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Sanji would really like to know which Gods he has angered, who is punishing him, because why, why does he has a lapful of the Marimo, bleeding , where the hell did the bleeding come from, why is Zoro sweating, why did he just collapse, why isn’t he answering ?
“H–Hey Marimo, this isn’t funny” Sanji called to him, mindful of whatever injury may be causing the bleeding “ Say something, you brute! ” he raised his voice and was that panic he heard in his own voice? No, that’s ridiculous right?
Right?
“Zoro” and wow, does his name sound odd in his mouth “Zoro, wake up” he called again, hoping for any sign of movement from the other man, anything.
It never came
“ You can’t do this to me ” another hint of despair could be heard in his voice “Why didn’t you tell us you were hurt?” he asked even though he knew he wouldn’t get a response.
How did this happen?
Perhaps, if you’re looking for an answer, it would be best to go backtrack a few days ago…
It all started a few days ago, as they were sailing towards the winter island the log pose was directing them. A pirate crew, their name not even worthy to remember, thought they could raid on them, the Strawhat Pirates, needless to say, that didn’t end well for them.
Except for one little thing.
The cook was distracted, he was making sure Chopper was safe, because of course he was, so he didn’t notice the one surviving idiot from the other crew getting up from the ground and taking a blade out of his belt, getting into position to throw it at him, and would he made the shot, it would hit the cook right in his head.
Sanji didn’t notice.
But Zoro did .
So he moved.
With his trusted swords with him, he got in the space of the asshole quickly, surprising him, if the face he put was any indication, he tried to attack him with that pitiful blade, but the only thing it did was a slash in the side of his abdomen.
Zoro hissed at the cut but didn’t stop and with one of his simplest attacks finished the bastard, once and for all.
Once he was sure the other guy was dead, only then he sheathed his blades and turned back from where his crewmates were.
“Zoro!” Nami’s voice called to him “C’mon let’s get out of here already, Franky is ready to coup de burst out of here!” she said from their ship.
Zoro took one last look around this pitiful crew’s ship, making sure no one was left standing, once he confirmed it, he turned and he realized that the cook and Chopper were nowhere to be seen, he guessed they already made it back to the Sunny.
He started to walk, on the direction of the Sunny, but while he did so, he felt a sting from his side, he looked down and saw that the slash the bastard gave him was bleeding, which alright, was normal, so he decided he didn’t need to bother anyone with something he could probably fix himself.
Nothing to worry about, it was business as usual
Right?
It wasn’t right.
Zoro is not stupid, he’s not and he knows he’s not feeling well, the slash the blade of that bastard did to his side was minimal, it wasn’t even deep, but he suspect that it must have contained something in it because it has been burning for the past two days, it was hot to the touch, it hurt like hell if he moved suddenly and he swears he saw a yellow liquid come out of it this morning.
So yeah, he’s not stupid and he also knows that he should say something.
But
Everyone was in high spirits because of this holiday celebration they were going to have soon, they were all so happy, Luffy has been over the moon thinking about the feast they were going to have that day, Chopper and Usopp right there behind him in his excitement, Brook have been singing these carols all day, Nami and Robin were excited too, making gifts for everyone, Franky was even building an artificial tree for them to decorate and Jimbei was there for the ride.
But the cook, Sanji , must have been the most excited yet for this celebration.
Now, don’t get him wrong, Zoro doesn’t care too much about celebrations, what was the point really? When they could celebrate anything anytime?
But his crew cared, Sanji cared and he cared a lot.
If the conversation he had with him a few days ago was any indication of it
“You don’t seem too excited about the incoming party, mosshead” The cook had said, while making his way next to him in the railing
“Tch” grumbled Zoro “I just don’t understand why you’re all making such a big deal out of it” he said “I mean, is just a date”
Sanji chuckled “Maybe, but is a special one, where we all share together”
“We do that everyday, cook” Zoro deadpanned
“But this date is special, all the decorations and the music and the different kind of dishes and desserts that are served in this date” Sanji continued, a happy tone on his voice “It’s about the joy, about the spirit, about family” he then gave the softest smile Zoro has ever seen on his face “It’s about love”
Zoro could feel his cheeks redden at the last part, but he cleared his throat, hoping the cook didn’t notice “This is very important to you, isn’t it?”
