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The first time it happens, Sanji doesn’t know what to think.
It’s after Wano, after the Raid on Onigashima, after the dust has settled and the world has begun to be put to right. It took a while for them to finally leave the shores of Wano to journey back out to the sea, time that was spent celebrating and recovering, settling old scores and ending alliances that won’t really end if Luffy has anything to say about it.
But the moment they set off, Sanji realises how much he’s missed the sea… especially with his crew at his side. They were all last together on Dressrosa, and the amount of time that has passed since then? It makes Sanji dizzy to even think about.
And it’s a little awkward, too be honest. Everyone dances around one another at first. Their time apart means there are things they no longer know about each other, experiences that haven’t been shared. They have new habits to mix with the old, new ticks and tricks that make the rest of the crew frown and pause.
Luffy will never change, but Nami sometimes lingers near a railing with her climatact in hand, quietly talking to it. They know that Zeus the Thundercloud is inside the staff, but even so it still makes Sanji hover nearby, a frown on his face until Nami’s own smooths out. He doesn’t know how to soothe her worries away anymore, doesn’t know what to say or do. Whether because the barrier from Whole Cake still lies between them or because Sanji thinks too much… he doesn’t know.
Although, she’s not the only one who has changed. There’s other things, smaller things, lighter things. Robin prefers a blossom tea now that the geisha on Wano would drink. She still accepts earl grey when Sanji makes it, but her eyes shine in a way that makes Sanji’s heart simply flutter when a carefully steepled teacup of sweet orange blossom tea is placed in front of her.
Then there’s Franky, who wields his hammer in a different way, now more careful and precise, his hands even steadier than usual as he nurses their ship with an astounding amount of care. He more reserved now though when the others cause problems, like break railings or rip up the lawn, as if he’s worried they might flinch away from him were he to yell. Sanji still sees the clenched jaw and the flash in the cyborgs eyes, but it’s like he holds back the fight instead of letting it out.
Usopp… well, Usopp’s new found burst of confidence is completely shattered by the still lingering reek of toad oil, no matter how much he tries to bathe it out. Sanji has even offered his own collection of soaps and oils, Nami adding some of her stronger scents when it became apparent that wasn’t touching the stench, but it only just tempers the horrendous smell of toad that Usopp trounces about the ship.
Chopper and Brook are quiet in their now constant presences, the separation clearly the hardest on their most sensitive crew mates. It’s not often that Sanji doesn’t find one of them in the galley with him when cooking. He takes to baking the sweetest of treats just for their dear little reindeer, getting his own joy out of the sheer delight on Chopper’s face, and he often requests songs for Brook to play in the otherwise quiet, the skeleton always quick to find a violin to pluck at or a guitar to strum.
And… well, Sanji knows he’s changed too. He can’t help it, the weight of Whole Cake still a heavy burden he’s unsure will ever lighten. He knows he’s quicker to anger, spends too much of his time trying to make up for his actions, and he tends to avoid Luffy almost subconsciously. His captain notices, they all notice, but there’s just this strange undercurrent amongst them all… like a line they’re not willing to cross.
But then, things slowly start to click back into place.
There’s still a tenseness between them, but one day Nami smiles at Sanji over the rim of a fruit smoothie and Sanji’s heart flutters so hard that he wiggles his way through a serious of grandiose compliments before he realises it’s the first time he’s done so since Whole Cake. Nami just laughs, rolling her eyes, and Sanji thinks… he thinks they’re gonna be okay.
And then another day Franky’s sudden roar bursts out unburdened as Usopp and Chopper blow something up on the Sunny’s deck, soot and ash burning itself into the usually pristine Adam’s wood. Chopper giggles madly as Usopp swings him up onto his shoulders before they bolt away from the furious cyborg, Franky throwing all his new found restraint aside as he tears after them. The crew laughs at the game of cat and mouse, Brook even playing a jaunty tune to accompany the chaos as Robin sprouts hands to try nabbing the other two for Franky. Luffy lets out a battle cry as he bounces around swatting at Robin’s hands, defending Usopp and Chopper with all his might, and Sanji lets himself get hauled onto Franky’s team as Usopp breezes past him in a smelly cloud of toad oil and panic.
It’s normal, their normal. It’s like a weight falls off all of their shoulders as the crew comes together once more. There’s balance in their chaos, joy in their squabbling, and Sanji thinks that this is exactly what it was like before.
Before Wano, before Dressrosa, before Punk Hazard… before Whole Cake.
Things are the same again. They’re the Straw Hat crew, with a new member that fits in as if he’s always been there. Jinbei seems hesitant at first to join in the daily shenanigans, but Sanji sees that it doesn’t take long for him to be sucked into Luffy’s vortex. Poor bastard never stood a chance.
And then one day… it happens.
It’s a stunning day. Sanji delights in it as he leans on the Sunny’s railing, cigarette held loosely between his fingers, smoke lazily curling into the air from it’s glowing tip. His crew are around him, enjoying the sun and warmth as they sail on a long open stretch of water. The wind is light and breezy, the sails hardly moving as they tow the Sunny forward. There’s barely a cloud in the sky, and the laughter from below on the lawn has Sanji’s usually tense shoulders slowly relaxing.
He’s not entirely sure what game most of the crew are playing. It involves a lot of squawking and hollering though as Chopper chases Nami around a circle the others have formed where they are seated on the lawn. Luffy is hardly staying still, thumping his fists on his bent knees with excitement as Usopp and Brook laugh on either side of him, barely holding their captain down by the shoulders. Jinbei looks confused where he kneels beside Franky, but the cyborg keeps bellowing out loud guffaws as he slaps the fishman on his back, not letting him move an inch.
Robin watches from her seat on Chopper’s swing, a delicate teacup of orange blossom tea resting in her lap. She catches Sanji’s eye, a pleasant smile spreading across her lips as she inclines her head just slightly towards their rowdy crew. Sanji smiles in return before Nami’s brilliant laugh cuts out across the ship, and he turns back in time to see Chopper tackle her to the ground with a loud whoop, Nami’s arms coming up to grip the little reindeer tightly as she hits the lawn with a thump.
It causes Usopp and Brook to lose their battle to Luffy’s sudden surge of excitement. Their captain is on his feet in an instant, joining the dog pile of Chopper and Nami with a warbled battle cry, and Sanji hides a laugh behind his cigarette as it seems the others throw caution to the wind and join in. Nami is yelling something fierce from the bottom of the pile, but Sanji is halted from intervening when he hears the genuine joy in her barely contained laugh, even as she reaches out desperately to a harried Jinbei.
The only one missing from the chaos is Zoro, which doesn’t surprise Sanji at all. He casts his eye around to look for him, spotting him almost instantly. He’s nearby, always nearby, where he’s tucked himself into the curve of the other tangerine tree on the lawn, away from the others but still close, seemingly perfectly content as he dozes peacefully with his arms across his chest and legs outstretched, his swords carefully placed down on the grass beside him.
Sanji watches him for a while, follows the steady rise and fall of the swordsman’s chest, the way his head lolls just a little to the side, moving slowly with each breath. He’d been on watch last night so Sanji doesn’t begrudge him catching up on sleep, but it does astound him to a certain degree just how much Zoro can sleep through as their crew’s antics spill closer towards him.
Then again, Sanji thinks as he lets out a long exhale of smoke with a small smile, Zoro has been known to sleep through entire thunderstorms before, not to mention the odd life-changing event or battle. This doesn’t come even close to those.
With his cigarette nearly burnt down to the filter, Sanji stubs it out in his ash tray before collecting it to head back into the galley. All the carry on downstairs makes him think that a pleasant drink for the afternoon might go a long way, especially for dear Nami who is still very much wrapped up in Luffy’s insane rubber arms, and Sanji throws his cigarette butt and ash into the bin before coming around to open the fridge.
There’s some bright strawberry syrup that Usopp had simmered and strained for him down the bottom, tucked into the fridge doorway. Sanji picks it out along with a handful of limes before depositing them on the bench top and heading back to the freezer, humming a jaunty tune Brook just finished composing yesterday as he pulls out a large bag of ice.
It doesn’t take long to crush the ice and pour it into the variety of glasses he’s collected for his crew, some bigger than others. Jinbei had seemed surprised the first time Sanji presented him with a drink in a glass that didn’t get immediately dwarfed by his hand, and Sanji had just grinned at his thanks before twirling his way back towards the ladies. It’s not a big deal, but Sanji thinks maybe for the fishman it might be.
Strawberry syrup goes in along with some still chilled water before Sanji turns to the limes. Hardly any for Chopper, only a little for the girls, and nearly an entire one for Zoro. The swordsman’s is much too sour for Sanji’s own tastes, but he knows the bastard would wrinkle his nose in that way that means he hates something if Sanji presented him with a drink the same sweetness as the others.
He’d still drink it though, without a single bloody complaint… and Sanji’s heart beats a little faster knowing that before he catches himself and shoves all those silly thoughts back down where they belong.
Once ready, Sanji adorns the glasses with a slice of lime each before reaching for the drawer with the straws. Simple metal for the girls, but Sanji plucks out a few of the crazy silly squiggle ones that he’d found a few islands back for Luffy, Usopp and Chopper. They’re strange stupid shapes and they make Sanji roll his eyes, but the sheer delight when Sanji had presented them to the younger crew members the first time had been palpable.
He pauses before he scoops up two more, one for Brook and one for Franky. The two of them like to pretend they’re some of the maturest of the crew, but Sanji had seen their green eyed envy when they’d missed out last time.
With everything settled on a tray, Sanji sweeps back out onto the deck, trotting down the stairs easily to the deck below. The crew have stopped wrestling one another and mostly dispersed, still around the lawn but in smaller groups. Sanji heads for the ladies first, Robin having abandoned her spot on the swing for the bench around the foremast, sitting with Nami as they laugh over something Chopper is saying where he’s squished between them. He’s got wide starry eyes as he looks up at the ladies, his sweet giggle contagious, and Sanji grins as he twirls towards them with a flourish.
“Would you like a drink, my dears?” he asks, lowering the tray to present the two at the front. They’ve got an added strawberry on the sugar dusted rims of their glasses, and Nami’s eyes brighten as she reaches out for it immediately, plucking the fruit up and popping it in her mouth.
“Oh Sanji,” she gushes with delight, giving him a bright smile that matches the complete mess of her hair, a strawberry seed on one of her front teeth. Sanji thinks it makes her look even more beautiful. “You always just seem to know exactly what we need!”
“Indeed,” Robin agrees, grasping her own glass with delicate fingers before handing her own strawberry to Chopper who lets out a squeak of excitement as he takes it with gusto. “It’s a wonderful talent.”
Sanji feels his cheeks burning and he can’t help his dopey smile. “Anything for you, my darlings!”
Robin gives him an indulgent smile as Nami just happily focuses on her drink, letting out pleased noises around her straw. Sanji ducks his head, well aware of how red his face must be, before reaching up to pick Chopper’s drink from the tray and hand it to the little reindeer.
Chopper wiggles with glee as he takes the glass, even more so when he notices he also has a ring of sugar around the rim, and his eyes are wide with sheer joy as he tries to catch the silly straw with his mouth. Its endearing, and Sanji’s smile softens as Robin reaches down to helpfully hold the straw still for Chopper to clamp his teeth around.
“Thanks, Sanji!” Chopper cheers, and Sanji ruffles the fur on his forehead before he sweeps off to find the others.
Usopp and Franky are hunched over a collection of items that will probably resemble an invention at some point where they sit in the middle of the lawn, and they both give distracted thanks as Sanji delivers them their drinks, although Sanji spots Franky’s chuffed grin when he sees he too has a straw like the others. Brook and Luffy are being carefully supervised by Jinbei where they sit on the railing, fishing rods hanging from their grips, and Sanji has to duck Luffy’s grabby hands as he tries to wrap Sanji up into a suffocating hug in gratitude for the drink. Jinbei manages to distract him though, pulling him away with one hand as he raises his large glass towards Sanji, a pleased grin on his face as Brook chortles around his silly straw beside him.
It leaves only Zoro, and Sanji detours to drop the tray on the staircase leading to the upper deck as he goes past, holding the last glass in his hand as he heads towards where the swordsman is still snoozing peacefully under the tangerine tree.
Part of him, he’ll admit, is loathed to wake him. Zoro looks so damn content where he sleeps, something that has gotten more rare to see after their two years apart, but the glass in Sanji’s hand is cold enough to nearly hurt and he knows the swordsman hasn’t drunk anything since lunch a few hours back. Any other time that would be fine, but the sun is almost blistering today with its heat and already Zoro’s skin is turning a darker brown than usual.
In any case, Sanji thinks to himself as he heads towards their swordsman, all plant life needs a bit of watering in the heat.
So, when he gets to Zoro’s side, Sanji pauses for only a moment before he reaches out with his slightly pointed dress shoe and nudges the swordsman’s thigh none too gently.
“Oi, Marimo,” he calls, and he sees Zoro’s eyebrows twitch for a moment, the most subtle of signs to show that he’s heard him and maybe isn’t as completely asleep as he appears. “Time to wake up.”
There’s a silent beat before Zoro speaks. “Fuck off, Twirls,” he grumbles, sounding more tired than annoyed, and Sanji’s lips twitch before he nudges Zoro again, a little firmer this time.
“I have a drink for you.”
Zoro huffs, his arms tightening across his chest just slightly. “I don’t want it.”
Sanji narrows his eyes in return, his grip tightening around the glass in his hand. “I don’t care what you want.” He digs the toe of his shoe into Zoro’s side harshly, grinning when Zoro lets out a growl and opens his eye to glare up at him. “You get what you’re given when it’s given, algae-brains.”
Zoro looks mutinous for a second before he shifts his gaze to the glass that Sanji is holding out to him. “I don’t want your prissy drink, Cook.” He scowls before moving his arms to cross behind his head, leaning back on them as he closes his eye again. “They’re all too sweet anyway.”
Sanji’s eyebrows raise. The glass stays cold in his hand as he keeps it between them, drops of condensation dribbling down onto his fingers. It’s a stark contrast between the sudden heat burning in his chest, rearing up his throat and leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
He knows… he knows things aren’t right between him and Zoro. While things with the rest of the crew might have settled, there’s been a tension between them since they reunited in Wano. Sanji gets it, he doesn’t need to actually talk to Zoro to know the swordsman is furious with him for the shit he pulled with Whole Cake. Frankly, he would be too were their roles reversed.
But it’s been different again since they’d left Wano’s shores. Sanji isn’t blind and he isn’t stupid. He’s felt Zoro’s gaze on him more often, seen how often the swordsman seems to always be within his own sight, how rare it is to be without him nearby. Whether Zoro doesn’t trust him or keeps expecting him to leave them again, he doesn’t know, but it’s infuriating knowing that Zoro clearly has a problem but isn’t willing to say anything about it.
Although a little part of Sanji, that voice that sits in the back of his mind and whispers words in an accent too close to Germa’s, reminds him that he doesn’t deserve Zoro’s trust anymore, nor the right for the swordsman to look at him with anything except contempt.
Sanji grits his teeth as he glares down at Zoro, pushing his thoughts away to focus on the swordsman. The stupid bastard, he looks so relaxed while Sanji is ready to explode, and he’s just about to let out a flurry of expletives when he suddenly sees the edge of Zoro’s lip curl up in a strangely familiar way.
Oh, he realises. He recognises that not-quite smile, knows what it’s asking for, and Sanji pauses as he sees the coil of Zoro’s shoulders, the tightness of his stomach and core. With a swooping feeling in the pit of his stomach, Sanji realises exactly what Zoro wants… and it’s not the bloody drink.
Normalcy is what Sanji is after. Maybe this is a start?
Very calmly, Sanji moves to place the glass on the nearby railing, the condensation leaving his hand wet when he pulls away, and he takes a very loose breath in before he turns and promptly throws a kick directly into Zoro’s chest.
The sound of the heel of his shoe meeting an armament haki covered forearm cracks through the air, ricocheting across the deck.
Everything comes to a standstill, Sanji’s eyes narrow as he waits, but then Zoro slowly raises his head, gaze meeting Sanji’s over their crossed limbs, and Sanji sees the moment Zoro’s lips twitch into something much more smug before he pushes Sanji back with a sharp throw of his arm.
Sanji lets him have it, hopping back a couple of steps and barely resting his foot back down as Zoro rises from the deck, all power and strength as he steadies himself into his usual starting stance. He’s got that look on his face, daring a wordless challenge at Sanji, and the swordsman reaches for both Kitesu and Enma with steady scarred hands.
Sanji grins, more of a baring of teeth than anything else, and he launches himself at Zoro the second the blades ring true from their sayas.
The clash of heel and steel meeting has Sanji’s blood singing. He can’t help his grin, the rush of battle flooding through his veins, and he throws himself at Zoro with reckless abandon, a wild laugh bubbling up from his chest. It feels good to push forward as Zoro falls back, to stumble down as Zoro swings up. Each sharp arc of Zoro’s swords is met with a sharp kick of Sanji’s shoe, his leg glowing with armament haki as shrill rings peal through the air.
It’s breathtaking, and Sanji sees Zoro’s own grin curl over his lips as he slashes and parries, the two of them falling into the steady rhythm of trading blows back and forth across the deck. He can hear some of their crew yelling around them, mainly Nami’s usual angry tirade and Franky’s grousing, but it gets drowned out by the blood rushing in Sanji’s ears as he ducks to avoid Enma slicing through the air just over his head, ruffling his hair with the force.
“Trying to kill me, Marimo?” he calls as he crouches and swipes out at Zoro’s ankles, barely missing as the swordsman dances back a few steps.
“Always,” Zoro crows back, and Sanji huffs as he tucks forward to push himself into a handspring, lunging himself feet first at Zoro.
The swordsman only just manages to parry the attack, Sanji’s shoes slamming into crossed swords, and Zoro grunts as he’s pushed further back across the lawn. It drags up some of the grass, which elects another token groan from Franky nearby, but Sanji doesn’t care as he catches himself on his hands and launches back up into a firm roundhouse kick.
This one manages to land on Zoro’s side, and Sanji winces at the unexpected give, dropping to the ground. It seems Zoro did it on purpose though as the swordsman rolls with the blow before snapping back to swing Kitesu down directly at Sanji’s head, his teeth bared with bloodlust.
Sanji yelps and brings a leg up, only just catching the flat of Kitesu’s edge on his shin, and he heaves it back as he uses his other leg to throw himself away from the swordsman. He flips to his feet, crouching wearily as Zoro stalks towards him, before he grins and catapults himself into a strong cartwheel.
“In your dreams, shithead,” Sanji goads as he whirls through the air, and Zoro lets out a rough laugh as he catches Sanji’s knee with Enma and twists him outwards until Sanji feels his other foot leave the ground, spinning him so his back is to Zoro.
He’s airborne for a brief moment, nothing solid beneath him, before he manages to wrap his spare leg around the swordsman waist, only just pulling his other one from Enma’s grip. With a grunt, he manages to swing it around the other side of Zoro’s side and he gives a strong heave to flip the swordsman over his head, catching himself into a handstand as Zoro crashes to the ground.
Sanji’s panting as he holds himself upside down with his hands, watching as Zoro groans where he’s flat on his back and struggling to get up, and Sanji doesn’t hesitate as he flips himself once more so he lands on top of the swordsman, one knee hitting the ground beside Zoro’s waist while the other comes up to slam into his chest, his hands catching the rest of his weight on either side of Zoro’s head.
