Singing that happy birthday cover started when they were young and they havent stopped since. Ace thinks its beyond cheesy but he lets them have their fun.
specific tropes in romance that always heal something in me that it never broke
like, forehead kisses, soft love confessions, peppering kisses all over the lover's face. promises that are kept, hands those are held with a gentle love, and hugs that engulf the heart too.
or when they rest their head on your chest, or lean on you for support.
"your tears kill me," kinda thing. or when a sunshine character finally cries and bawls their entire life's hurt out into their comfort grumpy character (plus point, if the grump feels guilty thinking if they had done something to trigger this emotional outburst)
communication. no matter hard the topic is, how big your differences are.
listening to the other person yap
admiring their facial features and seeing not just the outer structure but the person that they really are.
them getting angry on ur behalf
cradling each other in hugs basically
feeling emotional walls break when you're with that one person particularly
gentle communication. yearning to do more for your lover (!!!!)
affectionate smiles and eyes crinkling with a smile that's directed specially at you.
finding their laugh contagious.
the feeling of being accepted, despite flaws and all
silent domestic acts like being in the kitchen together, dressing up together, them drying ur hair while u sit between their legs
occasionally stolen kisses
or one deep kiss that just lights your world and fulfills your soul and heart.
sleepily nuzzling into each other!!
reaching for each other despite being asleep, with mumbled endearments and whispers of need!!!
laughter coming easily by their side, like happiness is just another day to day thing (this can also be about self love. when u truly love urself and prioritize your own rights and cherish the fact that you're you. happiness becomes beautiful even in solitude)
São João is one of my favorite festivals, so I decided to do a commemorative #DTIYS UHULL
This girl is Gabriela, my original character and the protagonist of my webcomic "The Daily Adventures of Gabi", available to read for free on Tapas, and on Webtoon Canvas.
LET'S GO
Rules for those who want to participate 👀✨
- AI is not allowed;
- tracing an existing drawing is forbidden;
- draw Gabi in your own style and in your post, use the hashtag #Gabizinhajunina and tag me so I can see it ✨👀
- following me is not obligatory, but I'll be happy if you like my "artistic arts" and want to follow me =)
- deadline 31/07
- you can change the pose and the background, but don't disfigure the character, keep it recognizable
- at the end of the deadline, I'll post all the drawings at the end of the chapters of #TheDailyAdventuresofGabi on Webtoon Canvas, Tapas and Funktoon (an brazilian app to publish webcomics - It's like tapas, basically) (with the proper credits, obviously)
And YES, there will be prizes 🧐✨
1st place: half body illustration with a TCHAN painting;
A/N: The final (very long!) part of this fantastic saga.
Characters: gn reader x Sanji
Cw: none that I can think of :)
Total word count: 7.5k
Part One | Masterlist
Dessert for Two
Life fell into a strange pattern for the next few days. In the morning, you awoke to Sanji getting up, and you would join him while he cooked breakfast. You lounged on the deck with him and Nami in between meals, and always went to the kitchen whenever he went to cook for someone. You occasionally caught a glimpse of Zoro, but he never spoke to you. He didn’t even look your way most days.
You began eating meals with the crew again. You ran around the ship with Luffy, visited Franky and Usopp in their workshops, and swung by the library to grab a new book almost every day. The ship slowly became your home again. The only place you couldn’t bring yourself to go to was the crow’s nest.
At night, you curled into Sanji and fell asleep in his arms. It was a good healing routine. You felt better overall, more like yourself than you had in a long time. But your heart still had a dull ache whenever you looked to the crows nest or caught a glimpse of moss green.
“Nami told me we’re going to land on a Summer Island tomorrow morning,” Sanji said one night. He laid next to you in bed, rubbing his hand up and down your back as you started to drift away into your dreams.
“Really?” you hummed into his chest. It had been hot the past few days, and there had been no islands to land on. It had made for a miserable time at sea, but it seemed there was hope at the end of the tunnel.
“That’s what she said.”
“She better be right,” you mumbled, starting to doze off. “Does that mean a barbeque tomorrow?”
You weren’t sure of his answer. You were asleep before he got the chance to respond.
You woke up early, and the first thing you noticed was the lack of gentle rocking that you were used to. The ship didn’t seem to be moving.
“I think we’re anchored,” Sanji said.
“Already?” You sat up quickly, desperately wanting to be on land again.
You rolled over him and out of bed, taking all the covers with you to force the blonde to get up.
“Hey, bring those back!” He jumped out of bed and chased you around the small room. There weren’t many places to run though, and you squealed with delight as he cornered you and tickled your sides relentlessly.
