For the next few days, Zoro had become exceptionally difficult to find. Between driving Zeff to and fro from Franky's pub and his own actual job, he didn't have a lot of time to himself. But Sanji still came to Dragon Gym every day (not counting Monday and Wednesday, when The Baratie stayed open until ten PM) and never saw the crop of green he wanted. Several explanations wondered into his head, most of them proclaiming Zoro had been fired, but Sanji knew better. The Marimo was too stubborn to be laid off.
It wasn't until Saturday came around that the blonde debated whether or not he should try again after the breakfast rush. His attempts had been rather uneventful all week. Could there be a slim chance of Zoro avoiding him? Was Sanji becoming a little too attached? He found himself thinking about the boy on a regular basis lately, wondering if he were safe, hungry, and even bored at one point. He was undeniably...hooked? Obsessed, maybe?
"'Ey, boss! There's someone asking for you in the dining hall. He looks shady," Carne, one of Sanji's more violent chefs, yelled loudly with narrowed eyes. Sanji rolled his own dolefully. Everyone that didn't wear a three-piece suit was suspicious to him. He hoped to high Heaven it wasn't one of those French agents who blew up his cellphone constantly trying to buy his establishment. There would be one less shoe on his body it if were.
Of course, a flutter of hope shining through his darkened mood shouted "what if it's Zoro?" But he didn't want to get his hopes up only to have them shot down once he stepped out of the kitchen. Sanji nodded regardless, telling Patty, Carne's somewhat rival in the kitchen, to watch the cod and make sure it got to table eight when ready. He quickly grabbed the clipboard he previously set down on the counter, scribbling down the several ingredients he needed to restock by this weekend, along with a short reminder to call about the replacement that never showed. It seemed like he never got things done anymore.
Through all the quiet commotion created by respectful guests, there was one single, obnoxious voice getting on everyone's nerves. It shouted excitedly about the imported decor, silky blue drapes covering the windows, and especially the aroma drifting out of the kitchen whenever the doors were thrown open. Sanji would have been flattered if not for the unruly attitude.
Across the room, beside the reservation podium, stood an energetic, bouncy teenager with long, matted black curls jutting out of the top of his head. His grin was wide as he saw the older man casually making his way over, and suddenly Sanji remembered seeing such an innocent smile a week ago.
It was Zoro's friend.
"Yoohoo, Sanji~! Zoro said we could have breakfast here before going to practice," Luffy chirped, pointing to himself proudly, "I made res-ter-may-tions!"
"Um, Mr. Bleu?" the matradee questioned unsurely.
"Gin, it's fine. You can find him a table," Sanji said, scratching down something.
"Oh," Luffy blinked, "we'll be able to fit at one table?"
Sanji raised an eyebrow, ceasing his rapid hand movements. It was just Luffy and Zoro, right?
A shuffle of bodies came through the front entrance at that moment; two women and two guys. One of them was obviously a frustrated, cherry red Zoro, and the others were unfamiliar. Sanji's grin was immediate. Zoro was here, at his restaurant! He could finally taste his cooking, and no doubt love it!
The swordsman smiled back at him briefly. Yes, he missed the cook dearly, but he'd be damned if Nami had another thing to tease him about. Between cleaning the park and school, Garp understood that he couldn't work at the gym on certain days. The musical had been taking a toll on most of his free time. Ms. Nico almost broke Mr. Bonee's violin stick when Zoro admitted he didn't study. Zoro didn't seem as excited as the blonde did to finally see him. It sort of crushed Sanji, but he refused to show it. Perhaps the swordsman didn't want his friends to know? 'And know what exactly?' Sanji questioned himself. Him and Zoro were just friends, right? It certainly looked that way, although the feeling was extremely different to him at least. He didn't see the boy as a normal, talk to once a day type of friend. No, Sanji desperately wanted Zoro to become a necessity, an essential part of his daily routine. Did Zoro see it that way as well? Did he want to?
"Sir, they might cause trouble. There doesn't seem to be an adult present with them," Gin noted, hesitating in writing down their names on the guestbook's crowded page. Sanji waved him off without a single care, claiming that he would keep an eye on them. Gin protested how terrible of an idea that was and that he's needed in the kitchen, but the head chef didn't let tiny details stop him. Seriously, how rowdy could five teenagers be in a public place? He could definitely handle this.