Zoro just blocks the hit though, his forearms crossed over his chest, Sanji’s knee bearing down into them, and the swordsman is panting as Sanji meets his gaze with a cocky grin, the rush of victory already spilling over his shoulders.
“Concede, mosshead?” Sanji taunts, his breathing just as heavy as Zoro’s own, their noses nearly brushing as Sanji continues to bear all his weight down onto Zoro’s crossed arms. Zoro growls, something deep and guttural, and his eye flashes at the provocation.
“Never,” he snarls back, and Sanji laughs, pushing further into Zoro, feeling the swordsman’s arms shake with the strain of holding him at bay.
“Come on.” Sanji grins, all teeth. “You can’t get out of this.”
It’s true. Sanji’s legs are death machines, and they both know the second he gets them around someone it’s like a snake constricting its prey. Sanji delights in seeing the emotions flick over Zoro’s face, the wavering defeat in the corner of his mouth, the thousands of ideas all running into dead ends in his eye, and Sanji is convinced he’s just about to accept defeat…
Before Zoro surges forward and presses a soft kiss to the tip of Sanji’s nose.
Within seconds, Sanji’s eyes widen, his body freezes in complete numbing shock, and all of a sudden he’s flat on his back, the air pushed from his lungs in one fell swoop as Zoro stands over him with a cocky grin and the tip of Kitesu pressed against his throat.
“Concede, curly-brows?” Zoro crows.
And for once in Sanji’s life… he does.
…
He can’t stop thinking about it.
Sanji locks himself in the galley after the fight, slamming the door with burning red cheeks and wide eyes, his breath coming out in irregular pants, his mind absolutely racing. He can still hear Zoro’s laughter ringing in his ears, his hands shake from something that’s not at all to do with the fight, and he finds that even puffing on the end of a cigarette or tugging wildly at his hair doesn’t calm him down.
It’s nothing, he tells himself. It doesn’t mean a thing. He knows how Zoro works, how he thinks. It was just a tactic is all, something the stupid swordsman would’ve thought of right then and there. It worked too, Sanji’s shoulder blades still smart from being slammed into the ground, and the back of his head aches something fierce from the impact.
It doesn’t compare at all to the thoughts racing through his mind, nor the light memory of Zoro’s lips on the tip of his nose, warm and dry, brief and sweet…
Frankly, he feels fucking insane
He throws himself into dinner preparations, shoving all thoughts to the back of his mind as he cooks up a storm. The crew raise their eyebrows when they walk in for dinner that night, surprised at the sheer spread Sanji has put on, but thankfully no one comments on it as Luffy slingshots his way to the head of the table, all focused on trying to get their own food out from under their captain’s grabby hands.
Robin, however, meets Sanji’s eyes where he spends the whole meal in the kitchen, quite unable to bring himself to sit in his usual seat across from Zoro. Her smile is knowing, her eyes bright with barely contained mirth, and Sanji promptly chokes on his mouthful of pasta until Luffy stretches an arm over to wallop him on the back hard enough he sees stars.
It doesn’t get brought up though. Not by the crew, not by Zoro, and definitely not by Sanji. Their fight is soon forgotten after Franky finishes dressing them down for wrecking the lawn again, in which Zoro and Sanji share a chagrined look and mumble their apologies, and Zoro doesn’t say or do anything to prompt any other sort of mention of the fight.
So Sanji chalks it up to a one time thing and manages to push all thoughts of Zoro’s ridiculous action down into that little gap between his heart and ribcage, right alongside the magnitude of other things he tries very hard not to think about when it comes to the swordsman.
He doesn’t forget about it entirely, after all how could he, but Sanji finds that the rare one-off kiss is much easier to ignore over time as they continue their journey along the Grand Line. There’s only one moment during their next fight, where Sanji sees an opening in Zoro’s defences but hesitates as the kiss flashes through his mind, and by the time he manages to convince himself to take the chance, it’s gone and Zoro is lunging forward with Enma gleaming in his hand.
So it’s fine, it’s all fine and Sanji starts to feel a little bit less insane about it all… until it happens again.
They’re on an autumn island, Sanji isn’t sure it’s name. If he’s honest, the break from the ship is more alluring than stopping to listen to Nami explain the ins and outs of the place, even if that’s practically sacrilege for him to think. But she’d mentioned a massive market at the bottom of the hill the main town is situated on and his mind had immediately wandered off thinking about the types of foods and recipes he’d be able to find, running through a mental grocery list to stock up their stores, his fingers already itching to try new things.
By the time he decides to focus on the rest of the crew meeting, everyone has moved on to discussing who is going to be on Luffy duty and what supplies need to be picked up. Soon enough, Sanji finds himself disembarking the Sunny with Usopp and Chopper, the three of them heading straight to the markets each with their own lists, tidbits scribbled all over them from the others with extra things to pick up along the way.
“You know,” Usopp says as they stand around a baking stall later in the morning, Chopper chomping on his third cupcake and Sanji busy jotting down the last few bits of the recipe the baker had shared with him, “it’s been awfully quiet so far. I didn’t think Nami would do well with both Luffy and Zoro to watch.”
Sanji pauses, his pen hovering over the book in his hand, and he turns to raise his eyebrows at Usopp. “You just had to jinx it, didn’t you?”
Usopp’s mouth drops open, but as if on cue, there’s a sudden explosion from further up the hill, billowing smoke up into the sky as the ground beneath their feet shakes so violently that they have to grab the bakers stall to stop from falling over.
Usopp looks stunned as Sanji glares at him. “For fucks sake, Long Nose.”
“Hey!” Usopp squawks, his grip on the table white-knuckled tight. “You can’t seriously blame me for this!”
Sanji just aims a frustrated kick at his kneecaps before reaching out and swinging Chopper up onto his shoulders, the little reindeer gripping his hair in one hoof to keep himself stable. “Come on,” he mutters as another explosion quakes the earth and the people around them start screaming, abandoning their stalls to flee inside, “I don’t think we’re gonna get much more done here.”
At least Usopp has the decency to look ashamed of himself and he quickly picks up the grocery bags gathered at their feet, handing some to Sanji before loading his arms with the rest. Luckily they’ve finished collecting everything on their lists and were just meandering back slowly, although Sanji can’t help but grumble under his breath at what foods and other recipes he’s going to be missing out on as they stumble their way back to the Sunny.
Robin is waiting for them when they stagger up the Sunny’s gangplank, leaning against the railing and watching the continuing explosions on the hill with a slight frown. Chopper leaps down as they pass, already chattering away to her as he offers up what’s left of his cupcake, and Sanji leaves them to it as he leads Usopp into the galley. It doesn’t take long to put everything away, and soon the two of them return outside to watch and wait, wondering just what it is that Luffy has undoubtedly dragged them into this time.
“You don’t think they’ll need help, do you?” Usopp grumbles beside him, his voice muffled by the hand he drags down his face, and Sanji rolls his eyes as Usopp knees practically knock together at the thought.
He doubts they will though. Luffy has probably just found a local government to topple or some sort of injustice to vindicate. It could be anything when it comes to their captain, and Sanji finds it entertaining to idly brainstorm ideas with Robin as Usopp grows paler and paler with each suggestion.
It’s not hard to notice the crew when they appear on the harbour an hour or so later. Sanji leans back against the Sunny’s railing beside Robin, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips as the two of them watch Usopp and Chopper play some sort of hand game in front of them on the lawn when they hear Nami’s voice crack out through the evening air. They turn together just in time to see their awol crew mates tumble out from between the buildings, Nami at the front with a hand firmly gripping Luffy’s ear where his head is beside hers, their captain’s neck stretching from where his body is wrapped around Zoro somewhere behind her. He doesn’t look at all uncomfortable though as Nami storms up onto the Sunny, even grinning at them as she comes to a halt at the top of the gangplank.
“Sanji!” Luffy cheers, and his body comes ripping up the ramp to slam into his neck with a snap, dislodging Nami’s hand from his ear. He’s covered head to toe in ash, his cheeks grey and sooty, his clothes ripped and hanging from his rubber limbs. “I’m hungry!”
Sanji contemplates lighting his cigarette as he stares at his captain in disbelief, but then Nami’s hand clips their captain around the back of the head.
“You can go clean up before you even think about eating,” she snaps at him, and Luffy rubs the back of his head with a pout. He doesn’t protest though as Franky scoops him up in a gaggle of limbs, heading up towards the washroom before their captain has time to blink and throwing Nami a loose salute as he does so.
The rest of the crew trundle after them, all looking just as ashy and sooty as their captain. Chopper giggles as he’s whisked away by Brook when he gets a little too close, squawking as he gets soot all over his face from Brook’s ruined suit. Sanji’s eyebrows raise, wondering just what the hell they were doing, especially for Nami to be the only clean one of the lot of them, but his thoughts come to a halt when he sees Zoro coming up the gangplank last.
He looks terrible. His coat is missing, his usual green hair and red haramaki now the same black as his completely torn pants, and his tan skin is hidden behind endless grey soot. There’s two stripes across his chest where its not as bad, clearly where Luffy had wrapped himself around him, and Sanji’s eyes are wide as Zoro comes to a halt beside him.
He meets Sanji’s gaze, his cocky grin a pearly white against his skin, and Sanji refuses to acknowledge the sudden glowing heat in his cheeks nor the way his stomach flips something fierce.
“Alright, cook?” Zoro asks, and Sanji swallows thickly before he points a trembling hand towards where the others are.
“Fuck off and drown, shithead,” he snaps, self-aware enough to know he’s overcompensating, and Zoro lets out a huff before he does as he’s told. He swipes a hand out at Sanji as he passes though, and Sanji yelps as he jumps back, desperate to avoid getting any muck on himself. Zoro seems stupidly proud of himself as he laughs, raising a hand to run it through his hair as he does so… and Sanji’s eyes are drawn to the movement, his throat running dry as Zoro gives him an amused grin.
Fuck, Sanji thinks to himself, and he can’t help but watch Zoro go when the swordsman heads off after the others, eyes firmly resting on the muscles in Zoro’s back, and he’s incredibly aware that he shouldn’t be feeling a growing warmth in the swell of his chest. He clears his throat as Zoro disappears onto the upper deck, and he composes his expression to be as neutral as possible before he turns back to the others.
Unfortunately, it’s only to see Nami and Robin staring at him, Nami with her arms crossed and an unimpressed look on her face, Robin with an amused smile barely hidden behind her hand. Sanji can feel the heat from his cheeks spread up to the tips of his ears under their scrutiny, and he dreads what they’re going to say.
It’s Usopp that speaks though. “Unbelievable,” the sniper grumbles, and Sanji glances over to see Usopp dramatically hang his head into his hands. “Really, Sanji?”
Sanji glares at him. “Fuck off.”
Robin lets out a trill behind her hand and Nami drops her head back with a groan.
Luckily, they don’t say anything more and Sanji is able to gather up what dignity he has left as Nami turns to tell them what happened. He only half pays attention, but he gathers the gist. Something to do with a haughty warlord nearby that had been terrorising the town for the last couple of years, which, of course, Luffy took umbrage too and the rest is history.
They’ve been invited into town for a celebration, but Nami has managed to persuade Luffy to have a smaller one with just their crew back on the Sunny, something that was easier to convince their captain of once she pointed out he’d have less people to contend with for food. In any case, the log pose has already set and by the look on their dear navigator’s face, it seems she needs to get off the island now to keep her dwindling sanity.
Sanji doesn’t mind being able to escape to the galley to prepare for said feast as Nami starts barking for the others to prepare to set sail. It means he can avoid the way the ladies and Usopp keep looking at him, and he’s very determined to put all those stupid thoughts of his about the shitty swordsman right into the meat he proceeds to tenderise within an inch of it’s life with a drastically oversized mallet.
It doesn’t take long until he’s piling the dining table up high with a collection of food that is suitable to everyone’s tastes. There’s plenty of it, especially since he knows at least half will be going into that glutton he calls a captain, and he makes sure to cover the breakfast bar with enough booze to tide over their first mate too.
Although it is disorientating hearing both of those two next door in the infirmary being checked over by a firm Chopper, mainly Luffy’s dramatic whimpering and Zoro’s frustrated grunts. Sanji drowns it out with the clanging and crashing of his kitchen until finally everything is ready. He crosses over to the galley door leading to the deck, creaks it open and bellows out that the food is ready.
The horde descends quicker than expected, especially as Luffy nearly rips the infirmary doors off its hinges in his hurry to get out to the food with a roar that sounds more primal than linguistic. Sanji retreats back to the kitchen to grab the last few dishes from the hot plate on top of the stove before he joins in, grabbing a plate and avoiding Luffy’s wild arms as he manages to snag plenty for himself.
They don’t stay in the galley, all of them heading out on deck with their piled high plates to where Sanji sees Franky has pulled out his portable bonfire in the middle of the lawn. There’s benches for them to crowd onto, and Sanji slips onto the end of one beside Brook as Usopp scarfs down half his food before starting to regale them with his interpretation of what happened in the town, Jinbei helpfully supplying the odd bit of actual truth.
Not that Luffy cares where he sits on the ground in front of Usopp, eyes comically wide and completely enthralled with two legs of brazed ham in each hand. Sanji mutters a comment to Brook under his breath, wondering if Luffy realises he was actually there, and Brook just chortles into his mug of ale.
The evening is wonderfully pleasant though. Sanji doesn’t stay seated for long, busying himself with refilling plates and drinks, flitting in and out of the galley. He knows it would be easier to just bring the food downstairs but he prefers to keep himself occupied, even as Robin’s hands keep sprouting up nearby to help. The crew relaxes down on the lawn, Brook and Franky striking up their instruments when Usopp finishes his dramatic tale to a smattering of applause, and Luffy finishes off everyone’s plates before handing them to Sanji to take away, only stopping when he’s lying on the ground with a giant belly that Usopp leans up against as he talks to Nami in hushed tones.
Sanji can feel their eyes on him, but he ignores it in favour of treating Chopper to a dance around the bonfire, the little reindeer’s giggles an absolutely delightful accompaniment to the music, before he deposits him in Jinbei’s lap. The fishman seems surprised, his hands floundering as if he doesn’t quite know what to do with them, but Chopper’s demands for another dance has Jinbei up and moving before he knows it. Chopper even manages to snag Robin’s arm as they go past, and she lets out a noise of bewilderment before falling into step, the three of them swaying together to the strum of guitars, and Sanji grins before looking for the final member of their crew.
Of course, Zoro sits by himself, always by himself. Something about that makes Sanji’s heart squeeze in a way he doesn’t want to think about. He spots the handful of bottles of booze lying around Zoro where he’s resting against one of the benches on the other side of the fire, another nearly empty in his hand, and Sanji finds himself picking his way through his crew to get to the swordsman, thinking he might want a refill.
Well, that’s what he tells himself as he drops down onto the bench near Zoro’s head, reaching out to nudge at his side with one of his shoes. “Oi,” he says, his voice coming out much gentler than he expected, “how much of my cellar have you destroyed?”
There’s a beat of silence, and then Sanji is absolutely blown away as Zoro lolls his head up to look at him, a brilliant and dopey grin plastered over his face, his eye crinkling with the force of it.
“Cook,” he greets, his voice a deep purr that sends jolts straight down Sanji’s spine, “I wondered where you were.”
Sanji raises an eyebrow. “I’ve been here the whole time, idiot.” He huffs. “You’re the one sitting away from everyone.”
Zoro frowns, just the slightest of a furrow between his brows, and Sanji refuses to give into the urge to soothe it away with a gentle sweep of his thumb. “Oh.” Zoro tilts his head to the side, glancing back at the others. “Well that explains why it’s so quiet over here.”
Sanji nearly laughs, but there’s just something a little off about Zoro. He seems lighter, more relaxed, and Sanji narrows his eyes when Zoro snorts and shakes his head.
“Glad you’re here then,” he slurs, taking a long chug of his bottle before wiping the back of his hand over his mouth and turning back to grin at Sanji. “You look good in the fire light, Curls. Has anyone told you that before?”
Sanji is fucking speechless, not at all expecting a compliment like that, and he knows his mouth is open just the slightest as he stares at Zoro. He simply looks back though, seeming for all the world like he bloody means what he said, and Sanji knows that Zoro wouldn’t speak freely like that… unless…
“Are you…” Sanji glances around at the bottles, counting them quickly in his head, “are you drunk, Marimo?”
There’s not nearly enough booze though. The amount he’s drunk should hardly have touched the swordsman and his freakishly high alcohol tolerance, but Zoro’s lazy smile and unfocused eye say different. Sanji is just about to lean forward to scoop some of the bottles up, wondering if they’ve been laced with something at some point, but he’s distracted by Chopper suddenly appearing in a whirlwind of sheer rage.
“Idiot!’ he snaps as he rushes to Zoro’s side, snatching the half-finished bottle from Zoro’s hand as the swordsman gives an uncharacteristic whine. “I told you no alcohol!”
“But Chopper,” Zoro protests as he swipes for the liquor. He receives a smack to the head from their furious doctor in return, enough to make him wince and fall back against the bench, rubbing the back of his head as he pulls a face.
Sanji raises an eyebrow at the antics, and turns to Chopper. “What’s happening here, doc?”
Chopper continues to glare at Zoro as he answers the question. “I gave him some medication before dinner to ease some of the pain caused by that building falling on him from the fight earlier.” He shakes his head and sniffs angrily, crossing his arms over his chest. “He was told not to drink alcohol with it. Opioids intensify the level of intoxication someone can feel.” Chopper sighs, scrubbing a hoof over his face. “For a simpler way of putting it, he’s completely hammered.”
Sanji stares at Zoro, who gives him another goofy smile, his gaze dazed as he slowly starts to slip down the bench to slump towards the ground.
Well, that explains that.
Sanji blinks and shakes his head. Outstanding, he thinks as he resists the urge to roll his eyes. Of course Zoro wouldn’t listen to actual sound medical advice, and here he is now nearly flat on his back, picking up empty bottles to hold over his eye, clearly trying to find a full one. Never-mind that it would be emptied directly onto his face if he succeeds.
“He needs to go to bed,” Chopper grumbles, pulling another bottle from Zoro’s hand with frustration, and Sanji hides a small smile behind his hand as a frankly adorable pout crosses over Zoro’s face. “He should be able to sleep it off.” Chopper suddenly kicks Zoro’s knee, giving him another glower. “See if you get anything for your hangover in the morning though!”
Zoro lets out a laugh and Chopper squeaks as the swordsman suddenly pulls the little reindeer into his arms, nuzzling his face into the side of Chopper’s neck. Sanji’s eyes widen at the sheer distress on Chopper’s face, especially as he tries to wiggle away out of Zoro’s hold, but the swordsman’s arms are clearly much too strong for the little reindeer as he shrieks something fierce.
The attention of the rest of the crew is what drives Sanji to intervene, quickly swooping forward to wrap his hands around one of Zoro’s arms, giving him a firm tug. “Let him go, you big lug,” he chides as he manages to wrestle Chopper from Zoro’s nearly inhuman grip, much to the little doctors relief. “I’ll get him to bed, Chopper, don’t worry.”
Chopper looks more than happy with that. He gives Sanji a watery smile and thumbs up before scuttling over to where Robin is watching them nearby, although she glances away as Chopper hops up into her lap with a loud grumble about how stupid Zoro is. Sanji snorts but focuses on getting Zoro up instead of worrying what his crew might be thinking, and it’s surprisingly easy to haul Zoro to his feet, the swordsman strangely compliant.
