Here's chapter 5 ^^
But first I like to thank all of you who read and review. Your kind words really make my day ^^ And of course thanks to my pre-readers :)
Please enjoy ^^
Hot as Fire
Chapter 5
Slowly Sanji inhaled a deep breath of nicotine. This was already his third cigarette. All because of that green haired moron, who was twenty minutes late. Who had dared to tell him to be on time. Stupid directionally challenged Marimo.
Today, it was Saturday, the day of the wedding. The week had gone by too fast for Sanji's taste. He hadn't looked forward to today at all. Frankly, he was kind of nervous. Sure, he had had girlfriends before, so he knew how to behave as a boyfriend, but was he supposed to act the same if he were dating – or actually pretending to date – a man? He had been thinking about it all week, and he still had no idea. He just had to hope Zoro would take the lead.
It was a good thing it wasn't raining. Of course he could go inside, but since Zoro was bad at directions, he couldn't be any good with numbers. So the cook just stood and waited, getting more irritated by the minute.
Finally, half an hour late the dark green rust-bucket Zoro called a car pulled up in front of him. Sanji crushed the butt of his cigarette with the sole of his shoe and opened the car door. "Got lost, Marimo?"
"Not my fault if they keep changing the street plans," the swordsman muttered.
"Nobody changed anything." The blonde climbed into the car and examined Zoro from head to foot. He wore a nice black suit, with a white shirt and a grey waistcoat underneath. Around his neck he had a black tie, which hung a bit loose. He also wore his characteristic three earrings, but for some reason it made him look more handsome. "You actually look pretty good," the cook remarked a little surprised.
"What, you thought I would turn up in my sweats, or something?" Zoro said scornful.
"It wouldn't have surprised me."
The swordsman snorted, but from the corner of his eye he observed the blonde. He didn't look bad himself. He also wore a black suit, a bit fancier than his usual ones, with six golden buttons. Underneath he had a dark yellow shirt and a black tie. For some reason he had decided to wear his hair over his other eye, which revealed that his left eyebrow curled the same way as on the other side, making his face asymmetrical if his hair hadn't covered it. Zoro decided he liked this style, Sanji's blonde hair was a bit more ruffled than usual, perhaps because of the wind. He also had a good maintained goatee and a small moustache, which looked good on him. He looked more mature, and very sexy.
"It's quite an early wedding," Sanji noted, as they pulled up on the motorway.
"It is a two hour drive."
The blonde raised a curly eyebrow and then chuckled. "Two hour for you or for a normal human being?"
Zoro scowled at him, but didn't say anything. He had really looked forward to today. From excitement he had barely slept last night. He still didn't know how he was going to act or how far he could go, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. At least he could spent the day with the blond chef, touching him, listening to his nice baritone… How great would it be if that sexy voice said his actual name. Or better yet, moan it, when he thrust deep inside him…
"Marimo?" said voice asked. "You missed the exit. Again."
The green haired man shook his head, hoping that the images of a naked Sanji would disappear.
Fortunately, his navigation system calculated a new route, which – if followed – still had them on time for the wedding.
Sanji played with a cigarette, putting it in his mouth before taking it out again. Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You can smoke if you like. Ya nervous?" he added with a smirk.
"Why the hell would I be nervous?" The chef patted his pants in search for his lighter.
The swordsman shrugged.
"But," the blonde bit his lip, "how are we going to do this?"
Zoro shrugged again. "We'll attend the wedding. You don't have to do much." A smirk crept up his face. "Just sit next to me and look pretty."
Sanji's cheeks flushed in anger. "Don't call me pretty, asshole!" Then he mumbled: "I already regret this."
The rest of the drive they sat mostly in silence. Sanji had cracked open the window a bit to let the smoke escape. Zoro couldn't help but peek over his shoulder from time to time. Usually he didn't really like smokers, but Sanji made it look like how it was supposed to be, sexy. The green haired man was fascinated by the blonde's lips, how they wrapped themselves around the filter. The chef could do so much good if those lips were around something else…
A yank at the steering wheel pulled him back to reality. "Are you trying to kill us?" Sanji snapped at him. "Quit spacing out, will ya?"
