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They were having a party.
Now, that in and of itself wasn’t necessarily a rarity, because in all honesty they had too many parties for his liking. He enjoyed cooking, of course, and any excuse to go all-out was one he’d gladly take, but their parties were always on the wrong end of excessive. More often than not, when it was all said and done, he’d spend all day in the galley and then be forced to clean up after everybody else passed out (except for his darling ladies, of course, but he’d never make them tidy up after the rest of those brutes) so actually enjoying said parties was damn near impossible.
Luckily, tonight’s party was almost over, and while he was sure the deck was full of dirty plates and half-full mugs of spiced cider and spiked egg-nog, at least the bulk of his work was done for the evening. He picked up a tray with a few hot drinks on it for whoever was still awake, kicking open the galley door and making his way onto the deck proper.
As he’d suspected, most of the crew was passed out. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were sleeping in a pile, the birthday cake he’d made half-devoured beside them. There was a half-squashed sprig of mistletoe beside Luffy that Sanji picked up, twirling it between his fingers and sticking it into his shirt pocket. Luffy, despite the fact that he had no interest whatsoever in sex or romance, had run around the deck yodeling ‘tradition!’ and attempted to kiss all of them on the cheek. Most of them had endured it, since it was Luffy and it was entirely innocent, but a kiss from Luffy was akin to getting slobbered on by a large dog and it wasn’t an experience Sanji wanted to repeat anytime soon.
The Marimo was leaning against the mast, snoring, five empty mugs beside him and a half-full one dangling from his limp fingers. Sanji should let him spill it on himself, but he was feeling strangely charitable so he gently prised it from Zoro’s grasp and set it a safe distance away.
He could hear the soft strains of violin music coming from near the wheel, which accounted for Brook, but he rarely wanted to be disturbed when he was feeling contemplative or composing so Sanji decided to leave him be. Franky was also unaccounted for, but by the banging coming from below-deck, he was in the middle of a project.
His ladies were seated at a table on the grass, quietly conversing, and they both accepted mugs of hot tea with smiles and nods.
Well, that accounted for the main crew, which meant he still had to check on their…guests.
The Samurai and his son were by the mast, Kin’emon holding the young boy close in his lap, and both were fast asleep. It made Sanji’s heart ache, a little, to watch them. He’d never known that sort of affection, not from parents he couldn’t even remember and certainly not from Zeff.
He knew Zeff loved him, and that he cared about his well-being and wanted him to be happy, but he was more likely to show it by kicking Sanji rather than hugging him.
Shaking his head, he decided it wasn’t the right time for such melancholy thoughts, and continued his rounds.
Their prisoner, such as he was, was also snoring, an empty plate and mug beside him. Caesar might have been a horrible person, and Sanji could in no way condone what he had done to those children, but he was still a living, breathing creature and as a cook it went against Sanji’s moral code to not feed him well.
- That only left one newcomer to the ship, and now that Sanji thought of it he hadn’t seen Law all evening.
The ship wasn’t that big, and so far Law had shown a preference for staying outside. The only part of the deck he hadn’t yet checked was the gardens, so he made his way up the stairs, a white flake fluttering in front of his vision making him look up.
It was snowing lightly, barely enough to be called a flurry, but it was unmistakeable. He held out his hand, letting a couple of flakes land on the back and watching them melt away almost immediately, tiny pinpricks of cold that felt good after the heat of the galley.
“Hey,” he said quietly as he crested the stairs, not knowing if he’d get a response. Law must have been feeling generous, however, because he looked up from where he was seated by the rail and acknowledged him with a slow nod and an even slower blink of his strange golden eyes. “Cider? Egg nog? Hot buttered rum?” he tried, really not sure what Law would prefer.
“Not that I partake of it often, but I might have to take you up on the rum offer,” Law’s voice was barely loud enough to be heard over the gentle splashing of waves against the ship’s hull. He was a mystery, wrapped in a cloak of darkness and secrets that seemed almost impossible to pierce, and by all rights Sanji should have felt threatened by him and objected to aligning with him but…
But the feeling he got, that knowing sense in his chest and his head when danger was present or when somebody wasn’t trustworthy, was completely absent. In fact, as soon as he’d heard about the Alliance, his first instinct was to welcome Law as one of their own, and that was confusing to say the least.
Relieving, maybe, because it meant he didn’t have to worry about Law doing anything nefarious while on-board, but he wasn’t somebody who warmed up to guys easily or even trusted them that much and all of his normal suspicions were absent around the Warlord.
“Here,” he passed the steaming mug over, taking the cider for himself and setting the tray aside.
