Night Two: The Cake and Storm

Marin and Sanji hovered over the kitchen stove peering into the black abyss through the small tinted window. They saw their creation slowly start to take form. It rose from the circular pan. "Cake seems done." Sanji judged from the window and turned off the stove. He slipped on two oven mitts. The oven mitts were white with pink tulips printed over them and a pin on flower at the base of the opening. Sanji opened the oven slowly to let some of the steam and heat release into the kitchen slowly. A few minutes passed and the oven started to put out smaller and smaller amounts of heat so Sanji opened the oven door all the way and grabbed the cake pan then sat it on the kitchen counter top. On the counter sat a yellow cake waiting to cool. "Just wait, the boys will love this. I can tell it's going to be exactly how I wanted it to be. Sweet, fluffy, and melt in your mouth delicious!" he gave a manly squeal to show his excitement.

Sanji was all giggles when it came to cooking, especially sweets. Marin couldn't help but forget about the incoming storm even more when she seen how happy Sanji was. "Okay well while we're waiting for the cake to cool I will take Dad's oven mitts back and get the chocolate icing." Sanji held up his arms like he was getting ready to be arrested in order to let Marin grab the oven mitts. Marin laughed while grabbing the mitts and putting them on the hangers by the refrigerator. "Wait…Mar…those are your dads!" he yelped. Marin nodded happily. "I got them for his birthday!" Sanji lost feelings in his knees. "Oh, good I thought he personally bought them, what a relief!" Marin let out a loud laugh and held her stomach. "Oh please! Dad would never buy those!" "Well that's good to know…wanna go join the boys while we wait for the cake to cool?" he asked knowing he'd get a 'sure' or 'yes'. "Sounds like a plan." She smiled and walked into the living room. Marin held the swinging kitchen door open for Sanji.

"Shouldn't that be the other way around? I mean, you're the pretty lady here." He joked. Marin gave a sarcastic 'hah hah hah' then walked to the staircase. "Very funny Sanji it almost sounds like you're hitting on me." Sanji put his arms behind his head and walked up the stairs with Marin. "Well Mar you are pretty, and besides we all know I'm with Zoro and that I am still a ladies man despite being with him." "Cocky are we?" she asked then turned to the next set of stairs before meeting the hallway that led to Ace's room. "Nah, just facts my dear." The blonde replied. Marin gave a 'humph' and then made it to Ace's door. It was shut and for some reason Marin thought it would never open even if someone did knock. Sanji took it upon himself to knock. "Hey hey hey, it's us." He told the two through the door. Ace swung open the door and stood in front of Marin. Marin suddenly remembered a flashback from the kiss they shared earlier. A blush raced across her face. "Can we come in Ace?" she asked while trying to hide her face. Ace propped himself up on the side on the opening. "Hm…guess so." Sanji then made his way to Zoro. "Having fun?" he asked the other. Zoro just gave a "Nngh" which to Sanji, and any other person that knew him well, meant yeah.

Ace raised a brow at Marin. "You gonna come in?" Marin had spaced out in the flashback and the blush became even more noticeable. "Yeah sorry!" she replied as she walked in. Marin took a seat beside Sanji and Ace sat beside Zoro. "Playing Doom?" Marin asked. Suddenly a huge boom of thunder came from the outside and caused the house to shake. Marin jumped and let out a shriek like the girls in the horror movies. She grabbed a pillow and put it over her head. Sanji patted her head. "It's ok, it's gone." He knew that wouldn't persuade Marin so easily but he was hoping it would help. "Hey, didn't you two say you were going to be making some food or something?' Zoro asked as he was shooting numerous demons on the game. Sanji nodded. "Yep! Right now we're waiting for the cake to cool. Maybe I should go check on it?" Marin shook her head 'no'. "Sanji we just got up here no way it'd be finished cooling now! It's only been five minutes!" She tugged on the right side of his coat tail trying to get him to stay. Sanji was well aware how frightened Marin was and he was also her best friend so he didn't want to leave her alone.

Zoro shot a few more demons and let out a "Hell yeah!" He stood up and punched toward the small 20 inch tv Ace had sitting on his dresser. Ace laughed at the enthusiasm he showed at just beating a level on Doom. The kitchen clocked chimed throughout the house like before. "What time is it?" Sanji asked. Ace pressed the center button on his controller to bring up the menu and time. It was now nine. "Holy crap. Nine at night already!" Sanji looked at Zoro then to Ace and Marin. "Can we just crash here tonight?" "Absolutely." Marin poked her head out from under the pillow. "Let's go check on the cake now." Sanji grabbed Marins' hand and took her back down to the kitchen and left the two men. Marin looked in the bottom cabinet by the fridge to get out the icing. She handed it to Sanji quickly. Another boom of thunder came through and shook the house even more this time. Sanji brushed it off but Marin let out an even louder shriek than before. Sanji hurried to finish icing the cake so he could get Marin back upstairs with Zoro and Ace so she'd have some physical comfort he would be the mental and emotional.

Again, another boom of thunder rolled in and shook the house but this time lightning came alongside it and caused a power outage. Marin started to jump up and down and scream constantly as everything went dark around her. You could hear a "No damnit!" from the second floor and a bang on the floor. Sanji laughed because he knew that was Zoros doing. "Marin come here." Sanji felt around in the darkness. Marin felt around for Sanji but they both had no luck. Then a flash of lightning helped the two out and let them to one another. "Sanji I'm scared." Sanji tried to hide his snickers. "As if I didn't know already." Then the two heard bumps come from the second floor. Ace and Zoro were coming downstairs with lit candles Ace found in the storm storage closet. Whitebeard only kept one because of his little Mari. Ace opened the kitchen door and shown the flame to Sanji and Marin. Zoro handed Sanji one of the two candles he held.