Of course, it results in Zoro slinging a loose and heavy arm around Sanji’s shoulders, and Sanji nearly buckles under the unexpected weight as the swordsman leans his entire body on him. He grits his teeth, adjusting Zoro against his side, and he freezes as Zoro leans over and buries his face into Sanji’s neck.
“Hmm,” he hums, his breath warm on Sanji’s skin, “you smell good, cook.” Zoro trails his nose across the hollow of Sanji’s throat, tickling him just slightly. “Like smoke and spices.”
Sanji knows his face must be a horrendous shade of red if the burning of his cheeks is any indication. He hates the way his stomach swoops, how his heart skips a beat or two, and he swallows past a suddenly dry throat as he feels Zoro’s lips curl into a smile against the crook of his neck.
“Come on, asshole,” he manages to grind out, his voice a little higher than he expected, “time for bed.”
Zoro lets out a noncommittal noise but doesn’t move his face. It makes manoeuvring across the lawn a little hard, and Sanji practically drags the swordsman past the entire crew as he makes for the mens quarters. He only meets a few eyes, mainly Nami’s well amused ones that makes his already burning cheeks even hotter, and Luffy’s very curious own. Their captain looks like he’s about to get up and join them, but Usopp is suddenly calling for Luffy in a not so subtle way that has Sanji glaring at the sniper hard enough to make him squeak.
Nevertheless, they managed to stumble their way into the mens quarters with minimal fuss. Although, the sound of the door closing behind them cuts out the sounds of their crew, and it makes Sanji very very aware that he’s now alone with an extremely inebriated Zoro that doesn’t seem like he wants to pull away from him any time soon.
“Oi,” Sanji mutters as they awkwardly stand just in the doorway, Zoro making small humming noises against his neck that makes Sanji’s stomach flip. “Get off me.”
Zoro pauses, and Sanji feels the swordsman arm tighten around his shoulders. “No.”
Sanji’s heart skips. “The fuck do you mean no?”
Zoro starts humming again, his chest vibrating pleasantly against Sanji’s side. “I don’t want to.”
“You…” Sanji trails off, unsure if he’s hearing the swordsman right past the blood rushing in his ears. He glances around futilely, looking for some sort of help, but when he comes up short, he hip checks the swordsman. “Seriously, Marimo, get off. You need to go to bed.”
Zoro lets out a little whine at being pushed away, and he lifts his head to meet Sanji’s eyes. His cheeks are flushed, the tanned skin darkening in a tantalising way, and Sanji’s mouth is so fucking dry even as Zoro’s unfocused gaze slips away from his as soon as he’d caught it.
It doesn’t stop him from stepping forward and slipping his other arm around Sanji’s midriff though, hauling him into a rough hug. Sanji gasps, his nose aching as its smushed straight into Zoro’s unforgiving shoulder, and he shivers as Zoro’s mouth comes to settle beside his ear.
“I said no.”
Sanji isn’t too sure what to do as he stands stock still, wrapped up in Zoro’s unrelenting arms. Part of him wants to shove the swordsman away, to kick him all the way across the room and leave the bastard in a crumpled mess on the floor… but the other part?
Sanji forces that part down, not even daring to give it a voice.
Knowing that Zoro is highly unlikely to remember this in the morning, after all Sanji has also experienced Chopper’s wonderful medical cocktails himself and that’s without the ill-advised mix of alcohol, he reaches up to grip the back of Zoro’s shirt, digging his fingers into the taunt material.
“Okay,” he placates the swordsman, keeping his voice gentle, “that’s fine. But can you at least walk me to my own bed? I’m kind of tired too, Marimo.”
Zoro lets out a small sigh against his ear, and it sends tingles straight down Sanji’s spine that he tries not to think about. Zoro doesn’t say anything though, but Sanji is pleased when the swordsman starts to meander backwards, moving but clearly leaving the directing up to Sanji.
Typical, Sanji thinks, and he manages to stagger them back towards the bunks in a mess of arms and legs. Zoro doesn’t let go even a bit, but soon they’re standing in the space between their two bunks, Sanji’s on the left and Zoro’s on the right, and Sanji is just thinking about how he’s going to extract the swordsman into his own bunk when Zoro lets out a loud huff.
And then suddenly, Sanji is yelping as Zoro moves them with a sudden surge, and he finds himself flat on his back in his own bunk, staring up at the bottom of Luffy’s, a very warm and solid Zoro on top of him.
“Oi!” Sanji snaps, feeling completely pinned down as Zoro starts to wriggle, nudging his legs between Sanji’s own and clamping his arms on either side of Sanji’s waist. His head comes down to rest on Sanji’s shoulder, his green hair ticking the bottom of Sanji’s chin, and Sanji finds himself quite unable to breathe.
Whether it’s from the literal weight on his chest or the situation, he has no fucking idea.
“Mosshead,” he protests, trying to move his arms but they’re trapped against his sides by Zoro’s own. He shifts a knee, trying to use it to nudge Zoro away, but the bastard just uses Sanji’s sudden movement to shift even more into the vee of Sanji’s legs. It makes something in Sanji’s chest burn, especially when Zoro lets out a pleased and content noise as he nuzzles his nose back into the crook of Sanji’s neck.
“G’dnight Curls,” the swordsman slurs, sounding more asleep than awake, and Sanji swallows thickly as Zoro’s breath whispers over the sensitive skin of his neck. His body is tense, his back completely ridged, and he stares at Luffy’s bunk above with a deep ferocity as he tries to fight away all the thoughts rearing up at the back of his mind.
They all go silent though when he feels Zoro’s lips, soft and sweet, pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw.
Sanji’s heart stops, his eyes widen, and his breath is absolutely ripped from his lungs in one brutal movement. Zoro doesn’t seem to notice, his lips leaving a bruise like impression behind as he pulls back slightly, settling back against Sanji’s shoulder, his nose brushing the side of Sanji’s neck. His own breathing slows, evening out into the gentleness of sleep, and Sanji is left with his heart surging up to thump viciously in the back of his throat, every single nerve in his body on fire with the need to get the fuck out of here.
Except he’s stuck, and it’s right then that the door of the men’s quarters creaks open.
Sanji feels fucking wild as he glances over to see who it is, well aware that this is the most compromising position he’s ever been in with the swordsman and that’s saying something, but he just meets Usopp’s wide and shocked eyes as the sniper stumbles to a halt as soon as he sees them.
There’s a beat of silence as they stare at one another.
“If you dare say one word,” Sanji hisses.
Usopp holds up his hands, mimes drawing a zip over his lips and throwing away the key, before promptly face planting his bunk.
…
Luckily for Sanji, no one else sees them like that.
Of course, he’s well aware that Usopp will be telling Nami if he remembers in the morning, and Sanji desperately hopes that the bastard will have alcohol-induced amnesia when he wakes. Usopp knowing is one thing, the coward well aware that Sanji will kick his ass in if he dares bring it up, but Nami?
She’s got balls, and Sanji is much too respectful to bust them.
It takes a ridiculously long time to wiggle his way out from under Zoro. The big lug is heavier than Sanji ever expected and with his legs pinned it makes it even harder. He becomes begrudgingly aware that his upper body strength is very much lacking as he tries to push Zoro away, but the swordsman just huffs unhappily each time and burrows further into Sanji’s chest, his arms like vices around Sanji’s waist.
Sanji stares at the bottom of Luffy’s bunk and firmly ignores the part of him that doesn’t at all see this as a problem.
Eventually though, he manages to squirm his way out, and he shoves a pillow into Zoro’s sleepy arms to try and keep him occupied. It works, and Zoro buries his face into Sanji’s pillow while mumbling something under his breath. Sanji doesn’t hear the words, but Zoro’s pleased smile has something aching something fierce in his chest and he doesn’t hesitate in fleeing the mens room, managing to avoid the others left on the deck as he scrambles for the galley.
Come morning, Sanji is fixing a rough night on the galley couch with half a pack of cigarettes and is firmly making his way into the second half when the galley door creaks open. It’s early, the sun barely rising over the horizon outside, and Sanji glances up from his breakfast meal prep to see a yawning Zoro slipping into the room, his shirt rucked up as he scratches his belly.
Sanji eyes the strip of exposed tan skin, stark against the white of Zoro’s shirt, and promptly chokes on his cigarette.
Zoro snorts as he crosses over to the breakfast bar, Sanji busy beating his chest as he coughs through the smoke. “Those will kill you, you know,” Zoro drawls, and Sanji flicks him an irritated look as he sucks in a gasp of fresh air.
“Be helpful or be quiet,” he growls, and Zoro holds his hands up in surrender before dragging out a chair, slumping at the breakfast bar to watch as Sanji reluctantly stubs out his cigarette into the ashtray next to the swordsman’s elbow.
“No need to bite, cook,” Zoro says, and Sanji knows his glare probably isn’t as impressive as usual with his still watering eyes, especially if Zoro’s unimpressed look is anything to go by. “I’m not here to fight.”
Sanji narrows his eyes. “Then what are you here for?”
Zoro huffs. “It’s the kitchen.” He gestures at the half-prepped food that lies on the bench between them. “Normally I come here for food.”
Feeling stupid, Sanji grits his teeth. “Breakfast won’t be ready for a while.”
Zoro drops his chin to rest in his palm, elbow on the bench top, and he closes his eye. “I’ll wait.”
Sanji stares at Zoro, unable to believe just how calm the bastard is. Shouldn’t he be nursing a hangover? Curled up somewhere dark and quiet? It makes something irrational boil under Sanji’s skin, and he nearly reaches out to shove a cigarette between his teeth just to chomp on.
But the longer he looks, the more he sees. Zoro’s shoulders are a little too tense, his jaw wound tight and clenched, and there’s a slight wrinkle between his eyebrows, furrowed as if in pain.
Sanji sighs and turns around, reaching for his whistling kettle to settle on the stovetop. He doesn’t have any pain medication to ease anything the swordsman might be feeling, but there’s a box of peppermint green tea he keeps for the crew’s hangovers. He’s never had to prepare any for Zoro before… but there’s a first time for everything, right?
It doesn’t take long to steeple the tealeaves and soon Sanji is reaching out to nudge Zoro’s arm with the hot mug. Zoro’s eye pops open at the touch, and he glances down to stare at the steaming tea Sanji places in front of him.
“It’ll help,” Sanji says, trying hard not to fidget as he waits to see if Zoro will reject the drink. Zoro just looks up at him though, the crease between his brows deepening with his frown, and Sanji gestures at his own head with a flapping hand. “For the hangover.”
“I don’t get hangovers,” Zoro mutters, and Sanji bites back a snort of derision. There’s a beat where they just stare at one another, neither backing down, but then Zoro’s other hand moves to take the mug before he raises it to his lips.
Sanji holds his breath, waiting for the verdict, and the way Zoro’s face just relaxes after he takes his first sip makes Sanji’s heart skip a silly beat.
He quickly turns back to the fruit in front of him, reaching out for a knife to begin slicing them into cubes. Standing in the kitchen and staring at Zoro isn’t getting breakfast finished, so Sanji forces himself to ignore the swordman’s presence and instead focus on the meal prep.
He still hears him though, the quiet sips and the dull thunk of the mug setting back down on the bench top, but it fades into a pleasant white noise alongside the thudding of the knife on the cutting board. Sanji chances a glance every now and again, meeting Zoro’s sleepy gaze where he rests his chin in his hand, and Sanji finds his cheeks start to burn at the lazy way Zoro watches him work.
It’s different this time, different to all the other times since Wano. Sure, Zoro has been always lingering in Sanji’s peripheries since they left… but this? This is a little more blatant than that.
It’s more purposeful, and Sanji tries hard not to wonder what’s changed.
Eventually, Zoro clears his throat, and Sanji looks up from where he’s just piling the last of the pancakes and waffles he’s made onto the hot plate to see Zoro holding out the mug to him.
Clearly finished, Sanji reaches out to take it from him, pausing though when the swordsman doesn’t let go straight away, their eyes meeting across the rim of the mug, and Sanji’s breath catches at the soft grey of Zoro’s gaze.
There’s a beat, a moment, and then Zoro ducks his head, staring at the bench top. “Thanks,” he murmurs quietly, quite unable to meet Sanji’s eyes.
Their fingers are linked where they hold the mug between them, slotted perfectly together, and Sanji can’t help his small smile as he takes in the swordsman’s now relaxed shoulders. “You’re welcome, mossy.”
Zoro’s eye flicks to his briefly before he lets go of the mug to drop his hand down into his lap, back to looking at anything but Sanji. It’s odd, seeing Zoro so… bashful? Sanji isn’t sure that’s really what he’s seeing, and he has a fleeting thought as he wonders if maybe Zoro… maybe he remembers last night? Not that it matters as he hears the sudden sound of feet pounding on the deck outside, and he pulls away to place the mug down beside the sink when the door bursts open as their crew appears.
Breakfast is a pleasant affair, most of the crew quiet as they nurse their own hangovers from the night before. Sanji makes pots of peppermint tea to dot down the table, and Chopper grills everyone on appropriate alcohol consumption. Sanji hides a smile behind his hand when their little doctor mainly scolds Zoro, who accepts the bollocking with surprising grace, nodding along menially as Chopper throws his arms up in dramatic sweeps.
It’s the only excitement they have… until Luffy opens his fat fucking mouth.
Sanji has just raised his cup of coffee to his lips, having finally sunk down into his seat next to their captain after making sure everyone else is fed and watered, when Luffy turns to him with a brilliant grin, his mouth full of a mashed up concoction of fruit and waffle that frankly makes Sanji’s stomach churn.
“Hey Sanji,” Luffy calls, reaching out with a free hand to jab at Sanji’s shoulder even as Sanji swats him away, “how come Zoro was in your bed this morning?”
Sanji inhales his coffee straight into his nose, spluttering it out onto the table in a spectacular cough, and Luffy’s hand comes around to pound him sharply on the back. He’s vaguely aware of the others making surprised noises around him and, with coffee dripping from his nose, Sanji raises his eyes in time to see Usopp’s own widen.
Don’t, Sanji’s glare says, and Usopp quickly turns back to his breakfast with the vigour of a starving man.
“I…” Sanji starts to say, pausing to clear his throat as it comes out roughly, the coffee still burning in the back of his nose as he rubs it. “He-”
“Someone disobeyed his doctor’s orders,” Chopper interrupts, standing on his chair beside Zoro with his hooves firmly planted on his hips, and Zoro lets out a sigh as Chopper’s ire is renewed, dropping his head back to stare up at the roof. “Sanji was helping by taking him to bed for me.”
“But why not his bed?” Luffy asks, scratching the side of his nose with a frown, and Sanji resists the urge to stomp on his captain’s foot with the heel of his shoe.
“The big oaf is heavier than he looks,” Sanji grumbles, trying not to think about how red his ears must be. “We only got as far as mine before he passed out.”
It’s not necessarily a lie, but Sanji refuses to explain even more. He can see Zoro staring at him out of the corner of his eye, a small frown marring his face, but he focuses instead on scowling at Luffy, who regards him with wide curious eyes. He seems happy with that explanation though, nodding his head as he lets out his signature shishishi laugh before reaching out to poke Zoro with an annoying hand that has the swordsman gritting his teeth as he bats away their captain’s assault.
It draws the others attention though as their captain and first mate squabble, and Sanji nearly sinks down his chair in relief as he feels everyone look away from him. Thankfully no one has brought up his reaction, even as he still feels the burn of coffee in the back of his nose, and he reaches up to itch it furiously.
Usopp, however, glances his way, and Sanji narrows his eyes in return. Usopp just shakes his head minutely, but Sanji gives him look that strongly implies he should stay after breakfast. Usopp’s eyebrows raise and his nose flares with barely restrained panic, and Sanji taps his fingers on the tabletop as he jerks his head towards the kitchen. Usopp mouths a no at him, and Sanji clears his throat.
“Thanks for offering with the dishes, Usopp,” he says loudly enough for the whole room to hear, and Usopp’s face pales. “That’s really appreciated.”
Usopp splutters unattractively but Sanji doesn’t give the liar any time to make up some bullshit to get out of it, instead getting to his feet and gathering the dishes. The others take the hint, piling their plates and bowls up in front of a distraught looking Usopp before moseying out of the galley.
“Thanks for breakfast, Sanji!” Nami calls as she goes, Robin at her side, and Sanji doesn’t miss the predatory way Nami’s gaze flicks between him and Usopp before she disappears out the door.
The galley is silent for a long moment, the closing of the door behind Franky as the last to leave nearly deafening, and Sanji glares down into the soap suds in the sink as he hears Usopp finish clearing the table. The cups and plates rattle in the snipers hand, and Sanji waits until Usopp comes to a stop beside him and picks up a tea towel to begin drying.
He looks up, and Usopp squeaks. “I didn’t see anything,” he immediately says, holding his hands up in surrender.
There’s a pause, and then Sanji sighs, pulling his hands out of the sink to dry them on the tea towel in Usopp’s hand. “I know you did,” he grumbles, and Usopp frowns, “and I know Nami is going to needle it out of you later.”
Usopp lets out a whimper and covers his face with one of his hands. “She is, isn’t she?” Usopp peeks out from between his fingers, looking accusatory. “She might not of if you hadn’t regurgitated your coffee like that.”
Sanji’s nose itches. “Fuck off. I wasn’t expecting Luffy to ask that fucking question.”
Usopp shrugs. “I didn’t realise he’d noticed.” He turns to the dishes, picking up a plate to start drying with methodical strokes of the tea towel. “That surprised me.”
“Me too,” Sanji mutters. He turns back to the sink, reaching for a glass. It has an annoying lipstick stain on the rim that requires a hard scrub of the brush. “I didn’t think our captain was that observant.”
They both know that’s a lie, but neither comment on it. They fall quiet as they do the dishes together, Sanji piling the dish rack high as Usopp dries and puts things away in their correct places. He’s the only crew member to do so, most of them just pile the clean dishes up on the bench for Sanji to put away later.
The only other that doesn’t is Zoro, and Sanji firmly shuts down that train of thought.
“So,” Usopp ventures when they’re just about finished, only a few dishes on the rack as Sanji starts to wipe down the benches, “Zoro, huh?”
Sanji pauses, his shoulders hunching to his ears, and he grits his teeth. “It’s not what you think.”
Usopp lets out a low whistle, and when Sanji glances up it’s to see Usopp is watching him with an amused look as he leans against the bench, arms crossed over his chest. “Are you sure? Because from my point of view-”
“Which is wrong,” Sanji mutters.
“-it looks like there is something going on.” Usopp arches an eyebrow. “I didn’t realise you were into sweaty cavemen with a penchant for collecting sharp things.”
“It’s not like that.” Sanji huffs before straightening up, tossing the dish rag into the sink before patting down his pockets for his box of cigarettes. He doesn’t light one, not wishing to do so in such a confined space with Usopp, but he pops one between his teeth to chew on. “Trust me, whatever you think is happening here, it isn’t.”
Usopp snorts. “Doubt it.” He grins though. “After all, you didn’t seem too upset being pinned down by him last night.”
Sanji feels his cheeks burn, the memory of Zoro’s lips pressed to his jaw flashing through his mind, and he swallows thickly. “Usopp,” he says lowly, “I’m going to need you to never repeat that.”
