Chapter Text
It wasn’t until morning that Sanji noticed Zoro was already there.
He had probably arrived after Sanji had fallen asleep.
Sanji hadn’t set an alarm, but still woke up at the same time he usually did for class.
Instead of going back to sleep, he decided to take a shower—maybe that would make him feel at least a little better.
He didn’t even bother to look in the mirror when he entered the bathroom; there was no way he didn’t look awful.
Even though the water felt amazingly refreshing on most of his skin, it burned like hell wherever it touched his wound.
His mind was hazy and scattered—he was so tired, so exhausted.
He sat down in the shower and stayed there until the water started to turn cold.
Maybe he could crawl back into bed and sleep a little more; at least then he wouldn’t feel the pain.
He stepped out of the shower, and before he could even grab a towel, there was a knock on the door.
'Oi, Curly, hurry up. I wanna shower too.'
'But he never showers here…' Sanji thought.
Zoro usually showered after training—or so Sanji assumed, because if he never showered at all, he would probably smell worse.
'Helloo? Can you hear me?'
'I’m almost done—give me ten more minutes,' Sanji called back.
'Ten? Nope. You’ve been in there forever. I’m coming in, whether you like it or not. The water’s already off, so you’re done.'
'No, Zoro, wait—I NEED TO GET DRESSED!'Sanji shouted, frantically putting on his bathrobe.
Instead of answering, Zoro simply opened the door and came in—wearing nothing but his boxers.
'Wha… why are you walking around naked?' Sanji demanded, trying to find somewhere else to look.
'I’m not naked.'
'Yes you are. Put on some clothes.'
'I wanna take a shower, so… you know… Why am I even talking to you?'
'Fine, I’ll leave. Just—don’t walk around like this.'
'Why? Like what you see? Or are you just jealous?' Zoro smirked and stepped toward him.
'N-no, I just… what are you—' Sanji stuttered as Zoro came closer.
'Oh, I bet you’re jealous,' the archer grinned, and before Sanji could react, he reached out and tugged open the front of Sanji’s bathrobe.
The smirk on Zoro’s face froze when his eyes landed on the deep purple bruise along Sanji’s side.
'What the hell…' Zoro muttered.
Sanji wanted to slap him, to tell him this wasn’t okay, that if he ever told another soul what he’d seen Sanji would personally kill him.
But the heat from the shower and the way his pulse was now racing didn’t help with the dizziness; he felt himself start to tip backward.
Zoro caught him by the wrist—Sanji screamed as pain ripped through his arm. Zoro immediately loosened his grip while sliding his other arm around Sanji’s waist to keep him from falling.
'What’s wrong with your arm?' Zoro asked, sounding concerned.
'Nothing… I’m fine, just leave me alone,' Sanji hissed.
'That’s not an option. You either show me, or I’ll take off your bathrobe myself.'
'No. This is none of your business.'
'It is now. Besides, I already know you’re hurt pretty bad, so what’s the point in hiding it? Just—let me help you.'
'Why would you want to help me? Why should I trust you? You hate me.'
'I don’t…' Zoro paused, his expression shifting—he looked almost sad.
'Think about it, Curly: I can’t let you die. I’d be the first they’d suspect.'
'I’m not going to die. Just let it go.'
'You look like crap. If you’re not gonna die, you’ll at least make someone suspicious, and what do you think will happen when the teachers find out? At least I won’t tell anyone—because, like I said, they’d think it was me.'
'…I hadn’t thought about it like that. You really aren’t going to tell anyone?'
'I’d be digging my own grave. I’m not that stupid.'
'Fine,' Sanji sighed. 'But let me at least put on my underwear first.'
Zoro nodded, and Sanji pulled on his boxers as quickly as possible before letting the bathrobe fall to the floor.
Blood was trickling down his right arm—the wound must have opened again when Zoro had grabbed him.
At least this time the bleeding wasn’t as bad.
He turned toward his roommate.
Zoro looked furious.
'Who did that?'
'I fell down the stairs,' Sanji lied.
'I spent most of my childhood in the ER—you did NOT fall down the stairs. Hell, you’ve even got a boot-print on your back,' Zoro huffed.
'Well… it doesn’t really matter, does it?'
'I guess not. Just sit down and show me that arm of yours.'
After inspecting the wound, Zoro raised a hand to Sanji’s face, making him flinch.
'Relax—I’m just checking if you’ve got a fever.'
Sanji nodded, letting Zoro press the back of his hand to his forehead.
'Damn, you’re definitely burning up. I’m gonna have to make a call.'
'No. You said you wouldn’t tell anyone.'
'I won’t. Relax,' Zoro said, stepping out of the bathroom to grab his phone.
Sanji listened anxiously to Zoro’s side of the conversation:
'Hey, Dad, sorry to bother you this early, but I have a medical question.
—No, I’m not hurt.
—Yes… no, I’m fine, I was just reading that book you and Mom gave me for Christmas and there’s a problem I’m not sure how to solve.
—Yeah, it’s one of the questions.
—I already thought about that, but I wanted your opinion.
—Yes… yes, I know…
Okay, so the text says a patient came into the ER a few days after being beaten up. He’s got bad bruises on his back and legs, and two deep cuts on his arm. The wound must’ve reopened on the way to the hospital. It’s inflamed, and the patient has a fever. The problem is he doesn’t want to stay in the hospital or have any tests done because his insurance won’t pay.
—Yeah… I know, but that would be too easy. I wanna solve it while respecting the patient’s choices.
—I know, Dad. So what can I give him to make sure he doesn’t die?
—Okay… anything else?
—Okay...
—Yes.
—I know, sorry, I just really wasn't sure what the best course of action would be in that case.
—Right… thanks. Bye.'
Zoro came back and sighed.
'You know you kinda need to go to the hospital.'
Sanji shook his head. 'I can’t… I really can’t.'
'Figured you’d say that. Here’s the deal: I’m taking you to the infirmary—don’t worry, the doc isn’t here; he’s only on call during the holidays. He’s a friend of my dad’s, so he’ll forgive me for using his stuff. I’ll treat your wound as best I can and give you some meds. You’ve gotta follow everything I tell you to do. And the second you get worse, I’m calling an ambulance.'
Sanji nodded reluctantly.
'Okay then, put this on,' Zoro said, handing him sweatpants and a sports jacket.
'Those aren’t mine…'
'Just put them on.'
Sanji did. Once dressed, he followed Zoro out of their room.
When they reached the stairs, Sanji stopped and looked down—everything was spinning.
Zoro walked down three steps, then stopped as well.
'Get on my back.'
Sanji wanted to protest, but he didn’t.
He was proud, but not stupid—there was no way he could get down on his own.
So, just this once, he let Zoro carry him.
He rested his head on Zoro’s shoulder, hating how comfortable it felt.