#usopp just wants 5 minutes of peace man <\3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[ppppppppppol]

it was supposed to just be a regular shopping trip . it was SUPPOSED to just be A REGULAR SHOPPING TRIP.

[danosphere91]

Story Starters Meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 15 stories. See if there are any patterns. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!  Do it if you are interested? @zinnianne​​ @novicecomcis​  Tagged by @wordsdear​

I’m including my WIPs in here with my finished fics so some of the titles are just a mess. 5-15 can be found here. I...it’s all One Piece minus one fic. I am ashamed.

1. Beach Boys (WIP no real title yet)

“I hate the beach.”

“I know.”

“I hate sand.”

“I also know.”

“I hate sunlight.”

“I also, also know.”

“Cora-san!”

2. (WIP. A Hop, Skip & a Jump? Baton Road? Oh the Places You’ll Go?)

“Oi, Straw Hat-ya, this isn’t going to help.”

Law was practically growling at this point but the younger man wasn’t backing down. No, he was all but pressing against Law’s hands, trying to get as close to the surgeon as possible. Law was not going to risk applying too much pressure because damned if he was going to be the one to undo all his hard work.

“But I want to!” Luffy insisted.

Law scoffed. “No you don’t. You’re just being an idiot.”

3. Not The Best Way To Start (WIP)

“Oi Law, so...What’s your answer?”

Law looked up from the paper he was reading through over dinner, eyebrows furrowing. “What was the question Zoro-ya?”

He was met with several groans. “Come on!” Usopp cried in disbelief. “This has only been one of the most interesting conversations we’ve ever had!”

4. Mi Corazon (WIP)

The mission couldn’t have counted as any more of a fail. They had lost the Op Op Fruit, they had lost Law, Vergo’s cover was at risk of being blown if Law told the Marines and they listened to a child. Hell, Diamante had nearly dropped the treasure chest just seconds after picking it up, some grumble about shifting weights inside. The only thing that had gone their way was finally eliminating Corazon...although even Doffy hated to admit that that didn’t feel like the victory he’d imagined it would.

But then…

Doflamingo frowned, signalling for the others to wait while he turned around. It took another minute or so before he heard it again, distorted by the wind but...Oh yes, that was Law.

Finally a good turn.

5. Boys Will Be Boys

Deku’s always known.

Always known that Kacchan is a boy, that is.

His mother hadn’t. Kacchan’s mother, not his. She’d introduced him as Kachiko-chan at first and ignored the furious shouts that had gotten. Kacchan had then dragged him outside, all of four years of age, and said he was a boy and only a boy. Deku had agreed because, well, he was. He looked like one and acted like one and he said he was so...Why wouldn’t he be?

6. Do You Really Think You’re Not See-Through?

Cora hadn’t even heard the door open. He only knew Law was home when a pair of arms slid around his waist. He went to comment when Law’s head tucked itself between his shoulder blades and ah, it was one of those days. A day where nothing was wrong but Law was just, well, soppy? Sooky? Either way, he wanted attention and he wanted it in the form of warm hugs and soft voices.

Lacing their fingers together, Cora thumbed the back of his hands. “Welcome back Law.”

7. Despacito

"Majorca? That pitiful island?"

Law clamped his mouth shut. He had fucked up, well and truly fucked up. He'd gathered his crew, his gang, whatever you were to call them and shifted them over to the mainland because there had been rumours: the Donquixote family were recruiting.

Oh recruiting truly was the wrong word. A more accurate term would be something between kidnapping and adoption, the Donquixotes snatching up orphans that showed promise. The word made Law's skin itch. To think of people as nothing but tools! It sounded too much like slavery for his liking.

So he had planned to hit where it hurt: take out Doflamingo's little brother and then the master himself.

8. Not Just Good With His Feet

In hindsight, Sanji was lucky the result was what it was. It could have been much worse. As it was, every member of the crew was staring at him in everything from shock to awe; no guess as to who was pulling that last face.

Because he threw a knife. A chef’s knife. Across the galley. At Zoro.

Not his finest moment.

9. The Doorbell

Law is still in med-school. He’s only twenty-two so it’s understandable. It’s a four and a half year course though, meaning Law’s within arm’s reach of graduating but still far enough away that he’s neck deep in studies.

He sleeps less than he should and when he does sleep, it’s probably not when he should.

This time though, it’s 3:50A.M. and he thinks that’s a reasonable time to be sleeping. Apparently not everyone does though because there’s a knock on his apartment door. It’s not so much his apartment as his and Cora’s - his boyfriend of three years - but at three in the morning, it’s his.