He hesitated, unsure if he was welcome around the other man, but to his great surprise Law shifted over on the bench seat and he settled himself comfortably beside him, crossing his legs and taking a sip of his steaming cider with a contented sigh.
It was the first time in several hours he’d been able to sit down, after all, and his legs might have been stronger than most but they were aching after that long.
“Your crew certainly loves to party, don’t they?” Law took a drink from his own mug, his expression never changing, and Sanji found that probably to be the most infuriating thing about him.
As a cook, even if somebody didn’t say they liked his food outright, he was generally able to tell by watching their face. Even the slightest tic of an upturned eyebrow could indicate enjoyment, but Law’s face was as immovable as if it were chiseled from stone.
“Yeah, well, pirates never turn down a chance to get drunk, right?” he grinned, the smile sliding off of his face when Law made no indication he was going to return it. “Normally it’s not this big, but it’s Chopper’s birthday and it’s almost Christmas, so…”
“Christmas,” Law scoffed. “A time to be thankful and enjoy warm moments with friends and family,” the words were mocking, completely void of anything except scorn, and Sanji didn’t know how to reply to that at all. He knew he and Law were both North Blue natives, which meant their traditions would be much the same, and while he couldn’t remember much of anything about Christmas where he was born the Baratie always had festivities and banquets and he’d come to associate it with a lot of food and a lot of booze and a lot of full, content people.
“It’s snowing harder,” he said after an awkward silence, because Law was rather horrible company and he felt completely ill at ease around him. “But you’re probably used to that, huh?”
“I hate snow,” Law replied, but unlike his previous comments there was something in his voice that made Sanji lose his irritation at how closed-off he was being. He was the one who’d invited Sanji to sit, after all, and if he was just going to shut down every topic of conversation before it could begin the blond was failing to see the point of it.
Maybe he had a reason, though, if the undertone of sadness in his voice was any clue. Sanji knew he’d have to proceed carefully if he wanted to get any information out of the man, and sometimes he rather horribly lacked tact, so he tried to plan out his words before they left his mouth.
He lit up a cigarette in the meantime, blowing some smoke into the cold air and watching it swirl away toward the sky. There were breaks in the clouds, tiny stars twinkling in the blackness visible amongst the wisps of gray, and it would have been a perfectly peaceful evening had his present company not been giving off all the warmth of an icicle.
Law was still sipping at his rum, the fact that he was drinking it all the hint Sanji was probably going to get that he at least found it tolerable, and after a silence so long half of Sanji’s cigarette was gone Law finally spoke again.
“Forgive me. You’re all being more than charitable to me and I’m behaving rather abhorrently. I don’t mean to be rude, but my social skills are somewhat lacking and the snow…it brings back memories I’d rather keep suppressed,” he finished, pursing his lips.
It was somewhat of a non-apology and a basic, undetailed explanation all rolled into one, but it was something Sanji could accept.
He really wasn’t any better when it came to revealing his true feelings, after all, so he could hardly hold that against the other man.
“Well, to be fair, most of us don’t trust you, either, so I don’t blame you for being distant,” Sanji wrinkled his nose and swirled the remaining cider in his cup around, draining most of it and wincing because it had already cooled off considerably to the point that it hardly warmed him up at all.
“You do, though,” Law said with complete certainty.
“Yeah. I can’t really explain that one, but I’m usually pretty good at telling when people are trying to play us for fools, and I don’t get that from you at all. Maybe I’m wrong and you’re planning to murder us all in our sleep, but…” he shrugged, figuring with Law’s penchant for all things morbid he’d appreciate dark humor more than anything else.
It did get a tiny smile from him, barely more than a slight upturn of his lips, but he shook his head. “I assure you, my intentions in forming this alliance aren’t devious in any way.”
“I’m gonna take your word on that one,” Sanji didn’t have much choice when it came down to it, after all. He patted his shirt pocket to check how many cigarettes he had left, his fingers catching on something that was decidedly not either the sticks or his lighter, and pulled out the mistletoe.
“I hope you’re not trying to succeed where your Captain failed,” Law muttered dryly, and Sanji had to roll his eyes at that because of course Luffy would try to kiss everybody, even people like Law who drove most people away just by the darkness of his aura alone.
“Nah, I just figured I’d take it from him before he could get into any more trouble,” Sanji stared at the tiny sprig of greenery, wondering where Luffy had gotten it from in the first place. He was pretty sure Chopper didn’t keep any of it in his medical stores, and it was useless to them as food, so its presence on the ship was a mystery.
Well, it was hardly a big deal…Luffy always ended up finding all sorts of weird things, and this was really no exception. At least it was seasonally appropriate, he thought with a wry chuckle.
