I spent more time trying to write the summary than the story itself. LOL.
EDIT 08/01: Some words were erased and I just realized it. Aaaaand Sanji and Zoro's character filter (or whatever it is called) didn't appear, ugh. I hope it does now, though.
Beep. Beep.
Sanji turned the alarm off as quickly as possible, annoyed by the noise it produced. It was Monday morning, he was unusually tired and he didn't want his peacefully sleeping marimo to wake up yet. Sanji blinked a few times, trying to adjust his eyes to the faint light that came from the window.
Turning back to face his partner, he glanced at the hickeys on his sun-kissed neck, remembering the reason of his fatigue with a satisfied smirk. He tried not to remember too much, or else he would get a nosebleed and Zoro would tease him for that. He decided to focus on Zoro's serene face, his hand reaching out to caress it softly.
Ah, how he loved to awaken like this every day.
Slowly, as if he feared that the sight before him would disappear if he made a too abrupt movement, he got up from the bed, his eyes never leaving Zoro's sleeping figure. Once he was on his feet, he stretched his muscles to get rid of the last traces of tiredness, and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
Time seemed to fly while he was preparing he and Zoro's meal, because when he turned back to put the plates on the table, he saw Zoro at the kitchen's entrance.
"G'morning." He mumbled, rubbing his left eye.
"Good morning." Sanji smiled sympathetically when Zoro sat at the table and winced in slight pain. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm a little sore, that's all." Zoro directed his gaze at the delicious-looking breakfast in front of him. "It was my turn to cook, curly-brow. Why didn't you wake me up?" Zoro frowned. Sanji shrugged.
"Guess you looked so beautiful I didn't want to bother you." He seated at the opposite side. Zoro blushed slightly, averting his gaze.
"Pervy cook." He grunted. "I told you not to leave hickeys." He added, his hand touching the notorious love-bites left on his neck.
"I couldn't help it." Sanji smirked. Zoro scowled at him, though Sanji deemed it adorable since it was accompanied by Zoro's blush.
Ah, this day was so perfect.
"I don't care! My parents are coming tonight for dinner, what do you think they'll think if they see me wearing a scarf in summer?"
So much for calling a Monday 'perfect'.
"W-what?!" Sanji stammered, astonished.
"I told you yesterday." Zoro stated matter-of-factly. "Since they couldn't come last week, they're coming tonight."
Oh, right. How could I have forgotten about them? He thought half sarcastically. Well, maybe because they weren't his favorite people in the world, maybe because last night he was quite busy with their son...
"Pervert!" Zoro threw a napkin at his face when he noticed Sanji's nosebleed and lost gaze. "I only hope you don't do the same when my parents are here... It will be enough of a hassle to explain the scarf." Zoro sighed.
Sanji wiped the blood off his face, his thoughts again filled with the unpleasant future visit of Zoro's parents.
"At what time will they come?" The blonde asked, not feeling hungry anymore but eating anyway.
"Six o' clock. I'll be the one cooking, so you don't have to worry about getting home earlier." Zoro explained. "Oh, and please, don't be late, you know how much dad hates it..."
Does he hate me being late or does he hate me? Sanji thought while chewing the last bite of his food.
"I won't." He stood up and left his plate and glass on the sink. "It's getting late, better get going." He said after looking at the wall clock. Zoro nodded, standing up to wash the dishes. Sanji went upstairs to get dressed for work.
Once Sanji was ready, he went back to the kitchen, where Zoro was sat, reading the newspaper. The green haired man was looking at the job offers, again. Sanji couldn't help but sigh at the sight.
Zoro's family was rich. Sanji didn't know about this until recently, since Zoro didn't act like the typical snobby bastards that he had used to see every day at school. Due to Zoro's status, he didn't need to work, but he still felt bored at home without his swords (he left them at his parent's mansion, with a lot of other stuff), and he was too proud to spend his parents' money in whatever way he and Sanji would need.
The only problem was that Zoro was very picky with jobs, so he hadn't found one to his liking yet. Nevertheless, Sanji thought it was adorable of him.
