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[*]
Zoro likes living on the Going Merry. Likes it just as much as the dojo, in fact. Here, he has a purpose, and friends, and challenges, and he doesn’t have to worry about where his next meal or bed will be coming from. In some ways, it’s even better than the dojo, because the ocean can’t move around on him the way the town used to.
That said, there are some problems with living on a small ship. Most of these are also similar to Zoro’s days in Shimotsuki - sometimes distributing chores doesn’t work out quite right, or the bathroom is crowded, or someone is snoring too loud and all the boys end up fighting over who it was in the middle of the night. Some of the problems are different, though, and Zoro is just now realizing one that never would have occurred to him back in those days.
There’s no way to have a date on a ship.
Zoro is a little disgusted with himself that he’s worrying about this. Ask him a couple months ago, and he would have sneered at the very idea. But that was before Sanji, and now, Zoro finds himself fretting over what in the world he’s supposed to do next.
It’s a new thing. A couple of kisses snuck in between meals, a few gentle touches when no one else could see. Sanji is skittish about it, just as likely to kick Zoro over the railing as lean into a kiss, and whatever this is, it’s too fragile to expose to the full force of the rest of the crew’s opinions yet. Zoro doesn’t really care what they might say, but he isn’t willing to risk it.
Which brings him back to this new, unanticipated problem. Privacy has never been a big concern for Zoro, but he’s suddenly, painfully aware of how little of it there is on the Going Merry. Nowhere is safe from Luffy barging in, or the aftermath of one of Usopp’s experiments, or Nami shouting for them to get out here and adjust the sail, now!. That’s all without Robin’s creepy eyes, popping out of nowhere before she materializes a mouth on the wall to say whatever she’s got to say.
Zoro’s just going to have to go for it next time they make land, and pray to the gods he doesn’t believe in that nothing goes wrong.
[1]
“Hey, cook, want me to help with the supplies?” Zoro asks. He’s proud of his casual tone, but Nami still gives him a weird look, and Usopp’s damn mouth drops open like he’s never heard anything so shocking.
“As if you have a choice,” Sanji throws over his shoulder, a brief interruption in his simpering over Nami as she gives him the funds. Why does Zoro like him, again?
Oh yeah - because of this: While they’re out perusing the market, Sanji lights up like the sun, chattering with the vendors like they’ve known each other all their lives, tells Zoro about the meals he plans to make, buys them both a snack and muses about the recipe in between bites, points out a few places where he thinks Zoro might like to go get a drink, later.
“Want to go with me?” Zoro asks, point-blank.
“Huh?” Sanji rolls his unlit cigarette across his tongue, caught with his lighter halfway to his mouth.
“To get a drink.”
“Well, I’m sure Luffy and the rest will want to go have some fun tonight -”
“No,” Zoro says, grabbing Sanji’s forearm to make him look at him, “just you and me, cook.”
“O-oh.” Sanji blushes, casting a furtive glance around them. “Like…”
“A date,” Zoro firmly confirms.
“Well, if Nami doesn’t need me for anything…” the cook mutters.
It’s good enough for Zoro. He manages not to lose track of Sanji for the rest of the shopping, and they even make it back to the ship without losing or breaking anything, or getting in some kind of ridiculous fight. While the cook puts everything away, Zoro goes to wash up, despite the fact that he hasn’t even worked out today. He has a vague idea that putting in this kind of effort is important, and it seems like a smart move to head off any complaints from Sanji.
“Zoroooo!” Luffy calls, as he exits the bathroom. Their captain slings himself across the deck, bouncing to his feet right in Zoro’s personal space. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Getting a drink in town.”
“Alone?” Luffy pouts.
“Cook’s coming too,” Zoro evasively admits.
“That explains why Sanji said he was leaving dinner in the fridge,” Luffy says, staring in the direction of the kitchen with a bit of drool escaping the corner of his mouth, before his eyes snap back to Zoro. “How come you didn’t invite me?! If Zoro and Sanji are going out, I’m coming too!”
Zoro opens his mouth to protest, and decides not to waste the effort. Instead, he agrees to play the new hare-brained game Luffy and Chopper are pitching, and hopes that the capitulation will distract their captain into forgetting about the evening.
To no avail, though, because when Sanji finally comes out to tell Luffy that dinner is prepared for them to eat later, for once, the food isn’t the first thing their captain latches onto.
“We can just eat it now! Since I’m coming with you and Zoro later!
Well, the food is tied for first.
Sanji blinks, and pauses as he buttons the cuffs on his shirt. It’s fresh, still crisp from ironing, instead of beginning to droop from the ocean humidity and activity of the day. The cook’s hair is slightly damp, curling just a touch at the ends. Just like Zoro, he’s clearly put in extra effort for tonight, and now -
“Who invited you?” Sanji grumbles, in the indulgent, barely irritated tone he often takes with Luffy.
“Zoro did!”
‘I did not’, Zoro mouths, over Luffy’s shoulder.
Meeting his eyes, Sanji snickers, and a surprising weight lifts off of Zoro’s shoulders. He was more worried than he thought about the cook’s reaction.
“I want to come too!” Chopper cries.
“They won’t have milk at a bar, you know,” Zoro reminds him.
“I’ll pack a smoothie for you,” Sanji sighs, reaching down to pat Chopper’s quivering antlers.
