Mass x Acceleration
By Dixxy Mouri
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Fishing Trip
Three whole months.
Sanji was still wrapping his mind around the idea that he was in a relationship that had lasted that long. His previous record was only a couple of weeks and that had mostly been a series of frenzied quickies and one trip to the theater (which had ended in disaster – much like the relationship had). No, this was a far cry from anything he'd had back in the East Blue.
Although there was a lot sex (maybe more than what he had back on the Baratie), it wasn't a series of five, ten minute screws in broom closets that happened because an opportunity had arisen. No, they had privacy and the luxury of being able to take their time, and there was no mad rush to make themselves presentable afterwards – they could just stay in bed to talk or cuddle or sleep or finish that one game of chess Nami had someone managed to turn into "strip chess" (which they both knew he played to lose), and no one had a feather duster stabbing them in the hip.
But there was much more to it than just sex – talking, listening to music, reading together (be it aloud to each other or silently in the other's presence, usually flopped on top of each other in some bizarre entanglement on the couch or the bed), sharing meals, going out, visiting each other at their respective jobs . . . Sanji had never had that before. Sure he'd talked with his previous flings and girlfriends and it wasn't like he'd never been on a date before, but it was all a lot of small talk, neither he nor his partners seeming terribly interested in what the other was saying. With Nami it didn't matter – even the most trivial conversations meant something to him.
Nami was more than his lover or his girlfriend – she was his partner.
Being an island that consisted of a largely agricultural economy, harvest time was a big deal on Apple Island. Once the harvest was done, the entire island took the week off to celebrate with a giant festival that consisted of food, dances, concerts, carnival games, and other performances in honor of a good harvest. This year was no exception, and Sanji and Nami's friends promised them a good time.
The streets of the town were already decorated for the festivities. Pumpkins and wheelbarrows filled with gourds and flowers seemed to be on every street corner, and garland made from red, orange, and yellow leaves were twisted and tied around the street lamps. Wreaths made from fake fruit were hung on doors and the local businesses were slowly switching out the bright pastels of summer for the jewel tones of fall. The streets smelled like cinnamon and baked goods, and there was a sense of harmony and good will permeating through the air.
Sanji had spent much of the previous week at the Cider Mug preparing apples for pies and would be spending a lot of time during the festival itself watching the twins while their mother finished up the rest of her dresses – all of this on top of not one but three performances during the week with Turnover. Nami, for her part, had been volunteered by Mac to hand out balloons and paint faces at the more child friendly events. This wouldn't have been so bad by itself, but the mayor had gotten Ria to make something that was, according to Nami, absolutely horrible.
A Sapphire Witch costume.
Sanji wasn't sure if he should be laughing, turned on, or hiding from Nami for what she might do to him if he had any of the above reactions to what he saw before his eyes. Should he try to be . . . sympathetic? Encouraging? He really wasn't sure. So, for the moment, his dumbfounded confusion was the safest mental state he could be in.
"Aw, come on, sugah, it looks cute on you," Ria said, hiding a grin behind his fingers.
Nami glared at the seamstress. "You aren't the one in the stupid costume."
Sanji could almost see the hairs standing up on the back of Ria's neck. "What did you just call my dress? 'Stupid'? I'll have you know that 'stupid costume' cost me over ten thousand berries in materials and at least twelve hours of labor! You have any idea how much blood, sweat, and tears went into that 'stupid costume'?"
Nami fumed back. "I'M DRESSED LIKE A COMIC BOOK CHARACTER!"
"But the kids LOVE the Sapphire Witch!"
"Well I don't!"
Ria studied the dress for a few moments. Nami pouted at her, looking to Sanji for help. The seamstress cleared her throat, trying to offer a solution to the navigator's complaints. "Well, the skirt's a little short – I can shorten it a little more after the festival is over and maybe Sanji will like it," Ria offered.
Sanji held up his hands. "I'm staying far away from this discussion."
"Smart and cute – he's a keeper, sugah."
Nami was still fuming. "I can't believe Mac got me to do this . . ."