"You know we don't need more money, my salary's enough to keep us both fine. Even if we decided to have a baby it would be just fine." He joked. Zoro huffed at him.
"I don't feel like adopting kids, you know."
"Oh? But, who said anything about adopting? If Zoro-chwan wants to make babies with me, I guess it could happen if we had a lot of sex—" a folded newspaper was thrown at his face.
"You're late for work, pervy cook." He stood up with an evident blush and pecked Sanji's cheek goodbye.
"Aw, not on the lips?" Sanji pouted.
"I'm still mad about the hickeys, you know." Sanji couldn't take him seriously when that cute blush adorned his face, and left a kiss on Zoro's forehead before heading to the main door. "Oh, and don't forget to come back for dinner—"
"At 6 pm, I know." He said before shutting the door.
Well, the day hadn't started as good as he had wanted it to, but at least he did something he loved at work.
Sanji worked at one of the best restaurants in the city, the Baratie. His adoptive father, Zeff, was the head chef. Since he was a kid, Sanji had helped at the restaurant, delivering the food, doing the washing up, etc.; but his true dream was being a chef. Luckily, that dream had been fulfilled, and now his current goal was to become the best chef in the city; one that could even surpass the chefs of All Blue (the best restaurant in the city).
"You're late, brat!" Zeff scolded, stomping his peg leg against the floor.
Sanji felt a vein popping on his forehead.
"I'm not, you shitty old man!" He yelled as well.
"Don't snap back at me, damn it! Of course you're late; today's the wedding of the mayor's daughter and we still have a lot of work to do, so move your ass! We're lucky she chose us for the wedding reception instead of that shitty, air-headed hellhole!" Zeff was talking about the All Blue restaurant. He had a grudge against it because he used to be a chef there, but was kicked out for engaging in a fight with a client for looking down at his skills.
Sanji growled in defeat.
"Patty's in charge of the cake and desserts, you'd better help Carne with the rest of the buffet." Zeff said. "Don't mess it up, eggplant. This client is a very important one." He sighed before heading off to supervise the other chefs.
Sanji nodded to himself. Today was going to be a hell of a busy day.
Sanji sat on a nearby chair, exhaling a tired breath. It was break time and they still had a lot to do. He briefly wondered if he could make it to dinner with Zoro's parents, but shook off that thought as soon as it came. Thinking about them only made his stomach burn with dread.
When his break ended, he stood up and resumed his work.
"You calling that an onion soup?! The dirt in my boot tastes better than this shit!" Sanji heard Zeff yelling to a poor colleague.
"Zeff's really stressed today." Carne commented, his gaze not leaving the meat he was chopping.
"He's not the only one, trust me."
"By the way, there's this lady that came last night..."
"Huh?"
"Let me finish. You weren't here last night, right? Around 8 pm, a woman came and asked for you." Carne's voice lowered to a whisper when he saw that Zeff was approaching them.
"That's strange..." Sanji answered, quite intrigued.
"The only thing strange will be the scene of the crime when I murder you two for chit-chatting at work!" Zeff roared behind them.
"Oi, shitty old man," Sanji glanced at his father. "Did a lady ask for me last night?"
"Hell if I know. I thought you were engaged to Zoro." Zeff growled back.
"I am." Sanji stated. "But it's sort of strange, I can't put my finger on why, but..."
"Probably an ignorant fangirl of yours. Get back to work." The phone ringed and Zeff went to answer it. "Must be the mayor's daughter." He mumbled.
"It really seems strange." Carne said. "She looked a little old to be called a 'fangirl'."
"Wait, don't tell me. It's Kureha, right?" Sanji suddenly guessed, remembering the old lady that usually came to dinner with his grandson, Chopper.
"Hell, no! Everyone here knows that old witch. Besides, Kureha knows your address, I see no point in asking again."
"That woman asked for my address?" Sanji was surprised.
