This is my first chapter of a series of unrelated Sanji drabbles, each chapter will be whump, but have nothing to do with the other chapters at all so it's not meant to be read as a story, more like short stories. I hope you enjoy and review please.
This one is based off of Snow White, starts with a poisoned apple and ends with a kiss! Death Fic? up to you! Please let me know if you like it, reviews keep me inspired!
Sanji could never say no to a woman, so when a female marketer gives him a bushel of apples, he can't refuse them. Unknowing that they are poisoned, Sanji tastes them and the crew is left to worry about their cook.
Blood Red Apple
The blood red fruit was rolled in thin, pale fingers, examined by blue-grey eyes, and inhaled with a trained, cook's nose. It was perfectly ripe, with thick scarlet skin that shone radiantly in the afternoon sun. Sanji had never seen a more perfect apple.
It made his heart flutter with excitement at the sheer possibilities that could be concocted by the bushels set at the foot of the marketeer's stand. Apple pies, tortes, crumbles, crisps. So many options whirled in his mind that he had to shake his head to calm the frenzy of inspiration. Sanji straightened from his crouched position in front of the apples and held it up to examine, and revel in its perfection in better lighting.
The market place was bustling with activity, loud music poured from the tavern across the street along with the sound of drunkard singing and brawling. Carts of other goods rattled by on the cobble, and lovely ladies swept past in long dresses, Sanji for once ignoring them all, preoccupied by the beauty that was already in his hands.
Perhaps a crisp apple parfait for the ladies, a caramel fondue for Brook, candy apples for Chopper and Usopp, an apple crème brulee for Franky.
For Zoro, something not to sweet. Maybe deep fried apple chips.
And for Luffy, a bit of each. Garnish with fresh rosemary and cinnamon and bon appétit.
Sanji's eyes lit up in wonder and he brought the fruit to his nose again, to take in the fresh, ripe aroma. He closed his eyes and smiled softly, fingers tightening around the apple as he scrubbed it on his lapel, polishing it.
It was like a good woman, radiant, aromatic, beautiful and round in all the right places. It deserved to be treated with love and tenderness, to be worshiped and caressed with skilled hands.
"You have a good eye. I see you appreciate my fruit." The velvet voice rattled Sanji from his thoughts and he glanced up, and like he had suddenly been kicked behind the knees his legs wobbled at the sight ahead of him. A beautiful brunette. Sanji was certain that woman had descended from heaven, was certain it was the woman from his dreams. His eyes grew wide and for a moment the apple, which had so preoccupied him mere moments ago, was forgotten. "You have beautiful hands. You must be a chef."
"I'm overwhelmed by your compliment, my angel! But I assure you my hands are nothing compared to your beauty." The woman looked amused, her eyebrow arching with a smirk at Sanji's desperate ramblings. A cloud passed over the sun briefly
"Why don't you take a bushel, my handsome cook?" She licked her lips seductively "my fruit deserves someone with hands as experienced as yours." Sanji looked back to the fruit in his hand as if noticing it for the first time and clutched it in his palm gently. Fishing in his pocket for a light he flicked a cigarette to life trying to hide his obvious excitement towards the woman's compliments "take it for free, I insist."
"I couldn't possibly take it for free." Sanji argued lightly "not when you worked so hard to grow them so beautifully." The woman frowned slightly, clearly unhappy with the blonde's refusal.
"I see." She crossed her arms "it would have made me so very happy."
"Then again." Sanji scratched the back of his head sheepishly "I never could say no to a lady."
Ever so sweet, with a tart aftertaste that lingered on the back of his tongue. Sanji pushed another small slice past his lips, chewing on it slowly as the explosion of flavors assaulted his senses. It was delicious. Sanji had never tasted a more perfect apple.
In a sudden random thought he wondered if he could somehow send one to Zeff, to share with him the flavors of the New World. This apple was so unlike the inferior ones in the East, Sanji held up an apple and mused. It shone as brilliantly in the galley's lights as it did in the sun, as if the fruit itself was glowing.
