i just wanted to draw them being cool and maybe kind of in love idk
thank you for reading!! I love these two characters so much and they are so much fun to draw.
big big shoutout and thank you to @kestrelgreys for not only helping me with the dialogue but also giving me a much better idea for the ending. collabing with you is a DREAAAM!
I'm thinking about Verso's perfection mechanics in terms of playing piano, when you stumble on a key once and the whole piece seems ruined. You try to proceed as if nothing happened, but the brain is stuck on the earworm-like dissonance. So you start over, and over, and over again until the perfect version covers the echoes of the ruined one in your head
about two weeks ago I was struck with an unbearable desire to rewatch ladybug which I did and then cooked the silliest crossover
teachers by day, saving Lumiere by night, Gustave is too shy to be slaying in red latex so he wears a coat also. the teenage drama level is unmatched. also there was an episode where cat noir annihilated the whole city
OK, but really, I'm genuinely so sad this fandom doesn't talk enough about Vinsmoke Reiju. She's legitimately one of my absolute favorite characters in the entire story and a lot of people don't see how absolutely tragic she is.
Just. She had to stay behind. She had to stay behind so Sanji can be free, she could never join him. She can only live her dreams of escaping her horrible, horrible family vicariously through him, the only person left in that household she loved. And she had to let him go. Because if she left, an army would follow behind her to get her back; she's a "success" after all. And also because she had already deemed herself a monster. After Sora died, Sanji was all Reiju had left. And then she was alone. Stuck with them for 13 years. Stuck with the wolves. The only way to survive being to mould herself after them.
From the beginning, it was never slip up, never make a mistake, always be perfect or you're next. Pretend to laugh at the misery of the only person in your family you haven't lost hope in, knowing that he might hate you forever after this, feeling like a coward. But you're a child. A mere child, a little 10-year-old girl, and you're scared. And she already saw herself as unworthy of that freedom at that age. She's not like Sanji, she was born to play the role of a monster. Even with her intact emotions, she's still trained soldier. She has the symbol of Germa tattooed on her, how could she ever escape it? She has blood on her hands; not because of her own choices, but because of the commands she's physically incapable of disobeying. She looks at him and tells him he looks so much like their mother, but she denies to accept that so does she.
She's the firstborn, dad's perfect little girl, his first success, his obedient property. The man who she grew to hate so much, when she found out he was going to be assassinated, she didn't warn him, because she hoped it would actually happen. Even if it meant throwing her own life away as well. When she saw him beg for his life she just, rightfully, felt no guilt or remorse. Just anger and satisfaction, even as she herself was about to die, something that seemed she wanted happen. But when he got attacked later on, she showed concern, because unlike Sanji, to her he still is, dad. He's dad, who held you and called you his wonderful child. He's dad, who raised you and showed pride in you. He's dad, who potentially put some sort of authority chip in your brain and forced you to stain your hands in blood. He's the man who killed your mother. She hates him. She wants him dead. She can't stop seeing him as family, and shows concern when he's hurt. It's more complex than how her brother sees him, and it's visceral and real and upsetting.
She had to stay behind. And after all of that, she had to relive the goodbye to the only person left in her family whom she ever loved. God. I hope she gets to see Sanji again. I hope she escapes. I hope one day she finally gets to taste his cooking. She never got the chance to do that, didn't she?
AU where Sanji can’t go to college because his dad is way too rich for him to qualify for FAFSA, but Sanji’s estranged so he can’t go to him for financial assistance.
He wanted food science. Still does, someday. But in the meantime he works at Zeff’s restaurant.
He meets Luffy because Luffy and Ace are notorious dine n’ dashers, and the Baratie is about the only place that doesn’t ban them, because Zeff’s secretly got too soft a heart, and because Luffy and Ace at least TRY to work their bills off, although they never last long.
Ace and Luffy drag him back to “their place”, which is a four person dorm room that’s technically home to Chopper, Usopp, Franky and Zoro.
