2.
Zoro was doing a poor job of hiding his excitement as he fidgeted on the couch, periodically pulling out his phone and tapping the screen to check the time. His older sister, Kuina, looked up from her own phone to roll her eyes. She settled more comfortably into her spot as she lounged sideways on the couch with her feet tucked under Zoro's thigh to keep her toes warm. Raising an eyebrow, she remarked dryly, "Your battery is just gonna die if you keep that up."
"Shut up, barf-breath!" Zoro growled and checked his inbox yet again just in case there was a message he had missed. It wouldn't hurt to check his Facebook account again either...
He was too preoccupied to defend himself from the sharp kick to his hip, and Kuina glared at him fiercely when he spluttered angrily and grabbed for her ankle. She delivered a few more kicks as he tried to capture her, "I told you before! Don't CALL me that, troll-face!"
"Get your smelly feet away from me, vomit queen!"
Kuina shrieked with rage and threw herself across the couch and tackled him around the neck in an attempt to catch him in a headlock. Zoro struggled to keep her from completing the move, cursing as her strong legs wound around his waist and began to squeeze. He hated her stupid judo moves.
"Guys!" Tony turned from where he was seated on the floor in front of them with a look of disapproval on his little face, "I can't hear my show!"
Zoro wheezed as Kuina put more pressure on his neck in an attempt to connect her hold and she hissed furiously in his ear, "Swear you won't say that again!"
In a last-ditch effort to survive, Zoro lurched to his feet and stumbled toward the dining room and kitchen area, "P-puke woman!"
Kuina managed to grip her other arm properly and Zoro gasped uselessly as his breathing was mercilessly constricted. He made it a few more stumbling steps into the dining area and Koshiro turned from where he was rinsing the dishes from lunch at the sink to look at them disapprovingly over the rims of his glasses, "Kuina, let your brother go this instant."
"But daaaaaad...!" She whined as she released her death grip on Zoro and dropped to her feet agilely, "He won't stop calling me those horrible names!"
Zoro rubbed his sore neck and sneered, "Well maybe you should have held it in then instead of upchucking all over me at that party like a fat kid on a carnival ride!"
Kuina turned positively scarlet as she stood there and shook with anger a moment before rushing away through the house. Koshiro sighed as they both could hear feet pounding up the stairs before a door slammed on the second floor. He frowned at Zoro until the young man guiltily avoided his gaze, "You know how humiliating that memory is for her. You shouldn't say things like that."
"Yeah, well she wasn't the one actually covered in vomit while all our friends laughed!" Zoro pointed out defensively. Koshiro simply lifted an eyebrow and Zoro dropped his head and muttered, "I'll apologize later, okay?"
"Do it now."
"Yes, sir." Zoro didn't dare to say another word as he trudged out of the kitchen, through the living room where Tony watched him pass with wide eyes, and then up the stairs. Kuina's room was the furthest one down the hall, and Zoro peeked in Perona's open door first. The youngest of his three sisters - by two minutes - popped her gum obnoxiously as she eyed him from over her bright pink laptop settled in her lap as she sat on her bed. Everything she owned was fucking pink, and her room hurt Zoro's eyes if he stared at it too long. He gave her a hopeful look, "I'll give you fifty bucks if you smooth this over for me?"
Perona shook her head, "No way, loser! She was super mad! You're so dead!" She giggled and snapped her gum again, tossing her pink extensions, "I'll wait until your corpse turns into a cute skeleton, and then I'll paint you pink and hang you on my wall! Won't that be awesome?"
"Thanks for nothing, weirdo…" Zoro grumbled and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he tried to think of how to make Kuina not-mad at him without actually apologizing. He didn't even bother checking Tashigi's room. He knew that she was out back practicing tennis with their other father.
