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Zoro leans over Sanji’s shoulder, peering into the pot of whatever stew he’s making for lunch. He tucks his chin into the juncture of Sanji’s neck and shoulder, placing a quick kiss on the side of his throat. Sanji tenses up, dropping the spoon he's holding directly into the stew. Zoro smothers a laugh into his neck.
Fishing the spoon out of the sauce, Sanji slaps Zoro on the head with it, glaring at him. “Stop it, you’re going to ruin the taste with your stupid,” Sanji groans, wiping off the spoon with a small towel.
Zoro grimaces, bringing a hand up to wipe the stew residue off of his hair. He licks one finger clean, pretending to contemplate the flavor before giving Sanji a shrug.
“Pretty good soup, Twirls,” Zoro compliments, “Think it might need more salt though.”
He ignores the death glare sent his way. No man should look that angry in a pink apron, but at least the cook makes it look cute. Sanji always looks his best in the kitchen, even with his messy hair and cheeks red from the heat of the oven. More importantly, the cook looks his happiest here, his eyes sparkling and his smile soft and sweet. Cooking is when Sanji truly lets himself just exist–especially when it’s just the two of them. Zoro could hang off his shoulder for hours and listen to him ramble on about his new recipe or the exact temperature necessary to boil rice to perfection.
Zoro gives Sanji one last kiss on the cheek before retreating to his usual spot. He knows the cook can only tolerate so much manhandling while he’s trying to work. Sanji only lets him hang around because he’s usually quiet, and doesn’t move around much. To prove this point, Zoro settles down for his afternoon nap.
He doesn’t know how long he’s asleep before he's woken up by the sound of Franky’s drill tearing into the wooden planks that make up the back wall of the kitchen. It couldn’t have been long, because Sanji is still flitting around the kitchen. He sees how the cook’s shoulders have risen up to his ears as he tries to tune out the racket Franky’s making. From the looks of it, he hasn’t been very successful.
Zoro wonders why Franky is even here. He doesn’t remember the kitchen even taking any– Oh. Right. Zoro had provoked Sanji into a fight the night before, riling the cook up until he retaliated by kicking Zoro into the wall, cracking and splintering the wood there.
“Franky,” Sanji begins, teeth clenched. “Could this not have waited until after lunch?”
“Huh? What’s that bro?” Franky asks, holding up a large hand to his ear.
Instead of justifying Franky’s question with a response, Sanji angrily gestures towards the stovetop where he has multiple pots boiling at once. Zoro can almost see the steam coming out of his ears.
“Oh, my bad brother, just had to get this project done today! Don’t got time after lunch, I’m real booked up,” Franky responds with a wave of his hand, returning to his work. He doesn’t even bother to move Zoro out of the way, instead choosing to drill above his head.
“Would you knock it off? I’m kind of in the middle of something,” Zoro grumbles with his arms crossed, refusing to move from his spot. Franky stops drilling to peer down at him, blowing the sawdust out of Zoro’s hair. He shakes his head like a dog, attempting to shake the rest of the dust out.
“Sorry buster, but you’re gonna have to hit the road, unless you wanna be part of Sunny’s wall–and, uh, can’t say you really fit the vibe I was going for with the decor, so–” Franky starts with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Do I look like I care?” Zoro interrupts, resolving to stay in his spot. “Just work around me. You rebuilt your weird body didn’t you? You’ll figure it out.”
Franky thumps his fists to his chest like a gorilla. “Alright amigo, can’t say I’ve never been down for a challenge. You can keep on with your cat nap.”
Franky continues working, slowly scooting closer to Zoro in the process. Zoro stares with a wide eye the closer he gets, suddenly just remembering the cyborg’s penchant for nudity. Regardless, Zoro is determined to hold his ground. In an attempt to ignore Franky’s bright red underwear getting closer to his face, Zoro looks over at the counter where Sanji is chopping vegetables. The cook looks disgruntled, angrily chopping at the cutting board, obviously failing to drown out the loud construction noises.
Zoro turns his head to see how much progress Franky has left, annoyed that his precious kitchen time has been interrupted for so long. Just as he turns around, Franky gets closer, straddling Zoro’s crossed legs to get another board into place.
“What the–get the fuck off of me!” Zoro shouts, rearing his head back so fast it smacks into the wall behind him. He leans forward with an annoyed grunt, rubbing the back of his head, which only serves to bring him even closer to the red speedo in front of him.
“Urgh, I think I’m gonna throw up,” Zoro groans, squeezing his eyes shut.
“You okay down there, bro?” Franky asks, leaning down to look at Zoro, the speedo drawing dangerously closer.
“Franky, stop–where are your fucking pants?! Get that thing away from me–,” Zoro shouts, rolling away from the cyborg.
“Get what away? The drill? Don’t tell me you’re scared of power tools bro,” Franky asks with a raised eyebrow.