Drawn in by the commotion, Nami appears beside them, raising her eyebrows. “Are we all going out? I’ll get Robin.”
“We don’t have to bring the rest of these morons, if you ladies would like me to escort you~,” Sanji warbles.
She just rolls her eyes at him, of course, and Zoro knocks his boot against Sanji’s polished shoe with a huff. It takes until Nami returns with Robin to convince Chopper that he won’t be left behind, and by that point, Usopp has appeared to pout over being assigned to watch the Merry for the night.
They end up at some sort of chic patio rather than a proper bar, but the place serves a decent beer alongside all the fruity cocktails, so Zoro is happy enough. He watches Sanji smiling, hair bright under the strings of fairy lights, and tries not to be too disappointed that he doesn’t have the cook all to himself like they planned. They exchange a few commiserative looks, and Sanji lays a lingering hand on Zoro’s shoulder when he gets up to order another round of drinks. The place is busy enough that standing so close doesn’t seem out of place, so none of their crewmates appear to notice anything odd, but the gesture still makes Zoro feel warm.
“Next time I’ll do better,” Zoro hisses in Sanji’s ear, the one time he can get him alone that night.
“What?”
“I wanted -” Zoro says, waving a hand around the bustling patio. “I mean, not that this isn’t nice, but -”
Sanji tugs at his hair, a few different expressions flitting across his face. He settles on something almost bashful, glancing between the bar and the table where their friends are waiting. “Yeah, I know, mossy. Next time?”
“Next time,” Zoro repeats. Now that he knows more about the challenges between them and getting some time alone, he’ll be able to beat them.
[2]
The next place they stop is a crisp fall island, with wisps of pure white clouds skating across the brilliantly blue sky. According to Nami’s intel, it’s home to two decently-sized towns. More importantly, it’s home to a modest Marine base.
“So keep a low profile,” Nami threatens, “or I’ll leave you here!”
“Tch,” Luffy says. “No worries, Nami! If the Marines don’t bother us, I won’t bother them!”
“That’s not how it works,” Usopp groans.
“It’s how I work,” Luffy mutinously declares.
“It is not! Remember when -”
Tuning out their bickering, Zoro stares up at the gold-and-copper profile of the island, then turns to Sanji. “Do you want to try…”
Sanji gives him an odd look, the wind of Merry’s approach fluttering through his hair. “Try another date?”
Just the word makes Zoro blush, so he steels his expression, and nods.
“Maybe a picnic,” Sanji muses. “I’ll make everyone a packed lunch. If we’re casual about it, no one will notice anything.”
Zoro does not feel casual, but he does his best to fake it. The cook hands out everyone’s lunches with his usual combination of flowery praise and blustering threats, and the crew scatters to their own pursuits. Luckily for Zoro, Usopp and Luffy have already come up with some silly outing that they sweep Chopper along on, so no one comments on him falling into step with Sanji.
“It’s straight to work after this, marimo,” Sanji warns, as they walk through the harbor into the town proper. “We’re picking up supplies on our way back to the ship.”
Zoro shrugs. It’s nothing he didn’t expect to hear, and he’ll enjoy the extra time spent with Sanji, besides.
They walk through the town and out into the hills surrounding it, finding a path that winds up the lee side of one of them through a forest of sunset-colored leaves. Feeling brave, Zoro reaches for Sanji’s hand, and though the cook jumps, his palm fits perfectly in Zoro’s. It seems like the sort of thing to do on a date, even if Zoro doesn’t know how anyone can stand the jittery feeling that rushes from their clasped hands straight to his racing heart.
“Your hand is sweaty, mossy,” Sanji mutters, but he doesn’t let go, so Zoro doesn’t either.
The quiet of the forest is peaceful and strange, the path just steep enough to make Zoro’s thighs burn. Something about the rustle of the breeze through the leaves, absent of any splashing or creaking or shouting, makes Zoro loathe to interrupt, as if doing so might make Sanji return to normal too, and send the fragile intimacy of the moment back into the familiar territory of their fighting. Zoro will welcome that when it happens, but he wants to experience this delicate harmony for a little while longer, first. Besides, he wants a chance to eat whatever Sanji packed; it’s bound to be delicious, and knowing the cook, he’ll have brought something special for the occasion.
Eventually, they reach the top of the hill, which turns out to be more of a cliff, overlooking the town and the harbor, a surprising distance below them. Zoro didn’t think that they had been walking that long, but he feels a bit as if he’s shaking off a fog, some strange spell cast by the light through the brightly colored leaves and the muted quiet of the woods. Up here, the wind rushes over them in full force, keeping all but the most stubborn plants off the hilltop.
The view is beautiful. Zoro almost thinks he can make out the Going Merry down in the harbor, but his eyes keep straying back to Sanji, with his hair just as golden as the yellow leaves quivering on the trees below them.
“Wow,” the cook breathes, looking out over the ocean. Zoro makes a noise of agreement, and Sanji blinks, turning to thrust a blanket into his hands. “Make yourself useful and spread that out, why don’t you?”
Rolling his eyes, Zoro picks a spot that’s a little sheltered by a large boulder, with a good view of the town below. Sanji nods in approval, which makes Zoro preen a bit as they settle onto the blanket.
“What did you make?” Zoro asks, taking his boxed lunch from Sanji’s hands and letting the cook’s technical jargon wash over him. The cook sounds excited, so it will definitely be delicious.
