Cooking Partners

A/N: I'm back and wasn't that fast? See what you get for all the reviews of the last fic?

Sorry kiddies, but this isn't going to be an on going fic like last time- just a quick One Shot for the Valentine's Day season. I broke up with mine, so I am free this year to sit back and be bitter... I mean enjoy not having to think of something to get him and waiting to be disappointed.

Anyway- the story idea popped into my head while skimming a doujinshi- and the question of how the famous duo would spend the big day came into my head. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the pure fluff!

Nami had a problem. Well it wouldn't be so much of a problem if tomorrow wasn't a certain day... and she wasn't... in a relationship.

'Damn it!' She cursed to herself as she tried to concentrate on her newspaper. Truth be told, Nami was having a bad week. That's how long she had been trying to think of the perfect surprise for him...

As if he had been beckoned by a bell, or chime, the curly eyed cook came fluttering over to her side.

"Some delicious treats for my delicious treat!" He smiled as he held out a tray of pink and red colored cookies... heart shaped cookies.

Nami groaned internally. This was the down side to dating an overly romantic man. Silly days like Valentines Day got blown out of proportion... every year. Nami took a cookie he offered and gave him a smile. She knew he wouldn't leave till she did that much.

"Sanji, you spoil me." She smiled some more as she gave him a small kiss as he bent down closer to her.

"And you both make me want to puke." Came a drowsy voice from the front of the ship. While Nami lounged on her lawn chair, the green haired swordsman tried to take a nap in the sun. He couldn't help it that his favorite afternoon spot was near the place the red head always placed her damned chair. And where there was a Nami, there was always a pansy... er Sanji.

"Well then I suppose that you won't want the extra cookies. I will have to just give them all to Luffy." Sanji smirked at the face Zoro gave. He knew that if Luffy got first dibs on any kind of treat, there wouldn't be any left for the next person.

"And I suddenly feel much much better. Where are they?" Zoro said not wanting them to know he wanted those cookies.

Sanji didn't respond, instead a nod of the head directed the swordsman to the kitchen.

"COOKIES!" Came Luffy's cry as he discovered what Sanji had been making in the kitchen.

"Oh no you don't!" Zoro shouted as he took off running.

Sanji only smiled as he turned away from the two fighting to get into the kitchen first. Little did the two see that a tiny reindeer was able to slip inside and have first takes of the delicious treasure.

"I hope it was a big batch of cookies." Nami said as she put down her paper. It was useless.

"I'm not really worried about them... what I wanted to know is what my lovely Nami would like me to make for tomorrow's special date." His eyes went all heart shaped on her.

And then it hit. It hit just like the loud crash in the kitchen. The best idea ever, well maybe not the best... but it was great.

"Actually Sanji... since this is our second Valentine's Day, and you worked so hard last year... maybe I could take care of supper."

"What?" Sanji asked giving her a look of disbelief. "You?"

"What?" She said swatting him on the arm for the funny look. "You don't think I can do it?"

"No...it's just..."

"What? You afraid I will destroy your precious kitchen?" She continued, but she had to smile because another loud crash came from within Sanji's sacred space. "I can assure you it won't be as bad as when those three leave."

"I know... it's just that I..."

"You, my dear cook need to relax more." She gave him a playful smile as she tugged on his tie. "And I think I know how you can do that..."

Sanji knew that smile. He liked that smile. It usually meant that... he really liked that smile.

Sanji nuzzled close to her exhausted body. The couple had retreated to their room, leaving the crew to fight over the treats out near the lawn chair as well. Neither of the two really cared about them at the moment.

Sanji felt content as she wrapped her arms around his head, drawing him in near her chest. He couldn't help it, every time she did that his eyes went heart shaped and he couldn't help but drool.

"So, I am going to take care of everything tomorrow, ok?" Nami purred knowing that he would agree to almost anything in this position.

"Whatever my Nami wants...but I don't mind cooking for you." He said kissing her exposed skin.

"I know. But I want to make this day a day for you. Last year was... wonderful. You worked so hard and did everything. It's my turn."

"Well then, I look forward to anything you come up with... even if it is just a day of doing this... its up to you."

