Politically Correct ch. 07
Obviously I need to never try and guess when I'll be done with a chapter. Because I always say 'it's going to take me weeks and weeks!' And then I finish it that night.
This chapter is about twice as long as a regular chapter. I was planning on breaking it up into two parts purely for the sake of uniformity, but it seemed pointless. Also, it would've been really difficult for me to find a nice spot to do it. But, y'know, if, for some reason, it really bothers you and you know the perfect place for me to cut it in half, then I'll consider it.
Title: Politically Correct
Rating: M [I KNOW RIIIGHT?! ]
Word Count: 5,001
Pairing: eventual Zoro x Sanji + a smattering of side pairings
Summary: AU set in the San Francisco Bay Area Nami has decided that she's tired of Sanji constantly chasing after girls only to be taken advantage of & decides to take a more active role in Sanji committing to a Real Relationship.
Disclaimer: I love Odacchi and One Piece, but neither will ever be mine.
Notes: Anyone notice the change in rating? I DID, but there aren't any naughty bits in this. Just mentions of The Act. And Teenagers shouldn't be reading about anything sexual so, obvsly, no T rating. Harrr.
ALSO! Some of you may have noticed that I really love replying to comments, if it bothers you uhhh don't respond? But I can be a bit chatty so my apologies in advance (though I guess seven chapters in isn't really "in advance"). [FFnet specific blurb goes here]. Lots of love to all of you for the kind words & incredibly helpful input~
[Previous Chapters]
hnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnnhhhhnn
Christmas was around the corner.
Zoro sat wrapped in a warm coat and looked around the warehouse. He could see the light drizzle of rain through a propped open door. He still couldn’t figure out why they had decided to film a movie about a desert country in the Bay Area. LA was maybe five hours west of both the Mojave Desert and Death Valley.
So why the hell did they instead decide to go seven hours north where we have erratic weather and the promise of rain?
But he wasn’t really complaining. The threat of rain meant today would be the last day of filming most action scenes and then the focus would shift to finishing the indoor shots.
He watched Usopp run around the set and glanced at the clock. Zoro was going to use his time off to visit the dojo. He hadn’t had the time to go back much since Thanksgiving. Usopp had decided to tag along and visit his friends.
A couple weeks had passed since Zoro had agreed to keep an eye on Vivi.
And nothing had happened.
For the first week, Zoro had accompanied Vivi to classes and Vivi had come with him to filming. Once the week had passed, uneventful, she had tried to get Zoro to move back home, insisting she had never been in any real danger in the first place.
They had finally agreed that Zoro would continue living in her guest room, but he would go about his day as he normally would, as long as a (trusted) someone was with Vivi at all times. This generally meant that Franky and Robin would be with her on set and Luffy, Usopp, or Ace would volunteer to take her out on miscellaneous runs whenever Zoro was busy.
Chakka and Pell hadn’t been much help. All they had been able to do was confirm that the rebels that had been spotted in San Francisco could not be found in Alabasta. And as long as this was the case, Vivi would have to be kept under surveillance.
He sympathized with her. But if she’s really a fucking princess, then she’s lucky they didn’t put her under house arrest.
“BOORRIINNGG.” Zoro looked up to see Luffy perched on a ledge above the door, picking his nose. He was obviously regretting his decision to beg Usopp to take him on set for a day.
“Man, Zoro. I thought that being on a film set would be fun, but nothing’s real! I’d rather watch you and Sanji fight.” Zoro picked up a nearby can of soda and chucked it at Luffy when he started trying to flick his boogers onto the people milling about below him.
Luffy fell off the ledge, but Zoro had learned early on that the boy could rebound from most physical injuries at a terrifying rate. Chopper was fascinated by it. It was one of the reasons the med student had begun hanging out with them; he wanted to observe Luffy in his natural habitat in an attempt to understand his unusual recovery speed. And Luffy had a knack for getting hurt.
He took another glance at the clock. He had just enough time to take a nap before Usopp would be done. He didn’t know why Luffy and Usopp even asked to follow him to the dojo anymore. They always ended up bored and in trouble for goofing off with the equipment, ultimately spending the day serving out punishments for the mess they’d inevitably make.
I really should just send the two of them home.
He was looking forward to the time off and the chance to just laze around for once.
XXXXXXXXX
vhhhrrrr
vhhhrrrr
Zoro sat up in his bed, reaching for his swords.
vhhhrrrr
Who the hell is calling me at he looked at the glowing alarm clock three in the morning.
He fumbled for his phone as it stopped vibrating and lit up, indicating 1 missed call: Franky.
He rubbed his eyes. One of the benefits of not having to go in for filming was no longer having to wake up before 5am. He pressed the send button.
“It’s three in the fucking morning, Franky.”
[ I know. Sorry, bro, but Brook needs some help with his ship and Vivi’s place is right by The Marina. ]
“Repairs? Isn’t that Galley-La’s thing? Why are you taking care of it?”
[ Usually, but they’ve got their hands full with a large Coast Guard commission. Paulie said he’d send over anyone he could, but Brook has a group scheduled for 8am and we’ll need to fit in a test run before then. ]
Zoro was already pulling on his pants.
“Give me a minute. I’ll be there.”
[ Kiwi and Mozu should already be on their way to pick you up. WAIT FOR THEIR CALL. ]
“Yeeaahh yeaahh.” He hung up and called Ace. “Sorry to wake you, but do you think you can cover for me at Vivi’s? I’m heading out.” He heard a grunt and a click and assumed it was a yes.
Fifteen minutes later he was standing at a boatyard neighboring the docks. Franky and a few of his Franky House Family members were securing a mobile boatlift.[1] Zoro took a long look at the slings hanging from the lift and watched as they were slowly lowered into the water.
He shivered. Dammit. This definitely wasn’t how he had wanted his vacation to start. “Well, Kiwi, Mozu, point me towards my wetsuit.”
Zoro followed them onto Brook’s ship which was tethered to a nearby dock, waiting for the lift to be set-up. He pulled a wetsuit out from one of the containers in the cabin.
Isn’t skinny dipping in ice water considered training? He paused before slipping his arm into the remaining sleeve. Chopper would kill me. And somehow, Chopper always knew when Zoro had done something reckless.
He had a creeping suspicion that Robin was involved. The woman had eyes everywhere.
“Yoho Zoro! Isn’t today a lovely morning to be out and about?” A lanky man with a respectable afro adorned with a sleek top hat hopped down from an upper deck.
