A/N: This is taking an interesting turn! Half the time, even I don't know where these two darlings are leading me. It's like they have a mind of their own up in my brain... thank you for the follows, reviews and favs so far ^^ and thank you for being patient - been trying to get my other monster fic under some sort of control lately!

I said it wasn't going to be long, but chapter 3? Already?

Seems I can't do these things in one go

Ah well. Onwards we go :)

Zoro hovered outside the restaurant doors for nearly ten minutes.

He was already late, but just couldn't bring himself to walk in. Thoughts of Friday in the office had plagued his mind all weekend, and his eyes felt sore from lack of sleep. As a result, when he'd finally managed to drift off in the early hours of Sunday morning, he'd slept right through his alarm.

'Why did he do that?' He thought for the millionth time. 'Why did he say what he said? Is he gay? Is he fucking moving to me? Is that what he meant when he said that? What sort of face do I make?'

He agonised a moment longer before the door flew open.

"Zoro!" Luffy chirped. "Didja get lost again?"

"Luffy?" Zoro blinked. "I forgot... you'd be with us today."

"You don't sound happy," he pouted.

"I'm honestly relieved," Zoro laughed, stepping into the restaurant at last. "Is everyone else here already?"

"Nami was asking where you were," Luffy nodded, walking beside him. "Sanji's here too."

'Oh, great. Fucking terrific.'

"He's in the kitchens today though, 'cause Usopp's not in."

"Oh..." Zoro fought to keep his expression neutral. "How come?"

"Hrmm..." Luffy frowned. "I think Nami said a cold?"

"Zoro!" Nami barked from the counter, pointing at her watch. "You're late! What the hell?"

"Barely," Zoro shrugged, heading to the office for his apron. "Overslept."

"Half an hour is not "barely"!" She yelled at the back of his head. "You sleep too much as it is, don't give me that pathetic excuse!"

He waved her off, reaching for the office door; it opened for him instead, Sanji stepping out, almost walking right into him.

Zoro instinctively took a step back to avoid the collision. "Watch where you're going, shit cook."

"And a very good morning to you too, Marimo." Sanji replied indignantly.

His shoulders tensed up already; Zoro hadn't planned to deal with this guy right away, and here he was, as large as life, standing before him.

"Move." Zoro refused to meet his gaze, staring behind his shoulder at the office instead.

"Ask nicely, and maybe I will." Sanji's hand was still resting on the door handle, blocking his way.

"I don't have time for this." Zoro hissed, and he pushed Sanji aside. He'd been expecting the chef to show a little more resistance, but he stepped aside easily enough. Zoro slammed the door shut behind him, making Nami's head snap up from where she sat.

Sanji frowned, and moved towards her. "What's up with him?"

"Said he overslept," Nami shook her head. "It's not like him."

"He seems pissed off."

"He's always pissed off with you," A faint smile tugged at her lips.

"But this is something else." Sanji's finger tapped his chin in thought.

'Is he honestly mad about that kiss on Friday? It was just a goddamn peck!'

Sanji sighed. "I'll get the soup going."

"Oooh, whatcha makin'? What soup?" Luffy was ready to race to the kitchen door, and Sanji caught him by the collar. "Sanjiiiiiiiiiiiii~" He whined trying to escape.

"Later." Sanji said firmly. "I'll make extra so you can have the leftovers. Okay?"

Luffy's stomach grumbled in response. "But I haven't had breakfast!"

"Luffy!" Nami snapped, flicking her eyes towards the door; their first customer had just walked in.

Luffy sped off to greet him, and Sanji made his escape to the kitchen. Maybe it would do Zoro some good if he were out of the way today. But had it seriously bothered him? If this was how he'd react to a mere kiss, perhaps bringing up his motive for doing so would have to wait for another day.

'Maybe I was a little too forward.´ He admitted. 'But did it shock him that much? Isn't he the sort to slide these things under the carpet? The guy can be as dense as a rock sometimes, so why is he so bothered by this?'

After another sigh, he rolled his sleeves up, and donned his chef's hat.

'It'll have to wait.´ He thought simply, reaching for a tomato. 'There's food to be made, and nothing distracts a chef from that.'

Once it hit 8:45pm, Zoro made a beeline for the office. He'd already pleaded with Nami during his break to let him leave a little earlier tonight, promising that the extra time in bed would mean he'd be punctual tomorrow.

"Hold up," Sanji called, following him into the office.

"I'm in a hurry," Zoro lied, hand on his jacket.

"You're never in a hurry."

"Go wash the dishes, cook."

"I already have."

'Bastard.' Zoro cursed inwardly.

