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As night settles across the Thousand Sunny, Sanji works to finish up tidying the kitchen and galley. The famed cook of the Straw Hat Pirates begins with wiping the counters down, clearing away any crumbs and a stray swipe of sauce that must have dripped from a spoon during his cooking process. Next, he works to return all the dishes on the drying rack to their respective cabinets where he'll know where to locate them for breakfast in the morning. With the system Nami established when the crew was in its early days of formation, Sanji cooks all the meals and the rest of the crew participates in a rotating schedule of who does the dishes. Dinner typically has the heaviest level of dishes due to the complexity of the food Sanji creates for the biggest meal of the day, so typically two people help to wash, clean, and dry dishes in the evening. However, even though the crew can be trusted to wash the dishes in his stead, Sanji trusts no one other than himself to place the dishes in their respective cabinets and drawers, lest his favorite utensils be misplaced. The one exception of this arrangement is in regards to Sanji's kitchen knives. He will never allow anyone to ever handle those knives except for himself, as he meant what he said that day he met the Straw Hats on the Baratie, that a chef's soul truly does lie within his best knife. Settling into his mundane routine, Sanji eases into the silence of his kitchen, whistling a familiar tune that Zeff taught him when he was a young child.
He isn't sure how much time passes before a pair of arms circles around his back, snapping Sanji from his ministrations as he prepped shredded potatoes for tomorrow's breakfast.
"I'm coming to bed soon, my love," Sanji assures, his voice soft as he turns to face Nami, his pale blue eyes lighting up as he sets his gaze upon his wife. "I just need to finish prepping breakfast for tomorrow morning and then I'll follow you," he continues, inhaling the scent of Nami's shampoo and wrapping his love in his strong arms, pressing her against his chest.
"I figured as much," Nami smiles, her arms encircling Sanji's neck as she enjoys the simplicity of just being held tenderly in her husband's arms. "Sanji, I-- I'm hungry," Nami admits, a slight crimson flush appearing on her cheeks as the orange-haired navigator presses a kiss to her husband's cheek.
Sanji's eyes widen and he pulls slightly away from his wife, placing his hands on Nami's shoulders, admiring her with such pure love shining in his eyes.
"Really? You truly are hungry now?" he softly inquires, knowing that his wife hasn't had much of an appetite recently.
"Mmm-hmm," she hums, a content expression making its way to her face. "I tried to settle down in bed to wait for you to finish in the kitchen and I was suddenly struck with an appetite," the navigator admits, her hand settling onto her stomach, the crimson blush still painting her cheeks.
"That's wonderful news, Nami, my sweet!" Sanji cheers, a wide grin appearing on his lips.
He kneels on the tiled floor of the kitchen, his pose not much different than the day he asked Nami to marry him. One of the cook's hands pulls at the hem of his wife's pajama shirt, exposing the navigator's smooth skin. His other hand immediately splays out across Nami's stomach, encircling the man's most precious gift in the world. That same shining smile continues to be present on his face, his blue eyes filled with such love and devotion for his wife and the marvelous surprise that is their unborn baby.
"I'm so happy that you're finally allowing your Mommy to eat some of Daddy's delicious food, little dumpling," Sanji reverently whispers to Nami's belly, sending a small amount of heat through his hand to offer Nami some amount of comfort and relief.
Nami feels tears begin to prick her chocolate colored eyes as she watches Sanji lean forward, her husband softly kissing the small baby bump beginning to show a little more as she nears the end of her first trimester. When she was held captive by Arlong and the rest of the Arlong Pirates all those years ago, Nami could have never dreamed she would grow up to have such a devoted, caring, and loving husband who would relish showering her in affection, love, protection, and dedication. Although Sanji has expressed fears that he will turn out to be like Vinsmoke Judge, Nami knows deeply within every fiber of her being that her husband will absolutely be the best husband and father to their unborn child, especially given that he called Zeff at 3:00 AM not long ago to ask for advice on what to feed Nami to keep her and their baby well-nourished despite her ever-present morning sickness.
Nami reaches forward and slowly tilts Sanji's face upwards, their eyes locking together and a shared look of love passing between them.
"I love hearing you talk to our baby," Nami whispers, the secret of their upcoming addition to their family still only existing between the two of them, Zeff, Nojiko, and Genzo. "We both love you very much, Sanji," she continues, helping her husband to his feet before kissing his lips.
"And I love you and our little dumpling more than anything else in the world, Nami," Sanji responds in kind, smiling as Nami joins their hands together, the four hands resting comfortably over her stomach. "I think you're starting to show," he whispers, an awestruck tone to his voice.
