Author's Note: Okay so I don't own One Piece, or anything else mentioned in this chapter because I'm kinda too lazy to check if I mentioned anything else. This chapter was one that I was actually really paranoid about, whether or not it would be too short or not. I was writing it and was like, "God this is going nowhere and I can't think of anything!" so that's why the ending ending up the way it is. Now, at some point in this chapter, you might not be able to follow what Sanji's saying. I'm going to tell you this: he's thinking aloud, literally, which means there's no exact immediate connection with his thoughts. Interestingly, this is how I string together thoughts in my own mind. I'm very easily distracted. So another thing: the reason why Sanji and Zoro are so loose-tongued at the end are because they're both exhausted. I'm rarely ever coherent when I'm tired and I know it's really fluffy, but taking into consideration the setting and all, I feel like this was perfect and not out of character for them. Thanks for the comments will be at the end, with a question (and a bonus question this time too!), an answer to the past question and uh, yeah, I think that's it. I'm really looking forward to writing chapter 19 and I think you guys are going to like it! I hope you like this chapter! On a side note: today is Harry Potter and Harry Potter's author, JK Rowlings' birthday!
Beautiful Disaster
By: Setkia
Full Summary
Sanji is the assistant cook of the world-renowned restaurant, the Baratie, the only restaurant like it in the world. He's a successful chef and flirts with the customers every chance he can get but there's a problem. It's all a facade. The cooks give a new meaning to the word "abusive", both mental and physical. The only thing keeping Sanji alive is his love for cooking and a good ol' pack of cigarettes.
Zoro Roronoa is a swordsman who suddenly has more change in his pocket than he expected and enters the Baratie by recommendation. His waiter happens to be a curly browed man with an adoration for cigarettes. An attempt speak to the head chef goes horribly wrong and he gets sucked into the crumbling world of the chef's, wondering how he can possibly save him and better yet, why does he want to save him in the first place?
Chapter 18: Lady's Man?
It was quiet. Too quiet.
It wasn't as though Sanji wasn't used to being in a rather quiet apartment, but for some reason, he had gotten used to the strange acoustics. Between practicing with Zoro and the noise Zoro made while Sanji was cooking the latest meal, the apartment had become a place of an assortment of subtle noises that weren't all loud, but were definitely not silent either.
With the lack of a soundtrack, Sanji found that it was … rather strange.
That Marimo's not hurt that badly that he has to stay at the hospital, is he? Am I underestimating the wound? Fuck, no, I'm not going to start thinking about him. Not again, I did enough of that yesterday.
Sanji tried to keep the smile off his face as he went through the fridge, trying to remember where he had put the vegetables.
"Sanji?"
Sanji's head hit the top of a shelf and he muttered profanities until he turned around and saw Nami standing in the doorway.
"This place is quiet, isn't it?" she asked. "Without Zoro, I mean."
Sanji bit his lip and considered what his answer would be. If he said yes, would that mean she'd think something of it? Nami seemed to have been giving him this knowing look ever since he had donated his blood the night before, like she knew something and Sanji had just confirmed her suspicions about it. Then again, he could just be paranoid. Especially since living with the cooks hardly made him relaxed. "Well yeah," he said, "but that's mainly cause he grunts and lumbers around like an elephant."
That was a lie. Zoro was graceful whenever he fought Sanji and when he walked through the apartment. To be fair though, that grace had disappeared when he had gotten drunk, but Sanji had been the one to get him drunk in the first place so … Sanji shook his head. No, being away from Zoro was a good thing, to sort out his head and figure out how he'd handle what Patty had said. He knew his first reaction wasn't well-thought out, it was impulsive, like all first reactions really. Of course, Zoro going and getting himself injured would of course, do nothing to help him whatsoever on the topic of clearing his mind, but he couldn't control the marimo, now could he?
"Liar," Nami said, calling him out on it.
"I meant to apologize for last night," Sanji said, rubbing his neck. "I um … I didn't mean to swear at you." He sheepishly dug his foot into the ground, as though trying to dig a hole to some other country far away from the redhead.
"It's fine, it's not like Zoro censors himself around me," Nami replied with a shrug. "Besides if I remember correctly, your first words to us all were something along the lines of … 'who the fuck are you?' if my memory serves me right."
Sanji stared at her. "Nami!" He grinned widely. "I never knew you had such a mouth," he teased.
Nami rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Luffy and I are going to be having a dinner tonight at our house. Do you want to come?"
Sanji looked at her. "Come?" he repeated. "Don't you mean cook?"