Sanji’s smile diminished a little “When I was younger, it was hard to find a cause for celebration, back there in Germa, after my mother died, it was impossible”
Zoro grimaced, he should have kept his mouth shut “But– after you got out of there?”
Sanji turned to look at him “I mean, of course it was better, but this time of the year, the Baratie was always full and so we spent most of the time working, the geezer and I did have a little dinner after all was said and done and we exchanged gifts too, but nothing too big”
Sanji took another hit from his cigarette “And after I joined this crew, it was hectic and then the 2 years where we weren’t together came” both of them flinched a little at that “You know, we have never been together on this date, that’s all, I just want to make it special for all of us” he ended up saying, turning back to look at the sea, a smile right there on his face
And Zoro, right beside him, could do little but look at him, his calm face, which has been showing more recently along with his relaxed posture.
He felt a smile form on his face too
“I know it will be, we’re together, aren’t we?” he said, Sanji turned to look at him, a little blush high on his cheeks
“Yes, we are”
–x–
So, this day was important for Sanji, and after the shitshow that was his biological family and the whole freak show that was Wano itself, he’s been opening to them a bit more, sharing bits of his past a bit more and he was so excited for this celebration–
Zoro couldn’t screw this up, not for them, not for him , when he was so excited for it.
So, he could handle it, he just had to avoid being discovered, so what if he’s been hiding from the cook, to stop him from noticing that something is wrong with him, so what if everyday his side hurts even more, it’s not like he’s dying .
That would be ridiculous.
So, he took some salve that he found in Chopper's infirmary, and has been applying it to the wound ever since.
Easy cake.
He’s gonna be just fine.
Zoro has been acting weird, like really weird , Sanji has noted.
Sanji’s not an idiot, so he has seen how for the past few days Zoro hasn’t been acting like himself.
As if, he was picking less fights with him, which was concerning all on his own, he also wasn’t complaining about how Nami kept increasing his debt, but the true red flag was that he has stopped training , him, Roronoa Zoro, the same person that after the Thriller Bark incidents was lifting weights as soon as he could walk again.
So yeah, something was not clicking here.
Most of the crew has also taken notice that something’s going on with Zoro, but in the middle of all the holiday preparation plus their arrival to a winter island in the coming days, no one has actually confronted the swordsman about it.
In short, Zoro has been avoiding him, or trying to, a lot, but it was kinda hard to do so when they lived on a ship and they were in the middle of the sea.
He also has been eating less, he ate like half of his food for the past 2 days and the rest passed it off to Luffy, he may think that he was being sneaky but Sanji has noticed.
But, it was like the swordsman was actively avoiding being in the same place as him.
If Sanji entered a room, Zoro would look for any excuse to leave.
And no, Sanji is not hurt about being avoided, that would be stupid right?
Right?
Anyways, Sanji has been wanting to find a moment to talk to him and ask him what the hell was going on, but alas, between all the preparations, writing down the dishes he was going to make and what ingredients he would need to cook them, he hasn’t found the time to confront Zoro.
So two more days passed between all the ruckus and Zoro has been steadily getting quiet and calmer, trying to make himself as small as possible, which was so, so out of character for him.
Something was happening to him and he refused to tell them what.
He refused to tell him.
And it is not like he cares that much about him, he doesn't, alright.
He ignores the little voice inside his head calling him a liar.
Thankfully, the opportunity to confront the swordsman falls right into his lap, when they dock on the winter island of Dimer and Nami makes Zoro be the one in charge to accompany him to get the ingredients he needs for the feast.
Zoro puts on a face that tells Sanji that he would rather do anything but that.
But well, nobody says no to Nami.
Time to face the music.
Zoro was not feeling well, scratch that, he was feeling awful . The wound on his side has been throbbing non-stop for the past day, he was sweating a lot, he even took a bath to get rid of the sweat and it was not working as he expected. His head has been hurting a lot and he also has been getting dizzy spells lately.
To make it short, he was fucked.
He’s starting to think that trying to hide this from his crewmates wasn’t his best idea.
Also, he’s pretty sure that Sanji has caught up on the fact that something was wrong with him.
Which actually made his attempt to avoid him even more difficult.
And now, Nami forced him to go with the cook to restock on this island.
Thankfully, given the climate here, he put on a thick jacket that hopefully will cover his side that has been leaking that yellow liquid a lot.
Now, back to the situation at hand.
