Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Stupid Carne, stupid Patty, dropping my shitty phone and breaking it.” Sanji muttered to himself as he exited the phone shop, replacement phone in a bag slung up his arm. He was pissed at having to spend the money unnecessarily, not just on a new phone but a new number too, as the stupid cooks he worked with didn’t just drop his phone, no, they dropped it down the storm drain outside The Baratie, shattering it into several pieces and causing the sim card to bounce off further into the drain and out of reach. Luckily most of Sanji’s essential information was backed up by email, but having to change his phone number on all of his socials and websites was annoying. 

He had a couple days to cool off now, at least. Zeff was none too pleased with the three of them breaking out into a fight outside his restaurant, and of course he chose Sanji to put on leave with no pay for three days. Something about his ‘shitty personality’ making the food taste bad. 

Sanji grumbled his way through a food shop on his way home, hoping he wasn’t missing out on any important messages from his lady friends, Nami or Vivi, or even Miss Robin. Not that he regularly got messages from them anyway, but isn’t it always when you can’t reply that someone messages you?

He set up his new phone to charge as soon as he got home, mostly unconcerned with updating his contacts until after he’d cooked dinner. He had some veggies that needed to be used up, and some chicken that he’d been thinking of grilling all afternoon, so he got to work. It relieved some of the tension he’d been feeling since he left work early, and he hummed along to his kitchen radio as he mixed together some spices to garnish on his veggies before he roasted them. He paired his meal with a glass of wine, plating up enough for tonight and leaving the rest to cool and ready to pack away for a later date. He was still making meals for two far too often, but he refused to think about it for too long.

He set up his phone while he ate, doing the usual programming of logging in via email and syncing his contacts onto his new sim card. He double checked that all his photos from his old phone were indeed saved, breathing a sigh of relief that they were all there, even the ones in a locked album saved as “Dont Open”—which he indeed left alone. 

He was just about to start texting his contacts when a message from an unknown number came in.

I mis s you

Sanji frowned at the message, unsure what to think of it. Likely somebody just typed in the number wrong and meant it for someone else. It was a local number, but not one that he recognised. Blinking, panic started to rise in his throat as he realised his privacy settings weren’t set up yet—the person texting could see that he read it, and clearly had by the way a new bubble appeared at the bottom of the chat. 

it says yoou got the message i dont know how

…

..

I wish you would ansswer me

i wish you didnt leave me

i miss you

plese

pleas come back

Sanji hastily tried to change his settings as the onset of texts flew in, grimacing at the contents and neediness of the texter. It immediately followed up with a yelp as the mysterious number decided the next best option was to call, of all things. He dropped the phone onto the table, letting it ring out as he finished the rest of his meal. The missed call icon popped up shortly after the caller hung up, but it was followed by another attempt to call. Sanji simply sighed to himself, intent on ignoring it. 

Dishes washed and leftovers put away, Sanji nearly pulled his hair out when a seventh attempt to call him rang out from the phone on his dining room table. He picked up the phone, all for screaming at this person to fuck off, when the call stopped, and a new little symbol popped up: the caller was leaving a voicemail, this time. 

Sanji sighed to himself, annoyed that his whole day had been turned into a ball of stress from getting a new phone. It was late, and though he didn’t have work in the morning, he could feel his bed calling for him, and he couldn’t hold back from yawning much longer. He took his phone and charger with him to his bedroom, setting up the new charger on his bedside table and getting undressed. For early November, it was bitterly cold outside and even with the heating on, Sanji pulled on his fuzziest socks, cotton flannel pajama pants, and a soft, well-worn sweater that was nearly as old as he was. Ducking under the covers of his bed, he checked his phone one last time.

(New Voicemail)

Sighing, he decided on playing it and learning about his mysterious caller, popping it on loudspeaker and setting it on the bedside. 

“….”  

The call is quiet, at first, and Sanji frowns, curiosity already drawn. There were some typical city noises in the background, distant, like from his own balcony, and sometimes there’s a haggard deep breath in between, which makes Sanji’s skin crawl unpleasantly.

“… I wish I could hear your voice ...”  Came a deep, slurring voice finally, startling Sanji from his doze. “Just once, when I call, I want you ta pick up, ‘n say, hey weirdo, it's after midnight, why are ya callin’ so late? Don’t ya know I’m dead?”  

A sharp pain pierces him in the chest as he hears the voice in the call laugh bitterly to himself. So this number must have belonged to someone else before him. It was the only other reason why this guy would be so insistent on calling him. Sanji knew that sometimes old phone numbers got recycled back into the system after a while of unuse, but he’d never expected himself to be one of those people who’d get a recently recycled one, as clearly it hasn’t been that long since this guy lost his friend, right?

“Wish you weren’t dead.” The voice proclaimed suddenly, and Sanji refocused on the voicemail, which was still going. “It’s been five years, ya know? I still think about you every day, Kuina. I fuckin’ miss you so goddamn much.”

The voice on his phone choked back a sob after that, and Sanji could feel his own tears sliding down his cheeks as he sympathised with this mystery man. Five years ago, huh? That’s almost as long ago as— he stops thinking for a moment. It was a decent amount of time, but it also wasn’t much time at all, if this Kuina person was that special to him. A small sob escaped his lips as he listened to the other man openly crying in the voicemail.

“Kuina, I- I-I dont’ know how to live without ya, ya know? I know you wanted us to go to college together, and - a-and I know you’d have hated me if I gave up kendo, so…. So I keep doing those things! I-I can’t let you down…. … But sometimes, sometimes…. Sometimes I really don’t wanna. Sometimes I don’t see the point, if you’re not here with me, Kuina. It hurts without you.”

There’s a much longer pause at this moment, nearly a full minute, where Sanji can hear the pop and fizz of a can being opened and gulped down, and he knew subconsciously that it was alcoholic. Hell, even he felt the need for a stiff drink at this moment, as caught up in this man’s emotions as he was. 

“I know it wasn’t really you reading my texts earlier.” The voice sighed, quiet and low in Sanji’s ear. “So prolly some asshole has your number now. Knew it’d happen eventually, but … I wish I could just keep texting you like always, whenever i thought about you, or see somethin’ you’d like. And now, I don’t think I get to do that anymore ….” A bitter laugh, followed by, “Maybe that’s a sign, huh? Move on, or stop movin’ at all.”  

Sanji’s pulse dropped at that, the implications weighing heavily in his mind. He’d had those kinds of thoughts too, when his mother— when she passed. That had been around five or six years now too, when he thought about it. He didn’t like to think about it— for this exact reason: it led to some pretty dark thoughts. Reminders that his memories of her were becoming foggy, that at some point he’d be alive without her in his life longer than when she was. It was when he’d taken up smoking, cigarettes as well some heavier stuff, though that was only for a brief period. He still smoked cigs; in fact he was craving one right this minute, so he took his phone with him to his balcony as he grabbed the pack that he left out there and lit one up. The stranger on the phone was sniffing disgustingly and sipping whatever drink he had, still having not hung up. The voicemail was nearing eight minutes at this point, probably the longest voicemail Sanji had ever received, and as he took a deep drag of his smoke he wondered what to do. 

