Zoro
After a morning jog, I do two hundred push-ups, two hundred and fifty sit-ups, three hundred one-arm handstands and thirty minutes of horse squats. I usually do more but there isn't enough time until Luffy's cook gets here. It's a shame, because I'd like to do more. I need the physical exertion right now to work off my nerves.
Not that I'm nervous or anything for this potential new flatmate. I just feel fidgety for some reason. Nothing at all to do with this cook.
"Okay, see you soon!" I hear Luffy click off his cell. He flops down beside me on the couch, leaning his head on my lap. I ruffle his hair. "Sanji's on his way," he says.
Sanji. I run the name over and over again in my head, building up a picture in my mind. Tall? Short? Maybe the same size as Luffy. Dark hair, curly. Very local looking. Small, dark eyes. Maybe blue eyes? But that's not very local. My head starts to hurt so I stop thinking about it.
"Should we clean up a bit?" I ask, running my fingers through Luffy's dark, thick hair and watching it feather back into place.
Luffy hums. "It's not that bad, is it?"
I look around the flat. There's a lot of empty packets of food and cans around the living room, and a stack of unwashed plates in the sink in the kitchen. I crane my neck further to see the rest of the kitchen behind me. The bin is overflowing and I remember that I forgot to empty it the other day.
I glance back down at Luffy. "We want him to want to live here, right?"
Luffy groans and turns in the couch. "You do it."
I chuckle, lean over and kiss him on the forehead before getting up to do the bin. Luffy watches me as I move around the living room, picking up litter.
"You're nervous, aren't you?" he asks.
I smirk. Have I become that readable? I tell myself that it's Luffy and he knows me better than anyone. But before I can answer him, our buzzer goes off.
Luffy jumps up, energetic, face all lit up. My stomach lurches as he runs for the intercom and presses the button. I fight down the rising jealousy again. I wonder if he ever got this excited to see me during our early days.
I quickly tidy up as much as I can and I get the living room pretty much neat by the time we hear a knock on the door. When I turn to the kitchen to fill up the newly emptied bin, I realise that maybe I should've cleaned this side first, seeing as the new guy's a cook and all.
"Sanji! Welcome!" I hear Luffy's hearty laugh at the door.
"Sorry I'm late," answers a voice, low and smooth. "I missed my fucking train."
The thick scent of cigarette smoke reaches me. I turn and finally come face to face with this cook person. Tall, slender, long-legged with blonde-hair and bright blue eyes. Nothing like how I pictured him at all.
Our gazes lock, he smiles at me with his cigarette dangling at the corner of his mouth. My chest tightens and I hold my breath to try and calm the flips in my gut. I clench my fists behind me and lean back on the counter. The air thins around me. I don't like it.
Sanji
"This is Zoro." Luffy introduces me to the man in the kitchen. The first thing I notice is his hair. Green? Like a marimo. I bite my cigarette to stop myself from laughing. I wonder why he dyes is like that? The rest of him looks exactly like how I pictured a kendo instructor. Broad shouldered, muscular arms and a stern, strict glare.
I put on my best smile and greet him with a nod. "Hey."
He doesn't say or do anything. He watches me for moment, a lot like a house cat would watch a mouse before deciding whether or not to kill it. Then he simply walks away from us and into the living room. I feel a chill in the pit of my stomach as he passes. Did I do something wrong?
I lean close to Luffy. "Doesn't talk much, does he?"
Luffy laughs and takes my coat. "Come in, come in," he tugs my arm excitedly and starts to show me around the flat. The first room he pulls me into is the kitchen, which would've been a good move if it isn't in such a state.
Luffy gestures happily to the un-wiped dining table, the overflowing bin, the stack of washing up still left to be done in the sink. I sigh inwardly and try my best to hide my frown. I move around, keeping to the positives. It's a big kitchen and I could already picture myself cooking in it. I hover over the stove. Supressa, good make, efficient. But it doesn't look like it's used much, which is a waste. I stop in front of a thick magnetic strip on the wall.
"A knife magnet," I say, nodding in approval. Even my old flat didn't have a knife magnet. I move to fridge. "Do you mind?"
"Go ahead."
I open the door and alarm bells go off in my head. The fridge is empty, save for a few bottles of sake and some ready-meals. It was enough to convince me to move in straight away. These two clearly need some proper nutrition.
"It's a big kitchen." I say, closing the fridge door. Luffy beams at me, convinced that it's won me over. He leads me to the living room. As soon as we get near, Luffy's moss-headed kendo flat mate gets up and moves back to the kitchen. Luffy doesn't seem to notice it, but I can tell he's avoiding me. I feel a bitter taste build up at the back of my mouth.
As Luffy talks about how big the flat is and how hard it is to heat up during winter or whatever, my thoughts slip to that marimo bastard. Perhaps he didn't agree to getting a new flat mate in the first place and is now sulking like a two-year-old. Nothing a batch of freshly baked cookies can't solve. But it still pisses me off. What the fuck did I do to the guy?
"Ready to see your room?" Luffy distracts me.
I study his happy grin. The anxiety I felt building up before melts away. That'll be enough for me to bear living here I guess. Even if fucking marimo turns the air sour with his hardened look.
The last room Luffy shows me is the spare bedroom. They chose a good room. Very spacious. It's already furnished with a bed, wardrobe and all the other shit you get in a bedroom, and it's close to the kitchen. This is it. This is where I want to live.
When Luffy takes me back to the kitchen, I see Marimo preparing three cups of tea and some store-bought biscuits on the table. I'm ready to take back everything I thought about him, when I take a sip from my tea.
"Hmm, a little weak," I say without thinking. I catch him glaring at me from across the kitchen. Maybe I shouldn't have been too honest.
Luffy sits down opposite me and breaks the tension with that natural jolly air he has about him. "What do you think?"
"I like it," I say, stubbing my cigarette on the saucer my teacup was on. I feel the heat of Marimo's anger from where I'm sitting and I regret my actions immediately. God, why does he make me feel so tense about everything? "When can I move in?"
Luffy happily takes me through the details of rent, bill payments and any house rules, which didn't seem like there were any. All the while Marimo sits on the other end of the table and burns a hole through me with his fierce stare. I try not to let it bother me.
Two smokes and another cup of tea later, which is a little too strong this time and I assume it's out of spite from my earlier comment, the contract is signed, deposits paid and all I have left to do is move in on Monday.
Luffy stands by the door as I slip on my coat. He hands me the key to the flat. "I guess we'll see you on Monday?"
"Sure, flat mate." I give him a wink, slipping the key onto my breast pocket.
He holds the door open for me. "Do you need a hand moving your stuff?"
"I should be fine. I have a friend who lives in this area, says he's free to help."
I turn back to the kitchen before I leave. Marimo is starting on the washing up.
"I'll see you on Monday, Marimo."
He doesn't turn around, but I see the back of his head bob a little. Was that a nod? I sigh and give Luffy's wide grin another glance before turning into the hallway.
"Bye, Sanji!"
I hear the door click shut behind me before I light another cigarette on my way out. What was with that fucking greenhead? What did I do? Despite my best efforts to feel happy about finally having a place, and it being with straw hat too, I couldn't shake that fucking shitty bastard from my mind. How can I possibly cope living with that guy? I watch cigarette smoke steam from lips as a I sigh. Maybe it won't be so bad. First impressions can be misleading.