"Upset"
By Dixxy Mouri
With the sun high above the Grand Line and the Going Merry en-route to the next island, Nami was content that she'd be able to spend most of the day relaxing – she just had to check the Log Pose once in a while to make sure they were still on course and read her book. Robin, it seemed, had similar plans – she was sitting nearby with her own book, smiling in content as she turned a page. The boys, so far, were quiet – even Luffy.
Had Nami known this was because the captain, Usopp, and Chopper were busily making stink bombs and farting in Flavor Dials in the ship's hold, this would have made her very angry. They weren't supposed to be doing that – and all three of them knew it – and there would be much pain if she found out about their exploits.
Zoro, meanwhile, was taking a nap in the crow's nest for a change. That meant he wasn't going to be disturbed without great effort, and as long as Zoro's nap wasn't disturbed, that meant there wouldn't be any loud, noisy fights between him and the overly amorous cook. Well, at least not until lunchtime, since Sanji was busy in the galley and the first mate wouldn't wake up until the food was good and ready.
That meant it was going to be a good day.
"NAMI-SWAAANNNN! ROBIN-CHWANNN!"
Nami rolled here eyes. Here we go again, she thought.
The ship's cook, balancing a tray with two festive looking drinks on one hand and a tray with several dainty snack cakes (most of which Nami had never heard of before but would learn to love anyways) in the other, spun on one foot before the navigator, a wide grin on his face as he presented the afternoon snack to the two women. "Ah, my lovely and delicate flowers of the sea are having a good day, I trust?
Robin smiled. "Ah, are you also having a good day, Cook-san?"
Sanji swooned. "Any day I am graced by the presence of my Nami-swan and Robin-chan is a spectacular day!" he said. "For today's snack I have brought Robin-chan the most stupidly named but splendidly delightful Chocolate Monkey, and for my Nami-swan we have the delectable taste of coconut and pineapple living together in harmony, the Pina Colada."
Robin thanked Sanji as she gently took the glass from the tray, and Nami placed her book down on her lap. "Thank you, Sanji-kun," she said with slight disinterest. She rubbed her temples, wishing that she could just go back to her book.
"Is something wrong, Nami-san?" asked Sanji, kneeling down next to her chair and looking up at her with concerned eyes. "Is the drink not to your liking? Perhaps you would like something else instead? Perhaps a Strawberry Daquiri? Or a Beach Comber? Anything you want I can make!" he proclaimed. He blushed and laughed. "Well. . . I can make anything I have the ingredients for. . ."
Nami shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sanji-kun, I just want to relax and read for right now – I'm not very hungry or thirsty, and if it's all right and I'd just like some alone time," she said with a smile.
Sanji glowed in the light of Nami's smile. "Hai, Nami-swan! I shall give you all of the quiet time you need to finish your book!" He was about to turn back towards the kitchen, but stopped briefly. "Um. . . what do you want me to do with the drink?" he asked.
Nami shrugged. "Well. . . you work hard. Why don't you drink it yourself?" she asked.
Sanji nodded. "Good point – don't want to waste this," he said, taking a sip. He made a slight face. "Hmm. Something's missing from this one anyways – I suppose it's a good thing that you didn't have any of it, then." Nami gave Sanji a weak smile, wishing he would just go away. So, she turned back to her book, and soon after heard the sound of his retreating footsteps.
Less than an hour later, Nami was surprised to look up and see a very angry Luffy and Chopper hanging over her. She wasn't sure why the marksman wasn't with them (though she later learned he had begun work on another of his projects). None the less, the captain and the doctor were both glaring at her. "What?" she asked.
"What did you say to him?" asked Luffy.
"What?" asked Nami.
"He's really upset right now," said Chopper.
"Who's upset?" asked Nami.
"Did you say something to may Sanji cry?" asked Luffy.
"Did I say what to make who cry?" Nami asked in surprise, putting the book down to pay closer attention to the reindeer and rubber man. "Is Sanji really. . . crying?" The navigator was skeptical – sure Sanji was easily the most emotional of the men onboard the ship, but he was a far cry from sensitive – certainly one of the last members of the crew she'd expect to see crying.
The doctor nodded. "Sanji is in the kitchen crying right now – Luffy and I saw him. He yelled at us to get out," said Chopper. "I don't think he wanted us to see him like that. Since Zoro's been up in the crow's nest all day and Usopp has been with us, we reasoned it was you or Robin who made him cry."
"I didn't make him cry!" said Nami.
"Ah, but you DID reject his cooking today," said Robin.
Nami paused, thinking over what Robin had said. This WAS the first time she had turned away one of Sanji's special treats. The navigator frowned – maybe Sanji was more sensitive than she was giving him credit for. And maybe she was taking his silly flirting for granted.
