It scared him how silent she was being.
Ever since that first bounty poster, he'd hadn't heard a single thing about Strauss. Not from the residents, nor from any news article…
It was as if she'd dropped off the face of the world.
Sanji gnawed his cigarette into a pulp. He knew he was being irrational here, and downright idiotic to boot but could he help it? This was Strauss for crying out loud! His coworker! His best friend! His…
Sighing, he slumped back against the Sunny's stern. The smoke wavered, dancing merrily up and up until it disappeared into nothingness.
They never had defined things… had they. And for the most part he had been glad for it. What if he told her everything and she… she left him! It was unthinkable, inconceivable, an impossible thought…
But what if?
He could faintly hear his crewmates laughing in the galley, a new sound of 'Yohohoho~' joining the happy chorus.
If he had told her. If he had tried to break down that boundary and showed her just what she meant to him…
Would she be with him now? Would she be laughing with the others over a poorly phrased 'skull joke'. Not that he could ever see her laughing about something like that but… the thought remained.
"Oi."
Dammit. Right at the exact moment he didn't want to be disturbed. Sanji grimaced. "The hell're you doing here, Marimo?"
"It's a free ship, ya shitty cook." With a grunt the swordsman flopped down beside him, cracked open a bottle, and took a quick slug.
Whatever. Sanji rolled his eyes. He'd probably doze off again within the next minute. For all that he thoroughly 'enjoyed' his rivalry with the swordsman, he couldn't deny that the guy really knew when to keep silent.
"You're thinking about her. Aren't you."
Though apparently that skill had evaded him tonight. "Who, Nami-san? Of course I'm thinking about her, she's on my mind every waking moment of the-"
"I mean her. That chic from that restaurant. The waitress, Stress."
"I think you mean Strauss," he couldn't help but hiss through his teeth.
"Yeah her. The one you got so worked up about because she got herself a bounty."
Was he trying to rile him up?! If so, he'd improved since by god it was working.
"What if I was?" Sanji rounded on him. "It's none of your business what I think and who I think about, so quit prying!"
Oof that was pathetic, and even he knew it. But… Zoro didn't respond. Had he finally dozed off or something? No, his eyes were open at least, staring blankly ahead at the shadowed waves lapping at Sunny's hull.
"I once had someone like her."
H...HUH?! Had the Marimo finally gotten his brains knocked out of him or something?!
"Y'know, you should just be glad that someone that important to you is still out there somewhere. There's at least a chance that you guys'll cross paths. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, so be it. But it ain't worth moping over." Zoro's brow furrowed. "'Cause if you mope, that just means you'll have less to tell once you finally meet up."
He.. was he dreaming? Was this Mosshead really… trying to comfort him? Had the pork in the kitchen sprouted wings?! This was… a damn miracle if he'd ever seen one! And he didn't think he liked it!
"Right!"
He got startled by a hasty slap to the back.
"I've gone and said what I wanted to say." Zoro straightened, swinging effortlessly to his feet. "So get that dumb look off your face already. It looks weird enough as it is with those dart-board eyebrows. You're freaking Luffy out."
So that was it. Sanji chuckled and ran a limp hand over his face. God he was such an idiot. Of course it meant nothing. Who knew what that damn swordsman was trying to say.
All that mattered was the message he'd taken away.
"I'll keep that in mind, bastard."
His sole response was a grunt and a wave of the hand before Zoro disappeared out of sight. Sighing, Sanji eyed that bottle he'd left. It wasn't one of the swordsman's usual sakes, instead focusing more on mellow taste and rich flavours. The sort of thing the guy wouldn't be caught dead drinking.
Raising it to his lips, he gave it a swig.
Might be why the bottle had been barely touched.
"This…" Strauss's eyebrow twitched. "This can't be happening…"
"Oh?" Sanji smirked back, twirling his perfectly vertical leg around tauntingly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"It took me months to perfect that… Months..."
