Chapter Text
The next day, Zoro and Sanji worked together to get the apartment ready for the Christmas dinner happening that evening. Sanji was mostly busy in the kitchen working on the finishing touches for the food. The world could end around them, and it probably wouldn’t have broken his lazer focus.
Zoro, on the other hand, was busy finalizing the decorations around the living room and dining table. Where Sanji had started with red tinsel around the tree, Zoro added black ribbon. All throughout their apartment, he cluttered the surfaces with candles that were melted at various stages, and he meticulously began lighting them all.
He had to assure Sanji more than once that he wasn’t going to burn down the apartment complex. If he’d lived as long as he had in Mihawk’s house, they’d survive this night ten times over.
They finished with only five minutes left to spare, and Zoro helped Sanji bring all of the food to the dinner table. Despite having seen Sanji make grand feasts before for their friends, it still struck him in disbelief that one person could make this amount of food on their own.
The main dish was an incredible roast beef in the center of the table that had a peppery rub on the exterior and sprigs of thyme artfully framing it as it laid in a red wine pan sauce. It was placed in the center of the table in a large, black dish that resembled the shape of a coffin. The flames from two matching candelabras danced shadows across either side of the meat from their positions on the table.
To the left side of the table were four halved acorn squashes carved to look like skulls and filled with quinoa, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and parmesan cheese. They had the warmth of fall and the crisp of winter mixed into one elaborate side dish, and Zoro couldn’t believe how meticulous Sanji was in carrying out the theme. Directly next to them was an ornate, covered dish made out of silver. The handle had an intricate mistletoe carved into it.
For the right side of the table, there was a warm black bean and pumpkin soup served in a plump pumpkin for show. Sanji had also carefully lined the sour cream on top to look like a spider web, and he’d gotten Zoro to carve little pine trees into the shell of the pumpkin. Just below the soup on the table was a plain bowl of caramelized brussels sprouts.
Zoro looked at Sanji quizzically.
“I thought brussels sprouts were scary enough,” Sanji answered, knowing exactly what he was asking.
He turned around and put the charspookerie board and deviled eggs on the kitchen counter – appetizers before the main meal.
As soon as Sanji placed the last dish on the counter, the doorbell rang. On instinct, he began to smooth out his navy suit jacket and twisted his silver skull cufflinks. Zoro looked like he was about to swiftly jump out a window the way his body stiffened and his eyes glanced back and forth between the balcony door and the front door.
“You open it,” he told Sanji.
Sanji kicked the back of his knees in, causing Zoro to buckle forward. “ You answer the door, holly head.”
Zoro gripped the handle and took a deep breath in. As he opened the door, he began a cordial “good evening,” but was abruptly cut off by Perona shoving her way past him through the doorway.
“Move. I’m here for your boyfriend,” she grinned, making Zoro take the umbrella that she was holding.
“Merry Christmas to you too, Rona,” Zoro mumbled while rolling his eyes.
Perona was wearing a knee-length teacup dress that was a deep red velvet. Black fur lined the bottom, and there was an elaborate lace that lined the neck. Around her waist was a black sash tied into a large bow on her back.
“You must be Sanji. I’m Perona. It’s nice to finally meet you beyond the tarot cards!” she beamed at Sanji through heavy eyeliner and deep maroon lipstick.
“You read his tarot before coming?” Zoro grunted through his teeth.
Perona offered her hand to shake, but instead Sanji grasped it gently to place a kiss on the top of her gloved hand.
“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Perona,” he said to her softly while still holding her hand.
Perona’s lips grew into a subtle smirk. “50 points,” she declared as he winked in accord.
Zoro wasn’t paying attention to the two weirdos behind him because he knew they’d be doing weirdo things together like he’d played out in his head. So instead, he focused his attention on the stiff board of a father who had raised him.
“Want me to take your coat?” Zoro proposed. Mihawk shrugged off his long, black coat with dark purple fur on the collar and handed it to Zoro.