They’ve been walking for a while, neither of them saying anything, Zoro himself because he’s pretty sure that even talking would hurt right now, the silence has been getting really awkward and Sanji clearly wanted to say something but seemed unable to find the words.
So he decided to break it himself.
“What’s on your mind, cook?” he asked, hoping his voice came out as steady as always, even though he could feel the effort that it took him to talk.
Sanji startled out of his haze, turning to look at him, he bit his lip, unsure.
Zoro was getting restless “Out with it” he growled, his side still throbbing
The cook still kept quiet and honestly Zoro was getting fed up with this, so he opened his mouth again to say something, but the cook beat him to it.
“You’ve been avoiding me” he says and Zoro feels his heart drop to his stomach, he is not in a good condition for this conversation
“What the hell are you talking about?” he plays dumb, but those words must have made the cook angry because his expression changes suddenly, now with fire in his eyes.
“Oh? You don’t know what I’m talking about?” he growled “How about this mosshead? You’re eating a lot less, don’t think I didn’t notice how you would give away your food to Luffy, you’ve stopped helping me with the dishes, which of course, is not actually your job but you used to help me without being asked and the most glaring obvious thing, is that every single time I enter a room and you’re there, you would give the most dog shit excuses to leave” he was breathing hard, once he finished.
It seemed that he really needed to get that out of his chest.
Unfortunately, Zoro lost what the cook was saying midway, his head was hurting like hell, he felt shivers going up his body and was that wall moving?
“Mosshead, are you listening to me? Hey!” Sanji approached him, but Zoro didn’t even notice “Hey, Zoro!” he snapped his fingers in front of his face “Zoro?” he asked, again, uncertainty in his voice and Zoro felt it, he felt his consciousness slipping away, so in a last attempt, he lifted his head, staring straight into those blue eyes
“ I’m sorry ” he said and a pair of arms catching him before he hit the floor was the last thing he felt before all went black
And so, we reach the start of this story, Sanji barely had the time to catch Zoro into his arms, and when he did, he slid down to the floor with him.
“Mosshead, you’re scaring me” he said and he could feel his eyes watering with the panic he was feeling “ Wake up ” he begged but he knew it was fruitless.
His eyes moved down to the swordsman abdomen, specifically the part of his jacket where the red stain was growing, quickly , his hands moved to open up the jacket and once he did along with lifting his shirt a little, his breath got caught up in his throat once he took a look at it.
The wound on Zoro’s side was awful, it wasn’t big, but it was so red , with blood and purulence coming out of it. It was definitely infected and by the looks of it, it was probably a few days old.
“ You absolute idiot! ” he growled “Why the fuck didn’t you tell us?” he asked and he knew he wouldn’t get a response but he was panicking, he was alone and he needed an outlet.
Alright, he needed to calm down, he wasn’t helping anyone like this, he would yell at the stupid mosshead once he got better for being so reckless.
“We need to get you to Chopper” he said, adjusting his hold on Zoro before lifting him bridal style. It was a testament to how bad Zoro was that he didn’t even complain about it.
Sanji started running, careful of not jostling the swordsman too much, so as to not aggravate his injury.
The idiot already did that all on his own.
Thankfully, they weren’t too far from the Sunny, so once the ship got into his line of view, he used his skywalk to get there faster.
He dropped right there in the middle of the deck, the rest of his crewmates startling at his sudden appearance.
“Sanji-kun?” Nami said, curiosity in her voice “I thought you would take longer” she finally noticed Zoro in his arms “ Zoro? Sanji-kun what the hell happened?” she asked, frantic.
Sanji, maybe for the first time in his life, ignored her completely, his eyes darting around the deck until they found what they were looking for.
“ Chopper! ” he called, the little reindeer already approaching “The mosshead collapsed and he has a nasty looking wound on his side, it looks infected”
Chopper was already getting the jacket out of the way, revealing the wound to everyone on deck, a couples of hisses and ‘fuck’ could be heard once he did it.
“Where did he even get that slash?” Usopp voice came, by now everyone was already surrounding them
“He’s burning up” Chopper said “I need to treat him” he changed into his human form and took Zoro from Sanji’s arms “I’m gonna need someone to help me”
Robin talked before anyone else could “I’ll do it Chopper” she said, Chopper nodding in thanks and with that they went off in the direction of the infirmary, leaving the rest of their crewmates on deck, Sanji still on his knees on the grass.
