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By the time Luffy's had enough grilled sausages and cottage potatoes for second lunch to satisfy the hunger of an entire army, it's time for Sanji to start his dinner preparations and the whole crew has assembled in the lounge to watch the cook dance around the kitchen.

"Hey everyone, what do you think about beef stroganoff," Sanji asks over the drumming of Luffy's hands on the tabletop. He's already pulling ingredients down from the cabinets, herbs, a few onions and green things, yuck.

Luffy squints. "Strongnuff? I'm already strong enough."

"For dinner, idiot," Sanji says.

Nami reaches across the table and slaps her hands down over his to halt his nonsensical thumping. "Stro-ga-noff," she repeats, enunciating the syllables, obviously for his sake.

Luffy tilts his head and pretends to pay attention. "Oh, I see."

Nami narrows her eyes - she's not fooled, and Luffy purses his lips and slides his eyes off to watch Usopp busying himself at his workshop platform. He hears Nami sigh. "Of course you see," she mutters. "Listen, Luffy: it's got beef in it."

He looks back to her immediately, his tongue lolling out. "Oh?"

"Cognac, too," Sanji says, rummaging under the stove for a large heavy skillet. Zoro straightens in his seat next to Luffy.

"Is it sweet?" Chopper asks from his seat between Nami and Robin, his voice piping up over the clatter of heavy pots and pans.

"Not exactly," Sanji admits. "But it has a creamy dairy sauce."

"Oh, that sounds lovely, Cook-san."

"And - ah, shit." Sanji sets a large pot down on the stove with a frustrated clang. "It has mushrooms, too," he says, looking across the room to Usopp, who looks up and starts sweating just at the mention of the dreaded item in question.

"Oh? Are you allergic, Long-nose-kun?" Robin asks, even going so far as to lay her book down on the table as she glances between their cook and the sniper, her eyes gleaming with macabre interest. "Will your throat swell closed and suffocate you?"

"N-n-no!" Usopp squeaks.

Luffy would pound the table laughing but Nami still has his hands pinned, so he claps his bare feet under the table instead, kneeing Zoro in the process ("Oi!" Zoro growls, ramming him with an elbow). "Usopp ate a poison mushroom when he was a kid, the dummy," he exclaims, his straw hat bouncing off his head from the combined jostling of his own mirth and the shoving war started by his swordsman.

"I almost died," Usopp declares, leaping to his feet. He puffs out his chest and boasts, "It was by sheer force of my brave warrior's will that I overcame the ordeal! I hallucinated for five days, and you can't imagine the nightmares - "

Luffy dissolves into giggles.

"Like you've never eaten a poison mushroom, Luffy," Usopp yells, tossing a wrench across the room - but it bounces harmlessly off his rubbery skull and almost hits Nami in the face ("Usopp! I'm taking that out of your allowance!").

"Oh sure, me and Ace, we tried lots of mushrooms back home," Luffy says, not even noticing the exchange as he elbow-wrestles Zoro. "The Laughing Mushrooms are the most fun though!" Especially after Sabo l - but he turns his thoughts away from that.

"Not all mushrooms are poisonous," Robin says into the lull. "Certainly not Cook-san's cooking mushrooms."

"That's right," Sanji says, digging through the refrigerator - pulling out carrots, butter, the hated mushrooms - "We can even have Chopper identify them, if it'll make you feel better." He sets the ingredients on the counter and turns to grin at the little reindeer. "He'll know damn well if they're poisonous. Isn't that right, Dr. Chopper?"

Luffy laughs as his doctor wiggles in his seat, waving his arms in dismissal, though he can't help but notice the wet shine of his beady dark eyes. "O-o-of c-course I can~!" he squeals, "Y-you c-can't make me happy by calling me doctor~ you bastard~!"

"Well, come and have a look-see." Sanji gestures to the pounds of mushrooms on the counter and leaves them to the reindeer's inspection so he can retrieve a mouthwateringly huge chunk of roast from the freezer.

"These are just Portabellos," Chopper announces, after a moment of perhaps too thorough inspection, hopping down to return to his seat. "Perfectly edible, nothing to worry about!" He blows out a gusty breath, like he was worried, but he answers Luffy's grin with a dimpled nose-crinkling one of his own.

"See? How's that, Long-nose?" Sanji pauses and leans against the counter as he draws out a cigarette, lighting it with a practiced flick despite a slight tremor in his hands. Luffy narrows his eyes. "Think you can give some perfectly damn edible Portabellos a try? Or do I need to change my perfectly good recipe just for you?" Their cook lowers a curly brow at the sweating sharpshooter, taking a pull off his cigarette so the ember glows, a flickering smolder across his serious expression.

