daph

25 | she/her

[corpsebasil]

Thought I’d Lost You -> Nikolai Lantsov

Summary: when you’re declared dead after not returning for three months, Nikolai is sure he’s seeing a ghost.

You’d been on the mission for three months, when it was supposed to be a week.

After you didn’t return with the crew on the Volkvolny, Nikolai had been frantic. He’d interrogated practically every member of his crew, anxious and terrified, only for the main consensus to be this: during a storm, you’d been on watch when a particularly hard lurch had flung you from the ship, and you vanished.

They’d been miserable when they docked, Tamar most of all. You two were like sisters and now—now you were dead. Nikolai had gone absolutely catatonic. He hasn’t had the chance to tell you his feelings; not when he was Sturmhond, not as a prince, and certainly not now, when you were no longer on this Earth.

He stayed in his room for a week straight, haunted by nightmares of you, drowned, or you, screaming for help, or you, begging him to save you, and he couldn’t do it. Every. Single. Time.

But at the end of the third month there was a loud knock on his chamber door, interrupting his discussion of some maps with Tolya and Tamar. He sighed, irritated at the intrusion, before he opened up and glared at the servant.

“I said I wouldn’t be disturbed—”

“You’d better come Your Highness.” He urged, eyes wide, and the panicked look in the servant’s eyes frightened Nikolai. Was something wrong? Were they under attack?

He followed the man out into the hallway, striding towards the front entrance to the palace. He could already hear voices, loud and echoing around the walls, but his feet froze in place when he saw who was in the entryway, batting off a medic who was attempting to see to her.

You.

Tamar shrieked, a shrill noise that hurt Nikolai’s ears, and she launched herself at you, almost tackling you to the ground. Tolya followed in a daze, and then the two siblings were holding you in a bear hug, your tear stained face split into a grin as you laughed.

Nikolai could only stare, a feeling of numbness spreading through him.

“Don’t squeeze her too tight, she’s not in the best condition!” The medic was protesting, but your favorite siblings ignored her. “Why do I bother? Just bring her to the infirmary once you’re done.”

Tamar waved the medic off and squeezed you harder, burying her face in your neck. Then she pulled back, wiping the tears from her own face.

“You smell.” She laughed, and you cackled. “Where the fuck were you?”

“Made it to shore. I don’t even know how.” You admitted, eyes downcast. “I probably wandered around for weeks. I don’t know how I managed to get back to Ravka.”

“I know.” Tolya chuckled, hooking a finger under the chain of the golden compass that sat around your neck. “Aye Nik, she’s back in one piece, see?” But his grin faltered when he looked at the prince. When your eyes slid to him too, and your heart stopped.

Nikolai was breathing shallowly, staring at you like he’d seen a ghost. You blinked at him, tears filling your eyes as you stared at your friend. At the man that you’d had a damn hard time not loving, despite the fact that he didn’t feel the same.

“Nik?” You breathed, taking a hesitant step forwards, and he backed away.

“No..” he mumbled, almost as if to himself, and shook his head hard. “No.” He repeated, and covered his eyes, rubbing them with a hand. Then he looked at you again, and his face paled.

You watched in shock and pain as he pushed past you three, headed to the exit. And when you heard him vomiting on the grass outside, something in you cracked. You followed him slowly, legs still aching and tired from your trip, as you made it out to him.

“Nikolai?” You sniffled, staring at him as he retched, his back shaking. When he looked up again and saw you, he shook his head again furiously.

“No. No, stay away from me.” He gasped, staggering away and walking down the drive, avoiding your eyes. “Don’t—leave me alone.”

Your heart broke at the words.

You thought that maybe he’d have missed you—maybe he would’ve mourned you. But clearly he didn’t want to see you. Clearly not.

“Okay.” You croaked, wiping your tears from your face the best you could before you hugged yourself with your arms. “Okay. If that’s what you want, Captain.”

“Don’t call me that.” He moaned, head hanging as he sank to the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees. He was rocking slowly, muttering something to himself as you approached, and you froze when he held up a shaking hand. “Please. Please don’t. Not again.”

You were confused. Confused and hurt and—frankly, you’d wanted nothing more than for him to just hold you. When you’d fallen into the icy water, sure you’d drown, you wanted him. When you were starving in the woods, forced to eat things like tree bark and the rare animal you came across, you missed him desperately.

“Nikolai.” You whispered, voice breaking as he put his head in his hands, his fingers in his hair. You took another step but stopped when a hand grabbed yours, halting your movements. Your head whipped around to Tamar, a pinched expression on her face.

“Just leave him.” She urged, tugging you back towards the entrance. “He gets like this just—just leave him be.”

The pain at hearing those words made your heart ache but you nodded, sparing Nikolai one last look before you moved inside, allowing Tamar to guide you to the infirmary.

-

It’d been a week.

A week since you’d returned, and Nikolai was avoiding you like the plague.

He watched in silence as you drifted around the halls like a spectral ghost, your waif-like form always accompanied by either Tolya or Tamar. He saw you in the dining hall, you laughing as they tried to get you to eat more than the child-sized portions you forced down. The first time you’d eaten, way more than your weak stomach could handle, you’d puked—lesson learned.

You slept like the dead the first few days you were returned, and Nikolai found himself lingering by your door, his hand drifting towards the knob but never touching it. He saw you laying in the gardens, basking in the sun, your too-pale skin desperate for some color. He saw you look at him, though he always turned away as fast as he could, fear making his heart rattle in his chest.

It had never lasted so long, before.

The first time he’d seen you was a month after you died. He was so happy he could’ve wept, did weep, but when he reached for you you vanished like a wisp of smoke. And the next time. And the next. So he’d stopped trying. Had started to ignore the shimmer of your ghost in the corners of his vision. Ignored every phantom whisper of your laughter, every imaginary flash of your grin.

But you were still there.

He was sure he was becoming a madman. His sleep was rocked by nightmares, ones that woke him up screaming, twice as bad as before. Until the night that a knock hit his door and he lurched from sleep, panicked, a sweat broken out across his skin.

He stumbled from bed and opened the door, tensing up when he saw you standing there, your sad expression peering up at him.

“Why are you ignoring me?” You asked, voice tight as you looked at him. He swallowed, eyes haunted, before attempting to shut the door. You stuck your hand out to stop it and he flinched away, almost tripping over himself as he backed up. “Nikolai—?”

“Don’t don’t.” He pleaded, squeezing his eyes shut and counting to ten before opening them. He shook his head again, mouth wobbling. “Please.”

“Why?” You begged, tears running down your face as you stared at him. “All I’ve done is miss you—been desperate to come back to you and you won’t even—” You covered your mouth, then slowly nodded your head. “Okay. Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll—I’ll go.”

But when you turned, ready to leave him for the last time, he reached out and grabbed your hand. You tensed, a shock running up your arm at the contact of his skin against yours, and you caught your breath as you looked at him.

His eyes were wide—startled. He was staring at your hand, eyes boring into the skin as if he was transfixed. Then his other hand covered the first, and then he was pulling you a fraction closer, trailing fingers across your skin. His voice was a broken whisper when he said, “Real?”

Your heart stopped.

Oh.

“Yes.” You sniffed, touching his own hand, running your fingers over his knuckles. “Im real, Nik.”

“But you—” he shook his head, but his grip tightened. “You died.”

“No I didn’t. Im right here, baby. Im here.”

He could’ve sworn the ground was going to drop underneath him at the words. He let out a low, devastated groan through his teeth before you were throwing yourself into his arms, hugging him tightly. He was shaking, mumbling ‘real real real’ under his breath as you held him, running your fingers up and down his back. His head was against your shoulder as he shook, tears making your tank-top wet.

“I’m here.” You told him, holding back a sob of your own as you breathed him in. As you held the man you’d been so desperate for. “I love you. I’m here.” His fingers dug into your back and waist at those words, a deep sigh leaving him.

“Don’t leave me again.” He whispered, the plea of a broken man against your skin. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“You didn’t.” You said, pulling back to look at him, holding his face in your hands. You didn’t care anymore—hadn’t cared for a while—about keeping the line between friendship and more intact. You loved him and, based on his reaction, you were pretty much certain he loved you, too. “I’m here, okay? With you.”

He pressed his forehead against your own and sighed, swallowing roughly. Then he opened sad, tired eyes to meet yours, his hands clasping your neck, as he bent down and kissed you. It was a desperate kiss, one of determination to prove your existence, and the feeling of him almost cleaved you in half. But you only kissed him back, leaning into him as one of his tears hit your face, and then he pulled back a fraction.

