he expected from an office worker.

"Oi, Zoro, come drink with me," Sanji insisted, forcibly yanking the other man toward the doorway of a bar they were just about to walk past.

"Hah, why should I?"

"One drink. It's on me," Sanji said, tightening his grip. "I insist."

Zoro looked annoyed, but he did not turn down the invitation. The bar was mostly empty, so they were easily able to find two open seats right at the bar.

"So why the hell are we here?" Zoro asked gruffly, as soon as they had ordered their drinks.

Sanji turned his whole body to face the other man, staring at him quite gravely. "Why did you turn that woman down?"

"Tch, so you were listening to all that," Zoro muttered, averting his gaze. "And oi, quit looking at me like that. People are staring."

With a huff, Sanji twisted his body back to the bar, reaching into his jacket pocket for a cigarette.

"So? You going to tell me, or what?" the blond asked, after a period of silence.

"No, it's none of your damn business."

"But I just don't get it!" Sanji burst. "She was gorgeous. Did you get a good look at her?"

"What the hell, of course I got a good look at her."

"I don't think you did. She was a knockout. Did you notice the way her hips swayed when she walked? Oh, and her freckles... Did you see she had freckles?"

Zoro glared at him. "I didn't notice all that, but—"

"How could you not!" Sanji interrupted, letting a clenched fist slam on the bar. "She also had an adorable mole along her jawline..."

"Tch, maybe you struck out with the girl you were talking to because you were too busy eyeballing the rest of them."

"I can't help myself," Sanji confessed. "They were too beautiful to pay attention to just one."

"It's creepy how you dote on them like that, though."

"How is it creepy? I just want them to understand I worship the ground they walk on."

"Listen to yourself. That's not fucking creepy to you?"

"Well, how about you?" Sanji spat. "You act like you're not the least bit interested, and they practically fall at your feel. It pisses me off."

"What the hell are you talking about, dumbass?"

Sanji bit his lip; he actually had not meant to let that comment slip, but he had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment. He look a long swallow of his drink, followed by a lengthy drag from his cigarette. "That girl that worked with us about half a year ago. The one who used to always try to get you to go to lunch with her."

Zoro glanced over at him. "The hell, why do you know about that?"

"Tch, she wasn't exactly subtle about it," Sanji snorted. A dreamy grin spread across his face. "Ah, she was cute, too. She used to wear all those sleeveless dresses."

"What'd you see?" Zoro asked impatiently.

Sanji turned toward him, noticing that the green-haired man was watching him out of the corner of his eye. "I overheard her talking to you in the file room one time... When she invited you to her place."

The other man's jaw tightened visibly. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough," Sanji replied vaguely, turning his gaze back to his drink. He actually felt a bit uncomfortable repeating any more than that, though; it had been a very emotionally raw conversation, at least for her.

"I see," Zoro murmured, his eyes darkening.

"And then there was that time our whole department met up for drinks after work," he continued.

The green-haired man's brow furrowed deeply. "You saw that, too?"

Sanji nodded slowly.

"Tch, I don't know what to say. Either you're stalking me, or it's some of the worst damn timing I've ever heard of."

"Like hell I'd ever stalk you, bastard," Sanji replied crossly, agitatedly taking a long swig from his glass. He flinched as the other man unexpectedly elbowed him against his upper arm. "What?"

Zoro nodded in the direction of a table tucked away into a far corner of the bar. "Looks like someone has a little more luck than you," he smirked.

Cautiously casting a glance behind him, he saw a flash of orange curls and a very familiar afro-puff. "Ah, those two? Nah, this always seems to happen after a goukon."

"Hmm, is that so."

Sanji nodded, thoughtfully exhaling a puff of smoke. "Mmhmm. Maybe it's the problem with setting up group dates with someone you know a little too well. Pretty sure him and that girl Nami go way back, so they always wind up talking to each other instead of getting to know everybody else."

"He sets up these things a lot?"

"Eh, every month or so."

"And I suppose you go to all of them."

Sanji smirked, smartly flicking his cigarette above the ashtray in front of him. "I will never turn down an evening in a lady's company."

Zoro rolled his eyes as he took a large swig of his drink.

"As for Franky..." Sanji went on. "He'll come along sometimes, but I get the feeling he already has someone he's into."

"Why's that?" Zoro asked, his gaze locked forward, likely staring at one of the many bottles displayed along the back of the bar.

"It's just a hunch," Sanji started, casting a sidelong glance at the green-haired man. "But he strikes me as the kind of person who intentionally makes sure things don't go too well. Like he's holding out for someone else."

He carefully observed the other man's expression, looking for any hint of a reaction, but Zoro remained completely stone-faced. Sanji smirked, turning to face forward as well.

