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With a soft breeze carrying the petals of the remaining flowers of the late spring, the day felt pleasant, and the pollen in it has long been gone. The sun shone brightly, the air had that perfect warmth that kept their bodies cozy and their skin fresh. The day was perfect for a wedding.
The ceremony would take place in the biggest hall of the antique hotel they were in. They had booked it the moment Sanji saw the tall walls and all the natural light streaming from the windows. The room had an air of timeless elegance, with the intricate moldings and crystal chandeliers.
Another thing that caught the groom’s attention was the fact that it had a fully equipped kitchen for his dad to cook a feast fitting for the event. And at the back, behind the massive oak double doors that matched the ones at the entrance, was a large garden, with an impeccably trimmed lawn, surrounded by bushes and roses. The sky melted into beautiful hues of pinks and golds over a perfect view of the ocean, where they could have the reception. Sanji fell in love with it the moment he saw it.
“You know,” Nami said, she was sitting on the edge of the large, pristine couch that occupied the center of the wall, Luffy napping, sprawled in the rest of it. There were two smaller seats on each side, full of the clothes they arrived in, and a coffee table with empty snack plates in the middle. “I always thought I’d be your best man instead of Sanji’s,” she added with a finger on her chin while examining Zoro’s poor attempt at tying his tie.
“You can still be mine,” Zoro said playfully, and Nami gave him an amused smile, standing up and approached him to help him with the tie. Then she stood next to him, fixing her sapphire dress in front of the mirror of the room they were in.
His tuxedo was a navy blue shade that matched nicely with his skin tone, but despite the fact that it suited him, he'd rather use another color, or even better, something less fancy and more comfortable and laid back. But Sanji had picked it, saying ‘this is the most important day of my life, Mosshead, everything has to be perfect,’ and Zoro always ended up doing whatever the cook wanted.
“You look nice,” she said then, leaning her head on his shoulder. Zoro gave her a side hug, and a kiss on the forehead. He loved all of his friends, but Nami was one of his closest ones, one of the oldest. There was a time when, with Luffy, there were only the three of them. She saw him getting his ass beaten in his competitions, and then cheered the times he won. She saw him through love and heartbreak, pain and joy.
“I’m glad you’re here with me,” he said, never being the best at expressing his feelings with words. She smiled softly and punched him on the shoulder as a show of affection, breaking the rare vulnerability of the moment.
The wedding plan would have fallen apart if it wasn’t for her, accompanying them to the vendor’s appointments and getting the best deals.
It all started when Sanji popped the question, in a quiet afternoon picnic at the top of a hill. Below a willow tree at an autumn sunset, the wind making the leaves dance around the setting sun, the slight chill of the night arriving, the thrill of the heart.
From then on, it was all planning and planning and planning. Sanji asked for opinions and whatever Zoro said was apparently wrong, they didn’t agree on the color schemes, the flower arrangements, what tablecloth to use, which fabric for the best men would match the grooms’ suits better, and so on. But Sanji had better taste anyway, so he and Nami would use him as a filter for what definitely not to choose. Zoro found it amusing, most of the time. He just wanted the cook to be happy.
As the weeks went by, the wedding took a bigger role in their lives, filling every free moment, and later the not-so-free too. The group went from hanging out twice a week to barely once a month, unless it was about the event.
On one occasion, Zoro had complained to Sanji that he didn’t have time for their friends anymore besides wedding stuff. Sanji said weddings take time and effort, and if he didn’t want to be a part of it he shouldn't have agreed. And that led to bigger fights and more harsh, hurtful words. It definitely took a toll on their relationship, it was the grimmest Zoro has ever felt.
But they made up in the end, they always did. And Zoro kept helping with the planning the best he could, but ultimately let Nami and Sanji handle everything. After that fight -that almost teared them apart- they made a deal, to speak up whenever they felt that way again, to compromise and listen. It was hard, but it was worth it. Zoro could not fathom losing Sanji, not for something as stupid and remediable as that. More than anything, Zoro wanted for Sanji to be happy.
Suddenly, Luffy woke up. His suit the same elegant cut as Zoro’s, but neither him nor Sanji nor anyone else were able to force him out of his flip flops. His hair was messy from the cushions and a trail of spit tastefully adorned his chin. Nami yelled at him but ultimately went to fix his hair, hiding it below his hat as the idiot laughed his ass off. He was on the right track though, neither of the grooms would care about his hair, they knew chaos was a given when asked Luffy to marry them.