“I love you.” He whispered. “I love you desperately I couldn’t live without you with me I couldn’t handle—I kept seeing you and—” he shook, pressing another kiss to your mouth. “I love you, Y/N. I felt like I was going mad.”

“You’re fine. I’m here. I love you.”

As he pressed his cheek against your own and held you, he felt himself relax for the first time in months. The love of his life was alive—was back—and he could finally breathe again.

Sorry idk why I felt like doing this to y’all LOL

[yesflyrose]

(to the melody of every breathe you take)

every boop i take

and every boop you make

and no boop can break

all the steps you take

i'll be booping you

[windflowermary]

girls r like "but he's my comfort character" and then it's literally the most emotionally traumatized man you have ever seen ever

[dem-obscure-imagines]

The Book Keeper

Kili x Reader

Fandom: Tolkien

Summary: On an unsuspecting summer afternoon, Gandalf the Gray shows up on your front porch and, much like he did to Bilbo, sweeps you up into an adventure you never could have imagined. With the knowledge of things to come, will you be able to change the ending?

Note: For my sanity, we’re pretending the book describes the dwarves the way they look in the movies. Also I’m gonna deviate a bit from book canon and dip my toes (more like my entire leg) into movie canon just because things flow a little better that way. Also also, I took some liberties with the Dwarvish courting customs. I will probably also be uploading this to AO3 at some point, separated into chapters for easier navigation. 

Bear with me and behold my Magnum Opus.

Warnings: canon-typical violence, the Hobbit spoilers, alcohol/drinking, some angst but a fluffy ending, mentions of injuries, kind of a slow burn but very fluffy

Word Count: 45k

Reader Is: Female, from our world, 23 years old

Stuck. You were stuck. You read the last few sentences back to yourself, but they didn’t make anything click. You’d lost your steam and now, you were stuck once again.

Writing was a lot harder than it looked, that was for sure, but writing something fantasy? You were finding the task nearly impossible. When you’d started the project several months before, it had seemed so fun. You’d grown up on Narnia, on Lord of the Rings. Building your own fantasy world would be quite the task, you’d known, but perhaps you didn’t know quite how time consuming it would be, let alone when you added in the characters and their characterizations, which fantasy creatures to include, how the magic would work, how the weapons would work and so on and so forth.

Thinking about it too much gave you a headache, so you sat back in your chair, closing your laptop. Maybe you needed a break. Some more caffeine, maybe, some stretches for your strained neck and sore wrists.

Lees verder

[lovelymrvl]

this is one of the best things i have ever read ohmygod

[brightlyflamed]

East Blue Crew

[mydearlybeloathed]

Helloooo! I enjoy your stuff a whole lot and I was wondering if I could ask for a scenario where a rescued reader is on the sunny/merry feeling really homesick so she shyly asks sanji if he could cook her up a meal from her homeland. Then when she bites into it she starts crying cause shes so happy? Im in a fluffy sorta sentimental mood (*⌒∇⌒*)

𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞

summary: after being rescued by the strawhats, you find yourself homesick one morning, and sanji has a foolproof cure.

pairing: sanji x fem!reader

word count: 1.5k

warnings: food, smoking

Your thoughts were being more of a bully than usual. You suspected it was because of how you stood at the edge of the Going Merry’s afterdeck, staring out at the water with an air of melancholy about you.

You’re much too sad for a woman rescued, your thoughts would taunt.

But you couldn’t help it! Of course you were more than grateful to have been rescued from your captors by the crew of pirates known as the Strawhats.

You thanked them every chance you had, asked what you could do to help at every turn—most of the time they just smiled and told you to relax. I can’t, you would say. I’ve forgotten how.

So now you stood on the deck of the Going Merry, grateful even through this terrible sorrow washing through you.

The sea breeze reminded you of home. The gull’s cry reminded you of home. The sound of Zoro and Sanji’s bickering reminded you of home. Everything was a reminder of the little village of your childhood… and how you’d never get it back.

It was burned—slaughtered—by the very pirates that took you away from it. 

There was nothing left to return to. So yes, you snapped back at your thoughts, I’m homesick. If that made you ungrateful, so be it.

“You,” said a charmingly familiar voice, “look like you could use a friend.”

Sanji leaned on the railing of the afterdeck, nudging you with his shoulder. You ducked your chin and let your hair fall around your face, if only to conceal your grin.

“I could use a cigarette,” you mumbled, receiving that smooth chuckle of his in reply.

He complied, slipping his lighter and cigarette box out of his coat pocket, lighting one with practiced ease and handing it off to you. You didn’t try to ignore how he watched you take that first puff, something almost fond in the way he looked at you, before he followed suit in lighting his own.

He’s very fond of you, said your thoughts, to which you replied, He’s Sanji. He’s very fond of everyone.

That didn’t stop you from being very fond of him in return.

After some time in silence, he posed a question. “What’s on your mind?”

You didn’t have the heart to lie. “Home.”

“Oh.” He knew what had happened to your village. He was the one you’d sobbed to on your first night on the Going Merry, after he’d caught you trying to slip out on a dinghy in the night. Sanji had taken your hand and led you to the kitchen, letting you get out all your worries as he made you some food.

“Yeah,” you sniffled. “It’s fine, though. I’m okay.”

He stared at you for a long moment, before he turned his face away and said, “I know a cure for homesickness, you know.”

Skeptical, you side eyed him. “You do?”

“Mhmm.” He leaned into your ear and whispered, “Food.”

You laughed softly as he gently took your wrist and started to lead you away from the railing. Though confused, you didn’t fight, walking beside him as his hand slipped perfectly into yours. “Sanji?”

The man took you all the way into the belly of the ship and right to his workshop: the kitchen. You stood in the center of the room as he rounded the counter and turned to smile at you. “C’mon. What do you want? Let’s make it.”

Something about that let’s was powerful. Sanji didn’t just let anyone use his kitchen, especially with him. He had his own rhythm, and there had been countless times he’d snapped when anyone so much as slightly disrupted it.

He’d never snapped at you though, and you certainly had a knack for disruption.

For a good solid moment, all you could do was stand and stare. Sanji kept on smiling, the expression growing warmer and softer with each second. Softly, you told him your favorite dish from your hometown, glancing up through your lashes to find him already fishing around for pots and pans.

“I think that can be arranged, madam.”

Some time later, the kitchen was thick with smells of a superficial kind of home—no matter how you closed your eyes and focused, you couldn’t bring yourself to believe you were actually there. You were always drawn away from your fantasy by the sway of the ship and the song Sanji hummed. 

And now you sat side by side at the table, the fruit of your joint labor plated before you, yet you could barely even look at the food. 

Your thoughts called you a coward while your heart mourned something you will never have again. 

But Sanji was so kind, and the food smelled really good, so you closed your eyes and took that first bite, all too aware of how Sanji eyed you like a hawk the whole time.

You melted as the flavors filled your senses—in an instant you were catapulted back to a simpler time, seated at the counter with your mother, grinning over a plate of food so similar to this. That countertop was gone now. She was gone now. Everything was gone, yet you remained.

You were the last reminder of the home you loved.

Tears had started to stream down your cheeks before you could stop them, swallowing down the food as your fork clanked onto the table. You crumbled in your seat and prayed with everything in you that Sanji somehow wouldn’t notice.

It was a foolish wish; Sanji noticed everything.

“Love, what…” he couldn’t find the words, his whole chest seized as he caught sight of glistening tears. “Is it that bad?”

You laughed, though it was a broken sort of sound. “Please. Everything you make is ambrosia.”

Wiping at your cheeks and turning away, you didn’t expect it when Sanji reached for your hand and wrapped it up in both of his. You met his eyes instantly, your own wide in question, and wondered how a person’s hand could be so warm that it sent a wave of heat throughout your entire body.

Or maybe it wasn’t his hand. Maybe it was the way he lifted one hand to hold your cheek, thumb swiping away the last of the tears, allowing you to clutch his other hand so tightly. 

He observed you a little longer, then sighed. “Home?”

You squeezed your eyes shut and turned into his hand, another wave of tears spilling down. And then you were drawn forward, enveloped in his arms, hidden from the world. For some time, you sat there, awkwardly leaned into him as you both remained in your chairs, your hands ruining his neatly ironed dress shirt, his hands rubbing circles into your back. 

