puppycrush2 | week three

[ A grocery store..... well, he was gonna start internally complaining (he wanted to waste producer money on a steakhouse dinner), but Sanji looks excited, so maybe it's an okay date location after all. His head perks up as Sanji toddles off, entranced by the array of fruits. ]

You haven't had a fuji apple before? It's pretty good... and crisp.

[ He eats fruits and vegetables... you know, sometimes. Moseying on over to pick up one of the fruits himself, he inspects a peach for bruising, thinking it might be a nice snack later at the house. That must be what this date is for, right? Stocking the fridge? ]

I like strawberries and peaches more, though.

Crisp, eh?

[He turns the apple around in his hand, then compares it to the rest before bagging a few. Glancing around, he rounds the display to a row of boxed sandwiches. An allowance means he can get whatever he wants to make anything he wants at the house. This is great!]

How do you like them?

If it's strawberries, it's got to be strawberry cake. The kind that has a sponge and whipped cream...

[ Just thinking about it is exciting... just as he is known to have an ice cream on the way to school on Mondays, he and his friends pretty regularly get treats after school too, when they're not completely broke. Josuke is a regular at Saint Gentleman's bakery; it's obvious with how easily he conjures up what specific desserts he likes eating. ]

And in the summers, the bakery in my neighborhood sometimes has a peach custard. [ This place seems to have peaches leftover still, which is usually not the case in his hometown at this time of the year, so he might as well eat one while he still can. He pockets one away in the bag they gave him, thinking much more aimlessly about their shopping trip than Sanji. ] Custard buns are me and my mom's favorite.

[ He gives that extra tidbit about his favorite dessert while wandering off to look at vegetables just for the novelty — it's not like those are the first things he's thinking of buying — but he turns back over his shoulder to address Sanji again soon enough. ]

I'd say you don't seem like you'd have a sweet tooth, but I can't ignore all the candy.

[Custard buns, huh . . .

He files all of that away. It's important to keep track of everyone's preferences—especially the meaningful ones.]

Then go get some. It's not your money.

[This is his blessing for Josuke to grab anything he wants while Sanji is occupied. Despite how flippant his words may sound, he truly sees no reason why Josuke shouldn't splurge, given that they're here to have a good time. As for Sanji, the produce section is his candy aisle right now as he continues to inspect the strawberries.]

[ Josuke gives him a swift nudge to the waist with his elbow, equally flippant and gruff (affectionate).]

I was talking about you wanting some, dumbass. Remember?

[ He mimics taking a lollipop out of his mouth, even waving the imaginary stick around for good measure. If anyone's got a hankering for candy, it's gotta be Sanji. ]

Besides, we're here on a date, not to just go grocery shopping. I don't wanna split up. [ Earnestly, but also, he's gonna buy candy when they get there. He's trying to be as blunt and straightforward with his feelings as possible so there's no room for more miscommunication. ] You can probably come up with some elaborate menu just by walking around in here, right?

[Excuse him, but he's got a date with these lovely reds in plastic packaging. He shoots Josuke a petulant glare as he sets the strawberries down.]

That's because I can't smoke, idiot.

[It's chewing on a lollipop or putting up with perpetual tremors all day. Unfortunately, he's stuck with the former . . . just as he has to remember why he's here in the first place.]

But fine. Let's go.

[They'll be back later, veggies.]

[ Well, he's going to be a team player here and bring the little packaging of strawberries in tow in his own bag, giving him a fine, happy???? look. ]

It's good for you to take a break from it. [ BETTER THAN THE SMOKES... He smirks, mischievous. ] Your lungs might be fine, but I don't believe for a second there's no consequences. I bet kissing you tastes like kissing an ashtray, for one. You'll thank the candy, one day.

[ Which is all said in an annoyed but fond tone. Maybe Sanji responds better to this kind of relationship, he can understand that. It makes Josuke comfortable too, to be able to volley back and forth with someone like they're close — close enough to push and shove. Surprisingly earnestly: ]

You should try something more like a caramel, though.

[He doesn't want a man's pity! However, since it's food, he simply turns away without making a fuss.

