Ooookay, here's the first chapter of my lovely Halloween ZoSan. It'll be a few chapters long, but, they'll be under 4,000 words. The updates should be pretty quick. I just found my groove for this one, sooo... Enjoy!
The chilly October air filled the two story home, flowing in through every open window and door. Even though it was almost dark and chilly was becoming cold, every possible opening remained ajar. Why? Well, that's simple enough.
Celebrating their first fall since they became high schoolers, a certain group of friends 'accidentally' almost blew up the living room. 'Accidentally', meaning, the three stooges, Chopper, Ussop and Luffy were making a lovely concoction for pranking the neighbors on Halloween, Nami and Robin were chatting about their costumes while reading magazines off to the side a bit, and Zoro and Sanji were being quite themselves. Apparently, when you knock over a girl, and feed magazines to Ussop's weird prank potion, and the carpet, you get a product similar to acid that smells like rotting ass.
Oh yes, by this time, Makino-san was glad to have allowed them to party in her house, in the most sarcastic way.
As quickly as possible, the responsible parties were set to cleaning up the mess. After a good twenty minutes of arguing, it was decided that the responsible parties were none other than Sanji and Zoro, no matter how much they tried to deny working together.
The much degraded cook wrung out his rag over the bucket of bleach water and slapped it back down to the one-foot wide squiggly circle of hardwood where the carpet was eaten away. "Ugh, I can still smell it! Stupid bastard. Why'd you spill that shit?" Sanji grumbled, slapping Zoro's arm with the rag.
Zoro, who was sitting across the eaten area from Sanji, narrowed his eyes at the cook. "It's your fuckin' fault!" Zoro growled, spraying more carpet cleaning foam on the singed areas of the carpet.
From the other room, Makino-san called, "No more of that language, please and thank you boys!"
"Yes ma'am!" The two cleaning the floor responded in unison, causing another glaring match. Though, in their heads, they would rather speak in unison than come up against Makino-san. She was scary when she wanted to be.
"'S your fault..." Sanji mumbled, scrubbing away at the bald spot on the floor. "I'm not the one who got all defensive over a stupid costume idea...!" Zoro growled, quietly, so that Makino wouldn't hear.
"It isn't stupid, you bas-!" "Language!"
Sanji glared at Zoro. "Never mind!" He hissed, standing up, and taking the bleach water with him. For the most part, the wood was free of the rotting ass smell, so his part was done. Sanji walked briskly to the kitchen sink, and placed the bucket upright in the sink, in case Makino needed it later. He had turned on the tap, and begun washing his hands in the slowly warming water, before taking notice of the seaweed that had followed him into the kitchen.
"Where do you think you're going?" Zoro whispered hoarsely, arms crossed over his chest, can of carpet cleaner sticking out from behind his arm where he had his hand tucked into his elbow. Almost comical to Sanji, it seemed the Moss, who had the easier job, did not want to be by himself.
"You gonna miss me, shitty swordsman?" The cook taunted, turning the water off and patting his hands on his pant legs to dry them.
Laughter could be heard from upstairs, where their friends had moved the party to, and Zoro growled. Whether or not they were laughing at him, he didn't want people to think he liked or missed Sanji, whom he considered his rival. "No way! That's not what I fuckin' asked anyway. You are not going to stick me to this by myself!"
The blonde just scoffed, tossing the soaked bleach-rag into a hamper just inside the laundry room doorway. He then made his way upstairs, sparing one last sneering look at Zoro before he disappeared into the hallway.
"Shitty little-!"
"Roronoa-kun, hush please." Makino-san interrupted his insult from her spot under the Kotatsu in the sitting room, reading a book. That was the third time in the last five minutes she'd had to tell one of those boys to stop cursing. Honestly, she thought, those two combined with Shanks and his friends are corrupting Luffy and little Chopper.
Zoro grumbled, passing through the doorway back into the living room. He stopped a few feet away from the spot in the carpet, shaking his glaring head. It wasn't his fault that the spot was there. After all, what the hell was Ussop doing making acid in Makino's house? Zoro didn't make Ussop do that! And he sure as hell didn't make Sanji start a fight! That would be like Zoro himself starting the fight, and he doesn't do that... unless the cook is just being unreasonably idiotic.
Okay, so, that's most of the time, but, still... It wasn't his fault. That, the swordsman had decided, was the truth. He was definitely going to get back at the cook for making him do all this work. As to how... well, he'd figure that out later on. For now, he had to get upstairs and join the party. After all, he wouldn't want to miss out on the idea-pitching of any more great pranks.
"Oh, come on, Sanji-kun! You can tell me!" Nami urged, leaning forward on her palms just so, emphasizing her breasts.
