Looking for balance

48. Oral re-take

Thanks to shunsakelover and Natra791 for your comments.

09/17/23 EDIT: Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

***

Sanji opened the aquarium door and paused for a moment as he entered. He hadn't set foot down there since Franky had rebuilt it almost three weeks earlier, and he was now remembering that this room had been ruined the last time he had paid attention to it. He didn't know how the cyborg had managed to fix it so quickly or when he had found all the necessary equipment between their hectic stops in recent times but the fact was that the aquarium was radiant. He had rebuilt the room identically: its red armchairs, its freight elevator connected to the galley and its huge aquarium with bluish light. However, he had added a table and chairs as well as a small counter and the blond approved the initiative because the crew members liked to come and take a break here, enjoying the underwater landscape the place was offering.

Snapping out of his pondering, Sanji went to their fish and seafood stock. He wanted to make shrimp and avocado cocktails for lunch. Taking hold of the shrimp net to grab the crustaceans, the cook remembered that he still had tons of apples stored all over the place and he started looking for a new recipe. Indeed, in their haste to go shopping during their last call at the time of his abduction, Chopper and Franky had practically bought only apples regarding fruit. Sanji didn't hold it against them because they had had the good sense to make stock despite the events but he was getting to the end of his ideas and his crewmates were beginning to get tired of pies, sorbets and apple salads at every meal. Finally shrugging after removing enough shrimp, Sanji decided to make stewed apples he would caramelize. He knew the captain would honor the dish no matter what anyway.

***

Sanji knew him by heart. He had barely started cooking the apples in anticipation of his dessert that Luffy was drawn to the enticing smell of the fruit simmering in the brown sugar and cinnamon.

"Sanji, I'm hungry..."

His voice was tearful and the blond shrugged while continuing to peel his shrimp. "You can eat the pie but don't touch the stewed apples. It's for lunch."

"Really?!" The straw hat boy couldn't believe his own ears and he didn't wait more than a second to throw himself onto the pie that lay on the table before his cook changed his mind. "Shank you, Shanshi! It'sh shoo good!" He exclaimed, chewing loudly.

The blond sighed in front of his poor manners before turning to watch that his apples weren't sticking at the bottom of his pot. "You should thank Chopper and Franky. They bought so many apples I don't know what to do with them..." He then turned to his captain and leaned against his worktop after washing his hands.

"By the way, Luffy, have you thought about this dinner with Nami-san?" He asked him while the captain was devouring another piece of pie with gusto.

"A dinner with Nami?" He questioningly repeated, noisily swallowing his mouthful.

"Didn't you want to have a romantic dinner last time?" The cook said, frowning.

"Oh, I did! I said I wanted to eat a romantic dinner when you did it with Zoro!" The straw hat boy remembered, suddenly delighted. "So it's with Nami?"

At these words, Sanji put down the dish towel with which he was wiping his hands, disillusioned. It might not have been such a good idea to remind him, but he had resolved to give his two friends a nice evening and he didn't want to break his word.

"This is the principle of a romantic dinner," he then explained patiently. "You eat with the person you love and you have a good time."

"That's great!" The captain exclaimed. "When do we eat?!"