“… I think I should go now.” The voice says, as if reading Sanji’s thoughts. “‘M drunk, an’ ‘m tired, and I said what I wanted to say to ya, even if ya can’t hear me. So, same time next year, right? If I make it that far, haha. Bye Kuina, I love you. I miss you.”

And with that, the rest of Sanji’s composure breaks, and he crushes the last of his cigarette against the railing, choking back sobs into the night sky. The pain in his chest was unbearable, and not even his burden to carry, but the waves of empathy in his body had taken on every emotion he could feel from this one call, and it was shaking him to his core. Something about this man he could not just leave alone. Out there, vulnerable, depressed and maybe worse. He just couldn’t. He’d been there. He knew what it was like, and how much he appreciated the help when someone reached out.

Maybe he could help.

Wiping away snot and tears with a sleeve, Sanji shivered in the coldness of the night air, willing his hands to type. He slowly made it back to bed, focused on phrasing this message as best as he could at nearly one in the morning. 

Hi. My name is Sanji, I just wanted to say that I listened to the voicemail. I’m sorry for your loss. I’ve been there, too, it fucking sucks. I know I’m not who you want me to be on the other end of this phone, but I know that if I had a chance to message my loved one, just one more time, I’d take it. So if it makes you feel better, please keep texting. I won’t answer, because I don’t want to pretend to be them. Just keep texting as if they’re still here, and I promise your messages are safe with me. I won’t even read them without your permission. 

Sanji bites his lip, unsure what else to write, or if it’d be too much. Sniffing heavily, he figures he might as well go into it wholeheartedly.

I lost my mother five years ago, so I’m not saying this lightly, but please keep going. It hurts like hell and it will for a long time, but it’ll get more bearable. I’m here if you need to talk. To Kuina, or to a stranger who knows how loss feels. You’re free to message me whenever. -Sanji

He lets out a deep, shuddering sigh as he hits send. With read receipts off now, he can’t tell if this mysterious person received his message already, but it doesn’t matter. He reached out. He let him know that he could keep texting Kuina. He told him about his own loss. He’d done as much good as he could, or so he hoped. There wasn’t anything else he could do for now, so he set his phone back up to charge and rolled over in bed, preparing for a restless night.

By morning, he’d almost, almost forgotten about the night before. But his eyes were sore and his nose was stuffy, so the memories came back instantly. He nearly skipped checking his phone completely, urging himself to do anything else first—but curiosity was always his strongest trait, so he snatched up his phone quickly, heart leaping to his throat as he saw he had a reply from “Stranger”.

Thank you, Sanji. 

Chapter Text

Several weeks pass.

It wasn’t like Sanji was expecting anything different, if he was honest. It wasn’t like he’d expected a reply at all, and anything more than that wasn’t really on his mind at the time of writing that original message. If the roles were reversed, he wouldn’t be sure he’d keep texting the number either, even with the promise of privacy.

He went about his normal day to day life as best he could, which is to say, a toss up flip-flopping between depressingly dull to annoyingly stressful. His days off were too quiet, too empty, leaving him anxious to be active. Days at The Baratie were loud, rushed and tiring, unable to keep a thought in his head still until his shift was over, and then all he wanted was to sleep. Most days there was no inbetween or adjustment period and the days blurred altogether. 

The Baratie closed for Christmas Day, an unusual tradition for a restaurant but nonetheless, one that the owner had taken up in the last six years. Sanji got a call about it a few days beforehand.

“Still planning on showing up, eggplant?”

“Wouldn’t wanna miss a chance to show you up one-on-one in the kitchen, old man.”

“All talk, no talent, pipsqueak. Don’t forget it’s your turn to bring the desserts.”

“Yeah yeah, don’t you forget the flowers. For … for Mom.”

The other end of the phone went silent, and Sanji bit his lip, fishing out a cigarette from his pack as he wondered how his father was reacting. Sanji didn’t often bring up his mother in conversation, much less so by name so casually. It was still difficult for them to talk about. He lights up as he waits.

“Shitty brat, when have I ever forgotten to get your mother flowers?” Zeff replied eventually, and Sanji sighed quietly in relief. “Not once in twenty years.”

“That’s true, you’re a soft old man at heart.” Sanji hummed, taking pleasure at Zeff’s usual scoff in his ears. They exchanged a few more half-hearted jabs before hanging up, and Sanji felt a little better than he’d had in a while.

“Eggplant, your phone’s beepin’ at me, what did I tell ya about no phones during family time?”

Rolling his eyes, Sanji dried his hands from the light dishwashing he’d been doing between baking. Most of the desserts had been made in advance, but he and Zeff liked to make plenty to share with The Baratie staff on Boxing Day, which they also closed for. He left Zeff’s homey little kitchen above the restaurant to see him trying to unlock his phone.

“Who’s Stranger? Who ya been talking to that ya don’t even know their name?”

“Give me that!”

Suddenly anxious, Sanji snatched up the phone and danced away into the bathroom, where no further snooping could be done. Thankfully Zeff was useless with touchscreen devices, still having a flip phone himself, and didn’t know Sanji’s passcode. Pressing the lock screen button, Sanji’s screen lit up with a small preview box to his unread messages.

Stranger

Merry Christmas, Kuina. I know you (…)

Sanji clicks the phone off and stuffed it into his pocket, glancing up at himself in the bathroom mirror. His heart was beating a little heavier than usual, and his expression was … rattled. It was just a text. It wasn’t even for him, so why was he feeling a sudden rush? He quickly unlocked his phone and swiped away the notification, removing the temptation to open and read it. He kept his promises very seriously, even for dumb shit like this. “Stranger” wouldn’t be able to see if he read it, anyway. This was purely ethical, his personal view on things. He tried to keep in mind how he’d feel if things were the other way around, and left the bathroom a moment later, determined.

“You okay, eggplant?” Zeff scowled, keen eyes glaring at him in an almost caring manner.

“S'fine, old man, just some guy I met at a bar.” Sanji lied easily, flicking Zeff’s chef hat as he went back to the kitchen. “Never got his name, so.”

“Tch, you should be more careful with who you give that number to.”

“Yeah, well, I think it’ll be fine.” Sanji muttered as he got back to cleaning up. He spared a glance at the vase full of flowers in the corner dedicated to his mother. “It’s not like we’re close.”

It’s New Year’s Eve when Sanji got another text from Stranger. He’s at Vivi’s houseparty, and is possibly the most glammed up he’s dressed in a while, but he’s sitting alone in one of her reading rooms, surrounded by bookshelves and reading nooks and couples chatting quietly together. Vivi and Nami were playing good hosts, and Franky and Robin were on a romantic trip to Florence for their anniversary, and Sanji didn’t really know many other people here. As much as he claimed to be a social butterfly and a lady’s man, he just wasn’t too into socialising at these sort of events. He didn’t want to hit on the wrong woman and upset the friend group too much, and if anything, some of Vivi’s more affluent friends were a bit more intimidating than he’d like. Something about powerful women both amazed and terrified him. The beep of his phone was a wonderful distraction, until he realised who it was from.