"You'll be making the children of the island happy, and it's only for a couple of hours every day. The rest of the time you'll get to wear cute fall-themed dressed and, better yet, you'll have plenty of time to do cute couple stuff with Sanji this week, too. Sanji isn't performing Thursday night and there's a huge dance that night," said Ria.
Nami sighed. "That'll be nice. . ."
Ria turned Nami around to face the mirror in her fitting room. "See? Silver lining."
"It's only for a few days."
"There you go! Then you can use it for dress up – maybe you can get Sanji to wear the dress."
The blonde covered his ears. "I am staying FAR, FAR AWAY from this discussion!"
Ria pouted. "You're no fun."
Sanji stuck his tongue out at the seamstress. ". . . I hate you."
The first day of the harvest festival started early for Sanji. Although he was a morning person, he'd hated getting up so much earlier than Nami and leaving her alone in their bed. Once he was showered and dressed, he sat on the edge of their bed to watch her sleep for a few moments before kissing her forehead goodbye.
There was a lot of baking to do at the Cider Mug.
The restaurant itself would not be at full capacity in order to give the staff a chance to enjoy the festival, but this didn't mean the staff was completely off the hook. The kitchen staff was to be there early in the morning to bake and assemble boxed meals, all of which would be sold by the wait staff that morning and afternoon before closing for the evening.
Sanji didn't necessarily mind this, but Ria had asked him to take the twins once his shift at the restaurant was over, and then he and the rest of Turnover had a performance that evening. It was going to be a very long day. At the very least he had the following day completely off – Braeburn had invited him to go fishing in the morning and afternoon, and then he and Nami would get a chance to spend the evening together. That was going to be a long day, too, but at least it would be fun.
For his assignment that morning, Sanji and Jimmy were in charge of soups – the only item being sold that wouldn't be pre-packaged. Three stock pots were simmering chicken noodle, tomato, and a butternut squash bisque. Jimmy looked overtired and was periodically stepping away from their work to nurse a cup of coffee.
"Blech. I did not sleep well last night," Jimmy whined.
"What were you doing?" asked Sanji. "You knew we had work early."
"Yeah, I know, I just couldn't sleep," he said. "You know how it is, right?"
"Sometimes," said the blonde. "It's been a while though."
Jimmy sighed. "You've got someone to curl up next to every night – I bet that helps."
Sanji smiled. "A little. We feel safe with the other around."
"It's good you have that. Not everyone does." The other cook carried a sad tone in his voice.
"A girlfriend?" asked Sanji. He sighed. "As the voice of experience, Jimmy, if you try TOO hard-"
"No, no, I'm not talking about me!" said Jimmy, shaking his head with a slight laugh. He sighed. "Actually I meant Beebs and . . . well, not a girlfriend, in his case. He seems to be doing better this year, but the harvest festival is always a tough time for him as long as I've known him." He paused in what he was doing. "I think you're the only one who doesn't know."
Sanji frowned. Although he and Braeburn had discussed the blacksmith's love life before, the details had always been somewhat vague. "I watched one woman I love waste away from disease. I had to let another woman I love go and do something dangerous and to this day I don't know if she got out okay. I miss them both something terrible every day."
"He's told me a little but . . . I'll bite. What don't I know?"
Jimmy sighed. "The harvest festival usually coincides with his wedding anniversary."
Sanji felt a pit in his stomach. He never knew Braeburn had been married. "What happened?"
"She passed away," said Jimmy. He sighed. "It's probably good for him that his wedding anniversary is during such a busy time on the island – he keeps himself really busy and, well, yeah, there's a lot to do this time of year around town so I guess it works out . . . I just wish he was getting involved because of other reasons, you know?"
"Yeah," said Sanji. "Me, too."
"Seriously?"
After Ria had collected her daughters for the afternoon and Nami was allowed to "return to her secret identity", there were a couple of hours before Sanji had to meet with the rest of Turnover for that night's performance. Until then, the couple decided to see what the town had to offer during the festival. Sanji told Nami about his conversation with Jimmy over a light picnic dinner in the public orchards. "I had no idea."