“It’s a bit chipper and a bit early, but if that’s your thing…” Zoro adjusted the goggles around his head.
“I just love cold weather! I’m a sea-faring man. If I couldn’t handle being chilled to my bones then I’d never survive out on the ocean waters.” Brook was putting on layer after layer of heavy coats. The guy was about as bad as Chopper when it came to actions matching their words.
“Good luck with that, Brook. Looks like they’re about done with the set up so you might want to start her up.” They said their goodbyes and Brook gave his thanks before Zoro did a few quick stretches and jogged over to the lift. They had started guiding The Rumbar directly over the submerged slings. Franky looked over, acknowledging Zoro with a wave.
“Really appreciate your running out here, bro.”
“I’m getting breakfast right?”
Franky chuckled. “First we need you to make sure the three slings are in place so we can haul out the boat and begin repairs. And really it’s just minor damage, but Brook’s taking a tour out so… safety first. And then, yes. We’ll get you some breakfast.”
The air was suddenly filled with a loud mechanical whirring as the lift started moving, pulling the slings up taut around the hull of Brook’s ship before stopping with just enough slack for readjustment. Zoro pulled on his goggles and nodded to Franky. He felt the shock of cold water as he slipped off the dock and dove under the boat.
This was definitely not how he had wanted to start his vacation.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Put that cigarette out!”
“You’re so damn noisy. It’s barely six-thirty in the morning, Patty. There aren’t even any fucking customers around.” He deliberately blew a cloud of smoke towards the larger man. “And since when did the Baratie ever have a no-smoking policy?” Patty grumbled loudly as he disappeared into the kitchen.
Sanji had put in for a few weeks of leave.
A week ago, he had taken Robin and Nami out to see a musical and have dinner as an early Christmas present. Though he knew they’d still be getting presents on the day as well.
I don’t need holidays as an excuse to dote upon the lovely women.
The night had started off wonderfully. They had caught a show in the late afternoon with front and center seats. Sanji only wished he could have held his bladder until they had arrived at the restaurant where he had gotten a reservation.
Instead he had been ambushed in the men’s room during intermission by a couple of the shady politicians; they had brought a French interpreter with them and had slipped him an invitation to another charity auction.
Sanji wasn’t sure which implication creeped him out more: that they had known he had been holding tickets for this particular show or that they had been dragging an interpreter along with them just in case they ever ran into him again.
The invitation had also been addressed to “The Prince”.
Guess I should be comforted by the fact that they still don’t seem to know my name.
The encounter had made him seriously consider taking time off from catering. The fewer well-funded events he went to, the fewer the chances of running into them again. He really didn’t want to lose his job and the trust of all his clients. And Sanji had reached his limit on how much he could tolerate them.
How much he could listen to their praise of the Tenryuubito for funding “admirable research concerning the economic benefits of human trade.”
Sanji slammed his head down into the top of the table he was sitting at. He stared into the wood grains. His catering career wasn’t worth compromising his morals. Even superficially. ’s not like catering’s my dream job.
He had thrown their invitation away as soon as he had gotten home. He was disgusted that he hadn’t shoved it down their throats right then and there. A part of him felt that he should be proud he had so much self-control. The rest of him was ashamed that not kicking their asses had even been an option.
That it was the option he had taken.
“If I’d had known that all you were gonna do was stink up the place and cry all over the tables then I would’ve booted you out on your ass the second you stepped foot back in here, like I should’ve done in the first place.” Zeff was standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to his office.
“Crying? Your age finally affecting your eyesight, decrepit old man?” Sanji pushed himself off the table. “You can’t smell my cigarettes over the stench of fish, sea lions, and Patty’s fucking shitty cooking anyhow.”
“You forget that you were kicked out of here because no one could stand your piss flavored soup?” Patty had come in from the kitchen.
“What’s that, wannabe-Popeye?”
Zeff grabbed the two chefs by their collars. “Take your little bitch fight outside before you upset any customers.”
“There aren’t any customers, geezer! It’s six in the fucking morning. It’s freezing outside, we’re not at the main dock, and we rarely got any customers before seven even when I worked here!”
The front door let out a creak as someone walked into the restaurant. “You guys are open right?”
Patty’s mouth curved into a smug grin. Sanji yanked himself out of Zeff’s grip.
He spun to face the door, snarling. “You fucking would.”
Zoro groaned.
Too early. Is relaxing on my day off really too much to hope for?
“I ‘fucking would’ what? Come to eat at a restaurant that’s open and happens to be conveniently docked by the boatyard I was working at? Then, yeah. I fucking would.”
Sanji noticed that Zoro’s hair was dripping. So was the thin form-fitting wetsuit he was wearing.
“Hey, jackass. Do you want us to serve you in the doorway or are you gonna take a seat at some point?” Idiot’s going to get sick standing around like that.
“WHAT’RE YOU DOING CALLING OUR BELOVED CUSTOMER A ‘JACKASS’?” Patty hurled himself forward and his fist smashed into a table that Sanji had kicked up just in time to use as a shield.
“What about you? Are you going to keep ruining furniture or are you going to take your precious customer’s order?” Sanji hadn’t missed the hint of fatigue that had made the swordsman’s already dark eyes seem even darker.
Patty clasped his hands together and practically skipped over to Zoro, who had slumped into one of the booths.
Zeff hid a smile as he watched Sanji disappear up the staircase and decided to ignore the pile of splintered wood. He’d have the new waiter clean it up when he got in.
Zoro had been slightly disappointed when he had realized Sanji wouldn’t be the one making his breakfast.
I haven’t had his cooking since the night Ace got back.
He tried to assure himself that it was the food he had missed the past couple weeks. Definitely not the long-legged closet-humanitarian himself.
What the hell. Why would I ever…
He was going to blame this on Ace and the way he constantly found a way to bring the blonde up in every damn conversation. As though he wanted to be sure that Zoro was very much aware of Sanji’s absence.
He settled into the booth. Now that he was no longer moving around, he was beginning to register just how cold it was.
Patty still hadn’t brought out Zoro’s food by the time Sanji came down the stairs, arms laden with a bundle of blankets, towels, and clothes. He knew he was overdoing it. Zoro had never been one to take the time to savor his food and Sanji suspected that he’d be out of the restaurant within minutes of being served.