Taking a deep breath, Zoro hesitated in front of his sister's door before politely knocking. There was a loud thump as something, probably a stuffed animal, hit the door, but Kuina didn't answer. Zoro leaned in close and heard a little sniffle. Genuinely feeling bad now, he opened the door and cautiously stepped inside, "Hey…"
Kuina glared at him tearfully before grabbing her comforter and rolling over, hiding in her covers on her bed. Zoro awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair, "Sorry for being such a jerk. I won't call you that anymore…" He thought a moment before amending, "Unless you really piss me off."
His sister didn't respond at first, but after a short time of stony silence, Zoro heard a muffled snort under the bundle of comforters. Encouraged, Zoro padded over and sat on the edge of the bed. Kunia sat up out of her cocoon of bedclothes and rubbed furiously at her eyes before smirking at him weakly, "You really, really suck at apologizing."
Zoro shrugged and Kuina crossed her arms after wiping some snot off on her sleeve, "You owe me. My chores for a week."
"No way!" Zoro balked, "I have midterms that I need to study for!"
"Two weeks!" Kuina raised an eyebrow, looking exactly like their dad.
Zoro groaned in defeat, "Fine. Just tell dad that we're cool?"
"Done." Kuina wiped her nose again before wriggling into a more comfortable cross-legged position, "Now tell me why the hell you are so uptight today? You're being more annoying than usual, and you keep checking…" She stopped and rolled her eyes as Zoro quickly swiped his phone on again, "Oh my god, see? That's what I mean! What's going on, Zoro?"
"S'nothing…" Zoro guiltily slipped his phone back into his pocket.
Kuina narrowed her eyes, "Don't make me hit you!"
Zoro held up his hands as she threateningly raised a fist, "I'm hanging out with someone today!"
Blinking, Kuina relaxed her fist slightly, "What? Who?"
"You don't know him." Zoro avoided her curious eyes as he resisted the urge to check for a text message yet again.
Kuina tilted her head to the side thoughtfully before her eyes widened, "IS IT A DATE?!"
Zoro shushed her frantically but it was too late. Perona actually bounced, she hit the bed so hard as she dashed into the room and threw herself into a sitting position next to Kuina. The two of them truly looked like the members of the triplets from hell that they were as they grinned predatorily at him. Perona pressed eagerly, "So what's his name? Is he cute? Where did you meet him? Did you sleep with him?!"
Kuina didn't even give him a chance to protest as she quickly chimed in, "Tell us! You know we're just gonna bother you until we find out anyway!"
"Jesus fuck, okay! His name is Sanji, and he works at that aquarium downtown!" Zoro looked at them pleadingly, "Please don't do anything embarrassing?"
"OH MY GOD, HE'S COMING HERE?!" Perona shrieked before jumping up off the bed and dashing for her room, "I NEED TO FIX MY MAKE-UP!"
Kuina grinned before crawling across the bed and dropping down beside him and wrapping Zoro in a strong hug, "Good for you, Zoro. I'm so glad you're putting yourself out there again."
He shrugged but leaned into his sister's comforting hold, "He came on to me actually. And it was Ace who talked me in to doing something about it."
"Well then thank you to Ace." Kunia pecked his cheek before letting him go and shoving his shoulder, "Now get the hell out of my room and fix your hair! I need to freshen up so I make a good impression. It's not every day I get to meet my little brother's new boyfriend!"
Zoro blushed as she winked at him and obediently went to fix his hair in the upstairs bathroom. After a few minutes of fussing, he felt ready and jogged down the stairs. Perona was already there, peering out the window by the door, "Oh my god, is that him?!"
"Move!" Zoro shoved her aside enough that he could see, and sure enough, a familiar blond was getting out of the passenger's side of a shiny, red convertible.
