More than a prostitute (Zosan)

Chapter 34

Sanji took Zoro to the dining room, where they found Luffy still at the table, eating the last plate. Sanji looked at the table with horror. Did Luffy eat all the food he prepared? He had spent hours doing all the food for one particular man, and now all the plates were empty. He sighed from frustration. He loved cooking, but he had already spent all his morning doing it, and now he was hoping for more time with the green-haired man. For the first time, Zoro opened up to him. He wanted to know more things about him. He knew Zoro had a dark past, but he couldn't keep it to himself any longer. He could feel all the weight Zoro had on his shoulders. He wanted to help him, but, for now, it was more important to feed the cactus head.

"What do you want to eat?" Sanji asked Zoro, who only shrugged in response. Sanji didn't wait for more and left toward the kitchen. He will have to improvise.

Still, in the room, Zoro sat at his usual spot in Luffy's diagonal, who was to focus on licking the last part of his plate to give the older any attention. Zoro stared at Luffy and tried to read in the boy's head. He seemed happy. Well, of course, Luffy was always happy when he was eating. But what Zoro meant was that he seemed to like being here. At first, he was afraid that the younger wouldn't stop hatting Sanji for what he did. But it seemed that Luffy cared too much to hate someone.

"Luffy!" Zoro called him, and the young man lifted his gaze, now finally full. Its belly was ready to explode.

"Yeah, Zoro?" Luffy replied with his big smile, letting all his teeth appear.

"What do you think about living here?" Luffy looked at him, surprised by the question. He understood the importance of the subject but couldn't respond with a lot of seriousness.

"I liked the food. It's very tasty." Luffy joked, knowing it wasn't the response Zoro was waiting for. Zoro gave him the silver, cold gaze, telling him he needed more as an answer. As usual, Luffy only said what was on his mind. "I like that you don't have to go working all night outside. I feel safe, and I know that Usopp and Chopper like to be here. Sometimes, I'm worried about you, and I'm angry at Sanji. I'm afraid he makes you suffer like last time. Seeing you in the bath was..." Luffy didn't end his sentence. He didn't know what world could describe how horrible he felt when he saw the three-piercing man.

"I... I'm sorry, Luffy... for what you had to be through. I never told you, but if you weren't there, I wouldn't have gone back on my feet. It was thanks to you." Zoro never told him how Luffy helped him. He tries to be strong and doesn't show his emotions, but Luffy knows him better than anyone else. He knew all his weaknesses and helped as he could with it.

"Zoro, that's what a captain does for his right hand." Luffy laughed at his own joke.

"You sound like Usopp when you talk like that." Zoro smirked, and Luffy laughed even more.

"But more seriously, Sanji is different from before. You too have noticed, haven't you?" Luffy asked, looking at Zoro.

"Yeah, he is more kind, gentler. He is caring. He looks after all of us. He took good care of us." Zoro stated.

"Did you forgive him?" Luffy looked at him with curiosity.

Zoro was taken aback by the question; he didn't have time to think about it. Everything is going so fast for him. Everything is racing through his head. He didn't know what to think and what to feel. The relationship with Sanji is always evolving, one day they are enemies, then friends, and then Sanji becomes a monster, but they end up kissing in the kitchen, and now he tries to comfort him. Zoro was lost. But did he forgive him? Could he even forgive him? He wasn't as angry as before, but no, he didn't completely forgive him either. There is still a part of him that waits for the moment when Sanji will become mean again.