She sighed. "Okay. I'll go talk to him and see if I can't make things better, all right?" Usopp and Chopper nodded as Nami stood up, sighing as she made her way to the galley to comfort the sobbing cook. I didn't think he was going to get upset over something like that. . . but he does have an awful lot of pride in his cooking. . .
Robin continued reading as Luffy and Chopper helped themselves to the rest of the cakes.
Nami was surprised to see that even though he wasn't in the crying hysterics that Chopper and Luffy had implied, Sanji certainly looked upset. Nami frowned, feeling very bad for what must have been her doing. I didn't think he got this upset every time I rejected him.
Sure enough, Sanji was standing stoically at the kitchen counter, his cheeks wet with tears and his eyes (well. . . at least the one she could see) were red. Every so often he would sniffle, rubbing his eyes with the back of his sleeve before continuing whatever it was he was preparing. He looked so focused on that food, like he was trying to forget about whatever it was making him cry. In other words. . . her.
I'm a terrible person, Nami thought. All he wants to do is make me a special treat once in a while and every little rejection does this to him? The navigator frowned. Maybe she was taking his flirting a bit too lightly. Slowly, Nami stepped forward, looking at the ground in shame. "Um. . . Sanji-kun?"
As if nothing was wrong and despite the redness in his eyes, Sanji spun around with a wide smile on his face. Something about the look on his face made him seem oddly pathetic looking, yet at the same time she felt her heart break for him. "Ah, Nami-swan! What brings my red-haired goddess into my humble kitchen today? Perhaps you have changed your mind about that snack? Shall I prepare you anything special today, or perhaps you-"
Nami launched forward, embracing the cook as she buried her face into his shirt and causing them both to tumble to the ground – the navigator barely moved. "I'm so sorry, Sanji-kun! I didn't mean to make you upset! I take you for granted even though you're really nice to me all the time even when I'm being a brat and you don't deserve this and-"
"Nami-san, what are you talking about!" Sanji asked in alarm, his eyes still red.
Nami looked up, gently rubbing a week cheek. "I didn't think you would be this mad all because I rejected your cooking. It's a really nice thing you do for me and Robin. I didn't think about your feelings at all – I wasn't thinking. You're my friend, Sanji-kun." She sighed. "I don't want you to be upset with me."
The cook seemed baffled. "Ah. . . I'm not upset, Nami-san."
"Of course you are – you're crying," said Nami, reaching down to wipe away the salty tears on his cheek. "You take so much pride in your cooking – I should have known that." Sanji stared back up at her, still seeming to be rather lost on the concept. "I didn't think I was that cold when I rejected the drink."
"You weren't cold at all, Nami, but-"
"No, Sanji-kun, this is MY fault," she said. Thinking quickly, she decided what the best apology for the cook would be. An apology he would remember for the next week. "And for that. . . I'm going to make it up to you." Nami gently rolled to the side so Sanji could sit up. Grabbing his tie, she pulled him forward and kissed him full on the lips.
Though he hesitated at first, Nami noticed, he did lean in and return the gesture. His mouth tasted like cigarettes and his favorite red wine, but there was a slight hint of minty mouthwash lingering on his lips. The kiss was gentle and sweet, something the navigator wasn't quite sure she would have expected from the cook, and it was a welcome surprise. All in all. . . he wasn't a bad kisser.
Nami pulled away from Sanji, a slight smile on her face. His cheeks were still wet, so she gently rubbed them with the back of her hand. "See? It's no so bad, Sanji-kun. I just wanted a little alone time today and I just wasn't very thirsty. I always appreciate the gesture, but perhaps next time you should ask me if I want anything before you make it?"
Sanji nodded, dumbly, a mildly blank look in his eye as he simply chose to agree with whatever the pretty girl who just kissed him said. "Uh huh, ask before I make it," he said monotonously. Nami laughed, patting his head as she stood up to turn and leave. Sanji shook his head and stood himself, brushing off her pants. "But Nami-san!"
Nami stopped in mid step, pivoting her body to turn to him. "Yes, Sanji-kun?"
"I wasn't crying!" he said, holding up his hands in defense.
The navigator raised an eyebrow at him. "But you were-"
Sanji shook his head. "I really, really, really appreciate that you were concerned for me, Nami-san – it means a lot to me that you care that much – but I was not crying over anything at all." He blushed, laughing slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "I, ah, well, you see I was. . . chopping onions."
I got the idea to have Sanji chopping onions while chopping onions myself. I hate chopping onions, and yet I enjoy them as an ingredient. And the pre-chopped frozen onions suck.
This is PROBABLY going to my first One Piece fanfiction on so here's a quick introduction – my penname is Dixxy Mouri, Dixxy for short. This is not my first fanfics ever, but it's my first One Piece fanfic, and because of that I'm interested in feedback on how well I portrayed the characters thus far. Usually I don't go write one-shots, but I didn't see the justification in writing a ten-part saga about this.
Thank you for reading my story and have a good day!