“I give up!” you giggled, trying to push him away from you. His skin was warm against your touch. You lightened your shoves when you realized you were touching his bare chest, allowing your fingers to linger on him a bit longer than you knew they should.
Your eyes trail down to his chest, then further down to his abs. You resisted the urge to have your fingers follow your gaze, which dipped further down to his belly button, and then to the lining of his shorts, where you could see the top of his happy trail begin.
You’ve been staring at his sculpted body for too long, and both of you know it. Sanji is standing motionless in front of you, but you can feel his eyes watching you. You quickly pull your hand from him and push your thoughts away, a deep blush entering into your cheeks.
You run your hand through your hair and give a slight cough, mortified by your actions. “Sorry,” you mumble, turning away.
“For what?” Sanji asks. You silently thank him for trying to preserve your dignity, but you can hear the fluster in his voice.
“Shall we go see if we’re really at an island?” You ask, trying to change the subject. You grab a tank top and shorts, your bathing suit, and a sun hat before looking back to Sanji. His cheeks are still red from the encounter, which brings a new level of embarrassment to you, but he nods in agreement like nothing happened.
“Let me go change, and then we can go up.”
When you’re alone, it hits you just how perverse your thoughts were a moment ago. You were being more perverted than Sanji, and you had ended up making him nervous. You groan, unsure if you’ll ever recover from this awkwardness. If Nami ever found out that you were the one making the first move on Sanji - you didn’t even want to think about her reaction.
You quickly got dressed, throwing your bathing suit on under your tanktop and shorts, and running a comb through your hair before putting your sun hat atop your head. You opened the door just as Sanji knocked.
His eyes scanned your body, and you felt a tinge of embarrassment and excitement swirl in your abdomen.
“Summer islands suit you,” he grinned, offering out his arm for you to hold.
You roll your eyes and walk past him, grabbing his arm and dragging him along with you out to the deck.
Sanji had been right. You all were anchored, and there was land off the starboard side of the ship. A beautiful lush island sat out before you, with the perfect beach setting.
“San-jiiii!” you squealed, anticipation coursing through your veins as you ran over to the railing to get the full view.
You didn’t see any signs of civilization. It seemed it was a deserted island, just like you and Sanji had talked about.
“What do you need help with?” you asked, bouncing with excitement. You wanted to get to the island as quickly as possible, but you knew Sanji would have to carry a lot of things to prepare food while you were there.
“You don’t have to do anything,” he cooed, patting your head gently. “Just sit there and look cute. I’ll get Luffy and Franky to help me.”
Franky took you, Chopper, Robin, and Nami to shore in the Mini Merry, along with some beach chairs and other little items for you all to play with. You quickly stripped down to your bathing suit and laid out on the sand with the girls and Chopper.
You could hear Usopp and Franky setting up with Sanji, and Luffy screams echoed about some cool beetle he had found off in the jungle.
After a few minutes of laying in the sun, you sat up and looked around the island, trying to find something to help with. You were bored with lying around already. There was so much to do on the island, it felt wasteful just sitting around in the sun.
“Do you guys want to go look for food? I want to do something.”
“I’ll go!” Chopper shouted, sitting up quickly.
“I think I’ll join you too,” Robin nodded. “Sounds like fun.”
Nami was the only one who had a sour expression on her face. “I’ll pass. I’m perfectly happy here.”
The three of you left Nami behind, each grabbing your own basket to collect items on your journey.
“I’m glad you’re coming with us today!” Chopper said, walking beside you happily. “Normally you go off with Zoro!”
Robin glanced over at you, but you just hummed in response to Chopper’s words. “I think we’ll find a lot of fruit,” you say, changing the subject. “You’ll be our good luck charm, Chops.”
“Oh shut up,” Chopper said, his voice rising from embarrassment. “You saying nice things doesn’t mean anything to me.”
You can see that his expression directly discrediting his statement, causing you and Robin to laugh at his silliness.
Chopper did seem to be your good luck charm, because you all filled your baskets to the brim with coconuts, mangos, bananas, and other tropical fruit in no time. You returned to the beach, where Sanji was working on getting the grill started.
Sanji beamed when he saw you emerge from the jungle. “Perfect timing,” he said, looking at your full baskets.
You set your baskets down next to the four that were already next to the grill and wiped the sweat from your brow. “Looks like someone beat us back.”
“Yeah,” Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. “Luffy and Mosshead each collected two baskets already, and they went back to look for more. We’ll need it with Luffy’s appetite.”
You nodded, that familiar dull ache reappearing in your chest at the mention of Zoro. “Do you want us to go get more too?”
Sanji shook his head. “We should be fine, I think. Unless…” his eyes slid over to the bundle of fishing rods next to the beach. Your eyes followed his, finding the rods at the edge of the surf.