Nami laughed. "I'm not like Zoro, I won't make you work like a slave," she said. "No, we'll be ordering out and just have a get together. Usopp'll be there. We need to talk about … something."
"Vague much?"
Nami rolled her eyes. "Anyway, are you going to come?"
"I've never been to Luffy's," Sanji told her. "Remember?"
Nami nodded. "I can give you directions, it won't be that hard to get there. It's pretty close to here actually. But you know, since Zoro's so directionally inept, he takes over half an hour to find a place that's actually ten minutes away." She shrugged. "I think I can trust you to find your way there."
"I'll just take a cab," Sanji said with a shrug.
"Why? Zoro's got a car," Nami said. "He can't drive in the condition he's in, his keys are in the house, right?"
"Shit apartment."
Nami gave him a strange look. "What?"
"It's …" Sanji shrugged. "It's kinda a weird thing we do, but it's not a house. I don't know, I just got into an argument with Zoro once about the place and said that he shouldn't have helped me and he said I had a roof over my head and I told him it was a shitty roof and —" Sanji shook his head. "Never mind."
"No, I want to hear this," Nami said. "After all, Zoro rarely ever lets someone get away with an insult. You know what? I'll give you our address and when you come, you're going to tell us all those stories about Zoro and you, alright? I'd like to know how much you bruised his ego." She grinned. "And of course, you know this means you have to come, right?"
Sanji gave her a smile. It was the first time he had ever smiled at someone other than Zoro with a slightly less-than fake smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, My Lady," he said.
"I'm committed," she told him with a laugh. "But if I wasn't …" Her eyes scanned over Sanji in a way that almost made him feel self-conscious, before she flashed him a grin. "Well, it doesn't matter since I am." She gave him a piece of paper with an address on it and a time. With that and a quick "see you tonight!" she was gone.
It was two hours before Sanji had to leave when he realized he had no fucking clue what to wear.
Sure, Nami made it sound casual, but what if it wasn't? What if this was … he didn't know, some kind of test on whether or not he was worthy to be Zoro's friend or some other kind of shit like that? Or he was overthinking it. Or he was thinking just the right amount and needed a good suit.
He went into his closet and took out his usual blazer. It always looked good to him, but Zoro's friends had probably only ever seen him wearing such a thing. He frowned. He could wear a pinstriped shirt, or should he wear a plain one? Should he not bother with the blazer? Fuck, when was the las time he panicked this much?
He settled for wearing a light blue button-down shirt, which complimented his eyes and his usual pair of black dress pants. He combed through his hair and worried about it the entire cab ride there until they pulled up in front of Luffy's house.
It was a small place, humble, like he'd expect from Luffy. He walked up the entrance way and rang the doorbell. Immediately afterwards, he backed up and turned his back to the door. He ran his fingers through his hair, played with the cuff of his sleeves, fiddled with a non-existent piece of lint attached to his leg, picked at the seam of his waist-line, shoved his hands in his pockets, tapped his foot endlessly. He stared at his boots and contemplated whether or not he should've worn nicer shoes. There was no backing out now— well, he could call the taxi back, it wasn't too late to leave, right?
He fidgeted, lighting a cigarette and twisting it in his hand as he let his breath escape him, the smoke floating away in the light breeze. It ruffled his hair and he was just about to fix it again when he heard voices.
"Let me get the door!"
"We won't be able to get down the stairs if we're all shoving our way down, it's narrow!"
"Luffy, lay off the meat!"
"NEVER!"
"We can't leave him out there, he's probably worrying about something pointlessly! Luffy, Usopp, go to the table—"
"But—"
"Go!"
"Aye aye m'am!"
There was the shuffling of feet, though faint through the door until Sanji turned around sharply just as the door opened to see Nami, trying to catch her breath. "Welcome, Sanji," she said, her voice coming out a little hoarse, probably from yelling.
Sanji looked over his shoulder. "Should I go?"
"You just got here," Nami insisted. "Come on, in."
"I'm not intruding, am I?" Sanji asked, still refusing to move inside.
"Yes, clearly you're a horrible party crasher, coming when you were invited!" Nami said with a laugh. "I was worried you wouldn't show."
Sanji shrugged. "Well, I mean, I considered it …" He let out another trail of smoke before his eyes widened. "Should I—?"
"No, it's fine," Nami said. "Smoke doesn't bother Luffy or me. Usopp can deal with it, it's not like any of us have asthma or anything." Nami smiled. "Now are you going to stop stalling and come in, or do we have to drag you?"