Sanji had left reluctantly a few minutes ago. He needed to go and assess the damage to his kitchen. Knowing the boys and their love of cookies, it would be bad.

Nami laid in her bed a little while longer thinking this over.

'What do you make a culinary master and have him love it?' She wondered. 'Knowing him, she could cut up and salad and he would swoon over it... but no, I have to do something truly special.'

Wrapping her sheet around her naked body, Nami got out of bed. Walking over to the trunk she kept locked away she knelt on the floor.

'I think I may know what to make.' She thought as she looked up at the picture of Bellemere and opened the trunk. 'I know I have that somewhere in here...'

For about an hour, Nami scrounged through her old trunk. Inside she flipped through books that were filled with memories of a happy childhood, well when it was happy.

"Found it!" She smiled as she held the small scrap of worn paper. Holding it close to her heart, Nami couldn't help but be excited. "This is going to be the best Valentine's Day ever!"

The big day arrived and it almost didn't seem like anything special; it was another day on the Going Merry.

Nami woke up when she heard the door to her room close. Thinking Sanji had just left, she stretched out in bed.

"I see my Valentine is awake." He smiled seeing that he startled her a little.

"I thought you had just left." She said sitting up in bed. She was about to get out until the cook set a tray down pinning her under it.

"No, I've been up for a while making you a special breakfast!" Opening the tray she smiled. He could never just take a break could he?

Nami was speechless. There on the plate was a treasure map of sorts. But instead of the 'X' to mark the spot, there was a heart.

"You can eat this?" She asked looking at the map and the other dishes of whipped cream, strawberries, mikans and chocolate.

"It's a crepe. Of course you can eat it. And you have a choice of topping... all your favorites."

"Sanji... it's... I..." It was truly a wonderful gift. It must have taken him a while to add all the details to the crepe. It really looked like a map. It was almost a shame it had to be eaten.

Before she could find the right word, Sanji dipped his finger into the whipped cream and plopped it in her mouth.

"...delicious." She finished.

"I know, so do you want to eat now, or maybe a little later?" He smiled. Nami smiled back. She knew that smile too.

"I think you know the answer to that."

"So what are our plans for the day?" Sanji asked as they finally got to breakfast. He had hoped she would opt for the little sidetrack before breakfast, that is why it was all cold foods.

"Well," She said as she took a strawberry from the dish and dipped it in whipped cream. "We could get dressed and go up stairs where we will be annoyed by the rest of the crew... or..."

"OR?"

"We could stay in bed... naked..." She smiled licking the cream off the strawberry before biting into it.

"I like that idea." He replied as he sat up and licked the strawberry juice that dripped from her lips.

"So do I, but I need to get up soon." She said looking at the clock.

"But..."

"I need to make this day a special one, remember? And that means you are not allowed to cook for the rest of the day." She said sternly as she shoved a mikan in his mouth to keep him from protesting.

"Can I at least help a little?" He whined. He couldn't remember a day since he hadn't been in the kitchen. It would be strange to let another take over the role.

"No." She said sternly. "Now, if you are going to be whiny about this, I will have to tie you down until I am finished!"

"I like that idea."

"You would." She slapped him playfully on the chest as she sat up.

Moving the tray she got out of bed. She knew he was watching her and it always sent a shiver down her spine. Not a bad shiver, but it was like a rush to her. Every time she would look back at him his eyes would say everything- not only did he want her physically, but he also loved her. Truly loved her.

She was so lucky. For the first time in her life after such sadness and pain, she finally had something good going.

'I hope this works... I've never really cooked a meal before...and after that breakfast... well, I hope he doesn't expect too much. I don't want to disappoint him.'

Things were going well, she thought as she whipped up the batter for the night's desert. A simple cake with strawberries and icing would be a great 'finish' to the evening. It had taken longer than she thought to get the batter ready. Mostly it was the fault of an overly curious Luffy and a cook that couldn't just let her cook by herself. She had allowed him to make some drinks and then she sent him out to sit on the lawn chair... but he had this knack for poking his head in the door every fifteen minutes to see if she needed help.

