Hello again~ Here's chapter 3 ^^

Thank you all again for your kind reviews (if I haven't got back to you, I'm sorry, but I'm really grateful). I also like to thank my pre-readers again, Thérèse and Vergina-spva. The latter is writing a ZoroSanji story herself (she's in my list of favorites if you're interested, sorry for the advertising XD)

Please enjoy chapter 3 ^^

Hot as Fire

Chapter 3

It was a couple of days later when Sanji received a phone call from the police, saying that they had arrested a suspect. The female officer who called asked him if he could stop by the police station that afternoon. There would be an identity parade, and they wanted to see it he would recognize any of the persons in any way. Of course Sanji told her he would be there, and if she would still be there he would bring her lunch. Unfortunately she only had a morning shift.

This was the second time in a few days he had talked to the police. Two days after he had met Zoro two police officers had come by to ask him some questions about the Baratie. At some point one of them implied Sanji himself might have something to do with it, to collect the insurance money. It was a good thing the other officer had been a woman, otherwise he definitely had lost his temper. Now he had explained with clenched jaws how the restaurant was his life and how he had been nowhere near the scene of the crime. Fortunately he had an alibi, as he had been drinking in a bar to forget about Conis before he had gone home, there were enough witnesses. As his car was at the garage to get fixed, there was no way he could have been there when the fire started. The officers had left satisfied, the female even more as Sanji had whispered to her she could have a free meal as soon as the Baratie reopened, for being so beautiful.

Frankly, the phone call made the chef's day. Not only because he had had the chance to talk to a beautiful woman – at least she sounded beautiful – he was also relieved there was a suspect already. His feet were itching to kick the shit out of the little bastard. No one touched his restaurant.

But most of all he was happy to just get out of the house. In the last few days he only got outside to buy groceries. The rest of the time he was only busy with the insurance of the Baratie, making phone calls to get the money as soon as possible, and finding a new place for the restaurant. So far he hadn't been lucky and he hadn't even had time to find a temporary job.

When he left for the police station it was still early. Though he would rather have walked, the journey would take him too long, so he took the bus.

A friendly – though male – officer welcomed him at the police station. He was still young, probably fresh from the academy. The boy looked through a pile of papers, by which his thick glasses slid from his oddly coloured hair – it was pink – onto his nose. Sanji needed to fill in some forms and had to prove he was who he claimed to be. Only then the boy showed him where he could wait.

As Sanji was flipping through a boring magazine, a police officer entered. He was looking more high ranked then the boy at the entrance. "Sanji Prince?" he asked in a gruff voice.

The cook stood and shook the man's hand. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Was it a requirement for police officers to look odd? This man had a purple mohawk, which was longer in the back and a very pointy moustache in a matching colour.

"My name is inspector Momonga. Follow me please."

He let Sanji to a small room with a window, looking out over a different room. "Now, listen very carefully," the inspector continued. "When I give the signal, five people are being led in the room behind the glass. Don't worry, they can't see you."

Sanji snorted. Those suspects should be more scared of him.

"Look carefully if you recognize anyone from, for example, hanging around the Baratie. Remember to take your time. Is that clear?"

As Sanji nodded, the inspector pressed a button and said: "Show them in."

Five men walked in. They wore signs with the numbers one to five on them. All had about the same height and looked somewhat alike. But when number five walked in, Sanji froze.

He looked like the other men, a little taller then average built, muscular, black hair. But different from the others was the grin that lay on his freckled face.

Sanji quickly tried to behave normal, but Momonga had already noticed. "Who do you recognize?" he asked in his gruff voice.

"No one," the blonde tried to talk his way out, but it was clear it wasn't going to work. "Number five," he said sighing.

"Are you sure?"

When he nodded, Momonga pressed the button again and said the suspects could leave again.

"Look, I don't know Ace from the restaurant. I met him when it already burned down," Sanji tried to explain as the men left the other room.

"Why don't we talk in my office?"

A while later Sanji left Momonga's room. He had tried to explain how he knew Ace as clearly as he could without going in too much detail. He hoped the inspector would understand and let Ace go. He could at least comfort himself with the thought he had done everything he could.

As he was about to go home, he saw a familiar green head of hair. The man was sitting on a bench with a black haired boy beside him. The chef tried to pass them without them noticing him, as he didn't feel like talking to Zoro. But he had already been spotted.

The green haired man jerked his head up. "You," he said in a dangerously calm voice.