“I see you kept all those candles I gave you before you moved out. I told you that you would need them one day,” Mihawk smirked.
Zoro snorted and shook his head as he put the coat in the closet. “I knew it was you subtly telling me to use them for when you come over.”
“So I did raise you right,” Mihawk mused out loud.
Perona and Sanji were chatting amicably about how cute mice are when Mihawk made his way toward them.
“Merry Christmas, Sanji. Pleased to make your acquaintance at long last.”
Sanji grasped Mihawk’s hand in a firm handshake. “You as well. It’s my honor to host a dinner for you tonight.”
Zoro stood with tunnel vision squared directly on his father and Sanji. The only thing louder than the beating of his heart was the chanting in his head saying things like “please like him.” “Please approve.” “Don’t talk about his eyebrows – I like them.” “Please let go of his hand.” “He needs that back.” “I know he’s not goth, but I love him.”
An amused shimmer crossed Mihawk’s golden eyes as he nodded appreciatively toward Sanji, and Zoro let out the breath he’d been holding in.
“So far so good, huh lil bro?” Perona whispered mockingly into his ear next to him.
Zoro turned toward her with a feral look in his eyes that screamed warning. “You better be so fucking nice tonight, so help me God.”
She stuck out her tongue and he bared his teeth at her.
“May I offer you a glass of red wine?” Sanji asked Mihawk while moving toward the kitchen. “I have a 1998 Merlot from Brasov, Romania.”
Mihawk’s eyebrows shot up, pleasantly surprised as Sanji poured him a glass. “How did you acquire that ?”
“I have connections…” Sanji replied coolly. He turned to Zoro discreetly to mouth “Robin,” and he nodded in understanding.
Mihawk accepted the wine glass with thanks. “You know, they say this wine company can’t 100% guarantee there isn’t vampire blood in this?”
“And it must be consumed in the evening for optimum flavor,” Sanji added, reciting perfectly what Robin had taught him. Mihawk smirked, and everyone continued in pleasant conversation in the kitchen while snacking on the appetizers.
Zoro couldn’t believe how well everything was going. It was like a fever dream that he actually didn’t mind so much.
Growing up, he really couldn’t picture anyone being able to understand his family and actually go along with their antics, but here Sanji was – acting as if he was completely in his element. The amount of care and effort he had put in the entire month was showing spectacularly, and Zoro was so close to sweeping him off his feet and kissing him breathless out of joy.
Eventually, everyone made their way to the dining table to start filling their plates with the delicious dinner Sanji had cooked for them. Zoro declared that he was the one who had to carve the roast beef, and Sanji silently critiqued him in his head – successfully holding back his snarky comments for the sake of holly and jolly and Christmas cheer.
Soft conversation carried around the table while they ate. But after a few minutes, it was clear Perona was mulling over something in her mind – her lip sticking out in a slight pout despite herself. Sanji noticed her mood change and asked if there was something wrong.
She looked at Zoro for a while, trying to decide whether or not to speak. The look in his eyes was saying “keep whatever you got going on to yourself,” but she finally decided to spill it.
“Mmm, this is creepy and all – and that’s great – but it’s missing something cute.” She crossed her arms innocently and blew a puff of breath up at her bangs.
Zoro began preparing his fork to throw at her, but Sanji stopped him with a gentle touch to his arm.
“Perhaps you should lift the lid on the silver dish to your right with the mistletoe handle,” He told Perona with a warm smile.
Perona did so with her eyebrow raised in curious suspicion. Underneath was a scoop of rice that had been molded to resemble a small bear with zombified features. The ear looked torn, and bits of seaweed gave the bear a patchwork-like style.
Perona stared at it, completely still for a few breaths, and Sanji was beginning to die a little from the anticipation of her reaction.
Slowly, she turned her gaze to him, and with a look like she’d just seen God, she spoke. “I would die for him.”