"Yeah, but we didn't give it to her, we thought she was one of those creepy stalkers around the city, you know? So she left. There really was something dark about her..." Sanji gulped. "Hey, what if it happens to be one of the several girls you left heartbroken?" Carne suggested, sending chills up Sanji's spine.
"I-I'm not like that anymore!"
"Yeah, 'cuz you met Zoro and all that stuff. But what if one of the girls is trying to get revenge on you just now? What if she had these grudge on you for so long and—"
"Enough, Carne!" Sanji interrupted him. "First, I've never, ever, hurt a lady on purpose. Second, your theory makes no sense, all the ladies that I've ever met knew that I couldn't be in a formal relationship with them, and they agreed with it."
Carne still seemed doubtful.
Before Sanji met Zoro, he was a waiter at the Baratie. As a waiter, he had the chance of meeting with very beautiful ladies while delivering their food. If the lady was single, he would ask for their number, they would have sex after his work ended, but just that. One night stands. No feelings, just sex and goodbye. Of course, Sanji was polite enough to make that clear before doing anything with a lady. There was only one exception, though...
He couldn't remember her name well, but they had more than one encounters. Sanji liked her, she liked him, and they almost had a formal relationship. Almost.
It resulted that the woman was already in a relationship with another man, engaged no less. Sanji felt disgusted at the idea of a lady cheating on her 'significant other' with him, so he broke up with her on the spot. He wasn't just disgusted of her lies, he was somewhat afraid of the consequences of having an affair with her. He knew of some friends who had happened to date married or engaged women and ended up dead or heavily beaten by their husbands.
"She said I had forced her. Ha! Can you believe it?" He remembered one of his friends had told him, at the hospital. The poor guy had the bad luck of dating a yakuza's unsatisfied wife. He was lucky to still be alive.
Once he broke up with that woman, he vowed to stop being such a playboy. If he ever needed sex, he looked for a prostitute. He still flirted with the ladies at the restaurant, but didn't ask for their numbers anymore.
His friends at the Baratie were aware of this change, but didn't ask the reasons. Soon later, Zoro had visited the restaurant with his parents. Sanji was now a chef, but once the waiter told him that 'the green haired beauty at table 5 wants to meet the chef', he couldn't say no. He couldn't contain his surprise when he saw that he was a man, and he wasn't just beautiful, he was gorgeous. His heart skipped a beat: it had been years since he felt like that for a man. For a second he forgot that his parents were right there, he couldn't help swooning over him.
Of course, Zoro's parents didn't like him since that very moment. Zoro's mother, Perona, was beautiful, and his father, Mihawk, was handsome. Sanji wouldn't have minded having them as parents-in-law until Mihawk pointed a knife at him and told him to get away from his son.
Thankfully, Zoro had asked for his number before leaving the restaurant with a very angry Mihawk and an overprotective Perona. And now they were engaged, much to his parents' chagrin.
Thinking about that woman and Zoro suddenly worried Sanji. What if she decided to hurt Zoro in order to get her revenge?
He stopped chopping celery and hurried to the kitchen phone. He dialed the number and waited anxiously for Zoro to answer.
"Hello?" Sanji let out a relieved breath at the sound of his fiancé's voice.
"Ah, Zoro, it's me, Sanji."
"What's up? You sound worried."
"Please, listen to me, don't get out of the house, don't let strangers in, don't—"
"Wait, what? I'm not a kid, cook. I know how to take care of myself, swords or not. Besides, who would want to hurt me? It's not like you have done something bad."
Oh, god.
"Just... Stay at home. I'll be there at six."
"Okay? But what's going o—" Zoro's unsure question was never completely heard, because Sanji hung up and resumed his cooking, trying to focus on his work.
Zoro, on the other hand, frowned. What could possibly have Sanji so worried? The only time that someone had tried to hurt him was when he was a little child, and he was kidnapped. It hadn't been half an hour since he was abducted and Mihawk had appeared in front of the kidnapper's hideout. Zoro didn't saw what happened next, since Mihawk told him to close his eyes, but he clearly heard someone screaming, and it wasn't his dad. Since that day, no one messed with him. His family was not only rich, but dangerous. So, going back to the same question... What could possibly worry Sanji?
