One Piece Driving Curiosity

No, I don't wanna own _One Piece_! Don't make me! Odacchi, _help_!  
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**  
Driving Curiosity**

It was no secret that Sanji loved women and held a certain lust for them. Amongst the brutal-looking chefs aboard the Baratie, Sanji stood out like a polished pearl amidst an ocean of rubble and he _knew_ that. He _knew_ he was much more charismatic and good-looking than those bearded, scarfaced, shithead chefs, and he flaunted it to every female customer that walked through the door. He was the famous 'love cook' from the East Blue, and young women loved going to the Baratie just to meet up and talk to him.

Sanji, was a ladies man.

Even after that cannonball went through the roof of his restaurant and he began new adventures that involved more beatings and less women, he still considered himself as an all-around ladies man. Although, well, you can't really call yourself a 'ladies man' unless there was more than one woman in your life. Or on your ship, for Sanji's matter.

For there was Nami-san..

Nami-san, with her hair so fine, her skin so fair, and her eyes so bright. She was the perfectly-cut diamond aboard the Going Merry, the only thing that glowed. Released from Arlong's grasps at last, she was the beautiful dove that broke out of her golden cage. He knew her well. Or, so he thought.

It was the night after they left Cocoyashi Village. The air was strangely still. The waves rocked the ship in silence. The crew had all slept with their stomachs full, thanks to Sanji. Nami especially, also had her pockets full. But her work obviously did not finish there.

Sanji did not know what had startled him awake that night, drenched in sweat from the intimidation of a dream he couldn't even remember. He also did not know why he couldn't allow himself to go back to sleep. He had tossed and turned yet peaceful sleep still did not come to him. Sleep was a faraway land he could not touch. Yet Sanji knew the one thing that could calm him down from this unexplained uneasiness. Dessert. Yes, he could whip up a grand dessert full of love. Something his Nami-san would perhaps appreciate.

Now grinning from ear to ear, Sanji paced outside, closed the door quietly, and headed for the kitchen. It wasn't long before something he heard stopped him to a halt.

Scribble. Scribble. Scratch. Cough.

Those were the sounds he heard as he went past Nami's room. Pen brushing against parchment. Ink blotting black against white. He recognized those sounds so very well. _So_, Sanji had thought. _My dearest Nami-san is also wide awake_. It was the perfect timing. It was because of this special opportunity, fate had waked him up that night.

He had thought that it would be a good idea for her to burst into her room with some food. It would be the act of a concerned gentleman. A plate of meringue pie, fresh from the oven, topped with whipped cream and a pinch of sugar. Sanji knew his Nami-san's favourite, of course, and she would _love_ it. She would jump into his arms, saying _'Thank you Sanji-kun, you know me so well!_', planting lovely kisses all over his face. Or so he thought, as he covered the pie with a pink napkin and headed to the women's quarters, humming happily.

He never knew what made him pause and glance through the round window set in the door, that moment before he went in. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Nami generally does not appreciate midnight surprises, especially when she's working on her important maps. But it was Sanji who was surprised.

Nami was there in her room, working her hand across a large piece of parchment, and once in a while she'd glance at the ship's Log Book beside her. Sanji could tell she was sketching a new map. But she was not alone. Luffy, was behind her. Talking, gesticulating, his face animated and lively.

Luffy?

Sanji didn't understand. He could've sworn he saw Luffy snoring in his hammock before he left the men's quarters for the kitchen. He had made sure _everyone_ was asleep before he went out to prepare his Secret Nami-san Only Special Midnight Dish. He didn't want anyone test-trying the food he made especially for Nami. Especially _not_ Luffy, who could've easily snatched the special food the minute Sanji turned his back away. He had even checked on him twice. Yet there Luffy was, very obviously and undoubtedly, in Nami's room.

In this kind of position, there were only two things one could really do. He could boldly burst inside anyway, chirping '_Nami-suaan! Your special midnight delivery!! Get out Luffy, you don't get any_'. Or, he could quietly turn around and leave. Yet Sanji did neither. It was as if he had been paralyzed, rooted to his spot, unable to step forward nor move backwards. Something that niggled on the back of his mind had screamed for him to leave, but he couldn't. All he did was stay and follow his sinful desire, to look at them, look closer, why is he here, why did she let him, what are they doing...

As Nami continued looking determined to finish her paperwork, Luffy went around her and poked her shoulder with his index finger. It was, very plainly, a teasing gesture that said, _You're not listening to me._ In return, Nami gave him a glare that said, _You're interfering with my work_. Luffy crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised one eyebrow, comically indicating the word, _Really_.

In an obvious attempt to annoy her, Luffy jumped on Nami's bed and took out something square and pink from under the pillows. It was a diary. Nami shrieked. Luffy laughed. Nami violently yanked him off the bed. Luffy climbed back on it. Instead of twisting Luffy's rubber neck like twine, Nami giggled as if she thought this behaviour was genuinely amusing. Snatching the book out of Luffy's hands, she sat back on her chair and continued working while Luffy remained lounging on the bed, still in fits of laughter.

Now explain _that_.

Oh, sure it looked innocent. That's just childish teasing. But Luffy in Nami's _bed_? Him being in Nami's room at two in the morning was bizarre enough. Him being in her bed at two in the morning, rolling around on it as if he owned it, was just over the top. That stupid captain had dared to steal a woman's private notes, and she did nothing to that but give him a little yank and smile. If Sanji was her, he'd give Luffy more than a little yank, for sure. Much more.

