A/N: I'm so sorry if it's terrible, but here's my story for the 2014 ZoSan Christmas Exchange.
Being tricked into taking home a homeless marimo wasn't the worst of Sanji's problems. The worst hits when they get stuck inside his apartment thanks to a snow storm, and it's Christmas Eve! Sanji hadn't planned on spending the holiday with surly, yet very attractive, Zoro. Things wouldn't turn out too bad, right?
Damn, it was way too cold. Snow was definitely coming.
Sanji rubbed his hands over his face, breathing softly around his cigarette. The cold weather was too harsh, even for winter. The news had said that, in about a week or so, a deadly snow storm would be making its way towards his city, around the time of Christmas. He wasn't surprised about that, he was more shocked at the fact that it hadn't arrived yet.
He sure as hell hoped he didn't get snowed in, though. He had enough food, yes, but not enough water, especially if the pipes froze. If the power went off, he at least had tons of warm blankets, but all his food would go to waste in no time while sitting in the refrigerator. He was not prepared if shit went down.
He should really head to the store soon, and now that he thought about it, he should do that once he finished up with his shift at the Baratie. Maybe Zeff would let him shack up at his place for the night... No, that wouldn't happen. He'd moved out, he should be able to live on his own by now, even the old fart would say that.
Brushing his hair from his face and taking a deep drag from the cancer stick, Sanji shoved his hands into his coat pockets, rushing towards the warm glow of lights that were being emitted from the Baratie's windows. Restaurant meant kitchen, and kitchen meant warmth.
He reached the restaurant in record time, slamming the front doors open with a bang. The damn thing wasn't even open yet, so it didn't matter if he made a ruckus. It wasn't like it was bothering the customers...
Sanji's cigarette almost fell from his mouth.
Eyes were glued to him, and he blinked, waves of surprise and confusion going through him at the sight of Zeff, Patty, Carne, and a stranger standing in the middle of the room. Well, everyone was standing, except for the stranger, who sat with a blanket around his shoulders, sipping at a bowl of soup. Who the hell was he?
The stranger wasn't bad looking, not by a long shot, but he just didn't look clean. Odd green hair unkempt and a shitty excuse for a beard growing along his chin. His clothes were rags, and the only things that even seemed of value to the man were three swords strapped to the his side.
"...Old fart, who's this?" Sanji questioned as he stepped inside, the doors falling shut behind him. He saw the ashtray next to the doors, and put his cigarette butt out. He strode on over, eyes casually taking in the sight of the good-looking yet dirty man. Huh, was that a scar over his eye?
"This," Zeff started, eyes going from Sanji to the stranger, "Is Zoro. Be nice to him eggplant, he has nowhere else to go."
"So you're telling me that you picked up some bum off the streets?!" Sanji hissed, covered hands clenching into fists.
"I'm not some fucking bum, shitty eyebrows!" The man called Zoro stood up, moving swiftly and grabbing the blond by the front of his shirt. The man's breath was surprisingly not terrible smelling, a faint scent of steel and the soup he'd been eating. Odd, yet intriguing.
"Then why the fuck are you here looking like some drunk sleeping on the street?!"
"I don't think that's any of your goddamn business!" Zoro's hand was clutching his shirt even tighter, one eye glaring at him, scowling sharply. Sanji's body was practically shaken around like he was a rag doll.
Soon they were pulled apart by an angry Zeff, the man's peg leg kicking Sanji and Zoro off their feet, making them both fall on their asses. Sanji gasped in pain, his tailbone sending shocks of pain up his back. Shit, that was going to bruise.
Slowly, the blond stood up, rubbing his backside, while Zoro struggled to stand. So, being the nice guy he was, Sanji moved over and held a hand out to help the guy up. He knew exactly how it felt, being in the green haired man's position. When that'd first happened to him, he'd sat in the floor for a while before being able to actually stand. The tailbone was sensitive when being smacked against the floor.