She was about to throw the damned bowl at him the last time he came in... she had been poring the batter into the pan and he scared her. She had been concentrating on not spilling the batter and making sure it was even, that she didn't hear him enter. When he was behind her and wrapped his arms around her, she jumped.

Needless to say half the batter was lost. It was going to be a thin cake.

She decided to lock the door after that.

Dessert was in the oven. Now it was time for the main dish.

Giving herself a pep talk, Nami took out the old piece of paper. Setting it to the side she gathered all her ingredients. Next she gathered the proper tools and pans.

'I can do this!' She told herself as she got to work. 'First things first... chopping onions.'

She had been locked in there by herself for about fifteen minutes, she was still working on the onions. It was slow work, especially when they were very potent onions. Her eyes were watering and her nose began to run.

'How does he do this without it even affecting him?' She wondered as she sniffled a little. She wasn't about to stop now. She was almost done.

Suddenly the door swung open and Luffy came running in.

"NAMI!" He screamed and caused her hand to falter. Soon she was screaming too, but not for the same reasons as Luffy.

Sanji heard her scream and came in like a lightning bolt.

Swiftly he took her bleeding hand in his own and wrapped it in a towel. Moving her to sit down at the table, Sanji applied pressure and the bleeding stopped.

"Nami! Are you ok?" He asked worried. She looked like she had been crying. Her nose was red and her eyes watered. "Damn it Luffy, you don't do that when someone is working with knives!" Sanji said kicking the rubber man in the face. "And just how the hell did you get in here? The door was locked!"

"Now go get Chopper! Nami needs a proper bandage." Luffy, seeing that his excitement over his regularly scheduled noon snack had hurt Nami, did as he was told.

"Now I know it is Luffy that comes in at night. No matter how much I lock this room up- he has an ability to get through them..."

"Maybe he uses his rubber hands to get under the door and unlock it..." Nami said looking at the door.

While Chopper bandaged the small and harmless cut she had made on her pointer finger, Sanji cleaned up the blood, chopped new onions, got Luffy a snack and even whipped up something for Nami.

"Do you smell something funny?" Chopper asked sniffing the air once all the commotion was calmed down.

"Yeah, I do smell something... it smells like.." Sanji said as he followed the smell to the stove.

"My cake!" Nami screamed as she got up and pushed Sanji aside. Opening the oven door, she grabbed for the cake without thinking.

"Nami! NO." Sanji cried as he saw her first instinct was to grab the cake and pull it out.

"Ouch!" She pulled her hands back after grabbing for the pan. Sanji quickly pulled her further back from the now burning dessert and turned off the oven.

"THE CAKE!" Luffy and Chopper screamed seeing the destroyed dessert. "NOOOOO!!!"

Pulling on some oven mits, Sanji pulled the cake out and set it on the stove. Looking over at the two loud mouthes, he instantly silenced them with a stern gaze. They took the hint and left.

Opening the window he vented the kitchen before looking back over at Nami. He knew she wanted to make things perfect. He knew she had her heart set on cooking for him... he knew she hated to admit she couldn't do something.

"Nami, it's not..." He stopped. What he saw broke his heart. Nami had shrunk to her knees and tried desperately to hold back the tears. Brushing the ones that fell away with her injured hand, only made her look all the more disheartened.

"Sweet, it's ok. It takes time to get use to cooking on this ship... it's not over, you're doing fine." He said moving to kneel by her side. He took her into his arms and held her.

"All I wanted was to do something special for you. For you to have a day where you didn't need to worry about cooking the perfect meal... where I could cook something for you..."

"I know. I know..." He consoled her. "Look, it's not too late. We can cook it together. How about that?" Sanji asked lifting her chin up with his finger. "Would you be my chef's assistant for the rest of the day?"

Nami smiled through her tears. He was trying to make her feel better. Wiping away the tears she took a deep breath.

"But I ruined everything so far."

"No you haven't. Don't worry, I'll show you how to do everything." He said as he helped her stand up. "So, what do you say?"

"Ok, as long as you are the chef's assistant."

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted and they began again together.

