Chapter 15: Damage Control

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a dude, but my God this story was so hard to get through. The Cringe is real." - Anonymous Incel (grammar corrected)

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Law had an apathetic look on his face as he followed a gaggle of women into the one spot on the Sunny that a certain chef was absolutely forbidden from entering. He wasn't sure how the hell he'd been dragged into whatever stupid shit this was about to turn into, though he did have an inkling of what it was that Kade and Jess were about to confess.

At best, it'd make things around the ship a little less embarrassingly awkward. At worst...well, he wasn't sure at this point how much weirder it could get.

Nami waited at the entrance while she ushered the two guests inside the women's quarters. Once everyone was through, she made sure the door was shut tight.

Kade's eyes swept across the room, finding herself and Jess the center of attention. She spied Law in the corner, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed indifferently. She was so surprised to see him staring right back at her that she averted her gaze immediately and pretended to cough into her hand.

Was he just waiting around to watch her and Jess get skewered by Nami's third-degree interrogation? Exactly how was he going to make her suffer for her earlier transgression? Her anxiety was through the fucking roof. She hoped that nobody else could hear the way her heart was pounding in her chest right now.

Fortunately, there wasn't time to dwell on it because Nami wasn't wasting any time. Hands on her hips, she stood in the center of the room and eyed the two girls suspiciously.

"I've known all along that you two were hiding something," she began, her brown eyes sweeping over each one of them before narrowing in warning. "I hope you don't think that Robin and I are idiots!"

"No, come on Nami!" Jess protested. "I really admire you guys…"

Kade grimaced. This wasn't starting off great. "It's not that! We definitely know that you guys aren't idiots. It's just that the truth is, uh...a little hard to believe. In fact, I'd say the truth is probably going to sound a lot more unbelievable than the lie we've been letting you believe."

From the corner, Law breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. At least he wasn't expected to sit though even more nonsensical cover-ups.

"For the record, though," Kade said, jerking a thumb towards her best friend, "none of you would have suspected a damn thing if it weren't for this one! Sorry homie, but you suck at being subtle."

The homie in question blushed and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment then sighed heavily. "Yeah I know...I really blew it! It's just…all my mental faculties leave me when I'm with…" this statement was punctuated by another sigh, "him…" Her eyes glazed over then as a stupid smile split her face.

Nami cleared her throat. "Yes, about that…" She crossed her arms, giving the other woman a stern look. "I'm still not convinced of your genuine feelings for Sanji-kun. He's a very stupid and gullible man as you've no doubt gathered, and I don't approve of how you've been toying with him! I don't want to see him get hurt again because some woman took advantage of him! He may be an idiot, but he doesn't deserve that."

Jess opened and closed her mouth a few times, not quite finding the perfect words to say when Nami continued her tongue lashing.

"You've certainly taken this charade way too far. I almost couldn't eat breakfast watching you with him!" Nami made a slightly disgusted face as she referenced the earlier PDA-packed mealtime fiasco. "You're bold, I'll give you that, but you need to stop stringing Sanji-kun along." Her dark eyes pierced into Jess' and though she was intimidated, Jess couldn't help but feel that much more admiration for Nami.

She put a finger to her chin, looking upwards before meeting Nami's eyes again. "Is it really that hard to believe that someone might actually like him for who he is?"

Nami sighed, feeling like they were going in circles, and still very hesitant to put any kind of trust in Jess. "Maybe not," she finally said, "but he does have a track record with women. And not a good one."

Jess' face became serious. "I'd be willing to swear on whatever it takes to prove it to you. My feelings for him are real. They have been for 8 years…" she trailed off, letting that knowledge sink in with Nami and Robin.

The historian's interest was piqued. "Eight years? That's quite a claim." Robin slowly sank down into a nearby chair, her eyes cautiously trained on Jess before slowly traveling to Kade. She leaned forward with her elbows resting on her knees, intrigued. "I assume that fact relates to the reasoning behind this meeting. So...exactly what is it that you want to discuss? I've had my suspicions, I admit...Jess-san in particular seems to know far more about all of us than any normal person should."

