Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was his third month in the dungeon when a storm finally break in, and sadly he wasn't a prince who get captured in a high-tower, he was in the bottom of the ship, locked away, not even a prince. Not anymore.

Sky break through when Sanji trembled, he didn't even remember his own name at this state, only loved things can have a name, that's what he was being taught,

and like every unloved thing, he was left behind.

He saw the mermaid for the first time when he tried to look at the moon- water splashing inside with every shattering rumble of the ship, his knees on his chest, his head- laying on the iron cage, how much it had been since he felt a soft bed on his face, a soft embrace-

it felt like years.

The storm was long, the night was longer where Sanji looked at the moon- there was a figure, something small- holding onto the iron bars of the circle window-

there was no glass, it was cold it can be.

Sanji looked at it more carefully, it was someone. A boy,- or a girl with a short hair he couldn't understand, the cage on his head blurring the night-

He tried to get up, fell with the slippery floor and get up again, slowly climbing towards the window- sitting on top of the empty wardrobe,

He screamed,

the boy looking at him screamed too.

"You-?" he said, holding the bars so he doesn't fall, the boy- green hair and green eyes, he wasn't wearing any clothes- Sanji's brows arched and,

and a tail.

"You!" he screamed again, those things he read in the books, the islands and the all blue.

mermaids.

"You!" he screamed again, the green haired boy look at him- almost unfazed,

"Stop screaming at my face," he grunted, Sanji's mouth still open with a shock, "The thing in your head isn't heavy then, hm?"

the reality crashed around his walls again and made his way into the dreamland, a harsh wave came through the windows, hit his face and Sanji almost fell with the strength of it,

"It's-" he took a deep breath, "It's heavy,"

"I guessed so," the mermaid boy nodded his head, like he is thinking something, "That's why I'm trying to cover the window,"

Sanji put his head to the iron bars, it was heavy to sit like this, his body wasn't strong enough to carry it, yet.

"Why?"

Green eyes find his face,

"So you don't get drown. Are you an idiot?"

Sanji didn't ask anything else, it was hard to find words or fight with the waves, it was dark and the waves was everywhere, it was cold and dark- so much of it,

he wanted to stay awake, talk and be sure that this mermaid, this boy is real. But he fall asleep after a while, there was a little lake under the dungeon floor now- he was sitting on his wardrobe and two little hands was holding his hands so he doesn't fall in it.

he wondered if it would be better if he fall,

Later on he learned about the mermaid, when the sky is shiny and reminding him his mother's hair, the soldiers cleaning the dungeon floor and not giving him any attention, he supposed to be get used to this by now but he wasn't,

he wondered if it's better like this, be seen and still unloved or not be seen at all.

"Are you lost?" Sanji asked to the mermaid boy sitting on the edge of the window, his emerald green tail slowly waving,

"No," the boy answered, and telling him that he lost his family long time ago, his friend too. Swimming away alone was something he do, clinging onto the ship walls- when he doesn't know where else to go,

and sometimes hunt pirates, so he can sneak in their ships for few seconds and eat whatever he can find.

"You're a pirate hunter then," Sanji said smiling, "Thank you for saving me,"

and reaching his pocket to give him some of the cake he made, sometimes they do allow him for things like that,

The mermaid blushed,

"Shush, curly," he took the cake in hurry and bite, his eyes widening and it made Sanji giggle, "It's so good!"

"I made it,"

Then green eyes looked at him so softly, it's been so long since someone looked at Sanji like that. So long. And he was still so young.

Zoro. That's what his saviors name, he was a grumpy little thing with a soft glare.

he has to be in order to survive, Sanji eyed him carefully, turning yourself into a blade so anything cames to your way can be cut.

he doesn't know how to be something like that, he doesn't felt strong enough to be one.

"Curly?" Sanji questioned after a while, "Don't be mean!" he said when he remembered what he called him,

Zoro look at him, shaking his shoulders and huffing,

"You know I only know my family name, Roronoa," he whispered to Sanji, but Sanji wasn't hearing him,

"Who cares your name!" he grunted, ignoring the angry glare of Zoro, "I don't know a Roronoa, do you know what I know! I know marimos, wet and green like you marimo!"

he hissed towards the iron bar and Zoro glared at him back, holding each others glare,

"Huh, who cares!" Zoro answered with the same tone, and jump into the ocean back.

Sanji's heart stopped,

hands shaking on the iron bar he is holding, his eyes start swelling up with tears. no.