And it had taken him less than a week. Ugh. Strauss felt like smacking her head against a brick wall. How was this fair?! HOW?! Was the universe out to get her? Or was this damn idiot so perfect he could do anything he put his mind to?
Probably the second. She stole a glance at him over her shoulder. Sanji, oblivious to her scrutiny, had completely forgotten about teasing her and instead started practicing his kicks to this new angle.
He really was too damn perfect.
That night with the wine still ran through her head sometimes. When he'd told her that terrible secret of his and they'd fallen asleep on each other's shoulders. Even after some time, it still gleamed bright inside her head.
I've liked you for a while now…
Had she seriously said that? Out loud?! Alcohol was a dangerous substance… but it couldn't fabricate lies. Not ones as fundamental as that.
She did like Sanji. And more than the friendly way. This was… family love? Maybe? Okay probably not, but it wasn't as if she had anything else to go off of. Her life so far had been work, work, and more work. The connections she'd had were strained at best. How the hell was she supposed to define something like this if she didn't even know the definitions to begin with!
How was she supposed to figure out whether he felt that way about her…
"Oi Strauss! Check this out, I can bend my leg over my head!"
Never mind. She sighed, a small smile flitting over her lips. Things were fine as they were. She couldn't even understand herself, so it wasn't worth losing sleep over anyone else. All she was able to do was keep on moving, one foot in front of the other, and let the cards fall as they may. She could handle the consequences, but the last thing she wanted was to get a rushed answer by forcing things onto him he wasn't prepared to face.
"Strauss? You okay?"
"Sure!" Turning on her heel, she immediately felt an amused scowl begin to form. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Cool right?!" Sanji beamed as he tried his hardest to hide the massive strain running through his body. "I didn't realise I could bend my leg so far. Your training is awesome."
"Are you planning on tearing a muscle?"
"No?"
"Ripping a tendon?"
"...no?"
"Damaging your kidneys?"
"What?!"
"Then stop doing that and lower your leg." A tired hand ran down Strauss's face. "Seriously… It's like you don't know basic anatomy or something…"
"I do, alright?" Sanji begrudgingly lowered his foot to the ground, scratching at the back of his head as he did so. "But I guess I never realised how important stuff like that really is."
"It cost my dad his livelihood."
"Oh… ah…" The smile immediately spluttered. "I'm… I'm so sorry… I should have realised it sooner that it was… Oh god I'm an idiot..."
She merely shrugged. "No biggie. It's been and gone and I've moved past it. Might as well learn what I can from it and put it aside."
Sanji paused, lips parted into a slight 'o' of surprise. She could figure out why. Months ago she wouldn't have been able to even think like that, let alone joke about it. But… it was different now. After all that time and all that effort and emotional stress she'd been forced through, she was grateful to be able to look back calmer than ever before.
It made the world seem that much brighter.
"As long as you're happy…" Sanji muttered under his breath. "Then I guess it's fine… But please, don't joke about it like that. You almost gave me a damn heart attack."
"That's fair." Reaching out, she gave his hair a light ruffle. "Thanks for worrying about me though."
He jolted a few steps back. "D...don't mention it… Of course I'd worry about you! What the hell're you talking about!"
"Or course of course. Well-" She made her way towards the door, grabbing her towel from the railing as she went- "It's almost 10. We'd better get ourselves ready for the customers. I'm taking first shower!"
"Uh… Strauss?"
"Hm?" She blinked over her shoulder.
"Is it… Is it really true that… I could damage my kidneys by doing the splits? Is that… something that can happen?"
She couldn't resist snorting. Oh that idiot… that absolutely lovely and naive idiot!
"H-hey stop laughing! Strauuuuss… It's not funny! IT'S NOT!"
"I CAN'T HELP IT! YOU HONESTLY BELIEVED ME?! REALLY?!"
"WELL YEAH YOU LOOKED SO SERIOUS WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO THINK?! YOU NEVER JOKE LIKE THAT! NEVER! I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH ME!"
"Maybe I should start…"
"NO! DON'T YOU EVEN DARE!"
