Archive of Our Own ^beta

Of course Sanji noticed the jaguar Mink - he was the first person they found conscious under the fumes of Caesar’s gas in the ruined city.  And that was impressive, that vitality and the guy’s determination, his dignity even though it was all he could do to beg them to save his people.  But Sanji didn’t really look at him, not then. He had enough other things to pay attention to, between beating Caesar into cooperation and fighting off those barbarian pirates, or whatever they were calling themselves.

Saving Nami-swan always comes first, after all.  Talking Wanda down was a point in the guy’s favor, sure, but Sanji was more impressed by the cute squirrel girl jumping in.  And there were plenty of other Minks to save after that, and Caesar to threaten some more, and then dozens of lovely ladies to greet and mouths to feed and, well.  Sanji saw the jaguar guy around during all of it, but it’s not until he’s almost caught his breath, doling out soup to all the traumatized Minks, that he gets a meaningful impression of him.

The jaguar’s name is Pedro, and Sanji did remember that from the beginning, when the Mink met his eyes with blood streaming down his face and asked for their help with such resolve.  He’s even broader than Zoro and more than a head taller than Sanji, and he’s the gruff, scarred, manly sort; apparently he’s important here somehow. The lovely Wanda - who seems pretty commanding herself - listens when he speaks, and he has an unwavering dedication towards the big cat and equally massive dog Chopper is treating.  None of that is particularly interesting to Sanji. The Strawhats meet a lot of serious, loyal, high-ranking military types.

It’s the sincerity that gets to him.  Sanji is always touched when people enjoy his food, and Pedro wolfs down his soup with a gusto Sanji is used to, and thanks him with candor that Sanji is not.  Sanji is used to a throwaway thanks and a demand for more, and even when he’s serving people who are not crew, their appreciation tends to be either polite or casually enthusiastic, not this kind of firm sincerity.

So Sanji does as the guy asks, and makes sure everyone else gets their fill, but once the mood in the city has shifted from emergency triage to impromptu celebration, he circles back to bring Pedro another bowl.

There’s no need to go far.  Pedro has been hanging around them almost as closely as Wanda-chan, though he’s more self-effacing about it.  How a guy that massive, and with such a solid presence, manages to put himself on the sidelines is a mystery, though not one Sanji is too interested in solving.  If only a certain mosshead would learn to stand down this way sometimes.

“Still hungry?”  Sanji asks, coming around a corner where he last saw the jaguar.  It’s a bit out of the way, but there are other Minks scattered around, reconnecting more quietly than the main party.  Not everyone loves a crowd, Sanji supposes.

“Thank you.”  Pedro looks pleasantly surprised by Sanji’s presence, ears flicking to attention.

“Don’t mention it,” Sanji says, waving to another group of Minks eating nearby.

It’s a relief to step out of the action.  Keeping up with the demand for food has been easy, even though he’s feeding an entire country at this point, and that ease makes Luffy’s absence loom large in Sanji’s mind.  They’ll be reunited with the rest of the crew soon enough, but in the meantime he can’t help wondering what’s going on back in Dressrosa.

“My people will never forget what you-gara have done for us,” Pedro says, bowing slightly from where he’s seated on a crumbling wall.  It’s a solemn thanks, serious and dignified where the rest of the Minks are all unbridled enthusiasm and-

“You’re not doing the thing,” Sanji realizes, blurting out the thought as it crosses his mind.

Pedro blinks, lid moving slowly over his golden eye.  

“The gar-whatever, Minkship thing,” Sanji clarifies.

The jaguar grins at that, and Sanji can’t help watching his long, white teeth with a certain degree of apprehension.  “In my experience, Lesser Minks find it uncomfortable.”

“You can say that again,” Sanji responds, before realizing it might sound rude.  Sharing the greeting with ladies is an unparallelled blessing, of course, but Sanji has no desire to rub faces with a bunch of furry men.

Pedro chuckles, and turns to the food Sanji brought.  Sanji himself is enjoying the quiet moment, so he drops down onto the rubble beside the jaguar.  A bit close, but there aren’t a lot of flat spaces nearby.

“Do you mind?”  Sanji asks, pulling out a cigarette.  Pedro shakes his head, so Sanji lights up, and they just coexist for a few minutes.  It’s unfamiliar, but Sanji can’t say he dislikes it. Noise from the party floats over the ruins, Brook’s familiar music accompanied by a wholly foreign mix of animal sounds.

“Your cooking warms the body, and the kindness your crew has shown us warms the soul,” Pedro declares, echoing his earlier thanks as he sets his empty bowl aside.  “Between Doctor Chopper and yourself, you-gara have restored life to this country.”

Embarrassed, Sanji makes a show of blowing a few smoke rings, as casually as possible.  As much as he loves hearing people praise his food, it doesn’t compare to Chopper’s work.

“Chopper deserves the credit, for saving everyone’s lives,” he says.  Maybe Caesar earned a little, but like hell Sanji will give it to him.  “He’s an amazing doctor.”

“Different kinds of life, perhaps,” Pedro muses, looking off in the direction of the party.  “The antidote saved us from certain death, but your cooking gave everyone the strength to celebrate that.  It is not a lesser achievement.”

“Probably says more about your people, that they have the resilience to bounce back so well,” Sanji mutters.  He doesn’t know what to do with this kind of appreciation.

Pedro gives him a searching look, but lets the matter drop.  It’s another consideration that Sanji is unused to, and the ensuing quiet is unusually comfortable.  Especially with someone they just met.

Nami comes across them soon enough, beckoning Sanji and Pedro back to the celebration, and Sanji is overjoyed to comply.  Anything for Nami-swan, but he’s oddly satisfied that Pedro also agrees to come back into the thick of things.

~o~O~o~

The whole day-night dichotomy is kind of confusing, and Sanji is certain the Minks have made it way more complicated than it needs to be.  Weren’t they all celebrating together just fine? But it’s far from being his problem, and he’s happy to let Wanda set them up with rooms while Pedro and the other Guardians head deeper into the forest.  The Minks’ outer town is strange, all the buildings scattered as readily through the trees as across the ground, but there’s a comfortable bed, and Sanji is ready to drop.

Morning comes early as it always does.  Sanji finds a kitchen, and gets to work.  His food will help Chopper get all the injured Minks back to full strength that much faster, and Sanji didn’t spend two years hunting recipes in okama hell to sleep in and let someone else cook.

He feeds the Minks that Chopper has confined to bed rest first, and when he comes back to his commandeered kitchen, Nami has found her way there.

“Radiant as ever, my love!”  Sanji carols, and sets about preparing her favorite breakfast.  Her bleary-eyed mumble as he sets the plate in front of her is more inspiring than a thousand grateful Minks, no matter how sincere.

Brook comes and goes, roused out of hiding by a pack of canine Minks, and Sanji gets in the rhythm of feeding everyone who comes through the door.  Eventually, he goes to find Chopper, and brings him a breakfast that’s much closer to brunch at this point.

“Oh, thank you Sanji, can you put it over there?”  Chopper asks, bustling about the infirmary. Even with the adorable Tristan and the goat doctor’s help, there are a tremendous number of patients for their little reindeer to tend.

“I’m not leaving until you eat,” Sanji threatens.  Chopper bustles between the beds, throwing anxious glances over his tiny shoulders, but gets a reprieve from Sanji’s glare when Wanda drops by.

“Oh, there you are, Sanji!”  Wanda cheers, sticking her head into the infirmary.  “This is for you!” 

“You shouldn’t have, Wanda-chwan!”  Sanji takes the bundle from her arms.  Clothes, a rather nice fur-trimmed jacket and a simple shirt and pants not unlike what he usually wears, but clean and well-made.

“It’s a traditional gift for visitors!”  She explains. “Pedro picked those out for you, but he couldn’t be here to deliver them during the day.”

“It’s so kind of you to bring them!”  Sanji says. He’s happy to accept them, even if they are a gift from a man.  Seems like Pedro has good taste.

