Sanji who can actually feel how he slowly is being consumed by the Germa genes, so he indulges in every day life. Uses the fancy ingredients and tableware and kitchen tools. Creates more and more dishes, taking advantage of everything he has, makes notes of everything so that his recipes are immortalized.
He writes letters and hides them where he knows they will be found. Swims in the ocean the whole day, allowing his heart to fill with love. He spoils everyone in the crew, meat for Luffy, favorite recipes in rotation for everyone else. He laughs, and dances, and hugs, and holds as freely as he wishes now. Something that maybe he must have done before.
He asks Zoro to say his name, his actual name while they’re being intimate and alone. Leans in to the comfort of being held, and holding, warmth that he wishes he could have forever now. He starts holding Zoro’s hand in public, and cuddle with him on deck during daily naps.
Zoro can tell, so he begins doing the things Sanji wants before he has to ask. He indulges himself with as much as he can with Sanji. And obviously Zoro knows. And Sanji knows that Zoro knows. But telling each other things upfront was never their thing, so they just kept taking advantage of their time together as long as the clock kept ticking.
I have the headcanon of Zoro training with all of the Strawhats when they are between islands. He has personalized routines for everyone, and while his style is lift heavy shit to get stronger he understands what everyone might need to protect themselves and others.
Nami and Usopp get a lot of core training because that will keep their balance while targeting with their strong weapons. Luffy honestly hangs around and sometimes does some reps of whatever Zoro’s doing (Sanji hates those days because his captain becomes extra hungry).
Chopper experiments with different “Points” and the different strengths each one has. Robin obviously trains mostly upper body, but Zoro makes sure to keep a balance anyways, since she can use her whole body as a weapon.
Franky and Jimbei have their own routines and they mostly are gym buddies, spotting and encouraging for new PR’s. Sanji forces Zoro to stretch, and in return he forces Sanji in strength and core.
Brook, well, he doesn’t have any muscles to train, yohoho. (Zoro loves meditating with Brook though, he took interest in it and they both “exercise” the mind.)
The thing is I don’t think that Zoro has called Sanji by his name yet. He will. But under circumstances he would rather not. It was an easy way to separate work from pleasure, Sanji is Cook, Curly, Eyebrows, Idiot. Not Sanji. That’s too intimate. Too close. Too dangerous. Too much to lose.
Until there’s a point of no return. Something snaps, and he could swear he heard it. Visible eyebrow pointing where it shouldn’t, and it won’t return back to normal. Not after the fight with the World Government was over, not when he started attacking Zoro. Viciously.
‘The fuck do you think you’re doing, Pervert Cook’ that was the nickname Sanji hated the most. Anything that had to do with pervert. But it didn’t grab Sanji’s attention at all.
A perfectly aimed kick to the ribs was barely blocked by Enma. The blond really wasn’t playing.
‘Oi, are you not hearing me Weird Eyebrows?!, I’ll fucking slice you up if you don’t stop.’
And he would. He would because that’s the promise he made. Because that was a promise only the two of them shared. Even if the crew was right there to witness it, he’d be damned if he didn’t follow through with something so important to Sanji as his humanity.
There was a ferocity that Zoro knew so well after years of sparring, but at the same time, so new now that it was uncontained. Each kick made his swords tremble, no matter where it landed, and Zoro’s legs kept pushing back from impact, even if he tried to keep his ground.
‘Stop. Hey. Idiot.’ each word marked by a breath, while Sanji barely even had broken a sweat. Shit. ‘Are you…? REACT, you asshole, BREAK OUT OF IT, CURLY’
Sanji hated that nickname in public. Each time Zoro said it while someone else could hear, a pink blush would appear on Sanji’s ears and he would try to leave. A nickname that was usually sighed on nights alone, or used to comfort after speaking only to themselves and the moon.
The thing is, they were both used to each other’s techniques, a subtle dance that made them both better and faster, perfectly knowing their strengths, weaknesses, and patterns.
Except that Sanji wasn’t himself right now, and the kick that Zoro received to the ribs knocked the breath out of him in a way he hadn’t felt in months. Kitetsu fell to the ground with a clang, while the vibrations on his other swords made his whole body shiver.
Please. No.
Wado found her place in his right hand, feeling weird and heavy there. Please. Stop.
‘SNAP OUT OF IT. I PROMISED.’ everything was dizzy for him, but Sanji kept kicking, despite blood coming from his legs and torso, where Zoro has had successful landings.
‘SANJI. Wake the fuck up!’ His name tasted weird in his lips. Even more now that Wado wasn’t were she was supposed to. Another kick, another cut.
Until one of them went a little too far to the left. A glove-covered hand began to bleed crimson red. Hands never blemished, always taken care of, always protected. Cut by his own sword.
‘For fuck’s sake, please don’t make me do this, Sanji’ it tasted sweeter than he wanted to. It shouldn’t. Not like this.
The next kick successfully took Enma out of his left hand.
If I’m no longer myself, I want you to kill me.
There was blood coming out of his right hand, not a single look at it, not a single look at a screaming Nami on the other side of the island. Not one single reaction to being called by his name by him.
‘Please. Please, don’t make me do this.’ Their breathing was all Zoro could hear now, apparently also a now-gone Sanji sensing the tension, since his kicks had slow down and landed where Zoro knew how to evade them.
‘Sanji, please.’
Wado received the impact, Zoro barely being able to contain it. Haki-coated and lightened on fire, Sanji’s legs were worse than many enemies Zoro had fought before.
The next sound was a gurgle. Blood coming out of Sanji’s mouth in heavy spurts. Zoro had to glance down to confirm that Wado was still clean and leaning against his chest, protecting. Not attacking.
Sanji fell forward, giving Zoro just a second to react and catch him. What the…?
‘CHOPPER. PLEASE.’ but of course, he could hear how the doctor was already half way there. Please.
The horrible sound of blood making its way out of his friend, his lover, was still there, so he turned Sanji sideways, to make sure he’ll be alright.
Moving blond locks aside, he couldn’t contain a sob when he saw the normal direction of his eyebrows, falling to his knees when Chopper said that everything would be fine.
I bring a short Vinsibs analysis fic. They’ve consumed my mind, so I’ll make it everyone’s problem. Here’s Ichiji and Yonji talking about everything but nothing.
I apparently can write again! Have some ZoKiku filled with pining, Zoro being bad at flirting, and some repressed feelings finally being free. Enjoy 💜💚
