PLO: Welcome to my first One Piece fic! While I think Zoro and Sanji are somewhat OOC, I hope the fact that it is AU can make up for that. While this is marked as complete, and it is, because it's a one-shot, there is a sequel in the works. I haven't decided whether to post it as a second chapter to this, so you read two one-shots in chronological order, or post it separately. Why don't ya'll let me know what you think during your reviews? Which I'd greatly appreciate, as I'm somewhat nervous about posting this.
SanZo SanZo SanZo
The skating rink was crowded, with about half the people there on the rink at any given time. Zoro sighed as he laced up his skates, his scowl lightening somewhat at Tony's eagerness. His little brother was bouncing in place in his own quads, the bright smile on his face making Zoro's upcoming embarrassment worth it. The Green haired man stood up and took a step forward, his body lurching to keep balance. Tony giggled and took his brother's hand, excitedly leading the twenty-two year old onto the skate rink. For the next hour, Zoro lurched, slid, tumbled, skid, and just generally made a fool of himself as he continually fell flat on his ass. Tony was having a good time, though, so it was fine by Zoro.
At least, it was fine until he saw the blond God doing tricks and turns of all sorts in the middle of the rink. The man looked to be older than Zoro by a few years – not many, but he could tell the man was older – with long limbs and a lithe, athletic body. His blond hair covered one side of his face, and besides a small black goatee, Zoro couldn't see his features that well. Between the distance, the man's quick, agile movements, and Zoro's own graceless lurching, he was lucky he could see much at all. But from what the young man could see, the blond was fit, agile, and somewhat good looking. He was also a showoff, Zoro thought with a snort as the blond performed a perfect three-sixty leap, much o the crowd's obvious pleasure.
The next thirty minutes were spent with Zoro lurching around the ring while keeping an eye on Tony, and, when he had a minute, the blond in the rink. Zoro lurched around a little girl and her mother, and ended up falling on his knees, catching himself on his palms. Biting back a curse – there were children present, after all – Zoro was startled when two pale, slender hands presented themselves palm-up in front of him. With a sigh, Zoro took the offered hands, grateful for the help up. He felt a few calluses, but otherwise, the skin was soft and smooth. "Thanks." Zoro mumbled and looked up, barely holding in the appreciative gasp. Helping Zoro up was the blond man he'd been admiring all night, and he was even more gorgeous up close. One blue eye shined down at Zoro with gentle amusement while the other was hidden behind a curtain of blond hair, and his kissable lips quirked up in a small smile.
"You're welcome. You alright?" A warm, husky voice came from the man, and Zoro nearly groaned. Instead, he merely replied, his voice slightly gravelly from attraction and embarrassment. "'m fine. Done worse." A low chuckle came from the man, causing the tips of Zoro's ears to turn pink as he looked away. "I noticed," The older man replied, voice warm with amusement. Zoro's face didn't show it, but he was shocked. He'd noticed? "You noticed?" He winced inwardly. He hadn't meant to ask that.
The pale hands that were holding his gave a small squeeze, that blue eye seeming to sparkle slightly. "Was kind of hard not to, honestly." Zoro blushed, tugging his hands lightly even though he wouldn't mind holding the older man's hands longer. There was resistance for a second before those slender hands released his. Unfortunately for Zoro's pride, the brown eyed man immediately lurched backwards, his arms starting to windmill to keep his balance. Before the younger male could fall though, the blond lashed out and caught Zoro's wrists, pulling him forward onto a warm, firm chest.
"You alright? You really can't skate, can you?" That warm, husky voice chuckled lightly right next to Zoro's ear, causing the man to fight back a shudder. "N-not really…" He mumbled, hands clenched in the man's t-shirt while strong, slender hands gripped his waist to help stabilize the younger man. Zoro looked up into a single blue eye just in time to see the man tilt his head inquisitively.