Wanda gives Chopper an outfit that makes him look more like a tiny king than a doctor, and Sanji manages to convince him to sit down long enough to get some food into him.  Sanji goes off to change, runs around greeting some of the lovely Mink ladies, and gets back to work.

That annoying brat Momonosuke is nowhere to be seen; moping in his own room, apparently.  That suits Sanji fine - he’s always preferred animals to children - but he still has to deal with Caesar, since the evil bastard is helping Chopper refine the antidote they made.

“We set up a makeshift lab over there,” Chopper explains, once Sanji has run out of other things to do and reluctantly asks after the scientist.  He may not like the guy, but everyone has to eat.

“Food’s up, shithead,” he announces, dropping a plate on the man’s desk.

“Watch it!”  Caesar hisses.  “If you disrupt my work who knows what will happen-”

“Oh, shut up,” Sanji interrupts.  “If you fuck up that medicine I’ll kick your ass.”

“I am a genius scientist!”  Caesar says indignantly. “My work is perfect, there’s no way-”

“Then as long as you get to it, I’ll leave you alone.  Now eat before it gets cold, I didn’t go out of my way to make lunch just for you to waste it.  And you better finish every bite!”

Sanji leaves before Caesar can whine any more about free, personal food delivery, and goes to clean up his kitchen.  There are untold numbers of grateful ladies he hasn’t shared Minkship with yet this morning, and it’s terribly rude of him to hole up in the kitchen all day!

Then he sees Nami in her new dress, and has to get his head checked by Chopper before the doctor goes to take care of the Minks in the Whale Forest.  Between the hit and the blood loss he does feel a touch woozy.

“Will you come with me?”  Chopper asks. “It would be good for everyone there to get some of your food.”

“Sure thing,” Sanji agrees.

After dinner, Wanda gives them a ride over on her giant, tall alligator thing.  Sanji still isn’t sure if Warney is its name or race, but he also doesn’t much care.

The Minks here are happy to show him to a kitchen, and Sanji does the whole thing again.  Cat Viper complains that he didn’t make lasagna, of all things, but the giant cat is still bedridden and Sanji leaves the room while Chopper rants about getting proper nutrition.  It’s only a matter of time until Chopper gets onto the subject of resting instead of straining fresh injuries, and Sanji didn’t even get hurt during all this. He’s definitely not going to stick around and listen to that oft-repeated lecture when it’s not even directed at him.

Once he’s made sure all the injured Guardians have a balanced meal, there’s not much Chopper needs him for.  Sanji cleans up again, dodges a few grateful hugs, and considers his options. Eventually he’s going to want to get some sleep, but he’s used to going on less than this, and there’s so much to do!  It’s no contest really - he can’t possibly do anything but go out to greet all the lovely ladies of the Whale Forest!

Why doesn’t every culture have this tradition?  Sanji meets a lovely fox, rubs noses with a sweet doe, ducks out of the way of a wide-antlered stag, gets a soft hug from a fluffy rabbit, twirls into the arms of a tall zebra to avoid a pack of hounds… it’s paradise, absolutely the nicest place they’ve ever visited, and -

“You seem to have adapted well, given your earlier misgivings, Sanji-san,” a familiar, deep voice says, and enough of the hearts clear from Sanji’s vision for him to recognize Pedro.

“Oh, Captain, garchu!” the zebra says, giving him a quick nuzzle.  Pedro nods, solemn as ever, and she goes on her way with a wave at the two of them.

“Hey,” Sanji says, feeling somehow caught out.  “Yeah, it’s…”

“It is kind of your crew to accept our regard in our ways,” Pedro says.  “Truly, you-gara do us an honor, allowing us to show our appreciation.”

“It’s, uh, not that big a deal,” Sanji says.  There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, like the guy says, he’s just following along with the local culture-

“May I?”  Pedro asks, in that soothing voice, and damn it, Sanji can’t very well say no now, can he?  After that earnest speech, and it’s not like Pedro is just another stranger at this point. Sanji doesn’t want to insult him, he likes the guy!  Besides, it’s just a cultural thing, like shaking hands.

“Yeah, okay,” Sanji sighs.  He has to look up, pretty steeply, to meet Pedro’s gaze as he says it, and the intensity in that golden eye makes him drop his own immediately.

He’s been running around doing this all day, but something in Sanji’s chest lurches as Pedro leans down to him.  It’s far from the bright, fizzy excitement he’s been feeling while getting close to all of the lovely Mink ladies, so Sanji chalks it up to combined distaste at having a man approach him this way, and maybe a little bit of instinctive predator fear.  Pedro is… very large, with very large teeth, and the paw-like hand he places on Sanji’s upper arm as he moves in close has very large claws. That’s all it is. Not that Sanji couldn’t take him in a fight, because he definitely could, there’s just nothing pleasant about getting cuddly with a giant hulking cat-man.

“Garchu,” the Mink says, sounding deeply sincere, and slowly rubs his face against Sanji’s cheek in one long, smooth motion.  Pedro’s fur is very soft, and hearing his deep voice so close to his ear sends a shiver down Sanji’s spine.

“Garchu,” Sanji repeats, automatically putting a hand up to Pedro’s elbow.  The jaguar nuzzles in for another lingering moment, and Sanji’s thoughts skip a little.  He’s touched a lot of fur today, and has to admit that Pedro’s is exceptionally nice, despite his rough appearance.  By the same token, the Mink is being very careful and deliberate with the way he’s touching Sanji. It’s the mark of a man who knows his size is intimidating, and Sanji would be insulted by the delicate handling if Pedro wasn’t so damn genuine about it.  He can tell the jaguar is only acting with the greatest respect, and that’s hard to disparage.

Pedro steps back with one last stroke of fur, hand remaining lightly on Sanji’s arm for an extra few moments as the jaguar examines him.  Sanji finds his breath catching, and forces himself to exhale normally.

“I see Wanda brought you the clothes,” Pedro observes.

“Yeah.  Uh, thanks,” Sanji says, overly conscious of the jaguar’s gaze as Pedro looks him over.

“They suit you,” the Mink declares, tail avidly swishing behind him.  “Here, I have one more piece for you.”

Pedro pulls a necklace out of his pocket.  It’s the same style he, and many of the other Minks, are wearing.  Nothing fancy, but Sanji still feels odd accepting jewelry from him, especially as Pedro ignores his reaching hands and fastens it around Sanji’s neck himself.

“Have you eaten?”  Sanji asks, grasping for an escape from the intimacy of this moment.  It’s all in his head, right? This is all normal cultural stuff here, and he’s making it weird, by reacting like it’s something special.  But none of the other interactions he’s shared today have felt like this.

“I’m afraid I just came back from the Forest,” Pedro replies.  “On my way in I heard that you came with Doctor Chopper and fed everyone.  I’m sorry to have missed another chance to eat your cooking.”

“I’ll make you something,” Sanji offers, even though he’s already cooked dinner twice tonight.  “Chopper is probably still busy, anyway, and I can’t go back without him.”

“If it’s no trouble for you, I would like nothing more.”

Sanji nods, and jerks his head back in the direction he came from.  They walk back in silence, which Sanji is glad of. It gives him a chance to catch all his racing thoughts before they run away with him.

He makes another simple meal and watches Pedro eat it, the usual satisfaction radiating through Sanji’s body.  There’s nothing more validating than seeing people enjoy his cooking, and something about the little flicks of Pedro’s ears as he eats tells Sanji the jaguar is enjoying it, even if he’s much too polite to talk with his mouth full.

~o~O~o~

Apparently saying yes one time was a blanket permission, because now whenever Pedro’s around he always comes over to rub his cheek against Sanji’s.  It’s not as much as Wanda hanging off Nami and licking all her exposed skin - Sanji has to stop thinking about that, or he’ll definitely get a nosebleed, and he’s been doing so well - but it’s a more consistent, dedicated thing than the greetings the rest of the Minks offer.

More frequent, too.  It’s not like Pedro is following him around or anything, but between the jaguar escorting Sanji and Chopper back to the town last night and showing up on some errand this morning, Sanji hasn’t gone more than a few waking hours without seeing him.  Either the whole day-night thing doesn’t apply to Pedro, or he’s willfully ignoring it.

