Archive of Our Own

When Sanji was nineteen, he fell in love.

A handsome stranger, just passing through, who captivated Sanji from a first smile. For that summer, Sanji had a flurry of first experiences. Kissing that stranger behind the local tavern. Spending his nights pressed against tan skin, under cheap itchy blankets. He experienced a love so sudden and consuming that it choked him to think about.

And by the start of autumn, Sanji had experienced his first and only heartbreak.

“Prince?”

Sanji turned away from the window to look at his servant. He was responsible for getting Sanji from appointment to appointment, as though Sanji’s father didn't trust him to walk from one room in the castle to another.

“You're supposed to be meeting with the ambassador in five minutes.”

Sanji put his cigarette out, dumping the ashes out the window. Then he closed the panes and followed the man.

Over two years later and the start of autumn still made Sanji feel a twinge of heart ache. He used to make himself sick thinking about Zoro, unable to get out of bed thinking about what he might have been up to and with whom. But Sanji was beyond all of that now.

He'd turned twenty-one this year, he and his brothers, and his father made it abundantly clear that Sanji's follies would no longer be tolerated. They were preparing for namesake celebrations of the Vinsmoke boys, a huge festival that would be designed to highlight Germa’s wealth and might more than the quartet of princes.

Sanji walked into the room where the ambassador was waiting and sat down. This meeting was a formality which explained why Sanji's father was having this man meet with him. Ichiji would be here if this meeting held any importance.

“Prince Sanji,” the man said, putting his hand out for Sanji to take. Sanji took it, giving the man's hand a firm shake. “Happy belated birthday.”

“Thank you,” Sanji said as they sat down. “How is your family?”

The ambassador, Charlotte Oven, was here to finalize his family's travel plans for the name day celebrations. The fourth son of Charlotte Linlin, he and several of his siblings would be attending the parties. Along with their mother who was a political ally of Sanji's father.

“They're well. My younger sister, Pudding, will be attending.”

“Is this her first journey away from home?”

“Yes. That's why I'd like to make sure her accommodations are comfortable.” That made sense and it wasn't lost on Sanji that this mysterious daughter had been brought up to him numerous times over the last several months.

“Let's go over those arrangements then,” Sanji said, gesturing to the table beside him. They sat down and proceeded to do just that, until Charlotte Oven was satisfied that his young sister would be well taken care of while they were in Germa.

Sanji finished the meeting and bid the ambassador farewell. Sanji shook his hand and left the room, his fingers already itching for another cigarette. He was especially anxious today and Sanji wasn't sure why. Something in the air kept bringing him back to that day two years ago.

When he went to meet Zoro, intending for them to run away together, only to get to the rendezvous spot and find it empty.

Sanji had been in love with him. He'd been ready to give up every aspect of his life to be with Zoro. His safety, his family, his title. All of it meant so little in the face of how much Sanji wanted Zoro.

And none of that had even mattered.

They'd met utterly by chance, bumping into each other on a day where Sanji had snuck out. Sanji had been admiring a stall of fresh vegetables when one of the bustling market goers had bumped into Zoro who then bumped into Sanji.

Sanji had turned, prepared to shout at the stranger jostling him. But then Zoro's strong arm slipped around Sanji's waist, steadying him. Sanji’s frustration had melted away as he looked into the most handsome face he'd ever seen.

“You okay?” a gruff voice asked.

The rest truly was history.

They'd spent the afternoon talking but never spoke about their little encounter turning into anything more. Sanji had snuck back out to the market the next day. Zoro was there too, casually leaning against a wall, and he'd smiled when he saw Sanji.

After their fourth meet-up, Zoro had invited Sanji back to the room he'd rented at the local inn. And Sanji had gone, not sure what to expect, but knowing that he wanted whatever it was. The first press of Zoro's lips to Sanji's had quieted a yearning that Sanji hadn't even known existed.

Sanji hadn't returned to the castle for three days after that. He wasn't sure what Zoro was doing in the capital, but Zoro had laid beside him in that bed for hours at a time. Mostly they made love, Sanji's virginity given freely in the most intimate and caring sexual encounter that Sanji could possibly imagine.

They'd talked too, in between when they were too tired to even open their eyes. They both had secrets they were obviously holding back. The air was heavy with them anytime the conversation got too close to whatever they weren't saying.

But Zoro looked at Sanji like he was the single most valuable thing on the planet and Sanji had trusted that, treated it like it was the only thing that had mattered.

Sanji still remembered the beating his father had given him when he'd finally strode back into the palace. Judge's concern hadn't been whether Sanji was hurt or injured. He'd assumed Sanji's absence suggested something nefarious or untoward.

And Judge didn't entertain slights to his reputation.

The look on Zoro's face when he'd seen Sanji a few days later, swollen and bruised, had told Sanji that he wasn't the only one who'd fallen in love at first sight. Zoro had held him, hands shaking with his rage, and Sanji had never known such safety before.

Or since.

Sanji turned back to his valet, suddenly exhausted from all of his reminiscing. He asked his servant to reschedule any other appointments he might have for the rest of the day. The valet seemed unsure, knowing the request would upset the king, but he must have seen the tired set of Sanji's face because he eventually agreed.

Sanji returned to his room and collapsed on his bed, large and extra soft as befitting even Judge's unwanted son. Sanji curled onto his side and wrapped his arms around his chest, suddenly and unbearably cold.
-
Reiju kept looking at him at dinner, her perceptive eyes glancing at him over their first and second courses. Sanji tried to ignore her, instead pretending to listen to Ichiji rattle off information from his respective appointments. Their father looked on with what appeared to be an angry expression but Sanji knew better. That was just Judge's face.

“Care to tell me why you missed your afternoon appointments?” Judge asked in Sanji's general direction. He didn't even bother using Sanji's name or look at him. He couldn't be talking to anyone else with a tone that acidic.

“I wasn't feeling well,” Sanji said. He didn't bother looking at Judge either.

“I know you're incapable of handling anything important, but I expect you to earn your keep by taking care of the meager tasks you're given.”

“Sanji can't even meet with the florists to make sure the flowers are right,” Niji said. Sanji didn't react. None of the taunts or jabs were new.

“I met with the Wano ambassador today instead and everything is ready,” Reiju said. She smiled at their father. “I picked up Sanji's slack so it's okay.”

Reiju turned back to her food but she met Sanji's eye before picking up her fork. He gave her an imperceptible nod. Her tone might have been just as teasing but Sanji knew her well enough to know that this was her way of taking the heat off of him.

“These festivities are important. More important than his frailty which he has forced us to endure since his birth. If you ruin the celebrations, I will make you regret it, boy.”

Everyone was quiet in anticipation of whether Sanji would say anything, do anything. But Sanji knew better because his reactions were just spectacle to them. Some proof that he was bad as they all thought and Sanji wouldn't give that to them.

“He'll just run away again,” Yonji said. Sanji's hand stilled, his grip on his utensil tightening.

“Yeah? Maybe Sanji has another secret love affair waiting to abandon him?” Niji sneered. Sanji stood up abruptly, grabbed his plate, and disappeared through the servant’s door. The servant coming through the door jumped and Sanji told her to send the rest of his plates to his room. She nodded and watched him pass.

As Sanji walked back to his room, using his fingers to pull pieces of food off of his plate, he wondered what was going on. What was in the air that Zoro seemed to be so prevalent in Sanji’s life again?
-
A few weeks later, a few days before the start of the festivities, Sanji was out on the second floor balcony. He could see the kingdom port far below, ships and carriages all moving around as people arrived. There would be so many nobles from other kingdoms and tons of common folk too.

The celebrations had several large feasts planned, a large market day in the city, several different tournaments with knights and champions from other countries. Everywhere but inside this castle, the air was jovial. But happiness didn't live here under Judge's thumb.

The door opened and Sanji glanced over his shoulder to see Reiju closing the balcony door behind her. Sanji didn't say anything as she came to stand beside him. They both stared at the city below in silence for several long seconds.

“You know he plans to marry you off,” Reiju said. “Your future bride will be at the celebration and if her family likes you, he'll have you wed by the end of it.”

“I figured something like that,” Sanji admitted. “It’s Charlotte Linlin’s daughter, right?” Reiju nodded.

“Maybe it'll be good for you. You can finally leave this place.”

“If it's what that bastard wants, then it's not good for me.”

“You could sabotage it,” Reiju whispered.

“And put myself back in the dungeon with a mask on my face?” Neither of them said anything, the memory still fresh for both of them even though it had been years. The taunts and psychological warfare now were miles better than the torture that had been. Sanji could deal with this if needed to, but being back there would break him.

He knew it. Reiju knew it. And worst of all, Judge knew it.

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Survive. The same thing I've always done. Maybe I can make that woman happy and that'll be enough for me.”

“Sanji--”

“Let's go,” Sanji said, turning away from the railing and cutting Reiju off. “I've got to be fitted for my opening ceremony outfit.”

Reiju stood by the railing, watching sadly as her brother walked away.
-
It was surprisingly chilly on the morning of opening ceremony and so all of the Vinsmokes were wearing light coats as they stood on the raised dais. One by one all of the visiting nobles were announced as they came forward, presenting their various gifts and salutations to the Vinsmoke boys.

Charlotte Pudding, Sanji's mysterious bride to be, arrived with her family. They brought forth their gift, a retinue of local delicacies, and Pudding bowed prettily before the Vinsmoke royal family.

She was very beautiful with her long brown hair and the shy smile she gave Sanji as she stood up straight. Sanji fought to smile back, wishing he felt the excitement she probably did. Had Sanji's heart not abandoned him two years ago, he maybe could have been excited about an engagement with such a beautiful woman.

The parade of foreign royalty ended and next came all of the various champions sent to compete in the celebration tournaments. There was going to be a bow and arrow competition, a jousting tournament, and a free for all melee. Glory and honor were prizes to be sure but the promise of a granted wish was what all of these champions were competing for.

Sanji wasn't really paying attention to any of them, not more interested in any of these champions than he was with the nobility. But one of the champions, a knight in polished silver armor, stopped moving. Bodies flowed past them, but the knight stayed still with their closed helmet facing the dais.

That was interesting.

Sanji straightened up and looked more intently at the knight, curious at what commoner or low born noble would dare stare so bravely at the Germa royals. His brothers noticed as well and they all focused their glares on the lone knight.

“Who is that?” Ichiji asked.

“Not sure. I don't see any livery,” Yonji said.

Sanji stood and walked to the end of the dais. The knight turned, so subtly that it must have been imperceptible to everyone else. But Sanji noticed and with the way they were standing, the knight must have been staring at him now. Sanji felt a shiver run down his spine, the result of being watched by eyes that he couldn't see.

“Do you know who that is, Sanji?” Yonji asked. Sanji shook his head.

“No,” he said. Without warning the knight turned and resumed walking towards where the champions were gathering. Sanji watched them leave, not able to shake the feeling that this interaction was somehow significant.

“Find out who that is,” Ichiji said but their father finally spoke up, raising his hand to stay the servant attending to Ichiji's request.

“We don't need to concern ourselves with some masked knight. He'll likely lose in the following tournaments. We should focus on entertaining our royal guests for now.”

With Judge's insight, the matter was settled.

Sanji's eyes never left the retreating knight until he had disappeared in the crowd.
-
Run away with me.

That was what Zoro had said the last night they were together. They'd made love like usual, pleasure so intense that Sanji had tears in his eyes by the time he finally unraveled under Zoro's hand. They were laying side by side, staring into each other's eyes, when Zoro had whispered those words.

Sanji hadn't come fully clean with Zoro about who he was. Zoro knew personal stuff, intimate details about Sanji’s family and about Sanji’s life. But Sanji neglected to tell Zoro that he was a prince up till then. A part of him was worried that Zoro would manipulate him if he knew.

But looking into Zoro’s eyes, Sanji knew that wasn't true.

“I can't,” Sanji whispered. Then he explained to Zoro why, confessed all of the secrets he'd been holding back. Zoro didn't look shocked to hear that his new lover was a prince, just kept looking at Sanji with that completely in love expression.

“These people don't care about you, Sanji.”

“And you do?” Sanji asked. He meant it to sound accusatory, to suggest that Sanji's family cared less for him than this stranger. But Sanji's voice just sounded desperate, begging.

“I do,” Zoro whispered back. “I can make you happy.”

It didn't take any more convincing. They'd made plans for how and when they'd do it. Sanji was to meet Zoro at a landmark, an old oak tree, outside of the city on a certain night. Sanji spent the days collecting everything that mattered to him and what supplies he could steal from the kitchen without being noticed.

As Sanji snuck out of the palace, his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. Not because he was scared. Not because he was anxious. But because he felt hopeful. He was finally going to be happy, away from the oppressive rule of his father.

Zoro wasn't there when Sanji arrived so he stood and waited. But Zoro never did come and by the time Sanji watched the sun rise over the horizon, his heart was on the ground, having died a slow death in the cold night. Sanji couldn't even be upset when he saw his father arrive later, several of his knights in tow. He'd ordered Sanji back to the castle and Sanji went, understanding that he was all alone.

If Zoro had loved him, had been telling the truth when he told Sanji that he could make him happy, then he'd have been there. But he wasn't and Sanji's love affair was over, nothing but pain and disappointment left in its wake. Sanji couldn't even feel the slap his father had given him, in front of his siblings to shame him.

He didn't feel anything after that night.

Zoro had left, taking Sanji's feelings with him, leaving only a husk behind.
-
The first day of the celebrations ended with a big feast for the nobles. It was hosted in the palace's main ballroom, a gilded room with high ceilings and large windows that held an incredible view of the ocean. Tonight the dance floor was full of foreign diplomats, kinds, and queens as they mingled and dined, all of it a front for political prowess.

Sanji's attendance was of course mandatory as Germa's third son. He was standing next to the food tables, eager to step in and subtly help should the girls refilling it need his assistance. He stopped one tray from tipping and returned the smile of the young servant who stared at him.

Sanji saw a swish of brown hair before suddenly Charlotte Pudding was standing beside him. He turned to her with a smile. This girl was probably in the same predicament he was, being wed off like cattle to the most beneficial party. Sanji didn't hate her. Quite frankly he found her attractive, with a pretty smile and slender frame.

Completely different from Sanji's former lover.

“It's Sanji, right?” she asked, as if she obviously wouldn't know. Sanji didn't fault her for maintaining pleasantries. This was their first meeting.

“Nice to meet you,” Sanji said. He took her hand and placed a kiss on it, bowing his head in greeting. She blushed and hurried to curtsy.

“It's nice to meet you too,” she said. They were both silent for a second.

“You look very lovely tonight,” Sanji told her.

“Thank you! You also look quite handsome.” Sanji wanted to be happy. A beautiful woman called him handsome! But it just felt so different from the last voice that had told him that that it just made Sanji feel hollow.

“I guess you could have a worse prospective groom,” Sanji said. She laughed.

“That's true. You should see who some of my sisters and brothers are married too.”

“I can't promise being in the Vinsmoke family is all rainbows and sunshine,” Sanji told her. His tone was joking but the words were just harsh enough to reveal their truth.

“You could always come to my kingdom,” Pudding offered.

“Isn't that a nice thought,” Sanji said. She smiled at him and he offered her his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

“I would,” she said. She took his hand and Sanji led her to the dance floor.
-
The clash of swords rang out as Sanji watched the melee tournament underway in the courtyard below. Thirty different knights and champions were fighting, in smaller groups of ten cordoned off in different areas. Killing was discouraged but the nobility did like their bloodshed.

A knight with long blonde hair and a scythe-like blade cut through two approaching combatants. It wasn't a killing blow but the flash of red across the dirt was unmistakable as his blade tore through flesh. Sanji flinched as the fighting was stopped long enough for the men to be removed by the medical staff.

“Squeamish?” Yonji taunted.

