Friday Night Dinners

Vivi couldn't believe that she had spent 500 buying Sanji. It wasn't that she regretted it because she didn't, if she could do it again she wouldn't change a thing except for the standing on a chair bit perhaps. It was as if she had been possessed by some psycho jealous demon. She had seen all those girls fighting for a piece of Sanji and a wave of protective jealousy had surged through her and the next thing she knew she was on a chair glaring at the majority of the school's female population.

Every girl in the school knew of Sanji's devotion to the female gender and that he couldn't refuse a pretty face. So it came as no shock that the boy had been used before, Vivi had seen it happen time and time again and Sanji deserved better than that. She couldn't allow him to sacrifice himself to those despicable selfish brats especially when he was up there for her in the first place and if it meant some time alone with the handsome cook well that was just a plus.

The bluenette was at her locker slowly putting what she needed for the weekend in her bag. She was brainstorming ideas for her evening with Sanji, she didn't really want to force him to do anything since he was always helping out and being kind as it was. Tonight she figured they could just watch movies back at her place since she had an awesome home theater system.

"Vivi-chan my sparking goddess and saviour! How are you this miraculous afternoon?"

"I'm fine Sanji-kun. I was thinking about this evening. Would you like to come over for some movies?"

"I would love to my scrumptious buttercup but I would be deeply honoured if you would allow me the heavenly pleasure of preparing you a dinner beforehand."

"That's not necessary Sanji."

"As your humble servant I beg you to grant me this one simple request my princess of love"

Sanji looked so sincere and hopeful that Vivi finally conceded, cooking after all was no chore for the skilled young cook.

"Fine but you can use my kitchen and you won't have to worry about cleaning the mess up afterwards."

"As you wish my angel"

With that Sanji wished her farewell planting a light kiss on her hand before waltzing off.

/galleta\\\\\\\

Zoro stood in the cafeteria by the stage watching all the students passing through at the end of the day. School was done and Zoro wanted nothing more than to go home and have a nap but instead he was stuck here waiting for the mystery kid to meet him and to tell him what he wanted of him for the evening. He seriously hoped it would be hassle-free but Zoro doubted he'd get that lucky.

He scanned the cafeteria but he couldn't see the scrawny kid who had bought him anywhere. A glance at his watch told him that Nami was not going to be there when he got out which meant he was walking home. More like to the dojo with the way his muscles were clenching. An hour or two there would allow him to vent his frustrations and would loosen up all his tense muscles.

Idly he thought about how it was said that sex was a great work out. Personally he'd never put too much stock in it after all he preferred a good duel but maybe things would be different with the right woman. An image of azure eyes filled with need and long trim legs popped into his head. Zoro quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts that was not a good path for them to be taking. He turned around and almost smacked right into a tall slender frame, looking up he saw a pair of azure eyes filled with curiosity.

"Shit!" Zoro said for lack of anything better.

"Pardon?" Robin asked a twinkle in her eye.

"Sorry Miss Nico" he mumbled his eyes downcast.

"Miss Nico?" she inquired, the twinkle gone.

Zoro stared at her confused and not understanding what she was questioning. He waited for her to explain but instead she simply moved on to another question.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yeah, the kid who bought me"

"Oh is that so. What makes you think it's a kid?"

The question threw Zoro, what was she getting at? Of course it was a kid. It was students doing the whole thing, except Smoker of course, and anyhow he had seen the whole thing go down.

"Err... because I saw the kid place the final bid and then sign the sheet. Plus Kali told me the kid said to meet here."

"That's all true but what makes you think he is the one who bought you?"

"What the fuck? I just said I saw..."

"Yes he placed the bid but it wasn't for himself."

"Huh?"



"It's my way of saying thank you for earlier"

"What?"

"For the thing with the dunk tank"

"So you bought me?"

"Yes"

"And me being your slave is your way of thanking me?"

"Yes and no. Yes this is my way of thanking you but no you aren't my slave, as you put it. I simply thought that if I bought you you could have the night free and not get stuck doing something you didn't want to."

"Why?"

"I knew you didn't want to be up there to begin with but you did it anyways for your nakama so this way everybody wins."

Zoro was shell-shocked he had most definitely not seen this coming. He had never even hoped for anything like this yet here he was and here she was.

"So you're free. Have a good night."

Robin turned and started to walk away and Zoro was overcome with a desperate urge to stop her.

"Wait" Robin turned back around "you don't want anything at all?"

Azure eyes flickered with an internal battle and Zoro waited for a response.