Usopp frowns. “I thought you weren’t going to threaten-”
Sanji glares, hoping it’s not dulled by the flush on his cheeks. “I’ve changed my mind.” He steps forward and jabs a finger into Usopp’s chest. “Shut up about this. All of this.” He tries not to let his hand shake. “Not a word to anyone.”
Usopp’s mouth opens, and Sanji’s hand snaps out to cover it quickly. Usopp’s eyes widen in response, and Sanji leans forward until their noses are just about brushing.
“Anyone.”
Usopp gives a weak nod, and Sanji lets go, stepping back to put space between them. He can’t help but raise a hand to his hair, tugging on the golden strands to try and placate the nerves swelling in the bottom of his stomach, the thoughts that start to brush through his mind. It doesn’t do much though, not this time, and he grits his teeth as he gives his hair a hard yank.
He’s not expecting Usopp to lay his hand on his arm though, gently pulling Sanji’s hand away from his hair, and Sanji raises an eyebrow when he looks over to see Usopp has a surprisingly sympathetic look on his face.
“Hey,” Usopp murmurs, “you’ll figure it out. You always do.”
He lets go of Sanji’s arm and pats his shoulder, picking up the last of the plates to store away in the cupboard before he gives Sanji a small nod and disappears out the galley door, leaving Sanji alone. He watches him go, a knot in his chest that he’s not entirely sure how to unwind, and he turns back to continue wiping the benches with vigour.
And that’s it, that’s all that’s said. Sanji isn’t accosted by a furious Nami later, he doesn’t get any knowing glances from Robin that make his skin crawl, Usopp somehow seems to keep his mouth shut to absolutely everyone, Zoro is none the wiser from what Sanji can gather from their usual interactions, and everything is perfectly normal.
Until Robin gets kidnapped.
Well, Franky and Brook too, but Sanji is only genuinely worried for their lovely lady. The other two are more than capable of looking after themselves, although honestly Robin is even more capable again, however Sanji can’t help the small layer of panic for her that forms under his skin.
And it’s not even going to be that easy to rescue her. There’s only one thing Sanji knows about this crappy island they’re docked at, and that’s their hatred for pirates. That’s only because they’d barely even docked the Sunny in a tucked away alcove on the other side of the island before a very desperate and upset Chopper had come tearing down the hillside back from scouting ahead… only sans Robin, Franky and Brook.
Chopper had babbled something about being recognised and ambushed, only just managing to get away as the others had sacrificed themselves for him. Zoro carefully deciphered his words to the rest of the crew as he’d stroked Chopper’s back gently to try and calm the little reindeer down, and it had been decided very quickly that any attempt to rescue their nakama would have to be very carefully approached.
Luffy, of course, is in favour of an all out war, but thankfully Nami manages to talk him down from that ledge
“But Nami,” he moans, voice bloated from Nami’s firm hold on his nose.
“No,” she growls at him, tugging his nose hard enough for him to wince and whine, “this is going to require stealth. Something you don’t excel at.”
She’s not wrong, Sanji thinks as he flicks the ash from his cigarette over the railing into the sea. From Chopper’s vague description, it sounds like their crew mates are being held in the large manor in the centre of the town. Usopp and Zoro’s own brief attempts at reconnaissance had brought back a flyer for a celebration tonight, very clearly saying that the mayor intends on displaying his captured bounties in front of the towns people before handing them off to the Navy.
So getting them out of there? He’s thankful Nami already seems to have a plan.
Not that he’s overly happy about it. It sounds simple enough. A few of them will infiltrate the party, locate their crew, and then wait for Luffy’s distraction to bust them out of there. It makes sense, but then again it all comes down to who will be the ones attending the party.
There’s only a few of them that can blend in, even more so with a few cosmetic touches. Nami volunteers and Sanji doesn’t hesitate in joining her, and it’s unsurprising that Zoro and Usopp are dragged into it almost immediately. After all, they’re the only ones besides Chopper who know the layout of the town, or at least Usopp does, and Chopper won’t blend in at all. Better he sticks with Luffy and Jinbei to guide them to the manor while the rest of them sneak inside.
All in all, it means Sanji now finds himself standing in the queue leading up into the manor, Nami’s hand gripping his elbow as Usopp and Zoro practically breathe down their necks behind them. They’re as incognito as Nami could get them, all dressed in fancy clothes that Zoro especially would otherwise never be caught dead in, their hair covered by wigs of different colours and styles, and Usopp seems determined to put on an accent that makes Sanji grind his teeth together in sheer annoyance.
He feels strange in himself. He’s wearing a suit, something he’s very used too, but his usual blond hair has been shoved underneath a short dull brown wig, and his forehead feels strangely crusty and stretched. It’s no doubt because of the glue that Usopp had coated his eyebrows in, flattening them to his skin before covering them with makeup and drawing new ones on. Sanji had wanted to protest, but unfortunately his crew had been right in pointing out his eyebrows would be instantly recognisable.
Still, Sanji scrunches his forehead a few times, irritated at the lack of movement. This sucks.
“Remember,” Nami mutters under her breath as they start to climb the steps up to the manor, the building dreadfully imposing as it glowers down at them, “locate the others as quickly as possible. Do not draw attention to yourselves.”
Zoro grunts and Sanji covers Nami’s hand with his own to let her know he’s heard her. Usopp, however, nearly stops them dead as he lets out a slightly hysterical sounding affirmative laugh that garners the attention of one of the security guards as they pass by.
Nami looks furious as she glares at their sniper, her usual fiery temper slightly dulled by the blonde wig curling over her shoulders, and Sanji instantly misses her company as she lets go of him just to reach out and drag Usopp close. He looks ready to faint when her hand clamps around his arm in a vice-like grip, and Sanji winces when he sees the slightest amount of sweat starting to bead at Usopp’s hairline, dripping from under his stupid rolled white wig.
“Don’t fucking blow this for us, Long Nose,” Nami hisses, and Usopp swallows hard as Nami hauls him up the last steps into the main foyer. Sanji follows suit, feeling Zoro fall into step beside him as they trail after the other two, and he notes that the security guard no longer seems interested in them as they hustle past.
The main foyer turns out to lead straight into a large ballroom, and the four of them pause just on the outskirts as they look around. The room is heaving with people, most of them collected dead centre on the dance floor, graceful couples swirling around to the delight of the clapping crowd. There’s tables of food lined on one side of the hall, platters of fine china held in hand as people pick at plates of delicacies, and at the other end of the room there’s a large set of intricately carved double doors, a giant raised dais with a gathering of rich looking people sitting in extravagant chairs in front of it.
Sanji guesses that will be the mayor up there, a rather thin willowy looking man with a sharp face and a turned up nose, his eyes watching the crowd like a hawk as people chatter on either side of him. Sanji doesn’t miss the way most of them keep glancing at him with a nervous excitement, as if they’re waiting for something in particular. He thinks he knows what it could be, but there’s no sign of Robin, Brook, or Franky yet, so Sanji turns his attention back to Nami as she clears her throat.
“Let’s split up,” she says. Sanji is about to offer to go with her but he sees that her grip on Usopp is white-knuckled as she brings the sniper closer beside her. The two of them look like the strangest duo with Nami’s timeless soft blonde curls and a flattering red evening gown against Usopp goofy court-room white wig, overly large glasses that precariously hang off his nose, and a suit with more ruffles than Sanji thinks is legal.
They don’t look like themselves in anyway though, and Sanji figures that’s the whole point.
He misses what Nami says before her and Usopp disappear into the crowd, Nami easily weaving amongst the people towards the dais at the back with Usopp tromping behind her, and he’s intensely aware that he’s suddenly very alone with Zoro.
Zoro, who he’s tried very very hard not to be alone with since… well…
He takes a steadying deep breath before he turns to the swordsman, only to see that Zoro is already looking at him. He looks so strange without his usual green hair, although the sharp black of the dye Nami had run through it is quite striking in its own way. Zoro looks unsettled in the suit he’s been wrangled into though, but then again it also could be the fact he’s very much missing his swords that Nami had given to Jinbei for safe keeping, proven by the way the swordsman’s hand keeps making aborted movements towards his hip.
Nevertheless, standing still and staring at each other is getting them nowhere, and Sanji lets out a huff as he looks away. “Come on,” he grumbles as he jerks his head towards the food tables, “lets start this way.”
Zoro doesn’t say a word to disagree, and he dutifully falls into step just slightly behind Sanji as they make their way through the packed crowd. It’s a little too intense for even Sanji, who considers himself used to the hustle and bustle of cramped kitchens with too many people packed into it, but the press of the townsfolk around them is all out suffocating as they try to push their way through. It’s never-ending though, and Sanji can feel the panic starting to build under his skin as he realises that there’s not going to be any relief even when they hit the tables.
A hand catches his all of a sudden, and Sanji turns around with wild eyes only to see its Zoro, standing firmly behind him with his fingers gripping Sanji’s. Sanji is about to open his mouth to ask what the hell he’s doing, but the swordsman beats him to it.
“Lets dance,” he says, raising his voice to be heard over the deafening roar of the ballroom, and Sanji feels his mouth drop open in stunned surprise, a whirl of emotions beating at his ribcage at the though.
“Can…” he trails off for a second, wondering if he’s about to offend Zoro before deciding he doesn’t care. “Can you dance?”
Zoro gives him an irritated look but doesn’t respond, instead just turning on his heel and pushing back into the crowd, dragging Sanji by the hand behind him. Sanji doesn’t let go, for a plethora of reasons that has nothing to do with the fact the stark contrast of Zoro’s tanned fingers wrapped around his own porcelain ones has his heart yammering in his chest, and he stumbles as they burst out of the press of people onto the dance floor.
There’s instantly a hell of a lot more room, but Sanji barely has time to suck in a relieved breath and enjoy the feeling of space before Zoro turns around and tugs on his hand, Sanji nearly tripping over his feet as he’s jerked forward.
Zoro catches him though, his large warm hand settling on Sanji’s waist to steady him, and Sanji immediately feels his heart lurch itself up into his throat, and he finds it very hard to breath as Zoro uses his new hold on him to pull Sanji up against his chest.
“Hand on my shoulder,” Zoro instructs needlessly, after all Sanji knows how to dance, but he does as he’s told anyway, reaching up with his spare hand to rest it on Zoro’s broad shoulder. Zoro twists their joined hands into the more familiar dancing hold, and Sanji doesn’t have time to say a word before Zoro steps back and launches them into the mix of twirling couples.
As it turns out, Sanji realises with the deepest shock he’s felt in a while, Zoro can dance.
Nearly effortlessly too. He’s the perfect lead as he spins them around the room, his back ramrod straight, his shoulders rolled back, his elbow raised at the perfect height, and his grip firm but not hard. He nudges them through the steps, each movement flawlessly in time to the steady tempo from the band, spinning Sanji in his arms over and over in graceful circles before drawing him close again, their chests nearly touching as Zoro’s hand burns against Sanji’s side.
Breathless, Sanji is breathless within moments, his brain stuttering to a halt as he lets Zoro whirl them around the room. It’s insane, it’s completely insane, and Sanji feels like he’s on fire.
“Shit, Marimo,” he manages to say when Zoro twirls him back into his hold, their noses nearly bumping when Sanji collides with Zoro’s chest, “you’ve been holding out on me. When did you learn to dance?”
Zoro doesn’t answer straight away as they step into another set of short pirouettes, and Sanji feels nearly giddy as he’s practically manhandled with a divine sort of grace he never expected from the swordsman.
“Mihawk,” he grunts as Sanji twists back into his arms, and Sanji’s eyes widen in surprise. The music starts to temper, and Sanji almost yelps when Zoro drops him into a sudden dip that has him grasping the swordsman’s shoulder with a white-knuckled grip.
Zoro doesn’t let him fall though, and when he brings Sanji back up it’s to pull him closer than before, drawing them into a much slower rhythm as the music trails off into something more stringy and sedate.
It gives Sanji a chance to catch his breath. “Mihawk?” he repeats with a bit of disbelief, meeting Zoro’s gaze as the swordsman gently sways them on the spot. “Really?”
He knows about Zoro’s time on Kuraigana Island, just as Zoro knows about his on Momoiro Island. Although, he has to admit that he just can’t quite picture Dracule Mihawk slow dancing Zoro through the depressing castle Zoro described, even if it’s an entertaining thing too imagine.
Zoro’s expression doesn’t change from it’s usual serious blankness though. “Sword fighting and dancing have a lot of similarities,” he explains simply as they rock in a small circle, the other dancers around them following suit, “dexterity is dexterity, no matter the form.”
Sanji has to admit he gets what the swordsman is talking about. Already, he can see the forms of Zoro’s sword fighting in the dance they’ve just finished, the steps and moves as fluid and effortless as the drills Zoro performs on the deck of the Sunny. If Zoro was holding Wado in his hands instead of Sanji right now, he’s not entirely sure he’d notice the difference.
“I just can’t imagine it,” he responds coyly, giving Zoro a cheeky grin as he leans into him, feeling Zoro’s fingers press further into the softness of his waist. “Who lead between the two of you?”
The light dusting of darkening skin over Zoro’s nose and cheeks answers Sanji’s question, and he can’t help his laugh as it bubbles out from his chest. Zoro grumbles something that he misses, glaring down at the ground for a moment, and Sanji can’t help but reach up to knot his fingers into the dyed hair at the nape of Zoro’s neck.
“Hey, mosshead,” he says kindly, giving Zoro’s hair a gentle tug that has Zoro looking up to meet his eyes. “I don’t mean anything by that.” He smiles. “You’re right. I can see why he would teach you dancing of all things.”
Zoro huffs but his gaze isn’t as annoyed as it was. “At least I wasn’t made to wear a dress.”
Sanji’s eyes narrow, but he lets Zoro get away with that jab. Just this once though, and he still gives Zoro’s hair a sharp yank in retaliation, delighting in the way Zoro winces in response.
He soothes it down after though, a gentle brush of his fingers down the nape of Zoro’s neck, and he refuses to meet Zoro’s curious gaze.
He doesn’t say anything after that, perfectly content to just sway in Zoro’s arms, the peaceful slow violin from the musicians nearby soothing in its softness. He glances around as they continue to move about the dance floor in a wide sweeping circle, trailing behind the other couples. There still isn’t any sign of Robin, Franky, and Brook, but he does spot Nami up on the dais amongst a group of chattering women from the town, Usopp hovering nearby looking for all the world like he’s about to throw up into the large glass of wine gripped in his hand.
Sanji rolls his eyes. Fucking Usopp. Every time.
He turns his attention back to Zoro, surprised to see the swordsman is watching him intently. He offers him another smile, just slight but its enough to make Zoro’s eye widen for a fraction of a second before he glances away. Sanji’s eyes narrow in response, but he decides not to take it personally.
After all, it’s not very often they two of them are this close, at least not in any peaceful kind of manner, and Sanji has never denied being an opportunist.
It strange to simply have time to just admire the man, to run his eyes down the sharp cut of Zoro’s jaw, over the sweeping slope of his nose, up the jarring scar that bisects his eyelid. He can see little streaks of green amongst the dyed black hair, small parts of the swordsman breaking through, and Sanji finds himself drawn to the single grey eye that’s still not looking at him. He always thought that Zoro’s eyes were cold and hard, bordering on unforgiving… but this close?
Sanji isn’t sure why he ever thought that.
“You’re staring.”
Sanji hums, smiling at Zoro’s statement as he looks at his warm grey eye, wondering if he could count all the different shades he sees. “I am.”
Zoro’s eye snaps back to his own. He looks curious, and Sanji can feel his heart starting to beat a tattoo into his ribs as unwanted nerves start to crackle beneath his skin. His hand tightens around Zoro’s, strong fingers and worn callouses, and Sanji is a little breathless when he realises just how close they are.
“Why?”
Sanji shrugs slightly, nearly tripping over his feet as Zoro abruptly turns them. His arm is firm around Sanji’s waist though, holding him up, and Sanji lets out a little laugh. “I don’t know,” he says, and Zoro frowns at him. “It’s not often we’re this close.”
For just a flash, he thinks of Zoro’s lips against his jaw, the stolen moment in the dark, and his heart beats furiously up into his throat as Zoro clearly just looks at him. He can feel his cheeks start to heat, undoubtedly blushing a brilliant red, and it burns worse when he sees Zoro’s half-smile as his eye trails over the line of Sanji’s cheeks and nose.
“You’re right,” Zoro murmurs, his voice oddly intimate, and it makes Sanji’s stomach swoop. “Although, I would’ve preferred to see the real you.”
Sanji’s thoughts shudder to a halt, not quite having expected the sheer honesty from the swordsman, and he finds himself lost for words. He tries to find some, wishes for something to rear up his throat and spill from his lips, but nothing comes as Zoro sways them to a slow stop, the music winding down around them.
And just, just as Sanji thinks he might be able to speak, the intricate double doors at the back of the room are thrown open.
They turn as one, drawn to the commotion, and all thoughts vanish from Sanji’s mind as he sees his crew. Robin, Franky, and Brook, all traipsing into the room in single file, surrounded by guards and chained up with heavy seastone. The mayor is bellowing something out, the room has come to a standstill, and Sanji’s eyes meet Robin’s.
She smiles, just slightly, but it’s enough to let Sanji know she’s okay before she’s lead up on the dais… only to be brought to stand right in front of Nami and Usopp.
It couldn’t be more perfect, and Sanji turns back to Zoro, brimming with excitement… but he pauses as Zoro releases his waist and takes a step back from him.
He doesn’t let go of Sanji’s hand though, and Sanji’s heart comes to a stuttering halt as Zoro bends down into a slight bow, ducking his gaze, and his lips just brush the back of Sanji’s knuckles.
Holy shit.
Sanji can’t breath, the air beaten from his lungs by his rabidly pounding heart, and he feels fucking dizzy as Zoro’s lips stay pressed to the fragile bones of his knuckles, soft and sweet, feather light, and his warm breath ghosts over the small hairs on the back of his hand, causing them to stand on end.
Sanji feels like he might faint, but then Zoro is looking up, raising his gaze to meet Sanji’s, a small coy smile spreading over his lips, and Sanji can’t help but grip Zoro’s hand tightly with shaking fingers.
“Zoro…”
The wall beside the food tables suddenly blows apart, the screams of the townspeople drowned out by the deafening explosion that cuts through the room, smoke billowing thickly into the air as the debris of the wooden walls and steel beams rain down into the crowd. It’s pandemonium, and Sanji’s eyes grow wide as he hears the familiar sound of their captain’s cackle crack out above it all.
Zoro just grins up at him, bloodthirsty and cocky, his lips curving around Sanji’s hand in a way that has Sanji’s stomach swooping. “Time to go, Curls.”
Sanji’s mouth drops open in utter disbelief, but he has no time to reply as suddenly Jinbei is at their side, handing Zoro his swords as he bellows lost instructions at them over the noise, and within a short blink, Zoro lets go of Sanji and is gone.
Sanji stares at Jinbei. Jinbei stares back.
“What the fuck,” Sanji mutters, before he turns and takes chase.
...
As it always does with the Straw Hat pirates, the rescue is wildly successful.
Not without it’s hitches though. Sanji doesn’t think a single plan of theirs has ever gone the intended way since he joined the crew, and he doesn’t doubt for a second it was like that before he joined as well. Usopp has babbled one too many times about Syrup Village for Sanji to think otherwise, and Nami continuously brings up Buggy the Clown any time Zoro tries to add anything to their plans.
