Work Text:
Picking Names
“C’here! We’re ready!” Luffy shouted, nearly making Sanji drop the stack of papers as he ran by towards the kitchen area of the office building. It wasn’t too big, just enough for a small counter with a sink and toaster oven to be placed on it. There were a couple of tables and chairs scattered for people to have lunch at.
The Strawhats Association was a relatively new organization. Luffy started it up straight out of high school, which Sanji is a little convinced he never actually graduated from. It was barely over a year old at this point, but it seemed like their work was piling on more and more everyday. Sanji started just a handful of months ago, after he met Luffy at the old restaurant he worked at. He insisted that Sanji would be a perfect fit at his non-profit when he saw that Sanji had been feeding a stranger who claimed to have food to eat.
At first Sanji had denied him. He didn’t know the first thing about how nonprofits run. For Sanji, life revolved around restaurants. Growing up at the Baratie, his adoptive father Zeff taught him how to cook right away. When he moved across the country for culinary school, Sanji learned even more and was already making plans to open his own place as soon as he could afford it. Once graduated, Sanji got hired as a sous chef immediately at an upscale restaurant.
When taking out the trash at the end of his shift, Sanji met a young man who was rifling through the dumpster looking for something to eat. Although Gin insisted he wasn’t homeless, just a little down on his luck and couldn't afford to buy food, Sanji figured otherwise. He quickly whipped up a simple meal and gave it to him before his boss could see.
Luffy just happened to be walking by the alleyway and witnessed the whole thing.
From there, it was nearly everyday for two weeks straight that Luffy showed up. Usually eating far more food then Sanji would have expected for someone his size, before insisting that Sanji quit his job and come work for him at The Strawhats.
Each time Sanji said no. There was no way he could actually be of use in an organization like that. All he knew was restaurants and how to cook. Nothing that could be helpful in running whatever nonprofit this organization is.
The final time Luffy came by, he brought a beautiful redheaded woman with him. Sanji nearly tripped over his own two feet bringing her some of the best seafood pasta he had ever made. Nami explained the purpose of their organization, to help people connect with resources and programs locally with whatever assistance they needed. Each person had a specialty they focused on, becoming an expert on what other organizations could help, and what paperwork needed to be completed.
She explained that Sanji would be in charge of the food assistance programs. He would help connect people to local foodbanks, and assist in completing the necessary‒ although tedious and confusing‒ paperwork needed for food assistance programs. Even though he didn’t know the ins and outs of it yet, Nami was certain he was a quick learner.
It was a chance to help more than just one person, with one meal, one time. It was a chance to help families and communities to ensure that no one ever had to go hungry again.
Sanji quit the restaurant the next day and had been with the Strawhats ever since.
Everyone followed Luffy into the breakroom.
With the holiday season quickly approaching, Luffy had wanted to do a secret santa exchange. Something to bring everyone together as a team. Although they tried to pull names yesterday, Luffy had messed up by loudly claiming he got Usopp. After Robin explained the entire purple of secret santa was to remain secret, they decided to have a do over today. Luffy instead wanted to find a way to make it more fun, so he took over in organizing it. Which didn’t sound like it would end well, but they’ll just have to find out.
“Here.” Luffy passed out a half sheet of paper that listed off the days of the week and some themes. “I figured that if one secret santa is fun then a whole week of secret santa is even more fun. So next week, each day is a theme for a gift to bring to your secret person and on Friday when we have our party we can see who everyone got.”
Sanji was a little impressed with the list of themes, like there was some actual thought put into this. If he were a betting man, Sanji would have guessed that Nami had some influence over the decision. Knowing Luffy it would have been all food related.
“Who wants to pull a name first?” Luffy was too excited as he shook a hat filled with paper. He noted it suspiciously familiar. In fact there was a doctor, Traflager Law, who worked with their company from time to time helping give information to ease the burden of medical debt from families, who had a hideous black and white hat he wore on his off days. Luffy now held an identical hat in his hands for secret santa, Sanji wasn’t sure if it was given willingly or stolen. But either way he didn’t want to question Luffy.
Franky immediately shot his hand into the air. While he was enjoyable company to be around, Sanji really hoped he didn’t pull his name. If he was being absolutely honest, Sanji wanted nothing more than one of the girls to be his secret santa.
Slowly everyone else volunteered to pull their names. Sanji had to refrain from dancing when he pulled Nami’s name. He already was picturing the gifts he could shower her with, the only thing that would make this even more perfect was if she got him as well. They could spend the whole week secretly exchanging gifts, then she would realize how much Sanji cared by what he got for her. It would be perfect.
“Alright Zoro, you’re next.” Luffy turned to the man who was sitting at one of the tables, completely disinterested in what was happening.
“I didn’t even want to do this.” Zoro muttered as he made his way over, Nami glaring daggers at him.
“You have to participate like everyone else.” Nami scolded. “Just because you have green hair doesn’t mean you get to be a grinch.”
Sanji rolled his eyes at the melodramatic sigh he gave. It wasn’t like they didn’t get along, but Sanji couldn’t explain where their relationship stood with each other. Some days they got along fine, others they were at each other's throats. But then when they go out for drinks, they spend the entire time talking and making jokes with each other. It was baffling to say the least.
Once all the names were picked, Luffy dismissed them all to go back to work. By the end of the day he reminded them all at least a dozen times that secret santa started on Monday.
Monday: Ornaments
Sanji spent the entire weekend searching for the perfect gifts that Nami would love. It took far longer than it should have but he was happy with the end results. Certainly Nami would appreciate the lengths he went to, and perhaps fall madly in love with him in the process.
In the work kitchen, Sanji set out some fresh baked banana bread. While he didn’t get to cook like he used to with this job, he still would still experiment with new recipes and bring in his creations. Everyone always seemed so appreciative.
