Chapter Text
-''Oh! look, look! Over there!''.
-''Supeeeeer!!!''.
-''Whoa! There must be a lot of food in that party! Let's go to that island! I want to eat meat!!!''.
-''No, Luffy!''.-Nami grabbed him by the ear.-''We already have a destination set!''.
-''Awww''.
-''Please, let it be a summer island!!!''.-Usopp muttered through his teeth even though the scenery was amazing.
The night sky was illuminated by colorful fireworks as the Sunny sailed near a Winter Island. Explosion after explosion that filled the dark with infinite colors, music and a loud crowd's cheering.
-''Oi, Where's Zoro and Chopper?''.-Luffy asked
-''Ah? That marimo head must be sleeping like the stripped seaweed he is!''.-Sanji immediately replied blowing hot air through his gloved fingers as he finished giving the last few touches to everyone's drinks. He had a love-hate relationship with cold weather, on one side there was warm chocolate, cozy sweaters, cute pastries and, like now, fireworks and music all night long, then was the matter of temperatures so low he was freezing in places that shouldn't be cold at all!
-''Now that you mention it, Zo-bro seemed Suuuuper uncomfortable with the explosions, he was making upset-kitty-ears right when we the island came to view''.
-''Oh, must be because his cat ears are more sensitive than normal human's, Chopper is just getting used to fireworks too''.-Nami inquired.-''Sanji-kun, can you check on them?''.
-''Of course, Nami-Swan! Nothing escapes your sharp gaze, not even me-!''.
-''Just go check on them!''
-''Fufufu, besides chocolate, Good thing Swordman-San and Doctor-San have really soft fur to keep them warm, no one knows that better than you, Cook-San''.-Robin gave one of her knowing smiles and Sanji almost tripped over his own feet as he exited the kitchen, a nervous laugh escaping his lips while balancing the drinks on one hand.
-''Ahahaha! You're so funny as always, Robin-Chan! ''.-And slammed the door behind him.
-''Stupid Marimo getting me away from the ladies company, I'll make him into baked tiger for breakfast tomorrow!''.-He cursed under his breath as he opened the door of the men's quarters only to find no one in the dark, only the colorful lights of the fireworks vaguely illuminating the shapes of the small room.
-''Oi, Marimo cat! Chocolate!''.-He shouted, at least the muscle head made up for his terrible sense of direction with his sharp hearing. And in account of his lack of a sweet tooth, dark chocolate was the right choice, not even the swordsman could deny the enticying warmth of the beverage during cold weather. The cook heard a low growl in response and he managed to make out the sound of a familiar stripped tail swatting moodily at the floor.
-''So noisy''.
He remembered Nami and Franky's comments about his sensitive ears, so he went to lit up the oil lamp hanging on the wall and, on the corner of the room far away from the window like a pair of kicked puppies, there was an adorably comfy lump of blankets, pillows and an exhausted, snoring Walk Point Chopper cuddling on top of Zoro who was curling into himself as much as he could with Chopper's head resting on his thigh while stubbornly holding two pillows, one each, to his ears.
Now worried, Sanji knelt near Zoro's head and left the tray with the hot chocolate on the floor and, carefully, ran his fingers through the green hair between the pillows, the half-Tiger humming a low, pained growl.
-''The fireworks?''.-Sanji asked.
-''Yeah''.-He replied.-''Too damn loud''.
For Sanji the explosions were fairly muted by layers and layers of wood, but for his more sensitive developed animal companions clearly wasn't enough. He understood now why Zoro immediately got into high alert whenever he heard gunshots (Specially from marines) and wouldn't calm down until they ceased, ears and fur on edge.
He loved teasing and fighting the Marimo, but that didn't mean he liked to see him in this kind of pain, the image in front of him sending a tenderness into his heart and a need to protect him from the smallest discomfort. He kept petting the fur he could reach, from his arms to soflty scratching his head, Zoro seemed conflicted between wanting to melt into his touch and keep his improvised soundproof protection in place.
-''Want me to stay?''.
A few seconds of silence.
-''Please''.
How could he deny him when he was like this? All vulnerable and soft and tender, only for Sanji. Always for Sanji.
-''All right, move over''.-The cook lifted the Tiger's head so he could rest on his lap while he borrowed a pillow for himself, part of a blanket and settled into the welcoming warmth. He then held the pillow on top of the green head, careful of the earrings, and Zoro let go of it to hug his waist when he noticed Sanji keeping it in place. A low sound between a purr and a hum as the swordsman cuddled further into him. But it wasn't enough, Zoro didn't seemed to be able to relax, much less sleep, Chopper had managed to slip into the dream world through sheer exhaustion, but every certain explosions of color half-jolted him barely awake, a heavy restless sleep, then.
Then, his blue nose caught up to the smell of the cups and groggily transformed into his smaller version, sat up, still rolled up in his blanket, and grabbed the one that smelled the most sweet, cupping it with his hooves, absorbing the warmth and taking a sip to then let out a content sigh. Finally cuddling further into Zoro's stomach and muttering a 'Thank you, Sanji' to then finally slipping back into unconsiousness. Sanji pat his head with his free hand and smiled tenderly.
-''Oi, I brought chocolate, the dark abomination one you like''.-He whispered, hoping Zoro would at least have something warm in his stomach since he skipped dinner to avoid the noise outside, but the green Tiger groaned in protest. He wasn't allowing the tiniest bit of volume to increase on his already pained ears, and Sanji wanted to scratch them so badly! Zoro turned into the cutest purring mess when he did that! He then remembered the head pieces he was wearing.
Oh...
Oh!
-''Oi, Zoro, move your hand a bit!''.-He whispered excitedly but Zoro seemed horrified at the idea.
-''Gonna be deaf as fuck tomorrow...''.
-''No, you won't, you green cat! Here, I know what can help!''.
Sanji all but yanked his fluffy earmuffs and his beanie and placed in such a way that they could cover the Marimo's cat ears who just didn't had the energy to fight back anymore and swayed his tail back and forth in protest while groaning until Sanji finally secured them firmly with his blue beanie.
Zoro finally stopped moving as if alert. Then the Tiger finally deflated with a triumphant sigh. Melting against Sanji's frame while purring loudly.
-''Better?''.
-''Better''.
Note: So, during christmas my neighbours got crazy with fireworks even when the pets of the whole street and beyond cried and ran away scared, a tiny dog (That I had Never seen before) ran into my house and hid under my sister's bed while I got my kittens to cuddle on top of said bed because I was scared they would get lost due to the noise, also I've been the one to cuddle my granny's chihuaha when there's fireworks and she can't go outside, this is what inspired this specific chapter.
Please, keep in mind the safety of animals during the festivities! Happy new year!!!