Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Black

“Zoro, what happened to your hands?” Luffy asked, sprawling across his desk to grab at Zoro’s hands.

“Nothing,” Zoro muttered.  He curled his hands into balls, trying to hide the multi-colored nail polish on his fingers.

“Did you get your nails painted?” Usopp smirked.

“My sisters did it, and they won’t tell me how to get it off,” Zoro shot back, “I don’t want it—”

“I think that’s super cool.”  The three of them turned to see the new student in their class turned around in his seat and smiling shyly at them.  He had moved to their neighborhood earlier that week, but Zoro had been asleep when he was introduced to their third grade class and had only really seen the back of his head from where he sat in the classroom.  The student had a very nice smile.

“What do the colors mean?” he asked, peering at Zoro’s hands.  Zoro slowly uncurled them, displaying them on the table.

“Each of us have. . . a color, and so they painted one for each finger,” Zoro said, unable to take his eyes off the boy. 

“That’s awesome,” the boy said, “Your sisters must love you a lot.”

“They’re. . . fine,” Zoro said, “They’re a lot older than me.”  He looked in the smiling boy’s eyes and quickly looked away, his body feeling strangely warm.

“Who are you?” Luffy asked bluntly.

“I’m… Sanji,” he said, “I just moved…”

“You wanna come play with us during recess?” Luffy asked.

A huge grin erupted on Sanji’s face, “I would really love that, if that’s okay.”

“You’re our friend now, of course that’s okay,” Luffy nodded emphatically.

“We’re starting class now,” Mr. Koushirou said, and Sanji immediately turned around, back ramrod straight.  Zoro put his head down, hiding behind Usopp’s head, and stared at Sanji’s soft-looking blonde hair until he fell asleep.

---

When Zoro went home that afternoon, Kuina came to pat him on the head and knelt in front of him.

“I heard Perona and Nami put nail polish on you,” she sighed, “Let me get that off—"

“It’s okay,” Zoro said quickly, retracting his hands, thinking about how excited Sanji had been about his nails, “I… like it.  It’s super cool.”

“Oh,” Kuina blinked, “That’s great, I’m glad you like it, little man.”

“If it… goes away, can you put it back on?” Zoro asked, shifting from foot to foot.  He wouldn’t be able to bear asking Perona and Nami to reapply it.

“I’m not very good at it, but I’ll try my best,” Kuina laughed.  She held out her hand, her nails painted with the same black, blue, pink, orange, and green colors as Zoro.  “I’m glad we match,” she laughed, "Now everybody will know to return you to one of us when you get lost.”

“I don’t get lost,” Zoro said, grabbing Kuina’s hand and following her to the kitchen.

“Spaghetti for dinner,” she said, putting on an apron, “I’ll make you a sandwich if you’re hungry right now.”  Zoro nodded eagerly.  Kuina made the best sandwiches, plain and simple, ham and cheese, cutting the crusts off for him.  When Hiyori made him a sandwich, she always added gross lettuce and tomatoes.  Perona’s sandwiches were too sweet, and Nami liked to prank him with hot sauce or other secret ingredients.

“How was school?” Kuina asked as she began making dinner.

“Boring,” Zoro said.  He took a huge bite of his sandwich and contemplated what else to say about his day, “But I… made a new friend today.”

“That’s nice.  What’s their name?”

“Sanji,” Zoro said quietly, as if he might accidentally summon the third-grader with the pretty smile if he said it too loud.

“Oh, the Blackleg family,” Kuina nodded, “They’re taking over the lease where The Orbit used to be.  I met Sanji and his dad last weekend.  He seems very sweet.”

Zoro filed this information away for later.

“He’s fine, I guess,” Zoro said, remembering the way Sanji giggled when he was the last one standing during their impromptu game of dodgeball at recess, face bright and happy as they all huffed and puffed on the ground.  Zoro, in a sulk over losing, had given him the nickname “curly,” causing Sanji to turn red-faced and throw the ball at him before stomping away.  Sanji forgave easily, handing over his beautiful eraser when Zoro nearly tore a hole through his paper with the worn eraser on his pencil.

Kuina glanced at him, a look of interest on her face that made Zoro’s face heat up.

“Tell me more about Sanji,” she said finally.

“What about him?”

“Is he in your class?”

“Yeah,” Zoro said, “He’s really smart and is nice to everybody and smiles a lot and he’s a fast runner and good at dodgeball.  And he’s already the teacher’s pet.”  He felt the need for some reason to end his diagnosis of Sanji on a bad note.