Stranger

I don’t think I can stand being alone(…)

Frowning, he swiped away the notification and stood, planning on grabbing a refill of his wine before stepping outside. Something about a text from this guy also set him on edge, just a little, and he wasn’t about to go without a drink and a smoke if he started sending multiple texts again. 

“Hey party pooper!” Nami cheers, springing up off of the kitchen countertops as he entered the room, pulling him into a sloppy hug. She’s very clearly on her way to getting moderately drunk, and Sanji smiled warmly at her carefree gestures.

“Nami-san, my beloved mellorine~” Sanji lifted his arm, twirling around the giggling girl and allowing himself a moment of her attention. “I trust your evening has been pleasant?”

“Super! But I’ve barely seen you.” She pouted. “You’re not trying to bag someone for the New Year’s kiss are you? I don't think many of the women here are into that. Or, ya know, guys at all.”

Ah, another reason why Sanji wasn’t having much luck talking to the new people tonight. 

“N-no, my dear, I’ve just been enjoying the mood of the party.” He reassured her, moving away slightly as he felt his phone vibrate in his suit pocket. He waved his empty wine glass at her, grinning softly. “If you don’t mind my love, I’d like to get a refill and a smoke outside before the countdown.”

“Hmm, okay, but you better get back in here in time, we’re going to watch the celebrations on telly!”

“Of course.”

He watched her dance away, bouncing up to Vivi and catching her by surprise, if the small shriek and amused laughter were anything to go by. There’s another vibration in his pocket as he poured his drink, and he resigned himself to sitting outside in the cold winter air for the next half an hour until midnight striked. He sat at one of Vivi’s many garden benches and checked his phone.

Stranger

>Fuck tonight’s gonna be so hard w(…)

..

>I need someone to talk to right now(…)

Sanji’s heart fluttered under his ribs. Does he open that message? Was it aimed at him? He promised not to read any messages not directly aimed at him. And inadvertently, he’ll end up reading all the others if he does open them. He almost decided to mute his phone altogether when another text came through.

Sanji? You there?

Well, fuck him, he guessed. He opened the text, immediately met with several unread messages from the last couple of days. With a hint of guilt, he read them before replying.

25/12

Merry Christmas, Kuina. I know you would have loved the snow this year.

 

31/12

I don’t think I can stand being alone during the holidays anymore, Kuina. You know I’ve never really liked them but without you here it’s worse. Koshiro still won’t talk to me, you know that? And New Years with Mihawk and Perona is awful. They’re good people but god awful to be around on the holidays. I miss you. You made things bearable.

..

Fuck tonight’s gonna be so hard without you. Not sure I can do it.

..

I need someone to talk to right now…. Honestly dont think I should be alone rn

..

Sanji? You there?

>> Yeah, I’m here.

Sanji sighed to himself, a mixture of dread and anxiety souring the taste of wine in his mouth as he took another drink. He didn’t have to wait long, this time.

Thank you

>> It’s no problem. 

>> What can I do?

I dunno honestly

I feel like im lost

And very alone

>> That’s a common feeling. Do you live alone? Have anybody you can call to come to you?

Wouldnt be talkin to you if i did

>> Right. My apologies. 

>> Well, you have me for as long as you need me.

>> What would you like to talk about?

I dont fucking know dude

I just know if i keep thinking by myself its not gonna end pretty

>> I hate to be that person, but do you need a hotline? Or an ambulance?

NO

No im not gonna

Do that

I made a promise to her that I wouldnt

>> to Kuina?

Yeah.. She made me promise not to 

I cant go back on a promise even if i want to

>> that’s remarkably honourable of you

>> and it takes a lot of strength to keep that resolve

I dont feel strong rn

>> thats okay. Can I ask you smth?

Sure.

>> What’s your name? I have you saved as “Stranger” right now…. A nickname or codename is fine too

Lol. Names Zoro

>> like those outlaw movies?

Just 1 R. Everyone says that 

>> Sorry! It’s a great name, thank you for telling me.

Well, its only fair since i know yours, Sanji.

>> I suppose

>> Well Zoro

>> I cant lie and pretend i know what im saying will help in any way, but i think you should know that no matter how it feels right now, i’m incredibly proud of you for making it this far. You may not feel strong but you’ve survived every difficult day so far. You’re doing great.

There wasn’t an immediate reply to that message, so Sanji exited the chat and downed the rest of his drink with a shaky hand. He almost felt like crying, for fuck’s sake. Emotions were hard, dammit. And writing that, something that he’d been told when he was struggling, made all sorts of feelings and thoughts come back to the surface. 

You’ve survived every difficult day so far.

Those words had stuck with him the most over the years. Because yeah, sometimes he’ll have a really shitty day, but it reminded him that it’ll come to an end. There will be a new day. And maybe it won’t be as shitty as the last one.

His phone vibrated.

Thanks. I think I needed to be told that.

>> It’s what helps me, tbh.

Really?

>> Yeah. Just the thought that maybe tomorrow wont be as bad as today, or yesterday. That when I wake up I can give myself a fresh start, another chance. 

I dont know if i deserve that

>> of course you do. Everyone does.

Even fucked up people?

>> Well, I’m certainly no angel. I’ve done some shit during my worst years. 

Coulda fooled me. 

>> ???

Pretty sure you’re the angel lookin out for me tonight, Sanji

>> im nobodys angel, Zoro

>> im just a guy like you, been where you are, mentally speaking

Thats good enough for me

Can we talk about something

Anything, just until midnight

>> Sure. 

>> Wanna hear about the time I nearly blew up a kitchen?

What the fuck

Yes

>> Okay disclaimer, I was eight

>> And I thought I was hot shit in the kitchen

Sounds like every 8 year old ive ever met

>> exactly

>> So, it was coming up on my mother’s birthday. 

It’s surprisingly easy to recount the story, Sanji realised after a while of typing. It’s the one that he loved the most, despite the old flame of embarrassment creeping up his cheeks and warming him up in the frosty night air. It’s the story of the first time he’d tried baking his mother’s birthday cake all by himself, a supposedly simple sponge cake and his bright bright idea of adding sparklers instead of candles. Except among the sparklers was a roman candle firework, and Sanji had used it as the cake’s centrepiece, having not known the difference at the time. Needless to say, when he lit them all, the fire brigade was called as several dish rags and aprons caught alight in the cramped kitchen space he’d been baking in. And the following punishment—grounded for 3 weeks, and a month-long ban from any cooking or baking in the kitchen—was enough to give him a sharp slap into reality that he’d need to take kitchen safety a lot more seriously.

Holy shit

>> Yeah, i was a bit of a shitty kid back then lol.

I mean, it was a good idea

The sparklers, not the firework

>> no shit 

>> my old man never lets me forget it

Did the cake taste good at least?