Slowly as everyone else arrived, he directed them towards the kitchen where he brewed some fresh coffee to go along with the bread. It was the perfect distraction in order for him to slip his gift on Nami’s desk.
Today’s theme was ornaments and he managed to find one of a tangerine. It was the perfect shade of orange to match Nami’s lovely hair color, and it was covered in glitter so it was just as sparkly as her personality. He managed to say exactly that in the card that he paired with it. Although he was careful enough to type it out instead of writing so it can still be a surprise for her at the end of the week.
Just as he returned to his desk, Zoro walked through the front door with a thermos in hand. He looked more tired than usual but Sanji ignored it. That man probably would choose to sleep 20 hours a day if he was allowed to, so him being tired probably meant he got a normal person’s night of sleep.
“Hey man, Sanji brought banana bread.” Usopp greeted him, happily munching on his way to his desk.
Zoro just wrinkled his nose. “That's too sweet for breakfast.”
Sanji rolled his eyes, but pulled out a small tupperware.
“Here.” He extended the dish. “I took part of the batter and added some walnuts and yogurt to make it far less sweet.”
Zoro paused for a moment, looking between the dish and Sanji. Eventually he took it and went to his desk.
Of course Sanji knew about Zoro’s aversion to sweets, he knew everyone’s preferences and wouldn’t dare bring something in for his crew unless he knew everyone would eat. So he made a small piece for Zoro that he would hopefully like.
Once people actually got to work, Sanji could hear Nami find her gift and talk about how beautiful it was. How he was going to add it to her tree right away. He had to refrain from going over, or else there would be a good chance he wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret. Other people slowly got gifts as well throughout the day, some left on desks as they went to lunch, others delivered by people who agreed to keep the secret santa a secret. Luffy tried to volunteer to deliver gifts but no one quite believed that he wouldn’t blurt who it came from. So instead it was mostly Robin who helped. Brook, who specialized in helping those on retirement connect with various programs with medical assistance, got a small violin ornament that actually played music when you pressed the button. He was gladly showing it off, discussing how he’ll bring his real one to the party on Friday.
“Cook.” Zoro tossed the empty tupperware Sanji, nearly hitting him in the face. “Got a call, I could use some help.”
The desire that Sanji had to yell at him disappeared as soon as he said he needed the help.
“Yeah, what’s going on?”
“One of my clients I helped into a shelter is trying to get some of personal items back and is scared to go. I’m going to meet her there, so I could use the backup in case the ex is at home.”
Sanji nodded before putting on his coat.
Zoro’s specialty wasn’t something that was expected of a man like him. Honestly, Sanji figured he was the office security for the building when they first met. Luffy had explained everyone’s role when he was first hired, with people specializing in programs or groups that needed the most help. Luffy was not only the boss, but most of his work revolved around unions and unionization, he believed that no one should be taken advantage of at work and when people band together, they protect each other. Nami was not only the accountant for the company, but also specialized in taxes. She knew every loophole in the book to help people get as much money back as possible. And Usopp’s was childcare and after school services mostly for single parents, helping them to find affordable programs as well as grant writing to help reduce the cost of these programs in the area.
Zoro, however, wasn’t what Sanji expected. His focus was on domestic violence. Helping people escape from abusive homes or relationships. Connecting them with local shelters, helping them with job searches so they can become financially independent, or even finding low cost therapists for the victims.
Sanji thought he was far too gruff for such a delicate subject, but people seem to trust him so easily. And he goes overboard on making sure they are safe. It was actually very sweet of him to be this caring.
Just as they got outside the building, Zoro paused.
“Hold on a sec curls, I gotta piss first.” He ran back before Sanji had a chance to snap at him for his crude language.
Instead he lit up a cigarette and waited. It didn’t take long before Zoro re-emerged, he was patient enough to wait for Sanji to finish the last new drags of his smoke before they took off.
Of course Sanji was on GPS duty. Zoro would have easily gotten them lost on the short drive to the residential area near the office. Once they pulled up to the seemingly normal house, Zoro called the client to let her know they were there.
Hiyori was an absolutely beautiful girl, and Sanji had no clue how she got mixed up with someone as toxic as Orochi. There had to have been so much more to her story that he wasn’t privy to. But when she pulled up, the biggest smile overtook her face the moment she looked at Zoro.
“I can’t thank you enough.” She tried to reach out for a hug, but Zoro just turned towards the house, effectively halting her movement.
“I don’t see a car in front, so there is a chance he’s not here. Let’s get your stuff and go.” Zoro started walking across the street.
Sanji and Hiyori trailed behind. He could clearly see the crushed expression on her face that he attempted to hide. Sometimes Zoro was such an asshole.
“You are looking positively radiant my dear.” He complimented as they reached the door. “I’m here to help you gather whatever you need and we brought Zoro’s truck in case you needed more room to move some of your items.”
“You are both far too kind.” There was a sad smile on her face as she used the key to open the door. “I only have a few things left so it shouldn’t take long.”
The state of the house inside wasn’t what Sanji expected. Broken plates, pictures, and anything else that can be thrown were scattered across the front room. Empty beer bottles and take-away containers littered all available surfaces. There was an overwhelming stench of rotten food and stale air that was nauseating.
“We don’t know how much longer the place will be empty, so grab your stuff and go.”
Hiyori nodded and immediately started down the hallway towards the bedroom. Sanji trailed right after her, just in case the place wasn’t actually as empty as they thought. Zoro stayed by the door on lookout duty.
When Sanji entered the bedroom, it was just as messy as the rest of the house. Hiyori was throwing items into a garbage bag she must have brought with her, random pieces of clothing, a couple of hair accessories, and some pictures that seemed to have survived in their broken frames.
He helped where he could, but he wasn’t too sure what she was looking for. From the closet, she pulled out a small shoe box and nearly burst into tears when she looked inside.