“These men are honorable champions of their kingdoms. I just think we should make sure they get home in one piece,” Sanji snapped.

“He hasn't been in a war, remember?” This was from Niji, who decided to join in on the conversation.

“Neither have either of you,” Sanji reminded them.

“Sure, but I saw the bodies from the Straw Hat Rebellion. A massacre,” Ichiji said.

The Straw Hat Rebellion was an armed uprising in a country to the west. Named after the figure of that rebellion, a man in a straw hat, who convinced the local working class to rise up against their king. No one knew what happened to the mysterious Straw Hat or his crew since then, but the country of Dressrossa is now operating under a new elected monarchy.

Sanji didn't want to continue this conversation so he focused on the continued fighting below. Sanji noticed the knight from the other day, this time with a green plume in his helmet, advancing on an opponent. He was using a sword one-handed, an uncommon style in this part of the world. Sanji wondered if normally he dual wielded, though the tournament only allowed one weapon per combatant.

He sidestepped an incoming opponent and used his sword to knock the man on his side. The knight easily took on two more opponents in quick succession, making his opponents look like children.

His sword connected with a taller opponent with a long nose and Sanji watched as this opponent gave the green knight a real challenge. He countered every swing of the knight's sword and even forced him to take a few steps back.

Sanji wasn't even aware that this grouping was down to these two because their fight was so engaging. He was on the edge of his seat watching these two fight. The green knight parried a hard blow but he pivoted to throw his sword at his opponent. The man countered but the green knight was quick to switch his sword hand and strike.

The blade caught the long nosed man in the side and he went down with a flourish as the green knight spun the blade away. The crowd was screaming but Sanji was transfixed. He was officially the winner of his grouping and he'd made it look easy. Who was he?

The green knight turned, once again, and stared straight at Sanji. Sanji wasn't sure what would happen next but the knight raised his sword, the tip pointed in his direction. A call out? From a man he'd never met before?

Then, surprising the whole crowd, the knight sheathed his sword and dropped to one knee. He bowed his head and Sanji was speechless. He wasn't sure what was happening but it was as if this knight was pledging his victory to Sanji. As if Sanji was a princess whose favor was to be won.

The knight stood without any explanation and walked away from the fighting arena. Sanji and his family were all stunned, shocked by whatever this display could possibly mean.

“Sanji, what the fuck?” Yonji said.

Sanji just shook his head because he honestly had no clue.
-
Sanji passed through the crowd, pulling the cloak lower over his face. His father would punish him if he knew Sanji had snuck out to sneak into the champion encampment. He saw knights nursing their wounds and engaging with whores. He saw the scythe wielding knight wrapped in the arms of a large man with bright red hair. Sanji averted his eyes, not wanting to be caught looking.

He wasn't sure what he was looking for. It was stupid to assume the green knight would just be standing around in this camp in full armor. And Sanji wouldn't recognize him outside of his armor.

Nevermind that Sanji might have misinterpreted the knight's gesture. He was a prince and this man could very well be planning to kill him. But Sanji couldn't sleep without knowing what the knight had meant by the kneeling. Sanji stopped a man passing him.

“Do you know where I can find the knight with the green plume who competed in the melee tournament?”

“He's camped on the left side of the camp,” the man said. He pointed Sanji in the direction. Sanji thanked him, discreetly slipped him some coins, and then went on his way.

The tents thinned out as Sanji neared the edge of the camp. Men glanced at him as he passed but no one bothered him. He hoped these men were all honorable and wouldn't slit his throat for some coin.

“Green knight?” Sanji called to the tent the earlier man told him to search for, with a small patch for the Kuraigana Island kingdom. Sanji wasn't overly familiar with the kingdom. He knew it was an old and dying island to the east, most of the inhabitants leaving decades ago. He didn't even know people still lived there.

Sanji heard movement inside before the tent flap opened and out stepped the knight. He was still in his armor but his sword wasn't with him. Sanji supposed that was a good sign as the knight stopped in front of him. Sanji couldn't gauge the knight's height in the armor but he was clearly quite bulky.

“You shouldn't be here, Prince.”

Sanji didn't recognize the voice, muffled by the armor as it was. It was a deep timbre, soft and even, as though the person speaking held themselves with confidence. It triggered something familiar for Sanji but he couldn't place it.

“Who are you?” Sanji asked, getting straight to the point.

“Not here,” the knight said. He gestured behind him and turned to hold open the flap to his tent. Sanji looked between the interior of the tent to the eye shield on the knight's helmet. The knight must have sensed Sanji's trepidation because he put his hand out for Sanji to take.

Sanji took his hand, the knight's gloved fingers curling around Sanji's hand. He walked Sanji into his tent and Sanji turned to him. The tent was bare, nothing to signify who this mysterious stranger might be.

“Who are you?” Sanji repeated. “What do you want?” The knight ignored him and walked over to a rucksack he had on the floor. He dug around in it and pulled out a case. He popped the clasp and held it out to Sanji.

Cigarettes.

Sanji knocked the cigarette case onto the ground, his anger and irritation spiking. The knight didn't say anything. He just reached down to pick up the cigarettes and then straightened.

“Stop fucking with me,” Sanji snarled.

“I'm not. I just can't answer you yet.”

“Why?” Sanji asked, a sick feeling starting in his stomach. He'd come here thinking this man might, against all odds, be Zoro. He hadn't seen his old love in two years, didn't even know if he was alive. But that hope had been building within Sanji the last few hours nonetheless.

But this man couldn't be Zoro. If he was Sanji's Zoro, he couldn't just stand here without saying anything. He'd either apologize or ignore Sanji completely, Sanji was sure. Zoro didn't have it in him to play these mind games.

“I shouldn't have come here,” Sanji whispered when it seemed clear that the knight had no intention of answering. He turned to leave.

“Wait!” the knight called. Sanji stopped, turning slowly. “Can I have the prince's favor? A good luck charm for my next fight?”

Sanji just stared at him, trying to decipher if this guy was being serious. Not answering any of Sanji's questions but then asking for his favor. It was rude, but Sanji couldn't come up with any reason to outright refuse.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his kerchief, embroidered with a blue “S” in the corner. He held it out to the knight, and the knight reached out to take it. He brought it to his chest plate briefly, before tucking it inside his armor.

“I'll win,” the knight told him.

“What will you wish for?” Sanji asked.

“Can't tell you that either, but I hope you'll like it”
-
The crowd screamed and cheered as the scythe wielding knight fought against his opponent. It was the fifth day of the celebrations and the bow and jousting tournaments had completed in the days prior. Sanji hadn't been to see the knight again, deciding that the man was serious about not revealing himself to Sanji.

The last round of the melee tournament was an elimination style bracket of the previous winners from the prior day. Scythe wielding champion along with a man whose armor featured a black cape with a flame embroidered onto the fabric both made it to the finals along with the green knight.

The scythe wielding champion and the flame-caped champion were currently fighting in the arena, both combatants competing to their fullest. The crowd, a mix of nobility and commoners, were excited by this outcome, the performance of two kingdom champions.

The two knights clashed, the blades clanging together as the crowd yelled in delight. Sanji tried to focus on the fight below but his eyes kept peeling away to look at the green knight, standing a few feet away from the arena in preparation for fighting the winner.

The green knight was almost perfectly still and his hand was resting on the hilt of his sword. But Sanji saw the way his hand tightened as he watched the fight, either enthusiastic about the combat or assessing his future opponents skills. It was making Sanji nervous.

In the past few days, he hadn't tried to connect with the green knight again. But he heard the servants whispering about his stunt and about how popular he was amongst the common folk. There was speculation that he himself was a commoner which made him feel like a champion of the people, as opposed to a knighted figure.

It just added more mystery to who this mysterious man was.

A yell of pain from down below forced Sanji's attention back to the current fight. The black cloaked knight's sword cut across the chest of the scythe wielding champion. His armor prevented the cut from being lethal, but the immediate spurt of blood signified that he was definitely injured.

The scythe wielding knight collapsed, his weapon falling from his fingers as he hit the dirt. The crowd cheered and the black cloaked knight raised his sword in victory. Sanji glanced over at the green knight. His anxiety was officially overwhelming.

The black cloaked knight retreated to a medical tent to check him to continue. The green knight started to prepare for battle, pulling his sword loose and adjusting the blade in his grip while he waited. Finally the medics gave their approval and the black cloaked knight stood to return to the arena.

The scythe wielding knight had been removed in the interim and a servant was smoothing out the dirt when both challenging knights stepped onto the arena. They both turned to the dais and waited for Judge to give a speech, a tradition for the sitting king to offer them luck and strength in their fight.

The green knight subtly turned his head during Judge's speech so that he could stare at Sanji. Sanji held his gaze, his lips turning up in a smile when the green knight reached into his chest plate to pull out Sanji’s kerchief briefly. He was wearing Sanji’s favor as a good luck charm.

“May the best champion win and bring honor to his kingdom,” Judge said. He turned and sat back in his seat, signaling that the fight could begin. No sooner had the herald announced the beginning of the fight before the green knight launched himself at the black cloaked knight, trying to use his exhaustion against him.

Their swords collided. The green knight pushed his advantage of being rested, assaulting the black cloaked knight over and over. The black knight was quick to parry or dodge, but the green knight was relentless. He must have been aiming to finish this quickly.

The black knight was too good of an opponent to be overcome so easily. Eventually he was able to get a strong attack against the green knight, forcing the green knight onto the defensive as he parried blow after blow.

The crowd was quiet as their swords collided as if the people didn't want to breathe in fear that they'd alter the outcome. Sanji's fingers tightened on the armrest of his chair. He wanted the green knight to win though he told himself because it most likely meant he'd get answers. No other reason.

The green knight's blade bounced off of the black knight's in a wide arc. The black knight recovered first, bringing his sword back into position to strike. Sanji didn't see how the green knight would be able to block this. The whole fight would end here.

Which was when the green knight did something remarkable. Instead of trying to bring his sword back to block, he just dropped it into the path of his opponent's strike. Just before the blades collided, he grabbed the sword with his other hand providing enough strength to parry the black knight's blow.

It was an impressive display of skill and Sanji couldn't help the little cheer he let out with the rest of the crowd. Even Niji and Yonji seemed impressed by the green knight's swordplay though Judge and Ichiji remained stoic.

The black knight maintained his composure, renewing his onslaught with ease. He covered the exhaustion from his earlier fight well, long volleys of sword strikes to cover his tired movements. These were two unbelievably talented fighters and Sanji knew both would bring honor to their kingdoms regardless of the outcome.

In the end, maybe by some grace of God or the weight of his ambitions, the green knight was able to use his speed and superior skill to overcome the black cloaked knight. He parried a particularly heavy blow from the black knight and dropped low. In a move so fast that blinking would cause someone to miss it, he launched in close to the black knight and drew his sword up.

Because of all of the movement, Sanji couldn't see when the green knight's sword collected but he felt the way the whole arena went silent and still. Both champions stood still for a second before the black cloaked knight slowly sank to the ground in defeat.

The crowd erupted in roars, Sanji among them, as the green knight stood victoriously. The medics came to assist the black cloaked knight off of the field as the harold stepped forward to announce the knight from Kuraigana as the victor. He took the green knight’s arm and raised it as the crowd’s cheering intensified.

Judge allowed the crowd to cheer for a few seconds before he stood and walked to the edge of the dais. By the time he stopped, so had the cheers from the crowd. The green knight remained standing while he wanted for the king's recognition.

“Congratulations, mysterious knight on your victory today. You will be welcomed to a ball with the other champions where you can make your wish request and dine in honor.”

“If I might make my request now, Your Majesty,” the green knight said. A tension settled over the crowd as everyone, including the Vinsmoke siblings, all waited to see what Judge would say. He didn't take well to insolence, as Sanji was well familiar.

“There is a time and place for everything, knight.”

“I think you will agree that now is the right time for my request once you hear it,” the knight said. Sanji saw Judge's fist tighten and worried the knight was pushing too hard. He was debating signaling to the knight to stop pushing when Niji, of all people, broke the stalemate.

“I'll admit that I'm curious,” Niji said. It was said only to his family but like wildfire the crowd started whispering similar sentiments. Judge weighed the consequences of disappointing the crowd, both Germa commoner and foreign noble alike, before he decided to placate them.

“Fine,” Judge announced. The green knight finally dropped to one knight and Sanji assumed it was to finally show deference to the king as etiquette required. The next words out of the green knight's mouth, however, proved that his gesture had another, greater symbolic meaning.

“I came here,” the green knight started, “intending to compete and win your tournament for one reason. My wish is for Third Prince Sanji's hand in marriage, should he find the proposal agreeable.”

The gasp that went through the crowd was nothing compared to the roaring in Sanji's ears from his own heartbeat. His siblings all turned to look at him but he ignored them as he stood and walked to the edge of the dais.

“Sit down,” his father ordered him.

“Who are you?” Sanji asked the knight, his voice sounding small as it rang out across the arena.

“Not another word,” Judge hissed at him. Judge turned back to the knight. “Prince Sanji is already betrothed so I'm afraid--”

“You have three other unwed sons,” the knight said. “If the marriage is political, any one of them should suffice for the alliance.”

“No betrothal has been finalized,” Reiju said, loud enough for that too to be picked up by the gossipers. The look Judge sent her was vicious but when Sanji looked at her face, she was smiling at him.

“Do you not intend to keep your promise to me as the winner of your tournament?” the knight asked. “Do you intend to shame both me and my kingdom by not honoring the prize you advertised?”

It was blatant disrespect. Words like this from a Germa citizen could warrant punishment. From a foreigner, it could push Judge to an international incident. But Sanji could hear that question get taken up by the crowd and passed around. Judge is the one who promised to grant a wish to the winner, in celebration of his sons. What would it suggest if the king denied that now?

And as commoner and foreign nobility alike asked that question, Sanji understood why the green knight wanted his request to be heard publicly. Judge must have understood as well because his face turned an ugly shade of red in rage.

“Why should I marry my son to you?” Judge asked, not caring that he sounded petulant and petty.

“Besides the fact that I'm owed my wish,” the knight said, “I believe it's what Sanji wants.”

Sanji could feel every eye turn to him, even the green knight, as the crowd waited to see what he would do next. But Sanji's whole body was shaking with a complex mix of emotions because the kight's lack of formality erased any doubt for Sanji who he was. Only one person ever said his name like that.

“Take off your helmet,” Sanji ordered. Time slowed as the knight reached up and took his helmet between his hands. Then slowly, inch by inch, he removed it to reveal a face Sanji hadn't seen in two years.

Zoro, with a new scar over his left eye and shaggier hair. Seeing him, like this, in this context, was like a punch to Sanji's chest. He'd been thinking about this man so much over the last few weeks and now here he was, like Sanji's yearning heart had conjured him.

“Zoro,” Sanji whispered. His voice was low but Zoro must have read his name on Sanji's lips because he smiled, as arrogant as Sanji had ever known him to be.

“No fucking way,” Yonji whispered, evidently voicing the shock of all of the Vinsmokes. None of them had ever met Zoro but they knew his name, could read the recognition in Sanji's face.

“Absolutely not,” Judge roared.

“I accept,” Sanji shouted, somehow louder. He knew that his only chance to protect Zoro from retaliation was to accept here, in front of the gathered crowd. “On behalf of the kingdom of Germa, I accept your proposal for marriage, Knight of Kuraigana.”

Sanji didn't wait. He turned on his heel and descended the dais, disappearing from sight.
-
“Sanji!” Zoro called out to him, chasing him away from the arena. Sanji just kept moving, ignoring the looks of passersby who were shocked to see the third prince walking by. Sanji kept walking until he was alone on a secluded bridge used by castle servants.

Zoro approached him and when he was within distance, Sanji pulled his hand back and slapped him. Zoro didn't react, despite the blooming red mark on his cheek.