In a room on the other side of the hallway, Sanji was getting ready. He has been dreaming about this day since he was a child; admittedly, back then he thought he would marry a woman, but for the most part, his vision was intact.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Sanji slapped his mouth with his hand to prevent it. This was the most nervous he has been in his entire life. The moment when he proposed coming a close second. In a few hours, he would be married to the man of his dreams, the love of his life. A man that made him laugh every day and kept him warm in the evenings, who hugged him tightly in his sleep like he was the most precious thing on earth, and appreciated his food like no other. Well, maybe Luffy surpassed him in that last subject, but he would feed the man forever as thanks for bringing them together, they wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for him.
“Maybe Nami should be here instead of me,” Usopp said, grimacing at Sanji’s imminent stomach flip. But drawing soothing circles on his back nevertheless.
“She said she wanted to check on Zoro and Luffy, don’t worry about it,” he said then, taking a seat. She said she wanted to make sure the two of them didn’t mess up anything, once she caught Luffy sneaking into the kitchen and Zoro lost in the backyard.
“Yeah, you’re right. I guess leaving them to her would take a weight off your shoulders in any case,” Usopp kept his comforting touch on Sanji, smoothing his suit free of the wrinkles caused by the previous agitation. “But I still think she’d undertand better than me how you’re feeling,” he commented as a way to make Sanji exteriorize his thoughts.
“It’s just… I’ve been dreaming about today my whole life, but since we got together it felt more real than ever. I could finally put a face to my fantasies,” Sanji said, Usopp just stared at him with a soft, warm smile. Every time he spoke about his fiancé, his face would lit up, and the fondness of his voice was unmatched. It reminded Usopp what he felt for Kaya. “I knew it the moment I saw him, I think I fell for him the day we met, I pictured him with me at the altar, how fitting it’d be for Luffy to be the one marrying us, and it just made sense, it felt right,” Sanji added with a blush.
“Thinking of him makes you feel at peace, doesn’t it?” Usopp said, sensing how Sanji visibly relaxed the moment he started talking about him, and their future together.
“I just can’t wait to get to spend the rest of my life with him,” he said then, getting emotional thinking about lazy sunday mornings, the smell of coffee, tanned skin wrapped around his.
“We should get going then, so your happily ever after can start,” Usopp said, clasping him on the shoulder and squeezing it after, to then pull him into a hug as he started to tear up a little. Sanji’s happiness was infexious, and the love pouring out of him could melt away the hardest of hearts, and Usopp’s have always been soft.
Standing outside the oak doors, everything led to this moment. All the fights over flowers and suit’s fabrics, all the late nights fixing invitations; every time they visited a new location before Sanji decided for this one; the bacherlor’s parties; the previous night full of anxiety for everything to go perfect. Zoro stared at the grain of the door, a heavy sensation making him feel his lungs were about to explode.
“How are you feeling?” Nami asked him, giving his tie a last fix before going inside the main hall. She had her bouquet of white flowers balanced in the crook of her arm, half her hair was tied back and the rest flowed freely down her shoulders.
“I’m okay,” Zoro whispered, staring at his feet once her eyes landed on his, a tight knot at the base of his stomach.
“You sure?” Nami asked, able to sense every feeling going through Zoro’s chest. “If you wanna run away just let me know and I’ll start the car, we’ll deal with Sanji later,” she joked, placing a delicate hand on his cheek, caressing it with her thumb.
“I’m sure,” Zoro smiled with a nod, giving her a last glance and offering his arm before going inside.
Breathtaking. Zoro audibly gasped when he saw him. Standing at the end of the carpet leading to the altar, in a white and gold suit tailored to perfection, hugging his body beautifully, enhancing his tiny waist and his long legs, complimenting the gold oh his hair and the blue of his eye.
Sanji was the most stunning creature Zoro has ever seen.
With a slight tug, Nami made him walk again, he didn’t even notice he froze in place once he saw him. His heart beated louder with every step he took closer to the man he loves, his bright smile making him fall all over again. Zoro has dreamt of seeing him just like this, eyes watering with joy, a wild grin that reached his cheeks, pink with the nervous tint of love. He has liked Sanji since the first time they met, and loved him since the first time they fought.
But not even his wildest dreams compared to the vision in front of him, a foul mouthed angel blessing him with his light. He reached the altar letting go of Nami, she gave him a hug and took her place as a best man. Zoro stood as close to Sanji as he could, the other’s smile borderline becoming laugher from how euphoric he felt. Zoro touched his arm, entranced in how the fabric felt in his palm. He took his hand up until it reached Sanji’s neck, his thumb placed softly on his cheek. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the other cheek, one that carried all the burning feelings inside him.
“I’m really happy for you, Sanji,” he said then, taking a place where the other groom's best man should go. All eyes turned to the man entering the room next, but Zoro only cared about Sanji’s: filling with love as he saw Ace marching inside in a matching white and golden suit.