Sanji rushed forward to hold her as he collapsed to the floor.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“I was so worried he found this, I couldn’t get it last time since he was home and didn’t want him to know about it.” Tears escaped, making her flawless makeup run. “Its all I have left of my parents. Just some pictures and stupid trinkets, but that's all I have.”
While Sanji wanted her to take all the time in the world to process her emotions, he knew they didn’t actually have time to do this now. Who knew how long they would be alone in the house, and they needed to get Hiyori to safety as quickly as possible.
After a little bit of coaxing, they managed to go through what he left in the bedroom. It took another ten minutes before Hiyori finished going through the rest of the house, most items were too broken for her to warrant taking with her.
Just as they were locking up the house behind them, the rumble of an engine in the driveway echoed. Hiyori dropped the key in panic just as Zoro stepped in front of her.
Orochi stepped out of the beat up Civic, looking furious at the three of them.
“What are you doing in my house!” There was a slight slur to his words, as if he’d been drinking already.
“Hiyori?” His voice turned a shade gentler once he saw her. “You came back to me. I knew you would.”
“You know you aren’t allowed around her, we just came to collect some personal items.” Zoro answered as she took a step behind him to try and hide further.
“I wasn’t talking to you.” He glared at Zoro. This guy either had to be incredibly stupid or drunk to think he could intimidate Zoro. Probably both. He was nearly a foot shorter, and at least 20 years past his prime, it wouldn’t even be considered a fight if he tried to take on Zoro.
“Cook, please get Hiyori back to her car.” Zoro strided forward, blocking Orochi’s path as Sanji escorted her back towards her car.
“Are you serious?” His glare now turned upon Hiyori herself. “After all I’ve done for you? After all the money I spent on someone as worthless as you? This is how you pay me back!”
Before he had a chance to move, Zoro’s fist collided with the window of the car behind him. There was a crash as glass shattering echoed throughout the quiet neighborhood.
“My car!” He screeched.
“Better your car than your teeth.” Zoro sneered.
No sooner was Hiyori in her car, belongings safely tucked in the backseat, did she drive off down the road. Zoro calmly walked back to his own truck, Orochi screaming after him.
“You’ll pay for this.”
“I’ll have my lawyer call you.” He flipped off Orochi as he got into the car, Sanji following suit.
“You are a reckless idiot.” Sanji scolded the moment they pulled away from the house. “You know he can go after you for destruction of property, intimidation, and probably a whole variety of other stuff.”
“It’ll be fine, Cook. Robin is good at her job, she’s gotten me out of worse.”
“And poor Robin will have to work even harder to cover for your dumb ass.” They made the final turn back towards the office, and Sanji could see the blood and scraping on his knuckles as he turned the steering wheel. “Not to mention the infection you are going to get, Chopper is going to have an aneurysm.”
Zoro looked at his hand. “He’s patched up worse.”
He was such a reckless idiot, and it pissed Sanji off to no end. However, he was also very caring. And seeing Zoro today put his career on the line to protect someone he hardly knew was endearing. It was times like this that reminded Sanji how much he actually liked Zoro. He was a sincere and honest man, and if he showed any actual interest in him, Sanji would have agreed in a heart beat. But instead they usually fought and found new ways to get under each other's skin. There was something comforting in that routine, even if it's not how Sanji usually acted with people he cared for.
“Come on, let's go in and get you fixed up.”
They walked quietly back into the office, Zoro bee lined for Chopper’s desk. The young kid simply fretted and scolded him for being too reckless, but cleaned and bandaged up the wound.
As soon as Sanji sat back down to figure out where he left off on his work, he noticed a small box on the desk. It was plain and devoid of any wrapping paper, but there was a small note taped to the top in beautiful swooping cursive. ‘To: Sanji. From: Your Secret Admirer Santa.’
Whoever it was, definitely had a sense of humor. And with how beautiful it looked, it must have belonged to one of the girls. He was so ecstatic to see that one of them was his secret santa. If it was Nami then it would be perfect, they would get each other gifts all week, then at the party on Friday they would reveal they had each other. He could compliment her gift giving ability, and perhaps she would realize they belonged together.
Sanji opened the box to see six mini ornaments inside. Each one was based on items used for cooking, made out of copper with a red ribbon to hang them on the tree. Sanji pulled them out one at the time, a cooking pot, a baking sheet, a collider, a dutch oven, and finally a tea kettle. The craftsmanship on these little ornaments was stunning.
And the fact that they were mini ones was even better. Sanji didn’t put up a tree at home, something about it just seemed like too much work for just himself. Instead he had a small one that sat in the corner of his desk, just something to bring some holiday spirit to the office. Immediately he added the small ornaments to his tree.
Tuesday: Sweet Treats
Sanji figured he couldn’t use the excuse of home baked goods a second day in a row to distract everyone. Instead he waited until Nami took her lunch break before dropping off her items today on her desk. The theme of the day was something sweet.
While Sanji had wanted to just leave a card saying Nami was sweet enough on her own, he knew that would not only give him away, but it would piss her off to no end. And against his own judgement, he went out and bought candy for her. Sanji was certain he could make a far superior version of anything in the store, but that would make it too obvious that it was him. No one else in the office could make food like him so one taste and the fun would be over for the week.
So instead he picked up one of those chocolate oranges that you have to slam down and break into pieces, as well as a few other smaller citrus candies he found.
With the gift on her desk without others noticing, Sanji joined her in the break room.
“Nami, my sweet. Mind if I keep you company during lunch?”
“Only if you promise to let me try what you made.”
Sanji heated up his leftovers, it was a simple baked ziti with homemade sauce. But Nami looked so happy as she took a bite from his before returning to the salad she brought.
“So when are you going to make lunch for everyone again? My food is so boring compared to yours.”
“Luffy had asked me to make something for the party on Friday so I supposed in a few days. But I can give you some recipes in the meantime for your own lunches.”