He dropped the bundle next to Zoro and slid into the empty side of the booth.
“Stop dripping all over our shit.” Zoro looked at the pile next to him. “What’re you even doing wandering around soaking wet this early in the morning? I thought the movie you were working on was set in Alabasta? Not very many diving scenes, I’d assume.”
Zoro grabbed a towel before pulling an oversized hoodie and a pair of sweats from the pile. “They’re filming other scenes for now. I was helping Franky with a repair and I forgot to get my clothes from Brook’s ship before they went out for a test run.” He reached back and tugged on the zipper of his wetsuit.
Sanji tried not to stare as Zoro peeled off the top of the suit, exposing well-toned muscles and a scar mottled chest. He still couldn’t fathom how the man could work-out as much as he did and not look like a monstrous body builder.
And he should be grateful he doesn’t. Having overbuilt mountains of muscle would make him a helluva lot less attractive.
His thoughts snapped back to the night of the musical.
And why it hadn’t gotten any better after the bathroom encounter.
Nami’s Question.
Robin’s Input.
Sanji scrambled to stand up, muttering something about coffee, before rushing into the kitchen. He took a few deep breaths once the doors swung shut and let the comforting scents of cooking breakfast distract him. He closed his eyes, leaning against a counter.
They had been eating dinner when Nami had said, very nonchalantly, “Sanji, I’ve been meaning to ask, have you ever slept with a guy?”
He had spluttered incoherently for a while before finally choking out a very solid “Ofcourse not!”
“That’s too bad,” Nami had looked disappointed, “I heard that guy-on-guy sex is better than het sex and I was hoping you’d be able to confirm it.”
Then Robin had spoken up. She had said “Apparently, prostate stimulation results in stronger orgasms. You really shouldn’t limit yourself, Sanji. Though I do understand if you’ve never been tempted. A weaker man would never be able to handle your confidence and stubborn nature. You’d have to find someone with equal or greater strength, which, in itself, would be a bit of a challenge for you. If you ever get the chance, you really should take it.”
Then they had continued to eat. They ignored the look of complete shock on Sanji’s face.
No one had said it.
It had been deafening how loudly Nami and Robin were Not Saying It.
But it was there. Hanging in the air.
Zoro.
He had filed for a leave of absence the next day.
“If you’re not going to do shit around here then get the fuck out!” Sanji opened his eyes just in time to see Zeff’s wooden leg connect with his face.
“Dammit you fucking old geezer! You’re the one who told me to stay away from the stoves!”
“You’re damn right you’re staying away from my stoves. You’re not a chef here anymore, so get your ass out there and bring our customer his food.” Sanji lifted himself off the floor, grumbling, and grabbed the tray of food.
Zoro was still the only person in the dining area. He was fully clothed (Thank God) and snoozing under the pile of blankets.
He set the food down and nudged the sleeping mass. “Food, you Neanderthal.”
Zoro cracked an eye open and yawned a “thanks” before shoveling the food into his mouth. Sanji settled back into his original seat. He had no reason to be flustered. The girls could make all the suggestions they wanted. Sanji would always be an admirer of the softer sex. Never the hard ridges and rough skin of the man sitting in front of him.
Sanji crushed a cigarette into his mouth.
“So. What’re you doing here? December is full of all kinds of fancy parties for you to fuss over.” Zoro was still confused as to why the blonde had jumped up and ran off, but he had returned with food and Zoro was warm and content and decided he really didn’t care enough to ask.
Sanji took a sip of the coffee he had remembered to grab for himself before answering.
Because Nami and Robin never eat at the Baratie. “I just wanted a change of scene.” The front door opened and a small group of chattering tourists walked in, cameras in hand. “That’s right. You mentioned something about Brook. Tall, skinny, takes people out to go whale watching?”
“Yeah. Franky and Robin introduce you guys too?”
“No, we get a lot of families and tourists like them,” he pointed to the energetic group, “in here the mornings he has a group scheduled to go out. Brook’s pretty much a regular here.”
“He’s quite the character.”
Sanji looked out the window at the dark water. “Do you know his story?”
Zoro pushed his empty plate aside. “I think I remember something about how he used to do research on whale response to human music? But then during one of their research trips the rest of his team died in an accident. Something like that?”
“Something like that.” Sanji downed the rest of his coffee. “A sperm whale ended up in this bay once, attracted by the music his research team had been broadcasting. It had been the only time they’d ever gotten such a strong reaction from a whale, so they tried to track it. Granted, Brook’s a lot older than he looks so satellite tagging wasn’t around yet and it was during one of their attempts to find that particular whale that he lost his team. He also lost funding for the study so he turned to whale watching tours as an excuse to go out whenever he could and keep looking.”[2]
“Now that’s dedication.” Zoro supposed waking up early to work on The Rumbar wasn’t the worst way to start off his vacation after all.
“Are you heading back to Vivi’s?”
Zoro looked at a clock hanging on the far wall. He had already been at the Baratie for an hour. “No, she’s been asked to do a cameo for the movie so she’ll be on set with Robin. I think I’ll be heading over to the dojo, do some training and see if sensei needs any help with classes for the day.”
Sanji looked around the room. A few more people had entered the restaurant. “Well then, Brook and Franky were just going out for a test run right? They should be back by now so you can grab your stuff. I’ll meet you out front when you’re done.”
“What?” Zoro’s eyes had barely left Sanji’s face since he had finished eating, but the blue eyes hadn’t looked at him once.
“I’m going with you. A dojo would be a better change of scene than this dump of a restaurant.” Sanji got up and held his hand out, waiting for Zoro to hand him the blankets.
In truth, being at the Baratie was all too comfortable for him. It was easy. It was familiar. It was also taking a step back to his safety blanket.
It wasn’t at all what he needed.
And, what, following Zoro to his dojo is a step forward? Sanji decided he really needed to stop thinking about things. To stop thinking about Zoro’s relentless staring.
After putting away the blankets and having a farewell shouting match with Patty, Sanji made his way outside and found Zoro sitting on the dock outside.
Zoro looked up. Sanji was carrying bags of containers filled with food. “You’re going to make my students fat.”
“I never hear you complaining when it’s your beer belly I’m feeding.”
“You really shouldn’t be worrying about me when your gut’s the one getting flabby from all that standing around in a kitchen.”
The fact that Sanji was carrying food was the only thing that had kept the two moving towards the dojo instead of stopping and fighting right in the middle of the street.