Zoro stared at Sanji's hand, and then allowed the other to pull him up, before grumbling a thanks to the blond cook. Chuckling under his breath, Sanji turned his attention back to Zeff, Patty, and Carne, who were watching them, which in turn caused a slight blush to rise to his cheeks.
He coughed awkwardly and couldn't meet their watchful gaze. God, that was embarrassing... He usually never helped guys out, so it was probably shocking to them. Well, maybe not to Zeff, since the man already knew that Sanji was bisexual, all the while Patty and Carne were kept out of the loop.
"I, uh, so, old fart, I should... Get to the kitchen. Yeah, the kitchen." Ducking his head down, Sanji did just that, hurrying so that he wouldn't have to feel those gazes on him anymore.
The kitchen's doors shut behind him, and he leaned against them, sighing. He didn't know why he was so embarrassed, maybe it was because he got caught helping someone out who wasn't a lovely lady, he wasn't sure, but he did know one thing. This Zoro guy would be the end of his straight man facade.
The work day had ended, and Sanji was both glad and pissed off. While he'd been working his ass off, somehow Patty had convinced Zoro to stay at the blond's house. How? He wasn't sure, but when Zeff had caught wind of the conversation, he'd pushed the younger cook into agreeing with it.
So here he was, walking home with a, probably, homeless man, grumbling under his breath. He needed to go to the store, but he wasn't walking inside with a dirty bum trailing behind him. Yet, he couldn't leave Zoro alone at his house. What if the man tried to steal his shit? Yeah, that was out of the question.
Sanji pulled out his pack of lights and his lighter, sticking one in his mouth and lighting up. He put the pack and lighter away, and then took a long, deep drag from the cigarette. He blew the smoke out in perfect little circles, something he'd learned in high school. He shoved his hands in his pockets and mulled over whether or not going to the store first or his home.
The store sounded better, and he could act like he didn't know Zoro when lovely ladies were about. Besides, when alone, he could ask the man what he liked to eat.
He turned his attention to the green haired man, saying, "Oi, moss head, we're going to the store. Try and make yourself look presentable, just in case we see any women."
"Shut it, curlicue, my hair is not moss and I don't give a shit what women think of me. And I'm surprised you do, what with the way you were checking me out earlier," Zoro replied gruffly, a cheeky smirk appearing on his lips.
Sanji's cheeks flushed. He'd blame it on the cold if the man asked. "I-I don't know what y-you mean..." Shit, he was stuttering too... He'd say it was because of the cold too.
"Yeah, you do. You couldn't help but stare at me. I don't know what you were thinking, but you were staring. Don't deny it."
"I wasn't staring at you!" Sanji nearly screeched, eyes wide as his cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. "Fucking hell... Just make yourself presentable."
"Whatever."
The blond saw the store, and that was the end of their conversation, for the time being. He turned his head to say something to Zoro, but he found that the man was walking down an alleyway. He moved swiftly and grabbed the man's arm. "Wrong way, moss head."
Zoro's arm jerked from his grasp, and he scowled at the blond, grumbling. "Shut your goddamn mouth, shitty cook. I was going the right way."
"You haven't even tried my cooking..." Sanji muttered under his breath, before saying, "The store isn't even down that way."
Still having that pissed off look on his face, the muscular male just huffed, and if Sanji looked closer, he could have seen a slight redness tinting Zoro's ears. Sanji took a drag from his forgotten cigarette and blew out the smoke slowly, eyes shutting as the nicotine filled his system.
They started walking again, and the green-haired man followed behind Sanji, although the blond could tell that he wasn't too happy about it.
It didn't take long, as they reached the store. Sanji was the first to walk in, after putting out his cigarette, and the moss headed idiot followed behind, although he kept his distance. The blond saw many lovely women in the store as he shopped, placing produce, milk, a case of water, some cans of shitty soup, and rice in his buggy. Zoro didn't offer much in what he'd like to eat, which wasn't much of a shocker; the man didn't seem to talk much.
