Title: Whatever Happened
Author:kikokus (AoiTsukikage)
Rating: NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairing:Law/Zoro/Sanji, in all combinations
Chapter: 1/?
Word Count: 3951
Summary: Sequel to "So Good So Far" and "Almost Easy." Sanji had always known it would be foolish to hope, and after five years, he was certain both he and Zoro had given up on ever seeing Law again. But then again, it wasn't like Law had ever made things easy…
Spoilers:For recent chapters

Chapter One

He was on the wrong side of the island.

Granted, it was on purpose, but the fact remained that he still had a good five-day walk to get to where he was going, and the prospect of doing it alone over land he didn't even have an accurate map for wasn't a fun one.

He had enough supplies to last him about two weeks if he was careful (and he could live a lot longer than that without food or water, even though it wasn't really something he wanted to experience again if he could help it), but even so he only had a week until the deadline so that was the least of his worries.

His destination was a large complex that had been a Marine base until the higher-ups had decided patrolling such a desolate stretch of ocean in the New World was low on their list of priorities and had it decommissioned. Bounty hunters had moved in at some point after they'd left, probably in part because it was still fairly new and equipped with places to keep any unfortunate pirates they'd caught until they could pass them along to the Marines.

The biggest reason, though, was its location: high on a cliff overlooking the strait, access from the front was impossible since any boat trying to approach would be seen from miles away, and anybody trying to scale the sheer cliffs would likely be spotted just as quickly if they didn't kill themselves in the process.

So that only left sneaking in from the back, and since the only other viable port on the rock-surrounded island was clear on the other side, Sanji was hoping that meant they wouldn't expect anybody taking the time to infiltrate that way.

He didn't have much of a choice, though, since this was all his fault in the first place.

He hefted his large backpack, taking a mental inventory of everything else he'd packed besides food rations (extra clothing, plenty of cigarettes, a bedroll and blanket in case the nights got cold) and started to walk, glad that at least the island itself seemed to consist mainly of plains and tiny stands of trees despite the imposing rock spires surrounding it.

The day was warm, with the slightest of breezes carrying birdsong to him from over the meadows, and he was beginning to think that maybe this wouldn't be as arduous a task as he had first feared.

When the air shifted, he barely noticed at first, humming a sea shanty and pacing steadily forward until he encountered what almost seemed like a thin film stretched in front of him, glowing faintly and distorting the landscape behind as if he were viewing it through a glass of water.

It was vaguely familiar, something about it niggling away at his memory and telling him he should remember faster, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice came from behind him.

"I'll give you five seconds to explain to me why you're trespassing on my island."

The voice was sensual, full of dark promise and a hint of a smirk that let Sanji know the threat wasn't for show, but the words and the glowing orb-thing suddenly caused a long-repressed memory to come slamming back into his consciousness at full force.

He spun around, mouth gaping uselessly at the sight of the man in front of him, because it was a man he hadn't seen for over five years and this was about the last place Sanji would have expected to run into him again.

The flicker of recognition flared in the other man's eyes as well, and he let the orb dissipate with a wave of his hand as he hefted a man-sized sword over his right shoulder.

"Well," he looked at a loss for words, which Sanji knew was rare. "I must say, I hadn't…"

That was about all the incentive Sanji needed to fling his backpack to the ground and throw himself at the tall man, hoping that things hadn't changed so much he couldn't get away with this, and he nearly sobbed in relief when the embrace was returned without hesitation.

"Sanji," Law murmured into his hair, sounding a little choked up himself. "I don't understand…"

"Shut up for a minute, shitty surgeon, and let me enjoy this," the insult slipped off of his tongue before he even registered it, memories and images long stored away flooding his senses as he breathed Law in and let himself be held.

Law's hands were running up and down his back, as if he needed to keep touching to convince himself Sanji was actually there, and his breath hitched when he buried his nose in Sanji's hair.

"I missed you," Sanji would probably kick himself for it later, but at least before they'd parted ways he and Law had kind of gotten over any inhibitions in their relationship when it came to saying how they really felt.

Yeah, five years was a long time and maybe things had changed far more than he realized in that moment, but they were in love with each other once and that wasn't something Sanji was going to ignore.

Breaking down Law's walls the first time had pretty much drained all of his patience, and he was pretty sure he couldn't go through that again, especially with everything else he was dealing with.

"I…" Law sighed, the intent of his silence clear even if the words themselves never came. "I never thought…"

"You could have let me know you were alive," Sanji grumbled, because really, there was no excuse. Word of the new and improved Baratie opening on the All Blue had spread to every corner of the world, after all, so sending a message wasn't outside of the realm of possibility. And Law had, after all, been the one to ask Sanji to save a table for him, so it wasn't as if Sanji were delusional for thinking he just might show up one day.

