Happy birthday everyone!
Wait. No, that's not right. Let me try that again.
Happy birthday to me! But well, since you guys are the ones getting a nice, new chapter, it feels like it's your birthdays too, right? I guess that only works if you all like this chapter though - but I really hope you do! Happy reading all!
Day 6, Sunday
"Sanji I'm huuuuuuuuungry! Meaaaaaaat!"
"Oh shut up already Luffy."
"Haha, your roommates sure like to bother you."
"Ugh, it's a curse. Sometimes I wish I lived alone."
"MEAAAAT!"
"GO AWAY LUFFY!"
On the other end of the phone, Usopp was laughing in amusement again.
Apparently home alone with nothing to do and bored out of his mind, he called Sanji to keep him entertained and was graced enough to listen not only to Luffy prattle on for the better part of an hour about how hungry he was (to the point Sanji was now making an early dinner) but also to hear him fight with Zoro no less than three times. He thought the nicknames he and that dumbass seaweed shared for one another were rather hilarious and spent the better part of the time chuckling away at Sanji and his misfortunes.
"I think it sounds pretty exciting." Usopp declared.
Sanji wrinkled his nose, dashing in some paprika into the vegetable dish, resolutely ignoring the thin, straw-hatted man who was sitting on the counter beside him and knocking his heels into the cabinet underneath him. "You want to trade places? I'd rather be you: in bed with a cat curled up on my legs."
"Oh, she's on my chest now. Still can't believe you can't hear her purring right now."
"Well I-"
"Sanjiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
"Luffy, you bother me one more shitty time and I'm going to shove your dinner through the phone for Usopp to eat!"
"WHAT?!" Luffy cried, eyes bulging out of his head. Without warning, he reached over, snatching the phone right off Sanji's shoulder and cried into it, "You wouldn't really do that would you?!"
"OI!" Sanji cried in horror, trying to snatch the phone back, only to be held at bay by a hand being smashed into his face.
"Because Sanji says you're really cool, but eating my meat is totally not cool!" The young man pouted, disregarding Sanji entirely. After a moment, his eyes lit up and he grinned. "Oh really? You would?! I like you then! You should come hang out with us." His grin faltered to one of confusion. "Huh, what do you mean think about it? Just do it! I always – HEY!"
Sanji had managed to finally dodge around the other and grab back his phone, holding it out of arm's reach. "Get out of my kitchen you shitty bastard!"
"But Sanji that's not fair! Why do you only get to talk to-"
"ALL DAY VEGETABLE DISHES!"
Luffy paled and jumped down, shouting: "BYE USOPP!" And then he sprinted out of the kitchen as if the healthy foods were right on his heels.
Peace at last! Sanji sighed, shouldering his phone again and was instantly greeted by the sound of Usopp laughing himself to tears. "What did you tell him?"
"Hahaha, nothing really." Usopp replied and he could hear the grin in his voice. "Just that I would never take his food and that I could teach him how to get around that lock you have on the fridge."
His eyebrow twitched. "You do that and I'll kick that long nose of yours right off your face."
The younger snickered, not sounding too threatened. There was a faint meow then the other started to grunt some. "Oh, ow, Merry ugh stop that."
"What's she doing?"
"Kneading me through my shirt. I need to trim her claws. O-Oooow. Okay enough of that!"
He didn't hear much more than another meow, this one sounding almost irritated, and he asked, "Where'd you move her to this time?"
"On the bed, against my side."
"And she'll probably hop back on you in the next ten minutes huh?"
"Yeah or-" He made a slight huff of pain. "Next ten seconds. She gets so cuddly when Kuro's not around. 'Course, she's always been real particular to me ever since I got her."
Sanji stirred the soup, spooning up some and hovering it over the pot. "When did you get her?" He blew on the spoon, taking a careful sip. A little more salt.
"Back in high school when dad finally decided I was responsible enough. I begged my parents for years for a pet. That was always the first thing on my list to Santa and once, a few days before my ninth birthday, I even tried to butter up my parents by making them breakfast in bed."
Sanji hummed inquisitively, tipping the salt shaker carefully. "I thought you said you couldn't cook?"
"You think it turned out good?" Usopp laughed. "The eggs had shell pieces in them, the toast had too much jam and the pancakes were only half-done."
"I just don't understand how it didn't work." He grinned.
"Oh shut up. Not all of us can be pros."
He heard a sigh of content then (probably was Merry finally settling down) and Sanji opened the oven to check the chicken. It was browning nicely. Another two minutes should be perfect. As the silence dragged, he said then, "And Luffy's right, you should come hang out with us. I have Saturday off."
"You do?"
"Yeah. I work Monday to Friday this week." He turned off the burner as the soup started to boil, opening up the cupboard and reaching for the bowls. "We're all getting together to go to Shakky's."
"Ooh, that's a dance club right?"
"Yeah." He started ladling the soup in the bowls. "You should come. It'll be fun."
"I… I can't." Usopp said tentatively.
Sanji frowned, immediately demanding, "Why not? And don't tell me it's because you can't dance."
"N-No it's not that at all! It's…"
"It's?" He pried when Usopp trailed off, wondering why the other was always so hesitant. The silence continued to drag on and he checked his phone just to make sure the timer was still running since the phone had cut out on them at least three times so far, and then called, "Usopp?"
"I'll… think about it alright?" The other murmured barely above a whisper.
He was hoping for a better answer than that, but after yesterday's rollercoaster decided not to push it for now. "Alright. Well what about tomorrow?"
"What about it?"
"I work the late shift, so I'm there until closing at midnight. You still going to come see me?" He really hoped that hadn't sounded as needy as he thought it did.
"Well, Kuro comes home early on Mondays so I have to be home right after class tomorrow so I really can't." The other replied, then added dejectedly as if he knew he was ruining Sanji's day, "Sorry."
Sanji shouldered the phone as he flipped off the oven and pulled on some mitts, saying persistently, "When are your classes?"
"Huh? Uh well, I have Chemistry from eight to eleven and then Art from one to three."
"Perfect. I'm out of Restaurant Management at eleven-thirty and don't have to go to work until four. Why don't you meet me there? The professor likes me so he lets me use the kitchen after class lets out. I'll make you lunch, maybe give you a lesson or two." He offered while setting the chicken on the plates before reaching for the still sizzling vegetables.
"Really? You're sure that's ok? I don't want to bother you if it's too much trouble."
"Tch, if I can make dinner for these shitheads on a daily basis, feeding you will be a piece of cake."
"…Will there be cake too?" He questioned hopefully.
Sanji laughed. "I'll see what I can do for your sweet tooth."
"Then I'll be there! It's on the east side of campus right, past the library?"
"Yeah. Room E134." He put on the finishing touches for the plates, presentation important to him even for these unappreciative bastards, and then reached up, grasping the phone. "Well, dinner's done so I better feed these bastards. So, tomorrow, alright?"
"Yeah. See you then!" Usopp happily returned.
Sanji sighed after he ended the call, staring longingly at the phone and tempted to just call back because he really hadn't wanted it to end, but that really would be needy. And he wouldn't die in sixteen hours – though, it would be such a close call he might just get to give the Grim Reaper a hello in form of a rightful get-the-fuck-away-from-me kick in the ass. With that foolhardy plan in mind, he balanced the three plates on his arms and headed for the dining table, yelling, "ALRIGHT BASTARDS, DINNER'S READY!"