Chapter 1 already?! Don't I spoil you guys :P
Chapter 1
The post dinner period always found Sanji alone in the kitchen. It was the one drawback he found of his occupation. It was great being a chef, but you were always left with the dishes afterwards.
This happened particularly when cooking for his friends and particularly for Luffy, washing up was a daunting task when a boy could eat an entire cow to himself. Sanji looked at the mountain of dishes, contemplating the task and shook his head, deciding it could wait until after the party as he moved back into Franky's spacious living room.
Luffy looked so bloated he was like a balloon, but was still running around the living room with Ussop, copying Franky's outrageous dance moves. Chopper sat next to Robin, clapping merrily at Brooke who had taken up his violin and was dancing along with the blue haired man. Robin and Nami were both trying and failing to hide their amusement at, what the blonde realised, was a dance he saw performed two years previously, choreographed as a gift from groom to bride on their wedding day.
"Sanji! Came dance with us!" Luffy hollered and waved at the cook who snorted in response.
"And look like that pervert? No way."
From the corner he was sitting drinking quietly with Zoro, Ace piped up
"'Cause you're not a pervert at all are you Sanji? Not when we were in the baths and you saw Nami-"
Ace's words were interrupted as Nami smacked him over the head hard enough to bang his face into the floor, and spoke in a sickly sweet voice.
"Lets not remember that, shall we?"
Zoro shuddered as he helped Ace up from the twitching lump on the floor, both clearly avoiding Nami's scrutinising gaze. Her attention was distracted by a rustle by her arm, where Robin picked up a picture of the friends on the wedding day.
"It was a great day, huh Robin?"
"Indeed, one I'll never forget."
Robin smiled at Nami, a warm, genuine smile that her friends would attribute to her now idyllic life. From his sprawled seat on the sofa, Chopper giggled.
"Remember when Franky tried to go in the church wearing his sea panties?"
"I thought Robin was going to murder him right there!" Ussop laughed, clinging onto the doctor as the both laughed. Keen to move the limelight from himself, Franky piped up
"What about Ace? Falling asleep in the middle of the service!"
"And Luffy, scaring the chef half to death with the amount he ate! He would've had the cake if Sanji hadn't fought him off!"
The roars continued, Luffy grinning sheepishly as Ace muttered indignantly
"It's not like I can help it…"
"Remember the great Ussop-san's dancing?"
Kayay groaned
"Don't remind me. I knew we should've gone for lessons, Ussop!"
From the pleadingly resigned expression on Ussop's face to the amusingly determined look on Kaya's as they discussed dancing, it was clear that in a few weeks the pair would be in said dance class to cure the long nose of his two left feet. Stammering slightly, Ussop continued the trip down memory lane, focusing on the red headed navigator who got him in this current predicament.
"What about you Nami? Poor Paulie was traumatised enough without you all over him."
Nami blushed as red as her hair. Robin looked amused.
"Is that where you went Nami-san? I thought Paulie-san was acting unusually when I saw him that day."
"Oh hush, I'd had a few drinks and so had he and he was always calling me shameless…it was too easy to distract him."
"What did you do?" Brooke asked expectantly. Nami grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"I showed him how shameless I really was."
Everyone howled with laughter as Brooke cried.
"Yohohoho! The poor guy!"
"He really was, seen as I borrowed his wallet afterwards!"
Nami joined in with the laughter, tears of mirth wetting their eyes. As the laughs calmed, she gasped between breaths.
"I wasn't the only one who found some company. Remember Sanji wandered off with one of Robin's workmates? What was her name, Miss Valentine was it?"
"Indeed it was Nami-san. She was very complimentary about Cook-san when I returned to work." Humor rolled off Robin's voice in waves and Sanji felt his cheeks redden as Nami continued.
"I remember you both hanging all over each other for hours; there were love hearts flying all over the place!"
Luffy slapped his thigh in glee, rocking back and forth in his chair.