“Sounds like a good friend to have,” Kuina said.

“He lives across the street,” Zoro said quickly.  Zoro had discovered this when Sanji got off at the same bus stop as him.  The student apparently sat just behind the bus driver like a lame kid.  If Zoro sat in the seat across from Sanji that afternoon, it wasn’t because he was also a lame kid, it was because he wanted to make sure Sanji wasn’t bullied for being a lame kid.

“We should arrange some playdates then,” Kuina said.

“I don’t do playdates anymore,” Zoro frowned, “I’m nine.  I just play with my friends.”

“Well okay, fine, Mr. Grouchy,” Kuina said, “Then we should invite Sanji over to play one day as your friend.”

“Maybe,” Zoro said, sneaking a look out the window.  He couldn’t quite see Sanji’s house from this vantage point.  If he was in the front yard, he could probably see Sanji if his friend went in and out of his front door.

“I’ll get the mail,” Zoro said, finishing off his sandwich.

“That’s very helpful of you,” Kuina smiled, “Don’t stray too far, dinner will be ready in an hour.”

“I’m just getting the mail,” Zoro said, running out of the house.

---

Blue

Zoro peered over the white picket fence in Sanji’s front yard, trying to see any movement in the home.  It was a normal-looking house, a boring beige color.  Zoro wondered which of the upstairs windows was Sanji’s bedroom.

“Whatcha doin, Zoro?”

He looked sharply to his right to see Luffy, his favorite straw hat perched on his head as he clambered onto the fence to get a better view.

“I’m looking to see if Sanji wants to play.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just… ask him?  We look like burglars.”

Zoro looked to his left to see Usopp had joined them.  His friend was looking fearfully at the house, peeking over the top of the fence and glancing around nervously.

He sighed, “I can’t just walk up to the door and knock.”

“Why not?” Luffy asked, hopping back onto the sidewalk and making his way toward the path leading to the front door.

“What if his parents answer?” Zoro said, grabbing onto his arm.

“Great, then we get to say hello to Sanji’s parents,” Luffy replied.  He marched confidently toward the house, Zoro and Usopp slowly trailing behind.

“What if his dad is a huge, mean guy?” Usopp whispered.

“Do you really think Sanji’s dad could be a huge, mean guy?” Zoro responded, “Sanji’s so….”  Zoro caught himself before he could say “nice.”  “He’s so small,” he said instead.

Luffy pressed the doorbell once, then rang it a few more times in quick succession until Zoro tackled him, dragging him away.

“Stop it, you’re being annoying,” Zoro glared.

“I just want to make sure they heard me,” Luffy pouted.

“Guess they’re not home,” Usopp said nervously, “Let’s go play at Zoro’s and ask Kuina for some snacks.”

Then, slowly, the door creaked open to reveal a huge figure standing in the doorway.

Zoro gulped.

The three of them backed away as he stepped forward until he was standing in the sun, a towering blonde man with an impressive mustache, extremely large forearms, and a frown on his face.  But the most interesting thing about the man was… the metal leg.  Zoro could already see Luffy’s eyes widening with glee.

“Can I help you?” the man asked gruffly.

“S-Sanji,” Usopp said, “Is Sanji here?”

The man turned and yelled, “Oi, eggplant, you have friends.”

Zoro watched the doorway like a hawk as he heard scampering footsteps and then Sanji was running toward them.

“Oh, hi guys,” he said, grabbing onto his father’s non-metal leg and looking at them shyly.

Luffy was creeping closer to the metal leg, tongue sticking out between his lips as he zeroed in on the metal joints and pieces.  [This scene based on Thi's cute art]

Usopp elbowed Zoro in the ribs.

“Do you want to play, curly?” Zoro blurted out.

“Um, I have to finish my homework first,” Sanji said, looking up at his father.

“You can finish after dinner,” his father said, “Go on now, eggplant.”  He turned to them, “What are your names?”

“I’m Zoro.  That’s Usopp.  And that’s Luffy,” Zoro said, puffing out his chest to show Sanji’s dad that he wasn’t afraid of him.

“I’m Zeff,” the man said, holding out his hand.  Zoro shook it, feeling like his entire forearm was being enveloped in the grasp.  “Don’t go too far, Sanji has to be back for dinner in half an hour.”

“Can I touch your leg?” Luffy said, unable to contain himself anymore.

Zeff knelt down and stared him in the eye, “Only if you’re okay with the curse.”

“The curse?” Luffy asked, face shining with excitement.

“Anybody who touches my leg will be cursed for the rest of their lives with the Ticklish Disease.”

