Back Troubles by CidOtaku
Chapter 1: Beer and Cigarettes
One Piece Pairings: Sanji/Gin Rating: PG—PG-13
A/N: Oy! I'm not dead, just uninspired for the most part. But anyway, here is a story for a friend of mine who's been in a Sanji/Gin craze lately, and wanting some fanfiction. I'm not too familiar with the anime, so I'm very sorry for any mistakes, and would appreciate it greatly if there are any glaring errors for you guys to tell me ASAP! I'm expecting this to be about 3 chapters long. So this chapter might be a little short. Also, there shouldn't be too much more than cuddling going on between the two. I don't own One Piece. And the title of this chapter is partly inspired by a movie that I want to see when it comes out on DVD, "Coffee and Cigarettes". So that's all of the disclaimer stuff. Hope you all like it!
Sanji looked out the window, bringing his cigarette to his lips, and inhaled deeply. Luffy had stopped the ship at a small island, to pick up supplies and ask the locals of a small town about the area's surrounding waters. The island was quaint, but Sanji was bored and restless. Luffy had planned to stay only for a day or two, but had immediately grown attached to the town. And the local restaurants. Sanji had only frowned and gave an indifferent "Whatever." But he was a bit annoyed that Luffy would rather eat the food here when Sanji selflessly cooked delicious meals for the entire crew. While there wasn't many crew members, they all had appetites of several men each. Especially Zoro and Luffy, who would eat anything placed in front of them when hungry.
Sanji sighed and stood, paid for his drink, and was about to leave the bar when out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar blue-and-white striped headband. He turned quickly, and saw Gin sitting alone at a table, drinking from a large glass. Sanji raised his eyebrow, and walked over.
"Gin?" Sanji asked, noticing that Gin seemed tense, slouching over his glass and looking around the bar. As soon as Sanji called his name, Gin spun his body around, nearly spilling his drink.
"Sanji-san? Is that you?" Gin asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah, sorry I scared you…" Sanji said, grinning sheepishly.
"Oh, uh, it's alright, Sanji-san. I just wasn't expecting you." Gin quickly apologized, bowing his head. "Would you like to sit down?" He offered, gesturing to the seat in front of him. Sanji shrugged, and sat across from Gin.
"So you survived the poison gas then. I was worried. You looked pretty bad back there." Sanji stated, turning around to blow smoke from his cigarette to the couple behind him, chuckling as they glared at him, and chose another table farther away.
"So… Are you staying in this town, or are you just visiting for a while?" Sanji asked, trying to make conversation.
"I'm not sure yet. But I don't think I'll be staying here too much longer. There's nothing to do here." Gin said, frowning. "What about you? Isn't Luffy still searching for One Piece? This little town probably has nothing to offer besides supplies."
Grinning, Sanji agreed. "We were supposed to be here for a few days at the most. I'm hoping Luffy will let us leave soon. Zoro and him are just bumming around here. You'd think they were trying to empty every restaurant on the island."
Gin smirked. "I don't see why they pay to eat at these little dumpy places, when they've got an amazing cook working right on their ship." A waitress walking by frowned at the insult to the restaurant and walked away huffily.
"Heh… I guess I must not be that great of a cook then..." Sanji said, embarrassed by the compliment.
"That's not true Sanji-san!" Gin cried out indignantly. "You're a great cook! You helped Don Krieg and me and gave us food! Even when Don Krieg threatened your master, and when he ordered me to kill you, you never held it against me! And you're always working hard for Captain Luffy and his crew! You're one of the best people I know Sanji-san!"
Sanji raised his eyebrow at Gin's slight outburst. It was true he had offered Gin and Don Krieg food, but he had always felt it his obligation to feed anyone who came by the old restaurant he worked in. And he hadn't held a grudge against Gin because he was only following orders. While he did wish Gin hadn't tried to beat him to a pulp before realizing he couldn't kill him, Sanji respected Gin's loyalty to Don Krieg, even though Don was an absolute asshole. Gin must not have met many decent people if he held Sanji in such high esteem to risk his life for the cook not long after meeting him.
There was an awkward silence as the two sat there, Gin drinking and Sanji smoking. Eventually, Gin cleared his throat and stood up to stretch. Sanji watched as Gin extended his arms over his head and winced as his back made a painful popping sound.
"Is your back alright Gin?" Sanji asked, concerned.
"Oh, it's… nothing Sanji-san. I think I've just been sleeping on it bad for a few days." Gin assured, hurriedly sitting down again, calling the waitress over to collect the bill.
"Are you sure? You should have somebody take a look at it."
"It's nothing to get worried about Sanji-san…" Gin muttered.
Sanji frowned. Back troubles could get serious, especially if Gin was going to sail from the island by himself. There were pirates all around the waters, and if Gin was forced to continue fighting in that condition… "If you're not going to let a doctor look at it, at least let me see. I'm no doctor, but I think I could at least—"
"I'm fine." Gin growled, shoving coins into the waitress's hands. He glanced at Sanji. "It was good to see you Sanji-san, but I must leave. Tell your captain Luffy and the others I said hello." He quickly strode out of the bar, leaving Sanji to sit at the table alone.