Just as Zoro unties the cloth carefully tied around his lunchbox, an explosion shakes the air, breathtakingly loud even as far as they are from town. Looking down, he can make out a dark plume of smoke rising from the far side of the harbor, and the faint sound of shouting floats up along with it.
“Is that…” Sanji groans.
“Where the Marine base is,” Zoro grimly confirms.
“Or was,” Sanji sighs.
“We’d better get down there, or the witch really will leave us behind.”
“Don’t call her that!” Sanji snaps, but he’s already packing their untouched lunches away, clearly just as anxious to make it back down to the ship.
They don’t bother to wonder whether Luffy is involved. There’s no point, and when they make it back down to the harbor, the Marines confirm it for them anyway, screaming about Straw Hat and his crew. Zoro feels a glow of pride that they’ve become so notorious, but it really is inconvenient sometimes.
“Fuckers,” Sanji growls, kicking one of the Marines into the water. None of them are any kind of challenge, and Zoro is just annoyed that they’re getting in their way, at this point.
“What did Luffy even do to them,” Zoro groans.
“I can’t wait to find out,” Sanji grimly replies.
The story, once unravelled from Usopp’s embellishments as they get underway, is underwhelming; a predictable result of the sniper and Luffy convincing Chopper to use his Walk Point to do some kind of obstacle course on the outskirts of town. Luffy seems convinced that there was a prize he didn’t receive, while Usopp insists that massive glory was on the line. In any case, the Marines saw, the Marines gave chase, and Luffy punched at least one Marine in the face.
Once they’re safely away from the island and Zoro can escape the scolding that Nami is giving the rest of the boys, he goes to find Sanji in the galley. He has some vague idea to at least still get to eat their lunches together, but the cook is clearly not in the mood anymore.
“I can’t believe we didn’t get the shopping done,” Sanji moans. He paces back and forth across the kitchen, lighting a cigarette that disappears in a few long drags.
“We just stopped at that last island,” Zoro huffs. “It’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know that!” Sanji snaps, tapping a foot, heel to toe and back, on the floor in a very familiar way.
It won’t matter what Zoro says now. He steadies himself to block a kick, happy enough to brawl with Sanji for a while. It’s almost as good as a date, even if Zoro has learned not to try to steal time away from resupplying. He’ll have to figure out a different way to work some private time together into their routine.
[3]
Water 7 would have been a nice place for a date, if not for - well, everything. The whole place is the kind of maze that even Luffy wouldn’t have been able to find them in, and all full of odd little restaurants that draw Sanji’s eyes, his gaze lingering as they pass each tiny hole in the wall wafting delicious smells out over the canals. Zoro doesn’t doubt that the most perfect, fancy restaurant is waiting right around the corner, the type of place that would make his skin crawl but have Sanji mooning over every detail. But there’s no chance to look, not with Usopp running off and getting beat up, trying to find someone to fix Merry, and Robin vanishing.
Zoro is pissed when Sanji runs off too, but he can’t exactly blame him. He would probably have done the same thing, so there’s no point in letting anyone know he was worried. Much like there’s no reason to argue with Sogeking, as if that isn’t completely obvious. It all leaves Zoro itching for a good fight, and he’s sure these CP9 agents will give him one.
At any rate, for the majority of their time in Water 7 and the surrounding area, Zoro is not thinking about dates. By the time they get Robin back and return to the city, going out on the town is the last thing on his mind. But everyone is either catching up on some much-needed rest, or hovering over Franky as he works on their new ship, so for once, even Luffy isn’t nagging Sanji for snacks every hour. It’s a rare opportunity to slip away.
He finds Sanji outside, sitting on the lawn of Galley-La’s new office. There’s a notebook open in his lap, pages full of the cook’s scrawly handwriting, but Sanji is looking out at the shipbuilding dock, or maybe the ocean beyond. When Zoro approaches, Sanji glances his way, but doesn’t move.
“Would you -” Zoro swallows hard against the sudden dryness in his throat, and starts over. “Wanna get out of here for a bit, curls?”
Now Sanji shifts, looking over his shoulder at the Galley-La headquarters, and up at the city spiraling above them. “Just you and me?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure. Maybe I’ll even treat you to lunch, since I know you don’t have any money,” Sanji says, winking at Zoro as he gets to his feet.
“Shut up,” Zoro grumbles.
“I know you won’t want to go anywhere fancy”, Sanji muses, clearly ignoring him, “but there was a plaza we passed that first day, with all kinds of street food vendors. Might be nice for a date. How’s that sound, mossy?”
“Fine,” Zoro says, instead of something sappy, like perfect, I would do anything with you.
Sanji knocks their shoulders together with a small smile, and leads the way around the building. A few seabirds wheel over them, and Zoro takes a deep breath. They should be able to keep out of trouble for a few hours, at least long enough to finally spend some time together.
“Where are you going!” a small voice wails, and Zoro winces, all his hopes of getting to do something stupid and mushy with Sanji flying out of his head. He turns to see Chopper scurrying out of the building behind them, tears already welling up in his wide eyes.
“Nowhere,” Sanji deflects. Unconvincingly.
“You’re clearly going somewhere,” Chopper whines, coming up to put a small hoof on each of them. “Don’t leave!”
“We’re not leaving forever,” Zoro mutters, but there’s nothing for it.
Chopper’s lip begins to tremble. “No one else can leave!”
