Chapter 5
Don't own One Piece
Sanji woke up the next day with a terrible hangover. He sat up slowly, or rather he tried to, his head was pounding, his throat was dry; he desperately needed something to drink. He was about to get up when a snore next to him startled him. There, lying without a care in the world, was Zoro. What was he doing in Sanji's bed instead of his own?
"Hey! Stupid algae, wake up!"
Zoro, who was behind him, had an arm slung over him in a tight embrace with no chance to escape.
"Zoro!"
Zoro shuffled closer to Sanji and placed his head on his shoulder and went back to sleep.
'God dammit!' Sanji lay still, defeated. He tried to remember last night; everything was blurry after his drinking competition with Patty. Zoro must have been the one helping him last night. Sanji looked back at his friend, he was sleeping peacefully as always, no frown on display, he looked younger that way and more approachable, he was snoring so loudly and wait a minute… 'IS THAT DROOL COMING OUT?!'
Sanji tried to move, this time more persistently. "Marimo! Mosshead, wake up!" Little by little the drool was getting closer to Sanji's shirt, his favorite shirt, he might add.
Sanji was freaking out, the drool getting closer and closet until…
"Nooo!"
WHACK!
"You could have just woke me up, you know," Zoro said with a big bump on his head, courtesy of Sanji.
"I tried! What were you doing on my bed anyway?" The blond asked while making breakfast.
"You told me to stay with you."
"I DID NOT!"
"You don't even remember a thing about last night!" Zoro yelled.
"Whatever…did the shitty old geezer had fun?" Sanji was desperate to change the subject, him asking Zoro to stay with him? What was that about?
"You mean after you stole his fake leg? Sure…"
Sanji paled. "Oh my God…I'm so dead"
Zoro smirked. "That, you are." No way he is missing that fight, it's going to be hilarious, that and there's something about watching Sanji fight that entices Zoro.
Both heard knocking on their door.
"Sanji! Zoro! Open the fucking door!"
Zoro got up and opened the door, finding their friends on the other side. Luffy spoke again.
"Is it time? Did I miss it?"
"No, Luffy, he's cooking right now," Zoro said to his bottomless pit of a friend.
"Woohoo!" Without waiting for permission, Luffy ran to the kitchen embracing Sanji tightly while trying to steal some food and getting yelled at.
Ace and the others chuckled at the familiar display.
"So, how was it? Last night, I mean?"
"The cook got drunk," Zoro said, closing the door after them.
"What?!" Ace whined. "That's like my favorite Sanji!" The dark haired man said, sitting on the stool.
"It is unfortunate…" Marco said, amused recalling last year's party where Ace and Sanji got into a stupid discussion of who would look better in a dress and Sanji won with his pinkish dress against Ace's green one. Why they had dresses or even the make-up, they had no idea and he was pretty sure that it would be better not to know.
"Shut up!" Sanji yelled from the small kitchen.
Ace approached Sanji and sat on the counter. "So, how things went with Usopp?"
Sanji exhaled. "Bad…"
"Bad, bad?" Questioned Ace.
"Bad, like the time we lost Zoro at the park and had to put out some missing flyers."
"Shut up! You're making me sound like a lost pet!" Zoro yelled at the cook and their freckled friend.
Both pointedly ignored him.
Ace spoke again. "You know, maybe we could try…"
"Ace, I appreciate your help and all, but could we leave this for another day? I'm tired."
Ace nodded. "Sure…"
The plan wasn't going like Sanji expected, he thought it would be a piece of cake; makeover followed by a date with a beautiful woman, then falling in love, getting married, living happily ever after and done!
This…this is painful, getting rejected over and over again for being, well, him. It kinda sucks…big time. Besides, being the only one with love problems is pathetic.
Sanji finished making breakfast and both he and Ace sat with the rest.
"I wasn't lost…" Zoro muttered, referring to their earlier conversation.
"Marimo, a 10 year-old girl brought you back." Sanji said with a deadpan expression.
"She did not! I was walking her home!"
'He wasn't.' Everyone secretly thought.
Sanji said goodbye to his friends and left to help with the restaurant, after all Baratie is pretty full on weekends, the old geezer needs all the help possible. All Sanji has to do is try to avoid the inevitable kick as much as he can.
Ace watched his friend leave. "Maybe we should change tactics…" Ace whispered, thinking another way to help Sanji.
"Don't you think you guys have done enough?" Zoro asked his freckled friend.