“You abandoned me,” Sanji snarled. “You left without me and disappeared for two years, then showed up here to pull this stunt. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“I deserved that,” Zoro admitted. “But give me the chance to explain.”

“Explain. You need to fucking leave before my father decides to have you gutted like a fish.”

“Let him try. I'm even less scared of your father now than I was two years ago.”

“It wasn't enough to hurt me once,” Sanji said, slamming his hands against Zoro's chest, the armor stinging against Sanji's palms. “You decided I needed to watch you die too.”

“Curly,” Zoro said, his voice turning unbearably soft with the old nickname. He reached out slowly, trying not to spook Sanji as he wrapped Sanji in his arms. And Sanji, despite his best intentions, melted into the embrace. How much did he crave these arms to hold him over the last two years?

“You left me,” Sanji whispered, his voice breaking.

“There wasn't a day I didn't regret it,” Zoro told him. “I thought about you every day, I promise.”

“Why?”

“I had a prior commitment that I couldn't ignore. The man I'd pledged my life too called on me and I had to answer. Then I got injured and it was harder to make it back here than I wanted.”

“You couldn't take me with you?”

“A war was starting and there wasn't time for me to wait.” Sanji leaned back so he could look at Zoro, at the new scar on his face, the eye underneath closed permanently.

“Are you okay?” Zoro nodded, smiling a little.

“The eye was the worst of it. I fared a lot better than most who were there.”

“Where?” Sanji asked. Zoro dropped his voice.

“The Straw Hat Rebellion.”

“You participated in the rebellion?” Sanji asked, incredulously. Zoro just nodded.

“Can we maybe talk about that later?” Zoro asked. He reached up to grab Sanji's check in his gloved hands. “I missed you, Curly. I have to admit, you've grown more handsome since the last time I saw you.”

Sanji felt himself blush but he stepped away from Zoro's embrace. Everything was suddenly overwhelming for him, the way he felt and what consequences their actions today would cause. Sanji just needed some time to think, without Zoro treating him with the same love he did two years ago, as if they hadn't spent even a second apart.

“There is supposed to be a ball tonight,” Sanji said. “The other champions will make their wishes then. You should bathe and get ready.”

Zoro nodded, only looking slightly disappointed by the change of direction in conversation. Sanji intended to pry all of the details out of him eventually but he just needed to make it through today first.

“You can use the baths we have in the palace,” Sanji said. He started walking away and Zoro just followed behind, both of them quiet. The guards didn't question Sanji when he brought a stranger into the palace, most likely because the gossip of Sanji's surprise proposal had already spread.

Sanji could tell Zoro was taking in the palace walls as they walked through them, suddenly exposed to the side Sanji had always hidden from him. Sanji wanted to stop and explain certain portraits or rooms, but Sanji wanted to avoid a potential confrontation with his father.

So he led Zoro to his personal room, his silence especially loud as he pushed the big wooden doors open. Zoro's eye traveled over the bed and Sanji's bedside table, his large shelves with various books and trinkets before landing on Sanji, standing awkwardly in the middle.

“The bathing area is through that door,” Sanji said, pointing to said door. Sanji couldn't look at Zoro. His former lover standing in his room felt like a dream Sanji was still too anxious to wish for.

“Sanji--”

“If you are really committed to this, then the safest place for you to be is with me. My father won't be happy you embarrassed him today but the nobles will be expecting you at the ball so you need to make it there.”

“Sanji,” Zoro said again, this time a bit more sternly. “I told you that I'm not afraid of your father.”

“And when he orders someone to slit your throat in your sleep, what then?”

“He won't lay a finger on me,” Zoro said with so much confidence that Sanji couldn't help but laugh.

“My knight in shining armor,” Sanji said sarcastically. He turned and walked into the bathroom, ringing the bell to summon a servant. Within seconds, a man appeared and Sanji ordered him to fill the tub. He disappeared to start the task and Sanji turned to see Zoro standing in the doorway.

“It was reckless of me, but I didn't think you'd hear me out any other way.”

“I was standing in your tent a few nights ago,” Sanji pointed out. Zoro shook his head.

“I'm not here to ask you to run away with me again. I came here to ask you to marry me. I needed a public venue for that.”

“You didn't even give me the chance to run away with you,” Sanji said. The servant returned with a bucket of water to start filling the tub and Sanji ignored him. Zoro waited until the servant disappeared again before he approached Sanji. He put his finger under Sanji's chin, attempting to turn Sanji's face to his.

“I haven't forgiven you yet,” Sanji told him, stubbornly refusing to look at Zoro.

“Tell me what to do,” Zoro whispered. “Whatever I need to do to atone, I'll do it.” Sanji finally looked at him, at the fiery determination in his eye.

“This promise you keep,” Sanji said. He stuck his finger to Zoro's chest. “I don't care what happens or who calls on you. If you want to marry me, then I come first. Always. For forever. If you can't do that, then just leave. For good this time.”

Sanji knew it was an impossible request, a selfish and unfair one to even ask. But Sanji needed the reassurance that this time he mattered enough for Zoro, even if Sanji was open to being more forgiving in the future. Before he stood before an entire kingdom, he needed Zoro to promise him here.

Zoro dropped to his knees, his armor clanging as it collided with the floor. He reached up and settled his hands on Sanji's hips and looked up at him. His expression was completely open for Sanji to read, the devotion so plain on his face that Sanji's heart threatened to leap from his chest.

“I promise that nothing in this world will keep you from me,” Zoro said. “I'll apologize a thousand more times for what happened two years ago, but you can trust me on this, Curly. I will crawl back from hell itself before I give you up again.”

Sanji's heart did an insane tumble in his chest, his waring emotions clashing inside of him. His pain, his sense of betrayal, his anger all collided with the love Sanji realized never left him. He was right to be upset, even Zoro acknowledged his anger was justified. But Zoro was the only person Sanji had ever loved and was he foolish to let this slip him by? Was he foolish to allow it?

Sanji wasn't sure. He just knew that Zoro was looking up at him and all Sanji wanted in this moment, had wanted for every moment over the last two years, was him.

“Zoro--” Sanji started but they were interrupted by the servant returning with another bucket of water. The servant stopped, worried they were intruding on something intimate. Sanji supposed he was.

Sanji gave Zoro's shoulders a little push to indicate that he should stand up. He did, but the clanking of his armor only made the silence more awkward. Sanji waved for the servant to continue and so the man did, dumping that bucket into the tub and departing.

Sanji took Zoro's hand and turned it over so he could start undoing the straps on his armor. Sanji pulled the gauntlet off and moved to set it on the side table. While he did, Zoro undid the straps on the other gauntlet before passing it off to Sanji. They worked in silence, slowly unbuckling Zoro from his armor as the servant filled the tub with steaming water.

Standing in his chainmail and undergarments, Zoro grabbed Sanji's wrist. Sanji stared at their combined hands before looking up into Zoro's face. Zoro brought Sanji's hand up to his lips, soft kisses to Sanji's knuckles. And when he bypassed Sanji's wrist and moved to cup Sanji's cheek, Sanji let him. He closed his eyes in the milliseconds before Zoro's lips touched his own.

It was a soft kiss, tender for all the hurt between them. But it felt like a promise, a reiteration of Zoro's earlier words. He was Sanji's now. Fully. Now and forever.

“You reek,” Sanji told him when Zoro pulled back. Zoro laughed and it sounded extra sweet to Sanji's starved ears. Sanji took the bottom edge of Zoro's chainmail and pushed it up, Zoro assisting in getting the heavy material over his head. Then Zoro was out of his undergarments and stepping into the warm water.

Sanji sat on the edge of the tub, trying not to stare at Zoro's nudity. It had been a long time since Sanji had seen any man so naked, even longer since he'd seen this man naked. Zoro just smiled before dunking his head under the water.

“Do you have something to wear tonight?” Sanji asked.

“Nothing fancy enough for a ball.” Sanji nodded and stood to ring the bell for his servant. When the man came, Sanji ordered him to get the royal tailor. Zoro made a face but Sanji ignored him, instead gathering his personal supply of soaps and lathers. He handed the soap to Zoro and had to suppress a shudder when Zoro just applied it directly to his skin, forgoing the bathing cloth Sanji tried to hand him.

Sanji got into a more comfortable position before he put some lather onto his hands and applied it to Zoro's hair. Zoro tried to protest, a combination of his being capable on his own and Sanji's status as royalty meaning he shouldn't be the one to do it, but Sanji just yanked his head in place and continued. He didn't miss the way Zoro relaxed under his hands as they washed his hair, then his shoulders, then his back.

Zoro sighed and Sanji couldn't help the soft smile that settled on his face. This was what he'd always imagined his life with Zoro to be like, peaceful and comfortable. Sanji tilted Zoro's face to his and Zoro just waited for whatever it was that Sanji would say or do.

“I like the scar,” Sanji said. “It makes your face more handsome.”

“Are you trying to say that you didn't think I was handsome before?”

“You know I did,” Sanji admitted. Zoro smirked.

“Yeah, I remember.” They just looked at each other, both lost in old memories. Sanji couldn't be sure what Zoro was picturing, but Sanji was remembering one of the many nights he spent with Zoro planted firmly between his thighs. God, their bodies always moved so well together.

Sanji knew his face gave him away. He was probably blushing and he imagined his eyes were intense. Zoro leaned forward, his intent clear, and Sanji let out a little gasp.

“You called for me, Prince?”

Sanji sat back abruptly and turned towards the door. The royal tailor, Robin, was standing in the doorway, a knowing smile on her beautiful face.

“Robin! Zoro needs something to where to the ball tonight!”

“Oh? This is the young man I've heard so much about! Sanji, he's so handso--”

“Robin is an incredible tailor. She can make a suit so fast you swear she would have an extra set of arms.” Sanji's voice was loud enough to drown out whatever Robin was going to say.

“Is that so?” Zoro asked with a smile.

“I'm sure I can put something together,” Robin said. “Put your undergarments on and I'll get your measurements. Then you guys can continue with whatever you were doing.”

She turned on her heel and walked away. Sanji was mortified and he felt Zoro's hand rest on his upper thigh, completely at ease despite having something so improper suggested. Then the bastard stood up, bearing his nudity very close to Sanji's face. Sanji blushed heavily and looked away, Zoro's chuckle coming from above him.

“Let's get this over with,” Zoro said as he stepped out of the tub. Sanji stared after him, perplexed that Zoro could be so fearless and nonchalant about all of this. Then he turned and smiled at Sanji, his hand held out to the prince. Sanji smiled and let Zoro help him up.
-
Sanji turned and fixed the lapels on Zoro's jacket. Robin managed to put together a simple but elegant dark green overcoat with a low collar and mid waist length that really highlighted Zoro's muscular build. Zoro was clearly uncomfortable in it because he kept tugging at the fabric where it hugged him, but Sanji didn't doubt that the room would be enraptured by him.

“Are you ready?” Sanji asked. They were making an entrance together at the ball, which was not cleared with his father beforehand. It was likely to cause a scandal, honestly, but Sanji refused to let Zoro out of his sight. He didn't share Zoro's confidence that Judge wouldn't try to have him killed.

“I'm not going to embarrass you,” Zoro said as Sanji ran a hand through his hair.

“I don't even know why you would want to be a part of any of this,” Sanji said. He tugged on his own cuffs, the fabric swapped for a dark green in a last minute alteration by Robin. Sanji's blue outfit had elements of green and Zoro's had Sanji favor, the blue handkerchief he'd given to Zoro as a good luck charm, pinned in the breast pocket. Robin thought it helped present them as a pair.

“I don't want to be a part of any of this,” Zoro amended. “What I want is you and I'll endure any of this for that.”

Zoro leaned in to kiss him but Sanji put his hand over Zoro's mouth and kept him back. The guards at the door were openly staring at them and Sanji didn't want to give anyone a show to something so intimate.

“Announce us,” Sanji told one of them.

“How should I announce your--friend?” Sanji didn't miss the way the guard struggled to classify Zoro.

“You'll announce him for what he is. Roronoa Zoro, my newly betrothed.” The guard nodded his head and slipped into the room. Sanji heard the muffled trill as the guard blew his horn to get the room's attention. Sanji slipped his arm through Zoro's and turned to whisper, “just stay by my side tonight.”

Zoro didn't even have time to nod before the door opened to show the crowd parted inside. Sanji immediately pulled them both forward to enter the ball.

The eyes of the crowd were glued to them as they walked the length of the ball room. Zoro kept his gaze coolly ahead but Sanji was sure he could feel the way the people were staring at him. Sanji hadn't heard any rumors yet, commonfolk gossip to explain this mysterious knight with his mysterious proposal. But no one outside the royal family and a few trusted servants knew about Sanji's ill-fated love affair.

Sanji kept his eyes on the raised dais where his father and siblings were seated. Judge's face was red with fury, but as they got closer, Sanji saw him snap at a servant to get another chair. Judge wouldn't risk breaking propriety now by denying Zoro a place at the royal table. To do so would once more dishonor his promise of a wish for the victor and show that his son was doing things without his permission. But the rage in Judge's eyes promised retribution later.

Sanji's fingers tightened on Zoro's arm and Zoro turned to look at him. He studied Sanji's face before he must have made the connection between the king waiting for them and Sanji's expression. Sanji saw the anger settle onto Zoro's face with a grimace.

They reached the dais and Sanji pulled Zoro down into a bow, though Sanji felt the way Zoro fought him to do it. Then they ascended the steps and took their place at the royal table. Judge stared at him for several long seconds before he ordered the band to start playing again. Once the music began again, the crowd broke into smaller groupings, no doubt discussing today's gossip.

“We'll be discussing this little stunt later,” Judge growled.

“What stunt?” Sanji asked, playing coy. Judge slammed his palm onto the table making all of the Vinsmokes jump a little. Thankfully the band’s music was too loud for the guests to notice. But Zoro hadn’t flinched at all, obviously unimpressed by Judge’s display.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Judge said, “Parading your paramore around in here like a whore.”

“He’s not my paramore,” Sanji said. “I think you should remember a few hours ago where Zoro used his wish to ask for my hand in marriage. A wish that you promised as a prize. As such, we are too be wed. I thought it would be improper not to announce him as such.”

“There won’t be a wedding,” Judge told him. “The proposal was a sham and I am not throwing away months of planning so you can marry some commoner.”

“What exactly made my proposal a sham?” Zoro asked. The Vinsmokes turned to him, all shocked that he’d even have the courage to speak at this moment. But Zoro, always confident and calm, didn’t even look upset by the suggestion. “Because it serves no political advantage for you?”

“My sons are princes, even Sanji for how little he’s worth. That means that everything they do is in service to Germa. Especially securing political alliances via marriage.” Judge explained this like he was talking to a child. But Zoro?

Zoro just laughed, like he truly thought Judge’s line of thinking was a silly little joke. It was brazen and insulting, almost a little mad. Sanji’s hand gripped Zoro’s thigh in warning. Vinsmoke Judge was not a man to be pushed like this and this would all go much smoother if Zoro played along.

Even if Sanji knew that Zoro wasn’t that kind of man. Even if Sanji wouldn’t want Zoro if he were.

“Your sons are princes so you have three perfect other ones you can wed in Sanji’s place. Besides, think about what it suggests if you don’t need your least favorite son to be a pawn in your games. Germa is strong enough that the third prince can do whatever he likes and it doesn’t matter.” Sanji saw Reiju smile and even Yonji fought back a laugh.

“Name your price?” Judge said.

“My what?” Zoro asked, smile still on his lips.

“Every man has a price, I’m asking what’s yours. I know Sanji isn’t smart enough to realize that he’s being manipulated but I’m not letting a commoner infiltrate my family for gains. So name your price and be on your way.”