That’s when you found your thoughts to be unusually quiet, and you weren’t going to start complaining. Now all you heard was your own heartbeat racking through your ribcage. Your face was dry, though, and you felt very warm.

“I know we haven’t talked about it,” said Sanji, rather out of the blue. “Other than the offhand mention of the best port to find work… what if… I mean, we all enjoy your company—some of us more than others—some of us being me—and I think…” He took a breath, pulling away with a little smile. “I think you should stay.”

A sniffle. A blink. A very long hesitation wherein Sanji felt more panicked than he had in a very long time. 

“Okay.”

Sanji huffed a chuckle. “Really?”

“I have nowhere else to go,” you shrugged. His head tilted just slightly, eyes prodding at you. “And I might enjoy everyone’s company too.”

Sanji wondered, “Anyone in particular though?”

You leaned back and cast your gaze back to the plate of food, probably cold by now. “Zoro isn’t too annoying.”

He scoffed. “Hate to disagree.”

“Liar,” you teased, barely able to conceal your grin. “Zoro’s also kinda boring after a while. I like talking.” Your cheeks dusted pink then, but you didn’t back down, looking up at him through your lashes. “I like talking to you.”

His smile could have kept you alive in the darkest winter storm. “Lucky for you, I’ve been told I never shut up.”

You rolled your eyes and shifted on your seat, taking up your fork and admiring the food. You’d made this together, and you could only hope it wasn’t the last time you joined him in the kitchen. There was something so softly domestic about it. So softly home, whispered your thoughts, back again for a fleeting moment.

“Thank you,” you mumbled.

He nudged you gently, inching his own forgotten plate toward him as well. “For what?”

“Being here.” All was still, contentment filling the silence, before there was a soft pressure on your temple; a kiss, you realized, turning a dark crimson as you whipped your head around to stare at the man beside you.

A thousand words threatened to spill from your lips, some incoherent and some so flirty you paled to think of them, before you let out a deep breath and felt your lips tilting up at the corners.

“Always,” said Sanji. His blue eyes bore into you and right through to your heart, which thundered once more. 

Your thoughts were silent, for all but one, a very loud and frightening and lovely thought: Sanji is starting to feel like home.

[belleeebelleee]

[mynewblackdress]

Title: Muffled

Pairing: Sanji x Reader

Summary: You notice Sanji can't sleep and decide to help | Genre: Fluff, some angst, hints of a troubled past| Warning: none | Words: 5.1K | Note: This is a standalone. You don’t have to read Puzzled or Dazzled but if you want you can 😊

Your world was a strange one.

You always thought so.

How could it be that in a place filled with so much adventure, laughter, and warmth there was just as much tragedy and sorrow?

Like an eternal riddle. Why was it that the happiest and kindest people always suffer so much?

You would never think of yourself as the kindest or most righteous person out there. You would absolutely hate it if someone assumed you were asking for praise or thought you were better than others by thinking so. But you objectively didn’t think you were among the worst ones either. Yet, before Straw Hat Pirates, your little shop in the middle of nowhere where Captain Luffy found you, before you seemingly escape, you suffered with your old captain and crew. And you suffered a lot.

When you looked at your new crew and how they all prepared for their entrance to the Grand Line, you knew they suffered a lot too. Every single one of them.

But looking at them now while they worked, chatted, slept under the sun, or goofed around, an outsider would never have guessed the things they had to overcome to be here.

You didn’t think you managed to look like that just yet. Even now, you were still often nervous about leaving the ship and walking among places where any face could turn into a familiar one. You dreaded the day you would come across someone from your old life still fearing them and hating that even now after so many years of freedom, they held this invisible power over you.

You heard Luffy and Usopp burst into laughter so loud they were practically howling, and even if she tried to hide behind her book and work, you could tell Nami’s shoulders were shaking obviously finding their shenanigans amusing too.

Smiling to yourself, you mentally vowed that one day, you would be able to be like that too without any nervosity, reservations, or fear.

‘Now that’s an adorable little smile, sweetheart,’ you heard someone say above.

You looked up at the man casually smoking while leaning against the railing looking down at you.

You desperately hoped the sun and distance blocked your face enough so it wouldn’t be too obvious your smile grew as you went up the stairs toward the handsome chief.

Sanji finished his cigarette before you reached him properly tossing it into the trash while asking, ‘Care to share what prompted such a divine thing?’

When he looked at your face again now that you were on the same level, he smirked and the typical look, you learned to accept as adoration sparked behind his grey-blue eyes, ‘For future references. It’s always a good idea to have a trick like that up one’s sleeve, madam.’

You shook your head at his flirting and turned to look ahead while taking a spot next to him, ‘I don’t think it’s nice to trick people. Let alone women.’

You glanced at him.

Maybe someone else would have been annoyed you called them out or embarrassed, but seemingly never in a bitter mood when it came to the women, the blond chief looked nothing but pleased, ‘My apologies, I misspoke,’ he leaned closer toward you, but not enough to touch you just enough that even if he lowered his voice, you would be able to hear him clear, ‘But I do believe, it’s good to know how to make one smile. Especially when they looked so beautiful doing so as you do, my dear.’

You would honestly never understand why so many women seemed annoyed when he spoke to them like this. Even now, as you desperately tried not to show how much his words affected your mood, you couldn’t help but giggle and cover your face if only to hide just how stupidly happy he made you feel, ‘You’re the worse.’

‘I sure hope not,’ he said with a thick accent that seemed all the better when it was filled with adoration and amusement as it was now.

You uncovered your face and looked back at Sanji maybe coming up with another remark or comment that you forgot the moment your eyes landed on his face again.

‘Have you been getting enough sleep, Sanji?’

Both of you blinked surprised because neither of you expected those words to come out of your mouth. But as your eyes roamed his face some more, you knew your question was on point.

An outsider might have missed it, upon a moment ago, even you missed it, and you were talking with the blond for a while. But now you could see the visible hints of exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

Sanji was a handsome man, perhaps, one of the most handsome men you ever encountered which often made it hard to look at him for too long when he was close and offering you his full attention. This only made the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes, and dark circles under them all the more prominent.

His shocked face melted into his typical content one, and he offered you another smirk, ‘No need to worry, darling. A little insomnia can bother the best of us at times.’

Liar, you thought even if you knew that was too harsh. Maybe, he wasn’t lying, but you could tell he was belittling his issue if only so he wouldn’t bother you with it. Just as he was opposed to fighting with women, eager to overlook their flaws, or act anything but like a gentleman toward them, he also didn’t want to upset them.

‘Are you sure?’ you asked pushing against your worries that you were being too pushy.

Sanji’s smirk morphed into something softer as did the rest of his face as he put a hand across his chest, ‘It’s an honor to have a woman like you worry about me, but let me assure you, I am perfectly fine.’

Liar, you thought again tempted to compare him to Usopp and call him out on his words, but even if you now accepted that Sanji had a soft spot for all the women, you included, you didn’t feel confident enough to use him the way, Nami sometimes did because of that soft spot.

Sighing, you wished his hand weren’t in his pocket because you might have felt braver enough to take it, but for now, you offered him a nod, ‘If that changes. Come find me.’

You turned around and went back to work, ‘Please.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The thing was, nothing changed, and the more you looked the more you noticed that Sanji was exhausted. It probably wasn’t bad enough that it affected his duties, but you knew it wouldn’t remain that way for too long. Sleep was essential after all.

Struggling for another day with the issue and how to resolve it, you decided to confide in Nami.

You played with the idea, that maybe Sanji’s issue was something he wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to discuss with a woman, but your male options were Luffy, who didn’t even seem to notice, Usopp who would make it about him somehow, and Zoro who would probably insult the chef rather than help him. They were great people and crew. They just weren’t that great when the problem needed words to be resolved.

‘Tell him it’s making you upset,’ said Nami when you told her in your shared quarters and shook her head with a smile, ‘It’s clearly bothering you, so it won’t even be a lie.’

You were skeptical, ‘Just because he doesn’t like to cause women distress-’

‘Trust me. He’ll spill the beans if you push it a bit. The man lives to make you happy,’ she said as casually as she could, but when she met your gaze, you had a feeling she was looking for a reaction. Sometimes Nami reminded you of some of your old crew members, who liked to act like they were your friends to get you to tell them something so they could tell on you to your old captain. But unlike them, the ginger-haired woman liked to know things for her own amusement rather than to use the knowledge to harm you. Also, her tactics never made you feel like you were being manipulated.