"Come on, Zoro! Sure, we have met some…obstacles on the way, but we promised to help him, didn't we?"
Zoro just frowned. Ace was about to say something to him but Marco interrupted him.
"How about a dating website?"
"A what?"
"You know, , Eharmony or some shit like that," Answered the blond.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Zoro yelled.
"I like it!" Ace said eagerly. "We create a profile for Sanji and whoever contacts us back it's because they are already interested in him some way! That way, we would find girls who would actually go out with him without looking for them! Marco, you're a genius!"
"A word used too lightly these days…" murmured Zoro.
"I agree…especially when Luffy called you just that for bringing extra cups to play beer pong last time," Teased Marco.
"Speaking of Luffy, where is he?"
"Did he leave?" Zoro asked.
"I guess," Ace answered. "Marco?"
"Yeah?"
"Does Luffy have our room key?"
"I believe he does…"
"So he can enter our room, where we happen to have all the groceries…that we just bought…"
"…Shit," Marco said.
Both Marco and Ace quickly got up and ran to the door.
"Zoro, we'll meet later to talk about the site, see ya!" Ace called back before they left to prevent Luffy from eating this month's food supply or at least what's left of it.
Zoro let out the sigh he was holding and closed the door. Why the fuck did he agree to help Sanji find someone when he is clearly not over him and probably never will be?
He lied, Sanji never specifically asked him to stay with him in the same bed last night but how often does he have the chance to embrace the cook without the latter kicking him in the head and demanding to know what the hell he was doing? And it felt so nice, knowing that he is there right next to him, with any other person he has ever slept with, he can't wait for them to leave, he is always making excuses; classes, early appointments, training, trips… but with Sanji, shit, he could stay in bed all day.
This is so messed up, what is he going to do?
On the school campus…
Sanji was tired. It was crazy at the Baratie, and doing his job while hiding every time Zeff passes by was exhausting. What was he thinking?! Taking Zeff's fake leg…ugghh. Shitty, shitty idea.
"Hey! Hey! Black-leg!"
Said blond turned around and saw Bonnie running towards him.
'Oh, hell no!' Sanji thought, running in the opposite direction. That was a first, Sanji running away from a beautiful woman, but Bonnie is crazy and let's not forget that she kicked them out of her car without a second thought yesterday. He wasn't ready to be kicked once again where everyone can see, just because his asshole roommate did something to her.
"Wait! Sanji!" Bonney yelled louder this time.
It must have been a funny sight, looking at these two running around campus. Sanji tried everything but the pink haired woman was really fast and not easy to lose. At some point, she had enough and threw a slice of pizza, 'where did she get that?' Sanji wondered offhandedly, at Sanji, making him trip over it and fall, gracefully of course, on his face.
Sanji moaned, his face hurt like a bitch. He heard steps approaching him.
-Man, you can run!" the feminine voice said.
"Oh, Bonney, my love! I didn't see you there!" Sanji said with fake enthusiasm as he got up.
"Cut the crap! Look, I just wanted to apologize, alright? I overreacted yesterday and it was shitty of me to leave you guys behind."
"How could I refuse an apology for such a perfect-"
"Yeah, yeah," she said, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I want to start all over again, you guys are funny and nice so…" She took something behind her and gave it to him. It was the bag with the mushroom from yesterday. "I forgot about them, but I would really like to try your food and get to know you guys, so what do you say?"
"Eh, sure…" Sanji said, unsure. Where is she keeping all this food where there are barely any clothes covering her? Not that he is complaining.
"Great! So, when can you cook them? I slept thinking about the filled mushroom you talked about and now I can't get them out of my head!"
"Well, I could call my friends and make a small party at my old man's house. It's close by and he is meeting some friends of his, but wait, what about Zoro?"
Bonney's face changed at the mention of Zoro. "What about him?"
"Well, I-I, you, yesterday, you made it pretty clear that you hated him, dear."
"I still do, but what's your point?"
"He is my roommate and you and him, you know…"
Bonney opened her eyes wide, realizing something. "Oh my God! You think I slept with him?!"
'Oh, shit! Abort, abort!' "Y-yeah, I mean …" 'What are you doing?!'
"No! Yuck, I would never! Not with someone like him. He dumped one of my best friends, that's why I don't like him. "
'Oh.' "Sorry."
"You're not the one who should be apologizing and especially not to me. Anyway, see you tonight, Sanji! I'll talk to Usopp about the details. Make yummy food!" Bonney yelled back, running back to her room.