“Don’t talk about Sanji like that,” Zoro said. His voice was low and malicious. This wasn’t a joke at Judge’s expense anymore. Now Judge was insulting Sanji and Zoro made it clear that he would not be entertaining that. “I don’t care about you. I don’t care about your family. I don’t care about your kingdom. The only thing I care about is Sanji and I’d recommend not standing in my way.”

A shiver went down Sanji’s spine and at first he thought it was fear. Fear of the look in Zoro’s eyes, the promise of violence should Judge stand in his way. Fear that Sanji’s father would respond with misery in turn. The Vinsmokes were all shocked silent by the verbal volley, that someone would dare to speak to their malicious patriarch like that.

Which was when Sanji realized that his trousers were uncomfortably tight and the feeling he was experiencing was realigned into something else.

Before anyone could say anything else, Sanji grabbed Zoro’s hand and yanked him away from the table. He told his family that they were going to join the crowd dancing and nobody stopped them as Sanji pulled Zoro behind him. Sanji heard Zoro’s protest to dancing but he didn’t stop until they were within the throng of bodies. Sanji maneuvered Zoro’s arms around his waist and instructed him to follow Sanji’s lead.

“Stop being so combative,” Sanji told him. He kept his voice low to avoid being overheard. He could already catch wandering eyes all over them as they moved around the dance floor. “My father isn’t a man who tolerates disrespect, so if we just--”

“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Zoro asked. He reached up to cup Sanji’s cheek and Sanji felt frozen to the spot. “When he beat you senseless two years ago, what do you think you did to deserve that? Nothing, Curly. He did it because he’s a monster and he’s been using you as his punching bag. That ends now.”

“I’m trying to protect you,” Sanji shot back. “I’m trying to do everything I can to protect you. Please just let me.”

“I’m not trying to be a burden,” Zoro confessed. “I just get so furious knowing how he--”

“And I find that very romantic,” Sanji conceded. “But we have to play nice for now, even if we don’t want to.” Zoro nodded and Sanji smiled, Zoro’s thumb running along Sanji’s cheek.

“How long do we have to stay at this ball?” Zoro asked. “Because I’d like the opportunity to not play nice with you, if that’s okay.” Sanji chuckled and shook his head.

“I must be crazy to find you so attractive,” Sanji admitted. Zoro smirked and Sanji’s heart skipped a beat because the confident smile only made Zoro infinitely more handsome. Sanji stepped just bit closer as he spun them both in a circle.

“I think you like that I don’t treat you like some fragile nobility whose only purpose is to pop out heirs for the line. I know how strong and determined and passionate you are. I’m more likely to fight you than to kiss your ass.”

“I do like the way we fight,” Sanji said. He didn’t need to say that fighting and fucking were interchangeable words for them. The implication was clear. Sanji leaned forward so he could whisper in Zoro’s ear. “But maybe I’d like for you to kiss my ass sometime.”

“If you ask nicely,” Zoro teased. Zoro’s expression was as hungry as Sanji’s must have been and all Sanji wanted was to pull Zoro somewhere where they could be alone. Sanji knew he should still be angry but knowing Zoro still wanted him this much flipped a switch in Sanji that he thought was long dead. And it truthfully felt easier to deal with the physical stuff first and the emotional stuff could come later.

“Excuse me,” a familiar female voice said. Sanji pushed back from Zoro to find Pudding standing next to them. She looked embarrassed to be interrupting and Sanji saw several of the closer guests watching with intensity.

“Pudding,” Sanji said nervously. He gestured between her and Zoro, intending on making an introduction before the situation fully caught up to him. Just a few days ago, he and Pudding were discussing their own impending engagement and now Sanji was suddenly betrothed to someone else.

“Could I have the next dance?” Pudding asked.

“Of course.” Sanji directed for Zoro to go stand with the other champions. Zoro gave him a look, suggesting that Sanji didn’t have to do anything that he didn’t want to, but finally he walked away once Sanji reassured him.

Sanji turned back to Pudding and took her hand. They fell into their respective positions, leading and following, as they melded back into the flow of dancers. Pudding looked like she wanted to say something but was unsure of it.

“I'm sorry,” Sanji said.

“For what?” she asked. It was torture, having to confess to his slights against her like this, but honesty was the least he could do for her.

“I threw away our proposal without consideration for you. That was cruel of me.”

“Sanji, we were never formally engaged. You needn't have thought of me.”

“That's kind of you to say but we were discussing a future together just a few days ago. Then he showed up and I--”

“I can be cross with you for agreeing to his proposal so fast, if you want, but getting to marry for love is so rare for us. I'm not angry at you for taking the opportunity.”

“Who ever said I was in love with him?” Sanji asked. But he smiled and maybe that betrayed his protest.

“My own eyes,” Pudding said with a smile.

“He's an old love of mine,” Sanji explained. “I never thought I'd see him again but he competed in the tournament with the intent to win me back. I suppose, when it comes to him, I'm easily won.”

“How wonderful.” The song ended and they broke apart. Pudding curtsied and Sanji bowed. She turned to go but Sanji stopped her.

“If my father tries to pursue another marriage for you with one of my siblings, insist on Reiju. She's the only one of them I like.” Pudding laughed and Sanji thought it was pretty, a laugh anybody would be lucky to hear.

“Thank you for the advice, Sanji.”

She turned and left him, presumably to go back to her family. In return, Sanji went to find Zoro.
-
“That was exhausting,” Zoro said. He closed the door to Sanji's room and leaned back against it. Sanji sat on the edge of his bed and pulled off his dress boots.

“Get used to it,” Sanji joked. He started undoing the buttons on his jacket but stopped when he realized that Zoro was still by the door, quiet.

“Are you okay with me staying here tonight?”

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“Because I know this is all very fast and I don't want you to feel pressured into anything.”

“Fast was you fucking me in a tavern days after meeting me,” Sanji said. Zoro smiled but it was adoring as though the memory was one Zoro held dear.

Sanji stood and walked towards Zoro. He felt the way Zoro's lone eye traced the line of his body. His bare feet. His partially undone clothing. The messy state of his hair. Zoro's expression was hungry and Sanji let that guide him.

“Are you nervous?” Sanji asked, stopping to place his hands on the door, caging Zoro in.

“Are you?” Zoro countered. Sanji shrugged.

“Maybe. I haven't been with anyone since you. I might be rusty.” Zoro brought his hands up to settle on Sanji's hips and the simple touch felt electric. Sanji had to breathe deeply to contain his growing excitement.

“You could be the worst lay in the world and you'd still be perfect to me,” Zoro said. Zoro's fingers pulled teasingly at Sanji's shirt and Sanji gasped. Sanji's cock was already straining in his pants and all they'd done was flirt.

Sanji leaned forward to smash his lips against Zoro's. Zoro indulged him, letting Sanji pin him against the door with his hands and his mouth and his hips. Zoro's grip tightened, positioning Sanji so Zoro could grind their cocks together.

It felt so incredibly good, Zoro's hard length sliding against his. Sanji was aware that he was ending a two year dry spell and it had his stamina stretched taut. Zoro looking at him like he was the world was enough to force him to the edge.

“Nobody else in two years, huh?” Zoro asked, pulling back from Sanji's lips so he could kiss Sanji's cheeks and jaw.

“Found it kinda hard to trust anyone,” Sanji said.

“I'm sorry, baby.”

“What about you?” Sanji asked, wanting to move away from the current direction of the conversation. He just wanted to keep grinding his cock against Zoro's. Sentimental apologies might kill the mood.

“I was in a warzone. Who exactly do you think I would have been fucking?”

“Just your hand then?” Sanji asked. Zoro chuckled but the sound was so fucking sexy in Sanji's ear. Sanji's hands tightened in Zoro's jacket, vibrating with his laugh.

“And many nights thinking of you,” Zoro whispered. Sanji actually moaned at the tone of Zoro's voice. “Being inside of you is the greatest honor anyone has ever given me. I'll die happy knowing I always left you satisfied.”

In one swift move, Sanji stepped back so he could drop to his knees. He was panting, so eager for something, anything, everything more. Zoro could say all the sexy and romantic things he wanted. They mirrored how Sanji felt.

“Show me,” Sanji said.

“So fast to get on your knees, Prince.”

“Only for you, mosshead.”

Zoro had his pants undone in seconds and Sanji pulled them down while Zoro pulled his cock out. Sanji missed the damn thing almost as much as he missed Zoro. How many nights did he spend in total ecstasy because of how Zoro used it?

“Don't push yourself,” Zoro warned him. Sanji gave him the finger before he took hold of Zoro's cock. Zoro gasped out, already on cloud nine from Sanji just touching him. They both knew this was a speed race to the finish line, so desperate to finish together after their time apart.

Sanji placed a few kisses and licks to the shaft, the salty taste suddenly so familiar. Zoro was groaning above him and Sanji risked looking up at him. He wasn't looking at Sanji, clearly fighting to maintain his self control. But Sanji just wanted him to come apart so he put the head between his lips and sucked.

“Fuck,” Zoro hissed, his hips snapping involuntarily. Sanji started bobbing his head, lips slipping a little more down the shaft every time. Zoro's cock was leaking, a sign that he wouldn't last too much longer. Sanji doubled his efforts, moaning around Zoro's cock in a way Sanji remembered him liking.

Zoro's hand fisted in Sanji’s hair, a little too hard but Sanji let it slide. This felt too good, even for him, given their two years apart. Sanji’s cock was throbbing just knowing that Zoro felt this good.

“I'm gonna come if you don't stop,” Zoro warned. Sanji didn't need to be told. It was obvious in the frantic way Zoro was thrusting his hips, desperate for the warm heat of Sanji’s mouth. Sanji just continued his motions but he looked up to meet Zoro's hot gaze.

Sanji could only imagine how he must look, blissed out with Zoro's cock sliding between his lips with a mix of saliva and pre-come. Evidently the sight was too much for Zoro, because, with a roar, he held Sanji's head in place and thrust his cock in deep, spilling heavy into Sanji's mouth.

Sanji's eyes slid closed, his own arousal dangerously high as Zoro rode out his orgasm in Sanji's mouth. As crazy as it sounded, Sanji had never felt so desired. It was undeniable that Zoro was attracted and in love with him. That fact made Sanji feel sexy.

Sanji swallowed and pulled Zoro's soft cock from his mouth. Zoro was panting but he smiled. Sanji smiled back as Zoro offered him a hand.

“Please let me know what I can do to repay that,” Zoro said as Sanji got to his feet.

“You liked it?” Sanji asked, voice a little hoarse.

“Getting sucked off by the love of my life? Who wouldn't like that?” Sanji laughed and then led Zoro to his bed. He pushed Zoro onto the bed and then crawled on top of him. Zoro was quick to start rubbing Sanji through his pants and Sanji rolled his hips into it.

“Zoro,” Sanji moaned, hips stuttering as Zoro slipped a hand into Sanji’s undergarments to stroke him in earnest.

“God, your face,” Zoro said. “Pleasure looks so good on you, Curly.” Zoro leaned forward to kiss Sanji's throat, teeth and tongue and lip somehow moving in perfect tandem with his hand on Sanji's cock.

It was good. So good. No, it was better. It was fucking incredible. Zoro seemed to understand Sanji's body with just his hand and Sanji told him how it felt, his words a high whine of praise as Zoro jerked him to completion.

Sanji slumped against Zoro as his orgasm faded, his entire body suddenly overcome with exhaustion. It had been far too long, for the both of them, and the day had been tiring as it was.

Sanji leaned back, intent on getting ready for bed. But he stopped when he saw Zoro looking at him. Sanji suddenly felt embarrassed. Maybe he'd done something wrong?

“Sorry,” Zoro whispered. “I'm just so fucking in love with you.”

“You're such a sap,” Sanji joked.

“You love me.”

“I do. I always have.”

Zoro smiled and Sanji felt the love like an overwhelming weight in his chest. How could Sanji ever have pretended to be happy with anyone else?
-
The next several days were a blur of wedding preparations, discussions of dinners, and tailoring sessions with Robin. As it turned out, the royals were fond of a tale of romance and many of them expressed being invested in the sudden proposal to Sanji. Evidently Pudding herself made it very clear that she wanted to stay and watch Prince Sanji's wedding.

Judge found it hard to reasonably deny his political allies the tale of true love they clamored for.

So Sanji followed Zoro to various lessons and training for a crash course in all of the things he would need to know as a knight and Prince Consort of Germa. Then Zoro followed Sanji along to his fittings and to food tastings and other various wedding planning. Zoro made it very clear that he thought it was all an unnecessary bore, but Sanji liked watching the annoyed expression fall onto his face.

And at night, it was like old times as though they were never separated. Zoro ran his hands and his lips over every inch of Sanji he could and Sanji happily coaxed Zoro's body into his own. Two bodies made one, this time in the silk sheets befitting Sanji's station instead of the darkness of a lone tavern. But just as sweet and lovely all the same.

Sanji asked Zoro questions about the rebellion and his experiences with the war. Zoro was hesitant to talk about it, all the death and blood and misery he saw. He warned Sanji that it was too dark of a topic for their time together, but eventually he caved with enough coaxing from Sanji that they shared everything together now.

For levity, they also discussed their future and all the things they wanted to do. Mostly Zoro joked about all the ways that he wanted to fuck Sanji to make up for lost time, but he also confessed to Sanji that he'd like to travel and maybe even someday, have a family.

They talked about the night Zoro left and how it all made Sanji feel. Sanji could see the anguish on Zoro's face for having caused Sanji so much pain. It didn't completely heal the wound, Sanji already promised Zoro that he'd have to work to fully make that up, but it helped. Zoro hadn't just left him because he didn't care. Sanji knew Zoro's reasons had just mattered a bit more under the circumstances and Sanji understood.

“I knew a letter would be insufficient, but I thought it was better than nothing,” Zoro told him.

“But you didn't leave a letter,” Sanji said. Zoro stared at him confused.

“I did. It certainly wasn't elegant but I pinned it to the tree at the meeting spot.”

“There was no letter,” Sanji said. A letter would have still hurt but infinitely less so than nothing.

“I explained where I was going and left instructions for where you could find me. When you didn't show, I just assumed you were upset with me for leaving anyway.”

“There was no letter,” Sanji repeated.

“What do you think happened to it?” Zoro asked, but Sanji knew, from the moment he first heard about the letter. He already knew.

“My father knew where I was. I waited all night and in the morning, he strode up to rub my face in it. I didn't even think to question how he knew.”

“That fucking bastard,” Zoro growled.

Sanji sat up and curled his knees up to his chest. What did he ever do to deserve such unbridled hatred? Two years Sanji spent as a shell of himself, devastated by his heartbreak, and his father just watched him suffer knowing that he could have eased it in at least some way.

He just chose not too.

Zoro sat up and pulled Sanji to him, his arms fitting so well around Sanji's waist. He placed gossamer kisses to Sanji's shoulder and neck. Sanji relaxed in the embrace because the one person alive who loved him unconditionally was here.

“I'm here now,” Zoro whispered, echoing Sanji's own thoughts. “And I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore. Myself included.”

“I believe you.”

“I know that you're strong and capable, Curly, but I want to treasure you and protect you.”

“Can we still fight?” Sanji asked. Zoro chuckled.

“God, yes. I wouldn't have it any other way.”
-
On the morning of their wedding, Sanji was happily cuddled against Zoro's side when he woke up to someone calling his name. He thought it was Zoro at first, his sleepy brain not fully registering the different tone. Sanji just told the voice to leave him alone as he tucked his face into Zoro's neck.

“Sanji!” The voice was louder now but not angry. And this time Sanji definitely recognized it as one of his brothers. He jolted up to see Yonji standing at the foot of the bed, staring at them with amusement.

“You couldn't knock?” Sanji asked. He pulled the comforter closer around both himself and Zoro, though thankfully nothing too intimate had been showing. But Sanji still blushed regardless because they were most definitely in the nude.