Sanji exchanges a desperate look with him over the reindeer’s head. “Look, Chopper, we’re just - we’re not - it’s -”
“You are trying to leave!” Chopper sobs.
Zoro throws a frantic glance at the door. If Chopper gets any louder, someone else will come see what’s going on, and then they’re definitely not going to get to go out.
“Why don’t you come with us,” Zoro blurts, already giving Sanji an apologetic grimace. “Then you’ll know we’re coming right back.”
Perking up immediately, Chopper gives them both a starry-eyed grin. “Really?! Where are we going?”
Zoro melts, and he can see Sanji doing the same. “We were just going to walk around a bit, see the city.”
“Can we get a snack? I saw a bunch of gelato stands the other day, before…” Chopper’s expression wobbles again.
“Definitely,” Sanji says, cutting in with the same frazzled conciliation Zoro is feeling. “We’ll find the best gelato in Water 7.”
“That won’t make me happy, you bastards!” Chopper says, with an excited wiggle.
They each take one of his hooves, and Zoro gives Sanji a rueful smile. “What if we can find you cotton-candy flavor?”
The idea apparently leaves Chopper too excited to speak. Sanji snickers as they make their way into the warren of streets, and Zoro relaxes. Not what he planned, but it’ll be good to spend some time with Chopper. Poor kid obviously needs the reassurance; it’s not exactly what Zoro went though, but he gets not wanting anyone else to leave. No one is talking about Usopp, or fucking Sogeking.
“I still want a real lunch,” Zoro warns Sanji, who only rolls his eyes at him.
“Gelato isn’t a meal, idiot. Of course we’re still getting lunch.”
“Should we go back and bring the others?” Chopper asks.
“Maybe we’ll bring something back for them,” Saji hastily says. “Come on, Chopper, want to ride one of the gondolas for a while?”
Chopper does, and he gets into a discussion with the yagura while they float to their destination. Zoro leans back in the boat and enjoys the ride, with Sanji beside him, their legs subtly touching from hip to knee. He can think of much worse ways to spend an afternoon.
[4]
If they can’t have a date off the ship, then they might as well try to have one on it. The Thousand Sunny is a lot bigger than Merry was, and all of the crew have their own workshops or favorite places already - the workout room in the crow’s nest is a dream come true. It’s only been a few days, but Zoro doesn’t feel like he’s tripping over them unless he wants to, so maybe, no one will notice if he and the cook vanish for an hour or two.
It’s something to try, at least. Zoro rinses off after his reps, waves at Franky and Usopp as they chatter about something on the lawn, and tries not to make it look like he’s headed toward the galley for any particular reason.
“What do you want,” Sanji says as he walks in, completely failing to put any bite into the question. He’s head and shoulders inside a cupboard, reorganizing his new kitchen for what must be the third or fourth time.
“You’ve still got that big, fish dictionary, or whatever, right?”
A thump, and Sanji’s head pops up above the counter. “Fish dictionary?”
“You know what I’m talking about,” Zoro impatiently says. “That big book.”
“I do,” Sanji replies, eyes narrowing, “but I won’t lend it to you. Who knows what you’d do to it.”
Zoro makes a face. No, he has no interest in borrowing Sanji’s book, even if the cook would let him. “Do you think it has any of the stuff we’ve caught for the aquarium in it?”
Fishing for the aquarium has been a popular addition to activities during the long hours of sailing. Luffy and Usopp seem determined to fill the damn thing to the brim, and even Sanji waffles between sending a catch to the aquarium or the refrigerator. At the rate everyone has been fishing, both are stuffed.
“Where are you going with this, marimo?”
“Thought you might like to bring your book down to the bar and tell me about ‘em. Could be nice. Quiet.”
Still suspicious, Sanji finally stands up to look at him. “You don’t care about fish.”
“Nah.” Zoro shrugs. “But I like how much you do.”
The cook is quiet for long enough that Zoro starts wondering if something has gone horribly wrong. Then he sees that Sanji is blushing a furious red - possibly literally furious, Zoro can’t quite tell.
“Damn it,” Sanji grumbles, voice wobbling a little. “Every time you do something so stupid or gross and I start wondering what I could possibly see in you, you say something like this out of nowhere.”
“Okay? Do you want to go down to the aquarium bar or not, love-cook?”
“Of course I do,” Sanji snaps. “And can we - I want to cuddle.”
Zoro doesn’t know why Sanji is giving him such a defiant look about that; he always wants to get his hands on the cook, one way or another. “Sure. Let’s do that.”
“Meet you down there? I’ll just go get the book,” Sanji suggests, still brilliantly red all across his cheeks.
“And a drink?” Zoro hopefully asks.
“Drunkard marimo,” Sanji chides. “Fine. And a drink. But we’re going to share, so if you drink it all, I’ll throw you in the tank to keep the fish company.”
Zoro nods, and tries to keep the grin off his face as he heads out of the galley and down to the bar. It’s dim and quiet in the belly of the ship, with just the blue light filtering through the aquarium and the faint sounds of water from inside and out. Taking a deep breath, Zoro picks a spot on the sofa wrapping around the space, and tamps down on his impatience.
His almost-meditation is broken by the door slamming open, and the entire crew piling into the room. A sheepish Sanji follows them in, and Zoro resists the urge to slam his face into the glass.