A soft, furry goodnight when Pedro dropped them off, a considerate greeting this morning, a quicker brush of thanks when Sanji gave the Mink breakfast, another sincere farewell barely an hour later.  Compliments for his food, for their help, for Sanji’s grace in a strange situation - and Sanji is beginning to wonder what Pedro’s going on about by that one, he’s hardly an ideal guest the way Nami-swan is.  The attention feels like a lot, but as Sanji watches Nami hold court over crowds of Minks, watches Chopper scurry through his impromptu hospital wards while practically teaching a seminar, watches Brook run laps around the town with packs of dogs on his heels… well, Sanji can’t help thinking he’s gotten a good deal.

After all, none of the Minks try to get too close while he’s in the kitchen.  The men keep their distance the rest of the time too, even if Sanji has to insist upon it.  He gets to greet all the lovely ladies as much as he wants. By contrast, Pedro’s attention is respectful, and having it is oddly flattering.

Men like that are rarely swayed by his cooking.  They don’t care for his craft, and once Sanji puts on an apron his combat skills are forgotten.  That’s just how it is; the reason the Baratie had to fight off pirates every damn week despite the cooks’ reputation.  On top of that, once Sanji starts talking about his dream, people dismiss him as a dreamy child.

Sanji can’t help thinking that Pedro would respect that, too.  Not that he wants to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with the Mink about All Blue, but after all the sincerity thus far Sanji cannot imagine the jaguar laughing him off the way so many others have done in the past.

The idea is seductive.  That’s all Sanji will admit, that receiving this kind of serious attention makes him crave more.  It’s - 

Cackling distracts him from his introspection, and Sanji jolts back to reality, where he’s sliding a covered plate of lunch across a table to Caesar Clown.  Sanji startles a little, surprised that he was so lost to the world, and less than pleased that his brain seems to have decided Caesar is harmless enough to ignore this thoroughly.  The guy is spineless and a braggart, but he’s also almost as smart as he thinks he is.

Sanji finishes passing over the lunch with a scowl, and glares at Caesar as he continues to laugh.  Smart, but fucking insane.

“No reason to look so lovelorn, Blackleg,” the scientist sneers.

Straightening up, Sanji sneers right back and scans the table for breakable science.  Nothing. He’ll be able to catch the plate if he flips the table into Caesar’s infuriating face, and then he won’t have to listen to whatever bullshit the madman is spouting -

“Your kitty cat is right there,” Caesar continues, waving out the nearby window with unbalanced glee.

“Shut the fuck up,” Sanji mutters, absently kicking the table over and snatching Caesar’s plate out of the air before the food can be wasted.  Caesar’s indignant cursing from beneath the overturned table is rewarding on an instinctive level, almost as good as the reaction when Sanji gets the chance to kick Zoro awake.  Sanji will never understand why Caesar is so bad at using his Devil Fruit to avoid this kind of stuff.

More importantly, what is he going on about?  Sanji has met a lot of lovely felines in the last few days, but none of those ladies have captured his heart more than the others, and - 

Pedro is down in the intersection below this room.  It’s a sharp drop, a few stories at least, and enough to be a risk even for Sanji, but he can recognize the jaguar easily even from this angle.  Sanji isn’t sure what that says about him, and doesn’t like the implications.

Caesar fucking giggles as Sanji turns back to him, the crazy bastard.  “Infatuation at its finest, although how could such base creatures resist, when you cut such a suave figure as their savior-”

There’s so much wrong with that statement, Sanji doesn’t know where to start.  The Minks aren’t animals, and Sanji is tempted to shove the truth of that down Caesar’s throat along with his foot, but the idea that Pedro has some kind of - of, romantic interest - in him is easily as infuriating.  Someone as dignified as the jaguar - Captain of the Guardians, well loved and respected by everyone Sanji has seen him interact with - wouldn’t develop that kind of blind savior complex.  There’s nothing about Sanji that’s worth love from that kind of person.

Caesar is cackling again.  Sanji shakes his head to clear it and feels his cheeks heat, wondering what expression he was making.  Those thoughts were just as unhinged as the evil scientist in front of him. As insatiable as he may be when it comes to positive attention, Sanji doesn’t want romance from - 

“Think you can make him purr for you?”  Caesar snickers.

“Jaguars don’t purr!”  Sanji growls, addressing the least problematic part of the scientist’s insanity.  Slamming the plate down on the windowsill, he leaves Caesar to get his work space back in order.  Better to get out before he tries to kill the guy; it would probably upset Chopper.

~o~O~o~

The interaction keeps Sanji flustered as he cleans up the mess from lunch, not least because Wanda passes through his kitchen as he’s packing up leftovers, and makes a point of telling him that Pedro has come by again.

“I think he’s talking with Shishilian,” Wanda says, “but I know he’ll want to see you before he leaves, Sanji!”

“If you say so, my love,” Sanji responds, trying to ignore the statement as he fixes up a snack for her to take with her.  Apparently she and Nami are going out to see some more of the island this afternoon.

He puts aside one serving of leftovers with a little extra care.  Some of the Minks keep odd hours, and if the top example in Sanji’s mind has only one eye and a notched ear, it’s only common sense to be prepared.  If he’s already imagining a deep, smooth voice thanking him for his thoughtfulness, well, no one will ever know but himself.

Going out for a cigarette, Sanji doesn’t try to pretend that he isn’t looking for Pedro.  Wanda is right; Pedro will probably be looking for him, so Sanji might as well make it easier while he has some free time to himself.

It doesn’t mean either of them is looking for more.  It’s totally normal stuff.  Just making a new friend in a new place.  Nothing especially intimate about it.

Sanji can practically feel Caesar Clown peering down from that upper window.  Just in case, he turns back to the building and flips off the general direction of the scientist's room.

There’s a commotion out in the main square.  After a few days here, Sanji is getting used to the ambient noise of Zou, but the way a crowd of excited minks sounds still makes the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.  Yelling and roaring as loud as any group of pirates, and far more wild.

One roar stands out above the rest, and Sanji catches a glimpse of red curls over the heads of the crowd.  Metallic clashing follows, and Sanji has fought with and alongside Zoro more than enough to recognize the sounds of swordplay.  The crowd cheers eagerly as Sanji meanders through, so it must be all in fun, whatever is happening.

“- no place for such soft emotions in this time of war!” the roaring voice proclaims.  “This time I will teach you the superiority of the Musketeers, once and for all!”

Shishilian, then.  As he steps into a clear pocket near the side of another building, Sanji already knows he’ll see Pedro in the middle of the circle of cheering Minks, facing off against the lion Musketeer.  Sure enough, the jaguar dodges a blow just as Sanji catches sight of him, saying something in his low voice that Sanji can only make out the tone of - playful and mocking, and Shishilian growls in response, the fight only intensifying.

Grinning, Sanji takes out a cigarette and watches a few more passes.  This relationship is so familiar, it’s almost an out-of-body experience.  For a few seconds, he even misses the marimo, instead of reveling in the swordsman’s absence the way he has been.  They’ll be back to fighting like this soon enough.

A short way away, Sanji spots Carrot-chan shouting at the pair in the circle.  After finishing his cigarette, he sidles over to join her.

Sanji leans up against the wall next to Carrot, and she bites him.  “Garchu, Sanji!”

Wincing, Sanji decides not to get his face too close to her teeth.  “Nice to see you, Carrot-chan.”

Carrot hums, rocking on her heels and watching the impromptu exhibition match with sparkling eyes.  She whoops a little as Pedro leaps over Shishilian’s sword, and Sanji is struck by just how young she is.  He’s glad she still seems so carefree, after everything that’s happened.

“Did you know Pedro taught me how to fight?”  Carrot says, during a lull where Shishilian prowls around a lazily smirking Pedro.

Sanji shakes his head, sparing a glance her way and feeling odd that he can barely tear his eyes away from the Minks circling in the square, even with a pretty girl like Carrot-chan to talk with.

