#as.fluff

You didn’t notice him at first, too busy focusing on not dropping all of your belongings that had to be moved onto the ship. Not only was it a lot but you had no clue where to bring it. Luckily he was there. He seemed to appear out of thin air to catch the bag that was falling off your shoulder, placing it on his own. He didn’t have to introduce himself, of course you knew who he was; who didn’t know Fire Fist Ace?

“I’m Ace, nice to meet you.” He shifted the bag higher up on his shoulder. This left one of your hands free and allowed him to gently grasp it in a handshake. His politeness caught you off guard; you never would’ve guessed a pirate, let alone him, had such good manners. You smiled at him and told him your name.  

“So where are we putting these?” His kindness was shocking too. Pirates weren’t inherently mean but many didn’t go out of their way to help others. Sure you were now on the same crew but pirates were also notorious for being colder to rookies. You barely even knew this man and he was already willing to help you. You opened your mouth to answer then shut it, your cheeks heating up in embarrassment at the realization that you didn’t know. 

“Uh…” You trailed off. He just grinned at you.

“Not sure?” You nodded sheepishly and mumbled an apology.

“No worries, we’ll figure it out. What division are you in?” You told him and he pouted cutely.

“You’re in Izo’s, not mine. I would’ve loved to have you with me.” His smirk hinted at something more than friendliness but you didn’t want to assume anything. Maybe he was just really nice. You two talked the entire way to your room where he finally placed your stuff down. He offered to help you unpack but you declined, already feeling like you burdened him enough despite the fact that he assured you you hadn’t. 

“Well I’ll see you around.” His hand grazed your shoulder as he left you alone, hoping you weren’t imagining things.

—

Ace seemed to pop up everywhere you were; whether it be the dining hall when you were on dish duty or the supply room where you had to fetch something or like now, the deck where you were told to mop. They seemed like menial tasks but you knew you had to work your way up. Luckily you knew better than to let him distract you, talking to him as you did your task. But he made it so hard to focus when he was constantly showering you with compliments, sliding in little remarks that had you trying to hide a bashful smile.You nearly slipped on the wet floor when you heard your commander’s voice from behind you. 

“If you could stop flirting with my division member that’d be great.” Izo looked unimpressed, his arms folded and a slight frown on his face. Without an ounce of shame, Ace laughed but kept his eyes on you. 

“I can’t help it, they’re just so beautiful.” The longer you were part of the crew, the more bold his flirting had become. The older man rolled his eyes, sick of his crewmate constantly hovering around you. 

“Appreciate their beauty when they’re not in the middle of a task.” He spoke with an air of finality that left no room for argument. Even the ever stubborn Ace didn’t bother to fight back. Rather than his usual goodbye, he kissed your cheek.

Your crew knew the effect of using Gear Third but you had never actually witnessed it. He looked up at you, displeased to be stuck in his new form. A long whine left his pouting lips. 

“This sucks.” His blunt statement made you laugh. 

“It’s only for a few minutes. You’ll be back to normal soon.” The frustrated look didn’t leave his face. You had to pull out the big guns. 

“I’ll take you back to the ship.” You crouched down with your arms slightly open. You could sense his hesitance. “If you let me carry you, we’ll get there sooner. I’m sure dinner is almost ready and Sanji is making meat.” 

Normally he’d stubbornly refuse to accept your help but he was already exhausted from pushing his body so hard he only hesitated for a moment before walking towards you. Plus he was never one to refuse your embrace or food. You held him against your torso, arms securely around his tiny frame and his hands rested over your wrists. It felt odd to feel you like this since he was usually the one holding you but it certainly wasn’t unpleasant. It definitely would’ve been better if he was his usual size and not so worn out. Since there was no danger, his fatigue took over. He wanted to stay awake but his body wouldn’t let him. Finally he gave in to his drooping eyes and fell asleep in your arms. 

