You glanced over, heart stuttering in your chest as you made eye contact with one Monkey D. Luffy. He was eating, looking back at you rather curiously. What—
What were the strawhat pirates doing here?
Kurozawa continued to speak, and you broke the staring contest that was going on between you and the pirate captain.
Chapter One (Re-Mastered)
“Forgive me, but see she’s— she’s family to me. I feel rather protective when she’s around pirates with such bounties as you all have.”
Family. Yeah, sure. The word coming from him made your stomach roll. You smiled though, always smile, always agree.
“She doesn’t seem very happy.”
Luffy’s sentence felt like a punch to the gut. It didn’t come out accusatorially, not harsh or biting. He said it like it was a casual conversation piece, eyes never leaving your face though his words were directed to Damarias.
If You Thought It Was Real
Sanji x Reader (Yandere!Sanji, (platonic) Yandere!Strawhats)
Your jobs were typical: scout, seduce, steal. Berri, artifacts, maps, books, you name it, and you've stolen it. This job was supposed to be easy: Black-leg Sanji was a notorious ladies' man, gaining his trust and access to his ship was easy. What wasn't easy was escaping him and his crew. You were Sanji's, which meant you were theirs.
Taglist
This shit is so ass I swear guys I haven't forgotten about y'all
Your lips were soft.
That's the only clear thought that was able to be formed in Sanji's mind. They were soft and sweet, and he could taste the wine on your tongue, hints of chocolate on your breath. Part of him was alarmed— you rarely initiated something as simple as holding his hand, and here you were, arms wrapped tightly around his neck, pulling him down as if you needed him to survive. That part was easily drowned out, the sounds of you moaning into his mouth becoming the only thing he could focus on.
He did pull back eventually, though it took all his strength. He stared down at you; your cheeks were red, and there was a thin layer of sweat on your forehead. Your eyes were wide, your pupils blown. He figured he probably looked similar. All of his strength was going into holding himself, hovering above your body as you lay on the bed, your hands now twisting in the back of his hair.
"Sanji," His name came out like a whine, and he felt you tug at his hair, and that was all it took to rid himself of the remaining silver of sanity.
He all but crashed down on top of you, lips pressing to your collar bones, biting the skin there. He was rewarded with a yelp falling from your lips, and he decided that those were some of his favorite sounds to grace his ears. He had a feeling of some other sounds he'd enjoy, but he needed to work himself to that point.
"Mon cher," He was practically panting now, unable to pry his lips from your skin, feeling the heat of your body against his.
"Sanji, please," He didn't know exactly what it was you were asking, but he didn't care either.
The weekend rolled around much faster than anticipated, the days blurring into a haze of classwork, quizzes, and lectures. Your half-hearted plans went up in smoke once Friday rolled around; Momo had to work, Aira was going out of town with her dad, Okarun and Jiji were working on some project, and you were left alone. You did your best not to take it to heart; they seemed upset when they told you, but it still stung.
You hadn't really expected much for your weekend, but as you watched your mother continue to get ready to head out, the opportunities shrank. It wasn't as if you all had fun family dinners, but it was nice to not eat alone in silence.
"We'll be back late tonight," Her voice was clipped as she adjusted her necklace, eyeing herself in the mirror, "Don't wait up. There are leftovers in the fridge; do not order takeout. That food's far too fattening, and please, finish unpacking the smaller boxes before we come home as well. Just seeing them gives me a headache."
"Yes, ma'am," You swallowed, holding back your sigh as she finished getting ready, not even sparing you a glance as she made her way to the front door, your father already standing there checking his watch.
"Dear," He glanced up towards you, but turned away to grab his coat as your mother started putting her shoes on, "Be good. When we get home, I want this place looking better than it does now."
"Of course," You smiled, tight-lipped, as they turned without so much as a goodbye, walking out of the house with the door clicking shut behind them.
It felt like you were deflating after they left, residual tension bleeding out of your body as the silence in the house settled in. After a minute, you turned on your heel and headed down the hall towards the storage room. Truthfully, it was the second-largest bedroom in the house, and it used to be your brother's. Now that you had moved back, it was being used as a make-shift storage room, and once cleared out, it would be a home office for your parents.
