You passed through the group of bodies with difficulty, everyone laughing, dancing and just drinking where ever there was room in the cramped apartment. It was much nicer then your place by a long shot, with it's modern art and clean white furniture where as you had scrounged for your couch from the neighbors upstairs; a couch they had left behind because winning the lottery tended to allow one to buy fancier furniture.

But that's not what we're here for. You were just trying to get through the crowd without spilling your beers. Something that was becoming extremely difficult when you felt some guy get particularly hands-y with your ass. The jerk could have at the very least introduced himself to your cheeks before reaching second base. You made quick work of him though, bumping into him hard and watching him stumble away and start to grope someone else. Rude.

You made it to the far wall next to the hallway where your grumpy dog glared at anyone who dared thought to make any kind of casual conversation with him.

"Hey big guy," You greeted, hips bouncing to whatever club song the host had put on.

"Why are we here?" He huffed, looking bored out of his mind.

"It's New Years Eve! One must party on New Years," you said matter of factly.

"Why am I here?"

You grinned at his tone and handed him the beer, his whole demeanor perking up instantly. He drained the contents in one big gulp then squeezed the plastic cup in his hand.

"A little weak..."

You responded by blowing a party favor in his face, the paper unrolling and honking at him. He snatched the cheap toy out of your mouth and tossed it somewhere without a glance. You laughed at this then grabbed his arm with the intent of getting him into the middle of the room where people had deemed as the dance floor.

"Dance with me!"

Zoro looked reluctant, trying to pulled his arm free from your grip until you handed him the second drink. He complied then, grinning and letting you do as you pleased while he took smaller gulps this time. The wolf didn't so much as wiggle his hips while you danced to the music, merely drank his beer and watched you laugh and serenade him.

"Are you drunk already?" He asked with a head tilt.

"Haven't had one yet!" You shouted over the music, not caring how much of a weirdo you looked at the moment. You were too excited about midnight to care how you looked, this being the first New Years you would actually have someone to kiss; someone you actually liked anyways.

Zoro stared at you over the rim of the drink, hiding his grin now while he placed a hand on your hip. "If this is going to be a one sided dance, maybe I should just sit down?"

You stopped suddenly, the suggestion quickly forming as a picture in your head. Zoro would be sitting in some plush armchair with his arms folded across his chest while you strutted around him before placing hands on his shoulders and start to squeeze them. The fantasy went on to show you slowly climbing into the man's lap, him smirking at you while he placed his large hand on your hip and gave it a slow rub-

You smacked his chest with a laugh, "Pervert!!"

He smirked and finished the beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before looking around.

"There's more in the kitchen," You pointed left then glared when he started to go right. "C'mon you idiot."

Snatching his hand, you dragged him into the direction of the kitchen. Inside was a good amount of people, though not as much in the living room, it was a pretty popular spot to be considering the drinks.

Oh, and the keg.

Mostly the guys were surrounding one another as they each took a turn at the thing, cheering whenever someone did better then the last. It was a little frat-boyish, but who were you to tell them how to have fun? The few girls in the room were grouped around the counters, talking and mingling while their boyfriends kept themselves busy with the keg.

You had to swat a few people out of the way to get to the table that held the liquor, not noticing Zoro stepping hard on a guy's foot for checking you out.

"Who are these people?" The wolf asked while looking for anyone else who dared to get close to you, both of you stopping at the table where you looked over the cups, shot glasses, and liquor bottles.

"I have no idea," You shrugged, laughing at his annoyed look. "Been a while since I've crashed a party, but I think we're doing pretty good so far."

Zoro rolled his eyes and quickly snatched up the whiskey, drinking directly from the bottle in large gulps. Just watching made your throat clench and crave water.

"Don't do that!"

"Why?" Zoro snarled, taking another swig while you tried to reach for the liquor.

"That's for everyone!"

The wolf grinned in satisfaction after his second drink, "Like I care."

