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Zoro had his own opinions on the news, but it wasn’t his job to share them. Perona seemed to share those same opinions anyways, so Zoro remained silent at his post near the door.

“The Vinsmoke family is gross, Papa! How could I get married to someone from such a house?” Perona shouted across the Lord’s desk.

Always level-headed, Mihawk merely sighed, taking off his reading glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. “Perona, you know as well as I, marriage negotiations are never enjoyable.”

Perona scoffed. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one getting married to a Vinsmoke.”

“I will, however, be the one leaving an entire fiefdom to a Vinsmoke.” Mihawk’s tone and piercing glare effectively ended her whining. He sighed. “This is not a decision I’ve made on my own. The king himself has dipped his hand in your matchmaking.”

Zoro had suspected the royal family had some sort of input in Perona’s marriage. As standoffish as the Lord seemed, he was unexpectedly devoted to his people. The Vinsmoke family was notorious throughout the entire kingdom for their undignified and rough temperament. Essentially the exact opposite of what a devoted father would want for his one and only daughter.

Mihawk showed a hint of his own regret as he confessed, “There’s nothing I can do about this arrangement, Perona.”

Even though she seemed to understand the situation, she still made a show of storming out of the Lord’s office. 

Wearing the demeanor of the faithful knight, Zoro bowed to Mihawk before following out after her. Keeping the proper 5 feet distance between them, he trailed after Perona until she’d settled in a huff in her room. Only once the door was closed did he let out a snicker.

“Oh, yeah. Laugh it up, Zoro.” Perona glared at him. She’d draped her entire frame over a lounge chair in her typical dramatic fashion.

Zoro leaned over the back of the couch. “How would our ever dignified princess manage living with the barbaric son of a count?”

Perona shot up closer so she could glare right in Zoro’s face. “You don’t get it. You only pay attention to your training. You don’t hear what everyone says about that family.”

His wry smile lingered but the tone in her voice was beginning to sober Zoro up.

“The only reason they’ve even been able to rise to such a rank is because they’re battle hungry brutes! Everytime you hear something about the Vinsmokes, it’s about how they beat some poor sap half to death for missing a stitch in their clothing or something else inane.”

Zoro’s smile had disappeared. “Why are you getting married to them?”

“That’s what I was trying to figure out! But Papa refused to tell me anything.” Perona puffed her cheeks out the way she only did around her father or Zoro. “The King probably wanted to give them a higher status for their newest war achievement or something stupid like that.”

“You can’t marry that family.”

“Yeah, but what am I going to do?” Perona grabbed the pillow under her head and squeezed it to her chest. “Not like we can just refuse.”

Even without any knight training, Zoro understood the basic tenements of their loyalty. The job of a knight is to protect the people you're serving till your dying breath. If the enemy in the scenario had been a physical beast threatening to break down the castle door, he would have slain it in an instant. However, none of his training could protect the Lady from an arranged marriage.

A pillow hit Zoro in the face. He brought himself out of his head to see Perona giving him a helpless smile. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll only have to be with the whole family for a short while. After that he’ll have to live in our territory.” Perona beat her fist into her open palm. “We can train him into submission then.”

Zoro sighed. He really should be the one comforting her, shouldn’t he? “Which one of the Vinsmokes is your betrothed?”

“The third son, Vinsmoke Sanji.”

The last time Sanji had been dressed up so nicely was back when his mother was still alive. After her death, there’d never been a reason to. With his mother gone and buried, Sanji barely ever left the estate. Two hours before the marriage meeting, servants Sanji had never seen before burst into his chambers and began throwing him into various layers of clothing. Having not engaged in noble society for years, Sanji forgot how stuffy all the formalities of it could be. When he’d finally been sufficiently primped and powdered, he was sent to wait in the meeting room with the rest of his family.

As he stood in front of the large double doors, Sanji had to fight his hesitation. He grabbed the handles and opened both doors to find not just his father, but his siblings, Reiju and Ichiji, there as well. The two of them sat on either side of his father, leaving Sanji to sit on the outskirts. He pulled out the seat next to Reiju and sat down. If he sat next to his sister there was at least somewhat of a chance Ichiji would leave him alone. He’d choose her disinterest over his brother’s scorn anyday.

Ichiji and his father were engaged in some redundant discussion on warfare and battle strategy, which left him and Reiju to wait in silence till his fiance’s family arrived.

Given that he wasn’t allowed out into society much, Sanji really had no idea what to expect from his fiance. All he knew was her name and house, but the Dracules were well known enough to have heard of their influence. Sanji had no idea how the only daughter of the house got roped into marrying the Vinsmoke’s wallflower son.

One of the house’s servants slipped into the room and cleared his throat. “His Highness, Duke Dracule Mihawk and Lady Perona will now enter.”

The duke stepped into the room first, with his daughter only a few steps after him. Behind both of them a single knight was standing guard. Each and every one of them was visually striking. None of them looked alike, but the gaze in their eyes collectively pierced Sanji down to his spine.

Given their straightforward stares, Sanji figured he could take his time taking them in as well. While the duke was all angles and harsh lines, Lady Perona was soft edges and fluffy clothing. However, while the duke was a complete mask of vacant emotion, Lady Perona wore an obvious scowl. 

Sanji double checked to make sure his posture was correct.

The duke and his daughter finished picking him apart by the time they sat down, now looking at the rest of his family, but their knight kept his glare trained on Sanji. He didn’t know if he had it in him to get mad at the knight. If Sanji was in his place, he’d never want his patron to join with the Vinsmokes either.

“Thank you for welcoming us into your house. It’s truly, ” Mihawk took his time to pause, “extravagant.” The duke spoke as if nothing in the world could bother him and certainly not the feelings of a lowly count.

Sanji could see his father’s jaw clench out of the corner of his eye. As awkward as being married into the Dracule family would be, at least they could agree on the count’s tastes being horrid.

“I appreciate you traveling all the way here, my Lord.” Sanji could tell having to address Duke Mihawk with the proper respect was like pulling teeth for his father. “We’ve already prepared two rooms for you to use during your stay at our estate.”

Dracule Mihawk nodded but did not thank him. “With that in order, I suppose we should get into the marriage arrangements then.”

Throughout the entire discussion, Duke Mihawk would periodically glance at his daughter asking approval for a decision they were coming to, making sure she was comfortable. Sanji knew his own father would not be giving him the same treatment. Both sides talked about what they wanted out of the marriage and negotiated their wants. Sanji had stopped paying attention pretty early on. What his father was getting out of this marriage besides a title, he couldn’t say. Whatever it was had nothing to do with Sanji.

Eventually it was time for them to break for dinner. They all moved to the Vinsmoke’s grand dining room. This time, both Niji and Yonji joined them at the table. Sanji was surprised to see his father attending the dinner as well. Most likely, his father simply wanted to wring out a bit more from the Dracule’s Duchy, or else he wouldn’t have bothered to eat with the rest of them.

Both families naturally arranged in a way that sat the betrothed side by side at the table. Ever the gentleman, Sanji made sure to pull out a chair for Lady Perona.

As soon as they were all settled in their seats, servants bustled out of near hidden doors to bring them their food. Plates full of colorful fruits and meats filled the center of the table and his brothers quickly started grabbing what they wanted.

Judge did nothing to stop their impoliteness and instead turned toward Dracule Mihawk to start his diplomatic small talk. “Are you looking forward to the upcoming hunting competition, Duke?”

Duke Mihawk considered his question while neatly splitting his meat from the bone. “I suppose it shall be entertaining to observe.”

“You’re not participating yourself?” Judge dared to ask with a laugh.

“I am well past that age this event was made for.”

His father cleared his throat. “I suppose that is true. I had just assumed given your famed talent for the sport.”

“Well, it was an inaccurate assumption.”

Sanji worked very hard to hide his smile behind his glass of wine. His father continued his strained small talk and Sanji returned to his usual past time of not paying him any attention. Instead, he focused on the meal in front of him. He turned the meat over on its side, wondering if it was the head chef who’d cooked the main dish today. 

If Sanji had to name one person he could say was his ally, it’d have to be Head Chef Zeff. Whenever Sanji walked down into the kitchen, needing something other than the pressures of his father spat at him, Zeff let him observe the ebb and flow of their preparations. The staff had long stopped protesting his presence once they realized how small Sanji kept himself. Eventually, through simple osmosis, Sanji had found himself with more knowledge on the proper cooking temperatures of meat than swordsmanship.

Sanji cut a slice off the cooked venison and tasted it. Patty probably cooked the meat today. He’d always preferred the meat slightly too well done. His family didn’t care about the actual experience of eating their food enough to notice.

In between tasting various foods and guessing their chef, Sanji grew gradually aware of a burrowing gaze on him. When he looked around, he was only half surprised to see the same knight from before staring him down.

While Sanji understood the need to be wary of his family, the knight was taking it too far. What exactly was Sanji going to pull all on his own with both their entire families in the same room. If the goal of this stare down was to keep him in his place, it was doing the exact opposite. The glare digging at him was only serving to rile Sanji up. I’m really the last Vinsmoke you should worry about. Sanji thought bitterly.

“Will your son be participating in the hunting competition?” Sanji’s focus snapped back to the conversation at Duke Mihawk’s question.

Being intentionally oblivious, his father spoke of Sanji’s brother. “Yes of course. Ichiji won second place last year and we’re sure he’ll win this year's competition.”

Duke Mihawk eyed Sanji while taking a sip from his wine glass. “And what about the son marrying my daughter. I’m somewhat embarrassed to say, but I’ve never heard much about Sanji. I’d appreciate learning more about him.”

Even when forced to speak about him, Judge refused to look Sanji in the eye. “Unfortunately, my son has yet to truly participate in one of these competitions. There’s always been something standing in the way of him attending.” He wasn’t defending Sanji’s honor in saying this, but his own.