“I did. You didn't answer.”

“What do you want, Yonji?” At this point, Zoro sat up, blinking the sleep from his eye with a yawn. Then, because he wasn't a person who knew any shame, Zoro got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Sanji resisted the urge to bury his face in his blanket.

“Dad wants to talk to you,” Yonji said with a smile. He clearly found Sanji's embarrassment very funny.

“About what? I have a busy day today.” Yonji shrugged.

“He didn't say, but it's probably related if I had to guess.” Sanji just sighed as Zoro came out of the bathroom, graciously wrapped in Sanji's royal blue robe. Sanji shot him a glare but Zoro just smirked.

“Tell him that we'll be there in a minute.”

“You know he won't like that,” Yonji warned. Sanji just looked his younger brother in the eye.

“I really don't give a damn,” Sanji said. Yonji shrugged and then left, the door closing with a surprising gentleness. Sanji got out of the bed as Zoro came over to him. He slipped his arms around Sanji before Sanji could make it to the bathroom to get himself dressed.

“Your father thinks you're a mouse,” Zoro said. Sanji met Zoro's eye, waiting for him to continue. “But you're the fox, Curly. Clever and quick and resilient. Show him the fox.”

Sanji nodded and presented his cheek to Zoro for Zoro to kiss. Then he tightened his hands in the front of the robe.

“Now take off my robe before you stretch it out,” Sanji said.

“Make me,” Zoro responded. Sanji just laughed and pushed the robe from Zoro's shoulders. And if Vinsmoke Judge had to wait an extra twenty minutes for Sanji to be done, then so be it.
-
“You asked for me?” Sanji said as he strode into his father's study.

“Almost an hour ago, boy.”

“Apologies. I was occupied.”

“Don't play coy with me. I've heard the servants talking about the kind of debauchery you and that man get up to.”

“I don't think you can call it debauchery if that man and I are soon to be wed. In a matter of hours, in fact.” Judge slammed his fist onto his desk and Sanji was so proud of himself for not flinching. Judge could throw whatever tantrums he wanted, but Sanji knew that not even his father was mighty enough to keep Zoro away.

“After your wedding, you and your groom will tour through our allied countries. You'll make sure to be seen and be gracious to your hosts.”

“Why?” Sanji asked.

“Because those noble fools are idiots who are distracted by something as frivolous as your new engagement. To play nice, you will take a nice honeymoon to their kingdoms. And frankly, I don't want to have to look at you.”

Honestly, Sanji couldn't complain. Being away from this place, with just Zoro as company, for a few weeks actually sounded quite nice.

“You found a way to use this to your advantage,” Sanji said. Judge waved him away in clear dismissal but now that Sanji was standing in front of his father, there were things he needed to say. So, steeling his nerves, wishing Zoro was beside him instead of standing guard at the door, Sanji said, “why did you hide his letter?”

“I'm done talking with you now.”

“What could you possibly gain from keeping it from me?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Actually,” Sanji said, the words tumbling from his mouth freely now, “I'm surprised you don't want to rub it in. Did you enjoy knowing you played a part in making me utterly miserable these last two years?”

Judge finally looked at him and a weaker man would have crumbled under the disdain in his expression. Judge had been making Sanji miserable his whole life, long before Zoro was ever part of the equation.

“Don't flatter yourself,” Judge said. “I don't spare you that much thought, Sanji.” Sanji just nodded.

“From this day forward, that'll be mutual, Judge.” Sanji turned on his heel and walked towards the door. He stopped and turned back to his father. “And I've decided to take Zoro's last name so you won't have to worry about my being a Vinsmoke either.”

Sanji went through the door without another word. Zoro turned to him and Sanji smiled. Sanji took Zoro's hand and pulled him away from the study, to begin their respective preparations for the wedding day.
-
Sanji struggled to light his cigarette several times before Reiju pulled the lighter out of his hand. She flicked it on the first try and held the flame towards Sanji. He put the cigarette in its path and took a deep breath.

He wasn't nervous per say. He knew that he wanted to marry Zoro. That felt right and perfect, but Sanji was still nervous about the spectacle of it. He could have wed Zoro in their room for all a big ceremony mattered to him. This was a big show for other people and Sanji couldn't help worrying about something going terribly wrong.

But he was getting married to Zoro so he couldn't find any reason to verbalize his concerns.

“Stop fidgeting,” Reiju scolded. She was waiting with him while their guests filled the chapel. Zoro was busy getting into his armor, which had been polished for the occasion. Zoro would be waiting to walk with him into the ceremony but they were separated for now.

Reiju looked like she wanted to say something as she looked at Sanji. She came over and started fiddling with the buttons of his jacket and cuffs. Sanji just waited.

“You look so much like Mom,” Reiju finally said. Sanji straightened, the words like a shot right through him. So rarely did any of them talk about their mother, her presence like a ghost over them. But Sanji knew Reiju must have thought about her as much as Sanji did.

“Do you think she'd be proud of me?” Sanji asked, choking on the words as they came out. Reiju cupped Sanji's cheeks.

“She adored you. And I suspect she'd adore Zoro too.”

Sanji blinked back the tears in his eyes just as the door opened. Sanji looked up to see Zoro standing there, looking like the most beautiful thing Sanji had ever seen in his shining white armor and a red cape to match Sanji's suit accents. God, he was everything Sanji had ever wanted.

“I'll go check if everything is ready,” Reiju said. Sanji just nodded and Reiju smiled at Zoro as she passed by him on her way out. Zoro hadn't been able to pull his eye away from Sanji.

“Well?” Sanji said with a sigh. He took a final puff on his cigarette and then put it out. He raised his eyebrow playfully at Zoro. “Nothing but moss in your brains?”

“I'm the luckiest man that's ever been,” Zoro said. “Fuck, Sanji. You look incredible.”

“You don't have to flatter me. I already said yes, remember?”

“I want to flatter you,” Zoro said as he stepped closer. He slipped his arms around Sanji and pulled him close. “I was given a mouth so I could flatter you.”

“I bet you say that to all the pretty blondes,” Sanji teased, feeling breathless with how much he loved this man.

“There are no other pretty blondes,” Zoro tested.

“You're not going to get sick of me?”

“Impossible.”

“Good answer.” Zoro smiled, finding Sanji's bratty side cute. Sanji smiled in return. Zoro leaned forward and kissed Sanji and this felt like their own private I do's. A commitment between the two of them, only for the two of them.

Someone knocked on the door and Zoro pulled back. Sanji looked over his shoulder to see a servant telling them that it was time to go. Zoro offered Sanji his arm and Sanji took it, looping their arms together.

They walked the short distance to the chapel and stood side by side. Sanji could hear that music from within as the guards prepared to open the door. Sanji took a deep breath and nodded to the guards.

They pushed the doors open and Sanji pulled Zoro along with him. The chapel was bursting with people all here to celebrate their big day but Sanji felt detached from most of the onlookers. He saw a few who mattered to him, the house help that he liked and Pudding with her family, but otherwise the most important person was standing beside him, feet marching in time with his own.

They reached the raised dais at the front of the chapel. The vinsmoke family were seated in their honored position to the left of the main altar, but still raised above everyone else.

Zoro stopped at the steps and Sanji walked up them alone. A servant waited with the ceremonial sword and a pin laying on a velvet pillow. Sanji's fingers shook as he picked up the pin and then the sword. He turned to see Zoro kneeling at the bottom of the steps, his lone eye trained only on Sanji.

“Roronoa Zoro, do you pledge yourself to the wishes and service of Germa?” Sanji called out, reciting the pledge he was taught by the royal scholar. “Do you pledge yourself as my knight, willing to give your life to my wishes and my service?’

“I pledge myself as a knight to the third prince,” Zoro said. It was technically a faux pas, to only acknowledge the second half of his knight's pledge. But the blatant disregard for decorum and status was one of the many things that Sanji had always loved about him.

Sanji fought to keep the smile off of his face as he lowered the tip of the sword to Zoro's left shoulder and then his right.

“In honor of your promises here today, I bestow upon you the title of my knight,” Sanji said. He motioned for Zoro to stand and he applied the pin to the epaulets of his cape. Then Sanji laid his hand out for Zoro to take.

Zoro shot him a quick smile before he took Sanji's hand. They ascended the stairs together, stopping only at the top before the altar. They both kneeled down as the officiate approached, raising their still clasped hands.

The officiate said the vows in an old tongue as he wrapped an old white cloth around their bound hands. Symbolic for their now bound together futures, the officiate had Sanji and Zoro repeat several vows as the ceremony progressed.

“I vow to treasure you, to honor you, to remain loyal to you so long as you'll have me,” Zoro said, turning to face Sanji.

“In return, I vow to treasure you, to honor you, to remain loyal to you so long as you'll have me,” Sanji repeated back to him.

“Allow me to serve as your husband for the remainder of my life,” Zoro said.

“I can think of no one better,” Sanji answered. “And allow me to be your loving prince for the rest of mine.”

“The best of the best,” Zoro said. The officiate brought their attention back to the vows they were supposed to be saying. They finished the rest of the scripted vows with only smiles and laughs directed to the other.

They finished their vows and the officiate prompted them to stand. The officiate unbound their hands and handed them both a small cup of wine. Sanji raised his to Zoro's lips and tipped it enough that Zoro could take a sip. Then Zoro did the same, his cup against Sanji's lips as he drank. Symbolic of their commitment to serve and nurture each other.

The officiate took the cups from them, said a few final vows in the old language, and then declared Sanji and Zoro wed. Before the words were out of the officiate's mouth, Zoro had slipped a gloved hand around Sanji's waist and pulled him in for a kiss.

The room erupted with cheers and Sanji pulled back to stare at Zoro, his long lost lover who had returned to marry him. It felt impossible but perfect and Sanji felt lucky to have him. Zoro smiled back at him and Sanji suspected that Zoro was feeling the same cacophony of joyous emotions.

“I love you,” Zoro said as he and Sanji descended the dais stairs. “Can't wait to get into some trouble.”

“You're going to be a pain in my ass,” Sanji said with a chuckle. Zoro's eye was mischievous as the hand on Sanji's waist slid just a fraction lower.

“Oh, I fully intend to be that,” Zoro said.

“You're a pervert,” Sanji said. “Now go take off your armor so we can attend the ceremony.”

“Hopefully that won't last long.”

“Got other plans?” Sanji asked.

“Going to make love to my new husband, the third prince.”

“Once the alcohol and food start settling, I'm sure no one would notice if we disappeared early.”

“Deal,” Zoro said. Sanji turned and smiled at him.
-
The long hallway was dark and quiet, the only sound their footsteps as Sanji led Zoro away from the ceremony hall. Sanji had been right. After an appropriate amount of time, in which Sanji introduced Zoro to various lords and ladies, the guests were so entranced by the party that they didn't notice when the newlyweds slipped away.

Zoro took a sip of his bottle as Sanji pulled him along, pointing to the various darkened portraits on the walls. The many different Vinsmoke ancestors memorialized with oil and canvas.

Sanji stopped before a rather large portrait of a blonde woman. Even in the darkness, her hair and smile lit up the painting with their loveliness. Zoro glanced between Sanji and the portrait, clearly guessing the familial connection.

“My mother,” Sanji said.

“You've got her looks.” Sanji smiled.

“She was very beautiful,” he agreed.

“Yeah she was,” Sanji said. He was looking at the painting with such sad eyes and Zoro approached him to slip an arm around Sanji's waist. Sanji just held onto him, allowing Zoro's presence to ground him. Zoro had changed into a simple jacket and pants and the velvet material was so soft under Sanji's fingers.

“I wish she could have been there today,” Zoro said, echoing the sentiment that Sanji was feeling deep down. Sanji just nodded.

“I think she'd have liked you,” Sanji said. “Well, maybe not for the last two years, but I think she would have loved that I love you.”

“Yeah, you think she'd like her favorite son being with such a rogue?”

“You give yourself too much credit,” Sanji teased. “You're nothing more than a nuisance, at best.”

Zoro turned Sanji's face to his in the moonlight and kissed him. Sanji could taste the alcohol on Zoro's tongue and Sanji felt like he could get drunk off of it. Zoro's hands were firmly grasping Sanji's hips and Sanji knew the direction their night was about to take.

“Not here,” Sanji said, obviously not wanting to get freaky in front of his mother's portrait.

“Closest empty room,” Zoro ordered.

“Our room isn't that far,”

“Too far,” Zoro said, his lips leaving a trail from Sanji's mouth to his ear and moving south. Sanji grabbed his cheeks to bring his mouth back to Sanji's.

“Throne room,” Sanji whispered against Zoro's lips.

“Will it be empty?”

“Should be.” Sanji turned away so he could pull Zoro along after him. They didn't pass anyone other than a random guard or servant as they walked to the large throne room. Luckily no one paid them any mind.

Sanji opened the door to the throne room and squinted into the darkness. He was listening to make sure no guards were inside the room. Zoro didn't seem to care because he nudged Sanji inside the room. Sanji turned around to say something unbecoming of his station when Zoro spun him around and pinned him against the now closed door.

“Careful,” Sanji chided.

“No,” Zoro said. Sanji put his hand over Zoro's mouth and in seconds felt Zoro's hot tongue pressed against his palm. Sanji jerked his hand back and Zoro laughed. This was how they used to be, playful and teasing. It was a natural rhythm for them and knowing that this was Sanji's future made him impossibly happy.

And impossibly hard.

“You haven't grown up at all.” Zoro grabbed Sanji's hand and brought it to the front of his pants, rubbing Sanji's palm across his hard, clothed cock.

“I don't know,” Zoro teased, smiling at the way Sanji panted with want. “Parts of me have grown.”

“This is supposed to be the most romantic day of my life and your speaking filth like a common whore.”

Zoro looked at Sanji's face before he dropped Sanji's hand so he could instead circle Sanji's waist. Before Sanji could protest, Zoro lifted him up and pinned him back against the door, harder, leaving Sanji no other option than to hug his thighs to Zoro's hips. He was still somehow holding the beer bottle he'd come in here with.

“If you don't think this is the happiest moment of my life, then let me reassure you,” Zoro whispered, his lips centimeters from Sanji's in the dark. “I've been dreaming about this day for two years and it's everything I wanted.”

“Me too,” Sanji whispered back.

“But thinking about the fact that I get to call you my husband, that I'll get to wake up tomorrow with you as my husband, has me so turned on that I'm going to fuck you until sun up.”

Sanji just nodded because fuck, he wanted that too. Zoro must have felt the shake of Sanji's head because he leaned forward and kissed Sanji, his tongue quick to seek out Sanji's. Zoro used their current positions to grind his hips up into Sanji's, causing Sanji to cry out in pleasure.

Sanji attempted to grind his hips back, desperate for more friction, but the movement caused his back to slip against the door. Luckily Zoro was able to catch him before he did anything other than slide a few inches, but Sanji couldn't stop the blush from the yelp he let out.

“The hall of my ancestors and we're about to have sex like clumsy teens,” Sanji said. Zoro set him back on the ground and turned to look behind him. Sanji didn't need to see what Zoro was looking at to follow his husband's train of thought.

“No,” Sanji said before Zoro even turned around with a smile. “Zoro, no.”

“Zoro and Sanji, yes,” Zoro said. He took Sanji’s hand and pulled him toward the throne.

“Generations of Vinsmokes have sat on that throne to govern this kingdom. We cannot have sex on it,” Sanji said, not really struggling as Zoro pulled him up the dais stairs.

“Have you ever sat in it before?” Zoro asked. They reached the top of the steps and Zoro maneuvered so he could push Sanji down. Sanji's knees hit the edge of the throne and he had no choice but to sink into it.

“Not since I was a kid, playing around in here,” Sanji admitted. The throne feeling every bit as large as it did to him as a child. Zoro put down his bottle of alcohol and walked around the chair, leaving Sanji to gaze out at the empty throne room.

