Chapter Text
Zoro looked in awe at the stadium in front of him.
The famous “Thousand Sunny” - Not only the name of an athletic club known for its coach, but also the stadium itself. And, starting from today, his new home. A sigh escaped him as he put his hand on the door handle and pushed the gate, stepping in. The smell of tartan tickled his nose.
Roronoa Zoro . Nineteen years old, a transfer to the Grand Line Academy, born in East prefecture. Favourite event - 1500m. No medals on the national arena, one junior prefecture champion title. Now transferred to train in the famous athletics club. Other interests - the art of swordsmanship, working-out, sleeping.
At first sight, the Thousand Sunny didn’t look any different from the tracks Zoro had run on - except that every second track was yellow instead of the classic reddish hue. There was something else he could feel about it, though.
The tartan itself as well as the building next to it had to be old, yet nothing gave it away. Someone had to pour their heart and soul into restoring the object to make it look like new despite the flow of time. It’s not like Zoro paid much attention to such things, but it was a nice touch nonetheless.
“Hey, I know you!” A voice called him and the teen turned his head in its direction. A thin silhouette rushed towards him, a wide grin plastered to its face, eyes shining. “You’re Zoro, aren’t you?”
He definitely knew that guy. His event was long jump, and one thing Zoro knew - the kid was insanely good at it. Luffy . Monkey D. Luffy. They surely had met a couple of times in the past, probably on various athletic meetings, but the teen couldn’t quite recall them ever having a proper conversation.
“Hey, Luffy.” He greeted the raven-haired boy. “I had no clue you were training here.”
Which was absolutely true - Zoro’s sense of direction went on par with his memory to the whole who-trained-in-which-club thing (even though he’d rather pierce one of his swords through his own chest than admit it). As long as someone was good, it didn’t really matter where they were from.
“Oh, is that so? You should pay more attention!” Luffy chuckled. Like he was the one to talk . “So, what brings you to Thousand Sunny?”
“I transferred to Grand Line this summer.” Zoro said, noticing a spark lightening up in the boy’s eyes. “And decided to sign up here.”
“For real?!” Luffy’s jaw dropped, and before Zoro knew it, he was being dragged through the stadium. “That’s so cool! You have to tell the others, I bet they’ll be surprised to see you here!”
Zoro cocked an eyebrow, unsure how exactly he should understand those words. Meaning, why the hell was Luffy talking like everyone here knew him . Of course, some more interested in the athletics’ arena could’ve heard of him, he too knew a handful of names, but connecting them with actual faces was a whole different story.
“Hey, everyone!” Luffy shouted, waving his hand. “We’ve got a new crewmate!”
Zoro’s eyes went straight to the group of people standing near the finish line. He even recognised some of them. There was a long-nosed guy - whose name Zoro didn’t really remember but he knew the event was 800m - and a huge person standing next to him - Franky, Zoro remembered him from the javelin throw.
A niche event, but definitely not to be underestimated.
“That’s Usopp and Franky.” Luffy explained, noticing where Zoro was looking. “Next to them is Nami, she’s a coach assistant and knows everything about money!” He chuckled.
“Uh-huh.” Zoro nodded bluntly, his attention already having left Luffy’s words behind. Next to the group, there was an insanely tall, bony man.
Zoro knew straight away - it was coach Brook. One of the prefecture’s living legends. The man known for raising many champions, not only on prefecture’s but also national level. The type of person one felt respect for the moment they passed them by.
The teen simply stared at the man in awe, seeing whole decades of coaching and raising young athletes run through the bony silhouette as the man leaned over a tall, blonde-haired teen - long and slim as a shadow, with perfectly blue eyes shining.
“Sanji.” The name left Zoro’s mouth before he knew it. There was no mistaking it. The talented steeplechaser he had the chance to see in action a couple of times. And the absolutely most elegant running style he’d ever seen.
“Oh, you know him!” Luffy exclaimed, not even asking. “Yeah, that’s him. And Brook, our coach, is standing right next to him. Man, they’re both so cool !”
Zoro almost chuckled at the raven-haired boy’s display of enthusiasm. Did he ever think about how cool he was? There were no real competitors for Luffy when it came to long jump, wherever he showed up, he crushed his opponents. Zoro would never have expected for the guy to be such a cheerful person.