Zoro slid the main door open and they could hear the sound of people moving about in one of the rooms further back. Sanji admired the traditional Japanese architecture and décor as he followed Zoro down one of the halls. Zoro opened the door to a group of adults packing up. A few teenagers in kendo uniforms were sitting against the wall. Sanji looked at his watch. It was eight o’clock. Must be the transition between classes.
“Ah, Koshiro-sensei.” Sanji stood to the side as Zoro went to greet a smiling man that stood out amidst the students. He set the food on the floor and looked at the students still in the room. He knew he looked horribly out of place in his suit, but it was his uniform even in the ring. Though he did feel slightly bare without his shoes.
“Zoro says you’re his sparring partner?” Sanji found himself looking into kind eyes smiling behind round glasses.
“Mmm you could say that.” He noticed the man in question was no longer in the room.
“He went to change into his kendogi.” At Sanji’s blank stare he added “Think… a kimono specifically used for training in Japanese sword-fighting. Would it be terribly rude of me to ask if I could watch the two of you spar? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Zoro so satisfied with his opponent. We have extra kendogi if you’d like to change as well?”
Sanji grinned. Hell yeah I want to fight. “I’d hate to embarrass one of your instructors in front of his students.”
“There you go again, mouthing off without anything to back it up, Sanji.” He gave him a hard look.
Keep it clean.
Trash talking was something the dojo made a point to discourage.
Sanji caught the look. “I guess I’ll have to present evidence, Zoro.” He stripped off his blazer and loosened his tie enough to slip it over his head. Gently setting them both next to the pile of food.
Zoro’s eyes lingered as Sanji finished unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves before continuing to undo the top few buttons of his dress shirt. The guy really doesn’t get out in the sun much.
Sanji was looking directly at Zoro this time. Watching the way the rest of Zoro’s face looked as his eyes took in Sanji. Wondering if the eyes were looking for weaknesses. Or if they were simply…looking. “What are those? You don’t really think I’m going to stand for you fighting me with fake swords, right?”
There wasn’t much for Sanji to look at with Zoro in his kendogi. Especially not compared to the eyeful he had gotten at the Baratie. But he had noticed the wooden swords Zoro was carrying.
“I’ll fight with my bokken while you fight without your shoes.” They faced each other in the middle of the room.
“Um, excuse me, sensei. Why would fighting with shoes be significant? And where is your opponent’s bokken?” One of the kendogi clad teenagers had spoken up.
Zoro didn’t answer. Instead he looked straight at Sanji and placed one of the three swords between his teeth. The move had surprised Sanji the first time Zoro had done it, but any mocking he had prepared had been immediately silenced the second their fight had begun.
Zoro could feel his blood pumping. It had been weeks since they had last fought.
I’ve missed his cooking and now the bickering? He had no idea when the blonde had become such an established part of his life, but sometime in the handful of months since meeting each other, it had happened.
They both moved at the same time. Zoro had lunged forward while Sanji flipped onto his hands, legs spinning.
Zoro had always admired Sanji’s agility. The absolute balance, speed, and precision. He rolled to avoid a kick aimed at his head. He wondered if there was some sort of training the blonde had gone through to gain the ability to spin that fast, upside-down, without getting dizzy. The guy has his eyes open, right? Otherwise he’d never be able to land his kicks.
He watched as the lithe body flipped back onto bare feet.
Sanji came to the conclusion that one of the biggest disadvantages of his fighting style was the range of movement it required, specifically how very little time he spent facing his opponent. He was constantly twisting his body around in order to gain enough momentum for his kicks and more often than not he would become well acquainted with his competitor’s shoes rather than their face. Sanji had seen Zoro’s fights with Pell and Chakka, but I wonder what it looks like when we fight.
There were a few more kicks.
A few more blocks.
A few more missed swings
They heard Koshiro clear his throat. “As technically impressive as this match is, it’s never going to end if you’re both on the defense. Someone’s going to have to do more than a counterattack.”
Black eyes met blue at the words. The two had been too busy trying to watch each other to really focus on fighting.
Sanji knew that Zoro was stronger than him by far. But he held the advantage in speed. Their strengths and weaknesses complimented each other perfectly.
” You really shouldn’t limit yourself, Sanji…
You’d have to find someone with equal or greater strength...
If you ever get the chance, you really should take it.”
He’d really need to work on that whole ‘thinking’ thing. As much as he adored Nami and Robin, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever be able to not blame them for this.
Sanji watched a drop of sweat roll down Zoro’s neck.
Fuck it.
Zoro saw the change in the set of Sanji’s jaw. The sudden determination.
They pounced at the same time. Zoro’s bokken connected on the first swing as Sanji took the hit and used the opening to hook his leg around Zoro’s knee, bringing the both of them down onto the hard mat.
Zoro lifted himself off of Sanji, ready to ask what the hell he had been trying to do. Until the blonde leaned up and whispered,
“Wanna fuck, marimo?”
Zoro froze. He stared down at the eyes bright with confidence. He was still struggling to make it past ‘marimo’ and how good it had sounded coming from Sanji. The back of his mind registered the fact that it was supposed to be an insult, but hearing his native tongue coming from the lips of the blonde below him, even if it was just one word, drowned out any protests.
And really. That was all the deliberation he needed.
He stood up and dusted himself off, clearing his throat. “I think it’s about time we let the next class get started.”
Sanji followed suit, grabbing the blazer and tie he had set aside.
“So you won’t be staying, Zoro? Your friend is welcome to stay as well.” Koshiro made no comment on the abrupt end to the match.
Zoro shook his head. “The chef reminded me that we already made plans for lunch. I’ll be sure to stop by the next time I have a chance.” He slipped away and quickly changed back into his clothes.
When he came back out Sanji had handed the food over to Koshiro and was standing at the dojo’s entrance, completely relaxed.
Zoro wanted to say something. Wanted to confirm that Sanji understood what the hell he had said. But somehow, he knew that the absence of words and the heavy silence it brought with it were confirmation enough.
Sanji headed towards the bus stop, his ears ringing with the sound of Zoro’s footsteps behind him.
What the hell did I just do.
Footnotes:
[1] This here is what they’re using: http://www.thephoenician.net/boat-lift.htm
[2] Mostly we get humpback whales and the occasional blue whale in the SF bay. Sperm whales are also a lot harder to spot because they have longer and deeper dives. (Thank You, seminar I took during my first year and thought I’d never have a use for!)