“Careful there, Luffy-bro!” Franky exclaims. “Sunny’s a tough girl, but don’t go breaking the doors off their hinges!”
“Shishishi! You and Usopp can just fix it!”
“That’s exactly what we don’t want to do,” Usopp whines. “Can’t we try not to break anything for a while?”
“Keep dreaming,” Nami dryly answers. “Just remember, anyone breaks anything, and the cost of repairs is going on your debt.”
Robin just laughs, and Chopper barrels across the room to Zoro, leaping up onto the cushions beside him. Luffy runs around the room, peering into the aquarium at intervals, as the rest of the crew sit more sedately.
“Sanji said you asked about some of the fish,” Robin says, giving Zoro one of her infuriatingly knowing little smiles. “Luffy wanted to know too, and the rest of us decided it would be nice to get out of the sun and spend some time together.”
Behind her, Sanji gives a helpless shrug. He’s got that book tucked under one arm, and an entire tray of fancy glasses balanced on the opposite hand.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us, Zoro,” Luffy says, landing with a bounce on the cushions on Zoro’s other side. “I want to know what the fish I caught are! And what they’ll taste like!”
“We aren’t going to eat all of them, are we?” Usopp asks, looking over from where he’s stopped in front of a few bright, silvery fish with long trailing fins.
“Well, not that,” Sanji says, pointing to a knobbly, bug-eyed thing Zoro can barely call a fish. “Those are practically all cartilage. Wouldn’t have any nutritional value.”
“How about this one?” Nami looks more interested in the cocktail she helps herself to off of Sanji’s tray, but he starts leafing through his book immediately.
As everyone else finds their drinks, Sanji holds his book up to the glass, where an illustration clearly matches the sleek red fish Nami pointed out. “Excellent taste, mellorine! I’ll make you whatever you want - this fish is a delicacy!”
Rolling his eyes, Zoro pours himself a cup of the sake Sanji heated up for him. The rest of the crew are all turned to the cook like flowers toward the sun, talking over one another as they try to get him to name their fish or plan their favorite seafood meal. Sanji lights up the room, grinning with unselfconscious enthusiasm as he pages through that book.
Zoro will want a rain check on those cuddles, but he does love seeing Sanji so passionate, and the sake is good. He’ll just have to give curly-brows shit later about not managing to sneak away like they planned.
[5]
“Nothing happened?” Sanji hisses, not for the first time. Zoro has lost count. “Nothing happened? I should kill you myself, you stupid, selfish, selfless -”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Zoro says, as mildly as he can. If he tips the cook over into physical rage, Sanji might actually kill him, and not on purpose. Zoro’s ribs don’t feel too good, not that he’ll admit as much out loud. He wants Chopper to let him out of the infirmary sometime this century, after all.
“What were you thinking?!”
“I had to do it,” Zoro insists. “He would’ve killed you, cook.”
“He almost killed you!” Sanji paces the few steps back and forth across the infirmary, pulling at his hair. “And don’t act like you’re stronger than me, if you survived that then I would’ve too, so just shut up -”
“You shut up,” Zoro growls. He doesn’t know how to explain it, doesn’t think he should put it into words, but he knows Sanji wasn’t planning to survive. Intent isn’t everything, but in moments like that, on the razor’s edge of life and death, it might be the feather that tips the scales. Zoro shakes his head. He definitely can’t say that out loud. If nothing else, Sanji will tear him a new one for mixing his metaphors. “I wasn’t gonna die.”
“You couldn’t have known that,” Sanji says. Much more quietly.
“No,” Zoro admits, “but I wasn’t going to let him just kill you, or Luffy.”
“And who says that’s your decision, huh? Pretty big-headed of you, isn’t it, to decide who lives and dies?”
“Who says it’s yours?”
Sanji grimaces at him, expression torn between rage and fear and relief, the same emotions roiling within Zoro. “This is stupid.”
“You started it.”
“You -”
“C’mere,” Zoro interrupts, patting the edge of his bed. The damn cook scowls and paces a bit more, but eventually sits, perched like he’s afraid to breathe too hard next to Zoro. Reaching for him is more of a strain than Zoro will admit, but he manages to pull Sanji down and press their foreheads together. For a few moments, the rest of the world fades away.
“I can’t deal with you right now,” Sanji chokes out, tearing himself away and hiding his face. “Do what Chopper tells you, idiot. I’ll bring you dinner later.”
All Zoro can do is sigh, and watch Sanji walk away. The cook will come around; he always does, even if this feels like a more serious fight than they’ve ever had.
It takes longer than Zoro expects, though. For days, Sanji avoids being alone with him for longer than necessary, and gets that conflicted look on his face whenever he thinks Zoro isn’t paying attention. Zoro doesn’t exactly want to talk about it, but he does wish that Sanji would just tell him what the problem is already. Or, well, since he’s pretty sure he knows what the problem is, he wishes the shitty cook would just do something to indicate whether they need to talk, or if they can just get over it. Usually, Zoro would just pick a fight and work the tension out that way, but his ribs are still alarmingly tender, and Chopper is watching him like a hawk.
This state of affairs lasts until they reach the waters around Sabaody Archipelago. After the initial excitement of Camie’s appearance, Zoro can see all too clearly that they’re not going to have a calm moment until all this business with slavers is done with, so he gives up on waiting and drags Sanji aside while they head toward the islands.
“Do we need to talk?” he demands.