‘He lives to make every woman happy,’ you said already feeling your face getting hot and surely red.

Nami’s eyes glimpsed with mischief as she offered you a sweet smile, you saw her use on unsuspecting victims plenty of times to get what she wanted to help the Straw Hat Pirates, ‘Well, he wasn’t holding me so I could sleep calmly against his chest on the deck, now was he?’

‘That happened once!’ 

Sometimes Nami was worse than your old crew even if not really.

Still, her advice wasn’t the worst, and you were pretty upset about Sanji’s insomnia.

And so, when Zoro made fun of the waiter needing to get his beauty sleep because he was a pain in the ass more than usual, you stepped in snatching Sanji’s hand, ‘Come with me for a bit, please.’

His anger at the first mate quickly melted away and the blond offered you his best adoring smirk, ‘At once, madam.’

You made the mistake of catching Usopp’s gaze and smirking as he saw you leading Sanji under the deck holding hands knowing you would be mercilessly teased about it later.

Somehow, you managed not to die of embarrassment as you led the chef all the way to the men's quarters.

Sighing, you let his hand go, ‘Can we talk in private?’

The truth was you didn’t really plan to go inside, you just needed to go as far away from the others as possible so they wouldn’t hear you two talk.

However, Sanji gave you a surprised look wandering with his eyes across your face for a moment before he opened the door and motioned for you to come inside as he held it for you, ‘Ladies first.’

Your eyes widened, and you started to sweat under your clothing wondering why you didn’t just lead him to the storage room or kitchen.

Ultimately, it was too late for that anyway, so you just gave him a short nod and quiet, ‘T-thanks.’

You both went inside, and you desperately tried not to look as out of place as you felt. Even before Sanji joined the crew, you’ve never actually been to this place or thought all that much about how it looked.

‘We can always go elsewhere if you’re uncomfortable, beloved,’ Sanji spoke with care behind you the way he always did. Obviously, you weren’t fooling him about how nervous being in there alone with him made you feel.

Yet, you shook your head deciding you’ve already gotten this far and that you really wanted the help the man, ‘I’ve just never been here before, that’s all. Uh, what’s it like?’ you asked and shut your eyes finding little comfort in the fact that you weren’t facing him since you felt like an idiot for asking something like that.

‘Eventful and loud,’ said Sanji with a mixture of amusement and dryness only he could combine instantly making you forget some of your embarrassment.

You turned around, and Sanji pointed at each of the beds, ‘Usopp tends to talk in his sleep. Mostly about his heroic achievements,’ you immediately smiled at how he worded your crewmate’s lying habits, while the cook pointed to the next one, ‘Luffy tends to talk in his sleep, to no one’s surprise, about meat,’ you giggled, and he pointed to another bed, ‘And mosshead doesn’t talk but snores. Unimaginably badly. I swear I thought we awoken Kraken or some other ungodly creature when I first heard him.’

You shook your head laughing a bit since you honestly couldn’t imagine having to suffer through all that, ‘That…. sounds awful. I would probably just sleep in the storage room or up on the deck.’

Sanji put his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders with an easy and amused look on his face, ‘You get used to it. I used to sleep with ten members of the restaurant staff. And as traumatizing as it sounds. This is an improvement. Believe me.’

If you looked at it like that, it did sound like one, still, you knew if having noisy roommates wasn’t the issue, there had to be another one.

Not brave enough to look at him directly you lowered your gaze before you spoke, ‘I wanted to talk to you…because I’m upset, Sanji.’

There was a short pause before he took a step closer to you and took your hand in his, ‘Unacceptable. Tell me what it is and how may I assist you?’ he asked gently stroking your knuckles with his thumb making you almost forget what you wanted to say if it wasn’t so serious.

‘Y-you’re not sleeping, and it’s not getting better, and I…I hate…that,’ you finally admitted and noticed his thumb stop stroking your hand.

You looked back up and caught the end of his surprised expression before it melted into one of absolute adoration, ‘It’s truly a great honor to have you worry about me, sweetheart. But I’m perfectly well.’

‘Please, don’t insult me by lying.’

It took everything in you to say that to him. It was so unlike you to be rude or mean to anyone openly. Least of all the handsome cook who always secretly lifted your mood with his gentle flirting.

You could tell you hit a nerve as his grey-blue eyes appeared troubled now.

‘It’s not a lie,’ he said carefully causing you to open your mouth to argue before he amended, ‘But I did have…some unpleasant dreams lately that affected my sleep. When they did, I had some lingering thoughts that affected my ability to fall asleep again.’

Your heart broke a bit upon hearing that even if you thought something like nightmares could have been bothering him too.

‘About the rock?’ you asked weakly remembering the story he told your crew when you first met him. You felt so bad for him back then genuinely horrified that a child would experience something like that. Not for the first time thinking the world was cruel to let such kind people suffer so much.

Your old captain would also sometimes punish you with going to bed without dinner, so you understood hunger, but knowing Sanji starved for so many days without any hope of ever eating again or being rescued made you feel impossibly selfish and ungrateful that you would even consider what you had gone through suffering at all.

Something, perhaps a distant memory crossed his eyes for a brief moment, ‘Among other things.’

You almost asked, but as if he knew you would and would rather not have to deal with answering or lying to you again, he quickly said, ‘It’s nothing unusual, and I’m sure it will correct itself in no time.’

He made it sound so reasonable and hopeful, but you were no stranger to nightmares birthed from your dark past that could consume your thoughts for hours and even days afterward.

‘How long has this been going on?’ you asked and squeezed his hand comforting you both.

He offered you a much gentler version of his usually flirty smirk, ‘Just a few days, but it always pasts. I’m grateful for the concern. It sincerely warms my heart that you care so much, but I assure you, I’ll be fine in no time. No need to get upset over me, darling.’

You wanted to believe him. You wanted him to get better and be able to sleep because looking at his face and the signs of his struggles was really hard for you. He looked so exhausted all the time, that you were starting to forget how his face looked without the everlasting presence of dark circles under his eyes, unnatural wrinkles by their corners, or the violent red inside his eyes.

He needs to sleep.

You thought about it and glanced at the only bed he didn’t point at when he was talking about what the others were like when sleeping.

You pulled at his hand, and Sanji let you lead him toward the bed just as he did into the men’s quarters a moment ago. Even if you hoped you weren’t abusing his willingness to go the extra mile for any woman, it was oddly nice to have someone like him willing to follow you anywhere, you would have wanted to. It felt selfishly good to have someone so devoted to you.

‘What are we doing, darling?’ he asked as you turned your back to him and put his pillow and covers away before sitting down on his bed with your back against the wall and your feet above the ground.

Your heart was beating fast now because to plan what you had in mind and to have Sanji look at you as you were about to put that plan into action were two very different things. However, hearing how thick with exhaustion his voice was, and how despite the adoration and confusion, sleep deprivation was screaming from his face, you couldn’t let your personal shyness and anxiety get the best of you.

‘Sanji, would you lay down, please?’ you asked taking pride in the fact your voice didn’t shake despite how anxious you felt.

You patted your thighs knowing your cheeks had to be red from how heated your whole body felt and waited because as much of a flirt the man was, not even he would jump to the conclusion that you wanted him to come and rest on your thighs when you asked him to come with you.

Once again you managed to surprise the blond cook. The moment when he just stood there looking at you with wide eyes and parted lips seemed to have gone on forever in your mind.

However, just before you would lose your barely surviving confidence, he swiftly but clumsily took off his jacket and tie tossing them to the ground with carelessness, he never showed them before.

In the next moment, he sank into you with his face nuzzling against your tights immediately as if he got scared you would reconsider and take your offer back.

‘My beloved,’ he said, but he might as well whispered that word further sinking into you like your thighs became the comfiest pillow in the world, ‘You’ll spoil me rotten forever.’

You swallowed hard trying not to sound breathless over his words and the pressure of his body against your own. You never had anyone this close to you. You never had anyone touch you like that. Your body felt warm, and a sensation you didn’t know settled inside your stomach making it almost unbearable to stand it all, but at the same time impossible to stop it.

You realized you didn’t really put enough thought into how much this would affect you too. But given how you felt, you realized it wouldn’t have mattered because you would have done it anyway.

It was so overwhelming, but it was also lovely.

