Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Life seemed to sweep by in an easy breeze, weekends passing as more time was willingly spent between Sanji and Zoro. Zoro had only remained sick for two days before everything returned back to normal, and yet their bond with one another seemed to only grow further. Every weekend was now something Sanji looked forward to, yearning internally for when the end of the week would roll around and the day where he and Zoro gardened together arrived. Even if they only briefly checked over the flourishing herb garden, spending listless time in each other's company while Zoro dozed and Sanji read was nothing but welcomed simplicity.

A new addition to their routine was that they would go grocery shopping together. It all started directly after Zoro had gotten sick, and then subsequently got better. Sanji found himself offering to cook for Zoro on the premise that Zoro would come shopping with him and carry everything around. After seeing the barebones ingredients in Zoro’s kitchen, Sanji decided to take it upon himself to make sure the moss haired man got fed actual fucking nutritious meals and not just rice and tuna.

Zoro didn’t initially give in to Sanji’s nagging about cooking for him, but Sanji was persistent when he was worried about someone. When Sanji had reassured that it really saved him time to cook for two because he always had leftovers due to cooking for one and hated food to go to waste, it seemed to sway Zoro’s opinion. He, too, seemed to hate the idea of food waste and agreed to Sanji’s idea of grocery shopping together in the exchange of getting home cooked meals.

So, on top of gardening together, every weekend they would go grocery shopping and every second day Sanji would trade Zoro containers filled with different meals and foods for the next few days for the empty ones.

Sanji never knew he could bask in such domestic easiness, never allowing himself to cherish such. He knew it was only so long until the need to be productive nipped at his heels like a little yappy dog, but he found solace in these moments more often than not. 

Moments where if he lost the sentence he was reading, he could cup his cheek in his palm and fondly look over to Zoro sleeping under the shade of the tree. For Zoro to mumble small comments under his breath when they gardened together, pleased about the success of the herbs growing under their vigilant watch. To the times where they would spray the other with a hose and inevitably begin a brawl between them that ended up in wild grins and lively laughter.

Even when they were grocery shopping Zoro would lose sight of him and somehow get lost on the completely other side of the store. Or how the man would watch in soft amusement at Sanji passionately speaking about the usefulness of each ingredient, or mutter under his breath recipe ideas when he comes across something new. Zoro would sometimes give his own input into what he was craving for the week, Sanji happy to oblige with his food requests although not without a bit of teasing.

Sanji would not deny that his heart yearned for the kitchen, to be able to put his passion to work and make the most delicious and beautiful dishes in the world. And yet, he knew he would miss these moments when his temporary leave eventually finished. It made his heart ache in an unfamiliar way, knowing that these moments were awarded to him due to less than stellar circumstances and yet he actually found something to cherish. He knew it was unrealistic to think his life could stay this way, knew he didn’t want it too as he would go crazy if he didn’t go back to the Baratie eventually, but that didn’t mean he felt a soft sort of sullenness at the thought. Perhaps bittersweet was a better descriptor, Sanji mused.

Still, would he and Zoro garden every weekend if he was back working at the Baratie everyday? He knew he would no longer be able to have their morning greetings as Zoro left the house and Sanji smoked a cigarette because Sanji’s work began at the ass crack of dawn. His heart squeezed at the thought that they would no longer spend quality time with each other. Their friendship was not due to circumstance, was it? No, Sanji was certain of that. He enjoyed the time he spent with Zoro, hell, he looked forward to it. There was no way Sanji would suddenly sacrifice that if he went back to work. Sanji just had to hold hope, that their feelings for one another were shared, that they would work out.

Now was not the time to get caught up in his own conflicting internal dialogue, though. No, at the current moment he was staring down at the Moss man slumbering under the shades of their tree like some sort of dragon and a cutely devious idea had popped into his head. Lately, as their time spent together flew by and seasons changed, there were now dainty and brightly coloured wildflowers growing in their backyard. It wasn’t enough to have overrun the entire grass, but there were little pockets of the flowers popping through to add vibrancy to the space. They were weeds, Sanji knew this logically speaking, and yet he could not bring himself to exterminate them all.

That was not to say Sanji would not pluck a few, though, and currently his fingers itched with the idea of plucking some and planting them very gently among Zoro’s grassy green hair. The man was beyond the waking world, snoring his head off as he was, so Sanji did not have the concern that Zoro would wake up and ruin his fun. Not only that, but he knew while Zoro would likely gripe and grumble if he did wake up and find flowers in his hair, he wouldn’t actually care. That thought alone, knowing Sanji was not breaking any boundaries between them, was enough to get him kneeling by the patches of wildflowers and collecting a small bouquet of differing colours.

Once satisfied that he had enough to make a small little floral garden in Zoro’s green hair, he moved to silently kneel at Zoro’s side. With gentle and nimble fingers, Sanji wove the mini stalks into Zoro’s head to disguise them into the grassy green of his hair. It took some time, especially with Sanji attempting to not jostle or pull Zoro’s hair to not wake him. The task was meticulous, but Sanji couldn’t help the smile taking over his mouth as more and more flowers made their home in Zoro’s hair and decorated it into a little flowerbed. Keeping his snickers to a low volume to not give himself away, Sanji finally finished his task and backed away to marvel at his own work.

Despite being attached to the less that cute man snoring away like a muffled chainsaw, it did not detract from the sweetness of a blossoming flower garden in his hair. Soft petals like silk laid upon the blades of green hair, a multitude of colours from yellow, to a light blue, and a few pinks and white speckled in between. The flowers swayed with the short breaths the breeze released, as if dancing to the joy of the summer mid afternoon. It painted a picture of soft serenity as Zoro slept, and something in Sanji’s heart squeezed so painfully in that moment in a honeyed pleasantness that he felt compelled to capture this memory.

It was silly, it wasn’t as if anything monumental had happened. And yet, Sanji could not stop himself from reaching for his phone in his pants pocket to snap a picture of the scene. Focusing his attention to be on his phone, he flicked to his camera roll to assess the photo for its clarity and saturation. Sanji himself was not a photographer by any means, but he had to admit that the phones available to them made the task extremely easy to take aesthetic pictures with little effort. Smiling, he glanced at the photo initially until something caught his eye, eyebrows furrowing at he zoomed in to Zoro’s face.

Wait a minute, am I going crazy or in this photo is his eye… slightly open?

He let out an embarrassing sound that sounded close to a squeak of surprise as a firm hand wrapped around the bones of his ankles and yanked with immense strength. Unprepared for the attack, Sanji was swiftly dragged off balance and falling flat on his back with a winded oof type noise that was knocked out of him. Groaning and bringing a hand up to his forehead, Sanji glared at the once presumed snoozing man who was grinning like the cat who caught the canary. Smugness practically oozed off the man like miasma, resulting in Sanji gritting his teeth as he begrudgingly accepted the other man had caught him off guard. 

“You weren’t asleep at all, were you?” Sanji had said, a bitter resignation in his voice as he stared hopelessly up into the bright blue sky. He tracked a small cloud chugging across the sky at a faster pace then the rest, like they were racing and that cloud was the leader.

”Heh, nah,” Zoro responded and Sanji didn’t even have to look at him to tell the other was grinning that grin. The one that was lopsided and made that dimple on his cheek prominent, all flattering and cocky in a way that Zoro pulled off seamlessly. He may pretend to be all nonchalant, blasé and serious but Sanji knew deep down this man was a fucking shithead. He was not all composed and collected as one may initially think upon appearances, nor was he fucking scary by any means despite what Sanji liked to think of as a resting bitch face.

”Ugh! You’re such an asshole,” Sanji grumbled out, but it didn’t sway Zoro’s handsomeness whatsoever. Taking a deep breath and taking his eyes away from the few playful clouds still racing away in the sky in a game of tag, Sanji finally looked at Zoro. His eyes narrowed with slight suspicion as he asked, “Why didn’t you stop me?” It was a fair question, if Zoro had been awake the entire time and Sanji had just been too absorbed in his task to see it, why hadn’t he complained?

Zoro just shrugged back lazily, grin softening at the edges like butter under the gentle warmth of a pan. “You were having fun,” he answered simply, like it was the obvious answer. Sanji’s heart squeezed in that all so familiar way, stomach turning like a load of laundry on tumble dry as his cheeks pinkened to that of rose frosting on a love heart cupcake. He knew the colour had likely infested his complexion across the bridge of his nose and to the tips of his ears, once again flustering in a way that Sanji had to divert his emotions and instead say something more typical of their arguing.

”Then don’t ruin it by pulling my ankle!” Sanji grouched back loudly, glare more vicious even while the pink still fluttered across his cheeks. Sanji reached out and gave a vicious kick to Zoro’s leg, but the man dodged without much effort and chuckled to himself under his breath.

”Nah, your reaction was too fucking funny.” And there goes any of that sugared honey feeling mushing up Sanji’s insides, instead filled with that flicker of annoyance like a candle lit flame.