Kade gave Jess a nudge. "Well, you take this one. I've already had to explain it once..." For a brief moment, she dared to trade glances with Law, who looked like he was about done with the world and the Strawhat crew. Then again, that was just the way his face usually appeared.

Nami's face was all question marks as she looked between everyone in the room, noting Law's relief. "Well? I'm listening." She sat down on her bed, giving the curly-haired woman her full attention.

Jess nodded then clasped her hands in front of her. "Nami, Robin...this is going to sound absolutely crazy what I'm about to say, so I'm just warning you. Kade and I...we're not from here. And when I say 'here' I don't just mean the New World. I mean a completely different world. Have you ever heard of the infinite universe theory?"

She received only blank stares in response, and could almost imagine the sound of crickets chirping, so she cleared her throat and quickly moved on. "You may remember this from a recent newspaper article in the News Coo." Jess put down the copy with the article about Kade's recovered car highlighted. "We came to this world in that vehicle, it's called a car. You guys don't have them here. In our world, this world doesn't exist on a physical plane. It's a story created by a man named Eichiro Oda. He writes about you guys and your adventures…" She paused briefly, a look of horror coming across her face as she pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. "Oh my god, it sounds even crazier when I say it out loud. But...Kade and I are huge fans of your story, so we know all about you...everything you've been through...even some of the things that are to come. Kade, can you show them your phone? If there's any battery left…"

Yep, this was a flaming fucking dumpster fire, if the looks on Nami's and Robin's faces were anything to go by. Of course, Kade couldn't entirely blame them. How else were they expected to react? They were just informed that this world was apparently the product of someone's imagination.

Kade retrieved her phone from the holster at her hip. It was currently shut off, in an effort to conserve as much battery power as possible, and in just a moment she had booted it back up.

"You guys probably saw me waving this thing around once or twice. I remember asking you about Wi-Fi when we first got here, and then you all stared at me like I was just talking crazy," she said as she opened up her photo gallery and cycled through some folders to get to some of the One Piece pictures she'd stored. After finding a good picture, she carefully turned it around to show Nami. "Just swipe your finger to the left to see more, that's how you navigate things on here. I have a lot of examples, as you can see." Kade demonstrated the motions a few times before carefully handing it over.

The redhead was staring in somewhat bafflement as she reached for the device, taking it gingerly and looking down at the picture on the display. She swiped her finger as instructed, and another picture appeared. And another, and another...all of them were scenes she recognized. Scenes that she was sure that nobody else could have replicated. Private moments between crew members on the Sunny, during which absolutely no guests had been present. Some of the Skypeia shenanigans. A few memories from Thriller Bark. Several pictures of them during their adventures on Punk Hazard, and then some from their first meeting with Law...

How could an outsider have seen all of this? Many of the scenes were of completely candid moments, as if they were snapshots taken with some kind of camera...but how?! A very devoted stalker? Impossible! To have followed the crew for this long undetected, and from Day One… There's no way someone like that wouldn't have been found out! It didn't make sense. Who could know these things about them? Was it the power of a Devil Fruit? Nami's mind was spinning. What the hell was going on?!

Robin's eyes immediately narrowed as she leaned over Nami's shoulder to study the images, still trying to process what Jess had just told the both of them. Their likenesses were uncanny, although obviously someone had drawn all of these. Possibly MANY someones. And what a peculiar form of media...she'd never seen any type of artwork like this.

"So," Robin said, her eyes never leaving the current image of all the Strawhats holding up their fists while sailing away from Alabasta, "we are really expected to believe that not only are there entirely different worlds, but also that we are simply fictional characters in yours? This is what you're telling us, correct?" It sounded less like a question than a statement. "Putting aside the insanity of such a claim, how would that even be possible? I've heard theories of multiple universes, of course, though such things are purely conjecture..." The historian finally looked up, her gaze settling across the room where Law remained in his spot. "I take it, given your lack of reaction, that you have already been informed?"

