A cliché.
A beautiful spring day where the cherry blossoms are in bloom, pink petals swaying in the breeze and falling to the floor. A cute girl bowed in front of the boy she likes, and a pink envelope held out in front of her in shaking hands.
"I like you Zoro" She says in a nervous voice.
Zoro wishes that he wasn't here, Sanji is looking and by the look on the blond's face he's jealous. Jealous of Zoro for having such a cute girl confessing to him. In a moment he's going to be mad and they are going to have another fight.
Zoro tries to make this as painless as possible for everyone.
"Sorry, I already have someone I like."
He can feel Sanji's blue eyes glaring angrily at him as the girl lets out a soft sob. She refused to look at him now, "I'm sorry!" she says and runs off, clutching her envelope to her chest.
"Asshole" The single word feels like it's dipped in poison, before the blond boy follows the girl. It's not the first time Sanji has done damage control after some girl confesses and it probably won't be the last.
Zoro doesn't really understand it if he's being honest. Why do these girls keep confessing after he keeps turning them down, one by one. Why would these girls keep asking him out, when Sanji is right there. Sanji with his flawless skin, perfect hair, beautiful blue eyes, fiery personality, loyalty, smart mouth, insightfulness, and kind heart.
Then again Zoro supposes that he wouldn't know what to do with himself if anyone ever did ask Sanji out.
…
Zoro went to find Sanji so they could meet for lunch only to find him asleep, head laying on top of a cookbook. It wasn't a secret that the blond wanted to follow in his fathers steps and become a great chef. All of their friend group supported him and were happy to be the guinea pigs for new recipes.
There was a little bag next to Sanji with Zoro's name on it. He picked it up and found chocolates. Normally Zoro wouldn't eat chocolate but this was made by Sanji. He plopped one in his mouth. The chocolate he used was more bitter than sweet, he could tell there was some wasabi in it, and some kind of cracker which added a crunch.
Even without his name on the bag he would have known the cook made these just for him. He imagined the blonde up late working on these, trying to use things he knew Zoro enjoyed and craft a sweet that Zoro would actually like.
The thought that Sanji had put in so much effort making something that Zoro would actually like, made his stomach flip, and heart race. "You're so stupid" Zoro gently moved some hair from the blonds face. Crouching next to him, he crossed his arms over the table and looked at his friend.
He could stare at Sanji forever.
Zoro believed in self-discipline but he wondered more and more often if this was too much for him. He wondered if one day, he would touch this other boy and not be able to let go again. He wondered if he would get caught staring at him, or Sanji would realize his passive aggressiveness comments were actually just really bad flirting. How much more restraint could he have when all he wants to do -even now- is kiss him?
Zoro also believed in sacrifices though. He would sacrifice whatever he needed to keep Sanji in his life for as long as he possibly could. If pretending to be his straight rival/friend was how he was going to do that… that's what he would remain.
There was a part that wanted all of Sanji's time and energy focused on him and sometimes he would say and do things to make-sure that happened. There were other times he purposefully put up walls, so they didn't get too close.
If they ever got too close Zoro doesn't think he could keep up this act. He wouldn't be able to act like he was as indifferent to Sanji as he pretended to be.
If Sanji decided he never wanted to see Zoro again because of him confessing…
No it's better to not even think of such things.
Those three words would stay forcefully pushed down deep into Zoro's chest, and forced to stay there forever behind lock and key.
Deciding it best to wake up Sanji in the most irritating fashion possible Zoro picked up Sanji's book bag. Irritating the blond was fun, easy, helped keep a distance and also… Sanji was really hot when he got angry. It didn't matter that Sanji would be angry at him, all that mattered is that in those moments he was first and foremost on Sanji's mind and that attractive face was directed towards him.
Zoro honestly really did like what they had and if they could stay like this forever he would be happy. He needed to have Sanji close, but not too close.
He picked up the bag but stopped when he spotted a manga snuggled in tight with the rest of Sanji's belongings. He could tell by the binding already that it was some romantic crap so he decided to take it out and tease the blond about it later.
When he looked at the cover it felt like every fiber of Zoro's being froze in shock.
It was a BL manga!
Why would Sanji be reading boy-love?
