.: Since we are about to get into plot developments, I figured we could use a bit of a buffer in content. Sanji and Aurilee have a new relationship dynamic, after all. Why not explore it a tiny bit? Besides, this is their only chance to have alone time together until we reach the final arc of this story. Might as well enjoy it now. The next chapter will probably be a long one like the previous, but we'll see. :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 30:

Calm Before the Storm

It was dark in the cabin when Aurilee finally took her nap, but it was way darker when she opened her eyes again. There was no fatigue when she sat up, just confusion. The nap was supposed to last until dinner was ready. Something told her she was never awoken. As she turned to evaluate the rest of the room, she noticed how the two hammocks were occupied by Nami and Robin. They were fast asleep. If she was correct, then she slept a full eight hours.

Only an investigation would answer her questions. She slipped on some long sleeves and left without a sound. There was absolutely no hint of sunshine or activity from the crew. When she stepped outside, the night sky was starless. Merry stayed securely anchored in a bay with a gentle current pushing her. Aurilee went to the side to check out where they were at. There were many ships around them, a couple of them lit up with people still awake. On land, there was no sign of a town at all. They must have made it to Lone Star Island.

The sound of metal being beat against made her look up the stairs. There was never a time when every crewmate was asleep at the same time. At least one person pulled an all-nighter to keep watch. If she was correctly keeping track of the rotation, then it was Usopp's turn for night watch. She ascended the stairs to find out for sure.

The lights in the kitchen were on. When Aurilee peeked inside the cracked-open door, she looked toward the table, expecting the long-nosed sniper to be fully immersed in a new invention. It was completely empty. She shifted her small line of sight until she saw Sanji bent over with his cigarette hovering over the stove. He was trying to light it, but something was not cooperating. He must have beaten on the stove out of frustration.

A little stream of smoke eventually wafted, and he stood up straight. He gave the biggest inhale he could muster, held it for a second, and then suddenly blew everything out all at once. If "I'm stressed out" had an illustration, that was exactly what it would be.

Sanji was one who could go from one emotion to another in an instant. She watched it happen when she lightly knocked and nudged the door open. His face went from stressed, to curious, to delighted. She was wearing the same clothes from earlier, and her belly stuck out from her open cardigan. It was the cutest thing to see! "Aurileeee~" he melodized with a big smile and open arms. "I was praying to be blessed with your presence this fine evening."

"I thought it was Usopp's night to be the lookout," she said.

He quickly stuffed the cigarette he worked hard to light. "It is, but I asked to switch with him."

"Why?"

"Well, you missed dinner because you were sleeping so good. I wanted to make sure you got something to eat if you woke up."

"Big fat if."

"I took a gamble, and it was worth it." He twirled so fast and gracefully across the room that he resembled a twister. When he stopped right in front of her, his eye was a heart. "Just like how all ladies are worth it to me."

She could not help but smile and avert her gaze. "You still want me?"

"I will never not want you." He then brought her hand to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Whatever it is you desire, I shall fulfill it."

Was it getting hot in here? Or was she just getting another hot flash? She also swore there were butterflies in her stomach, but then she realized it was just morning sickness. Her hunger was gnawing at her. "I'd be okay with heated up leftovers," she revealed.

He reluctantly let her go to start prepping something. "There's no leftovers, unfortunately. But even if there was, I would prefer a lady get the freshest quality possible."

"What was for dinner?"

"Lobster thermidor."

"That sounds fancy."

"Would you like something just as fancy?"

She took a seat at the table as he stroked knives together. "I don't need anything too big– Ooh! I know! I want cheese."

He chuckled at how straightforward she was being. "That's all you want? Cheese?"

"Maybe something with a lot of cheese in it."

"Pasta? A sandwich? Chips and dip?" He opened the fridge to see what different types he had in stock.

Her mouth started to water. "A sloppy grilled cheese sandwich sounds so good right now."

"Coming right up." He grabbed different blocks of cheese, some butter, and a loaf of bread. A grilled cheese was not hard to make, but the method to make one was what made the difference in quality. The butter was melted in a pan and seasoned, bread and cheese were sliced on a cutting board, and things began to sizzle when it was all combined. "Is this a craving?" he asked out of curiosity.

"I'm gonna say yes."

"You don't seem to have those often. I kind of figured three babies meant triple the intensity of the symptoms."

"I did have really, really bad morning sickness in the beginning. It doesn't hit me as hard nowadays."

Sanji was not a doctor by any means, but he knew that women's bodies changed a lot while they carried the unborn. Bigger breasts, bigger hips (he blushed at the thought.) There were also constant aches and pains. But the odd changes included hormonal mood swings, changes in appetite and smell sensitivities, and increased fatigue. It all seemed unpredictable. What he could not ignore, however, was the correlation between the stages of pregnancy and how different symptoms manifested. "You're in the second trimester, right?"

"It doesn't look like I am, but yes."

"I hear that's generally the most peaceful trimester. First and third you're always throwing up, tired, and hurting."

"Yeah, I can agree with that. I do have back pain and my feet ache, but I'm definitely hungrier than I am sick or tired."

Sanji pushed the two slices of bread around the pan so they could soak up more butter, and he kept an eye on the cheese as it softened. "If that's the case, would you like a dessert with this, too?"

She giggled. "I'll think about it, but the answer will probably be yes."

Skillfully, he combined the two halves of the sandwich and gave it a few flips before transferring it to a clean plate. "One sloppy grilled cheese," he announced as he sliced it diagonally.