Sanji hadn’t been allowed to participate since he first tried at 14 years old. He hadn’t had the heart to kill a single animal and came in very last place. After bringing such shame to their family, his father forbade him from ever entering the competition again. Sanji hadn’t minded because, in the end, that decision was best for both of their interests.

Duke Mihawk hummed. “That’s a shame. He doesn’t have anything impeding his attendance this year does he? We are in the middle of engagement negotiations, so I don’t see what he’d be busy with.”

“That is true,” his father agreed through visibly clenched teeth. “Sanji should be able to attend. Don’t worry.”

If he’d refused to participate for even his father’s love, there was no way he’d participate for some other family. Sanji resisted a sigh. He was already tired and it was only the first day of negotiations.

For the first time, Sanji’s fiance spoke up on her own. “I’m getting quite tired. Count Judge, do you think we could be shown to our rooms?”

“Certainly! Reiju, would you mind showing them the way?”

With a bow toward their father and with an impassive smile, Reiju led them out of the room.

The hair on Sanji’s neck stood straight as soon as the doors were closed behind them. Judge had been acting far more civil than he did normally and it was all for the sake of appearances. Now that the Dracule family had left there was no reason for him to keep up the act.

Judge pushed his chair out and walked around the table toward Sanji. “Unfortunately, it seems like you're going to have to participate in the hunting competition this year.” His presence loomed over Sanji’s own. “We have a lot riding on this arrangement. I will not have it jeopardized because of your incompetence.”

Done with his warning, his father exited the room. That left Sanji alone in the company of all his brothers.

Yonji was the first to begin leaving. Now that the Dracule’s were gone, he could openly laugh in Sanji’s face. “Why do you look so down? Aren’t you glad you can finally be useful to the family?”

“I have no idea what Father was thinking. This failure couldn’t kill a single rabbit...” Niji muttered as he made his way out the door.

Before Ichiji finally left the room to Sanji, he leaned over the table and said, “If you mess this up and you truly are useless.” The door slammed closed behind Ichiji.

Sanji rested his face on the cool wooden table and sighed. Should he just run away? Would that solve this situation? Sanji groaned. No, that wouldn’t work. There’s no way Sanji could even make it out of the territory before someone caught him and dragged him back. Really, all Sanji wished for was a break from it all. Just a few days of peace is all he wanted.

After a few more moments of moping, Sanji pulled himself up and out the door. However, instead of heading toward his room, Sanji headed downstairs to the castle kitchens.

Sanji’s bedroom was never a place of comfort for him. The room was too big and empty. All of his terror and fear seemed to bounce off the stone walls and magnify inside of him. Sanji preferred to spend his time in the small bustling kitchen, watching Zeff and the other chefs prepare for the next meal.

When Sanji pushed into the kitchen, he was met with the usual sight save for one detail. The knight the Dracule’s had brought with them was sitting at the kitchen table, gobbling down his dinner.

Really, Sanji had no idea where he thought the knight would eat his meal, but seeing someone new in his space caused him to freeze right in the kitchen entrance.

A heavy hand on his shoulder startled him out of his shock. Patty laughed when Sanji jumped. “Welcome back, my Lord.”

Sanji watched the knight’s head look up at his title. Quickly, he faced directly toward Patty to avoid meeting the knight’s gaze. 

Patty continued his usual rowdy conversation. “How’d you like my venison? Pretty good, right?”

Sanji hoped his voice was free of nerves. “I just knew you made it. It didn’t taste like Zeff’s.” 

“Heh. One might even say it was better than Zeff’s.” Patty puffed himself up.

“Don’t kid yourself,” Zeff immediately burst from across the kitchen. “The little prince could probably tell it was yours because it tasted like ass.”

Patty pushed himself off of Sanji to bear a fist at the head chef. “Aw, up yours old man. Sanji likes my cooking.”

The familiar comfort of bickering cooks finally settling in Sanji’s body allowed him a laugh. “Sorry, Patty. I have to say I liked Zeff’s more.”

Faking a stab to the chest, Patty stumbled away from him. “Oh, you’re killing me, my Lord.” Patty continued his act up till Zeff slapped him over the head for putting off the dishes.

Usually Sanji would watch them work or settle down with one of the cook books, but his usual spot was taken by a certain knight. The break in his routine caused Sanji to move with less confidence than he’d would’ve liked. Sanji barely made it to the table when the knight spoke.

“They all seem pretty comfortable with you here.”

Whether it was his nerves or natural defensiveness, Sanji’s face immediately settled into a scowl. “Is that so odd?”

“Yeah.”

Sanji bristled. “Well, it isn’t really your business, now is it?”

The knight began to pull back and his lip curled. “I’d say it is my business given that you and my lady will soon be married.” If it was possible, the permanent glare Sanji had seen on the knight's face grew more bitter.

Just before Sanji could say something beneath him, Zeff appeared at his side with his hands on his hips. “What do you think you’re doing, bothering the son of our count like that?” Zeff grouched. “The boy’s allowed to hang around as much as he damn well pleases.”

After Zeff walked away, Sanji didn’t bother to resist sending a very proud grin at the knight.

Not saying anything in response, the knight got out of his seat. He moved to leave the room while leaving behind the dishes from his dinner. 

On behalf of the staff, Sanji barked out, “Don’t just leave your dishes here!”

At Sanji’s tone, the knight turned around with a growl, but once his words clicked he dropped it. The knight picked up his dishes while staring right at Sanji, his eyes scrunched in a glare. Once his dishes were in the sink, he gave a slight bow to the rest of the room and left the kitchen.

Zeff simply waved him off as he exited. Once he was gone, Zeff raised an eyebrow at Sanji, “What's got you picking fights with Zoro?”

Somehow, just learning the knight's name aggravated Sanji. “You should be asking him that. He’s been glaring at me since he met me!”

Zeff considered this, grunted, and didn’t say anything more. He clearly had some sort of opinion about the situation and was choosing not to share.

Well, fine. I didn’t want to know in the first place. Sanji was still peeved from his interaction with Zoro, but it would be a simple job to brush that off. THe knight was gone and Sanji could finally enjoy being in the one sane room of the Vinsmoke estate.

Sanji hunkered down in his usual spot and opened up the cookbook he’d last been flipping through. As the son of a count, he wasn’t allowed to cook, something about it being beneath his status. However, no one would object to him reading a book.

The heat of a kitchen fire, the sound of knives being sharpened, and the smell of baked bread washed over Sanji. Finally, he could catch a break from the pressure of his family and the pressure of Zoro’s glare drilling into his skin.

After that negotiation meeting, Sanji was no longer invited. He would assume that Lady Perona was also excluded, but her father actually seemed to want her opinion on their decisions. But, as far as he knew, it was only his father and hers in that room, discussing treaties and deals that didn’t exactly have much to do with their children.

Supposedly, Sanji was meant to use this time to train for the upcoming hunting competition. Despite the supposed importance of doing well in the competition, his father really didn’t bother badgering Sanji into training. Most of the week leading up to the event, Sanji didn’t even see a glance of the man. He wasn’t going to complain about it though.

There wasn’t much to do in the Vinsmoke household during daylight. The kitchen staff was kind and they’ve never kicked him out, but Sanji knew that hands not being used to prepare the family’s food were a waste of space. This left the majority of the day with nothing to do.

Being idle drove Sanji insane. If he couldn’t cook, he’d rather train. Anything to keep his body moving. However, while there were guests on the estate Sanji wasn’t permitted to practice his ‘barbaric’ fighting style.

Left with nothing else to do but stare out into nothing, Sanji sat on his bedroom balcony, staring out onto the estate’s garden. His father had only ordered a garden made because that was expected of a Count. It was really a miracle the greenery had lasted as long as it did. There was only so much a single gardener could do with an estate their size. The trees were a little misshapen and the bushes were slightly overgrown. 

Underneath the distant sounds of knight’s training, Sanji heard a woman’s heels clicking against cobblestone. Near the wall opposite his balcony, Lady Perona and her knight made their way through the garden. Sanji watched as they approached a low hanging branch. Her knight, without a spoken word, lifted the branch nearing her head. They wandered their way toward the center of the garden, right in front of Sanji’s balcony.

Their conversation was too quiet for Sanji to hear. He only realized they were talking when they both burst out in laughter. 

Lady Perona’s laugh was high and ringing. She shoved against Zoro’s shoulder as she laughed.

Zoro’s face was turned toward his lady, away from Sanji’s view. Was the knight even capable of a smile? Suddenly, Zoro whipped all the way around, exactly meeting Sanji’s eyes.

Sanji’s face contorted into a scowl on instinct.

Zoro reciprocated immediately. His lip curled and his eyes narrowed once again.

His heart in his throat, Sanji didn’t dare break their eye contact. This was a battle of wills. He wouldn’t be seen as weak by yet another person. He refused to be walked all over in yet another household.

Lucky for Sanji, Zoro looked away first, whipping his head after just a moment to face Lady Perona again.

Sanji melted against the railing. An odd regret pinged through him when Zoro looked away. For some reason it felt like he didn’t win the stare down. Sanji gave one last glance back at his fiance and her knight.

Zoro had his gloved hand displayed out toward his lady. A butterfly had landed its delicate body on the back of his fingers. Perona leaned toward it, her mouth open in a gasp. Zoro looked at her with an quiet contentment.

Sanji couldn’t explain the sad sigh that escaped him while watching the two.

Without knocking, one of the estate’s servants burst into his room. “Your Highness, the count is calling for your presence.”

Already getting up, Sanji asked, “What for?”

“The entire household will be leaving for the hunting competition very shortly.”

Sanji was woefully unprepared for the hunting competition. For the first time in years, servants were bustling around him, dressing him in various leather armor pieces. A quill packed with arrows was secured across his back along with a freshly strung bow.

