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Christmas Eve was one of the Baratie’s slower nights. With most of their regular customers home celebrating the holiday with their friends and family, it left their restaurant practically empty.
Sanji only had a few other line cooks and one waitress working with him, but that was more than enough to serve the gourmet food Baratie was known for to the few people who did show up.
There was nothing waiting for him back at his own apartment save the darkness and cold, so instead of dwelling on it he did his best to make sure his customers had a wonderful evening.
When the last one left and the doors were locked, he heaved a sigh of relief and turned to the rest of the staff.
“Emergency weather update,” the bar’s tv echoed through the restaurant, “Snowfall is expected to start at 10pm, escalating to blizzard conditions throughout the night. Everyone is advised to stay off the roads unless it’s an emergency.”
Sanji glanced down at his watch — 10pm on the dot — then looked out the window, where fat flurries were already starting to stick to the sidewalk, accumulating into small white mounds.
“Okay,” he frowned as he turned back to the staff, “You guys can head home. I’ll handle the rest here.”
“You sure?” Alicia, one of the line cooks, asked, “We don’t want to leave you to close by yourself.”
The rest of the staff grumbled in agreement, but Sanji assured them with a smile, “I’ll be fine. It’s Christmas Eve, you guys should be with your loved ones, not stuck cleaning a kitchen with me.”
“Are you really sure?” Francesco, the waiter, asked with a raised brow.
“Yeah,” Wyatt, the other line cook, frowned, “You sure you don’t want help?”
They had all spent the entire slow shift talking about their big holiday plans. Alicia’s girlfriend had a whole feast waiting for her at home, Francesco’s brother was home from college and he was excited to decorate the tree with him, and Wyatt was looking forward to their first Christmas away from their parents and with their partner.
Meanwhile all Sanji had was a dark, empty apartment waiting for him. His friends were already off celebrating with their own families, and even Zeff was taking a well deserved island vacation this year, leaving him all alone for Christmas.
Which was fine. He was glad his friends and father were having fun.
But just because he had to go through the holidays alone didn’t mean he had to condemn the rest of the staff to do the same.
“I’m sure,” he said as he waved them out the door, “Go on, go be merry. Have an eggnog on me if you still feel bad about it.”
That got a laugh out of them, and they all started gathering their coats, talking excitedly about their plans again as they made their way out the door.
Once they were gone, Sanji glanced around the empty restaurant, a heavy feeling sinking in his chest.
Not much he could do about it but get to work.
The closing took a bit longer than anticipated, and the snow was falling even heavier by the time he finally locked the place down and started on his way home.
Luckily he didn’t live very far from the Baratie, but even the block and a half walk felt like miles as he trudged through the thick snow. He shivered as he dug his hands further into his pockets, the snowflakes whirling around him, hitting his face with piercing stabs of cold and melting into cold slush in his boots as he continued on.
When he finally arrived at his building, he was surprised to see someone standing outside of it.
He paused, staring in disbelief at the green hair poking out from under his hat, at the steely gray gaze that he’d never forget as long as he lived, even with the missing eye.
“Zoro?” He asked, still not believing what his eyes were telling him. That his first boyfriend, his first love, was finally here after seven years.
Zoro gave him that same cocky smirk Sanji fell in love with years ago, his head tilting casually to the side like no time had passed since high school.
“Hey, Curls.”
Sanji’s first love had gone something like this.
He had realized sometime during his sophomore year of high school that he was bisexual about three seconds after realizing he was in love with his best friend, Zoro Roronoa.
About two seconds after that he decided to take his crush to the grave.
Zoro had big dreams after all, huge dreams. He was going to be the greatest swordsman in the world someday, had his sights set on a fancy school on the west coast that specialized in all things martial arts. And Sanji didn’t want to slow him down with his silly little feelings, didn’t want anything to keep Zoro from achieving everything he set his mind to, especially him.
Sanji had big dreams too, a fancy culinary school on the east coast being the first step to running his own restaurant and feeding everyone and anyone who came through his doors. Following Zoro just to pine after him wasn’t part of his agenda.
So, Sanji would keep his feelings secret. And he did a good job of it too, all the way to their senior year.
But then came Luffy’s holiday party.
“Alright,” Nami said as she held out the hat to Sanji, “Pick a name.”
Playing Seven Minutes in Heaven hadn’t been his idea. He had enthusiastically supported it when Nami suggested it — like he did all her brilliant ideas — but he wanted it on the record that the initial idea was not his. And if he was hoping to be trapped alone in the closet for a length of time with a certain someone, well, that was his secret.
All of their names were in the hat — he saw Nami carefully write them down and put them there. They were all friends, so while getting locked in a closet with them for a few minutes wasn’t the worst thing in the world, he knew there was only one he really wanted to kiss.