~T~
Sanji was at his wits end. Granted, the ladies were behaved and lovely to treat, but Zoro's other friends proved to be difficult to settle down. Even Zoro himself made quite a commotion just telling them to shut up. Luffy couldn't figure out what to order at first, asking about every item that wasn't in plain English or more than three syllables. Usopp joined in, loudly attempting to pronounce French delicacies and effectively pissing off other customers. Zoro finally snatched the menu away from the two and examined it for himself, squinting his eyes at the strangely put together letters. "You dumbasses," he scoffed matter-of-factly, "it obviously says boo-ill-a-bassy."
"Can't ask for a little help, Marimo?" Sanji asked with a wide grin. Zoro jumped so hard his chair slide back a few inches. He whipped his head around angrily, scowling up at the blonde. The asshole only continued to smile, which made the anger dissolve rather quickly. "It's called bouillabaisse {A/N: bool-yuh-beys}, and I recommend it for you guys. It's fast to prepare, too."
"We'll have that!"
Nami kicked Luffy's shin under the table, "You didn't even hear what was in it yet!"
"But I'm hungry," Luffy whined, slumping his head down onto the polished wooden surface. Zoro rolled his eyes and handed the cook the menu above his head, feeling Sanji briefly hold onto one of his fingers.
"Suck it up, Nami. The guy's starving. I'm sure it's just as good as what you were gonna get."
Nami slammed her fist into her other open hand, startling Vivi beside her. "That's not the point," she bit out, "you always take Luffy's side on everything! Does our friendship mean nothing to you?"
"It does," the swordsman said blandly, "but Luffy isn't out to suck my pockets dry. Also, I know the owner, and frankly, you're an insane bitch to me most of the time. So, yeah, there's that."
A sudden sharp pain briefly engulfed the back of his head, making a cry slip past his lips. Zoro glanced up at a fuming blonde, who was now holding the leather menu backwards. That bastard hit him with it, didn't he?! "Hey!"
The blonde recalled Zoro's condition a little too late, but the teen did say he did not wish to be treated like glass. So Sanji would treat him as if he were any other inconsiderate bastard who insulted an innocent, gorgeous beauty! "I won't tolerate such cruelty to women in my restaurant! Apologize to this precious swan," he demanded.
A crude laugh erupted before Zoro realized the older man was quite serious. "Really?" he asked curiously, smile fading away. Hell no; she didn't deserve it!
The cook glared heatedly at him, initiating an intense stare down. Zoro continued to silently question his actions through a cold glare as his hand rubbed the sore patch on his head. Luffy found this extremely amusing, given the simple fact that the boy guffawed so wildly, a woman dressed in a more elegant attire leaned over her seat with flaming eyes targeted on him. As multiple customers chattered gossip to each other, Sanji knew this probably wouldn't end well.
"This is supposed to be a calm, quiet atmosphere," she said with a poisonous attitude, "and you are indefinitely ruining it, you tyrant!"
Sanji fumbled to apologize on Luffy's behalf (who was still snickering like a toddler), but something happened that he never expected to nor wanted to occur. The thick-headed swordsman had turned around to face the snooty woman, the look of certain death apparent on his darkened features. Sanji shivered like he was caught in a snow storm; the pure hate and intimidation in his scowl alone could be defined as demonic. It was the look of a deranged madman waiting, watching, plotting for his next victim that he'd already had in his sights. The uptight woman gasped in horror, throwing a hand over her mouth as she beckoned her husband to quickly go outside and start the car. They watched the couple leave a hundred dollar bill behind and bolt out of the building, leaving their unfinished meals to dirty the table.
"My God..." Sanji breathed, almost dropping his clipboard. His poor clientele!
Nami laughed abruptly, placing a slim hand on Zoro's broad shoulder and squeezing it lightly, "Man, I love it when you do that."
Sanji stared in awe as the two kept on conversing like nothing happened, like the cook's franchise wasn't in jeopardy! The swordsman grinned smugly, "I do, too."
"What the fuck, mosshead?!"
Zoro blinked, "What?"
"'What'? You realize that a restaurant revolves around the people who eat here, right?!"
The boy frowned at him, acting completely oblivious to the situation. "All I did was look at her," he clarified innocently.
Before Sanji could further chastise the small group, Carne's yells for him echoed throughout the dining hall. He cursed inwardly. Leaving the teens unsupervised would most likely cause his business to run into the ground, but orders were being backed up. And he sure as hell wasn't going to ask Zoro not to come back; he didn't have the heart for that. He scanned the room hurriedly, searching for someone, anyone, to watch over them.