When he slid it in front of her, she was mesmerized by how much cheese was overflowing from the middle. The bread was a golden yellow and moist to the touch. It was indeed sloppy, but also pretty to look at. She felt another dirty joke wanting to escape, but since it was just the two of them, she shut it down. "Thank you," she said mischievously.

He caught on to the hint in her tone. "Is it sloppy enough for you?"

She snickered at the wording he chose. "You're tempting me to make a joke, but you'll judge me if I say it."

"You've been cracking jokes all day," he pointed out as he took a seat next to her. "Go on. Get it over with."

Her ears grew hot in embarrassment, but she grabbed half of the sandwich to watch the cheese stretch deliciously. "I just…didn't think I'd get your sloppy seconds."

At first, Sanji did not understand. Sloppy seconds was a sexual term, he knew that. What did that have to do with her sloppy– Oh. He gave her an aghast expression before he started laughing. Making his meals with love was not the same as making love to his meals. If it was one of the guys making that claim, he would have given them a kick, but because it was Aurilee saying it, he found it comical.

Aurilee shamefully took a bite of the half she was holding as she giggled like a little kid. She was both tickled by Sanji's acceptance of her joke and his reaction. What she did not fully understand yet, however, was that his mind was also in the gutter a lot. Racy comedy was right up his alley.

When their fit eased, he had to tap into his chivalrous behavior. "Are you okay? Or is this a cry for help?"

She covered her mouth as she swallowed while trying not to choke from laughing. "No, I'm not okay," she answered, "but I'm having a lot of fun. So, it balances out."

Her attitude was positive, but her words hinted at something else going on. He let her get a few more bites in as he grabbed a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. "Would it be a stupid question to ask why you're not okay?"

"I mean, you want to get an idea of what goes on in this messed up head of mine?"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

One of the many qualities Aurilee liked about the cook was how careful and aware of her boundaries he was. He always asked permission before doing something, regardless of how harmless it was. His worst fear was making her flinch. She would have opened up to him even if he had not trodden lightly. After finding out about the loss of his mother, she was more than willing to reveal her darkest aspects. "Well, I have PTSD. Chopper says it makes me think about my trauma all the time against my will. A lot of it is sexual, unfortunately."

He sipped his red wine. There was concern rising within him. Although he, too, thought about things like that, her perspective was far different. She never consented to such deeds. If it was constantly on her mind, then of course she would always be stressed out and struggling.

"I've just gotten to where I'm tired of hating my life over it. I'm ready for a change. Why not laugh about it? Laughing is fun, right?"

He smiled. "Yeah."

She smiled back at him. Whether or not he truly understood her method of coping remained to be seen. At least he was accepting of it. "I'm still getting help, and I'm working on myself. There's just something about making fun of my pain that makes the process easier."

"You're not agonizing over it. That part of your grieving is done."

"Exactly. It's time to move on."

"Time to move on to motherhood," he advocated with his wine glass raised.

"Oh god," she replied. "The battle has only begun."

He chuckled. "You'll do great. Give yourself some credit. Only the strongest can survive what you have. Raising kids will be a walk in the park in comparison."

Entertained by his confidence, she raised her grilled cheese into the air to bump it against his glass. "I'll eat to that."

"That's the spirit," he said, tipping his head back to drink.

She joined him by trying to stuff the rest of the half in her mouth. He watched it happen, and it happened so fast and unexpectedly that he choked on his wine. Seeing him try not to spit it out got her laughing with her mouth full. Sanji pressed his hand to his mouth as his diaphragm convulsed. His eyes almost watered from trying to keep his wine from spewing. Meanwhile, Aurilee was trying to not inhale despite having a good gag reflex.

When he finally forced himself to swallow so he could properly laugh, she found herself able to follow suit. They were both having a good time. Sanji decided to have a little bit of perverted fun with her. "I never thought I'd see you so eager to stuff something in your mouth," he scrutinized.

She busted out laughing and rested her elbows on the table so she could hold her face in embarrassment.

"You seriously one-throated that thing like a freaking pelican. God damn."

She threw her head back with her diaphragm clenched so hard that it silenced her laugh. Then she inhaled a little too hard. A loud snort sounded off as a result. It surprised both of them, and suddenly they were both on the floor. Their chairs squeaked against the hardwood as they either slid off or toppled over. Aurilee snorted a second time, and it made Sanji wheeze as all the air was pushed out of his lungs.

Aurilee sat in total surrender to her silent hysterical laughter. She started rocking back and forth as she watched Sanji's finally muster a deep breath that relieved his face of its red tint. Their laughter bounced off one another. They thought it was contagious. Sanji was completely sprawled on his back as he continued falling silent just to make noise again and rile things up again.

The door flew open, but neither of them realized it. All that was seen was the pair clutching their stomachs on the floor with their eyes squeezed shut. "Wake up the whole harbor, why don't you," Zoro spoke with a hint of drowsiness.

"I'm gonna die!" Sanji cried out with pitch in his voice.

Aurilee opened her eyes to see the swordsman standing in the doorway. Instead of getting the idea that they should quiet down, she started laughing louder.

"I always thought you both should get a room, but this isn't what I had in mind."

"You missed me testing my gag reflex," Aurilee told him.

Sanji's foot hit the floor once, but he could feel his fit coming to an end. His fingers brushed through his hair as he started calming down.

"Just keep it down, will you?" Zoro chastised as he disappeared to go back to his comfy hammock.

Aurilee shook her head with a smile that was starting to hurt her cheeks. She looked down at the cook to see he was catching his breath. There was nobody else who ever unraveled her like that. Saying Sanji was her friend was an understatement. Her dark humor complemented his perviness quite well. Something told her there would be plenty more moments like these, and she was all for it.