Work Text:
Working at the Baratie was a tough job. Dealing with customers, keeping up with the fast pace, and on the rare occasion she also had to help with cooking. It was hard for someone who had just been looking for a normal waitressing job.
The job delivered. Good pay, decent hours, and not to mention that she hardly had to deal with idiots. If anyone acted up, Zeff would kick them out. No one had even raised their voice at her in almost three months! The staff were ready to fight someone when it happened.
Especially Sanji. Zeff's son, head chef, and the friend who helped her get this job, Sanji had been protective of her since he first met her. Maybe it was his adoration of women, maybe it was because she was just a nice person, but Sanji always made sure she was okay above all else.
It was only natural that she would harbor a little crush on him.
From middle school to their adult years, Sanji had always been there to help her. From first dates to first break ups to first jobs and first apartments. They had been great friends through it all. But that was all they were. Friends.
He may flirt a little but he was always too busy flirting with other, prettier girls. Like Nami, who had been his first girlfriend. That had been an absolute disaster, but Sanji had been so blinded by how much he liked the cartographer that he hadn't thought anything could go wrong.
Of course not. She was pretty. Honestly, Nami was downright beautiful. Her and Robin both. Perona, Zoro's sister, was another beautiful girl that Sanji had flirted shamelessly with. There could be a list of their friends that (Y/n) could write out. And she would be at the very bottom for chances with him.
They were only friends.
"Maybe if I was prettier..."
"What was that (Y/n)-ya?"
(Y/n) blinked as she turned back to look at Law. She felt like an idiot, realizing that she had been zoning out while talking to Law.
She wasn't really supposed to be talking while working, but work was a little slow. If Law was there, it meant it was either two am, or six am. He never came in at normal hours.
"Are you okay, (Y/n)-chan?" Penguin, one of Law's friends from work, asked as they all realized just how tired the poor girl looked. She felt bad, just zoning out, but it was six am and she was trying her best to actually be awake while dealing with this heart ache.
"Ah, sorry. It's just really early." She rubbed her eyes and held back a yawn while she pulled out her notepad.
"Now, and this time I promise I'm listening, what would you boys like?"
With a little bit of determination, she cleared her mind and was able to get everything going. She brought their food to their table, taking note they all needed more coffee. Especially considering Penguin had to move Shachi. He'd fallen asleep at the table. Coffee was a necessity.
"I'll be back with more coffee. What shift do you have today?" (Y/n) asked. Law pulled his phone out and checked the schedule, humming softly.
"I get off at about six tonight. Shachi just got off work and Penguin works until twelve but has to come back at nine." (Y/n) grimaced as Penguin groaned. She never had awkward schedules like that while working for Zeff. She wanted to thank him again for that.
"Ah, well, I get off at six as well. Twelve hour shift today." Sanji walked by with the freshly made coffee and paused, catching her eye. He raised the coffee up and she nodded, gesturing to the table she was serving.
Sanji filled up their cups while (Y/n) cleaned off the table that had just left near Law's. She kept her eyes on the table she was wiping down, not wanting to mess up just because Sanji was nearby. She would've been fired within hours of first working there if she hadn't learned how to ignore him.
"Since we get off at the same time, do you want me to drive you to Ace and Luffy's place?" (Y/n)'s body tensed up. A soft whine left her as she rubbed a hand over her face.
"That's today? Oh no ."
Sanji patted her shoulder as he walked by her with a small smile.
"It's been a rough week, I know. Ace will understand, he really will. He'll probably be asleep at his own party. He's been pulling the night shift for three weeks."
Ace, Luffy, and Sabo were close friends of theirs. Ace had actually been her first boyfriend their first year of high school. While it hadn't worked out, they stayed best friends and she had spent an awful lot of time with his family, even though she was an ex.
He also understood her crush on Sanji and had been trying to set them up for years. Last time, Ace had called Sanji to come get (Y/n) after she made herself sick drinking too much with Sabo and Usopp. She was still mad about that.