Sanji bit his lip and slowly entered the house. It looked warm and cozy inside and he felt like an intruder, no matter what Nami said. He took off his shoes and put on the slippers. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself. For what, he didn't know, especially since he already knew everyone in the house. It just felt weird though, that Zoro wasn't around. He had last seen the marimo less than twenty-four hours ago, why was he so on edge?
The moment he entered the dinning room, he saw Luffy and Usopp sitting around the table, brown bags of take-out in front of them.
"Hey Sanji! Haven't seen you in a while!" Luffy said.
"You saw me last night, moron," Sanji reminded him.
"You're a bit late," Usopp said with a slight frown. "I think the food's cold."
"I'm fashionably late," Sanji said, though he knew Usopp was lying. He was pretty sure he was early, if anything. "So what kind of food is it?"
"We're trying Indian," said Nami, taking her seat.
"Indian?" Sanji repeated. He tried to remember if he had ever cooked Indian food before. He did like to venture into foreign foods on the occasion. He'd mastered the art of making Dumplings and Wonton soup and congee, he knew how to make Italian pasta, could make tacos (though, he was pretty sure anyone could) but he wasn't sure he had ever ventured into Indian food. Huh. That might be something he'd like to look at later.
"That okay with you?"
"Yeah," Sanji replied.
Nami handed out the food and once everyone was properly set up, she looked in Sanji's direction and said,"So, Sanji, don't you have anything to tell us?"
"Huh?"
"Remember? I asked for some stories about living with Zoro. Luffy tried it once when he first moved out of his parents' house, but it was over in less than a month. He's not exactly the easiest person to share a house with," Nami said. "How long's it been? Two months?"
"Almost three," Sanji replied. "Um, I guess I could tell you a few things …" He trailed off, unsure of what to talk to them about.
Mentioning that he had been on house arrest for nearly the entire first month was of course, something he'd never say to them. He thought about it. What was it like living with Zoro?
"Okay, uh … well, he doesn't like waking up early. I'm always up before him, usually making breakfast and then he trudges in when I'm just about finished cooking. He also has some of the worst bed hair in the world," Sanji added. It kind of look adorable to him, now that he thought about it. The way Zoro's hair stuck up in odd directions, his sweatpants looking too big on him so that they dragged along the floor and he'd stumble down the hallway. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say. He's usually out doing something or another, either at the gym or at your house," he nodded towards Nami and Luffy. "I don't know. He meditates?"
Nami shook her head. "No, tell us stories, please? Come on, can't you think of anything interesting you've done with Zoro while you've been at his place?"
Sanji could think of many things.
The midnight calls that included dragging a half-awake Zoro into the kitchen, sitting him down and "teaching" how to cook. The practicing that Zoro ran him through that was tireless and endless, adrenaline pumping and heart racing. The many games Sanji made Zoro play, a pointless, meaningless game of Random Word Association to the occasional Yes, No, Maybe games that he sprung on him pointlessly. Sanji had played almost every possibly speech game one could think of off the top of their head. Would You Rather, Truth, Twenty Questions, he had even forced Zoro to play I Spy. It had lasted perhaps two minute before Zoro screamed that Sanji was colour blind and the curtains weren't a "cerulean" colour, whatever the fuck that meant, they were blue and Sanji was overcomplicating the game. Sanji could remember forcing Zoro to watch his usual pointless anime and though Zoro would never admit it, he had probably gotten hooked on a few of them. He could remember the times he and Zoro actually had serious conversations about things like Sanji's past (as much as he was willing to speak about), Zoro's friend who's name Zoro still wouldn't dare share and he could remember the pointless time when they spoke about celebrities they thought had plastic surgery.
He said none of them.
"He fed me soup once," he said instead.
Usopp stared at him. "Soup?"
"Well, it was more like some kind of screwed up potion that's made to force you to puke," Sanji explained. "It kind of tasted like, the worst thing you can imagine, laid out in the sun to dry, left with all the dirty laundry, ran through a gym locker, was dumped in the sewers, has critters all over it, including that centipede with an extra head. The soup was like the pot of toxic waste that's the result of oil spills and other chemicals that shouldn't be allowed near humans, to the point where the wildlife in the soup have begun to mutate and develop into their own species with four heads, three sets of wings, has fifty eyes, two tails and blue skin."
Nami put down her fork and held her stomach while Usopp swallowed and seemed to be trying to hold back on gagging.
"Hey, are you going to eat that?" asked Luffy, pointing towards an uneaten piece of food on the edge of Usopp's plate.
