Fish (One Piece, Zoro/Sanji)
Title: Fish
Fandom: One Piece
Pairing: Zoro x Sanji
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: One Piece and its characters do not belong to me.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, shithead.”
And then there was thump and Sanji had a fish lying on the table. It was huge and dead. Its mouth was open and seawater still pooled inside. It’d been cut-sliced and slashed-and its insides were exposed, its flesh hanging off its body like ribbons. It was absolutely disgusting and smelled something awful.
Zoro had left the galley before Sanji could react, and the cook was just barely resisting the urge to go after him and stuff the dead fish down his stupid throat.
“That son of a bitch is making fun of me,” he nearly growled around his cigarette, nose wrinkled, as he picked the fish up and moved it to the counter. As irritated as he was, he wasn’t going to let it go to waste.
But, hell, the big ape didn’t have to do that to get his point across. After their fight last night, Sanji understood that he thought Valentine’s Day was an idiotic holiday, and while Sanji disagreed, he’d backed down after a kick or six and left the issue alone. In retrospect, he should’ve realized how dumb it was of him to expect anything from the swordsman. The man was as romantic as...well, a dead fish. And, really, if Sanji was to be completely honest with himself, a few near-drunken kisses and a couple of gropes in the Crow’s Nest didn’t really warrant romance, anyway. He’d been a fool for thinking otherwise.
But still, Zoro didn’t have to be such a bastard about it.
-
They didn’t speak much the rest of the day. Sanji tended to the women, cooing and fawning more than usual, as was to be expected. And they humored him, perhaps out of some holiday pity. Zoro pretty much kept to himself, wandering about the ship to sleep and train and whatever the hell else he did. Sanji didn’t care.
He didn’t.
He just went on merrily through the day, acting as if the other man didn’t even exist.
Until dinner, anyway.
He served that stupid fish and almost everything was normal. Robin complimented him and he swooned. Luffy talked with his mouth full and he scolded. But when he sat down across from Zoro and looked up, eyes alight with challenge and insults he was prepared to toss out in their usual exchange, the swordsman wouldn’t look at him. All through dinner, he wouldn’t look at him. He looked at the table, the wall, the ceiling, everywhere but at him. Sanji kept his eyes on him the entire time and knew how ridiculous he must’ve looked, glaring at the other man and stuffing fish angrily into his mouth.
Goddammit, what was his problem?!
When dinner was over and the table was cleared and everyone was filing out of the galley, Sanji cleared his throat and managed to get enough frustration out of his voice to say, “You’ve got dish duty, marimo.”
Zoro made no protest and joined him at the sink without a single word.
He washed a plate, Zoro dried it. Wash, dry. Wash, dry. Again. Again. Again. Minutes of washing, drying, silence.
Sanji was starting to lose it.
He scrubbed hard at an imaginary stain on a plate, grinding his teeth. He couldn’t believe he’d let Zoro win their fight last night only to have the jackass ignore him like this. And that damn, hateful fish-
“So you liked the fish, then?”
Oh, he was asking for it.
“What?” Sanji snapped, leg muscles going tense with anticipation.
“The fish.” He watched as Zoro frowned at the plate he was drying. “You used it, so…you liked it. Right?”
The words took a moment to sink in. Sanji still thought he was making fun of him, but as he stared at Zoro and Zoro stared at the plate and he picked up on something strange and unsure that had been in Zoro’s voice just then, he slowly realized that he was wrong.
That stupid fish. It wasn’t roses or chocolate or sappy sentiments, but it was what Zoro could offer him. It was what Zoro knew he would appreciate and use. That stupid, wonderful fish.
Oh.
The plate slipped from Zoro’s hands, back into the soapy water, when Sanji grabbed his arms and pulled him close. And his slightly wide, slightly stunned eyes finally met Sanji’s for one brief moment before their mouths followed suit.
“You dumbass,” Sanji murmured with affection when they parted. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”