Chapter Text
Sanji took a casual stroll around the ship, stopping to greet Brook at the helm and refilling his coffee. Their resident living skeleton was manning the helm, playing a relaxing tune on his violin between course adjustments. The wind was calm and steady, albeit chilly. Sanji desperately hoped that their next stop was not a winter island. The cold reminded him too much of his years in the North Blue and the nights in that dungeon when he rarely felt truly warm. The East Blue, with its more temperate climate, had suited him well.
Sanji settled in once again on the aft deck to watch the stars and think. He needed to figure out why he felt so comfortable with Zoro quickly. He was certain the emotion he felt tonight from the swordsman had been love. The idiot was possibly in love with him, and he had no idea what to do about it. His feelings toward Zoro were getting stronger all the time, but was he in love?
He’d always imagined being certain, knowing that the person he fell in love with would be the person he’d spend the rest of his life with. He knew he was a hopeless romantic and had always pictured himself sweeping a beautiful woman off her feet, being her knight in shining armor, and taking care of her until the day he died. Even the busboy from years ago was sweet and gentle, the kind of person who didn’t like to fight. When there had been unruly customers, he’d been quick to step in front of the boy. Unsurprisingly, this was why the poor guy hadn’t lasted long at the Baratie and left to find a quieter place to work.
It was for the best that it hadn’t worked out. He’d asked Sanji to stop flirting with pretty girls, telling him that it made him feel unimportant. I tried so hard to stop. What’s wrong with me?
He felt like his thoughts were scattered all over the place. He kept jumping from one problem to the next.
Would Zoro eventually get too frustrated with his flirting?
How could he tell if his own feelings were real?
Why was he so selfish sometimes?
Did that mean he was changing himself like Zoro feared?
What would the others think if they knew?
Was he overthinking? Probably.
Sanji stood up and lit yet another cigarette, noting that he only had a few left in his case. He needed someone to talk to about all of this, but the two friends who knew probably wouldn’t be much help. An odd thought suddenly struck him. He might kill me.
Moving quickly before he could change his mind, he set out on another trip around the ship. This time, however, he made sure Brook wasn’t watching and ducked into the boy’s dorm. Stepping lightly over shoes and other miscellaneous objects, he quietly made his way to the last set of bunks. He was nearly there when he stopped short of his goal. Zoro was sleeping in the bottom bunk of the third set instead of the top bunk of the fourth set. That’s the one I picked. Franky had finished Jinbei’s bed shortly after talking to them, and they had settled into the other beds. Sanji knew that Zoro had left him the only remaining bottom bunk on purpose, even though it was below Usopp, whose feet were currently hanging over the side.
He stooped down and looked under the bed, feeling each hilt, and slowly pulling Kitetsu away from the other two. He froze as Zoro snorted in his sleep, then relaxed when he continued softly snoring. He silently left the dorm and returned to the aft deck, sitting with the sword after doing a quick horizon check.
He stared down at Kitetsu. “I have no idea if you can help me, but it’s worth a try.” He’d chosen the cursed sword because Wado tended to have a calming presence, and Enma could be agitated. Kitetsu was often smug and ornery with him, but he hoped the sword could show him images that challenged him to think. Kitetsu warmed gently in his hands. “Okay, seems like you are game to try.”
Sanji assumed the position, looking out at the moon reflected on the water. This was exactly the kind of night he used that first time to relax his mind. Closing his eyes, he waited for Kitetsu to show him something.
Each time he’d meditated with Zoro, the images shown to him by the sword got a little clearer. This time, the image he saw was crystal clear. He wasn’t sure if it would work without Zoro nearby, but he was glad that whatever caused him to see things was working now. He saw himself sitting on top of the zombie cerberus, laughing and taunting Zoro after he’d been brought to his knees by Perona’s hallows. He couldn’t help but laugh again. It was by far the funniest thing he’d seen out of the tough swordsman.
He wiped his eyes, still laughing a little. “Please tell me that she did that to him when he was stuck with her for two years.” Kitetsu chilled slightly in his hands. “Okay, okay, don’t be annoyed.”
