Moy Mell 34

Aizawa and Elly were given a small table on the deck outside the restaurant. It was not quite hidden, though placed at such an angle that it didn't attract much attention from the other diners.

"No one expects me to be here. It's pretty relaxing." The light breeze ruffled her hair and she leaned back, eyes closed and smiling.

He glanced around approvingly. "Peaceful."

"Uh huh." She sighed. "And then, after we eat we can go back and watch that movie." She pointed at him. "You'll see what I'm talking about, then!"

He grinned crookedly. "As you wish."

"Augh!"

She nearly dragged him back after lunch to watch the movie. The room was built like a real theater but with more comfortable seats and a remote for viewing. Elly plopped down in her favorite place and gestured for him to sit beside her, which he gladly did. The room grew dark as she chose options and then flicked through the lists to pick the movie she wanted to show him.

In the very beginning the situation between the male and female was laid out and he whuffed under his breath at the highly romantic scene.

"Ahhh." Aizawa raised both eyebrows as he turned to her in the dark. "Lovers, hmm?"

"Ugh, that's why I wanted you to see this. That phrase is iconic. A lot of people know it and you say that to me all the time. We're not like them at all, we're not..." She jumped in surprise at the warm, rough palm held over her mouth that stopped her rambling.

"Shh." He motioned with his chin at the screen. "Movie's still playing."

Eyes wide, she remained silent, her lips tingling. She could still feel his hand although he had removed it. They watched the rest of the movie in silence aside from an occasional giggle from Elly at the humor. There was even what may have been laughter now and then from Aizawa in the form of a soft snort. They sat for a moment after the credits started to roll and then she sighed. When she clicked the lights back on with the remote he was sitting there with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What did you think?"

His blood shot eyes were troubled. "The woman treated him like crap at first, but she grew to love him in a way ..." He shook his head. "It's a fairy tale. I shouldn't take it so seriously. Many parts were amusing."

"In a way that, what? What were you going to say?" She perked her ears attentively.

Aizawa coughed. "It's unrealistic." He refused to say more but she pressed anyway.

"What's unrealistic about true love like theirs? A lot of people dream of finding that, some day." She tucked a strand of hair back in a nervous gesture. The subject matter was a bit awkward to discuss with her still relatively new bodyguard. "Some dream of it for ages," she said so low he scarcely heard.

"Many dreams are illogical." He shrugged. "It's better to work hard to achieve what you can and not hope for things that may never happen."

She laid a hand on his, her eyes filled with sympathy. "I really hope you don't believe that."

He refused to look at her for once, and she could see his stubbled features were, for once, uncertain. Since he was now dressed casually, he had his hair tied back and couldn't hide his face in the dark tresses.

When they left the theater room, she reached out, hesitating for a brief moment before laying her ears back and biting her lip as if she were about to thrust her hand into fire. She gently placed her hand in his, not closing it but touching their palms together. He glanced down at her and slowly curled his fingers around hers. He said nothing, however, and they continued on their way downstairs in silence.

While the movie was wrapping up Sanji had an unexpected visitor barge in on him. He was sitting on one of the stools in the kitchen, writing plans for the next five to seven days' worth of food he would prepare when Zoro stuck his head in the door.

"She here?"

"Ahhh. Blunt as usual, except where it counts." He shook his head, gesturing with the hand that held a new, tobacco-free vape pen he was trying out. "No, moron - and it's a good thing, too. She's pissed at you."

He grunted with a frown, scratching his chest and looking around. "I tried to apologize once."

"Yeah. I heard. Tried to barge in here after you insulted and scared her off more than once. Smart." Sanji snorted a cloud of smoke off to one side in disgust.

"You were the one that told me I should talk to her!"

"Yeah, but... carefully. Not as if she was gonna just let you waltz right the fuck back in here like nothing happened." He shook his head and took a long drag from his cigarette, staring moodily up at the ceiling.

"Fuck," Zoro grunted finally, his fists clenched on the counter in front of him.

"Yeahhh. She's super angry at you. And Aizawa's got a very... interesting relationship with her now. She went from hating him to, well. They're watching a movie right now."

The big man's face grew redder and he thrust his lower lip out. "Fuck."

"I heard he warned you. Plus, didn't you tell him to be honest with her? You weren't. She doesn't know that; she thinks you're the one asshole in this place that isn't interested in her."

Zoro swore, softer this time. "Is she sleeping okay?"

The other man nodded. "That took awhile. He started tucking her in at night and it seems to work."

His single eye opened wider and he turned very slowly to blink in shock at the cook. "He what."

Sanji shrugged. "I only know what was spoken between them." He nodded as the swordsman dropped his head in his hands. "I told you it was serious. Listen, though - she was a wreck before. He had to do something. You don't get how fucked up she was from you leaving! We were all desperate."

"I gotta get back to the complex." Zoro stood suddenly, facing away so the other man couldn't see him. His voice was rough. "It'll make things worse if she sees me."

"For you, or her?"

"Shut up." He stood, tugging on the shirt he was wearing. He was just about to stomp away out the door to the main hall when he froze, choking softly.

"I did like the movie, yes."

"Well, good. And now you - you know why you shouldn't say that phrase, right?"

There she was with the new head of security beside her, walking close with their hands clasped lightly together. He blinked as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Hey, Zoro." Aizawa called out calmly, though he was surprised to see the man here again.

Elly gasped when she noticed the swordsman and jerked away from her guard, dropping his hand and stepping quickly backwards. Her face grew red and a confused flicker of emotions played across her features as she stumbled. She cried out softly in pain and spun around, leaping into the dubious safety of the bathroom in the hall.

"He has the worst timing," Sanji noted acidly in the background.

"Me?" Aizawa asked mildly.

"No, shit-for-brains over there." He pointed at the green-haired man standing in a daze.