inbox for golden peacock

[chiffonades]

@sanji

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[chiffonades]

[ Waking up next to her is always a joy— one that he'd never seriously thought he'd ever experience back home— but there's something a dozen times sweeter about it today. And try as that small, unrelenting piece of his heart that clings to the past might, it can't dismiss just how special he feels at that moment when the realization hits, and he catches the way she looks at him, brimming with all that sweet, unending affection that makes his chest flood with warmth and his heart swim with just how much he cherishes her. It's so much easier to admit that, now, than it was even a month ago. ]

You're right. Should've known better than to think you'd forget anything. You're too damn brilliant for that. [ Soft, sleepy laughter rumbles gently in his chest as he grins at her, lopsided and so deeply joyful that there's no way it looks anything other than dopey. Not that it matters, not when it's her, not when he's left sighing softly at the feeling of her soft, warm lips brushing against his. ]

Shit, Nami— I, uh, can't wait to try it. I wanna try it all. Smells so damn good. [ As if to prove his point, his stomach rumbles eagerly as he flashes a sheepish smile at her, eyes still lidded with barely warded off sleep. He doesn't even have to think about kissing her again— he just does it, lips softly pressed against hers for a brief handful of seconds— and murmurs, grinning wickedly against her. ] Yeah? Sounds like I've already won the present jackpot. Can't imagine anything better than you, beautiful.

[ Slowly, his hands are already pushing the lush, fluffy comforter down his bottom. He's naked, of course, but there's no surprise there, not after they fell asleep last night in their usual tangle of limbs, curled around one another. Sanji's lips curl in a lazy smile as he steals another quick kiss— because he can and can never get enough of them— before slowly sitting up. ] Much as I like staying in bed with you— better go and see what else you got me.

[ Laughing, he slips out of bed and to his feet, but not without taking her hand in his, first, and giving it a quick squeeze as he tugs her arm playfully, grinning a moment later as she follows after him. ]

[cartographie]

[ For all his kisses do to make her want to relax into bed and keep him with her in the sheets until it's time for her birthday, Nami lets him go, her eyebrows wiggling amusedly at the sight of his bare ass. She's committed to going all in, hasn't she? Yet part of Nami is somewhat thankful that Sanji's climbing out of bed to head towards the tray, as it means he's unlikely to notice that she's not quite breathing.

Beside the bottle of champagne sits a white box tied with a length of indigo velvet ribbon. For all the casino's shopping center contains, finding something truly special had taken a trip to the storage rooms of the resort, a darkly lit space full of unique, but forgotten treasures. Considering how old most of that stuff was, Nami didn't think of it as stealing so much as antiquing, though she doubts Sanji's going to care about where the lighter waiting in the box came from. Beneath the lighter is a slip of paper, folded once, 'love you, Nami' written across the inside in the artistic, looping scrawl she reserves for the legends of her maps.

Telling him like this felt safer at the time, once she decided to stop holding back the one thing Nami swears they both must know, but while she watches his back, her cool veneer eroding rapidly, she's beginning to have her doubts about that. ]

[chiffonades]

[ There’s nothing about the small box, with it’s sharp gilded edges and darkly lush ribbon that gives any hint at what’s inside— and, frankly, Sanji isn’t trying to guess. The fact that she got him something at all is more than enough to make his heart swell with feelings that are far more than fond, his body a flood of the kind of pleasant warmth that’s most common after they’ve lost hours together— hours spent curled together, tangled up in one another’s arms, lips swollen from too many kisses— but it’s only been minutes. When he lifts the lid with a touch that’s reverance, his face lights up with pure, unbridled joy the moment he spots the light. She’s right to assume he doesn’t care where it came from because he doesn’t— the only thing that matters is that she got it for him. It’s only natural to pick it up, laughing delightedly, inspecting in closer detail— it’s perfect, he decides, already discarding the cheaply bought one from the store mentally— mouth open to say— ]

A lighter—!

[ —but then he notices the way the slip of paper has started to unfold and how at the angle he holds the box, there’s a dark line of ink on the inside. Curiosity wins out as he tilts his head, snapping the paper out of the box and placing the lighter back inside, then setting them back down next to the bottle.

When he unfolds the paper and sees the words written there, he gasps, head snapping around to suddenly stare at Nami, then back down at the paper, the back at Nami, and one less time down at the paper, as if to make sure he’s not imagining, as if to ensure the words aren’t a figment of his imagination.

They’re not.

love you, Nami

For a moment, it feels like his heart is frozen in his chest— like it all knows how to do is skip beats, like it wants to draw this moment of realization out into forever— but then it’s beating again, beating so damn fast as the realization slams into him and that disbelieving question dies on his tongue because it’s Nami, it’s Nami and she’s never say something like this and not mean it. It’s been only a couple of weeks since that day out in the springs and they’d both been struck by arrows sent from Cupid himself. And they’d all but said it then, really, bared their hearts to one another, torn through months of unspoken feelings buried in her fear of being vulnerable and his of being worthless.

But in the moment, it still manages to nearly knock him off his feet.

Sanji crosses the distance between them with quick, rapid steps, eyes suddenly damp as one hand clutches the paper against his chest. Without a word, he wraps both arms around her, pulls her so close, flush against his chest as the grin of lovestruck fool spreads wide across his face and he laughs, dumbfounded, joyous, ecstatic. The paper lands on the bed, gently released from his fingers in the instant before he catches her face between his hands and kisses her. It’s not greedy, or hungry, or desperate, not hard, or demanding, or full of need. He pours ever ounce of fondness and affection and, yes, love, he has for her in that kiss, letting it simmer, letting his lips move languidly and his forehead rest against hers when he ends it with a sigh a long moment later. And he’s still beaming as he looks down at her, the world suddenly back to being just them, thumbs gently stroking her cheekbones. ]

Love you too. [ It’s a soft, gentle murmur as he laughs, almost disbelieving, laughs and then kisses her again. ] Love you, Nami. So damn much.

[cartographie]

[ His heart might be racing, but Nami's feels like it's slowed down considerably as she holds her breath and takes in every aspect of how Sanji reacts to that note. This isn't as visceral as the last time Nami put her heart on her sleeve, like she had back outside Coco Village when she asked Luffy for help, but it feels just as soul-bearing. Her stomach, if not her entire body, becomes one large knot while she watches him clutch the lighter in his hand while he reads, the heavy press of concern threatening to break through the fragile wall of her hopes until he turns, and she can see the look on his face.

In the span of a second, this effort in sharing, and all the stress that came with it, seems like a very paltry price to pay. His expression is beautiful. He's never hidden anything from her, and yet the light in his eyes manages to look new. Warmth spreads across her face, and though part of her wants to, Nami ignores the urge to duck her head and hide her face, choosing instead to take those few steps closer and meet him halfway before rising up onto the balls of her feet to make it even easier for Sanji to wrap his arms around her.

She swears she can feel his heart hammering against her chest, although she suspects it could be her own racing away as well, a thunderous patter that picks up a half step as he pulls back to cradle her face in that adoring way of his, before kissing her at last. ]

Okay– [ Nami pauses, looking almost sheepish as an uncharacteristically girlish laugh escapes her, and she grins helplessly wide up at his face, tears pricking up at the corners of her eyes. ] Okay, shut up. [ Another giggle, and she shakes her head at herself and leans in to kiss him again, still smiling stupidly against his mouth. ] Happy birthday, Sanji.