Heat
Chapter 3 - Clouds
Sunny day followed sunny day, the sweet scent of roses replaced the
heady jasmine and the sun set later every night. The dying light of
evening lit the Palace in rose, but during the day it blazed on the
hilltop in bright white. The sand reflected the heat and made the air
shimmer. In short, it was perfect weather to do nothing whilst wearing
very little and the ladies were not going to miss it for the world.
This afternoon they were swimming – again – which meant that Sanji had
to be close by. He was never far when the ladies were in more than
their usual state of undress.
Zoro wandered over to where the girls were sunbaking. Robin was being
fanned by a dozen palm fronds, conveniently powered by hands sprouting
from the ground at the foot of her sun bed. Nami was next to her,
enjoying the breeze and bossing around the other girls like she ran the
place. Already. Vivi was swimming, Perona was terrifying a new guard…
Sanji was floating a foot off the ground, carrying a tray of
ridiculously delicate teacups.
Zoro had been observing him since he discovered the cook’s hidden
talents. Just keeping an eye out to try to get to know a bit more about
the elusive man. Even though they had only exchanged half a dozen
words, the blonde was playing on his mind. He spent most of his time
fawning over the ladies, when he wasn’t attending to the Sultan and his
never ending stream of guests. Sometimes he went to see Luffy;
sometimes he just read a book. His personal habits were also noted: he
smoked, he loved food and he always, always changed at least twice a
day. Outfits for dinner, outfits for walking, outfits for swimming… It
was just ridiculous.
The only reason he could even have so many clothes in one room was
because every outfit would fit in Zoro’s closed palm. The swordsman
sighed as he was besieged with mental images that were entirely
unnecessary. Damn it.
Sanji was currently in light blue satin pants and jewellery. Nothing
else. His body was starting to get a sun-kissed glow but his face was
still fair and his hair shone golden in the summer sun. It was so
distracting! He looked so feminine in the soft fabric but Zoro had felt
his strength. He had felt the willpower behind that elegant leg and he
was intrigued. It made the blonde even more alluring. He wasn’t a
delicate boy; he was a man with red-hot blood and a quick temper. Even
if he was an asshole, that was pretty sexy.
The cook hovered like a bee gathering nectar, distributing the tea to
as many girls as he could reach. He looked the complete opposite of
violent. He had stars in his eyes and was practically foaming at the
mouth. The girls didn’t mind him though; Nami in particular seemed to
take very well to his fawning.
“Sanji,” Zoro said, hoping to distract the cook before he got caught up
in the next elaborate display of devotion. The girls all stopped what
they were doing and turned.
“Zoro-kun!” “It’s been so long since you came to talk to us!” “Rub my
back, Zoro!” “Swordsman-san!” “Show me that move you used on the
burglars!!!” “Come and talk to me!” Thirty scantily clad women all
jumped up and ran at Zoro with terrifying determination.
The swordsman was frozen to the spot. It all seemed to be happening in
slow motion… like he knew what was going to hit him but he was
powerless to stop it. They slammed into him like a warm wave of
destruction and hung off him in every direction.
Damn it again.
He peered at Robin through the cloud of oestrogen begging her silently to intervene.
“Come on now girls, give swordsman-san some space,” she chuckled.
The barrier of soft flesh sighed collectively and parted. Zoro stepped
back and belatedly waved defensive arms in the direction of the
retreating mob.
“Sanji.” The swordsman repeated, “I need to have a word with you.”
The cook raised an eyebrow, put down his tray and addressed the girls,
“Ladies, I must bid you adieu but I will be back soon.” He waved them a
fond farewell, walking backwards and blowing kisses, then finally
turned and strolled over to Zoro.
They had only gotten a few steps when Sanji broke the silence, “So you
get bored peering through the bushes and decide to come and annoy me in
person?”
Zoro stole a glance at the cook, an unreadable smile graced his lips.