"You can have it," Usopp said, shoving it towards Luffy. "I think I'm going to be sick."
Sanji bit his lip. "Sorry."
"It's not your fault," Nami said. "Besides, that sounds like an accurate description of the stuff Zoro would make. It's just very … detailed."
Sanji shrugged. "I think he was trying to poison me, but I suppose he's above that."
Usopp stared at him curiously. "So wait, what did you do with that soup?"
"The soup?" Sanji grinned. "I ate it."
"WHAT?!"
Sanji shrugged. "You should've seen the look on Zoro's face. He shoved the ladle at me and from the look he was wearing, I could tell if I didn't swallow, he's probably be really upset about it. I think he really tried that time around." He smiled, unable to stop himself, just imagining Zoro behind the stove, cooking up a meal for a healing Sanji. It was … almost sweet to think about it actually. He shook his head. "Anyway, right after I forced it down my throat, he was like, 'You can spit it out if you want'."
Nami laughed. "Of course that's how it goes!"
"So then I told him I couldn't and he asked me why and I told him I had swallowed and then he was just like, 'You swallowed it?' and then he went on about how I didn't actually have to swallow it, but I told him that he looked like a puppy who wanted approval and he got pissed at me and then …" He trailed off.
Sanji was pretty sure Nami and her friends didn't know about the whole "kidnapping" part of Sanji staying at Zoro's.
"Anyway," he said, coughing into his hand. "Was that the only thing you needed to discuss? My ability to live with the marimo?"
Nami shook her head. "Do you know when Zoro's birthday is?"
Sanji scratched his head. "Um … well, I came to his apartment during late August, and he told me he was about three months away from his birthday—"
"Sanji, it's tomorrow."
Sanji's jaw dropped. "What?!"
"Yeah, it's Zoro birthday tomorrow," Nami said. "And I know he's still in the hospital. Apparently, they're going to let him out in two days, the day after his birthday," she added, as though this were ironic. It really was though. "And we want to do something. Since you're his newest friend, he won't suspect you planning on something. He never told you when his birthday was exactly, did he?"
"No, he didn't," Sanji said slowly. "Why does that matter?"
"He probably doesn't think you know about it," Nami reasoned. "So that means you'll be our distraction."
"Pardon?"
Luffy laughed. "You know, Zoro said you did that, but I've never seen it first-hand!" Apparently, to Luffy, the word "pardon" was endlessly funny.
"Anyway, you're the only one we can use as a distraction that he won't suspect anything from," Nami explained. "Which means we want you to help us with it. We're kinda planning something for him, but we need him out of his room for the day."
"Huh?" Sanji shook his head. "Wait, I never agreed to this in the first place! Plus, his birthday? Surely he wouldn't want to spend it with me, I'm the one he knows the least, as you said, what would possibly motivate him to spend his day with me?"
Nami smirked. "I could think of a few things …" She trailed off, the look in her eyes one of pure evil. "Anyway, you won't need to do anything, I swear, just keep him out of his room."
Sanji sighed and chewed on his cigarette. "You sure?"
"Postive."
Sanji thought about it.
Zoro had taken him in, without asking for anything in return. Course, Sanji felt like he was paying him back with each meal he made, but at this point he felt as though he had paid Zoro back for over a thousand favours, since the man had lived off of take-out and his horrible cooking— Sanji actually shivered at the thought of it.
"I guess it couldn't hurt …"
Nami smiled. "Great! Now what do you think you'll get him for a present?"
"Wait, a present?" Sanji repeated. "This is kind of short notice, isn't it?" he asked. "You can't honestly expect me to get him something with what like—" Sanji checked his watch. "I have three hours till it's tomorrow. And shit, I forgot to visit Zoro!" Sanji felt like smacking himself. He had told Zoro he'd see him the next day, and yet here was Sanji, mingling with Zoro's friends instead of being with the handicapped. Not that Zoro was handicapped, but— This train of thought is getting me nowhere! He shook his head. "If I'm really distracting him during the majority of the day, when would I have time to buy him anything?"
Nami shrugged. "I don't know, I figure you're smart enough to figure out something."
"But what would he want?" Sanji demanded.
The three looked at Sanji up and down.
"Maybe …" Luffy seemed to mutter under his breath, not that Sanji could understand what he was talking about.
"You know, from this angle, he doesn't look that bad," Usopp muttered. "Maybe if I were gay, I might go for him."
"You have Kaya, remember?" Nami reminded him. "And of course he's good looking!" She shook her head. "He'd have to be to—anyway, we can help you out a little, if you want," Nami said, cutting herself off and changing the topic.
