CIP Ch6
Sorry for taking so long to update! Between work, preparing for a cross-country move, and repeatedly injuring myself, I've had my hands full. Thank you all so much for your support. Every review pumps me up and makes me want to write, so please keep it up! I love to hear what you think, be it good or bad.
...
"Nami, you should come eat with us," Chopper coaxed. "Sanji will be fine, I promise. It was just a knockout gas of some sort. He just needs to sleep it off."
The redhead did her best to look cheerful, despite the fact that she'd been at her friend's bedside for nearly three hours now. "I'm really just not very hungry," She glanced at the blonde, fast asleep in the infirmary bed. "Plus, I've been spoiled. Whatever Usopp made won't be as good as what I'm used to eating."
The reindeer didn't bother hiding a concerned look. "It's not healthy to skip meals. I'll bring something back for you."
"Okay, okay," she waved the young doctor off. "I'll eat something later. You'd better get in there before Luffy eats everything."
Sure enough, the sounds of the usual battle they had learned to accept as mealtime etiquette could be heard through the infirmary door. Chopper gave one last look before turning to leave the room. The din from the kitchen exploded into the room for a moment before the door closed once more.
"Na...mi..."
The weak voice startled the navigator. She quickly turned and brought her face near the cooks. "Sanji! What is it?"
His brow furrowed and he turned his head away "Mnnf... Shitty Marimo... Get away from..."
"Are you still asleep?" Her question was answered when the young man turned back toward her, a huge, sleepy grin in place.
"They're so big... And soft... Oh, Nami-san...!"
Of course, Nami thought bitterly, that's what he thinks about when it comes to me. She continued to watch him mumble in his sleep, remembering the words of Fuschia. "I gave him everything. My heart, my soul, my body. What did I get in return? I found him in bed with another woman!" The navigator chewed her lip. She's gorgeous, and even her boyfriend cheated on her... Then again, she's also crazy. She brushed golden bangs away from Sanji's face. Those stupid eyebrows... She let out a small giggle. The cook responded to her touch, sleep talk dying off as he leaned into her hand. His face relaxed noticeably. Nami's stomach flipped. She nearly pulled her hand back, but couldn't bring herself to. The reason he was in this position was because he was protecting her. If it had been something stronger, he might be dead right now. She felt her guts wrench at the thought.
"You really are always looking out for me," she ran her fingers through his hair, fighting a smile.
"Of course..." Nami froze as the blonde opened his eyes. "I'm your prince. I'll always save you."
The redhead quickly withdrew her hand and attempted an irritated look. "I don't need a prince. I can take care of myself. You should know that by now." She threw a finger millimeters from his nose. "You need to worry about yourself more! What if that had been poison? You could have died!"
"Better me than you." Sanji sighed dramatically. "If I let anything happen to you, I'd want to be dead, anyway!"
Nami let out a huff of exasperation. "You're hopeless... You just never give up on your whole thing, do you?"
"I can't help myself," the blonde replied with a lopsided grin. "It's not all bad, though. I got to wake up with your fingers in my hair. It was definitely worth it."
The redhead's face was crimson in an instant. "There... was something in your hair, so I was brushing it out. Don't read into it too much."
"Thank you for getting it out for me, then," The cook examined her embarrassed face. "Are you alright, Nami-san?"
"I'm fine! Just hungry." She froze, a thought occurring to her. "Ah! Hold on, a second!"
She dashed out of the room, joining the chaos in the galley. A puzzled Sanji stared at the doorway, wondering what had possessed his navigator so suddenly.
"Oi, Nami! That's mine!" Luffy's voice carried through the open door.
"Luffy! I swear to god, if you don't get out of my way, I will fry you darker than this shrimp!"
"But... NAMI! I'm still hungry, and that's the rest of it!"
"Eat something else."
"Lemme just have a little...!"
"Don't move another inch, Luffy!"
"Naaaaamiiii!"
"THUNDER TEMPO!" Nami's voice carried through the rooms, followed by a flash and a crash of thunder.
Sanji stared in shock, at the smoke drifting into the infirmity. The sounds of the crew casually resuming their meal was nearly drowned out by Luffy's incoherent mumbling. It wasn't long before Nami reappeared with two full plates, shutting the door with her foot.
"Here," she offered one to her friend. "I'm sure you're hungry. You've been asleep for a few hours."
"Thank you..." Taking the plate uncertainly, Sanji inspected its contents. "Who made this?"
"Usopp did. He offered to cook tonight, since you were knocked out." She popped a bite in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "It's not as good as what you make, but it's not bad, either."
The blonde ate his meal with appreciation, as he always did. Nami made a point to stare at her plate as she emptied it, never once meeting the cook's eye.
"Nami-san..."
"Hmm?" She responded, eyes locked onto the mound of rice on her plate.
"Were you here the whole time?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said I was asleep for a few hours. Were you with me the whole time?"
Nami pushed her food across her plate. "I was just worried... You got hurt because of me. I can't have your death on my conscience, you know?" She finally risked a glance and saw a faint blush on her cook's face.
"You're..." He grinned from ear to ear. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, Nami-san!"
"I'm not embarrassed!" She chucked a shrimp at blonde.
Sanji, still sluggish from his encounter with the sleeping gas, barely managed to catch the projectile invertebrate. "You shouldn't waste food like that!" He gave her a wink and tossed the morsel into the air, catching it in his mouth.
The redhead tried to glare, but a giggle broke through her facade. Before long, they were both laughing and chatting as they finished their meal.
"I think I like you better like this," Nami smiled wickedly. "That weird perfume seems like it relaxed you a bit. You're not being a weirdo for once."