"And Zoro nearly drank the bar dry he was so mad about it, I remember he was sooo dunk he -"
Awkwardly amidst the laughter, the green haired man in question rose from his seat and stormed out the room, hiding the blush on his face. The slamming kitchen door led to silence punctuated only by a sheepish Luffy.
"Oops. I think that was a secret."
Sanji sighed, turning to look at the now closed door he'd recently passed through.
"Don't worry about it Luffy, you know the bastard's got a shitty temper. Excuse me, I've got dishes to do."
Even with the casual wave at everyone as he retreated to the kitchen, it was obvious Sanji wasn't going there just to do dishes.
--
He expected to be met with indignant arguing upon entering Robin's kitchen; hoped that he'd be pinned with frustrated kisses that would lead to something much more interesting.
He was met with near silence, save for the clinking of dishes and splashes of water.
Zoro was at the sink, arms submerged in soapy bubbles as he tackled the mountain of dishes. By the rigid frame of his shoulders, and the way several plates in the draining board had cracks running down them, the cook could tell he was struggling to suppress his emotion. Sanji smirked, trying to sound cool.
"You're gonna break all of Robin-chan's china like that, asshole."
The clattering of dishes paused, but Zoro didn't rise to the bait of the taunt. A moment passed before the washing continued.
"Oi, Zoro? You gonna ignore me for the rest of the night?"
Still no answer.
"It's a party, shithead, you can't sulk here for the rest of it."
The silence caused the blonde to frown.
"Marimo? What's the problem, the wedding was way before anything happened between-"
It was like a lightning bolt to the brain, the solution so simple he couldn't believe he didn't see it sooner. His frown turned into a evil grin.
"Were you jea-"
"Shut the Fuck up."
It was difficult to determine the order through the growl of anger and sound of glasses shattering under strong fingers. Zoro still hadn't turned to face him, but Sanji was glad he couldn't see Zoro's face when he was in a mood like this. Tutting, the cook moved out of the back door for a much needed cigarette break.
It was midway through the first cigarette when the back door opened, and the cook felt a familiar figure sit next to him on the porch steps. A bottle clinked on the step as Zoro pulled at his rum; a comfortable silence settling between the couple. Zoro started straight ahead determinedly and Sanji turned to watch his profile.
"I wasn't jealous."
Smoke wafted into the air as Sanji snorted, making the green haired man scowl and protest.
"I wasn't!"
"Then why did you drink half the bar, moron?"
Zoro tutted indignantly, and almost pouted. Sanji couldn't help but smile at the childish expression. He took a long drink from his rum before sighing and setting it down. Still wanting an answer, Sanji pressed.
"Unless you were jealous I had managed to pick up a babe like her and you hadn't."
"She was a vile woman."
Sanji glared but ignored the comment, not wanting to distract his partner from their current train of thought. Eventually Zoro shook his head in resignation.
"I was jealous you weren't with me."
The smile on Sanji's face was genuine now as he stubbed out the remains of his cigarette.
"We didn't start getting together until long after Robin and Franky's wedding."
The green topped heard turned now, and Sanji noticed the cheeks were settled with a slight blush as he was greeted with the sharp, dark eyes that always enticed him.
"I liked you for long before that, curly brow."
Sanji's face split with his smile.
"You're such a romantic Marimo." The cook rose, giving his lover a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Though I didn't mean to make you embarrassed; I'll make it up to you later."
Zoro's blush faded as he smirked and got up to follow Sanji inside.
"That a promise cook?" Sanji laughed as he opened the door,
"It's a guarantee."
--
It was clear to everyone still celebrating inside Franky and Robin's house when the couple in the kitchen had cleared things up, it was a sign were back to normal when a muscle bound figure was slammed through the kitchen doors with a angry, exasperated bellow.
"You shitty muscled headed bastard! How can you be so clumsy with that strength you break ALL of Robin-chwans dishes!"
"Dammit cook, it was an accident! And thanks to you kicking me in here you've broken more!"