"Want another round?" Zoro asked, as he finished the contents of his own glass.

"I only said I was getting the first round."

"Next one's on me."

Sanji raised his eyebrow. "Eh, fine," he shrugged; not like he had anything better planned.

The pair continued to bicker back and forth for awhile, although the conversation quickly strayed from Zoro's inexplicable rejections and group dates and moved onto the general topic of work. The two had worked together for some time, actually. Although they were hardly friends, they had been through a lot of tough situations together. He didn't like the bastard, but at the very least, Sanji respected him to a certain extent.

"I don't get how you keep taking on all the tedious projects, though," Sanji commented. Now on a third drink, he was nursing it at a much slower pace.

"They're not tedious," Zoro disagreed. "They're just take time to finish." Unlike the blond, he was knocking back his drinks much more quickly—Sanji was pretty sure he was on his fifth, but for some reason, he didn't really seem like he was getting inebriated. Maybe just a little pink around his cheeks.

Sanji shook his head in disagreement. "They're too boring. I need to break up my day with something. You get roped into shitty projects like that, and you might spend an entire week without doing anything else."

"I prefer it that way. It's annoying to have a lot of little interruptions."

"So, how are you two doing? Getting ready for another round yet?" a woman suddenly called out to them. Sanji rapidly spun his head in the direction of the voice, surprised to see that their earlier bartender had been replaced by a beautiful women. He guessed she was a little older than the two of them, perhaps in her early thirties. Her long, silky black hair was tied back in a ponytail, with a few wispy strands framing her face.

"If you're the one who's going to be pouring my drink, then I'll drink until I can't even stand, my beautiful lady," Sanji sighed happily, pushing his not-quite-empty glass toward her.

Zoro rolled his eyes. "I apologize for this dumbass. And yeah, we'll have another."

"You got it," she replied with a wink as she turned to walk away.

"Oi, who are you calling a dumbass?" Sanji glared.

Zoro clenched his jaw. "You're damned embarrassing to be around when you act like that."

Sanji scowled. "What's embarrassing is that I'm spending my precious Friday with a waste of space like you. Ah, I should have been between the sheets with a beautiful woman right now!"

"You can leave whenever the hell you want, I don't need you to keep me company."

But despite his insults and complaints, Sanji did not leave. The two men continued their somewhat antagonistic conversations for quite some time, until they realized that the bar was all but empty except for two other tables.

The pony-tailed bartender suddenly approached them, three full shot glasses skillfully balanced between slender fingers. She set two of them in front of Sanji and Zoro while holding onto the third herself.

"Hah, why did you order shots?" Sanji asked in surprise, turning toward Zoro.

"This one's my treat," the bartender smiled; Sanji nearly melted in its radiance. "Come on, let's do it."

Zoro reached for one of the glasses. Sanji picked up his as well, tentatively smelling it. He generally was not a big fan of taking shots. "What is it?"

"Who cares?" Her smile broadened. "Just take it!"

"Oi, you heard her," Zoro grinned. "You won't leave a woman hanging, right?"

Without further hesitation, Sanji held out the shot and clinked glasses with Zoro and the bartender, before knocking it back. The dark liquid burned as it made its way down his throat, and he couldn't help but cough for a second afterward. He heard Zoro laughing at him in the background.

"What, can't handle your shots?" he asked jeeringly.

Sanji glared at him.

"Aww, don't worry about it," the bartender said. "Not everyone can do it as well as your friend here." Her gaze shifted to Zoro, as she coyly eyed him up and down.

Sanji tensed; there was no denying what kind of look that was. And sure enough, the bartender kept coming back to chat with them a little too often. Granted, it wasn't as though she had many customers to attend to, but she was undoubtedly giving them a bit too much attention—specifically, his moronic colleague, who accepted two or three more shots to do with her, even though Sanji had to politely decline. He was already feeling the last one a little more than he wanted to.

Before they were going to finally leave, Sanji left Zoro sitting alone at the bar as he went to use the restroom. When he got back, the bartender was standing near Zoro again, leaning over the bar-top and giving him a sultry gaze.

"Say, I get off in about thirty minutes. If you want to stick around, maybe we could go somewhere after this."

Sanji's face fell. Twice in one night? What the hell kind of devil's luck does that shitty man have? His footsteps faltered a bit as he made his way back; he couldn't even tell if it was due to intoxication or shock.

"I'm just going to head home," Zoro told her.

Sanji slapped himself on the forehead. This idiot has no delicacy.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind if you took me home with you..."

The blond gnashed his teeth together. How does this blockhead keep finding these women?