"Nothing" she said softly while her eyes told him a different story.

"Dinner" Zoro blurted out.

"Pardon?"

"Let me take you out for dinner. It's the least I can do after all the help you've given me and how much you spent."

Once again the internal battle waged and this time something akin to defeat shone through and she nodded mutely in agreement.

"Good. I'll pick you up at 7:00 then."

Robin agreed and she gave him her address before walking away. He was about to leave as well when another idea occurred to him.

"Robin wait. Do you think you could maybe drive me home? I've missed my ride." He asked sheepishly

"Sure just let me get my stuff."

/que\\\\\\

Nami expertly worked her way through the mess of students until she was out in the parking lot. The Friend Auction had been the last event of the day and getting everything organized and cleaned up had taken awhile even with all the volunteers. The money was safely locked away waiting to be counted on Monday.



As she walked Nami was compiling a list of chores for Luffy to do later. The mikan trees in her backyard needed to be trimmed and there were several plump mikans ready to be picked. While he was out there he might as well mow and there were several other chores to do then after they were done he could take her out for dinner.

Nami was almost at her car when something caught her eye. Right there in the middle of the parking lot sat Smoker's bike with Smoker himself leaning against it almost sitting sideways in the seat. Ace stood in the v of his legs leaning into him his bare chest pressed close to Smoker. The sun glinted off the large tattoo that covered his back which rippled with lithe muscles as his hands expertly worked their way under Smoker's jacket and into his thick grey hair. Smoker had one large hand paced firmly in the small of Ace's back pressing him closer and Nami didn't look too hard for where the other hand might be. They were locked together in a passionate kiss oblivious to the world around them.

Nami had never seen two people exude so much unbridled passion and lust before. Here they were clinging to each other like they hadn't seen each other in months yet she knew they had disappeared into an empty classroom after Ace's strip tease.

Ace and Luffy while alike in many ways sure were different that way. Luffy would never flaunt himself in the manner Ace did so naturally but not because of lack of confidence. No one could accuse Luffy of that. He simply gave off a much more innocent vibe. Then again Nami doubted that Ace would have ever figured out that she needed reasons to kiss Luffy in the beginning. A smile pulled at her lips as she was reminded of all the effort Luffy put into getting a few kisses. There was a reason she was the one he was coming home with.

/chido\\\\\\

"Oi Ace can I borrow your car tonight?" Zoro asked over the phone.

"Why? Can't you just use Makino's?"



"She's busy and it's not like you ever use your car. You're always on your bike or Smoker's."

"Fair enough but you never answered why."

"I'm going out"

"Yeah I actually figured that part out myself baka."

"I'm going out to dinner with someone." Zoro mumbled.

"Ooh Zoro's got a date. Who's the lucky lady? Or is it lucky man?"

Zoro had known when he called Ace that it was going to come to this but he had no other choice and he most definitely was not going to let anyone else know he was going out with the history TA. Considering who Ace was dating and his disregard for rules of any sort he figured Ace was his safest confidante.

"Of course it's a girl Ace. It's Robin."

There was a momentary silence on the other end in which Zoro could only assume Ace was trying to figure out if by Robin he meant Nico Robin or not.

"Robin? As in Nico Robin the teacher from your school whom you rescued from the dangers of the dunk tank?"

"Yes but she isn't a teacher. Only a TA and she isn't our teacher anymore."

"Well in that case you can definitely have my car. I fully support this man."

Zoro thanked Ace and they arranged for him to drop the car off in a bit before hanging up. He had a sinking feeling about this whole evening and he could only hope that it wouldn't blow up too badly in his face. With a sigh he tossed the phone on to his bed and headed to the bathroom to shower and get ready.

/eres\\\\\\

Sanji glided between stovetop and the counter effortlessly chopping and cutting different ingredients and adding them to the different pots he had out. He was easily in his element in the kitchen even if he had never cooked in this one before. Sanji continued to move about absentmindedly the actions so familiar to him that he didn't need to think about what he was doing and instead his thoughts drifted to Vivi.

Sanji was a self-proclaimed ladies man. He had long ago decided that it was his duty to protect the female gender and to treat them like they deserved yet some days it was harder than others. Sometimes Sanji felt like he was losing himself behind the image and one day he would vanish completely. Being with Vivi was different though. When Sanji was with Vivi he felt as if he could truly be himself. He still wanted to treat her like the princess that in his eyes she was but with her it was much more sincere.