Thinking that somehow the cover might be deceiving he opened up the manga and his eyes scanned the pages. No, this was a boy-love manga for sure. Not only that but this was definitely several issues in. How long had Sanji been-
The manga was ripped out of his hands by a fuming Sanji. "Don't touch other people's shit!" Sanji's cheek was red from where it had been pressed up against the book in his sleep.
There were a million things that Zoro could have said, a million different words that he could have woven together to make a decent response. "Are you gay?" are the words that fell from his lips instead.
He's not sure if it's the shock, his own nervousness or the fact that this was something Sanji had never shared with him, but his voice came out a lot harder and more accusatory than he had ever intended.
The look of hurt that crossed Sanji's face for a moment was hard to miss, even though Sanji tried to cover it up quickly.
"A girl earlier dropped it and I was just going to give it back to her." Sanji says defensively.
That sounded like a lie, "Which girl?"
"I don't know her."
Sanji was lying and Zoro knew it, the blond pervert knew every girl that went to this school. "What did she look like?"
Sanji's face is heating up, "I don't know."
Zoro scowled at him, "You're lying."
"No I'm not" Sanji denies quickly, "Here, you can just throw it away if it's a problem." He pushes the manga angrily back at Zoro.
Sanji storms off but Zoro doesn't throw it away. Instead Zoro ends up reading it, and then purchasing the other volumes that came out and read those too.
It was a highschool love story between two characters similar yet far too different between him and Sanji. Zoro liked to imagine it as them though when he read it. It became Zoro's absolute favorite manga ever.
Sanji acted like the whole thing never happened, and Zoro began to doubt that Sanji's story was made up after all. Maybe Sanji had been telling the truth that day, maybe it wasn't his manga. Despite how realistic that seemed, Zoro pretended that wasn't the case. He imagined when Sanji read this manga he too imagined it as the two of them as well.
It made it harder for him to hide his feelings though.
…
Zoro groaned internally but kept his face passive as it was happening… again. Another girl wanted to meet him privately. Head bowed down and arms stretched out in front of her, a small envelope with his name and a heart on it.
"Um… Zoro, I really like you. Would you please consider me?"
"Sorry, I already like someone else." The same line he'd said to every other girl that had confessed.
"Who is it?" She asked.
No one had ever asked who he liked before, "Don't matter."
She gripped the letter in her hand and it crumpled up, "I'll show you." She seemed more angry than sad, unlike most other girls.
It was when Sanji and Zoro were walking back home together that the girl approached them again. She bowed and held out an envelope. What the hell was she thinking, she already confessed once today!
"I like you Sanji. Please go out with me."
It felt like his heart actually stopped. The name on the envelope had Sanji's name on it instead of his. He did a double take thinking he might have been wrong but this was definitely the same girl as before.
"Me?" Sanji's voice sounded almost choked, as he pointed to himself in surprise.
Zoro had bad feelings about stuff before, but this was even worse. Something was definitely up, he glared at the girl still bowing before them. He knew that whatever she was up to, it wasn't good.
"Yes, please accept my feelings!"
"Please stand tall my beautiful princess, let me see your face." The girl stands up, and Sanji takes the envelope, with a sweet and charming smile on his face, "Anyone would be honored to be with you Porsche. I would be flattered to be called your boyfriend."
"Oh Sanji!" She wrapped her arms around the blond making something ugly coil in Zoro's belly that only got worse when she made eye contact with him and smiled smugly.
What the hell was she up to?
…
Zoro hadn't ever been a fan of women, the best one he had ever met was Kuina.
It seemed all other women were weak, bitches, or both. The thing he hated most was how Sanji acted around them, and how women treated the stupid cook in return.
He didn't hate women, he just didn't really like them either. This woman alone may end up changing his mind from indifferent to downright hate.
He hated people using and hurting people he cared about, and he hated it so much more that this bitch was using Sanji of all people. She wasn't even subtle about what she was trying to do.
She would insist on spending hers and Sanji's dates together with him and then make Sanji go off to grab something alone. Once Sanji left she would try to touch Zoro's leg, or snuggle close to him, and cling to him in some other form of irritating matter.
"Knock it off" He not so gently knocked her off of him. He glared harshly at her, to which she would give him puppy dog eyes. "I just want to be with you, is that so bad? By rejecting me you're the one making me do this behind your friends back."