It was 5:30 pm when Sanji finished with his part of the buffet. He left the restaurant after reporting it to Zeff.
A dreadful feeling had been tormenting him since he called Zoro. He turned back occasionally, as if fearing that someone was following him. Of course, it seemed stupid, since he lived in a very populated city and there was a lot of people walking in the same direction as him.
He wasn't weak at all, in fact, he was strong enough to take down a man or two, but it still worried him the possibility of an entire gang going against him. He was still human, a bullet to the heart or head and he would be a goner.
Damn it all!, he thought, reaching for a smoke and a lighter in his pocket. He put the cancer stick on his lips and lit it. He couldn't shake the anxiety off of his mind, but at the same time he wondered if it really was worth worrying about. He didn't know if the woman who visited the restaurant yesterday was the same woman he didn't want to meet again.
When he felt a finger poking his shoulder, he stopped walking and turned around immediately.
"Yes?" He asked as a reflex, but froze as soon as he saw the face of the one who had touched him.
"Ah, I finally found you." Before him was a woman whose face resulted awfully familiar.
Sanji felt a cold sweat forming on his brow, despite all his efforts to convince himself that being afraid was ridiculous.
"Do I know you?" He blurted out, just to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.
"Of course you do, silly, you wouldn't look so disturbed if you didn't." She chuckled.
Damn it.
"Excuse me, but I'm quite in a hurry, so..." Sanji was about to turn away, but she clutched his arm, delicately.
"It won't take long. Please, I only need to talk to you." Sanji clenched his eyelids shut, hating himself for being so vulnerable to women's wishes. He sighed. "Just a minute." He knew he should have refused, but nodded instead. Her smile widened a little, and she took his wrist, leading him to a nearby alley. "It's been two years, I've missed you." Her voice was silky, enticing; Sanji regretted following her as soon as he noticed the lust in her voice. Her long and soft fingers caressed his cheek, contact that made him stagger backwards.
"I wish I could say the same."
"Huh?" She looked confused for a second, as if she wasn't used to rejection. "Are you still mad at me? Seriously?" Her voice was indignant.
Sanji gulped.
"Yeah," he said. "If you wanted to relive old times or something like that, I'm not the one you should ask for." He tried to sound polite, but the woman's offended glare was making it quite the task. "I'm engaged with someone else, you see."
"I know." Sanji was surprised and angry to hear that. He chewed on his cigarette.
"Then you should know better than to ask me." He couldn't help the stern tone that came out of his lips. "I'll never betray him."
"Because he's the son of Dracule Mihawk, right?" Her face turned to an amused one. "You're scared of him, right? Don't worry, he won't ever know." She tried to kiss him, but Sanji stepped back.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you don't know anything. Forget about me, and stay away from Zoro." He warned, starting to leave the alley.
"You'll regret this, Sanji Blackleg!" He was about to turn away to answer back, when he heard a gunshot. He suddenly felt very weak, and a burning pain on his upper back told him where the bullet had gone. He fell on his knees, his hand traveling to his chest, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Damn...!" His vision turned blurry, the smell of blood assaulted his nostrils, and soon everything turned black.
OooooooooooooO
Zoro bit his lower lip in frustration. It was 7 pm and Sanji wasn't anywhere to be seen. His parents had stayed, even though they had finished eating long ago. Zoro wasn't hungry anymore, his parents' disapproving comments had ruined his appetite. Zoro stared at his unfinished plate, as if doing so would make Sanji come back.
"You really shouldn't be dating that jerk. He can't even be here on time, and look at this dump, does he seriously expect you to live here? It's so small! And uncute." Perona huffed. "Why are you wearing a scarf, by the way? I thought I taught you how to dress well, and it's summer!"
Zoro blushed in embarrassment. Mihawk's eye caught his gesture.
"I'll kill him." He growled, standing up.