Not that he would kiss Zoro if it was him. Not that Zoro would let him.
Still, he couldn’t help his imagination sometimes.
His hand crept closer and closer to the hat, and he carefully placed it inside, digging around until he grasped the perfect one, holding it tight as he brought his hand back out and clutched the paper, his destiny well in hand.
He felt warm all over, certain that this was it. This is where the crossroads of his life diverged. The beginning of everything.
This had to be Zoro’s name.
He slowly unfolded the paper, and right there on the paper, in Nami’s neat handwriting, was Sanji.
“Uh,” he chuckled and showed the paper to his friends, “I picked me?”
“Whoops,” Nami laughed lightly, snatching the paper quickly out of his hand and tossed it back in the hat, shaking it almost violently as she remixed the names, “Can’t have you in the closet by yourself, that’s no fun.”
Sanji let out another little laugh, his eyes finding Zoro’s across the room. They were focused, locked onto Sanji and only Sanji, and he almost buckled at the intensity of his gaze.
“Here,” Nami offered him the hat, “try again.”
Sanji swallowed thickly, his eyes never leaving Zoro’s as he dipped his hand back into the hat and picked a new name.
Sure enough, this time the paper read his heart’s desire: Zoro.
Sanji’s eyes darted from Zoro’s name to Zoro’s face, excitement and fear filling him in equal measures.
“Wow, what an unexpected outcome!” Nami said as she and Usopp grabbed Zoro and Sanji’s arms and all but dragged them to the closet.
They shoved them inside before they could protest, and Nami stood in the doorway, blocking out the last bit of light.
“Remember the rules, boys,” she reminded them with a grin, “You have seven minutes in the closet together to do whatever you want. Anything goes — as long as you’re both okay with it — but we will be opening the door after seven minutes.”
“Good luck!” Usopp snickered from over her shoulder as the door was shut, plunging them into complete darkness.
Sanji gulped, keeping his eyes glued to the floor of the closet instead of looking at Zoro. He had hoped for this, wanted to be locked in the closet with his crush, but now that he was, he was too nervous to even consider doing anything with Zoro.
Zoro scoffed, and Sanji’s head shot up towards the sound, “What?”
“Nothing,” he scoffed again, “Just that this is stupid.”
“Stupid?” Sanji growled, all his pent up feelings towards Zoro surfacing as anger, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“They locked us in a closet for seven minutes,” Zoro answered lazily, “And we’re supposed to, what, kiss? It’s stupid.” And he added under his breath, “Like I’d ever kiss you.”
Sanji's foot kicked his head before he even realized he was moving.
“Like I’d ever kiss you either!” He snarled, “You exercise all the damn time and get so sweaty, and I know you only bathe once a week! Kissing you would be so disgusting!”
Zoro growled back, sitting up only to shove his shoulder into Sanji’s sternum, sending him sprawling to the ground.
“With how much you smoke, kissing you would be like kissing an ashtray!” Zoro shot back, “But at least the ashtray doesn’t talk back!”
“Oh yeah?” Sanji kicked at Zoro’s knee, sending him to the ground too, “I would rather kiss a frog than your moldy green ass!”
“Oh yeah?” Zoro snarled as he tackled Sanji, “I’d rather kiss a fireplace than your ashy mouth!”
“I bet you suck at kissing!” Sanji growled as he tried to shove him off, “I bet your lips are limp like a wet noodle!”
“I bet you’ve never kissed anyone in your life!” Zoro barked back, his hips shifting to pin Sanji’s legs down.
“What?” Sanji squawked, “I’ll have you know I am an expert-”
“Yeah, I bet your arm and the mirror don’t complain much.”
“You shitty…I could kiss circles around you!”
“Prove it!”
And before Sanji quite realized what was happening his mouth was on Zoro’s, and they were kissing.
Zoro’s lips were surprisingly soft, not at all like Sanji had imagined. He tasted a bit like steel, but mostly like mint and green tea, and he found he couldn’t get enough of it.
He let out a surprised little noise when Zoro buried his hand in his hair and deepened the kiss, his other arm wrapping around his waist to drag him off the floor and into his lap.
And oh, the reality of kissing Zoro was much better than anything he had imagined.
And he suddenly realized he was actually kissing Zoro. Like in real life.
They pulled apart slowly, their breaths mingling as they both tried to catch their breath. Sanji opened his eyes slowly to find Zoro right there, his eyes still closed and trembling slightly.
“I’m sorry,” Sanji said immediately, clenching his fists, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just…so suddenly…I-”
“Don’t,” Zoro cut him off, “Don’t apologize.”
His eyes cracked open, a smile slowly crossing his face, “Kissing you was even better than I imagined.”