The conversation flowed smoothly between them. Slowly the others started trickling in, finishing up whatever task they were on before stopping for a break. The break room became louder as everyone joined in, stories flowing, jokes being told. The lunch break flew by much faster than Sanji wanted, which was usually the case here. He loved spending time with everyone here, they were far more than just simple co-workers, they really felt like the family Sanji never had growing up.
“Oh, before I forget.” Robin turned to Zoro. “Hiyori called, I was able to give her some advice for her restraining order. But she was looking for you.”
“What for?” Zoro looked a little worried, but he would never admit it.
“She just wanted to make sure you were okay. And to thank you.” Robin handed over a piece of paper. “She left her personal number for you.”
While Zoro accepted the paper, he went back to eating as if he were completely uninterested. Sanji was a little curious. Obviously Zoro was attractive, plenty of people tried to flirt and hit on him when they went out for drinks, but he always seemed to reject them. No one ever really held his interest in dating, but for a moment Sanji wondered if perhaps she was going to be an exception.
To say Hiyori was stunning would be an understatement. How she ended up in the situation that she did was unfathomable, and to her Zoro was the knight in shining armor. Recusing her from a toxic relationship and giving her back some independence. Of course she had every right to be interested in him. And the fact that Zoro took the paper with her number instead of just tossing it out, like every other time at the bars, had to have meant something. Right?
Sanji and Nami were the first to excuse themselves from lunch. When she reached her desk, Nami smiled at seeing the candy on her desk. Praising whoever her secret santa was on how much they knew what she liked. It was almost enough for Sanji to confess right then and there that it was him. But he didn’t, there were still plenty of days left.
The most curious thing was, when he got back to his desk there was a small clear container with some candies inside that he had never seen before. The note on top was in a completely different handwriting than the one yesterday. This time it simply said, ‘I didn’t know what candy you liked, but I remember you saying spicy seafood pasta was your favorite so I got these.’
It didn’t really make sense as far as Sanji knew. What does spicy pasta have to do with candy? He picked up the container eyeing the lid that read Chamoy Gummy Bears. While the candy itself looked to be regular gummy bears, it was covered in some type of coarse power and sticky sauce. He had heard of Chamoy before, but he never had a chance to try it. This wasn’t something regularly found in the Grand Line, and he didn’t remember seeing it all the way in the East Blue either.
“Oh these are the best!” Usopp walked by on the way to his desk. He plucked out a gummy bear without asking, “I didn’t know you liked this.”
“Actually, I’ve never tried it.” Sanji followed the lead and took one out as well. He popped it into his mouth and instantly was overcome with a burst of flavors. A little salty, yet spicy, the barest taste of sweetness, and the taste of line to wrap it all together. He wanted to beat himself up for never having eaten this before. Surely there were plenty of recipes that could be enhanced with something like this.
“Good right?” Usopp’s question pulled him out of his head.
“Yeah.” Suddenly the note about the spicy pasta made sense, the barest hints of spice reminded him of it.
“You look like you’re enjoying something.” Zoro commented as he walked past to get to his desk.
“Don’t be bitter because my secret santa got me something that I’m sure is better than what you got.” Sanji snapped back, only realizing it was actually insulting someone else in the office and not Zoro. “It’s not their fault though, how could anyone ever please a brute like you.”
Zoro rolled his eyes.
“Actually,” Sanji stepped a little closer to his desk. “What did you get today, you hate sweets.”
On Zoro’s desk was a basket with a variety of Japanese snacks. While some looked like they were candies, others didn’t. Unfortunately Sanji didn’t know any Japanese to try and figure out what they were.
“Bunch of stuff. Here.” Zoro opened what looked to be a mochi container. “Try this one, it's sweet but not too sweet.”
Sanji pulled up a chair next to him, and picked a mochi out of the box. It was filled with a red bean paste that was absolutely heavenly. And Zoro was right, there wasn’t much sweetness to it.
“We used to have these all the time growing up.”
“I forgot you grew up in Japan. Do you miss it?” Sanji asked, opening his own candy for them to share.
“Yeah, a bunch. But there isn’t anything left for me there. At least here I have the Strawhats.”
There was a sadness in his voice that Sanji wasn’t used to hearing. He was the rock among the group, an unmovable object that could steady any one. But hearing him open up a be a little vulnerable wasn’t something he was used to, but it was a little honoring to be the one he could show this side to.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Japan. Tell me about it.”
The remainder of the workday was basically a wash. Sanji and Zoro talked the rest of the day, sharing their candies. Zoro told him about his hometown, what shrines were close enough to visit that weren't overrun by tourists. In return, Sanji talked about growing up with Zeff at the Baratie. They still continued to tease and argue, but there was an underlying fondness to it.
“Try this one, Cook.” He gave him a small green hard candy that had some writing on it that Sanji couldn’t read. Assuming it was probably melon and matcha flavored, since there were a few snacks like that they’ve already eaten, Sanji ate it without hesitation.
Regret flooded his mind as his mouth caught fire. He started coughing, trying to get the flavor out of his mouth but it was too late. Heat coated the inside of his mouth, down his throat, and even through his nostrils, there was a sharpness to it that hurt just as badly as the spice itself.
“I thought you’d like wasabi.” Zoro’s smile needed to be smacked right off his face.
“Bastard.” Sanji kicked out, but Zoro easily blocked.
“Spit it out then.”
“I’m not wasting food.” Sanji wound up swallowing the candy whole just to get the burning to stop. Then he grabbed Zoro’s water bottle from his desk and started to chug.
“You’re a bigger idiot than I thought.”
Zoro rarely laughed, but when he did it was with his whole body. He was hunched over, arms over his stomach, and a rich baritone laugh echoed around them. The smile that took over his face was beautiful.