"He's mentioned being in love with me before," said Sanji. He reached above his head to grab an apple and looked at it sadly. "When I was still upset over Deltana, he told me he'd been in love twice, and he said one of them had passed away from illness. I didn't realize he'd married her, though." He leaned his head back.
Nami frowned. "I had no idea."
Sanji felt a pit in his stomach. Marriage was a big deal. It wasn't like he felt it was some ultimate declaration of undying love or anything (he and Nami didn't need a piece of paper and a pair of rings to validate their feelings for each other and he was pretty sure if he got down on one knee he'd have the velvet box shoved up his ass), but it represented something. Getting married was about settling down, planting some roots, maybe having a few kids and a dog or something – these were things he and Nami were not ready for.
But at some point, Braeburn had been ready for those things. He'd gotten married. He'd probably started planting those roots. And something had grabbed his friend and tore his life apart. Sanji's eyes widened. "And he's here," he said. Nami looked at him in confusion. "Think about it. No one comes to this island without some kind of baggage."
"Losing his wife isn't baggage?" asked Nami.
"Not the kind of baggage that would put Braeburn on a boat with a pregnant woman headed for an island flying the flag of one of the Four Emperors," said Sanji. "If it was just his wife passing away, he probably would have mourned her for a bit and then started to put his life back together. Sure, maybe he might have decided to go to an island to start over . . . but not this island." He closed his eyes.
"It was probably something painful," said Nami. She rubbed his shoulder. "Look at it this way – even if he's looking for distractions this week, he still might need to talk about it. And you're going on that fishing thing with him tomorrow, so maybe it'll come up then. Just don't push it – let him bring it up. Think about how you'd want the subject of what happened to us handled."
Sanji nodded. She had a point. "All right. You're right."
"This is going to be great, right?" said Braeburn, leading Sanji into the wooded part of the island, carrying fishing rods over their shoulders. In addition to those, the blacksmith was carrying a tackle box and the cook was carrying a pair of lovingly prepared lunches. "There's a good fishing hole around here – I don't know about you, but I find it relaxing."
"Well, fishing isn't usually about sport for me – it's usually about survival," said Sanji. "You know how many times we've had fish because Luffy and the others stuffed their faces without thinking about our food supply? A lot. A lot of times." He sighed and shook his head. "Luffy's not a bad captain – most of the time – but he can be kind of a dumbass."
Soon enough, they came across Braeburn's fishing hole. It was a fairly small pond with a rickety wooden bridge built across it, and much to the cook's horror the blacksmith started to cross the bridge. Not that the pond looked all that deep, but for a man who'd been robbed of his ability to swim over a year earlier, it was terrifying and looked impossibly bottomless. "Uh, Braeburn? What are you doing?"
Braeburn stopped about halfway across the bridge and turned to look at Sanji. "It's fine, don't worry. Besides, the best spot to fish is on the other side – they don't bite around this side and it's easier to cross the bridge than go around." He continued on the bridge, leaving Sanji to look on with worry. He toed the structure – it creaked something awful, and the instincts his Devil Fruits gave him made him very, very nervous.
"Sanji! I'm at least fifty pounds heavier than you and I got across just fine! Just go slow!"
Sanji saw that Braeburn had already reached the other side and was start to set up camp. Taking a deep breath and gathering up the rest of his nerves, the cook stepped onto the bridge. Feeling shaky and a little sick to his stomach and a little like he'd rather just get this over with, he started to run across the bridge.
There was a horribly snapping sound behind him, and Sanji froze in terror as the bridge buckled underfoot.
Braeburn dropped what he was doing and screamed. "SANJI!"
CRACK!
Sanji screamed as the bridge gave way beneath him, and he suddenly found himself falling fast. His eyes widened in fear as he went under, and the horrifying feeling of being unable to move washed over him. He clenched his eyes and mouth shut, hoping and praying that Braeburn would figure out he couldn't swim.