“You know I’m paid to guard you, yeah?” The swordsman replied. Sanji
had noticed. Shit. Seems like he was getting careless from living soft.
Might be time to move on…
The cook stopped walking and lit a cigarette, then looked up into the
clear blue sky. Finally he returned his gaze to Zoro, who stared at him
blankly.
“Ok, then. You want to talk? Then talk,” the blonde blew smoke rings
and flicked his hair out of his eyes. Zoro noticed the strong line of
his jaw and the fine lines of his bone structure. It helped to distract
him from the whole perfect-half-naked-and-within-reach thing. One long
lashed blue eye was peering at him curiously. That was right, he was
meant to be talking.
“Thanks for teaching Luffy to wrestle; not sure it’s what his father
had in mind though.” Zoro grinned. It seemed Luffy was destined to be a
virgin for a little bit longer after all.
Sanji scoffed and puffed in equal proportions. “I told you I wasn’t, asshole. It’s just that Luffy seems a bit, well…”
Zoro stared at him and offered no assistance. This close he could smell
exotic spice wafting from the cook’s soft blonde hair. He could see the
shape of his legs under the flimsy pants and those cheeky curls of gold
peeking out were making the blood rush from the swordsman’s head.
Sanji blew a frustrated stream of smoke in the air and finished his
sentence, “…he’s just like a kid. He just thought I was wrestling with
him.” The blonde sighed. Zoro laughed. So that was what had happened…
oh Luffy! “Shut up already!” Sanji snapped, “I’ll get him eventually,
don’t you worry. His is gay, isn’t he?” Zoro shrugged, Luffy was Luffy.
It was hard to put him in a category.
The blonde waved a dismissive hand and continued, “Doesn’t matter. I
always get my man.” He smiled seductively and ran one hand down his own
rippling abs, hooking his finger into his waistband and pulling it even
lower. Zoro tried to look away but he found his eyes had defected from
the rest of his body. Sanji smirked.
“So, what did you really drag me out into the bushes on my own for,
Harem Master? All the look-but-don’t-touch starting to wear you down or
do you want me to show you why I don’t need your fucking protection?”
Sanji took two steps forward and before Zoro could register it, the
cook was leaning on his chest and looking deep into his eyes. He
produced a breathy whisper that sent shivers down Zoro’s spine, “What’s
your problem, Marimo?”
Don’t react. Don’t grab him. Don’t knock his long legs out from under
him and pin him to the ground. Zoro took a calming breath and thought
about returning to the sea with enough sake money for months.
“Umm… just be careful,” the swordsman said. Sanji glared at him and he
could feel the muscles in the blonde’s thigh twitch through the thin
silk. No, that wasn’t it. What the hell was he trying to say? “The
Sultan may be annoyed if he finds you fawning over his wives like
that…” Zoro could feel his face slowly turning red as Sanji’s warmth
suffused his body. His mind was telling him to move away, but his feet
were rooted to the spot.
“Well, maybe…” Sanji whispered, moving his body even closer and running
one finger along the ridge of Zoro’s collarbone, “You don’t want anyone
to do what you can’t, Mr. Compensation.”
“What?” Zoro blinked.
“Well it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Running a harem… Three
swords... Missing something, perhaps?” Sanji raised one curly, knowing
eyebrow.
Missing something? What? Zoro took advantage of the distraction of
being even more confused and stepped back, away from the intoxicating
cloud of hormones and scent. Sanji was standing there grinning at him.
“Oh well,” the blonde laughed, “Don’t you worry about me. I can take
care of myself… and don’t forget it.” He flicked his cigarette over his
shoulder and waved nonchalantly, then wiggled his perfect ass back in
the direction of the ladies.
Zoro wasn’t sure what had just happened, but his body was telling him – very loudly – that he liked it.
---------------------------------
The warm air was stifling as Zoro performed yet another set of crunches
and then raised his protesting body into a handstand to do push ups.