Zoro tried to take a scoop out of the bear to eat, and Perona screamed bloody murder.
“DON’T TOUCH HIM!” She shouted while pushing his hands away.
Zoro glared back at her, not backing down. “You know rice is my favorite! I’m eating the bear!”
“His name is Kumacy, and his dream is to see the Eiffel Tower! He’s too young to die!” Perona pleaded desperately, still slapping away at Zoro’s hands.
He stalled for a moment – not sure how to handle that.
“There’s extra rice for you on the side, marimo. You can have that instead,” Sanji muttered to Zoro, effectively ending the argument. However, Zoro ate the other rice with a look on his face that screamed “it’s not the same.”
Once that was over, Mihawk took his turn to speak to Sanji.
“So. What are your future goals in life, Sanji?”
Zoro choked on his food. “Wow, thank you for that, Mr. Hiring Manager.”
Sanji simply beamed at the fact he finally got one of those typical “dad questions” he’d read about on Reddit. Usually the stories were about people being embarrassed, annoyed, or scared to be confronted with this part of family gatherings, but Sanji was just excited to finally be part of a seemingly universal cringe experience. He’d have a story of his own now.
“I’m working toward owning my own restaurant one day where I can curate my own menu and have full creative control. I want it to be so successful that I earn a Michelin Star and people travel all over the world to eat there. I’ll call it the All Blue. And I’ll have my own cookbook series to share all of my favorite recipes and tricks.”
He grinned dreamily as he spoke.
“Oh! And I would like to go on a lot of scuba diving trips,” he added as a cherry on top.
Zoro crossed his arms in prideful solidarity with his boyfriend next to him. It was as if he was aiming a “take that ” at Mihawk.
“And what are your intentions with my son?” Mihawk continued, and his eyes squinted in a dangerous glare.
Sanji couldn’t help but become nervous under his piercing eyes. He swallowed slowly, and opened his mouth.
“Marriage.” Zoro answered resolutely, glaring back at Mihawk with ferocity – challenging him to object, if he dared. The two men were having a silent battle between themselves in a way that made Sanji want to curl under the table to hide his burning blush. He, too, glared at Zoro now with an embarrassed shock.
Thankfully, Perona was still there to break the stalemate in the only way she knew how.
She scoffed at Zoro, “as if anyone would ever say yes to you .”
Zoro slammed his hands down on the table to almost growl at her. “And I don’t see you inviting us over to meet anyone you’re dating!”
“Because I choose to be single and independent! A modern woman!” She shouted back.
“That sounds like witchcraft to me.” Zoro stood up and pointed his fork at her. “The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone..."
Perona stood up and pointed her spoon at him. “God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!”
“How many times have I told you both, no Crucible at the dinner table!” Mihawk’s stern voice cut through the air. If Sanji were to give in to his childlike impulses, he’d be whispering “ooo, you’re in troubleeee” to Zoro right now.
“Yes, sir,” Perona and Zoro mumbled as they sat back down. They both had a soft blush on their cheeks.
Sanji covered his mouth to giggle at the interaction. Everything about this night was so perfect to him, and the joy was almost overwhelming as it spread through his gut, into his chest, and landed at the ache in his cheeks from smiling so hard.
This was what a family really is. This was what the holidays were supposed to be about, and oh how lucky he was to finally have some of it for himself. Looking over at Zoro, Sanji felt like he was looking at a wish he’d made upon the North Star all those Christmases ago.
Everyone continued on with the dinner. Perona shared embarrassing stories of Zoro when he was younger, Zoro tried to counter her with stories of him actually being really cool and awesome in his youth, and Mihawk provided statistical evidence on why it was about time both of his children learned about humility.
Sanji didn’t share too much from his own childhood, but he did have the best technique for making the perfect snowballs for snowball fights, and Zoro challenged him to a match the next time it snowed. Perona placed bets on Sanji to win.