He didn't know how long it was before he felt the other man grab him and pull him away from the sandy bottom. Maybe it had only been a few seconds, maybe it had taken the blacksmith a minute to realize why he'd been so scared – the cook couldn't tell, but was glad that Braeburn had come to his rescue and he clung to him like a scared child. Once they broke the surface, Sanji gasped for the precious, precious air he'd been denied as Braeburn dragged him to the shore.
"Why didn't you tell me you ate a Devil Fruit!?" Braeburn yelled.
"I don't like to talk about it!" Sanji snapped back, holding back tears and high strung emotions. Memories of That Man and his men forcing the Devil Fruit down his throat and Nami's, memories of the Tank, it was all coming back to him in a wash of fear and discomfort. He looked up at Braeburn with frustation. "I was force fed, okay?!"
Braeburn got quiet as they got to the shore. "I'm sorry."
Sanji closed his eyes and peeled off his shirt to ring it out. Being on dry land again made him clam down a little, and he took a deep breath. "No . . . it's fine, I think." He turned towards a tree with a low hanging branch to hang his shirt over the side. "But . . . thanks for saving my life, Braeburn. I'm sorry I snapped, I just . . . don't do well around water anymore."
"Sanji . . ."
The cook laughed bitterly. "I used to be one of the best swimmers in Luffy's crew. I survived fighting a fishman underwater once. I was good enough in the water that I could survive against one of those guys for . . . I don't know, maybe about five minutes? I had to get him on dry land to win, but if I had to do that all over again now . . . I'd be dead." He closed his eyes. "We really don't even use our powers much. We've experimented a little and, sometimes they activate on their own if we're really upset but every time I try to do it on my own . . . I start remembering." Sanji could feel his bones shifting and the fur sprouting from his skin. He was humiliated. "See? I'm not doing this on purpose right now."
"It's okay, Sanji. Calm down." Braeburn put himself in front of him and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Take a deep breath, look at me, and focus on your breathing. Okay?" Sanji nodded dumbly as Braeburn gently calmed him down, and the cook was finally able to revert to his human form. "Sometimes you and Nami are doing so well I forget how bad you guys were when you got here. But think about it this way – look how far you've come. You're doing better than anyone could have expected of you."
Sanji nodded. That was true. They were both working, they had started trying to get back into fighting shape (Gala was hinting that they might be cleared for contact training soon), and although the memories of what That Man had done to them was still haunting them, they were able to focus on and be happy about other things. They had come a long way – they still had a lot more to go, but to get to where he stood on that day had been no small task.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," said Braeburn, smiling and giving him a pat on the back. He looked down at himself and laughed. "Let me just dry off a little and then we can see if we get any bites, okay?" Sanji smiled and went back to wringing his own shirt out, feeling a bit more at peace than he would have expected.
"I still have to thank you again though. I would have been screwed if you hadn't . . ." Sanji paused mid-sentence as he got a good look at Braeburn, who was ringing out his shirt a few yards away close to a tree with a similarly low-hanging branch. The cook stared in disbelief, trying to tell himself his eyes were somehow lying to him. No. No, this can't be true.
Braeburn turned to face Sanji, a smile on his face. "Yeah you would have in pretty deep trouble if I hand't . . . Sanji? Are you . . ." Braeburn froze in pace. He looked horrified and embarrassed and panic-stricken. He stared at Sanji for several moments before turning on his heels to run deeper into the woods without saying a further word.
Sanji reached towards his friend but didn't give chase as it started to sink in.
No way . . .
What he had seen was real after all.
Braeburn . . . how . . .
That mark really was on his friend's back.
Braeburn had been a member of Baroque Works.
Author's Notes
Yup. That's a thing I've been waiting to reveal for a while.
So the character Q&A thing got a grand total of zero interest so far, and, well, that's okay. If I come up with something else I'll let you guys know, okay? Okay.
Although 28 is in great shape to go to my beta in a little bit, 29 isn't playing nice. At all. I also need to plan out the next several chapters after it to make sure all of my ducks are in a row. Also there is a lot of stuff going on during July and into August (for example, I've got more than one barbeque to attend this week) so there's that, too. I'm not calling "hiatus" or anything like that, but updates might be slowing down over the next couple of months.
Dixxy
