25.) Coffee
For over two weeks, the Thousand Sunny had been braving the waters of the New World without seeing land.
In the very first moments of dawn of the sixteenth day, Robin opened the door to the kitchen and found Sanji sitting atop the long wooden dining table. His elbows rested heavy on his knees, the soles of his oxfords planted firmly against one of the chairs, and his face was buried in his hands with a cigarette balanced between long fingers, half of it already burnt up and still smoldering. He looked up when he heard her enter. The long tail of ash that still clung just barely to the edge of his cigarette fell unnoticed onto his scuffed leather shoe.
"Ah, Robin-chwan, good morning. You're up early - let me pour you a cup."
She was accustomed to him being awake before everyone else, already working on breakfast by the time she made her way down to the galley. But it was barely light out, and he typically wouldn't get up for another hour or so at the very least.
"Have you slept yet?"
Sanji kept his gaze downwards as he walked over to the counter to select a new cup, filling it for her without a word. He remained quiet as he emptied the mug he'd been drinking from - possibly for the last several hours - into the sink and refilled it with fresh, hot coffee.
"You're wearing the same clothes from last night."
"It was a long night," he supplied, smiling behind what was left of his burning cigarette. His eyes were bloodshot. He held out the steaming cup to her, and she took it and warmed her hands. "Naturally, you look as beautiful as you ever have."
"I'm surprised you managed to stay awake after everyone finally went to sleep," she said, her tone conversational.
He went back to the sink and turned the water on as she relocated to a seat at the table. He stubbed his cigarette out in the ash tray he kept at the counter, and he shrugged off his jacket and folded it, laying it off to the side, out of the way. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.
With his back to her, watching the sink fill up, he said, "I guess I just didn't feel like sleeping."
Sanji washed the dishes as Robin studied the vapor billowing from her cup.
A minute ticked by on the clock that hung behind Robin, and Sanji's voice broke above the background noise of running water and glass mugs clinking together.
"I don't…" The clock ticked louder. "I'm not…"
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Sanji."
Maybe she could hear, or almost feel, the hitch of his breath. Or maybe - probably - it was all in her head. But he seemed to freeze there for just a heartbeat or two, hands plunged into the sink. Then he nodded and went back to scrubbing plates.
Outside, at the top of the crow's nest, bathed in the golden glow of a new day, Zoro chewed on his bottom lip while he watched the sun rise.
This story is officially halfway completed! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!