Hey guys!

First off, thanks for the responses!
I was really overwhelmed with how many people read this and faved or reviewed.

Sorry I'm so slow, I'm working on this and Croc Hunter, plus the other fics I haven't finished the first chapters of.

I also started a ZoSan drabble series on my Tumblr, also xiggymatsu

Any and all of my fic related stuff can be found through the links on "My Fanfiction"

Chapter Two: Rise to the Occasion

Sanji woke early the next morning to his phone's loud rendition of Jesse's Girl. He groaned as he rolled over, mumbling a few explicatives in French while reaching for the device. In his groggy state he cursed whoever woke him before sunrise on his rare day off, not recognizing exactly what the ringtone implied.

" 'allo?" he murmured sleepily, irritation seeping into his unchecked accent.

"Oh! I'm sorry Sanji-kun, did I wake you?" exclaimed the voice of an angel.

Now fully alert, Sanji sat up in bed.

"Nami-swan! Not at all ma chérie, but to what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your lovely voice so early in the day?"

"I just wanted to see if my friend ever showed up. You know, the green-haired one I told you about?"

Sanji chuckled a bit as his sleep-addled mind recalled the attractive patron with oddly colored hair.

"Yeah, the Marimo-head showed. He kinda drooled all over the place toward the end, though."

"Hmmm? So I take it you sang last night?" Sanji could feel her smugness emanating from the phone, "He never stood a chance… But, I just knew you guys would click!" he melted a bit inside as she giggled lightly in his ear.

"Did you get to talk to him at all, or did you just sing his pants off?"

"Nami-san!"

"What? I can't just give my friends a hook up and not know how it went!"

"Well," he swallowed nervously, not entirely comfortable sharing this side of himself with anyone just yet. "We didn't 'hook up' per se…"

"What?! Did that idiot blow it?"

"No, no! We just talked," he smiled, remembering the bold move Zoro had made, "But he did give me his number." And then he had pulled an even bolder move by kissing the attractive Asian's hand. He could still see the blush on the taller man's face, "It was adorable, really."

"Zoro, adorable? Are you sure you had the right green-haired swordsman?"

Swordsman? Sanji vaguely remembered the man mentioning Kendo.

"Green hair, dark eyes, three earrings on the right side?"

A smile that could make pants spontaneously combust?

"Hmm, maybe he was drunk…"

Sanji heard a sleepy mumble coming from the background.

"But Zoro never gets drunk."

He bristled as he realized that if the man was there at this hour he had spent the night with the beautiful woman.

Nami hissed at the all too familiar voice, "Go back to sleep, I'll be back after work."

"But now I'm awake and I'm hungryyy-"

"I'm sorry, Sanji-kun. I have to go deal with an idiot of my own. I'll call you later."

He heard Luffy start to whine before she ended the call, "Ah! Is that Sanji?! Make me some fooo~"

He looked blearily at his phone in the dark after it cut off. Sanji scrubbed a frustrated hand through his unkempt bed head, wondering about life's great mysteries.

Like how he could find the girl he had once pined for and always felt himself unworthy of years later with some crazy buffoon, but not blame the goofy kid because he somehow suited the woman and made her happier than Sanji could say she had ever looked before.

He himself had gone through a period of soul-searching in the years since he had known her. Many things had changed, but he still felt a closeness to the woman due to their similar backgrounds. Both having been raised by foster parents in a new country, they had always shared a kinship.

Now that he was thoroughly awake, Sanji reluctantly got out of bed and showered. He grumbled a bit to himself about his lost chance at sleeping in, but soon found his thoughts returning to the intriguing man he had met the previous evening.

He had only recently started expressing any interest in men, but he had somehow found himself flirting quite easily with the stranger. Perhaps it was Nami's assurances that they would be a good match, or maybe it was just his previous experience flirting with women, but the attractiveness of the man had definitely been a factor. The blonde had been pleasantly surprised to find that the person his friends had told him about had been the same customer that ordered the nostalgic ratatouille that made his night. So what if he had indulged a little in his music, he'd gotten the guy's number!

As he toweled off, he wondered if he should be the one to establish contact. Just texting him would be alright, wouldn't it? He didn't want to sound desperate, but he also didn't want to let that…hot piece of ass get away. Sanji stopped to look at the time as he walked out of the bathroom.

6:30, Oi…

Surely someone that worked with the police would be up by then? If nothing else, a text could always be returned later. He pulled on some underwear and retrieved his mobile from the bed.

When Zoro woke to a blaring saxophone he was ready to slice apart whoever had the balls to call him so early in the morning. The cacophonous jazz ended almost as quickly as it began, making him only slightly grateful that it was a message if just for the shortness of the tune.

He unplugged his cell from its charger and grunted as the bright screen momentarily blinded him. As he squinted at the name on the message, he felt his heart rate increase and his grogginess leave him.

No way, no freakin' way…

His bumbling fingers had to tap the screen several times before he got the text to open, but he held his breath the entire time.

