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Jamie sighed as she shoved her phone back into her pocket, she'd thought she'd be able to call a taxi back from Ace's with the weather turning grimmer by the moment, but with the dead device out of juice completely that wasn't happening so she'd just have to hope she made it home before the storm really hit,
"I'll just have to run" she said to herself, "I'll make it"
Roronoa Zoro wasn't expecting guests, he never expected them to be fair but his friends didn't exactly have boundaries so even without expecting anyone he often times found his small apartment overrun but with the rain lashing against the windows and lightning splitting the sky he really, really didn't expect anyone. Which is why the knock on his door and a very wet Jamie Ayers standing in the doorway startled him more than any clap of thunder,
"Jamie?"
"Sorry, I got caught in the rain. Can I call a taxi from your phone? Mine's dead" she offered by way of explanation.
Zoro looked at her standing there shivering on the spot with her hair dripping water onto the floor and stood aside,
"Come in, I'll get you a towel and you can dry off"
"Thanks" she smiled at him and Zoro's heart gave a little leap, he wasn't sure if the purple haired girl knew about his feelings for her or if it would matter since she was already seeing Ace and they always seemed so happy together but it didn't stop his body reacting this way especially when she stripped off the heavy sodden denim jacket she was wearing and the damp flannel underneath so she was just in a small white crop top which clung to her wet skin.
"I thought I'd be able to make it home before the rain but I can't run that fast" Jamie said as Zoro handed her a towel and she began to wring out her hair, "I'll not drip all over your apartment for long I promise"
"You can stay as long as you need to. I doubt you'll get a taxi anyway" Zoro shrugged trying to seem nonchalant, "it's pretty bad out"
Jamie smiled broadly at him and Zoro did his best not to react, he was just being a good friend that was all. Nothing more to it, no need for her to suspect he had any ulterior motives not did he particularly have to explain to anyone why Ace was laughing at him in the event that the older man found out about anything.
"I should have just stayed home, but you know when you just have to do something and see someone and you can't put it off?" Jamie asked flipping her hair forwards to tie it in a loose bun to keep it off her head, "it's like that"
Zoro simply nodded, no doubt Jamie was on her way home from Ace's and stopped off at a good friend's place thinking he wouldn't mind her presence,
"Sure" Zoro swallowed the lump in his throat, "you and ace are pretty close after all"
"Mm not anymore, we broke up" Jamie said absently digging through the pockets of her jacket for something, "that's why I was out, wanted to do it face to face you know?"
Zoro couldn't believe what he was hearing, they'd broken up? Did that mean he had a chance? He chastised himself for thinking that way, Jamie had just told him she and Ace had ended and he was already trying to muscle in on her not moments later with no regard for her feelings. Although he did have to admit that Jamie seemed pretty blasé about the whole thing,
"Sorry to hear that" Zoro finally said, only to be confused when Jamie let out a little laugh,
"Nah you don't have to be, we're fine with things ending like this. Honestly Ace is great but we just reached the end and I'm happy that we can still be friends, not that Luffy is gonna notice any difference mind you. I'm still convinced he didn't know Ace and I were dating"
"You're probably right" Zoro said returning the smile she sent his way, "he probably thought you guys were just really close friends"
"Yeah, close" Jamie sniggered, "I remember he asked Ace once what we were doing in the room when the room was closed and honestly, I couldn't tell if he's being a little shit or honestly asking"
"I'm sure the look on Ace's face was priceless"
"He looked like he was going to have an aneurysm it was hilarious" Jamie laughed finally finding what she was looking for in her pockets and pinning up the stray hairs that had escaped her bun, "that's better, sorry for dripping all over your floor by the way"
"It's just water it's fine" Zoro flashed a grin at her, "you hungry or anything? The cook left a ton of stuff in the fridge I can heat up"
"Oh my god yes I'm starving!" Jamie's statement was punctuated with a rumble of her stomach, "obviously"
Zoro laughed and skirted past Jamie taking the towel from her hands as he did so. It was soaked through after just being used to dry her hair off,
"There's all kinds of shit in the fridge, just grab whatever" he told her with a beckoning jerk of his head in her direction.
Jamie picked a Tupperware container and handed it to Zoro who told her to wait on the couch while he heated the stuff up. Jamie was more than happy to do so and dropped down onto the couch tucking her legs up behind her. It was so comfortable here, so warm and the rain was making a comforting sound on the windows, Jamie felt as though she could just sleep here and now.
When Zoro returned after plating the food from the fridge he found Jamie sound asleep on his couch,
"Hey" he tried to raise his voice loud enough to wake her but she didn't stir. Zoro sighed and put the food down again, it would keep and he could always re heat it later. Looking at Jamie's peaceful sleeping face he didn't have the heart to wake her but he wasn't about to let her spend the night on the couch or however long she slept so instead he put his arms under her sleeping body and hoisted her into his chest with minimal effort, "guess all that working out is good for something" he muttered to himself before carrying the sleeping Jamie into his own bedroom and setting her down on the bed.
Looking down at her Zoro wondered for a second if he shouldn't wake her long enough to take the wet jeans off since there's no way they can be comfortable to sleep in, deciding against it he took some pyjamas from a drawer and left them where Jamie could see them if/when she woke up.