"Then why are you skating? Do you like it that much?" Zoro couldn't help the scowl that flit across his face. "No. But my brother does, and he gets upset if I just sit and watch." He answered. The blue eyed man opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by a child's voice. "Look out!" was the only thing Zoro heard before a brown haired, brown eyed blur struck his legs. It was only thanks to the other man's arms slipping around his waist that kept Zoro from tumbling over. Zoro immediately turned to the boy, muttering a quick 'Thanks' at the man as he knelt to check on Tony.
"You okay, kid?" He asked gruffly, carefully assisting his brother up. "I'm fine! I'm sorry, Zoro. I was going too fast, and couldn't stop. I'm sorry!" Tony cried, sniffling back tears. The green haired man sighed and ruffled curly brown hair, his features softening as he gave a small, gentle smile to the boy. "Don't worry, Tony," He answered. "I'm fine, thanks to this guy. But you need to be careful. What would I do if you got hurt?" Light brown eyes filled even more as Tony sniffled, burying his face in Zoro's neck, causing said man to hug the boy to his chest and calm him.
"Hey, that's enough, now. No one's hurt, I'm not upset. You don't need to cry, Chopper," He soothed, petting brown curls as he used the childhood nickname he'd given the boy when Tony'd still been in their mother's womb. It seemed to work, as the eleven year old stopped sniffling, though he didn't remove himself from Zoro's neck. With a quiet sigh, Zoro murmured, "You want a snack, Chopper? We can get whatever you want." A brown eye peeked up into Zoro's own chocolate hued orbs, a mash of hope and concern in the formers. "Is that really okay?" A small voice asked.
Zoro chuckled softly. "'course, brat. Go take a look. By the time I get there, you better know what you want, though!" He warned with a boyish grin. Tony grinned and disentangled himself from his elder brother. Taking three big strides away, the brat called over his shoulder, "That'll take forever, so I will! Just don't get lost again!: Zoro growled playfully. "Brat!" He called after his younger brother.
As he tried to get to his feet, the green haired man grumbled lowly, "I do not get lost." A low chuckle broght Zoro's attention back to the blond that had apparently stayed through that little scene. As Zoro tried to turn so he could face the man, the damn skates went out from under him. Again. A strong arm slipped around Zoro's broad shoulders, and a pale hand gripped Zoro's left hand firmly. Zoro's head tunked lightly on the man's shoulder, a light pink dusting the bridge of his nose and the tips of his ears. "I swear to God, these skates hate me." He muttered.
The man's low chuckle sounded even better with Zoro's ear resting right next to the blue eyed wonder's chest. "No. I think it's just that they may like – others, more." One dark eye glanced into its blue counterpart in confusion. "Others?" The blond chuckled as he eased the other man into a standing position. "Nothing. Just a thought. We should get going, yeah?" Zoro just blinked. "'We'?" He questioned, even as he allowed the man to stabilize/guide him off the rink and towards the snack bar. "Well, I can't just leave you to make your own way. You might get hurt." Blondie replied playfully.
Zoro snorted in amusement, tightening his grip on the man's arm as they moved from slick linoleum to thick carpeting. "I'll be fine. I know how to break a fall." He said. "I noticed." A glance up showed a small smirk gracing the man's delectable lips. Somehow, though, Zoro got the feeling that it wasn't meant to be mocking or unkind. "Just how many times have you seen me…" Zoro trailed off, unsure how to end that without sounding like the incompetent moron the blond probably thought he was.
Thankfully, the blond seemed to get what he meant and answered him. "Fall flat on your ass? Not many. Just for the last hour or so." The blond glanced over at Zoro with a playful smirk, and Zoro scowled lightly. Did he say 'thankfully'? He meant, 'unfortunately'. Ass. Zoro blinked. "Wait. The last hour?!" Even with tanned skin, Zoro's blush was visible, from hairline to neck. The older man laughed as he looked at Zoro.