A wave of nervousness swept over him, and Zoro wiped his palms on his shirt in a nervous gesture before opening the front door and stepping out onto the broad step at the top of their entryway. Sanji grinned and waved, and Zoro waved back feeling a little giddy with excitement. He'd been looking forward to today ever since he had found out a week ago that the two of them shared a day off. He bounced on his toes impatiently as the dark-haired, female driver leaned toward Sanji and tugged his arm. The blond turned back to her and Zoro's eyebrows rose in interest when she made several quick motions with her hands - ending with an inquiring finger pointed at Sanji. He'd never seen anyone genuinely conversing in sign language before and he was absolutely fascinated when Sanji answered her, tapping the ring finger of his right hand to his thumb before continuing on to several more swift gestures that Zoro couldn't quite catch, but he swore one looked like the hand sign people used when they were talking about texting, with palms up and curled knuckles pressed together, and thumbs wiggling in mock-typing motions.
Zoro had to admit, he was pretty impressed.
Sanji loped across the front lawn and jogged up the steps, "Hey there! Sorry I'm a little late. I had to wait for my cousin to get home from work so she could give me a ride."
"That's a cool car..." Zoro let his gaze flick back to the woman in the convertible watching the two of them once more before giving Sanji his full attention, "Uh, did you want to come in for a minute?"
"Sure!" Sanji nodded cheerfully and followed Zoro inside. He waved to his cousin before pulling the door closed behind himself.
Uncertain if it was okay to talk about, Zoro asked cautiously, "I didn't know you could do real sign language. I mean beside that scuba diver shit…"
Sanji didn't look offended as he trailed after Zoro into the living room, "I learned to speak sign language when I was little because of my cousin, Robin. She's lived with us ever since I can remember."
"That's cool! I don't know if I could remember all that stuff. I mean, it looked pretty complicated out there."
Sanji looked a little smug at Zoro's amazement and opened his mouth to reply, but their moment was interrupted by Perona, who was practically vibrating on the couch, obviously failing to look nonchalant and unable to wait any more, "YOUR NAME IS SANJI?"
"Fuck, Perona, don't screech like that!"
"Language, Zoro!" Kuina reminded as she entered the living room behind the two of them.
Sanji's head was jerking from side to side as he tried to take in the flood of Zoro's family members. Koshiro appeared in the doorway to the dining area, quietly wiping his hands with a dishtowel as he watched them all with a smile. Tony froze a moment looking up at Sanji before recognition shone in his eyes and he launched himself at the blond, babbling with excitement about pirates and fish and god-knows-what-else. Zoro rolled his eyes and started the introductions, "My sisters, Kuina... And Perona is the pink one."
"Nice to meet you." Sanji bobbed his head at the two of them as he patted Tony's wild hair.
The little boy clung tightly to the blond's leg and Zoro snorted, "You know Tony."
Sanji crouched to let the little boy throw his arm around his neck, and he stood with Tony held securely against his side, "Of course I remember my little buddy!"
Tony giggled with delight held tight to Sanji. Zoro hoped his poor date could breathe. "And that's my dad, Koshiro."
Sanji stepped forward and offered a hand, "Nice to meet you, sir."
"Likewise." Koshiro shook the blond's hand with a smile, "Are you two planning to stay for dinner?"
Zoro shook his head as he grabbed Tony and tickled him to get his foster-brother to let go of Sanji, "We have plans."
Koshiro nodded before taking a seat in the chair by the couch, "So what is your name, young man? And how did you meet my son?"
"His name is Sanji!" Perona interjected excitedly, "And he met Zoro at the aquarium!"
Raising his eyebrows, Koshiro smiled, "How interesting!"
"He's a diver!" Tony chirped in Zoro's arms, "He swims with sharks! It's so cool!"
Kuina spoke up too, "And he asked out Zoro!"
Zoro groaned, "Would you guys please shut up?! You're going to make him never want to come back!"
"I hope that's not true." Koshiro crossed his legs and let his his clasped hands rest in his lap, "I'd love to have you over for dinner sometime. I know my husband and my other daughter would like the chance to meet you too."
Sanji nodded sincerely, "I would enjoy that. My old man makes a killer blueberry cobbler. I could bring that along…"
Koshiro's eyes twinkled behind his glasses, "That sounds fantastic. I'll have Zoro find out a time that will work for all of us then?"