“Oh! Yes!” You bounded over to the fishing rods. “Chopper! Robin! Do you want to join?”
They both laughed and walked over to you, each of you grabbing a rod and casting it out to sea. You sat patiently, talking with your friends as you waited for a tug on the rod.
It wasn’t long before you saw the line tighten. You jumped up and started reeling, making sure not to go too fast so the line wouldn’t break. You could tell by the way the pole bent that the fish was a decent size, and you took your time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to yank it in.
When you found the moment, you pulled hard, bringing it onto the sand. The fish was about the size of Chopper, and the reindeer screamed in terror as the fish flopped on the shore.
“Sanji! Luffy! Usopp!” You hollered, keeping the line taut so the fish wouldn't flop back into the sea. “Someone help!”
Usopp appeared next to you, shooting an exploding sleep star at the fish to knock it unconscious. The two of you pulled the fish up further on the beach, and you smiled triumphantly at it.
“You should get a picture standing next to it!” Chopper said enthusiastically. He was hiding behind Robin, watching the fish closely with caution.
“Oh, yes!” you said, running to the Merry. “I’ll be right back!”
You hopped on the Mini Merry and steered towards the Sunny, rushing to get the camera from your room. You had to commemorate such a tremendous catch.
You climbed up onto the deck and dashed to your room, hoping to make the trip a quick one. But you froze when you opened your door and saw moss green hair bent down, the swordsman looking under the bed. Your room had been the one place you had been safe from him this whole time, and now he was here.
Your breath caught in your throat as he turned around to face you. Based on his expression, he wasn’t expecting you to be here either. His eyes were wide, like a deer in the headlights. Though you imagined your face was probably a similar look.
“I was looking for my medicine ball,” he said, quickly jumping to his feet. He was nervous and awkward standing in front of you, which was new for him. “Sorry. I didn’t think you’d be on the ship.”
You stood in front of him for a few moments, afraid of what else he might say to you. But his demeanor was different now than in the aquarium a few days ago.
“It’s in the closet,” you whispered, pointing at the wardrobe on the far side of the room.
“Thanks.” You could hear the kindness in his voice again, and your heart ached. Neither of you moved for the objects you came into the room for, and you thought that you both might be frozen here forever, staring at each other for the rest of eternity.
But Chopper’s scream pierces the air, and a chorus of laughter follows closely behind it. Something about your crew’s voices lets your body release from its position, remembering what you came here for. You walk over to your bedside table and open the drawer, grabbing the camera.
“Did you need help finding it?” You asked Zoro, who’s still standing by your bed.
You’re close to him, closer than you have been in several days. When your eyes meet his, he quickly looks at the ground to avoid your gaze. He stepped away from you, tripping over a set of Sanji’s shoes before he quickly regained his balance, spewing out a string of curses under his breath. You can see anger enter his eyes, and your whole body tenses at the shift in his mood.
“Stupid cook,” he muttered. He kicked the shoes away and stormed out of the room without another look.
You stand there for a moment, unsure how to proceed. The whole interaction with Zoro was strange, and he left without getting what he came for. You’re about to head for the closet to retrieve it yourself when you hear Sanji’s quickened footsteps on the deck. The cook’s frame appears in the doorway, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.
“You okay?” He asked, looking around the room.
“Yeah,” you nod, shaking off the encounter with Zoro. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
His face softens at that, and you both walk out of your room together, abandoning your thoughts of the swordsman. When you made it to the edge of the ship, Sanji picked you up bridal style and hopped over the edge of the ship onto the Merry. You yelped in surprise as the two of you fell over the edge, but your landing was light and comforting.
Sanji drove you back to the island, and took your picture with your impressive catch before dragging the fish over to the grill to begin preparing it.
For lunch, Sanji served up a delicious grilled fruit platter with ceviche, and you thought you could die happy after eating such an exquisite meal.
“Sanji,” you whine, popping another piece of pineapple in your mouth. “I will never get tired of your cooking.”
“You can have it any time you want,” he swoons back. “I’ll cook for you any time, anywhere.”
“How romantic,” Robin comments, and your cheeks flush from her words.
“It’s the same for you, Robin-chan,” Sanji says, but his voice doesn’t hold as much emotion speaking to her.
After lunch, Sanji takes everyones plates to begin cleaning up, and you lay out in the sun to enjoy its warmth.
Only a few minutes pass by when your sunshine is interrupted by a shadow overcast on you, and you open your eyes to find Sanji towering about you. He’s holding swim goggles and snorkels, grinning widely at you.
“Care to join me for a swim?”
