𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 ☓ Vinsmoke Sanji

eight

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦

☁

EDEN WALKS INTO BARATIE AND SPOTS ZEFF WALKING AROUND THE RESTAURANT WITH A BROOM IN ONE HAND AND A CRUTCH IN THE OTHER. "Let me do it," Eden says, holding out her palm. "No, I got it little peach," he declines, "It wasn't a question," she tells him and takes the broom from his hands, scooting a chair in his direction.

Zeff sits down with a huff escaping his lips. She notices his face turning into a grimace, "Are you hurt?" she asks him, "I still have to examine you, you fell really hard," she adds.

Zeff doesn't say anything making Eden sigh. She walks over to the table she had placed ointments on earlier and grabs a bruise cream. "Where are you hurt?" she asks him, Zeff looks up at her annoyed. 

"Mhh?" 

"My arm," he admits before rolling up his sleeve, revealing a nasty bruise forming. "Shit," Eden grimaces, she opens the tube and smears some of the bruise cream on his arm. "It should relieve some pain too," she tells him.

Zeff wordlessly nods his head, Eden steps away from him and looks around the room sadly. "Fucking fishes," Eden curses as she brooms some of the glass on the floor. "I swear they think they can do everything they want," she scowls quietly.

Zeff seems to be deep in thought, "I'm holding you back," he says suddenly. Eden looks up, "What?" she questions. 

"You won't be able to reach your dream if you stay here, just like Sanji," he says, the girl shakes her head in denial. "I love working here," she tells him, "Do you though?" Zeff inquires. 

"I mean... most of the time yeah."

"What exactly is your dream, little peace?" the chef asks, Eden sighs. "I want to become a doctor and make my own medicine," she says, "Exactly, you won't be able to reach those dreams here," Zeff tells her. 

"But I-"

"No, I won't hear it," Zeff shakes his head, "Wait a minute... are you firing me?" Eden asks. "If that's what it takes to make you go and achieve your goals then yes," the man tells her. 

"Zeff..." Eden trails off, and Zeff holds up his hand- silencing her. "Sanji said he might join Chore Boy's crew," Zeff tells her, "What?" she questions. "He's finally going to follow his dream," Zeff says. 

"You should too," he adds, Eden lets out a deep breath, "fine," she says- knowing nothing will change his mind.  

"I'll come to talk to you later, I need to check on Sanji- his fall looked painful too," Eden says, noticing she's becoming a tad emotional from the sudden decision she just had to make.

Zeff nods his head at her, motioning for her to go. "I think he's packing his bags," the chef tells her. "Thank you," Eden says quietly, scared her voice will break if she talks any louder. She grabs the bruise cream and leaves the room.

 As she makes her way to where Zeff told her Sanji would be she takes a few deep breaths to stabilize her emotions.

"Sanji?" she calls out, "Here," a voice calls out. Eden walks over to him, "Turn around," she orders him.

"Why?" he asks confused. "You fell on your back, show me," she says, without another question, Sanji turns his back to her and lifts his shirt. "Jesus Sanji," Eden mutters once she lays her eyes on the purple and blue bruise on his back.

His bruise is bigger than the one on Zeff's arm. "I'm just gonna put some bruise cream on it, okay?" 

"Sure," the man shrugs, Eden squeezes the cream onto her palm. The tube is now empty. She carefully applies the cream to his bare back and feels his muscles tense at her touch before relaxing again.

Once it's evenly spread out she drops her hands back to her side. "So... you're packing," she observes, pretending she doesn't know he plans on leaving.

"I'm gonna join Luffy's crew," he tells her nonchalantly, "When did you plan on telling me? Or were you just gonna leave without saying anything?" she questions, not knowing how to feel about this whole situation.

"I was gonna tell you when I was done packing," he shrugs, Eden nods at his words. "So, I hope you won't miss my cooking too much, sunshine," he says.

Eden scoffs, "It's not that good- plus I'm coming with you," she tells him. "You- what?" Sanji asks, not expecting her to say that. 

"Yeah... surprise." 

"Zeff pushed you to follow your dream too?" Sanji questions annoyed, Eden simply nods her head. "So I better go pack as well," she says and walks to the door. 

"You know he cares about you right?" she asks him, Sanji sighs. "Yeah, I know," he tells her, she smiles softly and walks off to pack her stuff.

She walks over to the bathroom first and lifts up her shirt with a grimace plastered on her face. Her eyes fall on the bruise forming on the side of her stomach from her fall earlier when one of the fishmen threw her onto a table.

Eden bites her lip to suppress a pained groan. She managed to keep it in when she was treating the others, but now that she's by herself she lets her pain show on her face. 

Since there's no bruise cream left Eden grabs her Arnica gel. The glass bottle slips from her fingers and shatters on the floor, "Shit!" she exclaims. "You okay?" she hears Sanji ask from outside of the door, "I just dropped something," she tells him.

When she doesn't hear anything back from him she starts cleaning up the gel and glass. Once that's finished she starts packing her bags.