Sanji wasn’t sure how that image was supposed to help, so he moved on, closing his eyes again and focusing on the sword. When the new image appeared, he saw himself chatting with Franky. Nami called to him from across the lawn, holding her empty glass aloft. He remembered that day. They had recently resurfaced after being under the ocean at Fishman Island. They didn’t know it yet, but their next stop would be Punk Hazard, and they would end up on a course to kill Kaido. He’d been chatting about how well the ship had held up and whether or not Franky could build him a new kitchen appliance.
He’d immediately dropped the conversation in the middle of Franky explaining the changes that he would need to make to the kitchen to accommodate his request. After their two years apart, the impulse to drop everything and cather to Nami and Robin had been overwhelming. He knew he’d been a shit friend to the others for a while. Zoro must have been relaxing against the railing for the image to be from this perspective.
His thoughts felt even more scattered. “God, I’m a terrible person, aren’t I?” Kitetsu chilled once more in his hands, and Sanji could feel both anger and sadness emanating from him. Images appeared rapidly now, one after another.
Him kicking Zoro out of the kitchen.
Him twirling around Nami and being pushed away by her..
Zoro pushing him into a chair because he was too busy serving the girls.
Him walking out of the dorm tonight to cover Nami’s watch.
Him demanding that Zoro help him hold his big pot over the fire on Sky Island.
The sword was showing him what a terrible boyfriend he was. Sanji unwound his legs and folded in on himself, thumping the sword’s hilt against his forehead. “I get it. I don’t deserve him. He turns out to be a kind, gentle person under all of his gruffness, and I’m an asshole. You should be angry with me.”
“Sanji!? Are you okay?” Robin grew more concerned as Sanji turned panicked, teary eyes toward her. She sighed to herself as Sanji forced a smile for her.
“Robin, my dear, it’s lovely to see you. Can I get you anything?” He quickly tucked the sword in next to his legs and tried to stand up, but a couple of extra arms held him in place. He stared wide-eyed as Robin sat down beside him. She probably thinks I’m going crazy.
“Sanji, can I help in any way?”
“I’m fine, my sweet. Please don’t concern yourself with me.”
One of the extra hands gripped his face and turned it forcefully, making him meet Robin’s eyes. “Don’t you dare ask me not to worry about a friend.”
“Of course, I’m honored to be worried about by someone as wonderful as you.”
“You know what would make me really happy right now?”
“What? Ask anything of me, and I will make it happen. You deserve every happiness.”
“Then, would you stop pretending to be happy right now and talk to me like a real friend?” Robin waited as the smile fell from his face and a hint of fear entered his eyes.
“If that will make you happy.”
She squeezed his hand and didn’t let go. “I’ll ask again. Can I help?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you need?”
Sanji hung his head and considered what to say. “I’m trying to figure something out, but I think that all I’m discovering is that I’m not a good person to someone.”
“Did this someone say that you aren’t a good person?”
“No.”
“Then I think you’re probably being too hard on yourself. Because I KNOW you’re a wonderful person.”
“Sure, to ladies.”
“Ah.” Robin smiled gently. “Do you know my favorite food?”
Sanji scoffed in offense. “Sandwiches with coffee. Although you loved my soba while we were in Wano.”
“Brooks?”
“Curry.”
“Usopp?”
“He likes any fish but especially loves pike when I can get it.”
She quizzed him about the others, saving Zoro for last. “And finally Zoro?”
Sanji couldn’t help but smile. “Sea King, and lately he likes it when I can serve it raw or stuff it inside a rice ball.”
The brightness of his smile warmed her. “I think only a wonderful person would memorize all of that.”
“That’s just being a good cook.”
“No, it’s not, Sanji. It’s more than that.” They sat quietly together, watching the night sky before Robin ventured to ask about the sword. “I’m curious about why you borrowed Zoro’s sword?”
“Oh, umm, it’s silly.” He ran his hand along the hilt, thinking of a way to explain that didn’t sound crazy. “He says that using them can help him focus his thoughts while meditating. I was giving it a try.”