At six, it’s a squeeze. And it stinks. Sanji complains the whole time he’s there, forces them to open a window for godssake.
But he comes back every time they invite him. He brings food.
He’d bring food anyway, but he noticed that Zoro’s clearly an athlete and he’s surviving on JUNK. Slim Jim’s and microwaved eggs and unseasoned chicken. Sanji’s disgusted, and he voices that disgust loudly.
He and Zoro get into arguments about it, but Zoro doesn’t complain when Sanji brings meals.
Sanji’s also really satisfied when he sees Zoro eat everything without even attempting to turn it down with a “you shouldn’t have” or “I’ll leave some for someone else”.
He eats everything Sanji gives him, without comment, and Sanji gets a thrill from that. A bit because he can recognize someone else who also must have gone through food insecurity.
Ace and Luffy also clearly have, but their trauma manifests in stealing right off his plate.
Which Sanji allows, of course. He’s a pushover.
When the group of six come to the Baratie, plus two new people (Nami and Robin), Zeff initially turns them away because “I can’t afford for eight people to skip out on their bills you lunatics”.
Nami pays for them in advance.
Sanji hears her telling Zoro she’s adding it to his bill.
The few high school friends Sanji had disappeared off to college at the start of the semester, so he’s happy that he seems to be adopted into this group, right up until he comes to serve their table and hears Nami call the “meeting” to order.
Sanji looks over her shoulder as he’s pouring waters and sees spread out call logs and texts and letters. Threats. Nami’s words go in one ear and out the other but Sanji hears the key; Vinsmoke. They come from Vinsmoke.
They’re all getting them, he realises. His hands shake as he listens. They’re being targeted, threatened. They don’t know why.
HE knows why.
How long has his dad known where he is? What he does, who he sees?
He backs up. Gripping the jug in a vice grip. Runs for the kitchen.
He tells Patty to cover him because an emergency has come up, and he runs out the back.
Runs for a long time.
Just runs.
He stops responding to Ace and Luffy’s attempts to contact him. He can’t talk to them. He’s going to cause them trouble— HAS caused them trouble. They’re his friends. They didn’t know what they were signing up for.
He calls off as many shifts as he can while still making rent
(which honestly isn’t a lot) and if Ace and Luffy show up he demands to be on dish duty.
Zeff sees this, but he doesn’t say anything. Sanji’s grateful. And ashamed.
He’d liked having friends. Liked that terribly crowded stinky dorm room.
It’s almost two months of hiding, although the texts from Ace and (especially) Luffy don’t stop coming.
And then, one day, he gets a pounding on his door.
Pulling it open, expecting a pissed of neighbor maybe, he finds—
“Zoro?”
Zoro looks at him flatly. “Come on,” he says.
“Uh,” says Sanji. “No?”
Zoro grabs his wrist (when was the last time someone touched Sanji?) and veritably drags him out the door.
“Shit, Mosshead, stop!”
“No,” says Zoro. “We’re tired of you hiding.”
“I’m not HIDING,” Sanji hisses, at least pulling the door closed behind him
“Yes you are,” Zoro says. “You think I don’t know hiding?”
Sanji would be surprised if Zoro knew hiding. The man is nothing but bold. “How did you know where I live?”
Zoro, dragging him down the stairs, says “Your old man told me.”
“WHO?”
“That cook. The grouch.”
“ZEFF?”
“Stop shouting, dumbass.”
Sanji fishmouths. “I can’t believe he told you,” he says eventually.
“He’s not an idiot,” Zoro says. “He knew you were hiding for dumb reasons.”
Sanji was hiding for legitimate reasons. He doesn’t say that.
Zoro drags him all the way out of the building and to an idling old van with painted windows. Oh, is he going to MURDER Sanji?
He pulls open a back door and throws Sanji in.
Sanji kicks him as he goes. Zoro curses at him.
There are no seats in the back of the van.
There’s a lot of pillows. It smells like the dorm. There’s also several six sets of eyes staring down at him from where everyone else is apparently just chilling in the back of the van.