The aching of his arms and stomach was reassuring and familiar,
comforting like an old friend. The sensations usually helped him to
clear his head but today there would be no rest for the wicked.
Missing something?
Running a harem?
Three swords?
Mr. Compensation?!
He wasn’t short; he was at least as tall as that smug bastard, so it
wasn’t that. There were some people who seemed to think that a large
sword indicated a deficiency in other areas, but what did that have to
do with being a Harem Master? Most men who ran harems didn’t even have
a cock so it seemed a bit rich to g…
Oh.
Zoro let his body down slowly and sighed heavily into the lawn.
Sanji thought he was a eunuch.
Pretty obvious really, when he thought about it. No wonder he had been
so smug about Zoro’s lecture. If only the poor man knew… He certainly
wouldn’t have been pressing himself up against the swordsman and
running his damn chef’s fingers all over him. Very dangerous.
He probably thought that he was upsetting Zoro. Far from it. Even
though his touch lingered in ways that were going to make it hard for
the swordsman to sleep, Zoro had no issue with Sanji mauling him
whenever he liked. He may not be allowed to fraternise with the
concubines, but he also wasn’t allowed to hurt them. If Sanji put him
in a position where he had no choice… well, what else could he do?
Zoro grinned. What would Sanji think if he knew the things that Zoro
had planned for him? He’d probably run a mile. On reflection, it may
not be so bad that Sanji had got the wrong idea. It meant that it was
unlikely that the cook would try anything beyond groping him a little
and trying to throw him off balance.
The swordsman was enjoying the lazy lifestyle at the Palace for the
time being and he didn’t want to blow it. Certainly not for a
fair-weather-fuck like Sanji. He was gorgeous but pretty shallow from
what Zoro could observe. He must have his own agenda but his love of
women and his foul mouth were written on his sleeve and they didn’t
really spell relationship material.
Relationship material? He really had been here too long. Zoro resolved
to get laid as soon as possible. He had found it more difficult to keep
his lust under control than he’d expected. He didn’t doubt his
willpower but his body did seem to have a mind of its own whenever
Sanji was around. The cook was so slender and toned and always right
fucking there in his face! Chiselled perfection. Even with his iron
will, there was a small danger that if Sanji tried to have his way with
him, he wouldn’t resist at all. He was fine with this level but if
Sanji got serious, he’d probably be in trouble.
Or he could just teach the baka-cook a lesson…
He was so arrogant and mouthy, he was just begging for a fight. He
might be strong but he couldn’t be that strong. Zoro smirked. He would
love to see the cook’s face when he ground it into the dirt. It was
also far to tempting to prove his manhood in a different way... a way
that Sanji couldn’t deny. The blonde probably wouldn’t mind, he was a
concubine after all. Zoro had to be better looking than the men that
Sanji would be ‘entertaining’ in the Palace... The way he fought and
his wild eyes said he was the type of man who would only do what suited
him. What would make him want to do that? He’d wondered about the girls
in that way before but none of them were as headstrong as Sanji… as raw.
Maybe he just liked it that much. His eyes were always inviting, even
when he was spitting with rage. His body was so flexible and toned that
it would make a night with him a guaranteed ride of a lifetime. The way
that Sanji’s eyes had burned when he said he would get Luffy no matter
what… Zoro mopped up his nosebleed and marched out of the bushes,
resolving to go and find the rubber boy and bash his idiot head.
--------------------
The next time Zoro saw the cook, he was making good on his oath;
chatting up Luffy like his life depended on it. The girls were giggling
and encouraging him as best they could. Pretty much all of them except
Robin had been sent to Luffy’s room at one time or another to try their
charms on him. So far he remained uncorrupted, wild and childish and
completely free.
“You’re tickling me Sanji!” Luffy giggled and tackled the cook to the
ground. They both proceeded to roll in the grass much to the delight of
all the watching girls. Finally, after much shenanigans and goings on,
Sanji ended up sitting on Luffy, legs spread. He earned himself a round
of applause from the crowd for this achievement and rose to make a bow.
