Oranges; Sinbad x Reader

The Fifteenth Voyage

Throughout the rest of the week, I kept to myself. The only things that stuck to my brain was Sinbad's over exaggerated biography. Though I was not aware of the other Generals' sentiments, they gazed upon me with great concern; However, they did not approach, not seeing my focused state as a real issue. The trade deal was continuing at an amazing rate; However, nothing was set in stone. At least it was until I started to pin my focus elsewhere. Sinbad was lazy. And I was busy with something other than the task at hand. The trade deal came to a halt, and I continued to read away.

'I knew he was a dungeon capturer, but I never would have thought that he received his first djinns back to back...' I pondered, continuing to skim over the written words carefully. I laid on the guest bed, as my untied hair capacitated my back. The bed was a mess. Papers, scrolls, and all the sorts covered small parts of the unmade sheets. "To Reim I went to create a company. To create a country. I can... only anticipate... what my next adventure... will be..." That was the end. No other words, phrases, paragraphs, or even paper followed it. I had reached the end, and such a cliffhanger it was. "What?!" I screamed out of frustration, "That's it?!! That can't be it! I have so many questions!!" Suddenly my door was flung open to reveal a distraught Sinbad. I halted my actions before hiding the scroll behind my back.

"(Y/N)?! What happened?!! I heard a scream, so I thought something transpired!" Sinbad ranted, taking a couple steps closure to my figure; However, I took a large step back to give the two of us some distance. From all I have learned, I looked at the purple haired sailor differently. He wasn't just the womanizer I met a couple weeks before. No, he was the man who conquered multiple dungeons and created a long lasting legacy for himself. So much more was to be said about the man before me; However, all I could focus on was the current situation.

"Oh! Sinbad! I-I'm alright. I was just, catching up on some reports and I... um... fell asleep and was awoken by a loud thud." I lied, attempting to push Sinbad out of the room. I did not take his strength into consideration.

"I didn't hear a thud." Sinbad responded, holding his stance. I pushed at his back in vain. Fatigue started to take away my breath and my patience.

"Well, I'm sure you would have if you were nearby." I slightly seethed, still trying to get him out of the room. Sinbad had managed to turn around, so I was pushing at his front. The feel of his well-toned abdomen made a large red blush cover my cheeks. I slowly started to regret my actions.

"But I was nearby. Is everything alright with you, (Y/N)?" Sinbad questioned, as his amber eyes met my (E/C) ones. We had halted out pushing, for the moment, before I realized I just had to push him once more before he was completely out the door. I was so preoccupied by getting him out of the room, that I didn't realize that the scroll was in Sinbad's sight. After all, it was pressed against his stomach. He did not recognize the parchment completely; However, it seemed all too familiar to the King, "What's-" He was about to ask before, I interrupted him promptly.

"Yes, just fine. Now leave!" Once he was out the door, I slammed it shut and huffed a sigh of temporary relief. I knew I was going to get asked about the incident the next day. And indeed, the next day, I was asked again about the events of the night before. "Sinbad, I am fine, honestly. I was tired and fell asleep while doing some paperwork. I woke up to the thud of something dropping to the floor, and I screamed. It's not a big deal."

"Would the sound of something dropping really scare you that much?" He asked, "And you still haven't answered what was written in that scroll."

"Sinbad, she doesn't have to tell you anything if she doesn't want to. It is her own choice to keep whatever she was holding a secret. Right, (Y/N)?" The once-assassin queried, as I responded with a small nod. I wondered why Ja'far was on my side in any case, but I decided to disregard it for the time being, "See, now just leave her be. Besides, you can investigate her later if you so wish. You have a meeting with the ambassador of the Reim Empire in about ten minutes. So get yourself to the throne room at once, and make sure you look suitable." Sinbad walked off in a huff, as Ja'far and my own eyes observed his leave. After he was gone, Ja'far gazed at me with a small smile, "Did you enjoy his first volume?"

"You were the one to drop it off at my door, Ja'far?" I inquired, already knowing the answer. I pulled the scroll out of my sleeve, before showcasing it to him.

"Indeed, I was." The blond answered, "And I believe the whole palace was awakened by that scream of yours." His small chuckle made a pink blush appear on my cheeks; However, I wasn't completely flustered.

"It wasn't screaming, it was yelling." I corrected, slightly pouting at him. Needless to say, he did not buy it all too much.

"Whatever it was, I could tell you enjoyed it very much." Ja'far responded, before sitting in the chair Sinbad sat in not too long before. As I placed the scroll on the small table, I glanced at it quickly before turning away.

"Ja'far, you left it at my door that day, because of my statements just before it, correct?" I asked, making Ja'far give a blank expression. I decided to elaborate, "I asked you if you could tell me what happened to Sinbad from the time, I met him up until now, and you did not wish to answer." The blond assassin nodded.

"You would be correct. Unfortunately, he only wrote one more book, and I believe the ending will be less satisfying for you if you didn't like the predecessor's ending. It will leave you with more questions than answers, I fear." Ja'far placed another scroll in front of me, before taking the one I once held, "I will take the first scroll with me. You are to return the second once you are finished to the library."

"The palace has a library, Ja'far?" I queried happily, sitting up from my seat. That was the most excited he had ever seen me; However, he recovered quickly.

"Indeed, though it is barely used. Feel free to go in there whenever you wish. All the records are for you to look over if you so desire. If you will excuse me, I have a meeting to run in Sinbad's place." As the blond excused himself, I stood from my spot before taking the scroll with me. Returning to my room, I started to read, feeling a little closure to my host.

Meanwhile, said host was speaking to the Reim ambassador about something banal and uninteresting. Compared to his incident with myself, the meeting was all the things that a small child would say about sitting in one boring spot for three hours. An hour passed before the meeting was concluded. "Ja'far?"

"Yes, King Sinbad?" Ja'far stated, uninterested in whatever the King had to say.

"Why can I not get close to (Y/N), without her pushing me away? Is it something I did?" Sinbad asked, mainly to himself, but he was still aware of Ja'far's presence. After all, he did ask Ja'far the question.

"Well... considering that you were doing all the things a good King should not, when awaiting an honored guest that you have been whining about for the last ten years or so... I would say she was a little more than concerned about why she was even in Sindria." Sinbad continued to sulk, as Ja'far decided to continue, "Sinbad, she does want to reconnect with you, but if you continue to be sexual towards her, then you are going to scare her away even more than you already have."

"I have not been sexual with her!" Sinbad protested, as Ja'far gave him a certain look that practically screamed, 'I don't believe that statement.' "Okay, maybe I have not treated her completely like a diplomate, but I shouldn't-"

"'Have too?'" Ja'far finished, "Sinbad, be logical about a person for once. (Y/N) and yourself barely know each other. The two of you have conversed on a non-business related topic less than ten times. Honestly, she has been so patient, that I'm starting to become jealous of her persistence to maintain a conversation with you. You have two options, Sinbad. Either leave her be until she is comfortable starting a conversation or be a little more normal with your conversations and have as much patience as she does." Sinbad took in Ja'far's advice, as he quietly thought to himself for a moment.

"I wouldn't even know what to talk about..." Sinbad murmured, placing his hand over his eyes tiredly.

"Talk about her hobbies. Her interests. Anything except business or... your questionable 'activities.'" The blond answered, before muttering a quick, "I can't believe I'm the one that has to tell you this..." before leaving the throne room with reports in hand. Sinbad continued to ponder about his next actions. 'What to do? What to do?'