“Ever thought of being king?” Zoro asked from somewhere over Sanji's right shoulder.

“All of my siblings and my father would have to be dead for me to inherit. And maybe not even then. Besides, it's not something I've ever wanted anyway.” Zoro finally reappeared, coming from Sanji's right until he was standing in front of Sanji again. Sanji just looked up at him, curious about what little game Zoro would play next.

With a smirk, Zoro dropped to his knees before the throne, bringing his hands up to grasp at the fabric covering Sanji's thighs. Sanji gasped out in anticipation and Zoro's smile widened.

“I've always wanted to fuck a king,” Zoro said.

“I'll pretend if it means you'll put my cock in your mouth,” Sanji said.

“If that's what you want, Your Majesty.” Zoro started undoing Sanji's pants with a deliberate slowness that had Sanji practically quaking. Sanji's head dropped back against the throne with an audible thud.

“Moss, please.”

“I'm just a lowly commoner. What would I know about pleasing a king?” Zoro said, his deadpan tone enough to indicate that he was clearly joking. He and Sanji both knew that he was plenty good at pleasing. But his hands were still undoing the laces on Sanji's dress pants and Sanji felt like he was going crazy.

“Don't think you can call yourself a commoner when you've just been knighted,” Sanji said, a keen whine audible in the quiet room as the pressure around his cock finally loosened when Zoro tugged it free from his pants. The floor to ceiling windows allowed plenty of moonlight and Sanji bit back a moan at the sight of Zoro kneeling before the throne, Sanji's hard cock in his hand.

“Does it ruin the role playing if I'm not familiar with the kingdom hierarchy?” Zoro said, stroking in a similarly slow manner to how he undid Sanji's pants.

“I swear to God--” Sanji started, but before he could get another word out, Zoro smiled again and fit the head of Sanji's cock in his mouth. Sanji's swearing switched to loud moaning, increasing with every inch down his shaft that Zoro went.

And Sanji would have to pardon his language, but Zoro just knew how to suck him in a way Sanji really liked. Sanji wasn't sure if Zoro was just really practiced overall or if his mouth was just made for Sanji. The way he sucked on the head. The way his tongue lavished Sanji's shaft as his throat swallowed the tip. The pleasure was indescribable, hot and wet and somehow indicative of the fondness Zoro felt for him.

Sanji adjusted one of his legs, ankle planted against the throne's leg, so he could thrust his hips up. The movement caught them both a little by surprise, the action more forceful than Sanji intended given the new leverage. But Zoro took it in stride, his lone eye looking up at Sanji with mirth.

Sanji was aware that an incoherent string of praises, insults, and Zoro's name were flowing from his lips as he bucked helplessly into Zoro's mouth. Zoro just let him, satisfied to be doing his part to get Sanji off so intensely, his arousal reaching its own fever pitch with Sanji's.

“Wait--Zoro, I can't yet--” Zoro continued, thinking these phrases were just Sanji's usual pre-orgasm ramblings so Sanji fisted a hand, not gently, in Zoro's hair and pulled. Zoro finally pulled off Sanji's cock and licked his lips, looking every bit the handsome rogue who swept Sanji off his feet like a romance novel.

“What's wrong?” Zoro asked, voice slightly gruff.

“In Germa customs, marriages aren't finalized until they're consummated,” Sanji said with a very pretty blush on his cheeks. Zoro just stared, blank faced, as Sanji continued. “So we should make sure to copulate properly. To honor traditions, of course.”

“Of course,” Zoro echoed. He stood up and, in a move that was impressively fast compared to his earlier teasing slowness, yanked Sanji's pants off of him. Sanji yelped and Zoro started undoing his own pants, obviously eager to copulate properly. Sanji's fingers shook as he undid his jacket and then his shirt, not bothering to remove the fabric entirely. Zoro didn't even bother with his jacket as it hung down beyond his waist. The look suggested something quickly done which Sanji supposed was accurate.

Zoro braced his knee on the seat cushion and hoisted Sanji's hips up. Sanji gripped onto his shoulders and Zoro maneuvered them in a position similar to how he had Sanji against the throne room door. Except this time, his back was aligned with the throne's high back.

“Like this?” Zoro asked, checking in as his cock brushed against Sanji's bare cheeks.

“You're not going to prepare me first?”

“My cock was in you this morning. Do you think it's necessary?”

“No,” Sanji admittedly sheepishly. “Maybe I just like it.”

“Then I promise to get you off with my fingers later,” Zoro said. His cock head was already pressed to Sanji's entrance and every one of Sanji's pants were swallowed by Zoro's own. He wanted this, their first fuck as a couple, in this room of all places. Sanji could feel Zoro's body trembling with the desire.

“Do you think my ancestors are watching?” Sanji asked, his last vestiges of protest leaking from his lips. He wanted Zoro far more than he wanted to please any ancient disapproving Vinsmoke relative, but the propriety was hard to entirely shake off.

“Do you give a fuck what they think?”

“Not really,” Sanji said.

“Then let them watch me fuck you like we're solely trying to continue the bloodline.” Sanji burst into laughter but it was short lived as Zoro, with one strong thrust, sheathed his cock deep inside Sanji.

“Fuck,” Sanji moaned out because the position was good. Really good. He could feel Zoro's hips pressed against his, his cock so impossibly deep that Sanji swore he could feel it in his throat. Zoro didn't even really need to move because his length was stuffed so fully against Sanji's insides that his prostate was not missed.

But fuck--fuck all of his ancestors and everyone else's too--it felt incredible when Zoro did move. The slow rolls of his hips evolving into fast thrusts, Zoro never bothering to pull all the way out before he slammed back in. And the cacophony of sounds Sanji made, a combination of moans, Zoro's name, and other praises, echoed loudly in the quiet throne room.

“They're going to hear you in the ballroom with how loud you are,” Zoro teased. As if to emphasize his point, his cock collided against Sanji's sweet spot and Sanji howled in pleasure. Sanji, to his embarrassment, was always quite vocal during sex which he knew Zoro loved. But something about the context, Zoro fucking him as his husband for the first time, loosened any restraint on Sanji's mouth.

“Fuck them,” Sanji gasped out. Zoro leaned forward and sucked on Sanji's neck, the intensity of the pleasure causing Sanji's eyes to roll into the back of his head for a second. How Zoro could manage to move both his cock and his mouth with such precision at the same time, Sanji would never know. He was both jealous and terribly aroused by it.

“Fuck me,” Sanji said.

“Do you want it harder, baby?” Zoro asked. Sanji just nodded because wanting it harder was an understatement. He wanted Zoro to fuck him so good that his aforementioned ancestors felt it, felt how good Zoro was to him.

Zoro shifted, pulling Sanji flush against him as he planted both knees on the throne's seat cushion. They were occupying space designed for one so Zoro arranged Sanji's limbs until Sanji was wrapped around him, fully supported by Zoro's strength as Zoro continued fucking up into him.

Sanji rested his head on Zoro's shoulder, his eyes struggling to stay open as the intense pleasure wreaked havoc on his body. In between fast blinks, Sanji's eyes locked onto Zoro's three earrings, rocking with the movement of their bodies.

“Can I have one of these?” Sanji asked.

“One of what?” Zoro grunted out, his voice strained with the effort of his love making.

“One of these,” Sanji clarified, blowing his breath against the earrings so they moved more aggressively. Sanji felt the whole body shiver go through Zoro, so Sanji did it again with more gusto.

“Fuck, Curly,” Zoro said.

“I didn't know your ears were so sensitive.” As if he needed more empirical evidence of the fact, Sanji leaned forward and bit down gently on the lobe, his tongue flicking out to lick. Zoro's whole rhythm stuttered as he braced a hand on the back of the throne. Sanji smiled happily.

“Why do you want one of my earrings?” Zoro asked.

“So people can look at me and know that I'm yours.” Zoro started up again, this time much more frantic as his own orgasm began to build. “So people will know that you're the only person who has been inside me.”

“Fuck, Sanji.” Sanji's hands clawed at Zoro's back as his pleasure kept building and building.

“Zoro, I'm gonna--”

“Yeah, me too.”

Sanji felt it the next moment when Zoro spilled, hot and heavy into the greedy crevice of Sanji's body. He grunted out, disjointed variations of Sanji's name, as his hips rocked through it. He pulled Sanji's hair so Sanji had to tilt his head back and Zoro's lips felt feverish against his neck. It was so erotic in its neediness that Sanji came within seconds, coating the jacket that Zoro had neglected to remove earlier.

They stayed like that for several long minutes, panting, as Zoro's cock softened inside of Sanji. Sanji looked over Zoro's shoulder across the empty throne room, imagining for a single second that he was a king holding court. Zoro's love and incredible sex clearly made him crazy.

“Zoro,” Sanji said, smiling when Zoro tilted his face to look at him. “Let's go back to the room.”

“Yeah, I'll be good to go again in a few minutes.”

“I meant so we could clean up,” Sanji chided. Zoro pulled out of him and stood up, offering his hand to Sanji. Sanji took it and got onto his feet, his legs trembling a little with the effort. He was just turning to grab his pants when he saw a revealing stain on the throne seat cushion. He yelped and smacked Zoro's arm to get his attention.

“Is that from me or you?” Zoro asked.

“Does it matter?” Sanji said. Zoro shrugged and undid his jacket. He pulled the fabric off of his arms and used it to wipe up the semen. Sanji gave him a disgusted expression and Zoro rolled his eye.

“You already ruined the jacket.”

“You already ruined it!” Sanji corrected. “By not taking it off beforehand!”

“Stop shouting unless you want someone to find us, in here, half naked, with my cum on your leg.” Sanji smacked his arm again even if he was right. Zoro held out his thoroughly ruined jacket and Sanji used it to wipe himself down as Zoro got dressed. As Sanji was buttoning up his shirt, his pants already on and laced, Zoro scooped him up in a bridal carry.

“To our room,” Zoro said.

“For bathing,” Sanji said. Zoro just smirked.
-
Later, after a bath and Zoro fucking him against the tub's hard edge, Sanji sat on the edge of their bed with his head tilted to the right. His left ear was exposed and Zoro pressed a warm towel to it.

“Are you sure about this?” Zoro asked.

“I'm sure,” Sanji guaranteed him. Zoro's earring, the highest of the ones he normally wore, was resting in Sanji's hand, its temporary home before it found its way into Sanji's ear. The needle which Sanji had requested a servant to boil in hot water was in Zoro's other hand.

“Is it going to hurt?” Sanji asked.

“Only for a second,” Zoro reassured him. He took the towel away from Sanji's ear before he leaned forward to kiss the junction between Sanji's neck and shoulder. “You ready?”

Sanji just nodded. Zoro gave him a count of three before he plunged the needle in. Sanji's eyes slammed shut at the sudden pain and Zoro asked for the earring. Sanji held it up with shaking fingers. Zoro didn't comment on it, just took the offered earring and pushed it through the newly made hole. Then he used the towel to wipe up any blood and apply pressure to the new wound.

“There you are,” Zoro said. Sanji opened his eyes and turned to Zoro. Zoro was smiling, the upturn of his mouth conveying more love and affection than words ever could. Sanji felt a little dizzy from it. And possibly from the miniscule blood loss.

“How does it look?” Sanji asked. He could feel the weight pulling on his lobe, the brush of the earring as it grazed his neck with every movement.

“Beautiful, of course.” Sanji blushed and Zoro took hold of his chin so he could tilt Sanji's face towards his. Sanji went willingly, meeting Zoro's lips with his own. His hand found Zoro's ear, running the two remaining earrings through his fingers.

“I'm yours,” Sanji whispered against Zoro's lips.

“You're my prince,” Zoro whispered back. “And I'm yours.”
-
“Moss, no more,” Sanji begged.

“You can keep going.”

“I can't,” Sanji said, struggling to get the lungfuls of air that he needed. He pushed his hair up to wipe the sweat off of his face and Zoro smirked.

“We go round after round every night. I know you can do more,” Zoro taunted. “Just one more.”

“No, one more means ten more for you.”

“You asked for this, remember?” Sanji looked up at Zoro with an annoyed expression because Zoro was right but Sanji didn’t want to admit it. He had asked for Zoro to give him fitness and fighting lessons, his own education in the area lacking due to his status as least liked third son.

And Zoro, given his knowledge and experience, was a difficult trainer for Sanji. Zoro was all muscle and dedication which was great when he was fucking Sanji senseless. It made him a brutal tutor when it came to sparring.

Sanji laid out on the wooden floor, pouting when Zoro urged him to stand up. Zoro put his hand out and Sanji took it, yanking on Zoro to try and pull him down. Unfortunately his bulk was too much for Sanji's upper body strength, but Zoro went anyway, kneeling between Sanji's legs.

“You're begging me to fuck you on this floor,” Zoro said.

“I am not!” Sanji protested but he smiled when Zoro’s hand found his waist. Zoro was just leaning forward to kiss him when the door to the room opened. They pulled apart and looked over at Yonji.

“Sorry,” he said, recognizing that he was interrupting something.

“It's okay. We were just finishing anyway” Sanji said. He took Zoro's hand and pulled them both to their feet. His hips hurt something fierce with the daily sparring and intense lovemaking. He'd have to get used to it, he supposed.

“Actually,” Yonji said, looking a bit sheepish. It was an unusual expression for Sanji to see on his younger brother. “I was going to ask if Zoro would spar with me.”

“Oh,” Sanji said. That was certainly a surprising request.

“He's obviously talented and I'm getting too good for my current tutor. Reiju said you guys have been training so I figured I'd ask.” Zoro looked at Sanji like he was asking for permission and Sanji smiled.

“I'm gonna go get ready for lunch so do what you want,” Sanji told him. He reached up to lovingly pat Zoro's cheek. Sanji couldn't explain it but Yonji's request made him happy. Sanji wasn't particularly close with any of his siblings but the idea that they wanted to treat Zoro better made his heart feel light.

“We're only in town for a few more days,” Zoro said. “But sure, show me what you got.” Zoro gave Sanji's scalp a kiss before he stepped back and turned fully to Yonji. Sanji said his goodbyes but noticed Zoro watching him as he left.

Sanji couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
-
When they prepared to depart on their honeymoon tour, Sanji was surprised to find all of his siblings waiting to see them off. Reiju he expected. Hell, Yonji didn't surprise him given how much bonding he and Zoro had done over the past few days. But Sanji couldn't hide his shock to see Ichiji and Niji there.

“Be safe,” Reiju told them. Zoro was waiting by the carriage doors as Sanji told his sister goodbye. This tour, a sign of good faith on behalf of Germa, would take Sanji away for the next three months. Sanji would admittedly miss Reiju.

“Take care,” Sanji told her.

“Try to stay out of trouble,” Yonji interrupted.

“I don't think I'm the one who needs to be told,” Sanji said with a glance at Zoro. Zoro raised an eyebrow and Yonji waved at him.

“Father wanted me to remind you that you're acting as a Germa ambassador,” Ichiji said, showing the reason he was here. “You need to make sure to honor us.”

“I'm going to be honoring my husband and that's it,” Sanji said. This back and forth was old enough that Sanji didn't even snap the words. He just spoke them like he thought Ichiji’s, and thus Judge's sentiments, were tiring. “I've already given up the Vinsmoke name.”

“At least it'll be quieter without you two,” Niji said. Yonji laughed and Reiju elbowed him in the side. And with that, Sanji didn't want to stand around waiting anymore. He said his final salutations and joined Zoro in the carriage.

They settled in and the carriage pulled away. Sanji couldn't help but turn in his seat to watch the palace slowly retreat further and further away, his cage for most of his life fading into the distance. Sanji let out a heavy breath.

“You can breathe easy now,” Zoro said, understanding Sanji’s feelings without Sanji having to say them. Sanji took Zoro’s hand and cradled it in his lap. Then he leaned his head on Zoro’s shoulder.