With that he left the room closing the door softly behind him and set to work clearing up and getting the couch ready for him to sleep on. When he finally turned all the lights off Zoro couldn't help but have his gaze turned to the bedroom door where he knew the girl he had feelings for was sleeping before chastising himself again, "she just broke up with her boyfriend, what makes you think she wants to be in another relationship? Or with you?" he thought before turning resolutely and trying to sleep.
"Oi marimo open the damn door!" Sanji's voice called from the other side of the door making Zoro groan, he forgot the blonde was coming by today. He pushed himself up off the couch and staggered to the door pulling it open and scowling at the cook on the other side,
"Fuck off" Zoro growled at him, he wasn't in the mood for Sanji today.
"Good morning to you too you overgrown plant" Sanji said pushing past Zoro into the apartment and the kitchen, "this place is a mess, what happened? Did a tornado hit?" Sanji asked looking at the scattered blankets on the floor, "or did you lose your way to the bedroom and decided to make camp for the night?"
"No one asked for your opinion shit cook" Zoro grumbled picking the sheets up and piling them on top of the couch, "why are you even here if you're just going to complain?"
"Someone has to feed you, I'm sure you get along just fine with photosynthesis or whatever it is you do but I won't have anyone starving on my watch that's why"
"I've got loads of food, you don't need to be here" Zoro said his eyes flicking to the bedroom door, he didn't want Sanji knowing that Jamie spent the night since the other man would no doubt have plenty to say on the matter,
"You're acting stupider than usual" Sanji said narrowing his eyes at Zoro, "what's going on?"
"If anything was going on it wouldn't be any of your business anyway" Zoro bit back.
The two argued at increasing volumes until finally the sound of his bedroom door opening alerted Zoro to what was going on,
"What's happening?" she asked sleepily, rubbing an eye and trying to adjust to the light in the living room, "it's loud"
"Nothing's happening Jamie" Sanji said immediately changing his attitude at the sight of a woman, "why don't you come and sit down and I'll make you some tea"
"Kay" she staggered towards the couch and flopped down on it while Sanji turned to Zoro with a murderous stare,
"Why is Jamie in your apartment, coming out of your bedroom wearing nothing but a t-shirt?" he hissed brandishing a spatula as a weapon, "explain, now!"
Zoro blinked and swatted the spatula out of his face. He'd been so preoccupied with Sanji realising Jamie was here that he hadn't noticed she was just wearing one of his t-shirts and nothing else,
"She was on her way home last night and got caught in the storm. I said she could hang out until it stopped but then she fell asleep so she slept here"
"Why was she in your bedroom!" Sanji demanded again, "if you've taken advantage of her you piece of shit kendo freak, I swear to god!"
"She and Ace broke up; she was on her way home and I wasn't gonna let her sleep on the couch. Happy now?"
Sanji seemed sated for the time being and went about making breakfast, serving Jamie first and leaving Zoro to get his own plate afterwards. As they chatted and ate breakfast the sun shone in through the windows and Jamie announced that she would need to go home since she had club practise later that afternoon,
"It was really nice seeing you this morning Sanji" she said, "thanks for breakfast"
"Of course! There are still plenty of leftovers if you'd like me to make you something to take to club practise with you" the blonde beamed at the woman who laughed at his enthusiasm,
"That would be great Sanji thanks"
Sanji bustled off into the kitchen and busied himself with making lunch while Jamie turned her attention to Zoro,
"Thanks for letting me stay, I didn't mean to steal your bed" she smiled and Zoro could swear he saw the hint of a blush on her cheeks, "or your shirt"
"Nah you can keep it, you look better in it than me" Zoro said, he was about to say something else when Sanji interrupted asking Jamie if it was true that she and Ace were over,
"Yeah we broke up last night, and then I got soaked and Zoro let me stay the night"
"I'm truly sorry to hear that, I thought you two were perfect together" Sanji said,
"It's ok really, honestly there's someone else and it wasn't fair to stay together when that was the case" Jamie smiled into her tea, "but we're still going to be friends so it's all good"
"Someone else? Who is she? How could Ace have someone else when you were together!" Sanji raged about the hypothetical other woman until Jamie finally stopped him by explaining that it was the other way around and she had her eye on someone else.
Zoro's heart leapt again, was it just a coincidence she'd looked at him when she said that? Once again before he could ask Jamie's meaning Sanji interrupted Zoro by handing the purple haired girl a lunchbox filled to bursting and she excused herself to dress.
Zoro wanted to ask Jamie what she meant when she said that she had her eye on someone else but he knew he wasn't going to have the time now with Sanji around so instead he made up a story about needing to go and speak to Mihawk about the upcoming Kendo competition and offered to walk Jamie home.
When they reached Jamie's apartment Zoro gathered up his nerve and finally asked her what she had meant,
"Wouldn't you like to know" she grinned, "but why don't you come by club practise later and I might tell you"
"You're on"
"It's a date" with that sentence still hanging in the air between them Jamie reached up slightly and placed a kiss against Zoro's cheek before slipping into the apartment and leaving the green haired man shocked and standing in the middle of the path.
Zoro grinned to himself when he finally realised what had just happened. It might be wrong to chase after a girl who'd just broken up with a long-term partner but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Jamie Ayers would be his.