And then he makes a face. Imagine being kissed. He doesn't know what that's like, but he does know that it's supposed to feel good. One day . . . !]

Yeah, yeah. I'll see when we get there.

[To the candy aisle. This is a rare opportunity, so he glances around as they walk to take in as much as he can.]

[ Mercifully, the candy aisle is not far away.. and there are still a lot of other aisles to explore ahead, like bread, pasta, and soup aisles. Further down on the other side of the Wh*le F**ds is where the fresh meat, poultry, and fish can be found. ]

Just let me grab this one thing, and then you can be in charge for the rest of the trip.

[ He promises breezily, beelining down the aisle right to the section that has assorted candies. Reaching up to one of the top shelves, he retrieves a box of THESE bad boys, an assortment of caramel and chocolate lollipops. He turns so he can wave the box at Sanji. ]

See, this is gonna hurt your teeth less.

[ This is the main reason why Josuke wanted to come over here; that crunching sound that Sanji makes when he chomps down on hard candy makes him shiver. A softer candy that's still a lollipop will be kinder to him, at least in his mind. ]

[There's so much to see. Josuke's promise has great appeal that has Sanji following without protest, though he isn't in a particular rush. If the former ends up wanting to spend more time with the sweets, that's fine by him.

Josuke makes a beeline for that real fast, though. He mentioned the caramel earlier, but has he given this some thought before? . . . No, don't think too deeply on it.]

My teeth are fine. Besides, it's nothing milk can't fix.

[Having said that, he holds his hand out for the box.]

......

[ He gives him a befuddled look, handing off the candy to him. ]

That's not how drinking milk works. What are you, five?

[ Sanji has a surprisingly childish view of the things he consumes, if Josuke thinks about it too hard. Despite his very obvious vast knowledge for the culinary arts, his nonchalance towards smoking and crunching up hard candy on the daily is puzzling.

Anyway, with his mission accomplished, he doesn't even seem interested in candy anymore, lazily returning to Sanji's side and apparently willing to just be along for the ride. ]

[Sanji shoots Josuke a challenging look in return. He flares his fingers, letting gravity drop the box into his bag with the muffled sound of swooping.]

I've lost my teeth in fights and grown them back by drinking milk. It's done wonders for my spine, too.

[Don't underestimate the miraculous power of milk.]

You sure there isn't anything else you want from here?

...I thought you said you didn't have powers, though?

[ How the fuck is Sanji growing teeth back so easily... combined with his suspiciously healthy lungs and liver, he's really starting to get the impression that something is off about his body. Maybe he has a regenerative ability that he doesn't even know about, or something. ]

And yeah, it's fine. I'll just steal a few from you. More money for actual food, right?

[ He nods his head in the direction of the candies that Sanji has pocketed; Josuke's not too picky about food, and there are plenty of sweet treats to eat at the house. He'd rather save more of his own budget to go towards the person who actually knows what they're doing in a store like this. ]

I'm not a devil fruit user. I just have some tricks up my sleeves.

[Regeneration isn't one of them, though. He heals fairly quickly, but restoring a lost or broken tooth with some calcium is something that applies to everyone in his crew, so he doesn't count that for anything. They're strange people.

In any case, he likes the way Josuke thinks, so he continues down the aisle, rounds it, and moves into the wondrous, neighboring aisle of wheat. It's not unlike grocery shopping with a parent who has to look at every single product on display before moving on. There's so much here; he doesn't want to miss a thing.]

[ Devil fruit user... whatever that means. For the sake of his peace of mind, he's just gonna pretend he didn't hear Sanji likening growing teeth back to a "trick," because it's gross, if he thinks about it too much.

Mercifully, there is a lot of bread and grain to distract him — tons of different bread loaves, most of them unfamiliar to Josuke in any capacity. Sun dried tomato, olive, pumpkin? He didn't even know bread was getting flavored to this extent. ]

Hmmm... you probably prefer to bake your own bread, huh. [ If he has the time to do it. ] What do you think? Are any of these up to your standards, or are they just weird?