–

“You got me flowers? But it’s your birthday!” Sabo was incredibly close to ripping his hair out. Your obliviousness was simultaneously endearing and infuriating. At this point he wasn’t even sure if grabbing you by the shoulders and screaming that he was in love with you at the top of his lungs was enough for you to understand his feelings. But any anger or frustration he felt was quelled when he saw the smile on your face as you brought the roses up to your nose, inhaling their scent. You had mentioned you loved the smell of fresh roses before, a small comment in passing that he stored in his memory for a moment like this. He had woken up early to search the island you had docked at to find a bouquet. It had taken a while to find a florist but he managed to find a bouquet he believed was good enough to give to you. The velvety petals of the roses were a vibrant red and the delicate floral scent they gave off was enticing. He knew you would love them so the price tag was worth it.

“Let me put these in my room and we can go.” He grabbed your elbow as you turned to leave, making you face him. 

“Wait.” He muttered, taking a flower out of the bouquet and snapping part of the stem off. Your confusion only grew as he tucked it behind your ear, letting his gloved fingers linger on your face. “Beautiful.” His voice was barely audible. You were so stunned you didn’t know what to say.

“Please tell me you understand what I’m trying to convey right now.” You could hear the desperation in his voice. A small part of your brain hoped you understood correctly; that he was as head over heels for you as you were for him. However, the larger, more cynical part of your brain squashed that wishful thinking.

“You thought the flower would look nice in my hair…?” It was official, Sabo was going to lose it. His awful habit of acting recklessly and letting his emotions motivate him couldn’t be suppressed anymore. He gripped your shoulders and moved his face closer to yours.

“I LOVE YOU! NOT AS A FRIEND! I’M ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH YOU AND APPARENTLY NOTHING I DID HAS HINTED AT THAT!” His eyes didn’t stray from yours for a second and you knew he meant every word. Memories of all the hints he dropped the last few months replayed in your head; all the times he gave you little presents just because, the favors he did without needing to be asked, every instance of him putting in the extra effort to show his affection that you had foolishly misinterpreted. 

“Sabo…” The trailing off of your voice made his shoulders sag in defeat. Maybe you weren’t oblivious to his feelings; maybe you were ignoring them so you could avoid rejecting him. Maybe you did it to try and spare his feelings and save his pride. “I didn’t know you felt that way.” The revelation was so shocking you were at a loss for words. It was like your brain stopped working and any ability to express yourself vanished.

“If you don’t feel the same way that’s fine but I just needed you to know. I’ve been trying to show you for months but that clearly didn’t work.” There was an awkward pause as his statement hung in the air. Finally you broke it with the sound of your hand smacking your forehead.

“I’m so stupid!” You scolded yourself, giggling at the end. Now he was confused.

“Wha-”

“I’m in love with you too! I didn’t want to read into everything too much because I was scared you didn’t feel the same.” The look on his face was absolutely priceless; frustration giving way to jaw dropping shock and wide eyes. You couldn’t help but laugh at his expense a bit. He groaned and put his head on your shoulder as he wrapped his arms around you.

“I can’t believe this.” You nodded, something he felt rather than saw, in agreement. His laughter was muffled against your body. It seems you weren’t the only dense one.

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Minutes after he swallowed his last bite and put his fork down, you were pouting as he shifted your body so you were hovering above his face.

“Sanji,” You dragged out the last syllable in a whine. “I’m supposed to be treating you on your birthday.” It had barely been seconds since your knees hit the floor before he hauled you up, smashing his lips against yours in a heated kiss before you could protest. His strength was no match for you as he moved you like you weighed nothing so you were on top of him with your head facing his cock and your hole over his face. You couldn’t see it but he was smiling dreamily as he took in the sight just inches from him.

“Not that your cooking isn’t good, it’s amazing and I love every dish you make and I’d never try to replace you as the ship’s cook but I think it’d be good to know how to cook in case-” Something happened to you. The thought filled you with dread but his delighted laugh cut you off. He didn’t seem to realize what you were going to say.

“Of course I’ll teach you. We can make something right now if you’re ready.” He walked around the kitchen, gathering exactly what ingredients he needed for the recipe. Originally he was going to cook something more complicated but he changed it so you would be able to handle it. You watched him as you washed your hands and put on an apron. When he noticed you had put the cloth over your head, he put the fresh vegetables in his hands on the counter and rushed over to you.