"Portgas is still in trouble, but I do miss Luffy-"
Another group came in to be seated and Sanji brushed passed her to speak with them. However, it was a group of young women and (Y/n) had to turn away from him before she felt even worse during work.
"It's not going to get easier, (Y/n)-ya." She ignored him in favor of another group that was already seated, asking if they needed anything. She would do anything not to have that conversation.
When six o'clock rolled around, (Y/n) had her phone pressed to her ear as Ace complained about his day.
"I'm excited for this party, because I haven't seen you or Law in awhile. I wish Sanji could come-"
(Y/n) put her phone on mute as she said goodbye to the others working. Patty, Sanji, and of course Zeff. She gave him a hug and grabbed her bag, thanking Zeff for handing it to her as she tried leaving. She unmuted her call at the perfect time.
"-Marco's been on my ass about getting paperwork done on time-"
"Maybe if you actually did your work like you were supposed to instead of sending me pictures of Thatch being stupid, maybe you would have more work done."
She heard him pause and knew he was pouting. Being friends with someone for so long meant knowing their mannerisms.
"Well, I'm sorry. You can't pretend you don't get distracted at work by your idiot coworkers when Law texted me just this morning that you were hurting over Sanji again."
(Y/n) pursed her lips as she walked out of the building and caught sight of Law sitting in his car with a coffee in his hand. She was going to absolutely kill him when she got in the car.
"Law, you're an asshole." She grumbled, tossing her bag at Law as soon as she opened the door.
"Ouch, I can't tell what hurt worse. The fact there's a laptop in that bag or your words." With a smirk, the surgeon gave her back her bag and she stashed it by her feet. She listened to Ace laugh at getting Law in trouble.
"Stop being mean to Torao!" Was shouted from the background but (Y/n) didn't even think to respond because she saw Sanji walk with a beautiful woman to the front door. The woman pressed a kiss to his cheek and handed him something before walking off.
(Y/n) dropped her phone and Law had to pick it up for her.
"We'll be there in a little bit, Portgas. Leave us alone." He didn't let Ace respond and hung up. He gently touched (Y/n)'s shoulder to get her attention, seeing the tears building up in her eyes. He sighed softly as he pulled his friend into a hug.
She cried into his arms and he couldn't help but glare at Sanji. The blond didn't seem to notice as he took a smoke break. He was too busy looking at whatever the woman had handed him. Probably a number or a note.
With a sniffle, (Y/n) pulled back and wiped her eyes. She looked down at her phone and fiddled with it, knowing Law was going to say something. He surprised her by reaching over and gripping her hand in his. Then he put the car in drive and started making their way to Ace's place.
The drive was quiet, (Y/n) trying to calm herself by running her fingers over Law's tattoos and Law making mental notes to call Eustass and have him pick a fight with the blond next time he sees him.
"I think I'm going to quit working at the Baratie."
Law almost hit the break, head turning to look at her in surprise. He took his hand from hers and pulled the car over in a random parking lot.
He turned to his friend and took note of how she pulled into herself and wouldn't even look at him. Tears gathered in her (e/c) eyes once again and Law had never seen her so broken. Not even when she broke up with Portgas or when Killer broke up with her.
"(Y/n)-ya..." He whispered, reaching out for her again before pulling back. With an aggravated sigh, Law gripped the steering wheel and pressed his forehead against the top of it.
"Don't you think it's time you tell him?" (Y/n) pulled her legs up to her chest and tilted her head to glance at her friend. She knew he was right. It had been years since she'd started liking Sanji. Doing nothing about it has only given her problem. At least if he rejects her, it'll be over with. No more wishing.
"Maybe I should. It'll still be awkward working with him though." She grumbled, reaching for her phone to send that text to Sanji she's been meaning to since they were seniors in high school.
"If you can still show up to Ace's on Christmas after dating him for a year, you can work with Sanji after getting told no." She huffed a laugh and glanced out the window, realizing that it was starting to get dark and Ace would be calling to yell at them soon.
"Let's go see those idiots and then when that's over, I’ll tell him."