"Absolutely!" Sanji smiled charmingly.
Zoro put Tony down and grabbed the blond by the wrist, tugging him backwards and speaking rapidly before the next round of chaos could begin, "We have a reservation and we REALLY need to go now, so...!"
"Bye, Sanji!" Perona wiggled her fingers in farewell.
Tony looked heartbroken, "Do you have to go?"
"Come here, sport…" Koshiro stood and scooped up the little boy, "Call if you need anything, Zoro!" He walked off into the kitchen after giving Sanji a friendly nod - probably to give Tony a treat.
Zoro successfully dragged Sanji away from his family and back outside to his front step. His ears were burning with embarrassment as he dropped the blond's hand, "Uh, my car is right over there…"
He clattered down the cement stairs and strode swiftly to where his old sedan was parked in the driveway. Realizing Sanji wasn't behind him, he turned to see Kuina holding him close by the collar just inside the doorway, and was whispering intensely into the blond's ear. Zoro groaned and unlocked his car, sliding morosely into the driver's seat. He let his forehead drop to the top of his steering wheel in misery. Why couldn't his family just act NORMAL for once?!
Sanji got into the passenger's side a moment later and Zoro straightened, starting to apologize right away as the blond buckled himself in, "I'm so, so sorry about all… that. My family is a little…"
Cutting him off mid-sentence, Sanji leaned over and cupped his cheek with a lightly calloused palm before kissing him warmly, "I like your family. They're interesting and they care about you a lot." Sanji pecked his lips again before settling back in his seat with a grin, "Your sister threatened to feed me to Perona's hamster, you know."
"That thing is evil… Fucking growled at me the other day, I swear!" Zoro grumbled as he started the car and pulled out of the driveway.
"Scary! I don't want to risk that!" Sanji laughed, "Well I guess I'll just have to show you a good time!"
Zoro felt his ears grow warm at the blond's suggestive eyebrow waggle, and he jerked his gaze away from Sanji's face before his thoughts went tripping into the gutter. The gap in conversation was just beginning to become uncomfortable when, Sanji suddenly reached over and turned up the cd that had been playing softly in the background, "Holy shit is this the King Snipers? I fucking love their songs!" He hummed along as the catchy rock tune boomed through the car radio.
Making a turn at the next intersection, Zoro spared a glance over to the blond and raised his voice to be heard over the lead singer, "You like this band?"
"Of course! Burning Down the Flag is definitely their best album, but this one isn't bad either."
Zoro shook his head in mock disappointment, "True fans know that the lyrics in God Among Men are better!"
"Spoken like a true wannabe hipster…!" Turning down the song as it ended, Sanji lounged back against his seat, "So have you ever eaten at this place we're going before? Or is your taste in food as shitty as favorite albums? Because only an idiot wouldn't recognize the superior instrumentals featured in Call Me Captain. Which is NOT on this cd!"
"Fuck you, poser. I bet you think that Truth in Lies was their first single! And no, I haven't been there before, but I heard that it's really good… We can go somewhere else if you want?" He smirked, "But don't even think about changing my cd!"
Sanji flipped him off and shrugged, "This is probably your ONLY cd by the best band ever, because you and your hair are lame; so it's not like I have a choice! As for the food, you already made reservations and everything. We might as well stick to the plan. Do they only serve sushi? Or do they have other types of cuisine?"
Oh shit. Zoro gripped the steering wheel tighter and cursed his own stupidity as he wondered if Sanji even ATE fish! He'd never actually gotten an answer the one time he'd asked, and he'd just assumed that since Sanji seemed to love everything about the ocean so much that he'd like sushi too. Only he could fuck up so badly on their first real date. "Uh, shit… You do eat fish, right? I mean you're not some sort of weird 'fish rights' activist are you?"
Sanji snorted, "You know my major is aquaculture, right? I'm all about eating fish and their friends!"