"Thanks for the drinks," Zoro said dismissively, rising to his feet. As he slowly turned around, he looked unsurprised to see Sanji standing there, watching him with his mouth slightly agape.

"Let's go," Zoro muttered, averting his gaze, a vaguely troubled expression on his face.

Sanji could barely contain his words until they made it outside of the bar. "You had two women come onto you in one night, you bastard. Two women! Two!" he exclaimed, turning his body toward Zoro and holding two fingers upward, a bit too close to his face.

The other man angrily swatted his hand away. "Just shut up."

"Shut up? How can I? I think I just saw a damn miracle. Or at least some kind of anomaly. Yeah, like a paranormal phenomenon."

"You're annoying," the green-haired man hissed through gritted teeth.

"Me?! You're the annoying one. I can't believe the way you turned them down, too."

"If I'm not firm, they'll keep asking."

"You could at least come up with a polite excuse."

Zoro glared at him. "Why do I need an excuse to tell a stranger I don't want to fuck them?"

Then they were at the intersection where Sanji should have turned right and walked two blocks to get home, and Zoro should have kept walking forward another four to get to the train station. But for some reason, as the other man was about to stalk away, he unthinkingly reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Hey, are you hungry?"

"Hah?"

Sanji glowered at him. "Food. Do you want to eat it?"

"Yeah, I get the question," Zoro shot back. "There's not a whole lot open right now, though."

"I'll cook us something. My apartment's only two blocks away."

Zoro raised an eyebrow at him. "Why would I want to eat something you made?"

"Come on, it'll be free and it'll be a hell of a lot better than anything you can buy this time of night," Sanji reasoned, insistently shoving the other man toward the direction of his apartment.

"Tch, fine," Zoro muttered.

"Why is it so clean in here?" Zoro asked, as soon as he had removed his shoes and stepped into the living room.

"What kind of question is that? I don't see why you'd have the impression I live in a den of filth."

"No, it's not that, it's just really..." he paused for a moment, brooding eyes sweeping across the tidy apartment. "It's sterile."

Sanji shrugged, waving a hand at him to go take a seat on the couch. "I was hoping to bring a woman here tonight, you know."

The kitchen and the living room were actually more like a single, large room, with a counter-top serving as the only separation between the two. Rather than the couch, Zoro took a seat on one of the two stools by the counter.

"Hah, are you planning on staring at me while I do this?"

Zoro shrugged. "I don't like shouting at people from across the room."

"That so..."

"Besides, I want to keep an eye on what you're doing. I don't actually know if you can cook."

Sanji laughed mockingly. "Hah, not sure if I can cook? Tch, I probably could've been a chef instead of a salaryman, you know." As he spoke, he pulled a bottle out of the refrigerator and grabbed two empty glasses from the cabinet. "Sake's okay, right?"

Zoro nodded his assent. "Now that you mention it, you brought food into work for everybody before, didn't you?"

"Oh, did you try it? What did you think?"

He shrugged. "It was okay."

Sanji ground his teeth together in annoyance. "Okay, huh," he muttered darkly; the lackluster response lit a fire within him and he decided he would make something that would surely dazzle even his idiot co-worker.

A short while later, Sanji cleared the dishes from the counter, a triumphant smile on his face as he noticed the other man had completely cleaned his plate. Once the dishes were in the sink, he and Zoro moved into the living room.

"You know, it keeps playing in my head over and over," Sanji burst out suddenly, sinking back into the couch in exasperation. "I just can't let it go." He picked up his pack of cigarettes from the edge of the table, shaking one out and placing it between his lips as he reached for his lighter.

Zoro scowled. "This again?"

"Yeah, this again. I just—I can't wrap my head around it!" he exclaimed. "She was hot and she was all over you. They both were. I don't understand how you could turn that down."

"If we're talking about this again, I'm going to leave," Zoro muttered tiredly. However, Sanji doubted the conviction behind his threat, since when he held up the sake bottle, offering a refill, the green-haired man promptly held out his cup.

The blond man paused for a moment, pensively gnawing on the edge of his lower lip. "Well, I've been thinking you must have a good reason for it."

"I already told you, I'm not interested in random women. I'm not a pervert like you, love-cook."

Sanji's brow twitched as he took an irritated drag from his cigarette. "Hah, who are you calling love-cook, mosshead?"

Zoro moodily took a swallow of his drink.

"So just between the two of us—does it have anything to do with Luffy?" Sanji asked.

The green-haired man nearly did a spit-take. He clamped a hand over his mouth, coughing and trying to regain his composure.

As Sanji quietly observed him, his cigarette loosely dangling from the edge of his lip, he noticed the faint furrow in the other man's brow; the hint of an emotion in his eyes that the blond could most clearly see was alarm. Yet he could not quite tell if the alarm was because of accuracy, or simply because of the embarrassing implication.