10. The Trouble With Eastern

Two days Sanji had been on this ship and already a fight had broken out. He was busy cooking in the kitchen but he could hear the squabbling clear enough. It seemed to be an argument mainly between Luffy and Nami but Usopp was getting a word in every so often, which only seemed to annoy Luffy more. The cook was getting ready to separate them all when,

“Oi Sanji, come out here!!!”

Luffy’s voice was deafening, Sanji rolling his eyes, drying his hands on his tea towel as he stepped out onto the deck. “What’s up Luffy?”

Sanji found himself suddenly with Luffy’s shoe thrust in his face. “What is this?” Luffy demanding, shaking said shoe.

Before Sanji could answer, Nami was shaking their captain. “I’m telling you, flip-flop is the sound it makes. It’s not what it’s called!”

11. Three’s A Crowd, but Who’s Complaining?

The truth of it was, Luffy didn’t really get a choice in the matter. In fact, he’d never had a choice but that was something he’d brought upon himself as well. He could have had peace, could have had a quiet life, but no, it was Luffy that had come to them – both of them – and quite plainly told them he wanted to fuck. Wanted to fuck them, specifically. Together.

Ace had had questions, of course he had, but they were more of the “had-to-ask-just-to-be-sure” kind whereas Sabo had been the one to actually question if they should do this. Luffy had just growled that they weren’t actually related and if he wanted to have sex with them he would. And if Sabo said no he would have sex with just Ace. That, paired with Ace’s smug look, had won Sabo over more than anything.

12. “It’s You, You Numbskull!”

“Do you think I can plant some seeds in the garden?”

“What do you need a garden for?”

“Because!”

It wasn’t an answer, Nami rolling her eyes at Usopp. “This garden is for my tangerine trees!”

“It’s too big for that!” Usopp countered, arms flailing. “Look at all the empty space!”

Nami very much did not do so.

“And hey, I like gardening! Let me plant something…oh, like vegetables! Then Sanji wouldn’t have to buy them all the time. It’s cheaper, you know?” Nami paused there and Usopp dived in, recognising his only chance. “It’s a good idea, right? Oi Luffy, I can have some of the garden, can’t I?”

Nami was all set to argue – purely on principle alone – when,

“No.”

13. Please Start

“Please start,” Luffy muttered as he turned the key in the ignition a little harder than necessary. There was a beat and then the engine turned over, Luffy sighing in relief as the radio started to play and the fans kicked in. Then he put the car into drive and everything went black again. “No, no, no!”

There were a couple of frustrated, near desperate, pounds on the steering wheel and Luffy had to slam his eyes shut when he felt them starting to prickle. “It’s going to start, it will,” he told himself, turning the key once more. “Please. Please start, come on, please.”

That time there wasn’t so much as a splutter.

14. But Every Birthday Needs Cake!

It started with Luffy bursting into the kitchen. Sanji was already preparing himself to send the rubber idiot flying – he’d just had his morning snack, he sure as hell wasn’t hungry – when Luffy surprised him by sliding into one of the bar stools, a contemplative look on his face. His feet were idly swinging as he watched Sanji prepare various things for lunch.

“Alright Luffy?”

Luffy jumped a little at the question before pouting up at him, causing Sanji to raise an eyebrow. “If Traffy doesn’t like bread, does that mean he doesn’t like cake either?”

15. What’s A Closed Sign Between Friends?

Sanji was busy scrubbing down the last of the benches as Luffy mopped the floor. There were other jobs that needed doing but Sanji didn’t trust the younger man with any of them. Why Luffy wanted to work in a restaurant was beyond him – Sanji thought maybe the thought of free-food had something to do with it – but Luffy, despite being an enthusiastic worker, was clumsy as hell. The only reason Sanji kept him around was because he had so much repour with all the customers.

…And okay, because Sanji loved the shit-head half to death.

Of course that was when his musings were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Sanji was frowning even as he was looking up because he knew they had shut near half an hour ago now. From the look on the man’s face, he suddenly seemed to realise it too. At the same moment they turned to look at the door and, right, Luffy hadn’t swapped the sign to read “closed”.

[sniperofmyheart]

STORY STARTERS MEME

Rules: List the first lines of your last 15 stories. See if there are any patterns. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!  Do it if you are interested? @maychorian​ @danosphere91​ Tagged by @justira​

I don’t even know if I have 15 stories. I am going with the first paragraph or first indent not including dialogue if that makes sense. Starting from most recent. I am including different chapters as otherwise I won’t have 15. I feel like I am missing a WIP but I can’t find it found it!

