Many thanks to Vergina and Thérèse for beta'ing ^^ Also, thank all of you for your reviews, they were very amusing XD
No, I'm really sorry for doing that to you out of the blue ^^; (however, it was the plan all along XD) And happy birthday to Luffy, even though he doesn't play a major role :D
I hope you still can enjoy ^^;
Hot as Fire
Chapter 20
All Sanji could do was stare into nothing, his phone still against his ear. He couldn't comprehend what Nami had just told him. Zoro, his Zoro, was in a coma? That was impossible, that moss-head was like weed, never knew when he was unwanted.
How dared that bastard?! Claiming he was just as strong as Sanji – which was ridiculous of course – and then let a car of all things take him out? It was an insult to the both of them. That must be the reason that idiot did this. To annoy the chef.
Far away, his brain registered Nami's lovely voice calling his name and telling him to get to the hospital. He nodded vaguely, not aware that she couldn't see him, before pressing the button to end the call. He didn't even realized until later that he had cut off his beautiful angel mid-sentence.
His desire for a cigarette was completely gone and his mouth felt dry. Why did this happen? The uncultured bastard was probably just trying to get out of his dinner plans. But why? Didn't he want Sanji to come out to his friends?
Still in trance, the chef made his way inside again. Zeff looked at him, his eyebrow raised. Sanji swallowed a few times, before barely brining out: "It's Zoro."
His father probably noticed something was off – whether it was because of his soft voice or his undoubtedly pale face, Sanji didn't know – because he nodded curtly and said: "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of my kitchen."
Uncharacteristically, Sanji didn't have the will to yell back something. He left the kitchen without a word and got behind the wheel of the car. When he put the keys into the ignition, he suddenly noticed his hands shaking. Frowning, he looked at them. What the hell was wrong with him? No way the marimo was actually in a coma. It was just Nami-swan's wonderful sense of humour – which he didn't really understand, but he was just a simpleton and she was a divine beauty. Surely, she was pulling his leg. Or maybe it was a desperate cry for attention! And who was he to let a damsel in distress wait? Maybe something happened and that was why she was at the hospital. His eyes widened suddenly. Maybe Nami was having a breast reduction and she had second thoughts? He had to talk her out of that! Turning on the car, he drove off like someone was hot on his trail. Nobody touched Nami's beautiful bosom!
He was at the hospital in record time, hardly taking the time to park properly in a parking space before he ripped the keys from the ignition and stormed towards the entrance. At the reception he came to an abrupt halt. He didn't know where Nami was. Judging by the annoyed look the nurse behind the reception desk shot him for holding up the line, he decided just to ask. "I'm looking for Zoro Roronoa."
Wait, that wasn't right. Zoro wasn't here anyway. Sanji just came here to prevent Nami from making the biggest mistake of her life and save her magnificent chest.
"Are you related?" the nurse asked.
"N-no. He is… He is my boyfriend," Sanji stammered out. Why did she ask him that? Zoro wasn't here anyway.
"He just got out of surgery. Room J3-33."
It was like the earth fell away beneath his feet. His hand gripped the reception desk until his knuckles became white. This wasn't happening.
"Sanji!"
The blonde hardly registered his name, but two arms around him brought him out of his daze. "N-Nami-swan… I'm sorry to leave you waiting. Please, don't do anything rash," he stammered.
She looked at him confused, her face stained with tears. "I don't know what you're saying. Zoro is the one who needs you right now." She took his hand and dragged him through the white halls of the hospital. Sanji let her, but was starting to wonder whether he wanted to see Zoro or not. It was one thing that he apparently really was here, but he had had surgery? What kind? What if his face was all messed up? Or his hands? To Sanji, his hands were his life, as he needed them for cooking, but Zoro needed his as well, to realise his dream. What if that could never happen?
He came to a sudden stop and Nami turned around confused. He chewed his lip nervously, craving a cigarette. He wanted to ask her what Zoro looked like now, what had happened, but the words wouldn't come out.