"Yeah," Law answered shortly. "I'm aware."

"I told him a week ago," Kade supplied. "I mean, I basically had to. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't still be here talking to you guys if I hadn't…"

"Being Shambled by Law, though…" Jess suddenly had stars in her eyes. "Come onnnn!"

Kade rolled her eyes. "Be serious," she hissed to her BFF, "this isn't a joke, look at them. They think we're fucking crazy."

Law gave Jess a 'look' from across the room that was decidedly tinged with disgust.

Jess didn't notice, instead replying to Kade, "Bah! I was in the presence of Sanji, the REAL Sanji, what the hell else did you expect me to do?!" She sighed as Kade just kept staring at her. "I'm sorry…"

Nami was speechless, sitting there and letting the new information sink in, her gaze fixed on the floorboards.

Robin was skeptical; extremely curious of these claims if she were being completely honest, but the realist in her couldn't accept it so easily. However, if Trafalgar Law of all people was convinced by their story...

She tapped her fingers against the arms of the chair she was in, choosing her next words carefully. "To be frank, I'm not sure how we're supposed to accept something so outrageous. It's true that you possess technology that we've not yet seen here. Your way of speaking is peculiar. Even your mannerisms, subtle as they are, suggest something foreign in nature. There's no doubt that you both come from somewhere very, very different. But the part I am having trouble with…" Robin trailed off, her brow furrowed in thought. "It just raises so many more questions. How did you get here? Why have you come?"

Jess perked up, "That's a great question actually. We're...not entirely sure. One minute we were here," she pointed back to the picture of Kade's car in the newspaper, "driving into the city on a shopping trip, and the next minute, we're in the water in this world; being picked up by the Sunny and you guys. What happened between then and there? Your guess is as good as ours," she finished with a shrug.

Kade nodded. "I know, it sounds batshit insane, right? A week ago I wouldn't have ever thought it was possible, either. I always thought we only had one world, the one that we lived in. Not like I hadn't ever thought about how cool it'd be if there were others, but real life is usually so boring and predictable. And then something happened. I wish I could tell you more. We don't know how we ended up here; we can't remember anything about it."

Law finally said something, his doctor senses tingling as he noted the Navigator suddenly appeared quite pale. "Nami-ya are you alright?

"I…" She started as she met his gaze, "is this really true?"

Law nodded. "I didn't want to believe it either. But she convinced me..." he looked over at Kade, who instantly froze in shock upon being addressed by him, "which is a really hard thing to do. I think it would be in your best interests to believe them."

Kade felt her heart pounding anew, though this time it wasn't from anxiety. This was unexpected. Law was actually backing her up! He had every reason not to, in fact she wouldn't have blamed him at all if he'd looked Nami dead in the eye and announced that their story was complete horseshit.

But he didn't. Because that would have been a lie, and he knew it. Kade bit her lip, trying hard not to smile.

Confidence renewed, she jumped back in a beat later. "Look, I know the whole 'your world is fictional in our world' thing is weird as hell. But like I told Law, maybe that's just the universe's way of fitting everything together? After everything I've seen so far, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that OUR world is also just a story that someone else made up right here in this world." She shrugged. "I mean, fuck if I really know, right? I'm only slightly less confused than you."

Nami was still finding it hard to grasp the reality of what they were telling her. She leaned forward, putting her head in her hands and holding it there for a while.

"Strange, indeed…" Robin nodded thoughtfully. "So if it's true that our world is a story in yours...as you say...then surely you know our pasts. And if you know our pasts, you must know our futures as well."

Kade's expression changed immediately; this was not a topic she wanted to go into, especially with Law present. She vividly recalled the desperation in his eyes the night she'd let slip that she knew a bit of his future, knew more than most what was at stake for him. Those steel-grey eyes had burned into hers, yearning for just a scrap of that knowledge, and she couldn't give it to him. She'd never seen so much emotion on his face before. It was heart-wrenching, and Kade didn't need to put anyone else through that.

