#snowflake911

Things were starting to calm down by the time Zoroapproached him again.  It was too dark toleave Drum Island that night, so they would wait overnight.  The younger members of the crew were back to havingsnowball fights, and the girls were inside by the fire.  Sanji himself had only planned to be outsidelong enough to smoke a single cigarette.

When he was nearly down to the filter, he realized thatsomeone was approaching from the side. He looked up, and the dim glow just barely lit up the sharp line of Zoro’snose and jaw.  His expression was closedto Sanji, but his dark eyes were focused on the cooks.

“What do you want, jerk?” Sanji scowled, not sure what toexpect.  Zoro had a bag slung over hisshoulder, but Sanji didn’t know what was inside.  He couldn’t remember anything in Zoro’spossession that he would have to carry around like that.

“I just…Ugh, look, we can…” Zoro shifted his weight, hislips tightening into a thin line.  “Justcome with me, okay?”

Before Sanji could even think to protest, Zoro grabbed hishand.  The cigarette fell from his lipsand was crushed into the snow as he passed. At first he thought he was just too stunned to protest, but as he letZoro drag him, he began to realize that he was genuinely interested in why theswordsman had sought him out.

When they came out at a large, smooth ice rink, Sanjirealized he hadn’t expected this at all. This wasn’t anything like what he’d expected from Zoro.  He glanced up at Zoro through his blondfringe, feeling his heart thud almost painfully when he saw the way the palemoonlight caressed the other man’s unusual hair and tan skin.

“What are we doing out here?” Sanji asked after a moment,forgetting to even swear or insult the other. Zoro looked over at him, his dark eyes seeing straight through Sanji.

“I wanted to…skate with you,” Zoro admitted finally,reluctantly, “Maybe…if you’re any good at it…”

He trailed off again, but Sanji was smiling.  This was…adorable.  He’d never expected Zoro to have a side likethis too.

“You have skates?” he asked, offering a hand.  Zoro’s face lit up like a child’s, and henodded eagerly.  He opened the bag and draggedout two pairs of skates, handing one pair to Sanji.  Sanji sat down to put them on, surprised tosee that they were his size.  Even Namididn’t seem to know that.

Ten minutes later, they were on the ice.  Sanji hadn’t done this often, but he foundthat he was surprisingly steady on the ice. Zoro clung to him, his hands tight of Sanji’s upper arms.  Sanji winced a little, but he couldn’t bringhimself to protest.  There was something undeniablycute about the way Zoro was relying on him. Sanji shifted his skates back slowly, guiding the forward-moving Zoroacross the ice.

“You’re doing great,” Sanji murmured softly, his heartfluttering as Zoro’s head tipped towards him. His hair brushes lightly against Sanji’s jaw, softer than he hadexpected.  He couldn’t help but let out abreathy sound, swallowing hard.  Itsuddenly hit him that they were out here together, just him and Zoro, in asituation that could definitely be seen as romantic.

“Is this just about the skating?” he asked when Zoro liftedhis head again, “Or did you maybe…want to get me alone too.”

Zoro looked up at him, shifting his weight again.  His eyes were dark and inscrutable, but aftera moment, Sanji realized that he was blushing.

Zoro.  Blushing.  Over him.

He felt his own cheeks warming up too, and his gloved handstightened on the slick fabric of Zoro’s coat. It took him a moment to realize that they had both stopped moving,stopped even trying to move.  They juststood on the ice under the moonlight, staring at each other.

“I wouldn’t mind doing more of this,” Sanji admittedfinally, his voice barely above a whisper. He felt safe enough to say it out here where no one but Zoro could hearhim.  Zoro was the only one who needed tohear him.  He knew he’d made the rightchoice when a rare, bright, genuine smile split across Zoro’s face.