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You admit— you aren’t much of a morning person. You tend to stay up late reading in the library, taking advantage of the quiet privacy that night provides from the crew. You love them, of course, but you still need those couple hours at the end of the day to yourself. As a result, you tend to be one of the last crew members to arrive at the table for breakfast. (Brook always looks forward to seeing you stumble groggily into the dining room, finding your slightly disheveled appearance endearing. You don’t think you’ll ever fully understand the thought process behind this specific fondness of his.)
But today is different. Because what you have planned for today includes waking up before the crack of dawn… much to your own discontent. However, it’s the best time to prepare what you have in mind for Brook— because it just happens to be his birthday. And you’ll do anything to make sure that he has a wonderful day today.
The stars are still out by the time you wake up. You silently curse Brook for already getting up so early (at 5 AM to be exact), forcing you to get up even earlier as a result. Nonetheless, you’re already full of energy. You get ready quick, making sure that your outfit is appropriate for what you’re about to do. It’s now time to prepare what you have in mind.
When you first learned about his birthday, you knew immediately that you had to do something special— even if he’s not the one to make a big fuss about it. “After nearly a century of living, what’s one more year added to this life of mine?” he once said.
But you’re going to make sure that changes for as long as you’re a part of it.
You silently open the door to the girls’ barracks, careful not to wake up the still slumbering Robin and Nami. You hear the soft click of it closing from behind, then you finally make your way to the kitchen. As you stroll across the deck, you can’t help but shiver at the cool breeze that drifts in from the sea. It always amazes you how pitch-black the ocean becomes once the sun goes down, matching the infinite darkness that is the midnight sky above.
There are always at least 2 crew members on night watch at a time, although you can’t seem to spot them right now. Nonetheless, you’re pretty sure Jinbe is one of the ones on watch at this hour, helping to ease your nerves about wandering alone on the Thousand Sunny like this in the early morning.
You finally arrive at the kitchen. With confidence, you flick on the lights, and get to work on preparing the ingredients.
You initially struggled to choose something to cook for Brook on his special day. You wanted it to blow his mind— but what exactly would do that? Buttered lobster, fettuccine alfredo, shrimp fried rice, udon?? You weren’t even that confident in your cooking abilities to begin with. Then it clicked.
“Are you sure it’s only supposed to be cooked for that long?” you asked Sanji during the time you pleaded him to show you how to cook curry. You had practically begged him to teach you the recipe. He turned to you and raised an eyebrow.
“Hey, am I teaching this lesson, or are you?” he sneered. You rolled your eyes and let him continue. You let him get away with the sassiness that time, but only because you were determined to learn how Brook liked his curry cooked. It was his favorite food, after all. While you were at it, you asked Sanji to not worry about breakfast on April 3rd. You knew he and Brook got up at around the same hour, so you wanted it to be just you and Brook at that time.
He shot you a sideways glance, replying with, “That might be your beau’s birthday, but I still have a whole crew to feed. So unless you’re up for feeding ten other people, we’re going to have to dock at an island for breakfast.”
You naturally agreed. Besides, this would give you an opportunity to go shopping with Brook for some clothes and other goodies. Even better for birthday plans!
You think back to what vegetables Sanji told you to prepare whilst perusing through the fridge. While you’re at it, you grab the rice along with a fillet of chicken. Once you’ve gotten all your ingredients in order, you roll up your sleeves like the Straw Hat chef advised you to do, and you begin.
Sanji’s instructions replay in your head while you work. “You season it like this,” you hear him saying, “cook it for two minutes, then add the curry mix.” You’re thankful that Brook’s favorite food is something that is relatively easy to make. You just hope he likes it.
Pretty soon, the rich aroma of the curry mixing with the chicken and vegetables fills the air of the kitchen. You let out a pleasant sigh at the scent before trying a small taste of the dish. You lick your lips proudly, then go to grab two plates from the cupboard.
You check the time. Almost. You feel your heart begin to race as you serve some fluffy, white rice onto a plate. After another minute or so, you finally hear the sound of the door creaking open to reveal Brook’s tall frame striding in.
“Good morning, Sanji—” his chirpy voice stops abruptly upon seeing you behind the kitchen counter preparing breakfast.
“Oh! Hello, my dear! You’re up quite early,” Brook observes, closing the door behind him while you grin.
“I sure am. Happy birthday, Brook,” you exclaim, walking to the dining room to meet him with a plate of curry and rice. You’re sure his eyes would widen if he had them. You bite your tongue from making the joke as he attempts to reply.
“Curry! Is that… is that for me?” Brook asks, pointing a skeletal finger at himself. You nod, smiling at his reaction. He silently but appreciatively takes the plate, allowing you to go back into the kitchen to grab your own.