She could stay like this. She could stay like this for a long long time, and still be as happy as she was. This was her home. Sanji was home.
At least…he was until some months later. When a stray cannonball blew up Manager Zeff's office.
And she lost her guiding light.
She hadn't known it was a cannonball at the time of course. All she felt was the impact. While she was halfway down the spiral stairs with arms laden with the customers' food, the entire ship shook. It wasn't much, merely a light shimmy from side to side, but it was enough to set the alarm bells ringing inside her head.
The Baratie was a sea faring restaurant. It boasted 'a perfectly smooth dining experience for all customers' and so was built with enough dampening to smooth out any waves or tremors that might occur. It had shocked her on many occasion when she glanced out the window expecting a smooth sunlit sea, only to to see a storm raging just outside.
So if she had actually felt the ship shake… something was terribly terribly wrong.
A pair of hands reached out to steady her arms. "Are you alright, Strauss?"
"Yeah…" She turned back to Sanji, noticing the same level of panic and shock in his eyes. "You?"
He nodded, leaning forwards to whisper into her ear. "Sounded like it came from upstairs…"
"That's what I thought… Do you wanna go and check?" She quickly glanced around the room. It was a quiet day, many of their reservations only coming in later. "I can handle myself down here for a bit."
"No… I couldn't let you... Would you mind?"
Her lip tightened. "Tell me what's going on up there."
"Yeah. I will." And with that he raced off, squeezing past the little space beside her and sprinting up the rest of the stairs three at a time.
Strauss gritted her teeth behind her impassive customer service face. He was worried about Zeff, wasn't he. That sound had come from the second floor, where all the bedrooms were. And it was the middle of a work day, so Manager Zeff would be the only one up there. He said he had a lot of paper work to do too...
She hoped he was okay.
No! She mentally slapped herself across the face. Snap out of it, Strauss! There were customers to serve! Look, down there, there was someone waiting to be seated and looking very pissed about it.
She had work to do!
"One moment please!" She all but stumbled down the stairs, rushing towards the ordering table. "The calamari and the bisque I believe?" After a quick nod and slight shuffle to get the dishes to their rightful consumers (thank god she'd memorised this!), she sped off towards the front entrance. "Apologies for the wait! How may I help you?"
"Oh good." The man forced a smile, waving a hand to show off a pair of iron knuckles welded into his fists. Eeesh. "I was worried our reservation might be canceled after that… ruckus."
His date winced minutely, averting Strauss's eyes.
Ah. Strauss quirked an eyebrow. So these people were involved with the recent tremor. She would stow that information away for safe keeping.
"Of course, sir." She kept smiling, making her way to the table guide and trailing her eyes down the list. "Under a Mr… Fullbody?"
"That's Lieutenant Fullbody, girl. But please-" He gave her a sly wink- "Just call me Fullbody."
Keep smiling. Just keep on smiling and try to stifle the urge to kick that damn wink right off his smug pink haired face. It was fine. Nothing was the matter in the slightest. Asshole. All she needed to do, was smile.
"Of course, Lieutenant." Snatching up two menus, Strauss gave herself plenty of distance between herself and that idiotic man. "Please, your table is just this way. If you wouldn't mind following me..."
The reservation itself had been rather specific. It had asked for a very particular view (of the western sunset) and a very particular decor (as little of the fighting memorabilia as possible). For once it appeared these guests were here for the fine dining rather than the gossip or the fighting chefs. That made the swell of disgust recede for a bit. It was about time the Baratie got the reputation it deserved. She would try her utmost to promote its finery as much as possible!
Once they were seated and settled with menus, Strauss moved back to glance over the reservation once more. Just in case there was something important that she'd missed. But she'd barely reached the main desk when she was stopped by the Baratie's saloon doors swinging open.
"Uh… hello?"
Strange. There had been no additional reservations at that time. Strauss took a tentative step forwards. "Can I help you?"
The figure grimaced, a wide brimmed straw hat lurching to the side as he scratched the side of his head. "Are you the captain here?"