Count Judge stood across from him, a cold look carved into his face. Once Sanji was fully equipped, Judge held a gleaming sword toward him.

Sanji took it and slid the sword into its scabbard, all without looking his father in the eyes.

“Trust that if you should bring any shame to my name, there will be consequences.”

Even though the threat caused a shiver of fear to run up his spine, Sanji was already set in his resolve. It didn’t matter the reaction he'd receive. He refused to participate. Just because they forced him into the competition, doesn’t mean they could make him hunt.

Taking Sanji’s silence as compliance, Judge grunted and left the tent. Several servants bustled away after him and Sanji was left alone.

The family tent was luxuriously decorated with imported cloths and carpets. In the center of the tent was a table with a map of the forest laid on top. In preparation, his brothers had planned out exactly where they’d go for the biggest game. Little wooden pieces marked where each brother would travel.

Sanji had taken time to study it as well, only for the exact opposite reason. He made sure to memorize exactly where each brother would go so he knew where not to. If he was going to have any peace during the competition, Sanji would need to avoid them at all costs.

Armor tight to his body and sword secured in his scabbard, Sanji pushed his way out of the tent.

Each noble family had set up their tents in a circle with a yet to be lit bonfire in the center. At the end of the one day competition, the participant with the largest kill would get the honor of lighting it. Until then, the center served as a gathering place for the start of the hunt.

Giggling noble ladies sat in luxurious chairs, sipping wine and watching each contestant join the gathering. Surprisingly, Sanji couldn’t find his fiance in the crowd. He figured that Peorna would be at the very center of the social circle, given that she was the daughter of a duke.

The first trumpet sounded, signaling all participants to meet for the opening ceremonies.

Sanji gathered with the rest, but didn’t bother pushing too close. He found it hard to believe he’d break any of the announced rules when he had no plan in engaging in the hunt. 

While absentmindedly looking over the crowd, Sanji caught sight of a familiar head of green. Knights were free to participate and yet he was still surprised to see Zoro. For some reason, he’d thought Zoro would be unable to leave Perona’s side, despite there being plenty of other knights.

The announcer eventually finished his speech, raised a trumpet to his lips, and sounded the beginning of the hunting competition. Some nobles galloped into the forest on horseback while others simply barrelled their way on foot.

Sanji watched everyone run in all directions before deciding his path. According to the map in their tent, there was meant to be riverbed to the north of their encampment. At a lazy pace, Sanji made his way into the forest. As he trudged through gravel and moss, he watched animals rustle nearby bushes. At some point, he was able to spy antlers peeking out from behind brush, and yet he still never touched his bow.

Barely half an hour in, Sanji could hear running water over rock and stone. Just as the map said, a small stream was winding its way through a small clearing in the forest. At a large rock near the water’s edge, Sanji settled down for the rest of the competition. Each contestant was given provisions for the hunt, a simple bag of bread, cheese, and meat.

While Sanji ate, he watched various small animals become more at ease with his presence. A speckled brown hare ran past Sanji to eat at a clump of green. A mother duck and her children waddled their way into the stream.

After a small bit of contemplation, Sanji ripped off a portion of his bread and scattered it into the water. Without much hesitation, the ducks began to nip at the floating bits of bread. 

The more bread he threw, the more animals would gather around him. Because the animals were his only form of entertainment, Sanji quickly ran out of the bread he was using to feed them. He had no idea how much time had passed, but before he knew it, the forest no longer held any fear of him. Even without the promise of food, they waded around the river on their own.

Sanji watched as a raccoon dipped its small hands clean in the stream and a wrinkled toad hopped from rock to rock past him. Perhaps Sanji’s life would be easier if he ran away to be a hermit in the woods. Really, next to spending time in the kitchen, this was the most at peace Sanji had felt in a long while.

His heart calm and his breath easy, Sanji watched a deer, tall as he was sitting, stroll through the clearing. While keeping Sanji in its view, it hesitantly drank from the stream. The longer Sanji did nothing, the more comfortable it grew. It grew so comfortable that it didn’t hold back from approaching.

Its thin legs barely disturbed the grass it stepped on. The deer tilted its head down toward Sanji. His antlers reached out toward him like open palmed hands.

As soon as Sanji made the decision to reach out in return, an arrow shot through the forest, piercing the deer through the side of its chest. At his feet, the deer was completely still save the deep red blood leaking from the arrow wound.

Sanji couldn’t hold back his own scream and scrambled back along the rocks. Once he’d realized what had happened, Sanji looked around the forest for whoever had shot down the deer right in front of him.

Pushing their way through the low hanging tree branches, a knight with matching green hair emerged. A bow lacking an arrow was held in his hand. While Sanji recognized him instantly, Zoro was too focused on his kill to realize he was even there. The clearing was completely devoid of all its previous life by the time Zoro had arrived.

Zoro finally saw Sanji. “Your Highness,” He startled, “what are you doing sitting there?”

“I was previously enjoying the quiet of the forest before I was rudely interrupted.” Sanji ignored how unbecoming the heat in his tone was for someone of his status.

Without much fuss, Zoro lifted the dead deer up and across his shoulders. His eyes were cold as he looked over Sanji. “Have you spent the entire time resting here?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your–” Sanji’s flippant remark was cut off by a scoff. Sanji could hardly believe the disrespect that a mere knight was showing him. He’d expect that from one of his father’s people, but never from someone from another house.

“Have you made a single kill?”

Sanji stood up and looked Zoro squarely in the eye. “No I have not. Nor do I intend to make one.”

Zoro’s eyes squinted. “And what about my Lady?”

“And what about your Lady?” Sanji asked gobsmacked.

Seemingly fed up over something Sanji could not guess, Zoro took down the deer and held out its corpse. “I cannot have you come out of the forest empty handed, so I ask you to take mine.”

“Why on earth would I do that?”

“Because if you don’t, the honor of–”

Sanji snapped. “For God’s sake! I do not give a shit!” He bellowed. “You can take your senseless honor and shove it up your ass. I will not be taking that corpse from you, and I most certainly will not be dragging it all the way back through the forest.”

Stunned, Zoro slowly pulled the deer back across his shoulders. His teeth bared, he looking as through he wanted to spit at Sanji. Before walking off back into the forest, Zoro spoke just loud enough for it to reach him. “You will never be suitable enough for my Lady.” Before Sanji could react to his comment, he was gone.

What the fuck is wrong with him? Sanji thought, enraged.

The rest of the competition, Sanji spent stewing in his own anger. Even when the forest returned to its usual peace, he still couldn’t calm down. As if sensing his fury, the fauna made no attempt to approach him anymore.

A trumpet sounded in the distance, calling all participants to gather back at the center. Each minute Sanji spent trudging back, he gave more and more thought to running away into the woods. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that he wouldn’t survive a week out there alone. Even still, the thought tempted him.

As if waiting for him, Judge was the first face Sanji saw when he got back. His father saw his empty hands and still full quiver and immediately made his way over. His fury seemed to move him faster.

Judge grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back toward the family’s tent. Sanji could hear the closing ceremonies beginning as he was pulled inside.

As soon as they were both hidden, his father slapped him hard across the face. Instead of pain, Sanji’s cheek was left numb.

Sanji barely listened to his subsequent lecture. Once you hear one enraged speech about letting your father down, you’ve heard them all. 

“If your inane insistence on failing our family jeopardizes this engagement, you will quickly learn to regret your choices today.” Judge loomed over Sanji. “Do not mistake this lack of punishment as grace. There will be repercussions for this.”

By the end of his father’s speech, Sanji could finally feel the stinging on his cheek. At least his brothers’ would be too busy with the closing ceremonies to bother messing with him.

Once Sanji was all alone again, the handprint his father left behind burned. If he had wanted to go out earlier, that desire was solidly squandered now. He wasn’t about to go out with his father’s anger smeared across the side of his face.

The tent was lavish and overly furnished, yet there was nothing for Sanji to do but stare into nothing. He traced the ornate stitching on each tapestry and carpet. He watched the candle flames dance until they’d finished off the wick. He watched the bits of sunlight peeking through the tent crawl further and further down the wall.

Just as the sun had finished setting, the curtain was pulled back and his sister entered. Reiju was never caught off guard and this instance was no exception. Her perfect porcelain face landed on Sanji’s and not a single muscle pulled out of place.

Even with her apathy, Sanji preferred Reiju over his brothers anyday.

Reiju began to unclip her layers of necklaces off from around her neck. Placing them beside the map in the middle of the table, Reiju said, “Our brother’s are celebrating at the moment, but they will be returning to the tent shortly.”

Sanji said nothing.

“They’ve become quite drunk with all the festivities.” She spoke without looking at him, but still Sanji could see her insisting on something.

“Well, then…” Sanji began slowly. “I might go for a walk before they get back. Get some fresh air.”

“That’s a very good idea.” Every now and again when his sister talked, Sanji would hear some glimmer of emotion in her voice. Her face perfectly still, would somehow sound wry or humorous. Again, Sanji could swear he could hear her smile as she spoke. “I am headed to bed, but I wish you a pleasant walk.”

Sanji nodded and slipped out of the tent without another word. 

Outside, the air was foggy with kicked up dirt. A breeze ran past him and chilled his skin. The bonfire was still blazing in the center, but the nobles had moved away from it, instead congregating around one of the further tents. 

Instead of sticking to the outskirts, Sanji decided to sit next to the fire. His brother’s were most likely where the rest of the crowd was. There was no need to freeze to avoid them when sitting by the bonfire worked just as well.

Through licking flames, Sanji watched nobles chattering in the nearby tent. There was music playing and some couples had taken to dancing with one another. Sanji had to resist the urge to scream. As silly as it was, Sanji had been hoping he’d marry someone out of love. Having his father pick his future wife was never the ideal situation, but an inevitable situation.