They arrived at Ace's only a few minutes later than expected and no one even seemed to notice. Within seconds of showing up, Luffy had his arms wrapped around one of Law's and Ace was pulling (Y/n) over towards Sabo, Thatch, and a very drunk Haruta.
For a little while, (Y/n) just let herself have fun. She talked to Thatch about working at the restaurant, discussed some vacation ideas with Sabo for when Christmas came around, and had a good laugh with Haruta, who would have the worst headache the next day.
She caught Law's eyes a couple of times. Sometimes it was because Zoro would laugh too loud, or Luffy would make some weird comment that caught her attention, but every time, she would catch Law's eyes and smile brightly. She was genuinely having a good time, even if she had been crying not two hours prior to then.
So when Sanji showed up, it made sense that she would search for Law.
But for the first time that day, when she needed Law, he wasn't there. That made no sense. He had just been there a few minutes ago. Where could he-
In Sanji's hands was her bag. Where did he get that?
She checked her phone immediately and opened up her messages to see Law write a simple 'Here's your chance.' like that would help her in any way.
"I'm sorry to only show up for a few minutes, but I just came to pick up (Y/n)-chan." He took a few steps closer to her, nudged her foot with his. "Law was too drunk to drive you back so I figured I'd come get you."
She felt Ace place a hand on her back and closed her eyes tight as she stood up. She glanced back at Ace and saw him trying his hardest to ignore her while Sabo gave her a sympathetic smile.
So all she could do was turn back to Sanji with her most convincing smile. "Thanks, I really appreciate that."
The car ride was quiet. Soft music played on the radio and (Y/n) stared out her window. It had started raining just as they left and she almost laughed at how dreary the evening looked. It matched her mood from earlier that day.
When they arrived at her apartment, Sanji carried her bag up the stairs for her, even though she had told him she could do it herself. She was thankful though, because she didn't feel like juggling all of her stuff and an umbrella. So she just held the umbrella over their heads and tried her best to get her keys out with shaking hands.
"(Y/n)," Sanji said with a soft sigh, reaching out and taking her hands in his. He took the keys from her and unlocked her door. Her face turned bright red, but she hoped she could blame it on the cold and not the fact she was alone with the only person she didn't want to be alone with.
Once the bag was set on the living room table and the umbrella was set up to dry, she turned to tell Sanji goodbye and thank him for driving her home, but stopped short when she saw him running a hand through his hair. He hadn't smoked since coming to get her place and it must've been hard on him.
"Do you mind if I smoke on your balcony?" He asked, fingers itching to grab his lighter before the question is even finished. She nodded and let him step outside while she changed into something not soaked from the rain.
She grabbed a towel for Sanji, since his hair had gotten soaked from just the short walk from his side of the car to hers. When she came out of the bathroom, towel in hand, she saw Sanji staring at a little slip of paper. The same one that had been handed to him earlier that evening. A grimace crossed her features and she forced herself to step out onto the balcony regardless.
"Here, Sanji-kun. I don't want you catching a cold." Sanji turned to stare at her for a moment before pocketing the paper and taking the towel.
"You're too kind, (Y/n)-chan. Thank you." He put his cigarette out in the ashtray specifically kept for moments like this, when he or Thatch visit. He did his best to dry his hair but even after a few minutes, it was still too damp.
(Y/n) suppressed a laugh, pressing a hand to her lips to catch herself as Sanji turned to look at her in surprise.
"You're helpless, Sanji-kun."
Reaching out to him, she tugged the towel from his hands and helped him dry his hair. Without his eyes on her, it felt like the perfect time to have this conversation. He couldn't look her in the eye while crushing her heart.
"Do you think if I was prettier, I would have a chance?" She asked nonchalantly, feeling Sanji tense up in surprise. Of course, she wasn't being very specific. But she wanted to keep this personal conversation as non-personal as possible. A little selfish, but she wanted to keep her heart intact. Maybe she should just date Law and get over whatever this is. Maybe that option was still open.
"What could you possibly not be pretty enough for? You're beautiful, (Y/n)-chan. I've never thought anyone was prettier than you." She paused and Sanji took the chance to stand up straight, taking hold of her wrists. She let go of the towel and it fell around his shoulders and she finally looked Sanji in the eye. It had been a while since she'd done that, Sanji realized.
