Jealousy - Sanji x (she/her) Reader
Summary: Sanji rings the love of his life every week at the same time. This time around, she didn't answer on the first ring as she normally would. So Sanji rings her until she does only to find her not at home as she typically would.
Every night when the crew would head to bed, Sanji would sneak off into the kitchen with his transponder snail. Like clockwork, he would ring the love of his life, yearning to hear her voice. He wanted to know how her day went and what she did for the day. Honestly, she could talk about the most mundane things and he could listen to her forever.
The snail phone rang and rang, but she didn't pick up. He tried again but it just rang. It wasn't normal that she would take so long to pick up. He called again and again, until she answered on the fifth try.
"Hi, darling!" He greeted her cheerfully, despite his leg bouncing anxiously.
"Hi Sanji, sorry I'm late." She sweetly apologized.
"What are you doing?" he asked, a bit touchy after his many ignored calls earlier.
"Nothing much." She replied.
She was still at the Baratie, helping with closing. It wasn't her usual shift, and she didn't want Sanji to worry about her staying out so late.
Sanji chewed on the inside of his cheek in an effort to keep his irritation in check. The last thing he wanted was for her to hear his foul mood, especially now that there's so much distance between them.
"Can't you give me a long and detailed answer?" He pleaded, as he leaned against the counter. If any of the crew heard him whine like that, he would never hear the end of it.
"Why?" She giggled, though she wasn't physically there with him, she could just picture the pout on his lips.
"Because I want to hear your voice." He explained.
She rolled her eyes, "Fine..." She surrendered to his adorable pleas.
"One more refill?" A deep voice asked softly on the other end. Sanji's brow raised and his lips pursed in confusion. He leaned down so he could get a clearer sound from the snail. All he could make out was a few clings and clangs, but nothing that he immediately recognized. He moved closer, practically pressing his ear to the snail's mouth.
"Sure thing!" She answered, holding the snail away from her mouth.
Sanji's lips twisted in displeasure. He could hear soft chattering in the background as well as the familiar music playing faintly in the back.
"Who was that? Why did your voice change?" He sternly asked. His heart was racing at the thought of another man near her. Was she at the Baratie? Who was with her? Why was she there so late?
"None of your business." She playfully said, pouring the man at the bar another drink.
His eyes widened with shock at her vague response. There were a million questions flying about in his mind. His insecurities and voices were starting to whisper, taunting him of his biggest fears.
"You're with a man aren't you? I heard a man's voice!" Sanji exclaimed with an accusatory voice.
At first she was going to tease him, but from the sheer panic in his voice, she decided against it. That said, she didn't want to tell him that she was still working, especially when he said he didn't like her working late hours. He felt it was too dangerous when she headed home alone in the dark.
Just as she was about to answer, Zeff waved her over to help them break down chairs and tables. "I'm busy, I gotta go." she said, quickly and hung up.
"Don't you-!" He warned, but she hung up mid-sentence.
"Argggh! She hung up!" He groaned, gripping the transponder tightly.
He huffed and tossed the snail transponder aside angrily. His fingers raked through his hair into a mess as he paced back and forth. He would rush back if he wasn't a whole world away. His hand immediately went for his pack of smokes and lit a cigarette up.
He took a couple of breaths and it calmed his nerves a bit. With one last exhale, he picked up the snail transponder he tossed aside, and dialed her again.
This time, she picked up after a couple of rings.
"Sanji, I-" She answered the call, but was interrupted by Sanji.
"Wait, me first." He took a breath and sighed, "I apologize for raising my voice at you earlier."
"It's ok..."
"Is that the brat?" Sanji heard a familiar gruff voice in the background.
She offered Zeff the transponder and the old man took it.
"Stop calling her! We're in the middle of closing." Zeff grumbled.
"You listen here, old man!" Sanji started, but was cut off.
"Sanji, sweetie, I'm still at work." She finally confessed, mentally preparing for a scolding from Sanji.
He sighed and rubbed his temple, feeling stupid for letting his insecurities cloud his judgment.
"I'm so stupid, darling. I thought-" He started to explain, but changed his mind.
"I'm sorry, darling. I'll let you finish up. But can you ring me when you're heading home? You know how I feel about you walking home alone at night." He said in a much softer tone.
"Of course, I will. I love you, Sanji." She said sweetly and sent him a kiss over the phone.
His heart sang, starting to feel a lot better from her affection. "I love you too, darling." He responded and hung up with a silly grin and flushed cheeks.