“I… got up early to make you some curry and rice,” you timidly say as you make your way back to the table along with some spoons. He watches you as he takes one from your hand.
“It looks wonderful, my love. I… I’m embarrassed to say that I’m at a loss for words,” he admits, turning his attention to the wonderful smelling plate before him. You chuckle softly at his reaction, figuring he’d be surprised.
“That’s quite alright. Just tell me how it is, yeah? It’s only my second time making curry,” you say, taking a sip of the thick broth. He places a spoonful of curry and rice into his mouth— then freezes. Your heart drops at the sight, causing you to worry. Was it too salty? Did you forget to add spice for seasoning? But Brook quickly helps those fears vanish from your mind by proclaiming, “YOHOHO! My love, this is extraordinary! I have trouble believing this is only your second time making this!”
You quickly recover from your scare, proudly beaming at his compliment. You humbly try to wave it off.
“Ah, stop— you flatter me. I just wanted to surprise you for your birthday.”
“Well color me impressed, because it’s amazing!” Brook replies, taking another bite. You fill him in on how you asked Sanji to teach you how to cook the recipe, humorously adding how difficult it was to make sure no one interrupted you this morning. As he reaches the end of his meal, however, he begins to slow down and stare at his plate. You slightly lean forward, creasing your eyebrows with concern as you do.
“Brook? Is everything alright?” you gingerly ask. You desperately wish you could read his expression during times like these, but you make do with his body language and tone. His bellowing voice lowers to a softer one, timid and gentle like a secret.
“You… did this all for me?” Brook asks, finally turning to you and taking you by surprise. You don’t spare a second to respond.
“Of course I did, silly… I wanted to do something special for you.” You place a hand reassuringly on his wrist, causing him to relax ever so slightly. Still, he struggles to say what he feels next.
“It’s just… I still have trouble believing that an old bag of bones like me is worth so much to a ray of sunlight such as you,” he admits regrettably. You frown, moving your hand from his wrist to his own large skeletal hand.
“Hey. What did we say about talking to yourself like that?” You sternly reply, squeezing his hand ever so gently. He lets out a soft sigh and tightens his grasp in return.
“Apologies, my love. I simply haven’t been celebrated like this in, well… years.”
With a small smile, you stand up from your seat. Brook watches you with curiosity when you make your way to him, eventually losing sight of you when you walk behind him. Suddenly, he feels the heat from your body press up against his cold back, causing a chill to run up and down his spine. His spoon clanks against the plate, a sign that he is attempting to get a hold of his bearings. You drape your arms over his skeletal shoulders and across his ribcage in a loving embrace. Goddamn. You’d think after all this time being together, he’d have become used to your touch. It’s just a hug from behind. And yet, he doesn’t think he’ll ever get over the warmth he feels each time the space is closed between you two.
“You have me now, Brook,” you say in a velvety soft tone, “and you better get used to being celebrated on your birthday. Every time. I’ll make sure of it.”
He feels as if he’s been lit on fire, but he manages to raise a hand to grasp one of your own. When he places his firm fingers atop your hand, you can’t help but smile even more.
Brook softly replies, “What in the world did I ever do to deserve such a sweet girl like you?
You respond by placing a small kiss upon his cheekbone, leaving a light imprint of your lips. You then decide to humor him.
“Let’s see…” you chuckle, “you saved me from certain death at Whole Cake Island. Then there was the time you mended my wounds after a battle, and the time we danced at that gala… ”
Before you can finish, Brook stands up— interrupting you in the process. At first, you have to greatly tilt your neck to meet his gaze, but he takes the initiative to kneel down on one knee, as he has done so many times in the past to meet your height. You can’t help the blush that forms on your cheeks as he takes your hands to pull you into a tender embrace of his own. He buries his head into your neck, wishing to absorb as much of your lovely presence as he can in this tender moment. You return this gesture by wrapping your arms around him once more. After a few seconds, you hear him mutter, “…thank you. After decades of living aimlessly… you’ve helped me find joy on my birthday once more.”
Your heart flutters at his words. It always does. He has this way of speaking that just… lights you from within. It’s one of the many things you love about him.
You place a comforting hand upon the nape of his neck, a place you know in particular is sensitive due to that being where his hair begins. You smile at the feeling of him jolting slightly, then reply with, “it’s the least I could do, Soul King. Happy birthday.”
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The Thousand Sunny docks at a nearby island for the day. With your encouragement, Brook finds the courage to celebrate his birthday with the rest of the crew. You spend your time with him shopping for new outfits, even running into a few fans of his. You can’t help but chuckle in amusement at seeing them freak out over him, but hey— you’d probably do the same if you only knew him as the Soul King.
But to you, he will always be the Brook that you had the opportunity to fall in love with over the years. And it warms your heart to know he feels the exact same way about you in return.
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