“Did it help?”
“Not really.” He lit a new cigarette, inhaling deeply. Robin is a good listener. Would it be terrible to talk to her? He weighed the pros and cons. On one hand, they assumed that she already knew, but on the other hand, they hadn’t technically told her.
“Whatever thoughts you are trying to focus on seem to be frustrating you.” Robin kept her face calmly schooled and waited patiently for Sanji’s reply. She didn’t want to push him, but it had hurt her heart to see him smacking himself with the sword. The pained expression on his face tore at her.
Sanji took a deep breath and a leap of faith. “You know who that someone is, don’t you?”
Robin gave him a sly smile. “I don’t know, but I strongly suspect.”
“Did you catch us or something?”
Robin could help but laugh at his sheepishness. “No, but it wasn’t exactly hard to figure out once I started paying attention. Lately, you and Zoro are often missing at the same time.”
“Oh.”
“I know a few of the others haven’t noticed or it hasn’t crossed their minds. Although I think Luffy and Chopper must know because they seemed happy that you guys were gone the morning of the attack.”
“It figures that those two wouldn’t be able to keep their thoughts off their face. I guess we’re lucky that they didn’t blurt it out.” Sanji extinguished his cigarette and considered another one. He only had two left in his pack, so he put them away for now. “They both know. We told Luffy and asked for his permission.”
“Does Chopper know because he’s your doctor?”
“HA… no, he caught us.”
“SANJI! He caught you having…”
“What?! No, no, no! He caught us kissing. That’s it, I promise.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. Robin leaned on Sanji as she tried to control her giggles. She loved his laugh; it was infectious. She had heard it more in the past week and had also had the privilege of hearing Zoro laugh more, too. The scene she had briefly spied on yesterday morning had given her a small inkling of how they could be when no one was watching. “He looks up to you guys, I bet he was excited.”
“He nearly hugged us to death.”
“So, is something going wrong? Is that why you were upset?”
“No.” Sanji sighed and tapped his head against the wall behind him. “Do you ever feel like things are going too well or feel too right?”
Robin pulled in a long breath. “I do. All too well. Maybe that’s why I like traveling with Luffy, my life feels like it’s going well, but he brings so much chaos to it that it never feels like it’s going perfectly.”
Sanji chuckled at that. “I can’t figure out why everything feels right. Why things that I thought would be awkward, simply aren’t.” Sanji gazed at the stars while he took several controlled breaths. He didn’t want to expose Robin to more cigarette smoke, but he needed to stay calm. Talking about this with someone else was scary. “I feel like if I can figure it out, then maybe the bottom won’t fall out from under me.”
“I think we both have had that bottom fall out from under us too many times. We brace for it instinctively.”
“Yeah, and it’s not just that. The way I am around pretty girls will probably ruin things eventually. I can’t imagine it being okay forever, but I can’t seem to stop. So wouldn’t it be better to stop before I ruin things and hurt him?”
Robin thought about how she’d noticed Zoro frowning at Sanji when he’d danced with her. Both times, he hadn’t looked angry, but rather like he was deep in thought. Zoro didn’t strike her as the jealous type, but he’d also never shown any interest in romance before. “Shouldn’t whether or not it bothers him be up to him?”
“He says that it doesn’t make him mad, but I think it made him upset at first. I don’t know, maybe he’s found a way not to be bothered by it. I almost…”
“Sorry, Sanji, but could you get me a cup of coffee?”
“Of course, my dear.” He bounced up and left for the kitchen immediately. That was odd; she usually doesn’t interrupt me. She must be cold. He returned to find her smiling at him, waiting patiently. He offered her his sweatshirt as well, but she declined.
“Please continue, Sanji.”
“Oh, um…” He struggled to think of what he was going to say before he got up. “I guess, I worry that I’m going to screw up.”
“I see. Do you blame him for accidentally hurting you the other day?”
“Of course not. We worked through that. That was something else that surprised me…”
“Won’t he be upset when he can’t find one of his swords? Maybe you should return the one you took.”