He wanted tonight to be perfect, she had done something incredible for him and it wouldn't be right if he didn't repay her. He knew he was nowhere near worth 500 but maybe if he could offer her a grand enough dinner and a unforgettable evening it would be enough. Either way he had to give it a try so here he was preparing all of her favourite dishes in her kitchen.

"Do you need any help Sanji-kun?" Vivi asked popping her head into the kitchen.

She was smiling sweetly and Sanji could hear the sincerity in her voice. He turned and bestowed a charming smile upon her once again thanking whatever gods there were for giving him this opportunity.



"Thank you Vivi-chan but I am fine. I want you to just relax and enjoy yourself, you don't need to lift a finger."

"Alright but if you need anything I'll just be in the other room."

Vivi left the room and Sanji watched her go hoping that the night would go as he had planned.

Sometime later Sanji was laying out all the dishes and escorting Vivi to the table. Everything was set out beautifully, her plate looking like a work of art instead of just some food on a dish. Vivi praised everything and dug in delicately. Sanji waited until she had tried a bit of everything and then once he was sure that she was satisfied with everything he started on his own plate.

As they ate they talked about different things with an easy comfort. They talked about Sanji's dream of earning an apprenticeship at the legendary All Blue Institute of Culinary Arts. Vivi couldn't help but notice the change in his features when he talked of his dream. His face lit up with pure unadulterated joy making him look younger and more innocent.

His enthusiasm was contagious and Vivi knew that if anyone could apprentice at All Blue it was Sanji. Soon she was sharing her own hopes for the future and telling Sanji about her hopes to one day be in charge of her family's business and to make sure everything ran smoothly so that their loyal customers got the best quality.

They talked and ate and Vivi was having a great time, she felt very comfortable and was enjoying being able to be herself. After what seemed like no time Sanji was clearing everything away with a promise of dessert.



When he set the plate down in front of her she gasped; it was beautiful. A rich velvet chocolate cake in the shape of a heart with caramel and raspberry coulis drizzled on top in some fancy designs. The middle of the cake had a raspberry cream filling the bite of the raspberries blending perfectly with the richness of the chocolate.

It was a perfect concoction and when Vivi took a bite she let out a moan of delight as the flavours exploded on her tongue. She closed her eyes to better savour the taste oblivious to the effects her enjoyment was having on Sanji. For his part Sanji was desperately trying to keep his thoughts pure and to ignore the awkward tightening in his pants.

Vivi continued to eat the scrumptious cake making little sounds of enjoyment ignorant of Sanji's discomfort. She was about to take another bite when she noticed something shiny in the cake, upon further inspection she discovered it was a piece of tinfoil.

"Sanji there's tin..."

Vivi trailed off as she realized it wasn't just a small piece that could have accidentally got dropped into the cake mix but a fair sized chunk. She took the tinfoil out noticing the weight of it and decided to open it up it seemed to be what Sanji was waiting for her to do anyways. Opening the tinfoil Vivi caught sight of a flash of gold and she glanced over at Sanji but he simply motioned for her to finish opening it. Removing the rest of the tinfoil she revealed the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was a thin gold chain with a small pendant on it. The pendant was shaped like a peacock feather in a brilliant aquamarine with a gold trim.

"Sanji..."

"Do you like it?"

"It's gorgeous Sanji, you shouldn't have."



"I wanted to Vivi-chan and you deserve it."

"Thank you Sanji-kun"

"Anything for you my precious Vivi-chan. I would like to beg you for the honour of escorting you to prom and the necklace doesn't mean you should feel obliged to say yes."

Vivi was speechless. She hadn't been expecting any of this and here Sanji was presenting her with this wonderful necklace and asking her to prom. Joy surged up within her and a goofy smile broke out on her face her eyes alight with her happiness.

"I would love to go to prom with you Sanji-kun"

Sanji's smile was so bright that Vivi let out a small giggle. The blonde kissed her hand gallantly then offered to do her new necklace up for her. Vivi lifted her hair up so Sanji could fasten the clasp his fingers brushing lightly against the nape of her neck sending shivers down her spine. The pendant settled against her chest the metal cool against her skin.

"Just as I thought, it suits you beautifully my princess." Sanji said sweetly without the usual sing-song quality of his compliments.

Vivi blushed looking down at her lap and Sanji laughed lightly before urging her to finish her cake. They finished the meal in a comfortable silence both of them content to be who they were in that moment. When they finished up Vivi ushered Sanji into the room which held all the sound systems and TVs. It took some cajoling to get him to leave without cleaning up but she reminded him it had been part of the deal and technically he had to do what she said. In the end he left the dishes where they were but offered his sincere apologies to the household staff. Choosing a movie they put it in the player and turned everything on settling down on one of the large leather couches the room hosted.