"Really?" Nami asks, shock evident in her voice. "You're just saying that!" she laughs, rubbing her hand across Sanji's hand, sending every synapse in Sanji's brain into overdrive.
"No, I'm not!" Sanji laughs as well, a big, raucous sound that fills the entire kitchen and galley. "I mean it!"
"And here I was thinking I just looked bloated," the tangerine-haired navigator giggles, a softness appearing in her eyes as she casts her gaze downward at her growing belly.
"Nami, love, you're almost eleven weeks now, so I think our little dumpling is starting to add even more beautiful curves to you," Sanji remarks, pressing a kiss to the crown of Nami's head. "You're still as gorgeous as the day I met you and as radiant as the day I married you," he assures, further boosting Nami's self-esteem and image of herself.
"You're such a charmer."
"For you? Always."
"We'll have to tell the crew soon, I guess."
"Can we keep it a secret amongst us for just a little longer, my dear? I'm rather enjoying having something so private for just the two of us."
Sanji helps Nami to one of the barstools before he begins to heat a pan over the stove, collecting his knives out of the drawers to prepare a work station for himself.
"Now, what are you and our little dumpling in the mood for, my sweet?" he inquires, facing his wife and preparing himself to make the best dish possible for his wife and mother of his unborn child.
Bless her, Nami has had such a tumultuous pregnancy thus far despite still being in her first trimester. The day she announced her pregnancy to Sanji, the chef of the Straw Hat Pirates had a complete mental lapse and emotional breakdown regarding the unexpected news. Neither of them had planned on having a baby so early in their marriage, still being newlyweds of less than six months, which hit Sanji extremely harshly. The fear existed in his mind that he would become a neglectful and cruel father like Vinsmoke Judge had been, but assurances from Nami and Zeff had proven to him that he could never be the abusive kind of man his birth father had been. Not only did Nami have that unexpected reaction from her husband to deal with, but she also has been plagued by such unrelenting morning sickness that unfortunately has lasted nearly the entire day of the past three weeks. About the only food that Sanji has been able to cook that Nami can keep on her stomach is homemade broth, soup, plain white rice, and fruit beverages. She also has been able to tolerate crackers, but it has broken Sanji's heart to know that he possesses so many culinary skills to cook anything the world has to offer only for Nami to not be able to eat any of his offerings. That is where Zeff's recommendations had been incredibly lifesaving for the father to be, as Sanji has been able to make broth with regularity for his darling bride. Fortunately, no one in the crew has been the wiser, allowing Nami to eat her specially prepared food in peace.
"I was thinking some pickled takoyaki," Nami bashfully admits, resting her hands on her chin as she watches Sanji from across the countertop.
Sanji blinks rapidly, his brain short-circuiting in this peace of information. His chef supremacy and tutelage under Red Foot Zeff had not covered this particular discourse. He hopes it doesn't take him an insanely long time to answer his wife's request despite the absolute absurdity of the request.
"Takoyaki, huh? You think you'll be able to handle fried batter after having such bland foods for three weeks?"
"No, not fried, Sanji. Pickled," Nami reminds, licking her lips at the prospect.
"Ah, I see. Pardon me, my darling, I misunderstood. I'll have it whipped up in a flash!"
Sanji begins to doubt his own skills in the kitchen, wondering just how in the wide world he will be able to satisfy his wife's cravings in such a strange manner.
"Here you are, my love!" Sanji says with a flourish, setting a steaming plate in front of his wife.
He had originally struggled with the idea of how to make pickled takoyaki. However, the thought came to him that perhaps it was not truthfully the pickled takoyaki that she craved, but the taste of pickling liquid. With that in mind, Sanji made a pan-fried version of the takoyaki, pairing it with a side of pickled spiced cucumbers.
"This looks delicious, Sanji! Thank you!" Nami smiles widely, excitement overtaking her voice.
She takes a bite of the offered dish, a pleasurable moan escaping her lips after the first bite.
"I take it that I did a good job?"
"Good? Sanji, this is phenomenal, love!"
"I'm glad to hear that, my sweet tangerine. Happy to know that I can satisfy your and our little dumpling's cravings for my cooking!"
"You truly are the best! Now, please do Mommy a favor and don't throw up Daddy's hard work at a late night snack for us," Nami says to the baby growing inside of her.
"Yes, that would make Daddy extremely sad, little one. Ready for bed, dear?"
Nami nods in agreement, soon finding herself whisked into Sanji's arms.
"What are you doing?" she asks with a giggle, her arms instinctively wrapping themselves around her husband's neck, her head pressing into Sanji's chest and resting in the crook of his neck. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't walk!"
"I seem to remember carrying you across the threshold of the Sunny the day we got married."
"You got me there."
"Let's go and get some rest, love. You've had a long day."