The accountant's face softened. "I know how you feel, Sanji. But please, come with me."
"What… How bad is it?" he managed to bring out.
She looked at the floor. "A piece of rubbish was lodged in his left eye. The doctors did what they could, but there is a good chance he'll never be able to see again with that eye. That's to say, if he ever…" Her lip started to quiver and she covered her face with her hands. She took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes. "But this is Zoro we're talking about." She forced a smile on her face.
"Nami…" His voice was soft, admiring her strength.
She turned around and started walking again. He followed without another argument. If she was able to put up a strong face, who was he to deny her that? Silently, they reached room J3-33, which the nurse at the reception desk had named.
Nami placed her hand on the door handle. "Are you ready?" she asked. When he nodded, she opened the door and let him pass.
The room seemed to be even more brightly white than the hallways were. The walls were white, the ceiling, the beds. The only thing of colour that broke the endless whiteness, was a stupid tuft of green hair. Zoro lay motionless in the bed, his left eye and part of his head covered by – equally white – bandages. His usually tanned skin looked pale. It was Zoro alright, but at the same time it wasn't. This Zoro looked so small, so defenceless… It pissed Sanji off.
"What the hell, Moss-head?" he barked at the unconscious man. "Since when do you let yourself be beaten like that? You're pathetic, you know that? Are you trying to resemble a plant even more than usual? Playing vegetable? I wouldn't even use you for soup! You make Nami-swan cry, bastard, and you're gonna pay for that. Now get up and fight me, you coward!"
The green haired man didn't respond, only resulting in feeding Sanji's anger. "So now you're scared? Afraid that I will beat you?" He grabbed the front of Zoro's pyjamas – the swordsman didn't even like to wear pyjamas. "You scared I will beat you, Marimo? Huh? Fight me, bastard!"
"Sanji."
The blonde felt a hand on his shoulder and immediately all the anger drained from him. His fist unclenched, the fabric of the pyjamas slipping from his grip. He never actually expected Zoro to wake up, but now everything suddenly felt so real.
Slowly he turned around, noticing Luffy for the first time, an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. Sanji suddenly felt so tired.
Nami, lovely as she was, led him to a chair, where he sat down and buried his face in his hands.
"They say it was an accident," Luffy's voice suddenly broke the silence in the room. He didn't sound convinced. "They say he couldn't brake in time when he hit that building."
"It must be that coffin on wheels he calls his car," the chef said scornful. "It was bound to happen one time."
Luffy's face told him that he thought otherwise, but before the boy could say anything, they heard hasty footsteps in the hall, a shriek, muffled mumbles and then the door flung open. Ace stormed in, his usually cheerful face pale. "Zoro! What the hell happened?"
"He was in a car accident." Nami's voice sounded like she could cry any moment.
Ace's eyes scanned the room, until his gaze rested on the chef. "Sanji… Are you okay?"
"I'm not the one in the coma, am I?" he snorted.
The door opened again and this time Marco entered. He wore his usual bored expression, but Sanji could feel his gaze flick over to the cook.
"Is there any news?" Ace asked worriedly.
Nami shook her head. "The doctors did all they could. All we can do now is wait."
The fireman cursed and slammed his fist against the wall. "How the fuck are we supposed to do that? How can you just sit there?! Especially you!" He pointed accusingly towards Sanji. "If it were my boyfriend lying there–" Suddenly, he noticed his slip-up and slapped his hands over his mouth in shock. "Fuck, I'm sorry!"
The cook's head had snapped up, though it was more out of reflex than anything else. He had been planning to tell his friends anyway. However, this was not the way he imagined it, Ace opening his big mouth and the man he was supposed to be dating in a coma. He looked at Nami, who looked less shocked or sad than he had thought. She had a soft look in her eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know."
Luffy looked confused from one to the other and cocked his head a little. "Why do you apologise? Everyone already knows they're dating."
Sanji looked up and Ace gave his brother a hit over the head, before flashing the chef an embarrassed smile.