“Ugh! Why do I even bother?” Sanji threw his hands up in the air with a frustrated flair, as if wishing why the sun and sky had betrayed him by allowing Zoro to surprise him. Letting out a huff of frustration in an attempt to cool his firecracker short fuse, Sanji folded his arms tightly to his chest to show his distaste and sulkily said, “Should have plucked your hair out one by one until you went bald instead.” Zoro only smirked back, goading in a way that practically said I know you wouldn’t do that, and damn it, of course Sanji would never but the threat should at least still work!

Giving up before his pride took more of a beating, Sanji sat up and shuffled along the backyard grass until he could lean his back against the expansively tall tree trunk of their shade-bearing tree. He ignored that he and Zoro were sitting shoulder to shoulder, instead focusing his attention on lighting a cigarette and taking a puff to quell the embarrassment.

It was once Sanji’s shoulders finally started to lose their tenseness by smoking half his cigarette when Zoro decided to shock him again. One moment, he and Zoro were shoulder to shoulder, the next the man had his head cushioned in Sanji’s lap. Sanji squawked at the sudden movement, crossing his legs into a pretzel type shape to give more support and comfort for Mossy’s neck and head that decided to make his lap his new pillow.

“They’re making my head itchy, take ‘em out,” was all Zoro provided in terms of explanation, peering up at Sanji to take in his expression before letting his eye fall closed and awaiting Sanji’s next move. Sanji finished off his cigarette, extinguishing it quickly as he clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes with attitude. In spite of said attitude, Sanji found he actually didn’t mind Zoro laying his head in his lap, it was almost cute in a wholesome romantic kind of way but Sanji kept that to himself.

”What am I, your servant? Do it yourself!” Sanji griped, tugging on Zoro’s earrings just to be a shithead and cause a crinkle to form between the man’s eyebrows. The earrings made their own protest when knocking together, a jingling noise that was like someone twirling their keys around.

Batting Sanji’s hand away with his own like he was an annoying fly buzzing about, Zoro said in a factual tone, “You put them there, dumbass, s’only fair.”

Sanji felt the involuntary growl in his throat in response to such an annoying and smarmy comment, but he couldn’t even fight against it because Zoro was actually fucking right! He had put the flowers there, so it was only fair that he removed them. Doesn’t mean Sanji had to like it, though! 

“Fine, whatever. See if I do anything nice for you again, shithead.” He flicked Zoro’s forehead with vengeance, a petty little fight back that was all in all harmless. The other just made himself comfortable and ignored Sanji’s ire, relaxing his head into Sanji’s lap like he was awaiting Sanji to run his hands through his hair. Despite Sanji’s protest, he was quick to give in and started gently plucking each individual flower from Zoro’s hair.

They spoke no words as Sanji’s fingers roved through Zoro’s hair for the thin stems of all the wildflowers. Sanji always made sure to not snag any of Zoro’s hair when he pried each flower out of the grassy green. The ambiance was nice, no words needed to be exchanged because they simply enjoyed the peace that came with the silence. It was not long until all the flowers had been gotten rid of, but Sanji didn’t have the heart to kick the other man into the dirt.

Instead, Sanji decided to indulge in another cigarette, running his free hand through the mossy tresses while the other nursed his cigarette. He once more let his eyes drift back to the sky to admire its expansive beauty. Sanji personally believed that the ocean held a beauty that the sky could not compare to, but that did not mean the sky was not gorgeous itself. The little speckles of rushing clouds from earlier had passed, instead leaving a vast blue for Sanji to take in.

It was during this moment of effortlessness, one hand running through Zoro’s hair and the other with a cigarette perched between two fingers that he noticed something in his periphery. Glancing away from the sky’s calling, he instead blinked down at Zoro, half due to the adjustment of light and half in confusion. Held precariously in Zoro’s hands positioned above his face was Sanji’s phone that he had forgotten had been dropped earlier. Sanji was unsure what the man was doing, it was not as if Zoro knew the password to his phone.

Even if he did, Sanji only really used his phone for photos, recipes, and maintaining contact with family and friends so he had no fear if Zoro was going through his phone. Zoro had obviously noticed that he now had Sanji’s attention, as he seemed almost apprehensive for a moment before turning the phone around for Sanji to see. Intrigued, Sanji looked at the screen and his eyes widened when he realised Zoro had taken a photo of him.

Perhaps it was revenge for Sanji having taken a photo earlier when Zoro had all those flowers in his hair. It was not a professional photo by any standards, but what really caught Sanji’s attention was how carefree he looked. His facial expression was mellow, irises shiny and spirited in colour from the reflection of the blue sky in his equally blue eyes. He looked as content as he had felt internally, but seeing it so candidly captured had made him appreciate the emotion fully.

“When did you swipe my phone?” Sanji asks, although not rudely by any means, instead more inquisitive in an amused manner. He takes the phone back from Zoro, slipping it back into his pants pocket so he could stare directly down at the other. He didn’t avoid eye contact, seemingly unbothered at being called out.

”When you dropped it earlier,” he said easily, giving the answer that Sanji had suspected already. Not that Sanji really cared, if anything it reminded him to not leave his phone outside on accident due to forgetting where he had put it. After a pause, though, Zoro broke their eye contact and looked to the side. It seemed as if he was almost sheepish, perhaps even shy. “Can you send me that photo?” He had asked it so quietly, as if he were nervous about how Sanji would respond.

But all Sanji could do was laugh under his breath. It was not mocking or cold, but instead the kind that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. The one that made the light in his eyes twinkle warmly, that made him feel heartwarmed like he was sitting beside a fireplace on a freezing winter's day. “Only if I get to keep the photo of you with the flowers in your hair,” he responded back, not bothering to elaborate on what photo he meant as he knew Zoro had been awake when he had taken it.

Zoro seemed to mull on that for a second, Sanji could practically see the marble that was his brain cells rolling around in there. He was humming at the same time, the vibrations of the noise deep but not harsh or grating on the ears. Eventually, he came to a conclusion and said, ”Sure, sounds fair. You better remember to send it.” The tone attempted to be accusing at the end, but Sanji knew Zoro didn’t mean it.

”’Course I will, I keep my promises,” Sanji shot back, making a mental reminder to himself to send that photo. Sanji didn’t hate photos of himself by any means, but he wasn’t vain enough to love having photos of himself either. He preferred group photos with his friends or a photo of him and Zeff more than just a photo of himself.

With the time that had passed, Sanji had realised that the leg that Zoro’s head was resting against had gone numb. It’s probably time for lunch, I should go make something, Sanji thought to himself listlessly as he squinted at the sun to get an idea of the time. Deciding to get up and be productive, Sanji let his fingers find Zoro’s nose and pinch it to startle the other. Zoro reopened his eye and glared at Sanji, clearly not amused that his comfort had been disturbed by Sanji pinching his nose.

”Get off of me, I’m going to make something for lunch,” Sanji complained, but let go of Zoro’s nose when the other sat back up and instead leaned against the tree. It freed Sanji from being trapped, and he slowly got back to his feet and stretched out his legs from being stuck in a crossed position for so long. As he moved to toss his cigarettes out in the big, he asked Zoro, “Craving anything?”

”Salmon onigiri,” the man called back, although it was not a demand. It held that undertone of questioning, like he was unsure if Sanji would make it for him. But he had no reason to worry, Sanji always enjoyed cooking, and cooking for the both of them was no different. Still, it was nice to know that his cooking for Zoro was not taken for granted, and that the other was appreciative.

“Hm, I think I have some leftover salmon in the freezer… Okay, salmon onigiri it is for the local Mosshead,” Sanji teased, sending the other a little smile before heading back into his house and to the kitchen. While in the midst of cooking the rice, Sanji retrieved his phone and made sure to send that photo to Zoro. He then briefly looked at the photo he took of Zoro once more, finding it automatically brought a tender smile to his face.

Perhaps, one day, if his feelings for Zoro were confirmed to be reciprocated like Sanji had an inkling were, he would happily set the photo as his phone background.

———

Tonight was another family dinner between him and Zeff, once again at his father’s apartment above the Baratie restaurant. Unfortunately, it was Zeff’s turn to cook and the old man had been nothing but stubborn about cooking during his turns even as he complained about hip and back problems from standing over the stove all day. Sanji had tried to argue with him to sit his old ass down so Sanji could make them a meal instead, but it just resulted in a full on argument while Zeff was chopping up vegetables and Sanji was pacing around the small open space kitchen and dining room area.

It was not uncommon for them to have this particular argument on their weekly Sunday dinners, but both were stubborn and had no intentions of giving up. It was more so out of familial love for each other, Sanji worried about Zeff and wanted to take the responsibility off his hands, while Zeff loved to cook a meal for his hardworking son and see him slow down and enjoy it. Their gruff and snappy arguments were not out of annoyance or hatred, but simply out of the love from father and son.

It did mean Sanji had to bite his tongue and sit at the table with crossed arms and a disgruntled expression on his face as if he had downed ten whole glasses of lemon juice as Zeff pottered around the kitchen finishing their dinner. Tonight it was ratatouille with leftover but still quality produce from the Baratie and Zeff’s own kitchen that he hadn’t been able to use. Not one to sit still and provide nothing when coming over, Sanji had brought a nice bottle of red wine and baked a fresh load of bread for them to share. He’d even gone as far as to make his own butter to bring, not a particularly hard task to do but Sanji had always believed that the simple extra step made the butter more tasty.