"What the hell is wrong with you, bastard? What does Luffy have to do with any of this?"

Sanji shrugged disarmingly. "I was just asking. You're a pretty fucking difficult guy to get along with, but it seems like you usually do whatever he says."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Well, take tonight, for example. If I had asked you to fill in for me at the group date, would you have done it?"

The other man scowled. "You'd never ask me to do that."

"Well, yeah, I guess. It'd have to be a pretty bad situation... Like if I were hospitalized or something, and everyone I knew from work—no, every person I knew—couldn't fill in for me, and I had no one else to turn to," Sanji mused. "But I guess that'd be a pretty good excuse to miss a goukon." He stared down for a moment, taking a thoughtful drag from the cigarette. "But well, even if it's fucking unlikely, you get my point. Would you?"

"That's a stupid question."

Sanji raised his eyebrow. "See, that sounds like a 'no' to me. And there was also that time Luffy convinced you to go to karaoke."

"The hell, you are stalking me, bastard," Zoro accused.

"Hell no," Sanji barked. "I just know because I was supposed to go that night, but I had to stay at the office late. From what I'd heard, though, you told everyone there was no way you'd go—until Luffy brought it up."

Zoro wordlessly glared down at the floor, clearly no longer willing to participate in the conversation. Sanji studied him curiously, still not quite able to read this response. He observed the worried line etched into his forehead and the way his hand seemed to clutch his glass a little too tightly. His jaw was clenched and his posture seemed a bit too rigid.

Yet the expression on his face was not quite what Sanji expected. It filled the blond man with a strange jumble of apprehension and something else—something that was making his heart pound a bit more rapidly.

"Well, let me ask you this," Sanji asked, as he smashed his cigarette butt into the ash tray on the table next to him. He picked up his glass of sake and pensively swirled it back and forth, watching the liquid spin round and round.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew vocalizing the next question was probably a bad idea. In fact, he normally would have never even considered saying it; but he was feeling a little too buzzed and a little too cheerful from the alcohol, so he was able to rationalize it by simply telling himself, why the hell not?

"Well, you know, both of those women you turned down, they were pretty ready," Sanji said finally, turning his head to meet the other man's impatient gaze. "If it were me, and I was ready to go right now... What would you do?"

A peculiar range of emotions crossed the other man's face. First, he inhaled sharply, his eyes widening in surprise, which quickly gave way to something resemblant of fear. Then his eyes narrowed dangerously, broiling with unfettered rage, as his face contorted into a furious scowl.

And in the next second, Zoro leapt toward him with an alarming fury.

Fortunately, Sanji had quick reflexes and a youth packed with the experience of innumerable fights and brawls. Despite his tipsiness, he was able to smoothly jump out of the way, dodging the blow and kicking Zoro back a short distance while he adjusted his stance.

"Oi, what the fuck is your problem?" Sanji shouted, ducking down to avoid a hook aimed at his temple.

"What do you fucking thing, asshole," Zoro muttered dangerously.

As they traded blows—Zoro with his fists, Sanji with his feet—each man adeptly blocked with skillful timing, so they were taking no real damage. It was almost like a dance; a violent, angry dance brimming with passion and wrath. And although Zoro was mad, it was a frustrated anger, absent of hate or disgust. The corner of Sanji's mouth turned upward as he felt a tingle of mirth somewhere in his stomach.

Fucking bingo, he realized; there was no other reason Zoro would react to his question this way. Sanji's heart began to pound with a newfound fervor, and he wondered if it was related to the physical exertion or something a little more titillating.

Zoro lunged at him again, ducking down low, his arm positioned to deliver a nasty uppercut. Sanji saw right through it, and he could have easily jumped backward; in fact, his opponent was probably more than expecting him to. But instead, the blond did something utterly unexpected.

Sanji dropped his body downward, lowering his head even lower than Zoro's as the punch harmlessly whizzed upward. Then he grabbed the front of the green-haired man's shirt, shoving him backward.

Zoro was a powerhouse of muscle, so the blond probably should not have been able to make him budge; however, Sanji had extremely powerful legs and the element of surprise. The green-haired man's eyes widened as he let himself be pushed backward, until his back was against the wall, and Sanji's face was much too close to his own.

"What the hell are you doing, you pervert?" Zoro yelled, his usual, endlessly calm tone tinged with panic.

Sanji simply smiled, as he leaned in closer, closer, so much closer. The blond felt his heart's cadence increase to a dangerous speed as he felt the other man's warm breath on his face. He could smell the faint traces of the cologne he had probably lightly applied that morning. Sanji realized he had never even noticed Zoro wore cologne before—but then, they had never been in such close proximity.