Intent on hurting himself further, Sanji continued to watch lovestruck couples twirl and dip each other to the music. One couple caught his eye, just as they ran off into the forest. A flash of bright pink on the lady’s head made Sanji’s stomach sink even further.

“Well good for her, I suppose,” Sanji grumbled. If Lady Perona already had someone in her heart, he wouldn’t stand in her way. She was strongarmed into this engagement just as much as he was. 

Mournful, Sanji threw dried brush stuck to the ground into the fire. Immediately, it burnt up into a crisp. Perhaps, if he expressed how comfortable he was with her having a lover, he might be able to find one of his own? Sanji had no idea how he would go about finding one, but at least the door was open. 

Sanji threw another stick and settled in his decision. He would have an honest talk with her about their engagement once they returned to the Vinsmoke estate. A whirlwind of confidence overtook him the more he thought about it. Maybe this arrangement really was the best thing to happen to him. Not only did he have the opportunity to leave the Vismoke household behind, but he might also get a shot at finding true love.

Finally forgetting the stinging of his cheek, Sanji simpered over thoughts of a future love. She’d be beautiful, obviously, kind, and have absolutely no desire to attend stupid bullshit hunting festivals. The two of them would stay in, Sanji would bake a warm pie for them to share and–

Sanji’s daydreams were interrupted by a violent shake of his shoulder. Once again, the knight Zoro was ruining his peace of mind.

“What do you want?” Sanji spat.

“Have you seen my lady?” For the first time, Zoro seemed truly shaken up.

“No?” Sanji asked with less bite this time, “Why are you looking for her?”

“She said she’d return to the tent before me and Duke Mihawk. It was only a short walk back so I figured she’d be fine on her own.” Zoro ran a gloved hand through his hair. “I’m both the lady and my lord’s guard. I couldn’t leave him alone when she was simply headed to bed.”

Frantically, Sanji waved his hands between the two of them. It was meant as an attempt to calm the knight down, but Sanji’s instinctual refusal to touch him held him back. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen her this entire day. Where was she last?”

“She left the main tent not an hour ago.”

“I will help you look. She couldn’t have gotten too far.”

“Thank you. Truly.” Zoro grabbed both of Sanji’s hands, caught up in his thanks. Sanji held back a cringe. “I will continue searching this way.”

It was only once Zoro ran off again did Sanji’s memories begin to slot into place. He thought back to pink hair bounding off into the forest. Did Lady Perona not have a secret lover after all? Had he witnessed her kidnapping and not noticed a thing?

Immediately after this realization, Sanji sprinted off in the direction he last saw her. Zoro had already ran off on his own, and it wasn’t as if Sanji was unarmed. He had trained in swordsmanship for years before his father decided it was a lost cause. Even without a weapon, he’d trained his own body into one. Best case scenario, he could sneak off with the lady without any violence involved in the first place. But if it came down to it he could defend the two of them just fine. At least he hoped.

Sanji wasn’t exactly sure where he saw Perona get taken. He decided to blindly run into the forest instead of floundering around the forest’s edge. 

With the forest being as frequented as it was, it wasn’t too difficult for Sanji to rush through. As he moved deeper in though, the thicker the brush became and the lower the branches stretched. While pushing aside low hanging trees, Sanji’s attention caught on a scrap of embroidered fabric. Delicate and elaborate lace was stretched across a branch. 

Sanji pulled it off and found a small red smudge along the bottom. He rubbed his thumb against it and the blood rubbed off on his own skin. Sanji used this as motivation to get through the forest even faster.

Even with the night obscuring his vision, Sanji made his way over fallen logs and jutting rocks. Eventually, the trees backed off to reveal the gaping mouth of a cave. Sitting on the floor of the entrance was a noble lady’s embroidered glove.

Sanji drew his sword, took a deep breath, and walked into the cave.

The moon provided small slivers of light at the entrance, but the further Sanji walked the less he saw. The terrain inside the cave was no help either. In order to keep going, Sanji would have to climb down and around huge boulders blocking his path.

At the curve of the cave, Sanji began to see flickering light. Someone had lit a fire deep inside the cave. Sanji paused before the bend and listened.

There was a faint muttering voice. A man was grumbling to himself, the words garbled and muffled. Vaguely, Sanji heard the man mention Duke Mihawk.

Careful not to reveal himself, Sanji peeked around the cave wall.

Lady Perona was sitting against the far wall with a thatch bag pulled over her head. If the situation wasn’t so dire, Sanji would laugh at how poised she remained even tied up in a forest cave. Her kidnapper was standing above the small fire he’d lit. He muttered to himself while biting at his thumb nail. Sanji didn’t have much experience with criminals. Maybe this behavior was normal, but the guy seemed to be losing it. The kidnapper grunted, seemingly settled on something. He left his thumb nail alone and turned toward the tied up Lady Perona.

Sanji’s trepidations on fighting the kidnapper were thrown out as he watched him approach the lady. With more urgency than he’d felt in a while, Sanji ran out from his hiding place, sword at the ready. His foot knocked a rock as he moved and its fall rang against the cave walls.

Just as the kidnapper began to turn around at the sound, Sanji slashed his sword from his shoulder to his hip. Luckily, he was still able to catch him off guard. Sanji’s sword cut across the kidnappers front, leaving a long gash behind. 

The kidnapper brandished only a knife, tiny in comparison to Sanji’s weapon. After quick deliberation, he continued to run toward Lady Perona. The lady had already begun to scramble out of the way, having heard the commotion. While the kidnapper chased after the lady, Sanji quickly brought his leg up and back down against his side. Before he fell, Sanji once again smashed his foot, this time directly against the guy’s skull. The kidnapper collapsed against the rocks. He coughed and blood spattered out and against the rocks.

In a poor act of self defense, the kidnapper tried to wave his knife in Sanji’s direction, but there was nothing to defend. After only a few swipes in Sanji’s direction, he’d already keeled over, either passed out or dead on the cave floor.

Sanji stood frozen over the man’s body. He watched the blood flow over rocks and into the cracks. The more blood that spilled out, the more he was convinced he’d killed the guy. He’d never killed someone before.

“Hello?” A barely wavering voice called out.

Sanji quickly remembered the situation and pulled himself away from the kidnapper. The scuffing of his boots echoed throughout the entire cave. He quickly pulled the thatch sack off Perona’s head. “Are you injured?”

“It’s you?” Perona ignored the question.

“Uh, yes? My lady, are you–”

Once again breezing past Sanji, she peeked behind his legs at her kidnapper. “You aren’t at all lacking in marital ability. You took the criminal down on your own.” Even with her eyes trained on the dead body, Perona sounded oddly level headed. “Why is it you couldn't manage a single kill during the tournament?”

I suppose she’s uninjured then… Ever the gentlemen, Sanji offered a supporting hand to Perona after removing her bonds. “I simply don’t enjoy it.”

Perona took his hand and, once standing, she fluffed out her petticoat with a huff. Her judging eye zeroed in again on Sanji. She began the trek out of the cave without waiting for Sanji to join. “Do you think it’s cruel?” She asked.

“I just… It’s never made much sense to me.” Sanji saw no reason in killing a whole forest of animals simply to show off someone’s strength. The kingdom held duels in the capital just for that reason. What was worse about the whole thing was how they didn’t do anything with their kills. The most any of the animals would amount to was a stuffed corpse on a wall. They could at least eat them. “They’re all just doing it for the benefit of their own ego. If they were eating their hunts I would have no qualm with it. It would make more sense, really. I wouldn’t so much mind, but–”

“–You don’t have to defend yourself.” Perona cut him off with a wave of her hand. Even climbing over misshapen rocks, she managed to keep her dignified air. “I somewhat agree. I haven’t much use for a corpse anyways. I’d rather someone bring me back a live rabbit than a dead one. It’s not as cute if it doesn’t run around.”

Sanji offered his arm to her again as they scaled a particularly large rock right before the exit of the cave. “Excuse me for asking, but does your knight think the same as you? He seemed quite angry at me for not participating.” Because Zoro kept bringing up Perona, he’d been under the impression that the competition was something important to her. 

Now comfortably out in the open air, Perona waited for Sanji to climb the rock himself and join her. “Well, honor is very important because of knighthood or something like that. Zoro most likely interpreted your refusal to participate as disrespect to me.”

“How would it be a disrespect to you?.”

Sanji could feel palpable judgment at his question. Perona answered warily, “Hunters generally dedicate their kills to the lady their courting. If someone were to not dedicate their hunt to their fiance, well… it comes off as a bit rude.”

Shame flooded Sanji. “Really? I never–Did you think that too?” Sanji was always respectful to the women he met. Count Judge had never shown his mother an ounce of kindness. This respect served as both a taunt and a tribute to his father.

“Of course I did,” Perona huffed. “The whole hunting festival is purely a social event. You said it yourself. It’s all about posturing and, and… honor .” 

Her disgust was apparent and Sanji couldn’t help but laugh. As scary as his fiance was, she was nothing like his family and that instantly made him like her. 

When she glanced over at Sanji her noble mask slipped slightly. In an awkward attempt at comforting him she insisted, “I don’t think that anymore, of course.” As if that moment of kindness was too much for her, she grew very suddenly huffy. “You know, if you had just explained that you don’t believe in hunting for sport, then neither of us would’ve thought that in the first place.”

“I apologize for not telling you before all of this. I can dedicate the body of your kidnapper if you’d like?” Sanji laughed lightly.

Perona looked back into the cave behind them. When she turned back to face Sanji, her smile was eerie. “That’ll be sufficient, I believe.”

For some reason, Sanji’s thoughts were brought back to the misunderstanding with Zoro. He bit his lip and considered. “Do you think I should go explain it to your knight? To clear up the misunderstanding.”