“Shishilian is a stick in the mud,” Carrot proclaims, as the lion executes what Sanji does have to admit looks like a textbook-perfect sword manoeuver.  “All strong and proud and unyielding. I mean, Pedro is like that too, but he’s more flexible.”

Watching Pedro pull off another nearly-liquid dodge, leaping through the air almost as easily as Sanji can with his Sky Walk, Sanji can see what Carrot means.  Shishilian is stiff in a way the jaguar is not, even if they do seem more or less matched in skill. For a big guy, Pedro sure can move.

“He realized that I’m no good with swords, and got me my gauntlets!”  Carrot continues. Sanji looks at her delicate hands, waving excitedly as she talks, and can’t say he sees why Pedro would offer a pretty thing like her hand-to-hand equipment, but he can’t deny that Carrot took admirably to that style.  She turns to grin at him, with another expansive gesture. “Pedro is unconventional. And he’s always liked pirates.”

She looks him dead in the eyes for that last comment, and Sanji feels his face flaming again.  There’s nothing - and she’s practically a child - 

“Carrot-chan,” Sanji pleads.

“I mean, I guess I can see the appeal,” Carrot muses.  “You-teia, Lesser Minks, are pretty interesting with all your weird hairless skin.”  She pokes at him, and Sanji feels like he should put his coat back on. He left his shirtsleeves rolled up after lunch cleanup, and now it seems almost obscene.  Of course he’s noticed how the Minks in general feel about normal human skin, but he almost feels like he’s flaunting something now that Carrot has pointed it out.

“It’s nothing like that, Carrot-chan,” Sanji insists.  “Your people rarely leave Zou, right? I’m sure Pedro just likes talking to me because I’m not from here.”

If that was all, Pedro would be equally eager to talk with the others, but he barely gives Nami a second glance - which Sanji appreciated, at first, because no one deserves Nami and all that, but now he’s seeing the lack of interest a little differently - and the jaguar is friendly with Chopper and Brook in the same, slightly formal way.  It’s only Sanji that Pedro puts so much energy into seeking out.

Carrot snickers at him and rolls her eyes, attention drawn back to the fight as Shishilian disarms Pedro with a clever little twist that Sanji would swear he has seen perfectly replicated on countless training grounds.  Undeterred, the jaguar lunges low, taking the Musketeer out at the knees. Both go down, Pedro knocking the lion’s sword away when Shishilian drops it in surprise, and the crowd’s cheers reach the crescendo of an exciting finale.

Pedro rolls away, laughing up at the sky, and Shishilian brushes himself off with a performative grumble.  They get to their feet and the crowd begins to disperse, a few Minks lingering to chat with the combatants, and Pedro catches Sanji’s eye across the square.

Shit, only Luffy ever looks at him with that kind of delight, and only when he’s carrying food.  It’s all Sanji can do not to blush as Pedro whacks Shishilian in the shoulder and extracts himself from the crowd.

Carrot bounds over, high-fiving Pedro as she flits past and starts circling Shishilian, bouncing on her heels and grinning. The jaguar spares her a grin and a quick greeting, but barely pauses on his way over to Sanji.

Fiddling with his cigarettes, just for something to do with his hands, Sanji tries not to look too eager as Pedro walks over.  It’s surprising even himself, the warmth taking up residence in his chest from the Mink’s attention.

“May I join you?”  Pedro asks, gesturing at Sanji’s cigarettes.

Sanji just nods, and waits for the rest.

“Garchu,” Pedro says, with a palm to Sanji’s cheek as he brushes against the other.

Turning his own face against the jaguar’s, Sanji’s nose brushes through soft fur as he mumbles his response.  “Right back at you. You come out here just to brawl in the streets, or what?”

Pedro laughs, fishing out his own cigarettes and lighting one with a snap of his fingers.  Now that’s a neat trick. “Hardly, but Shishilian will never let an opportunity slide.”

“So, are you two always like this?”  Sanji asks, lighting his own smoke and trying for casual.  His blood is racing from watching that fight. Just the fight.

Nodding, Pedro angles his body in front of Sanji as an errant breeze threatens the fresh ember.    “We do not see eye to eye, although I would call it invigorating, and not a cause for true discord.”

“I’ve got a friend like that,” Sanji mutters.  He hesitates to say friend, but it’s hard to describe Zoro.  Not like the marimo will ever know he said it, anyway.

Pedro leans up against the wall beside him, close enough that Sanji can feel the contrast between the fresh forest air and the jaguar’s body heat.  Even considering the way Pedro towers over him, the proximity is comfortable rather than oppressive. “You must miss them.”

Sanji shrugs, looks away, sneaks a glance back up at the Mink’s serious face through the curtain of his hair.  The answer is obvious, and Pedro will know the truth whether Sanji admits it out loud or not. “I’m only worried they’ll get scurvy without me there to watch what they eat.”

A gaggle of children rush past, nearly falling over their feet, and Sanji twitches.  Even that much was an embarrassing amount of sentiment to air in such a public space.

“Walk with me?”  Pedro suggests, curling one hand around Sanji’s elbow to guide him out of the square.  “Surely you haven’t seen the whole town yet.”

“Sure,” Sanji sighs.  The jaguar’s grip loosens but never quite leaves, a steadying touch on his skin as they filter through the busier areas of the town.  Maybe he should clear the air between them, before he gets too caught up in the pleasant intimacy of all this casual contact.

He doesn’t.  They walk through the outskirts of town, neighborhoods that haven’t been reopened and streets empty of people.  Right when Sanji is beginning to think that this would be a great place to dispose of a body - and wouldn’t it be funny if Pedro tried to kill him now, and all the rumors of Minks hating other races were true after all - the jaguar leads him out into a little park, with decorative landscaping all overgrown along the banks of a narrow stream.

“Pretty,” Sanji comments, while a voice inside of him screams that it’s terribly romantic, isn’t it, beautiful in the afternoon light, with sunbeams sparkling off the water and all kinds of flowers escaping in every direction - 

“I thought you might like a moment of solitude,” Pedro says, offering Sanji his arm as they step over a displaced birdbath.  Sanji takes the moment of support, and the little voice, which is beginning to sound an awful lot like one of them, pink hearts and sparkles and all - gibbers in excitement.  “Being amongst so many strangers must be overwhelming, and I know that my people are hardly reserved.”

In normal circumstances, Sanji has no use for solitude.  Isolation is one of his greatest fears, but he’s not alone, and this verdant park is as different as can be from a bare rock in the ocean, or the cold dark of - 

No reason to think about that.  He gives Pedro a wry grin, wondering if the Mink even realized that he is, himself, something of an overenthusiastic stranger to Sanji.  Biting back on the impulse to mouth off about that is hard, but Pedro has given him a perfect opening. As they sit down on the bank, feet dangling out over the water, Sanji tries to figure out how to ask without sounding presumptuous.

“You guys are pretty isolated here,” he tentatively begins, “and I’ve been hearing, that because you don’t see a lot of people like us, it’s kind of exciting for you to meet people without fur.”

“That is true,” Pedro agrees, meeting Sanji’s gaze.  “I know that my countrymen can be unruly, and thoughtless in their enthusiasm.  I only hope it hasn’t been unpleasant for you.”

Not quite the answer he was looking for.  “So you got all the restraint around here, huh?”

“I was a pirate myself, for a while,” Pedro says.  “So you-gara, Lesser Minks with your bare skin, are less foreign for me.”

Sanji nods, looking away over the burbling stream.  That’s kind of a relief. The idea that Pedro was enjoying touching his skin, the way some of the Minks have been all over Nami, is unsettling.

“Though, I must say, not many seafaring men have skin as nice as yours, Sanji,”  the jaguar continues.

So much for that!  Sanji can feel his cheeks burning, and of course Pedro will know exactly what that means, too.  This is even worse, that the jaguar knows to make the distinction and would go so far as to say it.  He can’t keep writing this off as a respectful handshake, after a comment like that!

It doesn’t mean there’s deeper romantic intention to Pedro’s actions.  That’s too much of a leap; after all, most people experience… aesthetic attraction, or whatever this is… without wanting an emotional connection.  Sanji can’t imagine that Pedro feels anything like that for him.