“What’s that?” Luffy asked.

In a swift movement, Zeff grabbed him and began tickling his armpits, Luffy laughing and shrieking in his arms.

“I’m already ticklish, Mr. Zeff,” Luffy begged, “Please let me touch your leg.”

“Nine-year-olds really are insatiable,” Zeff sighed.  He let Luffy go and sat down on the front porch, extending his leg.  “All of you little rabbits get one minute each,” he said as Sanji sat next to him, giggling as he leaned against his father’s side.

---

“Oh my god, I am so so sorry,” Hiyori moaned when she came to pick him up.  (Zoro had no idea how she knew where he was).  They had followed Zeff into the house instead of going out to play, watching him cook and laughing when he theatrically opened and closed kitchen drawers with his metal leg.  He had made them snacks.  Zoro would never admit it to Kuina, but Zeff’s sandwiches were the most delicious things he had ever eaten.

“It’s fine,” Zeff laughed, “I’m glad my son is making friends.”

“Luffy, stop eating Mr. Zeff out of house and home,” Hiyori said, scooping him up and pulling his hand out of the nearly empty bag of pretzel sticks.  She took Usopp’s hand and gave Zoro a look that had him jumping down from his seat to follow her toward the front door.

As Hiyori gave Zeff all of the sisters’ phone numbers and contact information for Usopp and Luffy’s parents, Zoro sidled next to Sanji to put his shoes back on.

“Your sister is so pretty,” Sanji whispered.

Zoro shrugged, “She’s okay.  She’s just a girl.”

“You’re so lucky to have so many sisters.”

“I mean, I guess,” Zoro said, “They always yell at me to do my homework.”

Hiyori chose that moment to squat in front of Sanji, and Zoro watched, annoyed, as Sanji curled back shyly.  She adjusted her long skirt over her legs and smiled at him.

“You must be Sanji,” she said, holding out her hand for Sanji to shake.  Sanji nodded, shoulders raised up to ears as he stuck his hand out as well, stiffly, like one of those nutcracker soldiers.

“I’m Hiyori, one of Zoro’s sisters.  I hope you’ll take good care of my little brother,” she said.

“I’m older,” Zoro said, “I’m supposed to take care of him.”

“By only four months,” Sanji said, sticking his tongue out at Zoro, “And Mr. Koushirou says I’m the most mature student in our class.”

Zoro fumed as Hiyori pulled him up to his feet, but quickly forgave Sanji when his friend gave him a quick hug before they left.

“What are you smiling about, Zoro?” Hiyori asked as they walked back to their house across the street.  Trying and failing to turn the corners of his lips down, Zoro mumbled something about spaghetti for dinner.

“Ah yes, I do know how much you like spaghetti,” Hiyori said.  Zoro looked up at her suspiciously upon hearing the playful tone in her voice that his sisters used when they were keeping a secret from him.  Hiyori just smiled back at him and squeezed his hand as they walked into their house.

---

Pink

“I’m taking you to the soccer game today,” Perona said on Saturday morning.

Zoro froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth.

“You’re dribbling milk everywhere,” she sighed.

“Can Kuina take me?” Zoro asked.

“She has a Homeowners Association meeting today.  And before you keep going, Hiyori is at the salon, and Nami has her part-time job,” Perona said.

Zoro sighed heavily.  Perona always cheered obnoxiously when she took him to his Saturday morning youth league soccer games.  Kuina usually watched silently and gave him notes afterwards.  Hiyori would just clap politely and bring him juice boxes during breaks.  Nami would sit in the car and work until he was done, which was honestly Zoro’s preferred approach to his soccer games.

“Can you not do the cheer you came up with this time?” he muttered, “It’s really embarrassing.”

“I worked hard on that cheer, you ungrateful brat,” Perona sighed, “But fine, I’ll just bring my sign and scream Zozo Boy at you whenever you touch the ball.”

Zoro groaned and the sound of Perona’s laughter followed him as he took his bowl to the sink, then went upstairs to get changed.

---

“Oi, Zoro,” Luffy called when they arrived, “Look who is joining the team.”  Sanji was standing next to him, fiddling with the hem of his uniform.  He looked like he was practically shining, his brand-new uniform a stark contrast to Luffy’s grass-stained, mud-splattered one.  Zoro hurriedly ran toward to them, then slowed down when he realized he must look silly.  He sauntered the last few feet and nodded stoically at Sanji.