She decided to go with the short, easy answer. "Not much. It's complicated."

"We wish we knew more, trust me," Jess piped up. "But yeah...your pasts… I'm so sorry, Robin! I cried so much for you!" She tentatively put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Honestly, I love all of you."

Law groaned his disapproval at Jess' little display. She was entirely too emotional in his opinion.

Nami looked over at her female crew member. "Well...if Robin and Law believe you, then I guess I'd be the crazy one if I didn't. But don't think that means I like this, or that you can just do whatever you please with Sanji-kun!"

Kade rolled her eyes. "I tried to tell her to tone it down, like, multiple times. There's no help for the hopeless."

Jess flushed a jillion shades of red, not bothering to answer that statement.

"You're going to kill him if you keep this up!" Nami admonished with a frown.

Robin sprouted a hand to pat the one that Jess still had on her shoulder, then gave Kade back her phone. "I must admit, this whole thing has me very interested. I'd very much like to know more. Perhaps at some point you will regain your memory of how you came to be here, and can shed some more light on this multiple world theory."

"Yeah, I can only hope so," Kade replied as she stashed her phone away. "I mean, you guys are great, really...but we have lives, families, friends...you know?"

Robin nodded, "Yes, of course...I'm sure that makes things all the more difficult." She could still feel her head spinning a bit, perhaps she needs to think more on it. This was a secret on par with the void century...what if the two things were related somehow?

Nami spoke up again, "I'm going to be honest with you, it weirds me out how you know us already. But I'm willing to work around it. This means you really don't have any place to go...I just...I think you should be careful you know? I don't like thinking about the fact that our lives might have a set course already and that what we do has no effect on them...I'd like to control my own destiny with my own strength and talents...and along with my friends. So...where does that leave us? You said you knew a little of the future...is that future being altered by your presence?"

"Yes, definitely, this island was not part of the story-"

"Neither was Sanji getting a girlfriend," Kade interjected, "until YOU-KNOW-WHO-"

"And I know something that happens to Sanji in the near future that I really wanted to prevent," Jess continued. "If I'm with him, I would definitely prevent it," she said, half to herself and half to Kade, looking conflicted.

Kade gave Jess a look. "You know how important it is for Sanji to meet THAT person. You can't just prevent it all from happening."

"She wasn't really his girlfriend!" Jess snapped back immediately, offended at that statement.

"I'm just saying!"

Nami's head bobbed back and forth as she watched the exchange.

Kade sighed, dragging a hand down her face. "Who even knows what we've already fucked up just by being here…?"

Jess turned back to the redhead, her face coloring with a healthy blush. "Nami...it might seem crazy to you to l-love…" she stumbled slightly on that word, "someone who's not real in your own world...and yeah frankly it is crazy, but it doesn't matter. I do. I'm serious."

Nami folded her arms tightly across her chest, letting out a long and annoyed sigh. "Well, I guess I have no choice but to believe you! Please be careful with his heart, Jess. If you really mean what you say," she warned with a piercing look.

Kade glanced between the two, feeling a bit of the tension leave the room. It was a relief that Nami and Robin now knew the whole situation, but she was starting to feel uncomfortable with the current subject matter. The last thing she wanted at that moment was to get dragged into an interrogation regarding Jess' feelings for Sanji being legit or not. Christ, she had to hear enough about Sanji on a normal day!

"Okay, well," she began, thinking on how she ought to make her exit, "it seems like you guys might need some space to process all this? In that case, I'm gonna cut out. I left a huge mess in Zoro's gym anyway, I should probably go and clean it up…"

Law stood up straight immediately and started shuffling towards the door, also looking for a reason to escape this conversation.

"Need some help?" He offered as he walked up beside her, seemingly not remembering the events of last night; at least not to the point where he found it awkward to talk to her, or make...extremely piercing…eye contact. "As your doctor, I still don't want you lifting anything heavy."