"Sorry." Zoro rubbed his eyes. "Didn't sleep well last night."
"Why, were you nervous?" the blonde teased. "Afraid I looked too dashing? Alas, I am even more handsome than you could ever imagine."
"Could your ego get any bigger?" Zoro mumbled. Though it annoyed the hell out of him that the cook was spot on.
The wedding was held in a beautiful little church, but before Sanji let Zoro go in, he fixed the swordsman's tie for him. Fortunately they were still in time. "Are you here for the bride or the groom?" The usher looked up from his clipboard. "Oh, never mind. Zoro, right? In the church on the left side are your seats."
Zoro nodded and walked in, closely followed by Sanji. The blonde was a little surprised at the reaction of the usher, but that feeling disappeared when he saw the family of the bride. On the left side of the church all he could see were heads full of brightly coloured hair. He had thought Zoro would be the only one with oddly coloured hair, but now he himself started to feel like the odd man out. Zoro took a seat and pulled the cook beside him, while Sanji stared his eyes out. A lot of Zoro's relatives had pink hair, but some also had purple or blue. He didn't see much green though. The family of the groom looked normal.
The groom was already standing by the altar. He was a tall, blonde man with glasses. He had a scar over his left eye, but other than that he appeared quite friendly. Next to him stood the priest, a broad man with light blond hair. He had three large curls on each side of his head.
"The groom over there is Kohza and the guy beside him is called Igaram. He's a close friend of the family," Zoro explained softly. "The two men behind them are Chaka and Pell, they're Vivi's best friends."
At that moment the organ started to play. Several bridesmaids entered, amongst whom was Nami. She wore a long red dress and was accompanied by a man with half-long dark pink hair. Sanji sighed at seeing her. "She sure looks lovely."
"Stay focussed, Cook, you're here with me," Zoro muttered.
The blonde cast him a glance. "I know that. That doesn't mean I'm happy about it."
Finally, the bride came in. Her light blue hair was covered with a veil. She was accompanied by a stern looking man with black curly hair and a goatee. Vivi looked really happy as she strode to the altar.
The priest cleared his throat. "Mah~mah~mah~ Dearly beloved…"
After the ceremony, the reception was held at a hotel nearby. The rented hall was large enough to accommodate Vivi's big – and colourful – family. There were long tables filled with food and room to dance. A band cared for the music.
A bit uncomfortable Sanji stood next to Zoro, who much to his annoyance looked quite relaxed. The blonde had no idea what to do next. But fate decided that for him, as Nami saw them and walked up to them. " Hey Zoro. Sanji, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Hello, Nami-swan." The blonde bowed as she reluctantly let him kiss her hand.
"He's my date," Zoro said with a smirk.
A grin appeared on her face. "I knew it."
"It's not like that, my swan." The chef gave the swordsman a kick in the shin. "I just owed Moss-head something, so he asked me to come with to keep his cousin at a distance."
"Perona," Zoro clarified. "Have you seen her?"
"That Lolita-girl? Ah, there she is right now. Perona!"
A pink haired girl strolled over to them, while Zoro uttered curses in Nami's direction. A group of Zoro's nieces gathered around them.
"Everyone, have you all met Zoro's boyfriend?" the orange haired girl asked with a mischievous smile. "This is Sanji."
The blonde stood frozen. Sure, he was here to pretend to date Zoro, but he couldn't believe his beautiful Nami announced it so bluntly.
"Sanji, why don't you give your boyfriend a kiss?"
The chef exchanged a look with the swordsman, who just shrugged. Sanji sighed. What had he gotten himself into? Zoro's cousins encouraged them. He took a deep breath, not one to disappoint ladies, and gave the green haired man a quick peck on the lips.
"That's not a kiss," Nami said slyly, "give him a proper one."
Zoro, who was just about to tell her to knock it off, was taken by surprise when the blonde suddenly threw himself at the swordsman and smashed their lips together. He stumbled a few paces backwards before he collected himself and wrapped his arms around Sanji.
"Oh my," Nami mumbled.
Perona said something about Zoro being uncute, but the man hardly listened. After all, how often did it happen that he had Sanji's soft lips pressed against his?