It was dark inside, and the overhead light flickered to life as you turned it on. There weren't many boxes left; most of them were seasonal clothes that could be put away last, but there were a few small boxes filled with your brother's things. Your parents had been ignoring them for as long as they could, but with almost everything else put away, they couldn't push it off anymore. With a huff, you got to work, crouching down and sifting through everything.
—
"And I'm telling you that blessed silver would work better as a binding agent," Turbo Granny's voice was shrill, and Okarun tuned back in, turning to see where she and Seiko-san were bickering.
"We're trying to get rid of the damn thing, not bind it to her!"
"If it's bound and unable to leave, it won't kill her ya dumbass! If she dies with it trapped, it dies!"
"That's just a theory, you bag of fleas."
"I do not have fleas!"
Their argument left him feeling nothing but more defeated. Everything they found— every occult article, every old scroll— basically said the same thing. Those who survived the shibogami went insane; they weren't able to remember who they were, let alone how they survived. Those who didn't survive took their own lives. The more he read, the more frustrated he felt. Was this your future? Doomed to either spend the rest of your life in an asylum, unable to recall anything, or be dead and cremated before adulthood.
"Hey," Jiji's voice cut through the haze of worry, and Okarun turned, looking up at his friend. Jiji offered a smile, small and weak, but Okarun couldn't help but send one back. "Just 'cause these records don't say anything, doesn't mean it's impossible. How many of these people had people like us helping them?"
That was true. You had some very powerful people on your side, scouring every corner they could to find any semblance of information to help you. However, it didn't mean it was guaranteed that they would find anything. He tried shaking that negative thought out of his head, turning back to the article on his phone. He felt awful that you were at home by yourself, but he also knew that their research would have been stunted as they tried to make sure you remained unaware.
—
Most of the items in the smaller boxes were books and trinkets that your brother had kept on his desk; there were a few framed pictures of him and his college friends, people your parents all but cut contact with after you moved, some textbooks from school, a Rubik's Cube, and journals upon journals. You had always had a hunch your brother enjoyed writing, but an author isn't a lucrative job, and you imagined that if your hunch was correct, he had learned to hide that enjoyment.
Your parents were out for a business dinner, which meant they wouldn't be home until late-late; you were able to take your time moving around. You were hungry, but not enough to get up and make your way to the kitchen; the only thing you had to look forward to was bland food.
You froze for a moment, head turning to stare out the bedroom door into the hallway— were your parents home? Already? Standing up, you crept over, peeking down the hall. The living room looked as still as it had earlier, and when you made your way to peek out the window, their car wasn't there.
"Hello?" You called out, thinking that the footsteps had maybe been one of them— maybe your dad had drunk too much already, and your mom dropped him off sick, "Mom? Dad?"
The only response you got was silence, and you wrapped your arms around yourself, feeling uncomfortable as the silence around you lingered almost heavier. You were just imagining things— being home alone had always messed with your imagination. That's just what this was. You huffed, trying to focus on calming your heart from racing as you made your way back to the boxes that awaited you.
The room felt heavier as you re-entered, and you glanced around. The room felt wrong. You couldn't pinpoint why, but the only thing on your mind was finishing and leaving. You hated that your hands trembled as you moved the pictures to your parents' desks, trying to pay no mind to the fact that there were no framed pictures of you anywhere in the house. You put the Rubik's Cube on your dad's desk; he'd enjoy it more than your mom would.
The textbooks could be placed in the bookshelf, but you could figure that out next. The hardest part was his journals. What did you let your parents see, and what did you hide? Why were you trying to protect his work, anyway? What had he ever done—
"Hey."
You couldn't stop the scream from tearing from you, whirling around in a panic, not caring as you knocked over the journals, the box falling onto its side. You fell back, wincing as the cardboard dug into you, and you scrambled to stand up, eyes wide and searching around the empty room.