Sanji’s face went hot so fast he was sure steam was coming out of him, “You’ve thought about kissing me?”
“Uh,” Zoro blushed a deep red as he cleared his throat and looked away, his hands falling off of Sanji and on to the floor, “I just, you know, maybe sometimes as a what if or — or something.”
Sanji placed his hand gently on Zoro’s, “I’ve thought about kissing you too.”
Something like hope shimmered in Zoro’s eyes, “Really?”
“Really,” Sanji laughed as he stroked his knuckles, “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think you were interested.”
Zoro grabbed his face, tilting his chin up so he was staring directly into his eyes, “I’m very interested.”
Sanji chuckled again, his other hand coming up to rest against Zoro’s on his face, “And, well, we’re graduating soon. I don’t want to slow you down. Your goals are too big for you to be tied down by me.”
“I don’t want to slow you down either,” Zoro said, his thumb rubbing his cheek, “Your goals are too important to be stopped by me. But we still have the rest of the year. We can be together for now and figure out the rest of it later.”
“Yeah…” Sanji smiled. Maybe he could have Zoro like this for now, and culinary school down the line. They’d have to say goodbye at that point anyway, so there was no reason they couldn’t indulge while they had the chance, “Yeah. We’ll figure it out later.”
He leaned forward and kissed Zoro again, letting his lips and his touch chase away any lingering worries.
Zoro surged forward, pushing Sanji back and pressing him up against the wall as he kissed him back. Sanji clutched his shoulders as he moved, doing his best to hold him as close as possible for as long as possible.
A light fell on them, but Sanji just closed his eyes tighter, wanting to stay in this moment with Zoro just a little longer.
“Okay, guys,” Usopp said from the doorway, "Your seven minutes are — oh what the hell?”
Zoro and Sanji finally broke apart, sending duel glares up at him.
“Do you mind?” Zoro growled, “We’re in the middle of something here.”
“Uh…” Usopp trailed off, but Nami cut him off with a quick, “Of course! Don’t mind us! You guys have fun…”
As she shut the door, Sanji heard her say, “Told you it would work. Now some of you owe me money.”
Sanji laughed, but was quickly pulled back into more important things, like kissing Zoro.
And for a while they were good. They were great even. Sanji didn’t think about their upcoming separation, and Zoro never mentioned it. Once summer ended and college rolled around, they shared a tearful goodbye and each went their own way.
Sanji hadn’t seen him since. He thought about him often, followed his career and rise through the swordsman ranks almost religiously, but he assumed that was it for the first and greatest love of his life.
That was, of course, until tonight.
“Hey, Curls.”
“Zoro…” Sanji can still barely believe his eyes. After all this time, Zoro was here in front of him, here and talking to him.
He'd missed him terribly in the time they'd been apart, but all that longing had melted away at the sight of him, like the snowflakes currently melting as they hit his cheeks.
“What…” Sanji took another shuffling step forward through the snow, “What are you doing here?”
“Been a while,” Zoro grinned that same grin that Sanji had fallen in love with all those years ago,“Thought I’d come see you.”
Sanji wanted to run to him, to throw his arms around him and hold him close again. But he held himself back, instead sparing him a soft smile that he hoped didn’t look too besotted.
Zoro was thinking about him, even after all this time. Zoro came to see him.
Still, “It’s Christmas Eve. You’ve been gone for so long. You should spend it with friends and family, people you care about.”
Zoro had known Luffy, Nami, and Usopp for much longer than he'd known Sanji. It had been a while since Zoro had come back, and it would make more sense for him to spend his holiday with them, especially if he wasn't going to be here for very long.
“Yeah,” Zoro said, his gaze never leaving Sanji as he stepped forward, “That’s why I came to see you.”
Sanji blushed at his words. Zoro’s face was red from the cold, his lips bright and puffy, and it would be so easy for him to just lean in and capture them for himself.
He held himself back. As much as Sanji would love to pick up right where they’d left off at the end of high school, seven years was a long time. Who knew what Zoro was actually doing here, or if he was even looking for that from Sanji, or from anyone for that matter.
Maybe he already had someone. Maybe Sanji had missed his chance.
But Zoro was here now with him, and he was determined to make the most of it.
A harsh chill blew past them, making them shiver as the snow kept falling around them in large clumps.
Zoro took a step forward, leaning into Sanji’s space, “Are you gonna let me in or what?”
And, well, it wasn't like Sanji had plans for the night, and it would be rude of him to leave him stranded out in a blizzard.
He smiled wider and nodded towards the building, “Would you like to come in?”
Zoro’s wide grin matched his own, “I thought you'd never ask.”
The apartment was just as cold and empty as Sanji had left it when he brought Zoro up. He quickly shucked off his outerwear and went about turning on the lights to make the place look a bit more homey.