Sanji shook his head. "God, I live with the guy and I don't know enough about him to get him a damn birthday present!" He sighed and lit another cigarette, twisting the remains of his old one between his fingers in thought. In the back of his mind, he was still wondering how he had forgotten about visiting Zoro.
It's not like he was waiting for me to turn up though. He probably forgot about what I said anyway, right? He has other family, doesn't he? Other people he'd rather be visited by, surely. I'm just thinking too much about this. It's not like I expect him to be sitting there in the bed, staring at the door, holding his breath every time it opens.
You want him to be though.
That would be selfish.
But you still want it.
Sanji shook his head again.
"Okay fine, let me hear it. What do you think I should get him?" Sanji asked, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms.
Nami gave him a strange look. "You can sit down," she told him, gesturing towards the couch. She cleaned up the dishes and put them on the counter, probably to clean them later while she, Usopp and Luffy moved into the living room and took seats that seemed predetermined, as though their names were on each of their spots in invisible ink.
Sanji shook his head. "I'm fine."
Nami shook her head, muttering something about "men" and crossed her legs, resting her hands on them. "Now, when did we tell you that we'd be giving you gift ideas for him?" Nami smirked. "We're going to try something okay? I want you to close your eyes."
It was in Sanji's nature to be suspicious. "Why?"
"Because I said so," Nami replied. "Don't worry, I won't move from where I am. None of us will. And if Luffy moves a muscle, we'll just duct-tape him to the couch."
"Again?" Luffy asked with a sigh.
"Again?" Sanji repeated.
"It was one time," Luffy said, holding up a finger. "Just once."
Sanji shook his head. "Never mind, whatever. Fine." He closed his eyes but he stayed on edge the entire time, as though he were over-aware of everything around him.
"Okay, I want you to think about Zoro. Say what you're thinking while you think it."
"How is that supposed to help?" Sanji asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It just will," Nami insisted. There was silence and then— "So?"
Sanji sighed. "You're sure this'll work?"
"Absolutely."
"Okay," Sanji said and with a shaky breath, he started.
"Zoro? He's tall. Tanned too. Green—"
There was a snicker and a hushing sound.
Sanji's eye twitched, but he kept it closed. "Um … Strong, I guess. He's stubborn as hell and determined when he wants to be. He's a lazy asshole too." He smirked. "But when he sets his mind to something, not even the apocalypse could stop him. He really likes his swords. I don't know if they originally had those names, or if he named them, but he really likes them. Especially Wado …" The longer he spoke, the more Sanji felt at ease. He could almost convince himself he was alone in the room and was just with himself. The only sound he could hear was his own voice and his heartbeat. He couldn't remember the last time he had let himself take a step back and reflect on things, especially not Zoro. "I wish he'd tell me who owned it. Her, he uses female pronouns towards it. Are all his swords female? When did he start sword fighting anyway? I bet he wasn't always good at it, but I just can't imagine Zoro being bad at it. I mean, he is bad at things, like cooking for one." He chuckled to himself softly. "And he doesn't understand anything about poetry or words for that matter. And he could probably get lost while moving in a straight line too. He's got some anger problems, a bit too prideful. Maybe a little vain? I mean, no one has a mirror that big in your room unless your at least a bit vain. I wonder what he thinks when he sees those scars on his body. Is he proud of them? They're probably from some great big fight or something, especially that one that goes across his chest …" Sanji trailed off, just remembering the image of Zoro's abdomen, the flatness of his body, the muscles … "He trains hard, obviously, you can't be that ripped without it, I guess. He's … How do you describe Zoro? Someone who's strong? But that hardly does him justice, considering all his other traits. He's thoughtful and caring, even if his methods are … peculiar. He's something indescribable, I guess. He's fierce and forceful but gentle too. He's really rough around the edges, the kind of diamond in the rough that you look for so much, you start to doubt its there but then it just is and your realize it was always there, but it's really subtle. But Zoro doesn't even know what the word subtle means … A paradox. Contradiction. Oxymoron. He's just …" Sanji shrugged, giving up on trying to define the swordsman. "He's just my marimo. Wait, did I just think—"
Sanji's eyes snapped open and he was brought back into reality. He turned his gaze up towards the ceiling, blinking a few times at the sudden light. He could feel Nami's eyes on him, as well as Luffy's, not to mention Usopp's, just staring at him. He didn't want to know what they were thinking, but he lowered his gaze when he thought he was cool enough and met their gazes.
