Crimson Chivalry: Sanji x Reader

Chapter 8: Family

It wasn't all that early in the morning, maybe two hours before noon. For days on end, cooped up within the sickbay lied an assassin, ensnared within the cold embrace of death just days before. She'd stare up at the ceiling of the sickbay, one of her eyes were as red as crimson while the other remained closed. She saw the world through the eye(s) of her shadow that roamed the Thousand Sunny at her own request while she remained immobile. The assassin had learned that the kitchen was overwhelmed with countless wonders.

There was a peaceful strumming of a wooden spoon against the rim of a large glass mixing bowl, the simmering bubble of the mouth watering contents that lied within the oven. The one thing that enchanted her the most was Sanji who'd hummed while he worked; smooth and sweet like a song, which was very... Different even for a man. Nobody, not even Sanji knew why he was in such a good mood, he just woke up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Little did he know, you had plans of your own.

Sanji felt a knock at his shoulder, the action had completely wrecked his train of thought as the blonde glanced over to his left for a brief second just to find absolutely absolutely nothing. Something told him not to take the action lightly knowing the people who occupied the same home as he. "Luffy," Sanji groaned sitting down his kitchen utensil against the rim of the mixing bowl pinching the bridge of his nose. "Leave me alone you nimrod, I'll tell you when lunch is ready."

Another tap, Sanji simmered with a waking anger for he clenched his fist tightly spinning around with his leg at the ready. His sapphire eyes widened with a jump to his heart as he fell backwards into the counter and kicked at the large shadow mass before clutching onto his chest. The blow Sanji had dealt upon the shadow rematerialized within the second. "Is giving people heart attacks funny to you as well?" Sanji groaned taking deep breaths in as the shadow snickered with a disembodied voice of a young child.

Sanji called you out, so you felt that you had no other choice but to finally step into the room from behind the door, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. "I didn't mean to scare you that much. Really. I meant it," you had a cocky grin plastered across your face. You were trying all too hard to hold back your laughter. All you wanted to do was get his attention

Sanji's anger melted away the second he saw you. "Whoa (Y/n)," Sanji spoke almost in disbelief and soft features. "It looks like that intense treatment Chopper put you through over the last few days had actually worked. You look almost brand new, maybe even better than the day we met. As if the poison accident never happened."

"Chopper... Said the same thing," you admit although you never really wanted to.

"What's with the glum attitude?" Sanji pursed his lips. "I haven't seen you in days, I see a new you. And you sound as if all this isn't that a good thing?"

"Eh," you shrugged. "I used to be in an even better state up until a few years ago, I'm always in poor health so I've learned to not get my hopes up. Plus, I wouldn't look or feel as good as I am now if I didn't agree to the treatment in the first place."

"Well why wouldn't you agree to the treatment? I heard Chopper explode on you when you got out of bed that one day because I think you still had A LOT of poison in your system. Wouldn't you be dead?" Sanji was now pestering you for a legitimate answer, besides Zoro, Sanji hasn't met anyone be so careless over their own body. It might explain why you never really cared to find the true culprit over who had poisoned you, how you bounced back so quickly, why Chopper felt the most insecure out of everybody. Medical attention wasn't your concern, more a burden than a blessing.

"I hate doctors more than I hate the World Government, so of course I refused the treatment at first. I'd choose death over an operation anyday," Sanji frowned to your words realizing his assumptions weren't one bit false. "After Luffy kicked my ass to and back, and my near death experience, I learned that I could trust Chopper with my life and let him do that operation on me to expel the rest of the poison from my system. Since he wanted to heal me just because I needed it, not because he wanted something out of it." Sanji begun to smile once again hearing your open confessions. It was nice to finally see that you're opening up; that day you just broken down and cried yourself to sleep within Sanji's arms, somebody had opened the gate to change. And it looks like you have finally crossed over. But all at the same time, it created room for more concern.