Sanji paused from his angry rage, gazing at where Zoro lay tangled up with Luffy, Ussop and Franky and shards of glass littering around them. In a flash, his livid expression changed to one of extreme penitence. He kneeled by Robin, sobbing.
"Robin-chwaan, please forgive this moss-head's idiocy for breaking you belongings. I will buy you new, more beautiful and extravagant plates to make up for it."
Zoro jumped up, roaring
"YOU were the one that kicked me here, Asshole!"
Robin smiled at Sanji's apologetic face and patted his hand as she helped him up.
"Don't worry about it, Cook-san, we can manage."
"O-oi, Robin-babe shhh, if Cook-bro's offering to buy us stuff maybe we should-"
Franky's scheming to take Sanji's chivalrous money was silenced by one shrew gaze from his wife.
"Could you clean up this mess please Franky?"
To avoid the look, the blue haired man went in search of something to clear up the mess, with Zoro on his heels muttering guilty offers to help.
Sanji too left, and returned in a few minutes, when the room was cleared and back to normal, with a tray of new drinks and cocktails to celebrate with. Luffy had already forgotten about the fact his earlier dance was disrupted, and was again bounding around shaking his hips to Brooke's songs. Kaya was pulling a reluctant Ussop up to dance, and Franky was gyrating Robin in a dance that was not entirely appropriate with the youthful Chopper around.
The small doctor himself was curled up, half asleep on Nami's lap, the dancing taking its toll. And Sanji had moved around giving out drinks and was now trying to persuade Zoro and Ace to stop drinking in the corner and join the fun. There was little success.
The cook sighed and raised up, moving to give the last drink to Brooke as he motioned for a lull in the music. Giving his brightest smile Sanji drew the attention of all his friends.
"I'll start by saying, again, congratulations to Robin-chwan and Franky, and say how nice it's been for us to share this with you. I speak for the Marimo too, cause he's to moronic to every say anything."
In the corner, Zoro growled and Ace chortled, making the blonde smile winder as he raised his glass.
"So a toast to them both, and thanks for throwing such a good party too"
Cheers, sipping of drinks and Luffy was about to start dancing again when Sanji continued.
"But, but I do have something to tell you all as well," the room lapsed into silence, and Sanji was almost embarrassed as everyone waited on his words.
"Last week, some men came to the Baratie, to speak to Zeff. They were from The Daily Times; a journalist and a photographer. Apparently they're doing this big piece about the best restaurants in the country, and want to have the Baratie as one of the up and coming ones."
Sanji paused, fiddling with his glass and shuffling his feet.
"The shitty old geezer didn't want to speak to anyone, said cooking was his business not promotion. So they spoke to me and Gin, you know, the barman? We gave an interview and they took some pictures and anyway, it's going to be published in next Saturdays paper."
There was a slight pause, before Luffy exclaimed loudly.
"Wow Sanji, you're gonna be famous! Will you still cook for us? 'Cause I want some meat."
There was a dumbfounded pause before Kaya hit Luffy across the head. It was a signal for everyone else to cheer.
"That's brilliant Sanji!"
"Well Done"
"Supa!"
"Congratulations, Cook-san"
Sanji's grin widened as all his friends sent a barrage of congratulations his way. He tilted his head around when he felt a large presence behind him.
"Marimo?"
Zoro sipped his drink, wrapping his arm around his lover. As he asked rhetorically.
"You wanted it to be a surprise for me too?"
"Surely you don't mind waiting a bit to hear about my brilliance. Did I surprise you?"
Zoro finished his drink and shrugged, nuzzling the back of Sanji's neck.
"I already knew you were brilliant, crap cook. About time everyone else did."
Sanji blushed from head to toe.
-.-.-
Aww, I love ZoSan though I've never written it before. So many stories focus on them getting together, I wanted them to already be established and happy cause its sweet when they are!
I hope you enjoyed it,
Thanks for Reading - Pample