After the constant arguing over cooking, the two had sat down eating their meal as they discussed how their week had gone. Usually Zeff’s was some myriad of stories about the Baratie and what antics the staff had gotten up to. Sanji’s was usually whatever books or new recipes he had been reading or trying out. The conversation had always been easy between them, especially when their love for food was brought to the table as they could converse for hours about culinary arts alone.

However, a new addition to Sanji’s weekly conversations were small rants about Zoro. Usually complaining about their bickering, or talking about how their gardening was going, or even whatever meals he had been making for the two of them. As he ranted about it, Zeff had always watched with a slightly raised eyebrow and a knowing look in his eye but hardly commented. Only giving acknowledgements or his own two cents here and there as Sanji talked and talked about whatever activities or time he and Zoro spent together on the weekend.

This week, however, was different from their usual routine. Sanji had been ranting about what had happened earlier that week with what Sanji referred to as a prank when he had put the flowers in Zoro’s hair. He had even gone so far as to show his father the picture he had taken of Zoro with said flowers in his hair, ranting to his father how Zoro had the audacity to pull on his ankle and make fun of him. Instead of just humming along or seeming exasperated, Zeff just huffed out in grumpy exhaustion which made Sanji instantly pause.

“You’re in love with this damn Cabbage man, aren’t you?” Zeff said after his last spoonful of ratatouille, an unimpressed flatness to his face and a grimace to his lips. Sanji’s eyes had probably widened at the completely unexpected comment to the point they practically fell out of their sockets, a wheezing noise followed by embarrassed spluttering were the only noises he was able to let out in shock.

“Wha- Love- That’s! What are you going on about?!” Sanji implored in utter disbelief at the bombshell that was just dropped at the fucking dinner table. He had feelings for Zoro, that he could not deny but that didn’t mean he wanted then to be fucking exposed! Much less by his own damn father, he did not want to talk about his romantic life with his father thank you very fucking much! The fact that Zeff had come right out and bluntly said that Sanji loved Zoro was absolutely insane!

“You bloody talk about him every damn week!” Zeff griped, clearly fed up at the fact that Sanji had the audacity to try and act surprised. Sanji didn’t think he talked about Zoro that much! His old man was just being dramatic, he was just talking about what happened during his weekend and it just so happened that he spent his weekends with Zoro gardening and going grocery shopping!

”Because he pisses me off every damn week!” Sanji defended, hackles raised as he tried to protect himself from being called out so thoroughly. Who does this old geezer think he is? Sanji thought to himself grumpily. Sanji wasn’t even completely sure he would call his feelings for Zoro love just yet, but… Well, he had the suspicion he was but it was terrifying to admit if the feelings were possible to be rejected. What would Sanji do if that happened? Move to another fucking country in shame, probably.

Zeff didn’t seem to take Sanji’s words, instead flapping them away with his hand like they were a simple excuse. ”You can’t fool me, Little Eggplant. I’ve raised you since you were about the size of my damn shoe!”

“Excuse me?!” Sanji practically screeched in outrage, sure the noise was ear grating. He was lucky that Zeff didn’t live in an actual apartment block or he’s sure the pitch of his voice alone would have pierced through the walls, let alone the volume. Sanji was about two seconds away from slamming his palms down on the table and snatching the dishes off the table to wash them in seething silence. “You adopted me at eight, you old geezer! I wasn’t the size of your shitty shoes then!”

”You always were practically skin and bones, not to mention a midget for your age,” Zeff said as if he were speaking fact, pulling at his braided beard as if he were smoothing out any creases or loose hairs. The action alone made Sanji huff, his fingers itching for a cigarette but withholding the urge as he was not allowed to smoke in Zeff’s apartment. Something about I don’t want my apartment to smell like a damn chimney because of you, Little Eggplant! Or something along those lines.

”I’m taller than you now, shitty geezer!” Sanji pointed out, righteously so, a pointer finger directed at his old man in a motion that said and I know I’m right so don’t even try to deny it! Sanji had outgrown his father when he was nineteen, and even though Sanji was not extremely tall by any means, he certainly could not be called short. Due to his fantastic posture he often looked taller than he actually was.

“As you should be, you damn bean pole!” Zeff shouted back, insulting and somehow turning Sanji’s own winning statement into his own. Sanji could feel his blood boiling underneath his skin like a pot of boiling water, like no matter how he argued Zeff would find a way to turn it around on him. Perhaps it made sense since Zeff’s old ass should be wiser with age, but it didn’t mean Sanji had to accept that as an answer.

“Ugh!” Sanji stomped his foot childishly against the floorboards, making them creak and groan underneath the battering strength. He threw his hands up in the air in a dramatic act to display that Zeff was being unreasonable. He knew he had a fiercely frustrated expression on his face, lips curled and nose crinkled. Sanji knew he was being ridiculous, but his father was intruding on his love life! He felt he was fair in being a little bratty about it since it was so uncommon and freaking strange.

The brattiness seemed to irritate Zeff, as Sanji could see the angry lines on his forehead crinkle. ”Don’t get that attitude with me, you damn brat. I can tell you’re infatuated with that damn Cabbage, you can’t lie to me!”

Sanji floundered for a moment from his father’s shout, at his insistence on the matter that Sanji was in love and it was not simply some feelings that were going to pass like the seasons change. Bringing a hand up to his forehead and letting out a heavy sigh, Sanji said in an attempt of clarification, “I’m not in love with him! I’m just… romantically interested,”

Zeff laughs in his face, a guffaw that had one hand holding his stomach and the other resting on the table’s surface. He seemed to find Sanji’s answer so fucking amusing and it made Sanji feel indignant and a little embarrassed. “Sure, whatever you tell yourself to sleep at night. You’re in love with him, plain as damn fucking day,” he answered with that knowing look in his eyes like he could read Sanji like a fucking book.

”You just enjoy making fun of me, don’t you?! Nosy bastard,” Sanji sulked, no longer channeled by frustration and instead pouting at acknowledging he wasn’t going to change Zeff’s mind by arguing further. It seemed he had made up his mind, the sky was blue, the sea was made of salt water, and Sanji was in love with Zoro. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing novel or new, just a simplistic fact.

“Hmph. Well, if you’re so in love with this Cabbage man I want to meet him one day.” The way that Zeff said it held a grim undertone, as if he were a man about to head into a room for an interrogation. But Sanji knew his old man, knew that he had the idea that he would scare Zoro into not breaking Sanji’s heart in the belief of protecting his son. However, Sanji didn’t want that interaction to happen because he would be absolutely mortified.

Sanji was quick to shake his head vehemently, trying to reason with the man by arguing, “We aren’t even dating! Don’t start getting ideas of giving him the shovel talk before we even get together- If! If we even get together.” Sanji was quick to correct himself, after all, he and Zoro weren’t even together! They often felt like planets orbiting one another, sure, but they weren’t actually in a confirmed relationship! For goodness sakes, they hadn’t exchanged their feelings for one another!

Zeff scoffed, dismissing Sanji’s words. “Well, you better get your head on your shoulders soon Little Eggplant because I’m reinstating you back to work. Tomorrow, in fact.” The change in conversation was like night and day and it left Sanji reeling. He felt like a fish out of water, wiggling on the shoreline and trying to make it back to the safety of the sea after just being mercilessly chucked out of it.

”Uh, What? Wait, really?” Enthusiasm creeped into his voice, eyes hopeful and a smile across his face at the idea that he could finally go back to work. Sanji loved being a chef, he loved cooking, it was his true passion in life that would never be taken away from him. To know that he could go back to work and fulfil his culinary dreams made him want to vibrate in utter excited anticipation at the prospect. He did thoroughly enjoy the free time he had been gifted, appreciated the lesson that he needed to actually take time for himself and relax, but he was still so thrilled to know he could go back to work. A sentiment not shared by most, he knew.

Zeff half shrugged, seeming to have made up his mind on the idea. “You’ve clearly taken a damn chill pill for once and I’m not worried you’re going to work yourself into a pit in my damn kitchen anymore. So, you can come back.”

”Finally!” Sanji felt like jumping to his feet and dancing around the apartment in joy. He knew it would be ridiculous, so obviously he refrained, but he animatedly swept the dirty dishes off the table and had a happy pep to his step as he hummed a happy tune to the kitchen sink.

Zeff stood himself, attempting to take the plates off Sanji’s hands, successfully forcing Sanji to dry them as he gave them a wash. Mid clean up, hands still shoved in soapy water as he dragged a sponge over another plate, Zeff warned, “But let me tell you something, Little Eggplant. If I see you working yourself to the bone again in such an unhealthy way you were earlier, you’re getting kicked out again. You hear me?”

Sanji hummed, but a smirk graced his lips as he polished the plats to perfection and put them back to their rightful place in the cupboards. ”Hmph, I’d like to see you try to kick me out again. You wouldn’t survive without me.” It was cocky and filled with pride, but he knew he was a damn good sous chef and kept the Baratie afloat just as much as Zeff himself as the head chef.