"Don't worry I'll go flip the breaker and see if it was just a surge or something." Ace spoke softly and took his flame to the back of the kitchen where the washroom and breaker was located. He flipped the main switch then flicked it back and the lights flickered on. He went back to the group. "The storm is going to be starting soon so we might want to go ahead and get upstairs or something. So we'll all be together and know where everyone is." Sanji said to the group. The three silently agreed. Sanji quickly finished icing the cake, grabbed silverware and four plates. "We can eat this tonight." Zoro put his free hand in his pockets and was the first to leave, Ace after Zoro, then Marin and last Sanji. "We can all go in my room until you guys get tired." Marin whispered. Zoro then took the first door on the left and entered Marin's room. The rest shuffled in after Zoro and made themselves comfy on her bed. Zoro and Ace sat the candles on the dresser by her bed. Sanji began cutting the cake in small portions to allow everyone to have three slices apiece. Zoro snatched a plate and shoved it in his boyfriends face before he could even finish sectioning off the cake. "Now." He hissed. Zoro insulted Sanji's cooking constantly but if it was anything he loved that Sanji cooked it was sweets. Zoro didn't have a sweet tooth at all but for some reason Sanji's muffins, cakes, éclairs, cookies and brownies sent his taste buds soaring.

Sanji put one of Zoro's three pieces on the plate and gave him a fork. Zoro showed no emotion or excitement he just began eating the fluffy chocolate topped cake. Sanji put himself a piece out on a plate. "You guys want any?" he asked. Ace shook his head no and Marin did the same. "Guys its great come on!" Sanji pleaded. Ace chuckled. "Funny you haven't even taken a bite yet how do you know it's good?" Sanji took a bite. "Well for one, it is and for two Zoro would have made some smart remark if it was nasty." Sanji glanced over at his boyfriend and raised one of his curly brows. "Right?" "Nngh" Zoro hissed as he took his last bite of his cake. About twenty minutes pass since the power surge, the storm was taking it's time in getting started. Zoro blinked his heavy eyes. "I'm tired." He sat up from the bed and stood. "Where do I sleep tonight?" he asked. "You and Sanji can sleep in my dads' room, he won't ever know and even if he does it's my idea so you'll be fine." Ace was shocked at Marin's recommendation.

"Are you sure about that?" Ace asked nervously. "Yeah, Daddy won't mind." Zoro yawned, stretched and grabbed Sanji's hand. "Go. No. I'm tired." Sanji understood and held the warm hand back leaving Ace and Marin alone. Another ten minutes pass. "Want cake?" Ace looked over and gave a slight smile to Marin. Marin swallowed the saliva that was built up in her mouth from the smile Ace gave her. She thought it was the cutest thing she had seen since the Chopperman TV show. "Yes please." She waited quietly for Ace to put her piece on a plate. She reached for the plate and fork. She dug into the cake as Ace got his plate ready. It was like Sanji described it earlier, melt in your mouth fluffy goodness. Ace felt the same once he took a bite. As the two finished their cake the room fell silent.

Ace took the time to think about what Zoro told him earlier. "If I tell her how I feel, how will Pops feel? How will she even feel…I assume good since she kissed back earlier but still women are complicated. Will I get rejected or denied. It'll be nice but weird to date her. What if we break up? Could be go back to the way things were? No…if we date, Things will never be the same. Never. This is good…but also bad…so do I tell her?" he paused to collect his current thoughts then continued to himself. "Alright…no more fooling around Ace. You can't do this, you can't tell her no matter what…but you should. No you shouldn't. No…I should. But, fine! I made my choice." The silence was broken. The storm had finally decided to start. Rain crashed down onto the roof, you could hear hail balls bouncing off the shingles and see them pile up on the ground. Marin pulled down her blinds and pulled her curtains to deny the weather. Thunder crackled, lightning lit up the sky. Marin knew this was going to be bad and Ace knew it too.

"Boom flash boom flash" Marin said, imitating the on and off thunder and lightning. "This will never stop!" she covered her ears to possibly drown the noise. There was no saving her though, the storm raged on outside getting louder. The thunder and lightning picked up, becoming more frequent. "The powers going to go out." Ace warned Marin. Marin denied Ace's truth too. She bit her lip and closed her eyes to visually evade everything. The truth came soon after Ace warned Marin. There was one last monster crash of lightning and there went the power. The room was only lit by the two small flames that emitted from the candles Ace and Zoro had brought up. Marin began huffing and puffing. She was taking in small fast breathes like she was having an asthma attack. Ace scratched his neck, like Zoro, he wasn't one to comfort or help people out but he knew Marin was hurting.

For the past seven months he witnessed first hand how terrified Marin would get if no one cuddled her or stroked her head and told her 'Everything will be alright'. Ace took a hard gulp and slid over to Marin. He slowly wrapped his arms around her. Ace felt Marin's warmth on his body as he embraced her. "E-everything will be alright." He whispered hoping that this would soothe some pain. Marin clung to Ace's shirt. Ace then patted her head like he had seen Whitebeard do so many times before. "It'll be ok Marin." Marin sniffled and dug her face into Ace's chest. They sat in that same position before Marin looked at Ace. The flames illuminated Ace's whole body and hers. "Ace." She whispered softly to herself. "Yes?" he asked, still holding Marin close to his body.

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Well well well. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far, things seem to be progressing at a nice pace IMO. I'm glad I have free time in my first and second hours otherwise I would not have updated so quickly. Nevertheless enjoy another chapter of Things Will Never Be the same and stay tuned for chapter 7: Night Two: The Warm Embrace. I hope that you, the readers, will take some time to review, it doesn't take much just whether or not you like it or what's some things you'd change. Anyway, again I'll talk to you guys next time. Enjoy the Cake and Storm~.