Hell, Sanji had even half-convinced himself Law was dead, because the other man certainly seemed to be encouraging that theory. The Heart Pirates were still sailing, and Sanji had seen them from time to time at the restaurant, but every time he tried to ask about Law he'd gotten non-answers and shrugs, even from Penguin and Shachi who, he was pretty sure, knew damn well where Law was and what he was doing.

The last time they'd visited, some months earlier, Penguin had stopped before stepping back onto the submarine and reached to pat his shoulder before saying, rather cryptically, "Sometimes people die because they're forgotten, and sometimes that's exactly what they want."

He'd given Sanji a rather sad smile and a wave as the sub had zoomed away, and that had been when Sanji had decided that maybe it was time to finally move on completely from the idea of ever even seeing Law again.

It stung more than a little, part of him wondering if anything with them had even been real in the first place (a thought that was quickly brushed aside when he voiced it to Zoro, who glared at him and told him he was crazy. Sanji knew that Zoro missed Law, too, even if he'd never admit it aloud), but regardless he'd told himself it wasn't worth it to dwell on 'might-have-been's when he had a restaurant to run.

And so he'd let go of Law, slowly, losing himself in his work and the company of his friends whenever they stopped in (which for some of them was pretty damn often considering), and realized that hanging onto the past wasn't helping any of them.

It had all started because of him wanting to get Zoro to notice him, after all, and that had happened far better than he could have ever anticipated, so to be disappointed because he didn't have Zoro and Law seemed more than a little selfish, especially since he and Zoro had somehow managed to defy the odds and didn't completely hate each other. Hell, Zoro stayed at the Baratie more often than not, and Sanji didn't even care as long as he took on any potential challengers to his title outside where it wouldn't break the restaurant.

Yeah, Zoro had achieved his dream, too, and Sanji would never say it to his face, but he had the strange feeling that Mihawk was all too happy to hand the title over so that he could live life without the constant hassle of having to be prepared to fight all the time. Not that Zoro didn't deserve it, of course, because Sanji knew Mihawk wouldn't have conceded defeat if he'd felt the younger man wasn't ready.

Speaking of dreams, they'd all pretty much achieved them in one way or another, and while sometimes he did get bored being stuck on a permanently anchored ship instead of traveling the seas freely with no other responsibilities on his shoulders, it wasn't a life he'd trade for anything. Nami and Luffy were still sailing together, Nami charting every corner of the sea they could (and, with Luffy being the newly-crowned pirate king, even more people than before were after the rather incredible bounty on his head so Sanji was sure Nami stuck around to keep Luffy focused more than anything else). Usopp split his time between traveling with them and being back at home with Kaya, and Sanji had finally gotten to meet the woman in question on one of Usopp's frequent trips to the Baratie (and Kaya really was everything Usopp had made her out to be, so for once he hadn't been exaggerating). Chopper went with them a lot, too, gathering as much information as he could about different medicines and different cultures. Robin was a bit more elusive, preferring to only travel to places that had a strong historical connection, but she rarely stayed away more than a few months, either. Franky he saw about the least, since after sailing around the world he'd gone back to Water 7 in order to help Iceburg realize his dream of floating the city.

Brook might have been the biggest surprise, because while he and Sanji had always seemed to understand each other, he'd never actually spoken of his plans after finding Laboon, but he'd volunteered to be the resident musician at the restaurant, and it had turned into a flourishing little gig with live music on the weekends and lessons offered out during the week from one of the banquet halls. He also, as he reminded Sanji, used to lead a battle convoy so he'd become the restaurant's unofficial bodyguard as well (well, along with Zoro when he was there), and Sanji honestly wondered if he'd ever find out everything about Brook's past because the skeleton certainly had a fascinating tale to tell.

So that was them. Not really the Straw-hat Pirates any longer, but still a crew, still in touch, and still there to help out whenever one of them ran into trouble.

Well, until now, but since that was because Sanji was purposefully withholding information, it wasn't something he could hold against them.

He realized they were still standing out in the middle of a field hugging and stepped away awkwardly, letting his eyes rove over Law and taking in the changes that the last five years had brought.

Law looked remarkably unchanged, although his dark hair was shaggier, starting to gain silver streaks at the temples, and a few of the worry lines on his face seemed deeper when he frowned. His prosthetic arm moved with him fluidly now, barely distinguishable from his real one in terms of smooth mobility even to Sanji who knew it was there. He looked tired, though, the circles under his eyes darker than before and his shoulders slumped forward as if he couldn't be bothered to stand up straight anymore.

