#utukis

They were both lying on the couch, feet on the tea table in front of them, a (now empty) bowl of popcorn separating them. When the movie began, they had been sitting normally, but after some time, Sanji had gotten sleepy and had put his head on Zoro’s shoulder.

But now the movie had ended and Zoro actually wanted to grab the remote to turn off the TV. Unfortunately for him, it was far out of his reach if Zoro didn’t move and if he moved, Sanji would wake up. A small sigh escaped Zoro’s lips.

“Stupid cook.” He mumbled endearingly. “Why’d you fall asleep in a place like this? You’ll catch a cold.”

In response to that, Sanji seemed to frown in his sleep. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out.

Zoro looked at the clock what the time was. Almost midnight, which meant Sanji could time his movies really well. Because it was almost time to leave, Zoro had to wake the other.

“Oi, wake up, it’s time to leave.” Unlike his seemingly harsh words, Zoro shook Sanji gently. After the third shake, Sanji slowly opened his eyes and after another two shakes, he sat up straight. He too looked at the clock while letting out a yawn.

Zoro left him alone for a minute to grab both their coats and when he came back, Sanji had gotten up and was stretching himself. That way he looked even longer than he already was. Zoro just stared until the blond caught him looking and plucked his coat from Zoro’s hands.

“Let’s go, marimo.” Sanji put on his coat.

Zoro grinned at Sanji’s cold speech. “Coming, coming.”

Together they turned off all the lights (and the TV), and locked the house. Behind their home was a huge field, where a large group of people were already waiting for them. One of them came forward and greeted them.

  It had been a tradition for this group of friends to meet and lit a bonfire on Christmas Eve at midnight. No one really did remember when it all had started, but for a few years now, they met on the field behind the couple’s house. Luffy said it was because Zoro wouldn’t get lost that way, though Zoro claimed it was just a good field to burn some wood.

  Ace, who was the pyromaniac of the bunch, was already standing next to the pile of wood, ready to set everything on fire. Zoro and Sanji had been the last to arrive, so after a nod in agreement, Ace lit the whole thing.

While the fire was burning, everyone stood close to each other. The night was cold, so the fire was nice to be near to. Zoro was standing next to Sanji and after a little while, he grabbed the other’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Merry Christmas, idiot cook.” He said while staring into the flames.

“Merry Christmas to you too, shitty marimo.”