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Mindless cartoons played in front of you, your eyelids threatening to droop closed as snow drifted against the exterior of your home. Dressed in your comfiest clothes, you had had a soft day indoors since the weather outside was nothing but cold and dreary. Curled into the cushions of the couch, you were dragged out of your sleepy stupor by a bright blonde, perking up slightly as he came strolling into the room with two mugs of steaming hot cocoa. Setting the mugs down on the glass coffee table, he slid in next to you, letting you shift to rest comfortably against his side. In that moment, you were hidden and safe from the world, your lover’s arm wrapped securely around you as you listened to his hammering heartbeat. Your head lay tucked in the crook of his shoulder, and he leaned against you, enveloping you in a soft domestic bliss. He was careful when he leaned forward, making sure not to spill any of the cocoa on either of you.
“Careful, love. It’s hot.” He mumbled, an affectionate smile on his face as he watched you slip your hands into your sleeves, using the fabric as a mitten of sorts to protect against the heat of the mug. The cups themselves were mismatched, a labor of love from when you and Sanji had taken an amateur pottery class. Though imperfections were rampant (the handle on yours was crooked, there was a small chip in the rim of Sanji’s), they were beloved belongings that neither of you could bear to get rid of. Holding yours firmly, you offered to clink your mug against his, which he did with a bright, beaming smile on his face.
Blowing gently at the steam, you stared down into the deep brown liquid, watching as the fluffy marshmallows bobbed and began to melt. Humming, you tilted your head up, giving him a feather-light kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.” Your voice was quiet, little more than a mumble in the slowly-warming air of the living room. Sanji let out an exhale, then turned to kiss your forehead, pulling you closer to him on the small space of the couch.
“Anything for you, angel. What are you watching?” He was careful when sipping at his mug, though he didn’t wait long for it to cool. One of his elegant hands swept through his bangs, exposing his eyes, the color of the sky after a long rain, bright and renewed. His gaze fell on the television, and you looked up to admire the angled edge of his jaw. Dark wisps of a shadow were falling on his chin, evidence that he hadn’t shaved in a few days. You could feel your heart swell, and you buried your face in the side of his neck, settling yourself there until your hot chocolate was finished cooling down enough for you to drink comfortably. Something about him, something about the man curled up next to you set your heart rate into a frenzy.
“Some cartoon show. It’s about pirates, I think. I haven’t really been watching too intensely.” Sanji hummed in interest, watching the tv with curious eyes. His hand slowly began to rub soothing patterns against your skin, slipping just under the hem of your cozy sweater. You fought the urge to shift away at the cold temperature of his palms, relaxing as they warmed up. “The characters are cute, though.” Your tone was complacent and calm, the essence of pure satisfaction and contentment. Moving your head and bringing your mug to your lips, you hissed when the cocoa was still too hot for you to drink. Sanji was quick to glance down at you and make sure you were okay, using his thumb to softly brush over your burnt lips.
“You okay? I can get you some ice if you need.”
You shook your head, instead wrapping yourself around his arm like a koala and snuggling in closer to him. “I’ll be fine, it’s what I get for being impatient.” You muttered, and Sanji frowned. His fingers traced from your lips down to your jaw, then his hand gently cupped your chin and brought your face up to his. The kiss he gave you was a whisper, faint, enough to show affection but no deeper. His eyes sought out yours, a slight shine in them when he met your gaze. Though he pulled away from the kiss, he never left your space, preferring to keep you both in a loving tangle amidst the blankets and cushions of the couch.
“There, all better.” The smile he gave you was pure honey, liquid gold. His entire air was addicting, the way he drew you in. Sure, he had his moments, occasionally going a bit over the top with his gentlemanly nature, but it was nothing short of endearing to you. Sanji always put you first, often to your chagrin, but it always made you feel eternally loved and cared for. He defended you against your friends when they made you the butt of their jokes, he cooked meals for you as often as he could, and seemed to be genuinely interested in whatever you were interested in. You hadn’t ever had such a kind and caring partner, and you were grateful for him in every way.