The movie started but Vivi was only partially watching the images on the screen. She was acutely aware of her body and Sanji's and how close they were, if she were to shift over just an inch their shoulders would brush. She was overcome with an urge to touch Sanji, to feel his skin against hers in some way. As if he could sense this desire in her Sanji wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders pulling her closer so that she was leaning into his side. He did it without any big move simply putting his arm around her not bothering with an attempt to conceal it as a yawn or a stretch as she had half expected.

"Sanji?"

"Yes Vivi-chan? Did you want me to move my arm?"

"No. I was just thinking how I never gave you your kiss."

"My k-kiss. What?" Sanji stammered in such an un-Sanji-like way that Vivi couldn't help but giggle.

"At the kissing booth. You paid all that money but you never got your kiss."

"Oh"

Vivi tilted her head up pressing a soft kiss against Sanji's lips. His lips were still under her own for a second and then the shock of what was happening wore off and they started to move and he was kissing her back. His hand came up to caress her face tilting her head pressing them closer together. Sanji's tongue slipped out almost hesitantly brushing across her bottom lip before pulling back. Vivi took the opportunity to dart her own tongue out and gently prod at Sanji's lips and when he opened his mouth to her she slipped it in exploring the ridges. Her tongue ran over the jagged edges of his teeth sensations shooting through her, her head soaring so she felt as if she was drugged.

Oxygen as usual became an issue and they were forced to pull apart. Foreheads together they sat there silently catching their breath. Sanji spoke first his voice low and his breath tickling her face.



"It was well worth the wait love"

Vivi smiled softly glad that the darkened room hid her embarrassment. Sanji pressed another soft kiss to her lips before pulling back and hugging her close. Vivi turned and rested her head on his shoulder her hand resting comfortably on his thigh and they both turned their attention to the movie playing a peaceful smile on their lips.

/xoxo\\\\\\\\

Nami waited impatiently in the car outside of Luffy's house. He had come bounding over to her car after school pausing only to shout bye to Ace who acknowledged his little brother with a lifted hand. Luffy had immediately pecked her on the cheek then asked what chores she had for him to do. It had come as a bit of a surprise not that it should. They had known each other for what seemed like all their lives and he knew marginally how her brain worked. What had surprised her even more was his insistence that they stop at his place first so he could pick something up. Nami had tried telling him that she would feed him and he didn't need a snack but he simply laughed and said that it wasn't food.

Tapping her nails against the side of the car she wondered what was taking the hyperactive boy so long. He had been pretty adamant about stopping and she was at a loss to what was so important. He had said it wasn't food and he already had his hat with him so what else could it be. She was just about to march inside and force him to hurry up when he came flying out the door. As usual he leapt over the side of the car and into the seat ignoring the perfectly functional door.

"The door Luffy! How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Sorry Nami" Luffy replied with a laugh.

"What was so important for you to get anyways?"



"Huh?" Luffy looked at her with an expression of bewilderment.

Some days Nami couldn't believe that he had managed to make it past grade school and with only a handful of suggestions of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) Taking a calming breath in order to avoid losing control and beating him to a pulp Nami slowly replied.

"The important thing that you needed to stop here to get that wasn't food."

"Oh that thing" Luffy said laughing "this. It's for you."

Luffy pulled out a small white envelope and handed it to her. Curious Nami took the envelope and opened it. Her jaw dropped when she saw what it contained. There inside was a bunch of bills, some more weathered than others but a quick perusal told Nami's skilled mind that there was about a hundred dollars present.

"Luffy..."

"I know you didn't want to have to spend that much money and I'm just glad it was you who got me and not one of those scary other girls."

Nami was shocked by his generosity. True she had been planning on extorting at least half of the 150 from him but she hadn't even mentioned it yet. Idly she flipped through the stack of bills once more, falling in love with the boy even more.

"That's all I had here. I could give you the other fifty later if you want."

Nami looked into Luffy's dark eyes and she knew that he was telling the truth. Suddenly she leaned over and grabbed Luffy's face between her hands pulling him to her for a passionate kiss. Nami wasn't very good or comfortable with speaking her feelings so she conveyed all her gratitude and love in the kiss and prayed that he would understand. Luffy kissed her back hard and she couldn't help but feel safe in his arms. Luffy would protect her always and she would always be there by his side.

"So did you want the rest of the money?" Luffy asked as they pulled apart.