Their lips were so close, and Sanji realized that even though this wasn't one of the pretty women he normally went after, he desperately wanted to touch; he wanted to taste the sake on his breath, to see if he could make those often-frowning lips cry out with something that wasn't anger.

This is dangerous, he thought. He knew, in the back of his mind, that he should pull back. They were about to tread into very dangerous territory, after all. Yet he could not help but repeat his question just one last time...

"Well, not going to answer me?" he murmured. "If I were ready to go right now, what would you do... Zoro?"

His tongue felt peculiar as it formed the syllables to pronounce his name; he realized they had probably never referred to each other by their respective names or titles. But then, his mouth became occupied by a much more urgent occupation.

Violent, hungry lips crushed against his own, brimming with rage and confusion. Sanji briefly wondered if it could even be considered a kiss at all, but whatever it was, it immediately lit a fire somewhere within his core.

Even the rowdiest women had never kissed him this fiercely, with such unfettered passion. The fervor of his colleague's kiss was almost murderous; as his heart pounded out of control, he wondered if it could withstand whatever was about to come.

The green-haired man briefly pulled away, sucking in greedy gulps of air as he took a split second to stare at Sanji, his dilated pupils focusing on him with a startling intensity.

"Shit..." Zoro muttered under his breath, an expression of confusion flickering across his face.

But now, Sanji's urge, that tingling sensation in the lower part of his abdomen and his swelling groin, was too strong to overcome. Impatiently, he closed the distance between them, kissing him with renewed ardor, grabbing his idiot co-worker by his stupid, thick head and letting his fingers intertwine with strands of short, moss-like hair. He yanked at the tendrils, pulling Zoro's head closer to him, locking him in a breathless kiss.

"Fucking perverted bastard, what do you think you're getting me into," Zoro hissed, his lips still faintly brushing Sanji's as he spoke. Suddenly, the ravenous mouth slipped downward; Sanji felt hot lips against his neck, as teeth gently raked his skin. The blond shuddered against him, swallowing back a cry.

"You're the one who started it," Sanji whispered, running his tongue across the other man's earlobe. He felt fingernails dig into his back as Zoro let out a gasp against his skin.

"Bullshit, you're the one acting like you wanted to seduce me," Zoro replied. Steady, faintly reprimanding fingertips traced their way up Sanji's slender back.

"You're not really acting like someone who doesn't want to do this." Sanji replied, his tongue now at Zoro's neck. He reached up and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, shifting his mouth to his chest.

"Shut the fuck up, this is your fault," he muttered, roughly yanking the bottom of the blond's shirt upward, untucking it from his pants. His hands slipped underneath the fabric and bare hands glided against his back.

Sanji let out a breathy murmur as he clutched the front of Zoro's shirt, yanking him close and crushing their mouths together again. "Don't put the blame on me," he muttered in between steamy kisses. "You're the idiot who keeps turning down gorgeous women. I was just trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong with you."

"I don't feel like I've got to have sex with any woman I can get to look at me, that's all. Unlike you, shit-cook," he added, emphasizing his insult by yanking the knot in Sanji's tie downward.

"Just any man?"

"What the fuck, no," Zoro shouted, unexpectedly shoving Sanji away from him. Surprised, Sanji lost his footing, falling backward and landing on his ass, feet sprawled in front of him. He was about to shout in protest, but suddenly Zoro was upon him, straddling him, his knees on either side of Sanji's waist.

Sanji smirked slightly. "Hmm, interesting. Does that mean it's just me?"

Zoro's well-muscled frame pressed against his chest as Sanji felt himself being locked into a devastating kiss. Sweat began to form at his brow; maybe from the heat of his partner, maybe from the exciting exertion. As his tongue ruthlessly ravaged the inside of his mouth, Sanji felt like he could barely breathe. He struggled to just fucking keep up with that incredibly hot mouth that felt like it was stealing the life away from him.

He realized somehow, his unkempt co-worker—the man who never seemed to button his shirt up all the way or properly wear a tie—was removing his clothes with impressive skill. He plucked the buttons off of Sanji's shirt at a thrilling pace, yanking the shirt open and letting his rough hands desperately caress the length of the blond's torso.

Unthinkingly, Sanji ground his pelvis against the other man; he shuddered in delight as he felt Zoro's raging hardness against his, even through all the ample layers of their clothes. Despite the heat, he felt a chill run through his body as he realized the implications of what they were starting. He did not quite know what it would entail, but it was fucking exhilarating.

"Besides, who the hell do you think you are, accusing me of this shit, when you're always overreacting around women," Zoro suddenly said, his rumbling words tumbling against the side of Sanji's neck.