"But wait," Sanji said suddenly. "The nurse at the reception desk asked if I was family. But why are you allowed in here?"
"Luffy took care of that," Nami answered.
"And Ace just stormed past everything and everyone," Marco said.
Sanji nodded.
For a moment, the tension had been lifted, but as soon as silence fell again, the high beeping noise of the machines Zoro was attached to was the only thing that was heard. Sanji rubbed his face, uncaring that his fringe fell away. His hands were shaking and he craved a cigarette, but somehow leaving Zoro like this wasn't an option. His eye flicked to the motionless man on the bed. "Idiot sleeps through everything," he mumbled.
They sat in silence. Ace was sitting in Marco's lap, his face pale and his boyfriend's hand in his. Nami was equally pale and looked like she worked hard to hold back her tears. Luffy was standing in front of the window, his back turned to them.
Suddenly, the door opened and a nurse came in. She had blond hair in a bob cut, dark eyes and many scars on her face. "Visiting hour is over," she announced in an emotionless voice.
Ace jumped from Marco's lap. "The hell, woman! We just got here."
She looked at him unfazed, but Sanji snapped. Jumping to his feet, he exclaimed: "Don't you dare to yell at a lady!"
The fireman turned around, his face showing disbelieve, but that soon changed to anger. "Are you fucking kiddin' me? It's your boyfriend lying here, for fuck's sake, and you stick up for some nurse?!"
"There is never an excuse to disrespect a lady," the chef barked back. All the anger had returned and he was itching to take it out on someone. Besides, Ace asked for it.
The freckled man snorted. "So, what? Zoro is just an adventure for you? You don't even care about him, do you?!"
Sanji saw red. Before he realised what he was doing, he had lifted his leg and was aiming for Ace's face. Before it could come into contact, however, he felt something stopping his leg – which was amazing in itself, as he hadn't hold back on power. Before he knew it, Sanji was pinned on his stomach against the white hospital floor. Confused, he looked up.
Ace looked down at him in shock. Okay, so he wasn't the one pinning him down. Slowly it dawned on him that the chair Marco previously had been occupying was now empty. Nami looked just as shocked as Ace while Luffy had turned around, looking at them with large eyes. The nurse didn't seem impressed.
The person pinning him down released him and Marco came into view, holding out his hand. "Please don't attack Ace," he said, looking serious.
Hesitantly, Sanji took the extended hand. What the hell just happened? He knew Marco was good at whatever sports he did – something Japanese – as he had managed to beat Zoro, but still. Sanji never even saw him move! But, he realised, he didn't want to have Marco on his bad side and, seeing how protective the arson inspector was, neither he would want Ace.
Said fireman came standing next to his boyfriend. "Geez Marco, I can take him." Smiling, he shook his head. Then he turned to Sanji. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said."
"It's okay. We're all stressed out," he muttered, scratching the back of his head. He had never been pinned down that easily before.
The nurse knocked on the door to get their attention. "Visiting hour is over," she repeated on the same emotionless tone.
Sanji took a deep breath and looked at Ace. "There's nothing we can do now."
The freckled man nodded reluctantly, before following his friends outside.
"Sanji, do you need someone to bring you home?" Nami asked worriedly.
"No thank you, my swan. I need to work." With that, he left, only raising his hand in greeting and ignoring his friends' protests.
Zeff raised an eyebrow when he came back to the kitchen and he saw Sanji at the counter, chopping like the carrot had said something bad about his mother. None of the other chefs had said anything when the younger blonde got back, afraid to be gutted alive. Zeff didn't say anything either, which Sanji was thankful for. Despite all the fighting they did all the time, the two chefs had a mutual respect for each other – or so liked Sanji to believe – and his adoptive father backed off when he needed his space.
For once, the kitchen was relatively silent, aside from the chopping sounds, the sizzling of food in the pans and every now and then a waiter or waitress to pass on an order. Sanji worked completely on auto pilot, not allowing any thoughts in his head. He had been wondering how the accident happened, and why now. It drove him mad, however, as he didn't have an answer for anything. So he opted for not thinking and just working.
