Yeah so I was originally going to make this a longer fic, but it ended up becoming a one-shot instead. Hope you lovelies enjoy it. It was fun writing, and all my stories are put out there for you! :3
Title: How Love Finds Me
Pairing: Zoro/Sanji with some Zoro/Kuina
Word count: 2,402 words
Summary: Zoro's memories of an old friend rise as he lets himself drift into a song that calls them back to him.
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Just because Zoro wasn't a musician, didn't mean he couldn't appreciate music for what it was worth.
"The instant the sun sets, hm...Red wine~"
Rather than lay on the grassy lawn of the Thousand Sunny, Zoro opted to sit on the lower balcony where a door connected conveniently to the aquarium.
"You made such a lonely face, hm... vanilla girl, give me your recommendation~"
He had done it once... or perhaps two or three times already- he didn't bother remembering- and decided it'd be a rather nice habit to get into. It's times like this he can relax himself completely and just reminisce. Not only of his adventures with his crew, but with his beloved Kuina as well.
"Cooking is marriage~"
I know this one, Zoro thought to himself as he leaned against the wall of the Thousand Sunny. He had heard of the Moulin Rouge, some kind of resort that resided on an island whose name had currently eluded him- not that he cared to remember anyway.
"If my dreams were to come true, hm... so amusing, we'd stop time and go see a rainbow~"
He missed Kuina. Zoro gripped Wado against his chest, the hilt placed just above his heart. He could remember her smiling face, holding her wooden sword at her hip as she held her other hand out to him.
"Don't be afraid... hm blackcurrant girl, this instant will make you happy, marriage~"
If only I could reach out to it just one more time... The swordsman lifted his head to gaze at the sky.
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"Do I have to go?" Zoro whined as he struggled to fit into his snug blazer. Kuina slapped him upside his head. "Of course you do! Koshiro's friend was nice enough to invite you to this party, so you better be going. Besides..." the raven haired girl paused. "I don't want to be alone." She reached from behind to adjust the little boy's bow tie that hung loosely around his collar.
"There," she stated. Kuina placed both hands at her hips with a smirk. Zoro gripped at the blazer's collar and checked himself out in the mirror. "This looks dumb," he said with a pout. "Why should we have to dress all fancy anyways? It's not like it's some wedding or something." His friend stood next to him, looking at the body-length mirror in front of them.
"I think you look great," she began while patting him on the back with just a little more force than necessary. "Although, I think you always look great. Especially when we fight," the little girl said as she reached out and gripped Zoro's hand gently. The boy blushed. "You-" He took notice of Kuina's outfit; a dark blue ball gown with pearly white gloves cut short at her small wrists. It really wasn't that pretty, but the color certainly looked nice on her, and maybe he had thought once or twice what it would be like for his tomboy friend to wear something formal for once. Okay, so she was beautiful, not that he would state that out loud. "-look good too," he finished his sentence as a compliment. Kuina looked a bit taken back at first, but soon smiled warmly back at Zoro, pink tinting her cheeks. "Thanks." Zoro quickly turned his head in the opposite direction. "D-Don't mention it." His grip tightened around the girl's hand.
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"We'll scrutinize all the ingredients, a boy meets girl collaboration~"
The cook would probably have a hissy fit if he found out I was here, Zoro thought again to himself.
It had started when they landed on the Island of Fantasia, a rather pleasant island that had parties and music playing around every corner. Sure, music wasn't that interesting, and neither were the crowds at the parties, but there was a certain atmosphere to it that caused everyone, even Zoro, to get hyped up. Oh, and there was free booze. It took about a week for the log pose to reset itself, so the ever wandering swordsman filled his spare time going to the bars and whatnot. Upon trying to find his way back to the hotel the witch-er Nami had recommended they stay at, the buildings and roads had, unfortunately once again, decided it'd be fun to misplace themselves, thus leading the green-haired man to not the hotel, but the Thousand Sunny itself.