You couldn’t hide the smile that stretched across your face, and the light giggle that left your lips. “Mhm, all better.” You cooed, returning to blowing on your cocoa. Sanji’s smile turned into his signature curling grin, and he pressed a kiss to your temple. Every inch of you was warmed by him, by his proximity and his actions. Nothing could have possibly ruined your elated mood, not even when Sanji’s phone began to ring. By the ringtone, you could tell it was Zoro calling, since it had a recording of Sanji himself saying ‘Dumbass Mosshead calling, don’t answer it’. Against the words of the recording, your lover fished his phone out of his pocket and answered it with a scoff, his mood seemingly souring at the sight of his friend’s name on the caller ID.
“What do you want, idiot?” His tone was deadpan and cold as he put the phone on speaker. You tried not to laugh at the sudden shift in his demeanor, from doting boyfriend to aloof frenemy.
“Oi, perv. We’re comin’ over.” Zoro’s gruff voice sounded from the phone speakers, and your eyes widened.
“Right now? And who is ‘we’?” You piped up, and Sanji shifted to hold the phone between the two of you so that you didn’t have to lean. Always thinking of you, even in the menial things.
“Yeah. The rest of the gang. Usopp’s fuckin’ van overheated, we’re like…”
“Three blocks!” A cheery voice could be heard in the background of the call.
“Three blocks from your house.” Zoro finished, and Sanji let out a sigh.
“Am I feeding all of you?” He mumbled, setting his mug of cocoa down on the coffee table again as he slowly, reluctantly untangled himself from you.
“YES!” There was Luffy, Zoro must have had his phone on speaker as well.
Sanji let out a low sigh, and you were quick to reach for the pack of nicotine gum he kept tucked in the little table beside the couch. You knew how stressful your friend group could be for your boyfriend, and he sent you a look of pure gratitude and love when you held the pack out to him. His habit of smoking was one that you weren’t entirely fond of, even if it looked incredibly attractive. Sanji did his best to reduce his smoking, which you thanked him for, and he took measures to not smoke in the house. He pulled you in to give you another affectionate kiss on the forehead as a thank you.
“Quit sighing like a regretful grandma, blondie. We got groceries with us, so don’t get your panties in a twist thinkin’ we’re gonna raid your fridge. Nami splurged on some stuff for a nice dinner that we were gonna save for later in the week, but Luffy’s already opened half of the shit we bought so we figured we’d bring it to you now anyways.” Zoro mumbled, then shouted something at Luffy, who you had no doubt was likely trying to eat something he wasn’t supposed to.
“Were you gonna spring a dinner night on me later in the week instead if Usopp’s van hadn’t broken down?” Sanji pushed himself up from the couch, unwrapping a piece of his gum with nimble fingers and popping it into his mouth. It took a second for the effect of the addictive chemical to kick in, but once it did, you noticed the tension in his shoulders fade. You frowned, not exactly happy to see a bunch of work suddenly thrown onto him.
“…No.”
“We were gonna tell you tomorrow!” Luffy’s excitable tone shot through the phone again, and Sanji had to hold the device a little farther away at the volume.
“…Whatever. If I don’t then you’ll probably just end up ruining it and wasting it all. Hurry on over, I’ll figure something out when you get here.” Sanji muttered, running a hand through his blonde locks. His curly-shaped brows were knitted as he seemed deep in thought, likely prepping different recipes in his mind depending on what the others showed up with. He didn’t seem very happy that his comfy, domestic day-in with you was over.
“Thank you Sanji!!”
“Thank you so much!”
“See you soon, Sanjiiii!”
“Yeah. Bye.” Zoro hung up the phone, and Sanji fell back against the couch, tossing his phone onto a pillow. Sliding closer to him, you sat on your knees as you gave him an inquisitive look.