>> oh fuck no, it was burnt as fuck

Lol

Somehow, Sanji could imagine Zoro was laughing on the other side of the conversation, or at least rolling his eyes or smirking. It was easy talking to him, and Sanji wondered briefly if they’ll talk together like this more often after tonight. As he heard cheering coming from the house, he realised the countdown to midnight had already begun.

“Five!”

“Four!”

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

As screaming filled his ears, followed by many glasses clinking, cheering and music blaring, Sanji typed up another text.

>>Happy New Year, Zoro. You made it to midnight, i’m proud of you for seeing in the next calendar year.

Couldn’t have done it alone. Thanks Sanji

Happy New Year.

>>What do you feel like doing now?

Probably should sleep or smth, but not sure if i can. I feel a little sick.

>>Try to sleep soon if you can. Have a glass of water if you’ve been drinking. Take care of yourself, you deserve a little more kindness. Goodnight Zoro.

Maybe. Goodnight Sanji.

Chapter Text

February 4th

(unsaved number)

c'mon Sanji, it's been like six months already

...

Baby you can't ignore me like this, it hurts :(((

...

I promise I'm clean now!!

February 9th

(unsaved number)

It's nearly Valentine's day, you know. Our Anniversary.

...

You were so good to me, Sanji. We were perfect together.

February 14th

(unsaved number)

I still love you, Sanji.

Shit. Why her, of all people, to start texting him again? How did she even get his new number? He was sure he hadn’t told anyone from that part of his past. Sanji was just getting used to her being gone. He knew it was her; he knew her phone number by heart after all. They would have been together for three years today. Sanji pressed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the tension in his gut as he tried to keep the memories at bay, as futile as it was.

He'd been just shy of seventeen at the time. Sixteen in itself hadn't been a particularly great year for Sanji; two years after the death of his mother and at the peak of his rebellion against his father Zeff, who was unsure and emotionally unable to work with Sanji and his uncontrolled issues. Barely at school, barely at home, Sanji flitted from house party to house party most nights, bumming smokes and weed from people wherever he could. He wouldn't say he's addicted, never, he didn't NEED it - but it sure as shit kept him buzzed and distracted from ever focusing on the hole in his heart where his mother was.

"You're a little young to be here, aren't ya?" A deeper voice dragged Sanji out of his drunken stupor. He'd been sitting on the back porch of some fancy estate building; cigarette burning away between his fingers and a strong drink in a red solo cup in his other hand. It was vodka mixed with... several somethings, none of which he could taste. Looking up at the very tall, dark haired man, the blonde purposefully took a long drag of his cigarette and blew it up at his face. Tempting fate, sure, it wouldn't be the first time he'd get the shit beaten out of him.

The man seemed unfazed, in fact almost grinning a little at his insubordinate behaviour. Sanji felt a shiver run down his spine at the unnaturally wide smile on the older man's face and nearly flinched when a hand was held out towards him in offering.

"Name's Katakuri. You're crashing my party, by the way."

"Sanji. Shitty party, by the way - ran out of weed an hour ago." He muttered through a puff of smoke. He winced as the man gripped his hand tightly, squeezing a little too hard to be friendly, laughing maniacally as he did.

"Trust me, the weed was just a warm up." He yanked Sanji painfully to his feet, barely giving him time to find his balance before wrapping a thick arm around his shoulders and guiding him inside. "You look about the same age as my sis, Pudding, and she's just starting to get the hang of these parties too, if you catch my drift. So why don't I introduce ya?"

It seemed that No wasn't an option, given the weight of the arm around Sanji's shoulders and the way he was all but marched down to the basement, where the ages of the other party-goers grew younger and younger, less college student, more high school. Sanji's initial reaction had been surprised, then pleased, at the thought of more kids his age also being able to smoke and drink at a place like this. Katakuri, for all his intimidation, sends people into hushed whispers as they move out of the way for him, and in turn Sanji. He led him to a corner of the basement that seemed to be mostly girls, with one in particular watching them arrive.

"Puddin'," Katakuri called out over the music. The brunette smiled and obediently stood, skipping over to give her brother a hug. "This guy's Sanji. He's gonna be a new friend around here."

Sanji wanted to snort at that, having been undecided about coming back now that he'd been caught by the host, but was stunned into silence by the close-up appearance of the teen in front of him. She was gorgeous! Long, caramel-brown hair, big brown eyes, an hourglass figure and an extremely endowed chest that the blonde struggled not to stare down into, despite the low cut of her shirt.

"Sanji? Cute name," she giggled, and Sanji's heart soared in his chest. She seemed to like him! Katakuri let go of his shoulders just then, shoving him in Pudding's direction.

"Teach him the wonders of Molly, Puddin'. Kid was complaining about the lack of weed and I figured you could show him how the good stuff works."

"Sure thing, he looks like he'll be a lot of fun." Pudding hums sweetly, wrapping thin arms around one of Sanji's and tugging him to the couch, where the rest of the night turns into a fuzzy, black-out blur that ended with him naked in Pudding's bed, virginity taken, and a cute girl kissing him awake with some water and painkillers for his throbbing hangover. It just so happened to be Valentine’s day that day, and Sanji was convinced he’d just fallen in love.

Sanji had to mute his phone after that last text. He couldn't deal with her, not right now. He'd decided to work through the holiday event, something Zeff had noted and said nothing about, which the teen was thankful for. The Baratie was packed with couples and dates - Sanji tried not to look. His memories of his relationship with Pudding were blurry up until he'd started getting clean just under a year ago; a resolution he promised Zeff after a particularly bad accident that shook Sanji to his core. Pudding tried to get clean too: attending meetings and therapy, moving into Sanji's apartment away from her terrorizing and abusive family and their ability to fund her drug habits, getting a part-time job.

The key word here: tried.

Six months ago, Sanji had found it it'd been a lie, the entire time.

"Table 12 needs their steak, Eggplant!" Zeff barked, snapping Sanji back to attention.

"Right here, old man." Sanji called back, finishing the presentation on the plate in front of him and sending it out with the rest of Table 12's order. His father eyed him for a second, the stare-off one that looked like a warning to get his shit together but he knew was actually more out of concern.

He very pointedly turned away and continued to work. It sends enough of a message that way. There was too much to do, after all. No point standing around and letting his thoughts get the better of him. He poured all his energy into cooking, sautéing, grilling and seasoning, moving from station to station, wherever he was needed. It was a restless, erratic energy, one the other chefs were thankfully used to, and it kept his mind focused on the kitchen he stood in.

The lunch rush turned into the dinner prep, then flowed seamlessly into the dinner rush once more. Sanji worked a double shift, priding himself on his control of the workflow in the kitchen as part-timers left and arrived at various times. Zeff had retired to the back offices as the orders finished coming in, confident in the team to take care of things now that enough food was prepped ahead of time. Sanji being left in charge, despite being nineteen, was one of the few things he could be proud of in his short lifetime. He had to put in the work to get there. He had to make it up to his old man, for how shitty he was before.

By the time the restaurant closed and the kitchen cleaned and ready for the next day, Sanji was exhausted. Working for fourteen hours did wonders for clearing his mind, but now he was at the point of the day where he actually did have time to check his phone and see just what kind of horrors awaited him. To his surprise, no new texts from Pudding, but there were a couple from Zoro.