It was already getting late, and Zoro really didn't have the time to go back and try and find the hotel, although he definitely could have without a problem if he really wanted to. So, he chose the ship as the best resting place for the night. Besides, it was home anyways. Walking into the galley, Zoro scanned the room. No sign of the cook, who was supposedly on watch to Zoro's dismay. No cook meant booze so he grabbed a cheap bottle of sake off the rack and turned to take a seat in his favorite spot on the ship, the deck. As he was about to leave though, he heard a familiar voice.
Is someone singing? Zoro thought before making his way towards the sound. Not wanting to interrupt the curly-brow, or whoever may be down in the aquarium- Zoro couldn't tell- he sneakily made is way onto the lower balcony. Standing besides the door, he listened carefully for the source of music. Surely enough, it was Sanji.
"-in front of mother, everyone is a child. It's the same thing. It's necessary. I shall polish to shine the beautiful things. That's my absolute rule~"
It wasn't just Sanji either, a piano could be heard accompanying the tune. The swordsman stood still and crossed his arms. Che... Zoro started thinking to himself. Didn't know the spiral-brow could play.
"Baby, I shall whisper like the moon, melting pink and green. Baby, just like the lullaby for a lost kitten, for annoying people are good enough for kick and down~!"
Heh... he must've made this himself. He wanted to chuckle out loud, but caught his breath so the shit-cook wouldn't catch him. The cook was a pain in the ass as it was, so there was no need for him to think Zoro was some kind of stalker-which he wasn't by the way- and curse at him about it. Zoro looked solemnly at the ground.
"Take my hand, honey. Welcome to my romantic dinner. Be happy, honey~"
Zoro gripped slightly at his white t-shirt right where his heart laid beneath. Why?
"Take it easy, relax. Become light-headed by the Red wine, and don't forget your dessert~"
This wasn't supposed to happen again... Zoro thought as he silently walked away from the aquarium.
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Ever since then, the moss-head had taken the chances he got just to listen to Sanji on the Thousand Sunny. It was a moment of peace between the two, even if it did seem a bit one-sided on Zoro's part. Soon enough, Zoro could feel himself drifting off...
"Tonight's drama starts you. Nice and easy, Moulin Rouge~"
"This music is so sappy," the green haired boy whined as he sat at one of the many dining tables that occupied the spacious ball room. "I'd much rather be fighting you." Zoro pouted. Kuina laughed a bit at his childish behavior. After all, she was the more mature one of the two. Koshiro was busy across the dance floor talking with a lady not much shorter than he was. Both Zoro and Kuina knew she was of some importance in regards to the dojo he ran, but didn't pay her much mind.
"Glaze three days, we'll float through the sky. I'll grind away your tears. Let's spread out into this fortunate night. Hm... When you smile, it caramelizes my heart~"
"Hey!" Zoro snickered to his best friend. "Let's get outta here." Kuina hummed to herself for a moment. "Hm," she began. "Dad wouldn't like that~" Zoro frowned. "So?" The black-haired girl drummed her fingers on the soft fabric that donned the table. Soon after, she grinned at him. "Well, we won't get in trouble if we're not caught, right!?" The little swordsman grinned in response. "You got that right."
"The taste of the evening is, hm... chocolate noir. Sweet and yet bitter, our memories are beginning~"
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Needless to say, the both of them got caught that evening. Zoro could remember clearly Koshiro's intense scolding at the two. Especially poor Kuina, whose dress ended up covered in dirt from tussling in the back of the building with the other boy. Zoro had also decided that the look suited her so much nicer. He continued to dream about her, for a love he knew existed for Kuina.
"As long as I have my wits, I'll find the words hard to say in this situation. Entrust your wish to the rose in the champagne. Bitter and sweet, Moulin Rouge~"
It was a love that he had lost, and decided it best not to find again. Unfortunately, for Zoro, it seemed the world was against his choice. Or maybe it was because of his own choice to team up with Luffy from the beginning. That sounded about right. It's not like he wanted it or even asked for it. Roronoa Zoro was not stupid. He knew what love was.
"Sugarcoat your vice, a beautiful melody. This one moment, locked in gelatin~"
He just didn't expect it to come and find him again, especially not in the form of a foul-mouthed, shitty-assed, bastard-of-a-blond chef.