1. Sad Fic (WIP no real title yet)

“Hey guys!! Look who we’ve got!’

They hadn’t even arrived at Wano, and Luffy was already screaming. He stood on the railing and pointed proudly at Sanji, who tried his best to hide behind Brook.  So much for a silent approach.  Having just escaped from one Emperor, Sanji couldn’t shake the feeling that any second Kaido would come barrelling down on them. Best not to tempt fate. The Sunny pulled  into the hidden harbour with very little fanfare, besides the fanfare that Luffy self generated. There was a crowd to greet them but first glance he couldn’t spot any familiar faces. There wasn’t a smile among them.  Luffy was smiling enough for them all as he danced along the railing and dove into the crowd, his arms swinging back and shit, Sanji  and the rest was dragged down as well. One of these days he was going to figure out how far that his damn captain could stretch and stay a good foot beyond that near any high places.

2. Chopper’s Dream (WIP. Title to change)

The lights were off in the infirmary. Sanji had seen Chopper run in not too long ago, so just in case, he knocked as he entered. Chopper did take reindeernaps in here after all.

“Chopper? I brought some tea and cookies, the ladies didn’t want it all”

The small reindeer had his head on the desk, turned, eyes staring into the wall

Sanji carefully set the platter between Chopper and the wall, and waited.

Chopper continued to stare through the ever so delicious tea and cookies at the wall.

3. Raftel (WIP)

They had finally made it, Raftel. The imposing cliff face loomed over them. All those years of fighting, crying and laughing, suddenly felt very small before it. Even Usopp, brave warrior of the sea that he was, felt his knees shake a little. This was the end. The last island, X that marks the spot.  What could possibly be up there that was worth all this? Even with everything  they had seen, if he was really honest with himself, Usopp had no idea what the One Piece was. A mountain of gold? “Made you look” ponoglyphed into a wall? A doodle of sea gull with God D roger’s autograph at the bottom? Nothing could surprise him anymore. He looked over at Robin, she probably had a better idea. Even with the wind splashing the stinging seawater into the crew’s eyes, she kept looking forward, unblinkingly.

4. Reindeernapping Chapter 4 (WIP)

The Sunny was docked slightly away from the main harbour, tucked away half hidden. Apparently the locals (thanks Franky for the intel) were okay with pirates as long as they were seen and not heard. Zoro was on the deck trying to sleep as  Luffy continued the Chopper hunt. Cause of course Chopper might of just fallen asleep in a barrel or climbed up into the crow’s nest. Zoro couldn’t wait to see the shit cook’s face when he saw his kitchen, Luffy had opened every single drawer and cabinet, on the off chance that Chopper had somehow managed to shrink down to 6 inches and decided to hid with the spoons. Once he had satisfied himself that Chopper hadn’t buried himself into any of the bags of flour Luffy stumbled from the kitchen, caked in white powder and launched himself to the figure head. He lay out and stared at the sea

“This is sooooo booooringg! I want to look for Chopper too!”

5. Emergency Food Supply (WIP)

It has been 19 days, three hours, fifteen minutes and 30 seconds since they had last eaten. Not that Chopper was keeping count. Counting required energy. Luffy’s stomach didn’t so much as growl anymore, it was just a dull constant roar against the ocean.  Despite Thriller Bark being behind them, they still couldn’t find their way out of the fog that was the Florian Triangle. 

6. Shut Up Kiss Chapter 3 Lusopp 

They were sailing away. The cannonballs crashing into the ocean were so loud that Usopp could barely think straight, but the silence from the ship was deafening. They were going to leave him.

“If that’s what you want… let me say one last thing. You guys…” he tries to yell but it only comes out as a kind of whisper. What was the point, his throat was already sore from screaming and they were sailing away.

7. Physician Inquisition

“I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON THAT APPLE AND DIE YOU BASTARD!”

BZZZZZZ

“GOD DAMN CHARLEY HORSE!”

BZZZZZZ

“HEY I AM NOT A HORSE! I AM A REINDEER”

BZZZZZZ

Nami poked her head into the sick bay,

“Is everything all right in there?”

8. Don't Play With Your Food

Sanji stared at the freezer door and took a deep breath. He must have misread it, or it was mislabeled, or this was all some kind of fevered dream. If this was a fever dream, he expected some beautiful dancing ladies. He opened the freezer door and pulled out the parcel. Venison. So not dancing ladies then. In little black letters clear as day and beside it almost as an afterthought, reindeer. It sounded like a devil fruit, the venison venison fruit mode reindeer. A small slightly hysterical laugh escaped his mouth and he bit his lip but it still echoed through the kitchen. This wasn’t a devil fruit or some kind of joke, it was a slab of meat. Reindeer meat. In his freezer. Outside he could hear the tap-tap of hooves and a gentle high-pitched laugh. Their emergency food supply new crewmate, he really should stop those jokes, was fitting in well. He stared harder at the letters willing them to rearrange themselves. Fantastic.