“Your sister told my dad that there was a soccer team, and my dad signed me up,” Sanji said, tapping his toe on the ground and scuffing at the grass with his cleats.  Luffy, seeing another one of their teammates arrive, ran off to greet him.

“Have you played soccer before, curly?” Zoro asked, looking over to Perona, who had found a seat next to Zeff and was chatting animatedly with him.

Sanji scoffed, “Of course I have.  I always play as striker.  What do you play?”

Luffy’s brother, Ace, the coach of their soccer team, came over and ruffled Sanji’s hair.  “Zoro plays defense.  He’s the most determined defender I’ve ever seen.  He sticks on people like a leech, nobody gets past him.”  Zoro nodded proudly, “You don’t have to worry about anything in the backfield, curly, I won’t let any goals happen.  You can count on me.”

Ace cocked his head, eyes shifting between Zoro and Sanji until Zoro looked down at his shoes.  Finally, he said, “Well, looks like we’ll have a pretty good team this season then.  Go warm up, kids.  Zoro, which one of your lovely sisters is joining us today?”

“Perona,” Zoro said, pointing at his sister holding up a sign that said “Zoro,” but with hearts replacing the O’s.  He shuddered, already beyond embarrassed.

“I’ll go say hello then,” Ace said, “I’m looking forward to a raucous cheering section today.”

“Do you want to run some laps with me?” Sanji asked.  Zoro swallowed hard and nodded, joining Sanji in a brisk jog around the field.  Sanji ran easily, keeping up a steady stream of conversation about his old soccer team.  Zoro was beginning to feel a burn on his lungs, and Sanji was barely out of breath.

“Were you sad to leave your old home?” Zoro panted, sensing some of Sanji’s longing as he described the snowy town he left behind.

“Mm, I was,” Sanji nodded, jumping up and down and stretching from side to side, “But I like Sunny Elementary, and I’ve… made new friends now too.”  He smiled at Zoro, flooring Zoro so much that he sat down immediately and began stretching forward to his toes to hide his face.  Sanji plopped down as well and grabbed his feet, his fingers wrapping around his cleats as his forehead touched his knees.

“Sanji, you’re flexible,” Usopp said, sitting down with them.

“I was in gymnastics too,” Sanji said, voice muffled, “But the closest gym is really far away, so I’ll switch to something else probably.”

“You can learn fencing with me,” Zoro said immediately.

“Fencing?” Sanji asked, turning his face to the side to look at Zoro, still bent over his legs, “That’s so cool, Zoro.”  Zoro just nodded.  Fencing was pretty cool, he decided, no longer annoyed at Mihawk for making him take lessons.

“Alright team, line up,” Ace called, and they scrambled to their feet to jog over to their coach.

“Keep it clean, troops.  Run hard, but if I see any one of you doing body checks on opposing players, I’ll personally send you home even if you don’t get a card.  For our new teammate, Sanji, what’s the number one rule?”

“Have fun,” Zoro mumbled with the rest of the team, knowing in his head that “win” was his sole goal for when Sanji was on the field.  They had to welcome their new teammate with a victory.  He jogged to his position, eyes searching for his blonde-haired teammate at the other end of the field.  Franky gave him a thumbs up from the goal.  And the game began.

---

“Good job, Zoro,” Perona screamed, when Zoro successfully took back the ball from the opposing team and kicked it over to Usopp.  “That’s my baby brother,” she continued, and Zoro turned to glare at her.  They were up 5-0, absolutely crushing the opposing team.  Zoro tried not to look too smug, but it was a struggle when none of the forwards could do anything against him.

“Zoro, Sanji,” Ace called, “We’re switching you two out.”  Zoro stared flabbergasted at him.  Why was he being taken out?  Why was Sanji?  Sanji had scored three of the five goals, and Zoro hadn’t let any of the other team close to their own goal.  Franky was sitting on the ground at this point, playing with a daffodil in the grass.

“Why, Coach?” Zoro pouted when he went to sit on the bleachers.

“Zoro,” Ace said, kneeling in front of him, “Imagine if we were playing a team and we were down 0-5 at the first half, how would you feel?  Would you be having fun?”

“No,” Zoro said, “But we aren’t down 0-5.”

“Look at the opposing team.  Think about how they feel,” Ace said, tweaking his nose, “We’re going to win, but we don’t need to win by so much.  Let’s give some other kids on our team a chance to play.”

“Okay,” Zoro said, still annoyed that he wouldn’t get to keep playing, but mollified when Sanji sat next to him.