You had definitely heard that. There was no way a voice that clear was in your imagination— your ear felt like it was still ringing from the sheer volume. Heart hammering in your chest, you made your way to the door, peering down the hall. Everything looked the same as it had before; nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
What the hell?
There was no way that had been in your head; it couldn't have been. It was too clear, too loud. But you waited, breath caught in your throat, and heard nothing but silence. Your hands were trembling as you made your way to the knocked-over journals— you were losing your mind.
You moved them quickly, not even caring to keep neat as you dropped the journals back in their original box, wanting to do nothing more than be done and hide in your bedroom for the rest of the night. One of the journals caught your attention, having fallen open. Your brother's handwriting on the pages was an absolute wreck, and it was jarring to see.
Part of you wanted to slam it shut, give his memory some sense of privacy. But the bigger part of you was curious, so you picked it up, narrowing your eyes as you tried to make sense of his handwriting.
It's talking to me. I can hear it, but no one else can. I feel like I'm going crazy.
You felt a shiver run up your spine, and the back of your neck tingled as if you were being stared at. You glanced around, the feeling of paranoia seeping deep into your veins, before you looked back down, eyes jumping around the pages as you read.
The shadows are moving. I freaked out about it this morning, and dad just told me to lay off the beers before bed. I haven't drunk anything in a week, I can't. When I'm drunk, I see it more. I'm terrified. I can't sleep; it shows up in my nightmares. It talks to me there; it sounds so creepy. It feels like it's choking me; I feel cold hands around my neck whenever I wake up.
You slammed the journal shut, feeling bile rise in your throat. Your eyes felt dry, and you blinked rapidly, trying to lessen that pain.
What had he been writing about?
Why did it seem so familiar?
—
"Maybe we can wait, and once she's hit a point where it manifests a physical form, then we kill it."
"To have it manifest a physical form usually means it's too late for the host," Seiko-san seemed just as stressed as they felt, not even bothering to light the cigarette she was toying with in her hands, "So sure, we try to kill it as it takes a physical shape, but we risk her either goin' insane or trying to off herself."
Okarun could see Jiji deflate, slumping in on himself as another plan was shot down. They had been going in circles at this rate; each plan made had too many issues and concerns to even be called a plan. The closest plan they had was to just keep you happy for all eternity, so the shibogami never got a hold of you, but that just wasn't realistic. You had to deal with your parents, with school, with friends, with dating, with jobs, with the world for the rest of your life. Unless they planned on locking you in some mansion with everything you could need, they couldn't even start to find a way to remove every negative emotion from you.
"What would happen if she were in a coma?" The question made him feel sick, asking it, imagining you lying in a hospital room, hooked up with wires, "The shibogami needs her emotions to be negative, but if she's unconscious then—"
Seiko-san just shook her head again, "It seems like it controls a person's subconscious, so if she were to be comatose, I imagine she'd be stuck in a never-ending nightmare. At that point, by the time she woke up, if she woke up, she'd be seconds away from taking a nose-dive off a roof."
The two boys were taken aback, and Jiji let out a huff, whispering, "Harsh."
Seiko-san sighed, "It's the truth, I don't want to get your hopes up just to end with a worse situation."
"We know," Okarun knew she was trying, and just being realistic, "Is there really nothing in your files about this?"
"Trust me, kid, if I had found anything, you'd be the first to know. But at this rate, we're almost flying blind."
"It's worse than flyin' blind," He jumped, turning to see Granny Turbo wander in, eyes squinted as if she had just woken up from a nap, "'Cause you're basically running your own experiments. You have bits and pieces of information, a big hurrah for that, and you gotta figure out what works and what doesn't in real time. I do not envy the position you all are in. Could always call it quits."
"I'm not giving up!" Okarun couldn't stop the rise in his voice, glaring at Turbo Granny as she sat down, hands tightening into fists, "I'm going to stop the shibogami, and I'm going to save her! I don't care if there's no record of it happening before, we'll figure it out here and now."
—
You couldn't put the journal away. Every fiber in your being wanted you to put it away, to hide it, to burn it. But you couldn't. You had managed to get everything else away, but the one journal was hidden in your bedroom now, slipped under your mattress. Even when your mom did her room search, she wouldn't find it; she never looked there.