“Is now the time for this?” Sanji shoots back.
“As if you’ll find time for it later.”
“Time for what.” Sanji mutters. “We don’t need to talk. What would be the point?”
“You know I trust you,” Zoro challenges.
“Yeah,” Sanji reluctantly says.
“You know the crew relies on you.”
“Yeah.”
“You know they need you.”
“Yeah.”
“You know I need you,” Zoro presses.
Sanji hesitates.
“I do. You and I, we’re - we do this together. I don’t want to do it with anyone else. You can’t go throwing your life away. And I won’t either!” Zoro insists, raising a hand to forestall whatever is about to come out of Sanji’s open mouth. “We both do what we have to do, and I knew what I had to do, when you started walking toward that Warlord, wobbling like a baby deer. Shut up, you know it’s true. I don’t regret my choices, but I’m - I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Who was scared,” Sanji sniffles.
“I’m sorry you felt like I didn’t think you were strong enough.”
“Shut up.” Sanji wipes his eyes, trying to act like he’s smoothing his hair or something. “I’m sorry too, okay?”
“I forgive you,” Zoro magnanimously says.
“Bastard.”
“We okay?”
Sanji nods. Zoro takes a full breath for what feels like the first time since he woke up.
“Then, do you want to do something, if we have the time…?”
“You still want to go on a date, after all this?” Sanji asks. His incredulous expression isn’t as poignant as usual, with his reddened eyes.
“Unless you’re still too mad at me,” Zoro says, determinedly not pouting about it. He’s pissed too, but he knows they can get through this, if the damn cook will stop moping.
“I’m not - well, I am, I guess,” Sanji sighs.
“I would do the same thing again.”
“I know, you bastard. And you weren’t wrong, it’s just - I can’t -”
“You think I can?” Zoro interrupts. Nonsensical as the conversation is, he thinks they’re understanding each other. Sanji didn’t like Zoro taking the choice away from him, but does he think Zoro would be any more able to sit back and watch one of the crew face almost-certain death?
“No, I know, and I wouldn’t respect you if you could, so it’s - we’re fine, marimo. We’re good. And yes, I want to go on a date with you, if we can.”
Zoro grins, and Sanji gives him a watery smile in return. “We deserve it, don’t you think?”
“We absolutely do,” Sanji groans, and Zoro feels confident enough to pull him close, planting a kiss on his cheek. He gets some hair in his mouth, but it’s worth it for the way Sanji splutters and blushes. Dropping his head to the cook’s shoulder, Zoro lets out a pleased sigh, and feels like he could stay just like this for the rest of the day when Sanji’s hand comes up to stroke the back of his neck.
Of course, that’s when Luffy starts yelling again, and they have to get back to business. The action doesn’t stop as they rattle from one part of the archipelago to another, fish-riding gangs and slave auctions and bubbles everywhere, until Zoro sees something that makes his heart drop through his stomach.
One Bartholomew Kuma was bad enough, but this many…? The fragile hope Zoro was cultivating shatters to pieces, and he’s horribly conscious of the twinge in his ribs as he draws his swords. All he can hear is the others screaming, Sanji’s voice cutting through the rest yelling at him to run -
A too-fast swipe of Kuma’s paw, and that’s it. Zoro doesn’t even have a chance to look for Sanji, for a last glimpse of his face, before everything vanishes.
They still haven’t gotten to go on a date, and now maybe they never will.
[*]
Zoro never had a sister, and now, knowing Perona, he’s happy not to. She’s always there, interrupting his training, asking Mihawk frivolous questions when they could be talking about training instead, phasing through the wall of his room to sit on his bed when he’s sulking about training not progressing as quickly as he hoped.
Actually, he doesn’t mind that too much - the solitude is crushing, in the dark cold of the castle, especially when he’s missing his crew, all too conscious of how long two years is. If only Perona didn’t want to talk all the time.
“Horohorohoro! You never got to go on a date?!”
And she has a supernatural ability to tease Zoro’s secrets out of him, the more embarrassing, the better.
“This is none of your business,” Zoro tells her - too little, too late.
Perona just keeps laughing, kicking her red patent heels on top of Zoro’s bedspread. The sound drives some of the gloom away, replacing it with irritation.
“He must really like you, if he’s willing to put up with all that,” she snickers.
“... you think so?”
“I know so,” Perona declares, turning her head to stare at Zoro with those big, dark eyes of hers. It’s a little creepy, but somehow encouraging all the same. “I sure wouldn’t keep trying after all those fuck-ups unless I was soooooo in love.”
Zoro chokes on air. Love? In love? That’s - well, now that the word is out in the open, he doesn’t actually disagree. In fact, as it settles into his mind, it starts to feel really right.
“Huh.”
“You are so boring,” Perona sighs.
“And you’re so annoying.”
She sticks her tongue out at him, and Zoro slaps the back of his hand against the bedding near her shoulder, making her shriek. It’s a little like roughhousing with Luffy and bickering with Nami at the same time.
“You really think -”
“You don’t think he loves you?” Perona asks. “Do you love him?”
Just thinking about the question makes Zoro feel hot and squirmy. Good, like a nap in the sun, or the burn of working his muscles, but nervous too.
“That’s a big question.”
“For your big, dumb feelings,” Perona agrees, giggling a little. “You don’t have to say it. So not cute, but it’s all over your face anyway.”