“Okay, everyone!” Luffy announced once again, waving his hands to gather everyone’s attention. “Look who I’ve found! He says he’ll be joining our club!”
“For real?” The long-nosed… Usopp asked. “You’re Zoro, right? I’ve seen you run in the prefecture’s junior championships this spring!”
“Yeah, I was there.” Zoro nodded slightly, not knowing what to say.
Even he had the right to feel a little intimidated in a group of people who seemed, for some reason, to know precisely who he was.
“I’m Usopp.” The guy shook Zoro’s hand, a little hesitantly. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
“Right, I remember you, too!” Exclaimed the giant. “You were superrr cool back then, bro! I’m Franky by the way.” Zoro was a little surprised by the strength of that guy’s handshake. Right, javelin throw.
“I’m Nami.” Said the red-haired girl, walking closer to Zoro and crossing her arms slightly. “Nice to meet you.”
“Zoro.” He replied, nodding at her subtly. At first sight, he didn’t really like the girl.
There wasn’t really a reason why that came up to his mind. She seemed confident and maybe a little skeptical of him… oh . He’d already known a woman - girl , just like Nami. No wonder he didn’t like being reminded. Kuina.
“Hey, you brute!” He heard a voice behind his back and turned to see the person talking to him. “That’s no way to greet a lady, you know?”
Zoro frowned slightly, looking at the blonde walking towards him, with a slight frown and a challenging gaze piercing right through his forehead. The teen quickly ran through his memory in search of what he knew about the guy.
Sanji. Nineteen years old, a student of Grand Line Academy, living in East prefecture. Favorite event - 2000m steeplechase. Additional info - legs so long it should be illegal, an annoying, curly brow. A couple prefecture’s junior golds in steeplechase, so probably a cocky bastard. Also, running so flawlessly Zoro couldn’t tear his eyes from him as he did.
“Nami, dear, are you all right?” Sanji asked, frowning subtly and passing Zoro as though he was thin air. “Did that guy do anything to you?”
“I’m fine, Sanji.” The redhead replied, a note of annoyance ringing in her voice. “He just introduced himself. You should also greet him, you know?”
“Of course, right after making sure you’re alright… hey, you!” Zoro’s brow twitched as he turned away to face the guy. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sanji.”
“Zoro.” He replied shortly, nodding at the man with slightly raised eyebrows. He could’ve sworn he’d heard a foreign accent slip through that guy’s lips as he said the words out loud.
“Now, I’m pretty sure you’re all fascinated about Mister Roronoa…” Zoro didn’t have to turn to know that the coach was standing right behind him. “...but I’m afraid I’ll have to borrow him for a moment, yohoho.”
Yohoho. The sound echoed in his head, and it took him several seconds to realise the guy was actually laughing. What the hell was wrong with those people? What was he thinking when transferring here in the first place?
“Nice to meet you, coach.” He said, turning around and facing Brook.
The man was old, but when they were so close, he seemed even taller than from distance, and Zoro wondered if the man ate anything at all. Even though it was said that every great person had their quirk, a brief thought that the coach had just a few too many crossed the teen’s mind.
“Yohoho, the pleasure’s all mine!” Brook chuckled, looking up at Luffy and the others. “I’m taking Mister Roronoa to the office. You all know what to do, right? Now, if you please.” He nodded slightly at Zoro, turning away and leading him inside the building.
“Do I really have to read all of this?” Zoro sighed, looking at the sheets of paper laid in front of him.
“It’s crucial for you to know the club’s statute before joining it.” The raven-haired woman, who Brok reffered to as Miss Nico , smiled slightly as their eyes met. “It would be highly irresponsible of both of us if you signed it without knowing its content.”
Another weird woman . Zoro could feel her eyes on him as he skimmed through the first page, an unexplainable feeling of uneasiness rising inside him. It felt more as though he was being interrogated rather than asked to sign some necessary paperwork.
“Alright, alright.” He said, turning the page over. “Can we just assume you’re not going to take a loan on my name and get this over with?”
The only thing that answered him was a slight chuckle.
“Zoro, you’re back!” He heard Luffy’s enthusiastic voice as soon as he left the building.