"That manipulative crap wont work on me."
Porsche pouts, but this time unlike the other few dates like this, she pulled a new truck out of her sleeve. "When we kiss I always close my eyes and imagine it's you."
Zoro has to remind himself that he can't punch Sanji's "girlfriend" even though he would like nothing more at the moment. She leans in, "When we kiss, you can close your eyes and imagine it's Sanji."
Her words shock him so much that he can't control his facial expression.
Porsche smiles triumphantly, "You didn't think I knew, did you? Foxy figured it out and told me." She admires her nails smugly. "Can you imagine how he would react if I told him?" She leaned into Zoro again.
He feels frozen in place. How could this be happening?
Sanji returns at that point from the errand that Porsche sent him on, this time it was to get her some ice-cream.
"You okay?" Sanji asks Zoro as he hands his girlfriend her frozen treat.
The rest of the date Zoro feels nauseous and when they drop Porsche off at her house on the way back home Zoro can't hold it any more. He's sure Sanji won't believe him, but he has to tell him.
"Porsche umm…" Zoro knows he can't insult her, or Sanji won't listen to anything else he says. "She asked me out the same day she asked you out." Sanji doesn't say anything, he almost looks like he didn't even hear him. "Whenever on your dates when you leave she acts kinda too friendly, and it's weird she wants me to go on your dates with you anyways."
Sanji sighs and turns to him. Zoro expects Sanji to be angry but instead he just has a sad look on his face, "I know Marimo, it's okay."
"What do you mean you know?" Zoro's feet stop moving and he's looking at Sanji like he's actually crazy.
"I overheard when she asked you out, and I know she's only dating me to try and get closer to you. I also know how she's been hitting on you." Sanji gives him a sad yet sincere smile, "It's okay."
Zoro's fist clenches, "How is any of that okay!?" Zoro has never felt like this, he's so damn angry.
"Well I got to go on dates with someone I like, even if they don't-" Slam!
Zoro slams Sanji up against a nearby wall. "Stop! Just shut the fuck up!" Zoro punches the wall. "You'll settle for being used by that manipulative bitch for a few stupid dates! You deserve more than that! Why do you let all these women hurt you so much!?"
"You wouldn't understand. Everyone wants to be with you! Everyone! You have no idea what it's like to be me, or any other regular guy" Sanji shoves Zoro away. "Even if it wasn't real at least I gotta have it for once. Something that I wouldn't ever get to have otherwise! You don't understand what it feels like!"
"I already like someone! I don't want to date anyone else!" Zoro is completely losing his temper.
"I know! Everyone knows because you say it every time a girl asks you out. But the girl you already like, she doesn't actually exist does she? It's just some excuse!" Sanji takes a deep breath, "I'm not mad that you are asexual or whatever the hell is going on with you, but you don't know what it's like to be rejected so much. I've probably been rejected the same number you've rejected others. So excuse me if I want to have this, even if it's not perfect!"
"This isn't about me, it's about you and Porsche!"
Sanji lets out a tired spiteful laugh, "It's always about you, Zoro. It's always about you." Sanji looks so hurt and Zoro hates it and he hates that he was the one who caused it. "I'll break it off with Porsche. It's not like she ever actually wanted to be with me in the first place." Sanji turns, "Good night Zoro."
Sanji walks off and Zoro just slumps against the wall. Zoro's chest hurts so much that he just wants to grab one of the katanas from his dojo and cut his heart out. It's too much, all of it.
…
It's been three weeks and Sanji has been avoiding him. Zoro isn't much better, he's not exactly avoiding the blond but he wants to give Sanji his time, he can wait. He can always wait for Sanji. It doesn't make anything easier though, it doesn't make his chest hurt any less.
The positive side is after Sanji broke it off with Porsche, it seemed she had finally given up.
He opens his locker and a note flutters to the ground. It's a note asking for him to meet on the roof after school.
Great, yet another confession. Each one of these stupid confessions will just make Sanji resent him more and he doesn't want to go and meet whatever girl is going to be waiting for him, but he knows if he doesn't Sanji will be even more upset.
Just get it done and over with. These confessions feel more like getting teeth pulled than anything else.
He takes his time going to the roof after his last class. He hopes maybe the girl waiting for him will get bored and leave, or native change her mind altogether.