“When did this happen?” this time it was Franky who asked
No one said anything for a while until Luffy broke the silence
“That pirate crew, the one that attacked us” he said
“But” Brook said “We got rid of them fairly easily, I doubt any of them gave Zoro-san trouble?” he questioned
Sanji had a realization right there
“That asshole” he said, quietly “The one that tried to throw the blade at me, Zoro stopped him, I noticed it after he did it”
Zoro saved him, he avoided that the other guy could hurt him while he was distracted, he took a blade that was meant for him, which means…
This was all his fault.
It was quiet, in the galley, while they were waiting for news on Zoro’s condition, everyone was sprawled around, all with serious faces, even Luffy was quiet, very quiet , his hat covering his eyes.
And Sanji?
Well, he was chain smoking like crazy, and you can’t blame him, it was the only way he had to try and calm his nerves, and most of all, his guilt.
This happened because Zoro covered for him, because he took a blade meant for him.
So yeah, he was feeling pretty awful and the guilt was eating him alive.
He needed news, now .
Thankfully, life seemed to take pity on him, because at that moment, both Chopper and Robin entered the galley, they looked exhausted .
Sanji already knew he was not going to like whatever was going to come out of Chopper’s mouth next.
Chopper took a breath, opened his eyes and Sanji noticed that his eyes were teary.
“He’s in bad shape” Chopper said softly “The wound of his side is infected, he has a high fever and he wasn’t taking proper care of it, right now he’s out of it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he started hallucinating because of how high his temperature is”
Sanji felt like a bucket of cold water washed over him
“Is there anything you need? Chopper” Nami asked him
“I need to get to town and get some antibiotics, he’s not gonna get better without them and also I need more ingredients to make a salve”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Luffy asked, “Let’s go!”
“I’ll take watch” Brook said “I don’t feel like going out right now”
“Someone needs to stay and take care of Zoro, though” Usopp noted
Sanji's mouth was moving before his brain registered it.
“I’ll do it” he said which made everyone turn to him “ What? I can take care of the mosshead just fine” he bristled
Some of his crewmates looked like they wanted to object but thankfully, Luffy intervened
“Alright! Sanji will stay and take care of Zoro and the rest of us will head to the town!” He said, clearly an order, so the rest of them just nodded, one by one leaving the galley.
Before Luffy left, though, he turned to look at him, a little smile on his face
“Zoro is going to be fine Sanji!” he exclaimed “He’s strong and he will get better soon, you don’t need to be worried!”
As usual, Sanji try to deflect.
“Who said I’m worried about the mosshead?” he grumbled and even he could tell how much of a lie that was.
Luffy kept walking until he was at the door, but before he left completely, he looked back at him, a serious expression on his face.
“ This is not your fault Sanji ” he said, Sanji felt his breath catch “Zoro knew what he was doing, so don’t beat yourself up, okay?” and that was the last thing he said before leaving completely, leaving Sanji alone in the galley with just one thought on his mind.
How did he know?
Honestly, his captain would never cease to amaze him.
A groan resonated through the room making Sanji look back at the bed where Zoro laid, only to see the swordsman opening his eyes and immediately trying to move.
“Hey, none of that” Sanji said softly, putting his hands on Zoro’s shoulders to keep him from getting up “You need to rest”
Zoro’s hazy eyes focused on him and Sanji could tell right away that he wasn’t completely here.
“ Sanji ” he muttered and Sanji stiffened.
Zoro was definitely out of it, he just used his name.
Sanji put his hand on Zoro’s forehead.
“You’re still burning up” he said while getting up from his chair and he was going to look for a wet cloth when a hand on his wrist stopped him.
“Don’t go” Zoro whined, he whined “ Don’t leave me ” he pouted, Roronoa Zoro pouted .
Sanji could feel his cheeks heating up, since when was the mosshead so cute ?
He was getting sidetracked.
“I’m not leaving” he said, slowly “I just want to get a wet cloth”
Zoro seemed to contemplate those words for a bit, before he nodded “Alright” and he let him go, but the pout was still there.
Sanji came back quickly and put the cloth on his forehead, there was not much else he could do until Chopper came back with the medicine.
Things were quiet, for a bit, until Sanji couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were hurt?” he whispered and he knew he wasn’t being fair because Zoro was sick and he shouldn’t be asking him this now, but he couldn’t help it.
Zoro took a while to answer and when he did his voice was quiet “I–I didn’t want to ruin the holidays” he admitted.