“That was fun,” Sanji smiled, nudging Zoro’s shoulder with his own, “You’re a really good defender, Zoro.” [based on Thi's sweet soccer boys art]

Zoro vaguely felt like steam was escaping out of his ears at how hot they suddenly were.

“You’re not bad yourself, curly,” he managed to say.  Sanji beamed, then stood up to cheer for their team, his replacement Coby trying his best to keep the ball away from a defender.  Sanji would have gotten past, Zoro thought uncharitably.

---

“One, two, three, four,” Perona counted, “I’m taking the four of you to ice cream to celebrate your victory, but I get to choose which store.”  As Luffy and Usopp cheered, Zoro watched Sanji turn hopefully to Zeff.

“Go on, eggplant,” Zeff said, “Don’t forget to thank Miss Perona.”  Zeff nodded at her.  “It’ll be my treat next time,” he said.

She waved him away, “We’re happy to take Sanji to games too so you don’t have to find someone to fill in for you at the restaurant.”  Zeff shook his head and put a hand on Sanji’s head, “I’ll watch him play until he tells me I’m not allowed to come anymore.”

“I’m not ever going to tell you not to come,” Sanji said.

“When can I tell you not to come?” Zoro asked Perona, who pulled his cheek viciously and used her grip to drag him toward the minivan.

“Shotgun,” Usopp called.

“None of you twerps gets to sit in the front seat,” Perona said, “In the back, all of you.”

Sanji clambered into the last row, and Zoro followed, sitting next to him.

“Zoro, you usually scream bloody murder when we force you to the backseat,” Perona said, winking at him.

Flushing, Zoro looked out the window, propping his head on his hand and wishing his sisters were just a little less annoying.

“Zoro?” Sanji asked quietly as they drove off.

“Curly.”

“How come your sisters take you to everything?” he asked.

“Oh,” Zoro said, “My dad is always traveling for work and stuff.  And my mom is gone.  She passed away when I was really little.”

“Oh,” Sanji said, “Mine too.”  His voice sounded small, and when Zoro looked over at him, his face was unbearably sad.  Zoro didn’t have the chance to get to know his own mother.  He wondered if Sanji had lost his mom more recently.  Without thinking, Zoro extended his hand.  Sanji stared at it for a beat before grasping it.  Again feeling like he was about to turn into a steam engine, Zoro turned pointedly away from Sanji to look back out the window, Sanji’s hand resting warm in his own.

---

Orange

“How you feeling?”

Zoro looked up to see Nami walking into his room with a tray, putting it down next to his bed.  She put a cool hand to his forehead.

“Itchy,” Zoro muttered.

“I know, little man,” Nami sighed, “Chickenpox is bad news.  At least your fever is down.  Brought you some soup in case you got your appetite back, but the water is non-negotiable.  Drink.”  Zoro carefully pulled himself up, fighting hard against the urge to scratch his arms covered in angry red bumps.

“How much longer will it last?” he asked, taking careful sips of water.

“A few days.  You should be toward the tail end, and it seems like you’ve had a pretty mild case.”

Zoro nodded, reaching for the bowl of soup.  The faster he got better, the sooner he’d be able to see Sanji his friends again.

“Your little bud has been asking for you,” Nami said lightly, “Came over a few times to check on you.”

“Who?” Zoro asked tiredly, “Luffy?”

“No, Sanji, the blonde one.”

Zoro nearly dropped the bowl and stared at Nami, “Curly has been checking on me?”

“He’s so cute,” Nami grinned, sitting down next to his bed, “Such sad little eyes and so so sweet.  The last time he came, he brought cookies with him.”

“Where are they?” Zoro demanded.

“You can’t even stomach soup, you want me to bring you chocolate chip cookies?”

“I want them,” Zoro said.

“After you finish your soup, if you’re still hungry, I’ll bring you your Sanji’s cookies.”

“He’s not my Sanji,” Zoro glared.

“Sure,” Nami said, watching him with an amused look in her eyes as he practically inhaled the soup.

“He said he’s had chickenpox before, so he should be able to see you,” Nami said.  She leaned back and surveyed him, so Zoro tried to keep his face straight.  “The other two gremlins haven’t, so Hiyori isn’t even letting them in the gate.  She’s been worried sick.”

“Curly can come visit me?” Zoro asked hopefully.

“Now that your fever has gone down, it’s probably okay,” she said, “I’ll call Doctor Chopper just to make sure.  If Sanji comes by again today, I’ll let you know if you want to invite him up to say hi.”  Zoro immediately looked around his room, trying to make sure it looked respectable and mature.  He pointed at a Toy Story poster hanging in the corner of his room.  “Can you take that down?” he asked, “I don’t like kids movies anymore.”