"Wait... Don't tell me...!" Perona gasped in realization, horrified.
"No, mom! I-I caught a cold, I swear!" Zoro stuttered.
"You can't expect me to believe that, young man." Mihawk spoke.
"T-t-that lowlife d-defiled you?!" Perona shrieked. Zoro's blush deepened, and he wanted to disappear. This was so awkward!
The doorbell rang in that moment. Zoro went to answer so he would be away of his parents' questions.
"You're finally..." He was surprised when the one at his door wasn't Sanji, but a police officer. "Uh... Do you need anything?" He was confused.
"Are you Dracule Zoro?" The cop asked, a little afraid of the infamous last name.
"Yeah." He answered.
"Who is it, Roronoa?" Mihawk's voice came from the living room.
"A cop, dad!" Zoro answered, and said cop felt his knees shaking with fear when Mihawk approached Zoro, Perona following him.
"He'd better be quick. Our conversation isn't over, young man." Mihawk's eyes narrowed.
"Ahem... Are you involved with Sanji Blackleg?" He asked again, his voice a little weak.
"Yeah, why? Has he done anything?" The cop's face turned grim, and he shook his head no. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"I'm deeply sorry to be the one telling you this, but his body has been found near Gyojin Street."
"W-what?!" Zoro exclaimed, not wanting to believe him. But he was a cop, and he was the son of Dracule Mihawk and the grandson of Gecko Moria, so why would someone as serious as a policeman dare to lie to him? "I-It can't be!" He felt tears forming on his eyes, and a hand went to his mouth to prevent any whimper from escaping. The policeman felt really bad at the sight of Zoro, and he felt no better when Mihawk's angry stare was directed at him.
"Is that all, officer?"
"Uh, I'm afraid yes. We're still looking for the culprit. The body is still being analyzed, but it's possible that the cause of death was—"
"I trust you'll find him or her soon." Mihawk interrupted him, making clear that such kind of information wasn't needed at the moment. The cop nodded and Mihawk dismissed him, closing the door just moments before Zoro's sorrowful sobs started.
Perona was holding him in a comforting embrace, her own eyes watering. She didn't like Sanji, but she definitely hated seeing her only son like this, it tore her heart.
"Hush, it will be alright." Mihawk joined them, hugging his wife and son tightly. Zoro simply couldn't believe him. How could anything be alright now?
"Ugh..." Sanji groaned, clutching his head. He felt like a car had run over him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, not recognizing his surroundings.
There were clouds, so many clouds... And a golden gate?
"Where am I?" He asked, feeling that he wouldn't like the answer.
"You're at Heaven, Sanji Blackleg." A serene voice spoke behind him. Sanji turned around and saw a handsome young man with wavy blonde hair and a scar over his left eye. He gasped when he noticed his wings and halo.
"H-Heaven?!"
"Yup, my name's Sabo and I'm here to give you a tour, since none of your loved ones are dead." He smiled friendly.
Sanji stood up, surprised.
"This has to be a mistake!"
"I thought so too, after all, you're a perverted, irascible man," Sabo's shoulders slumped. Sanji frowned at him. So much for a stranger to like him. "But the Boss seemed to like you, so he let you in." He explained. "Now, shall we go?" He pointed at the golden gates awaiting them.
"No! I can't be dead! Zoro... The shitty old man..." He was horrified.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Sabo shrugged.
"You don't get it! This is insane! I need to be with Zoro, can't you go talk with your boss so he can return me back to life or something?"
"Well, I guess... Not. The zombie apocalypse isn't going to occur in another 300 years and the wound you got was deadly, so it would seem suspicious if he revived you." Sanji decided not to ask further.
"There has to be a way!"
"Oh, of course there is!" Another voice spoke, and Sabo's face turned into a scowl. Suddenly, a very tall woman appeared, wearing very skimpy clothes that, added to her well-endowed figure, caused Sanji a nosebleed.
"Iva-chan..."
"Hello, candy-boy!" She spoke in a deep, sweet voice. Her demon tail wagged.