9. Wedding Feast

“Welcome to my humble kitchen Lord Sanji” the head chef was groveling so hard his white chef hat scrapped on the ground. His hat seemed wrong, too small.

“Get up. I just wanted to have a look around, it is my wedding feast after all.”

The chef straightened himself.

“Why yes Lord Sanji, of course. I had heard rumours that our great Lord spent some time at a restaurant, so any comments or suggestions are more than welcome.”

The bustle of white smocks around him, the sizzling of pans and the smell of garlic filled the room. Throw in some swearing and a few half dozen tattooed men and you would almost have the Baratie. For the first time since he had arrived at Germa Kingdom, he almost felt at home. He had missed the bustle and the noise. The kitchen was never quiet even back on the Sunny. Someone was always whining for more meat, trying to sneak sake or sweets, and trying to drink all of his milk or cola in one go. Or just dropping by to talk and getting bullied into cutting veggies and washing dishes. He really should ask Franky to put a lock on the door, give him some peace and quiet for a change. But then the ladies wouldn't be able to drop by. Choices choices.

10. Man Overboard

“MAN OVER BOARD MAN OVER BOARD”

Sanji was already in the water looking around frantically so Usopp though it was safe to check who had fallen in. As Chopper and Luffy were the ones yelling their heads off a bit further down the ship with fishing rod in hand, or well hoof, it wasn’t them. Brook had come running over with his violin (how that would help a drowning person is anyone’s guess), and he could see one of Robin’s hand with an eye in the centre sprouted on the side of the ship scanning the water as well. So it wasn’t any of the devil fruit users, that was a relief. Nami had poked her head out of the girl’s room to see what the fuss was about her mapping pen still in hand and Franky had poked his head out of the bathroom. Which left Zoro. Had he somehow managed to wander off the ship into the sea, was that even possible? There weren’t any marine ships around so it wasn’t a surprise attack that had knocked him in. Maybe he fell asleep on the railing and tipped over? But just as Usopp had settled on this, he heard a loud voice behind him “What is taking that damn curly brow so long?”

11. The Question

There is a rare moment of silence, the Merry has burned and the Straw Hats are wiping their eyes and trying to catch their breath. The mighty Sogeking takes a deep breath and grabs Luffy’s hand, half dragging him away from everyone else. Or at least he tries to, but dragging a rubber man by the hand is surprisingly difficult and kind of awkward. You end up standing a few feet away with his stretched arm between the two of you as he picks his nose with the other. After some anxious head tilting and whispering what could be misunderstood to be the word meat, Luffy shuffles over. It is quiet and Luffy has to lean in a little to hear it properly but Sogeking manages to squeak it out

“Can I join the crew?”

no bravado no tall tales and Luffy just smiles.

“No way!”.

12. Reindeernapping Chapter 3

He had built the Shark Submerge III to carry up to three people so with only himself inside there was plenty of room, but the metallic echo of his own breathing and the itching sense that time was passing too fast was making Franky feel queasy. Being a dozen or so feet underwater and forced to wear unnatural pants wasn’t helping matters either. He would give anything for that squeaky little voice to start chirping away, dancing around the cabin asking silly questions about what each button did. Instead there was silence. Franky stared out the reinforced glass viewing window scanning the ocean view. If Little Bro was here, he wouldn’t miss him. One of the handy things about being a cyborg was that blinking was purely optional. With a few drops in his eyes every morning, he might blink once or twice a day, if at all. He had won a lot of money off Long Nose Bro that way, the poor kid couldn't say no to a staring contest. Franky usually wore his shades to avoid giving anyone the creeps but with an empty submarine, that wasn’t an issue.

13. Reindeernapping Chapter 2

The pink and purple smoke was still hanging in the air. Franky couldn’t help asking

“How do you guys usually go about finding lost people? This can’t be the first time this has happened, right?”

“ Chopper just tracks Zoro-I mean Chopper tends to sniff people out” Long Nose answered.

”Fantastic ”

He had seen a bit of their finding people attempts back at Water Seven, and been less than impressed. Franky sat down with a thud on the grass.