In any case, they manage to rescue Robin, Brook, and Franky with only minimal issues. Usopp gets into an unexpected fistfight with the mayor, Chopper ends up getting chased by numerous townsfolk with literal torches and pitchforks that Nami and Jinbei have to rescue him from, Franky loses his pants and Brook has to scramble to find the top of his head when a stray punch from Luffy knocks it off, and Sanji is sent to find Zoro when he unsurprisingly manages to get lost in the manor despite their never leaving the single ballroom.
Which inevitably leads to Sanji hauling Zoro back to the Sunny well after the others are already on board, his cheeks a furious red as his hand stays firmly around Zoro’s wrist, trying very hard not to think about the way Zoro has twisted his own hand to grip Sanji back, his calloused fingers brushing the sensitive skin of the inside of his wrist.
He lets go as soon as they’re on the Sunny, refusing to meet Zoro’s gaze, and he doesn’t hesitate in bolting straight for the galley as Franky and Jinbei get them the hell out of dodge.
Thankfully, the others see fit to leave him alone, and Sanji is able to catch his breath as he leans against the kitchen counter, his hands covering his face as he digs his fingers into his hairline, tugging his hair in short sharp yanks. He’s been off the whole time and he knows it, completely unable to think about anything except Zoro looking up at him, his lips pressed to Sanji’s knuckles, and he pulls his hand away now to stare at the back of it.
He feels like there should be a mark over the unblemished skin, the outline of Zoro’s lips or something. He can feel it anyway, like a small burning under his skin, and the longer he thinks about it, the more he can start to feel a burn over his jaw and, embarrassingly enough, on the tip of his nose.
“Fuck,” he swears out loud, shaking his head and scrubbing his hands over his face. “This is ridiculous.”
Turning around, Sanji makes his way to the refrigerator. Thoughts aside, his crew will be starving by the time the adrenaline wears off and the Sunny is out on open water. Sanji still has his responsibilities, so he shelves all thoughts of bloody Zoro and his stupid lips with a hard determination before he starts to pull out enough food to feed an army.
It comes in handy. The process of preparing that much food is easy to get lost in, Sanji’s single and only thought becomes about what comes next as he cooks, and when the crew eventually piles into the galley with a gusto reserved for after their usual antics, Sanji is well prepared for the black hole that is their captain.
“Sanji!” Luffy crows as he lunges into his seat, nearly taking out Chopper as he goes, only Zoro managing to stop the little reindeer from being flung across the room with a quick grab. “Meat!”
Sanji resists the urge to kick his captain around the head, mainly because of the lack of manners, but he does drop a whole cooked chicken specially for Luffy in front of him, pleased when Luffy’s eyes nearly pop out of his head in sheer excitement.
The others are a lot more calmer, digging into the selection of food Sanji places in the centre of the table. It takes a while until he’s happy to join them, eyeing everyone’s plates to ensure they’re full first. Once the ruckus has settled into the sounds of happy munching, he slides into the seat beside Robin, placing a delicate cup of blossom tea in front of her with a small murmur, and she gives him a tired smile as her hands come up to cup it gently. She looks exhausted, bone weary in the deepest of ways, and Sanji doesn’t blame her for even a moment as she turns to lean against Franky, the tea cup loose in her hands.
By the time they’re finished, it’s well into early morning and Sanji can see everyone starting to sag at the table. Even Luffy is quiet as he slumps against the table, his eyes drooping and his jaw falling slack. It doesn’t take long before he’s fully asleep, and Sanji hides a smile as Jinbei lets out a sigh before scooping their captain up in his arms, carrying him out of the galley as most of the others tag along. Nami pauses to ask if Sanji would like help in cleaning up, but Sanji waves her off with a tired smile and a gentle goodnight.
Zoro pauses at the door though, glancing back at him with a questioning gaze. Sanji can feel the tips of his ears starting to heat up at the sudden attention, well aware they’re the only two left in the room, and he gives Zoro what he hopes is an annoyed look.
“I’m fine, mosshead,” he grumbles. “Go get some sleep.”
Zoro looks uncertain but doesn’t argue, disappearing out the door with the dull thud of his boots, and Sanji is convinced he takes most of the oxygen with him. It’s a little hard to breathe all of a sudden, and Sanji takes a moment for himself as the door swings shut with a silent click.
The back of his hand burns again, and this time Sanji blames it on the hot water it’s currently in.
By the time he’s finished cleaning up, Sanji’s head is back to spinning, and he finds that he can’t quite bear the thought of going to the mens quarters tonight. Instead, he settles on the couch in the galley, nabbing one of the throws Usopp collects to huddle under and bunching up a few of Nami’s decorative pillows beneath his head. He likes the calmness of the galley, the quiet lingering in the air, and the gentle rock of the Sunny is enough to soothe him to sleep.
When he wakes, it’s the morning, and things seem… normal again.
Of course, his behaviour has clearly been picked up on by the crew. Sanji isn’t stupid, he knows he was acting off, and he manages to grit his way through breakfast with only a few questions directed his way, Chopper especially politely asking if he has any injuries from the battle that they may have missed. Sanji answers him with a ruffle of fur, begging off that he was just tired, and most of the crew seem willing to accept that.
Although, some aren’t, and Sanji really isn’t at all surprised when he’s corner after breakfast by an unimpressed looking Nami.
He’s leaning against the railing at the back of the Sunny, enjoying the solitude and the cigarette dangling from his fingers as he watches the churning waves the Sunny leaves in its wake when he feels her join him. Nami comes up beside him, resting her elbows down on the railing, her shoulder bumping against his.
“So,” she starts, and Sanji takes a steady drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke away from her, “are we going to talk about this like adults? Or do I have to stage an intervention?”
Sanji swallows past the sudden lump in his throat as he flexes his fingers where they grip the railing. “Nami, darling,” he tries, his voice a little too strained as he glances at her, “I don’t know what-”
Nami rolls her eyes. “Quit it,” she snaps, and Sanji’s mouth closes with a click. She looks hesitant for a moment before she sighs. “I know I haven’t been the kindest to you lately, Sanji, but… I saw what happened at the manor last night. You’ve not been right since.”
Sanji thinks of lips pressed to his knuckles, something so soft and sweet and innocent, and he promptly drops his head into his hands.
“Fuck,” he grumbles, pressing his palms into his eyes until they hurt. “You saw?”
“Both of us did.” Nami huffs, and Sanji peeks out from between his fingers to see her looking annoyed. “Only one of us has claimed to have can’t-talk-about-someone’s-love-life-disease and fled like a coward.”
“Hey!”
Usopp’s voice comes from the around the corner of the deck, and Sanji is utterly mortified to think that the sniper is listening in. Already it’s bad enough that Nami has pinned him with a look letting him know he’s not getting out of this without talking about some of the feelings brewing in his chest, but knowing that Usopp is privy too it as well? He’s fucking mortified.
Nevertheless, he knows a losing battle when he sees one, and he lets out a begrudging sigh. “What if I said I didn’t want to talk about it?”
There’s a pause for a moment where Nami looks contemplative, but then she shakes her head. “Sanji,” she says firmly, “you need to let whatever is going through your head out.”
Unsurprisingly, she’s right, and Sanji can’t help it as suddenly words just bubble up his throat in one violent rush.
“I don’t understand,” he snaps, and Nami’s eyes widen at the sheer vigour of his voice but Sanji doesn’t care. “I don’t understand what the fuck he’s thinking. You can’t just go around kissing people. Not like this. Not when I…” He trails off as he scrubs his hands over his face, groaning into his palms, feelings knotting themselves up in his chest until he can’t understand them. “He’s such a stupid fucking shitty swordsman. He can’t be playing games like this!”
“Games?” Nami prompts, and Sanji slaps his hands down on the railing with gusto.
“Yes, games,” he swears, and Nami raises her eyebrows at him. “First the kiss on the nose, well, that was a battle tactic, I can kind of understand that-”
“You can?” Usopp squeaks from around the corner, and Sanji ignores him.
“-and then he was drunk and injured, so it’s not like he knew what he was doing and frankly he probably doesn’t even remember that one-”
“Drunk, you say?” Nami hums.
“-but last night?” Sanji reaches up to dig his fingers into his hair, gripping it tightly. “Last night was intentional. I know that’s probably how Mihawk taught him to end dances or something like that, it seems like something that dramatic ass vampire would do, but he didn’t have to do it. And he didn’t have to make eye contact at the same fucking time too, the fucking asshole-”
“Sanji.”
Nami’s voice cuts into his ranting, firm and sure, and Sanji’s mouth snaps shut as he looks up to see her staring at him with a serious look on her face. Behind her, Usopp has come out from around the corner, his eyebrows nearly in his hairline as he stares at Sanji with his mouth hanging open.
“Sanji,” Nami repeats again, and Sanji swallows past the words still trying to come out as she reaches out and gently takes his arm with a delicate hand, “maybe… maybe this is less about what Zoro is doing, and more about what you’re feeling?”
He pauses, staring at her with wide eyes, and he can’t help the way the blood starts to rush in his ears.
Because he knows, Sanji knows that his feelings about Zoro have been less than platonic for a long time now. He knows that his eyes look for the swordsman first in the morning and he knows he finds himself gravitating towards him with half-assed excuses that wouldn’t hold up if scrutinised. He knows that the urges to run his fingers through soft green-hair or over his earrings until they ring isn’t normal, and the need to feel Zoro against him even if it’s just for a fight has gone beyond rivalry.
He knows… and yet, he doesn’t know what to do about it.
“Fuck,” he swears again, and Nami sighs sympathetically as she pats his arm.
It’s not a revelation, not by a long shot, but it’s the first time Sanji has ever actually stood still and thought about the feelings that are nestled into the space between his heart and ribs. He doesn’t let them out, he’s not ready for that, but he does poke at them just the slightest, lets them bubble up for him to linger on for just a moment or two before he puts them back.
Maybe, just maybe, he might be coming to terms with the fact that he… he might just…
Nope, Sanji thinks as he takes a long drag from his cigarette, shifting his head from Nami to blow the smoke away from her. He’s not at all ready for that.
Because even if he was? It doesn’t fucking matter since Zoro would never feel the same.
Sure, it feels like the two of them have started to get over their hiccups that have been bothering them since Wano, but even so Sanji knows that Zoro is still harbouring some sort of animosity towards him. The swordsman’s gaze still follows him when he thinks Sanji isn’t looking, he still remains in Sanji’s sight more often than not, he’s somehow always nearby, and it’s so completely and utterly frustrating.
Not in the least because Sanji… Sanji wishes that it was for a whole different reason. That it was a reason that would match those feelings and thoughts that he’s not ready to think about just yet.
But Sanji isn’t an idiot. Zoro doesn’t feel that way about him, he never will, and even if he did? Even if some miraculous miracle happened and all that suspicion that Zoro seems to hold towards him dropped away to be replaced with something else?
Well, that little voice in the back of his head with that heavy Germa accent doesn’t hesitate to remind him that Sanji doesn’t fucking deserve it anyway.
It doesn’t matter, Sanji tells himself after Nami and Usopp have left him alone, Nami having wrangled a promise out of him that he’ll have a good long hard think about things before she’d gone. It doesn’t matter because as far as he’s concerned, these are all individual events that make sense in the context of the moment, and thinking that they are more is just going to lead him down a path he’s not entirely sure he’ll be able to come back from.
Until suddenly, very suddenly, that’s not the case.
It happens during a fight, always a fight. Sanji is convinced that’s all they’ve done since reuniting in Sabaody Archipelago, and when they’re not fighting, they’re planning their next one or some alliance for the next one. It’s exhausting, if he’s honest, but at the same time, insanely exhilarating.
In fairness though, this particular fight isn’t on them. They weren’t to know the next island contained a stronghold for the marines, especially not the particularly grumpy absolute justice nut, Vice Admiral Onigumo, whose devil fruit turns him into a literal fucking spider.
Sanji hadn’t exactly dealt with that very well, memories of the spiders in his cell as a child crawling up his spine and making him shiver enough to catch Zoro’s attention. He’d waved the swordsman off, swallowing the lump in his throat down as Luffy had thankfully stepped forward to take on the Vice Admiral.
It leaves the rest of them to handle the marines. The stronghold is built into the side of a mountain and takes over most of the town beneath it. They’re hauled up in a courtyard not far from the docks, Franky the only one missing from their crew having headed back to the Sunny the moment things started to get dicey. Sanji thought at first Nami was going to insist they take chase and Coup de Burst their way out of the situation, but that was a stupid thing to wonder considering Luffy has never backed down from a fight… ever.
It’s chaos though. Explosions rock the earth, flamethrowers set the nearby buildings alight, gunshots are rapid and startlingly accurate. While the marines themselves aren’t much of a problem, the sheer number of them is. It doesn’t take long for them all to get separated around the courtyard, the marines piling in from the surrounding streets at an alarming rate, filtering between the crew and pushing them apart.
Sanji finds himself back to back with Zoro right in the centre of the courtyard, the two of them falling into their usual steady rhythm. They move seamlessly, Zoro’s swords arcing sharply through the air, Sanji’s burning legs furious in their speed, cutting a path around them with deadly precision.
Sanji dodges as Zoro slashes, Zoro ducks and Sanji lunges. Marines fall with sharp shouts and strangled cries. The bodies mound into piles, clothes burning and blood slick on the ground. It’s a gory mess as the swell of battle rises, as Sanji feels the give of flesh and bone beneath his heel, as the spray of blood from Zoro’s swords flicks through the air.
Zoro is solid against his back, the ripple of his muscles moving against Sanji’s own, and Sanji glances over just once to see Zoro’s wild gaze, his bloodthirsty grin, the slope of his bandana over his scarred eye, and when Zoro’s eye meets his… Sanji feels fucking breathless.
He grins. “Keep up, Marimo!”
Zoro lets out a deep laugh that makes Sanji’s stomach swoop, and as one they turn back to the approaching marines. They’re roaring as they come, a mix of swords held aloft and rifles aimed squarely at them, and the Wings of the Pirate King move flawlessly in sync as they charge right back.
Inevitably though, they end up separating. The press of marines becomes too much and Sanji is distracted by the startled cries from Chopper and Nami. He glances over to see them cornered nearby, Chopper in Nami’s arms in his usual form. They look exhausted, and Sanji grits his teeth as he calls out to Zoro.
“Go!” Zoro shouts back, his swords held aloft, and he lets out a roar as he sweeps Enma in a sharp cut to mow down the marines surrounding Sanji.
It gives him the room he needs, and Sanji kicks off the ground with a grunt, leaping into his sky walk. He streaks towards them, calling Nami’s name, and she looks up with a relieved smile as she sticks her hand into the air.
Sanji catches it, dragging Nami into his arms with a strong pull, and she lets out a startled cry as she leaves the ground. Sanji’s grip is strong though as he tucks her into his side, Chopper still in her tight hold, and he quickly turns around to sky walk them back towards some of the others.
Usopp and Robin have taken cover behind a half-destroyed wall nearby, and he sets a course for them, streaking through the air with loud pops that unfortunately draw some attention. Bullets start to whizz past them in the air and without preamble, Sanji drops them to the ground, landing beside Robin and Usopp with a thud, and he doesn’t hesitate in shoving Nami and Chopper behind the wall with the others.
He catches sight of Chopper though, exhausted where he lies in Nami’s arms, no doubt what’s caused him to leave his Kung Fu Point. He looks terrible, his fur matted with blood and sweat, and when he turns his eyes to Nami, he sees she’s not much better.
Sheer rage burns under his skin, and Sanji turns back to the marines with a roar, lunging forward into a handstand as his legs blaze into a roundhouse kick. The marines let out stark screams, falling with sickening crunches to his attacks, and he springs up to launch himself at the oncoming horde.
Nearby, he can hear the sounds of Luffy and Onigumo fighting, the sharp ring of Luffy’s armament haki meeting Onigumo’s metal spider limbs. He hopes that Luffy is able to finish it quickly, for his sake and their own.
He can hear his crew behind him calling out to one another. Nami’s lightning strikes crackle out around him with insane precision and multiple marines are dragged away from Sanji’s personal war path by Robin’s arms and the twisting of Usopp’s vines. The onslaught of marines is starting to dwindle, and Sanji has a feeling that the tides are turning.
But then Nami lets out a scream, and Sanji hears the whistling sound of a rocket coming towards him before suddenly… the earth is no longer below his feet.
The explosion is deafening as he hits the ground with a grunt, his ears ringing something fierce, the taste of dirt and blood mixing in his mouth as his face is rammed into the filth of the battle. He can’t hear anything, his world goes black for a startling moment, and he feels nothing short of sheer agony suddenly ripping up his right leg.
“Sanji!”
It’s Nami who cries his name, but its Usopp’s hands that wrap around his shoulders. Sanji groans as he’s hauled over the ground, choking back bile that rips up his throat as his leg screams out in protest, and he blinks his eyes open blearily as he feels himself being shoved up against a wall.
He sees Nami on her hands and knees in front of him, her face streaked with blood, wide panicked eyes beneath the muck on her cheeks. Usopp’s at her side, looking just as horrified as his hands hover over Sanji’s leg. He’s very aware that it shouldn’t be bending the way it is, and he finds himself staring at it with a strange sort of disassociation as the rest of his body aches something fierce.
“Sanji, are you okay?” Nami says, her hands reaching out for him but stopping just shy of touching, and Sanji swallows before lifting his head to look at her.
“I’m fine,” he grits out, although neither Nami or Usopp look like they believe him. It doesn’t matter though. Sanji glances around to see he’s been propped up against the half-destroyed wall they were taking cover behind. Robin is beside him, Chopper unconscious in her lap, and Sanji meets her grim eyes with his own.
Shit, he thinks as he hears the sound of the marines starting to regroup nearby, clearly shaking off their own losses from the rocket. They’re not going to be safe for long. He needs to get them out of here as quickly as possible.
“Don’t even think about it,” Robin chides him as Sanji struggles to stand, his leg not exactly cooperating with his demands. “You can’t continue like this.”
He’s had worse, Sanji is tempted to protest, but there’s a wet sickening crunch of bone sliding over bone as he tries to put weight on his leg. Usopp turns a nasty green as Sanji’s leg buckles, but he catches him when Sanji topples forward.
“Fuck this,” Nami mutters as Usopp settles Sanji back up against the wall, Sanji hissing as his leg twinges cruelly at the movement. “We need to get back to the Sunny.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Usopp snaps at her. Sanji shoots him a warning look. Horrendous situation be damned, this isn’t the time to be getting short with one another.
Nami looks like she’s ready to punch Usopp in return, but any response is cut off by the sound of approaching marines. Sanji squares his jaw, determined to get himself to his feet to defend his crew, but he stops as a dark shadow streaks over top of them.
He doesn’t need to see him to know it’s Zoro.
There’s a brief sound of a scuffle, the sharp ring of Zoro’s swords cutting through the air and the gurgled sound of marines meeting their fate, before there’s sudden silence. Sanji waits, watching Nami and Usopp’s surprised faces as they look over the wall they’re huddled behind, before the sound of thudding boots comes rushing back towards them.
Sanji isn’t surprised when Zoro rips around the side of the wall, but he is surprised when the swordsman crashes to his knees beside him.
