Chapter Text
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
You loved being in the kitchen, it was the place you felt most safe and secure in. And Sanji's presence made it more worthwhile, you are the artist of the ship and sketching Sanji is one of your favourite things, but, that's a secret for now at least.
Sanji is prepping for breakfast like he usually does, the soft sounds of vegetable cutting fills the kitchen and the smell of his cigarette lingers in the air, like always. You stare at Sanji's back in awe — he's your muse, but you'd rather keep it to yourself. You carry two sketchbooks with you, one which carries all of your amazing ideas and works, while the second one is dedicated to Sanji, Sanji alone. You keep the second one hidden in your drawer under the box of paints, and, you sketch him only in the mornings when everyone else is asleep.
You don't want Luffy or Ussop getting a glimpse of it, as they both tend to hover over you whenever you draw. You like it, obviously, but them getting a glimpse of your sketchbook dedicated to Sanji wouldn't be a pretty idea. Sanji has never pestered you to show him what you were drawing or how it turned until you showed it to him yourself. He understood that you came here in the mornings for privacy and quiet, and he'd let you have it.
You trace the lines of his back on the paper, the sound of pencil scratching against the paper is the most comforting to your ears. You couldn't help but stare at him for longer than necessary before Sanji's voice snaps you out of it, “y/n-chan, would you like some tea?”, he asks softly. Your heart dropped there for a second, “Uh, no, I'm good, Sanji-san. I'd prefer something sweet”, you reply. “Sweet, it is then.”, he makes a note in his mind that you prefer sweet things as he starts preparing some muffins for you. You continue capturing his features on paper, while, he cooks in silence — it felt comforting, warm, and sweet; that was the best you could describe it.
After 10 minutes, the oven tings, the muffins were ready, but you barely heard it, engrossed in capturing your muse on a thin sheet of paper. Sanji sets a plate of muffins near you, “the muffins are ready, y/n-chan”, he says softly. You jump in surprise, hastily closing your sketchbook before Sanji can have a glimpse of it. He looks at you with a concerned gaze, “did I startle you, love? I'm sorry for it.” He was the sweetest, you shook your head gently, “no, it's fine.”
You grabbed a muffin and took a bite of it, “mhm, it's soo good.” you savour the sweetness melt on your tongue with a hum. Sanji smiles, he loves seeing people enjoy his food, especially his family. “I'm glad you like it, mademoiselle.” Your heart shudders at the sound of it ‘mademoiselle’, you love the way he says it and it makes your heart jump a little every time he calls you by it. “You sure know how to show off your charms.”, you blurt out without thinking.
“And what charms are we talking about, dear?”, Sanji asks with a smirk playing on his lips, intending to take full advantage of your words to tease you. “C-cooking, of course!”, you manage to reply and take another bite of the muffin. You barely dodged the question, your heart was beating so fast that you felt like it could burst any moment. “yes, of course!”, he says laughing it off, “Enjoy your muffins while you draw, love”, he says before getting back to preparing breakfast. And, you get back to drawing while savouring the taste of fresh muffins.
~ Next day ~
Today is a warm day, perfect for sketching out on the deck. You love days like these, warm, quiet, gentle and sweet. There's nothing like the calmness that surrounds the deck on days like these. You sat on the bench at the side of the deck with Robin, who is reading a book. Nami is sunbathing, Zoro somewhere asleep on the deck, Franky checking the condition of the ship and Ussop helping him, Chopper and Luffy fishing on the railing, Brook playing soft musicals to match the day. Your muse? He was preparing cold drinks for everyone.
You stared at the rough lines on the paper, the sketched out scene of Fish-men island. You decided to put it on paper while it was still fresh in your mind. You stretch out after having bent over the desk for too long. Now, it was time to paint the scene. You look around and realize, the paints weren't here. Maybe you forgot them back in your drawer.
You sigh softly, getting on your feet to head inside, Sanji appears with drinks for everyone handing everyone their glasses. He swoons over to you and Robin, “y/n-chwann, Robin-chwann, here are your drinks~”. Robin takes hers and smiles, “thanks, cook-san.”
Seeing you are standing, Sanji asks, “are you going somewhere, y/n-chan?”. You nod, “yeah, I forgot my paints inside”. Setting your glass on the table, he says, “you should enjoy your drink, I'll get it for you. Where are they kept?”
“in the drawer!”, you replied sitting back and taking a sip of your drink, “it's good!” Sanji made his way to the women's quarters, he went over to your drawer and slid it open. “here they are”, he took out the box of paints that was kept in the drawer. He didn't notice he took out your second sketchbook with it, the sketchbook fell on the wooden floor with a thud. He stopped in his tracks and crouched down to get it, before his fingers could grasp the book, a gush of wind flipped the pages of the sketchbook, one by one.
Sanji could just stare at the pages turning, each, turn by turn, sketched out pieces of him. He hadn't meant to invade your privacy and definitely didn't want to see these in this manner. He isn't sure what to do. Perplexed by the situation, he pulls out a cigarette from the packet putting it between his lips and lighting it, he leans against the wall thinking on what should his next move be, Should he pretend he never saw it? Or, Should he confront you?