"Oi Nami, look at all the meat they have here!" Luffy came skipping towards them holding a plate full of meat, or rather a pile of meat with a plate hidden underneath it. When he saw Sanji and Zoro he tilted his head in confusion. "Why are they kissing?"
Nami chuckled. "Because they're dating." Her boyfriend shrugged, accepting it as a fact and Sanji had to suppress the urge to yell they weren't. Instead, he just kept kissing Zoro.
One by one the girls surrounding them left, until it was just the two of them. Sanji let go and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"What the hell?" Zoro exclaimed when he found his voice back.
The blonde shrugged and scratched the back of his head embarrassed. "She asked for a proper kiss. I can't defy a lady. And that's a proper kiss in my vocabulary."
A smirk appeared on Zoro's face. "So if she asked you to let me fuck you in the middle of this room, you would let me?"
Sanji scowled at him. "Don't push it, Marimo."
"You really are an idiot, Love-cook," the green haired man said shaking his head.
"What was that, Muscle-brain?" Forgetting the part he was supposed to play, Sanji raised his leg and gave the other man a kick in his ribs.
Zoro grunted and wanted to counter, when an innocent – and rather annoying – voice asked: "Trouble in paradise?"
The swordsman turned around brusquely, looking straight in Perona's face. "You wish," he snorted as he pulled Sanji against him. The chef smiled politely, but in the meantime he pressed the heel of his dress shoe inconspicuous into Zoro's foot. The green haired man managed to keep a straight face, but planned on killing the blonde later.
Perona snorted. "You would look so much cuter in the bear suit. Without that uncute boyfriend."
Sanji, falling out of character again, yanked himself loose. "I'm sorry, it's not my habit to contradict a lady, certainly not such a beautiful one such as yourself, but how on earth can you think he's cute and I'm not?!"
She looked at him unimpressed, but Zoro pulled the blonde towards him. "You're cute when you're angry."
The chef glared daggers at him. Fortunately Perona got distracted when she saw a black cat walking outside and skipped away. Sanji shoved his elbow in the swordsman's still rather painful ribs and he stalked off, leaving behind a snickering Zoro. "Stupid Moss-head," the blonde mumbled. He needed a drink. A waiter holding a tray filled with glasses of champagne just walked by and the blonde snatched a glass. But before the beverage touched his lips, he stopped. He shouldn't drink, remembering the last time what had happened with the combination Zoro and booze. On the other hand, he had just kissed the swordsman. How could he survive this day without alcohol? Keeping that in mind, he drained the glass in one. One glass couldn't hurt, right?
Feeling strengthened by the alcohol, he searched for his supposed boyfriend. He saw the swordsman standing with Vivi's friends, Chaka and Pell. He strolled over to them, immediately getting a glass of champagne pressed into his hand. Not wanting to be impolite or to waste the drink, he took a small sip and listened to the conversation after Zoro had introduced him. Apparently the three men were childhood friends and had sparred often when they were younger.
Chaka was a strong looking man with a dark skin and half-long black hair. His friend Pell was a lot paler and wore black make-up underneath his eyes. He was leaning on Chaka's shoulder the whole time they were talking.
After a while the friends of the bride excused themselves. Sanji followed the two men with his eyes before he asked Zoro: "Are those two…" He made a vague gesture with his hand, which the swordsman didn't seem to get, so the blonde sighed and continued: "Are they an item?"
Zoro shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me. They're very close. But if they are, they haven't announced it yet."
The next person they got to talking to was the father of the bride, Cobra. Though he appeared to be a stern man, he actually was pretty cheery. He pressed Sanji another glass of champagne in his hands and began telling stories about Zoro when he was young and played with Vivi and her friends. Sanji was especially interested in the story where the green haired man – then still a boy – was sparring with Pell, when he tripped over Vivi's pet duck, Carue. Vivi had been really worried, but the bird had proven himself capable to defend himself: he had bitten Zoro.
"I still have the scar," the swordsman grouched.
The chef burst into laughter. "You were attacked by a duck?" he hiccupped. He had hardly noticed it, but his third glass was almost empty.