Not that Sanji would ever dare say it to him. But it suited him so well, and Sanji thought that maybe suffering through some wasabi candy wasn’t too bad if seeing him smile was the outcome.
Wednesday: Travel Inspired
Being one of the first to arrive at the office had its perks. Sanji could ease into his day without being bothered by others. He had time to make coffee for everyone, drop off any leftovers that he knew he wouldn’t be able to finish for others to enjoy. But most of all, it gave him a chance to think.
He looked over the notes on his desk, two left in very different handwriting, and wondered who his secret santa could be. Based on the first day, Nami seemed like the obvious choice, he could probably go over and compare handwriting from the note to documents on her desk to confirm, but that felt a little like cheating. But yesterday made him start to think otherwise, his gift was put on his desk when he got back from lunch, Nami was with him the entire time. Unless someone else dropped it off for her, but something about it just didn’t sit right.
There was no point in trying to figure it out. The party was just a couple of days away and he’d find out soon enough. If it wasn’t Nami then perhaps Robin. She was thoughtful and would be the type of person to select perfect gifts for people, she always seemed to be listening intently to others. Surely her wealth of knowledge would have helped in picking out the ornaments for his work tree, as well as the new candy he got to try. And he became so inspired by it, he learned how to make it at home just so he could bring in fresh fruit and chamoy for all to enjoy.
He hid Nami’s gift inside one of his drawers, it was much too soon to put it out now. No one else was in the office so she would figure it out right away. Instead he waited, until more people arrived. Just before Nami showed up, he was able to slip the present onto her desk.
The theme for today was Travel Inspired. It took forever for Sanji to find something just right. He knew how much Nami wanted to travel around the world with her sister, visiting as many major landmarks as she possibly could. Sanji got her a map that came with stickers for each country of some of the most important landmarks. Once she goes to a country she can place the sticker on it to remember the trip. Hopefully one day she could fill in the entire world.
“Sanji!” Luffy shouted, jumping towards him with a box. “I have a delivery for you, its from-”
“Remember Boss.” Robin scolded as she sat at her own desk. “The point of secret santa is to be secret. Don’t ruin the fun just yet.”
“Oh, right.” Luffy shoved the box in his hand. “It’s from your secret santa. What’dya get?”
“Give me a moment to open it dumbass.” Sanji tore into the terrible wrapping job.
“Robin was nice enough to get me candy yesterday so I didn’t eat everyone else's. But there is no food today so I didn’t get anything.”
Sanji hesitated on telling Luffy about what he brought in, he should really give everyone a chance to try it before Luffy devoured the whole thing.
Inside the box was a nice quality neck pillow and eye mask. They were both a matching rich blue color. The material was soft against his fingers. A note was placed inside that Sanji nearly didn’t see.
The handwriting today was elegant, a cursive that looked feminine yet with a deadly sharpness to it.
‘For your flight this weekend, red-eyes can be hard to get some rest.’
That gave Sanji pause.
There weren’t too many people who knew about his travel plans for the holidays. Sure, he told people he was going back home to spend time with his dad. But most didn’t know how long of a flight it was, or that the only one available that didn’t have a ridiculous layover was a red-eye flight. In theory flying at night should be a good idea, sleep on the plane and before you know it, you’ve arrived.
But Sanji could never rest, no matter what. Either the plan was too loud, the lights were too much, the people were too annoying. So he’d tried to avoid night flying as much as possible. But this year, there was no avoiding it.
“Is that for napping at work?” Luffy sounded far too excited. “We should all start doing that. After lunch!”
“No, it’s for my trip this weekend.”
“Oh that’s right, you’re going to see your dad. Bring back some of his cooking for us.”
With that Luffy scampered off to see if anyone else was opening gifts.
Thinking back the past couple of weeks. Sanji couldn’t recall too many people he talked to about his flight. There was one break, when he was talking with Luffy and Zoro, complaining about the flight. Zoro hadn’t understood his concern, finding it easy to fall asleep on the plane and actually went out of his way to book those types of flights.
They argued a bit back and forth about Zoro’s sleeping ability.
He didn’t think anyone else in the office knew about it. Considering Luffy was banned from playing. That just left one person left as to who it could be. But there was no way that Zoro would be the person to get such thoughtful gifts for him. They were barely friends.
Perhaps there was more to Zoro than he thought.
When time finally rolled around, Sanji waited until everyone else made their way to the breakroom so he could sneak over to Nami’s desk to drop off her gift.
“This must be your dream come true.” Zoro’s voice startled him, nearly making Sanji drop the map on the floor. He recovered quick enough to place it gently on her desk.
“What are you talking about?”
“Pulling Nami’s name for this whole thing.”
Sanji looked back towards the breakroom doorway, while there wasn’t an actual door that separated the kitchenette and break room from the rest of the office, the volume of conversation was more than likely loud enough to cover their conversation here.
Just in case, Sanji grabbed hold of Zoro’s arm and pulled him further away until they reached Zoro’s desk.
“Be quiet, moron. They could hear you and spoil the surprise.”
Zoro just rolled his eyes. “Whatever, it's just a stupid workplace game. Not like it actually matters.”
“Says you. I’ll have you know that I put a lot of thought and care into these gifts for Nami.” Arguing with Zoro was always second nature. It didn’t actually matter what they talked about, Sanji could find a way to turn it into a verbal spar. It was exciting to be able to captivate his attention so easily.
“What, you think a few stupid trinkets and she’ll fall head over heels for you?”
There was something almost defensive about his statement that made Sanji pause. If Zoro really was his secret santa, then why would he be lashing out this way. Insulting a silly plan that, realistically Sanji knew wasn’t going to change anything between him and Nami. They were friends and that was the end of that. Nami had a long time girlfriend that she would never leave, so Sanji doting on her didn’t mean anything. It was something simple and fun to pass that time. A way for Sanji to trick himself into thinking that he was worthy of love since he indulged his stupid attempts at flirting.