“Don’t be silly,” Nami said, “I know how much you love Toy Story still.”  Zoro glared at her, but she was right.  He would feel guilty about shoving Buzz Lightyear into the closet.  He looked around and stuffed the bear Kuina had gotten him when he was five under the covers.

“Poor Brownie,” Nami said dramatically.

“Tell him he can come up, if he wants,” Zoro said, ignoring her, “And can I please have the cookies?”

“Okay, okay,” Nami said.  She stood up and opened the window in Zoro’s room, letting in some fresh air.  She looked at him shrewdly, “Now that you’re well enough to receive guests, I’m bringing your homework.  Sanji was also so thoughtful and brought extra worksheets for you from your missed classes.”

Zoro coughed into his hand and tried to look a little more miserable.

“Coughing isn’t a symptom of chickenpox, but nice try,” Nami said, kissing him on the forehead, picking up the empty tray, and leaving his room.

---

Zoro heard a tentative knock on the door and froze.  His sisters had varying greetings, Kuina’s forceful rap, Hiyori’s gentle voice calling his name, Perona’s beating on the door, and Nami’s signal, a series of taps in their secret rhythm.  None of them knocked like that.

“Zoro, it’s Sanji,” he heard a quiet voice, “Your sister said I could come up?”

“Come in, curly,” Zoro said, straightening his shirt and the bedsheets around him.  The door creaked open, just enough to reveal a sliver of Sanji’s face and a very blue eye.  When they made eye contact, Sanji pushed the door open and walked in.  Zoro was beginning to feel hot again, and hoped the feeling would go away before Nami took his temperature and declared Sanji couldn’t stay.

“Are you feeling better?” Sanji asked, pulling the chair to Zoro’s desk to his bedside and sitting down in it.  He reached forward and touched the back of his hand to Zoro’s forehead.

Zoro nodded shakily, closing his eyes at the touch.

“My dad always does that to me when I’m sick, but I can’t really tell if your forehead is hot or not,” Sanji said, pulling his hand back.

“Nami just did it and said I was better.”

“Oh okay, that’s good,” Sanji said, swinging his legs back and forth.  He was dressed in a bright yellow shirt and white pants, a pair of brown boots still on his feet.  He looked like sunshine, Zoro thought.

“We missed you in school,” Sanji said, “We couldn’t find someone else to play dodgeball during recess to make the teams even, so we’ve just been playing tag with the rest of the class.”

“You’re too fast to play tag with the rest of the class,” Zoro said.

Sanji grinned at this, “I never get caught.”

“I want to go back to school,” Zoro sighed, “I hate chickenpox.”  He scratched absentmindedly at a bump on his arm, but was stopped by Sanji’s hand on his wrist.

“You shouldn’t scratch,” Sanji warned, “They could get infected.  That’s what my dad told me when I had it.  I’m going to stop you if you keep scratching.”  He let go of Zoro, and Zoro contemplated scratching some more just to see if Sanji would actually stop him again.

“Your cookies tasted good,” Zoro said, pointing at the empty plate next to him.  He didn’t normally like sweets, but somehow found himself consuming the entire plate as he thought about Sanji making them especially for him.

“Good,” Sanji smiled, “Dad helped me make them.  I hoped they would cheer you up.  I remember being so bored when I got chickenpox.”  He looked around the room, his eyes lighting up when he saw Zoro’s Toy Story poster.

“Oh, I love Woody,” Sanji laughed, standing up to get a closer look, “That’s such a cool poster.”

“Buzz Lightyear is better,” Zoro heard himself say, just to see the flash of annoyance in Sanji’s eyes.  Sanji put his hands on his hips and glared at him, “Buzz is boring.  I’d rather be a cowboy than a boring space man.”

“Well, you can’t fly then.  And I can.”

“Well—” Sanji started, then shut his mouth as he considered this, before looking down crestfallen.

“You can be Woody,” Zoro said quickly, “If I’m Buzz Lightyear, I can just give you a ride anywhere whenever you want.  So you can basically fly and still be a cowboy.”

“Oh,” Sanji said, face turning pink, “That would be nice then.”

Zoro nodded, crisis handled as Sanji’s face returned to happy again.  Sanji sat back down and launched into stories from school, about Luffy getting in trouble for bringing a bucket full of slugs he collected into the classroom, about Usopp building a fighting robot out of a pencil sharpener and other random items in his pencil case that he pit against Franky’s, about Mr. Koushirou assigning them to a group project about the solar system.

