Sanji didn't know how he got his first pair of short shorts. He hadn't gone out of his way to buy them - not at first. Maybe a girlfriend of his had left it and forgotten about it. Maybe he had accidentally brought it home from a sleepover. Whatever it was, he had ended up with dark blue denim shorts. When he'd first put them on, it had been kind of a joke to himself, just to see what they were like. The slid over his briefs and had fit perfectly. He'd taken a look at himself in the mirror, and had been embarrassed by how little they covered. They barely covered his ass- they were basically denim briefs. But as he moved around in them, he realized how much freedom they gave him. Or rather, the freedom they gave his legs. The shorts were as comfortable as they were short, and after trying a few different stretches, Sanji decided that he liked them. They made his legs look especially long too.
From then on, Sanji wore them around his apartment. He had added a few more to his wardrobe. He had ordered them online, of course. Much to his dismay, however, the sizes were incredibly ambiguous. How was he to know what size he was? With one brand, he'd be a size 6, in another, he'd be a 8, and in another, he'd be a size 10. He was incredibly curious how girls dealt with such unclear pants sizes. After several failed attempts and frustration over the hassle of returning them, he decided to go out to a proper clothing store. He wasn't too sure how this was going to work, seeing as he didn't really want to have to go to the fitting rooms with five pairs of girl's shorts. He'd undoubtedly get strange looks from the attendant there. But he steeled his resolve, and went to the mall.
After a quick check of the directory, and some consideration, he went to a relatively popular clothing shop. He'd been there before, but it had been only to accompany Nami and Vivi as they did their shopping. He made his way to the store, and upon entering, was hit with a blast of cool air, and a strong perfume smell. A worker greeted him, welcoming him to their shop, and told him about their special deals going on. He politely smiled, and thanked them as he walked by. He wandered around a bit, and once he spotted the women's section, he did his best to casually make his way over. There were a few girls looking at some long sleeve lace sweaters, and he carefully avoided them. He quickly found the shorts area, and selected several pairs of short shorts that he liked in different sizes. He tried to eyeball it as best he could, but it seemed inevitable that he'd have to try them on. Making sure no one was looking, he made his way to the fitting rooms, hoping the attendant wouldn't give him a hard time about it. He approached the counter, where a man was arranging pairs of jeans by make and size.
"Excuse me, sorry. I'd like to try these on..." he said, holding the shorts up slightly.
"How many?" the man asked over his shoulder, not looking at Sanji.
"Five." Sanji replied, lowering the shorts. The man turned around, and Sanji thought his heart was going to stop. "Zoro?" he spluttered, thoroughly shocked. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked stupidly.
"I work here." Zoro said flatly quirked an eyebrow. Sanji stared at him, bewildered, and Zoro sighed. He glanced down at Sanji's hands, and blinked when he saw the short shorts. Sanji followed Zoro's line of sight, and when he realized that Zoro was looking at the shorts, he froze, and felt his face grow warm. He'd never live this down.
Zoro reached down and before Sanji could move away, he took the shorts, and counted them, to confirm that there were indeed only five. He glanced at the sizes, then to Sanji's legs, and frowned.
"I don't think these are gonna fit you." he said flatly, holding up three of the five. "Too big. Lemme get you a seven or a eight." Sanji blinked, eyes wide.
"I...What?" His voice sounded choked. Zoro rolled his eyes.
"Follow me." he muttered, and put a sign on his desk saying that he'd return shortly, before leading Sanji back to the women's section, and putting the three pairs back. He looked through a few shelves, and held up two other pairs.
"I don't know what size you are in other brands, but with our brand, you're probably gonna fit these better." he said. Sanji swallowed.
"Right. Thanks." he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. Zoro stared at him for a few moments.
"Did you just thank me, shit cook?" he asked incredulously.
"Shut the fuck up." Sanji growled, cheeks pink. Zoro snickered.
"That's the shit cook I know. Don't be so damn timid. It's creepy as fuck." he teased. "Now go try those on. Once you find your size, choose a color that you like it in."
The rest of the time Sanji spent in the shop went by quickly and without stress. As Zoro had said, he fit size 8, and he went so far as to try on a few denim leggings. Finding that they were rather comfortable as well, he decided to purchase three pairs so he could wear them outside, along with two pairs of shorts, one in dark blue, and one in green.
Zoro rang him up, and put the items in tissue paper and placed them in a bag. He handed it to Sanji.
"So should we expect to see you again?" he asked, and Sanji shrugged.
"Depends." he said nonchalantly. Zoro nodded. Sanji turned to leave, but he hesitated.
"Hey, shitty swordsman." He looked at Zoro. "Thanks." And with that, he turned, and walked out.
"Che. Idiot." Zoro muttered under his breath, and he went back to work.