Zoro stands up a few feet away from Franky, his eyebrows drawn in disgust. “Power tools? Really? I’m more scared of the fucking tool in your pa–”
“Okay, that’s enough!” Sanji shouts, hands flying to his hips in anger. “Zoro. If you’re going to cause a scene, get out of my kitchen.”
“What?!” Zoro protests. “Me? He’s the one walking around in here with his, you know, thing !” He points at Franky’s speedo to further prove his point. Sanji angrily taps his foot in response, pointing towards the door.
Zoro wants to argue some more, determined to convince Sanji to make Franky be the one to leave, but then he meets Sanji’s gaze. He doesn’t look like he’s in the mood to argue and Franky doesn’t seem to be keen on moving anytime soon, so he drops it. He’s still mad, though.
“Fine,” Zoro grumbles with a huff, stomping towards the kitchen door. He pushes it open a bit too hard, but the sound of Franky’s work drowns out the door slamming. Having lost one of his best nap spots on the entire ship, Zoro makes his way to the crow’s nest, muttering to himself as he walks. He passes Usopp along the way, who raises an eyebrow at him.
“Everything okay, Zoro?”
“Can it, bozo, I’m trying to go take a nap ,” Zoro practically growls, shoving past Usopp to make his way up the ladder.
“Sheesh, what crawled up his ass and died?” Usopp whispers to himself. Zoro turns to him with a glare, putting one hand on his swords. He shrieks in response, turning his back to Zoro to continue fishing.
Once he gets up there, he sits down hard on the bench, crossing his arms. He’s distantly aware he might be overreacting, but doesn’t care. It’s not like he was doing anything wrong. If anything, Franky is the real asshole here. Even from the crow’s nest, Zoro can still hear the faint sounds of construction coming from the kitchen. This only serves to further sour his mood, barely able to get comfortable enough to finish his nap. Stupid cook. Stupid cyborg. Stupid fucking hole in the wall. Screw every single one of them.
With an aggravated sigh, Zoro settles onto the bench, head leaning against the wall as he slowly drifts off to sleep.
-
Sanji sighs, wiping his forehead. That recipe took twice as long with that shitty cyborg bothering the hell out of him. Seriously. The guy’s only job is fixing the ship and he chooses now to do it? Sanji has half a mind to kick him in that ugly red speedo he refuses to wash.
Sanji makes his way outside the kitchen, breathing in the fresh air. He pulls a half finished cigarette out of his jacket pocket and lights it, taking a long drag. He’ll need a few more after that hell of a lunch preparation. Sanji’s mind wanders to Zoro as he gazes up at the crow’s nest, where Zoro is undoubtedly sulking, as the mosshead is prone to do after Sanji denies him his presence. He should probably go up there. It’s not like the whole fiasco was entirely Zoro’s fault anyway, even if he did start it.
Sanji stubs his cigarette butt out on the railing before tucking it back into his pocket to dispose of later and heading back into the kitchen to retrieve Zoro’s uneaten portion. Food in hand, Sanji starts his ascent up to the crow’s nest. Inside, Zoro is tucked in a corner, his head pressed against the wall. He can’t tell if Zoro’s asleep or not, but he announces his entrance either way.
“Mosshead, you in here? Lunch is finished, you know,” Sanji says, making his way over the bench. He sits down beside Zoro with a sigh, leaning his head back. He sets Zoro’s bowl beside him, nudging the swordsman’s legs. Zoro gives no indication of having noticed him, but Sanji knows there’s no way he's still asleep.
“Hey,” Sanji says, shaking Zoro’s knee. “You too grumpy to eat or something? I’m not above throwing this down to Luffy, you know.”
Zoro opens his one good eye, staring at the bowl for a moment before turning his head away. His arms are crossed against his chest and his lips are downturned in a frown. For an overgrown green toddler, a part of Sanji has to admit Zoro looks cute with that pout on his face. However, that doesn’t stop the immense irritation he feels. Cute or not, Zoro better eat the damn food he spent hours preparing, ungrateful asshole.
Sanji has been with Zoro long enough to expect this sort of thing, though, and runs through a list of possible solutions in his head.
“I brought sake for you?” Sanji offers, although he isn’t sure if that’s a question or a statement. Zoro doesn’t react, only turns further inwards. Sanji sighs. Time for Plan B. There are few things in this world Roronoa Zoro truly cares about, so it’s not like his options are limitless.
Sanji sets Zoro’s food on the floor, making sure it’s well out of reach from any stray kicks, before scooting closer to Zoro. He moves forward until he’s pressed up against Zoro’s back, arms coming up to rest around the swordsman’s waist, fiddling with his belly warmer. Zoro stiffens for a second before relaxing into Sanji’s touch, twisting back towards him so they’re pressed together shoulder to thigh.
Success.
Sanji kisses Zoro softly on his neck, mirroring the way Zoro had done in the kitchen earlier. Zoro leans closer, resting his head on Sanji’s shoulder.