“Ah, oh. You’re probably right.” He picked up Kitetsu and moved swiftly to the boy’s dorm. Brook was still at the helm and didn’t seem to be looking toward the lawn. Muttering to the sword, “I’m sorry that I tried to make you help me. I shouldn’t abuse you that way.” He felt more guilty when the sword chilled once again in his hand, and he could sense it was irritated.
He returned Kitetsu as quickly and quietly as he could. He wanted to return to Robin and hear her thoughts on his problem before he needed to start prepping breakfast. He was happy to be rewarded with one of her lovely smiles when he sat back down beside her.
“You were telling me something that surprised you.”
“There have been several things that have surprised me. Give me a second to remember what I was saying.” He wished that she hadn’t stopped him in the middle of his sentence, but he knew he could talk too much. He’d almost forgotten about the sword, so he was glad that she reminded him to return it.
“Take your time.”
“Robin, I think he loves me, but I’m not sure that I deserve it.”
“All of us deserve to be happy, especially you.”
Sanji focused on not tearing up. “Thank you, but I’m still not…”
“The coffee really hit the spot. Thank you for getting it for me.” She handed him the empty mug and smiled sweetly at him.
“I’m so glad you liked it. I’ll take this back with me when I head to the kitchen shortly.” Sanji forced himself to smile back at her. He knew better than to let his frustrations show to a lady.
Robin noticed the split second of irritation that had flickered across his face before he’d faked a smile and good mood. “Sanji, I have three questions for you. You don’t need to answer them out loud, but I hope they will help you.”
“Okay, what do you need to ask me?”
“I don’t need to ask you. These are things you need to ask yourself.” Robin continued when he frowned at her. “I’m sorry, but I was interrupting your thoughts on purpose. How did that make you feel?”
“It’s fine. It didn’t bother…” He was forced to stop talking when an extra hand pinched his lips shut.
“I’ll be clearer. I don’t WANT you to answer me. Just think about the questions and answer them for yourself only.” She patted his leg when he nodded at her, lips still trapped.
He did what she asked and thought about how it had felt. He didn’t think much of it at first, but the first interruption had caught him off guard. The second, he’d assumed she was being helpful, but now that he knew she was doing it on purpose, he felt a little dismissed. He’d been prepared to tell her something and lost his train of thought while returning the sword. Finally, the last time had frustrated him. He was trying to let himself be vulnerable with her, but when she’d handed him the coffee mug, his mood had sunk. He’d felt unimportant.
Robin marveled at the shifting expressions on the cook’s face. He was doing what she asked and thinking to himself. She waited until he met her eyes again and felt a little guilty that there was some sadness there. “Next question, how would you have reacted if Zoro had interrupted you the way I did?”
Sanji opened his mouth to immediately respond, but the extra hand was still there, threatening him. This one was easy. He’d have smacked him, or kicked him, or yelled, possibly all three. Hell, probably all three. He would have demanded that Zoro listen to him and not interrupt. But isn’t that bad? When he’d tried to hold in his emotions around Zoro, the asshole had forced him to talk. Those times, he’d felt better afterwards, too. Zoro is a straightforward type of person; maybe it’s better when he shows how he honestly feels.
Sanji’s lips twitched up into a half-smile. “Ready for the last question? This one may take some time to consider.” Sanji gave her a soft nod. “Which version of yourself do you like better?”
“Oh…” Sanji didn’t know the answer to that one right away. “You’ve certainly given me something hard to think about, but I need to prep breakfast now.” Sanji stood up and then helped Robin to her feet. His thoughts clouded, and he grinned goofily when she wrapped her arms around him for a hug.
Robin patted his cheek and chuckled at his heart eyes. “Our sweet Cook-san, you deserve to be loved. I don’t want to ever hear you say that you don’t. I’m going to go check on my garden and cover the tulips. I refuse to let those pretty flowers you brought me die in this chilly air.”
Sanji did a final lap around the ship before starting his prep work. As soon as he walked into the kitchen, he looked for something with which to make a sign. He found some heavier paper and sat down to create a menu.