"Hey," Sanji said carefully. The eyes of the man in front of him seemed darker then he remembered, perhaps of anger?

His suspicions were confirmed when Zoro closed his hand around his neck and lifted him a few inches from the ground, pressing him against the wall. "Did you do this to Ace? To Luffy?" the green haired man yelled. All the calmness had disappeared.

"Who's Luffy?" Sanji managed to choke out, his lungs screaming for oxygen.

Zoro pointed to the boy behind him, who looked at them curiously.

"I didn't…" The chef swallowed, before he decided to give the other man a sharp kick in the shin. Zoro's grip slacked and Sanji slid to the ground, rubbing his sore throat. "What the hell was that for? Why would I say Ace was the culprit? I kinda like the guy. Besides, I didn't even meet him until after the Baratie burned down."

"Who knows what goes on in that perverted brain of yours," Zoro snorted.

Sanji was about to yell at him he wasn't the only pervert here, when he felt a tug on his sleeve. When he turned around, he saw the black haired boy . "Are you Sanji?" he asked with a slightly cocked head.

"I am. You must be Ace's brother, Luffy."

"I am," he parroted. "You are a chef, right? Can you cook me some meat?"

The blonde was stunned. Just a few moments ago the boy had looked quite upset. Hell, his brother was arrested. And he thought of meat? Sure, Ace had mentioned the boy shouldn't be left alone with a full fridge, but this was hardly the time to think about food.

"No, I cannot," he answered irritated. "And not in the last place because we are at the police station."

The boy pouted. Sanji could still feel Zoro's stare at the back of his head. Sharply he turned around. "What?"

"Why are you here?"

"They asked me to identify a suspect. I didn't know it would be Ace."

"What did you tell them?"

"The truth. That I have never seen him near the Baratie and I met him only after the fire. Everything should be fine," Sanji added, talking more to Luffy than Zoro. "I don't think he is the pyromaniac either. And now I have to go. Bye." Walking away with one hand in his pocket he waved shortly, giving the two men no chance to stop him.

He didn't actually have to leave, as he didn't feel like working at the insurance stuff again, but the whole situation mad him feel uncomfortable. First his sort-of-friend got arrested, then he met the strange brother and to make matters worse, Zoro was there. He had no idea what the man was planning and he dreaded the favour he was ought to return.

He lighted a cigarette to calm his nerves, when he walked past an old bookstore. Then a smile appeared on his lips. He had been to this bookstore many times before, in fact, he bought all his books there. And he hadn't been there in a while.

A small bell sounded as he opened the door. The man behind the counter looked up, a huge grin laying on his face. Sanji couldn't remember seeing the man without his trademark smile. The blonde was impressed the man always seemed to be in a good mood, considering all the bad things that had happened to him. Across the man's left eye ran three parallel scars, made by an unknown cause. On top of that, he had only one arm. Sanji had been told he lost it in a car accident. When he was rescued, his left arm had been stuck and the only way to get him out was by cutting it off. The blonde had been wondering why he never got a prosthetic arm.

"It has been a while, kiddo," the bookstore owner greeted him cheerfully.

"Hi Shanks. Indeed it has." He was glad he thought of bringing his reading glasses.

"I've been expecting you. I've got something for you." The man ducked under the counter and when he got up, he was holding a book. "The new Nigella Lawson. Or have you been cheating on me and bought it somewhere else?" he added in a mock-accusing tone.

"Of course not. I just have been too busy to stop by. Just leave it there, you know I will buy it anyway."

Shanks snickered and placed the book on the counter as Sanji strolled to the shelf of other cookbooks. He barely had got his reading glasses out of his pocket, when he heard a loud noise, like something heavy fell.

"Are you okay?" he heard Shanks ask.

Surprised, he was about to say he was all right, when a deep voice said: "Yeah, fine."

The chef peered around the corner and saw a man he didn't know standing with Shanks. He was a little taken aback, as he usually was the only costumer.

The man looked like he was in the second half of his forties. His greying hair fell on his shoulders and his black t-shirt was covered in dust. His face reminded Sanji somewhat of a sailor, covered in scars and hardened by wind and water.

"A box of books fell on me," the man explained curtly.

"That explains the dust," Shanks snickered as he dusted him off. "Ah Sanji, come meet Benn."

The chef walked up to them, hanging his glasses onto his collar.