He’s not sure what expression he’s making, beyond red in the face, but it must be bad, because Pedro is leaning closer with a concerned look, ears ticking forward at attention.  “I apologize, that was forward of me. If I’ve made you uncomfortable-”

“Not at all,” Sanji chokes out, because uncomfortable still isn’t the word; it’s not like he wants the Mink to leave or anything.  But maybe he could shift back a little, just so Sanji can get a full breath.

“I would never take advantage by reducing you to something exotic,” Pedro promises, and the serious tone of his deep, smooth voice does absolutely nothing to help Sanji get his heart rate under control.  “This time with you is far too meaningful to me.”

Sanji stares into the jaguar’s golden eye, and makes a strangled sound.   “I’m not, I mean… I’m just a cook. You haven’t met Luffy yet, then you’ll understand, I’m nothing special-”

“You could never be just anything,” Pedro interrupts, in the sternest voice he’s ever taken with Sanji, who can’t help shutting up under that firm assurance.  

“We just met,” Sanji points out, somewhat distracted by the way Pedro’s tail thrashes in agitation.  He needs a distraction, after a comment like that. “You can’t know that - can’t know me well enough to say that.”

“Few people could have accomplished what your crew did, here,” Pedro insists.  Sanji relaxes slightly; if the Mink means all of them, that’s different. “And fewer could match your individual skills.  You are an extraordinary person, Sanji, and I do not need to know you for longer to tell you the truth of that.”

Sanji is a person who is about to combust from the heat in his face, is what he is.  He doesn’t - he’s not a failure, not any more, but he’s not this spectacular person Pedro thinks he is, not by a long shot.  Maybe in one of Usopp’s stories he could be.

Pedro blinks - well, Sanji can only assume it’s a blink, and not a wink, because if the jaguar is winking at him Sanji might actually try to drown himself in this stream, and it’s nowhere near deep enough for that, so he would only embarrass himself and Pedro would probably ask if he’s okay, and act all conscientious about it, and - deep breaths, Sanji.  

Pedro blinks, and his ears twitch uncertainly, and he reaches out like he wants to touch Sanji but thinks better of it, placing his hand back down where Sanji can still feel the faintest brush of body heat, because they’re sitting so close together.

“Do you have such an inaccurate view of yourself?”  the Mink asks. “I would never have expected it.”

“Of course not!”  Sanji protests, chasing the tremor out of his own voice with false bravado.  “I’m the greatest chef you’ll ever meet, and I’m one of the strongest guys on my crew, and-”

It’s a good thing that Pedro laughs, giving Sanji the option to stop talking to glare at him, because he doesn’t have a lot more to say.  Somehow, he doesn’t want to get into his code of chivalry and protecting beautiful ladies everywhere, and he’s kind of out of other virtues to list.

“Confidence suits you,” Pedro says, and Sanji is feeling close enough to himself that he grumbles, shooting the jaguar another half-hearted glare and flicking his lighter instead of blushing himself speechless.

“Pirate,” he mutters.  “Can’t get far if you doubt yourself.”

“You have no cause to.”

Damn, this guy is smooth.  Sanji peers up at the Mink, as Pedro’s tail lazily flicks over their hands.  His fur looks especially soft and inviting in the dappled afternoon glow, and there’s nothing but fond certainty in his expression.

“I should get back, start on dinner,” Sanji says.  Before he can do something crazy, like grab Pedro by the front of his rakishly half-opened uniform coat and try to kiss him.  Sanji doesn’t even know if Minks kiss. Wouldn’t it be challenging, with all their different face shapes?

Anyway.  They have to get going, because kissing Pedro is a Luffy-level crazy kind of idea.  Sanji is not ready for that, no matter how hot the guy’s compliments are making him.

Pedro nods, getting to his feet with feline grace that keeps Sanji staring long enough for the jaguar to offer him a hand up, lifting Sanji off the bank like his weight is negligible.  He doesn’t give away even a glimpse of disappointment at the abrupt interruption, simply accompanying Sanji back into town with the same undemanding contentment.

They make idle conversation as they walk, sharing anecdotes about people they know.  Sanji talks a little about cooking; Pedro points out unique things about the island as they pass by.  Nothing as delicate as earlier, but Sanji is fiercely conscious of the intimacy anyway. It shouldn’t be this easy to talk to a near-stranger.

Too quickly and not nearly soon enough, they’re back at the door to Sanji’s borrowed kitchen.  At this point Sanji wonders if he should claim a sunburn, instead of owning up to the happy flush on his cheeks.  He doesn’t get many chances to just be, like this.

He loves every member of his crew, more than anything except maybe Zeff.  But he wants to be perfect in tending Robin and Nami’s every need, and doesn’t often take the time to have a vulnerable conversation with them.  Every interaction with Luffy begins or ends with a demand for food, Usopp is a little bit afraid of him, Chopper turns any stumble into an excuse for tests and bandages and tearful scolding.  The damn marimo is infuriating and while Sanji doesn’t dislike their relationship, he certainly won't sit down to have a heart-to-heart with the man. So on and so forth, but Pedro makes it feel natural to put all that aside.

Sanji doesn’t know how to explain that, and doesn’t really think he should.  This thing is precarious enough as it is.

“Thanks,” he says instead, turning back to only half-face the Mink, hands stuffed into his pockets.  Pedro’s ears do another of those little twitches, tail curling around his legs as the jaguar studies Sanji’s expression.

Hopefully it will be quick this time.  Sanji isn’t sure he can handle one of Pedro’s lingering, painfully gentle farewells right now.  His heart rate is barely back to normal.

Pedro pulls him into an enveloping hug, one arm around Sanji’s shoulders and the other hand cradling the back of his head.  With a startled noise, Sanji brings his own hands up to brace himself against Pedro’s chest, but of course the Mink holds him only tightly enough to be secure, rather than smothering.

Hand in his hair, down his neck, stroking along his shoulder blades - and Pedro lets go, almost faster than Sanji can register the smell of sunny-afternoon fur against his nose.

“I’ll see you tonight,” the Mink rumbles, turning to leave before Sanji can pull himself together enough to keep breathing, let alone respond.

~o~O~o~

Sanji might be doomed to have an irregular heartbeat for eternity, because not minutes later Nami swans into the kitchen, and he has to stave off a nosebleed.  That dress is truly a work of art. He disguises the emergency with his nose in a bustle of activity to make her a drink, and Nami doesn’t comment, bless her.  

“Saw Pedro on my way in,” Nami says, as Sanji passes her a citrus smoothie.  “Haven’t seen that expression from him before.”

“What expression was that, mellorine?”  Sanji manages to ask, in an admirably normal voice.

She shrugs, dragging her straw around the rim of the glass and peering up at Sanji through her lashes.  “Major last-dregs-of-self-restraint look. You fighting with the locals already, Sanji-kun?”

“Not at all, Nami-swan!”  Far from it.

Nami only peers harder, eyes narrowing.  “He’s not bothering you, is he?”

“N-no, what-”

“I don’t know why you wouldn’t just tell him to fuck off,” she mutters, tapping her perfect nails against the counter.  “You’re usually not shy about that, when guys come on to you.”

“It’s nothing like that, darling flower, honestly, Pedro is cool, I like him-”

“I mean, he’s smitten with you,” Nami continues, watching him with those sharp eyes.  “You don’t mind this time?”

“It’s just,” Sanji says, knowing she’ll take this the wrong way, “We don’t know anyone like him.”

“Nobody, huh,” Nami smirks, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

Sanji blushes, because that’s the expression he expected and it’s not like that, really.  “Mature, sincere. Everybody we get involved with seems to think they have to be as crazy as Luffy.  Even Law, he’s brilliant and all, but the guy is nuts. I can have a real conversation with Pedro and not feel like I have to talk anyone off the ledge of a crazy idea.”

He had to talk himself off the ledge, for a moment, but that’s different.

“He’s really swept you off your feet, hasn’t he, Sanji-kun?”  Nami laughs. 