You jump up, grabbing a set from him and putting the goggles on your face.
“How do I look?” you giggle, your voice sounding nasally from the plastic around your face.
Sanji beams back at you. “I’m impressed. You look lovely even in swim goggles.”
He scoops you up and carries you into the surf, and you squeal when the icy water makes contact with your skin.
“Let me go!” you cried, squirming out of his grip. “I just need to get it over with.”
He releases you, and the moment your feet find sand, your push off, diving into the cold sea. You can feel adrenaline coursing through your veins, the coldness of the water shocking your nervous system. The overloading of your senses makes you gasp, and you breath in the salty water.
You resurface, coughing and sputtering, trying to bring oxygen back into your lungs. Sanji starts to rush towards you, but you wave him off.
“I’m fine,” you cough. “Where’s the reef?”
“Nami said it should be off to the right,” Sanji said, reaching you. He rested his hand against your bare back, and you felt a jolt of electricity course through you where he made contact. His eyes were full of concern as he watched you, and you smiled meekly at him. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Yes, Sanji dear.” You take a step away from him, trying to remove the electric current he’s sending through your body. “Let’s go.”
The two of you swam away from shore, finding the coral reef after a few minutes of searching. It was only about ten feet to the bottom, but you had to tread the water to look around.
You dove down to get closer to the views, swimming amongst the fish. Sanji raked his fingers along the sand and held up a shell to show you. You took it from him and turned it over in your hands; a beautiful pink conch, about as big as your thumb. You pushed off the soft sand and shot back up to the surface, gasping for air.
“I love this!” you said when Sanji resurfaced next to you.
“I can hold onto it until we get back, if you want. Then it’s all yours.”
You nod and hand the shell back to him, and he slips it into his pocket and rezips the pouch so it won't fall out.
“I saw some oysters at the bottom,” you comment. “Should we get some and take them back to the beach?”
His eyes light up at your offer, and you both dive down to collect a variety of shellfish from the bottom of the sea. When you finally resurface again, you have two handfuls of oysters, mussels, and clams, and you hand them off to the cook.
“My pockets are pretty full now,” he said. “We should head back.”
You’re grateful for his suggestion, because your body is exhausted from all of the swimming and the prolonged times holding your breath. You nod in agreement, too tired to form words. It’s not far back to shore, but you’ll need all of your energy to get there.
“Do you want me to carry you back?”
“No, no,” you breathed heavily. You were tired, but you got yourself into this activity, and you didn’t want to burden him with swimming for two. “I can do it.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” Sanji looked skeptical, but he didn’t press you further.
You started swimming, Sanji staying close beside you while you swam. You could feel your breathing getting heavier, your strokes getting sloppier. You were about to resort to floating on your back when your toes scraped the sand. Relief washed over you, and your muscles gave up.
“Sanji,” you whimpered. You didn’t have to say any more. He appeared in front of you, letting you collapse onto his back. His arms wrapped around your legs, and he lifted you up.
“You did good,” Sanji said to you. You wrapped your arms around his neck, letting him give you a piggyback ride to shore. You relaxed into his back, letting your tired body finally take a rest.
As you all emerged from the surf, your eyes scanned the shore and found moss green. Zoro was sitting next to Nami, watching the shoreline. You could see both their mouths moving, but their words were too soft to reach your ears. Zoro didn’t look angry, which was surprising to you. He had a perplexed expression though, like he was deep in thought.
His eyes met yours, and both of you quickly glanced away, embarrassed to be caught by the other. You kept your eyes closed for the rest of the journey, afraid of seeing what his reaction was when he saw you and Sanji.
Sanji set you down on your beach towel, and you wrapped it around you to dry off. He stood over you, looking down to make sure you were okay. When your breathing finally started to even out, he fished out the conch shell he had in his pocket. He was about to hand it off to you when he paused.
“Do you mind if I hang onto this for a bit? I want to do something to it.”
You smile up at him and nod. His eyes brightened, and he ran off without another word, leaving you alone on the beach. But strangely, you didn’t mind being alone. It was a peaceful afternoon, and you enjoyed the silence in the moment . Your body still felt heavy, so you laid down and watched the clouds pass through the sky, exhausted from the adventure-filled day you had.
You’re not sure when you dozed off, but when your eyes reopened, Sanji was sitting near you, leaning back against a palm tree. He was also sleeping, a tray of seafood delicacies laid out in between you two.
You sat up, which was enough of a disturbance to call Sanji’s eyes to open. He frantically looked around for the tray he had prepared, and relaxed when he found it still completely full.
“Good,” he mumbled. “I was worried that Luffy would eat this while I slept.”