"Would you…" Law cleared his throat. "Would you like to come to my place? I can offer you tea, although I'm afraid my kitchen is rather under-stocked at the moment," he looked…awkward, Sanji realized, and while part of him was reluctant to let himself fall so easily back into old feelings because, knowing Law, he wouldn't be around for long, a bigger one knew he would never say no to spending time with the other man.

He had two extra days, after all, so this was a setback he could afford.

"Yeah," Sanji went to pick up his pack, not saying anything else as he followed Law to the far side of the meadow, close to the tiny grove he'd noticed before. There was a cabin there, a rather cheery-looking structure considering its inhabitant. A small vegetable garden took up a patch of what could probably be called the front yard, although there was nothing else from the outside to give any clue as to who might live there. One step inside, however, showed that Law's penchant for being as comfortable as possible certainly hadn't changed.

It was deceptively roomy, with a well-equipped kitchen and a large sitting room scattered with bookcases and well-loved, plush furniture. A door off the back of the kitchen led to what was undoubtedly the bedroom, and from the looks of things Law only had one, but Sanji wasn't going to presume anything about sleeping arrangements until he got more of a sign from the surgeon.

He set down his large bag beside the coffee table and turned around to find Law just…staring at him like he was seeing a ghost or something. Sanji took a few steps closer, holding out his hand, and Law took it without hesitation, tugging him so they were pressed bodily against each other once more.

"I'm having a hard time processing how you're here right now," Law admitted. "I just never would have expected…"

"It's fucking crazy," Sanji let himself fold against Law's body again, nuzzling his neck. "I'm not here for you, though."

"Well, as…honest as that is, I hardly expected so. That does raise the question of why you are, though, because I'm the only person living here," he wrapped his arms tightly around Sanji and held on, and Sanji wondered just how long it had been since he'd hugged another living person.

"And that's something I'd like to know about," Sanji knew he was changing the subject and that eventually he'd have to tell Law what he was doing there, but since it was kind of a sore spot for his pride and an extreme source of guilt at the same time, he was trying to put that off as long as possible.

Law seemed to understand his reluctance, thankfully, because he let Sanji go and cleared his throat. "Right. Well, feel free to make yourself comfortable and I'll make us some tea. You still like Earl Grey?" he asked it in such an off-hand way that Sanji knew he was expecting an affirmative answer (and Law, as far as he knew, wasn't a big tea-drinker so that he had Earl Grey on hand when he seemingly lived in the middle of nowhere was suspicious all by itself, although Sanji wasn't going to look too deeply into it).

"Of course," he said instead, shrugging off his suit jacket and going to take a seat at the small table. Law moved around the kitchen a little awkwardly, looking over at Sanji every few seconds as if making sure he didn't disappear into thin air, and Sanji could tell he wasn't exactly comfortable cooking but he wasn't going to say anything to correct him.

Making tea was an art, of course, but not one he was sure Law had any vested interest in.

Besides, as long as it was hot and tasted at least somewhat like Earl Grey, he wasn't going to complain.

Law brought the mugs over, setting one in front of Sanji while clearing his throat. He then proceeded to just sort of…hover awkwardly, and he was making Sanji nervous with the way he was carrying on.

"Look, this is your house, right?" he asked, getting a jerky nod. "So why are you acting like you don't belong in it?"

Law sighed, wrapping his hands around his own mug but making no move to get any more comfortable. Sanji had seen this sort of behavior before, although it had been a long time, and he knew he'd have to make the first move because Law, he was sure by now, would never actually admit to needing comfort.

"Do you want to move to the couch?"

A quick burst of relief flitted across Law's face before he schooled it into utter neutrality once more, but he did move over to the sitting room, plopping on the push sofa and reaching his real arm along the back in an obvious invitation.

Sanji took it, of course, tucking his knees under him and leaning against Law's body. He could feel the surgeon relax under the touch, his arm settling more firmly around Sanji's shoulders.

"Look, I know it's been a fucking long time," Sanji sighed heavily. "But I still…feel the same, so if you do, then I don't see any reason to act like things need to be weird."

"I do," Law said quickly. "I told you that you were it for me, and that…that hasn't changed," he promised, and while part of Sanji still felt guilty because Law deserved so much more than he could ever give, it was also the comfort that he needed in that moment..

"Good," Sanji shuffled even closer, finally taking a sip of the tea and finding it acceptable. "So. What are you doing here? What happened on Zou?"

