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There was only so much to be done on a ship like the Thousand Sunny. It wasn’t small by any measure, not considering there was only eleven members to your crew, but there was just only so many things to do. You also spent the vast majority of your time either taking down corrupt governments or sailing, so there wasn’t a lot of time spare to spend on land enjoying the company of your partner.
But, you and Jinbei are adults - you can make the most of that. Anything can be a date if you make it so. So, when you both had chores in the same area of the ship, you made an event of it. With your pain issues, you couldn’t do chores that involved bending down, so Jinbei handled scrubbing the floors while you took charge of dusting higher areas, one hand on the duster and the other on your cane to keep you stable. The air between you was quiet, with much of the crew being in other areas of the ship, so for at least a while it gave you some semblance of privacy.
When you took a break to sit down, Jinbei shuffled calmly over to sit beside you, lifting you into his lap rather than simply sitting beside him, because he loved just having you close. He pressed his lips to the top of your head, arms wrapping loosely around your waist so as to not cause discomfort.
“Are you doing alright, dear?” He asked softly, thumbs rubbing soothing circles over your hips, not intended to relieve any pain but just to be tender and comforting.
“I’m alright. Just needed a little break.” Jinbei hummed in understanding, allowing the quiet to settle between you again as he pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. Somewhere distant, through the mostly closed door, you could hear Brook singing a tune which Chopper had joined in on, clearly tending to chores of their own. It was a pleasant backdrop for the quiet moment.
“Do you ever wish we did more together?” Jinbei asked after a moment, the movement of his thumbs pausing as he tilted slightly, leaning over your shoulder to look down at you, wanting to see your face for the topic at hand to be able to fully gage your reaction. It took you a moment to process the question, and then confusion settled in. Do more together?
“We’re together all the time.” You replied, twisting slightly for yourself so the two of you could look straight at each other.
“Rarely alone.” He pointed out, hands instinctively adjusting so you’d remain comfortable in his lap.
“That’s true, but I don’t mind it. We get our moments, like this.”
“I know we do, but don’t you ever wish it was.. more? More special, I suppose.” He questioned.
“Do you?”
“I cherish all the time we have together.”
“Then stop worrying. Anything can be a date or a special moment, if we decide it’s one.” You said firmly. Carefully, and with his assistance, you adjusted in Jinbei’s lap to be facing him, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He returned it without hesitation, hands cradling you reverently, making sure to keep you from hurting yourself.
For a long moment, the two of you remained there, nestled into a corner and ignoring the chores you were supposed to be doing in favour of just being close, kissing each other gently, tenderly. It was the simple things that made the day to day beautiful, that made a life at sea more bearable. A knock at the door made you both part, glancing over to see a disembodied arm of Robin’s, giving you warning that she was on her way in case you were indecent. She always was so considerate.
By the time Robin walked in, Jinbei had helped you back to your feet, his hand resting on the small of your back.
“All done in here?” She asked, glancing around the space.
“Just a few spots left to dust.” You told her, gesturing up to the edges of the ceiling. Several arms sprouted to cast away cobwebs, then disappeared in an abundance of petals. Had you mentioned how considerate she was?
“Go get some more of your things done.” She encouraged, holding the door open. You and Jinbei weren’t going to argue with that. You held your cane in one hand, using that to help you along as you crossed the deck, Jinbei on your other side just in case you became unstable or a larger wave caught you off guard and made you unsteady on your feet, and of course it was an excellent excuse to have a hand on you, not that he needed one.
You passed by Luffy, Ussop and Zoro on your way down to the boys’ cabin, getting ready to help with laundry. It was an easy enough chore, and one that Jinbei always assisted with when you were assigned to it, since it tended to strain your back. Though you could’ve worked in silence, there was something comforting about the soft humming Jinbei did, a tune you didn’t recognise but seemed beautiful anyway. You suspected that had something to do with the lips the tune was coming from. And once everything was done, Jinbei lifted you up into his hammock with him, because the use of them tended to be good for your pain, though you struggled to get back out - you couldn’t struggle if he was there to carry you.
If you fell asleep there, a basket of dirty laundry on the feet beside the hammock? Well, Brook wasn’t going to scold you, he just quickly swanned away with it in his arms.