Kade nearly choked on her own saliva. "Huh?" Her brain desperately tried to formulate a proper reply. Was this a trick question? It had to be a trick question. He must be plotting her death and this was just meant to lure her into a false sense of security. But then again, she supposed she probably deserved whatever horrible punishment he had in store…might as well get it over with and walk right into it.

Her heart was pounding, knees weak, palms were sweating, and she swallowed inaudibly as she nodded in a rather jerky motion. "Actually, yeah. Help would be nice, if...if you don't mind?"

She mentally kicked herself; idiot! If he minded, he wouldn't have offered!

Law gave her a 'look' like she was acting weird (which she was, of course). He maintained his cool and aloof exterior, although he'd be lying if he said he didn't have an ulterior motive behind the gesture. Kissing him without warning like that...people just didn't do those things, at least not to him.

He shrugged indifferently. "Not at all. Besides, I have to make sure you don't maim yourself again." The delivery was flat, and he pulled on the brim of his hat as he said this. Still, it almost sounded like he was...teasing her?

Nah.

Kade managed a scoff, trying to play off her nervousness as they made their way across the lawn of the Sunny. "Right, it's a wonder I ever made it to adulthood without a constant chaperone." Well, she was about to die anyway, might as well get in a few smartass remarks on the way out. But a moment later she dropped the facade as they neared the gym. "Look, I'm gonna be totally honest here: there's no mess in Zoro's gym. I just lied so I didn't have to be in that room anymore. Listening to Jess gush about Sanji while Nami plots against her...ugh. I'd almost rather have a root canal."

Law raised his eyebrows then nodded. "I agree with you, it's disgusting." He looked absolutely offended by Jess' existence at all sometimes. There was an uncomfortable pause and then he started, "Kade-ya. About last night…"

Yikes. He was just cutting right to the chase, addressing the elephant in the room the moment they were alone!

Kade visibly cringed, dragging a hand through her hair as she let out a sigh. There was no more hiding from it.

"Okay. I know. That was…" She paused, trying to keep her wits about her while he stood there, practically staring a hole right through her. "Look, the truth is, I owe you a huge apology. There's literally no excuse for what I did, or what I said, or…how drunk I got...ugh. I was absolutely out of line on so many levels. You have no idea how much I wish I could go back and change it, but I can't. All I can do is tell you that I'm so, so sorry, and I promise it'll never happen again."

Law stood there, watching her fumble with her apology, just taking all her awkwardness in. He realized he hadn't really been sure what he'd expected her to say, but it wasn't this. He didn't know how to respond, and was a bit surprised by the fact that he felt slightly less icy towards her after that little speech.

He shrugged after a minute, which may as well have been an hour to Kade.

"It's fine. You were drunk, and it's not like you tried to kill me. It could have been worse."

Kade felt herself wilt in an instant, as if all the wind had suddenly left her sails. She'd been ready to continue the discussion, to plead for her life, to at least have to throw her hands up in some sad form of futile defense as he used his Devil Fruit ability to chop her into tiny little pieces. Was that really it? Just like that? Wasn't he angry at her? Or, at the very least, disgusted by her? Indignant? Mildly infuriated, even?

She forced a chuckle, swinging her arms a bit. "Well, sure, I suppose it could have been a lot worse…" After all, Drunk Kade could have thrown in a love confession to hastily explain her actions instead of outright sprinting away from him like she had done. Yikes. The thought alone was mortifying enough! Best not to think about it!

"I'm serious, though," she continued hurriedly, "I know this probably doesn't mean much, but I really respect you. I'd hate for anything I did to jeopardize what little trust in me you have."

Law's face turned almost imperceptibly pink at that comment and he quickly turned his head away, feeling more awkward by the second. It was almost like some strange contest to decide which one of them was more awkward (though Kade didn't appear to have picked up on this, thankfully). What exactly this said about the whole situation, Law couldn't say.