Chapter 08
This chapter is about twice as long as a regular chapter. I was planning on breaking it up into two parts purely for the sake of uniformity, but it seemed pointless. Also, it would've been really difficult for me to find a nice spot to do it. But, y'know, if, for some reason, it really bothers you and you know the perfect place for me to cut it in half, then I'll consider it.
Title: Politically Correct
Rating: M [I KNOW RIIIGHT?! ]
Word Count: 5,001
Pairing: eventual Zoro x Sanji + a smattering of side pairings
Summary: AU set in the San Francisco Bay Area Nami has decided that she's tired of Sanji constantly chasing after girls only to be taken advantage of & decides to take a more active role in Sanji committing to a Real Relationship.
Disclaimer: I love Odacchi and One Piece, but neither will ever be mine.
Notes: Anyone notice the change in rating? I DID, but there aren't any naughty bits in this. Just mentions of The Act. And Teenagers shouldn't be reading about anything sexual so, obvsly, no T rating. Harrr.
ALSO! Some of you may have noticed that I really love replying to comments, if it bothers you uhhh don't respond? But I can be a bit chatty so my apologies in advance (though I guess seven chapters in isn't really "in advance"). [FFnet specific blurb goes here]. Lots of love to all of you for the kind words & incredibly helpful input~
[Previous Chapters]
hnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnhnnhhhhnn
Christmas was around the corner.
Zoro sat wrapped in a warm coat and looked around the warehouse. He could see the light drizzle of rain through a propped open door. He still couldn’t figure out why they had decided to film a movie about a desert country in the Bay Area. LA was maybe five hours west of both the Mojave Desert and Death Valley.
So why the hell did they instead decide to go seven hours north where we have erratic weather and the promise of rain?
But he wasn’t really complaining. The threat of rain meant today would be the last day of filming most action scenes and then the focus would shift to finishing the indoor shots.
He watched Usopp run around the set and glanced at the clock. Zoro was going to use his time off to visit the dojo. He hadn’t had the time to go back much since Thanksgiving. Usopp had decided to tag along and visit his friends.
A couple weeks had passed since Zoro had agreed to keep an eye on Vivi.
And nothing had happened.
For the first week, Zoro had accompanied Vivi to classes and Vivi had come with him to filming. Once the week had passed, uneventful, she had tried to get Zoro to move back home, insisting she had never been in any real danger in the first place.
They had finally agreed that Zoro would continue living in her guest room, but he would go about his day as he normally would, as long as a (trusted) someone was with Vivi at all times. This generally meant that Franky and Robin would be with her on set and Luffy, Usopp, or Ace would volunteer to take her out on miscellaneous runs whenever Zoro was busy.
Chakka and Pell hadn’t been much help. All they had been able to do was confirm that the rebels that had been spotted in San Francisco could not be found in Alabasta. And as long as this was the case, Vivi would have to be kept under surveillance.
He sympathized with her. But if she’s really a fucking princess, then she’s lucky they didn’t put her under house arrest.
“BOORRIINNGG.” Zoro looked up to see Luffy perched on a ledge above the door, picking his nose. He was obviously regretting his decision to beg Usopp to take him on set for a day.
“Man, Zoro. I thought that being on a film set would be fun, but nothing’s real! I’d rather watch you and Sanji fight.” Zoro picked up a nearby can of soda and chucked it at Luffy when he started trying to flick his boogers onto the people milling about below him.
Luffy fell off the ledge, but Zoro had learned early on that the boy could rebound from most physical injuries at a terrifying rate. Chopper was fascinated by it. It was one of the reasons the med student had begun hanging out with them; he wanted to observe Luffy in his natural habitat in an attempt to understand his unusual recovery speed. And Luffy had a knack for getting hurt.
He took another glance at the clock. He had just enough time to take a nap before Usopp would be done. He didn’t know why Luffy and Usopp even asked to follow him to the dojo anymore. They always ended up bored and in trouble for goofing off with the equipment, ultimately spending the day serving out punishments for the mess they’d inevitably make.
I really should just send the two of them home.
He was looking forward to the time off and the chance to just laze around for once.
XXXXXXXXX
vhhhrrrr
vhhhrrrr
Zoro sat up in his bed, reaching for his swords.
vhhhrrrr
Who the hell is calling me at he looked at the glowing alarm clock three in the morning.
He fumbled for his phone as it stopped vibrating and lit up, indicating 1 missed call: Franky.
He rubbed his eyes. One of the benefits of not having to go in for filming was no longer having to wake up before 5am. He pressed the send button.
“It’s three in the fucking morning, Franky.”
[ I know. Sorry, bro, but Brook needs some help with his ship and Vivi’s place is right by The Marina. ]
“Repairs? Isn’t that Galley-La’s thing? Why are you taking care of it?”
[ Usually, but they’ve got their hands full with a large Coast Guard commission. Paulie said he’d send over anyone he could, but Brook has a group scheduled for 8am and we’ll need to fit in a test run before then. ]
Zoro was already pulling on his pants.
“Give me a minute. I’ll be there.”
[ Kiwi and Mozu should already be on their way to pick you up. WAIT FOR THEIR CALL. ]
“Yeeaahh yeaahh.” He hung up and called Ace. “Sorry to wake you, but do you think you can cover for me at Vivi’s? I’m heading out.” He heard a grunt and a click and assumed it was a yes.
Fifteen minutes later he was standing at a boatyard neighboring the docks. Franky and a few of his Franky House Family members were securing a mobile boatlift.[1] Zoro took a long look at the slings hanging from the lift and watched as they were slowly lowered into the water.
He shivered. Dammit. This definitely wasn’t how he had wanted his vacation to start. “Well, Kiwi, Mozu, point me towards my wetsuit.”
Zoro followed them onto Brook’s ship which was tethered to a nearby dock, waiting for the lift to be set-up. He pulled a wetsuit out from one of the containers in the cabin.
Isn’t skinny dipping in ice water considered training? He paused before slipping his arm into the remaining sleeve. Chopper would kill me. And somehow, Chopper always knew when Zoro had done something reckless.
He had a creeping suspicion that Robin was involved. The woman had eyes everywhere.
“Yoho Zoro! Isn’t today a lovely morning to be out and about?” A lanky man with a respectable afro adorned with a sleek top hat hopped down from an upper deck.