The second time was better than the first. Sanji gave her a few pointers and kept the pest factor to a minimum so she could concentrate on her work.

The new cake was in the oven and they were ready to begin the next part.

"So, what were you planning to have for the meal?" He asked looking around at the supplies she had gathered.

"I wanted to make something Bellemere always made for us." She said handing him the recipe.

He took the piece of paper and noticed it was old and worn. He knew it was special to her.

"Mikan Stir Fry Surprise." He smiled. Looking at the ingredients, he knew that it most likely wouldn't be of a high caliber cuisine wise, but it had meaning to her.

"We didn't have much in the way of money, but when she would cook this, it tasted like the most delicious thing on Earth. And I know you are use to something be..." She was cut off before she could get a chance to apologize for the meal choice.

Sanji set the paper down and took her in his arms before she could criticize the such a precious childhood memory.

"It is perfect." He said simply.

There was no other discussion on the topic, and the two worked side by side for the rest of the cooking experience.

Nami had to smile as he skillfully stood behind her showing her the right way to flip a stir fry. Sure a few ingredients fell out and so what if the stove needed a little more cleaning after she was done... it was her meal.

On a number of occasions they had to take a "cooking break," this happened a couple times when Nami was washing a few vegetables... and a few other times, just because they had to wait five minutes for something to bake... but neither seemed to mind.

Looking at her work Nami sighed with relief. Things had started out so shaky earlier... she wondered if she would ever get things finished... and it was a lot more fun having her assistant there with her... even if it took a few hours longer to get a finished product...

She had shooed Sanji out of the kitchen and to their room a few minutes ago. Adding the finishing touches to the meal and her outfit, Nami took a deep breath.

Getting downstairs to their room with the food seemed to be a little bit of a challenge. Sanji had taken the cake down with him- but the rest was on the tray she held. Getting past the eternally hungry crew would have been a much larger problem if they hadn't been fed with the extras.

The meal itself wasn't anything overly extravagant, in fact they ended up ditching the candle light table for a much more cozy place.

With Sanji relaxing with his head on her lap, Nami smiled as she fed him the first bite of her favorite dish.

"Delicious." He said as he opened his mouth waiting for her to feed him.

Instead Nami took a bite and savored the taste. Closing her eyes she tried to remember the last time she had eaten the dish... it was right before Bellemere was murdered... before everything happened.

"It's exactly like I remember it." She said with a sad smile. Sanji sat up and took her face in his hands. Kissing away the tears, he gave her his silent support.

"It will be our dish from now on. We will always make it together." He told her as she got over the sad memories and remembered that some good had come from all of that pain. If Bellemere had not died, and Arlong had not taken her... she would never have met the people she did, or have the chance to find a family and love once again.

"I love you Sanji." She simply uttered before kissing him.

"And I've always loved you." He replied as he took another bit of the food and this time fed her.

"Now give me those chopsticks, this is your day to relax, remember? I am in charge and you are merely my assistant." She said taking the chopstick playfully.

"I don't know about the whole assistant thing... you know I do like control."

"And so do I..." She pointed out.

"Well, we have a problem then, don't we?" He smiled as he kissed her lips.

"Don't even try, you know I am going to win this fight... especially when I use your... weaknesses against you."

Sanji smirked. He knew that she had her ways of getting almost anything from him... especially when she asked for it while he was... well, under duress.

"So, what do we do then?"

"How about we forget about the assistant thing and just be partners?" She said kissing the corner of his lips.

"Agreed..."

No matter how delicious or meaningful the meal was, it was quickly placed aside for later as the two Valentines found a way to seal the deal. There wasn't a power struggle between the two, neither felt a need to dominate the other... they were exactly what every couple should be- complete and equal partners in their now shared lives.

"Be my valentine?"

"You never had to even ask."

A/N: Well, there it is. Happy Valentine's Day for those who care about it, for the others- Sanji/Nami Bonsai!

PS- I put this fic up early for a purpose. I wanted to have it a Sanji/Nami fic that would take me over the top on fanfic . net. For those who care, I have posted over 700,000 words! Right..about... now!

Party! (700,001!)

And don't forget to review! (700,006!)