"You're really red Sanji," said Luffy with a bright smile. "Like a tomato!"
Sanji coughed into his sleeve. "Um, right, so anyway, I think that was pointless," Sanji said. But it hadn't been. Sure, he had gone off on a tangent, no idea where his thoughts had gone and where one thought ended and another started, but he felt as though he had an idea of what Zoro would want. In fact, he knew exactly what to get him.
Grabbing his wallet, Sanji ran to the vestibule and was about to take off his slippers and call a taxi when he heard Nami say something that made him freeze in his tracks.
"…told you it was mutual."
"You bet against Nami?" came Luffy's voice.
Sanji dropped his left boot, which he had been in the middle of putting on and stood there, confused. He looked strange, no doubt, with one slipper on and a boot on his other foot.
"What's mutual?" Sanji asked, looking up the small case of stairs at the three friends.
"You're in love with Zoro!"
"WHAT?!"
"Haha, your voice just cracked!"
"It did not!"
"It did it again!"
Sanji chewed harshly on his cigarette, grinding it between his teeth. "What the fuck do you mean 'you're in love with Zoro'?!"
"Oh, I'm not," Luffy said. "You are, but not me."
"That's what I meant!" Sanji snapped.
"But you just said 'you're', as in me."
"No, I said 'you're' as in I was quoting you, which meant me!"
Luffy gave him a confused look. "Why do I feel like I've gone through this before?"
Sanji shook his head. "No, you're lying," he said. "I have no idea where the fuck you pulled that idea out of, but what the fuck do you know about love?"
Luffy scratched his head. "Yup, I've definitely had this conversation before." He slung an arm around Nami and gave Sanji a big smile. "I'm in love with Nami," he said. "So I know."
"Fuck you knowing!" Sanji snapped. "Who the fuck do you think you are, talking about love to me?" he demanded. "With your big stupid smile on your face like you didn't just tell me the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"
Luffy frowned and tilted his head. "You haven't heard weirder?" He shrugged. "Well, stick around long enough and Usopp'll tell you something even more ridiculous!" he said with a laugh.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, BAKA!"
Sanji took a deep breath, trying to get himself back under control. He wondered if this was what Zoro felt all the times he seemed to blow up. It wasn't really anger, he wasn't angry at Luffy for his blatant lie, it was more like … he was confused? He was confused and frustrated and the world kept spinning and he just wanted to scream at everything to stop so he could focus again and get his bearings, but nothing was willing to give him time to cope.
"Look, you need to get your head checked," Sanji said, shoving his boot onto his foot. "I'm going go an buy Zoro his birthday present and then when I see you tomorrow, you're going to off whatever the fuck drugs you're on now and think clearly, seeing that me being in love with Zoro is absolutely impossible!"
Sanji punctuated his sentence with the loud slam of the door and called a taxi, unable to believe the audacity Luffy had, claiming he was in love with Zoro! Ha! Him! In love with that marimo?
Ding.
Sanji opened his phone to see he got a text from Luffy.
Luffy: I should rephrase what I said. You aren't in love with Zoro.
Thank God for seeing sense, Sanji thought with a smirk. Knew that guy's hat was on a little too tight.
Ding.
When Sanji looked at his phone, he was ready to murder the straw hat, whether or not it was legal.
Luffy: You're FALLING in love with Zoro.
Sanji opened a browser on his phone and quickly searched through the maps before telling the driver he wanted to go to Ken Mise.
He didn't want to seem very giddy, but he had to contain his excitement when he got back into the taxi after purchasing his gift and telling the taxi to take him home. He remembered the look on the shop owner's face when he had come in at eleven, asking a closed shop if he could make a purchase. When he had chosen his gift, the man behind the cash had tallied it up and gave him a smile.
"You have good taste," he had told him. "For anyone in particular?"
"A friend," Sanji had replied.
"Well, they must be a special friend, if you're paying over 20 000 yen for them."
Sanji had tried not to blush and gotten back into the taxi.
He thought about it. It was nearly twelve …
Oh, what the hell.
He texted Nami, asking for the hospital's number and Zoro's room and before he could second guess himself, he was already calling.
It rang twice before someone picked up.
"Who the fuck is calling at eleven fifty-three at night?" demanded a grumpy voice. Zoro.
"Well, pardon me, Marimo," Sanji snapped, but he was smiling either way.
"Curly Brow?"
Sanji sighed. "Are my eyebrows really that screwed up?"
"More like fucked up," came Zoro's reply. "But seriously, what are you doing, calling at this time?"
Sanji was about to answer when he realized something. "You don't sound tired."