Usopp rises to the challenge, practically inflating with pride. "I'm the Bravest Warrior of The Seas, The Great Captain Usopp-sama, aren't I? No mushroom can triumph over my Herculean strength! In fact, I'll have you know, I'm now immune to - "

"Yeah, yeah, thanks for your input, Captain Long-nose," Sanji interrupts, blowing rings of smoke toward the ceiling. He turns back to the counter and starts arranging foods for chopping. Luffy squeezes his hands into fists under Nami's and purses his lips - no one else is watching their cook, but Luffy catches the slight limp as he moves about the kitchen, the careful way he holds himself, not putting too much weight on his right leg - and he can see the bulge of the knee brace under his pant leg.

"Luffy?" Nami's voice is hushed, and her hands press his fists.

"Nothin'," he mumbles, shifting his gaze to the tablecloth. "I'm just hun - "

"Don't you fuckin' dare," Sanji cuts in, whirling around to brandish his cutting knife, "say that shitty word! I just finished filling that fuckin' pit of yours and we don't have enough food for you to eat seven meals a day!"

There's a strained silence for a few heartbeats, as Sanji puffs clouds of smoke through gritted teeth like an overtaxed train, but then Luffy pushes his lips out and blows a raspberry and Chopper giggles and blows one back from across the table.

Nami is all seriousness, though. "Sanji, are we running low?"

"Aahh, Nami-swaaan~!"he croons, his wrath vanishing like his cigarette smoke. "Please don't worry your beautiful head, there's more than enough for you and Robin-chan~ Feeding our fool captain, on the other hand… Would you please consider getting a refrigerator with a Luffy-proof lock?"

"Maaaybe," Nami says to a chorus of "Boo boo!" from Luffy (and Chopper, imitating him), "but only after we get Merry all fixed up."

"Nami-swan is lovely and merciful~!" Sanji sings.

"We can't run out of food, Sanji," Luffy whines, "what will I eat?"

Sanji sighs and turns back to his chopping. "Much as I damn hate to agree with you, we do need to replenish our stores. That idiot marimo ("I'll fuckin' cut you, shitty cook!") and I will go ashore to hunt tomorrow - "

"No!" Chopper rises from his seat and jumps onto the tabletop. "How many times do I have to tell you two to take it easy! Especially you, Sanji!"

Luffy gapes at Chopper's sudden forwardness - and Sanji reacts even worse to the assumed slight to his vigor, spinning around so fast his knee almost gives out - and that just stokes the fire of his ire more. "Well who the fuck else is goin' to get you fools food!" he yells.

Chopper's wide stance falters and the little reindeer gulps - a second's glance to Luffy for support, and Luffy grins encouragement - "I-I-I will," he declares. "U-U-Usopp and I will g-go hunting tomorrow!"

"Wh-what?!" Usopp exclaims from across the room. "Why me?"

Chopper glares, and Nami, too, behind him - Usopp backpedals and lifts his chin a brave extra inch. "Of course, if the Good Doctor needs my Brave Expert Aid, I will gladly give it."

Chopper squirms, but puts off his bashful dance in favor of throwing beady black visual daggers at Zoro and Sanji both. "Well, does that satisfy you two? Can you please rest? I swear, you're the worst - "

"Shit, Chopper, fine! I damn get it already," Sanji grits out, turning back to his chopping with a more pronounced limp than before.

"Zoro?" Chopper waits, hooves on his hips.

Zoro shifts, pressing his right shoulder against Luffy's, as if he can hide the injured arm from view. "I'll get bor - "

"Zoro!"

"I guess I can go one day without training," he allows, propping his chin on his left hand, looking bored already.

"Thank you," Chopper sighs and clambers back down to his seat. He lays his head on the tabletop and groans.

"Are you quite alright, Doctor-san?"

"These monkeys are driving me up the wall," the little reindeer mumbles.

"It'll be an hour or so until dinner's ready," Sanji says, his voice gentle with apology, though he doesn't turn from his chopping. "Why don't you have a kip in the meantime?"

"I couldn't," he protests, but Nami adds, "Even the Good Doctor needs some rest some time, right?" and while the reindeer flushes and fidgets, Robin pulls his head down into her lap. He's out before his next objection has even crossed his lips as an incoherent mutter, his blue nose burrowed against Robin's abdomen.

A hush falls over the lounge, broken only by the methodic thunk thunk thunk of Sanji's cutting blade on the chopping board, and the occasional metallic clink as Usopp fiddles with his current project. Zoro joins Chopper in the dreamworld, snoring into his hand.