“Cook,” Zoro practically barks, reaching out to grip Sanji’s shoulder with a firm hand. He looks feral, half-crazed, and Sanji stares at him in shock. “Are you alright?”
He’s not expecting the concern, nor the way Zoro’s eye tracks over him as if assessing his wounds. Sanji knows when he spots his broken leg as Zoro’s hand tightens painfully on his shoulder, a dark growl rumbling out of his chest, something fierce and protective woven into the noise.
“I’m fine,” Sanji repeats, wincing when Usopp purposefully knocks his leg, drawing a sharp hiss from between his teeth that has Zoro’s gaze snapping to meet his. He gives Usopp a reproachful look before turning back to Zoro. “Nothing that can’t be managed.”
Zoro stares at him for a long moment. “You’re hurt.” He narrows his eye. “Badly.”
“We’re all hurt,” Sanji points out as he flaps a hand nonchalantly at his leg, trying not to wince as the movement somehow manages to excruciatingly tug every other part of his body. “This isn’t a big deal.”
Nami hisses across from him. “You were nearly blown up, Sanji!”
Sanji shakes his head. “I’m fine,” he tries for the third time, but it’s obvious no one believes him. It’s frustrating, he’s had worst dammit, but then Zoro is glancing over to everyone else.
He clearly takes them in, their collection of wounds and states of consciousness, and Sanji sees the way Zoro lingers the most on Chopper. He has no doubt the simmering rage in Zoro is burning up to a frightening degree, his protective streak snarling into something nearly uncontrollable, and he feels his breath hitch when Zoro turns back to him.
There’s a ferocity twisting up Zoro’s lips, his eye blazing with barely contained fury, and when he speaks, it’s through clenched teeth.
“Get them back to the Sunny,” Zoro orders, his voice holding no room for argument. “I’m going for Luffy.”
Sanji feels his mouth drop open. “You can’t go alone.”
“He won’t be,” Robin points out quietly from beside him. “Brook and Jinbei are nearby.”
That’s not good enough for Sanji though, and he grimaces as he forces himself to sit up straighter, his arms shaking as the pain rips up his body. “I’ll come with you,” he insists, reaching up to grip Zoro’s wrist where his hand still rests on his shoulder, “Usopp can get them out-”
He’s cut off as Zoro’s hand slips around to cup the back of Sanji’s neck, and he learns forward until his forehead comes to rest gently against Sanji’s own.
“No,” Zoro says, firm and strong, and Sanji’s breath catches as Zoro’s own flutters over his cheeks. “I trust you to get them back. You, Curls.”
Fuck, Sanji thinks as he meets Zoro’s determined gaze. His heart thumps a tattoo into his ribs, his fingers tighten around Zoro’s wrist, and Sanji lets out a rush of a laugh into his next breath.
Because holy shit. Zoro said it. He said he trusts Sanji. It’s gone, he can feel it, the animosity and the doubts that Zoro must’ve been having towards him since Wano, since fucking Whole Cake. They’re all gone with a handful of words that makes Sanji’s heart practically scream with unbridled excitement.
His undeserved feelings be damned, Sanji will be happy with having Zoro by his side just like this.
“Shit, Marimo,” he huffs, shaking his head slightly, their foreheads rubbing together at the movement. “Hit me with the big guns much.”
Zoro grins crookedly before he pulls back, and Sanji immediately misses the closeness. “I’ll get Luffy and meet you back at the Sunny.”
Sanji glances over to see the others watching them with a range of expressions. They look terrible, dirty and injured, and Sanji knows that he has to get them out, no matter how reluctant he is to leave Zoro to face their enemies alone.
So he nods, and he turns back to give Zoro a cocky smile. “Race you there, mossy,” he can’t help but taunt, feeling lighter than he’s felt in a long time, and Zoro lets out a stunningly sharp laugh in response, shaking his head fondly.
“You’re on, shit cook,” he crows back, and something in Sanji’s chest loosens.
He expects that’s it, that Zoro will pull away and launch himself back over the wall now, but there’s a moment where they stay just looking at one another, twin smiles on their faces, and then Zoro’s hand tightens around the back of his neck before he leans forward again.
Sanji doesn’t expect the press of Zoro’s lips to his forehead, brief but warm, a soft brush of a kiss and a whisper of breath over his skin, before Zoro pulls away.
“Stay safe,” he grumbles, and Sanji doesn’t have time to reply before Zoro is on his feet and gone, ripping around the side of the wall once more with his swords gripped firmly in hand.
Sanji blinks, his heart lurches into his throat, and he thinks only one simple word.
Shit.
…
It’s all Sanji can think about as they flee from the battle.
His head is racing with the worry of saving his crew, about the constant wave of marines and the pain in his broken leg that’s been braced by discarded branches and fabric torn from Nami’s long skirt. He’s trying to figure out how he’s going to manage to get the crew back to the Sunny with his new handicap, and he grits his teeth as he battles his way through the hordes of marines with a fragile leg and a terrified Usopp plastered against his side.
And yet, pressed right at the forefront of his mind, is the feeling of Zoro’s lips on his skin and the gentle warmth blooming from his forehead… and how it sits like lead in the pit of his stomach.
Sanji is thankful when they finally break out of the twisting and winding streets onto the harbour. Franky is on board, waving down to them with bellowed words lost to the wind, and Sanji insists on bringing up the rear as the others stampede towards the Sunny.
He glances back just once when he reaches the bottom of the gangplank, desperate to see a flash of green hair amongst the bricks and wood of the houses.
There isn’t though, and Sanji rushes up the gangplank as Franky starts to get the Sunny moving. They’re clearly not waiting as Nami yells out orders, determined to get some distance between them and the dock. There’s no doubt the others will get to them before they get too far, whether by Jinbei’s powerful swimming or Luffy’s sheer batshittery, but even so Sanji’s worry brews beneath his skin as they pull away from the island.
There isn’t much time to think on it though as Robin is suddenly in front of him, pressing a still unconscious Chopper into his arms before she disappears up towards the helm. He blinks for a moment, unsure what exactly he’s supposed to do with their little doctor, before Usopp flies past him in a whirl of ropes and hooks.
“Get ready!” he calls as he breezes by, and Sanji watches him practically trip his way up the stairs to the observation deck. “Franky’s going to Coup De Burst us out of here!”
Well aware that means hold on, Sanji hobbles after Usopp to the stairs himself. He drops down on the bottom one, shifting so his back is against one balustrade and lifting his good leg up to brace against the opposite one. He nestles Chopper into his arms, wrapping him up tightly, and he drops his head back against the Adam wood as he feels the fight start to drain from his body, leaving him loose and bone-weary.
The rest of the crew are yelling out to one another around him, a chorus of voices as they scramble to ready for Coup de Burst, battening the hatches and tying the lines. It’s chaos, but Sanji just settles in for the wait, his arms tightening around Chopper as they huddle into the stairs.
It doesn’t take long before he hears Luffy’s laugh cracking out over the harbour, a delightfully manic noise. It drowns out the clamouring of the others, and Sanji lolls his head to the side in time to see Luffy come slingshotting into view, flying through the air with Jinbei, Brook, and Zoro wrapped up in one of his impossibly long arms.
They land in a heap in the middle of the lawn, a tangled mess of arms and legs sprawling across the Sunny. The other three look less than thrilled as Luffy immediately springs to his feet and tears up the stairwell to the helm, his shishishi laugh trailing behind him. Brook stays flat on his back as the others stand, staring up at the sky in utter defeat, and Jinbei staggers quickly after Luffy with wobbly steps.
Zoro, however, remains standing over Brook, offering a hand that Brook seems to begrudgingly take. He hauls the skeleton to his feet, brushing the bits of grass and dirt covering Brook’s suit with sharp strokes of his hands. It’s surprisingly thoughtful.
They go still though as Franky’s voice booms out over the Sunny. “Hang on, everyone!”
Sanji hears the whirring of the cannon at the back of the ship, and he grips Chopper even tighter to his chest as he braces himself for lift off. He winces though when he feels his calf twinge, something deep in the muscle not liking the stress of the pressure he’s putting on it, and his eyes go wide as his leg suddenly spasms into a cramp.
“Shit-” he swears, but he cuts himself off with a sharp gasp as the Sunny is suddenly launched into the air, his leg failing to hold them still, and he throws out a hand to try grasp the balustrade behind him as the sheer momentum of the ship has his body leaving the step.
Only he crashes back down as a strong arm wraps around him, and he blinks in shock as Zoro is suddenly there, crouching at the bottom of the stairs, gripping the balustrades on either side of him as his arms bracket Sanji safely, Chopper the only thing stopping their chests from being pressed completely against one another.
Zoro’s forehead bumps against his cheek, his knees knocking against his broken leg, and Sanji isn’t sure that the pain of it being jostled is what causes his breath to hitch in that moment.
His free arm comes up to grab the back of Zoro’s coat, his fingers clenching into the fabric with a white-knuckled grip. Coup de burst doesn’t last long, barely a minute, but Sanji is well aware they’re miles above the ocean and the only thing keeping him and Chopper on the ship is the swordsman currently curled around them. He can’t help but drop his forehead to rest on Zoro’s shoulder as he waits for the inevitable crash of ship meeting sea once more, pressing into the swordsman as much as he can.
Maybe it’s opportunistic. Maybe it’s just survival. Sanji decides now is not the time to figure that out.
The ship lands violently, throwing around barrels and crates from the upper decks that hadn’t been restrained, and Sanji hears the cries of surprise as his crew is no doubt flung about with the force of the Sunny as she crashes into the ocean once more.
He doesn’t move an inch though, Zoro’s hold enough to anchor him completely to the stairs, Zoro’s earrings ringing quietly beside Sanji’s ear as they sway along with the Sunny’s efforts to stay buoyant.
There’s a long moment where they stay pressed together, the Sunny gently easing back into her usual steady rock, before Zoro slowly starts to move. He pulls back, just enough for Sanji to lift his head and meet the swordsman’s gaze, and he feels a lump form in his throat when their noses nearly brush.
“Okay?” Zoro murmurs, breath fanning over Sanji’s warming cheeks.
“Yeah.” Sanji holds back a wince at how breathless he sounds, and he flexes his fingers where they’re still wrapped up in Zoro’s coat. “Thanks, Marimo.”
Zoro gives him a slow nod in return. Sanji’s heart starts to thump a rapid beat as neither of them move, their eyes locked on one another, and Sanji notices the way Zoro swallows as his eye flickers briefly to his lips.
There’s a pause, a moment where Sanji’s breath catches as Zoro’s gaze flutters back up to his.
“Cook-”
“Sanji?”
Chopper’s quiet voice interrupts the moment, and Sanji is frankly relieved as he drops his gaze to see their little doctor blinking up at him from where he’s still cocooned in Sanji’s arms. He looks exhausted, his eyes droopy as he stifles a yawn behind one of his hooves, and Sanji can’t help his smile as he lets go of Zoro to run a finger down the curve of the bridge of Chopper’s nose.
“Hey, doc,” he says quietly, and Chopper blinks at him sweetly. “You’re awake.”
Chopper gives him a small smile. “Is everyone okay?”
Sanji glances back up to see Zoro looking anywhere but at him as he pulls away, and Sanji can’t help but miss the swordsman’s arms as soon as he drops them back to his sides, rocking back on his heels to remain crouched at their sides as his attention turns to Chopper. Sanji’s heart is still racing, that lump is still in his throat, but he swallows around it as he turns back to Chopper.
“Everyone is fine,” Sanji tells him, smoothing out the little crease between Chopper’s brows with his fingers. “Are you?”
Chopper gives him a tired nod and Sanji smiles, but then Zoro clears his throat. “The cook could use your attention, Chopper,” he says gruffly, and Sanji shoots the swordsman a filthy look even as Chopper lets out a questioning noise.
Of course, Zoro chooses then to nudge the makeshift brace around Sanji’s broken leg, and Sanji hisses at the sharp spike of pain it sends ripping up his body. It gets Chopper’s attention, and the little reindeer’s bleariness all but disappears as he lurches upright in Sanji’s arms to stare at his leg with horror.
At Chopper’s insistence, Sanji lets himself be hustled to the infirmary, gritting his teeth as each step causes a deep graunching noise as bone grinds against bone. Chopper shifts into arm point and tucks himself under Sanji’s shoulder, his arm around Sanji’s waist as he tries to take most of his weight off his leg. They leave Zoro behind, the swordsman’s face unreadable as he watches them disappear up the stairs.
Frankly? Sanji is thankful for the space though, his head spinning and heart pounding, and he feels a rush of relief when he finally collapses on the infirmary bed.
Chopper fusses, as he does best. Sanji closes his eyes and leans back against the wall, trying to shut his mind down for a little while as he lets Chopper manhandle him. Now that the adrenaline has left his body, he feels completely boneless, exhausted, and the pain is starting to filter through in sharp waves.
But then when he closes his eyes, he sees Zoro’s face, and he can’t breathe.
It doesn’t take Chopper long to set his leg, removing the makeshift brace and replacing it with a much sturdier one that will support Sanji’s weight better. He tends to the rest of Sanji’s injuries too, cleaning his wounds and applying antiseptic to them. Sanji has never been fond of dressings and wrappings, but he begrudgingly will keep them on unlike their resident swordsman.
By the time Chopper announces he’s done with him though, Usopp and Nami have joined them in the doorway, both looking a little worse for wear, and Sanji quickly acquiesces his spot on the infirmary bed for the two of them. Chopper doesn’t look happy as he heads for the galley, but it’s getting late and he knows the others will all be hungry now that the battle weariness is settling in.
The fact that Nami and Usopp are watching him like a hawk might also have something to do with the way he practically bolts from the room.
The galley is empty as he steps out of the infirmary, and he feels his shoulders slump with relief before he limps into the kitchen. It’s easy to fall into the monotony of cooking, of pulling out ingredients and lighting the stovetop, chopping and dicing on worn cutting boards, boiling and sautéing in a collection of pots and pans. His leg bothers him slightly as he moves about, but it’s easy to forget as he focuses on the food in front of him.
Sometime later, when he’s standing quietly at the stove, carefully stirring the seafood chowder he’s preparing, he hears the creaking of the galley door opening. He glances up to see who it is, surprised when its Robin who pokes her head around the corner.
She sees him straight away, and a small smile spreads over her lips. “Sanji,” she says quietly, coming further around the door, closing it behind her with a soft click, “that smells delicious.”
He smiles back, leaning his hip against the kitchen bench to relieve some of the weight off his sore leg. “Robin, my sweet,” he croons as she crosses the galley towards him, and he notices the slight limp to her gait with a twinge of his chest. “Is there something I can get you? Some tea, perhaps?”
Robin continues smiling as she pulls out one of the barstools, sinking down into with an exhaustion Sanji understands all too well. “I’m fine, thank you,” she replies, folding her hands over one another on the bench top. “How are you feeling?”
Sanji waves a hand dismissively, turning back to the chowder to stir it a bit more, making a mental note to add more cornstarch to thicken it. “Never better, darling.”
Robin hums noncommittally, and Sanji glances up briefly to see an unreadable look on her face. He doesn’t press though, more than content to let the silence fall between them, and he lowers the wooden spoon down onto the rim of the pot before hobbling over towards the cupboard.
It’s nice to have Robin’s presence as he cooks, even if he knows she has an ulterior motive. It’s rare for her to come find him like this, only ever done when there’s something she wishes to discuss… and regretfully Sanji knows exactly what it is.
She doesn’t say anything though, just watches him with those all-knowing eyes as she rests her chin in her hand. Sanji doesn’t buy into it, stays focused on the food in front of him as he stirs cornstarch into the seafood chowder, the humming of the bread maker behind him the only other noise in the room.
Until, of course, it becomes too suffocating, and Sanji looks up to meet Robin’s gaze.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Robin holds a hand up as if to placate him. “You don’t have too.”
Sanji narrows his eyes, his grip tightening momentarily on the wooden spoon in his hand. “You’re not going to make me?”
She knows she could, but Robin just gives him a small shrug of her shoulders. “I don’t want to make you do anything, Sanji.” She taps her fingers against her cheek before suddenly another hand sprouts beside Sanji’s arm on the bench top, and Robin wraps her disembodied fingers around his wrist. “But perhaps it might be easier for you to let some of what you’re feeling out.”
It’s almost the same line Nami used on him, but this time Sanji isn’t as wound up as he was then.
This time, his chest aches so deeply that he isn’t sure if it will ever stop.
And the thing is, he realises as he meets her knowing gaze… she’s right. She’s so bloody right and it sucks. Sanji knows he’s always tried to hide his emotions, always tried to stamp them down. He was raised that way, was taught that to show emotion was to open himself up to a plethora of horrible things. He remembers his siblings taunting him as he cried and begged. He remembers his father’s spittle flying as he’d called him a failure over and over. He remembers his mother’s kind eyes and sweet smile as she’d told him how perfect he was… how his brother’s had laughed at him as they’d reminded him otherwise.
Now, with how tight his chest is and how much it wants to burst… Sanji lets out a shuddering breath as he hangs his head.
“I don’t know what’s happening,” he mutters, his fingers tightening into fists under Robin’s hand. “I… I know that what I feel right now isn’t something I ever expected to feel.”
“Tell me what that is.”
Sanji shakes his head, clenching his jaw so hard it may just snap. “I don’t know,” he admits. “I feel like… like everything is just too much but not…. not enough at the same time.” He lets go of the wooden spoon in his hand, reaching up instead to grip his hair tightly in a clenched fist. “Like there’s a chance here that I would be a coward not to take, but also that maybe… maybe I’m seeing something that isn’t there.”
“What is that chance?”
Sanji lets out a noise dangerously close to a whimper, shaking his head. “Fuck,” he swears, closing his eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t… It’s a chance at… at Zoro.”
Robin hums gently, her fingers stroking the back of his whiten knuckles. “Do you think it’s love?”
Sanji sighs, the sound broken and breathy. “I don’t know. Maybe.” He stares at the bench top, sickening thoughts pounding at the back of his mind. “I don’t know anything about love. I don’t know if I’m capable of it.”
Robin leans forward. “Yes you are,” she says quietly, calmly. “You are nothing but love, Sanji.”
Something skips in Sanji’s chest as he feels his cheeks start to warm. “Thank you, my dear,” he says, unable to meet Robin’s eyes, “but I don’t think-”
A hand sprouts out of his chest, and Sanji’s eyes widen as Robin gently cups his cheek.
“I’m telling you, Sanji.” Robin is firmer now, her eyes holding no room for argument as she turns Sanji’s head up until he matches her gaze. “You are the kindest, most loving man I have ever meet in all my years. Anyone who has told you differently deserves a very dark end to their very pathetic lives.”
“Robin-”
“Sanji.”
His eyes burning, Sanji swallows thickly past the ball of emotion lodged firmly in his throat. He ducks his gaze again, unable to hold Robin’s for much longer.
Robin’s hand caresses his cheek before it disappears entirely. “Zoro will be lucky to have you, were you to choose him.”
Sanji’s laugh is brittle. “And what if he’s just playing games?” he asks, well aware that his voice is strangled by fear, and Robin lets out a small noise as he drops his head to glare at the wooden spoon innocently sitting in front of him, tightening his hand in his hair until it hurts. “Up until this point, it’s never been serious. What if I’m reading too much into all of this? What if it really is just a game to him?”
He chances a glance up to meet Robin’s eyes, pausing when he sees how crushed she looks, and his breath catches painfully in his throat.