Zoro rolled his eyes playfully as he pulled his car into the lot and parked, "My little brother would cry if he heard you say that."
"You're just jealous that he adores me," Sanji replied cheerfully and unbuckled his seatbelt before joining Zoro in leaving the vehicle, "Besides, if I didn't eat them, or at least threaten to, how else would I strike terror into the hearts of the naughty sharks who think I may be a tasty snack?"
"You're horrible! To think that you could heartlessly bully those poor sharks!" Zoro couldn't help chuckling as he locked up his car.
Sanji had a mischievous sparkle in his blue-grey eyes as he put on an insincere pout, "Asshole... I can't believe my hot date is making such terrible accusations about me! It's not like I sit in front of the fish and eat their brethren while they watch!" He tipped his head to side thoughtfully before smirking, "Well there was that one time…"
Zoro's heart fluttered pleasantly in his chest at Sanji's casual compliment, and he boldly grabbed the blond's hand, "Come on already, Captain Nemo. Maybe we can get some as takeout so you can be a creep and eat it threatenly in front of the fish later."
Sanji laughed brightly and went along as Zoro pulled him by the hand into the restaurant.
They were seated right away, and the two of them struggled to hold in their laughter at the large koi fish mural painted on the wall beside them. Zoro broke first and muttered, "They look delicious…" Sanji's eyes went wide before he slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his loud laughter. Zoro felt ridiculously pleased with himself, chuckling himself as he watched the blond curl over, shaking with helpless giggles.
They barely managed to compose themselves enough to place their order, earning themselves a disapproving look from their long-faced waiter. It was so easy to talk to Sanji, and Zoro found himself sharing personal things; like how he was considering switching his major from an athletic trainer to physical therapy because he wanted to work with injured soldiers. He hadn't told either of his fathers that yet. However Sanji didn't judge him, or make him feel like he was stupid for wanting to change his career path halfway through college. He listened carefully the whole time; asking clever questions about the facilities he was interested in working for, and if he'd considered pursuing internships… He never talked this much, but he wanted Sanji to know who he was and have the blond accept him.
And when Sanji talked about himself, he couldn't tear his eyes away. Sanji talked with his whole body; all nimble hands, sharp shoulders and shining eyes as he told Zoro about the injured sea turtle that he was put in charge of and how much he loved the rescue program. Zoro didn't know a damn thing about turtles or 'carapace fractures', but he was more than happy to ask just to see Sanji's excitement as he rambled on about cold laser therapy and special diets to boost immunities.
Their meal long finished, they were still talking while sipping their gradually cooling coffees when Sanji paused and pulled out his buzzing phone, "Sorry, it's Robin. I told her that I'd check in around eight."
"Is it really that late?" Zoro looked around in surprise. Sure enough, the dinner crowd had noticeably thinned, leaving only them and few other couples in the large dining room.
Sanji finished his texting and slipped his phone back into his pocket with a smile, "Want to go walk around? I thought I saw some interesting shops when we were driving in."
"Sure." Zoro made certain to leave a generous tip to apologize for hogging the table, and followed Sanji outside.
"Do you mind if I smoke?" Zoro shook his head, and the blond smiled gratefully before pulling a nearly-empty pack from his back pocket, "I used to smoke two packs a day, but I cut back a little before I started working at the aquarium. I still can't seem to quit completely though."
Shrugging, Zoro thought that he didn't mind. Not when he could stand and watch how Sanji's pale lips wrapped around the filter, and the way the thin wisps of smoke slipped through the flyaway hairs of his bangs. The moment of quiet between them was just as easy as their dinner conversation, and Zoro just felt content as he observed and learned all the little movements of Sanji's fingers as they played with his gold zippo lighter.
When Sanji smiled and reached out for him, smoke curling lightly from the cherry of his cigarette, Zoro laced their fingers together and let himself fall into Sanji pace. They wandered quietly together down the shadowed street. Most of the shops were closed, but Sanji squeezed his hand and pointed out a lit window, "Let's go in there!"
