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1. Sunbeams
Sanji watched Pedro napping fondly. The mink had curled up on the floor in the square of light shining in from the galley’s window. His nose would occasionally twitch, and he let out soft huffs as he readjusted his arms under his head.
Turning back to his cooking, Sanji smiled to himself. Since joining their crew, Pedro never left his side. If Sanji was on the deck, Pedro would be nearby, alternately sunning himself or, on particularly hot days, resting in the shade cast by Sunny’s sails. Though he ostensibly slept, he always woke when Sanji relocated, padding softly behind him and finding a new spot to nap by his side.
“Am I stifling you, Sanji?” he had asked once.
Sanji had shaken his head and scratched behind Pedro’s ears. I don’t like being alone.
“I like having you nearby,” Sanji had told him. Pedro’s returned smile was sunbeams in a dense forest.
Sanji glanced behind him and found that Pedro had moved, unconsciously chasing after the sunlight streaming through the window. On quiet afternoons such as this one, Pedro would travel with the patch of light all over Sanji’s kitchen, waking when it finally disappeared to help Sanji set the table for dinner.
Turning down the flames to let the stew simmer, Sanji moved as quietly as he could to crouch by Pedro. He blew a soft breath of air at Pedro’s face and covered his mouth to hold back the giggles at Pedro’s ears flicking automatically. Reaching forward, he placed a gentle hand on Pedro’s head, marveling at the warmth of his fur from sleeping in the sun.
Pedro’s eye cracked open, dilating then contracting as they adjusted to the light.
“Sanji, do you need assistance?” he asked quietly.
Sanji shook his head, “I’m done for now.”
“Would you like to join me for a rest?”
Nodding shyly, Sanji sat on the ground, allowing Pedro to pull him into his arms.
“If it gets too warm, we can relocate,” Pedro rumbled in his ear.
“It won’t be,” Sanji replied, drifting to sleep.
---
2. Playtime
“You should join them,” Sanji teased.
Pedro huffed at the suggestion. He and Sanji were leaning against the rail by Nami’s mikan grove, watching Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy play on the lower deck. Usopp had made a device that emitted several colorful lasers at once, and Chopper and Luffy were scampering around, competing to see who could touch the color Usopp called out first.
Sanji watched as Pedro’s eyes flicked frantically across the deck, trying to follow multiple lasers at once. His shoulders were raised, fur bristling, tail waving back and forth in agitation. A predator, Sanji thought with amusement.
“It looks like fun,” Sanji said, “You should join them.”
“I don’t play,” Pedro sniffed, “Such activities are for young minks, and I am a Guardian—”
“You’re a Strawhat. We do whatever we want,” Sanji laughed, vaulting down over the railing and striding over to Usopp. He took off his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and rolled up his sleeves.
“I’m in next round,” he said, throwing a look up at Pedro who visibly sighed.
“Okay, just so you know, Luffy cheats. He’s not supposed to use his Devil Fruit,” Usopp said, glaring at Luffy who had stretched his hand out to touch the red laser beam.
“Oh please,” Sanji scoffed, “I’m the fastest on this ship.”
“Blue,” Usopp called out, and Sanji sky walked to the blue laser, smirking at Luffy and Chopper’s groans when he reached it first.
“Orange,” Usopp said, and Sanji moved, but stopped just short of the spot, skidding to a stop to avoid crashing into Pedro who had materialized over the orange laser.
“I’m the fastest on this ship,” Pedro said, eyes challenging Sanji.
Sanji threw his head back and laughed, “We’ll see about that big guy.”
“Purple,” Usopp called, and Sanji pecked Pedro on the lips. Pedro froze, surprised, and Sanji took off toward the purple laser.
---
3. Biscuits
Sanji woke in the morning to Pedro kneading him. He turned to look sleepily over his shoulder and saw that Pedro was still asleep. Pedro’s large hands continued prodding and massaging the muscles of Sanji’s back, a rumbling sound in his chest.
“Pedro,” Sanji said softly. Pedro’s eyes shot open, and he stopped his ministrations.
“You’re making biscuits on my back,” Sanji whispered.
“I’m… what?” Pedro asked, confused.
“You’ve never heard that phrase before?” Sanji asked, “Making biscuits? Kneading?”
“Oh,” Pedro said, ears flicking backwards in a way Sanji had come to understand signified embarrassment on the mink whose fur could not flush.
“I am sorry, Sanji, I did not mean to wake you.”
“No, it’s nice,” Sanji laughed, “Now that we’re both awake, you should continue and do it on more than one spot. I could use a massage after yesterday’s battle.”
Pedro sat up immediately and gently maneuvered Sanji so he was lying flat on his stomach. With careful hands, he began massaging Sanji’s back and shoulders. Sanji sighed happily into his pillow.
“A little bit to the left,” he said, and Pedro complied, kneading a particular sore spot on his lower back.
“A little lower,” he groaned, and Pedro complied.
“A little lower,” he smirked, when Pedro’s hands were on the hem of his pajama bottoms.
“I sense you have an ulterior motive,” Pedro said quietly.
Sanji laughed, flipping over and holding out his arms, then pulling his partner toward him and leaving firm kisses on his jawline.
---
4. Zoomies
“He’s… very fast,” Robin said. She was on watch, sitting in the crow’s nest with a cup of tea. Sanji had joined her when Pedro was unable to sleep that night.
She and Sanji watched Pedro vaulting around the Sunny’s riggings, scaling them with incredible speed and leaping between masts. It was a full moon, Pedro was in his sulong form, making the acrobatics all the more riveting to watch. At times he was merely a streak of white in the night sky. Other times, Sanji watched as Pedro would stop, gripping the mainmast with his hands and feet, staring up at the moon. The wind rippled through his long hair, and Sanji ached to stroke it. Then he was moving again, rejoicing in the power flowing through his body.