You managed to finally snatch the bottle from your boyfriend, giving him a mock glare before following his example and taking a drink as well. You coughed at first, only used to shots of the liquid, but then managed to keep it down when you finished. You really wished for a chaser or something to wash the burning feeling out of your throat, but when Zoro tried to take the bottle back you sidestepped him and took another gulp of the liquor; intent on teasing him instead of shooting for a buzz...

A buzz that turned into a full on drunken haze.

Next thing you knew, you were taking a shots challenge with a group of girls who had been super nice to you and told you how cute you looked (all with slurred words). Then you were dancing on a coffee table in the living room with a few of the same girls before taking another shots challenge, and then the night ended with Zoro helping you walk down the street towards where your own apartment area was.

"Is it midnight yet?" You asked with a slurred voice while Zoro made sure your arm stayed secured over his shoulder.

"It was two hours ago."

You groaned, "I wanted a kissssssss."

Zoro rolled his eyes and stopped walking, grabbing your chin to look at him before he gave you the kiss you wanted for the new year. He didn't have to put too much effort into it considering how drunk you were, but he liked the idea of you waking up and remembering this; so he made sure it was good enough to make you cling to him. You were easily pleased in this state, but if you hadn't been drunk you would have to say it was a damn good kiss.

He had cradled your face in his hand as he slowly forced you to lean back a little, arm wrapped around your waist to keep you upright. Zoro's mouth pressed firmly into your own while your hands moved to his chest...then down...then you were trying to sneak your hands into the waistband of his jeans which made him end the kiss abruptly. You whined but didn't push it, grinning that Zoro was flustered at your attempt to cop a drunken feel. The wolf gave you a look that basically told you to behave then proceeded to help you down the street again.

"Question," You muttered after the two of you made it half a block. "Are there different kinds of werewolves?"

He gave you a quick glance, "What do you mean?"

Face breaking out in a grin, you lolled your head onto his shoulder. Zoro had to stop a moment when you started to slip and got you back onto your feet.

"Different kinds of breeds! Like...Is there some burly guy that got bitten and now he changes into a Pomeranian on the full moon?"

Zoro had to stop, staring down at you with a look that you couldn't decipher since you were pretty sure your eyes were a bit crossed.

"It's a legitimate question," You whined out.

"You're such a lightweight," Zoro grinned, making you huff and puff like a child.

"We can't all have alcohol for blood," You muttered, giggling when Zoro pinched your cheek in response.

You two continued in your comfortable silence, just walking down the street towards your home where everything was perfectly normal....kind of. As normal as five days of constant worry could provide anyways.

Once you both had returned home from the country, you had found everything just a mess. Not only had you had to call a plumber and the landlord about your broken (sliced) sink, but you had to call work about your schedule, apologize to your friend for ditching her over the holiday rush, and message your mother about your reason for missing christmas. You didn't want to think about the damages to your apartment would be or to the cabin where you were sure your dad would not be happy about seeing when he got home. But you were sure you could pull a miracle out of your ass and pay for the damages before he realized there even were any.

That level of stress didn't even cover what you had been feeling ever since you had come back to the city. You were sure there was going to be some new assassin on your heels, a monster lurking around and plotting to kill Zoro, or just the asshole who had hired Mihawk possibly coming after the two of you himself. You had spent two days in bed hiding while Zoro just laid with you, not bothering to try and feed you false promises on how the guy would just forget you both and move on.

Zoro was pretty blunt about the danger you two were in and he even said there could be injuries he can't prevent, but he was also confident that he could protect you from any kind of danger. His conviction made you feel loads better and you had finally started to be normal again on the third day.

It wasn't until New Years eve that you decided you two needed some fun, so here you are. Having fun without the worries of being maimed by some unknown force.

"Oi, this isn't my street." You scowled, looked behind you then at Zoro. "You took us the wrong way!"