Later on…
"That's awesome!" Ace yelled over the conference call. Sanji called all of them to plan for tonight's little gathering. "What a great idea! Something to help us relax and prepare ourselves for this semester!"
"You just want to get wasted and get laid," Marco said.
"I sure do!" Ace said. "So, what do you say, Sanji? Ready to get rid of your virginity? You know, I'll gladly help you if you-"
"ACE!" Zoro and Sanji yelled angrily, not wanting to hear what their narcoleptic friend had to say.
"Fine, fine…" Ace sighed, defeated.
"Cool, bro! I'll let a few people know about it!" Franky said.
"You mean like Robin?" Teased Usopp.
"Whoooo!" Everyone teased.
"Shut up! M-Maybe…"
"Ok, guys, but something small, I already sent a message to Law, Luffy and Chopper. I don't want the entire campus there or the old geezer will kill me," Sanji warned.
They all agreed, talked about a few arrangements and hung up.
"So, do you think you will find the one tonight?" Zoro teased even though the idea was killing him.
"I don't know…or should I say, I don't think so?" Sanji replied, getting ready for a much needed relaxing bath, or as Zoro likes to call it, sissy time, what´s wrong with some candles and bath salts anyway?
"If you're not feeling up to it, just stay with me all night."
"Wouldn't I be cock-blocking you?"
"I don't have to sleep around with a random woman every fucking night."
"Oh, I beg to differ, my promiscuous algae," Sanji teased, but it's a fact that Zoro sleeps with someone almost every night. He should know, after all, he always has to look somewhere else to sleep.
"Shut up! Are we sticking together or not?"
Sanji agreed because, one, he is still terrified of being rejected again and two, his friends are even worse when drunk. He knows Ace most likely is going to either flirt with him or pressure him into talking to someone and he knows he is not ready for neither. With the mosshead around, he will have his back, which is better than just wandering alone in his own party while watching his more successful friends find their significant other for the night.
'This is going to be a long night.' Sanji thought.
Needless to say, the party was a disaster. For Sanji, not for everyone else. Sanji was going to kill his friends, he said a few, a few guests, not the whole campus! Zeff, is going to murder him. Oh, dear God, he is going to die a virgin.
Sanji looked around him, petrified; he has no idea what to do! There must be around a hundred people there, one hundred drunk people, drinking even more, dancing, yelling, laughing, breaking things, breaking Zeff's things more specifically, and for what?
"Hey! You are the party host, right?!" a girl asked next to his ear, while her other friend started dancing against Sanji. "Awesome party, you are the best host ever!"
"I'm glad you two lovely ladies are having fun!" The blond replied with hearts in his eyes. Ok, so maybe it's not so bad after all.
The girl dancing against him giggled. "You're funny…and cute!"
Sanji had no idea what to do or say from here, at this point, pretty much every single woman he have ever spoken to, would leave him alone, but these girls are either pretty drunk or maybe, just maybe, they actually like him.
"Wanna go and have a drink with us?" one of them asked.
Sanji is only capable of nodding. The two of them grabbed Sanji by his hands and he just followed.
"Stupid cellphone," the mosshead said to himself. Zoro fell asleep longer than intended. Sanji went first to set everything up and he would follow him later, but the battery of his cell phone died, leaving him without his alarm clock.
Zoro arrived at Zeff's place. It was a relative big house of two floors with lots of green space around. It's the perfect house for parties and just a few minutes away from the university. The only reason why they were having a party here is because Zeff is not around, otherwise he would never allow it. They have tried before and, looking around, he must say that it's for a very good reason. This was definitely not a small gathering among friends.
Zoro tried to step between people; he couldn't find any of his friends.
"Where the hell are you, cook?" Zoro muttered. Zoro felt more lost than ever in the middle of the sea of bodies.
"Zoro!"
Zoro looked around, spotting Marco. The other blond approached him.
"About time, dude! Where were you? Did you get lost again?"
"Fuck you! Where's Sanji?"
"Last time I saw him, he was inside the house, follow me!"
Zoro tried to keep up, but he was so ready to start kicking some asses. He hates large crowds, especially sweaty, drunky crowds.
"There he is!" Marco said pointing. Zoro looked up and was greeted with the sight of Sanji drinking upside down from a barrel with people cheering him on around him.
"Hehe, this is going to be awesome!" Marco said.
"Awesome? That idiot is going to get wasted!"
"Yeah, that too, but look again."