Perona linked their arms together and grinned. Even though Sanji could feel that her smile was genuine, it felt slightly malicious. “You don’t need to do that. He’ll get over it when he sees I’m perfectly unharmed. Besides,” She nodded at the cave behind them, “you’re dedicating a human body to me. That has to be an achievement in his eyes.”

With a light laugh, Sanji patted the hand curled around his bicep. It was half in appreciation and half in fear. “Thank you for your words, Your Highness.”

“It’s not a big deal.” With an inhale, Perona regained her usual haughty air. “Also, we’re engaged. Proper edict means you should be calling me by name now.”

Sanji smiled. “Thank you, Perona.”

Her arm secured around his own, Sanji led them both out of the forest and back to the gathering center. Immediately after emerging from the forest, they caught the attention of Perona’s father. Sanji watched as, even with his stoicism, visible relief washed over him. At his side as well, Sanji could feel Perona fully relax at seeing her father. 

Sanji smiled something sad and left another pat on Perona’s arm. “Have a good night, Perona. I’m glad you’re safe.”

Perona gave a final squeeze before running off to Duke Mihawk.

Sanji tried to imagine being as excited to see his father and failed.

It took a day's travel to return back from the hunting grounds. As soon as the Vinsmokes returned to the estate, Sanji hurried his way down into the kitchens. Having to spend three days alone with his family was already difficult. Add a kidnapping on top of that and Sanji was at his wits end. The moon was high in the sky and most everyone had gone to bed already. The servants had already cleaned and prepped the kitchen for the next day, but Sanji needed some sort of relief. 

Internally promising to put everything back, Sanji began to pull pots and pans out from their storage. The benefit of it being late at night, was that there was very little chance of his father catching him cooking.

Sanji opened up the cabinets and settled on biscuits. That was simple enough. He was only looking for a little stress relief after all.

In the middle of kneading the dough, the door to the kitchen door opened. Sanji froze with his arms covered in flour.

Standing in the doorway was, once again, his fiance’s knight. Sanji thought he would never see Zoro so shocked again after Perona’s kidnapping was resolved, but now he stood corrected. Zoro had frozen up at the sight of Sanji in the kitchen.

“Hello.” Sanji greeted slowly.

“You’re here again?”

There was an instant twitch in Sanji’s brow. “Yes. The entire festival had me somewhat stressed. I came here to relax.”

“Oh.” Zoro finally stepped inside the kitchen. “Me too.”

Sanji perked up at that. A knight had a passion for cooking? That was nearly as unheard of as a son of a count loving to cook. Such a tiny comment began to melt the animosity between him and Zoro.

“I was hoping to find some alcohol around here.”

What had melted immediately iced over. “Zeff keeps alcohol available to servants back there.” Sanji gestured behind him and went back to kneading the dough in front of him. 

Wordlessly, Zoro passed by him to retrieve his ale, but as he left he lingered across the countertop from Sanji.

Sanji attempted to ignore him, but eventually the weight of his nerves wore him down. “Did you need something else?”

“Thank you.”

The dough nearly slipped out of Sanji’s hands and onto the floor. “Excuse me?”

“You didn’t hesitate in helping to find Lady Perona. I’m thankful for your help.”

Sanji resisted sputtering out his confusion. “It’s not anything to thank me for. Anyone would help in such a situation.”

With some unknown surge of urgency, Zoro kept speaking. “I’d also like to apologize for my behavior,” he barrelled on. “When I saw your disrespect for my lady, I moved without thinking. I was out of place and out of my station. Any repercussions you see fit, I would welcome.” Throughout the entire spiel, Zoro’s eyes were deadlocked on the floor.

Sanji listened with his mouth hanging open. “It was… It was a simple misunderstanding.” Where did this come from? It barely even felt like an apology. Should he be apologizing as well? Was this all a performance to get Sanji to apologize? “I apologize as well for disrespecting your lady, however accidental it was.”

At Sanji’s apology, Zoro’s eyes jumped up to his and narrowed. “You’re apologizing to me?”

He’s still upset? Of course an apology wasn’t enough for him. “Yes. I’m so very sorry for all the disrespect I’ve shown your lady. I can’t even bend myself over enough to express how much I regret it.” Sanji watched Zoro’s stony face refuse to budge and couldn’t stop himself from continuing. “And on top of that, I most regret getting mad at you. You are such a fantastic knight and I shouldn’t get mad at someone who was really doing just a stand up job. Really, I wish all knights were just like you .”

A beat passed between the two of them, neither speaking.

“I wouldn’t go that far…” Zoro finally mumbled. He passed his bottle of ale between his hands, for some reason too aware of himself, his face pink. “Well. Goodnight, my lord.” It was only as Zoro turned away did Sanji realize Zoro was wearing a tiny smile.

Two nights after the competition, Perona called for Sanji to visit her in her bedroom.

Sanji stood in front of her door with sweaty palms. They were closer now. After saving her from a kidnapping, how could they not be? But Sanji had no way of gauging exactly how close they were. Plus, Perona was his fiance. His fiance had called him to her bedroom. He wiped his hands on his pants and knocked.

“Come in,” said Perona.

The room opened up to a small sitting area. A tea set was set out on the table with various pastries stacked high on a sweet tray. Perona sat in the chair beside it. Her skirt overflowed onto the armrests.

“Hello, Perona,” Sanji greeted.

Perona gave him that same eerie smile that Sanji was beginning to believe was natural. “Welcome in. Come sit down and join me.”

The only seating left was the love seat to her right. Sanji sat down squarely in the center of it.

“Feel free to take any of the sweets.” Perona began to pour him a cup of soft pink tea. “Well actually, don’t take any from the top rack. Those are just for me.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.”

“You're very welcome. It’s important you get comfortable because we have a lot to discuss.”

“We do?” Sanji asked nervously.

Clear judgment was sent through Perona’s gaze. “Well, I don’t want what happened during the hunting festival to happen again. Do you?”

“No! Truthfully, no. I’ve been racked with guilt ever since I found out I disrespected you.”

“As you should,” Perona said into her teacup. “I really do find it hard to believe someone as unaware of etiquette as you exist.”

“Ah, well I was never taught much etiquette.”

“But you also dishonored yourself by not participating in the hunt.”

“I do not care about my own reputation,” Sanji replied honestly and then quickly added on, “but I would hate to damage a lady’s. And, again, I am sorry about that.”

Perona looked at Sanji from over the lip of her teacup. After taking her time enjoying her tea, she placed the cup back down and folded her hands over her skirt. “You can make it up to me soon. There is an opera showing in the capital. Escort me there and I will forgive you.”

Sanji agreed immediately. “Of course! Anything.” It was two birds with one stone. One, he’d get to make up for his mistake, and two he’d be hanging out with a lovely lady.

“Good. We’ll go at the end of the week then.” Now that everything was going according to her wishes, Perona’s smile was even more frightening. 

They moved from the opera and onto the topic of their customary engagement ball. Every noble couple was expected to throw one after their engagement was announced. Theirs was set for three weeks out. The discussion was mostly Perona saying what she wanted and Sanji agreeing. Although, it’s not as if he would disagree. All the women Sanji had known were perfect and how could Perona be any different?

“I will write up a list of which pieces I want played during the ball.” She’d been looking off through the window in thought, but immediately snapped back to look at Sanji once she finished her sentence. “Sanji. Exactly how uneducated in etiquette are you?”

Unable to get mad at her, Sanji grew bashful at her question. “The last time I remember being instructed on etiquette was, uh, quite a few years ago.”

“And what about instruction on dance?”

Sanji’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “I’ve had at least two?”

Perona gave him an exhausted sigh. As Sanji spent more time with her, Perona grew progressively more dramatic. Her unsettling intensity had morphed into something more playful. “What could you have possibly learned in just two lessons?”

Without any response to that, Sanji simply shrugged and twiddled with the seam of his sleeve.

“At least we have time to fix that.” Perona’s skirt nearly knocked her teacup over when she stood. She disappeared behind a partition for a moment then wheeled out a cart covered with a cloth. “We will start today.” Then she ripped the cloth off to reveal a music player. 

“Wait, right now?” Sanji nervously got up from his seat.

“Yes, right now. Sloth is a sin I won’t have my fiance suffer from.” Perona tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder. “It is unbecoming of someone my status.”

That was true. If he flubbed their dance at the engagement ball, it would reflect poorly on Perona and he just couldn’t do that to her. Sanji didn’t exactly know her reputation within society, but he imagined a pretty daughter of a duke was generally well received. Honestly, he’d feel horrible messing with any girl's reputation, fiance or not. Women didn’t have the capability to be mean, while it seemed that’s all men were capable of.

Sanji thought back to Zoro’s apology the night before, but disregarded it. That was merely Zoro trying to guilt trip him.

Perona futzed with the music player until a waltz began to play. She beckoned him over to the emptiest part of the room and held her arms out in the air. One hand facing down and the other facing inward, both around shoulder height. 

With as much confidence as he could summon, Sanji slipped himself into his assumed position. It felt almost dirty for him to touch Perona’s waist. So instead of holding it, he merely pressed the tips of his fingers against her side.

Sanji only received a flat look for his efforts.

Surprisingly, Sanji wasn’t completely terrible at dancing. He was light enough on his feet and a quick enough learner that he didn’t completely trip over himself. A not so buried part of his heart puffed up at how he was probably doing much better than any of his brother’s could. He knew the basics, where his hands were meant to go and how his job was to lead the lady around the room. Despite Sanji’s role though, Perona would use the palm of her cupping his shoulder to push him to where he was meant to go. The time passed quicker than Sanji expected and quickly the needle reached the middle of the record.

Wiping the back of his neck of sweat as discreetly as he could, Sanji pulled away from Perona. He knew her well enough at this point to expect some review of his performance.