"No this is much more than I wanted. Why don't we use this to go out for dinner, there's a new all you can eat buffet in town."

Luffy's eyes lit up at the promise of all you can eat and Nami let out a small laugh.

"Besides you need to save your money for a tux for my prom."

Luffy nodded enthusiastically and Nami started the car not convinced that he had caught the meaning of her comment. Not that it mattered he would realize soon enough and right now she simply wanted to focus on tonight.

/setr\\\\\\\\\

Zoro pounded his fist against the steering wheel as he arrived at another dead end. It was almost 7:00 and he still had no idea where he was or how close he was to Robin's place. He fished out a piece of paper that Ace had given him with the directions on it. Zoro had insisted he didn't need them but Ace had made it a condition of borrowing the car so he figured he might as well look at them. Reading them over he realized he had made a wrong turn at the very beginning and was pretty much on the opposite end of town from her place now.



Cursing he turned the car around heading back the way he came. Eventually he made it to her place only fifteen minutes late. When he pulled up outside of her apartment she came out from the lobby waving goodbye to someone Zoro couldn't see.

She had on a pair of boots as usual, Zoro had noticed that she favoured them above any other kind of footwear not that he could blame her with the way her legs looked. With the boots she wore a short deep purple skirt that clung to her hips and a golden yellow corset top with swirls and designs stitched on it. As she walked towards him her hair framing her face and her hips swaying ever so slightly Zoro felt his mouth go dry and he wondered how he was going to get through this dinner.

"Good evening Mr Roronoa." She said sweetly as she got in the car.

"Hey." Then because he felt he should say something "You look good."

Robin smiled a genuine smile and thanked him and then they were off driving towards the small Italian restaurant Zoro had made a reservation at. They got there with only a few wrong turns and weren't late enough to miss their reservation. The hostess showed them to their table with a slightly condescending scowl at Zoro's choice of outfit. He hadn't wanted to dress up and sit through dinner in an uncomfortable outfit so he simply wore a pair of black pants and a dark green t-shirt. The idea of him coming in with his bandana tied around his bicep and his katana at his waist played through his mind and he smirked at the snobby girl who wasted no time in getting away.

Their waiter came and they ordered their meals talking comfortably in between. The meal passed by relatively smoothly sometimes they chatted and other times they simply ate in a comfortable silence. The meal came to an end sooner than he had expected and he paid the bill wishing the night wasn't over yet. The whole night had a surreal haze to it, they were playing at a date because they couldn't actually have one and at the same time they were playing at normalcy when the situation was anything but.



Once they got outside Zoro paused awkwardly, should he suggest something else or just take her back home and call it a night. Robin too seemed to be having this dilemma for she paused scanning the area around them as if looking for a solution in the warm night air.

"Did you want to go for a walk first? It's pretty nice out and I could use some exercise after that meal?" Robin finally said and Zoro jumped on the opportunity to extend the night.

Together they started to wander through the streets of the small district the restaurant was situated in. They passed kids playing sports in the street their laughter echoing through the quiet night. Zoro let Robin lead the way thinking it was probably the easiest way to assure they could get back to the car without a problem. As they walked their hands brushed together in an accidental move that had Zoro's skin tingling. Ignoring the voice in his head that said he shouldn't and this whole pseudo-date was a bad idea Zoro grabbed Robin's hand. Their fingers meshed together in a comfortable hold and they continued to walk neither drawing unnecessary attention to the action.

Zoro didn't know how long they walked the streets hand in hand but by the time they got back to the car the moon was high in the sky and a definite chill had settled in the air. They got to the car and Robin made to move away to get in but Zoro tightened his grip on her hand pulling her back to him. He slipped his free hand under her hair firmly cupping the back of her head and pulling her closer to him. Their lips met in a slow and languid kiss savouring the moment, taking their time ignorant of the rapidly cooling air.

They kissed as if they had all the time in the world to slowly explore each other while in reality it was a stolen moment in a forbidden night that would have to end. When she kissed him nothing else mattered to Zoro and he wanted to stay lost in this fantasy forever. He wanted to always know the feel of her silky hair through his fingers and her soft lips pressing against his. He took in every sensation etching it in his memory so as to never forget this moment. When he went to sleep that night he wanted to remember the way her body had pressed into his warm and yielding and her hand sitting comfortably on his waist.



Then the rain started to fall and they broke apart reluctantly. Zoro's hand fell from her head and he took a deep breath to calm his rushing emotions.

"I'll take you home" he said softly and they pulled apart getting into the car and out of the rain.