Near the end of his shift, though, Zeff called him to his office. Reluctantly, the younger chef sat down across the desk, while his father plucked his moustache. "So, are you gonna tell me what happened to my son-in-law?"
"We're not fucking married," Sanji spat, but after seeing Zeff's unimpressed eyebrow he sighed. "He… Zoro was in a car accident. He is in a coma."
Suddenly, it was like the news finally got through to him, hitting him like a ten ton hammer. He tried to hold back his tears, but it was no use and soon he was sobbing pathetically. Zeff got up from his desk and stood close to his son, caressing his hair. Sanji grabbed the apron of the restaurant owner and buried his face in it. He felt like a little boy again, but for now he didn't care. Finally he had been able to admit to himself and to others that he liked a man, that he liked Zoro, and now this? It was like someone didn't want them to be together.
After a while his tears had dried, though his shoulders still shook. Zeff kept holding him until he had recovered from his breakdown. Sanji rose and took a shaky breath. "I'm going back to the hospital," he announced.
The older chef nodded, plucking his moustache, lost in thought.
The drive to the hospital seemed to be shorter than the first time, probably because he now knew what to expect. He nodded at the nurse at the reception – a different one than from that afternoon – and made his way to the room. On his way, he wondered if he should have brought flowers, but dismissed the thought right away. First of all, Zoro was in a coma and who knew when he woke up, if ever at all. His heart clenched at that. Quickly he told himself that the Neanderthal wouldn't appreciate anything but booze anyway.
He came to room J3-33 and carefully he opened the door. Much to his surprise, he saw someone sitting next to Zoro's bed, the green haired man's hand pressed against their face. Cautiously, Sanji peeked around the corner. He didn't know the man, but if he had to take a – not so wild – guess, he would say it was Zoro's adoptive father, Koshiro.
He considered leaving, as this really weren't the circumstances he wanted to meet his future father-in-law. Unfortunately, this was the moment the car keys, that dangled from his fingers, decided to fall. The sound made Koshiro look up.
Awkwardly, Sanji raised his hand. "H-hello. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
The older man rose from his seat. "Are you lost?" he asked, a gentle smile on his face.
Sanji took the opportunity to have a closer look at the man. He was tall, with black hair tied back in a ponytail. His face was covered in wrinkles, but was friendly. He also wore large round glasses.
Despite the man being the person who raised Zoro, his boyfriend, the chef couldn't bite back the remark. "I'm not Zoro."
Realising how insensitive he sounded, his eyes widened.
Still, Koshiro's smile didn't waver. "You must be the boyfriend."
Sanji nodded, a frown on his face. Didn't Zoro say that he hadn't told Koshiro yet? As if the man could read his mind, he said: "Zoro said there was someone he liked who fits your description. My name is Koshiro." He held out his hand.
"Sanji."
The man nodded. "These are unfortunate circumstances we meet in, Sanji."
The blonde suddenly felt very nervous. He didn't want to be at the hospital anymore, but he also didn't want to leave the swordsman. So he ended up sitting on the other side of the bed.
"So, how did you two meet?" the dark haired man asked.
Sanji thought for a moment. "A few months ago, I was having a really bad day," he started his story. "The restaurant where I worked had just burned down, my car broke and I had to take the bus home, but then my wallet got stolen. On top of that, it was raining, so I was pretty done with everything. That's when Zoro came by, offering me a place of shelter and something warm to drink." A smile tugged on the corner of his mouth when he remembered that night. Honestly, now that he thought about it, that night had been the perfect way to start a romance. After all, there was wine, a fireplace...
Alright, it was cheesy, even for a romantic like him, but it would have been nice. If only he hadn't been so stubborn. If only he had given in sooner, then he would have had more time with Zoro… The smile disappeared from his face.
They sat in silence for a long time, when Koshiro broke it again, asking: "Are there any decent hotels nearby? I would like to see Zoro as much as I can, but the drive is too long to do so."