A nosebleed trickled down to his lips as Sanji jumped up. "Mellorine~!" He shouted, clapping his hands together and floundering about the large room. He almost bumped into several of his friends, but, as logic would suggest, it would be an unavoidable collision. Nami was fuckin' hot. Especially when she tried to get information out of people. Well, guys. So persuasive...
"Soo... you'll tell me about your costume?" The redhead asked, blinking innocently at Sanji. He stopped his carrying on and looked at Nami with a strangely serious expression. "I'm afraid not. It's got to be a secret." Sanji announced, giving a wink so as to not come across rude.
That did nothing to quell the irritation of Nami. She huffed and turned away, before waving for everyone's attention. Once all eyes were on her, she smiled a strange smile, and innocently said, "Don't you all want to know what Sanji's costume will be?"
"Yeah! Hey, why haven't you told us yet?" Luffy yelled, Ussop and Chopper nodding in agreement behind him. The cook stared at them, and then at Robin, who gave him a slight nod and a smile. How can even Robin-chwan miss the meaning of 'secret'?
Sanji shook his head. "I can't tell you. It's not even a good idea, so, I'll probably do something else. Besides, we still have a week!" The cook reasoned, seating himself on the futon beside Robin. The three stooges pouted in unison; "We told you what our costumes are gonna be!" They whined, now pissed that their friend would withhold such information.
"That's right!" Nami nodded smugly, sitting a bit straighter on her cushion, and laying her hands on the table in front of her. "You are now obligated to tell us." She stated, pointing at Sanji. He waved his hands in front of himself defensively, and a thought sparked in his head. "Nami-san... you haven't told me what you're going as?" The cook raised a curly brow at her, and the redhead just scoffed.
"It's quite simple. Robin and I are going as hot devils so we can get more candy which I'll sell to those loons throughout the rest of the year," She jerked her thumb towards Luffy, Ussop, and Chopper to her right, and they whined promptly. "And perhaps even further after New Year's." Nami added, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now, you."
The cook did his best to avoid her gaze, looking around at the weird scribbles in red crayon on the light orange wallpaper, (Courtesy of Luffy). "W-well, you know, Nami-swan... I, uh, it's just a bad idea. I don't know what I'm gonna go as yet... okay?" Sanji smiled nervously at her, trying to get away without anybody else laughing at his ideas.
"Not 'okay'!" Nami slammed her palms on the coffee table, effectively rattling their mugs of hot cocoa. "Halloween is a week away and you don't have a costume yet? What have you been doing all month?"
"Everyone else started preparing in June, Sanji!" Ussop pointed out, scrawling something on a notepad of possible pranks. Luffy and Chopper leaned over the notepad, and a few seconds later they laughed. "Good one!" Luffy laughed, and Chopper echoed him; "Yeah, good one, Ussop!"
As the long-nose began a long speech about how amazing and smart he was, Sanji sighed. Good thing they believed me about that costume thing, He thought. There was no way, after how Zoro reacted, that he was going to tell them about it. It was kind of stupid anyway...
The others had good purpose for their costume choices. Nami and Robin are best friends, so it only makes sense that they should have coordinated costumes. And, of course, that their effort is profitable.
Luffy, Ussop and Chopper were going as zombies, because... well, zombies are fuckin' cool. Beats the shit outta vampires, anyway. Zoro was going to be an un-dead Samurai, so, in a way, also a zombie.
But, the only one whose costume had not been in the works for months, the brilliant mind who had, spur of the moment, decided that he would go all out and disguise himself so that even his friends wouldn't recognize him, was the same idiot that thought telling Zoro about his idea was okay. Sanji wasn't sure why he did that. Perhaps, it was just fun to have someone in on it with him? Perhaps, he actually kind of trusted that shithead to act like a real friend, and go along with him to help the effect of his idea?
So farfetched... Zoro? My friend?... I don't know.
At that moment, simultaneously, the swordsman walked in, and Sanji's phone buzzed in his pocket. Sanji pulled out his cell, and sighed looking at the caller ID. Zoro was greeted, or at least acknowledged by everyone except Sanji, who stood from the futon on past Zoro out the door. This irritated him, but he didn't act on that irritation past whispering 'asshole' as the blonde passed him.
The cook didn't respond, instead flipping open his phone and beginning a conversation without as much as a 'hello'. From the sound of it, he was arguing with someone, but, his friends were busy conversing about the up-coming Halloween festival. The occasional 'shut up!' and 'dusty bastard' could be heard from the hall. Not that that was an out-of-the-norm phone conversation for Sanji.
"Damn old fart! You said I could come in late today!... You did!... You DID!... Stupid bast- YES YOU DID!" Sanji shouted into the receiver. "Fine! I'll fuckin' come to work on a day you promised I'd have off! Yes. You. Did... You can't say a goddamn word about my attitude!"