"M-Mr, Bleu? I can't seem to find the glass cleaner where is normally is. And I swear I put it back yesterday in the spot where it's supposed to go! It's not there, so please do not fire me because I really don't see how this is my fault and I need this job and-"
Sanji breathed a sigh of relief. "Coby," he said, accidentally startling the timid boy, "can you watch that table over there?"
Coby set down the piles of dirty plates on a nearby unoccupied table, and looked to where his boss was pointing. A bright smile lit up his face upon seeing them, and he quickly nodded. Why he was suddenly so eager, Sanji wasn't sure, and he certainly didn't have the time to question it. Coby confidently strolled over to the rowdy group of his peers and patted Zoro's unsuspecting back, earning a surprised but pleased look. Sanji briefly wondered if they knew one another, but Carne's loud shouts were starting to disturb the customers.
"What are you doing here?" the swordsman asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger boy.
Coby frowned, "Eh? I told you I worked at a restaurant!"
"A restaurant doesn't really specify anything," Zoro protested. Coby shrugged it off, even though he constantly talked about his day at work with his classmates. They never seemed to remember. He supposed it was quite a boring topic; washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms all evening.
"You guys sure have guts to make such a racket in Mr. Bleu's place," Coby smiled excitedly. This was the most interesting thing to ever happen since he starting working there! "I'm surprised he hasn't kicked you out yet."
Zoro actually felt pretty bad about making Sanji stress over their actions now that the busboy brought it up. He noticed how Luffy whined indefinitely about his starvation, Usopp annoying the girls with his 46th Sniper King tale "The Legend Unfolds," Vivi politely but unfortunately encouraging him with pressing questions, and especially Nami's bitching. Maybe they could dial it back a tad bit. "Yeah," he sighed, "me, too."
"You what, Zoro?" Luffy chimed in, cocking his head to the side. The swordsman opened his mouth, but the younger boy interupted him, "Is this about Sanji?"
Nami's ears perked up, and her eyes darted over towards the two. Zoro felt his cheeks burn hotly at her questioning gaze as Luffy pressed on. "Did something happen?"
"No," he explained lightly, gaining an astonished look from Coby, "nothing. But maybe we could be a little quieter?"
"Sanji's here? The one Luffy kept blabbing about all week?" Nami inquired, leaning against he elbows with a bright devious smile on her lips. Zoro shook his head vigorously, cursing Luffy and his ancestors in the back of his mind. However, Usopp only made things worse as he confirmed the inevitable. "Isn't he that blonde guy that was taking our orders?"
"Yeah!" Luffy grinned widely, making Zoro cringe in embarrassment.
The redheaded girl's devious smile made a U-turn for an unhidden devilish smirk. Zoro was blushing brightly and trying to vanish from everyone's sight by slouching in his seat; this could be a perfect blackmail opportunity! Vivi tapped her shoulder as she began to protest, but Nami was too far gone in the possibilities she could make out of this. For instance, more snappy comebacks whenever the swordsman wanted to be an asshole. Well, that was all there really was in store for her, but anything to give her the upper hand was gladly welcome.
"So, you're dating a waiter?" she questioned, watching Zoro's blush darken.
"Shut the hell up. I'm not dating him; he's a friend."
His so-called best friend stuck out his index finger and corrected, "A fling!"
Zoro growled lowly at the table, "Shut up, Luffy."
"This is so cute~! Just wait until everybody hears about Zoro's new bow at rehearsals tomorrow," Nami announced, throwing her hands in the air dramatically. "I'm sure Kid will get a kick out of it."
Before the swordsman could defend himself and the cook, a plate landed in front of him, filled with steaming hot shrimp and a separate bowl of fried rice. Sanji stood above him, flashing those pearly white teeth Zoro always seemed to be blinded by. He gave a smile back and barely felt his temper flare up at having his hair ruffled afterwards. Sanji balanced their five dishes like a professional juggler on his arms and the top of his head. Luffy appeared to be the only one blatantly showing his interest and amazement.
"Bon appetit, mes beautes," Sanji said in fluent French as he gave the girls their portions. He grimaced at Luffy's drooling dripping onto his table cloth as he set his order down, grumbling, "Bon appetit, merdique caoutchouc garcon."
Zoro snickered lightly; he used to be interested in taking French before it ultimately bored him. He remembered enough of the basics to know that Sanji called Luffy a shitty rubber boy.