Sanji mumbles an excuse, and turns away to put together a snack for her.  When he brings it over, Nami blinks at him, wide-eyed and startled.

“Wait, has he really, Sanji?  You’re actually interested?”

“Maybe,” Sanji admits, taking a seat beside her.

He’s used to attraction coming on hard and fast, to falling in love in a heartbeat.  Infatuations wash into and through him like seabirds over the ocean, no less sincere for their speed but rarely lingering.  This is an entirely different animal.

Nami watches him for a moment, her beautiful eyes trained on his own.  The teasing edge goes out of her expression, and Sanji can’t quite place the emotion that replaces it.

“Pedro obviously likes you a lot,” she says carefully.  “Anyone can see it.”

“I know,” Sanji nods.  No point prevaricating any more, or trying to write the jaguar’s behavior off as anything else.

“And you just said you like him,” Nami prompts.

At the risk of sounding like a child, there’s a difference between liking Pedro and like-liking him.  Sanji wants to point that out, to say that he only thinks the Mink is a cool guy, that he’s been a rock in this strange place in a purely platonic way, but he can’t lie to Nami-swan.  Nodding again, Sanji refuses to think about the implications.

“So what’s the problem?”  Nami asks.

“What’s the point?”  Sanji counters. “Nami-swan, I’m not going to… I mean, we’re leaving soon.”

Pedro offers a kind of stability that Sanji craves.  Or he would, if the nature of their acquaintance wasn’t so fleeting.  That’s what has Sanji doubting. Sure, he could lean into the jaguar’s greetings, let his own hands linger and respond in a sultry tone of voice.  He could let Pedro have him for a night, but that’s not what’s so tempting about the Mink.

Nami’s eyebrows shoot up.  “That’s what you’re worried about?”

“Yes?”  Sanji stammers.  “What did you expect, Nami-swan?”

“I thought you’d go on about him being a man, or a different species, or something about feeling emasculated that he could clearly throw you around like a twig,” Nami bluntly lists.  “Not that you’re upset that it couldn’t be a lasting thing.”

Sanji pauses, feeling caught out, but no, the rest isn’t important.  He rather likes how Pedro treats him like something worth delicate handling.  No one ever has before.

“It feels too serious to treat lightly,” he says, unable to meet Nami’s eyes.

“You really like him,” she breathes.  “Sanji-kun, you should say something.”

“I can’t,” Sanji says helplessly.  Even this much is going to taunt him, after they leave.  If he opens the door to all the affection Pedro is holding back, he’ll only be letting the inevitable hurt in with it.  He’ll be hurting Pedro, too.  

“Better to have loved and lost,” Nami quips, but her expression is serious.  “C’mon, Sanji-kun, let me tell you, it’s worth it. Won’t you regret it if you leave this chance behind?”

“You’re braver than I am, Nami-swan,” Sanji chokes out.

“Look at me,” Nami demands, leveling one perfectly-manicured nail at him.  “Sanji. I miss Vivi every day, but it would be ten thousand times worse if I had never told her.  It’s stupid to waste the time you have.”

“This isn’t like you and Vivi-chan, mellorine,” Sanji protests.  He feels guilty to even compare them; Nami and Vivi were so stunning, so complete together, Sanji couldn’t hope to have a relationship like that if he fell in love a thousand times.

“Maybe it could be,” Nami says, driving her point home with a jab at Sanji’s chest.  “But only if you put yourself out there.”

Sanji does a lot of that.  He’s been turned down so many times, it’s odd to have this lurching feeling of apprehension.  Especially when he knows this is a sure thing.  Pedro will gladly take whatever liberties Sanji will allow, that much is clear.

“I can’t believe I have to say that to you, of all people,” Nami mutters.  “Shit, I should be charging you for this. What’s the going rate for relationship counseling, anyway?”

“I’m your willing servant, as always,” Sanji says, with a weak smile.  Nami snickers.

“Then man up.  Have some fun. It’s impossible to guess what we’ll run into next, and besides, Pedro is hot.”  Nami winks, and all Sanji can get out is a pitiful squeak. “He’ll be careful of your heart, Sanji-kun.  Might as well give him a chance.”

With that, Nami slurps down the rest of her smoothie, and saunters out of the kitchen.  Sanji stares after her, entranced as ever by the swing of her hair, and tries to feel confident in her advice.  He doesn’t think he has Nami’s strength, her ability to carry on despite how badly she misses Vivi, but maybe that isn’t something he needs to worry about right now.

~o~O~o~

The Minks party enough that Sanji is sure they could satisfy even Luffy or Zoro, and either of their respective vices.  Sanji gets the impression that they live like this all the time - ready and willing to celebrate even the most mundane joys.  So it’s a superfluous excuse, having the handful of Strawhats here, but the Minks grab onto it with both hands.

Tonight they’re out in the Whale Forest, Nami having decided to tag along with Chopper on his rounds.  Of course Wanda accompanied her, and Sanji came to make dinner, and after watching them all pack up to leave Brook begged not to be left to the dogs, and Carrot showed up looking for Wanda, and Momonosuke is still nowhere to be seen, so.  The gang’s all here.

Including Pedro, who drops out of the trees to greet them right on the edge of the forest.  Sanji’s heart feels like he dropped it down a cliff, bouncing between the pleasure he feels at seeing the jaguar, his unease to notice Nami watching him, and the subsequent guilt at thinking anything so ungracious about one of his most precious angels.  Pedro crouches beside Sanji, looking down at him with such contentment that Sanji is sure the Mink would be purring, if jaguars could do that.

“Garchu,” Pedro says, placing one hand between Sanji’s shoulder blades to steady them both as he nuzzles into Sanji’s cheek and jaw.

“Hey,” Sanji mumbles, ruffling the fur on the other side of Pedro’s face.  Their last conversation is ringing in his ears, Nami’s questions roaring through him, and yet… he doesn’t want to say no.  Enjoying an affectionate touch is hardly the worst thing Sanji has ever done, no matter how muddled his feelings are on the matter.

Nami’s smirk is eloquent, enough so that after a few seconds of goggling between her and Sanji, Brook gets a gleam of gleeful comprehension in his empty eye sockets.  Pedro draws away, though he leaves his hand resting against Sanji’s shoulder.

“What, only saying hi to Sanji-kun?”  Nami teases.

“Ohoho, it seems that Pedro-san only has eyes for dear Sanji-san!”

Sanji still expects a refusal.  Some kind of rejection, for Pedro to laugh it off and say something dismissive.  That Sanji’s crewmates are making mountains out of molehills, that Sanji himself is nothing special enough to capture Pedro’s attention.  It would be kinder than that, coming from Pedro, but surely the Mink will deny the suggestion somehow.

Instead, he takes his hand off Sanji’s shoulder with a lingering brush of fingertips, and inclines his head toward Nami.  “My apologies. Welcome to the Whale Forest, Miss Nami, Doctor Chopper, Baron Corpse.”

They chatter through greetings, Chopper asking after his patients and Pedro assuring him that no one’s condition has taken a turn for the worse since last night.  The Mink doesn’t venture away from Sanji to touch anyone else, and he stays close enough that his tail brushes against Sanji at every shift.

Sanji likes it.  Despite his own reluctance, despite Nami’s teasing and Brook’s sudden interest, he’s happy to have Pedro’s attention.  Damn, he’s in deep.

“Unfortunately, I am supposed to be on patrol,” Pedro finally says, as they approach the Guardians’ town.  “I shall certainly rejoin you later.”

Pedro leans in, like Sanji knew he would, to say goodbye to him specifically, no matter that the Mink just promised to see them all again within hours.  Letting his jumbled emotions lead this time, Sanji wraps an arm around the jaguar’s neck, turning the motion into more of a hug than anything.

“See you soon,” he mumbles into the thick fur at Pedro’s neck.

The Mink’s eye is wide as Sanji draws back, and his face breaks into an earnest grin.  “Soon,” Pedro promises, swooping in to touch just the tip of his nose to Sanji’s as he stands to leave.