[Sanji takes the time to pull out and examine the odd bread here and there before putting it back in its proper place. His senses are discerning and quick, and so they clear about half the aisle at a reasonable pace.]

If something's weird, it's either new or expired. [That's to say, it can be a good or bad thing, depending. He straightens from a crouch after putting away a package from the lowest shelf.] But I do. Every step counts; I prefer to make as much as I can from scratch.

You're so dedicated, damn.

[ His tone is a bit exasperated, but still awed. He can't imagine putting so much effort into something like that — or at the very least, not into cooking. Everytime he's had to make a meal for himself, he has made something simple, fast and filling, and most certainly not toiled for hours. ]

Is it about the taste?

Something like that.

[His gaze sweeps the length of the aisle before he moves farther down to read the labels on a row of grain bags. For Sanji, it's not about convenience, but something more abstract.]

A single step performed without love ruins the dish, and I'm not in the business of feeding my customers anything half-hearted.

[ Love? He tilts his head. ]

That's surprisingly... sentimental. And romantic.

[ Sanji is hard to read and cool-headed. He really only gets super emotional when he's around girls, so he wouldn't have expected him to take such a blatantly feelings-forward stance towards his craft. He'd thought it might be about pride, or proving himself, perhaps. Or, maybe he could've been led to believe Sanji felt that way about cooking for girls only. As they go down the aisle, he finds he doesn't know anything about grains, so his eyes only linger on the things that have cool packaging. ]

You feel that way towards everyone who eats your food?

Yeah.

[His lips tugs into a wry smile as he handles a small bag of wheat.]

It doesn't matter whether they're friend or foe. [Josuke already knows. Man or woman, human or otherwise . . . All of that makes no difference to Sanji.] Food doesn't discriminate. What happens after is another story, but all I care about before is whether someone's enjoying their meal.

[ Well, it's not hard to guess why he'd have such a philosophy. Josuke smiles, the curve of his lips kind. Lightly teasingly: ]

Hah... you really like taking care of people.

[ Gruff as he can act, Josuke sees through it. Sanji's the one that's always making sure they have food at discussions; he's thinking of everyone's hunger all the time, perhaps. Just as in every fleeting touch, Josuke tends to peek in on other people's health. ]

You're a lot kinder than people give you credit for, I think.

[That's about it for this section. Onward to the noodles, which he transitions toward with a dismissive wave in Josuke's direction.]

It doesn't matter to me what the men think. [Sanji stops before pastas and glances over his shoulder.] But I can say the same for you.

[Isn't it Josuke who's always looking after others? He has the empathy for it, not to mention the boundaries to discuss potential matches objectively. He's not overly emotional like Sanji is. It's no wonder he can get on with anybody.]

Nah. Most people figure out I've got a heart pretty quick.

[ Which he can say without sounding totally egotistical because he's very humble about it. Josuke is kind; that's a fact everyone who spends enough time around him knows. He gets enough credit and then some. ]

You, though... [ He refrains from pointing out that Sanji is doing it again, in however subtle a way - trying to push him back, that is - instead turning his back to rifle through dried noodle packages. ] It's like you don't want people to think of you that way, maybe.

[ He's not going to push it, that's just his observation. Without looking up from his search: ]

You might not care what I think, but someone other than me will point it out one day. You'll see.

[Is that a threat?

He knows it isn't, yet his heart stutters all the same as he turns back to examine an unfamiliar brand of pasta. It's not as if he doesn't know what he's doing. Sanji is overly open with his heart on several levels, but there are a few where he'd rather eat dirt than admit what he feels. Rather than him, all eyes should be turned on people like Josuke, who are the true bright spots.]

Yeah, well . . . we'll see about that.

[That's the best he's got before he looks over at Josuke, nose wrinkling.]

You'd better not be thinking about getting any of those instant cups.

[ That makes him laugh, the sound low and drawling, while he waves a container of the noodles in question. ]

What are you even going to do if I do?

[ There's very clear challenge there, his expression smug. Sanji will have to admit that he cares in some capacity to get him to put it back - if he really doesn't care, he'll let Josuke walk off with it. ]

They're good. Maybe I'll make it with love.

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