”We survived damn fine, you cocky brat!” Zeff protested out of spite, trying to pop the balloon that was Sanji’s ego, but it didn’t work. Sanji just continued to grin to himself as he wiped down every plate, looking forward to coming into work tomorrow and seeing the utter shock on everyone’s faces when they realised he’s returned. He can’t wait to find a little mistake and give Patty and Carne a ribbing for not being capable without him being there.

“Heh, if you say so.” With that they let the conversation naturally die as they went about clearing up all pots, pans, dishes and cutlery from their weekly dinner. Soon enough, the apartment looked as clean as it had when Sanji arrived, the only traces of Sanji having visited were the containers of ratatouille stacked up on the counter ready for Sanji to take. Sanji had made sure to foist the homemade butter and bread to Zeff, saying that he would not be able to eat it all himself and that he knew Zeff would enjoy it more than him. It resulted in some grumbling, but Zeff took the bread and butter off his hands.

Sanji was grabbing his phone and jacket when Zeff spoke again. “You won’t have as much free time on your hands anymore. Spending time with the Cabbage man has clearly been good for you,” Zeff scrunched up his face at the admission, as if holding himself back from cringing. Sanji felt his annoyance rise like a proofing loaf of bread but was cut off before he could say anything as Zeff continued, “so if I were you, Little Eggplant, I would confess your feelings soon before it’s too late.”

”Ugh, please never give me advice on my love life again,” Sanji hissed at his father in embarrassment, hiding his face away beneath his palms as he lamented on the strangeness. Zeff never seemed to care about Sanji’s partners or his dating life in the past, so him suddenly giving unprompted advice was just plain weird! He just wanted to discuss cooking with his dad and share gossip about strange things going on around the Baratie like normal. But if Zeff’s hesitance and somewhat disgruntledness surrounding the topic was anything to go by, he clearly hadn’t really wanted to discuss it either but more so did it out of what he saw as a necessity for Sanji to stop being stupid.

After that, Zeff kicked him out the apartment, arms stacked with containers of leftovers with the express condition of, “no sharing my cooking with that freeloader Cabbage! I made it for you, ya’ hear!” Sanji gave a half hearted acknowledgement, Zeff giving Sanji a few firm pats on his shoulders before directing him away and back to the journey to his house. Before Sanji stepped into his car, a well maintained but old car that had done many miles, Sanji lamented over the conversations had at dinner while smoking a cigarette.

In the end, Sanji supposed Zeff was right in the fact that he probably should confess soon. Who knew if his and Zoro’s routine would still be as compatible as it was now once Sanji got back to work. He knew he would have weekends off, sure, but he could no longer say good morning to Zoro as he left for work, or greet him when he got back from work as Sanji worked longer and earlier hours. Such was the life of a sous chef, the hours were not desirable but Sanji did the job because of his love for cooking.

Would Zoro think Sanji was avoiding or ignoring him if their greetings disappeared without a word. Would Zoro even care? Sanji did not have a concrete answer.

Resigning himself to having the conversation about his adventure back to work tomorrow with Zoro and hoping their weekend time spent together remained the same, Sanji finished off his cigarette and jumped in his car to drive back home.

———

Sanji had intended to tell Zoro the next weekend about his return to work, but turns out that was not quite what happened. Four days back into work, Sanji was handing over the prepped meals for Zoro in the evening after he had arrived home and been able to whip something up. It was as he was handing it over and about to head back to his house, clean the filth off of him from work and crash into the comfort of his bed when Zoro grabbed his upper arm with one hand. It halted Sanji from moving, tilting his head in curiosity as Zoro avoided his eyes and seemed to be mulling on his words.

”You don’t say good morning anymore,” Zoro had hesitated before speaking, saying the words slowly as if unsure and timid. As if he were silly to even say them, expression souring like he had regretted saying the words straight after they had come out as Sanji did not respond. Now, timid was not a word Sanji often associated with Zoro, and Sanji couldn’t help but stare. The longer he stared, the more Zoro’s bottom lip pouted out and he shifted around sheepishly as if trying to avoid Sanji’s laser focus eye contact.

“Do you… miss me?” Sanji had said it on an exhale as if he had been blown away, elation clear as day as a smile took over Sanji’s face. It only got wider and delighted when Zoro clicked his tongue, attempting to act unbothered but couldn’t hide the pinkness trickling across the bridge of his nose. It was harder to see in comparison due to his Zoro’s tan skin, blending in quite beautifully into Zoro’s natural skin tone, but it was not imperceptible by any means making it easy for Sanji to notice. Sanji almost felt like giggling and twirling some hair around his finger, but refrained as even he knew that would be ridiculous for him to do and would just have Zoro look at him like he was insane.

”Tch, no! I couldn’t care less,” he pretended, but it did nothing to dissuade the absolute beaming joyous grin on Sanji’s face. Zoro once again pouted in a way that he likely meant to be grumpy but instead Sanji just thought he looked quite cute, “just wondered where you disappeared off to.”

”Adorable,” Sanji said sweetly, his eyes sparkling with mirth like the speckling of bright stars twinkling down at them that broke through soon to be pitch black sky. It made Zoro grind his teeth together and glare in a way that was supposed to be intimidating but just came off as endearingly pathetic to Sanji. Not wanting to tease the other man too much for missing him, a realisation that made Sanji’s inside feel like it was receiving an electric shock, he stated, “I went back to work, my leave is officially over.”

“Old man called you back?” Over the many weekends they had spent together at this point, Sanji had obviously disclosed to Zoro about his work and the indefinite leave he had been put on. It was only natural, when their nature was more docile than combative they would have actual conversations on getting to know each other. In one of those conversations, his work had come up, and Zoro had simply listened and Sanji vented out his frustration of being kicked out of his job as sous chef. Only made sense that he remembered, but the fact that he had still made Sanji feel warm.

Sanji hummed in assent, “Apparently I’ve ‘taken a chill pill’ according to him, so I’m fine to go back to work without worrying the old geezer.” Zoro nodded in understanding, eyes straying down to the containers held in his hands. He tilted them this way and that inquisitively, as if Sanji had not been cooking for him for over a month. A little furrow was brought to Zoro’s brow, and Sanji was starting to consider if the man had accidentally hit his head on one of his kitchen cabinets and gotten a concussion.

“How’d you have time to cook?” That made Sanji raise an eyebrow, although not in an overtly judgemental sort of way. It was more confused at the slight awe in Zoro’s voice, as if Sanji having the time or energy to cook after what was an arduous shift was almost admirable. Sanji simply enjoyed cooking a meal, and it always tasted better when he knew he could share whatever meals he had prepped with Zoro as well.

”You think I don't cook dinner for myself when I get home from work? I just doubled the portion as I usually do, dumbass. Just ‘cause I’m back at work doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop cooking for you.” Feeling a little playful and not passing up the chance to make fun of Zoro, Sanji dramatically placed the back of his hand on his forehead like he was about to faint. He then sighed lengthily in a theatrical manner and said, “You’d be hopeless without my culinary talent, left to waste away with nothing but tins of tuna and protein shakes to keep you satiated. Oh… How sad, you poor thing.”

”Stop being a dick!” Sanji’s teasing clearly had the intended effect of pissing Zoro off so Sanji called it a success. Sanji chuckled under his breath at the grumpiness, Zoro glaring as the air settled between them like dust on a windowsill. Zoro seemed to have calmed when Sanji’s laughter had faded, waiting politely before asking, “We still gardening on Saturday?”

Sanji blinked, not expecting Zoro to have been the one to bring up the continuation of their weekly gardening. That meant Zoro wanted to spent time with me, that I’m not imagining things… Sanji felt that flutter in his chest like a parade of butterflies beating around in his stomach. ”Yeah, ‘course. See you Saturday, Mossy,” Sanji said with a wave and a smile, feeling a sense of certainty and excitement as he went back to his home knowing that their weekly gardening wasn’t going to change. That they both clearly looked forward to spending time with each other as much as the other did.

That led to the weekend, where they were currently kneeling by the garden bed and plucking weeds out of the soil. They had neglected to cull the weeds in the earlier weeks, having deemed them as insignificant and not worth their time when there were only a few growing here and there. Before they knew it, their laziness had resulted in them multiplying, so they decided it was a tidy up day for the garden bed before the weed infestation started to kill the remaining herbs.

It was getting close to winter now, the last dredges of autumn sluggishly going by. It meant Sanji could get away without a sun hat or slathering on a heap of sunscreen to avoid getting sunburn and red. Sanji noted the lack of growth with the herbs and a small part of him became sad knowing that they were inevitably going to wilt once the next season was on their doorstep. All their hard work had produced many herbs for Sanji to use in his cooking, always adding an extra flavour when it used produce of their own making, Sanji thought. He only used the herbs in cooking for himself and Zoro, after all, but it made Sanji feel warm knowing that his and Zoro’s own labour in the garden had contributed to the kitchen and subsequent meal he made.