The blonde pouted, "Nami-san, I'm never a weirdo with you! I just see your face, and I just have to do everything in my power to make you smile!"
She scowled deeply. "Looks like it's wearing off. I'll have to find that pig and get her to give you another dose."
"So cold!" Sanji clutched his heart and fell flat on the bed with as much drama as he could manage.
Laughing, Nami stood up and collected the dishes. "Try to get some rest, weirdo. I'll see you in the morning."
He rolled onto his side and opened an eye, smiling broadly. "Goodnight, Nami-san. Sweet dreams."
She closed the door softly. The galley was dark and empty. She had been talking with Sanji longer than she had realized. Stepping into the kitchen, the redhead grimaced when she set eyes on the sink. Those bastards didn't clean any of their mess. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the entire room needed to be cleaned. All they had managed to do was pile all of the dishes in and around the sink. She was about to storm into the men's quarters when she heard a door open, followed by footsteps.
"What did those idiots do to my kitchen!?"
"Sanji, what are you doing out of bed? I thought I told you to get some rest?"
"I've been resting," he lit a cigarette, "I'm not tired anymore."
"I guess that makes sense."
"I'm going to kick those little shits into next week for messing up my kitchen!" He ashed his cigarette and lifted an apron off a hook on the wall.
"What are you doing?" Nami demanded, as she watched the cook tie the apron around his waist. "I'll make them clean this up. It's their mess."
"Don't worry about it," the blond responded with a half smile. "I can't sleep, so I may as well have something to keep me busy."
"A normal person would just read a book."
"I won't be able to do anything relaxing until I know the kitchen is in order," he said very matter-of-fact.
"Fine. I guess I'll help, then. Isn't there another apron?"
"No no no no no!" Sanji waved his arms frantically. "I can't let you do that, Nami-san!"
"And why not?" Finding what she was looking for, Nami put on one of the spare aprons. "I'm perfectly capable of washing some dishes. Stop treating me like I'm made of glass."
The cook sighed deeply, resigned. He knew better than to argue with the woman when she was set on something. "Ok, you can do the dishes. I'll take care of the floors and surfaces."
"Damn straight," Nami grinned triumphantly as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.
They set to work on the disaster their crew mates had left behind. The occasional swears from the pair as they discovered their friend's disgusting surprises were the only words spoken as they worked through the mess. Nami fell into a rhythm, humming softly as she placed the dishes into neat stacks beside the sink. Despite herself, she was enjoying the activity. It felt good to be in a room with the cook without him throwing himself at her. Why can't it always be like this? She remembered the meal they had just shared and felt a warmth in her chest. They had talked and laughed like real friends. He had treated her like a person, instead of some sort of idol. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she set a dish too close to the edge of the counter. She gasped as it teetered and fell.
"Got it!" Sanji exclaimed as he dove to grab the dish before it hit the floor.
"Ah!" She hadn't realized the man had been so near.
"That was close."
"Yeah. Thanks." She smiled appreciatively. "Sorry. I guess I spaced out."
"There's no need to apologize, Nami-san," he
beamed as he grabbed a towel and began drying the plate.
Nami glanced around the kitchen. "You're already finished with everything?"
"I spent a lot of time doing stuff like this on the Baratie. I got pretty good at doing it quickly."
"You're making me look bad. I haven't even washed all the dishes yet."
"That's just because you didn't have a good dryer to help you." He grinned as he picked up another dish.
She returned a smile and returned to washing with renewed vigor. She felt an insane desire to impress him. He can cook and clean better than any woman I've ever met! I must look like a useless ditz to him. What am I thinking? Who cares if I can clean? I can do way more important stuff!
Sanji was watching the assorted expressions play across the navigators face from the edge of his vision. He chuckled to himself as he placed a stack of dishes in the cabinet.
"What's so funny, cook?" Nami spat, defensively.
"You just look like you're thinking really hard about something. It's really cute."
"Stop calling me cute!" The flustered woman exclaimed. "I can do a lot of impressive things!"
"Wait... What?" The blonde blinked in confusion. "I never said..."
"I'm the best navigator on the Grand Line! I can make beautiful, accurate maps! I can not only predict weather, but even create it!" She stomped her foot. "So what if I can't cook, and I suck at cleaning?"
Sanji stared wide eyed for a moment, before his expression cracked into a dazzling smile. "You're right!" He agreed. "You're amazing! I've never met another woman like you. Anyway..." He brought his face near hers. "You don't need to cook or clean, because you've got me, and I'll follow you to the ends of the earth!"
"Sanji-kun..." His face was inches away from hers. She cursed her heart for beating so loudly. If I were to just stand on my toes, I could probably... What am I thinking? She turned back to the sink and busied herself with the remaining dishes. "Let's hurry up and finish. I'm getting kind of tired."
She could see his face fall from the corner of her eye. "You should get some sleep. I can handle the rest."
"Nonsense. We're almost done."
They finished in uncomfortable silence. Nami felt like a fool for her outburst. When did I get this crazy? What has happened to me? Just when we were getting more comfortable with each other... Sanji loaded away the last of the pans, and faced the navigator.
"Thanks for your help, Nami-san. It was much more pleasant with you here to help me."
"It's the least I could do," she said as casually as possible. "You're always helping me out." She hung the damp apron and headed away avoiding eye contact with her friend. "I'm gonna go take a bath and go to bed. Try not to stay up too late."
"Don't worry, I won't. I can't risk sleeping in and letting those fools mess up my kitchen again"
Nami softened at the joke, and smiled at her cook. "I'm not washing anymore dishes. I'll come wake you up in the morning just to be safe."
The blonde smiled mischievously as he lit a cigarette. "Nothing would make me happier."