“Mm, he does seem to have a knack for getting into it, doesn’t he?” Law grimaced, something in his expression that told Sanji he wasn’t completely certain being allied with Luffy was the best thing for him. It probably wasn’t, considering how opposite their personalities were, but then again that might prove to be an asset at some point.
“You’ll get used to it,” Sanji didn’t know if that was true, of course…mostly because he wasn’t sure how long Law was actually planning on sticking around, but the other man certainly wasn’t unwelcome. In fact, despite his rather off-putting personality, he was one of the most unobtrusive people to board the ship in a long time, and while his…dietary preferences might be picky, Sanji had dealt with far worse back on the Baratie.
Law didn’t respond after that, his face upturned toward the sky and the gently-falling snow. There was tightness to his expression that spoke of some sort of suppressed emotion, worry lines furrowing his forehead. He looked like a man who was carrying a heavy weight, and while Sanji didn’t know exactly what it was, he wanted to help.
It might have been a weakness, his obsessive need to help anybody whom he so much as suspected needed it, but more often than not it had saved lived and gained them valuable allies.
He doubted either outcome would be achieved here, of course, but even if all he succeeded in doing was making Law a little happier, that would be enough.
He still hardly knew how to begin, though, or what to say to make Law respond in a positive way, but thankfully the other man took the initiative to speak first
“Thank you. For the drink,” he added, setting the empty mug aside. “Like everything you make, it was exceptional.”
Sanji was struck speechless for a moment or two, blinking at Law with his mouth hanging open. He hadn’t been expecting a compliment, or even thought Law was capable of saying it in an entirely genuine fashion, but that’s precisely what he’d done.
“Uh…you’re welcome. And I…that means a lot, coming from you,” he chuckled, tossing his cigarette butt into his own empty cup. He still had the mistletoe clutched lightly in his free hand, and he uncurled his fingers to stare at it.
“It’s a strange tradition, isn’t it?” Law mentioned idly, glancing toward it. “I wonder who originated the idea that the mere presence of a plant that has no real medicinal or nutritional value…a plant that in fact is a parasite that kills healthy trees…should prompt those nearby to engage in an act of intimacy. And perhaps more interestingly, why it’s become so widely practiced,” he mused, not really sounding interested at all.
It was an attempt at conversation, though, and that was better than uncomfortable silence.
“Dunno,” Sanji held up the sprig. “Maybe it’s supposed to be ironic…you know, that the plant needs a living host to survive, but instead of giving life back, it just takes it. But a kiss is something that shows affection between two people, that gives and takes equally, so in a way it’s…I dunno, subverting what the mistletoe does. I guess,” he chuckled and realized he was probably speaking nonsense, but when he looked up again Law was just…staring at him.
His face was still devoid of emotion, but his eyes were damn near shining and he looked like a man who was close to some great realization.
“The reason I hate snow,” he started slowly, his voice a near-whisper. “Is because it reminds me of death. I…lost someone, once…somebody I cherished deeply. He…” he took a shuddery breath. “It was snowing that day,” he finished, his voice tight, and Sanji knew there was more to the story but Law physically couldn’t force the words out.
He’d heard enough, though. He didn’t need to know the details, but it was obvious Law was still deeply affected by it.
He realized his hand was clutched around the mistletoe, the plant nearly crushed in his fingers, and he loosened his fist and let the crumpled greenery float down to rest on the bench between them.
“Your explanation made me think,” Law seemed to have regained control of his emotions again, his voice a lot steadier. “I’ve spent so much of my life bottling up things, letting them turn into this…festering anger deep within me that drives me forward. But the idea of taking something bad and…undermining it to make it more positive, that seems like a far healthier alternative,” he noted, and Sanji had to agree.
Not that he was perfect at letting go of things, not by any means, but he knew that there while sometimes anger was justified, other times it was far better to shift your own perceptions and make the best of what you had.
Law reached to pick up the mistletoe, frowning at it. “That sort of seething anger…it’s like this. It eats away at you bit by bit, but never does anything to help you in the end. I’m never going to be able to see the snow falling without thinking of that day, but perhaps being able to…associate it with something more positive will make it hurt less.”
“Well, I could try to resurrect the party, I guess…” Sanji sighed, because if he woke everybody up that would mean more dishes and more time spent in the galley, but if that’s what Law needed…
“No,” the older man said firmly. “No, I somehow doubt having a lot of loud, drunk people around me will make me feel any better,” he said, seemingly hesitant as he held the mistletoe out. “Snow reminds me of something taken, but perhaps tonight I can use it to create a memory of something given instead.”