“Let me.” He whispered softly in your ear as he tied the apron. Before he separated from you he planted a kiss on the back of your neck and turned you around. You could practically see the hearts in his eyes; the immense amount of love he had for you shown in such a simple gaze. You couldn’t fight the urge to smile at him. You two stayed like that for another moment before you broke out of your trance. 

“Let’s get started.”

–

You expected to struggle with cooking the dish but Sanji made it easy. Not that cooking was easy; you’d watched him in the kitchen enough to know how difficult it truly was, but the dish was fairly simple and he was the best person to learn from. He patiently explained everything step by step and showed you exactly what you needed to do. Whenever you messed up, he praised your efforts before quickly fixing it. You two enjoyed the companionable silence before he spoke up while stirring the sauce that was simmering on the stove top.   

“So what made you want to learn how to cook? Not that I’m complaining, I love that you want to, especially together but you’ve never expressed interest in it and I’m curious.” The question made you stop chopping the pepper in front of you as you purse your lips. 

You had two reasons for wanting to learn how to cook. The first was one that brought tears to your eyes; you had to be prepared if he did die. It was the harsh reality of the pirate lifestyle: the crew wouldn’t survive long without a proper chef. Half the crew was useless in the kitchen and the ones who weren’t had other jobs that were too important to give up. That meant unfortunately you had to be ready for the worst case scenario. You didn’t realize this until the last battle the crew had fought.

The fight left Sanji unconscious and left you at his bedside praying for whatever higher power was out there, if there even was one, to heal him. The enemy’s Devil Fruit power was infamous for sapping its victim’s energy, causing them to be out of commission for as long as a month, if they even managed to survive. It was also notorious for claiming countless victims; once powerful fighters dropped like flies if they were hit from an attack at full power. You weren’t sure how powerful a hit Sanji took but apparently it wasn’t as strong as you feared it was because Chopper assured you he’d be fine in a few days. 

What struck you the most is he took the hit for you. 

He practically spent hours a day telling you how much he loved you through his sweet words and selfless actions. Guilt occasionally filled you at how much he did for you; no matter how small the burden, he was willing to bear it for you with a smile on his face. This was on a new level. He risked his life without a second thought for you and you felt sick at the thought of a life without him. No more waking up next to him or feeling his lips on yours or tasting his amazing food, full of the best ingredients and love for you. You spent most of the time at his bedside holding his hand while crying. 

The second reason was he needed the love he so selflessly gave to be given back. His actions weren’t just limited to you; he went above and beyond for everyone (although he somehow managed to surpass that when it came to you and women). It seemed like he didn’t know how to be selfish; everything he did was to ensure the happiness of others. His heart was so big and he had so much love to give and you wanted to make sure he knew he deserved as much in return. If you knew how to cook that was one burden you could shoulder for him. Plus he deserved to be taken care of. It took a moment to collect your thoughts, trying to figure out how to put them into words.

“I just… want you to know you’re loved.” He began to ask what you meant when you cut him off. “You do so much for everyone, so much for me, and sometimes it feels like I can’t give you much in return. Especially after what happened in the last battle…” You trail off as several scenes flood your mind: the light of incoming attack, his body seemingly appearing out of nowhere to shield you, his anguished scream as he was hit, his bandaged body on the bed in Chopper’s office. Before you could stop yourself you started to cry. “What if something happens to you? You survived this time but what if the next time is different?” 

Within seconds he had walked over to you and turned your body so he could hold you. One hand soothingly stroked your back while the other cradled your head as you sobbed. Tears soaked his shirt but that didn’t matter. Your arms wrapped around him tightly, as if you were scared your words would come true. 

“Don’t ever think for a second I don’t feel loved by you. I haven’t been loved most of my life,” The statement made you cry even harder. “But you always manage to make me feel like I’m worthy of it and that the love I give you is returned tenfold. Every day I wake up and think about how lucky I am to have someone who loves me as much as you do.” You felt the top of your head begin to dampen and you realized you weren’t the only one crying. Sanji’s past was something he didn’t like to talk about but you knew enough to know the lack of love left a lasting impact on him. 

“And don’t worry. I’m not dying anytime soon.” He pulled back and looked at you with the same love-struck expression he always did; the one that made you feel like you were a star in the sky.