Once the food was gone and the dinner conversation had naturally come to a pause, Zoro helped Sanji clean up the table and store the food away while Perona and Mihawk moved to sit in the living room. Perona fiddled with a record player in the corner of the room that Zoro had prepared ahead of time with one of her favorite records.
Sanji went to sit down next to Mihawk on the couch, but he was suddenly pulled up by Perona. She was playing a haunting waltz through the player and wanted Sanji to join her in a dance. The piano notes fluttered through the room as they glided across the open floor.
So Zoro sat next to Mihawk instead. A comfortable silence settled between them as they watched Perona direct Sanji – making him lead, but also making him follow her every command. After a few more calculated dips, Zoro spoke low enough for Mihawk to hear but quiet enough that Sanji wouldn’t.
“Okay, spill. You and Rona have been way too... nice this entire time.”
Mihawk scoffed but kept his head forward. “How dare you. I’m always nice.” Feeling Zoro’s eyes roll on instinct, he continued. “Also I have a bit of a history with Red Leg Zeff. And He does not shut up about this kid.”
Zoro snapped his head to look at Mihawk incredulously. “You know Zeff?” he hissed, almost too loudly.
“I know a lot of people, brat,” came Mihawk’s snarky response.
Zoro knew that Mihawk’s ties to the community ran deep, but he never would’ve guessed the world was that small. His mind was running a mile a minute trying to absorb the fact that Mihawk knew some things about Sanji way before meeting him today, but instead of bringing any bias into the dinner, he came in with an open mind.
He clearly could see that Zoro was serious about Sanji, and he let them authentically be themselves as opposed to trying to confirm or deny whatever narrative Zeff had told him.
Zoro rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly – unsure of what to do with this feeling.
“Well... thanks or whatever...” he managed to mumble.
“Hardly need to thank me. He clearly put in tremendous effort to make this a wonderful Christmas for everyone.” Mihawk turned to look at Zoro, and Zoro felt almost commanded by his gaze to look back.
“He’s a good kid. I’d be proud to welcome him into our family.
The tension in Zoro’s shoulders dissipated like melting snow. It was rare for him and Mihawk to have any vulnerable moments, and he could count them on one hand. But this was definitely one of those moments, and Zoro once again thanked his stubborn kid-self for never leaving that dojo.
The music in the room faded out, and Mihawk and Zoro turned to see Sanji and Perona giggling at each other in the center of the room. One thing led to another, and the rest of the night was spent telling Christmas-themed ghost stories to each other while eating the red velvet cake Sanji had made for dessert.
Sanji chewed on his cake slowly, amazed by the morbid creativity the three others could muster up. Clearly, storytelling was something they did together often, and despite the subject matter, it was all very adorable to see how they played off of each other. He tried his best to keep up, but there was no way he’d surpass Perona and her way to convey the still horror of a Christmass possession leading to a New Year’s exorcism.
When the moon was high in the sky, and the last drop of wine was gone, Mihawk and Perona started to bid their farewells. And to be courteous, Zoro and Sanji walked them to their car outside.
As soon as they got to the car, though, Perona gasped. “I left my umbrella at your place!”
Zoro threw his head back in a loud groan. “Why the hell did you bring an umbrella, you goth freak? There’s no sun in the winter!”
“It’s about aesthetic, moron!”
“If your aesthetic is annoying, then I can see where you’re coming from!”
The siblings argued their entire way back to the apartment, leaving Sanji alone outside with Mihawk. He was glad it was so cold outside because otherwise Mihawk would be able to tell he was shivering with nerves. Sanji realized just how intimidating Mihawk probably was in a one to one kendo match.
“Crazy weather, huh?” Sanji started lamely, immediately regretting it.
Mihawk looked him in the eyes, and Sanji thought to himself, oh my god, I made a mistake. He probably hates the weather. And now he’s gonna hate me, and I’m gonna die, and–
“Zeff was right.”