Sanji blushes, oddly shy of his crewmates once the jaguar disappears into the trees.  When he turns to face them, Brook’s jaw is hanging loose and Nami’s cheeks are pink.

“Well then,” Nami says, staring at him.

“Ohoho, Sanji-san, it’s enough to make an old skeleton blush!  Alas, I have no blood! Skull joke!”

“Shut up,” Nami demands.

Luckily, they reach civilization moments later, and routine kicks in.  Nami goes off to be pampered, Chopper scurries away to the infirmary, Sanji sets up to make dinner, and Brook is forced into hiding by the nighttime canine population.

Carrot volunteers to help him, but she seems content to smirk at Sanji in spare moments, radiating a smug sort of vindication.  She doesn’t mention their earlier conversation until the bulk of the work is done, and Sanji is stacking dishes beside the sink.

“He’s so happy around you,” Carrot sighs, propping her chin in her hands and grinning at him.

“I don’t know why,” Sanji mutters, unable to accept that, but loathe to disagree.

“Does it matter?”  Carrot asks. “He is.  And Pedro’s not a guy that falls for just anyone.  He’s too serious for that.”

Sanji wrings a dishcloth between his hands, and tries not to panic.  It’s too much pressure. There’s too much potential in this thing between them, too much to lose when it ends.

“You think too much,” Carrot says, rolling her eyes at him.  “Come on, leave that. They’ve started the party without us.”

“Lead the way, Carrot-chan,” Sanji allows, defeated.  Maybe he really does need to get out of his own head.

The Minks might be able to handle Luffy and Zoro, but Nami is already holding court with a predatory smile, a circle of intoxicated Guardians cheering her on as she drinks one of them under the table.  Not the first of the night, if the pile of collapsed Minks off to one side are anything to judge by. Nami-swan works fast.

Slamming her tankard onto the table, Nami runs the back of her hand over her mouth and takes the uproar as her due.  The big gorilla across from her wobbles, and falls off his chair with a groan.

“Better luck next time,” Nami grins.  She sweeps a pile of cash off the table, and hands it to Wanda, who at least has pockets.  “I’ve got another sucker to deal with.”

Apparently that sucker is Sanji, because Nami saunters over and shoves a fresh tankard of whatever she’s drinking into his hands.

“Thank you, Nami-swan!”  Sanji exclaims, nearly overwhelmed by her generosity.  “I just don’t think I should-”

“Drink, Sanji-kun,” Nami demands, jabbing him in the chest and accepting another fresh glass from a passing Mink.

He takes a sip, and is relieved to find decent wine instead of pure rum.  “Looks like you’re having fun, my flower. Did you get enough dinner? I’d be happy to make you something else.”

“Oh no, you’re not slinking back into the kitchen,” she says, taking a gulp of her new drink.  There’s the beginning of a flush high on her cheeks. “I want my eyes on you when Pedro gets off patrol.”

Sanji is afraid to ask why.  Whatever the reason, it will be humiliating for him, although he would never dream of denying Nami-swan her entertainment.  “I’m sure we won’t be waiting long,” he stammers.

“Yeah, he’s gotten good at finding you,” Nami smirks.

“Yeah,” Sanji mumbles.  

“Honestly, this is the cutest romance I’ve seen in ages,” she teases.  “I never would have expected it from you, Sanji-kun.”

“I’m very romantic!  A gentleman is always-”

“Patient?  Attentive?  Gracious?  Gentle and polite, but still strong, and confident, and masculine?”

Sanji nods.  Chivalrous, but not afraid to show a lady he cares for her-

“So, just like Pedro-kun?”  Nami asks, with her most shark-like grin.

Resisting the urge to whimper, Sanji puts his head in his hands for a moment.  He walked right into that one, and it’s all so true there’s nothing he can say.  And he doesn’t want to deny that Pedro is all of those things, anyway.

“The only problem with a guy like that,” Nami declares, throwing an arm around his neck and knocking her forehead against his temple, “is that he respects you too much!”

“Careful, Nami-swan,” Sanji says, making sure she doesn’t slosh her glass down herself.  Some gets on his pants as she wobbles, but her own dress stays clean.

“He’ll never push you!”  Nami continues. “He’ll make sure you feel comfortable with him, and he’ll never make a move!  And you definitely won’t, so he’ll just be here, doting on you and never asking for anything!”

“Nami-swan!”  Sanji protests, his face flaming.  Even though it’s obvious, now, that Pedro does feel that way, it doesn’t mean the Mink would even want to try something!

“Right, Wanda?”  Nami demands as the Kingsbird comes near.  “Pedro totally respects Sanji-kun.”

“Of course!”  Wanda says. “You-teia are our saviors, and Pedro will never forget that!  He’s the type to remember his gratitude for the rest of his life.”

“See?”  Nami jabs him in the chest, glowering up at him.  “So just remember, we’re pirates! You have to take what you want, it’s the rules!”

In moments like this, Sanji can really see Luffy’s influence on them all.  He’s conditioned to think that’s a pretty solid argument.

“You know, I think he’ll even be able to handle how needy you are,” Nami adds.

“Nami-swan!  I’m not needy, I-”

“You so are,” she retorts.  “The amount of attention you need, oh my god, even if I was into men you’d be impossible.”

This time he can’t suppress the whimper.  His heart may never recover from all these hard truths.

It’s in the middle of this that Pedro appears, of course.  Sanji looks up as Nami’s smirk widens, and the jaguar is cutting straight through the rest of the party with barely a sideways glance.  Nami pinches Sanji’s cheek, loops her arm through Wanda’s, and drags the Mink away with treacherous speed.

“Don’t wuss out now,” she hisses over her shoulder, shooting a saccharine smile in Pedro’s direction before vanishing into the revelry.

“Have I done something to offend Miss Nami?”  Pedro asks, glancing after her in bemusement as he comes up beside Sanji.

“She just… wants to give us time,” Sanji weakly replies.  That doesn’t sound as neutral and platonic as he wanted it to.

Pedro hums softly, taking Sanji’s hand in a way that makes him think the jaguar is about to kiss his palm or something equally knee-melting, but Pedro simply holds it and bends down for a brief stroke of fur against his cheek.  Sanji still has trouble catching his breath, heartbeat pounding in his ears.

“Would you care to step aside for a smoke, Sanji?” the jaguar offers, his grasp on Sanji’s hand travelling up his arm and down to the small of his back, gesturing into the quiet town.

“But you just got here,” Sanji demurs, making no effort to resist Pedro’s gentle suggestion.  “Don’t you want to relax?”

“I would prefer to unwind with you,” Pedro rumbles.  Sanji could have guessed. He sighs, sliding closer to the Mink until Pedro’s arm comes around his shoulders.

They walk out of the light of the bonfires, until the noise of the party is soft in the background and Pedro leads the way up onto a discreet porch.  A single lamp illuminates a wide couch under an awning, and that’s where Pedro guides Sanji to sit.

He can’t see much beyond the reach of the light, only the edge of the forest and a few buildings to either side.  Nothing moves except the jaguar, taking a knee in front of Sanji as he pulls out his cigarettes.

“Allow me,” the Mink murmurs, raising a hand.  Sanji nods, placing a cigarette between his lips and going still instead of reaching for his lighter.

Pedro places his other hand beside Sanji’s thigh, and Sanji leans forward a little, holding the jaguar’s gaze as Pedro snaps his fingers.  A flash of lightning and a spark, and Sanji can hardly take the breath he needs to get the cigarette burning properly. It all but falls from his mouth, Sanji is so distracted by the look in Pedro’s eye as it flickers down to his lips and back.

Lighting a cigarette of his own, Pedro gives him a moment of respite, but doesn’t move from his place at Sanji’s feet.  The jaguar is still at eye-level, a pleasant change from staring up at him during all their previous conversations.   

“Nami thinks you respect me too much,” Sanji finds himself saying.  

“She must understand the gravity of what you-gara have done for us,” Pedro responds.

“That’s not really how she meant it,” Sanji sighs.  He knows it isn’t fair, but he can’t quite say the words to meet Pedro half-way.  “But I can’t imagine… it would be presuming too much.”