Zoro looked back at Sanji. He saw Sanji being placed to the floor once again while people start patting his back. Two attractive girls embraced him and the stupid blond started laughing. He looked like he was having a good time.
"At this rate, he could accomplish every man's dream and have a threesome with two hot chicks. What a way to lose your virginity, right? Zoro?"
Zoro couldn't hear a word his friend was saying and the loud music had nothing to do with it. It pained him to see Sanji having fun with those girls, he should be happy that Sanji looked happy, but he wasn't. He was having fun without him, he knew he sounded selfish, he knew, but he couldn't help it.
"Zoro? Hey! Are you alright?" The blond asked, trying to catch his friend's attention.
Zoro said nothing and just left the house.
Zoro sat alone outside drinking a beer, watching his friends.
He saw Ace, on top of a table doing some kind of striptease to the girls around the table; he even saw some of them putting bills on Ace's pants. Luffy was eating everything and to Zoro's surprise there's a pink haired woman next to him, eating as much as Luffy himself. Usopp seems to be telling a story to a group of people who stared in awe at what he was saying. Law was trying to get as far as possible from everyone else while trying to get rid of a white furry dog that looks like a white bear. Who brought their pets to the party? Chopper is enjoying the petting of some girls who looked fascinated about the young cute genius and Franky was trying to flirt with Robin, 'trying' being the key word.
"Wanna tell me what is this all about?" Marco asked, sitting next to him.
"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked, faking ignorance while taking a sip of the beer in his hand.
"Don't give me that bullshit, Zoro. I know what I saw and I can tell you are not fine, what is it?"
"It's nothing…"
"Are you jealous of those girls talking to Sanji?"
Zoro spat his beer all over the place. "What?! Who said that?"
"It makes sense if you put the pieces together, you looked pained and I know you don't care about any of those two girls inside with Sanji, so that only leaves Sanji. So, what are you waiting for?"
"Uh, maybe for him to be interested in the other life?"
"He could be, you know? We don't know…"
"Yeah, but if the price of knowing is losing his friendship then I'm not interested…"
"So, you would rather miss the chance of being with him?" Marco asked, looking at him seriously.
Zoro said nothing in return.
"We could check to see if he might be interested and then you can step in."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"Leave it to me. I may have something, you'll see." Marco replied, leaning back against the wall, taking a sip of his drink trying to act all cool..
"You have nothing do you?" Zoro asked with a matter-of-fact tone.
"No...but I will!"
"Man, this party is the best!" Ace yelled, as he came over. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing." the blond and Zoro said simultaneously.
Back inside the house…
Sanji was having the time of his life. He was getting to know more people outside his closest friends and to his surprise, some of them were girls! There's nothing that could ruin this moment.
"S-Sanji?!"
Or maybe there is. "Hello, Nami-swan! How are you, my dear?"
"F-fine, I'm fine" She looked at him in shock. She was looking at him up and down. "You look…nice. You look good, Sanji."
Sanji is still a bit hurt about what she said and how she treated him, but hearing her compliment him felt nice. "Thank you, my dear and you look lovely as always, there's not a single woman here who could compare to you!"
Nami rolled her eyes at him. 'Aaand the spell is broken.'
"Thanks, I should go now. See ya…"
Sanji watched her go. "Guess, I am still not good enough for her, huh?" Sanji mumbled to himself.
"Sanji, there you are!"
The blond man turned around to find Bonney next to a cute girl with blue hair, she looks familiar, but Sanji isn't sure why.
"You sure know how to throw a party!"
"Ah, yeah" Sanji looked around, Zeff really is going to kill him, maybe torture him a little first, but everyone seemed to be having a good time at least. "I guess this will be my legacy before I die…"
Booney laughed loudly, catching the attention of some nearby people. Sanji, wasn't bothered by it, it's a cute laugh, an honest one, not a fake one to make him do something for her.
"You're a bit weird...I like that." the pink haired woman said smiling at him, a smile which he returned.
"Oh, sorry, sorry, I forgot to introduce you to my friend. Sanji...this is Vivi."
She spoke before Sanji got the chance to greet her. "Are you Roronoa's friend?" She mentioned Zoro's name in a really cold way, so Sanji knew right then, that this woman must have been the reason why Bonney threw him and Usopp's asses out of her car.
"Ah, yes, my love, I-"
"How could you be friends with someone like him?"
"Vivi…" Bonney said, trying to calm her friend down.
"Is he here?" She demanded.