He puts on his most indifferent and bored facial expression that he can before pushing open the door to the roof and stepping out. It's breezy up here and the sun is incredibly bright.
When he looks around he spots someone but it's not a girl. It's another boy and the other boy's bright hair has Zoro's heart stopped. The boy's head is bowed much in the same way as every girl had before him, and in his hand is an envelope.
"I like you, you stupid Marimo bastard." Sanji's voice knocks the wind out of him. This can't be happening right? This can't be Sanji out here confessing to him, could it?
"Curly?" Zoro can barely recognize his own voice, a higher octave than usual and cracking.
The boy looks up and it's definitely the cook, his face is red with blush, and his blue eyes seem to glimmer in the bright sun's light. "Look we both know how this is going to go, but I just had to tell you."
"Huh?"
Sanji looks so embarrassed and it's so adorable that Zoro doesn't know what to do with himself.
Hell his brain is completely malfunctioning.
"Can you just reject me so we can carry on like this never happened already?"
"Reject you?" Zoro sounds as confused as he feels.
"Yeah" Sanji's blush is so cute, and he's hardly keeping eye contact, "You do realize I'm confessing, right?"
Zoro laughs. It feels like a dam broke and he's so relieved, happy and nervous all at the same time. He just laughs and laughs until he realizes his cheeks are wet. "You idiot" Zoro hic-ups through the tears, "Why the fuck would I reject you? I'm in love with you."
Zoro laughs harder, he thinks he probably looks crazy but he can't help it. He's feeling too many things and his body not knowing how to react to all of it is laughing.
"But when you saw my BL manga you got grossed out."
Zoro shakes his head, finally all laughed out. "No, I have the entire set at home" Zoro studies his friend's face, "I thought you only liked girls."
"Girls and sentient plant life I guess."
Zoro, not sure what else to do, pulled Sanji close to him and hugged him. "I don't know what to do right now shit-cook."
"That's my line idiot. You rejected everyone so I thought… I mean everyone else has rejected me and you're kinda known for rejecting confessions…" Sanji truly had believed that Zoro was going to reject him.
"None of them were the pervert swirly brows"
They stayed that way for a long time just holding each other and they could stay like that the whole night and Zoro would have been okay with it.
"I love you Zoro."
"Love you too eyebrows"
Sanji grumbled irritably at the name and the green haired boy found it incredibly cute, "Ugh, never mind, I hate you."
Zoro chuckled, "Hate you too"
"Hey asshole?"
"Yeah dumbass?"
Sanji grumbled a bit, something that Zoro loved feeling against him, he squeezed Sanji even tighter. At Sanji's next words, Zoro thought he might actually die, "I really want to kiss your shitty stupid face. Would you mind?"
They seemed to turn to each other in sync and the kiss was long yet sweet, Zoro's fingers digging into the blond's skin as if scared he would disappear otherwise, while Sanji's hands ran gently over Zoro's shoulders and arms, as if trying to map out and memorize it.
…
The next day everyone stopped and stared as the school's heartthrob pulled along the school's biggest pervert by the hand.
Zoro smiled proudly as he wore a hoodie (Which Sanji tried desperately to get him to change out of) that read in bold font "His Boyfriend" with an arrow that pointed to Zoro's left, where Sanji was forced to stand -face bright red- because Zoro's hand holding him tightly in place.
A group of girls approach them, "Are you two really dating, or is this a joke?"
Zoro just looked down at his shirt, than to Sanji and then finally back to the girl as if she was a complete idiot. "Can't read?"
"Don't be so rude!" Sanji smacked him with his free hand not making any movement to untwine their fingers. "I apologize for the lack of tack on his part, but yes we are dating. It's no joke."
While Sanji was extremely embarrassed by the situation, he was not ashamed of dating Zoro.
Zoro was as happy as could be though. No more irritating love confessions, and he got to be with the person he had been head-over-heels for. He wondered how many days he could pull off, holding Sanji's hand and wearing this hoodie before Sanji finally snapped and burnt it.
If Sanji allowed him to, he would wear it while walking with Sanji's hand in his every day, even on hot days.
Well no time to figure that out like the present.
~ The End
(Zoro wore the sweater for a week before it "mysteriously" disappeared.)