For some reason, every time he and Zoro talked to someone, his glass seemed to be full. He tried to make the champagne last, but even taking small sips, he had already had four glasses – maybe five, he couldn't remember. He knew he should just refuse, but he didn't want to waste it – it was good champagne – or seem impolite. The most annoying part though, was that Zoro must have had twice as many glasses, and didn't show any sign of even tipsiness. Sanji himself on the other hand was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. But he wouldn't show that to the swordsman – as he knew what had happened last time he got drunk. So he tried to behave as normal as possible.
"So everyone here is cool with you being gay?" That was a normal question, wasn't it?
Zoro shrugged. "Most of 'em. Some just don't care."
"Still, I expected there to be at least one homophobic uncle or something."
"Well, there is. Not that I care, though."
One visible curly eyebrow was lifted. "Who?"
Zoro nodded his head towards a man with lavender hair – therefore family of Zoro – who stood a few feet away. When he turned around, Sanji saw he wore a leather mask, which covered most of his face.
"The guy with the mask? He's the judgmental one?"
"Yup, that's Spandam. Not sure why he's here though. Nobody likes him. Vivi probably just invited him to be polite."
Sanji mused for a moment, but then grabbed Zoro's hand. The green haired man was surprised, but let himself be dragged along. His confusion grew as the chef pushed him against the wall and smashed their lips together. Still, how often had he a – slightly drunk; yeah, he'd noticed – blonde rubbing up against him? He decided it was probably one of the cook's whims and let his hands explore Sanji's body.
The blonde pulled back a little, slightly panting. "Is he watching?" he murmured against Zoro's lips.
Suddenly the swordsman understood what the cook was doing – though why he was doing it was a mystery. His eyes flicked to Spandam, who stared at them disgusted.
"Oh, he's looking alright," the swordsman smirked.
Sanji switched their positions, so that he was the one with his back against the wall and could keep his eye on Spandam. Zoro didn't care, he finally got what he wanted – well, a part of it – so he was going to enjoy it to the fullest. He let his lips wander over the cook's well shaped jaw, down to his neck. The blonde stroked with his hand through the swordsman's green strands. He rolled his eyes towards Zoro's uncle and arched his back like he was really enjoying what his "boyfriend" was doing. It wasn't even as bad as he expected.
Spandam made a face and walked away, making Sanji smirk. "Okay, he's gone now."
When Zoro didn't stop, he gave the green haired man a smack on the head. "Oi, shithead! You can stop now."
Much to the swordsman's dislike, he stopped nibbling on the blonde's neck and looked at the grinning man.
"That was funnier than I expected. You should have seen his face."
"What the hell did you do that for? You're not gay."
"No, but I am a romantic." Sanji placed an unlit cigarette between his lips. "I believe two people in love should be together, and no one has the right to stand between them. Especially not narrow-minded shitheads like your uncle. No offence."
"But, we're not in love. Are we?" Zoro asked unintelligently.
The blonde looked at him with a frown. "Of course not. But he thinks we are–" He waited a second and then asked slowly: "Zoro, are you… hard?"
The swordsman clenched his teeth. He had hoped the chef wouldn't notice. After years of intense training and meditation, his body still betrayed him. "It… It's just been a while, okay?" he sighed eventually embarrassed. "Just wait a little."
Sanji nodded, making a mental note to make fun of the green haired man later. Now, it felt too awkward.
When Zoro felt ready again, he and the chef strolled outside, so that the blonde could smoke. The swordsman didn't want to be left alone, he knew for sure he would be wearing a bear suit in no time. Damn witch.
Outside a photographer was taking pictures of the newlyweds. When Vivi spotted Zoro, she excused herself and ran over to him, holding up the skirt of her wedding dress. She threw her arms around him. "I'm so happy you came! And you even brought your boyfriend." She let go of her cousin and looked at Sanji smiling.
Up close, the chef could see how pretty the bride was. She had soft-looking light blue hair, as he had already noticed, a pale skin and dark eyes. The white wedding dress she was wearing enclosed her slim body. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said after she had introduced herself and kissed her hand gently, much to the annoyance of her new husband.
She giggled and then said: "So tell me everything! How did you guys meet?"
