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Sanji couldn't quite recall where the rivalry had started, it might have been in elementary school where Zoro started at a kendo club and was good at it. He became something every boy wanted to be once he boasted about his father praising his form and promising to help him so he'd be able to get better and earn himself a higher rank.
All Sanji had at home was an ill mother and a father who never believed any of children did something good enough. But where the others were at least good at something, Judge managed to take out his frustration on Sanji, he was never good enough. Never able to make something of his life and he wouldn't amount to anything further on.
In a way it was resentment and jealousy at what Zoro did have at home.
Everyone knew that the Vinsmokes were a broken family, but no one had the courage or the means to say anything and stand up to Judge Vinsmoke, given the ties he had to several people (not all of them on the right side of the law).
Where Zoro's father, Mihawk, was a decorated and retired kendo champion who loved his son and daughter with every breath he took. There were times people saw him taking Perona to the hair salon or buy her yet another stuffed animal, all with that sweet look in his eyes that Sanji knew he would never get at home.
Young as he had been, he took it out on Zoro, which he shouldn't have which is why a lot of the times the two of them weren't paired off together for a project just as people assumed that they just didn't match as it never got physical. Sanji didn't want to be a bully, he didn't want Zoro to hurt, he just didn't know how to deal with it all seeing as he had been pushed to the side for so long.
Things did get better when Judge was arrested for fraud, among other things, and their mother could get out from under his thumb to get the help she needed to get better. During that time they stayed with a group home and while it wasn't the best place, at least he had been able to grow in ways he hadn't been allowed to do at home.
Just before starting high school, Sora Vinsmoke got out of the hospital and tried to take up her new life. One that soon included a new partner in a chef at a well known restaurant, Zeff Black. Sanji and Zeff got along great, and it's where he learned to cook and cook well.
On top of that, with two supporting parents now at his side, Sanji started to explore what he wanted to do in his past times and settled on dancing. He didn't want to start at a martial arts club (too much reminded him of Zoro and he couldn't quite settle on what he wanted to think of the other teen). While none of his siblings joined him, Sanji found so much freedom in dance and later on in competitions and making sure he scored high enough to be seen as a good dancer by those that followed the sport.
Once he started high school, and he found out that Zoro was once again in the same school, it started an other sore spot. Zoro was a jock, through and through, he was a part of the kendo club at school and showed it as he won one game after the other with the club. Meanwhile it was no secret that Sanji danced and as a lot of teens do, it was looked at strangely that a boy loved to dance.
Zoro never teased him for it, but too much had happened in Sanji's head at least, to just allow things to change then how they had been. The green haired man gave as good as he got every time too, so while it wasn't exactly a strained relationship in terms that they hurt each other, everyone did know they were competitive as hell.
Things shifted for all of them when one Luffy Monkey started at East City High School. No one seemed to know him, he had popped up all of the sudden with a lawyer father and two older brothers who started college in the fall. He'd be everywhere all at once and for Sanji, who never had friends outside of his siblings as he didn't know how to connect with them, the younger boy took one look at him and just about adopted him as a friend. He liked it, and didn't know what to do when Luffy asked him to join him for lunch with his cousin.
"Sure, Luffy, I'd like that", had seemed like the appropriate answer, so he followed the younger boy outside and stopped when he noticed just who was sitting there. He recognized some other people, Nami who he had geography with, as well as Usopp who while not dancing did often provide some music for them to dance to. But it was Zoro sitting there that had him apprehensive about actually joining, at least until Luffy waved him closer and everyone else saw him standing there.
Nami and Usopp winced, "I don't think that's a good idea, Luffy."
The both of them looked between Zoro and Sanji, almost as if they expected one or the other to start one of their known disputes. Sanji hated this part, hated that people choose sides before even know what had been going on. He was well aware that he had screwed up first, but he also knew that it was something that kept haunting him even if they never did fight or get physical.