"San~ji," Luffy pleads into the calm, "can I please have the extra straaaawberries, at least?"

Sanji sighs and hunches his shoulders. He lays the knife down and reaches for the coveted bowl of leftover long strawberries. "Fine, but only because you asked so nicely," he says as he crosses to set the bowl in front of Luffy.

Luffy stares at the juicy fruits until Sanji has limped back to his chopping, then lifts his gaze to Nami. Caught in the act of studying him, she blinks and straightens. "Are you gonna feed me?" he asks with a grin.

She scrunches her nose at him. "Why would I do that?" she demands, twisting her mouth like the idea is repulsive, but Luffy only laughs.

"Because you won't let go of my hands!"

"Ah!" Nami releases him like she's been holding venomous snakes and only just realized. Her cheeks glow but she puffs them out with a pout. "Feed yourself, you rubbery dork," she huffs, crossing her arms.

"Suit yourself," Luffy says, popping one of the ripe berries into his mouth before slithering down under the table to lie on his back.

He rolls the berry around in his mouth, and even though he's not really hungry, he hums to the gush of sugary juice across his tongue and licks the sticky liquid off his lips.

"Luffy," Nami says, her voice low, "don't you dare - "

He touches her leg to let her know where he is - she jerks in surprise, almost kicking him in the head, but relaxes when all he does is wrap his left hand around her ankle.

Luffy looks around from his new vantage point. It's a good spot, well-hidden by the tablecloth - it's perfect, but he'll take his time, maybe have another fruit… He stretches his hand up to the tabletop, gropes around for the bowl - only to have his hand gripped tight by another.

"Luffy," Nami says with an edge of warning, "You'll knock the whole bowl over."

He tenses, waits for the slap on his wrist that will surely come -

Instead, the hand holding his softens, turns his over, velvety fingertips smoothing his fingers open - and then a strawberry is placed in his palm and his hand is released without a word.

He draws his hand back under the table. She's given him the fattest berry in the bowl and he places it against his lips for a moment, breathing in the fresh sugared fragrance of its skin, before he presses his teeth into the plump flesh. He's rewarded with a syrupy flood of juice that nearly overflows his mouth. He slurps it down noisily but the fruit is practically bleeding candied heaven that pours into his mouth with every pass of his tongue.

He squeezes Nami's ankle and hears her soft answering chuckle, muffled by the table's scarred planks.

"You're welcome, Captain."

He's determined to get a picture of everyone, this time, so he glances around, still sucking on the strawberry, drawing little circles on Nami's ankle with his thumb.

Zoro's an easy target, slouched all the way over now and sawing logs louder than ever. From under the table, all Luffy can see are his legs, his bare feet and scarred ankles, the bottom edge of his jagged abdominal scar where it disappears into his haramaki - and his right arm hanging slack across his thighs, burnt and bruised bicep just barely within view where it leans against the edge of the tabletop.

Luffy reaches into his sweatshirt and pulls the picture dial out. He wants to get everything in the shot - it's not very often he gets an up-close inspection of Zoro's ankle scars, and he almost chokes on his strawberry laughing when he remembers he got those scars trying to cut his own feet off just to escape that trap on Little Garden.

There's strawberry juice in his nose and he snorts as he lifts the dial up and tilts it on its side, smelling and tasting the honeyed liquid at the same time. But Zoro fills the little window inside the box, scars, burns and all, and Luffy grins around the mangled fruit in his mouth and presses the button.

Beyond his swordsman, Usopp curses under his breath, bending over his work. Luffy adjusts his aim, sucking the remains of the strawberry into his mouth and pushing the fruit off to one cheek so he can stick his tongue out and lap up the excess juice on his lips.

He watches his frustrated sniper through the viewfinder. He's tinkering with some dials and - is that Nami's Clima Tact? - Usopp's lips purse as turns the Skypiean relics over and over as if deciding which will work best, and a wrinkle slowly deepens between his brow as he discards dial after dial.

Then he happens upon a small round red shell and his face brightens with a grin, the creases lifting away as his eyes widen, and Luffy presses the button before he's even decided that it's what he wants - but Usopp sets to work on a length of blue steel, muttering some technical nonsense to himself.

Luffy rolls over to face the other side of the table, gripping Nami's ankle for leverage. She must have felt the shift because her hand appears under the tablecloth with another strawberry.

He oohs his appreciation, but his hands are occupied so he leans up on an elbow and takes the fruit in his mouth. His lips brush her fingertips - she jerks her hand back with an outraged, "Luffy!" but he sniggers around the strawberry, his lips tingling like he's been zapped.