“Yeah… more or less.” The swordsman shook his head slightly, trying to shake off the strange vibe he felt after meeting that woman. There was something about her… he couldn’t quite place it. Like an unnamed threat, the warning that he really shouldn’t cross her.
“So you’ve met Robin?” The raven-haired boy grinned. “She’s super cool, right?”
“I guess…” Zoro raised his eyebrows. Ah, miss Nico. For a moment, he tried to connect the woman’s face with the phrase super cool . He wondered what on earth made Luffy classify things.
“Everyone left after finishing their practices, but Sanji and I decided to stay a little longer and do some stretching.” Explained Luffy. “We figured it would be nice not to leave you alone.”
“Thanks.” Muttered Zoro, nodding slightly, his eyes wandering to the blonde, with a towel thrown over his shoulder and a water bottle in one hand, walking closer to them.
“Done already?” Sanji asked, taking a sip and nodding at Luffy. “Any plans for now?”
“Well, Usopp’s throwing a party at his place in the afternoon.” The raven-haired said, looking up and crossing his arms. “But for now, I don’t think I’ve got anything to do.”
“And you?” Zoro almost flinched, realising the blonde was talking to him. “Oh, right, before you answer - is your hair dyed or it does it naturally come in such a dumb color?”
It wasn’t the question itself that made him take a moment before answering. It was the straightforwardness and bluntness in the blonde’s voice. Usually, people gave him short looks and whispered to one another when they saw his unusual, green hair. That guy though, he didn’t even try to dance around the issue.
“I’m free for the rest of the day.” Zoro replied eventually, smirking viciously. “And what about your eyebrow? Do you style it or does it naturally come in such a dumb shape?”
“Now, now!” Luffy interrupted them, chuckling when the blonde’s eyes widened subtly. “You guys are really funny together! How about we show Zoro around Thousand Sunny, Sanji?”
“Sure.” The blonde shot Zoro a challenging look. “It would be a pity if he showed up on next practice not knowing how to find the track, wouldn’t it?”
Zoro’s brow twitched at the mocking comment, an annoyed smile spreading on his face. The blonde surely knew how to bite. And how to be annoying. A true master of his craft, which apparently was pissing the other teen off.
“Well, then, lead the way.” He said, raising his chin and pointing his head at Sanji. “Ladies first.”
“You know, Luffy? I think the guy doesn’t really need our help.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, he’s got it covered.” Sanji smirked, passing by Zoro and stopping a few steps further. “I’m just kidding. Come on, mosshead .”
Zoro wasn’t even sure why he was there in the first place.
He was a total stranger to those people. Well, maybe excluding Luffy, because the raven-haired boy already treated him like a childhood friend, but Zoro quickly figured it was more or less how he treated everyone.
Yet, there he was - at a house party, surrounded by people he only met earlier today, treating him like they’ve known each other for a long time, or simply not giving a damn about the fact that he was a total stranger to them.
Well, it was all Luffy’s fault. The raven-haired boy simply showed up at Zoro’s door a few hours after walking him home, together with Sanji, and basically dragged him all the way to Usopp’s house.
And, what was probably even more concerning, no one besides Zoro himself found it at least a little strange.
Technically, it wasn’t like he felt uncomfortable around those people. Quite the opposite, to be honest - in none of the clubs he’d ever trained in had he felt such an atmosphere. It didn’t feel like they were athletes competing with one another - more like a huge bunch of friends simply hanging around and having fun.
Still, he knew nothing about them, safe for some useless athletic facts like who-trained-what.
“Hey, Zoro!” He felt a hand on his shoulder, fighting his instincts from kendo practices to grab it and throw the person standing behind him over his shoulder. “Don’t be so stiff! We didn’t quite plan that, but it’s your welcome party!”
“Yeah, thanks Usopp.” He replied, taking the plastic cup the long-nose handed him and taking a sip out of it.
Cheap booze, he figured. No wonder, a student’s life rarely allowed people to get more sophisticated stuff, but Zoro didn’t mind it at all. He enjoyed the feeling of warmth running through his veins when he chugged down a cup or two. In extreme cases, a bottle or two.
“Hey, look! Sanji’s finally here!” He heard Luffy shout and turned his head in the direction of the door, his eyes resting on the blonde.
It was the first time Zoro had seen the guy in anything other than running clothes.
