The ghosts of Christmas past
Christmas has individual meanings to people, no matter where they are or their occupation. Even at the nightclub „Dix Fleurs" the employees are facing more than just a flood of lonely holiday-customers. While Roronoa, the latest addition to the staff is only troubled with his additional workload and his roommates whimsical festive spirit, barkeeper Sanji seems to have darker things burdening his mind. What does it take to leave the past behind and give Christmas a new significance?
Christmas Eve. He hated Christmas Eve, had hated it as long as he remembered. He couldn't fathom what all the people loved about it, that made them go into a candycolored craze as soon as Halloween had passed.
With a sigh Sanji lifted himself out of bed, leaving the other naked body lying there. The weary winter sun was just tentatively rising on a misty sky. How on earth had he gotten here? He wasn't sure. Something about getting a drink after work. No matter what, time to leave. He gathered his clothes, dressed and got out of the crammy little apartment without waking this nights companion.
Cold, moist air made his breath puff out in white clouds. Looking around the empty street he lit a cigarette and put the collar of his coat up against the freezing breeze.
Despite, or more because of the holiday, tonight would be hell rising at the club, so he better find a way home soon. A mean headache started to form behind his forehead as he began to walk. He took a while to find a hint of which part of the city he had ended up in. When Sanji finally discovered a train station he was ready to collapse into bed again. His blackouts were getting worse and worse, as they always did around this time of year „What a merry Christmas..." he muttered tartly as he entered a train towards his apartment.
"A... Christmas tree..?" Roronoa warily eyed the big, glittery, singing atrocity his roommate just dragged into the small, chaotic place they shared. "Why the hell do we need a Christmas tree Luffy? Neither of us is Christian and we don't have enough space to step here anyway."
"But isn't it festive?" the boy grinned "And the guy from the corner store even gave these out for free!"
"Because nobody would pay money for the damn thing" the green haired muttered under his breath "At least put it where I don't fall over it whenever I come home in the dark."
"Sure!" giving the tree a last push, Luffy dropped it in the middle of the room and slouched on the sofa next to his roommate. "So, are you coming over for the party at "Brooks" tonight?"
The other sighed deeply. He had planned to do so, but the cadence in Madam Robins voice, when he mentioned Christmas had been distinct about the penalty of trying to wiggle out of work.
"Can't. I got to go to my job."
Luffys face took a pouty expression. "Can't you-?"
With a resigned gesture, Roronoa cut the begging. "You can start complaining once you don't use up all your own salary – meant to pay half of our rent- on filling that bottomless pit of your stomach."
Sighing he lifted himself out of the sofa and grabbed a towel that hung carelessly dropped , over one of the two chairs in the room. "Shower." he said, drowning out another attempt of persuasion, mixed with an ear-wreckingly off key interpretation of "silent night", curtesy to Luffys ugly tree.
"Depending on when I can finish I'll come over for breakfast. You guys will party until the morning anyway."
Satisfied by this statement, at least for the time being, Luffy grinned and focused his full attention on the proper tree-placement again.
Carrying two crates of bottles into the club, shortly before opening time, Roronoa glanced at the Barkeeper, who had mindlessly polished the same spot of the counter for the last five minutes. Something had been wrong for at least a few weeks now. Even though the two men only knew for three months, and spent more time snapping and snarling at each other than being civil, he could see that there was something not quite right about the way the blond was acting. Erratic, quiet, strained and, if that was possible, even more irritable than usual.
"Don't drop any of these, peeping-moss. Nobody pays you for standing around and marveling at my handsomeness."
The sharp comment snapped Roronoa out of his observation.
"I don't see anything worth of marveling, Curly. I was just surprised you can look even more like shit than usual. That your holiday-face?"
The barkeepers visible eyebrow twitched. Leaning against the bar he gave the greenhaired a bored look that even surpassed his usual arrogant expression. "Since the decorations are already dangling from your numb skull we don't need any more festivity in my opinion." he nodded towards Roronoas three trademark earrings. "We don't even need a tree, since the evergreen is right here."
His opponent was just opening his mouth to engage in todays episode of their little personal drama, as the door towards the staffrooms opened and the owner of the club walked in. The smile on her face suggested to postpone any disturbance of order, including their everyday routine of pissing contests.
"Are your preparations for the night coming along well?" Madam Robin asked friendly. As usual she seemed to be entirely untouched by the tension filling the space between both men.
"Sanji-kun. At least you should know the madness we have to expect tonight."
A strange shadow wavered over the barkeepers expression that made Roronoa wonder what exactly they had to expect.
Reminded of his duties, he gave the blond a last confused look before returning to restock drinks and ingredients required for business this evening.
One hour after the doors opened the "Dix Fleurs" was almost filled to the last table. Unbelieving, Roronoa looked around in horrified admiration, as he passed between the masses of customers, carrying trays of emptied glasses. Why did so many people apparently have nothing better to do on Christmas Eve?
He set his trays down on the counter and wiped drops of sweat off his forehead?
"Doesn't any of them have people to celebrate with?" he muttered.
"Escapism is all some people have, meadowhead." The cool voice next to his ear made him spin around. He hadn't noticed the barkeeper standing close enough to hear his quiet inquiry. "If they had some loving family or another cute concept to run to they wouldn't be here." A weird tone in the blonds voice made Roronoa look up into his face. He almost seemed... pained, empty. He believed what he was talking about. "Here they have at least some company and pretty ladies to look at. There are way worse way to 'celebrate'."