What?
“What do you mean?” Sanji found himself asking
“All of you were so excited about it, you were so excited about it, I didn’t want to fuck that up”
Oh, this idiot, this big hearted idiot
“How were we supposed to celebrate while you were feeling this bad?” Sanji lectured him, making the swordsman grimace, he knew this was not the time to discuss this, given that chances were that Zoro wouldn’t remember anything he was saying right now later.
“I thought I could hide it until after the celebrations” he confessed
“In what world, did that seem like a good idea to you?” his frustration must have shown on his face because suddenly he felt a hand touch his cheek.
“Don’t do that” Zoro said “You look sad”
Sanji let out a bitter chuckle, not doing anything to get Zoro’s hand off his cheek “Of course I’m sad, one dumb swordsman did a silly thing and now he’s in the infirmary when we could have taken care of it before it got this bad”
“I’m sorry” Zoro murmured, eyes downcast, and wow, the fever really must be affecting him.
“It’s alright” it wasn’t but what’s done it’s done “try to get some rest, Chopper will be here with the medicine soon” he said, a little smile on his face and unintentionally leaned his head on Zoro’s hand “Lord knows you need it”
A little smile made way into Zoro’s face and Sanji felt his heart skip a beat “You should smile more, it suits you” and with that Zoro took his hand off his cheek and closed his eyes, falling asleep immediately, meanwhile Sanji just kept staring at him, blush high on his cheeks.
What the hell just happened?
After the medicine was given to Zoro, it still took some days before the fever broke completely and all the while, the swordsman fluctuated in and out of consciousness, but everytime he opened his eyes, Sanji was right there, being because he was cleaning his wound and changing de bandages or he was helping him eat when he was awake.
After a week has passed, Zoro finally woke up without feeling like shit.
Chopper was the face that greeted him once he opened his eyes.
“C–Chopper?” His voice was raspy and his throat was dry.
“Zoro!” Chopper exclaimed “Wait, don’t talk yet, you must be thirsty” he said before handing him a glass of water.
“What happened?” he asked once he gulped down the whole glass, his memory was very fuzzy and the last thing he remembers with clarity was leaving the ship with the cook to get groceries
Chopper’s eyes suddenly turned angry
“You were an idiot! The wound on your side got infected and your body was shutting down!” he growled “You had a high fever that took days to break out and you were so out of it, don’t ever do that again! I’m the doctor here and my job is to look after you!” While Chopper was talking, his eyes started to turn teary eyed.
Zoro has never felt more like an asshole than now
“I’m sorry” Zoro said, because what else could he do?
“I know you are” Chopper sighed “I would like you to promise me that you would never do something this idiotic again, but then again, I know you better than that”
That, at least, was said with a resigned smile, which make Zoro burst into one too
“You know me too well” he said “Now, come here would you?”
Chopper didn't need more incentive and suddenly Zoro found his lap full of reindeer, Chopper clinging to him.
“I–I was so scared” he sniffed, his face hidden in Zoro’s chest “You were in really bad shape, Zoro”
Zoro meanwhile, was patting his little head “Hey, but I’m still here, all because of you, doctor, who took great care of me”
Chopper wriggled on his lap “Those words don’t make me happy, you bastard!” He recited his usual chant.
Zoro let out a chuckle at his behavior “Whatever you say”
“But you shouldn’t just be thanking me, Zoro, we all did our part, but most of all, Sanji spent all the time he wasn’t cooking here, taking care of you!” Chopper confessed, leaving Zoro shell shocked
What?
The cook did what?
“Really?”
Chopper nodded “Yeah! He helped change your bandages and clean your wounds! And although you were out of it most of the time, the times you were awake he helped you eat!”
“We had to practically force him to leave this room” a voice came from the door and when he turned to look at it, the figure of Nami greeted him “Glad you’re awake Zoro, if you ever do something this stupid again I will triplicate you debt”
Zoro couldn’t help but smile “Is good to see you too, witch”
“Yes, I know I’m a blessing for your sore eyes” she said, but she was smiling “But seriously, never do this again”
“I’ll try”
Nami sighed “Well, I guess that’s the best I’m going to get from you” she then directed her gaze to the other individual in the room “Chopper, do me a favor, can you please go and tell the others that Zoro is awake?”
“Sure” Chopper answered, excited to be the one to give the good news “Now, we can do the holiday party!” With that, the little reindeer ran out of the room.