“Sorry about the mess,” he called out as he scrambled through the living room, flicking on lamps and the string of Christmas lights he’d hung by the windows. They flickered a bit, but stayed on as he made his way back out to the foyer, “I've been too busy to clean, and wasn't expecting visitors, so-”
“It's fine,” Zoro chuckled as he pulled off his jacket, hanging it on the spare hook in the entryway next to Sanji’s, “You don't have to go out of your way to impress me.”
He smiled at him, and Sanji’s heart fluttered at the sight of it. He’d thought he’d gotten over Zoro ages ago, but all it took was that charming, sure smile and he was feeling like a teeanger in love for the first time again.
Zoro stepped further into the apartment — further into Sanji’s space — but continued past him into the living room.
“Where's Zeff?” He asked, looking around as if the old man would jump out behind any corner, “I'm kinda surprised you're not with him tonight.”
“He's on an island retreat,” Sanji said as he made his way to the kitchen, “His leg has been acting up. Had to force him on vacation for a couple weeks just to get him to stop and rest.”
Zoro laughed as he leaned on the island separating the kitchen from the living room, “I see you still take after him then.”
Sanji raises a quizzical brow, “Excuse me?”
“Working past ten on Christmas Eve?” Zoro nodded at the clock hanging in the kitchen, “That's Workaholic 101.”
Sanji scowled and glanced away to hide the blush, “Shut up. It's not that bad.”
“There are a hundred movies about how it is that bad, and completely against the Christmas spirit,” Zoro leaned a little closer, “Have you even eaten yet, or were you too busy feeding everyone else?”
Before Sanji could say anything, his stomach answered for him, letting out a loud gurgle to indicate just how empty it was, damn traitor.
“Shut up,” Sanji said as he turned to the kitchen proper and began preparations for a late dinner.
He had nothing much prepared since he’d only been planning on feeding himself, but now that Zoro was here he felt the urge to go all out and prepare a real Christmas Eve dinner. He could easily whip up enough shrimp fra diavolo for the two of them, since he already had the ingredients for it, and remembered that Zoro’s favorite had always been sushi and rice balls. A quick check in the fridge revealed he had the ingredients for those too, and he added that to the menu.
He started boiling water for the pasta and the rice and getting all the fish and vegetables out that he needed.
“Uh…”
He paused while setting up the cutting board to glance up at Zoro. His face was tinted pink as he watched Sanji carefully move about the kitchen.
“Can I help?”
Sanji’s first instinct was to refuse. Zoro was his guest, and he always did his best to make sure his guests were taken care of in his home. But Zoro looked so earnest, wanting to help him in any way he could.
“Sure,” Sanji said as he finished setting up the cutting board, “You can chop vegetables.”
Zoro grinned as if he’d won something and scrambled around the island into the kitchen.
Sanji laughed at his enthusiasm and handed him the knife, “Make sure to-”
“Slice them evenly,” Zoro finished for him as he grabbed the knife, “Yeah, I know how you like them.”
Sanji blushed, touched by the thought that Zoro remembered, and busied himself with getting the pasta, rice, and fish ready.
“So,” Zoro said when Sanji shifted from the stove-top to fileting fish, “You’re back at the Baratie, huh?”
“Oh, yeah,” Sanji frowned down at his fish, “It’s just for now.”
“I’ve heard the Baratie’s been doing well,” Zoro continued, “Everyone keeps tripping over themselves to give you guys praise, especially the sous chef.”
Pride swelled in him at his words, a grin spreading across his face as he kept working, “It’s a good staff, I’m lucky to have them.”
“They’re lucky to have you,” Zoro insisted, and Sanji took the compliment for what it was, “But how’d you end up back at the Baratie? Last I heard you were on some cooking world tour and working on your All Blue.”
Sanji paused for a moment, glancing over at him.
After college, he’d taken the time to travel around a bit, tasting new things and learning all kinds of cooking techniques, all in the service of opening his dream restaurant, All Blue, the restaurant that could cook anything in the world and never let someone leave hungry.
But life had gotten in the way. It took more than big ideals and a dream to open a restaurant, and when Zeff got into his accident Sanji rushed back home to help keep the Baratie afloat.
And with him helping as sous chef, the Baratie had become the premier gourmet food destination. Their programs to help end hunger in the city were praised and emulated across the country. Zeff had been able to relax for once in his life, letting Sanji take more responsibilities and gain experience that way, allowing Sanji to learn more about the business aspects of running a restaurant than he ever learned working there through high school.
“I was,” he admitted to Zoro as he turned back to his task, “But some things happened. Zeff got hurt, and the Baratie needed me.”
Overall Sanji hadn’t regretted his choice to return to the Baratie.