The blonde set something down softly beside Zoro's plate, and it took a second for him to realize the cook gave him alcohol. Sake, to be specific. Zoro's face lit up to the highest point of joy, which ended up brightening Sanji's mood. "Notre sale petit secret," he whispered, giving a small wink, "Don't eat yet; I'll be back." Zoro watched as he vanished back through the kitchen doors swiftly, leaving behind a sense of entrancement in the swordsman. The cook publicly gave a minor sake! He basically said "fuck you, society" just for Zoro!
"Is that what I think it is?" Nami questioned in confusion, "Is he allowed to do that? What if his boss finds out?!"
Zoro smirked at her smugly, but Coby stole his spotlight with a shrill, "He is the boss!"
Both girls let their mouths hang open in surprise, almost too shocked to even blink. Vivi shot her hand in the air, waving and eagerly trying to gain Zoro's already focused attention. He frowned, "We're not in school, Vivi; you don't need to raise your hand."
"Is he the boss-boss or the manager?"
"Boss-boss. Like he owns the place," Zoro nodded curtly.
"Then why is he waiting on tables? Shouldn't he be filing important papers, checking and ordering stock—?"
"He really loves cooking. I'm pretty sure he does those kind of things after work."
"Awww! Zoro knows his boyfriend's schedule!"
"FUCK OFF, USOPP!"
"Stop yelling in my goddamn restaurant, mosshead! Coby, you were supposed to be supervising them!" Sanji came barreling into the dining hall looking extremely pissed, tired, and frankly, spent. His white chef apron was wrinkled to hell, but surprisingly spotless. The tall chef hat (Zoro assumed the taller the hat, the higher the rank of the employees) atop the blonde's head was at least two inches from falling off, and his normally perfect golden hair was frizzed like Bon Clay's tail when blow dried. Needless to say, Sanji appeared as if he needed a break. Coby spluttered for excuses when there weren't really any available while Zoro stared in amazement. He didn't think Sanji could ever look bad, even in this shriveled state of exhaustion. The cook was still unnaturally attractive to him.
"I'm finished with my orders for now," the blonde sighed, stroking long fingers through his messy hair. He grinned maliciously as he pulled out a chair for himself and sat down next to the staring boy, declaring something about him being right on time. Zoro raised an eyebrow, but refused to question it. He probably caused enough damage for today.
Sanji pointed at his untouched plate eagerly, nearly bouncing off the edge of his seat. "Okay, now," he beckoned, "Take a bite."
The swordsman briefly wondered if the cook was a little too ecstatic for his profession. Regardless, he grabbed a fork and jabbed the nearest piece of shrimp not completely drowned in mystery sauce. He stuffed it in his mouth (what with being Zoro and his uncivilized manners) with only a little room for his tongue to actually move. Suddenly, he felt his eyes widen, his taste buds explode, and the incredible urge to keep chewing and never stop. Zoro had never eaten anything like this; the sandwiches he bought from the corner store were pure dirt compared to Sanji's cooking!
Said chef wore a cocky smirk as he observed everyone's pleased and astonished expressions. He was especially enjoying Zoro's, the way his eyes crinkled simply drove his heart mad. He took pride in making every customer smile with joy, but the pride he felt at this moment was most likely greater than any of his recent accomplishments. Unleashing Zoro's smile had to be his number one reward.
~T~
The small group of teens, excluding Coby who had to be home at a specific time, remained at The Baratie until closing, which clearly pissed off the chefs for a reason Sanji couldn't decipher. There were no loud exclamations of anything, no food fights, and no more disturbances of the other patrons. To Sanji's utter surprise, they were...suspiciously behaving. What made it downright wary were Zoro's repeated and un-hidden actions of kicking Luffy under the table whenever the boy brought up the touchy topic of Sanji and the swordsman. It was terribly uncomfortable for the blonde, especially since he was apparently the only one left in the dark. Nami, Vivi, and Usopp giggled like immature children, who had just heard their teacher say "butt" for the first time, once the swordsman had started fumbling over his words in embarrassment. Now, Sanji could only assume what the inside jokes meant and stood for (such as "yellow seems to be trending" or "young at heart"), but it was far more enjoyable to watch than to intervene.
Zoro watched as everyone piled into Nami's small, beige Sedan from the building's threshold, Luffy and Usopp shoving each other in the backseat childishly over specific windows. Vivi waved happily towards the swordsman in farewell as the car drove off, disappearing down the street and around the corner. Employees were slowly clocking out of their shifts in the waiting area and slithering past Zoro's still form at the door like he wasn't even there. Of course, he received dirty looks and narrowed glares, but he figured they were most likely tired. Sanji soon reared his frazzled, frustrated head from the break room, digging his car keys out of his pocket and sternly demanding that Zoro would bring his ass on. Patty would lock up the building once he finished sweeping.