Perona took a minute to evaluate before saying flatteringly, “Not terrible. You’re at least good on your feet.”

Sanji began to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Do not take that as a compliment. I am not someone who accepts the bare minimum in anything.” Perona scrunched her face up in thought. “When was the last time you went to a ball?”

“It was probably years ago,” Sanji said. The most recent memories he could dig up had his mother in them. Her cold thin fingers barely keeping his hand in hers, the pair of them watched over crowds just narrowly weave in and out of each other. Neither of the two had been allowed to participate and had instead settled to watch from the sidelines. Sanji let the memory pass over him for a brief moment before shaking his head sheepishly. “I can’t remember ever participating myself. I’ve only ever attended.”

Perona hooked her hands on her hips. “You are an enigma to me.”

Sanji wasn’t quite sure if that was a positive or negative thing.

There was a knock on the door to the ballroom. “My lady?”

“Come in, Zoro.” Perona huffed.

When her knight walked in, the first person he made eye contact with was not the person he served, but Sanji. This gaze held an almost tangible piece of twine that stretched itself between him and Zoro. He could feel every inch of distance between them. Zoro looked away and Sanji could still feel the hairs on his skin standing on end.

“What do you want? I’m quite busy.” Perona asked.

“Sorry to interrupt, but the Lord has called for you.” Zoro said with a bow.

“Ugh, alright.” Perona went to the music player and picked up the needle. Her hand paused while still holding it in the air. “Zoro, could you do me a favor while I meet with Papa?”

“Of course.”

“I just was in the middle of teaching Sanji how to properly dance. Do you think you could fill in for me while I’m gone.”

Sanji watched Zoro grow red from his neck to his forehead. Through almost gritted teeth, Zoro asked, “Must I, my lady?”

“Yes.” Perona answered with a mischievous grin. “I’ll even start the music again before I go.” She placed the needle back down on the edge of the record before flouncing her way out the door. “Have a good time!”

“Of course!” Sanji hoped his nerves didn’t bleed too far into his voice. His pulse jumped at the sound of Perona’s door slamming closed. For some instinctual reason, he couldn’t look at the knight beside him.

The violins began to pick up. Zoro shuffled a little further away from him. Through the corner of his eye, Sanji watched him stiffly raise his arms in the exact position Perona had. 

Sanji gave him nothing more than a wide eyed stare.

“I’m not as skilled as my lady, but I hope that’ll be alright.”

After jerking a nod, Sanji moved to meet Zoro. Nevermind skill. You’re a whole different size, Sanji realized as he brought his hand to rest on Zoro’s shoulder. With Perona, he’d hesitated to touch her out of respect, but with Zoro he plain didn’t want to. It felt too close. He didn’t want to have to feel Zoro breathe under his palm, his face was already close enough to feel it.

Zoro didn’t have to speak up with how close they were standing. “Ready?”

Sanji nodded and took his step forward.

The first rule of waltzing was to always keep eye contact. Making his unwillingness clear, Sanji raised his gaze to Zoro’s to find he was already looking. Sanji could only imagine how he looked in Zoro’s eyes. His gaze flickered all over Zoro’s face just so he wouldn’t have to make direct eye contact. Despite it all, Zoro’s stayed steadfast on his.

Keeping in time with each other, Sanji led the two of them between the seating and then around the coffee table. Zoro took a step back and his heel knocked against the table leg. Their dancing faltered when the trays of pastries wobbled and nearly fell.

“Be more careful,” Sanji chastised and pinched Zoro’s side.

Zoro hissed. His returning glare served in finally breaking the odd tension Sanji had been simmering in all on his own. “You’re the one leading me. You should be watching where we’re going.”

The two waltzed past the loveseat again.

Sanji scoffed. “None of my leading can help the size of your steps. We’re dancing, not running a goddamn race.”

“Or maybe you're just a poor dancer?” Zoro muttered.

Just because he could, Sanji stepped forward a hair too early and stomped on Zoro’s foot. 

Zoro’s face contorted but he refused to make a sound.

“Maybe you’re right. Good thing I have you to practice with, right?” and Sanji stopped on Zoro’s other foot.

Once again Zoro’s face once again filled with red. Despite his brazenness, there was nothing a knight could do to retaliate against the son of a count. Generally, Sanji would never use his status to harm someone else, but it wasn’t like Zoro couldn’t take it.

On seeing Zoro’s full face flush, Sanji couldn’t help but laugh.

That only made Zoro fume more. “Great. I’m glad you're enjoying this.”

“I am! I really am.” Sanji used the hand now fully pressing against Zoro’s side to lead them back toward the middle of the room. 

Holding Zoro’s gaze didn’t feel too intense anymore. Sanji could trace the line where the black of his pupil met the grey of his iris without feeling like he’d melt in embarrassment. Perhaps it was the excuse of a fight. Studying the colors in his eyes was merely a way to size the other man up. Sanji watched the black of Zoro’s eyes grow and shrink as he spun them around the room.

The door slammed open before the end of the final track. 

Sanji jerked away from Zoro to see Perona proudly standing in the doorway.

“Papa will confirm our attendance for the opera in three days time!” Perona laughed loftily.

“That’s great!” Sanji responded in what he hoped was not too shaky a voice. With Perona back, he was overly aware of the odd tension between him and Zoro. Sanji rubbed his palms into his slacks in an attempt to rid himself of it.

Still chatting about their future outing, Perona grabbed Sanji’s arm and walked over toward her closet. “I expect you to choose attire matching mine. We’re going as a couple so we should dress as one.” She stopped in front of the closet. “Once I pick my dress we’ll go and pick yours.”

Because of Perona dragging him along, Sanji lost his focus on Zoro. It wasn’t until he heard the door click that he realized the knight had left.

The outfit Perona had picked out for him was gloomier than he’d usually go for. He didn’t remember having a shirt with so much lace on it. But he was happy with whatever Perona wanted. Once everything was properly tucked and his jacket nicely smoothed, Sanji made his way downstairs to the foyer. It would only be him, Perona, and Zoro attending so they’d be sharing the carriage into town. Just before Sanji reached the front door, he heard heavy footsteps thudding toward him. 

Behind him stood the Count.

“Hello, Father?” Sanji let a hair of confusion slip into his tone.

“I heard from the Duke that you would be leaving for the opera with his daughter.”

Sanji couldn’t even swallow. Did he make a mistake? He’d figured this would be acceptable, seen as helpful to his father’s plans. 

“I’m glad to see you’re putting effort in making yourself useful.” His face showed no appreciation. “To ensure you do not screw our plans further, me and your sister will be accompanying you both.”

Of course Sanji would not be allowed even a moment’s peace. He’s never left without supervision before. Why would that rule ever change? Perona surely wasn’t aware of this though. Would they have space in their box? “Will you be joining us in our box?”

“Unfortunately not.”

Sanji fought to keep the instant relief off his face. “Well, my fiance should be just outside. She’d planned for us to share a carriage.”

Judge huffed. “We will follow just behind you. Do try not to embarrass our house while you’re on your own.”

Only once his father had finally left the foyer did Sanji’s breathing return to normal. He’d really been looking forward to tonight. He didn’t give a shit about opera or the art of theatre. He was just excited to spend time with someone his age who didn’t abhor his every move. Despite Perona’s odd behavior, she seemed to actually like him. 

Zoro was another story. Sanji had no idea what the knight thought of him. Sure, he seemed to accept him, especially after his awkward apology. But there was still some lingering tension that Sanji wasn’t sure what to make of.

With his father gone and his heart rate slowed, Sanji brought himself past the front door and out into the front gardens.

Perona was waiting underneath a bowing tree, her knight once again at her side. She was chattering about something or other, her arm waving around and nearly hitting him. 

Zoro’s expression held no qualms, instead holding that quiet contentment that Sanji had become too familiar with. As if startled, Zoro’s head whipped over in his direction when Sanji approached closer.

Sanji froze. Zoro’s face hadn’t changed when he looked at him. Perhaps there was less of a smile, but his eyes stayed the exact same. Warm melted silver focused entirely on him. Sanji’s face grew hot for no reason at all.

“You’re late, Little Prince.”

Ah, that must be what it was. Sanji’s intuition knew Zoro would try to rile him up and he got angry prematurely. “You’re just early…” Sanji rooted around for an insult of his own, “...Musclehead.”

Perona’s lips twisted in disgust. “Ew, don’t use your pet names in front of me.”

Both of them sputtered out their immediate refusal.

“Yes, yes.” Perona waved them off. “Now, Sanji, would you please escort me to the carriage?”

“Of course, My Lady. Whatever you ask.”

Perona gave a haughty laugh. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Luck being on his side for once, their carriage arrived at the opera house long before his father’s. Sanji stepped out of the carriage first and extended an arm out to Perona. 

Her satisfied smile was Sanji’s reward. Even once she’d stepped down, she kept her arm tucked in his. Sanji couldn’t stop his chest from puffing with pride at the weight of her arm secured in his own.

They walked across an ornately tiled entrance way with Zoro following just behind them. Sanji was sure the building was just as big as his father’s estate. It was a simple solid block of brick and stone. Windows covered the entire front, but many had their curtains drawn. The interior was much more impressive than the exterior, with the walls painted ivory and gold embellishments snaking up the pillars. It was grander than anywhere Sanji had been in years.

Despite the hubbub of people around them, Zoro’s voice pierced through the crowd and straight to Sanji. “Keep looking around like that and people will think you’ve never been let out of the house.”

Sanji could laugh at how accurate that assumption would be. “Keep making comments like that and people won’t believe you're a knight,” he spat back.

“Will you two wait till we get to our box? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that tonight is supposed to be about me ?”

“Oh, of course not.” Sanji laid a hand over Perona’s arm. “I’m terribly sorry for Zoro’s behavior.”