If it’s so obvious, Zoro wonders if Sanji knows. Somehow, he guesses the love-cook might not be so on top of recognizing the real thing. At least Zoro’s got plenty of time to figure out how to break the news to him.
[+1]
Zoro returns to Sabaody Archipelago early. He checks in with Shakky, finds that no one else has made it back yet, and goes out to explore the nearby groves, with Perona’s infuriating advice echoing in his head - dress up a little, wash your face, find something romantic to do, no not some dive bar, you heathen, look for a nice restaurant or something, Sabaody is a civilized place.
Sabaody is a strange place, is what it is; all these little islands with their enormous trees, shifting around in new and confusing configurations every time Zoro goes out. He’s well sick of it by the time the reunion date Luffy chose arrives, and also pretty sick of waiting. Just like the cook to take so damn long to get here when Zoro is so eager to see him. It’s giving Zoro way too much time to overthink things, and now he doesn’t even have Perona to interrupt his train of thought.
What does Sanji even like? Sometimes Zoro is half-convinced he dreamed him up, except that there’s no way he could have come up with someone as contradictory as the cook. He never would have imagined falling in love with the man, either. Before Sanji, the subject never crossed his mind.
He’s not going to get anywhere drinking himself into oblivion at Shakky’s, or wandering the groves trying to stumble across inspiration. Might as well do something familiar, something useful, and if there’s one thing Zoro knows the cook likes, it’s a well-stocked kitchen. Catching a few fish will be a good use of his time. He can just dump anything he catches into the Sunny’s aquarium, maybe casually let it drop that he thought to restock a bit, if the cook asks.
It’s a good plan! It’s not Zoro’s fault that the old fisherman gave vague directions! Anyone could make this mistake, there’s no reason for everyone to be giving him those shocked and horrified looks - as if he’d let these other halfwit pirates kidnap him, when he’s so close to reuniting with his crew. It’s just a shame he didn’t actually get a chance to catch any fish.
Of course, this moment - dripping wet, surrounded by screams, definitely attracting the exact unwanted attention he was warned to avoid - is when Zoro first sees Sanji again. He stumbles a little, unable to take his eyes off of that familiar black-clad silhouette as he tries to catalog the differences, and then it’s like no time has passed at all. They fall right back into their usual patterns, arguing in a way that energizes Zoro like nothing else as the Pacifistas appear again.
This time is different. Zoro knew it would be; he’s been looking forward to this rematch, but it’s even better than he imagined as he and Sanji tear through the replicas like wet paper, fighting with as much synchrony as ever despite the time apart. Catching the cook’s eye - and Zoro is already stocking up on insults related to finding out that Sanji’s eyebrows curl in the same direction - they exchange exhilarated grins, and Zoro knows that no matter how much time has passed, nothing important has changed.
“Learned some new tricks there, curls?” Zoro calls, instead of letting on just how impressed he is when Sanji launches himself up and starts walking on thin air.
“Not so bad yourself,” Sanji whistles, staring at a gash in the earth after Zoro drives back one of the Pacifistas, “but I’m looking forward to kicking your ass later, mossy.”
“As if! These losers aren’t even a challenge anymore,” Zoro boasts, enjoying the way Sanji rolls his eyes.
“We’ll see about that,” Sanji says. Another Pacifista crashes to the ground near Zoro’s feet, and the tide of battle sweeps them along for the ride.
All in all, it’s not exactly the reunion Zoro was planning for, but it’s what he should have expected. As the crew gather on Sunny, they all get to show off some new skills, and Zoro is struck by how much they’ve all grown. New knowledge, new strength, in Franky’s case entirely new limbs. The New World won’t know what hit it.
Luffy’s inescapable hugs feel the same, though, and that’s more of a relief than Zoro expected. He tunes out most of Nami and Franky’s explanation of the process for getting down to Fishman Island, only really paying attention as Franky prepares them to descend and Nami tells them to raise the sail.
“Let’s go!” Luffy shouts.
Just like that, a filmy, iridescent bubble envelopes the ship, and they sink into the ocean. Zoro stares at the water around them with one hand on his swords at first, half-convinced that the coating will break and he’ll have to start rescuing hammers, but everything seems to be working as expected.
It’s like the Thousand Sunny’s aquarium bar, except the ocean extends out of sight in every direction, fish and sea kings and things Zoro doesn’t know how to describe swimming in and out of the darkness around them. After a few minutes of gawking, everyone seems to settle down, and really realize that they’re together again. Chopper isn’t the only one crying, but he’s definitely the loudest.
Zoro finally lets himself really focus on Sanji. He’s still a little mussed from all the excitement, just the way Zoro likes best, with his hair out of place and the lapels of his suit slightly off-center. Zoro’s eye trails over the rest of the suit, the familiar lines even sharper than usual over the cook’s broader shoulders. He looks good, and Zoro can only hope the cook is thinking the same about him.
When he looks up, there are two spots of color high on Sanji’s cheeks as his gaze slides up and down Zoro’s body, maybe lingering at the open drape of his robe. Hopefully lingering. Zoro thought the damn love-cook might like that, when Perona helped him pick it out. Raising an eyebrow, Zoro meets Sanji’s eye, and the cook jumps.
“What happened to your face?” Sanji blusters.
“What happened to yours?” Zoro retorts, swirling a finger in the vicinity of his eyebrow.