Meanwhile, Kade couldn't begin to guess at what was going through the surgeon's head or why his face looked slightly less aloof than it normally did. But it wasn't as if she'd actually expected much of a response from him anyway; in fact, the lack thereof was probably a good sign. Law didn't have any problem telling people to fuck off when he didn't like them, after all. She figured it was best not to push her luck.

"Anyway," she said after a moment, "I also wanted to thank you for what you said back there. I'm really not sure that Nami and Robin would have been convinced if you hadn't vouched for us, especially since Nami doesn't seem to trust Jess at all. It sucks that you got dragged into it with us, but I'm grateful for it."

Law's face was back to normal at the mention of Jess; in fact, his expression probably held a little more animosity than usual. There was just something about her that rubbed him the wrong way...

He waved his hand dismissively at her. "The truth is the truth. I'd be an idiot if I didn't acknowledge it."

Kade was trying to suppress the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. 'No, Law, you're just a good guy,' was what she really wanted to say, but figured she'd already said enough.

Noticing the way she was looking at him, Law cleared his throat and turned towards the makeshift targets that were still set up on the deck from her last practice session.

"Well, you're not getting any stronger just standing there, so maybe I could help you with your training," he offered, still maintaining an air of apathy. "Still under the making sure you don't kill yourself clause," he added. Wouldn't want her to think he actually gave a fuck otherwise.

She nodded emphatically. "Right, of course. Maybe you could just admit you're bored and would rather not spend your time babysitting Caesar?" Kade shot him a grin, suddenly feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Also, I had no idea you were into archery."

"Oh, but I thought you knew everything about me because you've read my story back in your world," he shot back with a smirk. Kade-ya was the kind of person he'd want on his crew, Law thought suddenly; someone who wasn't an idiot like a few of the current members, bless their goddamn derpy hearts...and it became painfully obvious to him in that moment that he hadn't had a real conversation with someone in such a long time. He was always sneaking around in a way, getting intel, working towards his major goal. He didn't feel like he had to do that with her. It was kind of...nice.

"You're not the main character," Kade bantered back. "The author would much rather focus on guys who shove chopsticks up their nose. You'll be happy to know you're still pretty mysterious." She walked toward the targets he'd pointed out a minute ago. "You really think you can help me suck less at this?"

Law picked up an arrow that had been left on the lawn from an earlier session. Using his ability, he instantly stuck it onto the bullseye of the target.

"Like that?" He smirked, knowing that wasn't what she meant at all.

Kade's mouth dropped open in surprise; she hadn't even noticed him create a Room. What the hell?

Suddenly she laughed. "Okay, that's cheating!" She grinned, filled with glee at the look on his face. This was a side of him she hadn't really seen much of. "I thought we were training, not showing off."

Law chuckled, albeit a bit darkly, "I couldn't have you doubting my prowess with my devil fruit, could I? I guess I'll still have some surprises in store for my biggest fan after all." He didn't realize what he'd just said until it was too late...though the fact that she'd kissed him the other night had made it pretty obvious how she felt. Still, he hadn't wanted to bring it up again. Law froze, hoping he could gloss over it.

He cleared his throat as he searched for her bow, snatching it from where it was against the seating area of the mast and teleported the 'cheater' arrow back into his grasp. He notched it onto the string and pulled it back, letting it fly. The shot wasn't nearly as smooth as he'd hoped it would be, his focus a bit shaken after his accidental outburst. The arrow didn't come close to the bullseye, but he still hit the target, dammit! His ears burned slightly as he could feel Kade's gaze on him. He huffed as he quickly turned his attention to search for additional arrows strewn across the lawn.

Kade was just trying to act casual, but her mind was racing; biggest fan? Her normally deathly-pale complexion was suddenly flaming red. Was he just teasing her? She knew she'd probably drive herself crazy overanalyzing it later that night in lieu of sleeping, so she did her best to push it to the back of her mind for now, instead putting her focus on watching Law (which wasn't difficult). He hadn't hit the bullseye, but his form and the fact that he'd hit the target at all was telling enough for her.