Pedro takes his hand again, the soft pads of the Mink’s fingers stroking across Sanji palm.  His other hand moves from the couch to Sanji’s thigh, the warm weight of his broad palm more affecting than such an innocent touch ought to be.  With a sigh, Sanji runs his free hand over his forehead and through his hair, peering at the jaguar as his usual concealing bangs fall back into place.  He lets Pedro trace unidentifiable patterns against his skin, and acknowledges his own desire for what it is.

“If there is any doubt in your mind how I feel about you, then Miss Nami is right, and I have indeed been too respectful of you,” Pedro rumbles.  “Though you deserve nothing less.”

With a growl, Sanji flings himself forward, getting an arm around Pedro’s neck and twining the fingers of their hands together.  It’s that or swoon from the rush of blood to his damn cheeks, and Sanji is not a blushing maiden, no matter how romantic the jaguar is being.

“I understand how you feel,” Sanji snarls, as Pedro’s arm comes around his shoulders to balance them.  Enough hesitating; he wants this, and impermanence shouldn’t stop him.

“I don’t know if you can,” Pedro answers, holding him closer yet, and Sanji fights down the urge to be indignant at the suggestion.  He’s much more intimidated by the deep sincerity in the jaguar’s tone.

“I do enough,” Sanji mutters.  He can’t withstand any more of a confession right now; it would only make the transient nature of their relationship more painful, and Sanji wants to enjoy this evening.

He’s sure he will.  Pedro won’t stand for anything less, Sanji knows that already.  It’s only a matter of figuring out what he wants, and convincing the Mink to give it to him.  Should be easy.  

Might as well start somewhere familiar, although draping himself all over someone so much larger than him is already new.  Moving his hands into the soft fur over Pedro’s jaw, Sanji kisses him.  

It’s still strange.  Fur, sharp teeth, the sheer size of the Mink.  Their mouths don’t fit together in quite the way he knows.  Pedro’s tongue is rough like a cat’s. Sanji may not be drowning in experience, but he’s tempted to categorize this as a different beast than a common kiss, even if the hot, eager feeling in his gut is the same.  

As Pedro tilts his chin up, baring Sanji’s throat to the jaguar’s gentle touch as the Mink moves to steady him, he can’t say he dislikes it.  Sanji isn’t used to being held; he’s not used to this kind of affection at all, but he never imagined himself in this kind of position.  

Pulling back before he can get too much of Pedro’s fur in his mouth, Sanji shudders at the look on the jaguar’s face.  More than anything else, no one has ever looked at him like that.

“Forgive me,” Pedro says, low voice tickling Sanji’s skin.  “I do not have much experience kissing the way Lesser Minks do.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Sanji gasps, hiding his face against the jaguar’s chest.  It doesn’t, not when the Mink looks and sounds like that. “Show me what you normally do.”

“I would be honored.”

Pedro lifts him bodily back onto the couch, and Sanji shivers with delight.  Somehow it feels good to let Pedro throw him around, not that the Mink’s behavior is anywhere near so rough as throwing.  There’s reverence in the way the jaguar lays Sanji down, crouching over him as Sanji props himself up on his elbows.

The Mink’s hand goes to Sanji’s throat, stroking down to tease at the top buttons of his shirt.  “May I?”

“Please,” Sanji says, keen to get through the significantly fewer buttons still fastened on Pedro’s own uniform.  He wants to know what all that fur will feel like on his skin, and from the speed of the jaguar’s hands, he’s thinking something similar.

Sanji ruffles his hands through the fur on Pedro’s sides, and the jaguar runs his fingers along Sanji’s skin with a delicacy that makes him squirm.  The Mink scoops him up like it’s nothing, sitting back on his haunches and folding Sanji into by far the most sensual hug he’s ever experienced.

Pricks of claws on the back of his neck make him shudder, but Pedro’s fur is soft and warm on Sanji’s skin.  Sanji tucks his face into the Mink’s neck and gasps as Pedro strokes his free hand down his back. It figures that heavy petting is the Mink’s intimacy of choice.

Before long Pedro has Sanji writhing in his arms, absolutely more aroused than he’s ever been in his life.  Pedro’s sure hands, the rough rasp of his tongue, the soft brush of his fur against so much of Sanji’s skin - it’s physically amazing, and the affectionate sounds Pedro makes only emphasize how devoted the jaguar’s actions are.  

One of Pedro’s hands grips his hip, sliding inward over his stomach, and Sanji gasps.  That touch moves lower, and he has to lean back, gripping the thick fur at the base of Pedro’s neck as he looks into his eye.

“Don’t stop,” Sanji says, embarrassed by the wanton quality of his own voice.  Pedro’s eye widens, pupil already blown dark, and the Mink pulls him close again with a low growl.

“As you wish,” Pedro replies.  When the jaguar gets his pants open and a hand on him, Sanji nearly loses all sense.

He pulls himself together enough to remember reciprocity, but Pedro eases his hand away when Sanji tries to push one between them.  The jaguar takes Sanji’s hand, linking their fingers for a few seconds before kissing his palm and rubbing their cheeks together.

“I want to concentrate on you,” Pedro murmurs, hot against his ear, and the selfish part of Sanji that he always denies wins out.  He clutches at the jaguar, one hand buried in Pedro’s hair, the other in soft fur, and makes a helpless noise he hopes the jaguar will understand as assent.

After allowing that surrender, the warmth and skill of Pedro attention add up all too quickly.  When he comes, shaking under the jaguar’s touch, Pedro’s growl is positively possessive.

Sanji slumps, boneless against Pedro’s broad chest, and the Mink gentles him down into his lap.  As Pedro threads fingers through his hair, Sanji isn’t surprised to realize that the jaguar got off on his pleasure.  

“Give me a moment,” Pedro murmurs, after a few minutes where Sanji does nothing but bask in the afterglow.  The Mink slides out from beneath him, leaving Sanji to breathe deeply in the cool night air as he vanishes into the house.  His house, Sanji assumes, when Pedro comes back in more casual pants.

He licks a bit of sweat from Sanji’s temple, pulling him back into the jaguar’s lap, and Sanji is more than happy to twist around until he gets comfortable.  Pedro is great at cuddling.

“I enjoyed my time as a pirate,” the jaguar muses, apropos of nothing Sanji can figure out.  Admittedly his mind is a little floaty just now.  

“Why’d you quit?”  Sanji yawns. 

Pedro makes a low sound, glancing sideways at Sanji before looking away.  “I will tell you the whole story, if you wish,” he promises. “Another day.”

“Sounds heavy,” Sanji mutters.  He can’t say he’s too disappointed to wait on it.

“Yes,” Pedro says, and strokes a hand through Sanji’s hair.  The tips of his claws scratch just enough to be pleasant, and Sanji leans into it.  “But perhaps it is my time to try again.”

There’s something significant there, in the precision of the words, but Sanji is more taken by their meaning.  It can’t be unrelated, that the Mink would speak of returning to the seas at this moment, with Sanji curled up in his lap.

“Yeah?”  Sanji coaxes.

“Your crew is clearly destined to do great things, and I would like to be with you to see them,” Pedro says, petting gently at the nape of Sanji’s neck.

His stomach flips.  It’s a tantalizing idea, and sniggling here like this, Sanji can imagine it easily.  Pedro would fit in well with the rest of the crew. It’s not his place to offer, but…

“I’d like that,” Sanji whispers, reaching up to cradle Pedro’s face in his hand.  The Mink gazes down at him with that seductive warmth, and Sanji’s breath catches.

“In that case, I am eager to meet your captain,” Pedro rumbles.  “I can only hope he will entertain my request.”

Sanji doesn’t think that will be a problem.  If anything, Luffy will decide Pedro is cool and ask him to join before the Mink can even open his mouth.  And if not, Sanji is sure Luffy will listen. He always wants his nakama to be happy, after all.

Stretching up for another slightly mismatched kiss, Sanji decides that the rest of this discussion can wait for tomorrow.  There are worse things than another few peaceful days like this.