I re-read it and I was dissatisfied with it. I edited and revised it to some extent, but not much, so it pleases me at least somewhat. I'm not surprised that not many people liked it. Out of pure wanting to fix it, here I present Did He Mean It? revised. Enjoy.
Did He Mean It?
I sat back against the side of the ship, tired as usual after lunch. I took out a cigarette and lit it up, breathing in and blowing out the smoke. It didn't take long before something was bothering me. It wasn't Usopp asking for food. It wasn't Luffy asking for food.
Luffy wasn't asking for food… that was a rare treat, but it bothers the hell out of me. I looked around the ship, spotting Nami-swan and Robin-chwan and giving them a wave, but I still couldn't see that hyperactive boy. Where was he? Then, I saw him walk by, stop, and smile at me. For some reason, I smiled back. He looked like he giggled, and then went off to do whatever damn thing he does. I felt giddy suddenly after seeing him smile, and I thought about how cute he looked. I quickly caught myself, and I shook my head, trying to get these damn thoughts out of my mind. I love Nami-san and Robin-chan. I love Nami-san and Robin-chan. It didn't work.
I can't stop thinking about that kid! Just can't. Especially after that one night. I guess it was pretty small thing, but it really just sticks in my brain. He was probably kidding! But, did he ever think about it again? Probably not. All that kid thinks about is food.
Since it's still on my mind, and here you are anyway, I guess I'll just have to tell you what happened.
It was a stormy night that evening. But we can't expect the weather to be just fine when we're on the Grand Line. But luckily we have dear Nami-san. I was fast asleep in my hammock, not a sound to be heard in the men's cabin. It was peaceful until a certain kid showed up.
"Sanji?" he said, poking my head. I opened my eyes to see him looking at me with scared eyes. That's what got me first. Him? Scared?
"What's wrong?" I asked, tired and not wanting to deal with this. I sighed deeply before he answered.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"Yeah sure…wait what?!" I said, slow to realize what he had said. Before he could answer, a flash from lightening and a roar of thunder sent him flying towards me.
He grabbed my shirt and held on pretty damn tight.
"Hey, get-" I felt him shivering, no actually trembling. What was this kid so worked up about? I tried to gently pull him off, feeling the blood in my face rush, but he only held tighter.
"Ok, ok fine. You can sleep here, but only tonight," I whispered, lifting my thin blanket for the boy. He climbed in with a smile on his face while I turned around to face the other way. I closed my eyes only to have them open again to feeling something touching me.
"Sanji, you're so warm," said the boy, nuzzling into my shirt. I roughly shifted myself to shake him off. It worked, but not without…well…drawbacks.
"I only said you could sleep here!" I harshly whispered to him. He didn't say a word, but only turned to face away from me. Now I felt miserable. Why could I never please this kid? I slowly looked over my shoulders. I didn't mean to make him mad. That was the second thing that got me: Him being mad.
Another flash of lightening lit the room for a brief second before the kid yanked the blanket over him. Now what?
I pulled myself under and wrapped my arms around him, feeling him tremble.
"Shh…" I said. "Don't have to be so scared." I felt him stop trembling and relax; I might have even heard a giggle. The kid is always so clam around me…when he's not starving like a cow…
"Thanks Sanji. You're the best," he whispered. "You always help me." I smiled. Don't know why I did that, but I felt… warm inside when I heard that. But, there's something else really made this night what I remember.
He turned back around, looked me straight in the eyes, and said the words with a smile that I always wanted to hear.
"I love you, Sanji!"
I was shocked. Where'd this crazy kid get to going off and saying something like that? You didn't just up and say something like that so easily. He quickly went off to sleep and I stayed awake… maybe the rest of that night. Did he really mean that…? Or was he just being weird like always…. I bet my money on the second one…
Now here I am still wondering about it. Thinking if he really knew what he said then. You could never predict this kid, no matter how hard you tired.
"SANJI!" I heard before seeing a grinning boy in front of me. "FOOD!" I smiled again, rubbed his hatless head, and left to the kitchen. He followed me in and hugged me from behind. I don't know for sure, but I probably blushed red like no other red there is.
"Sanji, you know I love you and you're the best right? And I really, really, REALLY meant it when I said it that night," he said in his happy voice. I shrugged, and he laughed. I was, again, pretty shocked, though I didn't show him. How'd he know what I was thinking? This kid never runs out of surprises. I guess he did mean it after all.
Probably not much better than the first one anyway, but I'm glad I decided to fix it. I just LOATHED the first one, if you read it. Well, if you enjoyed it, review please. If you didn't, tell me what you didn't like. Adieu everyone.