"Been a while, huh?" She guessed he didn't really have a need for a bow and arrow these days.

The glare he shot back was her answer. He rolled his shoulders as he stood up, now holding his bounty of collected arrows.

"I'm just warming up."

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oOo

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Jess continued talking (more like arguing) with Nami for another half hour or so trying to explain her feelings for Sanji but finally she just couldn't talk anymore and left the room, exhausted.

"Man, all this nonsense is making me feel like Nami might actually have feelings for him," she murmured to herself. "Dammit I wanted to hook her up with Usopp… Well, too bad! I may not have seen him first, but I am his official girlfriend!" she proclaimed triumphantly to no one in particular as she made her way back to the kitchen, her eyes lighting up at the site of the curly-browed man who was at the sink washing dishes.

Sanji seemed to sense her presence and dropped the pan he was washing, immediately gushing as he spun around to face her. "JESS-SWAN~~~ You're back! I was so lonely~~~" He rushed over, practically floating in the air as he grabbed her hands while making disgustingly sweet faces at her. Hearts began to pop out from the top of his head.

"Darling! Nami just antagonized me for at least half an hour, she doubts my love for you..." Jess froze as her face turned a million shades of red and she looked away from him at the realization that she used 'the l-word' for the first time. "Ummm...ahh…"

Sanji blinked, his eyes going wide and his jaw falling agape, "J-Jess-swan...my princess...d-did you just say...?" He gulped, wondering if he'd heard right. "Ah, darling, did you…? Did...did you just say that you l-lo...love me?" He flushed an unearthly shade of red in anticipation of her reply.

The curly-haired woman covered her face with her hands in utter embarrassment, but at the same time she was relieved it was out in the open. "Oh gosh, I was trying not to use that word yet…" she stood there breathing for another few seconds, then gingerly uncovered her eyes, meeting Sanji's intense gaze. She reached up and brushed his hair back so she could see both his eyes as she completed her confession. "Y-yes...I do. I know it's strange, weird, too soon...whatever you want to call it, but I do. I do love you."

The chef's face flushed anew, this time a healthy shade of pink tinging his cheeks. A smile bloomed, growing wider and wider the more her declaration sinks in. He gasped dramatically, clapping a hand over his chest. "Y-you...YOU LOVE ME!" He crowed, more pink and red hearts exploding from seemingly nowhere. He couldn't believe this! A real, live woman was standing right in front of him, telling him she LOVED him! Could life possibly get ANY better?

"No, my sweet," he continued, "it isn't strange at all! I think this must be DESTINY! Oh, I knew it all along! It was love at first sight...our romance was written in the stars! It has to be! There's simply no denying it! When a man and a woman have the chemistry...the connection...that we do...well, I think it's only natural things would end up this way...don't you?" He reached for her and pulled her closer, his heart pounding a mile a minute and relishing in the physical contact that any other woman would have slapped him for. "I'm so happy to hear you say those things. I'm so happy! Because...my sweet, wonderful, mellorine princess...I love you, too!"

Jess felt a part of herself die inside at all the sweet things he was saying to her. "Oh Sanji, I want to believe that more than anything...that destiny brought me to you. Maybe...maybe it did...though I gave up on believing in such things a long time ago." Her face flushed until it was the same color as his and she let out a breathy sigh. "But how can you love me when you haven't known me that long? I wasn't even going to tell you how I felt this soon because it was so weird, but I can't seem to keep my mouth shut. Your face...so cute, so hopeful...I want to look at it everyday for the rest of my life…" she trailed off, her expression suddenly turning wistful.

This was doomed to failure, it had to be. It was too good to be true. Eventually she'd wake up back in the real world, the world where he only existed on paper. It sent a pang through her chest and her eyes welled-up, tears threatening to spill over.