Sanji and Zoro exchanged a look. They hadn't prepared for this question. The swordsman scratched the back of his head embarrassed. "Well–" he began, but the blonde interrupted him.
"It was a cold and rainy evening when I sat alone at the bus stop…"
Zoro's jaw dropped as the blonde retold the events of the night they met – leaving out a few details of course. It was brilliant, they didn't even need to lie, just bend the truth a little.
"And one thing led to another," Sanji concluded his story.
Vivi listened with eyes aglow. "That's so romantic," she sighed. "How long have you two been dating now?"
"A little over a week," the cook answered.
"Really? Why didn't you say something when I called you a few days ago? I had to hear from Perona you would bring a date," the bride said accusingly to Zoro.
The swordsman was at a loss, but Sanji came to his rescue again. "I'm afraid that's my fault, my dear. You see, I don't know that long I'm attracted to men, so I asked Zoro to keep it a secret for a while. But as you can see, I'm over it now."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Her cheeks were flushed.
Sanji smiled reassuring, when the photographer called Vivi over. She turned to the two men and smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're both here. And Sanji? Please take good care of him." With that, she walked away.
"Well, now I feel guilty," the chef mumbled, taking a last puff of his cigarette before crushing it out.
"Don't. Contrary of what she might think, I'm fine on my own," Zoro replied gruff. Though he wouldn't be opposed to have this blonde in his bed every once in a while…
"So, you wouldn't want a boyfriend?" Sanji asked as they strolled back into the hotel.
The green haired man shrugged. "It's such a hassle. And it probably involves a lot of bickering–"
"We do that already."
He stood still, dumbfounded, and stared at the blond man. "You know you're not really my boyfriend, right?"
Sanji's cheeks were flushed. Stupid alcohol. "I didn't mean it like that. I just– Anyway, you don't really strike me as the boyfriend type," he skipped hastily over the subject. "They probably only buy that we're dating because of my acting talent."
Zoro snorted. "Could you have a bigger ego?"
"It's called self-knowledge," the blonde answered with a smirk.
Meanwhile they had entered the hall again. "If you're so amazing, than why don't you dance with me?" The swordsman held out his hand.
Sanji stared down at the hand. "I didn't know Neanderthals knew how to dance," he sneered.
"Better than you, I bet."
That did it. Sanji grabbed Zoro's hand and the challenge was accepted. On the dance floor they struggled for a while trying to decide who would take the female position. The blonde finally gave in; it wasn't like that muscle-head could handle a delicate position like that, anyway. They danced for a while when the chef had to admit: "You're better at this than I expected."
The green haired man let his hand slide a little further down and repressed the urge to place his hand on Sanji's perfect ass. He leaned in a little closer and said with a deep voice in the blonde's ear: "I'm full of surprises." He felt the man stiffen a bit and smirked to himself.
Sanji placed his head on Zoro's shoulder. It might be the alcohol working, but at that moment he didn't care anymore. He had already made out with the swordsman – twice – in front of all these beautiful women, including Nami. But he had promised Zoro he would do a convincing job, so that's what he would do. After all, what was a man without his word?
"You're really getting the hang of this boyfriend stuff, hm?"
He could almost feel the vibrations of the swordsman's low voice. "I'm just keeping my promise."
The band started a new song. Zoro turned the chef around, so that his back was against the swordsman's chest. The blonde leaned back a little and the green haired man nuzzled his nose into the golden strands. He would never say it out loud, but Sanji was really doing a good job. It actually felt like he was dancing with his boyfriend. Shit.
"So that Perona girl really doesn't like me, does she?" the blonde broke the silence, still leaning against Zoro.
"That's just because you prevent her from putting me in a bear costume," the other man grunted.
"It is quite an obsession of hers, isn't it?" Sanji mused. "Did she ever pull it off?"
"Once. But only because I was unconscious."
"Really?" The cook started to laugh. "I would like to see that."
"I destroyed all the evidence."
Sanji looked over his shoulder to the swordsman. "Than why are you telling me? You know I'm going to make fun of you."
"Than tell me something embarrassing about you."
"Why should I?"
The green haired man smirked. "Because if you don't, I'm telling everyone you're a virgin."
"I'm not! Okay, fine," the blonde gave in. "But this stays between us, right?"