Your lips pulled into a small smile as he let out another pleased yet sleepy little noise all the while looking content and smiling himself.

One of your hands went into his blond hair, and you slowly started to comb it with your fingers getting familiar with their texture.

Soft, you thought to yourself while biting your lip at the same time as Sanji said out loud, ‘Soft.’

You let out a nervous giggle while watching his grey-blue eyes close and a tender sound escape his lips indicating he enjoyed your touch.

After a moment, your anxiety got the best of you, and before you could stop you found yourself saying, ‘Uh, when I was with my old crew. I didn’t really sleep with the others in the quarters. I rather hide in the storage. But one time there was a new member. She was younger than me, and how a hard time getting used to the work and routine. She would also get nightmares. I’ve let her sleep on me like this too.’

It was rare for you to talk about your previous crew. Even rare to have something to say that wasn’t absolutely horrible.

‘I can see that,’ said Sanji with the thickest accent yet, no doubt on the verge of falling asleep, ‘You’re a very kind soul, my love.’

You would be a bigger liar than Usopp if you didn’t admit to yourself how beautiful and happy the endearment made you feel. So much so, you didn’t bother to tell him how that story ended. In that moment none of your past mattered really. You were just pleased that whatever happened to you, got you here.

You continued to comb his hair, ‘T-thank you, Sanji.’

Another soft sound escaped his lips, and he was out. His breathing was even, and it seemed he finally let go of whatever last bits of duties, fear, objections, and frustration he had been holding onto.

His face looked the most relaxed you had ever seen it, and you made sure to properly map every millimeter of it and engrave it into your mind forever.

You felt yourself filled with a sense of accomplishment over this achievement grateful that it worked even if it meant you were put in the position of a personal pillow.

Careful, not to move too much although you thought Sanji was deeply asleep you snatched the covers and tossed them over him lightly patting them down so they would frame his body better.

With nothing else to do, you glanced around the quarters privately admiring or judging your fellow crew members depending on what you noticed from your position.

By now, you started to feel strangely comfortable and enjoy your place on Sanji’s bed with his head on your thighs, and your fingers in his hair. It felt nice to be there like that. If you hadn’t promised yourself to keep guard over Sanji as he slept, you might have even dozed off yourself.

Time went on, and after what felt like an hour, but could have been less, you felt the blond stir against you.

For a moment, you assumed he was waking up, but when he let out a pained groan you immediately recognized a nightmare.

His handsome face was screwed with distress and pain that dug into your very soul like a sharp dagger.

He pushed his face firmly against your body as if he were searching for comfort while his parted lips let out more painful whimpers and groans.

You continued to run your fingers through his feather-soft hair but also slid against his cheek and ear and anywhere else you could reach.

‘Sanji,’ you carefully whispered not wanting to really wake him up and risk him being afraid to fall asleep again, ‘Sanji, please, it’s just a dream-’

‘My love,’ he whispered clearly enough for you to make out those words, and you gasped a bit at hearing just how emotional he sounded.

Feeling your chest tighten and body heat up, you leaned down as best and close as you could to his ear and whispered, ‘Sanji, come back to me,’ you licked your lips and ran your fingers over the distressed wrinkles on his face, ‘It’s just a dream. I promise. Wherever you are, you’re not really there anymore. You’re here with me.’

He whispered your name.

And you stroke his lips with your fingertips, ‘Yes, with me. Here, on Going Merry with our crew.’

He sighed not yet with relief, but with something close to it, so you continued, ‘We’re together, in your quarters, in your bed even,’ you chuckled a bit finding some humor about how it must have sounded even in such a situation.

You continued to stroke his face as gently as you could while whispering his name and telling him he wasn’t alone or wherever his nightmare took him to.

He whispered your name one last time and then fell back to a quiet and peaceful sleep. Whatever haunted his dreams was no longer hurting him and after another tense moment, you allowed yourself to sigh in relief.

Carefully you somehow found the courage to leave a tender barely lasting second kiss against his hair before whispering, ‘Good job.’

Time went on, and it seemed the nightmares properly left your blond cook to rest, so you settled into looking around the room or daydreaming about the upcoming days while playing with his hair.

As strange as the experience was, you found comfort in it and played with all sorts of scenarios like if you were exactly as you are now, but you would be laying under Nami’s tangerine trees.

Another couple of hours later the door to the quarters opened, and you froze in place as Usopp and Luffy walked in suspiciously quiet before exchanging wide grins and settling to their beds followed by Zoro who rolled his eyes at you.

Assholes, you thought embarrassed knowing you will never hear the end of this. Your only salvation was that Sanji would never allow them or anyone else to humiliate you too much. You hoped.

The sun properly sat down now, and you had no idea of knowing how long this would take. Very soon enough, you dozed off too even if you often woke up to Zoro’s horrible snoring, Luffy’s demands for meat and Usopp’s over-the-top cries over imaginary victories and such.

You swore you would get Nami something nice for being such an outstanding roommate the next time you docked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although you shouldn’t have been surprised you still were when Sanji started to wake up around the time, he probably got up to prepare for breakfast and the day.

He slowly started to shift and stir before he all but froze obviously realizing where he was.

You were tired since it was impossible to get any sleep done with all the noise in your opinion, but the moment you realized he was awake and would know where he was, you felt properly awake and embarrassed again.

Your fingers stopped running through his hair, and you pulled them away already feeling loss over the soft hair you could no longer touch, ‘Uh, hi.’

Sanji took in a deep breath and very slowly sat up causing the covers to slide from his body to his lap.

Due to where he was his face appeared so close to your own that you could feel his breath against your skin and see him beyond clearly even in the dark.

‘Darling,’ he breathed out, ‘you…stayed here this whole time?’ he whispered with a hoarse voice that once again started the awkward yet lovely sensation inside your stomach.

You swallowed, ‘Y-yeah. H-how you sleep?’

He offered you the softest look and smile before he put his head against your shoulder properly startling you and causing your heart to speed up again, ‘Huh?!’

‘Far too well, my love,’ he said, and you shivered as those words hit your skin almost like they held physical power to touch you.

He let out a breathless chuckle before he spoke again, ‘But I fear, I’ll never be able to properly sleep again.’

You blinked momentarily forgetting your embarrassment and growing concern once more putting your hand against his back and lightly stroking him there, ‘How come?’

Without missing a beat and completely effortless, he spoke, ‘I fear I won’t be able to rest unless I have your soft thighs as a pillow, or your scent to guide me through my dreams, or your beautiful face to greet me upon waking up.’

You should have been used to his compliments and flirting, but you doubted you ever would be especially when he said such specific things in the dark with you two on his bed.

You were too stunned to reply, but luckily Sanji never pushed you or made you feel uncomfortable so he leaned away and raised from the bed, ‘Come on. I’ll walk you to your room, to rest. You aid me more than enough, sweetheart.’

You didn’t move though and watched as he quickly gathered his jacket and tie and easily put them back on before he offered you a hand.

This time he was the one who led you back to your room.

As he lightened a candle to lead you, you could see he looked far better than before and that this time, it had to be you whose face was filled with exhaustion.

You were glad though.

Sanji stopped in front of the female quarters where he raised your hand to his lips and kissed it completely regardless of what such things did to your heartbeat and breathing, ‘Thank you very much for your help, madam. I promise that no one will bother you so you can catch up on your own rest.’

You offered Sanji your best-exhausted smile and went to go in but stopped at the last moment, ‘Wait!’

True he wasn’t going anywhere. Obviously, he was waiting for you to get into your room.

‘Do you remember if you dreamt of anything?’ you couldn’t help but ask curious if he could recall his nightmare even if he never woke up.

He seemed to have thought about it for a moment before he took a step closer and offered you his charming smirk, ‘Now, that you mention it, I did dream of something. But it was actually quite pleasant.’

You felt your cheeks grow hot again as his tone alone was enough to guess what he might have been dreaming about all the while laying on your thighs, ‘Oh.’

‘But as nice as the dream was, it was nothing compared to waking up and realizing it was real,’ he said and blew out the candle leaving you both in the dark. You were grateful as you guessed you must have looked just as embarrassed and red as you felt.

A moment later, however, even in the dark you sense he took a step closer to you, and with the side of his face as close to yours as possible he carefully whispered, ‘Naturally, I dream about you a lot, but you’re never there when I wake up.’

Before your mind could properly process what he just said and panic, he must have been reaching behind you because the door to your room opened and with a light nudge Sanji pushed you inside.