"This is heaven..." Sanji mumbled with a goofy smile.
"She's not part of us!" Sabo exclaimed, smacking Sanji when he noticed his nosebleed.
"Y-you say there's a way to come back to life? How?" Sanji asked, rubbing the slump on his head. Iva-chan smirked.
"You can make a contract with me, Emporio Ivankov." She winked, taking Sanji's face into her hands.
"Don't listen to her, Sanji-kun!" Sabo took Sanji's arm, trying to keep him away from the purple-haired woman.
"Tell me how!" Sanji pleaded. Ivankov took his other arm, stopping Sabo from going further.
"I'll borrow him for a while, Sabo-kun!" She disappeared along with Sanji.
"It's the tenth one you take away from me, damn it!" Sabo stomped his foot on the cloud he was stepping on. "The boss's not gonna be happy." His face turned pale.
Sanji was taken to a very different place from Heaven. There were no clouds, but there was a heart shaped rainbow in the sky, and a lot of pink trees.
"Is this... Hell?" He asked, and Ivankov laughed.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, candy-boy." She answered. "Enough chit-chat. I'll explain your contract." Sanji nodded. "I can't bring you back to life immediately, but I can turn you into a ghost."
"What?" Sanji frowned.
"Let me finish, candy boy! There's this boy... Zoro, right? Is he your lover?" She licked her lips lustily. Sanji gulped, but nodded. "Oh, that's so sweet! Well, here's the deal. If you spend one year here in my kingdom, I'll turn you into a ghost, so you can visit the world of the living."
"Why a year, and why a ghost?" Sanji didn't seem convinced.
"Shh, I haven't finished!" She put her finger on his lips. "Your lover, Zoro, is a very beautiful young man." She said. "And his parents hate you." She was right. "It doesn't take a genius to know that they won't let him mourn over you for the rest of his life, hmm?" Sanji nodded again. "In a year, they'll start introducing him to very handsome young men, trust me. I've got a very good source. I don't know what happens next, but you can imagine it, can't you?"
Sanji gulped, of course he knew what would happen.
"He'll fall in love with one of them." He said bitterly.
"Bingo, candy-boy! But you can't let that happen, can you? So here's the real deal, once you spend a year with me and my girls, I'll turn you into a ghost, so you can prevent Zoro from falling in love with another man! Or woman, who knows. If a year passes and Zoro is still in love with you, you'll get back to life. What do you say, boy?"
Sanji seemed thoughtful.
"And what if I don't succeed? What if Zoro falls in love with another person?" He asked.
"Ooh, wise boy. Let's see, if you fail..." Her nails grew sharp and pointy, and she struck both sides of her waist with them. "You'll spend the rest of eternity with me and my girls!" A tall, big-headed man was now standing before Sanji. The blond chef couldn't supress a scream.
"W-w-what are you?!"
"I'm Emporio Ivankov, Okama Queen, Incubus King and this are my girls!" An entire crowd of cross-dressed men appeared behind him. The sight was enough to make Sanji scream again. "Why so scared, I thought you liked men!" He taunted.
"N-not like this, you idiot! This is hell!"
"I'm glad you realized it! For you, who hates my girls, this is Hell. But don't worry! You aren't going to be here at all, you were chosen for Heaven, right? Unless you want the chance to be with Zoro again... Well, whatever, I'll better give you back to Sabo-kun."
"Wait." Sanji spoke before he could reach his arm.
"Hmm?" Ivankov smiled, he knew what was about to come.
"... I accept. I'll spend a year here, but you better keep your part of the deal!" He pointed his finger at him.
"Of course. Mind you, my girls won't be easy on you."
"I didn't expect them to be." Sanji grunted.
"Then this is going to be hell of fun, candy-boy." Ivankov's masculine voice sent unpleasant shivers up Sanji's spine, but the blond didn't falter. He shook the demon's hand, sealing their contract.
I hate sundays. Hope you have liked the story, though. Review if you feel like it.