Oh well, I guess in the spring I could bring Zoro with me to decide on what to buy for the garden, Sanji mused to himself as he plucked and tossed another weed to the side. Surprisingly, the two hadn’t devolved into competition yet, just meagre arguments and banter aplenty. Sanji had expected the Mosshead to say whoever pulls the most weeds out wins in some form of petty competitiveness, but that had not happened. Instead, they would have little conversation here and there between them as they pulled more and more weeds until the garden bed was starting to return to normal.

It was right towards the end when disaster struck, leaving Sanji shaken to his very core.

He was pulling out the last dredges of the weeds when something brushed up against his fingers. Assuming it to be some of the plant matter like the leaves, he yanked the weed out and inspected his hand. What he saw made the weeds clutched in his hands fall ceremoniously to the floor, forgotten. It made Sanji’s entire focus hone down onto what was currently haunting him. It made him feel like he was about to pass out and simultaneously cry tears of fear. He was not sure he was going to survive this encounter.

Crawling up his hand was a furry caterpillar, innocently wiggling its body around like it had not a fear in the world.

What did Sanji do in response?

He screamed his absolute lungs out in utter terror, unknowingly and accidentally scaring the utter and absolute shit out of the Mosshead beside him. Sanji frantically and irrationally shook his hand out with shaky insistence to displace the caterpillar. It sent the innocent little bug flying, landing somewhere amongst the grass but Sanji had not watched and instead felt like the evil little critter was clinging onto his hand. It caused a sick sense of dreaded pins and needles all up his arms, his stomach churning itself into sick knots that made him feel nauseous.

”What’s gotten into you?!” Zoro shouted back loudly at the daylights being spooked out of him, whirling in Sanji’s direction and expecting an answer. Unfortunately for him, Sanji was not in the right mind to give him any explanation beyond the frantic words that felt like they were pulled out of him. He was still too focused on the memory of that evil fucking catterpillar crawling up his hand, practically smirking antagonistically at him as it knew it was ruining Sanji’s day.

”It crawled on me!” Sanji wailed, springing forward and clutching onto Zoro like a lifeline. Zoro barely caught himself and Sanji in his kneeling position from getting bowled over when Sanji held onto him, not expecting the sudden reaction. “It crawled on my hand!” Sanji had shouted irrationally, wrapping his arms around one of Zoro’s, holding onto it with the same desperation as someone lost at sea clutching onto driftwood. He knew he sounded near tears, and Sanji would likely feel mortified later at his irrationality, but in the moment he had no thoughts besides the alarm ringing warning bells in his ear so loudly he almost couldn’t hear anything else beyond.

”What did? Shit, you alright?” Zoro managed to unlatch Sanji from suffocating all the blood flowing to his arm from how hard he was hugging, instead hands bracketing Sanji’s upper arms so Zoro could look at him and try make some sense of the situation. Sanji just frantically shook his head, bottom lip wobbling in distress as he could not come up with a rational explanation for the man who stared at him in desperate concern.

”The- the! The CATTERPILLAR!” He managed to scream out, almost like a cry for help. He hunched in on himself, hugging his infected hand and arm to his body as if to protect it from further harm. He knew he was shivering, an unconscious reaction that he could not abate. It was out of a fight or flight response, one he could not get rid of since he was a child. Bugs had always been traumatic for him, it always reminded him of his fucking horrible childhood when he still lived with the Vinsmokes and the way his brothers would dump buckets of cockroaches or fire ants over his unsuspecting head.

They would laugh as Sanji would scream and cry out in fear, and his father would just watch with disgust and disappointment in his eye for how Sanji turned out to be such a weakling and failure compared to his siblings. How dare he have phobias like regular people? How dare he be human. Sanji fucking hated his blood family, the Vinsmokes, to the very core of his being. He never wished death upon them, valuing himself as more valiant and kind than that, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t wished for his father’s downfall. He hated Judge with every fiber of his being, for being such a fucking failure as a father, and that man could do nothing to redeem himself.

Unfortunately for Sanji, he still held the debilitating fear for creepy crawlies even now as a twenty four year old, the voracity of the fear not having quelled with time.

”Hah?” Zoro had let out the noise in utter confusion, clearly lost like he was given a map and the directionally challenged fool was told to navigate to a destination. In an attempt to try and calm Sanji down, he slowly rubbed his hands up and down Sanji’s arms in a soothing motion. It was a bit stilted, the man clearly not used to trying to comfort someone in such a way, but it was the thought that counted and Sanji appreciated it. It made him feel a little more grounded in reality, although not enough to regain his composure.

“Catterpillar…?” Zoro muttered under his breath, as if the word were foreign because he could not understand what Sanji was trying to say.

”Get it away from me!” Sanji whined, hands quivering as he slammed his eyes shut so as to not have to look at them in fear of what he might see. If he still saw the caterpillar on there he might seriously be close to gagging and throwing up. And then he’d feel even more like shit because Sanji hated throwing up because in some sick and twisted way it felt like he was wasting food if he threw up. Fucking hell, Sanji couldn’t stop his racing thoughts or panic no matter how much he tried.

”Curly…” Zoro let go of Sanji’s arms and reached out for Sanji’s hands instead, encompassing them with his own. He wedged his fingers between Sanji’s, covering the entire back of his hands and curling his fingers over Sanji’s palms protectively between the forced gaps of Sanji’s hands. The phantom sensation of imaginary ants crawling all across his skin and infecting his hands slowly abated as the sluggish warm of Zoro’s hands registered in Sanji’s mind. As the reality of Zoro cradling Sanji’s hand in a backwards hand hold was acknowledged by the fraying edges of his anxiety, Sanji could feel himself start to embrace reality once more.

The ghost of the catterpillar no longer felt like it was on his skin. The pins and needles niggling and pricking at his skin faded away. His breathing which he had not even noticed had gotten away from him started to regulate. His shoulders which were held tight with tension unwound, relaxing itself to the point that Sanji hunched forward. His eyes slowly opened, blurring looking down at his and Zoro’s hands where they were meshed together, Zoro’s own shielding Sanji’s from any attacks from bugs that may appear.

If Sanji had the brain power, he would actually think Zoro was acting so sweetly. Holding his hands, trying to calm him down even though he was confused and rattled himself by Sanji’s uncharacteristic behaviour. That he could recognise that their usual song and dance wasn’t going to ring true and make Sanji feel any better. Despite that, Sanji could appreciate that Zoro had clearly gone somewhat out of his comfort zone when guessing how to comfort Sanji, in hoping that his attempts at comfort had worked.

Sanji sniffled to himself, head downturned in embarrassment. At least he hadn’t cried, Sanji wasn’t sure his pride could come back from how mortifying that would have been. Not to mention he wouldn’t be able to cope if Zoro had made fun of him for it. Although he knew Zoro was not cruel enough to do that, knew that this was a sensitive topic and not something that Sanji wanted to be used as banter between them. He could tell by the worried crease to his forehead, the grimace on his face as if he were preparing himself to face off with whatever opponent had just disrespected Sanji. “I don’t like bugs,” Sanji said simply, under his breath and with a little upsetness curling across the edges.

”No shit?” Zoro said sarcastically as he was unable to help himself, with a little laugh at the end of it that was light in spirit and not condescending. Sanji still decided to kick the other in the shin for the sarcasm, though, grumbling under his breath and pouting to himself. He supposed he deserved a bit of ribbing after scaring the absolute shit out of Zoro, the poor man a victim to his screaming and fear riddled explosion. Zoro seemed to recollect himself, taking the situation seriously once more as he said with a certain finality, “I’ll keep the bugs away from ya’, Curly.” He was likely half joking, but that was completely lost on Sanji.

”Really?” Sanji tilted his hands and gripped the other man's hands in a proper hand hold, leaning forward with wide hopeful eyes with their hands held between them. He knew Zoro was likely making fun of him a little bit, but he didn’t even care at that moment. “You mean it?” Sanji had said so hopefully, faces close together and noses a few centimetres away from each other as Sanji searched Zoro’s face and eye to make sure of the truth behind that promise.

Zoro could only stare with a look of pure awe, lips slightly parted in surprise and eyebrows softened around the edges from where they were raised. Gentle flush to his cheeks, all Zoro could think of in that moment was that Sanji looked so damn fucking cute. Gorgeous wide eyes as blue as the fucking ocean, pale complexion that had once been ghostly in fear now back to healthy with a slight pinkening to the tip of his nose and parts of his cheeks. Sanji’s flaxen hair almost seemed as if it was glowing, angelic. Sanji was peering up at him in the hopes of trust after just having been vulnerable, and Zoro was never going to break that promise to protect him from some damn lousy bugs.

A whole nest of bees could fucking swarm at him for all he cared, he would make sure Sanji stayed out of harms way.

“‘Course. Don’t make promises I won’t keep,” Zoro said back with a certainty that left no room for argument. He watched as Sanji’s eyes shined in happiness, like the sun shining against the open water. Sanji himself seemed to return to normalcy after a few moments, gently pulling his hands away from Zoro’s so he could fidget with his fingers, yearning for a cigarette. He meekly turned his face away from the other and to the side.