14. Reindeernapping Chapter 1

Grocery shopping was distinctly not super. Franky and Reindeer Gorilla had gotten stuck with last minute supplies duty as Cook Bro was too busy protecting the fresh meat and booze from Straw Hat and Sword Bro. Cook Bro had given them an extensive list and Reindeer Gorrilla had his own list of herbs and textbooks he wanted to get. It all added up to quite a haul so someone needed to order and pay while Reindeer Gorilla lugged everything around. Merchants didn’t take kindly to animals placing orders. So Franky volunteered to be Reindeer Gorilla’s designated human. He wanted to get to know his new crew mates outside the yelling and screaming that was Enies Lobby. The market place was jam packed, a lot of elbows to the stomach and competing smells that didn’t quite go together. Fresh flowers, half rotten cabbages and the body odour of the crowd (he was going to have to force Lil Bro to take a bath eventually, the smell was ridiculous) were enough to make his nose rust. It kind of reminded Franky of back home, he has barely left it 72 hours ago and he was definitely not crying. Rubbing his super dry eyes, he stared down at Cook Bro’s list. It seemed like he had everything. A note was scribbled on the bottom ‘Absolutely no cotton candy, that means you Chopper' Franky snorted.

“Reindeer Gorilla, look at this-”

But he was speaking to thin air. The parcel packed Reindeer Gorilla was gone.

15. Shut Up Kiss Chapter 2 Lusopp

“Thinking back, when I was about to sail out, you guys asked me to join you. That's all that's tying us together. We don't have to-”

Something slams into Usopp’s face and everything goes dark. Luffy had been across the room sulking in the wrecked table, right? Had Luffy punched him? Or Gum Gum belled him in the face? Usopp peeks his eyes open, he didn’t remember closing them, and finds himself staring into black circles. Luffy was close, too close. Close enough for Usopp to pluck out his stupid eyelashes one by one. The words won’t come out, he can’t breath. Something was blocking his mouth or rather someone was. Luffy. This wasn’t a surprise punch to the face or a head butt. This was something else.

[your-iron-lung]

Mixed Up 12 | Four Kicks |

Chapter Word Count: 3285

Pairings: Zoro/Sanji

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Chapter Warning: Strong Language

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,

Next Chapter: 13

While he was, for the most part, glad to have been invited out, he wasn't sure why exactly he'd thought the night would prove to be exciting. Rather, he found himself disappointed when it turned out that being a bodyguard, albeit a fake one, was actually a rather dull experience.

As far as Sanji could tell, there really wasn't a need for the bodyguard schtick. No one had approached Usopp in a manner that could even be considered threatening, rendering him and Zoro utterly useless. Not even the woman he'd met earlier had come around to harass them if she had, in fact, been the woman he'd been warned against. It was boring work, if he was honest. He hadn't even been allowed to tour the gallery after he'd come back from the restroom, which was another disappointment all on its own. Part of his excitement that came with being able to take part in Usopp's show was the thought of getting to enjoy the fine arts setting.

And though he knew it hadn't been, it felt like he'd been standing in place for hours. There was nothing for him to do besides stand around and try to look like he belonged, but, hell, there wasn't even a wall for him to lean against.

It wasn't so much that he was tired of having been standing in place for so long, (working at the Baratie had conditioned him to stay on his feet for long hours), so much that it was that he wasn't allowed to move around. He was restless and indescribably bored, crippling his motivation and desire to be there at all.

The crowd in the gallery wasn't even interesting, which may have been the worst part. He'd thought that, being artists and collectors, there would have been a few eccentrics in the group to rejuvenate his spirit, but there were none. Everyone was as bland and dull as the next. After a while, their faces morphed together into one large flesh-toned audience that rotated around and droned on unmercifully about paintings he couldn't see. It was beginning to make his head hurt.

Usopp himself even seemed disinterested, though it was hard to tell with his mask in place, but at least he got to speak with the people who asked about or wanted to buy his art, but damn did the man talk.

His stories had entertained Sanji at first, but before long he began to find the exaggerations that came with each piece to be annoying. They grew grander and taller with each passing patron who inquired about his work to the point where his stories were entirely unbelievable, and yet, the people he told them to continued to eat them up.

Glancing over at Zoro, positioned on the other side of Usopp, Sanji saw that the idiot punk was just as bored as he was. His gaze was dull and gone, and if it weren't for the fact that he occasionally sighed and shifted his weight around, Sanji would have thought he'd fallen asleep with his eyes open.

What Sanji really needed, he figured, was a cigarette. He'd been pining for one not long after they'd helped set up Usopp's gallery spaced, and hadn't yet gotten the chance to step away and have a smoke. To be able to do that, at least, would be a welcome break to the refined monotony he'd gotten involved with.