Zoro snarled, "The directions were unclear."

"What directions?! It's left or right then a straight shot!"

The two of you argued as you made your way back the other way, the fight turning playful the more it went on and ending with you clinging to him like a lovesick teen. This was generally how your arguments ended, which was a good sign for your relationship; you'd hate to see what would happen if you two really got into it...

~~~

"Where are your keys?" Zoro asked when you two made it to the apartment door.

You flashed him a smug look and wiggled your butt a little. "In my back pocket~!"

The wolf didn't seem to think twice about reaching for the keys, hand digging around the tight pocket while inadvertently making you feel like a perverted mess; naughty thoughts of Zoro suddenly pushing you against the wall and doing all sorts of fun things to you. But that didn't happen, in fact, he didn't even grope you!

"You are so vanilla," You whined as he unlocked the door, earning a confused look from him. You waved a hand at him to forget it, deciding vanilla was a good flavor anyways; just think of all the delicious things you could add to vanilla compared to other flavors.

Walking inside, you unabashedly started to strip. You took off your shirt first while you did your best to wiggle out of your pants, hopping around a bit until you were just in your underwear and bra. You felt too tired and drunk to feel any sort of embarrassment and it seemed Zoro was trying his best not to openly stare, just kept his gaze on the couch while you headed towards the bedroom and plop face down onto the mattress.

You heard movement in the room, Zoro rifling around for something while you took up as much room as you desired, knowing Zoro would be forced to situate your lazy butt. It was a fun game, making the wolf flush after every flash of skin you gave him or any time he had to touch you without clothes on - he would become the cutest mess in the world and you couldn't stop yourself at all. You were sure you were going to make him snap one day, but you were never good at leaving things alone.

But instead of being pushed over to make room, Zoro had made you sit up before forcing a large shirt over your head, messing up your hair and making you huff.

"What are you doing?" You frowned, looking down at the large green t-shirt that engulfed your form. You briefly caught a whiff of a nice scent and realized this was one of Zoro's shirts.

"It's going to get cold tonight," He stated, fixing the collar so it wasn't just hanging off your shoulder. He didn't seem to be at all embarrassed at your naked state this time, just concerned for your health.

The simple action made you swell with pure affection before you launched yourself into his lap and smothered him with drunken kisses, both of you now laying on the bed and making out like honeymooners.

Vanilla was turning out to be the best flavor there is.

~~~

Ugh, it was snowing.

You could tolerate the flakes before and during Christmas, but after the holidays you didn't want anything to do with it. Zipping up your jacket, you glared at the falling snow before closing the door behind you. Zoro was still asleep so you figured you'd sneak out for some donuts to surprise him.

"______-chan."

You turned and saw Jinbei walking out of his home as well, bundled up and looking warm despite still wearing a kimono in this winter weather. You grinned.

"Jinbei, how are you this morning?" You watched him glare at the falling snow just as you had before he answered.

"As good as any other day," He adjusted his coat and looked at you. "Did you enjoy your New Years?"

You puffed up your chest and smirked, "I may have crashed a party or two."

His eyes flashed, as if he knew something. "Did you decide to bring anyone home?"

Your bravado quickly vanished and turned into a full on blush. "I...Uh, no. I mean-"

Jinbei laughed, "It was a joke, _______-chan."

You relaxed, feeling a bit bad that your neighbor didn't know what had happened to you or what would possibly happen. You wished you could tell him everything, considering he had been there for you in tough times and deserved at least a heads up of possibly crazies coming after you. But something always stopped you from speaking about it. Feeling Jinbei would just think you were insane as soon as werewolves and monsters would come into play and you really didn't want to lose one of the few friends you had.

"I'm going to pick up some breakfast, want to walk with me?" You smiled when Jinbei nodded, both of you talking leisurely as you went down the stairs and across the street where an old strip mall was located. Everything around your neighborhood was a bit dated, the roads being murder on tires, street lamps flickered on and off, shady dealings in alleys and on corners. But if there was one thing that made the area just a little bit enjoyable, it was the bakery across the street.