"Good morning, Monsieur Marimo…" Zoro read on, rolling his eyes at the nickname. "Hope I didn't disturb you, Nami-san called me not too long ago and now I can't go back to sleep, lol."

He wondered briefly at what the witch could have wanted so early, and couldn't help but feel jealous that her voice was the first the blonde had heard that morning.

He had to sit up to type, head slightly reeling from the unexpected message. He had worried last night that he might not be able to wait to talk to the attractive blonde and had no idea what amount of time was appropriate for establishing contact without looking needy.

He pressed send and hoped that Sanji would want to keep talking.

Wandering into his kitchen, the cook nearly had a heart attack when his text alert went off, not having anticipated such a quick reply. His hand flew into his pocket to see what the other man had to say.

"Well you woke me up, but that's alright. You off too, cook?"

The blonde felt a bit bad for waking the man, but had a crazy idea. Hopefully not too forward.

After sending the next message, he sought out a cigarette to calm his nerves.

Zoro stared at his phone with a dumbfounded expression.

Holy hell, this guy was gonna kill him.

"If you're not busy today, want breakfast?"

The only response that popped into his head was equally brash.

Sanji chuckled around his nicotine stick as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.

That moss-head, asking him to cook… He probably just wanted to know where he lived.

As he peeked into his refrigerator, he felt like dancing. Making a meal for someone he was interested in never failed to make him giddy. Zoro had already tried his cooking at the restaurant, but this time they would be dining together. He gathered up a few things and started in on what promised to be an interesting meal.

Meanwhile, a certain Japanese man was firing up his car's GPS. When he had half-jokingly sent "Only if you make it" he had hardly expected the man he barely knew to send him his address.

He was secretly thankful that the department had insisted on getting him the device, despite the fact that they had so rudely pointed out that they were tired of him being late to everything from getting lost. Smoker wasn't exactly one for delicacy, especially when dealing with people's feelings.

Zoro waited while the map adjusted to the route he needed and backed out of the driveway of the rent house he shared with Luffy. Not that the raven haired boy ever really stayed there anymore, but all his stuff was still in the second bedroom. In reality, Zoro and Luffy could both afford their own places and they had just lived together for the convenience.

As he got closer to the location the message had said, he recognized just how close the blonde was to the restaurant.

He practically lived on the wharf!

He pulled up in front of the nicer beach condos and let out a low whistle. The swordsman felt a little ratty in his t-shirt and cargos. Zoro locked up his car and wandered down the drive hoping that the cook wasn't just messing with him and that he would actually be welcome.

Having just put the finished touches on the omelets, Sanji's heart began to race as the doorbell rang.

He set the egg creations on the table next to the toast and bacon and anxiously smoothed his shirt while he went to invite his guest in. He saw Zoro outside through the living room window, shuffling his feet on the stoop and looking as nervous as he felt. He breathed in deeply and let out a heavy sigh before going to the door.

Zoro gasped quietly when the blonde appeared in the doorway wearing dark jeans and a half-buttoned shirt. The muscles that peeked out from beneath the loose fabric drew his attention and made his face feel a bit warm.

"Hello again," the blonde said cheerily, beckoning him inside. "Hope you like omelets."

Zoro looked around dumbly as he stepped inside, quickly taking in all he could see of the spacious home.

"Whatever's fine, I'm sure whatever you make is delicious."

He mentally slapped himself for sounding a little too enthusiastic.

Sanji hid his flustered smile as he led his visitor to the dining room, grinning wider at the face Zoro made when he saw the spread he had prepared.

"What, were you cooking all morning?!"

"Nope, just since you texted." He pulled out a chair for his guest. "You want coffee, or tea, or…?"

Zoro sat and eyed the heap of bacon on the plate nearest him, his stomach growling audibly.

"Do you have green tea?" he said, trying to ignore the knowing look Sanji gave him.

The blonde beamed, "Help yourself, I'll be right back."

The swordsman turned his head to watch his host go, staring unabashed at the seat of his tight pants. He loaded his plate with some bacon, one of the omelets, and a couple pieces of toast. He ran out of room on the dish before he realized he hadn't gotten anything from the fruit bowl or even any hashbrowns.

He had already cleaned off the omelet and had gotten some of the missing two when the cook returned. Sanji held a couple of coffee cups and a steaming pot of fresh brewed tea, having elected to join the asian man in his drink.

"I'm glad I stocked up a while back, I was almost out of leaves."

He set down the cups and started to pour as Zoro tried to swallow his mouthful.

"You brewed that fresh?" Sanji nodded and he had to smile, "It's been a while since I had anything other than the bags."

Sanji melted a bit inside at the warm smile he received, "No problem, you can come over for tea anytime."

The detective smirked and raised the cup to his lips. He pointed a finger from behind his tea "I might hold you to that."

He couldn't help the appreciative groan as he swallowed the first refreshing gulp, fully enjoying the delicious nostalgia. It was as good as or better than the cups his sensei's wife would sometimes bring him when he was training.