Truth be known, in the colorful, weirdly-patterned short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts he was wearing, the blonde looked intriguing . There was something quirky about him that Zoro just failed to place. Like, Sanji already looked nice in his sports uniform, with long and muscled legs, but the weird shirt really brought up something the teen hadn’t noticed earlier. The blonde’s eyes.
“Late as always, bro!” Franky shouted, chuckling and patting the blonde on the shoulder with a smirk. “Now we can get the party started for real!”
“Right!” Luffy threw his fists in the air. “Usopp, bring a bottle! We’re playing truth or dare!”
What? Zoro raised his eyebrows, taking another sip from his cup, practically emptying it. Truth or dare was a game that kids played during school trips or sleepovers, he hadn’t even heard the name in years.
“Sanji, you’ve got the booze?” He noticed Nami walk closer to the blonde with a smug smile on her face.
“Of course, Nami, dear.” He said with a smile, showing her a paper bag he was holding and putting it on the table.
The girl grinned widely, taking out two bottles and looking at them closely. Zoro narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t more cheap booze, as he expected. That was some strong liquor. Definitely not the type common people could afford. How the hell did the cook get that?
“Alright, alright!” Announced Usopp, a plastic bottle in his hand. “Sit in a circle, people, we’re getting started! Everyone, empty your cups!”
“Come on, Zoro!” He felt Luffy tug at his sleeve, and hesitantly sat between him and Usopp, still not completely sure if they were really doing this.
“As I said, your welcoming party wasn’t really a part of today’s plan…” Said the long-nose in an apologetic tone. “And we do this every time someone joins us, you know, it’s kind of a tradition, so I asked Sanji to get some better stuff, but he was kind of busy with work today, so…”
“It’s okay, you really shouldn’t have.” Zoro assured him, slightly surprised by the sudden confession. He had a lot of questions, though. Why the hell would Sanji spend his money on that liquor, and how the hell did he get money for it. Was his work so well-paid?
“Okay, Usopp, give the bottle to Zoro.” Said Nami. “The first spin goes to him!”
Zoro reluctantly took the bottle from the long-nose and spun it, watching it slowly stop right at goddamn Sanji. Perfect, he thought ironically. Not only did he have no idea what to ask people he’d known only for a couple of hours, lady luck had to give him the blonde, too.
“So, Sanji…” Nami said with a soft voice. “Truth or dare?”
“...Truth.” Said the blonde, shooting Zoro a challenging look.
“Huh.” The teen smirked, raising an eyebrow. “So, I asked you earlier, but is your eyebrow naturally so curly?”
“It is.” Sanji answered, seemingly with a neutral face, but Zoro noticed a shade of a smile running through his face as he took the bottle.
“Alright, Zoro!” Usopp said, handing him a cup, assumingly full of the liquor Sanji brought. “Now, take it and drink!”
“What?” Zoro asked, quite surprised by Usopp’s sudden action.
“You spun the bottle, so now you have to drink.” Explained Nami, narrowing her eyes slightly and smiling slyly. “The last person standing wins.”
“Oh, is that so?” He raised his eyebrows, unable to hold back a grin and chugging down half the cup he was given. “I like it. Bring it on!”
“...And that’s the story of how I, the Great Captain Usopp, conquered the East prefecture… and… I don’t feel too good…” The long-nose wobbled, his eyes half closed as he reached for the bottle, missing it and falling to the ground.
“I guess the game’s over.” Zoro heard Sanji sigh after a moment, as the blonde stood up, heading towards Nami and picking her up carefully.
“I thought we were playing until one person was left.” He retorted, crossing his arms.
“And you won, congratulations.” Said the dartbrow, carrying the unconscious girl and gently placing her on the couch, brushing a strand of hair covering his eyes. “It almost looked like you chugged down a whole bottle on your own.”
“As opposed to you.” Zoro frowned slightly. “I barely saw you take a sip.”
“I don’t enjoy drinking strong liquor.” Sanji shrugged, picking up a blanket and covering Nami with it. “This place needs cleaning up. Are you going to sit there or actually be of some help?”
Zoro reluctantly stood up, feeling a pleasant buzzing sound in his ears. He never really got drunk, even after strong alcohol, maybe safe for a few times in the past. It always made him feel a little bad to look at other people blacking out and feeling like a corpse the following day.