Zoro (4 hours ago)

sani. sanij. you there?

...

hellooooooo

...

fuck its valentines day isnt it

...

u on some hot date or smth

>> was at work, actually.

 

Sanji cursed at himself, rubbing a brow tiredly. It was nearly midnight, and the most recent message was from nearly three hours ago. He hoped the man had gone to bed by now, and wouldn't be woken up by his text. Judging by the spelling mistakes and poor grammar the other man was likely drunk again, and the blonde wasn't sure he could play Therapist tonight of all nights. Sadly, it doesn't seem like the universe wants to listen to his pleas of a quiet night, going unheard. He stepped outside and got as far as locking up the kitchen at the back of the restaurant before his phone pinged with a response.

Zoro

oh damn sorry

>> why are you still awake?

duno

been drinkn

>> any reason?

do i need a reason to be drunk

Sanji rolled his eyes and started walking home, lighting up a smoke as he did so. It's a short walk, which he appreciated in this chilly weather, but apparently it's not short enough to get home before he got another message from the strange, drunk man.

Sorry

>> what for?

being anooyin

annoying**

>> you're not annoying me, zoro

i feel like i am

>> I just had a long day at work, I'm sorry if it comes across as clipped or annoyed

bad day?

>>... kinda. Bad memories. So I worked fourteen hours instead

damn thats a long time

if yo want to ignore me that fine

>> If you need to talk I won't ignore you, Zoro

The rest of the walk is surprisingly silent, and Sanji wonders if maybe Zoro felt like he was annoyed with him after all. It wasn't Sanji's intention to reply with short texts, he was just so tired and stressed out. It'd taken all of his energy to not focus on Pudding that he wasn't up for much more than another smoke and some sleep at this point. Entering his apartment, he flicked the hallway light on and kicked off his shoes, locking up behind him and practically shedding all of his clothes there and then. Well, unbuttoned everything at least. He kept an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips as he undressed, laying his clothes out over the back of a chair in his bedroom, pulling on flannel and a long-sleeved shirt, and heading back out to the balcony to smoke his last smoke of the night. The clock in the living room read that it was half past twelve already - work again in another twelve. Rinse and repeat.

His phone pinged once more, and he crushed the butt of his smoke into his ashtray and went back to look at it.

Zoro

is it weird that i want to call u rn

>> Like a voicemail? sure

no, like call u and u anser

Oh. Well that's new, he supposed. Figuring he probably shouldn't be sober for this, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and took it with him to bed. He almost forgot to reply, and wondered if he should maybe fake falling asleep. The curiosity would keep him wide awake, though, so he replied instead.

>> Go ahead.

Chapter Text

“Hey.”

Zoro’s voice is as deep as Sanji remembered, and the slow drawl of that singular word was enough to send a shiver down Sanji’s spine. In the quiet of his apartment, past midnight with only the city lights to illuminate his bedroom, the voice in his ear felt strangely intimate.

“You there?”

“I--yes,” Sanji stammered, squeezing his eyes shut at the way his voice was a little too high than he wanted it to be. “I’m here. This is Sanji.”

“...cool. I’m Zoro.”

“I guessed that much,” Sanji snorted, then grimaced. Sarcasm wasn’t exactly a good way to bond with another grieving stranger, and not everyone enjoys humour the way the blonde does; he should be more careful. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“S’okay, ‘m drunk and don’t really care,” the slight rasp in the other man’s voice was relaxed, and the chilled out tone helped Sanji to ease up on himself.

“Oh. Okay…” 

“What’re doin’ awake so late anyway,” Zoro mumbled quietly, soft and rasping.

“Just finished work, remember?” Sanji adjusted under the covers, rubbing his cold feet together. He couldn’t really afford to put the heating on in his apartment, but he’d never tell his old man that. “Got home just now.”

“Right, right.” He could almost picture the drunk nodding along. “Where do you work that’s got you doin’ such long hours?”

“I’m a chef at a pretty fancy restaurant. My old man’s the boss but it just means I have to do twice as much work for him.” 

“Oooh, a cook, what a fancy pants job.”

“Chef,” Sanji corrected, with a hint of annoyance. “There’s a difference.”

“My bad, my bad!” Zoro chuckled, but there was a lack of sincerity to it. “Mr Cook-- Chef, Mr Chef, do you get paid more to work on holidays like today? Although, saying that, today shouldn’t be a holiday, it’s a shitty one--” There was a small belch and cough after that, and he trailed off there.

“You’re right, it’s a shitty holiday.” Sanji agreed quietly. “It’s so shitty that I like making meals to keep the happy couples happy, I guess. Give people something to smile about.”

“Are you not a happy couple SAnji?” Zoro punctuates his name oddly, around the rim of a beer bottle, presumably. At this, the blonde has his own, half-hearted laugh.

“Not anymore, no. And good riddance.”

“Oh, sounds dramatic,” Zoro hummed, and hiccuped after.

“Not particularly, but she’s always been inclined towards drama.” Sanji sighed. “Anyway, I have work tomorrow, so… was there something you wanted to talk about?” He hated being short with the guy, but he could barely keep his eyes open at this rate, and the guy seemed calm enough.

“Oh. Um, no, not really. Was just bored and…” Zoro trailed off again, and Sanji nearly missed the end of it. “Wanted to know what you sounded like.”

“Oh? Well, here I am, a regular human man like any other.” Sanji chuckled quietly. “Have I helped satisfy your curiosity, Zoro?”

“A little.” Zoro teased back, and it made Sanji smile for a moment. “You sound kind.”

The compliment made the chef pause a moment, glancing down at his phone, the faint light the only illumination in the room. The caller: Zoro. Time passed: not even 5 minutes. Was Zoro really able to gauge kindness from a few sentences and a couple of questions?

“Thanks, I guess. You sound like you should drink water and go to bed.”

“Tch, now you just sound like a nag.”

“Oi.”

Zoro laughed at that, then abruptly hung up on him, leaving Sanji mildly disgruntled and out of place. What a strange man. A strange, often drunk man. He rolled to the side of his bed and plugged his phone in to charge, making sure his alarm for work was set correctly, before switching all notifications to mute and pulling the duvet over his head. He was so tired, he was out within minutes, too quick to see one last text appear on his screen.

Zoro 

Thanks 4 the company, Mr Cook

Chapter Text

March

Tomorrow will be his birthday.

If Sanji was honest with himself, the deep dark part of himself that still lingers in the back of his mind from his junkie days, he’d say that he didn’t expect to make it to twenty years old. Living was hell and every day was painful and was it really worth it if he couldn’t be high and numb all the time?

He hasn’t heard from Pudding since their would-be anniversary, at least, which has been somewhat of a blessing. She wasn’t great at remembering dates so he’s sure she won’t remember his birthday tomorrow. He’s still unsure how she got his new number to begin with, and that mystery lingers in the back of his mind regularly.