Despite your exhaustion, you remained standing there with your panicked mind.

Wait…did he really mean he dreamt about you a lot?!

Koniec

A.N: Thank you for taking your time to read this and your support 😊 I hope you enjoy the story. English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes or things that were hard to read. Stay safe and have a lovely day. 😊

[honnelander]

I CAME AS SOON AS I SAW THE POST

can we get a little snippet of go fish!reader maybe reading Pride and Prejudice aloud to Zoro after he had been struck down by Mihawk, like how Nami did, and Sanji over hearing and just staying by the door to listen to her read or something? i think a little blurb like that would be so cute

AHHH CUUUUTE!! i modified this a bit to have it fit into the overall story's timeline. instead of Zoro being struck down by Mihawk, he's sick and bedridden. thank you for this :))

here's go fish!Sanji listening to you reading:

masterlist

"Ohhh Zoro," you quietly squealed, trying your best to keep your voice down from disturbing a very ill and bedridden Zoro from waking. "Are you ready for this? Oh my god, this is another one of my favorite parts," you gushed, sighing dreamily as you put your very loved and well-worn copy of Pride and Prejudice on your lap before hurriedly picking it up again to continue reading aloud to your friend in his room.

"I'm in love with you, most ardently," you read, voice quiet enough and full of wistfulness.

As you continued to read the story, your voice going up and down in excitement as you read the scene aloud, Sanji could hear your quiet gushing from the hallway. He was carrying a small tray of food, two bowls of his special homemade chicken soup sitting right in the middle, one for Zoro and another for you since he knew you'd spent all afternoon reading to the sick swordsman and figured you must be hungry by this point as well.

With careful steps, he silently stood right behind the doorway as he listened to your soothing voice bring the words that were printed on the page of your favorite book to life with a small smile on his face. The blonde cook closed his eyes for a minute, letting the sound of your voice wash over him as he admired you without you ever knowing.

He leaned his shoulder on the doorframe right outside of Zoro's room, gently resting the side of his head against it as well, as his mind wandered for a second, getting lost in the story.

Apparently, it was the part in the story where Mr. Darcy was confessing his love to Elizabeth, but as he listened further, he realized that it wasn't the end of the story where they both confessed their feelings mutually, it was more in the beginning where Mr. Darcy's sentiments were one-sided and Sanji couldn't help but feel a sort of kinship with the fictional man.

While the situation he was in with you wasn't as dramatic as Jane Austen's creation (if there even was a 'situation', he thought dejectedly), the feelings he had for you were certainly real and very complicated.

Was he in love with you? He wasn't entirely sure, but he did like you, much more than a friend should. He had feelings that he only had for you, and no one else. Sure, he's come to love the rest of the crew and Nami too, but none of them could make him feel the things that he only seemed to experience with you.

Suddenly, he wondered how he would confess these sentiments to you one day. Would he pull a Mr. Darcy and just walk into your room one night, spilling out his heart's desires for you in a single breath because if he didn't, he might not have the courage to tell you otherwise? Telling you the thoughts that consistently plagued his mind, trying to sort them out aloud in front of you because they were driving him mad like poor Mr. Darcy? Or would he plan something out and take his time? Wait until he understood what he felt because he 'wanted to get it right'?

Sanji didn't know, it was too soon to tell... but what he did know was that if he stood out there loitering any longer, the soup would get cold and the chef in him would rather die than serve you something like that.

Coincidently, it seemed like the chapter had just ended, you letting out a lighthearted sigh as you softly commented to Zoro, "Ok Zoro, now wasn't that chapter just... extraordinary?"

"It certainly was, Missus," Sanji commented cheekily, suppressing a smile as best he could as he walked into the room.

"Oh! Sanji!" you gasped as your hand quickly covered your racing heart. "Jeez, you scared me." You watched as Sanji placed the tray of soups onto the nightstand. "Sorry. I, uh, didn't realize I was reading so loudly I attracted an audience," you said, your cheeks heating up slightly at the thought that Sanji had been listening to you for who knows how long.

"'Sorry'?" Sanji repeated, a slight frown on his face momentarily as looked down at the tray, glancing at you over his shoulder. "There's nothing to be sorry for, my love." Once the tray was secured on the nightstand, he fully turned to face you, his hands in his pockets as he put on his most charming smile. "Now," he started smoothly, "I'm starting to think that maybe I should get sick so you can come and read to me in bed all day."

Sanji's smile only grew as he watched your face become even more flushed at his words.

You laughed slightly, eyes darting away from his as you asked, "Don't you mean when you're bedridden?"

There was a long pause, the silence becoming deafening at your question. You could feel the tension in the room become thicker the longer that Sanji stayed quiet. Your hands started to feel slightly clammy as your heart rate picked up.

You swallowed. "You know, instead of 'in bed'... since you'd be sick and everything?" you asked finally, as you mustered up the courage to look back up at Sanji from your chair.

At his expression, your heart skipped a beat. Sanji was still looking at you, his eyes twinkling with mischief (and sincerity?) and another emotion you didn't understand, a soft smile on his face. You couldn't help but feel like Sanji knew what he said and that he had said it on purpose.

His crooked smile only deepened. "Sure," he agreed simply. "When I'm sick and ill, and completely bedridden." He blinked, inhaling a small breath as he looked down at his shoes for a moment before looking back up at you, a small questioning look in his eyes as he quietly asked, "And you'd do that? Come and read to me all day?"

"Of course," you answered without hesitation, frowning slightly at Sanji believing that you wouldn't do for even a moment. "I would do anything to help you feel better, Sanji."

Now, between the two of you, it was pretty obvious that Sanji was the smooth-talking flirt, with you never really outrightly flirting with him in the conventional sense, but wow, you might as well be labeled the biggest flirt in his mind because your kind, thoughtful words and gestures never failed to make his heart flutter and knees go weak.

And the way you would look at him, time and time again, whenever you would gently reassure him that yes, you did indeed care about him and that you never truly forgot him... it was enough for him to feel his heart nearly explode.

There it was again, your kind, thoughtful, and beautiful expression on full display for him as you looked up at him through your lashes.

And just like that, Sanji's fears were completely washed away.

He let out a slight laugh, turning his face to the side, his blonde bangs facing you to try and hide the very faint blush on his cheeks. "Aw, you're too kind to me, Missus." He looked back at you, his rosy glow fading slightly, however, his smile was still bright. "Thank you."

At seeing Sanji happy, you were happy. You returned his smile and with a slight teasing tone you said, "But I'll only read to you if you promise to read to me when I'm in bed, sick and completely bedridden."

The blonde chef laughed lightly again, partly because of your now little inside joke, but because the thought that you even had to ask him if he 'would ever do that for you' was completely absurd. Of course he would. He would've been reading to you from the moment you were awake and not feeling well, all the way until you were sleeping, and even then he would continue to recite the pages of the book you loved aloud while you slept, so your dreams and subconscious mind were filled with the sound of his voice well into the night.

Sanji would do anything for you. And you never even needed to ask.

But he didn't tell you all that, not wanting to freak you out with his intense train of thought, so he simply said, with a small smile and twinkle in his eye, "Consider it done."

From Sanji's right, the sound of bedsheets rustling caught both of your attention.

Zoro groaned, gingerly opening his eyes as he pulled his blanket closer to himself. "Ugh... waiter? What are you doing here?"

Sanji looked down at him, a hint of concern on his pretty features as he replied, "Ah, Mosshead, you're awake. I, uh, thought I'd do a little room service and bring some soup for you and y/n."

At hearing your name, Zoro opened his eyes again. "Y/n?" He slowly turned his head towards you. "What are you-" he started to ask but when he saw the book on your lap he groaned and covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow. "Oh don't tell me- you've been reading that garbage to me while I was sleeping this whole time?"

But you weren't offended by his question. Instead, you laughed. "If you mean masterpiece then, yes. You're right. I had just gotten to the good part too!"

Zoro shifted in his bunk, getting comfortable. "Well, by all means, keep going," he deadpanned. In a more sincere tone he said, "I haven't slept this good in a while." But then, with a ghost of a smile, he added, "Your book is so boring it puts me right to sleep."

"Hey, a win is a win," you laughed joyfully. You looked up at Sanji for a second, wanting to share your little moment of happiness of Zoro wanting to continue reading with him.