"Nearly five years of hard work, since finding everybody that was infected was quite the chore. There were enough records to list who had been in the mining town at the time they'd evacuated, but there were people that had left earlier, and those who had married people not from the mining town and whose children were still infected, plus the rest of the children born since then..." he sighed. "I can't even estimate how many people I had to operate on, but using my ability that much drained my stamina substantially and doing it over and over meant I never had time to fully recover it. It's also probably why I look at old as I do," he grunted, and Sanji glanced up at him, lifting a hand to run his fingers through the silver hairs dotting Law's sideburns.

"You don't look old," he promised, because aside from that Law didn't, really. "And they suit you."

"You don't have to lie," Law didn't look convinced, and eventually he sighed. "Regardless, I did what I'd set out to do, and the town offered to thank me so I asked for this," he gestured around him. "Spending that much time around so many people was overwhelming and I desperately needed some space to myself. This island is only a few hours away from Zou, so getting supplies isn't any trouble, but it's far enough removed that I'm not bothered by anybody."

"It doesn't get lonely?" Sanji knew Law liked his privacy, of course, but this seemed extreme even for him.

"I've only been here a couple of months, and so far it's been…nice," he decided. "I've been following the news about all of you, you realize. I know you've all done what you set out to do," he sounded….proud, almost, and Sanji was amazed at how much Law's approval meant to him, a pleasant warm feeling settling in his chest at the words. "And my old crew has stopped in every couple of months since they set off on their own, so I get news from them, too. They can't shut up about your restaurant, by the way," he added, and Sanji grinned.

"Yeah, I see them a lot. Last time Penguin made it sound like you'd rather I forgot about you, so that's what I tried to do, but…" he sighed, taking another sip of his tea.

"I have no excuses," Law grunted, running his fingers up and down Sanji's arm. "I could have written you, or even gone with them to visit, but I…"

"Seriously, if I haven't fucking convinced you by now how important you are to me I don't know what else I can do," Sanji bristled, because Law's shitty self-loathing at the expense of his own happiness had gotten old really fast.

"I told you I have no excuses," Law repeated. "I don't expect you to forgive me, either, but…"

"Stop," Sanji cut him off. "Look, I don't care, okay? I stopped trying to understand you a long time ago, but I don't have the energy to do this with you now."

Law froze, lifting his arm and trying to pull away, but Sanji didn't let him because of course Law would take that the complete wrong way.

"Look," he set the tea down, moving to straddle Law's lap and staring down at him. "I'm dealing with a lot of shit right now, and it's all my fault, so the last thing I want to do is let this turn into some sort of emotional crisis when it doesn't have to be. Yeah, you should have at least let me know you were alive…I'm not that surprised you didn't, because you're still so fucking confusing…but we're both here now. If you feel the same, and I feel the same, that's all the fucking matters," he was gritting his teeth by the end, his voice rising, and he tried to calm down and keep his emotions in check.

Law bit his lip, eyes narrowed as he looked up at him, and he eventually nodded. "You're right, of course, but…"

"I was a good thing, and you're scared because every good thing in your life has ended," Sanji didn't even need Law to explain, because he knew what this was about. "And you thought that if you pulled away altogether, and you had an excuse, it would be easier to justify doing it even though you didn't want to."

"Fuck," Law leaned forward, resting his forehead against Sanji's chest. "You do know me too well."

Sanji sighed, running his fingers through Law's hair and holding him there. "Yeah. So stop fighting what you actually feel."

"Okay," Law said, although Sanji hardly believed he was going to remember that promise. "But I'm being an awful host, since you seem to have something weighing heavily on you and I'm making this about myself. The purpose of your visit to this island, for instance…"

Sanji knew there was no getting out of this now, so he took a breath and prepared himself for the story. "I'm heading for the old Marine base."

"You realize it's on the other side of the island, yes?" Law sounded amused. "Has being with Zoro so long made you inherit his sense of direction?"

Sanji laughed, but it was hardly a nice sound, and Law seemed to pick up on that. "What's wrong?"

"It's…it's being used by bounty hunters now, and the only way to get in without being seen is to come from the land side. The only other good place to dock on the island is by your cabin, so I was kind of stuck," he rattled off quickly, and Law pulled away from him enough to look up properly at him.

"Why would you want to break into a bounty hunters' base?" Law asked slowly, but Sanji had a feeling he already knew.

"Because…" he swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Because they've got Zoro. And it's all my fault."

Notes:

1. I know the last fic ended on kind of a down note, so I didn't want to leave you all hanging for too long! But yes, straight into the drama, because it makes things more interesting that way…

2. Continuing with the theme of the past two fics in this series, the title is once again taken from an O.A.R. song.

3. As always, feedback is immensely appreciated!