"If you keep the bear suit thing to yourself."
"Okay…" Sanji lowered his eyes. "I… never had a blow-job before."
"You mean before I–"
"Shut up, we don't talk about that anymore," the blonde spat. "And it's not like I can ask a delicate lady to do something as filthy as that."
Zoro chuckled in his ear. "Filthy? But you rather enjoyed it…"
"S-shut up." He felt his cheeks heating up. Stupid Moss-head.
Still, they kept dancing. Every once in a while they heard a girl giggle or whisper something to a friend. They stayed on the dance floor, until Sanji said: "I'm getting hungry. Let's get something to eat."
Zoro hummed in agreement and followed the cook to the table with hors d'oeuvres. He grabbed some things that looked familiar and loaded them on a plate, while Sanji inspected the different dishes and carefully picked his food.
The green haired man crammed down his food and then yawned. He was still pretty tired. The cook sat down next to him. He picked up a cracker with something reddish on it, took a small bite and then made a surprised sound. "This is pretty good. Here, try it."
Zoro stared at the hors d'oeuvre and raised an eyebrow. To him it looked like red goo.
Sanji rolled his eyes. "It's hummus, barbarian. It's made of mashed chickpeas, and in this case it's mixed with beets. That gives it its colour." Even though he had encouraged Zoro to take a bite, he hadn't expected the man's head to shoot forward and eat the cracker right out of his hand. Much less that he would lick the last of the hummus off Sanji's fingers.
"'s Good," the swordsman commented, and smirked when he saw the blonde's flushed face.
"D-don't do that!"
He received a smack to the back of his head, but still chuckled.
The blonde mumbled something about stupid Marimo's and then concentrated on his food again.
Zoro yawned, laid his head on the cook's shoulder and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
Sanji let him be. Hell, they had been closer than this today. He just kept tasting the appetizers, and made mental notes of which ingredient they were lacking or of what too much was added. It took him a while to notice the beautiful woman who was standing in front of him, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. She had light pink hair and between her lips dangled an unlit cigarette. He slapped himself mentally for making a lady wait. "May I help you?" he asked politely, resisting the urge to kiss her hand.
She watched him for a second and then kicked Zoro in the shin.
The man started awake, exclaiming: "Dammit, Sanji!", before rubbing his eyes and looking at the woman in front of him. "Oh, it's you."
Which earned him another kick. "Is that how you greet your favourite aunt?"
He groaned. "Hello, aunt Hina."
"That's better. Here's your room key."
Zoro took the key she was holding with a confused look on his face. "What room?"
"Has no one told you?" She sighed as if she always had to do things herself. "Because we are with such a large group, the hotel has offered us rooms with discount for those who come from far away. You two have a long drive to make, so you get a room."
Sanji jumped to his feet. "B-but I can't stay. I-I have stuff to do tomorrow!" He hadn't really, but sleeping in one room with Zoro? That was where he drew the line.
"Then you'll just have to leave early in the morning. You both have been drinking, so Hina is not letting you drive home." She gave them a warning look. "And if Hina catches you sneaking out before tomorrow, you will face the consequences." With that she walked away.
The blonde looked defeated to the floor. "We can't stay…"
"Fine, then you go tell Hina we're leaving. But let me warn ya, no one defies her. She's a cop and takes her job very seriously. And she's not afraid to arrest family," Zoro added.
"I'm not defying her, she's a lady." The cook sunk down in his seat and covered his eyes with his hands, groaning. "This is the worst!"
"You could always ask for a separate room," the swordsman suggested with reluctance.
"I can't do that either," Sanji snapped. "If I leave you alone, Perona will be all over you in no time."
"I'm touched that you're so worried about me," the green haired man said teasing.
"I'm not worried about you, shithead! I promised to pretend to be your boyfriend to keep her away from you. And I'm a man of my word," he concluded.
Zoro kept silent during the other man's rant. He couldn't hide his smirk. Sure, he had something else in mind when he wished for the blonde in his bed, but it was a start. This promised to be a fun night.
Zoro was in his Strong World-outfit and Sanji was post time skip in this chapter.
See you next time (and please review ^^)