Sanji couldn't wait to come back to the Sunny and begin creating with the fruit, he had left the remaining of his shopping and inventory to Chopper, whom he had run into, and returned to the ship eagerly. Excited like a child who had received a new toy.
Standing now in the galley, he had quickly peeled a dozen or so, and tasted one. Several were boiling in a deep pot near his arm as the cook's thin finger's picked up another apple from the barrel and began to peel it. Suddenly his knife came to a halt mid slice as Sanji tilted his head curiously, silently peering at the apple as his keen eyes spotted a small dark bruise embedded deeply on the near perfect skin. He set down the knife momentarily and sniffed it, before prodding at the spot with his forefinger.
Gracefully sweeping the knife back into his fingers he shrugged nonchalantly, deeming the fruit consumable, and cut out the spot. Continuing to twirl the fruit masterfully with the skin spiraling off like ribbons.
"Let's head back, it's getting dark." Sunset swept across the street, a warm orange glow encasing the market as long finger-like shadows crept out of the alleys. Robin pushed back her hair and loosely crossed her arms, her breasts optically enlarged by the shadows being cast. Around her, the other crew members nodded in agreement, matching pace with one another as they strode in a group through the near-empty marketplace. There were few civilians, perhaps one or two, and only a few merchants left, closing up their portable wooden booths and umbrellas for the nightfall.
"Log Pose is all set. We can leave whenever." Nami added, yawning sleepily, stretching her arms above her.
"Where's Sanji again?" Their eye's flickered to their sniper, who was marching alongside their doctor, Chopper glanced over to him as he pulled along the cart of their cook's remaining groceries, hooves clicking the cobble in his Walk Point.
"He went back to the ship a few hours ago, he bought some ingredients that he seemed really excited about" the reindeer explained, he looked away with an affectionate smile, his voice dropped as if thinking aloud "it was nice. He seemed really happy." The crew smiled, with the exception of Zoro who strolled barely ahead of them an indifferent look plastered on his face.
"Tsk, whatever. Only a fool would get so excited over something as dumb as food." Several sets of eyes now fixated onto their captain who was happily humming, arms behind his head, and the crew shared an all-knowing smirk. "My point exactly." Zoro mumbled.
As they neared the end of the plaza, a sudden voice called out "you there!" and caused the group to pause. The street seemed suddenly barren and deserted as the somewhat uninterested gazes of the Straw Hat's found the woman who had called out to them. A beautiful brunette. "You must be Straw Hat, I've been waiting for you to come." The gazes suddenly became squinted with suspicion, except Luffy himself who blinked dumbly and jabbed a finger towards his face.
"Me?" The brunette sauntered up to the group, and swept back a lock of golden honey hair from her eyes, "Yeah, that's me. Whadaya want?" She smirked and flicked the straw brim of Luffy's hat,
"So you haven't ate them yet? Explains why you're still alive. Pity, I suppose that mean's I only got Mr. Black Leg this time." Venom seemingly dripped from her voice, and in the shadows her face looked crazed. Luffy stepped back, and around him his crew tensed ready for a fight
"What are you talking about?" The captain asked, face dark with sudden maturity, "What do you mean?"
"Well, I figured I had a win-win situation." She tapped her cheek thoughtfully "I gave Sanji some apples today. He couldn't refuse me." She ran a petite hand down her breast seductively and rested it on her hip. Her face twitched in sinister amusement "What he didn't know…was that I poisoned them."
There was a sharp, consecutive intake of breath, and a shrill slice as Zoro drew a sword quickly brandishing it in front of him. Their faces grew dark in realization as her words resounded in the very air around them, Nami stumbled back a step nearly tripping over her own sandal.
"Sanji…"
"But…Sanji said he was going to start cooking right away!" Chopper cried tugging desperately at Brook's cuff, Franky's fists trembled by his side.