Off to the side, Luffy snickers and Nami gives an exasperated sigh as Sanji strides forward to get in Zoro’s face. Zoro smirks, welcoming the electricity snapping between them. The cook still carries the smell of cigarettes, but Zoro thinks he’s wearing a new cologne, something with a surprising hint of sweetness under the musk. Sanji starts to open his mouth, tapping the toe of one of his polished shoes on the deck, and Zoro -
Opens his first. He doesn’t think about it, just says it, the first, most important thing that comes to mind.
“Marry me.”
Sanji freezes. The crew freezes. Zoro freezes. He had so many plans, damn it, so many scenarios he and Perona talked out in the dark of Mihawk’s gloomy castle. Smooth, romantic lines. Thoughtful gestures. Strategies for the perfect date, someday, the ideal intimate moment to pop this question.
“Are you two together?!” Usopp shrieks.
“Yes!” Zoro snaps.
“Like, dating?” Luffy asks.
“Maybe if you all didn’t interrupt every time,” Sanji says, and twitches, like he’s startled by his own voice.
“Every time?” Robin clarifies, with an expression of mild interest that makes Zoro feel like his skin is full of bees.
“Well, I’m not blaming you, my angel -”
“I thought it would make you morons tell the rest of us,” Nami says, sharing a sidelong expression with Robin.
“You knew?” Zoro growls.
“Ohoho! I thought everyone knew, from the moment I joined!” Brook exclaims. “It was so plain to see, and I don’t even have eyes!”
Sanji wobbles on his feet, going pale, and Chopper scurries to his side. “Careful! Do you feel faint? Do you need a doctor?!”
“You’re the doctor, little bro,” Franky laughs, giving Zoro a clap on the shoulder that nearly sends him reeling. “But this is SUPER, guys! We’ll throw an awesome bachelor party!”
“Shouldn’t they have separate bachelor parties?” Usopp asks.
“TWO parties? Even better!” Luffy yells. “Sanji, will you make barbecue?”
“For his own party? I guess he wouldn’t let anyone else do it,” Nami mutters, too quietly for the cook to catch with Luffy cheering in his ear.
“There won’t be a party at all if I don’t get an answer!” Zoro interrupts, voice sounding higher than normal to his own ears.
Everyone goes quiet. Zoro and Sanji stare at each other.
“I can’t believe you’re proposing before we’ve even had a first date,” Sanji says, voice cracking in the middle.
“I don’t need that,” Zoro tells him. “I only need you.”
“Aww,” Nami coos. Sanji turns entirely red, and puts a hand over his mouth as an embarrassing noise escapes.
“Besides,” Zoro adds, glaring at the witch, “this is more realistic, isn’t it?”
Usopp snickers, and cowers behind Franky as Zoro’s glare turns on him. Sanji laughs.
“I guess that’s true,” the cook says. He sounds a touch hysterical, but he’s smiling as he lowers his hand, so Zoro feels like his chances aren’t zero despite the circus this has turned into. “What could a few dates tell us that we don’t already know about each other, anyway?”
“You haven’t broken up with me yet,” Zoro tries to joke.
“I’m not planning to,” Sanji tells him.
“Wahoo!” Luffy yells. “Then are we having those parties?”
Zoro’s heart feels like it’s going to jackrabbit right out of his chest. A few pale hands materialize in a flurry of petals to hold Luffy back, and he shoots Robin a grateful glance. “Is that a yes, shit-cook?”
“Yes,” Sanji says, and Zoro’s head goes dizzy with relief. He leans into Sanji as the cook’s hands come up to cup his face, and the cheering from the rest of their crew fades away.
“I love you, you know,” Zoro murmurs, just for Sanji’s ears, in the moment before their lips touch. The cook makes a strangled noise and knocks their noses together. Zoro thinks he hears someone snigger, and vows to kill them. Later. When he’s done kissing Sanji.
Which is all too soon, because Robin apparently gets bored of trying to restrain their captain, and Luffy crashes into the two of them, making their teeth clack together and Sanji curse. Thumbing his stinging lip, Zoro frowns at Luffy, and can’t even bring himself to chastise him. He looks too damn happy, and as reality returns, Zoro sees that the entire crew is grinning at them.
“You’ll get that barbecue,” Sanji says, before Luffy can ask, “but you’ll let Zoro and I have some damn privacy once in a while, got that, shitty captain?”
Zoro starts to laugh, and finds he can’t stop. For a moment, Sanji looks offended, then a smile cracks across his face, and he joins in, the two of them leaning on one another for support. Zoro thinks that maybe, he shouldn’t have bothered with all of that planning and pining; he wouldn’t have this moment any other way. At least it gave him and Perona something to talk about all those months.
“I love you too, shitty marimo,” Sanji says, in between peals of laughter, “but this might have been the worst proposal ever. Do you even have a ring?”
“Was not,” Zoro snickers. “Said yes, didn’t you? And you know what? I do have a ring. But see if I give it to you now.”
He’s spent too much time imagining sliding the gleaming silver band he and Perona found in one of the castle’s dusty basements onto Sanji’s finger to go through with the threat, but the look of outrage on Sanji’s face is worth at least saying it. He’s not going to stop teasing the cook just because they’re engaged.
“I have one too, actually,” Sanji murmurs in his ear, making Zoro shiver. “I can’t believe you beat me to it.”
That only makes Zoro laugh harder. They really are a perfect match.