“And what if it’s not?” she asks, and Sanji lets out a rough noise that hurts.
There’s nothing else to say, no words that could fill the sudden void between them. Sanji doesn’t want too either, for the first time turning his back on Robin to busy himself with finishing dinner.
By the time he’s done… the silence has stretched past ever being broken.
Thankfully, with dinner comes the rush of the others. Robin melds away from the breakfast bar to join Franky when he appears, and Sanji knows it’s obvious how he avoids her gaze as he limps about the galley to serve the crew. The room is quickly filled with their raucous noise though, Usopp the loudest as he stands at the head of the table, a chicken drumstick firmly held in each hand as he acts out Zoro coming to their rescue in the battle earlier. Chopper’s eyes are starry and wide as he listens intently, Luffy clearly torn between being drawn into the story and stealing the flailing meat in their sniper’s hands, and Sanji glances over once to see Zoro looking completely uninterested at the extolling of his actions.
Zoro meets his eyes, and Sanji looks away, a lump in his throat he finds he can’t quite swallow past.
He keeps busy, dishing out more food and refilling drinks the moment glasses become half full, falling into his usual habits. Brook tries to help, giving Sanji’s crutched leg a pointed look or two, but Sanji waves his concern off. It’s good to stay occupied, to not let the thoughts lapping at the back of mind take over. He’s not entirely sure what he would do if they did.
However staying busy means he misses things, like the way Robin leans over to Zoro, her eyes firmly on Sanji as she whispers in the swordsman’s ear… like the way Zoro’s eye snaps to Sanji where he stands serving Chopper more apple pie, a look of determination suddenly crossing his face.
But Sanji doesn’t see it, and as he moves into the kitchen at the end of the meal to start the dishes, he watches the others clearing out. Franky claps his back with a hearty thank you as he drops the pile of plates on the bench beside him before he disappears up the ladder to the library after Robin, whistling a jaunty tune as he goes. Chopper chases Usopp and Nami back into the infirmary, ignoring their protests as he starts to pull the stethoscope off from around his neck, and Brook’s arms are full of an already snoring Luffy, Jinbei trailing behind them as the other three wander out onto the main deck, the door closing behind them with a definitive click.
It leaves just Sanji and Zoro, the swordsman still seated at the table, and Sanji finds himself unable to meet his gaze as he stares down at the water filling the sink, small piles of bubbling soap building up around his fingers.
The sound of a chair scraping across the wooden floor makes Sanji’s shoulders hunch to his ears, and he listens to the thudding of Zoro’s boots as the swordsman crosses over from the table into the kitchen.
“I’m fine, Marimo,” Sanji drawls, trying for nonchalance and landing somewhere far from it. “I can do the dishes on my own.”
Zoro comes to a stop beside him, his warmth radiating across the barely-there space between them, and Sanji feels a lump form in his throat as Zoro reaches out to pick up the tea towel just in front of him.
“It’s my night to help, Cook,” Zoro says, voice much stronger than Sanji’s own, and Sanji glances up to see Zoro watching him with a carefully guarded gaze.
He swallows around the lump in his throat but finds no words come. He just gives Zoro a sharp nod, turning back to the nearly filled sink to flick off the tap before he reaches for the first plate.
The silence is nearly suffocating as the two of them work together, Sanji washing as Zoro dries beside him. It’s a familiar dance, Zoro’s fingers brushing Sanji’s own each time he holds out a dish for him to take, the dish rack lying useless and unused on the side of the bench. They always have done this in perfect sync, only the usual idle chatter is missing this time.
Instead, Sanji furiously scrubs at each dish and wishes desperately for a cigarette, wanting nothing more than for this to be over so he can crawl into his bunk and not have to think about the swordsman standing beside him.
And then. “It’s not a game, Cook.”
Sanji freezes, his entire body going rigid as Zoro’s quiet words fill the air. His hands go still around the plate they hold, soap suds popping on his skin as he holds it half out of the water. Everything around him has paused, as if the very moment has lurched them to a halt in time.
Slowly, so slowly, Sanji turns his head to the swordsman, only to see Zoro is looking straight back, his expression surprisingly open as he meets Sanji’s eyes.
Sanji’s mouth drops noiselessly, gaping for a moment, before he shakes his head. His eyes burn, his heart pounds, and he sounds strangled as he gasps. “What?”
Zoro swallows, the bop of his throat drawing Sanji’s attention. “This.” He gestures between them. “This isn’t a game.”
Sanji’s mind lurches back into action, racing a mile a minute. His eyes are wide as he stares at Zoro, the swordsman’s words sitting like lead in his mind, and he thinks briefly of his talk with Robin before a cool understanding settles over his shoulders.
He turns back to the sink, suddenly unable to meet Zoro’s gaze. “It’s okay,” he says, his voice sounding far away to his own ears. “You don’t… you don’t have to try and placate me or anything, mosshead, I don’t expect-”
He’s cut off as Zoro’s hand suddenly appears on his arm, strong and firm as he squeezes his wrist, his fingers dipping below the water. Sanji’s breath stills in his throat, the touch searing hot, and he can’t look away from the bubbles that start to settle on Zoro’s tanned skin.
“Whatever is going through that head of yours, Twirls, needs to stop,” Zoro tells him, and he raises their wet hands out of the sink to rest on the bench top, letting go when Sanji pulls his away to ball into a fist. “It’s never been a game to me. You’re not a game to me.”
Sanji doesn’t, can’t believe him. He shakes his head, his other hand coming up to grip at this hair. He takes in a hurried breath between gritted teeth, forcing himself to look at Zoro.
Only for that breath to rip from his lungs when he sees the absolute heartbreak written into the lines of Zoro’s face, the devastation in the curve of his lips, the ache in the depth of his gaze.
It’s soul destroying, and Sanji chokes on his next words. “Then why now?” He tugs his hair, wincing at the flash of pain it causes, familiar in the comfort it brings. “It’s been years, Zoro. Why now of all…”
He trails off as Zoro reaches out, gently untangled Sanji’s hair from between his fingers before Zoro brings their hands down to rest between them, holding Sanji’s fingers between his own as he runs his thumb softly over Sanji’s knuckles, his grip even tighter this time, as if he’s afraid Sanji might pull away again.
“Wano changed things,” Zoro says. Sanji honestly wasn’t expecting an actual answer, and his eyes widen as a lump forms in his throat. Zoro doesn’t look up, his attention on Sanji’s hand, his words aimed down at it. “I was so mad at you for Whole Cake, Cook. I won’t deny that.”
“I don’t blame you. I turned my back-” Sanji starts to murmur, but Zoro’s hand tightens around his as he glances up sharply.
“Because you didn’t trust us to help,” Zoro cuts him off, his voice a deep growl, and Sanji’s mouth closes with a snap. “You didn’t trust me. That hurt, Curls.”
Sanji doesn’t know what to say, his heart thumping in his throat, his blood rushing in his ears. Zoro’s hold is warm and firm, yet Sanji’s fingers itch to pull away.
“But then you made me promise something back in Wano,” Zoro continues, and he surprises Sanji by reaching up to push Sanji’s hair back from his covered eye, and Sanji blinks as Zoro tucks the loose strands behind his ear. “And I realised it was never about trust. It was about your self-deprecating ass not thinking you were enough.”
“Zoro,” Sanji chokes on his name, and a grim smile spreads over Zoro’s lips.
“I will fulfil that promise, Cook, if it ever comes to it.” Zoro looks determined, his mouth set firm and his eye blazing with purpose. “But I’ll be damned if I don’t get to have all of you before that time ever comes.”
And Sanji… Sanji wants to break. He wants to crumble to the floor, wants to be swallowed up, wants Zoro to let go of him just for one goddamn moment so he can fucking breathe.
He doesn’t deserve this. He knows he doesn’t. Sanji is many things but worthy of Zoro’s affections? It’s something he will never ever be able to earn.
He shakes his head, unable to do much else as he starts to pull away from Zoro. “You don’t mean that,” he hears himself say, the words far away to even his own ears. He hears that voice, the one with the Germa accent, reminding him he’s not worth any of this. “I’m not… I can’t be…”
Zoro’s hold is strong though. “I mean it, Curls. I mean every word.”
Sanji lets out a laugh, fragile and strange. “I want to believe you,” he says, feeling Zoro’s hand tightening around his wrist nearly painfully. “I just can’t.”
There’s a pause, long and drawn out, and Sanji glances up with a terrified look to see Zoro watching him back with an expression that Sanji couldn’t dream to understand. It makes his heart pound painfully against his ribs, his mind racing with so many thoughts that he can’t find a single coherent one, and Sanji is shocked when Zoro suddenly nods.
“Give it time,” Zoro murmurs, and Sanji’s chest aches as Zoro lets go of his wrist, his hand falling back to his side weakly. “I’ve waited this long. I can wait longer.”
Sanji opens his mouth, another toxic refusal burning on the tip of his tongue, but then Zoro steps forward into his space, his hands coming up until his fingers just wrap slightly around Sanji’s elbows.
And then gently, so fucking gently, Zoro presses a sweet kiss to Sanji’s cheek, soft and chaste, barely there as his breath ghosts across Sanji’s lips.
Sanji’s heart lurches, his breath hitches, and something deep inside his chest snaps.
…
Sanji hides.
He hides from everyone, especially from Zoro. Once the galley door shuts behind him and leaves Sanji alone in the kitchen, the world feeling like it’s shattering at his feet, he makes sure to keep it closed.
And it stays that way for days.
He doesn’t know what to do. Sanji realises very quickly that there is a swirling mess of emotions brewing in his chest that he can’t even begin to have a hope in hell sorting through. There’s so much that it’s suffocating, choking, and Sanji… Sanji does what he does best. He pushes every single one down until he feels nothing but complete and utter numbness.
He still does his duties. After all, he’s the cook of the Straw Hat pirates, he has a job to do no matter what crisis he’s experiencing. He can ice the others out but still keep them fed, even though he finds that every time he opens that galley door, the crew that comes in can see right through him.
Usopp tries to talk to him, but Sanji clenches his jaw and turns his back until the sniper leaves the galley with slumped shoulders. Nami and Robin sit at the breakfast bar and watch him in silence, clearly trying to wait him out, but Sanji refuses to meet their eyes and although he can’t deny them anything, his words lack the usual warmth and cheer he reserves just for them. He speaks to Chopper as his leg heals, accepts the treatments the little reindeer insists on, but when Chopper starts to ask about more with wide worried eyes, Sanji shuts down and gives him a dry smile he knows doesn’t reach his eyes. Only Brook’s usual quiet presence is the one he can tolerate, but even then he struggles when the skeleton plays quiet soothing music that puts his teeth on edge.
And then there’s Zoro, Zoro who Sanji can’t bear to be around, Zoro who he can’t say a word too, Zoro who Sanji glances at once only to see nothing but grief written in the lines of his face and he can’t bring himself to look at him again.
Because it was different when he thought Zoro didn’t feel the same way, when he could indulge his own curiosities in those moments when they were together because he knew Zoro would never return the burgeoning feelings Sanji never dreamt to acknowledge. It was different when he thought Zoro was playing games, when he thought Zoro was teasing and didn’t mean a single one of those fucking kisses.
But now he knows that Zoro feels something for him, and Sanji hates that he still can’t put a fucking name to the undeserving feelings that risk choking him with the layers and layers of unworthiness to them.
So Sanji hides in the galley. He eats when the others have left, he sleeps on the couch at night, he skulks around the ship when he has to and avoids the others as much as possible, his tone robotic and monotone when he has to speak to them. He ignores every single one of his crew as much as he can while he wrestles with his own inadequacies and he doesn’t let the thoughts that he’s just making things worse settle in his mind for longer than a moment.
But what Sanji doesn’t expect… is Luffy.
They’ve docked at some island, Sanji doesn’t bother to remember the name as he stands apart from the crew during their compulsory meeting, puffing smoke rings into the air and pretending like he can’t feel the eyes boring into his back. It doesn’t matter what the name of the bloody place is, they’re not going to be here long enough to care, although he refrains from saying as much as he stubs his cigarette viciously into his ashtray.
He volunteers to stay behind though, clearly surprising everyone. After all, besides Luffy, Sanji is the only other person to always leave the ship. Supply runs are his thing, but Sanji can’t find the energy to trounce through the town markets today. They’d already restocked on the previous island a couple of days ago, so Sanji would only be going to sate his curiosity, and frankly? He just doesn’t feel that curious right now.
In any case, some space from the others is really needed, and he knows they won’t be back until the log pose sets later this evening.
“Are you sure?” Usopp asks him though when he says he’s happy to remain behind, and Sanji swats him away with an annoyed hand. “We could go together? I’m sure one of the others-”
“It’s fine, Usopp,” Sanji grinds out between his teeth, trying to swallow down the anger brewing on his tongue. “You go enjoy yourself.”
Usopp opens his mouth as if to protest, but Sanji gives him a filthy look that has the sniper’s mouth snapping shut with an audible click. He ducks his head, and Sanji feels a pang of guilt in his chest as he watches Usopp awkwardly shuffle back to the others.
He looks away, catches Zoro’s narrowed gaze, and Sanji grits his teeth until they hurt.
Thankfully none of the others see fit to badger him, and soon Sanji is left alone on the ship. It’s a strange feeling. Sanji doesn’t think there’s been very often at all that he’s been the sole person on the Sunny, and as he stands on the deck with his hands firmly in his pockets… he realises he has no idea what to do.
He could spend time in his galley, but that thought it dashed when he realises there’s nothing to do there. Hiding away for a week has left the kitchen more ordered than it’s ever been, and the galley itself is practically sparkling with how clean it is, and the others had already mentioned eating in town so it isn’t like he has any meal prep to do. He could do some of the more menial tasks around the ship, but he knows Nami whipped everyone into shape before they’d docked at the island. He can hear the flapping of washing on the line, and there’s even the smell of teak oil in the air as the stairs glisten from a recent polish.
Maybe some training? It’s rare he gets a chance to do so, but already he can feel sweat beading at his hair line from the blistering sun. It’s a gorgeous day, but unless Sanji plans on sequestering himself up into the crows nest, it’s probably ill advised to do anything too strenuous in the heat.
And like hell he’s going up into the crows nest.
With a sigh, Sanji pushes away from the railing to head back inside the galley. It doesn’t take long to make a iced drink for himself, a mixture of blueberries and limes in a tall thin glass, before he scoops up his personal cookbook and heads back out on deck. He heads down to the lawn, choosing the tangerine tree without Chopper’s swing to settle under, his glass beside him and his cookbook in his lap. He wrestles off his jacket to drop to the side, rolling up his sleeves and popping open a few buttons on his shirt to try get cooler, before he lets his head thunk back against the tree’s trunk and closes his eyes as he lets out a long sigh.
He feels exhausted, right to the bone, and he just taps his fingers on top of his cookbook as he listens to the world around him. He can hear the hustle and bustle of the dock around him, people shouting, the clanging of metal, the roll of wooden wheels over cobblestoned ground. The Sunny bobs slightly where she’s been moored, the waves gentle as they lap at her sides, and Sanji feels his shoulders start to relax as he lets the humdrum soothe away some of the aches inside him.
He doesn’t know how long he dozes for, only one moment there’s nothing but the sweet monotony of the world around him, and the next his observation haki flares just as the sound of sandals slapping on wood reach his ears.
Sanji’s eyes fly open, and he sits bolt up right in time to see Luffy appear at the top of the gangplank.
There’s a pause where they stare at one another, Sanji surprised to see the small frown on his captain’s face, before Sanji clears his throat.
“Captain,” he greets a little awkwardly. It breaks the moment as Luffy lurches towards him, marching across the lawn with long strides. “You’re back early. Is everything okay-”
He’s cut off as Luffy reaches him and promptly drops down to sit on Sanji’s outstretched legs. Sanji winces at the discomfort of his knees being hyper flexed by Luffy’s ass, but he’s distracted even more as his captain crosses his legs and leans forward until his nose is nearly brushing Sanji’s own.
Another pause. “Luffy?” Sanji asks, his voice a little strangled. Luffy’s eyes are wide and focused on him, completely unblinking, and Sanji swallows as Luffy slowly quirks his head to the side.
“I didn’t think I’d have to do this.”
Sanji frowns, unable to look away from Luffy’s intense gaze. “Do what?” he asks, and Luffy lets out a frustrated huff as he leans back to cross his arms over his chest.
“You’re hurting him, you know.”
Any words Sanji had planned die in his mouth, a lump firmly lodging itself in his throat as he realises what Luffy is talking about with a sudden snap. He looks away, glaring out over the lawn as he clenches his jaw.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He jumps though when Luffy suddenly leans forward and flicks his ear. It bloody hurts, and Sanji reaches up to cover the smarting appendage as he shoots Luffy a foul look in return.
Luffy, however, looks just as unimpressed as he feels. “Yes you do.” He narrows his eyes. “I don’t want to meddle, Sanji.” Luffy huffs and leans back, grinding Sanji’s legs further into the lawn with the movement. “I believe in free will, but this is starting to disrupt the crew.”
Sanji watches him for a moment, hears the conviction in his voice. This isn’t the carefree Luffy he’s used too. This is his captain now. This is the same Luffy that dealt with Usopp on Water 7, the same Luffy that dominated Enies Lobby. This is the Luffy that looked Nami in the eye and then decimated Arlong Park, and the Luffy that marched on Fishman Island.
This is the same Luffy that stood on Whole Cake Island and took every goddamn blow that Sanji threw at him.
It winds Sanji to know that it’s come to this. Luffy doesn’t interfere unless he must, and yet Sanji has managed to force his hand so that he has too. Over this, of all things. Over Sanji’s inability to just… to just be brave.
Sanji drops his head into his hands, his fingers scratching up into his hairline until he can tug on his hair in short sharp yanks. It’s not as satisfying as it should be, and Sanji finds it hard to breath all of a sudden as his hands start to shake.
“I’m sorry,” Sanji murmurs, his grip tightening on his hair. “I didn’t mean for it to come to this, captain. I didn’t mean to make you and the rest of the crew mad. I just… I can’t…”
But then he feels gentle fingers prying his hands away, and Luffy makes a small noise that Sanji has never heard from him before.
“I’m not mad,” Luffy tells him as he brings their hands down to Sanji’s lap, and Sanji’s eyes burn as he stares at them. “I’m sad, Sanji.”
Sanji head snaps up to see Luffy’s wide eyes watching him, a small frown marring his face as he holds Sanji’s hands with a near unbreakable grip. His mouth drops open slightly but no words come, and Luffy leans forward to bump their foreheads together.
“Zoro loves you,” Luffy says, and Sanji can’t help the broken gasp he lets out. “You love Zoro. Isn’t it that simple?”
He doesn’t understand how Luffy can say those words so easily, and yet when Sanji tries to even think about them, they catch painfully in the back of his throat, hitch in his chest and choke him with an icy grip. If only it wasn’t like that, if only Sanji could just say those fucking words without thinking of every single goddamn moment he’s been told he’s unworthy of them.
Sanji shakes his head, his forehead grinding against Luffy’s unpleasantly, but his captain doesn’t move away. “I wish it was-”
“Why isn’t it?”
The question stumps Sanji suddenly, and he lets out a shaky laugh as he pulls back from Luffy. “Because he’s him and I’m me, Luffy.”
