Chapter Text
It was only October when the snow began to fall on New York, albeit it didn’t stay on the ground. White flakes of the cold that fell yet never stuck around long. However, in some parts of the world, the cold would never come.
Sanji Vinsmoke came from that side of the world. The warm side of San Francisco, California. It was when Sanji was only fifteen that his father, Judge Vinsmoke decided to move away from their hometown to a somewhat rural city in New York. The leading theory between Sanji and his eldest and only sister, Reiju, had to do with the death of their mother.
Sora Vinsmoke was a benevolent and merciful woman. Out of all five Vinsmoke children, Sanji bore the most resemblance to her. She had blonde hair like Sanji, and carried herself in a kind and graceful manner that Judge, and Sanji’s brothers lacked. After Sora’s passing, the Vinsmoke Estate became cruel. Judge would strike only Sanji and not his siblings due to Sanji's empathetic nature and love for a hobby deemed weak. Without Sora to protect him, his three brothers also began to partake in the ridicule of Sanji Vinsmoke.
Sanji eyed New York below him from the plane window. Almost en que, there was the sound of a ding that rang out over the speakers before the captain's voice appeared over the intercom.
“Our plane shall descend shortly, please begin to fold up your tray tables as we prepare to land” Sanji did as instructed and began to gather up his items, inspecting to make sure he hadn't lost anything. Exiting the airport for the first time sent a chill down his spine. Late October had brought a harsh cold and slight snowfall. The snow was light, and it didn’t stick, later in the year it might, but for now it disappears in the blink of an eye. While Sanji watched the snow fall, he wondered to himself if he could disappear in the blink of an eye like the snow. Maybe then, his father and brothers wouldn’t hate him like they do.
Judge Vinsmoke has properties and estates all around the United States. So the Vinsmokes had no issue finding a place to live. Sanji never really knew what his father did for work, nor the location of the estate. As the car from the airport began to move, Sanji began to admire the city and the people of it. As the sun completely set and twilight fell upon New York. There was still a hue of color in the sky, though muted from the snow clouds that littered New York.
The people in the city were quite assiduous. Each person was different and they all had their own story to tell. They all looked like dancers, all in distinctive movement and style. Though there was no performance, they only seemed to be moving for themselves. Sanji wondered what freedom was like. Freedom to do what he wanted without the fear of his brothers and the guilt of his father weighing him down. Sanji would’ved Grand Jeté’d to the moon without the pressure and guilt.
The snowfall began to subside as the Vinsmokes pulled into the Estate. They were no longer in the city, but they were not far from it. It was still in walking range. The estate was a pale white marble building with large arches and pillars. The greenery that lined the fence of the estate was dimly lit under the moonlight and property lights. The small beads of water from the snow reflected and caused a slight shimmer off of the leaves. The thoughts of what Judge did for work began to cross Sanji’s mind once more. He quickly snapped out of it however due to his brothers pestering him to stop holding them back and to move faster.
Entering the estate, Sanji was immediately redirected to the basement. Judge explained to him that there were only five bedrooms and his siblings and himself had already claimed them. Sanji, disappointed yet expectantly began to haul his stuff to the basement. He didn’t bring much. He brought only the essentials with one exception.
His blue dance bag.
Sanji had always been a dancer, it was the one thing he loved most in the world, next to cooking. He especially loved ballet. Maybe it was because that’s what he was trained in the most. Or maybe it’s being able to flow through the music during variations and really work on technique because ballet is something Sanji truly adores. Dance in particular has always expressed itself through Sanji too. The way his posture always remained perfect, like his vertebrates stacking on top of each other to form a perfect straight line, or it was the way his arm and leg muscles were incredibly toned, or it was the way that he was easily more flexible than anyone he knew.
Sanji mostly did ballet. Despite working in other styles, ballet is where he thrived. Sanji also managed to gain himself a reputation on the West Coast. He would sneak out and attend dance conventions and competitions as a solo. Sanji just wanted an outlet to freely move his body, and to perform for others. When Sanji competed, he didn’t compete with ballet. He competed with his true intentions and feelings. Movement that he let loose on. Movement that stopped trying to look good. He never expected to win competitions like these, however he did. Nobody knew which studio he was from, which only raised his reputation among competitive dancers. Some admired him, and others were jealous. They began to bully Sanji. How come he won? He always wins. Does he just improvise on stage?
When the bullying got bad, Sanji gave up on competition dancing. He hated to step aside from one of the only things that gave him a sense of bliss. Sanji vowed to train even harder from that day on. He would be the best ballet dancer in the world, and he would do anything to get there.