“Thank you,” he said appreciatively, modest but not faint. He meant it, to know Zoro took his phobia seriously and made his heart pound in his chest like a beating drum. It made his insides feel like it were a simmering pot of sugar, pleasant and syrupy.

Perhaps Zeff was right, that he was in love with Zoro.

Sanji did not want to address those feelings now, did not feel like it was the right time. So he rifled through his pockets for a cigarette and wiped away the dirt staining them on his pants after he had lit it and taken a drag. “I think I’m done being outside for the day,” Sanji said on an exhale, accepting the fact that it was probably wise to go back inside to not incite his fear of bugs again that day.

”I’ll finish weeding,” Zoro had said with a nod, turning back to the task at hand and tugging another weed loose. Sanji felt conflicted watching the man finish up the gardening chores, feeling grateful that the man finished what was left of Sanji’s work but feeling guilty that he wasn’t able to complete it himself. Sanji hated feeling useless, hated feeling like he had failed at something. Not bitterly when it came to such a simple task as gardening, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel bad.

”You can leave it for next week,” Sanji tried to reassure, hoping that the man wouldn’t burden himself with the rest of Sanji’s job. But Zoro just shrugged uncaringly, quick to pull up most of the remaining weeds with only a few left here or there. All in all, it would take him two minutes, if even that, so Sanji knew he was being ridiculous. But it was the principle, Sanji didn’t want to feel like a bother.

”Nah, nearly done anyways,” Zoro reassured, although in his usual way of it being unintentionally meaningful to Sanji. To see the man simply not care, see it as an easy task that he was happy to do on Sanji’s behalf without being owed what made Sanji feel secure. Again, he knew he was overreacting, he was mulling over a few weeds! And yet, Sanji still appreciated Zoro nonetheless.

Sanji stayed kneeling beside Zoro and enjoying his cigarette while Zoro removed the last few bothersome weeds. Sanji stood and finished off his cigarette while Zoro grabbed all the pulled out weeds in his arms and dumped them into the bin for organic waste. Sanji extinguished what was left and made sure to dispose off the cigarette butt properly, standing by the door back to his house and stuck in thought.

Before he knew it, an idea struck him of how he could possibly talk to Zoro and air out their possibly shared feelings for one another, and Sanji waited until the other was watering the herbs before he spoke up.

”Hey, Zoro,” Sanji started, watching the other man spray the herbs with a light dousing of water to keep them hydrated. He was confident in the amount that he would always give them, somehow knowing how much was just enough without killing them by overwatering. It was likely due to his familiarity with gardening as Zoro had previously mentioned, having gardened with his sister and father every Sunday when he had still lived at home.

”Mm?” The other hummed over the sound of the spraying hose, quick to turn it off and deposit it back to its rightful place. He made the motion of dusting off all the dirt from his hands, like he had done a good job, and Sanji was not going to deny it. He had no right, not after Zoro had been so kind. Zoro was now giving him his full attention, one eyebrow raised as he awaited what Sanji had to say.

For once, Sanji did not have to muster the confidence to speak. In fact, it came out naturally, not a hint of nervousness in sight. Zoro often made him feel that way, unworried and at ease. Perhaps it really had been a long time coming for them to sort out their feelings for one another and actually admit the affection they felt for one another. Maybe that’s what it was so easy for Sanji to ask the question that rolled off his tongue.

”Are you free Friday night?”

———

It was Friday night.

The Friday night.

Sanji had made sure to finish up his work day early, finishing around five in the evening, so he could prepare himself. It had resulted in a bunch of teasing from Patty and Carne about what could have caused him to leave early, something pretty much unheard of for a workaholic like Sanji, but Sanji had just shouted at them to do their fucking jobs as he ran out the Baratie’s back doors. Sanji had more important and pressing matters to attend to, like picking up a nice bottle of sake since Sanji knew it to be the man’s favourite drink. For himself, he could just drink one of his wines in his cupboard at home that he had been intending to enjoy but hadn’t found the occasion too yet.

He made sure to arrive home early to make sure he had enough time to prepare all of Zoro’s favourite foods. The man had simple dish preferences instead of intricate and complex dishes with loads of fanfare, but Sanji was not one to complain due to the simplicity lending itself to being relatively easy and not time consuming. He had prepared a special bento box for them both, with some onigiri with different hearty fish fillings, some seasoned karaage, a potato salad, and other vegetables to have on the side. He had even cut up a few pieces of fruit into little stars and hearts because he couldn’t help himself, knowing Zoro’s preference against sweets and deciding some fruit would be a refreshing and suitable dessert.

Bento now made with love and a few flourishing touches, Sanji was onto the next task of rifling through his cabinets to locate his well used picnic blanket. It was one of his most used possessions that wasn’t contained to the kitchen, a simple blue and white checkered pattern on the smooth but durable material. Sanji often hosted picnics with Usopp, Kaya, Robin and Franky throughout the years, all catching up in the lively presence of the park while Sanji brought an array of foods in a picnic basket for them to graze on. Clutching the blanket in his hands, Sanji ensured to himself that he would organise another picnic soon, bring Zoro and his friends along to all meet each other and enjoy the fresh air and company.

Now that the blanket was acquired and resting beneath the bento boxes neatly, Sanji went upstairs to get himself ready. He freshened himself up with a shower, styling his newly washed hair to sit perfectly on his face to frame it. He dressed in one of his favourite suit sets, forgoing the jacket as he deemed it a little overkill and instead utilising a vest instead. He knew he was likely going to regret it later due to the decreasing temperature and the winter season creeping in and practically on the doorstep, but Sanji would just have to suffer the consequences. He could always retrieve a blanket from inside if need be, but Sanji also dreamily thought that it would be a good excuse to cuddle up to Zoro since he exuded body heat like a furnace.

Satisfied with his appearance in the mirror, Sanji spritzed some cologne on his neck and the back of his wrists, not enough to acidly infiltrate the nose and make you wince but enough to leave a lingering scent and make his presence known. Sanji briefly wondered self-consciously if it was worth dressing up so formally when Zoro would likely not reciprocate the effort, but Sanji shook the thought off easily. It didn’t matter if Zoro wasn’t as extravagant as him when it came to dressing nicely for a date, it was just who Sanji was and Sanji shouldn’t be judged for that. Not to mention, Sanji would never judge Zoro for dressing simpler because he thought the way the other man dressed was quite endearing.

Hyping himself up to avoid sinking into his own doubt, Sanji finished off some small chores while keeping an eye on the time as to not be late. He knew it was ridiculous, considering they were meeting literally outside in the backyard, but still! Sanji couldn’t help the swirling energy of excited anticipation and nervousness, fluffing up the pillows on his couch uselessly and pacing around his apartment for the fifth time to assess if anything was out of place to reorient. His hands kept creeping up to his hair to tug at the golden strands, an unconscious anxious tick Sanji could not seem to get rid of, but he always caught himself right before his fingers weaved through his hair. He had to keep reminding himself to not ruin the effort he had put into styling his hair before the date even began.

As soon as the second ticked over to their agreed upon time, Sanji had everything needed clutched in his arms and practically threw his backyard door open and ran outside. He knew he was being too eager, that Zoro wouldn’t step out the exact second that it hit seven o’clock, but Sanji paid it no mind. Instead he unfolded the picnic blanket and made sure it laid evenly on the grass. He placed the stacked bento boxes to the side, ensuring the two bottles of alcohol and the glasses to go along with them didn’t tip over into the grass. Satisfied with the setup, Sanji half considered whether to knock on Zoro’s door to signal it was time but metaphorically smacked himself in the head and told himself to be patient.

It was the right choice as in a minute or so Zoro exited his granny flat, ensuring to lock the door as he eyed the picnic setup with an eye of intrigue. Sanji took a moment to appreciate Zoro in that moment, hair actually washed and styled in a roguish way that Sanji thought suited Zoro’s handsomeness. He was dressed more smart casual than Sanji, an unbuttoned overshirt worn over the top of a white undershirt, still wearing his typical black pants and boots that could work universally with most outfits. It suited him, elevated in a simplistic sort of way, and Sanji couldn’t help but find Zoro stunning standing there and illuminated by the outdoor lighting.

Sanji did not have to feel bashful about staring, because once he snapped himself out of his own trance he noticed Zoro was staring right back. His eye of silver roved down to the bottom of Sanji’s dress shoes to the top of his golden head of hair, finally landing on his face with an appreciative smirk that made Sanji want to blush. Thankfully, he forced the colour to not splash across his face and instead say something so they didn’t just stare at each other all night and forget that they were supposed to be having a dinner and a picnic under the stars.

“You look nice,” Sanji stated to start the conversation and break any awkward pauses before they even began. It felt natural to say, it always felt natural when it was just him and Zoro. Zoro didn’t need to share the sentiment verbally, Sanji could see it in the man’s eye that he clearly enjoyed what Sanji was wearing as well, even if he were to inevitably make fun of Sanji for wearing something so prissy as Zoro’s would describe it. Sanji just had more taste in clothing and fashion than Zoro did, it was a simple fact.