"So, do you often invite strangers over?" he said as Sanji sat and started to make his own plate.

The blonde scoffed, "No, I just thought that Marimo head of yours could do with some feeding."

Zoro raised an eyebrow, feeling a little competitive.

"I thought you might be trying to seduce me by showing off your skills."

Sanji smirked around his eggs as he swallowed.

"Heh, if I were using my 'skills' to seduce you, you'd be toast."

He punctuated his statement his statement by biting into his toast.

Zoro choked on his strawberry, scowling as the cook chuckled.

"Har, har shit-cook."

Sanji pointed a butter knife at him, "Hey, watch who you call shitty, shit-head."

"You watch who you point a knife at. I know more about blades than most care to know."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Kendo was it? Are you decent fight?"

"Hell yeah. Do you spar?"

Sanji gave him an 'are you serious' face.

"If you must know, I'm a master of the Red Leg Style, so I could probably bust your metal toothpick with one shoe."

Zoro's eyebrows ran up his face at the challenge.

"What about three? I doubt your fancy little shined up shoes would protect you, blondie."

The cook finished his food and looked at the swordsman, eyes flashing.

"You wanna go at it?"

Zoro knew what he meant, he was fired up now too. But his mind went straight to the gutter.

"See, you were trying to seduce me." He set his fork down on his equally empty plate. "You got a place in mind?"

The bedroom?

The cook's mind was no cleaner, but he pushed down the desire to make a lewd comment.

"There's a gym a couple blocks over. Aren't you gonna need swords?"

Zoro smirked, "I think I'll try my luck hand-to-hand first," he really hoped the blonde was as good of a fighter as his confidence showed. "That is... hand-to-foot."

"You're gonna get your ass handed to you, you cocky bastard," Sanji said in defense of his pride. He stood, balancing the empty plates like a true professional, and began to move toward the kitchen.

"D'you need any help with those?" Zoro offered, figuring he owed the blonde for the free meal.

"Uhh, sure? It's just a few dishes though."

"That's alright, I can dry 'em off or something."

They moved into the kitchen together and Zoro could see that the cook didn't skimp on the equipment.

"Is that a cappuccino machine?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I've just never seen one outside a coffee shop."

Sanji put the dishes in the sink and opened the tap.

"Well, somethin's gotta wake me up in the morning."

The green-haired man leaned against the counter and cocked an eyebrow at him.

Too easy.

"Well, if there's a position open…"

Sanji laughed and elbowed him playfully, "You wish you were that lucky, asshole."

Zoro grinned and grabbed a dish towel off the rack next to the sink, waiting for the cook to hand over the first plate.

"So, how do you know everybody? Ussop said he knew you from college, but I guess you met Nami then too?"

"Well, Nami-san was my Japanese tutor. I knew I wanted to study Japanese cuisine so I took a few courses and, uh… Let's just say I needed the help."

Zoro laughed, then a thought struck him.

"Wait, so you learned it from Nami?" Sanji nodded, looking at the man quizzically as he scrubbed. "I'm the one that taught her! She wanted to be able to train with the typhoon people in Japan."

Sanji stared at him in shock as it sank in.

"So I… vicariously… learned from you?"

They looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing.

Zoro set down the last dish Sanji handed him and hung up the towel as the cook rinsed out the basin. He watched as Sanji put away the plates, loving the fluidness in how he moved. It spoke to him of experience not only in the kitchen, but also in martial arts.

Every motion was calculated, but honed in such a way that was now second nature to the man; seemingly effortless. He could feel how powerful the blonde was from the strength that emanated from him like an aura. He couldn't wait to spar with him.

"Hey," he said, getting the cook's attention, "How far did you say the gym was?"

Sanji put away the last dish and turned to him with a smug grin, "What, can't wait to get me hot and bothered?"

"Yea-No!" Zoro cursed inwardly at his slip, gritting his teeth as he felt his cheeks heat at the growing smirk on the cook's face. "I just felt like testing you out."

"Oh?" Sanji approached him slowly, a lazy threat in his movements like a large predator stalking it's next meal. "So there's a test? And here I haven't studied…"

He drew out a cigarette and let it hang loosely from his lips as he lit up, shooting Zoro a look that made him hot and bothered. Sanji slipped past him, making his way toward the front hall as he called over his shoulder.

"I must tell you that I'm looking forward to the oral exam. I guess I'm just 'hot for teacher'."

Zoro wasn't sure how he was going to survive around this guy much longer, but he was sure as hell gonna put up a good fight.

"A punk kid like you might just end up in remedial classes, Mr. Noir." he said, chasing after the intriguing man.

"Looking forward to it, Roronoa-sensei~"

-December 1, 2012-

Yeah, so...

SO MUCH INNUENDO

If you guys knew me in real life, you would understand how much innuendo spews forth from my mouth on a daily basis.

Sanji is my baby and apparently my Spirit Animal

Reviews are always welcome (and deeply appreciated)! If nothing else, talk to me on Tumblr~