A/N: My first try at a oneshot, because I love SanjixRobin and there's not a lot of it. Though I didn't write anything amazingly romantic… ^^
Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine and neither are the characters.
It was cold on the Thousand Sunny. Robin rubbed her hands together under the book she was reading. Though everyone else was bracing the cold on the deck, she decided that she liked it better inside. Maybe a day away from everything was what she needed. She'd be alone until lunchtime, sitting at the dining table reading. The only sound was of soft waves brushing the ship's hull. As always, Robin was reading about something random that wouldn't be very beneficiary until a few weeks into the future, when she'd most definitely need to remember something. It happened all the time aboard the Thousand Sunny. It was left to Robin to provide information about everything.
For instance, Robin didn't know much about… affection. She knew familial affection enough, from her mother and from Saul. It was the other sort of affection that got her. The book was very psychological and interesting. She was already halfway through it. It gave depth to love as she knew it, of course, but it worried her that she was getting so caught up in the book. She set it down. She picked it up. She set it down. She picked it up. She sighed and read some more.
"Male affection varies depending on their personality. It is very rare for a male to express his feelings straightforwardly. Usually they need encouragement or a long period of friendship first."
"That's not true, Robin-chan." Robin was startled and she whipped around to see Sanji looking at her through the door to the kitchen, holding a serving tray and piling food onto it. She hadn't been aware that she was reading aloud and blushed a little, hiding the book. "What was that, cook-san?" Sanji smiled and came to set down the serving tray and a pre-made cup of coffee for her. "It's not true," he said again. "Am I not clear with my affections for you and Nami-swan?"
"You're very sweet, cook-san," Robin answered, going back to the book.
"Why would you read that, anyway? Is there a problem?" Sanji asked, concerned, lifting his swirly eyebrow curiously.
"I'm dipping into psychology a bit," Robin muttered, which really wasn't a lie. Sanji nodded a little and set down another tray of food, only the beginning of the grand feasts he had to prepare to satisfy Luffy's hunger.
"Being in love is wonderful, Robin-chan," he said, smiling. "The book can't tell you that much."
"Really?" Robin inquired. "I don't read romance novels that often; how is it?"
"Nothing like a book," Sanji answered as if it were obvious, straightening his tie and setting down another snack for her, a pastry made with an icing heart on the top. "When you're in love you want to do anything for someone. You can't stop thinking about them, you want to know more about them, and you want to protect them. That's love for me, but it's much, much more… it's like a hurricane, but it's calm… your heart races and you feel light and nothing in the world can bring you down…" Sanji leaned onto the table next to her as he sat down. "Does the book tell you that?" Robin shrugged. "It's not that personal, I suppose," she said. "Cook-san, you're very… friendly. I don't think women get the right signal from you."
"What do you mean, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, brushing back a lock of blonde hair from his eye.
"You say you love a lot of girls," she said bluntly. Sanji smiled and nodded. "Yes," he said. "I have a tenderness for women and a belief that every man should be a gentleman to his lady."
"And how are you going to let your lady know that you genuinely love her?" Sanji winked and answered, "She'll be able to tell." At that moment, Nami came in, looking confused. "Sanji, you usually come out before lunch and bring me a snack," she pouted. "I'm so hungry." Sanji smiled and got to his feet, brushing Robin's cheek with the back of his hand. "Of course, Nami-swan!" he said melodically, prancing into the kitchen. Robin stared after him and touched her cheek. When she turned around Nami was looking at her, eyebrows raised. "What's going on?" she asked. Robin shook her head slightly and looked back to the book in her hands. "We were discussing books," she said.
When Sanji returned from the kitchen, he gave a pastry to Nami that was identical to Robin's. For whatever reason she couldn't help but keep looking at the tabletop.
"All right, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked. She looked up and right into his visible eye. He smiled very gently and pushed her untouched plate closer to her before going back into the kitchen.
Robin still didn't know much about affection… not familial affection; the other kind. But she knew a little, now, and it was insight from a professional. She watched Luffy and the rest of the crew burst into the dining room yelling for food and slowly put down her book, thinking that perhaps she didn't need it after all. She just remembered Sanji's pleasant smile.
Yes, it was cold on the Thousand Sunny… but Robin felt warm.