”Ugh, blame Nami,” the man grumbled out, face shifting to a grimace and he fiddled with the white undershirt’s collar as if he were suffocating. Sanji knew he was overreacting, it was not as if he was wearing a full three piece suit or even a scratchy turtleneck that felt choking across the expanse of his neck. It was clearly something Zoro had in his wardrobe already so he was likely complaining for the sake of it. Sanji just rolled his eyes, although he still had a smile remaining on his face. 

“She has fantastic style, I’ll have to thank her,” Sanji commented back, Zoro’s grimace and downturned eyebrows shifting more into a petulant pout. Even though Sanji was complimenting Zoro’s appearance by indirectly saying he was dressed nicely, the other man still seemed to be sulk due to the compliment thrown Nami’s way. Likely because she had hounded him on what to wear and insulted him if he gave a ridiculous suggestion, but Sanji just thought Zoro should be grateful that Nami had even helped him dress up nicely for a date.

”Whatever, be grateful I had to deal with that money hungry witch,” he commented lowly under his breath in transparent annoyance, but it held more of an exasperation than it did true frustration. Sanji had learnt through stories Zoro had told him over time that his and Nami’s friendship had always been somewhat similar to bickering and ribbing each other. A sibling type relationship, he was told, but Sanji wasn’t sure he completely understood what a normal sibling relationship was as he had never experienced one. The best example he could think of was Luffy and his two older brothers, but even then he wasn’t sure if that would be described as normal since it was Luffy, and Luffy was certainly nothing if not unique.

“Don’t call the lovely Nami a witch!” Sanji whacked Zoro on the shoulder with the back of his hand like a fly swatter for the insolence. Even on a date with one another, Sanji would not let Zoro get away with disrespecting the lovely Nami. Zoro grumbled unintelligible insults under his breath as he sulked at being told off. He eyed the blanket, bento boxes, and his eye widened in what Sanji could see as joy as he took in the sight of the chilled sake bottle. Sanji internally pat himself on the back for a job well done as he could see the clear anticipation to savour the drink displayed all over Zoro’s face. Heh, he’s as easy to read as a book, Sanji thought to himself.

“Sake?” He questioned as if he were dreaming and wanted reality to be confirmed, even though it was clearly sitting right before his eyes. Sanji almost questioned if the man could not see even though the backyard porch lighting clearly illuminated where they were perfectly fine.

Sanji let out a laugh under his breath, sitting himself down on the picnic blanket and folding his legs to take up half the space. ”The good stuff, too. You better appreciate it, shithead!” Sanji tilted his nose up in the air in expectancy, but gave up when he saw the deadpanned expression. Instead, Sanji patted his hand on the free space beside him in invitation for the other to sit and get comfortable.

”Might just be your best meal yet, shit cook,” Zoro drawled as he took the offer, sitting beside Sanji and letting their shoulders lean against each other from where they sat. “We’ll have to see,” he added on, leaning forward with his hand reaching for the bottle of sake. Instinctively, Sanji swatted the other’s hands away, leaving Zoro pouting once more in confusion like a dog. Sanji found it quite cute.

”Food first, sake later. Want to make sure you eat something before you go downing alcohol, stupid Moss,” Sanji said responsibly, handing the other man his bento box and chopsticks. Sanji couldn’t wait for Zoro to open up the bento and see if it was to his liking, Sanji hoped Zoro would actually give him a compliment and say it was amazing. Not that Zoro was ever actually unappreciative of the food being cooked for him, but their usual song and dance was Zoro pretending the food wasn’t as immaculate as it was and Sanji trying to tease the truth out of him. Instead, Zoro’s stupid head seemed to still be stuck on the want of sake.

”You really think I’d get anywhere near tipsy by drinking that whole bottle? I can drink that shit in my sleep.” Zoro hadn’t even said it in a way like he was bragging, he just said it like a simple fact and that Sanji was being an overprotective bother. What are you, some kind of freak?! Who can drink that whole bottle and not even be at least a little bit intoxicated! Sanji was appalled at how blasé the idiot Mosshead was about it, but he did have a distinct memory of Luffy telling him a story of how Nami and Zoro had tried to out drink each other and they only got drunk after two whole bottles of spirits. 

Considering sake was a much lower alcohol percentage, Sanji was horrified realising Zoro was telling the truth.

What the fuck?! He’s not human, that’s fucking ridiculous! Ugh, the last thing I need is to get into some sort of drinking competition and him calling me a fucking lightweight. I want to actually savour and enjoy a glass of wine, not to mention I want to confess my feelings while both of us are completely sober or I’d be terrified I’d mess it up somehow! Shit, I wouldn’t be able to live that down.

”Eat now before I confiscate it!” Sanji growled in insistence, shoving the bento box harshly into Zoro’s chest to force the other man’s attention. Zoro raised an eyebrow, taking the bento out of Sanji’s hands and raising an eyebrow as Sanji decided to light a cigarette. “It’s dessert, since you don’t like cake,” Sanji answered his obvious confusion as to why Sanji was denying his request to delay his drinking.

Zoro just rolled his eye and muttered, ”Hmph, fine,” under his breath. With watchful eyes, Sanji peered over and observed as Zoro popped open the bento box lid. The Mosshead seemed to take in every component Sanji had spent time and effort on, eye roving over every piece of food as if wanting to commit it to memory. He even seemed to lighten up a bit when he saw there was fresh seasonal fruit as something light and refreshingly sweet instead of a cake or pastry. Sanji continued to smoke his cigarette in an attempt to be nonchalant as he secretly awaited Zoro to eat and see his reaction in extreme anticipation.

Murmuring a quiet thank you for the meal under his breath, Zoro held the chopsticks in his hands with perfect precision and he decided to tackle the karaage first. He chewed thoughtfully, one cheek puffed up with food before he swallowed it down. Zoro seemed to try and cherish the food as much as he could, but it seemed his hunger had won out, and soon enough he was downing the food like he hadn’t had a single meal in his entire life. Sanji didn’t care, seeing such enthusiasm for his food filled his heart up with warmth like a cup of hot chocolate on a snowy winter's day.

“So, is it my best meal yet?” Sanji goaded, leaning further on his side so he was pushing Zoro slightly off balance. The man indulgently let Sanji bother him, nonplussed about being nudged again and again as Sanji impatiently awaited his response. Sanji could practically hear the drum roll thrumming in his head as he awaited, and Zoro’s response? The night was silent to set the stage for Zoro’s hum, a pleased one that rumbled deep in his throat.

Sanji, however, was nothing if not a shithead, so he decided to press the Moss for more. Sanji was feeling a little playful and little bit mischievous, and he had a feeling if he pushed Zoro would indulge him and pay out more compliments. Perhaps it was the soft atmosphere and the easiness of the air shared between them, but Sanji had an inkling. ”Out of ten?” Sanji said, pushing his luck by trying to get Zoro to admit further that his bento box had been stellar.

”Now you’re just being shitty and fishing for compliments,” Zoro complained after swallowing his food, facing Sanji with a disgruntled curl to his nose. Insanely, Sanji wanted to reach out and pinch the others nose to rid him of that attempted expression of annoyance. Sanji refrained from being so childish, and instead let out a heavy and dramatic sigh like he had been just given the world's biggest problems.

”I slaved away in the kitchen for you, I deserve to hear a damn compliment!” He ranted, poking the other directly in the chest to get his point across. Zoro seemed to be almost contemplative at Sanji’s attempt at being playful, as if he had taken those words to heart. He peered down at the bento box again, as if trying to parse answers that Sanji could not understand, and came to a conclusion with thinned out lips and a slight tinge of rosiness to his cheeks.

”Your food's always a ten, so stop asking!” He shouted back, a little too loudly in his embarrassed anger, and turned his face away so Sanji couldn’t stare at him with that tender glint in his eyes and that breathtaking smile. Sanji just laughed under his breath at the overreaction, trying to muffle the sound underneath his palm but the noise still trickled out and tinkled like a harmony of bells.

“So sweet,” Sanji cooed out just to irritate the other further, it seemed that despite them both being in exceptionally good moods and being on a literal date with one another, they couldn’t help themselves from teasing each other. Sanji wouldn’t trade their banter for the world, it was what made them so quintessentially Zoro and Sanji.

Zoro answered by turning back to face him and shoving the entirety of his remaining onigiri into his mouth, stuffing his cheeks full and chewing with a ferocity like he was in some sort of fight. He didn’t know what the onigiri had ever done to him, but Sanji knew the man was trying to cover up his bashfulness because Sanji called him sweet. And wasn’t that just charming? Sanji’s heart felt like it was pitter pattering in affection, like rain drops against a steel roof. Sanji let out a snort when he noticed a grain of white rice stuck on Zoro’s cheek, having been lost from the main body of the onigiri.

”Why did I expect you to have manners,” Sanji said fondly, reaching up and collecting a rice grain with his thumb that laid on the corner of Zoro’s mouth. “Slow down before you choke, idiot Moss,” Boldly, Sanji popped the grain of rice sticking innocently onto his thumb into his mouth. He grinned and reached for his own bento box, pointedly ignoring Zoro’s eyes staring holes into the side of his head like a laser. When Sanji popped his bento box open and gave the other a cheeky grin, Zoro’s eye that was once wide in surprise from Sanji’s previous action instead rolled itself around in a sassy circle.