“You okay, love?” He turned his head to you, then opened his arms, which you hurriedly climbed into. Wrapping his arms around you and burying his face into your neck, you could smell the sharp mint of his gum.
“I’m annoyed, but I’ll be alright. Just need a sec.” Sanji stilled as you brought your own arms up around him, running a hand through his hair in an effort to try and help him relax. You knew he enjoyed cooking, hell, it was his passion, but your friend group, however similar to a tight-knit family, liked to drop in without warning, and you knew it had to be tiring for him. Nonetheless, he never declined, preferring the challenge of putting something together with odd ingredients and making it taste amazing. You ran your hands over his hair, his shoulders, the back of his neck, all until you could feel his deep-set tension dissolve. He practically melted into you, relief washing over him as you acted as a sedative for his burning nerves.
You were happy to act as his calming agent, humming softly as he relaxed under your palms. You stayed that way, seated on his lap as he draped himself over you, until the doorbell rang. And rang, and rang, and rang.
Sanji grunted, and you pulled yourself up and off of him, helping him to his feet with a warm hand. “Paws off the goddamn doorbell, Luffy!” He shouted, careful not to knock you over as he started off towards the door. You hid your chuckle behind your hand, standing and moving to set your cocoa mug off to the side, safely on the other end table next to the couch. You were glad you were dressed modestly and well, you had no need to worry about changing your attire before your friends arrived, not that any of them would care anyways.
Unlocking and opening the door, Luffy was the first to rush into your home, cheering and hollering as he dove past Sanji. The blonde only sighed and got out of his way to hold the door open for the others to file in. After Luffy was Zoro, his hands shoved in his pockets as he strode in like he owned the place. Then was Usopp, nervously wringing his hands and sheepishly apologizing to your boyfriend, who simply waved him off. Chopper, Nami, Robin, and Franky all filed in afterwards, and soon your living room was full to capacity. Luffy had found your mugs of hot chocolate and was already chugging them, to which you just let out another sigh. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
“Where d’ya want these, chef?” Franky spoke up, his large arms loaded up with grocery bags. Sanji pointed towards your large kitchen, specially built to work like a full-fledged restaurant kitchen. It was his pride and joy, and he made sure to always keep it spotless. He went off to help Franky unload and get a feel for what he had to work with, and you watched him go with a bittersweet smile.
“Sorry for dropping in on you like this.” Robin sat in one of the chairs placed around the room, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She looked as beautiful as ever, her dark raven hair sharply contrasting the pale beige of the sweater she wore. Her expression was mature and somehow motherly, and you were quick to wave off her apology.
“It’s alright! Sanji’s a bit frustrated, but I’m sure he’s excited to start cooking. You know how he is.” The ravenette nodded, her smile warm and complacent. You found yourself unconsciously drifting towards her whenever Sanji wasn’t around, she gave off such a soothing, calming vibe that you couldn’t help but to draw towards when surrounded by the loud chaos of the rest of your excitable friends. You loved them all dearly, but sometimes they were too much, even for you.
You turned your head at the sound of Chopper calling your name, and just had time to catch sight of his fluffy brown mop of hair before he wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. You were quick to catch him, balancing the both of you as you gently pat the younger man on the head. “Hi, Chopper.” Your voice was warm, happy to see him at least. Though he had his excitable episodes, he was just like a little brother, even though he was only a few years younger than you. The young man was endlessly caring and had such a heart of gold, you were sure he was feeling guilty about dropping in on you and Sanji, even if the van breaking down wasn’t his fault.
“We’re sorry! I was gonna call Sanji and ask if he would cook later, but I forgot.” Chopper frowned, his bright eyes troubled. Still, it was nothing a warm smile and a gentle reassurance wouldn’t fix.
“It’s okay.” Caressing his head, you pulled him to the couch. Setting him down, you tucked a blanket over him, having noticed his hands were freezing. “Here, get warm! I’ll go make you some cocoa. Anyone else want any?” You glanced around at your other friends, cheers sounding from Luffy. Soon enough you were pacing into the kitchen, letting your friends happily converse in your living room. You were glad you had picked up a few days prior.