Discreetly, Sanji had tried to scout out a place where he could slip away to on his own, but being unfamiliar with the building, he'd been unable to ascertain where any side-exits were. Glancing to Zoro, he recognized that the man probably knew where he could go to smoke, though, he didn't necessarily want to talk with him; he was already strung-out and annoyed enough without having to deal with what would inevitably turn into an argument.

But his fingers kept twitching and fidgeting towards the pocket he kept his cigarettes in, enforcing his need and desire to step away for just a minute. Left with no other option, Sanji decided to cut his losses and try to get Zoro to offer him a way out.

With Usopp positioned between them, Sanji waited until a curious guest began to ask if they could negotiate a price on one of his pieces before he attempted anything. As Usopp stepped away to speak with the potential buyer, Sanji sighed, glared at Zoro, and then mustered up the last bit of courtesy he had to step in close and ask about an exit.

"Oi, moss-head," he murmured, glancing to see if Zoro had heard him.

Zoro barely turned his head to acknowledge that he had and remained staring impassively ahead.

Ignoring his impersonal behaviour, Sanji licked his lips and said, "I need a break."

Zoro appeared surprised as he quirked his brow and frowned at him. Sanji returned his stare, trying to convey his need for something, anything, to do to get him away from his spot to break his boredom, but instead Zoro shook his head and denied him.

Sanji's brow furrowed.

"What, can't handle all this rousing excitement?" Zoro said, sarcasm dripping thickly off his tongue. "You're weaker than I thought."

Trying his best not to rise to Zoro's taunt, Sanji took a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm.

"Look, asshole, all I'm asking for is a smoke break. Just point me to a back entrance or whatever. Five minutes is all it'll take."

"Back entrance?" Zoro said, snorting. "What back entrance? We're underground, idiot; there are no 'back entrances'."

Sanji floundered; honestly, he'd forgotten about that.

Zoro noticed his expression and laughed, snickering when Sanji scowled and attempted to approach him threateningly.

"If you want me to keep standing here doing this shit, then you're going to let me go have a smoke break," he said, keeping his voice quiet and insistent. Zoro stopped laughing.

For a moment, they were quiet. The buzz and the heat from the packed gallery packed in around them as they stared each other down tensely.

Sanji knew that if they weren't careful, they'd likely end up in another fight. But he wanted this.

He spoke slowly, making his point clear as he said, "I'm going to go smoke regardless of whether or not you allow it."

"Oh yeah?" Zoro said, his tone of voice becoming testy as he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, facing Sanji directly. "And where you gonna go to do that? The bathroom? 'Cause they have smoke detectors in there."

Sanji nodded his head towards the entrance they'd come in from earlier.

"If I can't go out, I'll go up," he said.

"Don't," Zoro said seriously.

The look in Zoro's eyes was threatening, and Sanji was aware that, if he didn't back down now, they would start a fight. He didn't want to tarnish Usopp's reputation, or even disrupt the atmosphere, but Zoro really was insufferable. His hands had already formed into fists by the time he thought, 'Fuck it', and retaliated.

"I'd like to see you try and stop me," Sanji sneered, turning away smartly to head for the exit.

There was a brief moment where, as he began to walk away, he'd thought Zoro had actually let him go before he felt himself abruptly stumble backwards. It was a foolish thought as Zoro harshly jerked him back into place, grabbing hold of his upper arm roughly to pull him back into place.

Outraged at the way he was being manhandled, Sanji immediately broke his grip and stormed forward until he was right in Zoro's face. There they stalled, but the anger between them was so palpable people had begun to take notice.

"I said don't," Zoro said, speaking lowly.

"What the fuck is your problem, asshole?!" Sanji hissed, shoving at Zoro's chest. "Where the hell do you get off trying to dictate where I can and can't go, you- you- you fucking fascist!"

At that, Zoro's eyes went wide and then narrowed considerably with rage. He rose to Sanji's anger and shoved him back roughly, nearly knocking him into Usopp's display. Before Sanji could launch himself into a counterattack, Usopp swiftly interjected.

"Oi oi oi!" He said nervously, rushing in between them to hold them back at arms-length. "What's going on?!"

"Nothing," Zoro spit out, eyeing Sanji with all the malice of a mad, chained dog that he could muster.

"It's not nothing," Sanji contested, pressing his weight against Usopp. Zoro responded with a sneer.