Still, while he did enjoy working there and helping it become the best it could be, it was and always will be Zeff’s dream restaurant. Something in the back of Sanji’s mind sometimes wondered when it’ll be his turn.
“I mean,” Zoro frowned as he focused on his chopping, “It’s good that you’re here and helping. But have you given up on All Blue?”
“No,” he answered immediately, “Never. I am going to make it, someday.”
“Good,” Zoro grinned at him, and Sanji’s stomach flipped at the sight of it, “The world needs All Blue, and you’re the only one who can do it.”
Sanji blushed, thrown by the sincerity of Zoro’s words, and returned his focus to the fish, “Thanks.”
“Not saying anything that isn’t true,” Zoro grunted, but when Sanji peeked over at him he noticed his ears were red.
“I’ve always liked your idea for All Blue,” he continued, softer this time, “Not just making food from all over but spreading everywhere too, making sure no one goes hungry. You were always so passionate when you talked about it, I couldn’t help but be just as enthralled with the idea as you were.”
He glanced over at Sanji again, his smile soft and his eyes gentle, “I can’t wait to eat there one day.”
Sanji’s heart fluttered as he smiled back, “I’ll save you a seat opening night.”
Zoro’s grin widened, and he presented Sanji with the perfectly cut vegetables, “What’s next?”
With Zoro’s help, the dinner was finished in no time at all. The two of them worked well together, moving completely in sync around the kitchen as Zoro followed his instructions to the letter. It reminded Sanji of high school, how he and Zoro were always the perfect team no matter what they were doing, and he was glad that despite the time apart they hadn’t lost a step, easily falling back into old habits.
They each made up a plate, and brought their food out to the living room to eat on the sofa.
Zoro immediately popped a piece of sushi in his mouth and moaned, “Just as good as I remember.”
Sanji smiled as he took his own bite of pasta, rolling it around his tongue as he appreciated the flavors. He enjoyed it more than he did anything he’d made at the restaurant earlier, and perhaps he can attribute that to his help and his company.
They ate in comfortable silence for a bit, just enjoying the food and each other.
Sanji kept taking quick glimpses of Zoro to take in how he had changed over the years. The scar on his eye was the most obvious change, but he was also broader now, more well defined muscles from what he could tell with his shirt in the way. His jaw was chiseled, his features more defined from the teenager in Sanji’s memories. Calluses and small scars littering his hands were a testament to how hard he'd worked to get where he was today.
He glanced over again only to find Zoro staring back at him. His cheeks quickly tinted pink, and he glanced away again, shoving a rice ball in his mouth.
Sanji chuckled as he stuffed rice into his cheeks like a chipmunk, and resisted the urge to poke at them.
“So what have you been up to?”
Zoro paused in his eating as he glanced back at him, “Training and bouts mostly.”
“That's it?”
“Well,” Zoro frowned, pushing the food around his plate, “Yeah, basically. Steadily climbing the sword ranks has taken up most of my time.”
“I've noticed,” Sanji said as he took a bite of pasta, swallowing it before continuing, “I've been following the rankings a bit.”
Zoro sat up, a smile spreading across his face, “You have?”
“Just a bit,” he flushed, not sure why he was so embarrassed that he was paying such close attention to Zoro’s career, “Just so when people talk about you, I can go ‘yeah, I know that idiot.’”
In truth, he had just missed Zoro, and seeing him getting closer and closer to his dream — even if Sanji wasn't with him — was as close to him as he felt he could get.
“I'm glad,” Zoro said much too softly, and Sanji shoveled down another mouthful of pasta to hide his blush.
“I managed to come out on top all four years in the college leagues,” Zoro continued, “After that I immediately went pro, and now I've finally made it to number two, just behind Mihawk. It's taken a lot of hard work, and it hasn't left me time for much else.”
“Really?” Sanji couldn't help but ask, “No boyfriend? Or anyone special in your life?”
“No,” Zoro shook his head, his gaze meeting Sanji’s, “Haven't had the time. And no one's been able to live up to my first boyfriend.”
Sanji’s heart raced in his chest, warmth zinging through his body at his words, and he ducked his head to try and hide his pleased smile.
Still, hearing that made something in his chest ache for Zoro. Sanji at least still had Zeff, his friends, and the Baratie staff. From the sound of it, Zoro had no one.
“Sounds lonely,” he said softly as he looked back at Zoro.
“It is,” Zoro admitted, placing his hand on top of Sanji’s free one laying on the cushion between them, “But I'm hoping to fix that.”
Sanji could only stare back at Zoro as he placed his empty dish on the table, losing himself in his steel gray eye.
“What about you?” Zoro asked, his thumb caressing the side of Sanji’s hand, “You must have someone special in your life.”