Shakshuka
Poached eggs in a rich, spiced tomato sauce with toasted bread.
Halloumi and Zucchini Frittata
Sauté zucchini with fresh herbs, eggs, and cheese.
Kouign-amann
Flaky, caramelized pastry paired with fresh fruit.
Yogurt Parfait
Fresh fruit and granola
Satisfied, he gathered all of the necessary ingredients. He needed to prepare the pastry dough and get it in the freezer for the Kouign-amann, but the tomato sauce for the shakshuka also required simmering for a while to blend well with the spices. Fortunately, he had plenty of canned sauce, so he quickly added the spices and some heavy cream, then turned the burner to its lowest setting. Next, he worked on the dough.
He had given some thought to Robin’s last question while he was making the dough. He never thought much about whether or not he liked himself; there were certainly things he was proud of, such as his cooking and his fighting. One, because it allowed him to make other people happy, and the second, because it allowed him to protect those he cared about.
He enjoyed flirting; it gave him pleasure to see a smile on a lady’s face and to think that maybe he’d made her day a little brighter. Zoro hadn’t asked him to stop; he hadn’t gotten angry about it. Maybe as long as I keep Sarah’s advice in mind, he never will. It’s not the same as before. I just have to make sure Zoro knows who I want most. Sanji smiled to himself, showing his demon how much he appreciates him and wants to be with him could prove to be a very enjoyable experience.
He didn’t like it when he couldn’t say no to a lady, even when he knew he should. Zoro was right that he could be manipulated easily. It hurt that Nami seemed to be enjoying it lately. He would endure it, but he was terribly afraid that it would damage the relationship between her and Zoro.
He was placing the dough in the freezer for the second time to chill with the butter and sugar folded into it when Zoro walked in. Sanji smiled as he sat down at the counter. He stepped away from making breakfast and wrapped his arms around Zoro's neck from behind, pressing a kiss at the base of his hairline before resting his chin on a broad shoulder. “Good morning.”
“Mmmm.”
Sanji pointed to the menu. “Want to pick something?” He released his haki to check if anyone else was awake and coming to breakfast. The emotion that was pouring off of Zoro last night wasn’t detectable now. That left him a little sad; he was yearning to feel it again. He wondered if that meant that Zoro had brought the emotion to the surface on purpose or if something had made it so that he couldn’t lock his emotions down like usual.
Zoro yawned and squinted at the menu. “What’s this nonsense? This isn’t a restaurant.”
“I thought it would be fun. I have all the ingredients prepped just like we used to do back at the Baratie.”
“I don’t care, pick something for me.”
“There are only four things to choose from. Is it really that hard to decide?”
Zoro scanned the menu again and poked it randomly. “That one.”
He absently played with Zoro’s earrings. “The frittata, huh? You might like that one well enough.” He was certain Zoro would like the shakshuka, but if the knucklehead was going to pick at random, so be it. He had his small skillet out to make individual frittatas this morning. While the butter heated to saute the zucchini, he set a portion of the tomato sauce on another burner to poach a couple of eggs for himself.
He plated his while he waited for Zoro’s to get done. He poured himself a cup of tea from the pot he’d brewed this morning and then got out what he was affectionately thinking of as Zoro’s breakfast sake. He’d had the idea last night and mixed it up as a surprise for him. He took Nami’s tangerine drink, added soda water, and a little sake. The soda water would temper the sweetness nicely, and he never complained about sake. After setting the glass in front of Zoro, he returned to the stove to pull the skillet out of the oven and plate the frittata.
Zoro eyed the glass. It looked like Nami’s drink, but it smelled different. He sniffed it more closely and raised shocked eyebrows. “This has booze in it.”
“Nothing gets past you.” Sanji carefully removed the frittata from its skillet and then cut it into quarters. He finished it off by sprinkling some chopped parsley over it, then did the same to his dish. He set the two plates on the counter and joined Zoro on the stools.
Zoro tasted the drink and decided it was pretty great. As soon as Sanji sat down next to him, he pulled him forcefully in for a kiss.