A bell jangled merrily overhead and Zoro wrinkled his nose at the smell of animals. Sanji threw away his finished cigarette and came up behind him, shoving him inside playfully, "Do they have rabbits? I wanna hold a rabbit!"
"Rabbits are in the back."
Zoro eyed the strange shopkeeper with his blond dreads, wide smirk, and pink, heart-shaped eyeglasses, "Uh, can we hold one?"
"You kill it, you buy it, brother."
"Right." Zoro shuddered and followed Sanji deeper into the shop.
The store was small but it seemed clean, and there were fewer animals than he expected since it turned out each critter had a nice large cage. Three fluffy-looking bunnies were minding their business in their cages and ignoring them in general. "They look so soft!" Sanji crouched to grin at a black rabbit that had large, white patches and floppy ears. He stuck his finger into the cage and the beast came over to snuffle at him.
"That thing is going to bite you."
Sanji snorted, "I am loved by everyone, you, on the other hand, have an antagonizing hair color and would probably lose a finger."
"Shut up!" Growling, Zoro opened the cage and only hesitated a moment before carefully lifting the rabbit into his arms. It immediately cuddled against his grey sweater, and Zoro carefully ran a finger down a silky ear. He grinned triumphantly, "See?"
Sanji rolled his eyes with a grin, "I'm sure that rabbit is old and blind."
Zoro scoffed, "Liar, it's fine. It just totally likes me more."
The blond's cheeks were red and he was studying Zoro's face with a small smile as before the blond reached out to gently stroke the content rabbit. Zoro shivered when fingertips brushed his chest, pulling slightly on the weave of his sweater, and goosebumps rose on his skin under his two layers of shirts. Leaning in close, Sanji pressed a brief, soft kiss to his lips, "I totally like you more."
Licking his lips, Zoro stared at Sanji's flushed face and bright eyes before quickly returning the rabbit to its cage. However, when he drew near, intent on continuing what Sanji had started, the blond playfully evaded him and slipped around a corner. Zoro followed and found him looking at a wall of fish tanks.
"I always had freshwater tanks growing up. Goldfish, tetras, kissing gouramis… It was a lot of fun." Sanji was still adorably pink when he turned to smile at him, "Do you have any pets?"
Zoro shook his head, "Perona has that fucking demon hamster, and we have a family cat but I've never really bothered with pets"
Sanji raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? That's just sad…" He glanced at the brightly colored fish before grinning at Zoro, "You should get a fish! They're cute and easy to care for!"
"Cute…?" Zoro drew close to a tank to peer at the puke-colored fish swimming around inside, "This one looks like an ugly mermaid!"
Sanji leaned against him to look, "Well for one thing that's a MALE betta fish, and I'm pretty sure it matches your hair."
Zoro snorted, "It looks like chewed grass."
"Exactly."
"Fuck you. How do you know it's a boy anyway? It's tail is all frilly and shit…"
"Oh my god…" Sanji laughed and straightened, "You are SO getting that fish!"
Zoro grumbled, but Sanji cheerfully ignored him and turned to look at the boxes of aquariums and other equipment in the aisle behind them. He began to place all kinds of shit in Zoro's arms, "Why the fuck do I need a castle?!"
Sanji explained with a patient tone, "Because mermaid princesses need castles!"
"That THING is not a princess! You said it was a boy!"
Laughing, the blond added a little bottle of fish food to the pile, "But he's a pretty boy so it's fine."
Zoro scowled, until Sanji came over and kissed his cheek, "Let me get you the fish? It would make me happy."
Fucking hell, but he couldn't say no when this blond bastard with him with those shimmering, sea-colored eyes… "Fine… But I want the skull too!" Sanji grinned smugly and added it to the pile.