“No,” Sanji shook his head, drawn in by Zoro’s gaze as he leaned just a little closer, “Someone here or there, but nothing serious. Nothing that’s lasted.”
“I see,” Zoro’s eye went lidded, his lips parting as he leaned in too.
The lights flickered just then, letting out one last small burst of light before plunging them into complete darkness.
“Shit,” Sanji growled as he pulled away from Zoro and glanced blindly around the room, “I think the power is out.”
“Really?” Zoro snorted, “What gave it away?”
“Shut up,” he said as he stood up, blindly feeling for his phone on the table and turning on the flashlight.
With the light, he made his way to the closet to grab a couple of blankets and some scented candles. He went back to the couch, tossing the blankets at Zoro as he pulled out his lighter and worked on getting the candles lit.
“Guess the storm is pretty bad,” Zoro said as he draped a blanket over his shoulders.
“I’m not sure when the power will be back on,” he sighed as he got the candles going, filling the room with a slight lavender and pine smell as they burned, “but we won't have heat until it does.”
He glanced at Zoro and bit his lip, thinking of ways to keep warm. He didn't have a fireplace, but he did have a gas stove that should work even with the outage, “I can make us tea or cocoa or something.”
“Tea is good,” Zoro said as he wrapped the blanket tighter.
“Green tea still your favorite?”
Zoro smiled wide at him, the candlelight softening his features even more, “You remembered.”
“Of course,” Sanji waved him off as he made his way to the kitchen.
He returned a few minutes later with two mugs of tea in hand, and found Zoro standing by the sliding glass doors, the curtain pulled aside as he watched the snow fall.
“Is it letting up?” He asked as he placed the teas on the table.
“Not really,” Zoro shrugged as he made his way back to the couch, “Think we're going to be stuck here for a while.”
“I see,” Sanji cleared his throat and tried his best not to blush, “I guess you'll have to stay the night.”
“Guess so.”
Zoro settled back on the couch, making himself quite comfortable. He held the blanket open for Sanji and looked at him expectantly.
Sanji could feel the heat spread across his face as he glanced at the open space Zoro was offering, “You don't have to-”
“It's cold right? And we have no heat?” Zoro shook the blanket insistently, “We’ll be warmer this way.”
Sanji hesitated for only a moment more before he settled next to Zoro, pressing right up against his side.
Zoro wrapped the blanket around them both and grabbed the tea cup off the table, offering Sanji his as he sipped his own.
Sanji took his with a grateful nod, but most of his attention was on Zoro. Every move he made brushed up against Sanji, sending jolts of heat through him at the contact. Try as he might, Sanji could only lean further and further into his touch, seeking out his warmth.
Zoro hummed in delight as he lowered his cup, “Still the best tea I've ever had. You haven't lost a step.”
Sanji gave into his desire and leaned fully against Zoro, burying his face against his shoulder and breathing in the intoxicating scent of steel and pine that had always been uniquely Zoro.
Zoro laughed suddenly, the rumbling of his joy shooting through Sanji, and turned to him, “Remember Luffy’s holiday party senior year?”
Sanji blushed, “The one where we got shoved in a closet and ended up making out?”
“Yeah,” he held up his tea, “When we finally left the closet, you made me tea just like this.”
“Oh yeah,” Sanji chuckled at the memory as he sipped his own tea, “I was so nervous about us actually dating, I felt I had to do something. Making tea was easier than stress baking and burying everyone under a mountain of cookies.”
“I don’t think anyone other than me would’ve complained about the cookies,” he laughed, his eye sliding over to Sanji, “You were that nervous to be dating me?”
He quickly took another sip to hide his blush and accidentally burnt his tongue, making him hiss and pull back.
High school was a while ago, and in the end he had dated Zoro for a bit. It wasn’t like Sanji’s crush would be news to him. There was no reason he couldn’t be honest about this after all this time.
“Well, yeah,” he finally admitted, pulling the blanket further around himself as he glanced away, “I’d had a crush on you for a while. Finally getting to kiss you and have you reciprocate, well, it was everything I’d always wanted, and I don’t usually get what I want.”
He spared a glance at Zoro, who was looking at him so intensely, all his focus pointed at him, that it seemed like there was no world outside of the two of them in the blanket.
“So yeah,” he finished, “I was nervous.”
Zoro’s gaze was soft as he sipped his tea, “Bet I was crushing on you for longer.”
“What?” Sanji growled, his knee coming up to dig into his side, “As if! I’d been crushing on you for years.”
Zoro scoffed, “Yeah, so? I was crushing on you for more years.”
“I’d been crushing on you since sophomore year,” he jabbed his knee further into him to prove his point, “Since I first figured out I liked guys!”
“Aw, that’s cute,” Zoro smirked, “But I’d still been crushing on you for longer.”