"Remind me again why you didn't hitch around with your lovely goddess of a friend?" Sanji grunted, quickly jumping inside the truck and waiting for Zoro to do the same. The blonde completely forgotten about his father's short shift today; he needed to hurry before the old geezer wandered into the bad side of town.
"I figured the little time we, uh, had together..." Zoro averted his gaze out the window; everything was coming out the wrong way! "I-I mean, I just wanted to catch up."
Sanji grinned splendifeorusly as he sped off, causing their bodies to jerk in their seats. Zoro's heart pounded against his chest at the extreme velocity of the truck, dodging other angrily honking vehicles on the road with practiced precision. "We can catch up after you met my dad," the blonde yelled over screeching tires.
The distinct smell of burning rubber invading Zoro's nostrils as his grip on the safety handle above his head tightened, turning his knuckles white. They were over the speed limit by at least 20 miles! The cook was fucking crazy behind the wheel! How the fuck were they not pulled over yet? His words got caught in his throat in terror when Sanji suddenly slammed his foot on the break, coming to a loud, ear-piercing halt once the large truck bounced violently in the air and landed with a steady shake. Sanji glowered at the red light mocking him with its flashing authority, loosening his grasp on the steering wheel. "Damn, I'll be late," he sighed, glancing at the panting, pale teenage boy beside him. Sanji blinked quizzically, "What's wrong with you, marimo?"
"What the fucking hell is wrong with you?! Where the hell are you going in such a hurry that it's worth potentially killing us?! Stupid cook! Shitty eyebrows!"
The blonde couldn't help but laugh at Zoro's panicked, unsure expression, even though the boy was absolutely right about his recklessness. Sure, the multiple driving tests he took in high school were difficult once he realized he had to maneuver around the orange cones instead of barreling straight through them. Sometimes, he blamed Zeff for his own terrible road rage on account of the old geezer's dangerous driving skills in Paris. As a kid, he grew accustom to it, thinking it was perfectly normal to yell "turn on your turn signal, shithead" to the car beside them.
"Did I scare you?" Sanji teased, focusing back on the road ahead.
Zoro scoffed, flexing his slightly bruised palm to ease the pain, "I don't know, do penguins fucking waddle?"
A short-lived laugh bubbled inside the cook's chest. God, Zoro had such a wonderful presence that automatically made things exciting, homey, and frankly...better for the blonde. The stress of persistent agencies trying to buy out his establishment day by day appeared to vanish whenever Sanji saw that natural scowl, only to have those features soften upon spotting each other across the room. He didn't want to speculate what it possibly meant too seriously yet; he was always known to jump into relationships too quickly. But then again, would Zoro actually mind if he pushed things a bit further?
Franky's pub came into view sooner than expected, its one elderly employee pacing angrily outside the entrance illuminated by a dim street light. Zoro noticed the cook tensing beside him, his playful attitude taking a sudden ridged plumage downwards. "If we keep our heads down," Sanji suggested, smiling nervously, "maybe his selective color blindness will set in, and he'll think the truck is gray, not red."
However, Zeff's obvious glare shooting bullets holes through their skulls was proof enough that the old man could see it was them. Sanji parked on the other side of the street, and tapped the swordsman urgently as his father stalked across the lane. "Don't mind the prosthetic leg or the shitty mustache; I'll explain it all later," he said in one breath. Zoro parted his lips, but a sudden gruff complaint cut off any questions.
"Shitty brat, leaving me alone on the south side of town! I have half a mind to shove my damn leg down your throat! Where the hell were you?!" Zeff shouted, damaging Zoro's eardrums in the process.
Sanji drove off, scowling until his face was an enigma of expression, "Tais-toi, old geezer!Can't you see we have company in the car?"
Zeff fumed, "I don't care if the president is riding on the goddamn hood, boy! I want answers! What if I got mugged in the streets?"
"You didn't, Dad."
"I could've!"
Zoro sighed under his breath as the two blonde man bantered back and forth, filling the car with a pointless argument that could have been settled in a simple apology. It seems like his plans for talking were out the window for now.
Tais-toi: Shut up
Notre sale petit secret: Our dirty little secret