The place was always filled with fresh loaves of bread, grade A meat for sandwiches, and the best damn donuts you'd ever had in your life. It was locally owned, but always busy.

There was already a long line inside the shop, people bundled up and ordering coffee and food for the work day. You and Jinbei stepped into line and looked at the display case that held all the wonderful flavors of pastries that had been made for the day.

You resisted the urge to press your nose to the glass as you tried to figure out what to get Zoro, figuring he liked things a bit simple and drenched in alcohol.

"For someone who went out partying, you sure seem cheerful." Jinbei pointed out as you bounced on the heels of your feet to see how many people were ahead of you.

"I made sure to drink a buttload of water."

He hummed, studying you. "How did you get home?"

That stopped your gawking, now looking at Jinbei from the corner of your eyes. "Well, I walked..."

"Alone?"

"A-A friend walked me home." You quickly grinned, though a bit nervously, and waved the man off. "Don't worry, Jinbei! I made sure to make a plan before going out."

The man hummed at you and didn't press further, but you felt like he was suspicious about...something and you honestly weren't sure you wanted him to find out.

It was finally your turn, ordering a good dozen of different donuts and taking the box with you after Jinbei ordered a hot tea. You both stepped out of the shop and towards the cross walk where a group of people were waiting for the light to change so they could cross the street.

"How's Bushido doing?"

You grinned, "Still a fluffy ass. But he's much more sociable now, doesn't even snap at the mailman anymore."

Zoro didn't need to be a wolf to still growl at the stranger from your window though. He had explained to you that he just didn't trust him and you left it alone since it was probably a weird dog quirk he had.

"That's good," Jinbei nodded, sipping his tea. "I would hate to see how he reacts when you bring a boyfriend home."

You sputtered out a nervous laugh, gripping the donut box while wave after wave of guilt smashed into you. Maybe you should tell the man. I mean, it wasn't really his concern, but he obviously cared about your well being and you just lying to him was only going to make things worse.

Damn it, why wasn't the light turning green yet? You just wanted to get home so you could figure out a way not to feel like a complete jerk. It almost made you want to jaywalk but you knew it would be a death wish considering how shitty the drivers were around here and how fast they went.

"Y-Yeah, but I'm sure he'd get used to him."

The walking sign finally changed, signaling everyone it was okay to cross the street. You eagerly followed the crowd while Jinbei walked beside you.

"Yes. I suppose he would...but if he were to hate him, what would you do?"

'That would be impossible considering Bushido is my boyfriend,' You thought to yourself as you both made it to the other side of the street. "I would ditch the guy I guess. If Bushido doesn't like him then I don't like him."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it." He looked thoughtful, "But your happiness is just as important as Bushido's. He'll have to learn to be around other people."

You frowned, not sure you could take much more. "Jinbei, I-"

Before you could get through your sentence, you felt a sharp tug on the back of your jacket. The force made you suddenly jerk backwards, stumbling off the sidewalk while the donuts fell from your hands and onto the ground. Jinbei had quickly turned when he realized you weren't right next to him as you had been a second ago. His eyes widened when he saw you stumble and fall back right into the street just after the light had changed.

You fell onto your butt and tried to get up, but the force kept you down on the ground; like your lower half was a magnet and the ground was it's opposite. You attempted to stand again but froze when you saw an old pick-up truck suddenly in your field of vision, speeding right at you. You watched in horror as it swerved just in time to avoid you, sliding into the other lane and almost crashing into another car. You had thought you were safe and had even tried to stand again, but luck wasn't with you. The car behind the large pick up hadn't seen you until the moment it had swerved into the other lane and it was already bearing down at you, it's occupants honking at you and trying to turn in time so they couldn't run you over.

"________-chan!!"