Wasn't it ironic? She had been the first one to meet him, but he had taken Sanji instead. He had offered her a position too... but how was she to know how great an impact this boy, no, this man would have on not just the East Blue, but the entire world!?
As it was, she could remember being slightly underwhelmed.
"No, but I am one of the staff here." There was a pirate ship, a little ways out in the distance with that same straw hat painted on the main sail. So this scrawny kid was a pirate? Ha! There was no chance. "I can relay a message for you if you want."
"Oh really? That's awesome! Can you tell him that I was the one who crashed the cannon ball into his ship and I'd like to apologise? Please?"
A… A CANNON BALL?! THE THIRD FLOOR HAD BEEN HIT BY A CANNON BALL!
The urge to punch something resurfaced and got stifled once again. The customers… think of the customers… The menu in her hand crumpled into a ball. The. Customers.
"Well then…" She started with a voice sweet enough to poison a beehive. "That changes matters. Can you come with me please?"
"Uh… sure?"
"Excellent."
Moving so fast she was almost a blur, Strauss moved behind the boy and practically pushed him up the spiral stairs.
"Oi, Strauss?" A few of the chefs had stuck their heads outside the kitchen, "D'you have any idea what's going on? The owner's been really quiet-"
Her fingers dug deep into the stranger's shoulders, "Ask him."
"Yeah." The straw hat drooped a bit. "I was the one who crashed the cannon ball into your ship… I'm sorry."
The chefs tensed, before exchanging steeled looks.
"I see." The scruffiest one growled, rolling up his sleeves to reveal dark ink snaking up his arm. "Then there's only one thing for it."
"I'll leave him in your capable hands." Strauss hissed through her teeth as she shoved her captive towards the others. "I'm sure Manager Zeff will love to listen to this guy."
"Right you are!" Four chefs pooled out of the kitchen, two taking Straw Hat's arms and another two standing either side. "We'll make sure he gets what he deserves!"
"Tell Manager Zeff that he walked in through the front door too," she added as they began dragging him up the second flight of stairs. "Looks like he's a pirate."
"What's going on?"
She spun on her heel at the sudden voice. "Sanji? What were you doing in there?"
"Checking up on the wine storage." He gave a long sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Wanted to make sure none of the bottles had spilled over during that tremor. We're good."
Yeah. Strauss grimaced. That would've been nasty. "Well the guy who caused it just turned himself in."
"Wait he has?!" Sanji's eyes bulged out of their sockets.
"Yup. Just sent him up to Zeff now." She groaned, massaging her temple. "Seriously… I get it could've been way worse but…"
A sympathetic hand clapped her on the back. "I feel you."
They sighed in unison, both slumping over onto each other. Then, they took in deep breaths, and straightened their shoulders...
"Right!" Sanji looked at Strauss.
Strauss nodded at Sanji.
"Back to work!"
If only it were that simple.
Going back to that couple's table, Strauss took their order. Twin sets of bisque for an aperitif, followed by two lobster frittatas. The two most expensive things on the menu, Strauss duly noticed. And the woman didn't personally order. That 'Fullbody' did all the talking, even when she opened her mouth.
She was starting to have doubts about that table.
"Oh," Fullbody crooned before she left, "and can we have some wine to go with that?"
"Of course, what did you have in mi-"
"Why don't you choose one for us, girl? Something that aha…" He gave her another 'subtle' wink. "Something that pairs well with our food?"
Strauss smiled- "Of course, sir"- and moved towards the central staircase.
What?
Was he… was he serious? Had he seriously asked her to pick one bottle, ONE BOTTLE OF WINE, out of the hundreds they had in storage?!
No, wait a moment. There was that wink wasn't there… and she'd read something about a fine vintage being sent to the table as part of the reservation. She inwardly scowled. So he was one of those men. How disgusting. Using faked flashiness to impress others. What was picked out again? Ithürzburger Stein? Another expensive one. And one that absolutely did not pair well bisque or lobster. It was far too heavy and bitter.