"I-It... uh, I-" She stuttered, trying weakly to pull away from Sanji. She tilted her head down in hopes that he would stop trying to read her expression. He was shockingly good at it. That only prompted him to tilt his head to look at her better.
"(Y/n), what is it you aren't pretty enough for? I'm certain that it's not true."
Tears welled up in her eyes, for the third time in one day she noted dully, and she closed her eyes tight. She felt her whole body shaking. She never realized trying to tell him the truth would be so hard. Sanji deserved someone better than a plain coward.
"Sanji-kun..." She muttered, trying her best to calm herself. She took a deep breath and clenched her hands in fists.
"I'm not pretty enough for Sanji-kun." She whispered, hoping that he would be kind. She put the truth out there and that was it. She couldn't take it back. She felt like fainting.
"...What?" Sanji whispered, letting go of (Y/n)'s wrists. She couldn't open her eyes and let her arms fall to her sides. This is it. She ruined her longest, best friendship.
"I'm sorry, Sanji, I know I shouldn't have said anything but I've had these feelings for years-"
A soft squeak left her lips as she was pulled into a warm chest and held tightly in arms she knew all too well. Being held by Sanji was like coming home.
She pressed her hands to his chest and looked down at her hands. Under her hands, Sanji's heart was beating wildly and she felt confusion settle in. But she was too scared to speak. Instead, she let herself be held, Sanji resting his chin on her head as he pulled her in even tighter.
"You can't believe how happy I am to hear that."
Her heart stopped in her chest and she couldn't believe her ears. He just... What did he mean by that?
"I've been in love with you since middle school. But, I always thought I had no choice so I flirted with all these women to get my mind off of the only person I ever wanted to share my life with and I've been too blind to see you felt the same way..."
"I've been a fool. Could you forgive me, (Y/n)-chan?" He asked quietly, figure trembling. She wrapped her arms around him timidly, still unsure if this was real or a dream. Either way, she didn't want to let go of him.
"I could never be upset at you, Sanji-kun..." She pressed her face into his chest, hoping to hide the blush crossing her features. "...I love you too much."
A sigh left Sanji before he pulled back a bit, holding her at arm's length.
"I have been wanting to hear you say that since we were kids. I can't believe-" He cut himself off and chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "I thought you were in love with Trafalgar. I saw you in his car, in his arms. I had never been so angry before. Not at him, but at myself. If I had the courage, that could've been me..."
"It was because of you," (Y/n) grumbled with a huff. "I saw you with that woman. The one who gave you that note. I just... I felt so helpless. She was beautiful and I'm... nothing."
There was a tense moment that passed.
"WHAT?!" He shouted, cupping her cheek and pulling her close again.
"(Y/n)-chan, what are you saying? You're my everything! That woman, she means nothing. I was just being kind. I did think about calling her, but that was because I didn't expect you to ever love me back!"
With a shaky sigh of relief, (Y/n) held tightly to Sanji. He pressed a kiss to her temple before realization hit him.
"Oh, (Y/n)-chan, we have to get you inside. It's too cold out. You'll get sick." He pushed her back inside, making sure to lock the balcony door behind him and set the towel around his neck neatly on the back of one of the dining room chairs.
"I'm sorry for making you stand outside in the cold like that. Especially for something so serious. I should've confessed a long time ago. I've been such an idiot. The marimo is going to..." He grumbled the rest of that sentence. (Y/n) tried not to laugh as she watched the same mannerisms in Sanji that were in his father. Both tried their hardest not to say terrible things in front of women. And anything involving Zoro immediately became terrible.
"Zoro's going to call you an idiot, but Law is going to call me worse, so I'd say that makes up for both of us taking too long."
Sanji's eye twitched and he huffed angrily. "If Law says anything mean, I'll kick his a- uh, I'll kick him."
This moment, right here, made up for all the time she spent waiting. It was worth waiting for. And to Sanji, she was worth waiting for.