“It’s a bit chipper and a bit early, but if that’s your thing…” Zoro adjusted the goggles around his head.
“I just love cold weather! I’m a sea-faring man. If I couldn’t handle being chilled to my bones then I’d never survive out on the ocean waters.” Brook was putting on layer after layer of heavy coats. The guy was about as bad as Chopper when it came to actions matching their words.
“Good luck with that, Brook. Looks like they’re about done with the set up so you might want to start her up.” They said their goodbyes and Brook gave his thanks before Zoro did a few quick stretches and jogged over to the lift. They had started guiding The Rumbar directly over the submerged slings. Franky looked over, acknowledging Zoro with a wave.
“Really appreciate your running out here, bro.”
“I’m getting breakfast right?”
Franky chuckled. “First we need you to make sure the three slings are in place so we can haul out the boat and begin repairs. And really it’s just minor damage, but Brook’s taking a tour out so… safety first. And then, yes. We’ll get you some breakfast.”
The air was suddenly filled with a loud mechanical whirring as the lift started moving, pulling the slings up taut around the hull of Brook’s ship before stopping with just enough slack for readjustment. Zoro pulled on his goggles and nodded to Franky. He felt the shock of cold water as he slipped off the dock and dove under the boat.
This was definitely not how he had wanted to start his vacation.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Put that cigarette out!”
“You’re so damn noisy. It’s barely six-thirty in the morning, Patty. There aren’t even any fucking customers around.” He deliberately blew a cloud of smoke towards the larger man. “And since when did the Baratie ever have a no-smoking policy?” Patty grumbled loudly as he disappeared into the kitchen.
Sanji had put in for a few weeks of leave.
A week ago, he had taken Robin and Nami out to see a musical and have dinner as an early Christmas present. Though he knew they’d still be getting presents on the day as well.
I don’t need holidays as an excuse to dote upon the lovely women.
The night had started off wonderfully. They had caught a show in the late afternoon with front and center seats. Sanji only wished he could have held his bladder until they had arrived at the restaurant where he had gotten a reservation.
Instead he had been ambushed in the men’s room during intermission by a couple of the shady politicians; they had brought a French interpreter with them and had slipped him an invitation to another charity auction.
Sanji wasn’t sure which implication creeped him out more: that they had known he had been holding tickets for this particular show or that they had been dragging an interpreter along with them just in case they ever ran into him again.
The invitation had also been addressed to “The Prince”.
Guess I should be comforted by the fact that they still don’t seem to know my name.
The encounter had made him seriously consider taking time off from catering. The fewer well-funded events he went to, the fewer the chances of running into them again. He really didn’t want to lose his job and the trust of all his clients. And Sanji had reached his limit on how much he could tolerate them.
How much he could listen to their praise of the Tenryuubito for funding “admirable research concerning the economic benefits of human trade.”
Sanji slammed his head down into the top of the table he was sitting at. He stared into the wood grains. His catering career wasn’t worth compromising his morals. Even superficially. ’s not like catering’s my dream job.
He had thrown their invitation away as soon as he had gotten home. He was disgusted that he hadn’t shoved it down their throats right then and there. A part of him felt that he should be proud he had so much self-control. The rest of him was ashamed that not kicking their asses had even been an option.
That it was the option he had taken.
“If I’d had known that all you were gonna do was stink up the place and cry all over the tables then I would’ve booted you out on your ass the second you stepped foot back in here, like I should’ve done in the first place.” Zeff was standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to his office.
“Crying? Your age finally affecting your eyesight, decrepit old man?” Sanji pushed himself off the table. “You can’t smell my cigarettes over the stench of fish, sea lions, and Patty’s fucking shitty cooking anyhow.”
“You forget that you were kicked out of here because no one could stand your piss flavored soup?” Patty had come in from the kitchen.
“What’s that, wannabe-Popeye?”
Zeff grabbed the two chefs by their collars. “Take your little bitch fight outside before you upset any customers.”
“There aren’t any customers, geezer! It’s six in the fucking morning. It’s freezing outside, we’re not at the main dock, and we rarely got any customers before seven even when I worked here!”
The front door let out a creak as someone walked into the restaurant. “You guys are open right?”
Patty’s mouth curved into a smug grin. Sanji yanked himself out of Zeff’s grip.
He spun to face the door, snarling. “You fucking would.”
Zoro groaned.
Too early. Is relaxing on my day off really too much to hope for?
“I ‘fucking would’ what? Come to eat at a restaurant that’s open and happens to be conveniently docked by the boatyard I was working at? Then, yeah. I fucking would.”
Sanji noticed that Zoro’s hair was dripping. So was the thin form-fitting wetsuit he was wearing.
“Hey, jackass. Do you want us to serve you in the doorway or are you gonna take a seat at some point?” Idiot’s going to get sick standing around like that.
“WHAT’RE YOU DOING CALLING OUR BELOVED CUSTOMER A ‘JACKASS’?” Patty hurled himself forward and his fist smashed into a table that Sanji had kicked up just in time to use as a shield.
“What about you? Are you going to keep ruining furniture or are you going to take your precious customer’s order?” Sanji hadn’t missed the hint of fatigue that had made the swordsman’s already dark eyes seem even darker.
Patty clasped his hands together and practically skipped over to Zoro, who had slumped into one of the booths.
Zeff hid a smile as he watched Sanji disappear up the staircase and decided to ignore the pile of splintered wood. He’d have the new waiter clean it up when he got in.
Zoro had been slightly disappointed when he had realized Sanji wouldn’t be the one making his breakfast.
I haven’t had his cooking since the night Ace got back.
He tried to assure himself that it was the food he had missed the past couple weeks. Definitely not the long-legged closet-humanitarian himself.
What the hell. Why would I ever…
He was going to blame this on Ace and the way he constantly found a way to bring the blonde up in every damn conversation. As though he wanted to be sure that Zoro was very much aware of Sanji’s absence.
He settled into the booth. Now that he was no longer moving around, he was beginning to register just how cold it was.
Patty still hadn’t brought out Zoro’s food by the time Sanji came down the stairs, arms laden with a bundle of blankets, towels, and clothes. He knew he was overdoing it. Zoro had never been one to take the time to savor his food and Sanji suspected that he’d be out of the restaurant within minutes of being served.
He dropped the bundle next to Zoro and slid into the empty side of the booth.