What really made Sanji's cigarette fall from his lips that night, was not what he had seen, but what he actually hadn't. He had not, seen Luffy's head turn up at the smell of the fresh meringue pie he was holding, and he had not, seen Luffy coming towards him with a greedy look on his face saying, '_What have you got there, Sanji?_'. Everyone knew how hand-in-hand 'Luffy' and 'Food' go together. Normally, Luffy could smell dinner from miles away. But now he acted as if he didn't know, or didn't care, or had something else – perhaps some_one_ else – occupied in his mind.

Sanji tore himself away after a few more minutes of silent staring, and crept, shattered, back to the men's quarters. As far as Sanji knew, his whole social life aboard the Going Merry had gone down the drain before it had even started. As far as Sanji was concerned, they _had_ to be having sex with each other. Luffy didn't look like someone who'd had sex before, but appearances were deceiving. Sanji was still the newest crew member anyway and had only known Luffy for a short time. To think of it, he hadn't known his Nami-san that long either.

That morning, during breakfast, Sanji had managed to strike up a conversation with Luffy, boasting that he felt tired because he had woken up in the middle of the night and that it was Zoro's fault for snoring too loud. 'Like a very noisy, yet cheap, firecracker' he had said, and was rewarded a sharp glare from Zoro himself. Sanji had also added, very casually, that he had glanced at the captain's hammock, and it was empty. Luffy had suddenly choked on his food. "You must've seen it wrong," he had answered, after gulping down around five glasses of water.

Sanji was slightly startled. If Luffy had answered something like 'sleepwalking' or 'insomnia', he would have probably believed it, since Luffy is never really the one to lie, except perhaps about the food he stole from the refrigerator. He saw no reason for Luffy to be untruthful, but he was, and it was, well, surprising indeed. Why was he hiding the fact that he came to Nami's room last night?

And Nami.. he didn't dare ask Nami. Although he wanted to, but he knew she would see right through him. He did not want her to think of him as a peeping tom. Moreover, he did not want to upset her.

Then Sanji grew very suspicious. As much as he knew it was wrong, a mounting curiosity had already developed inside him. It taunted him for not knowing and it hurt him for making him feel on the outside of everything. New cook. New kid on board. You don't know anything about Nami-san, it told him, you know nothing about them. It came to a breaking point where he will only believe the truth seen with his own eyes. He wanted to see everything. Therefore the cook kept a watchful eye on the pair.

The days quickly went by, but neither Nami nor Luffy showed any significant actions that implied any sort of relationship besides the tight-knit nakama companionship they had with the rest of the crew. Only twice did they meet up at night in Nami's room since Sanji first saw them together, but all they did was place themselves in companiable silences, annoy each other, or simply sit down on the floor and talk. Never did he saw them kissing. Or hugging. Or even touching each other. Well, sometimes Nami _did_ hit Luffy on the head, or pull on his ear, or strangle his neck, or just simply looked eager to do it. But she also did that in front of the other crew.

They were easy on each other, Sanji noted, in a way they weren't in public; they'd touch each other's shoulder and tug on each other's clothes. If Luffy's hair got caught in his eye, Nami would brush it away. If Nami was being too serious, Luffy would creep up from behind and tickle her waist till she could take it no more. So yes, they had certain physical contacts that they only do with each other. But all were not really what Sanji had expected to see. Nothing sexual. Nothing with lust. Nothing.

This was both a relief and a disappointment to Sanji. If he could not categorize their relationship, he could not understand it. If he could not understand it, then he could not understand his Nami-san. He could not understand why they kept their midnight meetings under wraps. If they simply wanted some quality time they could've done it in front of the other crew, or _with_ the rest of the crew. There was no reason to leave Usopp, Zoro (well, him.. it depends), and himself out of their nightly escapades.

But they also did, _just_ talk, _just_ sit around, _just_ irritate each other… could it be that Sanji was merely overanalyzing? Perhaps there really was nothing 'special' between them after all. Perhaps their relationship really was nothing more than friends. Yes, that must be it. There couldn't be a better explanation. But then again, maybe this was simply one of his sore attempts to convince himself out of his fears and jealousy. Either way, Sanji's suspicions has yet to be confirmed. He has seen no evidence of romance, and while there is none, he can always try, and try again for Nami-san's heart. It was still there for him to grab, and Sanji was determined not to lose.

And with that, Sanji's social life was back on the line.

**_  
To Be Continued…_**

Somewhere along the way, when writing this, I remembered that you actually have to go down a set of stairs to see what's inside Nami's room. Tis a terrible flaw, alas, it was too late! So let's just pretend those stairs doesn't exist and Snooper!Sanji peeked through that round glass set in Nami's door. Wheee!! xD Oh, and it'd be wrong not to admit that this fic was inspired by Iczer6's '_Dreams May Come_', which is a permanent resident of my favourite list!! It's a beautiful fic that sparked off my chain of Luffy/Nami ficlets. Love it. Must read. Rrrrr,

This is a 2-chaptered story, simply because I thought it was too long to be a oneshot. So, prepare for the ending! Coming _very_ soon. I promise


End file.

One Piece, Angst, Romance