Even being out of sight, it wasn't out of mind. Your brother's handwriting had progressively gotten worse the more you skimmed. It became nearly illegible at the end, and it made you think of something straight out of a horror film. You should put it away— you needed to put it away, but you couldn't tear your eyes from the pages.
There's nothing online that's helping me. No one knows anything. My friends think I'm stressed from school or that I'm making it up. I wish I were making it up. The shadows on my wall are looking like a person now. I hear mom's voice in my ears sometimes when she's at work. It keeps telling me I'm not doing enough, that I'm a failure and a waste of space. It told me to drive off the bridge on the way home, or step in front of the trains before I go out.
Your throat tightened.
I'm starting to want to.
You slammed the journal shut, shoving it under your bed and back into the proper place. Your cheeks felt hot, and it took you a moment to realize you were crying. Your heart was hammering in your chest, fast and loud, and it felt like it was fighting to burst out of you. Wiping your eyes, you rushed to the hall bathroom, flicking the lights on and rushing to the sink. The cold water felt good as you splashed it on your face, and for a moment—
I say this kindly, and I hope it doesn’t come off rude cause that’s not my intention! But to answer asks asking why I’m taking so long, when I’m going to update, giving me ideas, etc.
I have a plot for IYTTWR, I have plots of chapters and where I’d like the main story to end. I know I’m not good at scheduling, but I’d like to remind everyone I have a full time job and am also a full time student. My free time is far and few in between, and sometimes I don’t have the mental energy to write.
While I always ALWAYS appreciate asks, comments, etc., about my fic, headcanons, etc. I have to say I’m not asking for inspiration or ideas. Headcanons have been one thing, but please, remember I’m a person who is writing these fics for fun, in between working and studying and writing papers.
I do appreciate y’all, I really do, but this has been weighing on me with a good amount of asks I’ve been getting
im sorry if anyone ask this before but, is If you thought it was real or sanji fic will have smut???🥺🥺🥺 will it be posted in this account or in seperate, or like in ao3?
- 🧋
I do have this up on AO3 as well, and thank you for the reminder I need to update that version to be caught up with the tumblr version.
Also! I am somewhat working on a smut chapter
In all honesty I’ve never written smut before… but y’all I want to feed you but I’m worried I’ll end up feeding you something awful 😭😭😭
I believe, when done right, isekai type fanfic can be very good and very amusing.
But I think it would be 100x more amusing if the character or reader was isekai’ed to a universe they had absolutely no idea about.
Like imagine you know nothing about One Piece and all of a sudden wake up there. Do you know how jarring that would be? People randomly have weird, super powers, pirates run a part of the world and corrupt marines run the other.
Or you wake up in My Hero— good luck if you’re waking up with no quirk because now you’re confused and facing prejudisim. Not to mention the world at some point is constantly under attack.
now I’m imagining you get isekai’ed and you KNOW where you are, except they’re all speaking their og language
anime nerds specifically (me included)
cause i’m watching apothecary diaries and thought of being isekai’ed there and i was like “wait that’s china my limited japanese would do jack SHIT there”
Apparently, in order to get some semblance of privacy, all you needed to do was be attacked.
You had woken up alone, the sun already high in the sky, and the scent of lunch wafting through the air. The idea of turning over and bundling yourself into the blanket was tempting, but the smell of food had your stomach growling. It felt like a pit was in your stomach, and you couldn't help but grumble to yourself.
You'd grown soft. However long ago— how long had it been— you were used to the feeling of hunger, always bordering on starvation. You had learned to ignore your body's cues and cries for food, and you knew how to make a gifted meal stretch for a few days. Now, thanks to Sanji's schedule and food— his amazing food— your body was used to demands such as hunger being met.
It was rare for you to so willingly head to the dining room solo, as of late, you were a shadow of someone. Sanji, Nami, Luffy, Robin. It always depended on the day, but you'd be dragged around the ship, sometimes physically, if it was in Luffy's case. You wondered if it was surprising to anyone when you walked into the dining room, still holding tight to the fleece blanket, wrapped around you like a cape.