"I need to be somewhere tonight," Zoro turned to face him now. It was the first time he'd actually looked at Sanji properly all day. Any trips to the kitchen, any additional details that had to be relayed about the food, he'd conveniently passed on to Luffy.

He stood with his back against the door, arms folded over his spotless overalls. How the blond had managed to keep them clean after an entire day in the kitchen, Zoro had no idea.

"It's about Friday." Sanji said carefully. "I don't want this dragging out longer than necessary."

"Well, spit it out already." Zoro muttered. "Like I said, I'm in a hurry."

A flash of annoyance passed over Sanji's features, and Zoro could tell the man was forcing himself to remain calm. "I wanted to apologise."

Zoro stared at him.

"Keep your eyeballs in, Mossy." Sanji sighed, shaking his head. "I mean it."

"For... what?"

"For the kiss," Sanji replied simply.

Zoro looked away now, gritting his teeth. "Why did you even do it?"

"I... don't think it'd be a good idea to get into that now," Sanji waved him off. "I just wanted to say sorry, and I don't want anything to be awkward between us."

"It's not that big of a deal anyway," Zoro said quietly.

"It had you avoiding me the whole bloody day," Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't avoiding you."

"Liar."

"Whatever," Zoro huffed angrily. "You've still not told me why you even did it in the first place."

"I thought you were in a hurry to leave?" Sanji was smirking now.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure whatever explanation you're giving me won't take long."

"Alright then," Sanji took a step closer. "Let me ask you something, Marimo."

"I'm all ears."

"When does a person kiss someone?"

The question threw Zoro a moment, and he merely blinked back at Sanji. "Usually... it's because they... like that person. But you're probably doing it as a prank, just to annoy me."

It was the same reason he'd been telling himself over the weekend.

"Which one sounds more likely to you?" Sanji asked.

"You don't like me. Far from it-"

"Why would you say that? Aren't you making an assumption there?"

Zoro watched him for a long minute, unable to speak.

"Are you freakin' serious?" He gaped.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"You some kind of homo, cook?"

"I'm bisexual, actually."

Zoro couldn't believe his ears. He'd had a dim suspicion, but never did he think Sanji would be interested in him in such a way. Unless...

"You're funny, Sanji." He grinned. "Almost had me there."

Sanji's eyes flashed dangerously at him. "I'm trying to be patient with you here, actually went ahead and apologised, and you think it's some kind of joke?"

"Of course it's a joke!" Zoro sputtered. "You actually expect me to believe that you have feelings for me?"

"Why the hell would I kiss you otherwise?!" Sanji cried exasperatedly.

"We already went over that!"

"Why are you guys yelling?!" Nami shouted, bursting into the office. Sanji had stepped aside just in time. "Zoro, I thought you'd be gone by now."

"I was trying to leave." Zoro folded his arms angrily. "This bastard decided to waste more of my time."

There was a crash beside them, and Nami almost jumped out of her skin; the single wooden stool in the corner had been kicked down, and was now missing one of its legs. Sanji was breathing heavily, eyes on the ground, his leg still poised above the stool.

"S-Sanji?" Nami mumbled, clutching her bag tighter.

"I want to be in the kitchens tomorrow," He said firmly, looking Zoro in the eye now. "And when Usopp returns, I'd like to take a few days off."

"Sure..." She replied hesitantly. She didn't dare scold him for breaking their furniture just yet.

He left a moment later, not even bothering to change or collect his jacket.

The room was silent. Zoro simply stood there, trying to make sense of the situation, the blond's words replaying in his mind already.

'He seemed pretty pissed off...' He thought concernedly. 'He... wasn't joking?'

Five painted nails clutched at his shirt, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Listen here, Zoro." Nami hissed, glaring up at him. Her brown eyes held no fear, knowing Zoro would never inflict harm on a woman. "I don't know what's going on with you two, but it's stopping right here. You're one of my best waiters, and Sanji's an asset that I'm not about to lose. I'm trying to run a restaurant here."

She released him a moment later. "Mark my words, Roronoa. One more little hiccup from you, and you're out."

He sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nami, I'm sorry, okay?"

"I don't care what you are," She replied flippantly, grabbing her coat from the wall. "As long as you're on time tomorrow, and not about to cause a scene in my restaurant. Do we understand one another?"

"...Completely."

"Good. Now get out, so I can lock the place up. You're not the only one who needs their sleep."

A/N: Zoro upset Sanji! :C Will he be able to make it up to him? And how's he going to face him from here on out?

If you enjoyed this, please let me know by reviewing! It takes seconds, and definitely does encourage faster chapter writing! ^_^

TAM