Pacing into the kitchen, you saw your boyfriend helping Franky unload the groceries your friends had brought. He seemed focused, his expression determined. He’d pushed his sleeves up to his elbows, his pretty forearms and hands exposed as he dug through the bags. Slipping past Franky and over to Sanji, you leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek, leaving a light touch on his back to reaffirm your presence. He immediately perked up, his eyes wide as he shot you a grin. “Hi angel.” He was quick to pull you into him, giving you a hug from the side.
“Hi, love. Do you need any help?” You offered, pushing up the sleeves of your own sweater as you helped pull items out of bags. You were a bit thrown off just by the volume of what they had bought, placing everything out on the large island in the center of the kitchen. “The others wanted cocoa, so I can help after I make it for them.” Smiling up at him, Sanji felt his heart begin to pound, and he hurriedly turned his head away and slapped a hand over his face. The way you beamed up at him, staring at him like you had never loved anything more than him, it was almost too much for him to bear. His heart was racing out of his chest, and he hurriedly grabbed a towel from a cabinet, holding it to his face as he fought a nosebleed.
“You know I’d never turn down your help.” He wiped his nose and set the towel by the sink. Franky finished unloading all of the bags and setting the things on the island counter before excusing himself, likely off to go sit with Robin. You made quick work of starting on the cocoa, setting out a mug for everyone as you warmed up the milk. While you did that, Sanji was glancing over what he was given, resting his chin on his knuckles as he panned through different recipes in his mind. Mixing and stirring the cocoa powder into each mug, you made sure each was evenly settled before adding enough marshmallows to make you feel content. Turning back to Sanji as you did so, you were curious about what he had in mind to cook.
“Any ideas?” You asked, carefully stirring a mug as you leaned against the counter. He looked determined, his bright blue eyes foggy as he thought hard.
“I’ve got a few, but it’s a little difficult. There was a reason I did all the food shopping when we all roomed together in college, a lot of this stuff doesn’t go together at all.” Sanji frowned, poking through what was obviously a pile of whatever your friends thought looked good at the store. “Pepper jack, scallions, lobster tails, pimentos, lamb, tenderloin, it’s like they just closed their eyes and grabbed whatever the cart touched.” He sighed, his eyes flickering across everything set in front of him. He stood there, looking troubled, and you paced over with the bag of miniature marshmallows in your grip. You tipped your head back, dropping a few into your mouth as you stood next to your lover. Sanji popped the gum in his mouth before he snapped his fingers.
“Think of something?” You turned to him.
“Sure did, angel.” His confident grin had returned, and he grabbed ahold of one of your hands, bringing your knuckles to his lips and leaving a light kiss. “Nothing to worry about. Take the cocoa out then get back here, I’m gonna need my sous chef.” He winked at you, and you could feel your heart flutter. You nodded quickly and spun off to take everyone their drinks. You glanced over your shoulder at Sanji, watching as he began to prepare some of the food.
Your hands were full, fingers hooked around as many mugs as you could hold. Careful as you paced into the living room, you handed everyone their cocoa, then laid out the bag of marshmallows on the coffee table. Your words of warning about the temperature of the cocoa fell on deaf ears, though it didn’t seem to bother most of your odd friends. You sighed, then smiled, leaving the bag of marshmallows on the coffee table if anyone decided that they wanted more.
The second you returned to the kitchen, you were swept up in Sanji’s whirlwind. You had been with him long enough to recognize what he wanted you to do before he even said anything, chopping herbs and sprinkling them carefully into a pan that he was mixing with natural ease. The only sounds in the entire kitchen were those of pans clanking against the stove, sizzling and popping as Sanji mixed things together in an almost magical way, the steady thrumming of your knife against the cutting board, and the occasional phrase your boyfriend muttered to himself as he focused solely on what was right in front of him.