"You can stay at my place." The words were out before he realised it.
The elder man smiled. "Thank you. It'll be only for tonight, as I need to return to the dojo tomorrow. But I'd like to see him before I return." He gestured to the sleeping form on the bed.
When a lovely nurse informed them that the visiting hour was over – they had three moments to visit in the hospital, one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening – the two men made their way to the parking place. As Koshiro had his own car, Sanji told him to follow him in it while he would lead the way. There was only place for one car on his driveway, so the elder man parked on the pavement.
Inside, the blonde didn't really know what to do and fiddled with his keys. "I do not have a guest room, so I hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch?" he asked carefully. Maybe he should have brought the man to a hotel.
"That's alright," Koshiro answered with a smile. "I sincerely want to thank you for letting me stay here. I value family very much."
Cheeks tinted pink, Sanji stared at the floor. "Don't mention it. Are you hungry? I could cook something."
The moment he said it, the doorbell rang. With an apologetic look the blonde went to answer it. On the doorstep a boy was standing, one Sanji recognised as a young cook apprentice. He was holding a large and heavy looking pan, with a note on top. Frowning, Sanji picked up the piece of paper and folded it open. In a cursive handwriting, it said:
'Eggplant,
You messed up today's soup, so eat it yourself. And don't you dare throw it away, I'll know.'
It wasn't signed, but there was no need. A smile curved Sanji's mouth. There was nothing wrong with the soup of course, he had made it himself, after all. This was just Zeff being worried if he ate well. So the shitty old bastard did care.
Finally, he took the large pan from the boy, who looked like his legs would give in any second, thanked him and closed the door. It wasn't uncommon for Zeff and the other chefs to send out the apprentices for annoying chores. Sanji himself hadn't been an exception.
Koshiro had sat down on the couch and raised an eyebrow when Sanji entered with the large pan. "Would you care for pumpkin soup?" the latter asked smiling.
Sanji made his way to the kitchen and started to heat up the soup, in the meantime getting a bread from the freezer, which he had made in case he had unexpected guests. He was just preheating the oven when for the second time that night the doorbell rang.
This time, two familiar faces greeted him. Ace smiled sheepishly at him. "I brought a Luffy." He petted his brother on his head.
"And I brought meat!" The boy held up a package of sausages with a wide grin, but Sanji didn't doubt his backpack would be filled with various kinds of meat as well. He let them pass. Ace greeted Koshiro with familiarity and Sanji couldn't help but feel a little relieved that the freckled man distracted Zoro's foster father while Luffy helpfully brought the meat to the kitchen.
Sanji had hardly put the bread in the oven when the doorbell rung again. The black haired boy opened it this time and it didn't take long before Nami appeared in the kitchen, holding a basket filled with tangerines. He thanked her extensively and asked her to wait in the living room until the soup was ready.
In the time that it took to heat the bread and the soup, the doorbell rung three times more. The first revealed Brook, who brought several bottles of milk, the second time Robin and Franky showed up, bringing cola and chocolate ice cream, and finally Usopp and a sniffling Chopper arrived, the former with a vegetable basket – instead of fruit, for some reason – and the latter candy. In all, everyone had brought their favourite things in order to comfort Sanji and he was grateful for that.
The chef loved to cook for his friends and after having served soup and bread, he started on the meat and vegetables and concluded the meal with ice cream and tangerines. Everyone could eat their fill – an opportunity the D-brothers gratefully made use of.
Sanji woke up the next morning in a way he had never thought he would. Spread out on his bed were Luffy, Ace and Chopper, all snoring contently. Well, he may have dreamed about such a scenario – only then everyone aside from himself would be female.
He recalled Usopp being in his room as well at some point, but the architect was nowhere to be seen.