You laughed, eyeing the tray. “It looks amazing. You prepared it perfectly, as always.”
He blushed at your compliment, and pushed the tray towards you slightly. “Go on, try them.”
You picked up an oyster of yourself and passed another to the cook. “Together?” you asked.
You held it up to your mouth, the smell of seawater instantly invading your senses. Your tongue swirled around the oyster shell, and you swallowed the meat in one smooth movement. It was so fresh that it tasted like a kiss directly from the ocean itself. A soft moan involuntarily escaped your lips from how much you enjoyed it.
You set the shell down, looking at Sanji to see how he liked his. But his oyster still remained in his hand. His eyes were on you, and his mouth was slightly agape from watching. His entire face was red, and you thought you could see steam coming off him.
“Are you going to try yours?” you asked, looking at him curiously.
He nodded, mouth still open, and his eyes looked at his own oyster now. You watched as his tongue flicked around the shell, feeling heat flush into your cheeks. His lips wrapped around the meat, sucking it into his mouth in one smooth movement. He bit at the string that anchored the meal into the shell, and pulled the shell away from his face with a satisfied smile.
You now understood why he was staring at you earlier. The movements his mouth had made while eating had been extremely provocative. You could feel desire swirling in your chest while you watched his show, and you had to resist the urge to shove another one towards him.
“Can I have some?” Luffy’s head appeared next to you, causing you to yelp out in surprise.
“Buzz off!” Sanji screamed at his captain, and you smiled. But you were thankful for Luffy’s sudden presence, lightening the tense mood that had just been between you and Sanji.
“Here Luffy.” You handed a few clams to him. “Have a few.”
Luffy threw them into his mouth as if they were popcorn, and Sanji screamed in horror.
“What is wrong with you!?!” Sanji bellowed, causing you to erupt in laughter.
Luffy’s commotion caused a scene, and soon all of the Strawhats had gathered around the seafood tray. You all grazed on the collection you had gathered and made small talk, but anytime your eyes met Sanji’s, they quickly flitted away. You couldn’t stop thinking about his lips. You were curious if they tasted just as salty as the sea.
“Hey you guys?” Franky’s eyes were watching the sea. “Should we be super worried about those ships?”
Your eyes moved to where Franky was looking, and you saw four navy ships approaching. Your eyes widened as you heard a few other Strawhats scream in terror.
“Let’s move!” Luffy yelled, and everyone sprang into action.
Sanji picked you, Nami, and Chopper up, and airwalked you over to the ship. He ran off without another word, but you knew why he had picked you three.
“Nami, tell us what to do.” You looked towards the navigator, awaiting her instructions.
“Chopper, raise the anchor and ready the coup-de-burst. Y/N, change the sails by thirty degrees, but-”
“Don’t lower them yet,” you finished, running for the pulley system at the mast.
Chopper ran below deck to do his work, and you moved the sails to get the best possible wind speed when the crew was ready. The Navy ships had spotted you, and you could see them changing their course slightly to prepare for your all's departure.
You ran downstairs to the loading dock and began to haul up all of the equipment from the beach. The Mini Merry had already gotten the smaller things off, but you could see the crew on their second trip back with more equipment. It would have to make one more trip, there were still a few of Sanji’s things on the beach. It would be a close encounter with the Navy, but you all would be able to escape.
“Okay, let’s go!” Franky said, closing the channel’s door.
“Wait!” you cried. “The grill’s still on the island!”
“It’s not a big deal, we can get another one!” Franky yelled back, jumping off the Mini Merry and unloading it quickly.
“But-”
“It’s okay,” Sanji said, suddenly beside you. He wrapped his arm around you, holding you tight. You could feel his pain in his grip, saddened by the things he had to leave behind.
“No it is not!” you yelled, breaking away from him. You refused to give up that easily. Your hand slammed on the button to reopen the door. “We’re not leaving your stuff behind!”
Sanji gave a pained smile. “It's really not a-”
“Dammit curly, come on.” Zoro hopped in the boat. “It’s not worth it to argue. We’re just wasting time.”
Everyone froze for a moment. You hadn’t realized Zoro was in the room. Sanji looked at you, and it was clear he had also missed the swordsman's presence. But that didn’t matter now. If Zoro was willing to help, you didn’t care.
“Go!” you shouted at Sanji, pointing to the island.
Sanji jumped in the boat at your command, and they took off towards the island. You watched the whole way, both of them sitting as still as statues. It was probably the first time you had seen them together without fighting.
That didn’t last long, though. They got on the beach and you could see them shouting at each other. You couldn’t hear their words, but it looked like they were fighting over how to pack the boat, or if it was worth it to grab the other things scattered across the beach.