"Y-Yeah, I guess. He must be…"
"...somewhere with another girl?" Vivi asked.
Sanji was sweating, why was he sweating? He hasn't done anything wrong! He is not the one sleeping around, for God's sake! But damn is this girl scary. His fear must have showed in his face because the next thing he knew, she was apologizing.
"I'm sorry, it's not your fault. You have nothing to do with it. I'm so sorry." She looked ashamed.
"Ah, that's ok, dear."
"No, really, I…" She began to say but they got interrupted.
"There you are!" It was Ace, coming along with Marco and...Zoro. Dear God, it's going to be a bloodbath.
"We were looking for you everywhere!" Ace wrapped an arm around Sanji's neck. "... Ah, I see you got lucky, who are these two beautiful women standing in front of me?" Ace asked.
Neither of them replied. Bonney was too busy looking at her friend, who was looking at the other two men approaching.
Said men came closer to them, Zoro seemed to not have noticed the two women or he simply didn't care for them. "Shit cook, where were you? We've been trying to find you everywhere."
"Zoro, can't you see, that he is *coughbusycough*?" Ace asked, trying to be discrete...in his own way.
Zoro took a look at Bonney and Vivi. Sanji wasn't even breathing at this point, waiting for the confrontation to start, he saw it with Ace at the coffee shop of what a woman is capable of when she is angry, and he wants to get as far as possible from that and why is he the one who is about to faint when the culprit looked all calm and collected?
Zoro said nothing to them and just stared at Sanji again. "Anyway, let's go outside and drink some beers, we said we would stick together, didn't we?"
"You asshole! I'm going to kick your ass!"
To Sanji's surprise it was Bonney yelling, not her friend.
"What's your problem?" Zoro asked without raising his voice, he even looked confused.
"My problem is men like you!"
"I don't even fucking know you! Geez, Sanji, you really know how to pick them, huh?"
"You…!"
"Bonney…" Vivi said, catching her friend's attention.-"...it's not worth it," and with that, she left.
"What? Vivi! Wait!" Bonney glared at Zoro one last time and left after her friend.
"What the fuck just happened?" Ace asked.
"My guess is that Zoro slept with her and did not called her back as usual."
"I have never seen that woman before in my life," their green haired friend confessed.
"Not Bonney, you stupid algae, Vivi!" Sanji said to his dumb friend.
"The one with the blue hair? I don't remember her either. Besides, it's not like I lie to them, I am always honest about not wanting any kind of relationship. It's not my fault they think otherwise."
Sanji would be lying if he says he is not a bit disappointment in his best friend. "Let's just...go outside and enjoy what's left of the party, shall we?"
They all decided to move somewhere quiet. They sat in the grass, Chopper, Law and the rest joining them for their last drinks before they called it a night. The party was coming to an end, just a few people remaining. Zoro sat next to the cook, who was lying down, just looking at the sky.
"Curly..."
"Fuck you! What is it?"
"I really don't care about that Vivi girl-"
"It was pretty clear," Sanji interrupted.
"...or any other woman I have been with…"
Sanji used his elbows to take a better look at Zoro."Ok?..."
"I don't want you thinking shit like that I am not capable of being in a relationship, I can, I mean, I could...with the right person, all right? I just..."
"...Haven't found the right girl. I get it, but you should apologize, anyway. She was pretty mad…"
"Yeah, yeah. I will..."
Sanji smiled. "Look at you! The little mosshead is growing up!"
Zoro looked away, he can't look straight at Sanji's face when he is smiling like that. "Shut up, curly or I'll cut you."
Sanji laughed as he got up. "I'm going to inspect the damage and count how many hours I have to live before Zeff cuts me in little pieces, finish your beer, we leave after I finish cleaning."
Zoro nodded and watched him go inside the house.
"So!"
Zoro jumped, throwing his beer and all. "Marco! What the fuck, you fucking scared me, you creep!"
To no one's surprise, the bastard just smiled.
"So, let me hear you say it," Marco said.
Zoro looked away for a moment and took a deep breath. "Marco, I need your help…"
"With...?"
"With getting me and the cook together…"
Marco nodded. "What's what I wanted to hear...oh! And by the way, the guys said they would gladly help."
Zoro was too tired to yell at him and too grateful to even care.
END CHAPTER 5
Note:
Sorry for being absent for so long, not going to give any excuse but I will promise to finish all my stories with the help of my beta, who by the way thanks for your help...and patience. Any comments or constructive criticism if highly appreciated! Bye! :)
