knots and kisses

Chapter 1

꒰ 3rd POV ꒱

"One cup of flour..." The teenager reads the recipe instructions out loud and starts to measure flour, but ends up with a small mountain of it on the counter. He shrugs and decides it's probably fine.

"Now, I think I need to... beat the eggs?" He questioned while holding the mixing bowl in hand.

He grabs an egg, cracks it on the edge of the bowl, and then proceeds to give it a martial arts-style beating with a whisk, sending bits of eggshell and egg white flying all over the kitchen. 

He takes a deep breath and continues, attempting to pour sugar into the bowl but spilling half of it on the floor. Zoro doesn't seem to notice and proceeds to dump an entire bag of chocolate chips into the mixture.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Hmm, maybe just a few more for good luck."

As he stirs the concoction with exaggerated concentration, the dough becomes stickier and stickier. Zoro's attempts to roll it into neat balls quickly turn into a sticky mess. He gives up and uses a ladle to scoop out random globs of dough onto a baking sheet.

He puts the tray in the oven, sets the timer, and sits down to wait, fidgeting nervously. After a few minutes, a loud *BEEP* from the oven makes him jump up.

"They're ready!" Zoro declared with excitement. 

He takes out the tray of cookies, and they look like lumpy, misshapen blobs of dough, with a few chocolate chips sticking out at odd angles. Zoro admires them like they're a work of art.

The teen carefully arranges them in a small gift box, doing his best to make them look presentable. He ties a ribbon around the box and adds a heartfelt note that simply says, 'For you, Curly.'

────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────

꒰ Next Day ꒱

As Zoro walked to school with the cookies carefully hidden in his backpack, he couldn't help but daydream about Sanji's reaction. He envisioned Sanji's eyes lighting up with joy and admiration as he tasted the homemade treats, and perhaps, just perhaps, a confession of love hidden within a sweet bite.

Zoro's mind was so engrossed in these fantasies that he almost bumped into a lamppost on the way to school. Sanji was the new transfer student, and his arrival had caused quite a stir in him. His golden hair, crisp blue eyes, and a certain air of elegance had captured Zoro's attention.

As Sanji walked into the classroom, Zoro's excitement was overshadowed by a surge of annoyance. Sanji was a natural flirt, and it didn't take him long to start charming the girls in the room. His compliments flowed like honey. 

Zoro watched as Sanji complimented Vivi on her hair and Nami on her style. He clenched his jaw, trying to focus on his own work. But when Sanji's laughter filled the air, something inside Zoro snapped. He couldn't stand it any longer.

"Does he ever shut up?" Zoro muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, Sanji overheard the comment and shot a glare in Zoro's direction. "What's your problem, tough guy?" Sanji retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Zoro's annoyance boiled over as he stood up from his desk. "My problem is that you're all talk and no substance," he shot back.

The tension in the room escalated quickly as Sanji and Zoro exchanged heated words. Trading insults and accusations. Zoro couldn't help but let his jealousy show, accusing Sanji of being a shallow flirt who didn't care about anyone but himself. Sanji countered by labeling Zoro as a stuck-up loner.