"Yes, the last hour. Or so. I couldn't help it. Your complete inability to skate and how gentle you were with… Tony?" At the questioning look the blond sent his way, Zoro nodded, and the man continued with a warm smile, "It caught my attention. I must admit, I found it completely adorable." Zoro's eyes widened and he spluttered with embarrassment, going stock still. His help-cum-guide shot him an amused look as he wheeled Zoro into the snack bar, stopping them both right next to Tony. When the boy looked at them questioningly, the blond just chuckled and shook his head lightly.
Fortunately, Zoro calmed down by the time the three of them reached the counter. "Alright. Wa'cha want, Chopper?" Zoro asked, getting his wallet out of his back pocket with one hand. The other was holding the blond's arm tightly. When the brown eyed man had made to move his grip to the counter, the other had simply used his other hand to grip Zoro's hand on his arm. So Zoro left it and got some cash out as he looked to Chopper.
"Can I get a rice crispy treat, Zoro?" The brunette boy asked, to which Zoro nodded. "What else?" The dark eyed man asked. Chopper looked up at him curiously, and at Zoro's reassuring nod, hesitantly asked, "Pepsi?" Zoro grinned at the kid before turning to the cashier, his face falling into its normal scowl. Noticing that the now somewhat intimidated teenager had already gotten Chopper's tread, simply said, "Two large pepsi's. You want anything?" The last was directed at his blond helper, who shrugged.
"Eh. I can get my own…" Zoro's scowl deepened. "For helping." He grunted out, making the blond chuckle good naturedly. "Alright, alright. A pepsi, then?" He smiled at the green haired man as he told the girl behind the counter, "Three large, then." She nodded, setting down the first two, and then adding the third, reading out the price. Zoro counted out the cash and handed it to her, giving Chopper his treat and drink, and the blond the other, taking the third along with his change when the girl was done. His helper waited patiently for Zoro to put the change in his wallet, his wallet in his pocket, and grab his drink before helping Zoro to the table his brother had chosen.
He set the mink eyed man down next to his brother before sitting across from the rather muscular but completely inept skater. Chopper smiled at the blond around a mouthful of marshmallow bound rice crispies. "So what's your name, mister?" The kid asked, completely forgetting that he currently had a mouthful of a gooey rice treat. Zoro's off-hand, "Manners," caused the boy to smile at his brother before turning back to the blond.
The other man smiled at the innocence in those brown eyes and replied, "I'm Sanji Dubois. And you are?" He gave a charming smile to the boy, who smiled back at him. "I'm Tony Roronoa! And this is my big brother, Zoro!" When the blond's – Sanji's – blue eye glanced warmly t Zoro, the greenette shrugged and waggled his fingers at the man, causing the other to laugh slightly as he waved back.
"Are you French? And how'd you get so good, Mister D-Doobwah?" Chopper asked, stumbling over Sanji's last name. "I am, on my father's side. I practiced a lot, and I have a very good sense of balance. And you can call me Sanji. 'Mister' makes me feel old, and 'Mister Dubois' is my old man." He laughed. Chopper smiled brightly at the man. "Then you can call me Chopper!" The boy said.
A curled brow rose slightly as the man looked at the younger duo questioningly. "How'd you get 'Chopper' from 'Tony'?" He watched with amusement as Chopper giggled and Zoro flushed slightly. "Zoro gave me that when I was a baby. I like it." Sanji looked at Zoro with a smirk. "So?" He asked. "He used to kick mom in the ribs while in the womb. But whenever a movie came on that had a helicopter running, he wouldn't. I was eleven and made an assumption." The brown eyed man shrugged, keeping his eyes averted.
Tony giggled while Sanji chuckled. When the blond noticed the younger man's embarrassed scowl and pink-tipped ears, he placed his hand over the other man's, drawing his attention. "I think it's cute." The young Asian man blushed furiously, his entire face turning fire engine red. T hat was the second time this utterly gorgeous man had called him cute – or used a similar word. 'No, not me.' The green haired man thought. 'My behavior. He's not calling me cute.' Much to his disappointment. Zoro gave an embarrassed huff, looking away with a muttered, "Whatever."