"Ah, mon amour," Sanji was the first to take note of your presence, as he always was, and he looked thrilled upon seeing you, clad in his pink apron, a smile on his face, "I was going to bring you lunch; you slept through breakfast this morning."
You watched one of Luffy's rubbery arms try to stretch behind Sanji's back, aiming for whatever was in the pan. Without missing a beat, Sanji shifted, turning to set the pan back on the stove top before sending a quick kick at his captain. Despite knowing this was how they always acted, you couldn't help but flinch as you recalled the sound of that Marine's bones cracking under Sanji's kick.
Luffy didn't do more than yelp and pout, arms crossed like a child. Sanji turned back, moving from the kitchen to stand by your side, leading you to a seat like an escort.
"I would have saved some breakfast, but this idiot ate your portion before I finished plating it." He sent a quick glare at Luffy, who only giggled and grinned as you sat down.
"Hey, hey! Sanji said you guys got attacked by a Marine last night!"
"Luffy!"
"Sanji said he took care of him, though," Luffy looked proud, chest puffing forward, "I told you before— it's okay if you're weak! The rest of our nakama is strong enough to take care of you, especially Sanji! Hey, Sanji! Is that why you like her? 'Cause she's weaker?"
He always managed to say insults so politely. You couldn't help but narrow your eyes at him, shifting to glance at Sanji, somewhat curious as to what his answer would be. He had gone back to the stove, finishing up what looked like some type of grilled fish.
"I love everything about her, elle est plus que parfaite," He spoke so plainly you felt heat rise to your cheeks, "Now stop talking about last night, Luffy. I'd rather erase that part of our date."
Luffy laughed, leaning across the table, arms stretched out your way. "Robin said you're doing a redo date tonight anyway, so why can't I talk about last night?"
There was a crash that had you jumping, and you watched as Luffy rubbed his head with a wince, looking down at the shattered plate that had just ricocheted off of his head. Sanji's cheeks were red, and he was glaring at the captain.
"Luffy, you idiot! That was supposed to be a surprise!"
"Oh," Luffy didn't look the least bit apologetic, "Sorry!"
The others had begun to trickle in at this rate, and you couldn't escape Nami as she flung her arms around you, squealing happily in your ear. You let her hold you, tuning her words out as you watched the others take their own seats. Robin smiled at you as she sat down, and you had to turn away. The look in her eyes was always too much.
"I take it our dear captain ruined your surprise, cook?"
Sanji sighed, already heading over with plates lined up on his arm, dishing them out to each person. "Unfortunately. It's my fault for telling him, honestly."
"I doubt it'll be truly ruined," She thanked him as he placed her plate down, "What desserts will you be creating tonight? I have to admit I'm rather curious."
"Ah, now that is a surprise," He placed a plate down in front of you, and you glanced up, catching the wink sent your way, "But fear not, Robin my sweet, Nami-swan managed to get us a whole bunch of fruits from that restaurant, so I can whip up whatever your heart desires."
She laughed, taking a sip of her tea, "How sweet of you." Her attention turned back towards you, "Don't worry, the rest of us will be heading into town for the night to give you pair some privacy."
"You all are going into town?" You asked the question before you could stop yourself, and the smile on Robin's face felt borderline condescending.
"We all have our own interests to look into, and we figured it would be nice for you two to redo your date without any Marines interfering. Or energetic captains."
Luffy had chosen that moment to attempt to snag some food from Zoro's plate, who hadn't even looked up before stabbing his captain's hand with a fork, sliding his plate further towards himself. He let out a yelp and pouted, pulling his hand to his chest with a whine of his first mate's name. The remainder of lunch passed in a haze, the conversations around you feeling more like background noise, a static in the back of your mind. You could hear Usopp telling some exaggerated story about fighting a monster, and you could hear Chopper's gasps of awe. You found yourself only half-listening, picking at the food on your plate as Franky tried haggling with Nami for a larger allowance.