But they way Zoro spoke. It was as if he actually believed it. That Sanji and Nami would fall for each other over these little gifts.
Or perhaps, he was hoping the plan would work for himself.
Sanji never really thought that Zoro would be into him. But thinking about all their past interactions, it was starting to look a little obvious. They argued, fought, teased, and bickered to no end. But there wasn’t really any malice behind it. They always seemed to seek each other out when the opportunity was present. Like there was some sort of invisible string pulling them together when they were relaxed. Always wanting to sit next to each other when out drinking, or finding an excuse to start a competitive match.
Maybe he was hoping these gifts could speak up for him when he couldn’t.
“It might.” Sanji wished his voice was a little steadier, but he had a theory to test. “These stupid little gifts can really show someone you care. For example, mine paid enough attention to know that the only tree I have can’t hold regular size ornaments. And they know my favorite food is spicy seafood pasta.”
Either Zoro had the best poker face in the world, or Sanji may just be wrong.
“And they know I can’t rest on a flight but they care enough to get me things to help. These are more than just trinkets, they are pieces of their heart presented with a bow.” Sanji away, not really having the courage. “Oftentimes that is enough to make someone fall for you.”
“Right.” Zoro’s voice was a little strained. When Sanji looked up at him, there was a tightness to his features. “I hope you and Nami get your happily ever after.”
Zoro walked past him and towards the breakroom with everyone else. For a moment Sanji thought he read it all wrong. Maybe Zoro didn’t care for him, and this just made him uncomfortable to think that Sanji was developing feelings just for getting a couple of presents. Perhaps he thought that Sanji was so pathetic that just a couple of gifts was enough positive attention to make him fall in love. Obviously Zoro was just being nice, there was nothing more to it than that. But if he was just being nice, wouldn’t he have just gotten a lot of those stupid pre-built gift baskets or something that were all around the shops this time of year? It would have been easier and you could have still found things that fit within the themes.
Instead it looked as if he went shopping to get the exact things that Sanji would love. Like he really cared. Why would he do that if he didn’t actually give a shit about him?
That’s when he saw it. The paper sitting on his desk with Hiyori’s number.
Maybe he wasn’t reading the situation wrong. Maybe he was just too late and Zoro was already falling for someone else.
Sanji stepped outside the office for a cigarette and debated telling Luffy he had to go home sick.
Thursday: DIY
Sanji avoided people as much as he could the next day. After an endless night of playing that botched conversation with Zoro on repeat in his mind, he just didn’t have the energy to talk to others today. Instead he asked Luffy to deliver Nami’s gift. It was DIY day, so he spent the weekend making different flavors of salts that could be used for cooking. There was a good chance this gift would give away the secret, but the party was tomorrow so he figured it wouldn't really matter too much.
Lunch time had already come and gone, Sanji had yet to receive his gift. He was starting to think that if Zoro was in fact his secret santa, the conversation must have made him uncomfortable. So he would probably forgo the gift today and make some excuse tomorrow about it so he didn’t have to worry about Sanji falling for him.
Honestly he felt like he deserved it. Who in their right mind would assume that a co-worker who randomly pulled your name in a silly game would use it to confess feelings? He wouldn’t be surprised if Zoro avoided him entirely at the party tomorrow.
“I got something for you.” Nami pulled up a chair next to Sanji’s desk, completely pulling him out of his own little world. “Here.”
She placed a box on his desk. Completely devoid of any wrapping paper or decoration of any kind. Instead there was folded up paper on top.
Sanji picked up the paper and read the note. The handwriting was barely better than chicken scratch. Immediately he was able to tell it was Zoro’s writing.
‘Figured you’d already have every cooking thing you’d ever need but maybe you can use something to write down your recipes.’
A little confused, he opened the box. Inside was a Bundt cake pan in the shape of a candy cane, which wasn’t actually something Sanji owned since most of his cookware was designed to be used year round. But there was something a little endearing about Zoro going out of his way to find something for him that he could use only around this time. Inside the pan was a couple of kitchen towels and two notebooks.
One of the notebooks has a picture of a beautifully painted underwater scene. It looked as if it were from some type of coral reef with a swarm of colors from all the different fish and other wildlife that stood out in stark contrast to the blue hues of the ocean that surrounds them. The other looked to be a recreation of The Great Wave off Kanagawa painting, which was always one that Sanji loved.
The insides of both notebooks were blank, plenty of new space to record all his recipes he tried out.
“These are wonderful, Thank you.” Sanji smiled at Nami.
“It was your secret santa, not me.”
“Trying to cover for yourself?” He teased, hoping some levity would distract from the disastrous conversation yesterday.
“It's not me. I have Robin, I got her to make your own voodoo doll kit for today.” Nami shrugged. “And I think she figured it out the moment I pulled her name, she looked at me so intensely that she had to have known.”
“Well I still love it.” Sanji looked back down at the notebooks. It was then that he remembered about the dish towels in the pan. They were black, which wasn’t a color Sanji usually had in his kitchen, preferring more colorful options that he could rotate out to bring a warmth to his space.
He picked up one of the two towels and looked it over. In white embroidery was the word ‘Gentlecook’ in cursive.
A surprised laugh escaped his lips.
“What is it?” Nami looked confused at the towel.
“It's this shirt I have.” Sanji had gotten it as a joke from Zeff years ago. Finding it at a farmers market and insisted that was what Sanji thought he was, instead of just a brat and the most stubborn sous chef there was. He had worn it to a BBQ when he first started working with the Strawhats.
There was still that uncertainty of working with them. He didn’t know if they would like him, or if he would fit in at all. He remembered panicking before leaving for the park about what would happen if he made a fool of himself and they changed their mind, firing him since he didn’t belong.
The moment Zoro laughed at his shirt, saying it should read pervycook instead, Sanji snapped back with an insult about the windchime attached to his ear.