“Like the drink that much?”
“Do I get it every morning?”
“I don’t know…” Sanji grinned as he was yanked forward for a searing kiss that almost literally lit him on fire. He let his haki flare again, and this time it was like Zoro’s emotion hit him right between his eyes. He floated in the warmth of it. “Hmmm… maybe if you kiss me like that every morning.”
“Deal.” Zoro tried a bite of the egg thing in front of him. It was a little salty with a slight pickle flavor as well, but not so much so that he disliked it.
“Here, try mine.” He scooped a portion onto his spoon that had some of the egg yolk in it and offered it to Zoro. His heart did a tiny happy dance as soon as those adorable green eyebrows twitched up. I knew it.
Zoro shrugged and turned back to his plate. Frowning when it was suddenly pulled out from in front of him and replaced with Sanji’s shallow bowl. “What the hell?”
“You like mine, and I like yours better than you do.”
Zoro scooted his plate back in front of him and nearly stabbed Sanji’s hand as he reached over and forked some of it into his mouth. “Thief.”
Sanji ignored him, moving the bite around and allowing the flavors to linger on his taste buds. “The dill works well with this cheese.”
Huffing, Zoro placed both dishes between them and fed a bite of the red one to Sanji. He wasn’t going to do it again, but the fool looked so damn happy. “Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”
Sanji put his hand over his mouth and managed to swallow the bit that had been fed to him before he choked on it. “Hey, broccoli brains, why would you ask me a question right after putting food in my mouth?”
“Figure out how to talk with stuff in your mouth.” Zoro frowned at him. “I wondered because you have to taste everything you cook, right?”
Sanji flicked him on the side of his head. “I’m not a heathen. And, yes, I often taste test my recipes. So to answer your question, I don’t like konjac because it doesn't have much flavor and has even less nutritional value.”
They ate in relative silence, sometimes feeding each other. Sanji only occasionally used his haki to check for people coming and noticed that the emotion he felt from Zoro softened and became like a quiet hum. Not gone but no longer intense. He took their dishes to the sink and refilled Zoro’s glass once.
Zoro was finishing his second glass when Luffy entered with a bang. He looked between the two of them, then frowned. Zoro thought he looked disappointed, so he pointed to the menu on the counter. “You’re supposed to pick something.”
Luffy was examining the menu when Usopp and Chopper wandered in. “Errrrrr… Sanji! I can’t decide, I want everything.”
“Okay, coming right up.”
Luffy stretched his arms out, grabbing Sanji from behind and wrapping himself around his neck like a baby monkey. “You’re the best cook ever!”
Sanji held on tight to the edge of the sink so that he wasn’t pulled over. “Get him off of me.”
Zoro hooked his elbow around Luffy’s neck and pulled, but Luffy didn’t let go of Sanji and instead laughed harder. “He can’t cook your food if you are hanging on him.”
“Oh yeah.” Luffy let go, his body snapping back to his head, knocking Zoro over at the same time.
“LUFFY, GO SIT DOWN.” Sanji disentangled the two and kicked Luffy out of the kitchen area. Zoro was partially hidden by the counter, so he leaned down and grabbed him by his coat. He quickly untied his bandana with one hand and stuffed it in his pocket. “You already ate, so leave for a while.” He gave him a wink and tossed him toward the door.
Zoro wrenched the door open and stomped out, nearly knocking over Robin. He caught her in time and mumbled an apology.
“Kicked out already?”
“It’s Luffy’s fault.”
Robin smiled at the swordsman’s retreating form. She’d been sorely tempted to peek into the galley this morning; she was itching to see the two of them together after her talk with Sanji early this morning. As she walked into the kitchen, Usopp and Chopper were shouting what sounded like food orders. Sanji replied to each of them with the air of a waiter. She giggled when he told Chopper that he’d get that right in.
Sanji spotted Robin and smiled brightly, handing her a piece of paper. “Please take a moment to look at the menu, my dear friend, and then let me know what you would like for breakfast.”