“Good. Now Zoro, get behind Sanji and I before we enter the main hall.” Perona shooed him away with her hand.

Zoro diligently followed her order.

Just before the entrance to the next room, Perona took her time to adjust both her appearance and her hold on Sanji’s arm. “Listen, I’m just here to be seen, not to socialize. We’ll just walk straight to the box and look super smug the whole time. If you were hoping to talk to people, well, come on your own.” Without waiting for his agreement, she pushed through the doors to the main hall.

The hall was filled with groups talking, laughing, and drinking. Looking at the crowd, Sanji was very glad Perona had picked his outfit. The event wasn’t a ball and yet still people dressed for one. Sanji subconsciously adjusted his cuffs. 

As the two walked through, there’d be the occasional greeting, of which Perona would return with a polite nod. Sanji had never seen Perona interact with people outside his or her family. It was oddly unlike her usual self. Her uppity air remained but she lost any of her usual playfulness.

Two staircases sat on opposite sides of the hall. By subtly tugging at his arm, Perona led Sanji toward the one on their right. They’d almost made it to the stairs when a man in a gaudy fur tux cut them off.

“The Lady Dracule. It is so lovely to see you again.” He bowed to her but kept his head looking up.

Sanji couldn’t help but sneer. Even being away from society his whole life he knew he was doing that wrong.

With his head still facing them, the man caught Sanji’s sour expression. “And who is the,” he deliberately paused, “ gentleman accompanying you?”

“Count Fullbody, this is Vinsmoke Sanji. We’ve recently become engaged.” Hearing her tone, Sanji felt no need to change his own rude expression.

Sanji watched Count Fullbody’s face morphed into shock and decided to press a little harder. “Perona, Darling, how do you know this count?”

“Oh he approaches me at every event I attend. Pay him no mind, really.” She replied as if he weren’t there. “Count, it was lovely to see you, but we really should be going.

Before being pulled away, Sanji gave his own flippant farewell.

Once they’d escaped him up the stairs, Perona threw her head back and cackled. “You’re perfect for this role, Sanji! You were so mean to him. I didn’t expect that.”

Away from the crowd, Zoro pulled closer and huffed over their shoulders. “He treats me the exact same way though.”

“No I don’t,”  Sanji defended without knowing why. Somewhere along the line, his barbs stopped being actually hurtful. Their arguments felt more like bickering rather than the quarrel of a conversation he’d just had with Count Fullbody.

“No he doesn’t.” Perona disagreed as well. “That’s just a little… game you guys do.”

At Perona’s elaboration, Zoro looked right at the side of Sanji’s face. He didn’t speak. He didn’t ask a question. He just stared and Sanji let him. He was here to escort his fiance, not get caught up in how her knight dug daggers into his cheek. 

Days had passed since the odd tension between them began and Sanji still couldn’t place the feeling. He’d suddenly become too aware of his surroundings, but only in terms of his relation to Zoro. He couldn’t feel how far away he was from a wall, but he could tell exactly how far he’d have to move for his arm to brush up against Zoro’s chest. The worst part was, the minute he tried to think deeper about any of this, his face would begin to overheat.

The three found their box seat and settled down. Their box was the closest to the stage, with another box separating them from the general seating. Sanji made sure to give Perona the seat with the better view. Zoro stood just behind the two, not at all the respectable distance away.

Despite the heat in his cheeks, Sanji found himself more relaxed than he’d been in years. Perona and her knight would bicker, but never once did their insults reach the level of chilling his brothers’ did. They interacted the same way Sanji interacted with Zeff. He didn’t have the confidence to join in, but he didn’t hold back his laugh when Perona landed a particularly pointed barb at Zoro.

“See, and obviously Sanji agrees with me!”

Zoro snorted. “And how is he a good opinion on fashion? Look at what he’s wearing.”

“Excuse you! The lady picked this out and her taste is wonderful.”

Leaning even further over their shoulders, Zoro laughed directly at Sanji’s face. “Wonderful? She can barely fit through a doorway with the amount of petticoats she’s wearing.”

Sanji began to rise out of his chair to meet Zoro. “That means nothing. A lady as lovely as her can take up as much space as she needs.”

“Hah, you’re talking like a properly devoted fiance. Aren’t you lucky, my Lady?” Zoro turned to ask Perona.

Perona wasn’t looking at either of them, but instead right over Sanji’s shoulder. “I didn’t know your father was a fan of the opera, Sanji.”

Immediately, Sanji whipped around to see what she was looking at. Sitting in the box just beside them was Reiju and Count Judge. His father had on his usual hardened expression while Reiju wore her own usual blank one. Perona waved at the two and neither of them waved back. Instead, they looked away from the trio and out into the audience.

“Your, uh–The Count is kind of odd. No offense.” Zoro muttered as he pulled back the proper distance.

“None taken.” Sanji mumbled.

“Yeah, he’s really weird. Did you ask him to get the box right next to us?” Perona asked. “Because I’m going to tell you right now, once you move in with me I didn’t plan on seeing him ever again.”

God do I hope that’s true, Sanji thought.

The orchestra made a show of tuning their instruments to signal the start of the opera. The lights dimmed and the crowd quieted down. Sanji was facing the stage, but he could feel a gaze fall on the back of his head. At first his mind went to Zoro, with his regular piercing stare, but this felt different. Zoro’s didn’t hold any malice or scrutiny. This was nothing but pure judgment. It was easy to guess who the gaze belonged to.

I guess that’s why he chose that box. Sanji double checked that his back was straight and his hands were neatly folded. When the play’s plot began, he found he could only half pay attention.

Perona tapped a nail on Sanji’s skin. “You know, he kind of reminds me of you.”

“Who?”

“The only guy on stage?”

The one man onstage was flitting from side to side, his blonde hair comically luxurious. He was singing an aria about how his lady love was perfect and could do no wrong.

Sanji didn’t move his head to face her, but let his grin grow. “Why?”

“You’re too nice to me,” Perona replied. “Zoro agrees as well.”

“Well, your knight is a brute. I’m treating you exactly how a lady should be treated.” Sanji kept his voice at a polite whisper.

Perona made no effort to quiet her snickering. In fact, she was surprisingly talkative for being the person who wanted to attend the opera. Most of her comments were directed at Zoro, but were made loud enough to include Sanji. Zoro only responded with nods and grunts, but their steady commentary helped to distract from his father’s gaze. Nearly halfway into the show, Sanji could finally pay attention to it. 

It was a layered love story, with multiple couples pining after each other and all of them taking the most convoluted path to love. A rival love interest challenged another to a duel and Perona compared him to Zoro.

“Why would he be me?”

“Obviously, because he likes to fight people, and so do you.”

Sanji peeked to the side and caught Zoro wearing a constipated expression. His face had twisted in at the nose, the side of his lip curling up and his eyes squinting just at the corners. It was the most expressive Sanji had ever seen him and he couldn’t help but laugh right in his face.

To Sanji’s surprise, Zoro laughed right along with him. It was more of a chuckle really. Something low and rumbling. “Yeah, guys. It’s really funny. Not like I’m a knight or anything.”

“ In-training . You’re not a knight yet.”

“You’re not?” Sanji asked, surprised. He wasn’t yet a knight and yet was still entrusted with Lady Perona’s safety? Why on earth did the duke trust Zoro as much as he did when he wasn’t even knighted yet?

“No, he’s too much of a pariah for that,” Perona teased. “Zoro’s a mercenary .”

An overly dramatic scream rang out throughout the theater. Sanji turned away from the two to look at the stage. One of the characters was sobbing over the loser of the duel’s corpse. His death stopped Sanji from asking further questions.

The scene faded to black before jumping to the next. A lady sat at a vanity. She was dressed in wedding whites and getting ready to walk down the aisle. While trying on different earrings in the mirror she sang her feelings toward her husband to be. 

This would be him and Perona in no time at all. As she described her boundless affection, Sanji tried to align himself with her feelings. But, each time he approached that boundary of liking her to loving her, he came up empty. He definitely felt a fondness, but never once had he found himself hard of breath at her laugh, or gotten flustered at the lack of distance between them. What’s more, Sanji couldn’t imagine ever feeling that way.

The lady’s song ended with her swearing to devote herself to her lover. Instead of transitioning to the next scene, the lights came up on both an empty stage and the entire audience.

Sanji hadn’t realized how stiff his body had grown during the opera. He stood up, adjusted his sleeves, and looked down at Perona. “Could I get you a drink of some sort?”

“Oh, champagne would be lovely.”

Once she answered, Zoro walked toward the exit of the box, already moving to escort Sanji.

“Where are you going?” Sanji asked.

“I was going to escort you?”

“No, you should stay here. Even if you aren’t a knight, leaving the lady alone is disgraceful. I’ll be back in no time at all.” Sanji was out the door before he could receive a response.

He made it all the way down to the main floor before realizing he had no idea where the drinks were. However, the intermission wasn’t so short that he couldn’t wander a bit looking for it. It was a service the theater provided. They wouldn’t have hidden it away. He traced their path back to the main hall. If there were a bar, it’d most likely be where the earlier crowd of people had gathered.

Just after passing the lavatory, Sanji felt an uncomfortably large hand grab onto his shoulder. Tension shot up his spine. He knew that hand.

“Boy. What do you think you’re doing?” His father’s voice shook his bones.

Sanji turned around, but kept his eyes to the floor. Only seeing Judge’s feet just made him feel more imposing. “I was… I was looking for the bar. Sir.”

“Do you see this as some sort of party?”

“No, sir.”

“Based on your behavior, I find that hard to believe.”

The blood pounded in Sanji’s ears. He hadn’t realized how empty the hallways were until now.

“Seeing you laughing like an idiot during the show leads me to believe you don’t understand your role in this family. You are not engaged to that girl so you can have a new friend.” He spat out the word ‘friend’ as if the mere idea of it was laughable.