You could hear the cannon fire now, and the splashes of cannonballs into the water that narrowly missed your ship. Luffy’s screams of rage echoed throughout the ship as he defended it, bouncing the projectiles off his rubber skin. You had to guess that Robin and Usopp were also up there, using their abilities to keep the Navy at bay.
When Zoro and Sanji were heading back from the island, Franky took off up the stairs. “Holler at me when they’re inside and the door is closed! Not a moment later!” You nodded, your hand hovering over the button.
Zoro and Sanji whipped the Merry back inside the ship and you slammed the button, closing the door behind them.
“Franky! All clear!” You screamed, looking for something to hang onto.
You heard Farnky’s voice from above deck “Coup-de…”
Sanji jumped out of the boat and pinned you against the wall, holding you steady with one arm and grabbing onto a rope above you with the other. You wrapped your arms around him, readying yourself.
“BURSSSTTT!”
You felt the weightlessness of being airborne for a few seconds, and you looked up to Sanji.
“Hanging in there alright?” He asked casually, a grin appearing on his face.
You’re not sure why, but you blushed deeply and buried your face in his chest to hide the fact. You could feel floating turn into falling, and your fingers dug into his back as you braced for impact against the sea.
The crash came, but Sanji held you close and kept his feet planted firmly. When it was all over, you released him from your iron grip, but he kept his arm wrapped around you still. You tried to step away, but you were met with a wooden wall behind you. You tried to side step around him, but his grip held you in place.
You peered up at him curiously, and you were met with his perfectly blue eyes, as clear as the sky. Sanji’s emotions have always been easy to read, but now you saw something mixed in his expression that you hadn’t seen in them before. Something had changed with him, though you weren’t sure what had happened or why it occurred. You couldn’t quite place it, but it made a knot form in your stomach when you looked at him.
“Hungry?” he whispered, his voice low and husky. You could feel something stirring in your chest, and you thought back to oysters you shared on the beach.
Your face reddened. “I’m good right now,” you squeaked. Your voice was at a higher pitch than usual, an obvious sign of your nervousness.
He smirked at you and nodded, finally releasing you from his grip. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “Let me know when you are, okay?”
You stared at him, taking a step away from him and towards the stairs. “Sure,” you whispered. You backed away slowly, not wanting to take your eyes away from his. He held your gaze the entire time you watched him, taking a long inhale of his cigarette as he watched you go. You finally broke your eye contact, turning to run up the stairs.
You didn’t stop running until you had ended up in the library. Robin’s eyes flicked up when she saw you, and her piercing blue gaze reminded you of the man you left downstairs.
“Robin,” you breathed heavily, tired from running. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all,” she smirked from behind her book. “Would you like a book?”
“I can grab one, thanks,” you said, picking a random book off of the shelf and taking a seat.
You opened to the first page, trying to get your mind off of the incident with Sanji downstairs, but you couldn’t get into it. The words on the page were so superficial, but your skin still tingled from Sanji’s touch.
Weird moments like that had been happening more and more frequently between you and him. Times where you could feel his eyes lingering over your body, or moments where you all could focus on was the softness of his skin when it made contact with yours.
You were starting to fall in love with that stupid cook. You were certain of it. These feelings that stirred inside you felt familiar because they were. You had felt them about eight months ago, with Zoro. But this was different. Your love for Zoro had been passion based, always roused up in the heat of the moment.
But with Sanji, it was lighter. Like that feeling of weightlessness you had just experienced. It was soft and warm. It felt weird to think about Sanji in this new light, but you didn’t hate it.
Not that it mattered. It’s not like you could ever tell him about your newly discovered feelings anyway. The last thing you wanted was to scare him away. You would just have to be content with-
“Out.” Robin's voice came sharp, pulling you out of your thoughts.
“What?”
“You’ve been sitting there for over thirty minutes and you haven’t turned a page,” Robin said, her eyes peering at you from over her book. “Your thoughts are distracting me.”
“I’m reading!” You couldn’t even sound genuine in your defense.
“You picked up a Grand Line Encyclopedia.”
You looked down at the book to see she was right. Volume Five, the island archipelago of the Great Kodaks. A place you hadn’t been, and a place you probably would never go. You huffed in defeat, putting the book back where it belonged.
“Can I-”
Robin glared at you, cutting you off mid sentence. “Stop hiding.”
You left the library and walked out onto the deck, a pit starting to form in your stomach.
The sky was filled with color, the sun just starting to slip below the horizon now. You hadn’t realized it was so late in the day. You can feel a familiar sadness start to creep in, the absence of Zoro and the activities you used to do together. But the pain was not as earth shattering as it had been the last time it hit.
