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For once it was a relatively quiet day on the Sunny. The weather was warm, keeping the crew lax in their movements and happy to just laze around the ship. Sanji and Zoro were seeking shade in Nami’s mikan trees, with the cook leaning into the swordsman as he cleaned his swords. Sanji was carefully peeling potatoes for dinner, letting the quiet breeze fill their comfortable silence. Their relationship was still new, trying to navigate around new boundaries and finding their footing after their two weddings on Wano.
It doesn’t really feel like much has changed to Sanji. They still bicker and spar, but Zoro has just become more frequent in the kitchen and taken every opportunity to make sure Sanji knows he’s cared for. It was shockingly easy, the casual touches and kisses that they share becoming a part of their lives like it was always there.
The cook sighs in content, breathing out a cloud of smoke at the same time. He leans a little further into Zoro’s side. Zoro doesn’t stop what he’s doing, but eyes the cook, trying to figure out what he wants. He settles on laying a gentle kiss to his cheek.
“Sanji!” Usopp comes out from the library, looking a little shaken. “You’ve got a call, I think it’s Zeff!”
What could that old coot want? It’s not like him to call. He only would if he wanted to rip him a new one for some idiocy the papers have published or if something bad has happened to the Baratie.
Hoping it’s not the latter, he leaves his makeshift workstation and the moss to speak to his old man. He passes some of the other crew, who aren’t really paying much attention and doing their own things.
Sanji takes the denden from Usopp, who is happy to leave the two to talk in peace.
“Hello?”
“So you leave, go radio silent for fuck knows how long, get married, and decided to not invite me, Eggplant?” Zeff barks.
Ah, so they’re doing this then. He wasn’t expecting Zeff to find out for another few days. He’s been stewing over how he can let him know that he got married, and also tell him that the green idiot who got cut up on their doorstep a few years ago is now his new son in law. Guess he can’t do that now, with him on the snail and all.
“So that’s why you called. No hello or anything?”
“You’re not getting one until you explain why you married that swordsman.”
“Well, he’s-”
“Get him on the call.”
“Are you not going to let me explain?!”
“Get the cabbage haired idiot on the phone, I need to talk to him.”
Sanji pauses, reeling in his anger. If he wants to talk to Zoro, so be it. “Fine.”
He calls Zoro over from his resting place, seeing the confusion on his face and deciding not to explain. He can feel the force of Zeff’s wrath too. Zoro walks in casually, looking at Sanji expectantly. The cook hands over the snail.
“He’s here. Do your worst, old man.”
“What’s your intentions with him?”
“Uhh.. what?” Zoro looks over to Sanji with furrowed brows, and the cook just shrugs his shoulders in response.
“What are your intentions for my son.”
“I want to make sure he’s cared for.”
“That all?”
The swordsman pauses, mouth forming a devilish smirk, “Well, he’s also great at kis-”
“Zoro!” Sanji snatches the receiver away from him, “That’s my dad! ”
“Please ignore him, he’s a nightmare on a good day.” He sighs, Zoro responding with a dramatic sound of annoyance. “Anyway, I can assure you there’s nothing to worry about. We step on each other’s toes enough to make sure of that.”
Sanji stares daggers at his husband, and then hears Zeff let out a chuckle. It’s not often the old bastard laughs, so it’s a shock to the cook when he hears it. He has to do a double take on the snail just to make sure it actually is Zeff he’s talking to.
“Alright, Eggplant, scram for a sec. I wanna talk to the cabbage for a few minutes.”
The swordsman looks a little frantic as he realises what the old man wants. Sanji has never truly seen fear on Zoro’s face like this, and it’s wildly entertaining to the cook. He’s silently begging to not be left alone with his partner’s dad, shaking his head and a look of worry on his face. The blonde just laughs at Zoro’s misfortune and gently rubs his shoulder in reassurance.
“Sure, he’s all yours. Let me know if I should skin him if he pisses you off.”
“Seaweed stew does sound good right about now.” Zeff grunts. “Now get lost.”
Zoro sighs in defeat and Sanji leaves him with a sweet kiss to the cheek. He does love teasing him, but hopes that Zeff won’t be too hard on the moss.
“Now, you’re going to be honest with me, kid.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Why did you not ask for my blessing before you decided to pop the question?”
“It was pretty rushed. We’d just got back from a big battle and Luffy decided it for us.” Zoro looks back to the door, silently wishing the cook was still here to help him out. But he knows he’s got to tough this one out on his own. Social situations aren’t his strong suit, but this is Sanji’s dad, so he has to do this. “We both consented! I didn’t force him to marry me. If he didn’t want it, I would have refused. The cook can do what he wants.”
“Alright. Well next question then.” There’s a click of ice in a glass and then a thunk on a table on the other line. “Are you going to treat him right? Make sure he’s okay?”
“Been doing it since day one, Sir.”
“Good. Otherwise you wouldn’t live to see another day.”
The swordsman swallows nervously, nodding, even though Zeff can’t see it. “Understood.”
“What did you see in Sanji that made you say yes, cabbage?”