Sanji leaned down closer in order to look her in the eye at her level, unable to help the giddy feeling upon being so close...close enough to feel the puffs of her breath on his skin. "Then please...please do," he said, as sincerely as he could manage under her wide-eyed and emotional gaze. "We can be together for the rest of our lives! We...we can grow old together, if you want that. We can do it all, my darling Jess-swan! All you have to do is stay with me." He gripped her hands more firmly, not sure why she looked as if she might cry, but he desperately wanted to make her happy and chase away every single one of her fears.

She squeezed his hands tightly as she felt the tears overflow in that moment, leaning against him and sobbing quietly into his shirt. "Why do you do this to me?" she managed to rasp between quiet sobs. "What if I can't stay with you? What if there are things that need to happen where you'll get hurt and I have to fucking let them?"

"No, no, no," Sanji murmured softly, his brow furrowing in confusion. He didn't understand what she was talking about, but his heart clenched painfully in his chest at the sound of her sobs. "Please don't cry, don't be sad…" He found that all he could do in that moment was hug her close, hoping that he could somehow drive away her sorrow. "Listen, whatever happens, we'll get through it together! I'm not sure I understand, but...I promise you that everything is going to be alright!"

"M-maybe you're right…" She wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to get all emotional on you. Let's...just be together. Can we go somewhere to be alone?" She blushed at this, never thinking in her wildest dreams she'd get to be alone with Sanji. What she planned to do with him, who could say? It would have to be something tame enough to not endanger his life.

The blond nodded eagerly, happy that she seemed to have perked up. "Of course we can! We can go anywhere you want, sweetheart," he crooned, a large heart floating up over his head as he resumed his regularly scheduled mushiness.

Jess blushed again, "Sanji...would you...would you kiss me?" She'd been thinking about it, spending nearly every waking moment recalling their brief and disastrous (yet mellorine) kisses and realized that she'd been the one who initiated all of them so far.

The pirate chef's eyes glossed over upon hearing her request. For a prolonged moment, he was unable to respond at all. He was sure that this was simply a dream...this woman standing before him, this beautiful, kind, sweet woman...his GIRLFRIEND...and she was asking him to KISS HER! Could it truly be real? Sanji had been asking himself this question over and over ever since she'd come into his life just a few short days ago. A few days… Most people would probably call him crazy, tell him he was rushing in like a fool as always...but those few days had felt like much more than that. Somehow, he felt connected to Jess, his mysterious admirer, in ways that he couldn't compare to anyone else. It didn't make sense not to call it destiny.

He drew a shaky break, his eyes traveling from her own to settle on those lips that she was asking him to kiss. A red blush darkened his cheeks as he dared not think any further. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the last time. He couldn't disappoint her again by ruining the moment!

Sanji nodded, looking very serious. He spoke in barely a whisper as he leaned forward. "If this is a dream...then I never want to wake up." With that, he closed the distance between the two of them, gently pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was tentative at first, but quickly became more passionate as his confidence grew. His hands left hers as the liplock continued, moving up to her shoulders, then threading into her hair as he pulled her ever-closer. "Jess-swan…"

Jess gasped against his lips as he pulled back briefly for air, only to quickly capture them again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and grabbed the hair on the back of his head, pressing herself against him as much as she dared. Her other hand trailed down his back and she drew tiny circles with her fingers over the taut muscles there. He tasted so much better this time, and she thought he either may have cut back on smoking or brushed his teeth in anticipation which she honestly found completely adorable. But, even if he tasted like an ashtray right now, she didn't think she'd care because, fuck, this was Sanji! Living, breathing, Sanji and he was kissing her like his life depended on it.

She didn't know if she could be satisfied with just kissing, but she was already walking a fine line between life and death with him. He was such a dumb, naive man and he could be such a pervert, but God how she loved him. Her heart swelled with joy as she became lost in his embrace, the feel of his body and his lips against hers, sighing with passion and pleasure, this feeling drowning out everything else.

.

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