Soon enough, the plates of lunch, yours included, were finished, and the sound of chairs scraping the floor interrupted the lull of conversations. You watched Sanji move back to the kitchen, his movements almost graceful, and Luffy trailed after him.
"Come on, Sanji— I want a snack! A post-lunch snack!"
Nami scoffed, moving to grab him by his ear, ignoring his whining, "You already had four plates of lunch."
"Exactly! Only four!"
Usopp laughed quietly as he pushed the chairs back under the table, moving to take your empty plate away without a word. He sent you a small smile, though, and walked past the now-arguing Nami and Luffy to put the plates in the sink.
"Just shut up," Nami huffed, arms crossed over her chest, "We're going on land now. You're sticking with Usopp today. I need Zoro to carry some bags for me."
"Again?" The only time you would ever hear Zoro sounding even close to being panicked is when he was being used as a pack mule for Nami, "You just went shopping!"
"What's that? You want me to increase your interest rate?"
"Hey!" Luffy had moved away from the kitchen, as Nami was no longer scolding him, "Are you coming?"
"Dumbass," Usopp was the one to remind him, shaking his head with a sigh, "She and Sanji are staying on board, remember? They're redoing their date."
"Oh yeah, sounds boring," He stuck his tongue out in response, but moved away from being in your space.
"Boring?" Sanji sounded offended, and you didn't want him to know you had somewhat agreed with Luffy, "What's boring about a romantic evening, you uncultured brute?"
Luffy shrugged, picking at his ear as he wandered towards the door, "All of it?"
Sanji pointed a half-clean knife his way, eye narrowing, "Get off the ship before I kick you into the town myself."
"It's my ship," Luffy pouted, "And I—"
Nami grabbed him by the back of his shirt, effectively cutting him off as she proceeded to drag him out of the dining area, hissing at him under her breath, "Can you just get a move on?"
"But Nami—"
Usopp and Chopper followed the pair out next, laughing at the duo, Zoro trailing not far behind them, a scowl on his face. Brook and Jinbe left next, quietly talking between them, though you thought you caught them glancing back your way a few times before exiting. Franky stretched, groaning loudly as Robin waited for him to join her.
"Don't sink the Sunny while we're gone, lovebirds."
You couldn't help the panicked laugh from falling from you, sounding more like a bark than anything. Your cheeks felt hot, and you couldn't stop yourself from glaring at the cyborg man. Robin giggled quietly to herself, and at the very least, Sanji looked somewhat embarrassed. He cleared his throat, and the silence that enveloped the pair of you was near suffocating. You could hear the others' voices growing distant before fading out of earshot entirely. It wasn't as if you weren't left alone with Sanji on more than one occasion, but it felt far more pointed in this moment.
"Ignore them— especially Franky," There was no real bite in his tone, and the annoyed look on his face melted, softening once you were in his sights, "He says some crude things sometimes."
You didn't have a response, so you just nodded, forcing a smile his way, though you were sure it looked at least somewhat forced. He moved along, so if your slight unease was apparent, he didn't react to it.
"Truth be told— I've been working on our dessert since earlier this morning, Nami-swan got a bunch of the fruits sent to the Sunny as an apology for last night. Though we only got so many of the velisar fruit, I imagine a fruit with healing abilities is far too important to give away in bulk." He was chattering along, cleaning dishes and drying them quickly, not bothered by your silence.
"Oh, mon cher," He was speaking directly to you now, and your attention shifted to him in full, eyebrow raising, "Robin-chan brought us a bottle of wine to pair with our dessert, a shiraz made on the island. She left a bottle in the pantry, would you mind grabbing it?"
You blinked at the ask— command, more than likely— before standing up, blanket still wrapped around you as you made your way towards the pantry. He was still talking, explaining the process of using the velisar fruit and being able to create a dessert better than the resturaunt. You searched for a moment in the pantry before your eyes settled on a bottle, far fancier looking than the things Zoro drank from. You grabbed it, reading the label. You could make out the label, Shiraz, but below it were words you didn't recognize. Saiin Sayō, Arukōru-Do Sū 30-Pāsento. You brushed it off, bringing it into the dining room.