"Ladies deserve to be treated like queens," Sanji replied, barely able to contain his gasp as the green-haired man once again raked his teeth against his skin.

"You're just trying to overcompensate."

"Hah? Overcompensate for what?" Sanji felt a twinge of anger bubbling within him, but as their bodies ground together, he was having a very, very hard time voicing his indignation.

"That you're not even a fraction as interested as you act."

"Bullshit, I'd give anything to have one of those women here with me right now instead of you."

And the thing was, Sanji really had wanted to spend the night with a woman tonight. Yet as his tongue ran along the muscles and the sinews of Zoro's surprisingly muscular shoulders, his desire began to churn at an even greater frenzy, and another one of those dangerous thoughts crossed his mind: Maybe this is even better.

"Sure, that's why you acted like a heavy-breathing pervert the entire time you talked to her," Zoro said, a faint hint of mirth in his voice as his hands slid down Sanji's torso.

"Maybe I get slightly over-enthusiastic about women," Sanji admitted, trying to hold back a shudder as the other man's fingers slipped underneath the waist of his pants.

"If you're really saying you'd rather be with one of those women right now, then how come I've seen you stare at me harder than you've ever stared at any woman?"

The blond man froze, the perspiration on his brow instantly feeling chilled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Zoro pulled himself upright, his knees still on either side of Sanji, as he glowered at the other man.

"You don't know what I'm talking about?" Zoro asked incredulously.

"No. Not a fucking clue."

Suddenly the green-haired man ran his fingers along the front of Sanji's pants, applying just the right amount of pressure to his erection to make him feel simultaneous pleasure and ache for more. Sanji made a noise that was something between a yelp and a whimper, as his body writhed in response.

"I can feel it when people are staring at me," he rumbled, his stupidly adept fingers effortlessly removing Sanji's belt before they plucked open his fly. "And the thing is, every time I get that feeling at work... Every single time, when I turn around, it's you."

Sanji wanted to retort, but his aching hard-on had been freed from his constricting pants, and now the other man's fingers were sliding down below the waistband of his boxers. He raised a fist to his mouth, biting down on his knuckles, desperately trying to hold back the cry threatening to escape.

"Why would that be, love-cook?" Zoro continued, his fingertips now hovering just over his dick, not quite touching, but just close enough for Sanji to feel the heat of the fingers encircling it. "Even when you were around those beautiful ladies you keep going on and on about. Why the hell did your eyes always focus on me? It doesn't make any fucking sense, you know."

Then, finally, fingers clutched Sanji's aching cock; the blond man tried to cry out, but his shout was silenced by a powerful mouth crushing against his, kissing him with a renewed frenzy that made his heart spin out of control.

He was confused by Zoro's observation, his mind trying to recall if he had really spent that much time seeking out the other man. But come to think of it, his eyes did seem to often find that mess of green hair. Had he unconsciously sought it out?

The green-haired man ravaged his mouth and tongue, and Sanji found himself thrusting into the strong hand tightly gripping his cock, finding a rhythm that the other man began to mimic. He actually felt like he was losing his fucking mind. Sure, it had been nice when girls had done this to him before, but Zoro's strokes sent a wave of pleasure that made him feel like he just might lose it right there. He knew right where to touch, like no woman ever had before—not even the most experienced ones.

He couldn't let Zoro keep control of the pace, though. Raising his legs, he cinched them around Zoro's waist, twisted his flexible body until he had flipped Zoro off of him and reversed their positions, so Sanji was now straddling him.

"The hell," Zoro asked, the grin on his face contrary to his sour tone.

After nimbly unfastening the other man's belt buckle and pants, Sanji's fingers snaked below the fabric. Unlike Zoro, he didn't tease and let his fingers linger just next to the aching flesh; he grabbed it swiftly and purposefully, clutching his erection tightly as he brought his lips down to Zoro's.

He thought he could take control of the situation right there, but instead of being swept away by the momentum of pleasure, Zoro's vigilant fingers reached toward Sanji's groin again. For a moment, he found himself caught up in a euphoric rhythm, as they stroked each other, letting out tiny cries and hums of pleasure. Shit, if this keeps up, I'm really not going to be able to take it.

Quickly, Sanji pulled away, sitting upright for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. "If we're going to do this, I don't want to do it on my fucking carpet," Sanji muttered finally. Then he sprang to his feet and leaned over, grabbing Zoro's wrist. "The bedroom."

Zoro grinned wolfishly as he pulled himself to his feet. "What, are you telling me to go there?"

"Yes, now," Sanji replied with exasperation; he didn't want to wait another fucking second.