Zoro had a hard time believing the ONE damn fish really needed all this shit, but Sanji insisted. The shopkeeper kept smirking at him as he rang everything up. If he wasn't on a date he would have punched the asshole and ran by now. Instead, Zoro just felt plain embarrassed as the guy rang up the sparkly yellow castle, and all the other weird stuff Sanji had picked out.
In the end they walked out with everything Sanji had decided on, and Zoro had a ridiculous armful of bags and boxes while Sanji gleefully carried the fish in its little plastic bag. The blond gently bumped his arm and asked, "So what are you going to name him?"
"Fish."
"That's not a name you cretin!"
Zoro rolled his eyes and shifted his armful of purchases, "Just fucking name it yourself then?"
Sanji held the bag up to eye-level before grinning slyly in his direction, "Ugly Mermaid Princess."
"NO."
Cackling, the blond bumped him again with his shoulder, "Too late! You gave me naming privileges and now it's official!"
"Like fuck it is! I'm not calling it that!"
"Don't you listen to him, Ugly…" Sanji crooned at the circling fish, "Your name is just fine. Suits you and your fish-daddy perfectly!"
Zoro shuddered, "I will fucking PAY you to never call me a 'fish-daddy' again. Jesus!"
Sanji just laughed at him, and Zoro wondered how it was fair that he was still attractive even when he was being a colossal dick.
While they were loading their purchases into the car, Sanji's phone went off again and he gave Zoro an apologetic look before checking the text, "Oh shit. Robin's waiting for me. She has work early so she needs me to come home..."
Zoro nodded, but he felt a twinge of melancholy at the thought of their date ending, "We better get back then."
Sliding into the passenger's seat, Sanji sent him a half-smile, "I'm picking the music though…! Can I sync my mp3 player to this thing?"
"My car, my music, blondie!"
Sanji flipped him off and proceeded to fiddle with his console. Zoro retaliated by pinching his side until he squirmed away, but the blond wasn't deterred for long. The two of them squabbled over the radio the whole ride back to Zoro's home, and it felt like they were pulling into his driveway far too soon.
Both of them fell quiet as Zoro parked the car carefully and shut it off. Reluctant to leave, he turned and studied Sanji; the blond's handsome features were tinged with gold from the nearby streetlight, and the poor light made his eyes look so mysteriously dark and blue. Zoro awkwardly leaned over the gearshift, placing his hand on the middle console for balance. Their gazes locked, Sanji licked his lips before meeting him halfway...
The kiss was slow and sweet, and with no more contact than the press of their mouths. Sanji took his breath away with each careful drag of his lips, and it wasn't long before the blond was prompting his lips to part with a warm tongue before teasing him with little kitten licks. Zoro huffed and pressed more insistently against him, and Sanji tilted his head to slot their mouths together for a deeper, filthier kiss; his slender fingers curling around the side of Zoro's neck and the blond's thumb stroking his pulse…
The Sanji's phone buzzed insistently and the blond placed a soothing peck on Zoro's panting mouth before pulling away to check his phone. He looked up with a sigh, and his unhappy expression was clearly illuminated by glowing phone, "I have to go." Leaning over again, he reached out for Zoro and pressed their foreheads together, "Listen, I had an amazing time tonight, and I want to see you again. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
When Zoro managed to gather his thoughts to respond with a nod, Sanji placed one last lingering kiss on his tingling lips, "Make sure you set up the tank properly tonight." He smiled before climbing out of the car, "Bye, Zoro."
"Bye…"
Zoro hurriedly climbed out of his car and watched Sanji walk down the drive and get into his cousin's car that was parked at the curb. Zoro waved goodbye as they drove off and watched until the taillights grew small, and then the car turned around a corner and he couldn't see them at all. Behind him the light above the front door flicked on and Zoro released his breath in a sigh. He wished yet again that tonight hadn't had to end so soon…
More than a little frustrated, Zoro began to collect the various fish-related things from his car and worked until he got everything in one armload with the damn fish balanced on top. Mihawk was waiting for him at the door, and he held it open without a word but the sharp quirk to his eyebrow said a lot. Zoro just scowled and clomped his way into the kitchen.