“Okay, so what do we start with?” He asked, stretching out and looking around.
“You pick up the cups.” Said Sanji, heading towards the windows and opening one. Fresh, chilly air slowly filled the room, making Zoro’s mind a lot clearer as he disposed of the plastic littering the floor.
“All right, you can close them.” He said once they disposed of all the empty vessels. “You know it’s technically fall now? Nights get cold in the latter half of September.”
“At least it’s possible to breathe.” The blonde took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll do it in a moment, but first we have to at least find a pillow for each of those dumbasses.”“What, you’re not going to carry them to a couch?” Zoro smirked, cocking an eyebrow.
“No problem, if you take care of Franky.” The blonde sent him a challenging look.
“You know what?” The other teen hummed slightly, as though considering the proposition. “Just close the goddamn windows. I’ll find the pillows.”
The cold air tickled Zoro in the ears when he stepped outside of Usopp’s place. He took out his phone and checked the time. The sun was going to go up soon. Good thing it was the beginning of the weekend, he couldn’t imagine Luffy and the others attending lectures in the morning.
“All right, we’re done.” Sanji let out a sigh, closing the door. “You’ll find your way back to your place or do you want me to walk you home?”
“I’m fine.” Zoro replied, walking past the gate, when realisation hit him.
He had no goddamn idea how to get home.
Earlier that day, it was Luffy who guided him all the way through the maze of the streets, but now when there was no Luffy around, and it was pitch black, Zoro didn’t recognise a goddamn thing. Not that Sanji needed to know how bad he was at finding his way.
Fucking great.
“You’re sure?” He didn’t have to turn around to know the blonde cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t look so confident.”
“I can’t remember asking for your opinion.” Zoro snapped back, turning on his phone and looking for maps. Shit. The battery wasn’t going to last long enough. He was officially fucked.
“Well, it won’t hurt to help you find your way home.” Sanji sighed, walking past him and turning on his phone. “My shift starts later on Saturdays, so it’s fine.”
“Your shift?” Zoro raised an eyebrow. “You’re working on Saturdays, after a party?”
“Yeah.” The blonde put the phone in his pocket, instead reaching for a cigarette and lighting it up. “More or less.”
“And you smoke?”
“I’m starting to get the impression that it’s an interrogation rather than a walk home.” Sanji frowned slightly, taking a drag and blowing out smoke. “Yes, I smoke. Now, do you want to spend the rest of the night standing here like a pillar of salt or go home?”
“So, is your hair naturally green?”
“Excuse me?” Zoro cocked an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden question.
“I asked, is your hair naturally green.” Sanji repeated with an annoyed tone. “is it really such a rare question for you?”
“Of course not.” Yes. Zoro crossed his arms, shooting the blonde a curious look. “And in case you wondered, it is natural.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t wonder about it.” Retorted the blonde, blowing out a cloud of smoke. “But I didn’t want to ask you in front of the others in case you weren’t comfortable with it."
“If I weren’t comfortable with my hair, I’d dye it.” Zoro mimicked the man’s tone, surprised when Sanji smirked. “My turn. Are you and Nami together?”
“What?” For a moment, the blonde’s eyes widened and a curly eyebrow went up. “No. How did you even get the idea?”
“Let me think…” Zoro put a finger to his temple. “...maybe because you’re acting like an overprotective boyfriend?”
“I don’t…” Sanji’s mouth fell agape in shock for a moment before he shot Zoro an icy stare. “Two things, mosshead. First, Nami and I are not a couple. Second, I’m not being overprotective. The sooner you get it, the better for your green ass.”
Zoro fought the urge to step back, completely surprised by the blonde’s sudden change of attitude. It was a sore spot, he could feel it. Although, in an unexpected place. He remained silent for a moment, not really knowing what to say.
“I’m sorry…” He started, but he was interrupted.
“No, it’s my fault.” Sanji sighed, taking the last drag of his cigarette before dumping it into a trash can. “Don’t mind it. Why did you transfer here? Because pf Brook?”
“Yeah.” Zoro nodded. “He’s a living legend. People in my town say you’re guaranteed to be a champion if you train with him.”