Usopp fretfully looked between them, unsure of what to do. Around them, a small gathering of people had accumulated and were now all watching them. Noticing this, the artist's knees began to shake and he wondered if he'd really be able to stop the two of them if they did decide to brawl.

"Well, whatever it is, please, please don't make a scene here!" he pleaded, looking to the both of them to concede.

They stared at each other impassively over Usopp's head, neither of them willing to back down.

"Zoro, please!" Usopp whispered frantically, turning towards his friend. "The last thing I need is to get noticed here with him! Or to get noticed at all!"

Zoro's face contorted, stuck between the desire to beat Sanji shitless and the need to stay low-key in order to give Usopp some peace of mind. It was ugly, and made Sanji smirk. He knew Zoro was going to let up.

After a moment of nothing, Zoro finally relented, turning away and running a hand through his hair as he breathed out, "Fuck!" loudly. Usopp hesitated, but lowered the barrier between them, heaving a gigantic sigh of relief.

"Fuck," Zoro repeated sourly, angrily glaring at everything but Sanji. "Fuck. Fine, okay, fuck."

Before Sanji could gloat about his victory, Zoro had quickly stepped around Usopp to grab him again by the arm.

"Oi!" Sanji said, trying to pull away, but the hold Zoro had over him was stronger than the last.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Usopp shouted as Sanji was dragged away. "Where are you going?!"

"Five minutes," Zoro said loudly in reply, projecting his voice over the murmur of gallery collectors. He turned his head to briefly look at Sanji, a very serious expression on his face as he led them to the stairwell exit.

Unsure of whether or not this was Zoro actually giving in and letting him take a break, or if it was a ruse to take the fight outside, Sanji hesitantly allowed himself to be led away. Either way, if it got him outside, he'd take it. He knew he could handle Zoro in a fight.

Looking back over his shoulder, Usopp stood fretfully amidst the group that had not yet disbanded, causing Sanji to wonder if he should be worried for him. He was fairly confident that nothing would befall the artist while the two of them were gone, but the way the man stood quaking presented his mind with doubt.

He cast Usopp out of his mind as they approached the stairwell, and together they climbed up until they were met with the street.

Sanji took a deep breath of the cool evening air as they stepped around Daz, who eyed the both of them suspiciously. Zoro ignored him as he power-walked them to a spot not too far from the gallery, but far enough away that they were out of ear shot of the doorman.

It was then Sanji noticed Zoro still had hold of him.

"You done with this?" he asked, giving Zoro a deadpan expression and gesturing to his arm. "Can I have it back now?"

Zoro scowled and released him.

"Thanks."

With his arm free, Sanji casually went for his pack of cigarettes and plucked one out to smoke. Warily, he eyed Zoro, prepared to fight and protect himself if this was indeed the purpose the punk had led them outside for. But as he lit up, Zoro went to rest back against the storefront they'd found themselves in front of and let himself slide down the window until he was sat on the sidewalk.

It was evident in the way he let his head rest back that he'd needed a break, too, and so Sanji relaxed.

Breathing in deeply from his cigarette, he felt his tension slip away as he leaned back against the building. Already beginning to feel more at ease, he frowned when Zoro spoke, saying, "Five minutes."

"I know what I said, asshole," Sanji retorted sharply, kicking at one of Zoro's outstretched legs.

Rested together under the dim glow of a nearby streetlamp, the two of them were quiet as they enjoyed their break in their own way. Sanji watched pedestrians pass by and smiled at the ladies who politely stepped over and around Zoro's legs, and though they were outside of the gallery now, he could still hear some remnants of the dull mutterings that took place inside it.

"Is it always that crowded?" he found himself asking, glancing down at Zoro to see if he were sleeping or not. With his eyes closed, it was hard to tell.

Zoro didn't say anything for a bit, until he opened his eyes and sighed, saying, "Yeah."

"Crazy," Sanji murmured, and let himself slide down until he was sat beside Zoro on the ground.

Zoro side-eyed Sanji with an unreadable expression before closing his eyes and resting back again.

"You know," Sanji began to say, disturbing Zoro's rest once more. "For a minute, I really thought you'd dragged me out here to fucking fight me again."

Zoro snorted.

"I thought about it."

"Then why the hell did you come out here with me?"

"Because of him," Zoro stated, pointing over to where Daz still stood guard. "If you came up alone, he wouldn't let you back in."

"Oh," Sanji said, staring at the guard's distantly dim figure. "Thanks, then."

Zoro shrugged off his thanks but looked uncomfortable.

"It's whatever," he replied. "You're my ride, anyway."