You stood at the ship wheel, watching the sunset alone. The last time you watched the sunset this long, you had gone to bed alone for the first time in six months. But that felt like a lifetime ago. Now you had Sanji by your side, and you had almost forgotten all of the pain he had gotten you through in those first few days you had been alone.
After a few minutes, you abandoned your place. The sun had mostly disappeared now, the deep reds and fiery oranges turning muted. You wandered down to the kitchen, hoping to find Sanji there.
You opened the door slightly, peeking in. Sanji was standing at the counter, smoking while reading the newspaper. He glanced up when he heard the door creak, and smiled when he saw you in the doorway.
“Hungry yet?”
You shrugged. “Maybe a little.” You walked over and took a seat on the barstool across from him.
“Good,” he said. “I’m trying out a new dessert. It’s just about ready. Just needs to cook for a bit more.”
You smile and nod. The air between you two is wired, like you’re both waiting for the other person to do something. You drum your fingertips on the countertop, nervous energy spilling out.
“Oh!” Sanji exclaims, and you jump at his voice. He reaches into his pocket, fishing out something, and holds his hand out.
“For you.” He opens his hand to reveal the conch shell he found earlier while you were diving, now attached to a simple black leather cord. It has a clasp on the end, the perfect length for a necklace.
You gasp, reaching out to grab it. “I love you!” you squeal.
Both of you freeze at your words.
“It,” you correct quickly. “I love it.”
You smiled nervously at each other, and he walked around behind you to put it around your neck. He lowers the necklace to your chest, and you brush at the back of your neck, holding away any strands of hair that might get caught.
It’s a simple thing, all of it very domestic and mundane in the grand scheme of your adventures, but you feel very small and vulnerable during the whole thing. Sanji clipped it into place and gently set it down, the metal clasp cold against your neck.
He spins you around to face him again. “Lovely,” he says, looking down at you in the seat.
“Thank you, Sanji.” You wish you could get him to understand just how grateful you are, but you can’t find the words to say it all.
You have the sudden urge to tie up loose ends. You were standing on your own feet now. You were ready to move forward.
“How much longer on the dessert?” you asked. You ran your hands through your hair, trying to shake off your nerves of the past few minutes.
“A few,” he said, looking back at the oven. “Should be ready soon.”
“Good.” You jumped up from your seat. “I’ll be right back.”
You ran out the door without waiting for a response, dashing towards your room. You had one last thing you had to return.
You opened your closet and grabbed the medicine ball. You were fairly certain it was the last thing of Zoro’s that was still in your room. Sanji had done an immaculate job on his cleanup the first night, and the few things he had missed you had thrown in the boys room whenever you saw it. You had found the weight in your closet two days ago, but hadn’t had the willpower to return it yet. But now felt like a good time to get it out. You put it in a bag, and walked out of your room.
Instead of heading to the boy’s cabin, you went out onto the deck, and started climbing the ladder to the crow’s nest. You ignored the few crewmembers who were still on deck, all of them stopping to stare. You couldn’t blame them for being curious.
You opened the hatch, and pulled yourself up into the room. You were sweating - making the climb with a twenty pound weight was no easy feat. But you felt good, regardless of the space you were in. Zoro was outside on the deck swinging weights around, unaware of your entry into his territory. For a moment you considered leaving the bag and running away, but you felt it was better to return it to him personally.
The door creaked when you opened it, and he whipped around to see who had snuck up on him.
“You really should get that door oiled,” you jest. It’s something you’ve said every time you passed through that door. You’re not sure why you feel the need to make an old joke, but thankfully he chuckles at your comment.
“That’s what you always say.” He puts his weights down and walks over to you. “You’re just mad you can’t sneak up on me.”
Your heart aches. It’d be so easy to fall back into this old pattern of playful jabs and snarky remarks with him, but you refrain from doing it further. It’d only be painful for you both.
“I brought your medicine ball back,” you said, handing out the bag to him.
“Oh.” There's a hint of sadness in his voice as he reaches for the bag. “Thanks.”
You nod, and turn to take your leave.
“Wait,” Zoro calls. There’s a slight desperation in his voice that makes you stop.
“Can we talk for a second?” He doesn’t sound angry, which is surprising to you. You turn to look at him, trying to get a better concept of what emotion he’s feeling.
“Zoro, I…” don’t think that’s a good idea yet, is what you were going to say. But the look in his eye makes you reconsider. After some hesitation, you walk over to the railing and gaze out at the stars. The sun has set, but there’s still some soft colors lingering in the sky.
“Sure,” you finally say. You finger your new necklace nervously, hoping you won’t regret agreeing.