As Sanji watched the other man undress, he couldn't help but marvel at the way Zoro removed his clothes, with an utter absence of hesitation. He unceremoniously let his shirt slip down to the floor, the low lights of the bedroom dramatically shadowing the curves and lines of his rippling muscles. In a single motion, Zoro slid down his slacks and underwear, fluidly kicking them off behind him as he stood up straight, revealing the eager erection that Sanji had just held his hands around a short while ago. The blond's eyes fixated on it for perhaps a little bit too long, as he licked his lips in anticipation of the impending contact.

Realizing that he had gotten caught up in the spectacle of Zoro removing his clothing, Sanji quickly let his shirt drift off his shoulders. Before he could start to slide off his already-unbuttoned pants, however, Zoro had closed the distance between them, his impatient hands sliding beneath the waistline of his boxers, gripping the slightly protruding bones of Sanji's slender hips.

The green-haired man locked his mouth against the blond's in a voracious kiss, while grinding his splendidly naked body against Sanji's nearly-naked one. An unintentional whimper escaped Sanji's mouth.

Unexpectedly, Zoro dropped down to his knees, taking Sanji's pants along with him, letting them rest around his ankles.

"What the hell are you—" Sanji started to cry out in alarm, but the feeling of a steamy mouth slipping around the tip of his cock silenced him. If the earlier touch of Zoro's hands had seemed a bit unreal, this sensation—the mouth engulfing his engorged cock and the electrifying sensation surging through his lower core—felt damned near impossible.

He bit down on his lip, fruitlessly attempting to reduce his pleasure-filled wail to the decibel of a whimper. Finally, he gave up and let the cry escape; the sensation of the fervid tongue lapping his shaft was just too damn much.

As the tip of his tongue playfully ran up and down the bottom of his cock, Sanji's knees began to shake, and he stumbled backward a short distance until his calves met the side of the bed. With as much grace as he could muster, given his predicament, he let his body fall onto the bed until he was seated. Impressively, Zoro's mouth stayed firmly in place the entire time, by keeping his strong, calloused hands firmly gripped around the blond's hips.

His tongue was urgent and purposeful, meandering along his erection, each playful brush making the pressure in Sanji's groin rise and rise. The other man's tongue gradually began to concentrate its efforts closer to the tip, and Sanji clamped a hand over his mouth, fighting back the urge to buck his hips forward.

What he didn't expect was the sudden suction. Zoro's mouth squeezed against his uncomfortably stiff erection, clamping it tightly in his mouth, engulfing it so completely that Sanji could feel the head catching along the back of the other man's throat.

With a pleasured moan, Sanji unintentionally thrust slightly forward. A mix of terror and exhilaration passed over him as he realized he was in so deep, too deep, and yet his partner seemed completely unfazed. Instead of backing away, he began to bob his head back and forth, his sinfully skillful mouth alternating between sucking and releasing pressure as he mimicked a sexual thrusting motion.

Sanji tried to speak, but the jumble of words that dribbled out of his mouth was hardly intelligible enough to form a sentence. Then the eager mouth slipped away, leaving his aching cock exposed and desperate for more contact.

"Shit," was the only word Sanji could think to say at the other man looked up at him.

"Hah, what's wrong, getting close already?" Zoro asked, a hint of condescension in his voice as he rose to his feet. He let one hand reach around the blond's erection while he used his free hand to shove Sanji backward onto the bed, climbing on top of him.

"Like hell," Sanji bluffed. He probably would not have lasted long if the other man had kept going. Even now, he was not in much better of a position; Zoro's gloriously naked body was on top of him, straddling him, and the hand around his cock was gradually shifting downward, tracing the outline of his sensitive balls. At first, the blond simply shivered from the sensation; but then he stiffened as the hand steadfastly crept further back.

"You got any lube?" Zoro asked bluntly, fingertips tentatively brushing the edges of the other man's entrance.

"Oi, why the hell are you acting like I'm going to be the bottom?"

"Because you are, shithead," Zoro replied.

"Fuck off," Sanji growled. But then his body was overcome with the sensation of tongue and lips on his chest, on his hardened nipples; powerful hands grazing the inside of his thighs, gripping around the length of his dick, and before he could think about it further, he was scooting himself further up along the bed until he could reach into the upper drawer of his nightstand.

"Hah, I figured," Zoro mused, snatching the tube of lubrication from his hand, quickly opening it and squeezing a large quantity on his fingers.

Sanji shrugged, not really feeling any need to comment; he was single, after all.

And then a fucking finger slid inside of him, gently but rapidly enough to make him jolt in surprise. A nagging voice in the back of his head told him he should be angry—maybe even try to get himself out of the situation. But then, the finger began to probe at something that felt unexpectedly good. He sucked in a gasp of air in response.