Sanji said nothing. His gaze was locked onto his father’s perfectly buffed shoes.

“If one more opportunity for this family is ruined because of your insolence, there will truly be no point in letting you share my name.” Judge paused as if daring Sanji to react. “I didn’t fight for this union for you to have a good time at the opera.”

Sanji dug up his fear and spun it into brazenness. “Why am I marrying Lady Perona?”

Judge’s laugh was cold and booming. “Have you not realized it yet? Or have you simply refused to ever see it?” Judge leaned in close, forcing Sanji to look him right in his eyes. His pupils were a pair of bullet holes. “You will help me in the murder of Dracule Mihawk.”

The sentence played over in Sanji’s head. What was he even saying? None of those words made sense next to the other. They couldn’t. It was just unthinkable.

“Once we’ve taken care of the Duke, everything will be left to his famously spoiled daughter, a girl unequipped for such a burden. She will welcome her in-law’s guidance with open arms”

Still, Sanji barely understood a single word.

Satisfied with the blank look Judge pulled back to his towering height. “Do not make me regret keeping you.” Judge left a final collarbone breaking squeeze on Sanji’s shoulder before walking out toward the main hall.

Only as Sanji watched his father’s retreating back did his mind began to piece his words together. 

His father was going to assassinate the Duke. 

When Sanji walked back into the box without a single glass of champagne, both Zoro and Perona raised an eyebrow at him.

“Where are the drinks?” Perona asked.

Still somewhat in a daze of realization, Sanji startled at her question. “Oh, well. I couldn’t actually find the bar. Sorry.”

“But it was right–” Zoro was cut off by Perona hitting his arm.

“It’s okay. Zoro gets lost all the time as well.”

“No. A knight never gets lost.”

“ Again , not a knight yet.”

Usually Sanji would be amused by their bickering, but instead a heavy weight pressed down on him. He watched how well they got along and shame washed over him. Perona came from a happy house. Sanji saw the clear worry on her father’s face when he brought her back from the woods. He’d seen the instant relief on Perona’s that he'd never felt in himself.

The lights in the house dimmed and Sanji tried to focus on the stage, desperate for the distraction. The curtains opened to reveal a party in full swing. The cast sang in chorus, celebrating a newly minted marriage. In the middle of the song, the scene pulled over to the sister of the bride fussing over the wedding cake. As the focus shifted, so did the music. The originally raucous and joyful tone, twisted into something much more ominous. The woman pulled out a pouch with a skull glaringly stitched onto the front.

Oh, God. Sanji’s stomach lurched. Was this really where the plot was leading? The lady threw her mysterious poison over the cake. With every scatter of powder, Sanji’s heart rate rose.

The wedding music began once again, but with an unmistakable twinge woven into the tune. The bride and groom smiled as the cake was placed on the table in front of them. Sanji dug his fingernails into the meat of his palms.

A knife sliced through the cake like it was air. The couple got a slice to share, both holding their forks at the ready. Sanji could barely breathe.

The groom picked up a piece and held it out to his bride. She took a bite and the orchestra went suddenly silent. The audience kept deathly quiet as a liquid red poured from her mouth. If there was dialogue going on, Sanji couldn’t hear it over the blood rushing past his ears. One moment he saw the actress in wedding whites and the next it was Perona in the exact same outfit.

After a beat, the orchestra came back in full. Dramatic flutes fluttered to the sound of the panicking wedding party. The groom commanded the doors barred from exit until the killer was revealed. The bride’s blood had dripped onto the floor and underneath her groom’s shoes. In the far corner of the room, the sister stayed pressed out of sight.

At Sanji’s side, Perona huffed a dry laugh. “Well, that’s the end of her.”

“What?” Sanji’s words were breathless.

“Betrayal always gets the worst punishment.” Perona’s usual mildly chilling smile was now terrifying. “Just wait and see.”

Sanji’s chest heaved as his breath flew in and out of his lungs. The only thing grounding him was the sharp pain in his palms. Sanji couldn’t be certain, but he felt as though he was crying.

The sister attempted to escape, but knights dragged her to the prince’s feet. Even from all the way up in the box, the prince felt overwhelming. His hand reached down towards the sister at his feet. His finger’s stretched to encircle the sister’s throat.

Sanji shot up out of his seat. A weak “Excuse me,” was all he managed while rushing out of the box. He barely caught the beginning of Perona protesting before he was out the door.

If there were people outside the box, Sanji paid no attention to them. Sanji staggered down the hallway looking for any place to simply calm down. He kept bumbling his way along untill he reached a dead end in front of a bathroom. A plush red bench sat outside the entrance. With nowhere else to go, Sanji plopped himself down. Fingers found their way to his hair and he couldn’t stop his own death grip from latching on.

What was he doing? How could he have a single hand in the Duke’s assassination? Willing or not, he was still playing a role in murdering his fiance’s father. And it wasn’t some insignificant role either. Without Sanji, his father would never be able to pull it off. He was exactly the same as that dead bride’s hateful sister.

Sanji pushed the heels of his hands against his shut eyes. Come on. Don’t cry here.

In all of his years alive, he’d never felt so normal. He wasn’t a terrible son of a count when he was with Zoro and Perona. When he looked them in the eyes, he never saw a failure reflected back at him. Killing Perona’s father and Zoro’s mentor would devastate them. How could they ever look at Sanji in the same way again?

Oh, God. Oh, God. Sanji curled down, his head between his knees.

But what could he even do to fix all of this? What his father decided on was law. Sanji had made a point, his whole life, to never step out of line. He couldn’t do anything at all and even trying was–

“Sanji?” 

Zoro’s voice cut through the panic and Sanji’s head shot up to look at him. 

He stood there with his hands stiffly outstretched toward Sanji. As soon as they made eye contact, Zoro’s face slipped into a wince. “What happened to you?”

Sanji knew he must look horrible. His fingers had messed up his hair, and despite the pressure put on his eyes, tears had snuck out the corners. “Please, just…just talk about anything else.”

“Uh, alright.” Instead of standing awkwardly above Sanji, Zoro moved down to sit awkwardly beside him. “Is there a topic in particular you would–”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Okay! Then I’ll pick. It’s fine.” Zoro huffed. “Well, I’ve been pretty excited recently because my knight training is almost done.”

Good grief. He’s being serious.

“I’ve been training for 2 years with Mihawk. I expected them to go by slower, but it wasn’t too bad honestly. I also expected the people to be more insufferable than they turned out to be. That doesn’t mean I’d agree to stay any longer though.” Zoro continued to ramble on in his almost monotone way and Sanji let his voice wash over him.

As much as he got on his nerves, listening to Zoro talk relaxed Sanji. He talked just loud enough to be heard, his voice never carrying a hair further than Sanji’s ears. He could feel every inch of distance between the two of them. It felt akin to a challenge. Just how close could Sanji get to Zoro before combusting? And yet, despite the tension, all of the panic running through Sanji’s head had quieted. While his mind relaxed, so did his mask.

Seeing Sanji relax, Zoro abandoned the previous topic to bluntly ask, “Did your father do something?” Just as direct as his words, Zoro’s eyes pierced right into his. 

Sanji straightened. “Why would you ask that?”

“I watched him follow after you, when you went to get the champagne.” Zoro paused before moving forward with, “What did he say to you?”

No way could Sanji tell him what his father had said. He couldn’t take getting crucified by the people he’d become pathetically attached to. Sanji allowed himself a self-deprecated laugh at it all. Without his father’s plan, there was only one thing left to confess. “Nothing he said was new. Just how, you know, I’m a disappointment. How I’m…” Sanji fought the rocks in his throat. “...I’m a failure.”

“What?” Zoro asked harshly.

“It’s ridiculous isn’t it? Getting so worked up over this and having to leave during a goddamn performance.”

“It’s not.” 

Sanji sent him a disbelieving smile.

“It’s not .” Zoro's insistence was firm. “I don’t give a shit that you left... And neither does Perona.”

Sanji was suddenly struck with the need to touch Zoro. Any sort of contact would’ve satisfied him, even just a gentle hand over his own. If Sanji were a different person, he would’ve given in and fully grabbed on. But Sanji was still himself and would have to settle for digging his fingers into his own thigh. “You think so?”

“Yeah, and I–uh… Perona probably wouldn’t agree with what your father said to you. She’d probably say that she couldn’t imagine you disappointing anyone. So, you shouldn’t listen to your dad.” Zoro had focused on his hands while he fumbled through his words, but at his last insistence his eyes didn’t look away from Sanji’s.

Sanji was out of breath once again, only this time for a completely different reason. Sanji could feel his own face grow hot. His cheeks and ears must’ve been beet red. The palms pressed into his thighs were sweating through his dress pants.

Zoro swallowed. “I don’t see how he could call you a failure.”

Sanji pouted to keep himself from crying. Or laughing. He couldn’t tell which would come out. “Thanks, Musclehead.” As the words came out of his mouth, Sanji realized how close they were sitting. He hadn’t even realized how far he’d swayed into Zoro’s space. At this distance he could pinpoint the exact moment Zoro’s lips began to curl upward. He watched the skin of Zoro’s neck stretch as he tilted his head with a chuckle.

“Anytime, Your Highness.”

God, I could lick him. Sanji blinked. What the fuck was that? “Well! We should get back then, huh?”

Zoro stood up before him just to offer out an arm.

When Sanji reached out to take it, the electricity through his body reappeared. Just a few inches away from Zoro’s arm, Sanji could feel the heat of his skin. It didn’t matter that there were layers of fabric between the two, just the idea of that warmth flustered him. Sanji put his hand in Zoro’s arm and thought back to the blushing bride. 

Zoro further tucked Sanji’s arm into his and, before walking back to the box, had the nerve to smile at Sanji.

Oh no.