“You seem happier.” He joins you at the railing, his gaze on the sky now as well.
“So do you,” you say quietly. You can feel the dull ache growing softer in your chest.
“I’m sorry for everything.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “I do. I was a real dick. When we were together and after. I should’ve never said those things in the aquarium, and I really should’ve treated you better when we-”
“Zoro,” you say, cutting him off quickly. You push down the lump forming in your throat. “It’s fine. We both made mistakes.”
He scowled at you, irritated by your quickness to forgive. “Dammit, will you just let me apologize?”
You laugh. “It’s easier if you’re a villain in my head.” You lace your words with a joking tone, but you can’t help but feel some truth behind it.
He sighed, looking out at the horizon again. Only trace amounts of deep blues remain now, fading into inky blackness. “I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I was.”
“You’re not a bad person,” you whisper, afraid your voice will betray you. You can feel your eyes getting watery.
“I’m not a good one either.”
You laugh, and your voice catches in your throat. You can feel a tear slip down your cheek, but thankfully Zoro doesn’t comment on it.
“Maybe not,” you agree. “But you’re an honorable first mate, and a good friend, and a skilled swordsman. So that kind of makes up for it.”
He shoots you a look, a confused scowl on his face. “I’m joking!” You call out, giving him a playful shove. “Of course you’re a good person.”
His scowl only deepens. “You’re confusing,” he scoffs.
“As are you, Roronoa Zoro.”
He waits for a moment before he responds, and the two of you watch the last traces of color leave the sky. This would be the time when Zoro would silently get up and return to his training, leaving you alone with the stars.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t love you in the ways you wanted,” he finally says.
“Some people just aren’t meant to be.”
You look over to find him staring back at you. He quickly cuts his eyes away when he realizes he’s been caught, and you feel heat rush to your cheeks.
“I’m going to go,” you finally say, heading for the door. “It was nice chatting.”
“You and the cook…” Zoro says, and you feel yourself tense in fear of what would come next.
He lets out a deep sigh. “He really loves you. The way you deserve.”
Your head whips around to look at the swordsman, shocked by his words. You’ve never known Zoro to say a single nice thing about Sanji in his life.
“All those things he did for you trying to get under my skin? It wasn’t about me,” Zoro admitted. “It was all for you. I just didn’t want you to know. But now,” he stops to look at you one more time. “You deserve to know.”
Your mouth falls open at his words, your mind racing to think back to every nice thing Sanji had ever done. Was it really all for you? You found that hard to believe, but you also knew how deeply Sanji’s emotions ran.
“Thanks for telling me,” you whisper, and you turn on your heels to leave. It feels like a pretty dumb exit, but all your mind can think about now is Sanji.
You race down the ladder and burst into the kitchen, seeing him pull a small cake out of the oven. The smell of cocoa and cigarette smoke flows into your nostrils, and you stand in the doorway to take it all in.
“Luffy, I already told you.” Sanji sets the dessert down to cool, and then turns to face you. “It’s not for-”
He makes eye contact with you, and his gaze springs you into action. You close the gap between the two of you, and your arms snake around his neck, pulling him into you.
Your lips crash together, and you can feel his tenseness melt away against your skin. One of his hands presses into your back, pushing you closer to him. The other runs through your hair, caressing your head softly.
His tongue presses against your lips, requesting access to you. You open your mouth, a soft moan escaping your lips as you let him enter. Your tongue meets his, and you think back to the way it flicked across the oyster shell earlier. There’s salt on his lips, but his flavor is more than that. It reminds you of the mangos you ate on the island, with a dash of hot sauce on top.
He pulls away from you, your lips disconnecting from his against your will. You pout at him, leaning in for more, but he only smiles at you and rubs his nose against your own.
“We don’t have to rush, love,” he whispers. His words tickle your skin, and your pout disappears.
He combs your hair back into place and breaks free from your grasp to grab the dessert that was cooling. He pulls out two spoons from the drawer, and hands one to you.
He carves out a piece and holds it out for you to try. The chocolate sauce has pooled at the bottom of the curve, and the spongy cake that sat on top of it made your mouth water just looking at it.
You hum, wrapping your lips around the bite and pull away to chew it carefully. Flavors of raspberry, pineapple, and mango all blend together in the chocolatey mix. The fruit is fresh, probably some that Sanji stored aside from the island.
“What do you think?” He asks. He looks at you nervously, waiting for your answer.
You carve out a piece with your spoon, holding it up for him to try.
“I think it’s the kind of dessert that’s perfectly made for two,” you say with a smile on your face.
He chuckles at your comment, leaning in to give you another deep kiss.
“And I think I’m the one who was perfectly made for you.”