“Saaaaaannjiiiiiiii…” Luffy grumbled, “I’m hungry!!!”
“I’m not meant to cook for you Luffy, your father said that I was
ruining your appetite.” Sanji smiled indulgently down at the boy. He
had a certain way with people, that was for sure.
“But Saaaanjjiiiii… your food is so much better!” Huge brown eyes completed the plea. Sanji sighed and called the guards over.
“Please bring a side of beef, oil, kitchen knives, trestles, table
cloths, some bowls and a cutting board. Oh, and light the western
outdoor barbeque.” He issued orders with ease and sighed as Robin came
over laughing.
“I thought that you weren’t cooking for Luffy-sama anymore," she said. The cook fawned and apologised helplessly.
In a matter of minutes, Sanji was serving up razor thin slices of
cooked meat and fresh garden salad. The swordsman retreated to one of
his favourite afternoon resting spots and settled down to meditate for
a few hours. He was surprised when he heard someone rustling through
the grass only a few minutes later.
He opened one lazy eye and then blinked a few times. Nope, it was still
Sanji. He was striding over determinedly holding a plate.
Sanji handed the plate to Zoro, his expression clouded.
“Here. I thought you might want something.”
Zoro was about to protest when his stomach growled loudly, goading him
for skipping breakfast. The smell wafting up from the beef was
incredible, some kind of spices Zoro had never seen before.
“Just take it.” Sanji grinned. He shoved the plate into Zoro’s hands and then stood over him expectantly.
“What?”
“Try it!” Sanji rolled his eyes.
The swordsman took a mouthful and grunted in appreciation. Sanji looked
on horrified as the entire contents of his plate disappeared in a
heartbeat.
“You’re as bad as Luffy!” He exclaimed.
“You prefer me to spit it out?” Zoro challenged. The cook glared at him
but as he took Zoro’s empty plate his expression softened.
“I guess it is nice to see you enjoying something for a change. You’re
a moody bastard, you know that?” Sanji looked down at him with a
mixture of confidence and cheek. Zoro was temporarily overwhelmed by
the urge to put the cook over his knee and punish him for being such a
tease. Somehow he managed to get out a reasonable reply,
“There are things I enjoy.” Zoro stood up slowly, rolling lustful eyes
over Sanji’s half naked body. For the minute he was wearing a
see-through vest of blue and gold and red silk fisherman’s pants, slung
low as always.
A smirk pulled at the corner of Sanji’s lips but he continued, “The
ladies really like your company – Kami knows why – so you should come
and see us more often,” The cook leaned forwards and brushed his lips
gently over Zoro’s ear, “you must get lonely out here on your own.
Don’t make me come and get you… There are so many things that I could
do to you and nothing you could do to stop me…” Sanji’s hands explored
his chest and his hot breath was on Zoro’s lips. “I see you watching
me, Zoro…” The cook whispered, he let one sharp fingernail trail down
to Zoro’s waistband as he pressed his body against him.
Hand-stay-stay-just-a-minute-longer-don’t-just-hold-it-one-more…
Something inside Zoro broke. In one fluid motion, he pinned Sanji’s
wrists behind his back and pulled him close, forcing him to look the
swordsman in the eye.
“Stop.” He said, low and clear.
Damn! He had almost gone! Zoro hurriedly dropped Sanji's wrists but the
man didn’t move a muscle. He just stood, staring into Zoro’s eyes, so
close that the swordsman could almost taste his lips.
Sanji leaned just a centimetre further forwards and his soft fringe
brushed along Zoro’s cheek. His breath was warm on Zoro’s neck and he
whispered a single word,
“Why?”
Zoro blinked as the haze of Sanji’s hair, his touch and his near-naked
flesh cleared. Sanji grinned. Then the blonde ran his fingers up Zoro’s
chest and walked away; his touch still lingering long after his wicked
smile had gone.
