"Vivi my angel!" Sanji cried, pirouetting around the armchair where the pale, blue-haired girl sat. "Is there anything I can get you? A light snack? A hot towel for your gorgeous brow? Some more wine, perhaps?"
Vivi looked down at her untouched glass of Chardonnay, then smile up at the cook. "I'm fine, Sanji. Thank you, though."
"Are you sure, oh sweet vision? I can get you anything you desire! Anything at all!"
He bowed gallantly, sweeping his arm and nearly knocking Usopp in the face as he walked by, carrying drinks for himself and Kaya. Vivi smiled, knowing he was trying to cheer her up, but nothing was even wrong to begin with. Not really.
"Thank you, Sanji. I'm fine."
The lanky cook nodded, realizing when the quietly stubborn girl had made up her mind, and returned her smile a bit half-heartedly before he bowed again, and stealthily slipped through the small crowd to check on the casserole he had cooking in the oven.
Vivi sighed. He may have given up for the moment, but he'd try again in about half an hour. For all her stubbornness, Sanji had her matched in sheer perseverance. Once he caught whiff of the slightest displeasure in any of the girls, he was like a dog with a bone: refusing to drop the matter until he was certain it was solved. It was endearing, in a way, and irritating in many, many other ways. Vivi usually thought it was sweet when it wasn't aimed at her, or at least not when something was seriously wrong. But nothing was wrong.
Not really, anyway. And that's why Sanji was such a bother. He couldn't take a hint that Vivi was fine, for goodness' sake! Everything was fine! Vivi would be fine! Not that she wasn't already, but she'd still be fine the next time Sanji asked, and the time after that, and the time after that.
Because nothing was wrong.
"Everyone! I'd like to make an announcement!"
A loud voice brought her rambling thoughts to a sudden stand-still.
Usopp stood on top of the coffee table, despite distant screams from the blonde chef to get down before he broke something (meaning the furniture), and waved his arms about, calling the party to attention. Franky and Robin quieted down and looked over from their spot on the loveseat across the room; the new boy and Luffy tried to get untangled from their upside-down-heap on the floor, while Nami screamed at them to shut up and quit giggling while other people are talking; Brooke's music drifted slowly into nothingness before he turned off the power on his Casanova keyboard that he'd set up in the corner near the windows; the other new man to the apartment simply glanced over before taking a swig from a bottle of some liquor no doubt strong and possibly lethal; and Sanji just leaned against the kitchen counter and lit a fresh cigarette. Kaya beamed at Usopp from her spot on the couch, just in front of the coffee table.
"I called everyone to this meeting so I can inform you all of something amazing and daring!" The group collectively rolled its eyes, but Luffy and the brown-haired boy gazed with wonderment at Usopp, and Vivi laughed quietly.
Usopp held his arms out, gazing down on the crowd with a haughty, dramatic expression. "I am undertaking an adventure so terrifying, so dangerous, so utterly and completely stupendous…I wonder if anyone here can handle the shock of this truly shocking news…"
"AAAAAAH! USOPP, DON'T DO IT! YOU'LL DIIIIIIIE!!!!" the young boy screamed suddenly, looking horrified.
Loud laughter exploded amongst the group of friends, and the other new man mussed the kid's hair, grumbling something about not believing anything the lying long-nose said.
"Laugh if you dare," Usopp went on, undeterred, "but you seem to underestimate the sheer magnitude of my latest adventure! It is, without doubt, the greatest undertaking of the Great Hero Usopp! It is so unbelievably spectacular, so mind-blowing, so -- "
"Spit it the fuck out already!" Sanji shouted from the kitchen, hurling a pot-holder at the back of the posing man's head.
"All right, all right!" the dark-haired man cried, but then quickly cleared his throat, regaining composure. "So, without any more ado…are you sure you wouldn't like any more ado?"
Curses and exasperated groans were the only responses he got, other than the new guy kicking the coffee table Usopp stood on, and more random objects flying out of the kitchen.