There were a few occasions in which Luffy or Zoro had come wandering into the kitchen; Luffy was always looking to shove something in his mouth, and it seemed as though Zoro couldn’t go ten minutes without trying to rile Sanji up. You were quick to shove them back into the living room, where Nami made sure they didn’t get up to bother the two of you again until you were done.
Before you met Sanji, you weren’t all that much of a chef. Sure, you made the occasional dish here or there for parties, but it wasn’t something you indulged in regularly. Now, cooking with your boyfriend was one of your favorite things to do. The atmosphere between the two of you was perfect and full of trust, and if there ever was something you were confused or unsure of, Sanji was at your side in an instant to instruct you with a soft and affectionate voice. Occasionally you played a bit dumb, just to have him stand behind you and guide your hands with a gentle caress, his tone warm and gentle.
Time flew by as the two of you darted back and forth, Sanji checking over everything with a careful eye. Soon it had been nearly two hours, and everything was finally complete. Sanji called you over to one of the dishes, a pasta topped with thick, aromatic sauce and meat, and held out a small bowl of basil. “Wanna garnish the last one?”
You nodded, pacing over and laughing when Sanji swept you into his arms the second you were in his reach. Ever affectionate, he let you take hold of the bowl as he instead wrapped his arms around your waist, hugging you from behind and resting his head on your shoulder. You hummed as you sprinkled the tiny green leaves over the dish, dusting your hands off and setting the glass bowl on the counter as you glanced over everything the two of you had made. None of the dishes really fit a coherent theme, but they all looked mouth-watering.
“You did great.” You turned your head and smiled up at Sanji, who ruffled your hair.
“ We did great. Couldn’t have done it without my favorite sous chef.” You felt your heart swell, and just as you were about to lean up and give him an affectionate kiss on the cheek, Luffy came bounding into the kitchen like a bat out of hell. Sanji stepped away from you so fast you didn’t even see him move, and snagged Luffy away from the plentiful dishes on the island counter by the back of his shirt. “Wait for the others, Luffy!” Sanji scolded, and you couldn’t help but to laugh.
As your boyfriend tackled the beast that was hungry Luffy, you went to tell the others in the living room that dinner was ready. Nami had changed the tv to the weather channel and was critiquing the anchor on his forecast predictions, Chopper was halfway through a puzzle with Usopp, and Robin was having a discussion about literature with Franky, who only seemed to be partially listening as he fiddled with a rubik’s cube. Zoro was nowhere to be found, and you figured that he’d gone wandering off to find the bathroom.
“Dinner’s ready!” You clapped your hands together, and you had never seen Usopp and Chopper scramble for the kitchen so fast. Nami helped you catch your balance when Usopp almost knocked into you, and Robin politely hid her laughter behind her hand. The ravenette and Franky filed into the dining room while Nami went off to find Zoro, and you scurried about to gather things to set the table.
Sanji was struggling to keep Luffy’s hands out of a large bowl of seasoned mashed potatoes, holding him in a headlock to try and keep him still. “If you stick your grubby hands in that bowl I’m kicking you out!”
You snagged a few placemats from a drawer, napkins, and grabbed a handful of utensils, struggling to hold everything in your hands before Chopper scurried over to you.
“Want any help?” His brown eyes were bright and eager to help, and you directed him to a cabinet above the sink.
“Sure! Can you grab some cups from there?” The young man nodded and filled his arms, following you to the dining room to start setting the table. With Robin, Chopper, and Usopp assisting you, everything was in place in no time. Your dining table usually only seated about six, but you and Sanji had extra chairs and stools in a hall closet ready in case the entirety of your friend group stopped by. You gave Chopper a stool and Franky a chair that had no armrests, knowing he’d probably be more comfortable if he didn’t have to squeeze in to fit.
