#lost together

Normally, it wouldn't be you who got lost somewhere on an island. This time was one of the rare times where you and Sanji were one of the few to get lost on a random island, becoming disoriented when you ran off together to go and gather some fruit and veggies to help restock the Sunny's pantry. The jungle that covered the island was thick with vegetation, which covered your path quite well with how everything bounced back full of life after every step. It only took half an hour of foraging before you found yourselves lost among the brush. You were incredibly thankful that it was Sanji you had to lose your way with, and that wasn't just because he was able to whip up a meal from nothing (though that was definitely part of it). It was mostly because he was your lover, and you were admittedly a bit excited to have a moment alone with him somewhere you would be guaranteed undisturbed. A moment's peace was hard to come by, so you were entirely unopposed to this little misfortune of sorts. It was more of a blessing than anything.

Even so, you couldn't help but poke a bit of fun at him while you maneuvered the thick jungle. Someone had to, and you were one of the few who could get away with it without any sort of pushback at all.

"You know, I think you may be hanging out around Zoro too much. We're really lost." You chuckled.

"Hey!! My love, that was mean." He pouted, quite offended by the relation to Zoro. "You owe me half an hour of uninterrupted kisses and cuddles for that!"

"Heheh, sorry~! I couldn't help it." You said innocently. "I can accept that punishment no problem, if that's what would make it up to you."

"It's the only thing that'll make it up to me." He insisted, already clinging to you with teary eyes.

"Alright, alright, you'll get your cuddles once we at least find our way out of here and back to the shore. We'll be one step closer to home, and can take a moment to relax after wandering for so long." You suggested.

"Right, yes, of course. It's getting late too. The sun is setting by now… Damn. I've led us astray!" He whined.

"C'mon, let's follow the sun. We'll surely end up at the shore again soon." You encouraged, already following the copper rays of sunlight that beamed through the foliage.

"Ah, intelligent as ever, my love!!" He sang, following after you thought the thick undergrowth.

It took a while, but the long trek towards the sun was eventually fruitful after around ten more minutes of travel. Bugs were an ever increasing and encouraging factor, especially for Sanji, motivating you right out of the thickest part of the jungle. You could hear waves crashing again, which made you pick up the pace and burst out of the jungle and onto the peach coloured sands of the shore. Both of you took a deep breath of fresh salty air, relieved to finally be free.

"We finally made it!!" You cheered, placing your fruit filled backpack down in the sand. "Boy, is it ever nice to be back near the sea again~"

"Tell me about it. The bugs were starting to get really bad." Sanji shuddered as he brushed a cobweb off of his bright floral shirt.

"Ah… We have a new problem now." You sighed, fixating on the setting sun.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"When we arrived here it was sunrise, and the sun was shining on that side of the island. Now it's sunset, the sun is still shining on us, and the Sunny is nowhere in sight." You pointed out, "… We've been in there for hours… We're on the complete opposite size of the island, and it'll probably take us hours to get back."

"Mmm… You're right." Sanji hummed, placing his own backpack of fruits and herbs down next to yours. "That's not so bad though, if you really think about it."

"Not so bad?" You huffed, shooting him a curious glance from the corner of your eye.

"Yeah, not so bad at all." He repeated, putting an arm around your waist. "The log pose won't finish setting for another couple days, so they won't be leaving us; they would never. So, since they know how strong we are, I don't think they'll worry too much if we take a bit of extra time to ourselves~"

You caught his intentions, a little grin breaking out on your face. "Sanji… They still need to eat dinner."

"They still have Nami-swan and Robin-chwan! It's already so late, so I'm sure Luffy already has them cooking for fear he eats everything raw himself." Sanji chuckled, turning you to be chest to chest with him.

"Heh, you're probably right." you hummed, looking bac at him. "You just wanna have some proper alone time, don't you~?"

"Saw right through me, hey? Perceptive as always, my love." He admitted. "It's just so perfect. No one can accidentally interrupt us out here; and this sunset— a moment like this with you is impossible to pass up."

"You are a lover boy through to your core, aren't you?" You chuckled, pressing your forehead to his.

"From my blood to my bones." He said as he pressed a quick kiss to your lips.