"Benn, this is Sanji, one of my best costumers. Sanji, meet Benn, my friend. He helps me in the store from time to time."

The blonde nodded. Though he was a little surprised he was only one of the best, he had been wondering how Shanks managed to keep the store up and running without any staff, as he only had one arm to work with. Apparently his friend did the heavy work.

Benn snatched Sanji's hand and shook it firmly. The blonde could swear he heard his bones crack. When the older man finally let go, Sanji moved his hand, making sure it wasn't broken. He tried to be discrete, but Shanks took notice. He burst into laughter. "Benn, be careful with the boy. He's a chef, he needs his hands. Which reminds me, that's a shame about your restaurant."

The chef blinked, he was caught a bit off guard by the sudden change of topic. "Yeah, it is."

"Do you know how it happened?" the red haired man asked after he had explained the situation to his friend.

"Arson. They already have a suspect."

"That sure is quick."

"But the thing is…" Sanji hesitated for a moment, "I don't think he did it."

"The suspect? Do tell." Shanks looked at him intrigued.

"Well, I met the guy before he got arrested. He is very nice."

"Don't let his appearance fool you," Benn said in a gruff voice.

Sanji cocked an eyebrow, but Shanks gave his friend a soothing pat on the shoulder and said to the chef: "Don't listen to him, he has trust issues."

The blonde nodded, noticing how Shanks touched Benn more than necessary. The other man didn't seem to mind, at least he didn't complain. The chef raised an eyebrow, but decided not to say anything.

"I have to go," Benn said suddenly, placing his pocket watch back. "I have to pick up Rika from kindergarten. I'll finish up here tomorrow."

"Sure. Are you coming over tonight? I invited the guys to have a party," Shanks inquired.

"Of course you did. I'll try to make it if I can find a babysitter." The little bell at the door jingled again as the grey haired man left the store.

Sanji stared after him. First of all, he hadn't heard the bell when he was in the store, which meant that Benn had already been there when he arrived. Damn, that man could be stealthy. The second thing he wondered about, was that Benn had a child, such a small one for that matter.

As if guessing his thoughts, Shanks said: "Rika was his brother's daughter. He and his wife died in a plane crash. Benn took custody of her. He's doing a surprisingly good job on his own." The red haired man smiled, reminding Sanji somewhat of a teenage girl in love and confirming his theory that Shanks in fact had a crush on his friend. Or maybe they were already more than friends. But Sanji doubted that, seeing the book store owner did nothing to hide his sexuality and had introduced Benn just as his friend.

"I should do something nice for him," Shanks continued, more to himself than to his customer. "It's always good to do something nice for a friend, don't you agree? Hell, it is even good to do something kind for someone you barely know."

The blonde nodded again, doubting the bookstore owner realised he was still there. But the man did gave him an idea. "Shanks?"

The man woke up from his thoughts and looked at Sanji like he was surprised to see him there.

"I'll just take Nigella today, I just remembered I have to do something."

The red haired man picked up the cookbook he had still laying on the counter. "Just one book? How will I ever pay for my second beach house?" he said in mock-disappointment.

"I already paid most for the first one. But next time I'll buy more," Sanji promised grinning as he paid. He greeted Shanks and left the store. He looked at his watch. If he was going through with this he had to hurry. With his new cookbook tugged under his arm, he sat down at the bus stop, trying not to think about what happened the last time he sat there.

About two hours later he was standing in front of the house he had been looking for. In his arms he had a bag full of groceries. He checked the address one more time, before taking a deep breath and ringing the doorbell.

The gorgeous young woman that answered the door wasn't at all what he expected, but was hardly a disappointment. "Good afternoon, beautiful lady." He made a light bow, making sure the groceries didn't fall out of the bag. "I'm looking for Luffy, does he live here?" He tried to look inside the house, but the woman blocked his view by leaning against the doorframe. He saw no reason to complain.

The girl raised an unimpressed eyebrow at his flirtations and flipped her long orange hair behind her shoulder. "Who's asking?"

"Ah, pardon my manners! My name is Sanji." He reached out his hand, but the girl just stared at it. "I was a chef in the restaurant that burned down and–"

Before he could finish, the woman turned around and tried to close the door. Hastily the cook placed his food between the door. It wasn't his habit to defy a lady's wish, but he really wanted to talk to Luffy. "Please, my lovely swan! If you are even a little as understanding as you are beautiful, I'm sure you will understand. I mean no harm, really. I just thought maybe I could prepare some food–"

The door opened again, but instead of the lady now Luffy stood in the doorway, his head cocked a little. "Food?"