Sanji had finished with the dishes and had brought newer items out, laying them out on the counter. There was a purple fruit laid out on the cutting board, about the size of apples. He was chopping them up, and upon seeing you back with the wine, he paused, the smile on his face growing larger.
"Ah, thank you, my sweet! Here, place it near me," You set it on the counter, being mindful to not have it too close lest he accidentally knocks it over, "And here you are," He held a small plate out, a few slices of the velisar on it.
You took the plate, glancing at it before glancing back up to look back at him, "Is this the dessert?"
"What do you take me for?" He placed a hand against his chest, faux offense on his face, "I'm finishing it up, but it'll take a few minutes. I figured you'd enjoy a sweet snack beforehand."
Truth be told, you weren't too hungry, but you also weren't full enough to refuse. Not to mention any time you pondered forgoing a meal or ignoring a plate, you remembered his threat from weeks ago. You wouldn't do anything that risked you being put on a feeding tube. You took the plate to the table, grabbing a slice and nibbling on it.
It was a bit tangy, and the juices felt almost sharp on your tongue. It tasted similar to a blackberry, but like a blackberry soaked in vanilla. It was good, and you were suddenly grateful that you weren't full from lunch. You continued to snack on the slices, watching Sanji twirl around the kitchen as he finished up the dessert.
"You didn't want to save the dessert for later tonight?" You were curious as to why he was serving the dessert so early in the day, and if he aimed for this to be a 'redo date', you didn't much look the part.
He chuckled quietly, "Truth be told, because I started working on the dessert so early this morning, it was finished sooner than anticipated. I pivoted from my original plan and decided we'd have a dessert now, and a nice dinner later tonight."
You nodded as he spoke, picking up another slice of the velisar fruit, humming at the juice that coated your tongue. No wonder this island was protective over it's fruits, if they tasted this good and had benefits like healing components, you could only imagine how many people came on shore in hopes of getting some. You let out a sigh, dropping the blanket from your shoulders as you finished your fruit snack. The room felt warmer the longer you stayed seated, and you let it pool around your waist where you sat.
"Et voilà." Sanji lifted the finished dessert up like a precious masterpiece, bringing it over to sit on the table before you. They looked like mini chocolate cupcakes, topped with slices of the velisar fruit that were twisted to represent a rose. Sanji took the empty plate from before you, bringing it to the sink and grabbing the bottle of Shiraz, as well as two wine glasses.
"Mind you, while a velisar imperial fondant sounds good, I believe my dessert is far superior," He popped the wine open, pouring you a small amount, before sliding your glass over your way.
You snorted, accepting the glass, "Wine in the afternoon, huh?" You took a sip regardless, wincing at the tang that hit your mouth. Sanji just smiled, taking his seat and taking a sip of his own wine, though it appeared to go down better for him than it did for you.
Before you could reach out to grab one of the desserts, Sanji's hand shot forward first, moving to hold one up to your mouth. The dessert pressed against your lips as you stared at him over his hand, feeling a small surge of annoyance build in your chest. It wasn't as strong as it normally was, and your resolve faltered far quicker than normal, and you let your lips part, taking a bite.
It was good. The chocolate was dark, almost bitter, and it paired well with the velisar fruit that seemed to be both in it and on it. You hummed, and your delight must have shown on your face, because Sanji's own face lit up. He was watching you intensely, almost studying your every reaction. You didn't give any more issues, allowing him to finish hand-feeding you the rest of the dessert.
He grabbed one for himself, and you took the space to sip your wine, washing it down. Sanji hummed as he ate the dessert, head tilting as he studied the flavor he created. "I imagine I can make many other things with the velisar, though I should save the rest of them for Chopper."
You set your glass down, head tilting to one side as you felt the air around you get slightly warmer, trying to find a comfortable way to sit. "What does this fruit do?"
"Robin-chan says that the velisar fruit has healing boosting abilities. Chopper says he should be able to use it for a variety of different ways— elixirs, slaves, infused in bandages. He was quite excited."