Sanji finished his shopping and paid, before turning to the moss for brains to tell him it was time to leave. Yet, he wasn't even there. Blinking, he grumbled and searched throughout the store, before finding Zoro in the fucking candy aisle.
"You got lost again?" He questioned, vaguely annoyed, and the bastard had the audacity to look stunned, as if he hadn't expected the cook to find him. "Come on, it's supposed to start snowing soon, we need to get to my place and put this shit away."
Zoro nodded his head in response, and promptly they were out of the shopping center and back out in the cold. The blue eyed male held the grocery bags in his hands, receiving no help from the mossy headed man. Well, it wasn't like he expected any.
They walked and walked, before white flecks of snow started to fall. Sanji couldn't help but smile, and even though he didn't enjoy the after effects of snow, he absolutely relished the beauty of it.
He looked over, almost as if he expected some cliche romantic scene to take place, only to find Zoro staring straight in front of him, like he didn't give a single shit about anything around him. It somewhat disappointed him, as he'd been secretly hoping that maybe, just maybe, this strange man had some type of sexual or even romantic interest in him.
But no, there didn't even seem to be a vague spark of interest in the guy's one eye when he looked over at him. It didn't hurt, but it sort of hurt his ego. It was understandable, though, especially if he had no interest in men. He could also grasp at why Zoro wouldn't want anything to do with him; Sanji knew he was an ass, he knew he was a bit of a womanizer, he knew there were many faults in himself.
The blond saw the faint lights of his apartment complex, and his steps quickened. He kept making sure Zoro was walking with him, and once they'd reached his home, he pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open and stomping his shoes on the mat.
"Come on in, I'll start dinner soon."
Once they were both stripped down to their normal, everyday clothes, the cook shuffled into his kitchen and started up the oven, before putting away all the groceries. There was an awkward silence in the air, and it made Sanji feel uncomfortable about having a green headed stranger in his small apartment.
The blond pulled out all the ingredients and cookware he'd be using, humming to himself as he proceeded to cook, enjoying himself. He could feel eyes (well, an eye) on the back of his head, but he ignored it in favor of adding specific spices to the food he was preparing.
He heard the beep of the oven, which brought him out of his dull, slightly meditative state. He sighed, and knew that this would be a long night.
The next week flew by. Sanji had yet to lose the attraction he had for for the furrow-browed moss head, who was still somehow staying with him. They argued frequently, but usually it was just useless banter. Every once in a while, when Sanji got too questioning about Zoro's homelessness, the latter would pick a fight just to change the subject.
It wasn't that the blond wanted to pry, per say, but he was curious about his house guest, and his curiosity usually earned him both Zoro's anger and his annoyance.
During their short time together, Sanji had learned three specific things about the green-headed man.
One: Zoro was practically in love with alcohol, the man drank so much, yet the blond was sure he'd never seen him drunk.
Two: The moss for brains didn't seem to have any interest for anyone. He never made comments about how sexy a woman or a man was when they went out shopping. It was odd, considering the cook had grown up in a kitchen with men of all ages commenting about some customer's ass. It was almost a relief, as well. For all he knew, Zoro was asexual.
Three: When the moss head insulted Sanji's food, it was usually something about too much salt, something was slightly burnt, simple shit like that. But when he turned his back on Zoro while he was eating, he heard the small groans of pleasure, meaning he probably did like the food, he just sucked at giving compliments. The thought, even if it was bullshit or meaningless, made Sanji smile.
He just might be crushing, just a tiny bit, on the moss brained idiot.
It was the day of Christmas Eve, and Sanji woke up at six in the morning. He took a short shower, shaved so that his stubble was well-maintained, and he brushed his hair from his eyes, knowing he needed to get a hair cut. He went back to his bedroom, dressing in a shitty Christmas sweater and comfortable jeans, plus warm wool socks.