Sanji smiled. "Yeah, I thought you would feel bad, so maybe you would like some comfort food."

The raven haired boy sniffed the bag like a hungry dog. "Do you have meat in there?"

"Sure," the blonde answered a bit surprised by his eagerness.

The red haired girl, who was still standing behind Luffy in the hallway, snorted. "You know he is the reason Ace got arrested, right? It's because his restaurant burned down."

"Listen, my swan, I don't think Ace did it–"

"Just let him in, Nami, he's a good guy," a deep voice suddenly said.

The shivers went down Sanji's spine. No way that he was here…

The woman, Nami, still didn't seem happy about it, but let him in anyway. Luffy walked, or better bounced, beside him, asking: "So what kind of meat have you in there? Is it a lot?"

When they entered the living room, Sanji stopped dead at seeing the familiar green head of hair. Zoro was sitting on the couch holding a bottle of beer. "So we meet again. It almost looks like you are stalking me," he smirked.

"Maybe you're the one stalking me!" the blonde flung back.

The swordsman straightened and the two glared at each other dangerously.

Nami looked from one to the other. "So the two of you know each other?"

"Hardly," Sanji snorted. "Where can I find the kitchen?" He slapped Luffy's hand away, which had snuck into the bag of groceries. He wondered if he'd let the boy, he would eat it raw.

She pointed him. "I'm Nami, by the way."

"The pleasure is all mine." He smiled at her again and walked to the kitchen, meanwhile kicking Luffy away and yelling him to wait until dinner was served.

Nami sat down next to Zoro, grabbing her own beer. "So is he like an ex of yours or something?"

"Why would you say that?" he responded, eyebrows raised.

"He seems like your type."

The green haired man almost choked in his beer. "I just met him before." He coughed and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Can't you tell he's straight? He was flirting with you the entire time."

Nami shrugged. "I just figured he was overcompensating."

A noise came from the kitchen, sounding like all the crockery fell on the floor. Sanji came rushing into the living room. "That is so harsh, Nami-swan, even coming from a beautiful mouth like yours."

Zoro snickered and pretending he hadn't heard the blonde he said: "Yeah, that's what I figured as well."

"Shut up, bastard!"

A flying kick neared his head and he ducked just in time. He pushed the chef back, making a mental note always to bring his swords from now on, seeing he seemed to meet Sanji everywhere.

Their fight ended in a wrestling match. Nami ignored them, probably used to Zoro fighting, but Luffy started to laugh.

The men on the ground ceased their fight, with Zoro having the blonde in a hold, and looked at the boy. "You guys are so funny," Luffy hiccupped.

Sanji looked at the swordsman, who had a slight smile on his face. He must be happy to see Luffy laugh after what had happened with his brother. The chef pushed Zoro off him and straightened his tie. "I should check on my steaks." He glared at the green haired one more time and strolled to the kitchen again, followed by Luffy acclaiming: "Yay, meat!"

About half an hour later Sanji put the last dish on the table. He had ordered Luffy to set the table, or otherwise no meat. The table had never been set faster.

The cook had prepared a simple dish, as he hadn't had his usual assortment of spices and herbs. Nami and Zoro loaded their plates fast, to Sanji's astonishment, until he saw how Luffy put away the rest. He got up, glad to have some food left over in the kitchen.

When he got back, Zoro just gave the raven haired boy a smack on the head for trying to steal his food. Sanji shook his head, smiling. It sure was a lively meal eating with Luffy. He barely had thought that, or he had to kick the black haired boy himself.

After they ate, or in Luffy's case inhaled the food, the blonde did the dishes, as Zoro dried them. The blonde had refused Nami's half-hearted offer to help and Luffy was too hyperactive to hold a wet plate without breaking it.

They washed and dried in silence, until the swordsman said: "Thanks for doing this."

"Well, sure. I can't ask a lady to put her delicate hands into dirty dishwater?"

"Not that, you love-cook! I mean stopping by for Luffy."

Sanji shrugged. "I just figured the boy would be down and Ace mentioned something about him having an insatiable appetite. Being a chef, it wasn't all that hard to think of something to cheer him up."

"Still, you didn't have to come." The green haired man was silent for a moment. "I'm glad you don't think Ace is responsible for the fire at your restaurant."