“Forgive me now, big baby?” Sanji asks with a wry smile on his face.
Zoro looks up and around the room before shrugging his shoulders and closing his eyes once more, “Don’t know. Maybe you’re not trying hard enough,” he replies, the challenge evident in his voice.
“Not trying hard enough? I basically just brought you lunch in bed!” Sanji sputters at Zoro, crossing his arms.
Zoro cracks his eye open, a look of forced indifference on his face. “Figured you wouldn’t be up to the challenge,” He says with a sigh. He waves his hand towards the door. “Why don’t you go run along back to your kitchen and hang out with your best friend, Franky.” He pitches up his voice in a mocking tone, back to staring out the window before Sanji can reply.
Sanji lets out a laugh at the ridiculousness of Zoro’s statement, sure now that he’s just egging Sanji on for more attention. Sanji obliges, raising a hand to turn Zoro’s face towards him, kissing both of his cheeks once before giving him a warm, solid kiss on the mouth. He can feel the moment Zoro caves, his mouth curving up into a smirk beneath his lips. Zoro finally turns fully towards Sanji so that they’re facing each other on the bench, bringing one leg up to rest on the cushions. It seems that Zoro has finally gotten Sanji where he wants him, because he doesn’t let Sanji retreat, kissing him soft and slow. He holds Sanji by the back of the neck, keeping him in place as he kisses the breath out of Sanji, who feels his own mouth split into a grin. He’s so full of love that he thinks he might melt into the floorboards.
Zoro is so ridiculously endearing. He's dramatic and annoying, testing Sanji’s patience regularly. But he loves Sanji with unadulterated, unconditional determination. There’s never a day that goes by where Sanji doesn’t feel the weight of Zoro’s love, covering him like a warm blanket.
He lets Zoro keep him there, happy to be close to him, to kiss him and be kissed so gently, until one of them has to pull away to breathe. Sanji pulls back from what feels like the thousandth kiss, grabbing Zoro by the shoulders. Zoro’s face falls into a pout again, and he somehow manages to give Sanji puppy dog eyes even with one missing. He tilts his head to the side, like he’s offended that Sanji stopped to begin with.
“No, Zoro–the stew. You have to finish your food,” Sanji says, tilting his head back at the forgotten bowl on the floor. He slides his hands through Zoro’s hair, trailing his fingers down through his earrings and making them jingle softly, before pulling back completely so he can nudge Zoro’s lunch closer.
“Can’t it wait a little bit longer?” Zoro complains. Sanji sighs, glaring at Zoro before beginning to stand up, fully intending on leaving Zoro to pout alone once again. Zoro snags his wrist before he can do so, frowning.
“I’m gonna finish it I swear,” Zoro insists, holding his hands up defensively. “But you know…” He begins, eyeing Sanji with a sly smile. “I should give my compliments to the chef, right?” He finishes his question by giving Sanji a small kiss to each cheek, the tip of his nose, and then his forehead. Sanji lets him. He should be forcing Zoro to eat his food, but he lets his heart win out, closing his eyes as Zoro kisses him again.
“Oh, forgot one,” Zoro says, feigning surprise. He lifts up Sanji’s bangs, kissing the top of his brow bone.
“Alright, alright,” Sanji laughs, lightly pushing Zoro away. “I feel complimented enough. Now finish your food or I’m not going to allow your mossy ass to photosynthesize around my kitchen while I make dinner.”
The threat seems to do its job because Zoro scarfs down his lunch in record time.
“Done,” Zoro says, holding out the bowl. “Can you kick Franky out of the kitchen now?”
Sanji takes the bowl with a sour look on his face. “Damn, did you even stop to take a breath while you inhaled this?” He sets the bowl to the side, rolling his eyes at the mess Zoro has made.
“And, you don’t need to worry about Franky anyway. He left the kitchen over an hour ago–which you would have known if you weren’t pouting up here.”
Zoro crosses his arms, sitting back with a smile. “Fucking finally. Besides, I wasn’t pouting, I was, um…” Zoro trails off, searching his brain for a decent enough excuse.
“Don’t try to think too hard, you might start a fire up here if you overload your brain like that,” Sanji says, lighting a cigarette as he stands up. He pats Zoro’s head as he does so, ruffling his hair.
“Well, I’m starting dinner soon, so I’m sure the moss infestation will make its way into my kitchen soon enough,” Sanji says with fake annoyance. Despite his words, he kisses the top of Zoro’s head as he leaves. Mission accomplished.
Sure enough, Zoro saunters in only minutes after Sanji starts preparing dinner. He takes his usual route, slinking over to lean his weight across Sanji’s back, taking a look at whatever’s on the menu, before making his way towards his favored spot next to the pantry. Sanji feels his lips turn up into a smile as he listens to the swordsman’s heavy tread across the kitchen floor. Predictable. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss Zoro while he was making lunch today. Zoro begins to snore, the sound mixing with the bubbling pots and sizzling pans.