“Uh,” Zoro hums, thinking a little. There’s so much to say about Sanji that he can’t put into words. There’s feelings he’s never felt before, or things that he thought he had long buried back when he was still wandering the East on his own as a teenager. The cook brought all of them back, slowly yet all at once, and Zoro’s ears got warm thinking about all the things Sanji has done for everyone over the years.
“Well, your son is… he’s kind. And selfless, and sometimes he doesn’t know how much the people around him love him. He needs to be reminded sometimes. I’m happy to do that until the day I die. I want to stay by his side and find the All Blue with him.”
That might have been the first time Zoro has acknowledged that he loves Sanji. It might be a big thing, but to him it’s always been there, as either unyielding loyalty for the ones he cares about or just a steady thrum between the two of them. They understand each other, and not saying it didn’t mean much since they both know through their actions alone. They’re always on the same wavelength; it makes everything easy for him. For them.
“I see. Well, welcome to the family, kid.” Zeff lets out another chuckle. “Make sure he doesn’t catch a cold, yeah?”
“Of course, Sir.”
“God, no more of that ‘Sir’ business. It’s strange. Now get my kid back in here, I wanna chew him out a little more before I have to get back to the dinner rush.”
Zoro hums in agreement, shouting the cook back into the library. He strolls back in casually, happy to see that Zoro hasn’t been killed from an ocean away.
“Happy, you old bastard?”
“He’ll do. Now I have a bone to pick with you.”
After Sanji has been thoroughly talked to by Zeff about the entire fiasco, he explains everything that’s happened since they last had the chance. He had a brief chat with Zeff while the crew were separated, with Iva’s untraceable denden, but other than that Sanji hasn’t had the opportunity to talk to him, with the endless chaos being a Strawhat entails. It’s nice, being able to chat about all their adventures, and eventually telling Zeff about how everything actually played out with their marriage.
It ends on a good note, with a promise to at least write to the Baratie in the future. Zeff doesn’t want to find out that the pair got up to some stupid shit through the papers again if he can help it. The snail goes to sleep once Zeff comes off the line, and Zoro and Sanji are once again in comfortable silence, now sitting next to each other.
“Your dad is a piece of work.” Zoro says, head leaning on the cook's shoulder.
“I know. Did he tell you off much?” Sanji places a hand to the swordsman’s cheek, grazing his two earrings as he goes.
“Not really. But I think he’d want an invite if we renewed our vows in the future.”
“You’d… want that?” The blonde freezes, looking at his partner with hope.
“Of course I would, curly.” He hums in content, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“And here I thought I’d be able to just poison you so it looks like you died of natural causes.” Sanji rolls his eyes, leaning further back into the bench.
“Ha ha. Very funny. You know I’d still live just to spite you.”
“You would.”
They stay like that for a while, just happy to be in each other’s company. Sanji’s hand makes its way down to the ring still resting proud on Zoro’s chest. They both hadn’t taken off each other’s jewellery since they departed Wano, and it felt wrong to do it now. Sanji had gotten used to the feeling of the gold droplet in his ear, and enjoyed seeing Zoro with the silver signet and chain. It was a subtle reminder that they always had each other to fall back on, or by their side, no matter what happens in the future.
“Guys! The new bounties are here!” Luffy comes barrelling in with the newspaper in hand. “Look! Mine’s gone up again!”
He then shoves several posters in their faces, way too close to even read it. Sanji laughs at the idiocy, and Zoro pushes his captain’s hands out of the way so he can actually see the new bounties.
They sift through all of the crew’s new posters, Sanji taking time to praise Nami and robin’s numbers and talent. Zoro rolls his eyes at the simpering, and eventually they get to their own posters.
“Well, would you look at that,” Sanji says, “Roronoa Sanji”
“Has a nice ring to it, huh curls?”
“It does.” He looks at Zoro then, who is wearing a smile of pride. Sanji smiles back, knowing that Nami definitely had to blackmail a few people to even make this happen.
Zoro takes the paper from Sanji’s hands, pulling his face closer for a kiss. It’s languid and sweet, a silent confession that neither would say aloud. The cook smiles into it, knowing that all he needs is right here.
They pull apart, faces a little red, but they're both smiling. Luffy laughs at the quiet happiness he can feel in the room, bounding off to find the rest of his crew and leaving Zoro and Sanji’s posters with their respective owners.
“You know, the call with Zeff reminded me that I should probably tell my own dad about us.”
“You’re kidding.” Sanji’s face falls flat. “You never told him?”
“You never told your old man!” Zoro snaps back.
“That’s because I was thinking of what to say to him!”
“You are a moron, marimo.” Sanji huffs, rolling his eyes again. “Do I have to call him myself?”
“Nah. I’m sure he’ll prefer a letter or something. Koshiro isn't one for technology really.”
“Alright then. You’re getting the resources from Nami though since it’s your father we’re writing to.”
“Whatever you say, curlicue.” Zoro huffs, kissing Sanji again before heading off to grab what he needs.
Before that though, he makes a quick trip to the bunkroom to hang up the new posters beside each other.
Roronoa Zoro, 1,111,000,000 Berries
Roronoa Sanji, 1,032,000,000 Berries