When Zoro was feeling drowsy and content, the door to his room opened and Nami poked her head in.

“Your dad is here looking for you, Sanji,” she said, and Sanji whirled to look at the clock.

“Oh no,” he moaned, “I said I’d only be gone for half an hour.”  He jumped down from the seat, putting it back under the desk.

“I’ll come back tomorrow, Zoro,” he said, waving at Zoro as he hurried to the door.  He nodded at Nami as he past, “Thank you for having me, Miss Nami.”  Zoro heard him taking the steps down the stairs two at a time, then moved to watch through the window as Sanji ran out the front door to Zeff who was standing at the outside gate, arms crossed.  After they exchanged a few words, Zeff picked Sanji up and swung him onto his back, and they walked out of sight.

When Zoro sat back down with a sigh, he saw Nami was leaning against the doorframe, a smile on her face.

“Had fun with your Sanji?” she asked.

“Yes,” Zoro muttered, “I’m tired now.”

“Nuh uh,” Nami said, walking into the room and putting papers on the table, “Let’s do some of your homework together now.”

Zoro whined as Nami handed him the first sheet and a pencil, but nonetheless began reading the paper, thinking about how impressed Sanji would be tomorrow when Zoro had finished all the homework he’d brought him.

---

White

Zoro fidgeted in his seat, tugging at the collared shirt Mihawk had forced him into for the parent-teacher conference.  Mr. Koushirou was going over Zoro’s grades with Mihawk.

“He’s doing better than last semester,” Mr. Koushirou said, “Paying more attention in class.  I see him studying with one of the other students during breaks when he used to sleep.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear,” Mihawk said, giving Zoro a sidelong look.

“He’s playing well with the other students,” Mr. Koushirou continued, “Participates in group games during recess and has done quite well in group projects this semester.  All in all, I’m very impressed with Zoro this year.  I’ll miss him in fourth grade next year.”

Mihawk thanked him and led Zoro out of the classroom.

“I’m proud of you, son,” Mihawk said.

“Thanks,” Zoro said, perking up when he saw Sanji and Zeff walking down the hall toward them.

“Zoro,” Sanji shouted, then covered his mouth when he realized they were in school.  Instead, he ran up excitedly to them to wrap Zoro in a hug, before looking up at Mihawk and stepping back.

“And who is this?” Mihawk asked.

“Sanji,” Zoro said.  “My friend,” he added, when Sanji stared at Mihawk with eyes wide as saucers.  Zoro moved to stand next to Sanji, who was wringing his hands together, squirming uncomfortably under Mihawk’s scrutiny.  With Zoro by him, Sanji stood up a little straighter.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Zoro’s Dad,” he said.

“Mihawk.  A pleasure,” Mihawk nodded, turning to Zeff who had caught up to them.

With the parents distracted, Sanji grabbed onto Zoro’s hands and asked breathlessly, “Was Mr. Koushirou super mean?”

“No, of course not,” Zoro said, “I don’t think he knows how to be mean.”  He tried to control his breathing as Sanji peered at his face suspiciously as if Zoro would ever lie to him.

“One of my old teachers, Mr. Judge, was super mean during my last parent-teacher conference,” he sighed, “Dad got angry at him and stormed out of the room and then asked to have me transferred to a new class.”

“Well, Mr. Koushirou wouldn’t do that,” Zoro said, anger rising at this Mr. Judge person.

“You’re right,” Sanji said, squeezing his hands before letting go and taking Zeff’s.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Zoro,” he waved as they walked toward Mr. Koushirou’s classroom.

“A lovely boy,” Mihawk said.

“Yeah, he’s cool,” Zoro muttered.  They exited the building into the warm early summer evening.  Just a few more days left of third grade, Zoro mused, turning to look back at Sunny Elementary, which seemed so strange at nighttime.  Then, a summer of fun where he would probably get to play with Sanji every day, going to the pool or kicking the soccer ball around in Sanji’s huge backyard.  His sisters always hosted fun barbecues in the summer for the neighborhood.  Maybe they could go on their annual trip to the beach with Sanji’s family.

As Zoro clambered into the car and they drove past the funky-looking station wagon that Zoro recognized was Zeff’s, he hoped desperately that he and Sanji would end up in the same class for fourth grade.  And fifth grade, and sixth, and seventh, and so on and so forth.

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It was such an honor to collab with Thi!  This whole fic was based on the vibes of this art.  Thank you, dear Thi!

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Green

Seven years later.