Luffy frowns, wrinkling his nose up. “That’s why it works though, isn’t it? Because you’re you and he’s him?” He quirks his head to the side, his eyes filled with emotions Sanji couldn’t dream to understand. “You’re being silly.”
Sanji stares at him. “Luffy…”
Luffy sighs and shrugs, letting go of Sanji’s hands. “You overthink too much, Sanji.” Luffy gives him a lopsided grin as he reaches up to cup both of Sanji’s cheeks with rubbery fingers. “You think you don’t know how to love but you do.” Luffy shakes his head. “Worse yet, you think you’re undeserving of it too.”
Sanji freezes.
That’s just it, isn’t it?
Because Sanji… Sanji doesn’t know if he’s capable of loving Zoro in the way that Zoro might just love him. He wants to, more than anything, but he sees flashes of his siblings in the back of his mind, Judge’s sickened expression, and he feels a hollowness in his chest he doesn’t know how to fill.
Luffy seems to notice, his hands gentle as he squeezes Sanji’s cheeks. “You deserve the love you feel and give everyone else with every fibre of your being, Sanji.” His smile drops just slightly, more serious in the corners of his mouth. “It’s why I wanted you as my cook.”
Sanji snorts. “You wanted me as your cook because the rest of you were going to get food poisoning if Usopp kept being let in the kitchen.”
Luffy laughs brilliantly but his eyes are still serious. “Maybe that too.”
Sanji shakes his head fondly and cuts his gaze away, Luffy too bright to look at right now. There’s something floating in his chest, something warm and soft in its fragility as it pushes at that hollowness. He reaches up to press a hand against it, feels his heart beat beneath his fingers, and he clenches his fingers in the fabric of his shirt.
Maybe Luffy is right… maybe Sanji is overthinking this whole thing too much. He nearly laughs in his own face, a small voice in the back of his head full of utter disbelief. He thinks about everything the others have said to him… Robin, Nami, Usopp… even Zoro.
And yet, nothing they’ve said compares to a handful of words from Luffy.
But then again, this is Luffy. Luffy, who followed him to Whole Cake, who never raised a hand against him, who waited for him through all that pain and hunger, who took one bite of that dirty sodden food and pronounced it the best thing he’s ever tasted in a way no one has since the first time he ever cooked for his mother. This is his captain who, for all of his dimwitted stupid actions, burns with a conviction Sanji has never seen the likes of before.
This is Luffy, who has never lied to Sanji, who accepts him despite all his flaws, who called them perfections to Vinsmoke Judge’s fucking face.
So if Luffy has faith in him, if Luffy believes that he deserves this, then maybe… maybe Sanji can believe it too.
“Hey Sanji?”
His eyes flicker back to Luffy, just to see his captain looking at him softly. “Yeah?”
“Don’t make him wait anymore.” Luffy shrugs as he pinches Sanji’s cheeks. “Zoro has a lot of patience, but if you think about this much longer, he might run out.”
It’s not a threat but a warning, and Sanji swallows thickly as he nods his head. Luffy looks pleased with that as he releases Sanji’s face, only to suddenly reach down and scoop up the drink Sanji had made for himself. With a delighted noise, he promptly downs the drink with a few strong sucks on the metal straw, nearly swallowing the damn thing as he does so.
Sanji raises his eyebrows, and Luffy gives him a brilliant grin in return as he jangles the empty glass in his face.
The moment is disrupted though by the sound of feet pounding up the gangplank. Sanji and Luffy turn as one to see Nami sprinting onto the deck, Usopp and Chopper hot on her heels, although she skids to a stop when she sees the two of them, Usopp and Chopper crashing into her legs with loud squeaks.
“There you are!” Nami nearly shouts, her hands on her hips and her face a bright red as she heaves in deep breaths. “We’ve been looking everywhere, Luffy!"
Luffy lets out his signature shishishi laugh as he leans back on Sanji’s legs. It makes something twinge in the angle of his knees, and Sanji quickly kicks his captain off of him, sending him crashing to the ground just in time for Chopper to pounce on him.
Luffy is immediately distracted, laughing alongside Chopper as the two start to wrestle across the lawn in a bundle of flailing limbs, and Sanji looks past them to see Usopp and Nami watching him carefully where they stand nearby.
Nami arches an eyebrow, Usopp narrows his eyes, and Sanji just gives them a small smile in return.
“Thank god,” Usopp breathes as a grin spreads over his face.
Not that the new found resolve building in Sanji’s chest can be used straight away. Even after Luffy and Chopper have finished rolling around in the dirt, there’s still the glaring lack of Zoro’s presence. Sanji briefly considers abandoning the Sunny to the others to try and find the swordsman, but he did volunteered for watch. Although the others are now here, he can’t exactly desert his post, even if he doesn’t doubt he wouldn’t be thought less of if he did.
But the idea of waiting for Zoro to come back to the ship has his teeth on edge. He’s jumpy and irritated, trying to force it down as Usopp and Nami side eye him throughout the afternoon. He can’t help it though, desperate to ride this new wave of confidence before it fizzles out.
Each time one of the other crew comes up the gangplank, he can’t help but turn and stare until he sees who it is, his place on the bench seat around the mast probably nearly indented with his shadow at this rate. He’s barely moved, only to slip into the galley on the odd occasion to bring his crew refreshments before he settles back down, crossing his legs and leaning on his knees, fidgeting an unlit cigarette between his fingers.
Usopp sits with him, his back against the mast with a collection of gears and screws in his lap. He doesn’t say a word, but when it turns out each time that the crew member at the top of the gangplank isn’t Zoro, he leans forward to bump their shoulders together and offers a small smile.
Sanji always smiles back, the quiet show of support devastating in its warmth, the unspoken forgiveness breathtaking in how easy its given.
So the crew trickles in. First there’s Robin, appearing with her nose firmly wedged in a book, her disembodied hands carrying a collection of bags from where they’ve spawned at her hip. Franky arrives not long later, his booming laughter heard well before his crop of blue hair pops over the side of the Sunny. Nami returns after her second foray out into the town, looking less stressed than she had the first time with a new coat adorning her shoulders that Sanji gives her a distracted compliment on. Brook tries to sneak on with what looks like a brand new brass tuba in his hand, an instrument none of them knew he could play, which becomes very apparent that he can’t considering his lack of lips when he sits in the middle of the lawn and proceeds to spit all over the bloody thing until Luffy wrestles it from him with too much excitement.
And finally, Sanji is busy watching Luffy and Chopper’s attempts to play said instrument, something that is going incredibly poorly considering Nami has stuffed her ears with cotton pillaged from the infirmary, when Jinbei comes up the gangplank.
He nearly misses him, only the slight flare of his observation haki letting him know of the fishman’s arrival, and Sanji swings his head around just in time to see Jinbei looking utterly miserable as he steps onto the lawn.
“Jinbei?” Usopp calls, leaning around Sanji to frown at him. “Is everything alright?”
The crew falls quiet, the tuba squeaking pitifully as Chopper drops it, and all of them turn around to stare at Jinbei.
He seems uncomfortable under the sudden attention, shifting awkwardly as he clasps his hands in front of him and ducks his head. “Unfortunately,” he starts, not meeting anyone’s eyes, “I seem to have lost our dear swordsman.”
There’s a moment of prolonged silence before Nami speaks up. “What do you mean you lost him?” she asks, holding a piece of cotton in her hand as she stares at Jinbei with narrow eyes.
Jinbei clears his throat. “As in one moment he was with me in the town square,” he winces, “and the next he was gone.” He glances between them all, his eyes lingering on Sanji for a moment. “I assure you, I have looked everywhere for him, but I do not believe he is anywhere in the town boundaries.”
Nami groans, dragging a hand down her face as Usopp lets out a slightly hysterical laugh beside Sanji. “That shitty directionless bastard,” Nami mutters. “He’s unbelievable. This stupid island isn’t even big enough to get lost on!”
Sanji smiles behind his hand, unable to help himself. Bloody shitty directionless bastard indeed. It’s so stupidly Zoro and, as Nami starts up a rather ruthless tirade against the swordsman, he fails at stifling a laugh behind his hand.
It’s the wrong thing to do as Nami’s head suddenly snaps towards him, her eyes blazing, and Sanji chokes on his laugh hard enough that Usopp wallops him on the back.
“You think this is funny?” Nami hisses, stomping towards him, and Sanji feels Usopp shrink back to hide behind him with a whimper. “We’re supposed to leave in just over an hour and that idiot is no doubt on the other side of the bloody island by now!”
“You have to admire his consistency though,” Usopp squeaks, and Sanji only just manages to catch his snort.
Nami raises a threatening fist, her glare sharp enough to cut. Her mouth falls open, no doubt another round of vicious words about to spew forth from her wonderfully creative mind, and Sanji finds himself speaking before he can catch himself.
“I’ll go find him,” he says.
Whatever Nami was going to stay clearly dies in her mouth as she stares at him. Sanji is firmly aware that there are seven other pairs of eyes staring at him, but he focuses only on Nami as she slowly narrows her own at him.
“Are you sure?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest, and Sanji gives her a wary smile as he stands, pushing his sleeves back up his arms from where they’d fallen back down. It’s still hot despite the low hanging sun in the sky, and trouncing across the island isn’t going to make it any better.
“Of course, darling.” He glances around to see the others quickly turning away to avoid meeting his gaze, only Robin willing to raise an eyebrow at him with a knowing smile. He rolls his eyes, hoping it distracts from the warmth spreading across his cheeks, and he shoves his hands into his pockets before stepping forward to make towards the gangplank. “Won’t be long.”
He’s not even halfway down the gangplank though when he hears them all burst into conversation, and he hunches his shoulders as he hurries away, his ears burning.
Luckily, the island isn’t that large, as Nami had said. There’s the relatively small town in front of him, sprawling out from the docks in a range of twisting and turning cobblestone streets, a nonstop flow of people and animals passing by with carts and wagons ladened high with goods. It’s surrounded on all sides by a large temperate deciduous forest, starting at the edges of the dock and spreading out to the other side of the island… providing plenty of places for Zoro to have gotten lost in.
Sanji is thankful to Jinbei for ruling out the town, although he still tentatively reaches out with his observation haki as he heads down the dock towards where the forest begins, unsurprised when he doesn’t find Zoro’s aura anywhere down the many streets. The dock very abruptly ends when he reaches it, and Sanji steps off the wooden slats straight onto rich soil covered in shedded leaves, the trees above him thick enough to only allow rays of the slowly sinking sun to peak through. It’s enough light to navigate though, and Sanji is mindful of the hundreds of rolling roots as he starts to pick his way through the forest and around the side of the town.
It’s a lot cooler in the forest, the canopy of trees providing plenty of shade as Sanji wanders. He hasn’t got any real direction, just meanders through as he spreads his observation haki out like a blanket, trying to pick up on Zoro’s aura. He wonders briefly if he should’ve brought Usopp with him, his observation haki better than anyone else’s on the crew, but he shoves that thought aside as quickly as it comes.
It doesn’t take long until the town completely disappears behind him, the hustle and bustle replaced by the gentle creaking of trees and the rustle of leaves. He sees the odd animal, rabbits scampering back into their burrows and birds flitting between the tree branches, but he’s otherwise not disrupted as he navigates over fallen trees and through the gradually thickening bush. He wonders just how far it goes as he keeps walking, sure he must be near the edge of the island by now.
And then he hears it, the babbling of a small brook, and as he makes a beeline towards it, his haki flares as he finally picks up on Zoro nearby.
He falters for a moment, not expecting the sudden rush of nerves that roar up his spine and down over his shoulders, and he comes to a halt when he reaches the brook. He stares at the water, able to feel Zoro’s aura just on the other side and through the bush on the other side, but he suddenly finds his feet are too heavy to move.
He shakes his head, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. “Don’t be such an idiot,” he scolds himself, giving his hair one sharp tug before he takes a shuddering breath and forces himself to step across the brook.
Zoro’s back is to him when he pushes through the thicket straight into a tiny clearing. It’s surrounded completely by trees and bush, and Sanji is surprised to see Zoro sitting on a fallen log in the middle of it, his head bent forward to rest against Wado’s hilt where the sword stands between his knees.
There’s a pause, a hesitant moment, and then Sanji sees Zoro’s back stiffen.
“Cook.”
Zoro sounds wary in a way Sanji wasn’t heard him be in a long time, and he grits his teeth knowing it’s him that’s made the swordsman feel that way. He shoves his hands deep into his pocket, digs the toe of his shoe into the dirt, and clears his throat.
“Marimo,” he says, trying to aim for casual and falling spectacularly short. “We wondered where you’d disappeared too. Lost again?”
Zoro growls as he turns to glare at Sanji, his eye narrow as he twists on the log. “It’s not my fault this forest is so bloody big.”
Not big enough to get lost in, but Sanji doesn’t see fit to say otherwise. He chews the inside of his cheek for a moment as he holds Zoro’s gaze, seeing the guarded look in his eye, before he bites the proverbial bullet and moves forward.
He’s treated to the flash of surprise that crosses Zoro’s face before he sits down beside him on the log, making sure to keep a reasonable distance between them. He hangs his head, not quite able to convince himself to hold Zoro’s gaze, and he stares at his hands as he twists them together in his lap.
“Nami is furious, you know,” Sanji starts to say, wincing at how harsh he sounds. “I think she might leave without us if we don’t get back before the log pose sets. I haven’t seen her that mad in-”
“Sanji.”
Every single word dies on his lips as Zoro says his name, quiet and calm, and Sanji’s head snaps up to see Zoro looking right back at him, a small frown on his face and a question burning in his gaze that makes Sanji’s stomach flip.
Luffy’s determined words flicker through his mind, and Sanji sets his jaw as he thinks… enough.
“I’m sorry,” he says, the words wrenching themselves free, and Zoro’s eyebrows raise in response. “I’m not good at this. I never have been.” He drops his gaze, gripping his fingers together tightly in his lap. “Emotions and feelings aren’t exactly lauded in Germa, and Zeff never expected to raise a kid, let alone teach him how to deal with this sort of thing.”
Zoro doesn’t say anything, and Sanji doesn’t expect him too. He swallows around the lump that’s wedged itself in his throat, feels a sting in the corners of his eyes, and he can’t help the huff of a laugh he lets out as he tilts his head back to look up at the canopy above.
“Self-worth has never been my strong suit,” he continues. “I was reminded every single day of my youth that I was worth nothing, that I was a failure.” Sanji clenches his jaw, forcing the next words out. “The last person who ever told me I deserved anything like love was my mother. The day she died was the last time I ever thought to believe her.”
“Curls…”
Zoro’s voice is painfully soft, and Sanji can’t bring himself to look over at him. “I thought this was a game to you,” he presses, “because it never once occurred to me that it could be something more. I didn’t want to give myself even a shred of hope knowing that there was no way in hell you could ever feel the same for me. I was fine with just taking the moments when I could.” He shakes his head. “I should never have insulted you like that.”
Out of the corner of his eye he sees Zoro make an aborted movement towards him, his hand reaching across the space between them before it falls back to his lap. Part of him wants to move close, to let Zoro touch, but he knows he still has more to say first.
“These last few days have been awful.” Sanji hears Zoro let out a huff, and he glances up to see Zoro watching him with a slightly exasperated look. It doesn’t stop Sanji though. “I’ve been awful.”
“You were processing.”
Sanji can’t help his small smile, shaking his head fondly. “Luffy called it overthinking. He’s not wrong.”
Zoro shrugs. “It’s who you are, Cook.”
“But doesn’t that frustrate you?” Sanji asks, his words a little desperate to his own ears. Zoro frowns, and Sanji feels helpless as he waves his hand at himself. “How can you possibly look at this, Zoro, and think this is what you want?”
Zoro smiles, crooked and real. “Easily.”
It’s one word, one word, and yet it rips all the breath from Sanji’s lungs in one fell swoop. He stares at Zoro, his mouth open just slightly, and his heart pounds in his throat and his blood rushes in his ears as Zoro suddenly reaches across the space between them and brushes Sanji’s hair back from his eyes.
The touch is devastating, and as Zoro starts to pull his hand away, Sanji’s own snatches up to catch his wrist, holding him in place.
Zoro freezes, one of his eyebrows arching up in question, but Sanji doesn’t care as he just looks at Zoro, as he runs his eyes down the sharp slope of Zoro’s nose, up the hard angle of his jaw, over the scar bisecting his eye until he’s finally meeting Zoro’s gaze. Despite its steely grey colour, his eye is warm as he looks straight back.
Gods, he’s been so stupid.
Slowly, Sanji moves forward, crossing the small gap between them until their thighs are pressed together. Zoro doesn’t move, doesn’t flinch, and Sanji’s hand trembles just slightly as he slides it down Zoro’s wrist to entwine his fingers through Zoro’s own, bringing them to rest in his lap.
There’s a fleeting moment where Sanji looks at their clasped hands, to admire the way they slot so perfectly together, and then.
“I feel so many things for you, Zoro,” he admits. This close… he hears the way Zoro’s breath hitches, and when he glances up its to see Zoro’s eye wide and burning with something he isn’t sure he can understand. “I’m sorry I just can’t seem to find the right words for them yet.”
“Its okay,” Zoro murmurs, leaning forward until their foreheads press together, and Sanji’s heart jackrabbits furiously in his chest. “There’s no rush.”
Sanji smiles, squeezes Zoro’s hand, and kisses him.
It’s soft and sweet, a simple chaste press of their lips together, and something in Sanji’s chest cracks and breaks, filling his veins with a deep honey glow as he feels Zoro’s hand cup his jaw gently, warm fingers caressing the soft skin behind his ear.
They pull back with quiet gasps, their foreheads still together, sharing the air between them as Sanji blinks his eyes open to see Zoro looking right back.
He can do this, he decides right then and there. He still doesn’t have the words, but he can feel the conviction building in his chest, can hear his own voice shouting out in the back of his mind that he deserves this, he’s worth this, that if Zoro is going to choose him then by the gods he is going to choose Zoro right back.
“I’m sorry I made you wait,” he says.
Zoro smiles. “I want you, Cook.” He strokes his thumb over the curve of Sanji’s cheekbone. “I will wait however long it takes to have you.”
A lump forms in Sanji’s throat, his eyes sting, and he lets out a small laugh. “Surprisingly romantic, Marimo,” he murmurs, well aware his voice is thick with emotion.
Zoro just grins, and Sanji doesn’t hesitate in leaning forward once more
…
(It happens a year later.
They’re standing on a sinking marine ship, the sounds of battle dying away as Sanji watches Zoro wipe his swords clean on the edges of his coat. They’re covered in blood, panting from exertion, and as Zoro looks up to meet Sanji’s eyes with a wild grin and unruly hair… Sanji feels the world come to a startling halt.
“Holy shit,” he swears as he lurches across the wet deck, his shoes skidding on the sodden wood, and Zoro raises an eyebrow as Sanji suddenly crashes into him, his arms slipping up around the swordsman’s neck as their chests press together.
“Alright, Twirls?”
Sanji grins, shaking his head. “I think I love you, asshole.”
There’s a pause, a moment where Zoro looks completely dumbfounded, but its soon chased away as Zoro tilts his head back and lets out a laugh that shakes Sanji down to his bones, his arms crushing Sanji into a tight embrace as the ship burns around them.
“Fuck, Cook,” he says, and Sanji’s breath is stolen as Zoro drops his head back down to give him the most brilliant smile Sanji has ever seen, “it’s about fucking time.”)
…
Fin.