He cried that day- still eat the food they give him because it was less already, and he felt nearly always hungry, it was something rotten inside of him now,

he didn't mind.

In the night, he heard the same splash- familiar little bit,

"Curly?" his voice, little regretful,

"You came back?" he asked, slowly climbing on the wardrobe so they can be face to face,

Zoro nodded. Holding a marimo in his hands, Sanji wanted to laugh, after months.

"Of course," he whispered, "Where can I go?"

The wanting of laugh- and having a reason to laugh was two seperate things, and Sanji was never able to have reasons, his life was dark, sadly so.

Days passed, weeks and months this way or not, their conversations kept longer and longer, their memories and things tangled to each other, Sanji find it easy with a friend, at least bearable in a way,

It was a rainy september night when Zoro first saw them, his brothers.

"Don't make a noise, don't even breathe! They hear well," Sanji quickly begged to the mermaid, "Hide,"

Zoro didn't understand but listened to him, hiding in the little crook of the ship he carved with the stones he gathered around the bottom of the ocean while swimming around the ship,

he didn't have to pretend, he couldn't breathe at all with the scene in front of his face,

Sanji laid on the ground, trying to cover his chest and legs- his face already covered if only when they hit with their legs it echoes and gives him headache- he was familir with the ways of carrying it, he had no other choice.

When his brothers went away, the soldiers take of his cage and that's how Zoro see his face for the first time, little bruised and eyes- hollow,

"Sanji," the mermaid boy called his name, holding his hands from the bars,

Sanji looked at him from the ground, Zoro's face hitting on the bars and his hands trying to reach- his voice desperate,

"Are you okay? Sanji! Sanji!"

he cried, but he never turned his back to him.

It turn into a routine, ever since his brothers learned he is alive, and Sanji tried to bare, he had someone watching over him, this was what he was telling himself anyway,

Their stories grew long, their dreams became something readable under the lines, understandable- and the months start to slip away,

And, years passed.

The dungeon was a dark place, and the prisoners were captured in the rooms after few years- they were political, captains and kings. The dungeon Sanji was placed in was forgetten, it seems no one was as guilty as he was.

but existing was not a sin, not at all.

"I have two years left," Zoro told him, swinging the stick he is holding- he was doing that so much these days,

"To what?"

"To have my legs,"

Sanji's heart shuttered, he looked at him- the mask tighter now, he was growing in. He was sure that after a while, when there is no room left, he'll be captured in it, finally. He didn't know how to felt about it.

"Then you'll not- can't swim?" Sanji asked, afraid of the answer,

"I'll but time to time, I guess," Zoro's voice was happy, his glares were long- and it means that he was thinking something.

"What do you have in your mind?"

"I'll learn how to fight,"

"What?" Sanji whispered, trying hard to not look at his face, his cheeks blushing everytime he glares on his way now- it was like that for a while, not like he understand what this is.

but his chest was getting tighter,

"I'll learn how to fight, curly," Zoro answered again, turning his back to him and carving the ship little more, trying to make more room- his tail was huge now,

"For what?"

"You?"

The easyness in Zoro's voice take Sanji's breath for few seconds, his stomach dropped- but not in a way that when he heard his brothers foot steps, or everytime his breath stuck in his throat because the iron grip was too tight-

It was something that only reserved to Zoro. It was something so beautiful. It made him feel warm.

"Why?" he whispered,

Zoro's greens find his blues,

"So I can take you away from here,"

It was a promise in a way, something that he saw in Zoro's eyes everytime he glared at him from the floor, broken and bruised.

Few months passed again, and the breaking point came. His brothers was big now, they were fighters and musclear. Sanji wasn't, he was away even from the sunlight, had to hold his arms up from the bars to gather some, his moving space was small, and he didn't know how to fight,

"Come here, Sanji," Zoro's voice echoed around his ears, where he was laying-

He crawled on the floor, one little push and looking at him- it was dark now,

He wished the wetness on Zoro's face was from the sea, but it wasn't,

"Sanji," the mermaid whispered, holding his face and caressing his face, Sanji flinched- Zoro always hold him like this,

handful, precious, not getting enough of it.

He caressed his now long hair, his face, holding his face in both of his hands- his greens looking at him everywhere,

"I can't take it anymore," Zoro hissed, "I can't keep watching,"

Sanji shuddered, nodding, he wanted to say sorry, he wanted to say to him that he should swim away and find himself another friend, a family maybe.