Zoro: Curly’s grounded.  We need to break him out for one hour.  All Blue is releasing limited edition crepes at 2 PM today.  If Sanji doesn’t get to try them this time, I don’t think he’ll survive.  They’re definitely going to sell out right away.

Luffy: Roger, roger, copy that soldier.  I’m on the way.  Ten four out.

Usopp: Can I not be on the bottom of the ladder this time when Sanji climbs back up to his room?  My back is still messed up from the last jailbreak.

Luffy: Insuboredom.

Usopp: You mean insubordination.

Zoro put his phone in his pocket and ran down the stairs.

“I’m heading out,” he called to Kuina in the living room.

“Zoro, wait,” she said, and Zoro froze, still never able to disobey his oldest sister.  She walked into the entranceway, a katana in her hand.  Zoro gulped.  “Don’t forget our sisters start arriving tonight,” she warned.  Zoro sighed, having indeed forgotten.  His other three sisters were coming back into town for the holidays, and he had promised to help them lug all their luggage up to their respective rooms and be the workhorse for most of the winter decorations.

“I’ll just be gone an hour.  Gonna go see curly.”

“Tell him I said hi,” she said, “Everybody will want to see him too while they’re here.  Perona said she would move into Zeff’s if you kept Sanji from her.”  Zoro snorted.  He had long suspected his sisters adored Sanji more than they loved him.

He slipped his shoes on and stumbled outside, already hearing the sound of Luffy’s loud running coming down the sidewalk.

“Zeff is home today,” Luffy said, “I saw him through the window.  What did Sanji even do?”

Zoro flushed, “Um, broke curfew.”  He didn’t mention that Sanji had broken curfew to watch an R-rated violent samurai movie that Zoro desperately wanted to see with him, Sanji much better at sweet-talking their underage selves past the movie theater reception than Zoro.

Usopp sighed, joining them, “And now you’re going to break him out?  What if we get caught?  Sanji’s just going to get grounded even longer.”

“We won’t get caught,” Zoro said confidently.  They walked up to Sanji’s house, talking loudly, and Zoro saw movement in Sanji’s upstairs window.

“Ahoyyyy,” Luffy called, “Sanji.”

The downstairs kitchen window opened, and Zeff glared at them.

“He’s grounded, you twerps.  Two more days.”

“Whyyyyyy?” Luffy whined, “Mr. Zeff, we absolutely need one more person for soccer.  Just for a little bit.”

Zoro watched Zeff’s face turn red and looked up to see Sanji slowly opening the window, placing a knee on the sill, soccer shoes already in his hand.  [based on Thi's summer boys art]

Luffy continued to annoy Zeff, until finally Sanji’s dad disappeared, on his way to yell at them through the front door instead.  A path they all knew would take approximately fifteen seconds and would mean Zeff couldn’t see the front lawn for that period of time.  Zoro nodded at Sanji, who immediately slid down the short awning, landing lightly on his feet.  He stumbled forward from the momentum, and Zoro caught him, wrapping his arms around Sanji and bracing them both.

“Making a criminal out of me,” Sanji laughed, kissing Zoro on the cheek before Zoro let his boyfriend go and Sanji quickly hid behind a large evergreen tree.

After Usopp managed to diffuse Zeff’s irritation, and Sanji’s father slammed the door shut and stomped back to the kitchen, they walked away as casually as they could, Sanji joining them a block later and wrapping his arm into Zoro’s.

“My heroes,” he laughed.

“Franky said the line at All Blue is already forming,” Usopp sighed.

“I don’t get why you have to get their crepes,” Zoro sighed, “Yours taste better anyways.”

“I’m both offended on All Blue’s behalf and very touched, mosshead,” Sanji laughed, “I’ll also grab one of their melon cakes.  Your sisters are coming into town tonight, right?  Take it home to them as a welcome home treat from me and the old man.”  Not surprised at all that Sanji remembered Zoro’s family’s schedule better than he did, Zoro nodded, gripping Sanji’s hand tightly in thanks.

They joined the line at All Blue, and Sanji eagerly jumped up and down to try and see the menu, pushing off Zoro’s shoulders to get a better look.  As he listed off the limited edition items for the day, Usopp hastily recorded them in his phone, then planned which one each of them would order so they could all try a bit of each flavor.  Zoro stood quietly, letting Sanji lean back against him as Sanji waxed poetic about the lychee and coconut option to Luffy, whose mouth was already watering.

A beautiful summer day, his boyfriend in his arms, the chance to see his sisters all together again (Zoro would never admit it, but he missed having them all around), what could be better?