"All right! I get it! No more ado! Here it is!" He took a deep, dramatic breath, squared his shoulders, steeled his face, and declared in a loud, clear voice:
"I QUIT MY JOB!"
Nami spat her champagne in Luffy's face, while he just sputtered and laughed. The young boy started running in circles screaming; the green-haired man had to grab him by the back of his shirt and yank him to the floor to calm him down. Robin giggled demurely behind a thin hand, while Franky was up and thwacking Usopp on the back for being a super-quitter. Sanji was already back at the stove, ignoring the noise, and Kaya simply smiled adoringly up at her fiancé while soft jazz started up from the corner of the room again.
Vivi just sighed slightly. She wanted to join in the crazy rambunctiousness. Truly she did. And nothing was wrong. Not at all. But she just didn't have it in her to laugh and shout and sing with the others. Well…she did have it in her, actually, but…
…well, it was complicated. But still, nothing was wrong.
…well…nothing had been wrong…until…
"Oi."
Vivi jumped a bit, startled that someone was addressing her. Everyone else had sort of tip-toed around her the entire party; she had just begun to think that she'd turned into part of the décor. Looking over at her sudden visitor, she was surprised to find the new roommate there. He seemed to have shifted down a few seats on the couch to sit near her.
Why?
He regarded her very seriously, tanned brow creased in a frown that looked relatively permanent. "You look like you want to join in."
She blinked, taken aback and at a loss for what she should say and wondering how a complete stranger could so succinctly read her mind.
"Why don't you?"
Smiling weakly, Vivi nodded over towards Nami. "See that girl?"
The man nodded.
"We sort of had an argument, it was my fault, and…I guess I just feel weird being at a party with her."
"Why does it matter?"
Vivi snorted, something she rarely did. "It's sort of a problem when your roommate gets mad at you."
"Shit-cook and I hate each other. Doesn't seem to affect too much." The man shrugged at her, as though that should solve everything.
"It isn't that easy."
"Did you apologize?"
"Yes," Vivi said, staring at her wine. "But it doesn't matter. She forgives people on her own terms."
The man's frown deepened a few inches as he studied her very hard, apparently thinking something over. "So it doesn't matter if you apologize, because she's gonna forgive you only when she feels like it?"
The blue-haired girl sighed again, deflating further into the cushions of the armchair. "Yeah. Pretty much."
"So then what the hell are you doing sulking over here?"
"Wh…" her brow creased as she stared at him, feeling unpleasantly confused, "What are you saying, I just told you why!"
"No, what you told me was bullshit."
Vivi's jaw dropped, bristling in anger and glaring hard at the infuriating man beside her.
"Excuse me?!" she cried.
How dare he?! Where does he get off, saying whatever he likes!? He doesn't know anything about me! How the hell could this uncivilized brute understand what I'm going through?
"Excuse yourself," he said, face still sternly neutral. "You're the only one getting screwed in this deal. So your roommate's a bitch. Oh well. Get over it. She's gonna forgive you whenever she damn well pleases, anyway, so what's the point in beating yourself up about something you don't have any say in?"
"Because, I…I…um…"
But Vivi had nothing. Everything he'd said made perfect sense. And she knew that; couldn't deny it anymore than she could deny how much it still hurt anyway. It wasn't even that Nami had yet to forgive her. It was something closer to Vivi's heart, that she didn't want to admit, or even think about, because if it were true, she was pretty certain she'd be destroyed. She always thought she and Nami got along reasonably well, but…maybe, through all their years as friends, Nami didn't…maybe she never even really…
A large, warm hand on her thin forearm, and a deep voice saying, "Hey."
That was all it took for her whirlwind worries to calm to a halt. But that profound sadness was still there. It probably always would be.
"It isn't like that. It's not like she doesn't care."
Fighting the tears, because it would be ridiculous to cry in the middle of a party, and she didn't want anyone else to see, anyway. "How do you know?" she warbled quietly, desperately.