Sanji spat the last word out like a curse. Surprised, Roronoa noticed a barely visible shiver.
Frowning the greenhaired tilted his head "Wha-"
The clubs door opened and conversations all around stuttered. Even before turning around Roronoa could have bet which regulars had just come in. The instant tension and aura of surpressed terror in Sanji could only be caused by one.
Flamboyant as usual, accompanied by his scarred, fashionable companion, Donquixote Doflamingo came strutting straight towards the bar. Something about the man made Roronoa go on alert, and if it only was Sanjis reaction to him.
Sure, the barkeeper was an arrogant prick and everyday pain in the ass, but Roronoa had some kind of grumpy respect for his skills in his chosen profession and his usually unshakeable attitude. Someone who could spook him was a person not to take lightly.
"Sanji-kun!" the lanky man spread his arms in an overly cheerful gesture, before leaning against the counter, with an almost predatory grin. "Merry Christmas! I can't believe it's been another year." Doflamingos voice was a deep croon, that made a shiver run down Roronoas spine. "You have grown into a handsome man, since you last celebrated with us. Why don't you come along to our private party later~?"
A quick glance at Sanjis face kicked Roronoa out of his passive state. Whatever had been wrong with the blond the last weeks, it had affected him. Badly.
His usual surpressed fear at the sight of that man in the pink eyesore of a feathercoat seemed to have now turned into full fledged agony.
"Doflamingo- dono, Crocodile-dono, I apologize, but he has already made arrangements with me. I'll lead you to your usual separee now if it is agreeable to you." Even for Roronoa it was hard to withstand the peculiar mans presence. Hell, even finding the right tone to stop this bigshot from harrassing people was.
He could sense the eyes of the man scrutinize him head to toe from behind the weirdly shaped shades. After what felt like an eternity the grin was back on Doflamingos face. He turned to Sanji."And you even made a friend. Seems like Robin-chan has raised you to be a good boy after all." he nodded to his companion and rested one of his long fingered hands on Roronoas shoulder "You may lead us."
When he escorted the men to their places he saw Sanji leave his station in a speed that was more efficient than graceful.
Memories were gushing into his mind. Humiliation, hate and internalized fear drove tears in Sanjis eyes and made his stomach churn.
That was all christmas was to him. Obey, serve, make them enjoy their 'celebration' and forget about reality. Do things that still haunted him in nightmares. As soon as he was outside the clubs back exit he dropped to his knees and got violently sick.
Most days he knew it was in the past, but holidays like this... He pushed himself up, stumbled a few steps and then cowered down resting his back against the bricks. Eyes closed, breathing deeply he forced the panic down. Not the time to break down now. Later.
He heard the klick of a metal door opening.
In an attempt to quickly rise and hide his embarassing state, he didn't see a frozen puddle close to his foot, slipped and gracelessly landed on his ass.
Completely baffled Roronoa tried to grasp the image in front of his eyes – and failed.
The usually oh so sleek and elegant barkeeper was sitting on the ground, staring at him out of a deeply flushed face with reddened eyes, his hair almost comically disheveled.
He had expected to see him raging, smoking one of his beloved cigarettes after the others, but not this.
"You ok?" it was obvious that it wasn't the case, but he wasn't sure how else to break the awkward moment.
The blond averted his eyes and struggled until he was back on his own feet, completely ignoring the hand, that Roronoa had reached out to help.
"I am..." he replied, rested his back against the masonry and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, that was visibly damaged by his fall. The greenhaired saw the hands that lit the tobacco shiver.
Unsure about what to do he positioned himself next to the barkeeper without directly looking at him.
"Do you want me to..."
"I want nothing! Leave me alone" Sanji took a deep gulp from the cigarette.
The two men stood next to each other for a while without a word. When the tense silence grew too heavy, Roronoa asked
"Are you pissed because I stopped that mutated duster down there?"
The blonde made a noise that resembled a choked up hickup, mixed with a shocked exclamation.
"What? I saw he was making you uncomfortable."
"Th-thats ..my ...business!" Sanji replied still coughing. Obviously he had swallowed smoke at the others colorful description of his enemy. Angrily he dropped the stub and stepped on the smoldering stub
"I could have dealt with him myself, you stupid algae! I could..." A strong hand grabbed his arm and didn't let go when he struggled until he was forced to look straight into Roronoas eyes.
"But you didn't have to. You don't have to deal with anything alone when you're already on the verge of collapsing. Doesn't that go into your curly head?!"
He softly shook the barkeeper to emphasize his words "With that piss poor attitude of yours you will break at some point and bring Madam trouble!"
There was a change in Sanjis eyes, in his look. Some kind of understanding. A truth he couldn't deny.
Roronoa knew the other was fiercely loyal to their superior so his words probably hit in the right places.
"Let go."
The blond averted his eyes, shook off the hand that held him and lit another cigarette.
A cool breeze blew through the narrow alleyway, bringing a few stray flakes of fresh snow. "I'm going back to work" Roronoa broke the silence and turned away. "You coming back anytime soon?"
"In a few minutes." There was a hint of his usual cockiness in the smile around the barkeepers lips. "As if I could leave a weed like you alone down there without everything going to shit"
"At least I don't threaten the customers lives, poison splasher!" his opponent shot back, replying to the smile with a content grin.
He turned and walked towards the door. With one hand on the handle he hesitated and tilted his head. "Hey Curly, wanna join me in a christmas party after work?"