She hummed to herself, sweeping an eye over the rows of bottles in the store room. Really she should just let the customer have what they wanted but… that poor woman didn't deserve to be bogged down by her partner's pigheadedness. That wine along with that food pairing would make anyone feel bloated.
That was it. Hesitating slightly, Strauss reached out for one of the bottles. She would pick a different red. Both dishes had a slight tomato base… so… a Chianti maybe? The high acidity and low tannin normally went well with tomato and lobster, at least from what she'd picked up from listening to Zeff.
That sounded good to her. A decent compromise.
By the time she had moved back towards Fullbody's table she felt even more confident in her pick. It didn't matter if this man wanted to impress his date, he still bought her to a restaurant renowned for fighting chefs. Having a good wine pairing bought to them would make his choice more valid. Right?
"Your wine, sir, ma'am."
Two slick dips of the wrist and both crystal goblets were filled, without a single drop spilling onto the table cloth. It appeared Sanji had bought them their soup already, and had even furnished them with four bread rolls. Across the room he gave her a cheeky grin, to which she responded with an eye roll. She would have to thank him for that later.
Now though, she had to stand there and see if the pair liked the wine.
"Just as I thought, the man sitting there is Lieutenant Fullbody."
"He's a lieutenant at Marine Headquarters."
"He's gorgeous. How elegant…"
Urgh. She almost preferred the popcorn. Seriously though, what did people see in this guy? Sure he (probably) was conventionally attractive, despite those hideous iron knuckles welded into his flesh, but she didn't see anything special there. This guy had about as much grace as a sledgehammer to the head. It was laughable, really!
"Oh!" Strauss hastily recentered herself as Fullbody lowered his glass. "This is good!"
She felt her shoulders soften. So she'd made the right decision after all then. That was a relief. Perhaps she should pour them more-
Two fingers brandished themselves right in front of her face. "Th-this flavour…"
Why was she getting a bad feeling about this?
"Hmmm… And this scent… This must be the scent of the soil of the North Blue's Micquo. Bitter, with plenty of body, a tad sour… This wine is…"
Uh oh.
"Ithürzburger Stein!"
WHAM!
The entire restaurant fell silent, each and every pair of eyes boring straight into Strauss's back as she slammed the bottle down onto their table.
She couldn't help it. She.. she just couldn't hold it in anymore!
"Aren't I right, girl?!"
Especially as that bastard sat there with an all knowingly arrogant smirk plastered over his face.
No. She pursed her lips. Losing her temper wasn't an option. As much as she hated to admit it, he was still a customer.
However…
Strauss raised to her full height and flicked her wrist, removing the napkin from the bottle and displaying its name to the room.
"I'm afraid, Lieutenant, that you are incorrect."
Fullbody floundered, that smile becoming more and more forced with every passing second.
"This wine is not, in fact, full bodied, nor is it bitter. If anything, it's acidic, which is an entirely different flavour profile than 'bitterness'. As to how you managed to smell soil from an entirely different region in it-"
"Is something the matter here?"
Oh thank god. Sanji! He would help sort things out. Although… she gulped. The fact he was smoking in the middle of work was… a little worrying to say the least. He never smoked on the job. Never. Said it disrupted the customer's appetites. So… why…?
"Ah waiter! Finally someone who knows what they're doing!" Fullbody spluttered, much to the shock of his companion. "This… this girl here has bought out a completely incorrect wine, and is trying to tell me that my knowledge of wine tasting is mediocre."
That… that… Nails gouged into her palm. That ass!
"If you wouldn't mind disciplining her and giving us a different bottle-"
"Why? She did exactly as you asked."
Silence. Save for a child whose fork clattered onto their plate.
"I have ears you know." Sanji cocked his chin, his shoulder briefly brushing against hers. "I heard your damn request from the opposite side of the room. You asked for her to get you a bottle that went with your food, and she obliged. Though, why the Chianti?" He turned to her.