Koshiro was wrapping up a tray of brownies, but seeing Zoro, he stopped and pulled out a small plate from the cabinet above him before nudging a large, gooey brownie out of the tray with a knife. He set the plate on the table right beside where Zoro had carefully dumped his gifts, "What's all this?"
"I got a fish."
"Oh?" Koshiro inspected the small creature with a smile, "Seems like you had a nice night?"
"Yeah, I…" Zoro felt himself blush as he thought about Sanji's warm hand, and his laugh, and the heat of his lips, "I really like him, dad."
"I'm happy for you." Koshiro hugged him around the shoulders before padding through the kitchen to the family room, "I'm going to bed. Please remember to clean up after yourself?"
"Night, dad." Zoro nodded and opened the aquarium box to dig out the instructions.
He looked it over once before giving up and going upstairs. Knocking softly on the door next to the master bedroom, Zoro fidgeted impatiently until His oldest sister, Tashigi, opened the door a crack. She scowled at him and adjusted her glasses, "What do you want? I was studying."
"Sorry. I know you have homework… But I really need your help so Ugly will survive the night."
Raising her eyebrow in a way that clearly resembled Mihawk, she crossed her arms, "Did you just call me ugly?"
"No!" A shushing sound from the nearby bedrooms had him dropping his voice, "I got a fish but I have no clue how to set the aquarium up?"
Tashigi eyed him for a moment before smiling, "Fine but you have to tell me about this date. Kuina will be so jealous that I found out first!"
"Deal."
Following him downstairs, Tashigi wasted no time and began to open the various boxes while she questioned him, "I heard about how he picked you up at the aquarium. Is that his full time job? How old is he? Is he a college graduate? What did you two talk about?"
Zoro kept his answers short while he nibbled his brownie, but he knew better than to try to hide anything from his older sister. She had always had a way of finding out the things he tried to keep from her anyway. She kept asking little things about Sanji as she assembled the filter and began to set up the aquarium. Finally she tapped the half-full tank and instructed, "You should take it downstairs into your room first before filling it the rest of the way. Make sure the water is room temperature and let your fish stay in the bag while floating in the water for at least twenty minutes."
She brushed a few loose, dark hairs behind her ear before giving him a half-smile, "He sounds like a nice guy. Are you going to see him again?"
"I hope so…"
Tashigi nodded, "Okay. I want to meet him next time though. Try to have the next date when I'm not practicing?"
Zoro shrugged, "I'll see."
Rolling her eyes, Tashigi gave him a brief hug, "I still can't believe you named that poor fish, Ugly."
"Sanji named it. Blame him!"
"Right." She walked a little ways toward the family room before hesitating, "I know it's been hard for you, and we're all happy to see you with someone again, but please don't think you have to get into another relationship right now if you don't feel ready."
Zoro flinched, but shrugged one-shoulder, trying to look casual, "I'm okay, Tash. Really. I feel like I'm over everything, you know?"
She looked at him carefully for a long moment before nodding, "I'll beat him to death with a tennis racket if he hurts you though."
"Love you, Tash…" Zoro couldn't help but smile at her overprotectiveness.
"Love you too, Zozo." She smiled at him fondly before returning upstairs to her room.
More than ready to call it a night, Zoro carried his new aquarium down the basement steps to the large room he shared with Tony to finish setting up the tank. It took a few trips to the basement bathroom to fill the tank properly with a pitcher, but when he was done, Ugly was swimming happily around his new home. Zoro watched it explore for a little while before collapsing onto his bed with a groan. Tony stirred in his bed across the room, but fortunately he was a heavy sleeper and he didn't wake up.
Pulling out his phone, Zoro's heart jumped when he saw that he had a text from Sanji. He opened it eagerly, not sure what Sanji wanted. He was pleasantly surprised when a picture popped up of the blond, shirtless and grinning impishly.
Sweet dreams. ;D