Sanji blinked a few times. “I beg your pardon?”
Mihawk let out a long exhale, and his breath lingered in the air around him. “My son..." he started but paused to look back to where Perona and Zoro retreated. “He can be wrong about a lot of things. And he has a tendency to lose his way. And he’s stubborn.”
When Mihawk paused again, Sanji decided to fill the silence with an unsure “uh huh..."
“But he’s passionate and driven, and he’s not afraid to fight for what he believes in.” Mihawk glanced back at Sanji. “You bring out all of his best qualities, and you challenge him to be better every day. Thank you for taking care of him.”
Sanji blushed red enough that he couldn’t blame it on the cold anymore. “I appreciate those words more than you know,” he answered shyly.
Mihawk offered his hand to Sanji. “I’m looking forward to more family gatherings, and I expect you to be there.”
The lump in his throat wasn’t going to let him speak, so instead Sanji shook Mihawk’s hand with a firm promise.
Zoro volunteered to clean up the dining table and the candles around the apartment, so Sanji took the opportunity to have a smoke outside on the balcony. He was fighting an odd feeling inside of him. Throughout his life, he’s cherished quiet alone time – why, now, was he missing the noise that Perona and Mihawk took with them when they left?
After his second cigarette, he heard the door behind him slide open, and Zoro hugged him from behind. Sanji could intuitively feel the huge grin across his face.
“That went better than I could’ve ever imagined. They friggin love you,” he said with his chin on Sanji’s right shoulder.
Sanji rolled his eyes and patted Zoro’s head. “Good things happen to those who listen to me.”
“What? You’ve been sayin’ stuff?”
Sanji scoffed and tried to push Zoro away, but he didn’t let go. “The rice bear was a nice touch,” he continued in order to make Sanji stay still. “And the charspookerie board was so stupid that it was perfect.”
Sanji snorted. “I may have thought up that name at 3am one night.”
“But there was one thing missing..."
Sanji tensed in Zoro’s arms as his mind ran through all his notes.
“What happened to eyeball jell-o?” he teased.
Sanji let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, that? Yeah, after a while the idea just seemed tacky. The red velvet cake was much classier, and it probably tasted better than how the jell-o would’ve tasted anyway–”
“Or did you sneak around in my photo albums on my shelf to see that we always make Mihawk red velvet cake on his birthday because it’s his favorite?” Zoro interrupted.
Sanji laughed, embarrassed. “Guilty..."
Zoro gently turned Sanji around for them to face each other. He kept his arms wrapped around his waist, and his thumbs rubbed circles in the back of his jacket.
“No bullshit. I really do appreciate all of the effort you put into everything.”
“Even though..." Sanji added for him as a tease.
“Even though,” Zoro mocked, “I was a total jerk about it the whole time.”
Sanji hummed pleasantly, trying to hide the surprise in his face at the fact that Zoro was admitting he was wrong. He wrapped his arms around Zoro’s neck and leaned back against the balcony rail. With his gaze slightly tilted up and nothing but the sky above them, Zoro’s head was surrounded in a halo of stars.
“Did you have a good Christmas?” Zoro asked innocently.
Sanji smiled. “Yeah...” he drawled out, playing with Zoro’s hair. “I got everything I wanted.”
Sanji started to pull Zoro toward him in a kiss, but abruptly stopped when he felt something cold touch his nose. Zoro laughed at Sanji’s cross-eyed face as he tried to see the snowflake that had landed on him.
They both looked up to see more flakes falling down gently around them.
“You know, it’s good luck to kiss in the snow,” Zoro asserted.
Sanji scrunched his nose in thought. “Really? I’ve never heard of that.”
Zoro smirked and leaned closer, “maybe you should just trust me on this one.”
And he kissed him, wishing upon the winter ghouls and goblins that they’d get to spend every Christmas together just like this.