”Hmph, you knew what you were getting into,” Zoro said with a snort, placing his finished bento box tidily to the side and now reaching for the bottle of sake. His hand hesitated when he grasped the bottle, eyeing Sanji as if to see if Sanji would once again bat his hand away. Sanji just gestured to the other to go ahead, he had eaten as Sanji had requested so Sanji thought he deserved to have a drink. As if not wanting to test his luck, Zoro was quick to swipe the bottle and popped it open to have a drink.

”Unfortunately,” Sanji finally said in response in a dramatic woe is me tone, clearly joking as he sighed purposefully and laid the back of his palm on his forehead like the fact hurt him to the very core. This soon changed as Sanji watched with utter disgust as Zoro raised the lip of the sake bottle to his own and guzzled down the alcohol like it were water. Please fucking tell me he’s not the kind of guy to drink straight from the milk carton! Sanji pleaded internally as he practically grabbed and chucked the glass Sanji had retrieved for Zoro to initially drink from straight at his chest. Sanji had done it in such haste, not worrying about the possibility of the glass smashing if Zoro did not catch it, having been too horrified.

“Drink from the glass you brute!” Sanji screeched at him, Zoro’s quick fire instincts allowing him to catch the glass before it thunked in the grass. He deposited it gently next to the empty bento box, purposefully staring Sanji straight in the eyes like a challenge as he took another chug of the drink straight from the bottle. “Eugh,” Sanji enunciated with purposeful distaste, nose wrinkling as he carefully chewed through the last dredges of his karaage.

”S’not like you’re gonna drink any,” Zoro tried to reason dismissively, but it did not lighten Sanji’s judgement. For a moment, Sanji wondered how he had ever fallen for such a brute. Sanji lamented in his own heart, how could it betray him like this? Nonetheless, he had fallen for Zoro and had to accept this new fact about him. At least Zoro had so many beautiful aspects, like his hardworking and earnest nature.

”Still, it’s disgusting!” Sanji squawked in revulsion, trying to enjoy his food and not let it be interrupted by the idiot Mosshead. Zoro just grinned at him, in that roguish way that made Sanji want to simultaneously punch him in the face and also kiss him. Damn that stupid ball of Moss and his gorgeousness!

”Whatever, princess,” Zoro snarked mischievously, giving what Sanji thought was an attempt at a wink but was comical considering the man only had one eye. Sanji couldn’t even stay mad at that, but did give the man a pointed kick in the leg in retaliation for his blatant disrespect. Sanji returned to finish his food to hide the smile on his face that attempted to take over. The onigiri was shaped perfectly, the fish inside tender and well seasoned. The karaage was crispy and paired with sauce it packed a punch of flavour. Overall, Sanji gave himself a little pat on the back.

Finishing his meal, Sanji poured himself half a glass of red wine and took an indulgent sip. He swirled the dark liquid around and watched it make waves in the glass. It was a nice wine, holding a fruity undertone that Sanji could appreciate. He didn’t drink very often, not having the time or capacity to deal with the consequences when he had to go to work at the ass crack of dawn every day. So he usually only drank half a glass, not even enough to make him feel loose but just to simply appreciate the effort and taste gone into the artisanal craft.

In silence they sipped at their preferred drinks, letting the noise of the world pass them by as they sat side by side. The sound of tires rolling across the road outside the front of their house drifting through the backyard. There was a muffled sound of music playing in one of their neighbouring houses but it wasn’t loud enough to break the atmosphere. Sanji could almost smell the impending frost in the air, the air fresh from the evening cool. The temperature had dropped significantly, any brightness in the sky drooping away and lending itself to the night. Sanji could feel the cold nipping at his skin, but it wasn’t to the point he was uncomfortable or freezing just yet.

Finishing his glass and placing it to the side so he didn’t knock it over, Sanji laid back on the blanket and folded his arms to pillow his head on his hands. He stares up at the stars, their brightness contrasting with the depth of the night sky. They shone without a care in the world, surrounding the moon which graces the world with its gentle rays of light. Sanji’s eyes had taken it all in but found his gaze had slowly drifted to look at Zoro under the moonlight.

He looked almost ethereal under the illuminating glow. His hair had lost some saturation but had traded it for how his eye practically glowed. The silver was accentuated by the moonlight in a way that caught Sanji’s breath in his chest. The shadows on his face drew out the cutting lines of his jaw, but didn’t displace the easiness in his frame or expression. Sometime during Sanji having been distracted by the stars Zoro had finished drinking his sake, now leaning on his elbows as he glanced up at the sky just as Sanji had prior.

The words practically flowed out of him, as if it were meant to be. “I’m in love with you,” Sanji said simply, the heavy admittance not feeling so overbearing on his chest when he said it with Zoro gazing up at the stars. That fear of rejection seemed to fade away like darkness under the sun, the stars twinkling down at him with smiles to cheer him on. Sanji turned on his side, watching the way Zoro slowly leant further down until he was on the same level as Sanji on the blanket. He stared at the stars for an unfaltering moment before laying on his side to face Sanji directly.

”I’ve never been in love before,” he answered back honestly, but it was obvious to Sanji that the man was not done. So Sanji just lay silent as he waited for Zoro to figure out his words, softly tracing patterns into the picnic blanket with his free hand. Despite the motion, Sanji was not anxious, his mind had not run away from him with all possible worst conclusions like it were reality. He was genuinely calm, soothed by the time of night and the bubble that seemed to surround them. 

“But I want to be with you.” Zoro said it as if it were as easy as breathing, but then he paused, and hesitantly added, “Romantically.” For Sanji, the clarification was not necessary, he knew exactly what Zoro was trying to say in his very Zoro way. Zoro’s face screwed up afterwards, as if he ingested a whole lemon, and Sanji couldn’t help but break the moment by laughing. Because Sanji felt as light as air itself and his heart vibrated in his chest in absolute elation.

”I know what you meant,” Sanji said endearingly after his laughter had levelled out, smiling sweetly at Zoro with the affection he had tried to contain in his heart so it didn’t spill out. Zoro didn’t seem fully appeased by his own words, but Sanji didn’t want the man to push himself. His feelings were reciprocated, that’s all that mattered to Sanji. To try and reassure Zoro, he reached out with his free hand and gently caressed the three golden tear drop earrings in a way that was almost reverent.

The motion seemed to have given pause to Zoro’s mulling, his face clearing as if Sanji’s motion had brought clarity to him. Zoro clasped his hand over Sanji’s that had been playing with his earrings, bringing their hands to lay between them and slowly intertwining them together. Their fingers fit nicely together, Sanji’s fingers more lithe and long while Zoro’s were slightly shorter and were thicker. Both their hands had many callouses, Sanji’s from wielding knives and Zoro’s from wielding his blades. Sanji’s hands soaked up the warmth from Zoro’s own, Sanji always having a lower body temperature and more susceptible to the cold than Zoro was.

It seemed that holding Sanji’s hand had brought forth the courage that Zoro had been searching for, as he decided to speak again. ”I want to garden with you every weekend. I want to eat your food everyday and I want to see your dumbass smile all the time. I want to take care of you if you get sick and I want to show you my dream of being the greatest swordsman in the world. I want you to be by my side, and I want to be by yours. I want you, just you. Only you.”

“Zoro…” Sanji almost wanted to hide his face in the picnic blanket, Sanji was sure that his expression was hopelessly soft and that his cheeks were stained pink. He knew it wasn’t even worth blaming on the cold, Zoro would see right through it. Pushing some of his hair behind his ear in a motion of timidity due to the overwhelming sentiment of affection just shared, Sanji teased “When did you become such a romantic all of a sudden?”

Zoro let out a laugh, although it was not loud or booming. It was almost an exhalation, a short and happy breath as if caught off guard. ”You have that influence on me, love cook,” Zoro shot back, although it was filled with nothing but endearment. Zoro leaned forward, their foreheads bumping and their noses brushing against one another, eye contact held like each other was calling to one another. Neither dared to look away.

”Idiot,” Sanji whispers between them adoringly, the words close to brushing against Zoro’s own lips. Everything felt natural, like puzzle pieces slipping into place as they both leaned forward. Sanji’s eyes fell closed as he focused on the sensation of Zoro’s lips against his. The first kiss was a small peck, an exploration. Zoro’s lips were chapped, but Sanji found that he didn’t really care. The next was more confident, their lips moulding together like pliable clay. It was wholesome and loving, sharing a few small kisses before pulling away and smiling goofily at each other.

Together, the two moved to cuddle together, Sanji laying his head on Zoro’s shoulder as they both gave their attention to the stars and moon while they talked softly between them. The night sky beamed down at them in delight, protecting them under the valiant rays of the moon. It was just the two of them, together, life moving as easy and mellow as maple syrup trailing down bark. It was comfortable and domestic, it was everything Sanji could have hoped for. Sanji could not be more thankful or happy than where he currently was and how uncomplicated his life had become.