But he couldn't, he was afraid of what his life would became without him, without his shadow, his words and stories, grunts and angry stares, always swimming back to him, to Sanji, to his window. So bad at directions, but somehow- always, always finding him.

Zoro put some seaweed on his face, to stop the aching,

"Wait for me Sanji, will you?" he whispered after settling the last piece,

Sanji was afraid of this day, yet here they were.

"Zoro," he said- voice, not strong enough.

"Wait for me, stay alive. You must, until I came here, this is the only thing I want from you, my Sanji," Zoro reached and hold Sanji's face in a tight grip, putting their foreheads against each other- iron bars stopping it a little, "I'll became a swordsman, and I'll cut every hand that touched you,"

"Come back to me," Sanji whispered to his lips- hearing the same old footsteps of the soldiers, coming to lock his cage back in its place,

Zoro nodded, kissing his forehead as much as he can,

a loud splash- an emerald green tail fading under the sea, Sanji reached and hold his stick before falling- holding in his hands- a wooden stick from one of the ships- maybe pirates Zoro hunt, a little curl carved on the side of it,

Sanji smiled to himself.

Two years eventually passed, the window grew cold and Sanji grew older, the bruises start to hurt less and his body was reflecting on his mind, but there was something he hold onto,

Something that he cling into, a will to live. Despite of everything there was this need to believe, there was still this need to wonder about things, how it'll feel to hear his footsteps,

His brothers and sister start going into fights, to wars and they left Sanji alone more and more, or they get bored of. Sanji didn't think about that, didn't question,

He still sit next to window, looking at the empty place Zoro used to sit, and wishing that he is doing okay,

he has to be.

Then, when he know that one of the fights germa sent for ended, the screams and music coming from the deck of the ship- proving his point, Sanji waited.

They usually celebrate with taking their nearly half finished energy from beating Sanji, he waited.

Hugging himself, and his eyes searching for a spot to lay- it's been more than a decade now, but he never get used to it, the nice thing was that it started to rain, rain drops falling into the ocean was reminding him the way Zoro's tail splashing around, he can cling onto that while he is holding himself.

He look at the door- closing his eyes, deep breaths.

Music stopped, a loud crash- screams and more screams, he hold onto the iron bars, his heart turning in its place, can it be?

Then the door opened, he saw a sword. His breath stuck in his throat, there he was.

There he was.

Beautiful as ever, prideful, know how to carry himself. The loneliness that must hunt a person only made him more sharp- like the sword he carry, someone to protect people, keeping his promises.

his boy, his beautiful boy.

"Zoro?" he screamed,

The screams from outside were getting louder, the footsteps too- safe.

So safe.

His swords, two in his hands and one on his mouth, Sanji smiled to himself, silly boy.

"Zoro?" he whispered now, face to face.

A move- harsh, knowing where to hit, long thud. Iron bars between them falling away, Sanji heard the swords falling in the ground, in the sight of him Zoro only wanted to hold him, it seems.

Rough hands holding his waist and yanking him, never harsh, never that. In a certainty that only gave comfort,

Sanji flinched when he felt his chest on his, warm, so much.

"Sanji," Zoro whispered, one of his eyes, closed. Sanji reached and hold his face- his fingers lingering around his ear, lightly touching the three earrings, golden. His eyes looking at his chest, a scar, he gave his everything to learn how to fight, and came to him.

"You came," looking at him like he hang the moon, he did, in a way.

Zoro pushed his face in his hand, closing his eye for a second,

"I miss you," he murmured, "My Sanji, it's over now,"

"Is it?"

Zoro nodded, a slight smile- he reached and hold his cage, Sanji hold onto his shoulders, knowing what he has in his mind, he always knew him in a way.

Loud crash, his strong hands- breaking it, setting him free. Sanji take a deep breath,

Zoro take a deep breath with him too, like he is breathing with him, like he breaths for the first time after so many years.

Sanji saw few figures on the door- a boy with a strawhat and a girl with orange hair, but only for a second, before Zoro hold his face again- and crashed their lips together,

he whimpered in his throat, his hands finding his back, holding it.

Trying to be close to him as much as he can.

"I'm here," Zoro whispered to his lips, before kissing him again, devouring, deep- inhaling, "I'm here Sanji,"

Sanji kissed him back with everything he got, and he got love, so much love, for him.