It devolved into insults and childish name calling after that. But Sanji felt more relaxed than he had before. It was familiar territory of teasing and bickering that was found growing up in the kitchen at the Baratie. Arguing with Zoro felt as natural as breathing.
That was the first time they used the beloved nicknames of Marimo and Cook.
He pulled out the other towel and, sure enough, had the word ‘Pervycook’ embroidered to match. He couldn’t help the smile that took over his face.
Instinctively he looked over to Zoro’s desk but was disappointed to find it empty.
“Zoro went out for some fresh air.” Nami said as if apropos of nothing. “In case you needed him for something.”
There was a gleam in her eye that meant she absolutely knew what was going on in his mind. So he didn’t even come up with an excuse, instead he stood and walked outside.
Even if it may have been too late, there was no way a gift like this wouldn’t mean anything to Zoro. Perhaps there was still hope to give Sanji a chance to prove he cared for Zoro.
The moment Sanji stepped outside into the chilled air, he realized he didn’t know what exactly he was going to say. Instead he looked at Zoro as he leaned against the building, as if in deep thought. His eyes cracked open to look at Sanji.
“What’re you doing out here?” Zoro sounded guarded.
“Having a smoke, is that allowed?” Sanji’s filter apparently didn’t get the memo to start working.
“You can do whatever you want.” Zoro pulled himself off the building and took a few steps towards the door as if to go back inside.
“I could use some company.”
For a moment he was certain that Zoro would just ignore him and go back inside. Instead he stopped, sighed, and positioned himself right back where he was when Sanji stepped out here. He lit up a cigarette in hopes of filling a little bit of the awkwardness between them.
“So what did you end up getting today?” Sanji asked, as much as he wanted to ask Zoro about the gift he got. He wasn’t sure where they stood at the moment.
“I got a blanket that you can color in.”
“So you can color and nap at the same time.” Sanji smiled, surprisingly enough Zoro gave a chuckle too.
“I suppose.”
The silence stretched between them, but Sanji decided he wanted to reach out again to see if he’d get the same response as yesterday.
“Well, my secret santa gift was better than yours.” He watched for Zoro’s reaction. “They know me so well. Makes me think they actually care for me.”
Zoro eyed him hesitantly. “Maybe they do.”
Sanji tried to cover the smile by taking another drag of his cigarette. “It’s nice. Besides my old man, no one else has really cared much about me. Makes me think that maybe someone thinks I’m worth the effort.”
“Course you are. You may be a pain in the ass, but anyone would be lucky to have you.”
Before Sanji had a chance to answer. To tell Zoro that he knew he was the one getting all these gifts. A car pulled up in front of the office. It was a simple white white Camry, an older model but looked like it was well taken care of. To Sanji’s surprise, Hiyori was the one who stepped out from the driver's seat.
“Oh.” She gave a bright smile that could have rivaled the sun shining outside. “I didn’t expect to see you out here.”
“Everything okay?” Zoro sounded concerned, Sanji didn’t want the bitterness to rise up in his chest but it did anyway.
“Yes, perfectly fine.” Hiyori moved to stand next to them. “I was just in the area for a job interview and I wanted to stop by to say thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just doing my job.”
“No, it was so much more than that.” Hiyori grabbed his hand, pulling it close to her. “You gave me back my life. I cannot thank you enough.”
Sanji finished his cigarette and decided to excuse himself. He didn’t need to be here to witness this, there was no way he could compete with someone as wonderful as her. Obviously Zoro would pick her.
“Did you get my message?”
Zoro sighed. “Yeah. I’m not going to call you.”
Sanji was a little taken back by his bluntness towards the beautiful lady, he nearly wanted to yell at Zoro for his rudeness.
“I’m just doing my job. I’m here for you with whatever you need, but only in a professional setting. Got it?”
While his tone wasn’t harsh, Sanji could see Hiyori’s spirit crumble.
“I see.” She turned away. “I understand.”
“Marimo!” Sanji snapped. “How could you be so rude?”
“Rude?” Zoro looked at him in bewilderment. “Seriously?”
“Yeah asshole. How can you be so rude to such a pretty lady?”
“I was just being honest. People appreciate it more than lying to their face in hopes of sparing their feelings.”
“Letting someone down gently is a much preferred option.”
“Like you’d ever turned anyone down. You’d chase after any girl that showed the slightest interest.”
There was a small giggle coming from Hiyori cutting them both off.
“I get it.” There was a soft smile on her face as she looked between them. “I’ll let you know if I need anything else. Thank you Zoro.”
Leaving them both a little confused. Hiyori got back in her car and drove off. Sanji didn’t quite understand what had happened but he was grateful for it. Knowing that Zoro wasn’t actually interested in her made him think that perhaps he had more of a shot then he realized.
Friday: Final Gift
On Friday they decided not to have a regular work day. Instead Luffy declared the party would start at noon and everyone needed to bring snacks. So Sanji spent the morning making as much food as he possibly could. Luffy had asked him earlier to make the main dishes, so whatever else people brought would just be a bonus. Nami’s gift was wrapped nicely and ready to go.
Throughout the night Sanji couldn’t help but let his mind wander. He thought about Zoro and if he were just reading more into the gifts then he thought. Sure they were nice, and not because they were expensive or something. It just was proof that Zoro knew more about Sanji than he thought he did, and he used that to get him. Sanji also thought about how much he enjoyed Zoro’s company too. Even the fights and arguments were more exciting than any previous relationship he had.
If Zoro really cared for him like he suspected, then Sanji wanted to try and pursue something.
By the time he made it to the office, most people were already there. Nami had gone overboard with the decor, garlands and lights were strung up. Some of the tables in the break area were pushed together with table cloths and decorations making it look festive. Giving his compliments to Nami as he set up the food area, Sanji got to work. He made a variety of finger sandwiches and sliders that people would enjoy, as well as a few dips to go with the assortment of veggies and crackers.