"Well he asked for a red in his reservation." Her stare honed in on Fullbody's panicking expression, savouring every twitch. "However the bottle he requested would pair absolutely terribly with lobster."
Hushed whispers began to erupt around the room.
"Why…" Fullbody's eyes grew bloodshot. "Why you…"
"Well there you have it. I believe this issue is resolved." Reaching out, Sanji clamped onto his still outstretched hand and forcibly closed it around his spoon. "Now then. Your soup is getting cold. Please eat it while it's hot."
A gentle hand guided itself around her back, leading her away from the disastrous table.
"Oh and one more thing." Sanji paused mid step and turned his head to call over his shoulder. "And this lady here is not a mere 'girl'. She is our lovely Head Waiter, Strauss, and I would appreciate you treating her with respect. I myself am Sanji the Sous Chef. I am acting under her since all the waiters ran off as of yesterday."
They kept walking, ignoring all the murmurs and the whispers right until they reached a place out of earshot.
"Why did you lie like that," Strauss immediately rounded on him. "The last waiter we've had was Dienen, and that was over a year ago."
Sanji tsked, snuffing his cigarette out on a well placed ashtray. "Don't remind 'bout that jerk..."
"But still. Why?!"
"Well what do you expect me to do? Sit back while you get insulted like that?" He flicked his hair to the side. "Like hell I would! That guy was damn rude to you!"
"And I was dealing with it..." She groaned, scratching at the back of her neck. This really wasn't the time. "Look. I'm really grateful to you for stepping in. Thanks to you he shut up faster than he would've otherwise. But it was something I was prepared for when I presented that bottle, so why would you-"
"He called you a 'girl'."
She paused.
What?
Sanji turned away from her, his hand doing nothing to hide his bright red ears. "He kept calling you a girl and I got pissed okay? And the way he looked at you and ordered you around was… it was… it was downright disgusting. So yeah. Of course I had to chew out the asshole."
"Sanji…"
It hadn't even bothered her that much… but it had bothered him. She felt so… welcomed. So happy that he cared for her wellbeing to that extent. It felt so… nice.
"Thank you." She entwined her fingers with his and gave them a brief squeeze. A squeeze which he reciprocated. "Thank you for defending me like that. But next time, can you let me defend myself? I don't want to rely on you like that, especially when I know I can handle it myself. Are you okay with that?"
"...yeah." His head slumped down to rest gently on hers, his soft breath mumbling into her hair. "I'll try. But… it's hard to watch…"
"I know. Next time?"
"Mhm. Next time. I promise."
Too bad there wouldn't be one.
Strauss found herself taking a shaky step back, not quite trusting what was there in front of her eyes. There was Sanji, standing over a crushed table. Soup spilling all over the floor with something darker… more viscous dripping into it.
Rivulets of red trickled down Sanji's hand from where it clamped… where it squeezed… where it suspended a limp figure high above the ground. Fullbody didn't respond, barely even conscious thanks to the streams of blood rushing from his skull.
She felt sick… so so sick…
Especially as Sanji's face remained more enraged than she'd ever known it to be. It wasn't the anger of a pirate attack. It wasn't the irritation he'd shown when she teased him. This was… more savage. More brutal. As if he was… he was… a completely different person...
And that... it actually scared her...
And too bad that some wounds cannot heal with time.
A/N
Me before writing this chapter: I know literally nothing about wine. Mead, gin, and cider, sure. But wine? Ugh! No thanks.
Me after writing this chapter: Oh yes! I am well acquainted with the fine art of wine tasting. I consider myself to be an artiste! *swirls glass full of grape juice* Splendid! Splendid!
In all seriousness, you guys have no idea how much research went into finding good wines that go with lobster. Too much to be properly necessary, sure, but I wanted the authenticity. Hopefully it sounded alright... hehehe...
Thank you all for reading and leaving reviews! It's always so great to hear, even if they're not necessarily positive. All feedback is good feedback, so every little helps :) I hope everyone is having a lovely day, and you all stay safe and happy! :3