“You’re lying,” he glared at him and held his tea tighter, “You’re just being contrary to try and one up me.”
“Nope, you can ask Nami and Usopp about it,” he sighed as he leaned back into the couch cushions, his gaze finding Sanji’s again, looking almost shy, “I’d been crushing on you since sixth grade.”
“Sixth grade?” Sanji balked, “I moved here in sixth grade! You would have had to-”
“Fall in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you,” he nodded as he sipped his tea, “Yeah it went something like that.”
Sanji could only stare at him, mouth hanging open.
Zoro snatched up his tea cup before it fell out of his lax grip and placed them both back on the table, “Yeah, I was pretty annoying about it too, so like I said if you don’t believe me, you can ask Nami and Usopp about it.”
“You…” He swallowed thickly, still staring dumbly at him, “You were in love with me…the whole time?”
“Pretty much,” Zoro frowned as he scratched behind his ear, then let out a heaving sigh, “No, yeah…yeah I was in love with you the entire time.”
“Really?” Sanji’s heart beat so hard in his chest he was sure Zoro could hear it, being as close as he was.
Zoro nodded stiffly, more focused on picking at his nails.
Sanji was drawn to the movement, his eyes zeroing in on his hand.
Althroughout the night, Sanji had felt something growing inside of him, a sort of longing hope. He’d always hated how things had ended with Zoro, couldn't stop himself in his lonelier moments of wondering what if they hadn't ended it so soon, what if they had made it work long distance and stayed together.
It was clear to him now that despite the time apart, despite how much he and Zoro had grown and changed, he was still attracted to him, still in love with the boy that had so successfully stolen his heart years ago.
What he hadn't dared hope for was that Zoro still felt the same about him after all these years, but watching him now the feeling grew in his chest, and new what ifs came to mind.
What if Zoro was still in love with him, what if Zoro still wanted to be with him.
What if they made it work this time.
Sanji reached out and laid his hand over Zoro’s, stopping his fidgeting.
He willed his palms to stop sweating, hoped beyond hope he wasn't trembling as he glanced back up at Zoro.
“What about now?” Sanji ran his thumb over his knuckles, “Do you still love me now?”
Zoro whipped his head around to look at him, his eye welling up with something that looked like the hope Sanji was feeling.
“Yes,” he answered, almost too soft to hear. Slowly, gently, as if he was afraid of spooking him, he turned his hand over to hold Sanji’s properly, “Yes, I'm still in love with you.”
Sanji hummed and leaned in until his lips were hovering right over Zoro’s, close enough to feel his every exhale, “Can I tell you a secret?”
Zoro nodded, and he continued, “I'm still in love with you too.”
Zoro surged forward, closing that miniscule distance between them and sealing their lips together in a searing kiss.
Sanji moved against him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders to pull him closer, hold him tighter, make sure he never went anywhere else and stayed here in this moment with him.
The blanket slipped off their shoulders, and the sudden rush of cold air was enough to make them pull apart. They gasped for air as they shivered, but touched their foreheads against each other, unwilling to separate even to retrieve the blanket.
“Zoro,” Sanji murmured his most selfish desire against his lips, “Please, don't go this time. Stay here, stay with me.”
“I'm not going anywhere.”
Sanji pulled back just a fraction, his eyes blinking open slowly as he took him in, still unsure if he heard him correctly, “Really?”
“Really,” Zoro cracked his eye open too, releasing Sanji just long enough to pull the blanket back around them, sealing them back in a cocoon of warmth.
“What about your dream?” He asked, a spike of fear shooting through his chest, “You've always wanted to be the best. Don't tell me you're settling for number two.”
“Of course not,” he snorted as he wrapped his arms around Sanji’s waist and pulled him closer, “But I can train anywhere. I'll still have to leave sometimes for bouts and competitions, but I want to be able to always come back to you.
“I haven't regretted the last seven years, but it's been a lonely climb to the top, and without anyone there to challenge me to be my best, I’ve plateaued. I've missed you, far more than I let myself admit, and lately I've realized that even when I do make it to number one, my dream will be incomplete without you there.”
He cradled Sanji’s face gently, “I want you there by my side when I finally defeat Mihawk and become number one. I want you there pushing me to be better, pushing me all the way to the top. I want to be there when you open All Blue, when you feed the world. I want us to get everything we ever wanted,” he leaned in, his lips hovering over Sanji's, “Including each other.”
The corner of Sanj’s mouth twitched into a smile, and he brought their lips together once more, accepting everything Zoro was offering him.
“I want it,” he whispered when they pulled apart, “I want that, I want you. I want to be there when you finally become number one, and I want you with me when I open All Blue.” He nuzzled his nose in the crook of his neck, doing his best to fold himself into Zoro as much as possible.