Usopp was on music duty, as soft Christmas music drifted through the room as people started to chatter.
There was such a cozy atmosphere, that Sanji nearly forgot it was a work function. He was sipping on the punch that Franky made, while talking to Brook about his upcoming show. Even though he was far too old to still be performing, Brook still made time to host a few small events, being the infamous Soul King wasn’t just a lifestyle he was willing to give up. But he did cut back to help work here instead, focusing on retirement programs and helping those on retirement assistance.
“It’s time!” Luffy shouted loudly, gaining everyone’s attention. “Let’s give out the gifts.”
Slowly people grabbed what they had and made their way over to Luffy.
“Me first!” Luffy pulled a small bag out. “I had Traffy help me make these.”
Luffy handed out what looked to be handmade buttons to each person. They had a skull and crossbones with a straw hat on top. He looked so proud of himself.
“So we can show we are a crew.”
“How thoughtful.” Robin smiled as she was the first to put it on.
With that, the rest of the reveal started. Brook volunteered to go first, presenting Usopp with a nice quality toolbox he could use at home. It was funny enough that Usopp also had Brook for secret santa, and presented him with a framed poster of his last tour with photos throughout his career.
Sanji volunteered to go next, giving Nami a certificate for a day spa that she could bring her sister along with. After that they continued in a chain, with Nami giving Robin her gift of tickets to a pop up museum of death that was here for a limited amount of time. Robin gave Chopper a basket of imported sweets from around the world. Chopper then gave Franky some custom decals for his motorcycle. Franky gave Zoro a new set of sword cleaning equipment, which Zoro looked very grateful for.
The longer this went on, the more certain Sanji was that Zoro was his secret santa. He was hoping that after the reveal, when everyone was distracted with the party, he could pull Zoro aside and talk to him.
“Here, Cook.” Zoro handed him a rather large box, it was much heavier than expected. “In case you didn’t figure it out, I was your secret santa.”
Sanji opened the box carefully, trying to figure out what it could possibly be. The moment his eyes fell on the knife set, he could feel his heart skip. The steel glistened under the lights of the party as he pulled the largest one out to inspect it. The quality was surprisingly good, even the handle looked to be hand carved.
“Zoro…” He wanted to say something but thank you just didn’t seem like enough.
“They are Japanese. From my hometown, we have one of the best bladesmiths around.”
“You really didn’t have to.” Sanji didn’t know what else to say. These were expensive. They had to be.
Sanji knew the cost of nearly every piece of equipment that went into a kitchen. Importing knives all the way from Japan would have been costly enough on their own, but the fact they were handmade from an actual bladesmith means this cost more then Sanji could even imagine.
With Sanji a little too stunned to speak. Luffy took up the silence and declared that the party had begun. The sounds of music filled the room as everyone went back to spending time together. Zoro stepped out of the break room while Sanji was still processing the gift.
Nami handed him a cup of punch.
“Thanks for the spa day.” She took a seat next to him. “You look like you are happy with your gift.”
“Yeah.” He finally looked over at her. “These are better quality than I could have ever gotten. How did he get these on such short notice?”
“Zoro mentioned he picked them up last time he visited home. I guess he never got the courage to give them to you until now.”
Last time he visited home? That was in May. He held onto these knives for so long, worried about giving them to Sanji. They’d only known each other for a few months at that point, had he been harbouring feelings for that long?
Sanji didn’t even bother to make up some excuse, instead he stood, leaving the gift where it was, and took off after Zoro.
Luckily he didn’t make it too far, just putting on his coat as if he were about to leave.
“Are you leaving?” Sanji asked nearly starling Zoro.
“Yeah, not much of a party person so I figured I’d just go.”
“Why’d you reject Hiyori?” Sanji didn’t know why that was the question he asked, but now that it was out, there was no taking it back.
Zoro looked taken back. “She’s a client, it would be wrong to take advantage. People who have never been treated kindly tend to latch onto the first person to be nice. That’s all it was.”
“I get that, but she looked like she really liked you. What if she comes back later when she’s in a better place?”
Zoro shook his head. “I’m not interested in her.”
“Why’d you get me those knives?” Sanji nearly held his breath waiting for a response.
“Figured you needed a good set.”
“Did you really get them back in May?”
Zoro cast his eyes down. “Yeah.”
“Is that how long you’ve had feelings for me?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?” Sanji couldn’t believe it. “Even if I’ve been such a dick to you?”
Zoro smiled. “I like when you’re a dick.”
“Well good, cause I’m not going to stop.” Sanji decided to take a chance, he reached out pulling Zoro by the jacket lapels to bring in a little closer. “But I do want to try being with you.”
“Really?” Zoro’s smile was infectious as he wrapped his arms around Sanji, bringing them together.
Instead of answering, Sanji decided to take one more chance. He leaned forward, just enough to slot their lips together. The kiss was much more tender than I thought it would be, with Zoro’s lips being surprisingly soft. He could feel Zoro’s arms wrap him tighter and he kissed back. It was heavenly, being held by Zoro, the embrace making him feel safe and wanted. Zoro didn’t seem to want to break apart as he pressed his lips firmly against Sanji’s.
When they finally broke apart, breathing harder than before, Sanji couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on his face.
“When I get back from the holidays, you better take me on a really nice date.”
“Anything you want curls.” Zoro didn’t even hesitate in his answer.
They stayed near Zoro’s desk, away from the rest of the party as they exchanged a few more kisses. Neither wanted to break away from this small bubble of privacy they created, neither wanting to return to the real world just yet. Instead they talked for the rest of the party, making plans for their date in the new year. Thinking back, this was probably the best Christmas Sanji had ever had.
And he was really glad that it was Zoro as his secret santa.