Chapter Text
Sanji didnt know why exactly that stupid moss-head was steering clear of him like he was the plague, but he was pissed. He didn’t even know what he could’ve done to upset him, that’s the thing. Of course he isn’t insanely nice to him, but he wasn't being a dickhead either, so why was the swordsman ignoring him. It shouldn’t bug him the way it did, he was aware, but he realised that without the constant fighting they did on the daily basis there was a lot of boredom to fight, which wasn’t nearly as entertaining.
The cook genuinely missed their confrontations and silly little competitions, because even despite them he considered the two of them friends, or something like that. To be shut off like that didn’t convince him of that, though.
He had been absentmindedly stirring a soup, not sure what to make of this absurd situation. Sure, he could confront Zoro about it, but that would make him look clingy, wouldn’t it? They were rivals, not love-birds in a little quarrel, for gods sake. Sanji had been so lost in his thoughts he almost burned his soup.
“Shit!”
He yelled, quickly maneuvering the pot off the stove and onto a counter, putting a towel inbetween to prevent the heat to damage anything.
“I need a smoke.”
He mumbled, searching his breast pocket for a cigarette as he ambled towards deck.
Naturally, Zoro was outside, throwing around his stupid weights and sweating an ungodly amount. He made his way to the railing, not sparing his crewmate more glances than necessary. He put his elbows down on the wooden railing and looked down onto the sea. The blonde always tried to appreciate it the best he could; the rich colors, the glistening waves and the familiar salty smell. He even got a few waves engraved on his new lighter, which he now used to lighten his cigarette, already dangling from his lips.
He took a few drags, still admiring the horizon in front of him, though his back was pricking with the uncomfortable feeling of eyes burning into it. Sanji sighed, once, twice, then pointedly turned around, a scowl on his face just to find that green-haired idiot staring at him.
“Okay, what the fuck is your problem with me? You don’t acknowledge me days on end and once I turn my back your eyes won’t fucking leave me alone?”
He didn’t even realise how upset he was about it, but once he spat the words out the anger seemed to set him alight. The cook wanted to beat the shit out of Zero but not for the sake of competition. He dug his fingers into the wood of the railing beneath him, the smooth surface helping him keep at least a bit of composure. Zoro blinked at him, seemingly taken aback from his crew mates outburst. Somehow this set off Sanji even more.
“Answer me, Bastard! Turned to stupid for words no, or what?”
The swordsman took a few steps toward the railing, his arm extended toward his rival, as if to calm him down, as if he was a feral animal. His mouth agape as if he was about to say something, but Sanji was quicker.
“Fuck off.”
The blonde spent the rest of the day and evening in the kitchen, cleaning every nook and corner, enhancing recipes, just to take his mind of but in the end he still was furious about the treatment he received from Zoro. He planned to confront him again, less aggressive and somewhere he couldn’t just walk away. So the crow’s nest it was.
He dusted off his grime-tipped fingers from cleaning the oven and ran them through his soft hair, trying to calm down a bit. He knew anger wouldn’t help him solve this problem, they would just end up fighting again, like always. He took a few more minutes, because for some reason his nerves just wouldn’t stop stirring and he got that weird flurry feeling in his gut, his hands shook.
“Maybe I should have another cigarette.”
Sanji sighed, but decided against it, he shouldn’t overthink, just do it. It wasn’t like he was going to confess his feelings to some crush he got.
This gave him the confidence to strut out the kitchen and climb up to the crow’s nest, where he knew Zoro preferred to spend his free time to be alone.
Well fuck that, I will invade his personal space.
As he entered the little space he was greeted with a napping Zoro, arm crossed in front of his chest. His eyes involuntarily stared on the firm muscle there, just a little too long. Of course this was the moment the swordsman decided to open his eyes. Sanji quickly averted his eyes but from the dazzled expression on his crewmates face he knew he got caught staring. The cook cleared his throat, stumbling over his words, a heat crawling onto his cheeks.
“Hey…can we talk?”
When he looked back at Zoro his face was all red, eyes still fixed on Sanji, nostrils flared.
“What. What is wrong with you?”
He blurted out, the blush of his own extending to his collarbones.
“Uh. You, your new perfume. It’s making me-“
A pause, Zoro looking around, seemingly uncomfortable before something in his eyes flashed and he seemed to regain a bit of his confidence.
“It’s irritating.”
Sanji did not expect this. Everything, but this? But mostly he was confused.
“I don’t wear perfume. It went out about two weeks ago, haven’t found a new one I liked yet.”
He didn’t know why he felt the need to explain himself to Zoro, but this entire situation was so absurd, his mindless rambling was excusable.
A quick glance at his companion assured him that he was feeling as weird as he was, mouth agape and eyebrows pinched in confusion.
“What..? You smell different though.”
He retorted, his head seemed to lean forward and when the blonde audibly heard him inhale deeply, eyes closed, it was enough to make him turn his head in embarrassment, covering his hot face with the back of his hand.
