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Sanji would have never considered himself the jealous type, it wasn’t a pleasant emotion and really what news did he have to be jealous of anyone else? He had a home, friends, beautiful company and lately a girl made of stars who laughed at his jokes and told him how much she loved him. Only one thing bugged him, his maiden of the moon, his princess Kagyua, had a crush on someone else as well.
Rei and Perona had known each other for years they were practically family and as such, and because Rei’s parents were hardly around, she spent a lot of time at Perona’s after school or sleeping over which wasn’t what bothered sanji at all, why shouldn’t they spend time together they were sisters. No what bothered sanji, and if asked he would protest that surely this sort of thing would bother anyone, was that the other object of Rei’s affection was also at that house. Dracule Mihawk who was somehow one of the most terrifying teachers at their college and also the object of Rei’s crush.
Of course nothing could ever come of it, he was in his 40s and Rei was in her 20s, he was a teacher and she was a student, he didn’t ever do anything to say or let Rei believe that he returned her feelings and yet Sanji always felt uneasy,
“You’re just jealous Rei smiles at someone else” Nami said at lunch picking food off Robin’s try that the dark haired girl wasn’t going to eat herself, “I get it, you’re just starting out it’ll get easier”
Robin nodded in agreement with her girlfriend and Sanji frowned. He never felt jealous, ever but maybe the girls were right,
“Sanji-kun!” Rei took the seat next to Sanji and wrapped her arms around him, “I missed you”
“I missed you too!” Sanji beamed kissing Rei softly on the cheek, “how were your classes?”
Rei began talking in earnest about her classes and what she had seen or heard since that morning when they had seen each other last and sanji listened just as earnestly until his least favourite subject was brought up by the addition of Zoro and Jamie at the table,
“Someone’s in a mood” Usopp commented taking his own seat along with luffy, franky and chopper, “what’s wrong with you two?”
“I ache all over” Jamie said stretching her back and letting a few bones pop back into place, “Mihawk is kicking everyone’s ass recently because we have that contest coming up at the end of the month”
“Ohh Perona did say he was in a bad mood. I wonder if this is it” Rei sighed, “he works so hard, I wonder if he’s even taken a break?”
Sanji did his best not to rise to the subject. Damn Jamie for bringing it up,
“I doubt he has, Croco-chan says Mihawk doesn’t know when to rest” tsukiko and law were the last two to join the table, Tsukiko had her own special relationship with another fearsome teacher though she didn’t go into detail about how or why she was able to speak to or about him so informally.
The conversation turned then to the contest that was happening and how of course everyone would go. Chopper and Law both gave their opinions as medical students on how to best prepare so that no injuries happened … again. Zoro took offence to that last part which only made everyone laugh and eventually conversation drifted away from the contest and onto other things. Before long lunch was over and everyone drifted back to their classes, Sanji was teaching the next one and Rei kissed his cheek and wished him good luck before leaving for her own class.
During his class while he walked around the rows of students watching them carefully as they handled their ingredients and tools and thought about how easily the conversation had turned to Dracule Mihawk and martial arts, there were only two people in the entire group who were on a team and yet somehow with the mere mention of Mihawk’s name they dominated conversation and there sat Rei listening attentively to it all. Sanji felt his blood boil, had she ever sat as attentively when he spoke about cooking or his own passions? He caught himself in this downward spiral of thoughts as a student asked for his help with the large kitchen knife she was holding,
“Of course ~” he replied, his usual easy going manner around women restored as he attended to the task at hand.
Later in the evening while sanji waited for Rei to finish her lessons he spoke with Law who was waiting for Tsukiko. He lit a cigarette and took a long drag before turning to the other man,
“Do you ever get jealous of how Tsukiko acts around crocodile?” he asks seriously, “the way she speaks about him or how friendly she is?”
Law considers everything for a moment. He frowns and shrugs,
“Of course I do. I don’t like that he calls her Songbird for a start. I don’t like that she calls him Croco-chan. I don’t like any of it but what can I do? If I bring it up she’ll tell me it’s nothing and she’ll be bothered by the fact that I’ve brought it up at all so I don’t say anything. I don’t bring it up I don’t mention it, I sit with it and I pretend everything is alright” Law says, “because I love her and I don’t want her to be upset”
Sanji considers these words as Rei comes down the steps towards him with a bright smile on her face,
“Sanji-kun!” she embraces him fully and kisses his cheek, “How was your class this afternoon?”
“It was fine, not one single accident with a large knife. Which is more than I can say for some people” he laughs kissing her right hand along the scar line where Rei had accidentally cut rather far into her own hand with a large knife when attempting to cut the head off a fish. Rei blushed and tried to hide her hand behind her back after wrestling it from Sanji,
“It was only once” she pouts, “and I still don’t like doing it”
“I know you don’t starshine, it’s why I’ll always do it for you” sanji beams and kisses her head, Rei buries her face in his chest wrapping her arms around him tightly. Sanji meets Law’s eyes just as the door opens and Tsukiko walks out and he witnesses a similar scene unfold.
Law inclines his head toward Sanji before he and Tsukiko walk off. Jealousy was an ugly emotion, Sanji could admit now that he does feel it but he wasn’t going to let it ruin what he had with Rei.
Dracule Mihawk be damned.