They fell into silence again, the both of them dreading returning to the busy gallery. The evening sky grew darker in the time that they relaxed, though Sanji was not content with the silence. He was an extrovert, after all; there was always a need in him to make small talk.

"So what's with all your fighting shit, anyway?" he asked, looking to Zoro. "Why'd you try and jump me in the fucking parking lot earlier?"

Zoro sighed exasperatedly and sat forward, giving Sanji a glare. It was clear he didn't appreciate the way Sanji continued to disrupt his peace.

"You pissed me off," he said bluntly.

"Oh, come on," Sanji said bitterly. "You're really telling me your ego is seriously that frail? That's not it."

"Well, you did," Zoro mumbled halfheartedly. When he didn't continue speaking, Sanji nudged him to continue. Zoro frowned and shied away from the touch. "I don't know why, alright? I just like to fight; I fight everyone, and you seem…"

"Seem what? Like an easy target?"

He couldn't help the angry tone he spoke with, but really, he didn't appreciate feeling like he was just a punching bag for the guy to be abused at will. If they were going to be friends, he deserved to be treated better and he was prepared to make that happen. Zoro, however, seemed embarrassed.

"No, not that. Just, capable, I guess," he replied awkwardly, looking away to the toes of his boots. "You're a challenge."

Sanji stared at him silently before turning away and saying, "Oh."

He sat smoking quietly as he contemplated what Zoro meant, but beside him, the punk seemed agitated about something.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" he blurted suddenly, disrupting the calm Sanji had descended into.

"What?" he replied blankly. "For what?"

"For your fucking shitty ass suit," he said angrily, though Sanji couldn't tell if his anger was directed at him or not.

"Oh," he said, looking at the tattered sleeve of what had once been his finest suit. Upon being reminded of it, he found that he wasn't all that angry about it anymore, but the way Zoro looked at it made it seem like he still was.

"If you took it to a uh, tailor, you think they could fix it?" Zoro asked, scratching at his head uncomfortably.

"Probably," Sanji replied with a shrug.

"Then I'll foot the bill if you do."

Sanji's surprise at Zoro's unprovoked spur of generosity must have manifested itself on his face as the punk turned a little red and scowled, looking away.

"Uh, okay. Thanks," was all Sanji could think to say.

The silence between them grew awkward as they waited for Sanji to finish smoking.

"You know it's been more than five minutes," he said quietly after a while.

"I know," Zoro replied, and nothing more was said between them until the ash of Sanji's cigarette had reached the filter, signaling its end.

Together, they rose after Sanji stubbed it out along the sidewalk and returned to the gallery entrance. As they passed, Daz gave them an eerie look accompanied with a discomfiting smile. Zoro leered at him as they began their descent, both of them choosing to ignore the sinister feeling it gave them.

The heat of the gallery swept up to greet them as they rejoined the throng of artists and collectors. The ceiling fans spun rapidly in place, but the breeze they produced was lost on them as they slowly began to make their way back to Usopp when Zoro suddenly froze, eyes going wide.

"What?" Sanji asked, turning to look in the direction Zoro was staring when he'd stopped. "What is it?"

"Go," Zoro said, a sense of urgency quickly taking hold of his voice. He turned away from where he'd been looking and grabbed hold of Sanji's shoulders. "Hide. Or leave. Don't go back to Usopp and if anyone asks, you snuck in here on your own. Don't wait up for me I'll take a bus back. Go home."

"Wait, wait, what the fuck is going on?!" Sanji tried to ask, but Zoro pushed him away back towards the exit and shouted at him to leave again as he began to power his way through the crowd.

Sanji stood where he was, frowning and trying to make out where Zoro was rushing off to, when, through the crowd, he saw.

Usopp was cornered back against his display, trapped between the wallspace and the woman whom Sanji had met earlier, though she was now accompanied by a tall man adorned in thick looking furs. Together, they loomed over Usopp, who was visibly shaken by whatever it was they were saying to him.

A strong, sinking feeling consumed him as he watched Zoro finally make it to Usopp's side. He looked every bit as tough and mean as Sanji knew him to be as he stood between the two and his friend, and though Sanji wasn't near, he could tell that they were speaking about him.

'Shit,' he thought to himself as he hesitated, debating with himself on what he should do next, when the woman began to turn around to point him out.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath as he bolted back up the steps, escaping as quickly as he could before they'd (hopefully) noticed him.

When he reached the street, Daz laughed at him outright, prompting Sanji to flip his middle finger out at him before he began to jog down the walk to his car, unsure of what was going on and what he should do to help. As he ran, an idea struck him, and he pulled out his phone and began to dial Nami.