The pressure mounted as the finger continued its subtle motions. A moment later, it was joined by another finger, and then another, as Zoro massaged that certain spot with increasing intensity. It was akin to the pleasurable vibration he felt whenever he was trying come, but instead of being concentrated in his dick, it was a bit deeper within him. And shit, did it feel good—unintentional, breathy gasps escaped him with increasing frequency.

Suddenly, the fingers slid out, and before he could even comprehend what was happening, Zoro shifted his position until Sanji felt the tip of his cock where his fingers had been a moment before. His heart pounded maddeningly as Zoro leaned in, carefully starting to slide inside of him.

The blond's breath hitched in his throat. As Zoro took his first few tentative thrusts, he could tell it was only the very end of his thick erection that was inside, but he gradually began to work it in further, until Sanji began to feel that same sensitive spot being hit again and again.

Sanji glanced up, suddenly realizing Zoro was staring at him with a startling intensity, studying him with a deep furrow in his brow.

"What's with that look?" Sanji asked breathlessly.

"Nothing." Zoro averted his gaze.

"Hah, you look like you're worried about me," Sanji remarked, smirking faintly.

"You look fucking fine to me, asshole," he replied bitterly, the speed of his thrusts beginning to increase.

Sanji wanted to reply, but now the mounting pressure within him was intensifying, and he found himself beginning to succumb to a prickling sensation deep within his pelvis. He let out a lengthy moan, hands desperately grabbing for Zoro's shoulders, letting his fingernails sink into his sinewy flesh.

Zoro leaned in a little bit closer, brow knit in concentration, as his thrusts became short, quick and concise, hitting that sensitive place within Sanji with unbearable accuracy. He returned the thrusts eagerly, desperately, no longer able to think or speak, only react to the feeling of Zoro filling him, bringing him closer and closer to a maddening climax.

As he neared the peak of his orgasm, Sanji's eyes snapped open, and he clutched at the back of the green-haired man's neck, unintentionally pulling him down closer until their foreheads crashed together. The blond could not even tell if he felt any pain, though, because it felt like every feeling he was possibly capable of having was concentrated in that cluster of nerves at the base of his groin.

Zoro let out a cry, loud and near Sanji's ear; it was in a pitch a little higher than he was used to, and he may have had a mind to tease him if he had a little more presence of mind. However, at the moment, his mind was utterly blank and the only things within his comprehension were the impossibly hard cock attached to the body on top of him, shuddering in ecstasy, and the pressure deep within himself at the cusp of exploding.

And then it did; a devastating storm of unbearable pleasure flooding through him. His body bucked as he screamed out incoherently, feeling like he was on the brink of passing out. Warm liquid spurted up his chest and stomach, and at the same time, an intense heat filled him.

Then, the pressure ebbed, leaving him drowning in a surge of relief and euphoria as he laid back, trembling and gasping for breath. Zoro's faintly shuddering body slumped on top of him as he panted near the other man's ear, until he finally had the strength to roll away and collapse next to him.

They laid in silence for a few moments, their breathing gradually returning to normal.

Sanji turned his head, staring at the clock on his nightstand.

"The last train is in about ten minutes," he mentioned.

"Hah, it's that late already? I don't know if I can make it."

"You can if you run."

The green-haired man scowled, covering his eyes with his hands. "I'm not even sure if I can stand up right now, how the fuck do you figure I'm going to run."

Sanji smirked faintly. "Well, then I guess you'll have to stay."

Zoro glanced over at him, one eyebrow raised. "Ah, I guess I will," he murmured curiously.

"So anyway, there's going to be another goukon in a few weeks," Usopp explained to him, pouring an alarming amount of cream and sugar into a mug of coffee while Sanji poured his own cup in the break room.

"Already? It's only been a week since the last one," Sanji responded. He noticed a flash of green in the corner of his eye. Craning his neck, he saw that Zoro had entered the room, a cup ramen clutched in his hand.

"Well, it seems like the last one didn't go over too well for anybody," Usopp explained.

Sanji and Zoro exchanged a brief glance.

"What do you say?" Usopp asked. "It'll probably be two weeks from Friday. Think you'll be up for it?"

The blond nodded in ascent. "Sure, count me in."

"Alright, great. Just need two more, then." He turned around, suddenly noticing Zoro was in the break room with them. "Oh, hey, Zoro. Did you hear all that?"

"Ah, I heard," he nodded.

"So what do you say? Are you in?"

Zoro's gaze drifted from Usopp to Sanji, as he considered the question. "Yeah, I guess I have no reason not to," he replied finally. The corner of his lips turned upward in a barely discernible smile. "I had an interesting time at the last one, after all."