Robin sat at the counter while she considered her options. “So fancy! I love it.” She spied a marker resting near the menu and added Sanji’s Bistro to the top of the paper. “I would like the Kouign-amann, please.”
“A beautiful choice.” He took the menu she handed back, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the elegant handwriting at the top. “I love it.”
Sanji spent the next 2 hours cooking in his ‘bistro’. Some days, he missed the unique challenge of cooking in a restaurant where you didn’t serve the same thing or nearly the same thing to everyone, but instead had to adjust as the orders came in. This had been easy compared to a dinner rush with a larger menu. Only Nami, Jinbe, and Franky remained in the galley, chatting and finishing their food.
“Sanji, this was a fun treat.”
Sanji twirled over to the table, refreshing Nami’s drink, hearts in his eyes from her compliment. “I’m delighted that you enjoyed your kouign-amann. Robin ordered the same thing as well.” He beamed with pride. “It was the most challenging one to make. Having both of my princesses love it makes it worth the effort.”
“What was the other dish you made for us that was really complicated?”
Sanji thought back through the various meals he’d made, some of which were more complicated than others, but he rarely made things that were overly complicated because they never knew when they would be attacked. His thoughts were interrupted when Zoro reentered the galley, sweating from an obvious workout. He jumped up and coded into the fridge to retrieve a chilled bottle of water and wetted a clean rag, handing them over wordlessly. Zoro took the water and settled onto the couch, using the rag to clean the sweat from his face and neck.
Sanji returned to the table and turned back to Nami. “Do you remember where we were when I made it?”
Nami thought for a minute. “Oh! It was on Thriller Bark. You said you found a bunch of gourmet ingredients in one of the kitchens. We were all waiting for him to wake up.” She pointed to Zoro. “And you said that you were bored.”
They all glanced over at the couch. Zoro shrugged. “Sounds like I slept through some fancy shitty cooking.”
Sanji made a quick face at Zoro, then tapped Nami’s arm. “I remember now. It was Beef Wellington. It takes hours of prep and cooking, but I had plenty of time on my hands waiting for that idiot.”
“Do we have the ingredients to make it for dinner tonight?”
Sanji checked his inventory, making notes in one of his books as he went. “It looks like we do. I should also have enough of the pastry dough left over from breakfast. I’ll get started prepping it right after I clean up.”
Nami beamed at him. “Yay! Thank you, Sanji.”
Jinbe frowned at the exchange. “Isn’t it unusual to make complicated meals while sailing? Being out on the open sea can be very unpredictable, even more so on the Grand Line.”
“What my princess wants to eat, my princess gets.” Sanji smiled at Jinbe when he held up his hands like he was surrendering. “Besides, if it gets ruined, Luffy will still eat it. I’m not convinced he tastes all of his food anyway.”
Zoro noted the forced smile and slightly haunted look in Sanji’s eyes. Sanji had told him about the ruined bento that Luffy ate on Whole Cake Island and that his mother had eaten some of his earliest attempts at cooking, even though they had looked and smelled terrible. He watched him closely but didn’t step in this time. Sanji was right; he couldn’t protect him from everything that might remind him of his shitty past.
Sanji gathered dirty dishes from the table and took them to the sink. He needed to get things cleaned up quickly if he was going to have time to make a perfect Beef Wellington. He needed to get the tenderloin out of the freezer to thaw and make the Duxelles.
Sanji was deep in thought when a hand touched his arm. He jumped and nearly smacked the person, but recoiled in time when he saw it was Nami. “You scared me, my sweet.”
“I’m sorry. I only wanted to see if I could also request a dessert for tonight as well.”
“Of course, whatever your heart desires.”
“I’m really craving your cheesecake. It’s so much better than any other that I’ve tasted.”
Sanji swelled with the praise. “I would be delighted to make it for you.”
“Are you sure? Doesn’t it take hours to make?”
“I just have to start making it soon. It will be ready in time, I’m sure.”
Nami clapped her hands together and practically sparkled. “You’re my favorite cook.” She patted his arm and then turned to leave. “I’m going back to restoring that book. Thank you for a cool breakfast.”