Zoro, however… has been unusually active. Some texts show up in the middle of the night, a jumble of misspelt words and symbols that the blonde can tell were nights that Zoro spent drunk and in a mood. Others are curious questions actually aimed at him: what does he like eating, does he know how to ride a bike? The non-serious quizzing is a little jarring but occasionally Sanji complies and rattles off random information and gets to know the stranger back, in return.

For example, Sanji learned that Zoro gets drunk very often, at least three times a week. He knows it’s due to how he struggles with his friend’s death, and while Sanji knows it isn’t healthy to cope like this he can’t blame the man, since he’d done worse himself.

Sanji has also learned that Zoro was getting pretty close to flunking out of college, which is another concern that makes him anxious for the other guy. He has no idea what he’s studying, but he could only guess how often the other man had been skipping classes if the amount he drank in a week kept him from being sober enough to attend.

He isn’t close enough to give Zoro advice on this behaviour, though. Not that he has a lot to give, anyway. He never finished school, let alone gone to college. He couldn’t imagine trying to focus on studying while grieving and having no support to lean on. He’s treading a thin line when the subject comes up later that night, with a slightly drunk Zoro calling him to complain to him.

“He came to my PLACE, Sanji.” The slurred, angry voice told him for the fourth time.

“It sounds like this Usopp guy cares about you.” Sanji replied calmly. “He was checking on you because he’s your friend.”

“Was, was my friend. W-we — we don’t talk really.. not no more. So he— he shouldn’t have come.”

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t think of you as a friend anymore. You can go a long time without talking and still be friends. And it sounds like you’re important enough to him to warrant checking on.”

“He’s a chicken ssshit who slipped a note under my door and ran away.” Zoro growls, and Sanji frowns at his anger. It was definitely concerning.

“Why are you upset by this? He’s worried and from the sounds of it that’s a bad thing to you? Are you upset that he left a note instead of trying to talk to you directly?”

“NO! I don’t — don’t want to talk to ANY of them, they— they don’t really care. Usopp is a pussy because he runs away the minute somebody yells at him, and the last time he came by I told him to fuck off. And a note! A, ah, note jussst means he’s too scared to face me.”

“Lashing out at people who want to check on you isn’t okay, Zoro.” Sanji chided him gently. He kept his voice quiet, and neutral, but he could feel his own anger building up. Empathetic anger on Usopp’s behalf, because Zoro was clearly being a dick to the guy, but also his own instinctual reaction to the thought of being checked up on when he was depressed and trying to get clean. Zeff constantly checking on him, sending Patty or Carne to his apartment when he isolated himself, the babysitting trips to doctor appointments and health check-ups.

“I know how you’re feeling, but Usopp is trying to show you that you have people that care about you, and that you’re not going through this alone—”

“-Yes I AM!” Zoro shouted suddenly, piercing Sanji’s ear with the volume. “I am alone! I’m suffering ALONE because my best friend is DEAD and NOBODY here knew her like I did. Nobody knows ME like she did. SHE was the only good thing in my life and I can’t DO it without her. I’m WEAK—”

“You’re not weak, Zoro! It’s not weak to be feeling any of this—”

“—But it IS, Sanji. Because I promised her I could do this alone and I CAN’T. And the fact that USOPP of all people, that shitty coward, that WEAKLING, needs to check on ME to make sure I’M OKAY? That-that’s not right. It means I’m weak and I hate it.”

“Well then, prove him fucking wrong!” Sanji snapped, his free hand rubbing his eyes and brow. “You don’t want people checking on you because it’s a weakness? You feel vulnerable? Then don’t act in a way that MAKES them check up on you. Stop fucking drinking so much and go to class. I don’t give a shit if you actually LEARN anything. Just go. Show up. Write stuff down and then leave. Like it or not, Usopp and probably all the other friend’s you’re hiding from still care about you and want you to succeed. Wallowing in your grief constantly will get you nowhere.”

And then because he has no self control at this point, he said it.

“Kuina wouldn’t want this for you. If you know that you can do better, then fucking do it already. You fell down, so what? Stand the fuck up and try again.”

Zoro hung up on him.

Sanji may have regretted a few of the things he said to Zoro that night.

To be absolutely fair to himself, he’d told Zoro before that he wasn’t perfect and he’s no angel, or therapist, or a reliable confidant for any sort of talk they might have, so it really can’t be his fault if he snapped a little. He’s not a great person himself, he’d told him that.

The fact that it’s been nearly a month since he’d last heard from Zoro was worrying nonetheless.

Sanji had spent the following day, his birthday, checking his phone twice an hour, sending apology after apology for how he spoke to the other man over the phone, only to be met with silence. He tried to explain his reasoning for his behaviour, but there really wasn’t a reason; he was just angry at Zoro’s self loathing, and his behaviour, and how closely it mirrored Sanji’s own past.

He got his one-year sober coin from his sponsor three days after that.

He flicked said coin into the air absentmindedly, watched it flip through the air before landing in his palm again. It wasn’t an official sobriety coin, since Sanji wasn’t technically in any program for sobriety (official programs would insist he quit smoking cigarettes and he just can’t give it up), but his sponsor, an eccentric person named Ivankov (or Iva, depending on the day) had given it to him as attest to his determinism. It was solid, metallic and had a wave breaking in the centre, the tips curling pleasantly. Along the top curve, the text LIFE IS FULL OF WAVES was etched on the metal and was ridged to the touch under his thumb. He thought the quote was a little cheesy, if he was honest, but he let Iva explain it to him through teary eyes, and he squirmed as Iva told him they were proud of him, and he reluctantly let his sponsor hug him to near death. He was almost sad to hear that their next in-person appointment would be in another six months; almost.

He flicked the coin again, before sending another text.

Hey. Please answer. I’m sorry.

There’s no reply.

Chapter Text

May

It was the middle of a hot, busy day when Sanji got a phone call.

He doesn’t really get phone calls from anybody, not even Zeff, so he tensed when the object in his pocket started vibrating, because there’s only one person who rings out of the blue, and he hasn’t heard from him in a while.

“I gotta take this!” The blonde called out, ignoring the curses and shouts behind him as he took his food out the oven - he’d never let it burn - and ran out into the alley behind the Baratie.

“…Hey.” The voice on the other end is quiet.

Sanji breathed out slowly, shuffling his packet of cigarettes out of his back pocket and taking one out. He lit it silently and waited.

“…Are you there?” Zoro asked, and it’s the most timid Sanji’s ever heard the other man speak.

“I am.” He says eventually, because he’s not that cruel. “Are you calling for a reason?”

Casual. Like he hadn’t just ran out of his job just to answer this man’s call. Smooth.

“…I…” Zoro trails off again, and Sanji waits, because he can tell that he’s trying, and whatever he wants to say is difficult for him.

“…I’m sorry.”

“You are, huh?” Taking a slow drag of his smoke, Sanji keeps as calm as possible. He wants to hear the whole thing. “I appreciate that.”