But he knew he had lost because of how he had behaved as a child and still behaved whenever Zoro was involved, so he kept his distance. Smiled in a way that didn't reach his eyes and left the group sitting there as he went back inside to eat alone.
--
However, compared to other times, Luffy did come and look for him again. Looking at him very intently before asking what it was that had Sanji acting like that with Zoro.
Seeing as this was the first time someone asked for his side he told it, unfiltered. He admitted to being jealous and after to not knowing how to act as he was often teased by others because he liked dancing.
He mentioned looking up to Zoro and not knowing how to go about saying that after being so antagonistic towards him for most of his life, "He had everything I ever wanted as a child and now that I have that too I don't know how to make up for it. He didn't deserve anything of what I put him through and I know that even without any physical violence the way I treated him wasn't right. But I..."
Shaking his head, this was something he had told his therapist before but now all of the sudden something else seemed to pop up as well, "I was pulling his pig tails, liked it when he gave me attention, but I never did it the right way so even if I do have a crush on him nothing will ever come out of it as I blew it all before."
Closing his eyes, Sanji didn't know where that came from. Was it because Luffy was always so open, willing to listen and still hadn't judged him? Or was it tied to something deeper he didn't know either, something that he might have been carrying around since he was a child as Judge had never been one who welcomed something out of the ordinary and a gay son wouldn't have ever happened if he was still around.
Luffy's hand on his shoulder startled him, "Have you talked to Zoro about that?"
Snorting, Sanji shook his head, "I'm quite sure he doesn't want to talk to me and I don't blame him..."
That didn't seem to be good enough, as Luffy pouted until Sanji agreed to come to the next lunch with him. Beaming brightly and telling Sanji he wouldn't regret that once he did. Sighing, he followed Luffy outside and actually sat down with the group, noticing that no one looked at him oddly. Zoro did look up, but went with ignoring him which was slightly better then him starting their usual discussions.
It felt odd, but it did feel better than he had ever thought it would feel. So each time Luffy mentioned it, Sanji agreed and settled down with the group. He enjoyed his time, talked with Luffy, Nami and Usopp, keeping his distance from Zoro but not falling back into old habits.
Eventually, he and Zoro were the first ones there. As they were both older they had a free period because of an absent teacher and made their way outside already. Given the opportunity, Sanji took a deep breath, "I need to apologize, I never did treat you fairly and nothing you did influenced what I did..."
Zoro turned to look at him, letting Sanji finish and with that he started talking about what had been going on at home (although not in detail), ending with the fact that he thought Zoro was amazing but after everything he didn't know how to state that he had a crush and at first it had been jealousy and anger, but it evolved pretty quickly but it had been too late in his eyes to do something different about it.
What he didn't expect was for Zoro to snort as he ended his conversation, feeling offended, he wanted to stand and leave before he realized that Zoro was smiling, "I knew you were pulling at my pig tails so to speak, loved the challenge more often then not but when you started to ignore me in High School I was certain something had changed. Didn't think that it was because you were feeling bad about it."
Gaping at the green haired man, Sanji didn't know what to say about that. Sputtering something or another, until Zoro grinned and leaned in closer to press their lips together, "I feel the same way, curly, and I would love nothing more than to see where this goes."
Sanji doesn't say anything, lets Zoro pull him close and kiss him. Sighing in to the kiss, and leaning against the other man as it all started to fall into place and the notion why Zoro always gave as good as he got made sense. That it took him this long to see it, was something he had a little trouble with. But the kissed he got in return made up for all of that.
They only pulled back when the others appeared, with Luffy grinning widely as he turned to look at Nami and Usopp, stating that he knew it would all turn out alright.
--
Years later, during their wedding, Luffy as Zoro's best man would boast that he had seen this coming from far away. Having pushed the two of them together, and happy that he did as they were so very happy together. Everyone toasted to that, as even his family had seen how happy he was with Zoro and accepted him right off of the bat for that alone. Since meeting Luffy and since starting to date Zoro, a whole other side of Sanji appeared and made them all happy to see him healing.