But Sanji was already looking at you, eyebrows raised in surprise and a disbelieving closed-lipped smile on his face. His smile only grew at seeing the happiness you radiated, his eyes scanning over your face. "Well, in that case," he started as he made his way towards the door. "Let me excuse myself then. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your storytime, Mr. Mosshead."

As Sanji left the room and stepped out into the hall, he could hear you giggle at his 'Mr. Darcy' joke while Zoro grumbled, a sweet sense of satisfaction coming over him.

But before he went back to the kitchen to start on tonight's dinner prep, he loitered outside of Zoro's room again, leaning against the doorframe like he did moments earlier, out of view, so could listen to you read once more for a bit, a small, wistful smile on his face.

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[brightlyflamed]

sanji x hands

[honnelander]

go fish! part 5 snippet (let's try this again)

so after scrapping what i had, i had serious writer's block and a severe lack of motivation... i kinda felt discouraged but everyone was SO sweet to me and gave me so much encouragement, i was (and still am) so touched!! you all are seriously the best and i'm happy to say that i am finally working on part 5 as we speak :))

i don't want to promise anything, but you all have been sooo patient with me, so here's a little under 300 words of go fish! part 5. sometimes, you don't need a lot of words to get a point across... so here's a little taste:

(disclaimer: this work is unfinished, unedited, and can also not make it into the final product (even though i’m very certain it will))

Sanji was getting desperate.  

The longer he went without telling you he loved you, that he was completely enamored with every part of your entire soul and being, that your existence gave him a reason to live and keep on breathing, the more he felt himself go absolutely insane.  

He felt like a little kid on Christmas morning, sitting in front a mountain of presents but not being able to open them because it ‘wasn’t time to open them yet’, and that’s exactly how he felt with his situation with you: there was nothing more he wanted to do than to tell you he was in love with you, but he knew that it wasn’t the right time yet. He didn’t want to just flat out say ‘I love you’ while you both were doing some rudimentary task or chore, or offhandedly one night while you both were doing the dishes after supper, he wanted something more than that, something special and extravagant.  

You were the love of his life, and you deserved everything under the sun and more, so he wanted to make this very intimate and private moment between you two as special as he could, and that required some serious planning and patience on his part.  

So, after his conversation with Nami a few days ago, her letting him vent out all of his frustrations and apprehensions he had with her, practicing saying those three special words numerous times so when the moment was right with you, they would just roll off the tongue, and some planning, he was ready to confess his feelings to you. 

But something was wrong. Something wasn’t right.  

You were ignoring him and he had absolutely no idea why. 

[maeirys]

On to a new adventure ✨

[aphrcdites]

the bond between a girl and their favorite fictional man is both an unstoppable force and an immovable object

[honnelander]

OK SO I HAVE THIS IDEA IN MY HEAD AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I can't stop laughing imagining that scenario xdxdxdxdxd

Well, then imagine go fish! Sanji takes (Y/N) to meet Zeff and Zeff being the good father he is, "accidentally" spoils the tea in front of everyone because he is so done with the drama around.  😂 😂 😂 😂

UMMM OK I LOVE THISSS!! this technically won't be go fish!Sanji BUT my interpretation of Sanji will pretty much always be like that.

here's Zeff "accidentally" spilling the beans about Sanji's affections for reader: (i can't believe this blew up to like 3k words rip)

masterlist

Zeff wasn't stupid.

He's been around the block a couple of times in his life and when Sanji's semi-regular letters to him had shifted from casual life updates and started to be more and more about details and little interactions he had with you, some girl Zeff had never met before, well, it was easy for the head chef to put two and two together: Sanji was in love.

And he was in love with you.

Now, while Sanji might not technically be his son by birthright, there was no way he didn't consider Sanji to be his own living and breathing son, especially after everything they've been through together, 'pedigree' rules be damned.

Zeff truly loved that boy. Throughout their time together, he had raised Sanji from being a snotty-nosed brat into the respectable man that he was today and, in Zeff's mind, part of being a respectable man included how to treat a woman properly.

Ever since he was a young boy, Zeff could see that Sanji took a special liking towards girls and then young women. The retired captain had lost count of the number of times he had to berate Sanji into getting back to work and to leave the wooing for after dinner service and his own personal time, but the scoldings never stuck. Sanji would always be Sanji, and that meant the lad had an endless wandering eye and a sharp silver tongue, no matter what.

To say that Zeff was sad to see Sanji go with Luffy that day was an understatement, he was devastated, but he knew, ever since he had held a knife to his throat during their first encounter, that Sanji was meant for bigger things. For things bigger than cooking up the same old dinner specials every night and breaking up drunk pirate fights on the regular. Sanji was bigger than the Baratie, so when Luffy had made his infamous offer to his pseudo-son, a part of Zeff was relieved because that meant that Sanji could finally start living the life he was always meant to live, and that was one of a pirate.

Zeff had also made peace with the very real fact that he might never see or hear from Sanji again. He (and Sanji) knew all too well how quickly something could go from bad to worse to life-threatening in an instant out on the open ocean, and if Luffy was truly determined to find the one piece and have Sanji join his crew, then Zeff knew that seeing him off that day was probably be the last time he would ever see his son alive.

So, imagine his surprise when he received his first letter from him.

At first, he thought it was a joke, that one of the line cooks in the kitchen was pulling a cruel prank on him by writing him a fake letter in Sanji's unmistakable handwriting, but when he finally ripped open the envelope and found out that yes, Sanji did, in fact, write him a letter, well... it had actually brought a tear to his eye.

From that point forward, Zeff found himself eagerly awaiting Sanji's letters. He loved to hear all about the outlandish adventures that crew seemed to always find themselves in and it made Zeff nostalgic for his days at sea. There was never any return address, since the crew was constantly on the move, and Zeff expected as such, so he could never send a reply but that didn't mean he wasn't grateful for each and every letter he received.

Zeff should've realized that something was up though when Sanji had first mentioned you in one of his letters. Sanji's letters would come every couple of months and they, surprisingly, never mentioned any young lass or any other pretty girl he would meet during an island visit unless it was woman they had ended up fighting.

So, when Sanji had first mentioned you to him, saying how you were the newest straw hat to join the crew, Zeff had thought it was just business as usual. However, what wasn't 'just business as usual' was when the rest of the letter had turned into a little biography about you; where you were from, how old you were, what your home life was like, that you had also agreed that 'oregano was for savages', etc., and the letter ended up being nearly ten pages long.

Then, after your 'introduction' in Sanji's letters to him, you were practically the subject of them all going forward, each one getting longer than the last. Gone were the letters detailing Sanji's adventures, and in came the letters describing the interactions you two had or what topics had come up in your conversations with each other.

At first, Zeff thought it was just another one of Sanji's infatuations (the boy was a huge flirt after all) but when more and more details were provided, and the letters started becoming longer, it was obvious to Zeff that Sanji was in love with you.

And why didn't Sanji just admit his feelings to you? He had no clue. Maybe it was partially his fault too, since Zeff never remembered having that 'what to do when you truly love a girl' talk with him, but he had hoped that Sanji would eventually be fed up with all the back and forth between the both of you and finally just confess already, but that declaration of "I confessed my love to her and she reciprocated" line never was brought up in any of the letters.

And Zeff was feeling himself go crazy the longer this went on. The 'drama' that was occurring between you both was driving him nuts and he vowed that if he ever saw Sanji and the rest of the straw hat crew at the Baratie again, that he would confess Sanji's feelings towards you for him. I mean... someone had to.

Then one day his lucky day came.

"Zeff!" a voice called out from the top of the stairs one afternoon before the day's first dinner service, a voice that Zeff thought he would never hear again. "There you are, you old shitbag!"

Immediately, Zeff stopped talking to the wait staff, turning his body to look up at where he heard the voice come from, his hands on his hips, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing: there was Sanji, a huge smile on his face, standing with practically the same crew that he had waved goodbye to nearly two years ago.

"Oi! Sanji!" Zeff yelled out, his own disbelieving smile lighting up his face. "I never thought I'd see your ugly mug around here again."

Sanji laughed at that as he quickly bounded down the stairs, enveloping him in a bear hug. "That makes two of us!" He pulled back, his blue eyes lighting up in pure happiness as he quickly took Zeff in, patting him on the shoulder as he said, "And look at you, you practically look exactly the same as the day I left you."

As Zeff took in Sanji's appearance, he realized that he couldn't say the same about him. Sanji looked older, not in a bad way, but in a more mature way. He looked like he was growing into the man that he was always meant to be.