"So, you start a fire while I create a fishing rod? I'll catch us our romantic dinner for two." You suggested.

"I love the way you think. Let's do it."

Grinning at each other like fools, you finally separated and got to work on your respective tasks, both of you making quick work of them. A grand bonfire flared to life within minutes of Sanji's crafting while you had strung up a reliable piece of bamboo you found and cut, happy to have packed that extra fishing line and hook when your gut told you to. You fashioned a fixture to prop it up on with another stick, leaving it there before your turned back to Sanji who had just finished sharpening several more skewers for cooking fish. He was incredibly resourceful, even finding enough large flat rocks to use as a prep surface.

"Damn, we're fast." You commented proudly.

"It helps that this island is plentiful in all these different resources. The plant life is so diverse." he agreed.

"I'm glad we've decided to take a bit of a break." You sighed, gazing back out at the sunset again.

"As am I." Sanji nodded, reaching for his cigarettes. "What the- shit."

"Hmm? What's wrong?" You asked when his tone shifted.

"I brought the empty pack of cigarettes… I meant to throw it out." He sighed, looking quite disappointed with himself.

"Aw, shit. I'm sorry hun." You sympathized, rubbing his shoulder. "… Would you be open to smoking something else other than tobacco to wind down?"

"Oh? Do you have something in mind, my love?"

You grinned. "I'll never leave the ship without a little something on me~"

Dropping down to your backpack, you opened one of the front pockets to pull out a small jar of weed and a grinder just waiting to be used. He laughed when he saw what you had, feeling a bit silly that he even had to ask.

"You know, I shouldn't expect anything less from you. Hell yeah I'd love to. Did you bring anything to smoke it with?" He asked.

"… Ah. That's what I forgot to bring." You sighed.

"Oh hun…"

"That's not the end of things though, so fear not!" You encouraged, looking around a bit. "Ah! There! I've found our solution!"

Sanji watched you hop up to your feet and take off along the edge of the jungle, running a few meters before you stopped at a mango tree that stuck out like a sore thumb with it's low hanging fruit. You picked a couple off the tree and ran back to Sanji, feeling super grateful for the incredibly diverse selection of fruits available on this island. He looked at you, quite confused, eyeing the mangos in your hand before looking back at you.

"And how will a mango help us, my love?" Sanji asked with a sweet smile.

"You always bring a utensil kit with you, right?" You asked.

"Mmhmm. You need it?" He countered, already reaching for it.

"Please."

Sanji quickly fished out a rolled up piece of cloth from his bag, revealing the travel set of cooking and eating utensils within. He pulled out a metal straw and handed it to you alongside a spoon when you requested it. What you did with those tools is what surprised him, capturing his attention and holding it firm.

You sat down with one of the mangos and started to dig out a little divot in the thickest part to create a bowl, poking the straw down the center of that dent at and angle halfway down, wiggling it a bit. Then you cut the tip of the mango a bit to shape it before sticking the straw straight through the tip, meeting the channel you created in the side. Looking extremely proud of yourself, you set the utensils down on top of a nearby rock, holding up your creation with a grin.

"Mango pipe."

"You're really something else, you know that right?" He laughed, both amused and impressed by your creation.

"I can pull through in certain situations~" You joked, laughing with him.

"I need to see if it truly works. Please, do the honours of having the first hit." Sanji encouraged, making himself comfortable in the sand next to you.

"Heh, allow me to demonstrate the multipurpose nature of fruit to you, my dear Sanji~"

With confidence, you popped open your jar of weed and quickly busted it down in your grinder before packing it into the makeshift bowl you carved out of the fruit. You then held out your hand and softly requested his lighter from him, to which he gave it to you without a second thought. You lit up your makeshift pipe and took in a spectacularly large hit, the weed itself having a distinctly sweet taste to it now that it was being smoked through a fruit. It was a delightfully smooth experience, relaxing you as you blew your smoke into the fire to watch it mix and mingle with the hazy plumes.

"Now that's a good hit." You hummed.

"Jeez, you're so silly and innovative." He chuckled, taking the fruity pipe from you when you offered it to him.

"The creativity of a stoner is unparalleled." You said, reaching for your bag to unclip a sleeping bag attached to the side so you could lay back on it.