“Uh,” Sanji says, from the floor. “Hey, guys?”
Zoro jumps in and pulls the door closed.
The van is thrown into reverse and everyone curses at Ace.
“Hey,” says Luffy. “You’re back!”
“That was the plan,” Nami says.
“Took you long enough,” Usopp says. He’s looking at Zoro though, not Sanji.
“Couldn’t find his floor,” Zoro grunts.
Sanji lives on the second floor.
“Uh,” says Sanji, still lying down. Shifting with the turns of the van. “Am I being kidnapped?”
“That would piss off your dad, wouldn’t it?” Nami muses. “Especially if someone files a missing persons report and he gets dragged in.”
Sanji gulps. They know he’s a Vinsmoke, then.
“I still say we just fight him,” Luffy says.
“We’re not fighting an ADULT,” Usopp shrieks.
“Usopp, buddy, we’re adults,” Ace says.
“Except chopper! Chopper put your seatbelt on!”
“It’s on!”
Sanji’s spiralling. They know who his dad is. Do they want to blackmail Judge? Or—
“So we’re planning a party tonight and we want you to cook for us,” Luffy says.
Sanji splutters. “Wh—“
“Yes, we were planning on driving to the store first before going back to the dorm,” Robin says.
“Here.” Zoro throws a dirty piece of printer paper and a pen at him. “List.”
“You want me to… make a list.”
Zoro settles back against the van wall, unfazed by the sharp turn. “Yeah.”
“You guys want me to… cook for you.”
“Duh,” says Luffy.
“You don’t… care that my dad was sending you death threats? Or have you just not gotten to that part in this discussion?”
Luffy laughs. Bright. Free. “Yeah that was annoying,” he says. “But my guy Jinbei’s on it! He used to work security.”
“Uh… huh.” Sanji feels sceptical. It feels too easy.
“Come on, cook,” Zoro says. “I don’t want to have to talk to your old man again. He’s mean.”
Sanji’s never had anyone refer to Zeff as his old man. He doesn’t want to object, though. “Is this not just… too much work? For just me?”
“Oh, Franky says he can help with dinner if that’s what you’re worried about,” Luffy says.
“SUPERRRRR.”
“No,” Sanji shakes his head. “I mean like. I’m not worth all this trouble. You guys were getting threats just for KNOWING me. My dad’s…”
“Just some bastard you happen to share blood with,” Zoro says, arms crossed. “Who gives a fuck? Chopper’s dad is a reindeer.”
“He WORKS WITH REINDEER!” Chopper squeaks.
“Luffy’s grandpa has tried to get us arrested, like, ten times,” Usopp says. “It’s all good.”
“Uh,” says Sanji. That doesn’t sound good.
“Don’t worry, we can outrun him,” Luffy says sagely.
“Plus he’s a bitch,” Ace yells from the front.
Sanji looks at the dirty piece of paper in his hands. There’s a boot print on it. He starts writing a list. “Fine,” he says. “But only because I don’t think you guys would leave me alone even if I tried.”
“Obviously not,” Luffy says. “Zoro’s been moping for weeks.”
Sanji’s head snaps up to meet Zoro’s.
Zoro shrugs. “I don’t like having to count macros,” he says.
“Right,” Sanji agrees easily. “Makes sense.”
He takes note that Zoro’s the one who talked to Zeff. Zoro’s the one who dragged him out. Zoro’s the one who eats everything Sanji gives him like it’s a gift from the gods.
When they arrive at the store, haphazardly parked in the loading dock, Sanji follows Zoro out.
He grabs onto Zoro’s sleeve. “You’re pushing the cart for me.”
“Whatever,” Zoro scoffs.
He does, though.
And he sits on the kitchen floor while Sanji prepares the food for this so called party.
The party is the same group that’s always there in the dorm. Sanji finds out, when he’s done cooking, that they’re celebrating his return.
He cries in their bathroom, briefly.
Then he sits next to Zoro and watches everyone make fools out of themselves as they fill him in on everything he’s missed.
It’s good.
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