“The hell? Are you a dog or what?”
The shakiness in his voice didn’t really give the insult bite and the two just looked at each other.
“I was checking. Yes, you smell different, so what are you wearing.”
The way he said that so bluntly, so matter-of-factory ticked Sanji off.
“Listen here, Marimo, I don’t know what you think you are playing but it’s weird, stop it!”
Zoro seemed genuinely surprised at the harshness in his voice and flinched back.
“I am serious. Sanji, I’m not playing with you, but the way you smell has been making my head dizzy for days.”
Now he was speechless, first of all the usage of his name wasn’t a common occurance, his heart skipped a beat when it fell from the other mans tongue. And then everything he just said was too much for him, seriously what was happening right now. They would’ve never thought his scent would have any importance to Zoro but seemingly it did. And it wasn’t his perfume, no, it was his regular own smell.
“You, you have been smelling me, like, my natural scent.”
Alone saying this felt wrong, as if it was tipping their weird rivalry/friendship into unknown territory.
The swordsman didn’t answer, didn’t blink, just stared. After a while he gulped and averted his eyes, his hands rising up to his neck as if he could cover the bright red colour that has spread there.
“So you think I smell good?”
He blurted out, his eyes not meeting Zoro’s and his heart pounding wildly in it’s cage. The man opposite of him nodded, firmly while he stared at him, forcing Sanji to look back at him.
“I really like the way you smell, honestly I might like you as a whole.”
What was happening right now?
“You are an insufferable pervert but you seem to be the only one I can never really win against. You are like me in a way.”
Once Zoro started, he couldn’t seem to stop talking, his thoughts jus leaving his mouth unfiltered. This might be the most he has ever talked to the cook without them fighting.
“I like the way you look, your long legs, the way the sun makes your hair look so silky and even your stupidly curled brows. Okay? I think I like you, Sanji?”
This wasn’t happening. Zoro wasn’t just admitting his feelings for Sanji. Not after ignoring him for days, not after not being able to look him in the eye. But why was his heart aching this way? As if it was imploding in itself, burning in the fire the swordsman ignited with his gasoline. There were no words the cook was able to form, all he knew was reduced to the two of them sitting in the crows nest right now.
Like possessed he started moving, slowly, his limbs trembling. Sanjis arms extended and hooked themselves around Zoros neck. After a while of them lingering like this, tensed bodies, no one daring to move, to breathe, Sanji started chuckling. First lightly, more a shaky exhale, then he was burying his face in the crook of Zoros neck.
“You are so stupid: ignoring me because you like me. Didn’t expect you to be such a coward.”
He felt hands snaking up to his waist, as if the other was about to shove him off him. But they remained there, the heat of them noticeable even through the fabric of his thick suit.
“You call me a coward, yet you seem to reciprocate?”
He realised what Zoro was really asking and he took his face in his hand, guiding his green-haired crew mate to look at him.
“I think I do like you. Really, there isn’t really a name to be put to this other than like.”
He saw the relief in those brown eyes, before he tipped his head, his nose hitting the collar of Sanjis shirt and he took a long sniff.
“That’s disgusting.”
But he was laughing, no malice in those words. Moreover he was still sitting comfortably between Zoros legs, now cradling the back of his head, as his fingers started exploring the choppy hair there.
His other hand opened the first button of his shirt, granting the other more access to his neck. Not long after he felt the gentle brush of lips against it and completely froze, his mind blank. The swordsman felt him stiffen and lifted his head, a worried expression on it.
“I’m sorry, was that too much?”
Unsurely, he removed his hands from Sanjis waist, but the latter quickly took them in his own and put them back there.
“No, you just surprised me. You’d usually expect a kiss on the lips first.”
Zoro blinked slowly, a question dancing in his eyes.
“Would you like to kiss?”
The blonde nodded, determined.
He did not expect this rush when their lips met. It was just a quick peck, a gentle touching of the lips, but he could only hear the beating of his heart in his ears and Zoros eyes on him seemed to pin him in place. He gulped before connecting their mouths again, still gentle, but this time more hungry, channeling the frustration of the last few days into it. Zoro was the one to break it, taking a deep breath.
“I think I am really happy your perfume ran out.”
He whispered and Sanji snickered.
“But wait, you were gone an entire day on that one island, I assumed you got a new one there since you reacted so strongly.”
The cook smirked and fined something out the breast pocket of his suit. His lighter. Observing it, Zoro noticed the fine curved lines engraved into the silver metal.
“It’s custom made, I waited for four hours a the store. “
Sanjis eyes were on the lighter, admiring it, turning it around in his hand.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
They remained like this, huddled against each other until night fell, occasionally sharing a kiss.
Zoro loved the way Sanjis fragrance was all over him, blocking him from smelling anything else. He could die like this, with his rival in his arms and his addictive smell in his nose.