Silently, Sanji got up and left the bed. Honestly, why couldn't it have been the girls who fell asleep in his arms? – not that he had been cuddling with the guys of course, don't be ridiculous. Though he had to admit, last night had been fun. Ace and Luffy had made him laugh so hard that his stomach started to hurt and Usopp had a whole new arsenal of made up adventures. With a soft smile on his face at the sight of the sleeping guys, he made his way downstairs. There, it was the same kind of chaos, with his friends scattered around the room. Much to his horror he found Robin and Nami asleep on the floor – he would have to kick someone's face in for doing that to a lady. But that would have to wait, his angels were still sleeping.
Much to his surprise, Sanji found Usopp at the kitchen table, fiddling with a lamp the blonde had resolved to throw out as it didn't work anymore. The architect proved him wrong when he put the plug in the socket and the lamp shone brightly as ever.
"Morning," Sanji greeted his friend. "Thanks for fixing that."
Usopp mumbled a "you're welcome", but didn't seem his cheerful self.
Sanji started to make coffee. "Are you okay? I know it was a bit of a tight fit last night, but the other guys seem content." He couldn't suppress the smile that appeared at recalling the image of the sleeping boys. It had been beyond cute, the two brothers with Chopper curled up between them.
The curly haired man stayed silent, so the blonde turned around. "Something the matter?" the latter asked.
The architect placed down the screwdriver he was holding – Sanji couldn't remember ever buying one, so his friend might carry it with him at all times – and sighed. "Sanji, I know you're going through a rough time. But…" He hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I just can't believe you lied to my face. Not once, but twice! You know I wouldn't care if you were dating a guy or not! I'm supposed to be your best friend."
The chef waited until Usopp's rant was over and let himself fall in a chair while the coffee was percolating. "I know," he said, rubbing his temples. "I'm sorry. I really am. I just… wasn't ready to tell anyone. I am now. But just so you know, I'm not gay. Zoro's… Zoro's just an exception or something." He stared at the table top. "It's not like it matters now anymore, anyway."
His friend looked at him with worried eyes. "Sanji… You know everything's gonna be okay, right? This is Zoro we're talking about."
Before the blonde could respond, Robin entered the kitchen. "Good morning, Mr. Cook, Mr. Long-nose," she greeted them with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Robin-chwan!" Sanji exclaimed, his mood veered around. "Which bastard's face do I need to kick in for making you sleep on the floor?"
"I slept perfectly fine," she answered, pouring herself a cup of coffee, despite Sanji's protests. "I prefer to sleep on a hard surface."
The blonde was a bit conflicted. If Robin rather slept on the floor, he couldn't really protest, but still every fibre of his being screamed how wrong it was to let a lady sleep on the floor. "What about Nami-swan?"
"I think she has the same preference," Robin chuckled.
Later that day, Sanji found himself home alone. That morning, after everyone had woken up, he had made an elaborate breakfast with leftovers from the night before, and after that they had gone to the hospital together. Except for Koshiro and himself, everyone had been kicked out soon – because they were too loud and with too many – and they had left with the promise to check up on Sanji every once in a while. The blonde was very thankful for their kindness and concerns. Last night had been just what he needed.
Koshiro had left again, thanking Sanji for his hospitality. He said that he would come to see Zoro soon again. It was Sanji's day off and the house felt rather empty with all his friends gone. But they had their own jobs.
As the partner, he could come any time he wanted and didn't have to wait for the visiting hours, but Zoro had to undergo several tests, so Sanji was asked to come in later. To keep his mind off things, the blonde decided to clean the house. He hadn't been home too often lately, staying at Zoro's place a lot, and if he was here he was too tired – or too busy – to clean.
He had just finished washing the windows, when the doorbell rung again. Frowning, he placed the sponge he had used to clean in the bucket of water. Really, checking up on him didn't have to be this often. Of course, he appreciated the concern, but he was a big boy! Besides, he rather had that they took care of Chopper, who took Zoro's accident extra hard.
Opening the door, he was met not by one of his friends, but a familiar face none the less.
"Mr. Prince?" the officer said. "My name is inspector Momonga. We've met before. May I come in?"
~ To be continued