“What?” Nami smirked, noticing the shock on Zoro’s face “Of course we were not gonna celebrate while you were in that state” she said and Zoro felt warm at that, he really had the best friends ever.
“Now, on to business here” Nami turned serious “You need to talk to Sanji” she said with a knowing tone.
Oh and didn’t Zoro know that .
Now, trying to corner the cook to talk to him was easier said than done, Sanji was actively avoiding him and he couldn’t even blame him, after all, he did the same.
The fact that Sanji was busy cooking all that was needed for the party didn’t help either.
So yes, Zoro was getting frustrated and also realized that, he too, was an asshole back then, if this is how the cook was feeling.
Before he knew it, the day of the celebration arrived and the party was in full swing.
And he still couldn’t get Sanji alone.
For what it was worth, everyone had gone all out on this celebration, streamers, lights, even a tree full of ornaments.
And the food.
Sanji had completely outdone himself, he made enough food to feed an army and well, with Luffy as their captain, nothing would be left to waste anyways, you could find all of their favorite dishes plus some dishes more fit for the season.
It was perfect, really.
The feast went as expected, that is to say, phenomenally, Luffy ate a little bit of everything, Chopper was delighted with all the pastries on the table, everyone was so happy .
And Zoro remembered those words Sanji said to him not long ago.
It’s about the joy, about the spirit, about family
Is about love.
And oh, how right he was.
But Zoro still needed to do one thing, for this night to be perfect and that was to talk to the cook, once and for all.
Thankfully, it seemed like his prayers have been answered, once he saw the cook leaving the galley, through the backdoor, Zoro waited a few minutes before standing up from his seat, ready to follow, before he could do that, though, he felt the gazes of all his crewmates on him, looking at him with knowing smiles on their faces, he felt himself blush at the attention.
Before he could say anything, though, Luffy said, big smile
“Don’t screw this up, Zoro” he said, so knowingly, so sure, that Zoro couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“I won’t, Captain” and with that he left the galley.
Just as he expected, he found Sanji on the deck, sitting on the foremast with a cigarette between his lips, he approached slowly, knowing that the cook felt his presence. Thankfully, this time, he didn’t run away.
He guessed it was really time to clear the air.
He plopped down right beside him, an uncomfortable silence surrounding them and while Zoro was thinking of ways to break the ice, Sanji beat him to it.
“You know” he started “There is something I learned, I suppose is something that I should have already known, but it took a while and some hard times to really sink in” he blew out a puff of smoke.
He finally turned his head to look at him, meeting his stare right on.
“Want to know what it is?” he asked.
Zoro didn’t feel like his words would be welcomed right now, so he just nodded.
“ You’re allowed to ask for help ” Sanji said and his voice sounded so exhausted.
Zoro felt his throat tighten. “I know that” was the only thing he could think of saying.
Sanji raised an eyebrow “If you know that, oh wise one, why didn’t you tell us you were fucking hurt? “Why didn’t you tell me ?”
He looked defeated and Zoro definitely didn’t like that look on the fiery cook.
“I–” How could he explain? When his past reasoning now seemed so stupid? “I didn’t want to ruin the holidays” he confessed “I wanted you to be happy”
Sanji let out a bitter laugh “How could I be happy when you were hurting?”
“I’m sorry” Zoro said, because he didn’t know what else to say.
Sanji shook his head “Don’t worry about it, I’m the one that should be apologizing”
That threw Zoro out of the loop because what?
“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked, confused.
Sanji sighed “That blade was meant for me, I was distracted and I wasn’t fast enough, you saved me Zoro, and you got hurt because of that” he avoided his gaze now, his bangs covering his eyes.
Oh hell no.
Zoro would not stand for that.
“Cook” he started, the cook wouldn’t look at him “ Sanji ”
That , finally made Sanji look at him.
Good, because Zoro needed Sanji to really hear him right now.
“ This was not your fault ” and he emphasized on it, because he needed to get his message across “I got in the way because I knew a blade that small wouldn’t hurt me” at Sanji’s raised eyebrow he let out a small chuckle “Of course I didn’t know about the poison” he said “But you need to get that idea out of your head”
Sanji’s eyes turned a little watery and before Zoro knew what he was doing, his hand had traveled to the cook’s cheek, holding it gently.
Sanji, on his part, leaned into the touch.