He lies back again, still chuckling as Nami grumbles overhead. Juice gushes over his tongue but he's already turning his attention to his next target - Chopper, and Robin.

His little reindeer snuffles in his sleep, his ears twitching with busy dreams. Robin lays a hand on his head, cradling him like he's a baby as her fingers massage his fuzzy ear.

Luffy purses his lips but almost loses his strawberry. Sucking the fruit into his mouth, he angles the picture dial so he can see up past the tablecloth, past Robin's long legs peeking through her robe, to the quiet smile on her face. He can tell she's returned to her book, her eyes tracking back and forth across pages he can't see. She's probably propped the book up with an extra hand.

He bites down on the berry before wrapping his tongue around it, smearing the sweet nectar around his mouth as he adjusts the dial this way and that, trying to decide what the best angle is.

Finally, he turns the dial on its side again, filling the image inside the window with the long smooth length of her crossed legs, Chopper's ear twitching against her fingertips, and best of all, the slight open curve of her upturned lips - it's just what he's looking for and he presses the button without a second's hesitation.

Four down, two to go.

Luffy tilts his head and looks up at Nami - well, at her legs, her free foot tapping its sandaled heel against the planks, jogging her knee and making the toned muscles of her thigh jump.

He flips the strawberry around in his mouth, squeezing out the last of its juice with his molars before swallowing it, thinking - a picture of just her lap seems boring, even though her toes curl as his fingers trace circles around the knob of her ankle and he can picture her nose scrunching as she suppresses a giggle.

He almost giggles himself. Instead, he pulls himself up and tucks his head and chest into her lap, letting his right hand with the dial fold against his lap - careful to keep the tablecloth draped over his head, of course, so she won't see his secret activities - clandestine, a word he saw in one of Robin's books, a good fat word leaden with mystery, especially since he had to ask her what it meant.

Nami shifts under his sudden weight, but much to his surprise, she doesn't shove him off. Luffy presses his cheek into the satiny slope of her thigh, savoring the contrast between the rough denim of her shorts and the shift of silken skin over hard muscle.

He feels the tablecloth move, and then her fingers comb through his hair, mussing it and then smoothing it back from his forehead. Her left hand, he thinks, and he releases her ankle, brushing his own left hand up her calf to take hers - yes, he knows it as soon as his fingers graze over the small ridge of scar tissue on the back.

Not a battle scar like Zoro's. He pulls the hand down his cheek, smiling as the matching scar on her palm rasps against his lips. No, these scars are from protecting Usopp from the monsters of her worst nightmares, the only way Nami knew how.

And that's just as worthy of praise, though Nami probably doesn't want any - she doesn't think scars are cool, after all - so instead of saying anything, Luffy strokes his thumb up across her palm, forcing her fingers to unfurl, and presses a kiss to the pale ridge for two, three heartbeats that he counts with the pulse thrumming like a little bird against his lips.

When he releases her hand, she catches his, her fingers curling over his, her arm curving over his back. Her free hand takes up the other's previous diversion, threading fingers through the choppy mess of hair on his brow.

He could fall asleep, easily - take that, Chopper - but he can't quit in the middle of a mission. So he lifts his right hand up with the dial facing him nestled in Nami's lap - well, he hopes it's facing them - it's difficult to tell, without looking through the little window - but there aren't many other places to point it at, really, so Luffy aims as best he can and presses the button.

Sanji's the last of his nakama, and Nami's shifting arm has kindly lifted the tablecloth enough for Luffy to aim the dial at his busy cook without leaving his cozy spot.

There are more ingredients on the counter now than Luffy cares about - only one item is at all important to him, and that's the one Sanji is cubing with swift, sure strokes: the meat.

Of course he can only get a picture of Sanji's back, but this is his cook's native habitat, his kitchen, his cutting board, his knife. Even shifting with clear discomfort on and off his injured right leg, Sanji is more at ease in the Merry's brick kitchen than any place else on the ship, or maybe even in the world. He's even put out his cigarette, unfinished - an unusual show of waste, but maybe he intends to pick it back up later.

"Nami," Luffy says as he peeks through the window to aim, "can we please set sail tomorrow, after we get all the meat?"

He knows the answer before she even heaves a sigh, but her voice covers the quiet click of the dial as he captures Sanji, last of all, bending his right leg to give his knee yet another break.

"No, Luffy, you know we can't, not until our doctor deems our crew seaworthy. And that means you, Zoro and Sanji need to rest."

Luffy grins and nuzzles his face into her thighs, tucking the picture dial away for now.

"Right, rest," he says into her lap, making her wriggle - but before she can protest, he does just that.

-x-

(A/n) A little of everything for y'all~ You're welcome! 3