“Stop dripping all over our shit.” Zoro looked at the pile next to him. “What’re you even doing wandering around soaking wet this early in the morning? I thought the movie you were working on was set in Alabasta? Not very many diving scenes, I’d assume.”
Zoro grabbed a towel before pulling an oversized hoodie and a pair of sweats from the pile. “They’re filming other scenes for now. I was helping Franky with a repair and I forgot to get my clothes from Brook’s ship before they went out for a test run.” He reached back and tugged on the zipper of his wetsuit.
Sanji tried not to stare as Zoro peeled off the top of the suit, exposing well-toned muscles and a scar mottled chest. He still couldn’t fathom how the man could work-out as much as he did and not look like a monstrous body builder.
And he should be grateful he doesn’t. Having overbuilt mountains of muscle would make him a helluva lot less attractive.
His thoughts snapped back to the night of the musical.
And why it hadn’t gotten any better after the bathroom encounter.
Nami’s Question.
Robin’s Input.
Sanji scrambled to stand up, muttering something about coffee, before rushing into the kitchen. He took a few deep breaths once the doors swung shut and let the comforting scents of cooking breakfast distract him. He closed his eyes, leaning against a counter.
They had been eating dinner when Nami had said, very nonchalantly, “Sanji, I’ve been meaning to ask, have you ever slept with a guy?”
He had spluttered incoherently for a while before finally choking out a very solid “Ofcourse not!”
“That’s too bad,” Nami had looked disappointed, “I heard that guy-on-guy sex is better than het sex and I was hoping you’d be able to confirm it.”
Then Robin had spoken up. She had said “Apparently, prostate stimulation results in stronger orgasms. You really shouldn’t limit yourself, Sanji. Though I do understand if you’ve never been tempted. A weaker man would never be able to handle your confidence and stubborn nature. You’d have to find someone with equal or greater strength, which, in itself, would be a bit of a challenge for you. If you ever get the chance, you really should take it.”
Then they had continued to eat. They ignored the look of complete shock on Sanji’s face.
No one had said it.
It had been deafening how loudly Nami and Robin were Not Saying It.
But it was there. Hanging in the air.
Zoro.
He had filed for a leave of absence the next day.
“If you’re not going to do shit around here then get the fuck out!” Sanji opened his eyes just in time to see Zeff’s wooden leg connect with his face.
“Dammit you fucking old geezer! You’re the one who told me to stay away from the stoves!”
“You’re damn right you’re staying away from my stoves. You’re not a chef here anymore, so get your ass out there and bring our customer his food.” Sanji lifted himself off the floor, grumbling, and grabbed the tray of food.
Zoro was still the only person in the dining area. He was fully clothed (Thank God) and snoozing under the pile of blankets.
He set the food down and nudged the sleeping mass. “Food, you Neanderthal.”
Zoro cracked an eye open and yawned a “thanks” before shoveling the food into his mouth. Sanji settled back into his original seat. He had no reason to be flustered. The girls could make all the suggestions they wanted. Sanji would always be an admirer of the softer sex. Never the hard ridges and rough skin of the man sitting in front of him.
Sanji crushed a cigarette into his mouth.
“So. What’re you doing here? December is full of all kinds of fancy parties for you to fuss over.” Zoro was still confused as to why the blonde had jumped up and ran off, but he had returned with food and Zoro was warm and content and decided he really didn’t care enough to ask.
Sanji took a sip of the coffee he had remembered to grab for himself before answering.
Because Nami and Robin never eat at the Baratie. “I just wanted a change of scene.” The front door opened and a small group of chattering tourists walked in, cameras in hand. “That’s right. You mentioned something about Brook. Tall, skinny, takes people out to go whale watching?”
“Yeah. Franky and Robin introduce you guys too?”
“No, we get a lot of families and tourists like them,” he pointed to the energetic group, “in here the mornings he has a group scheduled to go out. Brook’s pretty much a regular here.”
“He’s quite the character.”
Sanji looked out the window at the dark water. “Do you know his story?”
Zoro pushed his empty plate aside. “I think I remember something about how he used to do research on whale response to human music? But then during one of their research trips the rest of his team died in an accident. Something like that?”
“Something like that.” Sanji downed the rest of his coffee. “A sperm whale ended up in this bay once, attracted by the music his research team had been broadcasting. It had been the only time they’d ever gotten such a strong reaction from a whale, so they tried to track it. Granted, Brook’s a lot older than he looks so satellite tagging wasn’t around yet and it was during one of their attempts to find that particular whale that he lost his team. He also lost funding for the study so he turned to whale watching tours as an excuse to go out whenever he could and keep looking.”[2]
“Now that’s dedication.” Zoro supposed waking up early to work on The Rumbar wasn’t the worst way to start off his vacation after all.
“Are you heading back to Vivi’s?”
Zoro looked at a clock hanging on the far wall. He had already been at the Baratie for an hour. “No, she’s been asked to do a cameo for the movie so she’ll be on set with Robin. I think I’ll be heading over to the dojo, do some training and see if sensei needs any help with classes for the day.”
Sanji looked around the room. A few more people had entered the restaurant. “Well then, Brook and Franky were just going out for a test run right? They should be back by now so you can grab your stuff. I’ll meet you out front when you’re done.”
“What?” Zoro’s eyes had barely left Sanji’s face since he had finished eating, but the blue eyes hadn’t looked at him once.
“I’m going with you. A dojo would be a better change of scene than this dump of a restaurant.” Sanji got up and held his hand out, waiting for Zoro to hand him the blankets.
In truth, being at the Baratie was all too comfortable for him. It was easy. It was familiar. It was also taking a step back to his safety blanket.
It wasn’t at all what he needed.
And, what, following Zoro to his dojo is a step forward? Sanji decided he really needed to stop thinking about things. To stop thinking about Zoro’s relentless staring.
After putting away the blankets and having a farewell shouting match with Patty, Sanji made his way outside and found Zoro sitting on the dock outside.
Zoro looked up. Sanji was carrying bags of containers filled with food. “You’re going to make my students fat.”
“I never hear you complaining when it’s your beer belly I’m feeding.”
“You really shouldn’t be worrying about me when your gut’s the one getting flabby from all that standing around in a kitchen.”
The fact that Sanji was carrying food was the only thing that had kept the two moving towards the dojo instead of stopping and fighting right in the middle of the street.