The blonde shrugged. "Well, I met the guy and he doesn't seem like the type. But don't get me wrong, if he did it–"

"He didn't," Zoro interrupted him hotly, almost breaking the plate he was holding.

Sanji kept silent as he rinsed the last pan and handed it to the swordsman. After that he strolled to the living room and asked: "Is there somewhere I can smoke?"

Nami, who was trying to make Luffy sit still on the couch, raised an eyebrow and said: "Outside."

As the blonde put a cigarette between his lips, Zoro entered and sat down on the couch, his eyes never leaving the chef.

"So is this the guy you like?" Luffy had barely enough tact to wait until they heard the front door close.

The green haired man froze. "W-what makes you think that?" he chocked out.

Luffy shrugged. "Ace said you liked a blond cook."

Nami started to laugh. "I knew it!"

Zoro cursed under his breath. Ace and his big mouth! After his friend had dropped off Sanji, he immediately had called Zoro to tell him what had happened and to pry about the night before. He had not told Ace about the 'incident', but somehow his friend always knew stuff like this and he had no doubt the man at least had a hunch. He did confess he had the hots for the blonde after Ace had pulled it out of him. Ace immediately started to think of plans how Zoro could get closer to Sanji, but the green haired man had assured him he could figure something out for himself.

But now that he saw the blonde again, he had no idea what to do. Though he had nothing against gay people, the man had been quite clear he wasn't into men, nor would he ever be. The only thing Zoro could do was to keep Sanji close and establish a friendship. And as the chef still owed him a favour, he should think of something fun.

He got up and walked to the door.

"Are you going to your lover?" Nami teased.

He turned around. "I'm just following his example and get the hell away from you, hag."

Opening the door, he saw Sanji with a phone to his ear making wild gestures with the hand holding his cigarette. "Don't do this to me, Gin. You know what he will do to me if I don't pick him up." He kept silent for a moment, as the person on the other end of the line said something. "You better not ditch me for one of your shitty dates." A silence again. Sanji scratched the back of his head. "Well, I suppose that is a good excuse. Tell your mom I hope she feels better soon." But then his tone turned angry again. "Oi, I thought you said you had to take your mother to the shitty hospital!" Apparently the person on the other end of the line had hung up, because Sanji looked at his phone and mumbled: "Fucker."

"Everything okay?"

The blonde jumped and turned around. "Oi, don't sneak up to me like that!"

Zoro snickered. "You should be better aware of your surroundings, especially at night. Who knows what some people want to do to a pretty little blonde like you."

"Don't make me sound like a girl, bastard!"

The green haired man grinned again, but then straightened his face. "So what was that conversation about?"

Sanji stared at his phone. "I'm supposed to pick Zeff up from the airport in a few hours, but my car is still broken. So I had asked a friend to lent me his car, but he just called to say that he needs it tonight."

"To take his mother to the hospital?"

The blonde gave a scornful laugh. "That's what he said, but then I heard a doorbell in the background and he said: 'There she is already!' And I doubt he would let his sick mother come to his house to take her to the hospital. The shithead leaves me hanging for a fucking date." He took an angry puff at his cigarette.

"I can take you," Zoro offered.

Sanji stared at him like he just suggested to do indecent things to him. "No no, you've done quite enough for me. I don't want to be anymore in your debt than I already am."

"So, what? You're gonna let Zeff take the bus?" the swordsman asked mockingly.

"He'd kill me if I did that. I could call a cab," the chef mused. His face got a painful expression. "Poor cabdriver."

Zoro shrugged. "Suit yourself."

He was about to go inside again, when Sanji grabbed his arm. "Wait. Okay, you can take me to the airport. But only if you do it as a favour to him, not for me."

"Whatever."

Inside they told Nami and Luffy their plans. The woman gave Zoro a knowing look and he mumbled under his breath: "Witch."

Sanji looked at his watch and said it was still a little early to leave, as it wouldn't be a long drive. But Nami assured him that with Zoro as a driver they needed all the time they could get, causing the swordsman to yell at her and Luffy to roll over the floor laughing.

The green haired man still growled insults as he grabbed his jacket, but deep down he didn't really mind that much. Sure, Nami was and always had been a money-grabbing bitch, but at least now he could spent some more time with the blonde. Alone.

To be continued~

For those of you who are wondering, Nami is post-time skip and Zoro, Sanji and Luffy pre-time skip. At least for now ;)