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Zoro awoke from his lucid slumber against the wall of the Sunny. It was at this point he noticed something odd.
The music had stopped.
The swordsman quickly got up and cursed himself to the sky and back. How long have I been out? He never fell asleep when listening to the curly-brow play. Never. He must have gotten so caught up in recalling his memories of Kuina that he fell asleep. He put his right foot out in an attempt to walk away, but, of course, as mentioned earlier, the world had been against him.
"Now I'll take you to the ends of time. Hm... Don't say good-bye, your long hair adds such a nice flavor~"
Zoro froze in mid-step. Shit. Shit. Shit... he repeatedly cursed to himself. He could hear the soft thud of a certain blond cook landing behind him. So he waited on top of the deck, huh? The green-haired man gritted his teeth. Fine. If he was going to take the insults, he might as well take them like a man. Putting on his most stoic appearance, the swordsman turned around, one hand resting on his swords.
"What?" he dared to inquire. The chef stood in a contraposte stance, taking a long drag on his cigarette before directing his attention to Zoro. "You like music, moss-head?" At this, Zoro just raised a brow. No insults meant there was definitely something up. Either that or he had hit his head on something hard. He'd like to believe the latter.
"Maybe," he replied. "What's it to you, shit-cook?" In response, Sanji quietly walked over to the swordsman. He had to be within a foot distance. He turned his head to the side and blew smoke out through his perfectly pink lips. Zoro grunted at him, becoming annoyed at the cook's odd behavior. The blond sighed and turned to lean over the railing of the lower balcony. It really was beautiful out. The sky had not one trace of a single cloud, leaving a stunningly clear view of the constellations.
"How dumb do you think I am?" Sanji asked as he stared up into the endless sky. Zoro gave him a skeptical look from behind. "What?" The cook took another drag and misted the clear air with smoke. "I know this isn't the first time you've done this, moss-for-brains." Zoro felt something drop in the pit of his stomach, a rather unpleasant feeling. No longer feeling a need to hide it, he leaned on the rail alongside his shitty nakama. He sighed to himself. "Hope I didn't inflate your ego too much," he decided to reply with. Sanji chuckled, another action that made Zoro want to run twenty questions through his head.
"Heh," the blond started as he gazed at a particular star in the sky. "I bet you'd get lost even if I told you to follow the North star." Zoro made an irritated face. "Che, as if, shit-cook!" he spat. Sanji closed his visible eye for a moment before continuing.
"Even if it lead to me?"
"Wha-?" Zoro turned to him. He cut himself off though, as some inner mechanism told him it'd be unwise to speak before thinking in this sudden situation. He turned his head back to look at the sky, as if asking it for some kind of answer. Suddenly, things started to click. He straightened his back and crossed his arms.
"I don't see any need for that," the swordsman stated. Sanji lowered his head at this, looking solemnly into the ocean their glorious ship was cradled upon. "Heh," the cook began. "As if I didn't already know-"
"There'd be no reason to try looking for you," Zoro abruptly cut his nakama off. Sanji turned to face the other. The swordsman returned the action. "You'd end up having to come and find me anyways, right?" At this, Sanji's visible eye widened a bit, mouth slightly agape, and for what seemed like an eternity, silence washed over them.
"Tch," Sanji took another long drag. "I am always the one that ends up looking for you, aren't I?" He agreed with Zoro, and flicked his nearly spent cigarette into the ocean beneath. Zoro, acting merely upon instinct, reached out to grab the blond's pale hand.
"That's a promise, right?" Pure determination was set on Zoro's face. The cook merely scoffed, his visible curly eyebrow contorted into a scowl. Even through the darkness, Zoro could swear he saw pink sweep across Sanji's cheeks. A rather... cute look. "As long as I don't end up having to haul your dumb ass back to the ship each time!" He gripped the tanned hand just a bit tighter.
Zoro chuckled to himself and gently caressed the snow-white sword that rested beside his right hip with his thumb.
He should have known that if he tried to escape love, it would only find a way to come back to him.