Zoro glared at Nami’s back as she left. Then stared down Sanji once the door closed behind her. “She did that on purpose, and don’t bother trying to deny it. She knows you got less sleep than normal last night because you covered her watch.”
“I’m not tired right now.”
“WHAT THE HELL IS SHE PUNISHING YOU FOR?”
Sanji flinched and stared down at the counter. “It’s because of what happened when Luffy and Nami finally found me. I told you about needing to convince my brothers that they didn’t matter to me.” Sanji gave Zoro a pleading look. “She had to watch the whole thing. She screamed and screamed at me to stop.”
“Curly, this can’t go on.”
“I don’t think it will go on forever. Please let me handle it.” Sanji moved to him and laid his head against Zoro's chest. “Look, several of the steps for both of these recipes involve spending a long time in the oven. I’ll take a nap later if I need to. I promise.”
“Do something easy for lunch, too. Then we’ll have a deal.”
“I was already thinking that. So yeah, I can promise that too.” He hugged Zoro tightly and was relieved when Zoro tilted his head for a kiss. He used his haki, hoping to feel that warmth; he was a little afraid that he was getting addicted to it. Unfortunately, he only had a moment to enjoy it when he sensed Luffy coming.
They both cursed at the same time and pushed apart. Sanji got started on his tasks for dinner, and Zoro returned to the couch. Luffy barged in, looked back and forth, and made a weird face that confused Zoro.
“Luffy, you just ate. What do you want?”
“Ummm… food?”
Sanji glared at him. “You already ate. Why are you here?”
Luffy pursed his lips, speaking out of the side of his mouth. “I only want a snack.”
Sanji grabbed some jerky and threw it at him. “Now go away. I have a lot to do.”
Luffy pouted a little but left with his jerky. Zoro waited until he was sure Luffy was out of earshot. “He was lying!”
“I know. I wonder why he was really coming to the galley.” Sanji threw his head back and growled. “I need to get this going.”
Zoro lay down on the couch and yawned. “Then get it going. I’m going to take a nap.”
Sanji took several deep breaths and refocused on his work. The beef was thawing in the sink, the cream cheese was warming to room temperature on the counter, and he had the mushrooms, shallots, and various herbs finely chopped for the Duxelles. They would need to be cooked down to a very dry paste, so he set the burner to low and added everything to the pan that was needed.
He moved next to the cheesecake, using a mortar and pestle to grind honey-flavored crackers into a fine, sand-like texture. He added a little melted butter to the crumbs and pressed them into a special lined pan. While that was in the oven for a short time, he started mixing the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. He let his mind wander to toppings until the mixture was smooth. He was especially thankful right now to have more than one oven. He poured the cheesecake mix into the pan and placed it in the cold oven, allowing it to warm slowly instead of preheating.
He set his timer and smiled. The Duxelles was progressing nicely, so he had a little time to relax. Zoro was snoring, and he was very tempted to stretch out on top of him. Instead, he stepped outside for a cigarette and found it had gotten a little colder. Damn it, that probably means we’re approaching a winter island.
Zoro woke up as Sanji closed the door. “Anything happening?”
“Didn’t look like it.”
Sanji checked the stove and gave the pan’s contents a stir to make sure it was drying down evenly. This paste would be added to the beef after he seared it. His favorite arms were snaking around him without disrupting his actions. I think I like this version of me best. The version that doesn’t drop whatever I’m doing to make someone else happy all the time.
“Damn it.” Zoro let go of Sanji and leaned back against the counter right before the door opened and Luffy walked in. “Why are you back again?”
“I wanted to see what was for lunch.” Both men glared at him as he talked out of the side of his mouth again.
Zoro reached out to strangle his captain and demand that he tell the truth when a shout from Usopp came from the crow’s nest.
“Ship off the starboard bow.”
“Cool!” Luffy immediately ran outside.
“They're preparing to fire at us!” Usopp screeched.
“I guess the day is going to get interesting.” Sanji turned off the stove and left the galley right behind Zoro.