Maybe that's why the room felt warmer— whenever you were healing from injuries back on your own island, you'd get feverish; supposedly, the heat in your body killed germs. You hadn't felt bad when you had woken up, but maybe you had felt bad and not noticed.
"What one had we had last night?" You watched as he fiddled with his tie, loosening it slightly.
"Laughlight melon. Those who eat it get the symptoms of being drunk without having to drink, and best of all, no hangover."
You reached out to grab another dessert— cupcake?— and you ate it, torn between savoring the flavor and scarfing it down. You drank the rest of your wine, not stopping Sanji as he topped your glass off once more. The more wine that entered your system, the easier conversation flowed between the two of you. You hadn't even had this easy of a conversation with him the previous night, and you couldn't stop yourself from laughing, giggling at his quips and jokes.
Hours passed in a blur, and before you knew it, the pair of you had drained the bottle of wine and finished the dessert and the leftover slices of velisar. Your head felt like it was on fire, and your mind was spinning endlessly. Were you wine drunk already? Your ability to drink had plummeted since you had met Sanji; you used to be able to handle much more.
"You look a bit flushed, mon cher," You hadn't realized you had put your head on the table, burying your face in your arms, until Sanji had pulled your attention back to him, and you had to pry your head up to look at him.
He only looked, but so much better than you felt— his cheeks were red as well, and he had taken his tie off entirely, his blazer placed on the back of his chair, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. You giggled, studying his look, "You look flushed too."
He didn't deny it, instead moving to stand, reaching out to help you stand up. His hands felt like lava against your skin, and despite the heat you felt under them, you didn't pull away, allowing him to hold you close.
"Why don't we go lie down for a bit, hm?"
That sounded heavenly to your spinning head, so you just hummed, letting him walk you two to the bedroom. The bed was still messy, unkempt from when you woke up earlier, and you stood at the edge of the bed, staring almost hazily at the bed as Sanji moved to shut the door.
"Mon cher?"
You didn't respond, allowing your body to go limp, falling forward onto the bed with a plop, face buried in the blankets. You could feel the shock radiating off of Sanji, and you felt him crawl onto the bed, turning you to lie on your back.
"Mon cher? Are you alright?"
You were looking up at him, a dopey smile on your face as you hummed at his question. His eyebrows were furrowed, and the way he was hovering over you had his bangs hanging down, and you could see both of his eyes this way. They were so blue, and you felt like you could drown in them. He said something else, his tone concerned, but you weren't paying enough attention to make out what he had said.
Instead, you sighed, forcing your arms up to wrap around his shoulders, pulling him down, slotting your lips against his.
I really like the story and I don't mean this as critique, I just want to understand something. To me the reader feels like she thinks she didn't do anything wrong when she was at fault for hurting, betraying and using sanji and the mugiwaras. When she got kidnapped usually a victim of such abuse like reader would see it as saving and I thought that over times the red flags would be visible and that's when she could be you know, have those reactions. But I don't understand why she is so sassy, mean and spiteful at the first chance? It doesn't feel consistent??
But I really love your story! It's so beautifully written and I like how sanji is.
I wonder also what would be different if the reader had immediately been honest after luffy brought her back (when she regains conscious) and if she had apologized regretfully to sanji, stating she is too ashamed to face him and doesn't deserve him (maybe even being honest about caring for him but since the relationship was built on deceit it makes her feel too ashamed) like she doesn't necessarily say this buy she can't forgive herself (and by some extention doesn't want to be forgiven)
SO! she definitely knows she did something wrong, but she most definitely justifies it with a “I had no choice” as WELL as “well they kidnapped me and are worse therefore I didn’t do anything wrong”. That’s also why she’s so upset that she’s feeling comfortable and such, cause on one hand she knows she was kidnapped but on the other hand it was a saving grace. She’s a mix of emotions and goes from angry to subdued to scared to calm.
If she had owned up to it right away everything would have been completely different, especially if it was a true and genuine apology. The others would have still been upset/hurt but hey, who in the crew hasn’t done something that pisses the others off? Just means she fits right in!