“You were… right,” There’s a clatter of noise in the background on the other end of the phone, before he continues. “Ah, shit. Sorry. But um, yeah. You were right, I was being a dick. And I’ve been avoiding people to just sit at home and drink and be depressed…”

“I’m glad you came to realise that.” Sanji says, and he means it, genuinely. He takes another puff of his cigarette. “What made you see the light? So to speak.”

“Well, you bitched me out pretty good.” Zoro huffs, and it sounds like a laugh, so Sanji relaxes and chuckles a bit too. “But ultimately, you mentioned Kuina and I realised you were right. Kuina woulda beat the shit outta me for acting the way I was.”

“She sounds like a very reasonable person. Minus the beating part.”

“She was. Smart and sensible and she would put me in my place, much like you did, so… thanks. For saying what I needed to hear.”

Oh. Well, that was new. He's not quite sure how to respond to that, now.

“Right.” Sanji clears his throat as he finishes off his cigarette and crushes it under his foot. “I, um, have to get back to work now. But you can text me, if you want. I’ll reply when I can.”

“....Do you mind if I call Kuina?” Zoro asks quietly, and the blonde’s heart skips a bit at the softness.

“No, of course not. I’m gonna hang up now but yeah… thanks for calling. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Were you worried about me?”

“Of course I was, asshole!” The non-affectionate term of endearment slips out too easily, but luckily Zoro just seems to laugh, so Sanji smiles too.

“Well, thanks. Again. I’ll text you later.”

“Aight. Bye.”

When he hangs up, and sees Zoro instantly call again, he sends it to voicemail, then pockets his phone once more. The chaos in the kitchen as he walks back in is nothing in comparison to the elation he feels internally now that he knows Zoro is okay. 

Zoro (2 mins ago)

Going to classes actually sucks ass

>> Unsurprising

Im really far behind too and people keep looking at me 

>> are u really that ugly?

Shut the hell up, assface. Bet you’re uglier 

Sanji snorts unattractively at the response and puts his phone away as he finishes his cigarette. He had about five minutes before his shift started for the night and he’s actually enjoying the casual conversations with Zoro once again instead of hauling ass over to the restaurant. He keeps his walking speed brisk in the hazy warmth of mid-April daylight. 

>> Say whatever you want to make yourself feel better :) 

Jerk. 

Also

You work right?

>> Yes??

But ur the same age as me. Aren’t u supposed to be in college too?

Sanji sighs and throws the stub in his mouth into the public bin outside of the Baratie. On the one hand, he absolutely doesn’t want to talk about this. On the other, though, it was inevitable that the topic was going to come up sooner or later, given that he’d essentially bullied the other man into going back to school. Heading around to the staff entrance, he types out a quick reply:

>> Nope. 

>> Can’t go to college if you never finished high school. 

>> GTG at work now.

He then mutes his phone and heads inside, feeling a little bit like a coward.

 

Zoro (6 hours ago)

You should get your GED.

>> I think it’s too late for me to go back

Why?

Lots of people go back and get it

>> I havent been to school since I was 16

>> im missing at least 2 years worth of school

Do it online 

They let you study shit in your free time if you work

And there’s courses where u can do all mornings if you work nights, and vice versa

>> … how do you know so much

>> have you been googling shit

Maybe

You helped me so I’ll help you

Right?

>> That wasnt what I was doing

>> I helped u bc it was the right thing to do

>> not bc I wanted something back

So?

I want to help you 2

Think of it as helping me be a better person 

Bc drunk me didnt care about anyone and sober me wants to care about people

>> so help your friends???

They dont need my help

And they will be too nice to me

And tell me to focus on myself

>> which you absolutely should be doing

>> i am literally fine

>> i have my own place and a full time job and thats a lot more than some less fortunate people have

Yeah

But you have dreams right?

Nobody just wants to survive, really

>> Ironic coming from u

Yeah yeah yeah

I know im literally just surviving rn

But i kept a promise to Kuina that has a goal, a dream

So youre helping me with that

Why cant you do the same for you?

>> bc I dont deserve that---MESSAGE DELETED---

>> im too busy to study on top of work

So ask them to reduce your hours for a bit???

Not enough so youre broke ofc but like tell them youre gonna do online studying and stuff??

You said youre close with your boss right?

He’s family?

>> Yeah but

>> I was shit to him for a long time

>> and i owe him so much

>> I cant go asking for favours without earning it

You won’t know until you try.

Ask when you’re next at work and tell me what he says

>> So pushy

Yep

Do it, coward

>> FINE

>> ….. He said it was a good idea

>> he’s coming to see me on Monday to make sure I actually sign up properly.

HA

Told u

>> oh fuck off

No :) 

>> he said to tell u thanks for pushing me to finally do it

>> which is stupid

>> so I wont

You’re welcome, Sanji

I’ll get you to say it eventually

>> Never.

Chapter Text

May

Zoro (5 Mins Ago)

So hows ur schoolwork going

>> it literally sucks my soul dry

Excellent join the club

(2 Mins Ago)

>> What kind of ice cream do u like?

>> Its so fucking hot in these kitchens

None, too sweet.

>> Fucking heathen

sorry i dont like sweet things????

>> u better be

>> you like matcha?

>> there’s matcha ice cream

I guess I’d try that

>> we make some here sometimes, I’ll practice making a less sweet one for you

That implies me knowing where tf you work

>> its not like its hard to figure out

>> its the best restaurant in this fucking city

that helps so much, wow

>> (:

...

(1 Min Ago)

>> can we delete maths from existence

Maths isnt hard

>> excuse me

Maths isnt hard???

>> thats it, we’re not friends anymore

…. you consider us friends?

>>  …..

>>  …i mean if you wanna be friends

>> god knows i dont have anybody else tbh

Hmm that doesnt sound like a great motivator to be ur friend

>> fuck u

Kidding lol

Im literally an alcoholic with anger issues

Im not much better

>> we’re working on that tho

Yeah we are

Now do ur maths

>> :( 

...

(8 Mins Ago)

>> you good at algebra?

>> bc who tf decided adding the ALPHABET to maths was a good idea

im decent

wanna call and talk me through what you’re looking at?

>> yes pls save me

Call duration [2 hours 38 mins 19 secs]

...

(2 Mins Ago)

>> man we did some fucked up shit in the past huh

You going through history rn huh

>> yeah just a short module that covers the basics

>> but like damn

Yeah it aint great

>> im excited to never look at this class ever again

 

..

(Just Now)

>> i passed most of the junior level classes

>> onto senior classes i guess

Eyy

Good job

>> how are you doing?

Mostly eh

Kinda fucked up some of my essays i think

>> oh oof

Its whatever

>> :///

It is what it is

>> you need to stop saying that whenever you dont do well

No:)

 

---

..

(Just Now)

>> tell me why Shakespeare

???

>> just why

Idk man

>> i just learned that ‘nothing’ in the Elizabethan era was slang for pussy so that motherfucker wrote a play called Much Ado About Nothing which actually means Freaking Out About Pussy and thats actually what the play is about

Wow

Thats wild

Wtf

>> im literally dying over here

 

..

