When Troubles Come 2
Sanji fell in love with the boy the first time they got into a fight over a stick figure drawing back in kindergarten. Maybe he felt it from the first untrained punch thrown at his nose, the complete lack of doubt in everything the boy did, every gesture and every word from him, even when he was so obviously clueless. If anyone asked, Sanji would deny to his last breath that he remembered the content of that drawing, but he did. It was an instant and complete rejection to his accidental confession of love.
It wasn't long before Sanji found out where the moss ball's love interest, or obsession, remained. He could feel the boy's intense gaze on his back with the first compliment he uttered at the dark haired girl with the bamboo sword. The next thing he knew, Zoro had challenged the girl to a duel and was demanding that Sanji came and witnessed it, with that she's mine, and you can come see for yourself if you don't believe me aggression in his tone.
Just like that, the marimo made himself a promise to dedicate all his attention to the girl and her skills in swordsmanship, and Sanji earned himself a badge around his neck, a badge made of three golden bars strung together into a necklace, for being Zoro's number one cheerleader.
Still, he couldn't bring himself to resent any part of the tragic situation he found himself in. He fell blissfully deeper in love with the boy's every display of unwavering determination, every demonstration of brute strength of will, every act of single-minded focus, each only making it clearer that he himself would never be the object of that focus. It didn't matter though. He was happy. If he couldn't become a protagonist in the boy's story, he would cheer for the boy from the sideline with every fiber of his soul. Life was just too beautiful when he had someone so beautiful to love.
Sanji is fully aware of the fact that this someone happens to be a stubborn idiot. This idiot is currently dead set on living out the rest of his foreseeable life alone in their secret base, a cave they found last summer tucked away behind a small waterfall between the mountains. At least it's close to the water source, but still...
"And I can't come out here to bring you food everyday. What are you gonna eat?" Sanji gestures to the lack of proper food storage capacity in the barren cave. Even if they manage to haul a fridge up here, it'd still be useless without electricity.
"You don't have to. It's my problem. I'll hunt... or fish." The boy grunts without looking up from the box of pasta Sanji brought for him, and Sanji's heart swells at the confidence in the boy's voice, even in that pause, even when spewing something so far-fetched.
"With your bamboo swords?"
"I said I'll figure it out. Don't worry about it."
"Why can't you just go back with Koshiro? He came to the Baratie looking for you today. Doesn't that mean he wants you back?"
"Don't you dare tell him about this place." Zoro gives him a warning glare and shoves down another bite of pasta with enough haste to make the blond wonder if he has eaten at all since the blond found him in front of Kuina's grave the previous morning.
"You know I won't, shithead, but this is dumb." Sanji glares back. "I'm a foster too. You don't see me second guessing Zeff's intentions. Zeff yells at me and kicks me out of the kitchen all the time. When has Koshiro ever done that to you before yesterday?"
"Zeff is your dad. He'd never chase you out." The boy swallows thickly and frowns at the takeout box.
"Oh come on, Marimo! You know Koshiro didn't mean that! He was drunk!"
"It's all lies when he's sober." He lowers the fork, face twisting to stop another bout of tears. "He never wanted me as part of the family, and now he hates me because I couldn't stop Kuina-"
The girl's name barely squeezes past the boy's throat. Sanji's hand reflexively wraps around the golden bars on his chest, the cheerleader's badge that is now a reminder of a broken promise.
The promise never comes up in conversations between the two. It's as if they have a silent agreement to never speak of it until it's fulfilled. Zoro trains, and Sanji wears the necklace. That's how they know neither has forgotten.
But now might be the time to forget.
He leans back onto the wall and into the boy's blind spot before tugging the necklace over his head, keeping his hand wrapped around the golden bars to stop them from tinkling against each other. He gives his badge of honour one last endearing look before carefully slipping it into the breast pocket next to his heart.
One day, when these fresh wounds heal, when the sight of it won't bring the stubborn idiot to tears anymore, Sanji will return it to its rightful owner.
A/N:
I know it's cheesy. I figured a ten year old Sanji is allowed to be a little cheesy. XD