“I've breathed easy since you came back,” Sanji said. Neither of them said anything, just sat against each other in the carriage as it swayed with the horses movements.

“Where are we headed first?” Zoro asked.

“The home of my former almost fiance,” Sanji said.

“Won't that be awkward?”

“No,” Sanji said with a smile. “Pudding has been supportive since the first day. I'm sure she'll be happy to see us.”

“That's good.”

“But try to behave while we're visiting other kingdoms,” Sanji said. His tone revealed that he was teasing and Zoro smiled.

“I don't know what you mean.”

“Sure.”
-
It took three days ride to get to the edge of the kingdom and then three days after that to get to Totto Land. They rested at trusted inns along the way and Sanji was moved by the warm reception they received.

Bar maids congratulated him, with giggles and smiles at Zoro. Young men loyal to Germa expressed honor for Sanji to be in their presence. Shop owners thanked them for their patronage as they restocked their supplies.

It was the first time Sanji had ever truly felt like a Germa prince, let alone felt pride to be one. It wasn't lost on Sanji that Zoro was at least partially responsible for this. He was only here as a celebration of his wedding to Zoro and because Zoro made him feel more comfortable in his place within his family.

And judging from the gossip they heard on their stops, the common folk loved their romance. Just as Judge's advisors warned him they'd be. The commoner fighting for the hand of his long lost love, the prince. It was a tale that scullery maids and farmers could dream about.

They were treated like celebrities and it was quite a change for Sanji.

Traveling didn't disrupt their newfound routine. Before they started their day, they'd get up early to spar. Zoro continued to run Sanji through drills and a makeshift training regiment. Sanji was getting stronger and he was building definition in his muscles that Zoro loved to comment on.

And as soon as they were sequestered safely into an inn each night, Zoro didn't hesitate to rip Sanji's clothes off so they could make love. Sanji wasn't surprised by the frequency and intensity of their fucking when Zoro first came back. They'd always been particularly active with each other and they'd had so much time to make up for.

But it had been weeks and it didn't show any signs of slowing down. For the last two years, Sanji hadn't even thought about sex, let alone wanted it. Now it was all Sanji could think about, the feeling of Zoro's skin under his fingers, the full feeling of Zoro inside of him.

Truthfully it wasn't even about the pleasure, though that was always toe-curlingly phenomenal. It was about the intimacy, the care and the wanting. The knowledge that Zoro viewed his body, his mind, and his heart as Zoro's most precious treasures.

The day they finally arrived at Whole Cake Island, where they'd be staying for the next few days, Sanji had quite a few love bites that he hoped the high color of his jacket would hide. Their carriage was stopped at the kingdom gates briefly before they were ushered up to the palace. Zoro was asleep, his head resting on Sanji’s shoulder, and Sanji gently shook him awake as they came to a stop.

Zoro yawned and blinked the sleep from his eye as the door to the carriage was opened by the footman. Sanji stood, stretching his legs out a bit as he exited the carriage. Zoro was close behind him.

“Sanji!”

Sanji looked up to see Pudding coming through the palace doors. Sanji smiled as she ran toward him, welcoming her warm embrace.

“Pudding!” Sanji gave her a little spin before putting her back down gently. She smiled at him before looking over his shoulder. Sanji turned to see Zoro watching them. Pudding and Zoro sized each other up for a moment and Sanji wasn't sure what anyone would think looking at Zoro, with his scars and disheveled clothes.

“Pudding, this is my husband, Zoro.”

Zoro, retaining at least some of the etiquette classes he'd been subjected to over the last few weeks, put his hand out for Pudding to take. She did, delicately shaking Zoro's massive hand, but she turned to Sanji and smiled.

“Let me show you to your rooms!” Pudding linked her arm with Sanji and pulled him along. Sanji glanced at Zoro who trailed behind them. Sanji wasn't sure if he was sullen or suspicious, but Sanji didn't miss the way Zoro's eye meticulously took in their surroundings.

While they walked, Pudding filled them in on various histories and facts about the Charlotte family. Pudding revealed that her siblings, of which there were plenty, were all over doing various political and military things for the kingdom. Evidently only a few of her siblings would be home this week and Sanji could meet them at dinner.

“I thought my family was a lot,” Sanji said with a smile.

“It's quite a circus sometimes,” Pudding said. They continued chatting until Pudding brought them to a closed door. She stepped away from Sanji and pushed the door open. She moved out of the doorway so Sanji could step through. The room was beautifully furnished but much more impressive was the large window that looked out over the ocean below.

“Isn't it beautiful?” Pudding asked. Sanji turned back to see Zoro watching him and Pudding watching them both. Sanji motioned for Zoro to join him and Zoro did, silently walking over to the window. Sanji slipped his arm across Zoro's shoulder.

“You're very quiet,” Sanji whispered.

“I'm always quiet,” Zoro responded.

“Are you nervous?” Sanji asked. Zoro gave him a look and Sanji couldn't help the smile that came over his face. “Are you jealous?”

“Be serious,” Zoro told him. Sanji turned to Pudding.

“Can we have some time to rest?”

“Sure,” she said with a smile. “Just have a servant come get me whenever you guys are rested.” She smiled as though she suspected they wouldn't be resting before she exited the room, the door shutting behind her.

“Why would you be jealous?”

“I'm not jealous,” Zoro said. He turned so he could slip his hands around Sanji's waist. “Just can't help thinking that you were almost married off before I could come back for you.”

“But I wasn't,” Sanji said. He tilted his head, causing his earring to catch the light and sparkle.

“I know and it makes me feel greedy. Even when I wasn't here, I kept you all to myself.”

“I didn't know you wanted to share.”

“Share? You think you could handle that? You can barely handle me.”

“Because you're a freak with an insane libido,” Sanji deadpanned. Sanji grabbed Zoro's cheeks, his thumbs at the edge of Zoro's lips. “But you're mine, made for me. You shouldn't feel jealous, but you can feel greedy.”

Zoro turned them so he could pin Sanji against the glass of the window. He took one of Sanji's thumbs into his mouth and sucked. Sanji let out an involuntary whine, praying that Pudding had disappeared after she left the room.

“You promise to behave, remember?”

“I definitely didn't,” Zoro said.

“Pudding has to finish her tour and we're having dinner with her family later. No more than a few minutes of kissing.”

“How tight is that deadline?” Sanji smiled.

“Tight.”
-
It was just him, Zoro, Pudding, and her sister Brulee present at dinner. Sanji played his part nicely, trying to charm the ladies with his adoring smiles. He kept a hand on Zoro's knee beside him, as Zoro happily drank the expensive alcohol that the servants kept bringing out.

“Brother Katakuri was supposed to be here tonight but he got called away at the last moment,” Pudding explained.

“I'm familiar with his reputation,” Sanji said. Which he was. Charlotte Katakuri was quite famous to everyone.

“An excellent fighter and tactician,” Pudding said.

“And a great big brother,” Brulee added with a big smile. Sanji found that sweet, that the revered Katakuri was so loved by his younger siblings. It felt different from the dynamic with his own brothers.

“He's strong?” Zoro asked, suddenly interested in the conversation. Sanji shot him an inquisitive look and Zoro just shrugged.

“Very,” Brulee said.

“Nice,” Zoro said.

“You are so easy to please,” Sanji deadpanned. Zoro smiled at him.

“I'm a simple man. I like strong fighters and you.” Sanji rolled his eyes but Zoro's hand grabbed a hold of his and squeezed. Sanji wasn't upset anyway, Zoro's admitted simplicity is one of the things Sanji always liked about him.

“So about the agenda for tomorrow,” Pudding said with a smile, changing the subject. Sanji happily joined the new conversation, chatting with Pudding and Brulee through the rest of dinner.

Later, as Pudding was walking them back to their room, she looped her arm through Sanji’s, and pulled him close. Sanji gave her a curious look, waiting to hear whatever secret she wanted to share. Zoro was walking behind them, content to let Sanji host the conversation so long as he was within Zoro’s sight.

“I know I didn't have to but I got you a late wedding present,” Pudding said.

“Thank you. That's very kind.” Sanji waited for Pudding to present the gift but she just smiled wider.

“I had it delivered to your room during dinner,” she said.

“What did you get me?” Sanji said. They were entering the guest wing of the palace. Sanji knew from Pudding's earlier tour that this wing was currently unoccupied and Sanji wondered how intentional that might have been.

“It’s a surprise,” Pudding teased. “But just know that the particular material is a common tradition for the honeymoon phase.” Before Sanji could say anything more, they were at the door to the room Sanji and Zoro were staying in. Sanji tried to get Pudding to spoil the surprise but she just gave him a thumbs up and then left, down the hallway in only a few quick steps. Sanji turned to Zoro but Zoro just shrugged.

They pushed open the door to the room and Sanji saw a big square box on the bed. Sanji walked over to it and pulled up a corner to look inside. As soon as he saw what was inside, he slammed the box closed. Zoro was staring at him, his curiosity evidently piqued.

“What is it?” Zoro asked. Sanji smiled at him.

“It’s a surprise,” Sanji said as he picked up the box and walked into the adjoining dressing room with strict instructions for Zoro to wait for him on the bed.
-
Sanji ran his fingers over his legs, the fabric clinging to him. It left little to be imagined, the lace stockings clung to every dip and curve of his skin. He turned to look at the full length mirror in the corner, his eyes taking in the loose silk blouse and matching white panties. But the lace stockings were undoubtedly the star of the show, the white color a perfect accent to Sanji’s pale skin tone.

Sanji didn’t have to guess why Pudding had given the clothes as a set. If lace was the traditional fabric for honeymoons, she’d intend for them to see some use. Sanji blushed because being given a gift like this was embarrassing, but he also knew Zoro would like them. Would like the way he looked in them.

After smoothing the stockings against his skin one more time, Sanji went to the dressing room door and pulled it open. He leaned against the door frame just as Zoro turned to him, in the process of pouring himself a drink from the side bar across the room.

As soon as Zoro’s eye landed on him, the glass in his hand slipped and crashed to the floor.

Zoro made no move to catch it or clean up the mess.

His eye was glued to Sanji.

“Do you like it?” Sanji asked, even though the answer was abundantly clear. Zoro didn’t respond, just kept staring at him. Sanji waited for him to do something, say something. Come over there and fuck him against the door frame. Anything. But Zoro remained so quiet and still that eventually Sanji started to get self conscious. He moved to cover himself up, his hands splaying across his thighs.

“Move your hands,” Zoro snapped, so sudden and forcefully that Sanji went still. The tone was unusually commanding and Sanji felt a shiver go down his back at the sound. When he looked at Zoro’s face, he saw Zoro looking at him with such intensity that any doubt faded from Sanji’s mind.

“Come over here and make me,” Sanji said, his tone practically purring. Zoro nodded once before he crossed the room, his stride making short work of the distance. Sanji smiled just as Zoro grabbed his hips and pushed him back into the wall beside the door. Sanji could feel Zoro’s hard cock pressed against him and Sanji whined, aroused by the idea that Sanji’s appearance alone could get Zoro so hard.

“You put the stockings on first,” Zoro whispered, his thumbs softly pushing at the edge of the panties, which Sanji had put on over the lace stockings.

“I thought you might like to see me in just them,” Sanji whispered.

“I hope you’re not tired,” Zoro told him. Sanji smiled.

“Never for you.”

“You’re so fucking sexy,” Zoro told him, his lips brushing against Sanji’s. Sanji slipped his arms across Zoro’s shoulders and moaned when Zoro’s hand slid down to roughly grab at his thighs. “You’re always so fucking beautiful, but this is a very good suprise.”

“You wanna me fuck me in them?” Sanji asked.

“I’m gonna fuck you until that lace pattern is imprinted on your skin,” Zoro promised.

“The night is young, but you should probably get started,” Sanji told him. Zoro dropped to his knees without another word, his hands subtly trembling as they ran up Sanji’s thighs. Sanji stared down at him and, seeing the reverence on Zoro’s face, felt his arousal kick up another notch.

Zoro kissed Sanji’s thigh, his tongue pressing briefly against the lace with each kiss. Sanji was outright panting as Zoro’s hands kneaded at his skin, as Zoro’s mouth sucked and bit at his lace-covered thighs. Zoro pulled back and blinked slowly, his face turning to look at Sanji’s clothed cock, straining hard in the silk panties. Zoro’s finger brushed the edge of the panties and he cursed.

“Fuck, Sanji.”

“You look like you want to eat me,” Sanji commented.

“I do. I’m starving for you.”

“I’d hate to deny a starving man,” Sanji said with a coy smile.

“Bed. Now. Fucking now,” Zoro said. He maneuvered so Sanji could walk past him while Zoro got to his feet. Sanji sprinted towards the bed, laying down and holding his arms out to Zoro as he joined him. Sanji pulled Zoro against him and slammed their lips together. Zoro pushed Sanji’s thighs apart so he could settle between them, the slide of his clothed body against Sanji’s extra sensitive for how thin the lace was.

“Fuck me,” Sanji whispered against Zoro’s lips.

“Get on your stomach,” Zoro told him.

“What are you gonna do to me?” Sanji asked, voice husky.

“I’m going to put my tongue in your pussy and then I’m going to pin you to the mattress and fuck you harder than you’ve ever been fucked before,” Zoro told him. With nothing more than a shuddering breath, Sanji rolled onto his stomach as Zoro sat back, desperate for the filthy pleasure that Zoro was promising.

Zoro grabbed a pillow and encouraged Sanji to lift his hips. Zoro put the pillow under Sanji’s pelvis and Sanji settled against it, aware that he was in for a very long night if Zoro was focusing on his physical comfort so early on. Not that Zoro was an inconsiderate lover. Sanji just knew what his habits meant.

He was pulled from his thoughts as two strong hands slid into his panties and massaged his ass cheeks. Sanji moaned out, his voice rising and falling with the squeezing of Zoro’s hands. Sanji rolled his hips with the motion, gasping every time his cock brushed the mattress. He could feel the weight of Zoro’s gaze on his back and ass, watching intently as Sanji rocked his body.

Zoro pulled his hands away and took hold of the silk panties. Sanji lifted his hips just enough that Zoro could pull the panties down, over his thighs and calves and then off completely. Then Zoro coaxed Sanji’s thighs apart so Zoro could kneel between them, his hands coming back to Sanji’s ass.

A thought occurred to Sanji and he lifted up onto his elbow, turning his head towards Zoro. He opened his mouth to tell Zoro not to ruin the stockings just as he heard the loud rip. Zoro tore the stockings along the seam, his hands pulling the fabric apart, leaving only Sanji’s ass exposed.

“Mosshead!” Sanji shouted.

“What?” Zoro asked, sounding mildly annoyed.

“These were a gift!”

“And they’re getting used as intended.”

“You ruined them.”

“Just made the access easier,” Zoro said. Sanji opened his mouth to argue more but then Zoro leaned forward and bit down on Sanji’s ass cheek, teasing and gentle. Sanji gasped and reached one hand back to grab Zoro’s hair. Zoro switched to a kiss, sucking on Sanji’s sensitive skin as Sanji gasped and moaned.

Sanji let go of Zoro’s hair so the other man could get comfortable, spreading out so he could use his hands more. Sanji turned around, unable to watch as Zoro’s fingers pushed his cheeks apart. Sanji pushed his face into a pillow so it absorbed the loud moan he released when Zoro’s tongue licked his hole.

This was not the first time Zoro had put his tongue inside of Sanji. It was something they did quite often considering Sanji got off hard on it, on Zoro eating him out. He liked having Zoro inside him, fingers or tongue or cock, but the shallow breaches of Zoro’s tongue tonight suggested that Zoro was putting in extra effort to make this good. The first full push of Zoro’s tongue deep into his hole had Sanji’s whole body jolting with pleasure.