Zoro slid the main door open and they could hear the sound of people moving about in one of the rooms further back. Sanji admired the traditional Japanese architecture and décor as he followed Zoro down one of the halls. Zoro opened the door to a group of adults packing up. A few teenagers in kendo uniforms were sitting against the wall. Sanji looked at his watch. It was eight o’clock. Must be the transition between classes.
“Ah, Koshiro-sensei.” Sanji stood to the side as Zoro went to greet a smiling man that stood out amidst the students. He set the food on the floor and looked at the students still in the room. He knew he looked horribly out of place in his suit, but it was his uniform even in the ring. Though he did feel slightly bare without his shoes.
“Zoro says you’re his sparring partner?” Sanji found himself looking into kind eyes smiling behind round glasses.
“Mmm you could say that.” He noticed the man in question was no longer in the room.
“He went to change into his kendogi.” At Sanji’s blank stare he added “Think… a kimono specifically used for training in Japanese sword-fighting. Would it be terribly rude of me to ask if I could watch the two of you spar? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Zoro so satisfied with his opponent. We have extra kendogi if you’d like to change as well?”
Sanji grinned. Hell yeah I want to fight. “I’d hate to embarrass one of your instructors in front of his students.”
“There you go again, mouthing off without anything to back it up, Sanji.” He gave him a hard look.
Keep it clean.
Trash talking was something the dojo made a point to discourage.
Sanji caught the look. “I guess I’ll have to present evidence, Zoro.” He stripped off his blazer and loosened his tie enough to slip it over his head. Gently setting them both next to the pile of food.
Zoro’s eyes lingered as Sanji finished unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves before continuing to undo the top few buttons of his dress shirt. The guy really doesn’t get out in the sun much.
Sanji was looking directly at Zoro this time. Watching the way the rest of Zoro’s face looked as his eyes took in Sanji. Wondering if the eyes were looking for weaknesses. Or if they were simply…looking. “What are those? You don’t really think I’m going to stand for you fighting me with fake swords, right?”
There wasn’t much for Sanji to look at with Zoro in his kendogi. Especially not compared to the eyeful he had gotten at the Baratie. But he had noticed the wooden swords Zoro was carrying.
“I’ll fight with my bokken while you fight without your shoes.” They faced each other in the middle of the room.
“Um, excuse me, sensei. Why would fighting with shoes be significant? And where is your opponent’s bokken?” One of the kendogi clad teenagers had spoken up.
Zoro didn’t answer. Instead he looked straight at Sanji and placed one of the three swords between his teeth. The move had surprised Sanji the first time Zoro had done it, but any mocking he had prepared had been immediately silenced the second their fight had begun.
Zoro could feel his blood pumping. It had been weeks since they had last fought.
I’ve missed his cooking and now the bickering? He had no idea when the blonde had become such an established part of his life, but sometime in the handful of months since meeting each other, it had happened.
They both moved at the same time. Zoro had lunged forward while Sanji flipped onto his hands, legs spinning.
Zoro had always admired Sanji’s agility. The absolute balance, speed, and precision. He rolled to avoid a kick aimed at his head. He wondered if there was some sort of training the blonde had gone through to gain the ability to spin that fast, upside-down, without getting dizzy. The guy has his eyes open, right? Otherwise he’d never be able to land his kicks.
He watched as the lithe body flipped back onto bare feet.
Sanji came to the conclusion that one of the biggest disadvantages of his fighting style was the range of movement it required, specifically how very little time he spent facing his opponent. He was constantly twisting his body around in order to gain enough momentum for his kicks and more often than not he would become well acquainted with his competitor’s shoes rather than their face. Sanji had seen Zoro’s fights with Pell and Chakka, but I wonder what it looks like when we fight.
There were a few more kicks.
A few more blocks.
A few more missed swings
They heard Koshiro clear his throat. “As technically impressive as this match is, it’s never going to end if you’re both on the defense. Someone’s going to have to do more than a counterattack.”
Black eyes met blue at the words. The two had been too busy trying to watch each other to really focus on fighting.
Sanji knew that Zoro was stronger than him by far. But he held the advantage in speed. Their strengths and weaknesses complimented each other perfectly.
” You really shouldn’t limit yourself, Sanji…
You’d have to find someone with equal or greater strength...
If you ever get the chance, you really should take it.”
He’d really need to work on that whole ‘thinking’ thing. As much as he adored Nami and Robin, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever be able to not blame them for this.
Sanji watched a drop of sweat roll down Zoro’s neck.
Fuck it.
Zoro saw the change in the set of Sanji’s jaw. The sudden determination.
They pounced at the same time. Zoro’s bokken connected on the first swing as Sanji took the hit and used the opening to hook his leg around Zoro’s knee, bringing the both of them down onto the hard mat.
Zoro lifted himself off of Sanji, ready to ask what the hell he had been trying to do. Until the blonde leaned up and whispered,
“Wanna fuck, marimo?”
Zoro froze. He stared down at the eyes bright with confidence. He was still struggling to make it past ‘marimo’ and how good it had sounded coming from Sanji. The back of his mind registered the fact that it was supposed to be an insult, but hearing his native tongue coming from the lips of the blonde below him, even if it was just one word, drowned out any protests.
And really. That was all the deliberation he needed.
He stood up and dusted himself off, clearing his throat. “I think it’s about time we let the next class get started.”
Sanji followed suit, grabbing the blazer and tie he had set aside.
“So you won’t be staying, Zoro? Your friend is welcome to stay as well.” Koshiro made no comment on the abrupt end to the match.
Zoro shook his head. “The chef reminded me that we already made plans for lunch. I’ll be sure to stop by the next time I have a chance.” He slipped away and quickly changed back into his clothes.
When he came back out Sanji had handed the food over to Koshiro and was standing at the dojo’s entrance, completely relaxed.
Zoro wanted to say something. Wanted to confirm that Sanji understood what the hell he had said. But somehow, he knew that the absence of words and the heavy silence it brought with it were confirmation enough.
Sanji headed towards the bus stop, his ears ringing with the sound of Zoro’s footsteps behind him.
What the hell did I just do.
Footnotes:
[1] This here is what they’re using: http://www.thephoenician.net/boat-lift.htm
[2] Mostly we get humpback whales and the occasional blue whale in the SF bay. Sperm whales are also a lot harder to spot because they have longer and deeper dives. (Thank You, seminar I took during my first year and thought I’d never have a use for!)
Chapter 08