"I'm not," Zoro said. "Can't sleep. The coffee they have here sucks, but it's enough to keep me up."
"Seriously? You're injured!" Sanji snapped. "Didn't I tell you that you needed rest?"
"Worried, cook?" Zoro teased.
Sanji bit the inside of his cheek. "You already know the answer to that," he said. "Anyway, I called to apologize for not turning up today," he said.
What the fuck am I thinking? We've gone over this Sanji, it's not like he was waiting for you to turn up!
"Yeah, you know, that was kind of a dick move," Zoro agreed. "I mean telling someone you'd turn up and then totally not be there? I'd think I was stood up."
"Don't make it sound like a date," Sanji told him.
Luffy's words kept ringing in his ears.
"You're in love with Zoro."
"Right," said Zoro. There was silence on the other end for a moment. "Course not."
Does that mean anything? Sanji found himself wondering. He was pretty sure hearing Luffy and Nami's nonsense was slowly driving him insane. He shook his head and berated himself before taking a deep breath. "Anyway, I will be there tomorrow."
"Don't get my hopes up for nothing," said Zoro in a teasing voice, but there was something else there, the slightest trace of something that Sanji dared not think about.
"Yeah well, it'd be stupid not to go," Sanji said. "I've got a surprise for you, and I can't very well give it to you if I'm not there, can I?"
Sanji's fingers trailed over the black and red. God, I hope he likes it.
"Surprise?" Zoro repeated. "If you're a no-show, I'm really going to kick your ass," he warned him. "Don't offer gifts if you aren't planning on delivering."
"Like you could kick my ass in your condition," Sanji said with a smirk.
"It's your stop," said the driver.
Sanji got out of the car, gave him his money and put Zoro's gift under his arm. He opened the door to the apartment, with the phone pressed against his ear between his ear and his shoulder. "So, what's the hospital like?"
"Why the fuck are you out so late?" demanded Zoro. "It's eleven fifty-eight at night!"
"As you've mentioned before," Sanji said with a smile. He dropped his wallet on the kitchen table and sat down on the couch, placing the gift on the coffee table. He yawned. "Worried about me?"
There was silence. Then—
"Maybe."
Sanji's eyes widened in surprise. That wasn't like Zoro, to admit to something like that, if it was even true. He felt his chest warm with something he couldn't identify and instead let himself sprawl out across the couch. "Oh yeah?" he pressed teasingly.
"Sleepy?"
"No." Sanji couldn't hold back another yawn, his eyes drifting close.
"You sure?"
"Okay, maybe a little," he conceded.
"Baka."
The way Zoro spoke, it was so gentle, in such a different tone than anything Sanji had ever heard the swordsman say. Though it was an insult, it sounded … affectionate?
He curled his legs into himself, vowing to get up once he was finished talking with Zoro. He figured the conversation would be over soon anyway. "Ahou," Sanji said back in a soft voice.
"You should get some sleep."
"So should you."
"I have an excuse, coffee, remember?"
Sanji sighed, his eyes feeling heavy as he tried to keep them open. "If the coffee's shit, don't drink it."
"I needed to try to counteract the anaesthetics," Zoro replied. "I couldn't be a slug, could I?"
"Aren't you normally a slug?" Sanji said, a smirk settling on his lips.
"You're tired, so I won't say anything," Zoro said, yawning himself.
"You going to sleep yet, Marimo?"
"Not yet," said Zoro. "You know, the place still smells of nicotine," he added absentmindedly.
"Really?"
"Yup. That's strong stuff. Just watch, you'll be the next one in this bed," Zoro told him teasingly.
"Hey Zoro?" asked Sanji, feeling reality slowly slip around him.
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever been n love?"
There was silence.
"No," Zoro replied after a while. "But …" He seemed to be thinking a little, or probably, as much as his foggy brain could. Sanji knew his thoughts were getting jumbled and mixed around himself. "I think I might be soon …"
"That's nice," Sanji said with another yawn. He stared at the sheath on the coffee table. "I think I might too."
"Oh yeah?" Zoro's voice sounded slightly far-away, like he was lost in thought, or something. Idiot Marimo, getting lost in his own mind. "With who?"
"Not telling," Sanji teased. He yawned once more. "I think I'm going to go to bed."
"Okay." Was it just him or did Zoro sound disappointed? Must be the sleep doing something to his ears.
"Oh and Zoro?" said Sanji, using the last of his strength to speak.
"Yeah?"
"When you get out, I'll make you the best fucking coffee you've ever had."
