Work Text:
ORPHEUS:
How will you remember?
EURYDICE:
That I love you?
ORPHEUS:
Yes.
EURYDICE:
That’s easy. I can’t help it.
No one in the Thousand Sunny had a strict schedule for the day. The only person who had anything close to a schedule was Sanji, but that too only concerned mealtime. Anytime in between the time he dedicated to cooking those meals, even he wouldn't be able to guess what he was doing. Would he be fighting marines or Zoro? Would he be liberating a country with the others or making snacks for the beautiful ladies? Nobody knew.
But at least everyone had something they'd be seen doing everyday; like Zoro with his stupid training and Usopp tinkering away in his workshop. The only person this didn't apply to was Luffy.
One could never guess what activity he'd get up to on an average day. That's why, when he brings Robin her afternoon snacks to the library and sees Luffy sprawled on her lap listening to her read, he isn't as surprised as he would've been back when he first joined the crew.
He flicks his wrist and slaps Luffy's calf lightly. "Get up, idiot. Let the lady take a break, you're crushing her."
Luffy only whines and buries his face into Robin's stomach. Robin, like the goddess that she is, laughs and scratches the heathen's scalp. "It's quite alright, Sanji. We're just reading a story together. Perhaps you'd like to join us?"
Sanji opens his mouth, ready to politely decline when Luffy shoots up and wraps his arms around like a dog to a bone. "Yeah, Sanji! Join us!"
He tries to put up a fight, he really does. But between Luffy's pathetic watery eyes and Robin's insistence, he never stood a chance in the first place. So he places the tray down on the table and takes a seat on the couch.
"Yay!" Luffy cheers and abandons his seat next to Robin to jump on him. "Hi, Sanji."
It takes him a while to wrangle his menace of a captain to a proper sitting position. In the end, they settle on sitting pressed together, with Luffy's legs thrown over his thighs. Sanji puffs on his cigarette, feeling a lot less annoyed than he expected to be. Ah, well. You get used to these things after a while.
"Okay, so," Luffy begins excitedly, "Robin was telling me about this Orfee guy—"
"Orpheus."
Luffy nods at Robin. "Yeah, that guy. So apparently his girlfriend got stuck in hell. Ahhhh what's her name? Robin, what's her name? Yeru?"
Robin hides a smile behind the book she's holding. "Eurydice, Luffy."
"Yeah, her. Have you heard of them?"
He has. He read about them back when he was a teenager thumbing through romance books in secret when no one was around (not that he didn't do that now, but no one needed to know that). He had brought the book thinking it had a happy ending and had stomped around the Baratie fuming for weeks. That stupid Orpheus. He had one job. Why couldn't he just keep walking? He lost the love of his life because of his stupidity!
"I've heard of them. What about it?"
"Luffy and I were discussing what each of us would do if we were in Orpheus' shoes," Robin explains. "What would you do, when your beloved is walking behind you but you can't hear her? Would you turn around, or would you keep walking?"
"Keep walking." "Turn around, duh!"
Sanji gapes at Luffy. "Seriously? Did you even listen to the story? If you turn around, Hades will take her back and you can never see her again!"
Luffy frowns and tilts his head, looking at him like he's the stupid one. "That's a stupid reason to keep walking."
"Stupid?!" Sanji sputters. "Why, you...!"
Luffy laughs. Robin watches them mess around for a while, amused, before asking, "Why do you think that's stupid, Luffy?"
Sanji lets go of Luffy's rubbery cheeks with a snap, curious of the answer as well. Knowing Luffy, it's going to be something mind-numbingly stupid while also being profound.
"Well, that place is dark, right?" Luffy digs his pinky finger into his ear. Sanji watches, disgusted, as he continues, "I don't want to leave her alone. What if she gets scared? What if she gets lonely without me? What if I'm walking fast and she gets lost trying to follow me? What if she thinks I left her behind? I found her because I love her, right? Then it would be stupid to let her go for even a second. I'm walking out of there holding her hand."
Robin smiles, soft and full of emotion. Something catches in Sanji's throat.
"But if you look back," Sanji finds himself saying quietly, "he will take her away."
Luffy only grins. "I would like to see him try."
Sanji's flaming leg smashes against Luffy's face.
Don't look back.
Nami is screaming. His throat burns as he grinds his foot into Luffy's mouth and breaks his teeth.
Don't look back.
He spits venom and screams and fights. When Luffy falls and he finally walks away, every inch of him feels like a bleeding wound.
Don't look back.
The chariot takes off. His eyes heat and salt rolls down his cheeks. He hears Luffy yell, "Come back, Sanji!"
Don't look back.
"I can't be pirate king without you!"
Don't look back.
It's raining. It's raining and he can't light his fucking cigarette. He thinks he is crying. He is scared and lonely and it is so, so dark.
I found her because I love her, right?
His breath trembles in his chest. He picks up the basket and starts running.
Please look back.
"That's just you, isn't it?"
It would be stupid to let her go for even a second.
The sun rises in Luffy's smile.
I'm walking out of there holding her hand.
"Let's crash this wedding!"