Back in the kitchen, Sanji had finally gotten Luffy to calm down, and was steering him to the dining room by a firm grip on his shoulders. “Wanna start bringing the food out? I don’t think I can hold him off much longer.” Sanji grimaced and spoke to you quickly as you walked by.
“Mhm! I’ll be quick.” You nodded, and began the careful balancing act of carrying large dishes to the dining room. It was a wonder you got everything to fit, along with plates and glasses for nine people. Luffy started scarfing down anything that was in his reach the second food was placed in front of him, only causing everyone to laugh and Sanji to sigh. Nami had found Zoro and sat him down at the table before going to sit on the other side of Robin. You sat by Sanji, reaching to hold his hand under the table as everyone exclaimed over how good the food looks.
Dinner was loud and boisterous, as usual with your wild group of friends, but you found yourself enjoying it. Even Sanji seemed to have left his previous annoyance behind enough that he ignored Zoro whenever the green-haired man tried to rile him up. Once everyone was done, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper offered to help clean up, but you escorted them to the door. It was going to be a huge task cleaning up after so many people—Luffy left enough dirty plates behind it seemed as though he ate for four people on his own—, but you were eager to get to spend time with Sanji on your own again.
You loved your friends endlessly, but you had planned for a calm day to recharge, and every drop of your social battery was spent. You waved them goodbye, closed and locked the front door behind them, then went to help Sanji pack up what scraps weren’t eaten into tupperware.
“That was fun.” You reached out, offering a conversation. Sanji glanced up from the small tower of tupperware in his hands, nodding.
“A little annoying, but it was good to have everyone back in one place again. It would have been nice to have a little bit of a heads up that I was going to cook a seven course dinner, though.” Sanji huffed, rolling his eyes and blowing a few strands of blonde hair out of his face.
“You had a good time cooking, though. You always do.” You nudged him with your shoulder as you stacked up plates and silverware.
“Well, yeah. I did. Only because I love cooking and I love my sous chef.” He turned to put the little tins of food in the refrigerator, missing the way your face lit up at his words. You busied yourself all of a sudden in washing dishes, and Sanji noticed your silence. He was about to ask you if something was wrong, but then he recognized the way your shoulders were tensed up, the way you always reacted when he nonchalantly said he loved you.
You were in the middle of drying one of your mismatched plates when Sanji took it out of your hands, set it on the counter, and pulled you into his arms instead. Under his breath he sang a soft love song, twirling you around as he began to dance with you in the kitchen. The gentle rest of his hand on your hip filled you with a feeling of pure contentment, a smile rising to your lips.
“Le ciel bleu sur nous peut s’effondrer, et la terre peut bien s’écrouler,” His voice filled the kitchen, low and soothing as the lyrics left his mouth. He spun you with ease, and you quickly matched his pace as the two of you began to waltz.
“ Peu m’importe si tu m’aimes, je me fous du monde entier, ” Sanji reached to hold your other hand, letting you rest your head against his chest as the two of you swayed.
“ Tant que l’amour inondera mes matins, tant que mon corps frémira sous tes mains, ” He’d taught you a few phrases in french, and you knew a couple words, but one of your favorite things was to have him sing to you like that. His tone was full of love and endearment, conveying to you just how strongly he felt for you. He leaned in close, resting his forehead against yours as he led you in the dance.
“ Peu m’importent les problémes, mon amour, puisque tu m’aimes. ” His voice grew softer, drawing you in and hooking you on every word he sang. He brought the two of you to a stop, gracefully twirling you one last time, before his arms caught you and held you close to his chest.
“ Mon amour, puisque tu m’aimes. ” Sanji cupped your jaw with a soft hand, and guided your head up. He connected your lips in a sweet kiss, and if you weren’t aware that he was confessing his love to you by singing such a heartfelt song, you were sure of it now, when he poured all of his affection into kissing you.
“I love you, angel.” He cooed, his shining blue eyes full of adoration for you and only you.
“I love you too.” You responded easily.