“People in your town are dumb.” The blond stated simply. “If it was as simple as having a good coach, everyone could be a champion.”
“You think it’s not for everyone?” Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Try to recall the spring prefecture championships.” Sanji sighed. “Your run. You were unstoppable, none of the guys who ran with you stood a chance.” It wasn’t exactly like that, but Zoro didn’t really want to correct the blond in that matter. “You think they didn’t try their best?”
“Of course they did.” He shrugged. “But that day, I was better.”
“I know you didn’t really pay attention to them.” The blonde shook his head. “If you did, you’d know the second guy was almost half a lap behind you. It’s not a question of the day . I also know why you didn’t care about them.”
“And that is?” Zoro asked, raising his chin up.
“It’s because you only wanted to beat Dracule’s national record.” Sanji stated, and Zoro’s eyes widened slightly. “It was obvious. From the start, you weren’t heading for the gold. You were only there for the record.”
“Your point being?” Zoro raised his eyebrows, his heart skipping a beat.
It wasn’t really common for people to guess so easily how empty the medal felt for him. Naturally, a gold was still a gold, but the teen couldn’t really say he was satisfied with it. The dartbrow was the second person after Koshiro who’s ever confronted him about it. Even though they’ve only technically known one another for a couple of hours.
“You think Dracule was so good only because he had a good coach?” The blonde asked. “Think about it. No one, no one from that club had ever been this big. They didn’t even have another champion. You think it was only his coach’s credit?”
“No…” Zoro said slowly. “But if Brook was his coach, he could be a worldwide competitor.”
It was the first time he heard Sanji laugh. It wasn’t a laughter of mockery he imagined, but a genuine expression of happiness. And for some reason - call it Zoro’s drunk ass - he really liked that sound.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” The blonde said, still smiling widely. “Too bad Brook wasn’t so famous back then.”
The rest of the walk was all a blur to Zoro. Maybe because they didn’t really talk much. He didn’t find the silence awkward at all, though. He never did. And Sanji didn’t seem like wanting to speak up, either.
Something else he did … well, he had to be really fucking drunk, because the longer he stared at the blonde, the more he came to the conclusion he didn’t just look intriguing. In that colorful, patterned shirt, with slightly flushed cheeks and shining eyes, the blonde looked absolutely gorgeous .
Zoro fought the urge to punch himself into the gut for even putting the words Sanji and gorgeous together. He shouldn’t have drunk so much. Definitely.
“Hey, we’re here.” He spoke up eventually, noticing the dorm building was already close to them.
As they stepped in front of the door, he fought the strong urge to yawn, turning his eyes to the sky. The horizon was already changing hue to a bluish shade of black, and he felt soaked with the cold hanging in the air.
“I know.” Sanji said, hiding his hands in the pockets of his pants and whistling quietly. “In case you haven’t noticed, I was the one who actually got us here.”
“Sure.” Zoro snorted, rolling his eyes. “So, good luck with your shift I guess?”
“Thanks.” Sanji nodded and threw his hands in the air, stretching out. “I’d better go. It’s damn late.”
Zoro couldn’t help but let his eyes trail over the cook’s body, and slide to his back when the blonde’s shirt went up. Then he noticed something. A scar.
Long and nasty-looking, on the cook’s lower back. He only had a brief moment to take a look at it before Sanji let his hands fall by his sides, covering it with the tails of his shirt. A loud sigh escaped the blonde as he turned his eyes back to Zoro.
“Well then, mosshead.” He said, turning his head and locking their eyes together. “See you later.”
“Yeah.” The teen nodded bluntly.
He watched Sanji walk away slowly, questions ringing in his head. Why did he react so coldly when asked about Nami? What happened to him to get that scar? What was it about the blonde that made him pay so much attention to the guy anyway?
He knew. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew well that now that they’ve met in person he was head over heels for the blonde. Especially now, after he’d seen Sanji take care of everyone after the party, when he walked him home, when he was so close…
Fuck. He needed a workout to clear his head. His wolf had been cut loose and he wasn’t thinking clearly. It sometimes happened after having too much alcohol, but he couldn’t forget about the fact that he was there. Brook was now his coach. And he had to spend every moment of his training focusing on beating Mihawk.
Definitely not drinking so much and listening to his mind whispering how goddamn gorgeous the blonde was.