Sanji took a hit from the still smoldering pipe and cleared it, a wave of calm washing over him as he joined you with his own rolled up sleeping back. "So I can see~"

"It doubles as a snack too if you cut some pieces off the side." you pointed out. "But that's why I grabbed the second mango. Mmm, snacks."

"Yeah, you're definitely high." He chuckled.

"Not high enough. Fill that thing up again, hun. I'll cast a line to catch us some dinner."

"Lovely idea~"

Sanji repacked the pipe again right away, then moved to arrange his utensils off to the side and prop up his sleeping bag a little better, tapping your shoulder to request permission to use yours as well. You sat up and let him take it to prop himself up with his other one. He then gestured for you to come closer to him, specifically to sit in his lap while you fished. You came right over without hesitation, happy to lean up against his chest and fully relax while you waited for a fish to bite. This was truly heaven to you.

"This is nice. I'm glad we decided to hang back." You hummed. "We can follow the shore back to the Sunny later in the night; maybe even in the morning."

"Mmhmm. We can spend all the time we need here." he hummed, pressing a kiss to your temple.

"Sounds like a real treat to me~"

You leaned back into him, turning your head with puckered lips to ask him for a proper kiss. He chuckled and happily indulged you, arms wrapping around your waist to pull you in a little closer while he kissed you deeply and tenderly under the golden glow of the setting sun. When you parted, there was this lovesick look about both of you, gazing into each other's eyes with sweet smiles.

You wished the moment would last a little longer, but you were disturbed by the tug of your fishing line, making both of you sit upright and hold tight to the makeshift rod as it flexed under the weight of the escaping fish. This was arguably the only acceptable way to interrupt you: with your upcoming dinner served the freshest it could possibly be.

"I dunno if that's good or bad timing!" You laughed.

"Heh, I don't mind at all! I'm just happy to cook you one delicious meal~!" He sang, leaning back with you to yank the fish out of the sea.

With the fish pulled into the shallows, you admired the size and started getting hungry. It was the catch of the day, that was for sure, and you were already excited to have a delicious sunset dinner with your love.

"Dinner will be ready soon." Sanji promised with a smile, starting to stand up so he could begin cooking.

"Need any help at all?" You offered.

He shook his head. "Just keep relaxing hun. You deserve it for getting us out of there."

"Heh, alright Sanji."

The way you said his name had hearts spinning in his eyes, earning you another kiss from him before he finally stood up, grabbing a spear he had sharpened previously and spearing the fish in the shallows, hauling it over to a large, flat rock to prepare it on. All done effortlessly, Sanji had the fish killed, cleaned, and filleted, each piece of cut meat being skewered and stuck into the sand around the fire. He pulled seasonings out of his bag, giving each fillet a unique flavour profile just to keep it interesting with what little food you had available to you at the moment. He truly was a culinary genius, and you watched him with admiration in your eyes as he prepared your shared catch, snacking on a mango.

"Alright, it should be ready here in a few minutes, my love. I hope you're okay with waiting a little bit longer~" He hummed.

"Niiiice~. I'm all good to wait! I've got a snack here. Want some?" You then offered, holding out the mango to him.

"Ah, love…" He paused to laugh a bit. "That's the mango you just smoked from."

"Oh. So it is." You commented, looking at how you crudely bit down into where you carved out the bowl. "See, I knew I picked up the second one for a good reason."

"Hah! You're so silly." Sanji chuckled, sitting down next to you once more. "I don't think you need any more hits."

"Mmm, you're right." You nodded, putting the maimed mango down and cuddling up to him. "The warmth from you and the fire is enough to help keep me in a delightful haze."

"You'll feel even better once you eat. I can hear your tummy grumbling." He teased, hugging you close.

"Heh, soon. I'll be healed by you with your nourishing meals once again." You hummed. "We can head back to the others later. This is too nice being here with you. I love this peace as much as I love you."

That man, his brother, who bears no resemblance to him, shuffles around the foot of the stairs. You push the door shut and face him. He works incessantly at the table along the side of the staircase, brushing it with a long handle duster. He recoils suddenly and buries his nose in the crook of his elbow, expelling a thunderous sneeze.