"You better be joking, sister-" the woman interrupted
"I figured if he took them back to the ship and you ate them, then all the Straw Hat's would perish. If not then at least the cook –who samples the ingredients- would die." Her eyes traveled the sword in the green haired man's tight fist, and she licked her lips with a low chuckle "as I said…win-win." She tilted her head like a crow eyeing crumbs "How long do you think he's been on the floor, writhing in pain, choking on his own blood, crying for help even though he was alone?" She laughed and threw her arms out, her eye's gleaming with craze as if inviting them to attack.
"Antidote." Luffy demanded holding out an open palm, eyes hidden by the brim of his hat, a sudden pair of arms wrapped around the woman's shoulders and one around her neck, they trembled with Robin's rage. There was the sound of stretching rubber as Usopp pulled taught his slingshot, his eyes fiery with hatred.
"There is none." The woman grinned, reaching up and tracing a finger along Robin's devil fruit induced arm around her neck as if a fine bead of pearls. "Now that my mission is complete-"
"You're lying!" Luffy bellowed, fury exploding from him like a wave, "give it to me now! Or I'll kill you!"
"Kill me?" She scoffed, drawing a knife from her sleeve, it flickered like fire in the setting sun "I won't give you the satisfaction." In a mere instance the woman had brought down the knife, and she slipped from Robin's arms as the last of her life bled out on the cobble.
Their ragged breaths were the only noise in the market around them, besides the waves that crashed against the shore, blocks away. Robin's arms disappeared from the corpse in a flurry of petals, as the finger's creeping from the alley ways finally reached their feet and overtook the woman's body like a fast growing mold. No one moved for a moment, as the situation slowly sunk in -until it did.
And they ran.
The Sunny lulled in the gentle tide, like a crib, beckoning for Sanji to sleep. The blonde lay on the floor, eyes half hooded, glazed with near unconsciousness, limbs limp around him. Laying discarded on the floor was an apple, half peeled. It had fallen with Sanji. But even from his position on the hard floor, Sanji had never seen a more perfect apple. He wanted to reach out and pick it up, so that it wouldn't go to waste laying on the dirty floor –no food should ever be wasted. But his limbs were non responsive and no matter how hard the blonde tried, there was no movement nor strength left in them.
Sanji breathed deep, the scent of boiling apples almost overwhelming, as the pot which boiled them was overflowing with overcooked froth. It covered the stove top like suds, and slid down the cabinet door like a sluggish avalanche. Sanji covered in a sheen, thin layer of sweat glowed like the apples he had once admired. Blood as red as the fruit's skin stained his shirt.
Suddenly there was a loud bang, as the galley door flew open, and a clatter of metal as one of the hinges flew off and skittered across the floor.
"Sanji!" Someone had grabbed him desperately, and suddenly Sanji was on his back gazing up at the huddled faces of his crew mates, of his family.
"Is he…" Nami was in tears, and Sanji was struck with a pang of guilt, he felt a gentle hand brush against his forehead, it was kind and concerned. Sanji couldn't believe Zoro could be so gentle –especially towards him.
"He's alive. But…"
Chopper, Usopp, Luffy, Nami, Robin, Brook, Zoro… Sanji wanted to reach out and touch them all, he could see them trembling, see rage, blood-lust and grief etched in their features, tears streaming shamelessly from the eyes of some, and murderous intent pinching the eyes of others.
The ground vibrated slightly as Luffy dropped to his knees, tears welling in angry eyes. He took the frail hand of his cook, and brought it to his lips placing a soft kiss on the man's cherished fingers.
"Was it at least good?" The captain asked seriously to the cook that lay limply before him, no one knew just what he meant, the apple…or perhaps the adventures they had shared, Sanji smiled weakly closing his eyes, either way the answer was one in the same, barely audibly the blonde whispered
"The best I ever had."
I was just thinking that Sanji would be totally screwed if someone decided to poison the Straw Hat's food supply since he tastes it first. Anyways I hope you like it and review. More short drabbles to come.
Feel free to gimme prompts. No promises though!
-EACT