"It's a deal."
With that, Sanji slipped into slumber, the last thought he had being,
Maybe Luffy's right. Just a little. Zoro's got a fucking sexy voice, after all.
Author's Note #2: Okay, the thank-yous now!
Eager Reader: I feel as though Sanji and Zoro are both not stuck-up enough to be Darcy. I mean, first of all, the fact that Darcy scorned Elizabeth at the ball, consider how much Sanji values women. Uh, no way in hell would he do that. And in the show, Zoro kinda comes off as asexual to me, which means he probably wouldn't care about the dance sure, and maybe he'd stand around talking nonsense about others, but he probably wouldn't insult their appearance. That's just my opinion.
Nessiebaby: Define the word "literature". Because if it means reading, hell yes, I love it. I swear, I'm the only child who got punished by being banned from reading, BECAUSE I was reading. More traumatizing things? Well, I already saw a demotivational poster about Sanji being an okama (omaka? I'm not sure, I'm too lazy to check) and so I'm already traumatized. Actually, learning how much 4Kids censor things traumatized me as well and I went crazy, thinking, "Have I been watching any of their dubs? DID THEY RUIN AN ANIME I LOVE?!" I used to only watch dubs cause I like to multitask and not always watch, so that way I know what everyone's saying, but after watching some bad dubs I'm like, nah, I'll watch some subs. If it's a long series and I think the dub is good, I'll watch the dub, but for the past like, 5 months, I've been sticking to subs. Bleach I find though doesn't have a bad dub. One Piece's dub ... I think in the sub and the dub Luffy's voice sounds just a tad strange, but I like Zoro and Sanji's voices in both dub and sub, but since I want to hear Sanji call Zoro "marimo", I'll watch it subbed.
JustCallMeLucie: I just felt like thinking that when Zoro's in trouble, Sanji would do something really out of character, but if you knew the circumstances, then it would make sense so I chose him swearing at Nami. Besides, I really had fun with that hospital scene so Zoro going to get himself hurt, it's helping their relationship ironically.
S.P. Tripathi: I've read some Jane Austen, and I think she deserves the praise the critics give her. She really is amazing. But anyway, I hope you liked this chapter!
Dyloa: I'm thinking of writing about Sanji or Zoro asking Usopp for love advice, since so many people think either Luffy or Usopp would be good, but since I have a really good grasp on Luffy and Nami, more than Usopp, I'll have to wait and see. I would like to give it a shot, when I'm not busy with this story. Once I get this story steady and all, I would definitely like to try translating! I just figure I know French, find it's not impressive to know it since in Quebec, just about EVERYONE is bilingual, so I might as well show off somewhere, right? I think this chapter's ending is even more adorable, and I loved thinking about what Zoro was thinking on the other end of the line. I might write a oneshot of that conversation on Zoro's end.
vivi2260: You don't? Are you sure? Cause otherwise, I'll have to wonder what I yell at my friends on the occasion.
lilcutieprincess: Well, I've updated!
Reina: Thanks for your input, really. Since the story's so far along, I don't think I'll be changing it like that, but I will keep your comments in mind. I'll try to figure out how to express Sanji's reason for not leaving in a subtle way (I'm not the greatest at subtlety) and when I do revisions, I'll probably add stuff here and there. I don't think any story's perfect, but you work at it until you think you can't possibly improve it anymore. That's why I've rewritten my own original story about 5 times and I'm still not completely satisfied. I can also understand though why some people wouldn't take well to those kinds of reviews, but I do appreciate that you took the time to mention these things and explain them to me!
Okay the answer to the last question: the first phrase of the last chapter was a parody of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, published in 1813, (I didn't actually ask for the exact date published, did I? But thanks for telling me anyway!) and I just remember one time, when I read the book (as an eBook for the first time), it said published in 1813 and I was like, "OH MY GOD, THIS BOOK'S 200 YEARS OLD!" cause it was 2013 when I read it again. Still love that book! But moving onwards ...
First question, with background info, because, of course I'll do this. Zoro's birthday is November 11th (Remembrance Day) and Sanji's birthday is March 2nd. This is a fact, I tried to keep as many things canon as I can, even if the story IS AU. They're both the same age, but either Sanji's eight months older than Zoro, or Zoro's four months older than Sanji. Who do you think is older? (I can give you no definite answer, but I'll ask this question anyway cause I changed numbers around because of this cause I had no idea what to do about Zoro's age.)
BONUS QUESTION: If you were to give Zoro a birthday present, what would it be?
1st Edit: August 6th 2015