"Uh," you feel a tingle yourself, "let me get the windows."

You scurry over the window to the left of the front door and pull back the heave drapes one at a time. The stirring of fabric releases another cloud of neglect. You stand on your toes to untwist the clasp and push the hinged panes outward.

You're out of breath as you cross to the other, doing the same and letting in the afternoon sunlight. Thor continues his diligent dusting, turning over a vase to dump out the build up within.

"Uh, I never knew Loki had a brother," you begin awkwardly.

"And I didn't know he had… you," he grins, the words amicable despite their intonation.

"Well, really, he doesn't… he's more stuck with me, I think."

"Ah, of course, why else would he leave you here," he turns to fix a frame on the wall, "apologies for the state… things have… gotten ahead of me."

"It's fine," you shrug.

"Would you like to put some music on?" He waves to you with the duster and points through the archway to your right, "my father left me his collection."

He directs you ahead of him with the sweep of his arm. You hesitate but go into the dark expanse of the new room. You hear a click and crackle and dozen bulbs light up overhead. A mosaic shade houses the glow and warms the space.

"There," Thor stands beside you, pointing to the corner before stepping ahead of you.

He goes to what looks to be a chest of drawers. There is a door to one side but no others. He nears and clutches the top, popping up the thin wooden lid to reveal a record player set into the peice of furniture.

You approach as he nods, "records are inside," he says.

You run your hand along the wooden door, the front woven with thin slats. You hook your finger into the handle and ease it open with a squeak. You bend to look at the collection within.

"Choose," he orders, "I'm not very picky."

You nod and thumb through the album covers, settling on Judy Garland at the at Carnegie Hall. You take it out and wipe off the front, holding back a sneeze. Thor offers to take it and you hand it over as he reads the title.

"Ah, one of my mother's," he beams as he slides out the record, "you have old-fashioned taste."

"I… guess," you clap your hands off as he puts the needle on a flips the switch.

"Please," he hovers his hand above your shoulder and stretches his arm towards the long couch, "you needn't help. You should keep off your feet."

He cross the room and shakes out the throw, thumping on the cushions to knock out the dusty residue. He hums and clucks.

"It'll do for now," he turns to you, "please, I will fetch some of… some old books."

"I don't mind. I'm not very far along, you know?"

"My mother would faint to think I let an expecting woman lift a finger," he shakes his head, "do you like tea? Oh, what kind of tea can you have…" he puts a finger to his chin, his matted beard straggling down to his chest.

"Let me make the tea," you offer.

"Little mouse," he puts his hands up, "you must relax," he pats the arm of the couch, "I promised Loki I would look after you."

"But…" you swallow your argument. It is his house. He might be embarrassed to share the mess with you. Better he cleans it himself, besides you're very tired. "Alright," you relent and come forward, "thank you, Thor."

He smiles and doesn't move until your sat in the corner of the couch. He retreats, almost reluctantly, and you languish in the rich crooning of Judy and the buzzing awe of her audience. You lean your head in your hand, you elbow over the rest. You can't help but think how sad this place has been after seeing its occupant.

He mentioned a woman, Jane. Perhaps his wife, and his parents. All gone. You suppose he needs some hope. His excitement nips at your dread. How can your life sentence be his chance to start again?

You hear distant clank and sit up straight. You shimmy to the front of the cushion but keep from standing. He can manage himself, you just have that inherent need to help.

Your eyes rove the darkened edge of the room. A spacious den with bookshelves along one wall, two armchairs to match the sofa, a long coffee table on an intricately patterned rugs, a console table behind the sofa and a bench before the unlit fireplace.

"I found some herbal tea," Thor announces as he startles you, "hope you don't mind blueberry."

"That's good," you accept as he comes around with a dainty tea cup on a saucer. It looks ridiculous in his hands.

"Right, yes, books," he puts it on the square table by your elbow, "you like reading?" He goes to the bookshelves, "I suppose you have the pick of the lot. I'm not very attached to any of them."

"Thanks," you say again, "really, it's so nice of you–"

"I will have a room ready for your tonight," he declares as he spins on his heel, "yes, you need somewhere to sleep."