He checked his closet and counted all his Christmas presents, making sure he hadn't forgotten anybody. Zeff, Patty, Carne, the lovely part-time waitress Nami, his doctor Chopper, his buddy Usopp, and finally Zoro. Zoro's present had been a shitty last minute gift, but he'd put a lot of thought into it. He shut the closet door and left his bedroom, making his way to the kitchen, where he started to prepare two cups of coffee.
He made sure to leave the moss head's coffee black, while he added two spoonfuls of sugar and a drop or three of milk into his. He stirred his coffee and took a sip, sighing as the coffee warmed him right up.
He heard shuffling coming from the living room, where Zoro now stayed, and he listened as the man grunted some before loud feet hit the wooden floor. He heard the curtain in the living room open, and a loud 'shit' resounded throughout the apartment.
"What's wrong?" He called out, leaning against the counter as he waited for Zoro to round the corner. When he did, he looked absolutely pissed.
"We're snowed in," he responded, voice gruff, eyes flashing while he practically glared Sanji down. The blond blinked and set his coffee down, before pushing past Zoro, going to the front door and throwing it open. Snow fell on top of his head and on parts of his shoulders, but thankfully most of it was packed in the doorway, or else he would've been buried in snow.
He made his way back to the kitchen, dusting the melting snow from his shoulders. He found Zoro sitting at the kitchen table, coffee in hand, and almost was unable to hide the slight smile. The man still had that scowl, and when he saw Sanji, he squinted his eyes and glared.
"Quit giving me that look, you're lucky to be stuck in an apartment with a chef," he stated, and he headed to the fridge and pulled out the stuff that would go bad fast, in case the power shut off.
"Do you want something in particular, or just anything?"
"Just make as much meat as you can, we don't know when the power will go out," answered Zoro, fingers tapping along the tabletop.
Nodding, Sanji went over to the fridge and did just that, pulling out bacon, sausage and chicken patties for some biscuits, along with some gravy that he didn't want to go to waste. As he cooked, he considered calling Zeff after they ate, in case the surly old fart got worried. The cook probably wouldn't say he cared, much less worried, about the blond, yet Sanji still would like to tell him that they were both okay. He wanted to check up on Zeff as well, but he'd never admit that aloud.
The bacon sizzled in the pan, as well as the sausage and chicken patties in another. The biscuits sat in the oven, and the graving heated up in a pot. He grabbed his coffee cup and took a long sip, body craving nicotine. He knew that Zoro didn't quite enjoy the smell of cigarettes, so he'd avoided smoking in the apartment, and instead went outside to get his fix. But, alas, the weather wasn't so friendly, and he was left craving the damned things.
He gritted his teeth and reached for his pack of cigarettes, and his hand shakily went into his pocket for his lighter. He stuck a cancer stick in his mouth, but he didn't light it, knowing that if he did, he'd just piss Zoro off. He didn't want to do that, it was Christmas Eve for fuck's sake.
He chewed on the filter as he furrowed his brow, flipping the patties over and listened they sizzled nicely. He served the bacon onto a plate, and when the oven beeped, telling him the biscuits were done, he pulled them out and served them up as well. Eventually, the chicken and sausages were finished, and he put them onto the biscuits. He tasted the gravy to make sure that it was ready too.
He turned to Zoro. "Come and get your food, you lazy ass," he ordered gruffly, nodding towards the plates full of food. The moss head obliged and grabbed a clean plate and piled it high with bacon, biscuits (with the chicken and sausage on top), and finally he smothered everything in gravy. Sanji served himself afterwards and sat down, watching as Zoro dug in, a stray smile flitted across the blond's face, before he too concentrated on eating.
As he ate, the cook considered what they could do that day to pass the time. He wouldn't mind playing cheesy games like Scrabble or Monopoly, but it was highly unlikely that the quiet moss head would want to. It wasn't like Sanji knew what, exactly, Zoro was into, besides the three swords he attempted to keep at his side at all times, day or night. The guy even slept with them right there, sometimes in his arms, sometimes leaning against the coffee table.