Sanji bit down hard on his lip as Zoro licked deep inside him again. His hands tightened into the sheets, pulling them as his body squirmed. Zoro pulled his tongue out to lick at Sanji’s cheeks and hole before he pushed his tongue back inside. Sanji’s hips stuttered, thrusting shallowly, desperate for more as he cried out in pleasure. Sanji could come from just this and they both knew it, Zoro only ever giving his very best when it came to Sanji’s pleasure.

“Zoro,” Sanji gasped out, voice trembling. “Cock, please.” Zoro stopped what he was doing with a final lick to Sanji’s entrance.

“Yours or mine?” Zoro asked. His tone was breathless and Sanji’s skin prickled at the sound.

“Yours,” Sanji confirmed. Sanji felt the bed dip and he turned his head to watch as Zoro stood up. He stripped out of his clothes quickly, his eagerness evident in how fast he was coming back to the bed, now nude. He crawled back to his previous position, kneeling between Sanji’s spread thighs. Sanji didn’t raise his head but he let out a low moan when he felt Zoro’s cock against his ass cheek.

“This what you want, baby?” Zoro asked. He must have been holding his cock, tapping the head against Sanji’s cheeks, teasing. Sanji nodded his head desperately before he realized that Zoro couldn't see his face.

“Want it,” Sanji gasped out, unable to articulate any more than that. His brain and mouth weren’t coherent anymore, too overcome with pleasure and desire to string longer thoughts together. Zoro chuckled as he lined up his cock head with Sanji’s hole. He grabbed hold of Sanji’s hip with one hand and Zoro’s other hand grabbed Sanji’s shoulder, fully pinning him against the mattress like Zoro promised. Then, with a fast slap of his hips, Zoro pushed his cock inside.

The headboard of the bed smacked against the wall as Sanji gasped out. Zoro’s hips pinned Sanji in place, his weight forcing Sanji to accept every inch of his cock. The pleasure was so immediately intense that both men threw their heads back to moan. Zoro rolled his hips, once then twice, before he pulled almost all the way out. Then he slammed back in, the headboard giving another satisfying smack against the wall.

Sanji wasn’t able to move, pinned to the mattress like butterfly, as Zoro fucked into him, hard and fast and so fucking good. Zoro’s hips were pistoning, thrusting desperately for friction as Sanji’s body sucked him in. Sanji’s fingers were pulling at the sheets so tightly that it hurt as he shrieked in pleasure everytime Zoro’s cock rubbed against his sweet spot.

It felt incredible, Zoro unable to control himself, both of them just wanting Zoro to stuff as much of his cock into Sanji as he could. The slap of his hips against Sanji’s lewd for the way it paired with Sanji’s unrestrained moaning. If Zoro kept this up, if he kept fucking Sanji like a wild animal, they’d both be coming soon.

Which is when it all stopped, as Zoro quickly pulled out. Sanji cried out at the sudden empty feeling, his toes curling as his orgasm slowly slipped away from him. Zoro was panting loudly and Sanji turned his head to see Zoro behind him. Zoro was looking at the ceiling, his cock still very hard but leaking.

“Why’d you stop?” Sanji whispered.

“Can’t come yet,” Zoro said. He ran a hand through his hair before he shook his head, sweat falling off his brow. Then he finally looked at Sanji. “I wanna fuck you harder.”

“Harder?” Sanji asked, shocked. If Zoro fucked him any harder, he’d end up in the mattress. Zoro took his hand off of Sanji’s shoulder and put it on the mattress, then he leaned forward until his chest was pressed to Sanji’s back. Zoro’s arms slipped around Sanji’s abdomen, his hands pushing up into the silk blouse Sanji was still wearing. Zoro let his full weight pin Sanji down, laying so fully on top of Sanji that they had no choice but to breathe in sync, not enough space between them for their chests to expand independently.

“My cock is going to live in you tonight,” Zoro whispered against Sanji’s ear, his breaths causing Sanji's earring to sway. Sanji groaned, his hips trying to push against Zoro’s but it was clear that he couldn't do more than lightly squirm in this position. Zoro had rendered him practically imobile against the bed and it had Sanji so fucking turned on. The second Zoro touched his cock, he would come and Sanji’s brain was gone until that moment. “I’m already thinking about fucking you a second time. A third. A fourth. I’m gonna fuck you until my cock can’t get hard.”

“Stop talking about fucking me and just do it,” Sanji slurred. Zoro pinched one of Sanji’s nipples before he pulled his hand from Sanji’s shirt. Zoro maneuvered so he could take his cock in his hand, lining it up with Sanji’s entrance. Sanji’s body was trembling in anticipation, the scream torn from his throat as Zoro pushed back into him.

In this position, Zoro was all of the way in, his hips molded against Sanjis, every centimeter of his cock buried deep. Sanji’s head was tossed back as a string of moans left his lips, being so full of Zoro enough to have Sanji’s stomach tightening with the need to come. Zoro didn’t even really pull out, just lifted his hips enough so he could forcefully roll them back against Sanji’s. Sanji had no reprieve, Zoro’s technique alternating between intense pleasure and pleasure so intense that Sanji worried he’d come with every press of Zoro’s cock to his sweet spot.

The next thrust of Zoro’s hips forced them both into a hunched position, the pleasure almost painful. Sanji wasn’t even making noises any more as Zoro continued fucking him like this, his mouth hanging open in silent ecstasy. Zoro just held him tighter, Sanji unable to move as Zoro fucked him, the movement of their bodies in tandem to the hard snap of Zoro’s hips.

He was going to come. He couldn’t fight it off like this. Zoro always fucked him good, their bodies had been complimentary since the day they’d met. It’s why Sanji never even considered other lovers while Zoro was gone. Because how could anyone else possibly fuck him like this. Hard and fast and aggressive in a way that made Sanji black out in pleasure.

Zoro must have sensed that Sanji was close because he pushed a hand down the front of the stockings, took hold of the base of Sanji’s cock, and squeezed. Sanji cried out as his orgasm was pulled away from him again, for the second time tonight. Zoro didn’t stop, his fucking into Sanji not slowing down at all.

“Sorry, Curly. You can’t come yet.”

Sanji tried to argue, to beg but he was unable to form words around the erotic panting he was doing. Zoro was groaning in his ear, a throaty grunt accompanying every deep press of his cock. He couldn’t be too far away from his own orgasm and Sanji’s body squirmed with the need to come, though Zoro never released the tight grip he had on Sanji’s stiff cock.

Zoro’s hips stuttered and he growled out Sanji’s name as he came, quick pumps of his hips as he spilled. Sanji could feel it, the messiness as Zoro emptied himself inside Sanji, and he whined in delight as Zoro finally stilled, softening cock and spilled seed completely filling Sanji.

Zoro didn’t move, just continued to pin Sanji down with his weight as he panted. As soon as Zoro’s eye blinked open, Sanji was begging, his voice betraying how wrecked he was with the desire to come. Zoro just watched him beg and plead with a smile, content to know that he had Sanji in such a state. Sanji would make him pay for it later, but right now he just needed release and Zoro was the only one who could give it to him.

Zoro finally sat back on his haunches so he could pull his cock out. Sanji whined with the sudden emptiness, though Zoro didn’t leave him feeling empty for long. Zoro’s hands were back on his cheeks, pushing and kneading the skin there.

“You should see the way you’re squeezing, Curly,” Zoro said. Sanji might be out of it, but he could guess where Zoro was looking based on the words. Zoro was intently watching Sanji’s entrance, currently leaking with Zoro’s seed. “Like your body doesn’t want to waste.”

“Zoro,” Sanji gasped out. It was a mix of love, exasperation, and desperate begging. Zoro could lewdly describe the way his hole looked to him later. Right now, Sanji needed to come before he passed out.

“You said you liked my fingers,” Zoro said as a preamble for how he intended to finally get Sanji off. Sanji just shook his head wildly, desperate for Zoro to shut the fuck up and let him come. He felt two of Zoro’s fingers rub against his entrance, slick with Zoro’s cum, before Zoro pushed them inside.

Sanji didn’t make a sound, just gasped with the relief as Zoro began finger fucking him. Zoro’s fingers were smaller and less satisfying than Zoro’s cock would have been, but Sanji’s hole was already starting to feel raw from the fucking. Zoro’s seed was helping his fingers to slide easily and when Zoro curled his fingers into Sanji’s spot, Sanji’s vision went white. Two more hard presses and Sanji’s back was arching as he came, hard, coating the front of the lace stockings in white.

Zoro kept massaging his sweet spot as Sanji’s body shook with his orgasm. It was only once Sanji collapsed, utterly exhausted against the mattress, that Zoro finally pulled his fingers out. Sanji was quiet and still, the quick rise and fall of his chest as he panted, the only movement. Zoro wiped his fingers on a corner of the comforter before he collapsed beside Sanji on the bed.

“I don’t know what came over me,” Zoro whispered. Sanji opened a sleepy eye and looked at him. “I saw you in those stockings and any bit of civility left me.”

“I’ll tell Pudding she did a good job picking them out,” Sanji said with a laugh.

“Do you want me to run you a bath?” Zoro asked. Sanji shook his head, too exhausted to even think about moving. “Want me to help you undress?”

“Just want to sleep,” Sanji said. Zoro helped Sanji roll onto his side so he could more comfortably curl up. He pulled Sanji against him, his arms holding the other man comfortably. Sanji sighed contentedly.

“Wake me up when you feel your prick getting hard again,” Sanji whispered. Zoro chuckled.

“Okay, my love.” He leaned forward to kiss Sanji’s cheek before he settled down for rest. Sanji was asleep within minutes.
-
Sanji slept well past breakfast and into the late morning, when he finally blinked his eyes open. Zoro wasn't in bed but Sanji didn't think anything of it as he sat up. Every part of Sanji was a bit sore, but he can't say that he didn't anticipate that.

True to his word, Zoro woke Sanji up four separate times to fuck throughout the night. The last time, with the sun barely peeking above the horizon, it took Sanji so long to get hard that he told Zoro that it had to be the last time. Zoro acquiesced, finally helping Sanji out of his dirty, ruined clothes before Sanji laid comfortably on his back.

That last time was slow and languid, Sanji's eyes closed through most of it. He'd barely come, too spent to produce anything of note. But afterwards Zoro had pulled him close and told him all of the sweet, romantic thoughts that were running through his head. About how much he loved Sanji, how much he wanted every beautiful part of him. Sanji had just smiled, heart feeling full and energized after such a rigorous night of intense lovemaking.

Sanji stretched his arms over his head and sighed when his neck and shoulders gave a relieved crack. Sanji could feel how much of a mess the sheets were, sweat and spit and cum all mixing into a dried concoction, and he was disgusted that they'd just slept on top of it all. He got out of bed, put on the robe in the dressing room, and rang the bell for a servant.

While he waited he stripped the sheets off and bundled them for the servants to take. He thought about giving them the clothes he'd worn the night before, but Sanji decided that he'd be mortified if someone saw the ripped and soiled state of those stockings. So he just hid them under the bed to be personally disposed of later.

He took a long, hot bath and surveyed all the love bites and small bruises he had gained the prior night. Sanji smiled as he poked at them, recognizing the little blemishes as physical reminders of how much Zoro wanted him. Needed him.

Sanji had never been a stranger to bruises, from his brothers or his father. Sanji had always tried to cover those in shame, but these bruises Sanji wouldn't hide. He'd wear them like badges of honor, that a good man loved him so much that sometimes he held Sanji too tightly, kissed him too hard.

Finally Sanji was ready to start the day close to lunch. Once dressed he called for the butler to take him to wherever Zoro was. The servant informed him that Zoro was evidently in the palace training grounds. Sanji smiled and asked for the man to lead him there.

He found Zoro standing in the training yard, talking to a very tall man with short shaggy hair and a sleeve of tattoos. Sanji guessed from their movements that they were talking weapons and Zoro looked happy to be in his element. Sanji was just entering the courtyard when he saw Pudding sitting on a bench to the side. She waved him over and he went to join her.

“Good day,” she said with a smile as he sat down. “Sorry we didn't wake you for breakfast. Zoro said you had a rough night and didn't get much sleep.”

“Did he now,” Sanji said with a smile of his own. Pudding was obviously waiting for him to say more so Sanji gave her a knowing glance. “I liked the wedding gift very much.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” she said with a giggle. Sanji couldn't help but laugh with her. Zoro glanced over at the sound of Sanji's laugh and smiled, nodding a hello in Sanji's direction. Sanji gave a small wave back.

“Is that Katakuri?” Sanji asked. Pudding glanced at her infamous brother.

“Yeah, him and your husband get along surprisingly well. They could probably practice spar all day.”

“Then what do you want to do today?” Sanji asked.
-
Sanji and Pudding returned to the palace a few hours before dinner. She'd taken him to all of her favorite spots in town and Sanji was overwhelmed by the love the town's people had for her. Every place they stopped, Pudding had people to talk to, regular faces whom she knew and remembered. It gave Sanji a happy feeling, to know someone as good as Pudding was so adored.

They got back to the palace and separated, with promises to see each other again at dinner. Sanji opened the door to his room and smiled when he saw Zoro asleep in the bed. Sanji shut the door quietly and slipped his shoes off, intending not to wake Zoro up. But as soon as Sanji's knee was on the bed, Zoro opened his eye and smiled.

He raised his arm and Sanji crawled over to curl against him. Sanji laid his head on Zoro's chest happily. The servants had changed the sheets and the fresh cleanliness felt cozy.

“Did you have a nice day?” Sanji asked.

“Mhmm,” Zoro mumbled. He turned to look at Sanji. “Did you? What did you guys do?” So Sanji filled him in and Zoro just closed his eye to listen. Sanji knew Zoro was still awake, attentive, because his thumb kept sliding across Sanji's upper arm.

“Honestly,” Sanji said, “I'm enjoying being away from home. I don't want to go back.” Zoro was quiet and Sanji just waited, knowing that this particular heavy silence was Zoro when he had something he wanted to say.

“We don't have to go back,” Zoro finally said.

“Be serious,” Sanji said.

“I am being serious. We can go wherever we want. You've already told your father that you want nothing to do with Germa. So if you don't want to go back, then we don't have to.”

“It sounds like that's what you want,” Sanji said. Zoro opened his eye to look at Sanji.

“The only thing I want is you,” Zoro said. “I want to be with you wherever that might be. I just don't think you want that place to be Germa.”

Sanji was quiet, his initial instinct to deny what Zoro was saying. Not out of any loyalty to Germa or to his father. But because Sanji thought about the last time he almost left and the idea suddenly filled him with a fear that felt old and familiar.

“Where would we go?” Sanji asked.

“Wherever we want, Sanji.”

“What about our belongings?”

“We send for them. Or we finish this tour and go back for our goodbyes.”

“Would you want to go back to your captain?” Sanji asked. “Would he welcome us?”

“Luffy? Definitely. He's always on some adventure.” Zoro grabbed Sanji's chin and tiled his face up. “But we can also stay here if that's what you want. Or Dressrossa is pretty nice since we ousted that tyrant Doflamingo.”

“I just want to be with you,” Sanji said, echoing Zoro's earlier sentiment. “It's all I've ever wanted.”

“We don't have to decide anything right now,” Zoro said. He relaxed back against the mattress and pulled Sanji in close. “We've got time to think it over.”

Sanji rested his head back on Zoro's chest. Zoro was right. They had time and each other and that was the only thing that mattered. Sanji didn't have to worry about going back home or about starting over somewhere new. Because he had Zoro here now and together they were invincible.

“We've got a few hours until dinner,” Sanji said. “Unless you're too tired to fool around.” Zoro sat up quickly and looked down at Sanji. Sanji smiled at him, his smile turning into a laugh as Zoro bent down to kiss him.

Evidently they were never too tired for each other.