“You’re fucking confusing me right now,” Sanji shifted back a little, because Law’s voice had turned dark and almost manic, like he was suddenly desperate to find a way to suppress the negative feelings.
“It would be a real shame to break tradition, wouldn’t you say?” Law gave him a look then that was so unlike anything he’d seen from the surgeon before, knowing and a little sultry, and Sanji swallowed heavily and felt a coiling heat start to grow low in his stomach.
He couldn’t help but feel, somewhere in his mind, that it was wrong to let Law use him in some attempt to make himself feel better, but at the same time…he wanted to help, and Law seemed at least mostly certain this would help, and…
Well, when he wasn’t being fucking terrifying, it was easy to see that Law was incredibly attractive.
It wasn’t something about himself that he advertised, naturally, because he prided himself on being the ultimate ladies’ man, but when it came to actual bed-partners his experience was entirely limited to other guys. Since he could hardly look at a girl in a bikini without developing a severe nosebleed that probably wasn’t surprising, but it still wasn’t like he wanted anybody to find out.
Law, though, seemed like a man who could keep a secret, and if all Sanji got out of this was knowing he’d helped a little and getting to kiss a fucking hot guy, he’d be content with it.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have presumed…I’m horrendous at reading social cues, I thought you…” Law was obviously flustered and it was kind of adorable, so Sanji placed his hand over the surgeon’s and let his words trail off into silence. “You do?”
“Yeah,” he swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “Yeah, let’s…like you said, no sense breaking tradition.”
“Indeed,” Law looked relieved, holding up the mistletoe and raising an eyebrow, and Sanji rolled his eyes and moved closer.
He decided to stop being awkward about it and just do it, and he wrapped an arm around Law’s shoulders and pressed his lips to the other man’s.
It was strange. Not the kiss, necessarily, but Law was about as responsive as a rock and Sanji was about to pull back when Law’s free hand fisted in his hair, yanking him in and opening his mouth.
And holy fucking shit, Sanji hadn’t been expecting that, but he wasn’t objecting at all. He clambered half into Law’s lap, pressing their bodies together and looping both arms around Law’s neck. Law’s mouth tasted like the buttered rum he’d been drinking, warm and familiar, and Sanji let their tongues brush against each other.
Law’s free hand was clutching at the back of his coat, mistletoe long forgotten, and Sanji forced himself to move away before things could go any farther.
“Come on,” he swallowed, getting off of Law’s lap and standing up on suddenly shaky legs. “Let’s go inside. I’ll get you a refill.”
He smiled to let the other man know it was okay, and Law gave him a half-smile in return, but he did pick up his mug and follow Sanji to the galley. Sanji headed to the stove to boil the water, glad he still had enough of the mix set aside to make a few more cups because his brain was far too scrambled to remember any sort of recipe proportions at the moment.
“Well. I think this one’s taken all the life it can,” Law dropped the even-more crushed mistletoe on the countertop, sad and withered.
“I’ll get rid of it before Luffy can find it again,” Sanji decided, because Luffy would probably still continue trying to kiss people if he did.
“I think I owe your Captain a bit of a thank-you,” Law took off his hat, running a hand through his hair and fluffing it up. “After all, if he’d never have started his little game, I doubt you and I would have…” he shrugged one shoulder, but he did look remarkably more at ease.
“Did it help?”
“Well, it’s a start,” Law sighed in resignation and Sanji bristled a little, even though he knew that a kiss could hardly fix everything. “I’m hopeful that the absence of mistletoe doesn’t mean we can’t…”
“Fuck!” Sanji realized the water was boiling over and grabbed the pot off of the stove, pouring it over the mixture and adding the rum while his mind ran over that one. Law was laughing silently at him, Sanji could tell: eyes gleaming and mouth slightly upturned, but it was such an unguarded look that Sanji knew his wounded pride had been worth it. “And yeah. Yes. You want…”
“I do,” Law nodded firmly. “You’re…somebody I can connect with, and that’s not something I find in a lot of people. And I think, if our little display on the deck is any indication, there’s certainly a bit of a spark between us…”
Sanji couldn’t argue that, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself again, so he just held out a mug and watched Law take it and inhale deeply.
Before either of them could speak again the clock on the wall chimed, twelve loud bongs that lingered in the air.
“Midnight,” Sanji breathed out. “Hey. Merry Christmas,” he got some rum for himself and sat beside Law, glancing sideways at him.
“You know…” Law met his gaze, a banked heat in his golden eyes that made Sanji rather excited for where this all could be going, “For the first time…I think it might be.”