By this point in the conversation, everyone in the household had tuned their ears to Sanji's end of the peculiarly loud and vulgar phone call. Even the swordsman could find it in himself to sympathize with Sanji. Work was a bitch, and that's all there was to it. Though... it seemed being assistant head chef at the Baratie was harder than teaching a classroom full of snotty kids how to hold a sword.
"Oh, fuck off! I'm already on my way to help your sorry, crotchety old ass out so shut up! ... Stop calling me eggplant!" And with that, Sanji hung up. His hands were balled into fists, so tightly that he was almost sure he'd break his phone. The cook inhaled deeply, and then exhaled an angry, resigned sigh. He was glad for the promotion, for the pay, but not for the hours.
He plastered the closest 'semblance of a smile he could muster onto his face, and strode to the doorway of the room where all his friends sat, seemingly going about their regular business, but glancing at him out of the corner of their eye. Well, the subtle ones, anyway.
"You're going already?" Luffy whined, pouting to set a record.
The cook laughed, a rather dark sound, and said, "Yeah, the old man's got me working over time this week, apparently." He then walked across the room and snatched up his school bag. "I only hope I'll have Halloween off for the festival."
"You have to be there!" Luffy decided, turning on his bottom to face Sanji, as Chopper and Ussop echo him, nodding. Nami stood from her spot on the floor and said she'd see their friend to the door, and promptly pushed him out of the room, shutting the door behind them quickly.
"Sanji-kun!" Nami hissed, roughly shoving him into the hallway. She put her hands on her hips and leaned favorably on her left leg, aiming a glare at Sanji. "You are not skipping out on the festival that I helped plan! You will be there! Understand?" The redhead whispered fiercely.
Sanji could only gulp at seeing her behavior. Sure, he'd known she, along with the rest of the high school's volunteers, had been working extra hard on this event, but, would it be so bad if he got there after the dinner rush?
Wait, will there even be a dinner rush on Saturday, during the Halloween festival? I think they have people catering so, anyone going wouldn't waste their time stopping to eat at the Baratie... "I'll be there!" The cook decided, smiling at Nami. Man, was that a load off his mind. He'd definitely show up early and help out. Even if that meant knocking the old fart out, and making a break for it.
In a slightly better mood, Nami huffed, and lead Sanji to the door. Not that he didn't know this place like the back of his hand. He came to hang out with his annoying friends here at every opportunity.
As they passed the sitting room, Sanji said goodbye and bowed to Makino-san, who in turn said he was welcome to come back anytime, as long as he didn't cause any more trouble. Sanji laughed, but he agreed nonetheless. He did not intend to make her house smell any more like burning ass than it already did.
Nami stopped just a few feet from the door, and turned to Sanji. "There's one more thing I wanna ask you." She said, sounding a bit suspicious. The cook smiled; "Anything, my flower!" He said, gesturing for her to continue.
She smiled a bit. Not a happy smile, but, a queer one. "Why did you tell Zoro what your costume was gonna be, and not me?"
"Ah-" Sanji's mouth hung open just a bit, and his eyebrows twitched in an apologetic manner. "A-about that... Well, it was stupid of me... Really, I have to go, Nami-san!" Sanji bowed, and reached for the doorknob. Nami slapped his hand away, her smile growing ever-stranger. "Answer the question." She commanded, crossing her arms over her bust.
The cook eyed any possible ways of escape. He didn't know why he had told Zoro. He didn't know why Nami cared, despite his adequate answer earlier. But, what he really didn't know was why his beloved Nami would want to keep him here when his old man was riding his ass about being at work right now.
Sighing at the lack of an answer, Nami stepped forward, closer to Sanji, and whispered, "If you don't tell me now, I'll tell the others that you have a crush on Zoro."
"That's crazy!"
Nami and Sanji both gasped at the blonde's outburst, and the slight pink that brightened his cheeks. "Oh. My. God." Nami said. Sanji shook his head frantically; "I'm sorry about my tone, Nami-san, but, really! The very idea makes me sick!" He tried to reason.
Taking the redhead's shock as an opportunity, Sanji slid past her, just out onto the front porch. "I'd appreciate if you didn't go spreading rumors about that, Nami-san." He said, honestly, before waving, and running over to his car.
Before anything else could be said, the cook sped off in his black El Camino, (?), leaving a very shocked, and very black-mail material over-loaded Nami in the doorway. What the hell did she just un-cover?
First matter of business; I could not decide what kind of car to give Sanji. I don't know much about cars, I just go on shapes and colors (lol). Buuut, I saw an El Camino on 'My Name Is Earl', so, I ran with that.
Anyway, whaddaya think? Please review!
P.S. I will be... competing? In the NaNoWriMo this year, so, updates on Attitude Match!, my other story, will be delayed, possibly until December. Thank you, good night!