“Hey” he said, softly “You look sad, you should be smiling”
That got Sanji to blush and he tried to avoid his gaze, but Zoro wouldn’t let him
“Y–You” Sanji started “You said something similar, while you were bedridden”
“Did I?” Zoro questioned, Sanji nodded “Well, is not as if I’m lying”
Sanji’s blush intensified “Shut up” he growled
Zoro laughed “Talking about it, Chopper told me you were looking after me, while I was out of it, so thank you for that”
If Sanji’s face got any redder, Zoro was sure his head would explode.
“That damn blabbermouth”
“What’s the matter, cook?” he teased “Are you embarrassed?”
“I am going to kick you” Sanji threatened.
That only made Zoro laugh harder “Why, cook, if anyone didn’t know better, I would say you like me ”
It was supposed to be their usual banter, but the cook went deeply silent at those words, his eyes doing their best to avoid him.
Zoro felt his heart do a flip.
“Wait, really?” he found himself asking “ You like me ?”
“And what if I do” Sanji said, his tone slightly annoyed “What are you going to do about that?” he challenged.
What would Zoro do?
Is about love; he remembered Sanji’s words.
Take a leap; his heart told him.
So he did.
Before his brain could talk him out of this one, he moved, he put his hand on Sanji’s chin, lifting his head that had fallen, directing his gaze to look at him, he brought his head closer to the cook, close, so close, but he stopped before his lips could touch Sanji’s.
An ask for permission.
“Is this okay?” he wondered, feeling Sanji’s gaze and his breath so near his mouth.
“ Yes ” the cook breathed, almost desperate “Yes, it’s okay, please ”
Zoro didn’t need to hear more.
So he kissed him.
And he felt how everything fell into place.
He closed his eyes, knowing the cook did the same and he deepened the kiss, one of his hand enclosed around Sanji’s waist, bringing him closer to him, Sanji, on his part, put one hand over the one on his cheek and the other on Zoro’s shoulder, letting himself be guided.
They separated, after a while, opening their eyes, looking at each other with blushes high in their faces, breaths mingling.
Slowly, smiles formed on their faces.
“So, you like me? Huh, cook?” he teased once again
“Oh, shut up ” Sanji complained, but the smile never left his face
Zoro felt his own smile soften.
“I like it when you smile” he confessed “It suits you”
Somehow, Sanji’s cheeks got even redder at those words.
“ Since when are you so smooth!? ” Sanji complained, a whine in his voice.
“Since I realized it can get you this embarrassed” Zoro laughed “And I plan to do it a lot more often, because, of course, I like you too, a lot”
Sanji’s eyes widened.
“You do?” he asked, voice small.
Zoro’s answer was a kiss to his forehead, moving the bangs and revealing both of Sanji’s eyes, eyebrows included and it was a testament on how much Sanji must like him, if he let him do this without getting kicked in the face.
“ Of course I do ” Zoro said “So are we gonna keep talking about this or are you letting me kiss you again?” he taunted
Sanji finally let out a little chuckle at that “Come here, mossy” and with his hand that hadn’t left Zoro’s shoulder he drew the swordsman closer, kissing him once again.
It’s about the joy.
Oh and how much Zoro knew that now, right here, kissing this man, he felt complete.
Something cold landed on his nose, forcing him to separate from the cook and he looked towards the sky.
And he saw snow falling from it.
A laugh made him turn his head to look at the cook, who was also staring at the sky, wonder in his face
“It’s fitting” Sanji’s voice stated, happy “Of the season, I mean, is beautiful”
But Zoro wasn’t looking at the sky, not anymore.
“Yeah” Zoro whispered, his eyes never leaving the cook “Yeah it is”
“Tomorrow may be the day where we sit down and talk about how you should never do what you did again” Sanji finally turned his head to him “But tonight, let’s just be us ”
Zoro liked the sound of that.
“That sounds like a good plan” he said before kissing Sanji again, the cook melting into it.
He could still hear his crewmates laughing, singing and screaming inside the galley, he could still feel the snow falling around them and he knew they should be getting inside soon to avoid getting sick, but right now, nothing else existed , just him, the man in his arms and lips on his mouth that he new would never get boring.
He felt a little thrill, going through his body and he wished , more than anything, that nights like this one could keep happening in the future.
Just him, Sanji and this love they share.
Keep it close to your heart and never let it go.
Happy holidays indeed.