“I pity the day we meet marines on a full moon,” Robin said.
Sanji nodded, feeling the hairs on his forearms stand up at being in such close proximity to the electricity that Pedro let off.
“Though, it is very cute,” Robin chuckled softly, as Pedro scampered up and down one of the masts as if unsure if he wanted to be high or low.
“My very cute partner,” Sanji giggled, “Getting the zoomies at 2 AM.”
---
5. Presents
“For you,” Pedro said quietly, returning from a walk along a rocky beach with a shimmering stone that glinted when Sanji turned it in the sunlight.
“Thank you,” Sanji smiled, kissing him on the cheek, making Pedro’s tail thud happily against the ground. Sanji retreated to their room and pulled out the box where he kept Pedro’s gifts. Inside were feathers, shells, dried and pressed flowers, pieces of pretty metal, collected mementos from their adventures and constant reminders of how often Pedro thought of him. He would need to get a new box soon.
As he sorted through the box, Sanji’s thoughts turned to the more… perishable gifts Pedro brought him, fish from his daily swims in the ocean, each deposited gently in the sink, four punctures the only evidence that they had not been caught with a fishing rod. Pedro always made an effort to swim deeper and farther, focusing on finding rare fish that Sanji pointed out to him in the evenings when they stayed up late flipping through Sanji’s Encyclopedia of Culinary Aquatic Life. Once, Pedro had dragged back a belted goliath shark, making the Sunny list to the side with its weight. They still had frozen slabs of its meat in the freezer, and Sanji had politely asked Pedro to focus on smaller prey in the future.
“You know I can catch my own fish,” Sanji had said when Pedro laid a basket of coral oak darts on the table.
“I do not catch fish for you because you cannot,” Pedro replied, “I catch fish for you because I love you.” Sanji saved all the coral oak darts for Pedro’s midnight snack that night.
His fingers moved to his neck, where three round orbs rested against his collarbone, matching the clasps that kept Pedro’s cloak around his shoulder. Pedro had paced around their room nervously before pulling out the box and shyly handing it to him.
“Mates on Zou will often wear… matching…” he began, before clearing his throat and starting over, “If you do not like this design, I can change mine to whichever you prefer.” Sanji had turned, beckoning for Pedro to put the necklace on for him. He could feel Pedro’s trembling fingers, his claws so very close to Sanji’s jugular yet might as well have been miles away as he looped the jewelry around his neck and worked hard to fasten the tiny clasp.
Sanji faced Pedro again, fingers rubbing the cool metal until it was warm against his neck. He raised his other hand to cup Pedro’s cheek, the mink nuzzling into it immediately.
“Mates,” Sanji said happily, enjoying the sound of the word.
“Or partners, whatever term you want to use, I am yours.”
---
And 1. Grooming
After attempting once to lick Pedro and getting only a mouthful of fur, Sanji decided he would groom Pedro the human way. Pedro didn’t need it, he kept his own fur fluffy and soft, his hair long and shiny, but he would sit patiently as Sanji ran a stiff brush through his fur, petting as he went.
“Do minks ever do like a communal grooming, where they sit in a circle and groom the person in front of them?” Sanji asked curiously.
“Are you planning on suggesting that to the rest of the crew?” Pedro asked, amused.
Sanji paused to think about that option, dreamily considering how lovely it would be to braid Nami’s soft red hair while Robin ran her slender fingers through his. Zoro could use it as well, though he needed a bath more than a comb. Would Pedro lick Chopper’s fur, keeping him clean like one of his cubs? He giggled at the image, then stopped and flushed instead when he thought about cubs with Pedro.
“Just curious,” Sanji said, resuming his brushing.
“Family units may do it,” Pedro said, “But I have never let another groom me.”
Sanji paused again. “Really?”
“Grown minks can groom themselves, Sanji,” Pedro said wryly, “Just as adult humans can.”
“Right,” Sanji said. He hesitated, brush in hand.
“If you enjoy grooming me,” Pedro said, turning to fix his warm gaze on Sanji, “Then I enjoy being groomed. It suggests a form of intimacy that I never sought before you.”
“I enjoy it,” Sanji blushed, feeling Pedro’s soft fur under his fingertips. He continued, listening to the rhythmic swishing sound of his brush and the purrs rumbling in Pedro’s chest. He adjusted the angle and location of his brushing based on the timbre of Pedro’s purrs, trying to find the spots that made Pedro’s eyes blink closed.
“Time for your hair,” Sanji said eventually, and Pedro’s eyes lazily opened to watch him in the mirror as Sanji reached for his comb and began running it through Pedro’s locks, taking extra care around Pedro’s sensitive ears.
“I’m going to give you a little rakish braid,” Sanji said, twisting Pedro’s hair around one of his fingers.
“Whatever you would like,” Pedro said.
“Don’t give me that much power,” Sanji laughed, “I’ll use it maliciously.”
“You won’t,” Pedro chuckled, “I trust you, Sanji.”
“You always have to one-up me on sweetness and devotion, don’t you?” Sanji grumbled, weaving strands of Pedro’s hair and tying the end with a rubber band strapped around his wrist, another Pedro present.
“It is easy to be sweet and devoted to you.”
“Stop it,” Sanji glared.
“You do not want me to stop,” Pedro smiled back.
“I’m going to cook,” Sanji sighed, “Come with me to the kitchen?”
“You also do not need to ask,” Pedro said, standing and following Sanji.
To the ends of the world.