Zoro held him easily, pulling him even closer as he kissed his face, his neck, any part of him he could reach.
“I should never have let you go,” he whispered in his ear.
He stood up then, gathering Sanji and the blanket in his arms. Sanji was surprised by the sudden shift, but wrapped his legs around his waist and let himself be carried.
Zoro grinned at him, the love softening his face into something so beautiful, “What do you say we make up for lost time?”
They spent the whole night cuddling together, never drifting from the other’s arms as they exchanged soft kisses and sweet nothings, whispering plans for the future that included the other until they finally drifted off to sleep.
Sanji awoke the next morning to his phone loudly ringing in his ear. He groaned as he felt around for it, sitting up straight when he saw it was Zeff.
“Hey,” he said, disentangling himself from Zoro’s hold as he answered, “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas yourself,” Zeff grunted in that brusk way of his, “Hope you didn’t insist on closing all by yourself last night.”
“What? No, never,” he said as he got out of bed.
“You work too much, Eggplant,” Zeff sighed, easily seeing through his weak lies, “Please don’t tell me you spent the whole night alone.”
“I didn’t,” he blushed and glanced back at Zoro still sleeping in his bed, “An old friend stopped by.”
“An old friend?” Zeff sounded way too interested for Sanji’s taste, “Did they spend the night?”
“What? No…maybe…there was a blizzard and it would've been rude to send him home so-”
As if on cue, Zoro groaned from the bed, his arm reaching out and patting down on the other side of the bed. He made small noises of discomfort until his hand reached over the side of the bed and found Sanji’s leg.
Sanji squawked as Zoro tugged him back into bed, flushing bright red as Zoro nuzzled his shoulder and said in his ear, “G’morning, Curls.”
“I see they did,” Zeff chuckled on the other end of the phone.
“Shut up,” he snarled, elbowing Zoro in the stomach and trying to pull himself away.
But Zoro’s hold was tight as he pulled him even closer. The warmth of his embrace melted all of Sanji’s resistance, and he sighed as he relaxed completely against him.
“I’m glad you have someone,” Zeff continued, “At the rate you were going, working all the time and barely taking time for yourself, I was worried you were going to die alone.”
“Hey!” He growled into the phone.
“Like I said, I’m happy for you,” he barreled on, “Introduce them to me when you get back.”
“Uh, well,” Sanji chuckled nervously, “Turns out you already met him.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” Sanji couldn’t have stopped the smile on his face if he wanted to, and his voice was far too soft and sweet when he said, “It’s Zoro.”
“Oh!” He sounded surprised, “The broccoli head came back?”
“Yeah,” Sanji said, grinning like a lovesick idiot when Zoro started kissing his neck, “He’s staying for good this time.”
“Good,” Zeff’s voice was gruff, but he also sounded genuinely pleased for once in his life, “I always knew you two would find your way back to each other.”
“You did not,” Sanji scoffed, “Stop lying to make yourself sound smart.”
“That said, if he breaks your heart again, I will kill him this time.”
“Shut up!”
Zeff laughed, and Sanji fumed for a moment before asking, “When are you coming back?”
“Before New Year’s,” he assured him, and the knot in Sanji’s chest lessened to hear it. He was glad Zeff was finally taking the time to relax, but he had missed the old fart. Holidays weren’t the same without him.
“Fine.” The smile spread across his face, and he was grateful Zeff couldn’t see it, “I’ll see you then. Enjoy island life.”
“Enjoy your boyfriend,” Zeff snorted, “And Merry Christmas.”
With that he hung up.
Sanji tossed his phone aside and leaned back into Zoro’s chest. Zoro held him even tighter, kissing his way up his neck until he found his lips once more.
“Merry Christmas,” Sanji whispered against his lips when they pulled apart.
“Merry Christmas,” Zoro said as he leaned in for another kiss, “Was that Zeff?”
“Yeah,” he sighed, turning in Zoro’s hold so he was facing him, and draped his arms across his shoulders, “He’s enjoying island life. Think he misses me though.”
“Who wouldn’t?” He laughed as he rubbed their noses together.
Sanji laid there for a moment, basking in Zoro’s warmth, taking in his presence, still shocked that he somehow ended up exactly where he always wanted to be.
But as much as he was enjoying himself, it was Christmas morning, and he didn’t plan on spending the whole day in bed.
“C’mon,” Sanji said as he left the bed, pulling Zoro with him, “It’s Christmas. Let me make you breakfast.”
“Sounds good,” Zoro smiled at him, the joy and love pouring off of him, and a thrill went through Sanji when he realized it was all for him, “Can I help?”
Sanji returned the smile, and leaned in to give him a soft kiss, putting all his love and gratitude into it, so glad this was finally all his.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”