"Just looking at her. I can tell."
That hand squeezed gently, and the soothing voice went on.
"She's a bitch, not heartless."
And something about everything was so utterly beyond absurd, that Vivi couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh loudly at the ceiling, even while silent tears slid steadily down her cheeks. They were all watching her, she was sure, but laughter blocked the pain in her chest, and that hand was still on her arm, and tears don't always mean sadness and regret, so Vivi just decided not to care, and she laughed.
It was the best she'd felt all day.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Ah, my lovely Vivi, I hope you had a wonderful time!" Sanji cooed, bowing once more before clasping her thin fingers in his equally slender hand as he graciously (and in some cases, not-so-graciously) saw the guests out the door once the party wound down. "You did enjoy yourself, didn't you?"
Vivi smiled, more genuinely than she had an hour ago, and Sanji didn't fail to notice. It always did his heart good to see a beautiful maiden happy.
"Yes, I had a great time. And your cooking was superb, as always!"
Heart swelling all the way to his visible eye, Sanji twirled on the spot, crying, "AH! My glorious Mellorine! Your kind words are my reason for life!"
She patted his arm, giggling, and it was sweet music to his ears. Truly, this was the greatest joy any man could wish for…
…and that reminded him of something. Something that could very well determine whether or not he needed to commit a murder that night.
While helping Vivi slip on her black peacoat, he gently asked, "Uh, my dearest Vivi, I saw you speaking with that idiot marimo earlier. He didn't offend you at all, did? Because if he did, rest assured, your Shining Prince will exterminate the offensive swine in the wink of an eye!"
The blue-haired angel turned and smiled once more, a quiet, but content sort of smile, which Sanji really hadn't been expecting, and he wasn't sure if he should feel relieved, or even more infuriated.
What the hell did that moss-head say to her!?
"What's his name, Sanji?"
There was no tell-tale, whimsical tone to her voice, which he considered a good sign. If an image of perfection such as Vivi fell for that disgusting ogre, the cook wasn't sure he could go on living. He'd lose all faith in the world! But still…
"Uh…Zoro. His name's Zoro," Sanji said, still uncertain.
"Hmmm…it suits him." Her pretty blue eyes met Sanji's, and there was the faintest glimmer of firmness in their shimmering depths. "You should try and be nicer to him, Sanji. He's a good guy."
And with a satisfied sigh and a final bright, warm smile, she pecked Sanji on the cheek and headed out the door, waving goodbye to Luffy and Chopper as she went.
Sanji stood there, torn between elation at her (in his mind) intimate gesture, and confusion mixed with mild horror at her apparent approval of the mass of muscled-up retardation that was the shitty swordsman.
What the fuck had he said to her?!
"Oi, dumbass," that irritating, taunting, smug, fucking infuriating voice called, as Zoro walked by. "Keep your mouth open too long, you never know what'll get stuck in there."
With a shitty chuckle that nearly sent the cook in a violent rage, that goddamn asshole knocked Sanji's lax jaw back into position with his knuckles, grinning and sauntering off towards the couch again.
He whirled around, about to start screaming, to demand of him what sort bullshit he'd spewed at the lovely Vivi, how he'd managed to blind-sight her to his ugly, repulsive personality, because he was the most offensive, most despicable, most awful person Sanji had ever met…
…but then the fucker grabbed Usopp by the neck, dragging him into the living room and making the former-graphic-designer hold a black garbage bag while the larger man shoveled paper plates and napkins from the coffee table into it, leaning over to straighten a pillow as he went.
Fuck.
Sanji shoved a cigarette between his lips, absolutely not thinking about the swordsman's shitty comment earlier, and lit it with a practiced flick of his lighter, taking a nice, deep, relaxing breath of smoke.
Fine. Okay. Maybe he could admit it, at least in the safety of his own mind.
"Zoro" wasn't a completely horrific name.
For those of you who are on the fence about the NamixVivi thing, don't worry too much. It's not that big of a plot point. Seriously.