Chapter Text
Sanji could only tsk.
This straw-hat wearing fellow was batshit, along with that marimo first mate of his. Seriously insane! Charging into situations that could mark the end of their life yet still moving knowing full well of the fate that lied ahead of them...
Honestly... It was admirable- Not that Sanji would admit it out loud.
Stirring the boiling soup silently, he ponders. If what the guy is saying is true then Sanji is truly wasting his time serving countless dishes here, but a part of him wants to stay for the old man that sacrificed his damn foot for him, he was literally the only thing he had to an actual father! (No, he’ll never call that man his father...)
Sanji couldn’t just leave... Yet his heart yearns for the kind of life that boy was offering him, a life of freedom, overflowing compassion, warm smiles, and a home.
He has to stay, stay and repay. Because that was the least he could do...
Speaking of repaying, he should prepare Luffy a meal as thanks for defending his old man’s restaurant. Finishing up on the soup, he turns the stove off and goes up to his room.
Why did he lend his room again?
What was he doing? Shit shit shit, this was so embarrassing. He was just here to turn the offer down gently- WHY WAS HE OPENING UP TO THE DAMN GUY??
“Say... Do you know All Blue?” Sanji’s voice spoke up again, the clouds rolling in the distance. Creating a shadow on the sea it covered.
“Can’t say I have...?” He answers bluntly, not quite caring of the place as he keeps himself balanced over the railing.
The words kept rolling off his tongue, and AH!! HE SHOULD NEVER HAVE MENTIONED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!! (This, again, was so goddamn embarrassing.)
Yet, he kept going on and on. His eyes in the form of crescents as he smiled brightly of his dream, and the young pirate listens.
“ It’s a dream paradise to us cooks! And that sounds like a place in the Grandline so...” When Sanji slowly opens his eyes again, he suddenly stops his upcoming question.
“Hey, why’d you stop?” Luffy whines, having piqued an interest in the blond man’s dream and upset with the fact he stopped.
“ Tell me more about your day, Sanji...!” A kind and soft voice urges in his memories, wavy blond locks running above her back as the right side of her face is covered with her bangs.
The pirate’s expressive face was replaced one with such attentiveness and nurturement, Sanji felt his world pause. When he first opened his eyes; he saw how those dark (chocolates... They looked like dark chocolates) eyes soften as his ears listened to every word of his dream. Deeming every detail important . His wide grin was gone and there was only a soft sweet smile (it looked just like hers ) was in its place.
“Ah... Yeah, so have you...?” Sanji shakes his head.
It became a bit rowdier inside the restaurant and Luffy’s stomach demanded food, which leaves Sanji no choice but to enter the restaurant again and deal with the staff’s absolute bullshit.
The blond man subconsciously opens the door for the black-haired pirate, and as expected, the others were already eating and did not bother to call them.
He inspects the dining room, never minding the cooks who were already eating. “Hey, where do we sit?” Sanji asks after seeing no seats for the two of them. “Where’s our food?” Of course, he asks the more important question.
“There’s no chairs for you.”
“Sit on the floor and eat.”
“No chairs? That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard from you lazy bastards, this is a restaurant...!” Sanji says exasperatedly, already done with their bullshit.
No one else dares to answer him as they just continued eating their hearty meals. A sigh escapes his lips, he guides the pirate to the food that was set up buffet style. Quick to prepare his meal for the day and Luffy was just hungry.
“No choice.” He sits down cross-legged, not really at all minding to eat on the floor as long as he could eat. And plus, the floor was clean.
“They act really weird.” Luffy comments after setting down his tray in fornt of Sanji’s, choosing to eat with him. The blond cook immediately notices that the pirate had chosen to pour some soup into his bowl and he grew nervous.
He felt his anxiety skyrocket when Luffy took a sip, placing the edge of the bowl to his lips and tilting it. The young captain’s eyes sparkled with delight; this was amazing!
“Oishī!” Luffy exclaims, a smile on his face. He downs the whole bowl in one gulp this time and stands back up to pour himself some more.
“ Oishī!” His mother hums, happily munching on the food he had made for her.
There it goes again... The memories he thought he had buried, at least...
It was only Sora...He missed her...