And Zeff couldn't have been more proud.

"Well, I can't say the same about you little eggplant. You look like a seasoned pirate to me." Both of them dropped their arms off of each other and Zeff put his hands back on his hips. "You keepin' your feet dry?"

Sanji mirrored his pose, a small laugh escaping his lips as he looked down for a second. "Yeah," he said and looked back up at Zeff, a knowing glint in his blue eyes. "Yeah, I am."

Zeff knew right then that everything with his son was alright. "Good."

"Hey, uh, I wanted to introduce you to someone," Sanji started, looking slightly bashful as he looked back down at the floor and put his hands in his pockets. "She's the-"

"Girl from the letters?" Zeff said with a small knowing smile, finding it endearing how his normally smooth-talking son was suddenly acting about this girl. If he didn't know any better, Sanji looked nervous (and Zeff knew he was).

At his words, Sanji's gaze immediately snapped up to meet Zeff's, his eyes becoming slightly wider, a hint of panic within them, as he quickly looked back towards the rest of his crew that had just started to make their way down the stairs and towards them.

"The newest member of our crew," Sanji emphasized loudly, letting out a fake laugh as he looked back at Zeff pointedly.

"Right," Zeff relented with a small disbelieving laugh of his own. "'Newest crewmember'. Got it."

And when Zeff turned his attention towards the straw hats, he immediately knew it was you before you even introduced yourself. Sure, you were the only new face in the small group of familiar faces, but he had to give credit to Sanji, he had definitely captured your looks and essence in his letters.

Zeff's smile widened. You were cute. From just by looking at you, he could tell you were a sweet and kind soul, it was no wonder Sanji loved you. You definitely looked like the type of person who would do all those things that Sanji had spoken about in his letters and he immediately approved of you. If Sanji had stood there and introduced you as his wife instead of 'his newest crewmember', he wouldn't have had any objections to that at all.

"Zeff, this is y/n," Sanji started, gesturing a hand out to you, Zeff noticing the way his son's eyes softened just by looking at you. "And, uh, you already know everyone else."

Zeff looked away from Sanji and down at you, seeing that you already had your hand out to shake his, a nervous smile plastered on your face.

He liked you.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Zeff, sir," you said, shaking his hand. "I've heard so much about you."

Now, even though Sanji had corrected him before about you, it didn't mean Zeff wasn't going to say anything.

"Aw, come on now, the pleasure is all mine little lass," Zeff replied, shaking your smaller hand with his bigger one. "It's nice to finally meet the girl that Sanji raves on about all the time."

From his peripheral, he could see Sanji stiffen.

Your eyes widened, your hand going limp in his as you asked, "Raves on about? Who, me? T-to you?"

Zeff's smile only grew wider and more cheeky. "Oh yeah, all the time," he said casually, as you both dropped hands. He placed his hands on his hips again and nodded towards his son. "You should see just how much of his letters are about you. It's like I get a damn novel every other month about your relationship," he joked.

"Zeff-" Sanji started but Zeff wasn't done.

He was on a roll and nothing was going to stop him. The more he spoke, however, the redder your face became.

"Oh yeah," the head chef continued, "from as much as Sanji talks about the two of you, I thought you two were in a relationship and said 'I love you' to each other already."

After he said that, the room got quiet. You stood there, completely frozen with wide eyes and a flushed face, like a deer in headlights, while Sanji stood as still as a statue. The rest of the straw hats stood quietly behind you three with varying looks of shock and awe on their faces at the display before them.

"Sanji," Luffy said, breaking the awkward silence first. "You love y/n?"

"Luffy!" Nami hissed.

"I knew it!" Usopp loudly and proudly declared, pointing a finger to the sky as he turned and laughed at the rest of the crew. "See, the great captain Usopp always knows the sparks of true love whenever he sees it," he said, hooking his thumbs at the top of his overalls with a grin.

Zoro snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You wouldn't know what true love looked like even if it smacked you in the face."

"Says the guy who doesn't have a girlfriend," Usopp smugly retorted with a laugh.

Before Zoro could say anything back, Zeff spoke up. "Hey, straw hats," he called, grabbing their attention. "Why don't you lot come into the kitchen and sit at the chef's table? I'll have Patty and the rest of 'em cook you a couple of steaks however you want, on the house. I'll throw in a couple of beers too."

"I'm in," Zoro said without missing a beat as he started making his way towards the kitchen, not needing to be asked twice.

"Ooo, free beers? Show captain Usopp the way, please," Usopp said, following Zoro through the kitchen doors.

At the mention of meat, Luffy immediately perked up and forgot about the situation before him. "Steaks? Would it be possible to have more than one?"

"Sure," Zeff agreed easily and nodded towards the kitchen. "Eat too many though and I'll have you back on dish duty again to pay your bill."

"Deal," Luffy quickly agreed and followed after his first mate and sharpshooter.

With a shared look, Nami and Zeff started making their way towards the kitchen together, both ignoring you and Sanji.

"How do you like your steak cooked Nami?" Zeff asked conversationally before disappearing behind the kitchen's double doors.

"Medium rare, actually," Nami replied and slipped in after him, leaving you and Sanji all alone in the dining room.

It was quiet for a solid minute, neither one of you moving or making a sound.

"So," you started, clearing your throat and looking over at Sanji. "You, uh... told Zeff about me?"

But Sanji couldn't look at you. In fact, he was looking at everywhere but you. His cheeks were flushed pink and the tips of his ears were red. He looked down at the ground with his hands on his hips.

"Yeah," he said, forcing out a slight laugh that sounded more painful than anything. "I, uh, told him a bit about you. Could you tell?" he asked, a hint of painful and playful sarcasm in his tone.

You couldn't help but laugh at his attempt at a joke. You could feel your heart start to race as you slowly took a couple of steps closer to him. "Yeah, I could tell," you replied playfully. "You really love me, Sanji?" you asked him softly after a beat.

Turning his head to the side, you could see a blush crawl up his neck. It was so cute, you don't think you've ever seen Sanji be this flustered or embarrassed before. "Uh, well," he stammered, "I-I didn't want you to find out like this. I had a plan and everything. But Zeff and his big mouth had to ruin-"

"Sanji," you said simply, cutting him off. "Look at me."

Before obeying your command, Sanji took a deep breath, like he was bracing himself for the inevitable letdown and rejection he was used to receiving from women throughout his life.

When he looked down at you and met your stare, his eyes were filled with apprehension. "Yes?"

You wanted to do nothing in that moment but quelch his fears. "Oh, just come here," you said.

In one swift motion, you grabbed him by his tie and pulled him down into a kiss, capturing his lips with your own. You felt him stiffen in surprise, but once it hit him that you were, indeed, kissing him, he immediately relaxed and put his hands on either side of your face, his fingers entangling themselves into your hair, deepening the kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your mouth moving in sync as you felt butterflies erupt in your stomach.

Was this real life?

After a moment, you pulled apart, panting slightly for air. You both looked at each other, faces flushed, neither one of you expecting to share your first kiss in the middle of the empty Baratie dining room.

"I love you too."

The smile that broke out across Sanji's face was brighter than the sun. But before he could say anything, you both could hear Usopp yelling from inside the kitchen.

"Guys! They kissed! See, I told you they would!" He declared loudly before turning away from the small circular window. "Zoro and Nami, you each owe twenty berry! Come on, pay up!" he laughed like a high roller that just won big, making his way back into the kitchen.

At the sound of loud protesting and groaning coming from the kitchen, you giggled, hiding your face in his chest from embarrassment.

"Oh god," you groaned.

"Aw come now, no need to be embarrassed, Madam," Sanji teased. "If they're placing bets on us, might as well give them a show to bet on, yeah?"

When you peeked up at him, you could see a mysterious glint in his eye as he scanned over your pretty face and back down to your lips before looking back into your eyes. His look made your heart skip a beat.

"Sounds like a plan to me," you answered with a small laugh before you pulled him back down to kiss him all over again.

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[lovelymrvl]

HIIII! I saw you're going to Infinity for Taz too and since I'm going alone, I figured I could try and make some friends before the con 😊

Also Taz friends in general.

If hope you don't mind me reaching out

aaah hi!! that’s awesome! i don’t mind at all!! i would love to be friends🥹🫶🏻 feel free to reach out whenever you want!

[belleeebelleee]

[serxndgifites]

TAZ SKYLAR

*his smile tho-🥹