But he didn't move his hand from under Sanji's warm grip. If the blond didn't want to move his hand, the younger would quite happily stay with his hand held captive. Sanji turned back to the younger Roronoa when the boy began speaking, coincidentally 'forgetting' to move his hand off the elder sibling's own hand. "So, Sanji, how long have you been able to skate like that?" The blue eyed man looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well, I think it's been… three years? Maybe four? But I've been skating since I was, oh, I'd say fourteen." Chopper smiled at the man, his eyes holding something like respect for him.
"Do you think you could teach Zoro? He kind of… sucks." The boy laughed, grinning at Zoro's embarrassed scowl and mutterings of not liking to skate, therefore, not being good at it. Sanji chuckled softly, absent-mindedly rubbing feather light circles on the back of the embarrassed man's hand with his thumb. "Well, if he wants me to, I could try. What do you think, Zoro?" He almost purred.
The young man melted inside at the sound of his name in Sanji's warm tenor. 'What do I think? I think that if you say my name like that again, I'll climb over this table and kiss you senseless. Probably before getting punched.' What came out of the younger's mouth was a satisfactorily non-embarrassing, "Do what you want." The blond grinned at Zoro, causing the Asian's cheeks to turn pink again.
"Then lets finish our drinks, yeah?" Sanji grinned, causing Chopper to giggle again. The three of them spent the next fifteen minutes talking while they finished their drinks. The whole time, Sanji's hand never left Zoro's, and Zoro never took his away. Chopper grinned inwardly and spent the whole time directing the conversation so that the two could get to know each other – at least a little bit. He'd never seen his brother so interested in someone before, although, there have been people interested in the elder Roronoa. He was excited to help his brother get a boyfriend, and did his best to finish his snack quickly so the French-man could teach the green haired man.
Chopper gathered their trash when they were done while Sanji helped Zoro stand and skate to the rink, where Zoro insisted they wait so he could keep an eye on Chopper's progress over to them. When the curly mop of hair made it over to them, Chopper hugged Zoro while telling him to have fun, much to the blond's amusement and Zoro's confusion and embarrassment. After, Sanji led Zoro onto the rink and moved in front of the younger male, skating backwards so he could help the handsome yet hapless skater.
Upon the other's direction, Zoro gripped Sanji's forearms, feeling those strong hands return the favor gently but firmly. The elder guided Zoro around the rink a few times, giving him tips and pointers, along with a stabilizing hand. Zoro continued to stumble and lurch, but with Sanji's pointers, it happened less, which gave Zoro more confidence, which helped a lot. At the end of two hours, Zoro was skating next to Sanji, the blond's hand gently clasped in his own, although it was only needed every once in a while. When thirty minutes had gone by without a stumble from the green haired man, he grinned triumphantly at his helper.
"I did it!" He laughed happily. "Yes, you did." The blond was smiling softly at Zoro, a light pink highlighting his cheeks. Zoro was confused but shrugged it off. "Thanks, Sanji." He gave a small, genuine smile to the man and watched with a bit of confusion as the other blushed darker and cleared his throat quietly. "For what?" He questioned. Zoro looked away and replied, "For teaching me. Maybe now I won't be as big an embarrassment to Chopper."
Sanji scoffed and Zoro looked up to see him frowning, one blue eye looking down at Zoro with… affection? Tenderness? Something, anyway. "Zoro, you're not an embarrassment. Do you see how many people your age are stumbling around? And besides, Chopper wouldn't think you were an embarrassment even if you were the only person stumbling around and falling." When Zoro opened his mouth to question the blond, Sanji interrupted with, "I know he wouldn't because he loves you. He won't care, and I don't care, so why should you?"
Zoro didn't want to think about the connotations in that statement as it would just get his hopes up, so he shrugged. "Okay. But still, thanks." One pale, slender hand rose up to ruffle green hair and Zoro scowled as he reached up to smack it away. "You're quite welcome, Zoro." The blond laughed. Across the rink, brown eyes watched the interaction happily, a bright smile on Chopper's face.