(2 Mins Ago)

>> hey its been a while since u texted

>> howd ur exams go?

shit

failed 1 of them

failed 2 other classes bc of bad attendance

3 of 5 classes failed

>> shit

>> im so sorry zoro

>> you okay?

Nope

Drunjk

>> wanna talk?

ur gonna tell me not to drink

>> i literally cant stop u but maybe talking about it will help u drink less

Idk

Im mostly just pissed i have to take summer classes and a makeup exam

>> yeah those do suck

>> call?

Fiiiiiineeee

 

Call Duration [1 hour 7 mins 58 secs]

June

Zoro (15 Mins Ago)

First summer class done

>> congrats!

thanks

>> anything else planned for the summer?

A friend has a party this weekend to celebrate end of exams and his birthday bc it was during exam weeks

>> awesome, u gonna go?

Probably not

There will be drinking

And all the people i’ve been avoiding

>> more reason to go though, right? To start building those bridges again?

Avoiding alcohol will be impossible

>> you can stick to water?

I dont drink water lol

>> barbaric

>> at least stick to soda maybe? Or if you feel the need to drink have a beer before you get there? Idk

Im not going so it doesnt matter

>> seriously? You should

>> they will be happy to see you

Luffy might, he just wants everyone there and he doesnt care about semantics that much

But Usopp, and some of the others…. they’re still pretty mad

Usopp especially

He still flinches when I speak to him suddenly

>> oof

>> i get that thats not great

>> but

>> parties are a generally more forgiving environment bc everyone is trying to have a good time

>> and there’s no exam stress anymore

>> well uhhh for them at least? Rip

I guess but still

I should probably just focus on making up my studies

And my makeup exam

>> you can do that and still meet your friends

>> its 1 evening

Well its Luffy, he will probably turn it into a full-blown weekend party

>> that sounds…. terrifying

Either way im not going

>> cmonnnn

>> dont be scarrredddd

Oi

>> you know what im talking about

>> go for a couple hours at least

>> talk to Usopp and have a heart to heart

>> it might help to tell someone youre struggling with alcohol and they can help you avoid it while youre there

I dont want to burden anyone by needing a babysitter

>> ur not being a burden ur just asking a friend to look out for you

>> eventually itll get easier to avoid alcohol by yourself

I feel like thats never gonna happen

U know I still get shitfaced at least once a week

>> thats still better than 2 or 3 times a week

Its only bc of my stupidly high tolerance

If i could get drunk on just beer itd be easier

>> well lets be thankful it isnt easy then

Sure

>> tell luffy youre going

Uuuggghhhhh

>> it literally will not kill you to try

It might

>> ….

Fine

I’ll go

But if i fuck it all up im blaming u

>> no u wont

>> and you wont fuck it up either

we’ll see

Chapter Text

The day of Luffy’s supposed party comes and goes, and Sanji doesn’t hear from Zoro the whole night. Sanji himself has the rare night off from work, in that he has an essay to write for French, in French, and while he’s fluent in speaking it with the jerks in the Baratie kitchens, it’s mostly slang and dialect he’d picked up from them over the years and nothing grammatical or physical ever came from learning it - thus he’s realising he’s terrible at spelling. And it sucks. He hates being bad at something he thought he was already good at.

It’s close to three in the morning when he starts to zone out more than focus, and he considers turning in what he has so far and calling it quits, when his phone pings with an incoming text.

Zoro (1 Min Ago)

Dfjhjsoaratuisfuck s hit

Ah, that’s not a good sign, Sanji thinks to himself. He debates replying or waiting to see if Zoro sends him something else, when another text does come through.

Hello mysterious digital friend. This is one of Zoro’s college buddies, the O Great One known as Usopp. Zoro is piss-drunk and throwing up in the bathroom rn so I’ve stolen his phone from him so he doesn’t call you and make icky noises over the phone. You’re welcome.

Just letting you know, we talked. Zoro was adamant about it but ended up getting wasted halfway through and I can see now it was because its how he copes with stress and depression and uhhhh I guess it’s been worse than we’d thought. So. 

Thanks for helping him when we couldn’t. 

PS I’m gonna delete this in like 2 minutes so he doesn’t see the evidence and yell at me later okay byyyeeeee

 

Sanji almost snorts in amusement at the message ending, and screenshots the message to save it before it gets deleted. He reacts to it with a simple thumbs-up emoji, which even when the message is gone, will look like he’s replying to the gibberish.

He closes his laptop for the night; he’ll finish it in the morning before he goes to work and just hope for the best.

“Sooo… the party was eventful, huh?”

“Ugh, I don’t want to think about it.”

“C’mon, it sounds like something happened.”

Sanji’s trying his best not to sound like he knows more than he’s letting on. Usopp had indeed deleted the text and the next day had been fairly quiet on Zoro’s end, so the blonde figured he might need a little prompting and persuading. 

“I got shitfaced,” Zoro grumbles into Sanji’s ear, sounding almost sulky. “I tried to bring it up so many times during the night, without a drink… but every time I got cut off, or someone else joined the conversation, I just couldn’t do it. I’d go get a drink and try again. At that point…”

“Yeah, yeah. I got a text of nonsense."

“Yeah. I don’t even remember most of what I said. I just remember wanting to talk to them alone and spouting a bunch of stuff about Kuina. I never talk about her to them, dude. I don’t think I even told them her name before.”

“Well, do you feel better now that you have?” Curious, Sanji strolls around his apartment absentmindedly to keep busy. It’s late in the night, so the lights are off, but the city glow from his windows is enough to keep the room lit. It looks a little spooky, too, but it’s also nice, somehow.

“I guess?” Zoro doesn’t sound sure. “I wish I remembered what I told them, specifically. How much detail I gave them.”

“Well, even I don’t know that much about her, and I share her number,” Sanji jokes lightly, and he’s pleased to hear a huff on the other end, either annoyance or amusement, but either are better than sadness.

“Maybe I’ll tell you more, some day.” Zoro hums thoughtfully. “But not any time soon. I think I’m traumatised. I’ve been ignoring their texts again.”

“Zoro!”

“I knooowwwww. I’ll reply at some point.”

“Do it now. I’ll hang up if you don’t.”

“Tch. You assume I like talking to you on the phone.”

“You’re still here, aren’t you?” Sanji smirks to himself, proud of getting the upper hand for once, only to hear the call disconnect in his ear.

Call Duration [00:35:28]

“Oh you son of a bitch,” cursing the stranger out softly, he simply texts Zoro several middle finger emojis.

(3 Mins Ago)

>> Soooo I’ve got my next meeting with my sponsor next week

Okaaaayyyy

Whats ur point

>> I was wondering if you’d wanna talk to them, too

>> Not together or anything

>> Just like, AA in general or something

I dont think thatd work for me

>> I didnt think itd work for me either, and yet here we are

>> Iva does things a little less strictly than the usual sponsors, maybe just take their number and give them a text

Do I get to say no?

>> I mean I’m gonna text you their number regardless but it’s gotta be up to you to go through with it

>> change has to come from within blah blah blah

 

[Contact: Iva - Forwarded]

 

>> Give it a shot.