By the time Sanji is done dwelling on that thought, his basement bedroom is all set up. The basement is cold with only a mattress on a bedframe. Sanji had brought blankets and pillows to cover the bed, but upon further inspection, he realized the basement had a few windows, there was also an old television and a desk. Though it was cold, the floor was carpeted and Sanji believed he could make the most of this. Sanji decided on two goals for himself now that he is starting fresh in New York.
His first goal was to get a job.
…Or just a stable form of income.
His second goal was to dance again.
Find a new studio, and Sanji made a vow to himself. No matter what happens, he will not repeat what happened in California. He will always push himself to strive, and he will not compete unless he is with his studio. Sanji didn’t like dwelling on the matter. He decided he would get some sleep, especially after a long flight.
—
Sanji arose to the sound of two of his brothers, Niji and Ichihi arguing over breakfast. Sanji was still exhausted from the flight. He made the decision to slip out of the house as quietly as possible to explore the city whilst the others were occupied with breakfast. Sanji decided to wear a pair of bleach stained jeans and a hoodie. Nothing crazy fancy, however it still gave him a sense of warmth as they neared the coldest time of the year. The morning dew had created a wet glisten on a majority of surfaces. It was difficult to not slip on the grass if you weren’t careful. The sun was still rising over New York as Sanji got to witness the people of downtown begin their days. Some were rushing, presumably late. Others were on their morning jogs, and a few drunks in party outfits were blacked out on a bench. Sanji knew better than to judge anyone. He believes that everybody deserves a fair shot at life and what people did with their shots didn’t affect him.
As the sun reached its peak, Sanji began to feel the emptiness of his stomach settling in. He looked up and down the streets of the city, until he settled on a small restaurant nestled in the quietest corner of the city, away from all the traffic.
The restaurant was called “Baratie” and it seemed somewhat alive, despite the location and time. As Sanji walked in, he was greeted by a cheerful server who was happy to guide him to a seat. As he followed the server to her table, Sanji couldn’t help but notice a lot of ocean themed decor. The place was very old looking, the bar, tables, as well as the booths were made out of old darker wood. The place was dimly lit, only lit by wall lamps, and candles. As Sanji decided on what to order, he wondered about his classes that he was going to take at his new school. Sanji was in Advanced Placement classes on the West Coast. Did they do it differently here? Sanji decided on ordering their seafood boil after hearing the table next to him rave about it.
After Sanji placed the order, he stared down at the dark wooden table, tapping his finger on it. He wanted to get back to dancing. The seafood boil finally came and Sanji was thoroughly impressed. The boil reminded him of his mother. The way she always cooked for Sanji and the way she would always dance in the kitchen before she got sick. Her golden hair falling on her shoulders, and a smile that constantly brightened even the darkest hours. Sanji smiled bittersweetly at the memory. After she died, Judge began his reign, which Sanji still has visible markings from along his back.
Sanji finished the Seafood Boil and decided to give his compliments to the chef. By the time he left the restaurant, the sun had begun to set, leaving hues of purple, pink, and gold over the city. As Sanji slowly trekked home, he wondered to himself what would happen if he ran away from all of his problems and never looked back. What would his father do? Would he even notice? Or remember? Sanji will always remember. The marks on his back are permanent. But now Sanji’s in a new city, and he intends to hide his past for as long as he can.
By the time he reached the estate, the sun had fully set, he snuck around the back of the estate and entered through the secret family entrance that was buried in between the bushes. Sanji had scoped out the estate before he left. There were security cameras surrounding every inch of the marble building, however, one blind spot stayed open. As Sanji snuck crept in through the bathroom, he quietly made his way down to the basement only to almost blow his cover by screaming at the sight.
His eldest sister Reiju was on his bed, and she was not happy.
“Sanji. Where were you?” She spoke quietly, with a sense of kindness in her tone. Her pink hair was dimmed by the basement lighting, yet it was still vibrant like how it always is. Reiju stepped up to care for Sanji after their mother passed. She was the only one who actually did care.
“I was exploring… Please don’t tell father.” Sanji spewed out through hushed pleas.
Reiju gave him a sympathetic glance “I won’t, just don’t get caught. I’m sure father will lock you away.” With that, she got up and left the basement leaving Sanji to be by himself. As the cold hours of the night began to take over the warmth of the basement, Sanji decided to lay down. His body however had different plans. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, leaving only the glow of the moonlight spilling through the laundry window.
Now the thing with snow is that it can bury things for some time, but nothing stays hidden forever. When the spring comes and snow melts, it uncovers the truth, and true intentions. No matter how much you try to hide it, someone will always be nosy and figure it out anyway.