Soon enough, it was time for the rink to close, so the three switched from skates to shoes, and Sanji waited while Zoro and Chopper returned their rented skates, his own tied together and hanging over his shoulders. Then the three of them walked outside, Chopper happily swinging Sanji and Zoro's hands while walking between them. "Chopper, ya gotta let go of Sanji. He has to go to his car and get home." Zoro admonished gently, but Sanji waved him off. "I can walk you guys to your car, if he wants to play a little longer." The blond offered, much to Chopper's obvious joy.
Zoro sighed, "If you're sure." Sanji nodded, and the three made their way to a blue Cavalier. Sanji waited as Chopper buckled himself in the back before lifting a hand to ruffle the boy's curly brown hair. He closed the back door to Chopper's giggles and turned to look at Zoro, whom was watching him with a small smile. When the blond smiled at him, Zoro blushed lightly and looked away, clearing his throat.
"Hey, uh… thanks. Chopper seems to really like you, and you've been great with him." He explained, watching Sanji's faint look of confusion melt into understanding. "You're welcome. He's a great kid, so it wasn't hard." The blond replied, shooting a warm smile at the child in the backseat of Zoro's car. Zoro looked away, shuffling his feet awkwardly as Sanji watched him.
The blond sighed before taking another step closer, causing the younger man to look at him. Sanji continued to walk up to Zoro, getting in his personal space and leaning close, his lips a mere inch from the man's own. When the blond stopped and watched Zoro intently, the madly blushing brown eyed man came to the conclusion that the blond was waiting for something. Looking at Sanji's warm – practically inviting – expression, Zoro leaned forward – praying he wasn't misinterpreting things – and pressed his lips to the pink lips he'd been dying to kiss all night.
Immediately, Sanji kissed back, tangling the fingers of one hand in Zoro's soft green hair and pulling the man closer. Something in Zoro's chest loosened as he realized he wasn't going to get punched, and he lifted his hands, one clutching the blond's right shoulder, the other grasping his waist. Something wet and warm slid across Zoro's bottom lip, and Zoro granted Sanji access with trembling lips. The blond's tongue swept inside, gently exploring and claiming every inch, rubbing playfully along Zoro's own tongue.
The younger man could hardly contain a moan, especially when Sanji pressed up close to him like that and guided Zoro's tongue to explore the other's mouth. Tentative strokes of Zoro's tongue along Sanji's caused both to moan, and the umber eyed man blushed when he realized that not only had he moaned aloud, but he was hard, too. Sanji shifted slightly, and the younger was even more embarrassed to learn that the other was hard, as well.
Sanji broke from the kiss but didn't pull away, placing sweet, gentle kisses to Zoro's trembling lips. "I've wanted to do that all night." A husky voice whispered, and for a horrifying second, Zoro thought it was his. But no, it was Sanji. Sanji, who was peppering his lips and jaw with chaste kisses. Sanji, whose right hand was still tangled in Zoro's hair; Sanji, whom was rubbing circles on Zoro's right hip with his thumb, just barely touching the skin. "If I knew that, I'd have kissed you earlier." Zoro panted, his cheeks darkening from pink to red.
Sanji smirked and pulled back, his hands lingering on Zoro's body as if he didn't want to let go. "We should go." He said, reaching into his pocket to dig something out of his wallet. "Yeah," Zoro agreed reluctantly. Sanji flashed a joyous smile at the greenett, taking his hand and pressing something into it as he gave Zoro a peck on the lips. "I'll see ya." The blond said, before turning and walking to his own car.
Zoro got in the driver's seat of his own, his mind in a daze. "Sooo…. Aren't you glad we came tonight?" Chopper's smugly happy voice commented from the back. Zoro glanced in the rearview with an embarrassed scowl. "Shush, you." Chopper grinned unrepentantly as Zoro got out his own wallet. With a grin of his own, Zoro put a card in his wallet and started the car. Throughout the drive home, Zoro couldn't take his mind off that card in his wallet. The card that had the blond's name and number written in fine black ink.