Once the food was gone, Sanji rinsed the dishes and then piled them into the dishwasher, before turning to the green haired male, who was attempting to retreat to the living room. "What do you want to do today, since we're stuck here?"
"Clean my swords," Zoro answered bluntly, like it was totally obvious.
"Come on, moss for brains. I'm bored and it's Christmas Eve, let's do something productive, something, anything."
"We could play poker," replied the moss for brains, a smirk snaking its way onto his lips. As Sanji was about to say something, the man continued with, "Strip poker."
Sanji blinked. "What?"
"You heard me. Strip. Poker. Think you'll lose?"
The blond immediately rose to the challenge, brows furrowing in slight annoyance. "It's on, ya bastard!"
Zoro, well, he was still smirking.
Sanji really, really hadn't been expecting Zoro to win nearly every round, causing the poor blond to strip down until he was only in his boxers, while the moss head still had his pants on, his socks and shirt strewn on the floor beside him. The power hadn't gone out yet, but that didn't mean it wasn't chilly in the apartment. He awkwardly shifted when he'd felt Zoro's gaze on him.
"Full house," he said, laying his cards out, cocky smirk never leaving his face. "You?"
Sanji swallowed thickly and laid out his random mess of a 3 of diamonds, a three of hearts, a five of spades, a queen of hearts, and a two of hearts. Zoro's smirk seemed to grow when he laid his eyes on Sanji's hand.
"Oh? Poor you, and all you have left are your boxers. Off with 'em."
"No," Sanji said, voice low, cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "I don't want to..."
"But you lost. Just do it, or are you... Scared? Of being seen naked by another man? I mean, we do have the same parts. If you'd like, I'll show you mine once you show me yours." Zoro sent him a threatening grin, eyes flashing.
"I don't want to show you mine, and I definitely don't want to see yours!" That was a lie, but Zoro couldn't have known that, right? He should do it, it'd be embarrassing to back out now, but then again, did he really need Zoro seeing his junk, even if he didn't have anything to hide?
After much internal dispute, Sanji finally gave in and slipped his boxers off, tossing them aside. He then spread his legs and smirked at the moss head, embarrassment filtering away when he noticed a red tint to the man's cheeks.
"Show me yours?"
Zoro shifted, looking rather uncomfortable, before he coughed and slid his pants and then his boxers off. Sanji allowed himself the pleasure of taking in the sight of Zoro, full out nude. Not bad, not bad at all. In fact, it was a great view, and he wasn't the only one checking the other out.
The blond then remembered an important thing and stood up. "Leave your clothes off, I'll be right back." He headed to his bedroom, hips swaying, and he could feel Zoro's eyes on his ass. He reached into his closet and pulled out the crappily wrapped present addressed to Zoro, before returning and sitting down.
He let out a soft breath. It was now or never. "Merry Christmas Eve, damn moss head," said Sanji, handing off the present.
Zoro looked at it, then back up at Sanji. "I didn't get you anything though..."
"Doesn't matter, just open it."
Nodding, the green headed male ripped the wrapping paper away, and soon found himself face-to-face with a sword cleaning kit. The expensive kind. Better than his own, Sanji had made sure of that.
Zoro's mouth opened and closed, gaping like a fish, before he set the gift aside, stood up, and moved to Sanji, kneeling down. He grabbed his chin, and pressed their lips together in a searing kiss that made the blond's head spin and all the blood rush south.
The blond stuttered slightly when the moss head pulled away. "I-I-I!"
Zoro kissed him again, this time sweetly. "This is the best I can do, so Merry Christmas, shitty cook."
"Oh, fuck you," Sanji growled and grabbed the back of the man's head, pulling him back in to kiss him again. He pulled away. "And it's Christmas Eve, dumbass."
"Whatever."