#La cuisine the series

[gabrielokun]

[gravity-knight]

Watching Pitbabe and I’m thinking “Winner may be an asshole psychopath but he has a face for BL. They should give him a few shows.”

Now I’m over here deciding on what show to pick up while the currently airing continues to air

And I find La Cuisine

And who is the ML?

Ding ding ding, Winner!

[absolutebl]

BL Trope du jour

Let me do up your seatbelt 

Pictured above: Lovely Writer, Check Out, La Cuisine, Cupid's Last Wish, PeteKao in the Kiss series, Love in the Air, The Eclipse. 

It is a popular one, Thailand seems to like it best. It weirded me out for a while until I realized some Asian countries don’t have mandatory seatbelt requirements.

Generally speaking this is a seme-loyal trope, in that it is almost always the seme fastening the uke’s seatbelt (unless the seme is injured or drunk). 

The het version is VERY popular in Cdramas and Kdramas, so I am tempted to say that is the origin. I never saw or read it in early yaoi. 

In fact, I haven’t seen Japan use this trope at all. Possibly because they have mandatory seatbelt legislation and lots of public transport. Instead we get the trope of characters missing the last train home, or seme’s insisting on escorting their ukes to the train station. 

Outside of Thailand

Light On Me - the exception to the seme loyalty dynamic  

We Best Love

HIStory 5

Taiwan has mandatory seatbelt legislation so it’s mostly applied when the character is drunk or injured (or baby boi). 

Part of the challenge with this trope is capturing the moment it happens and including both actors in the screen shot.

Others that might have it but I couldn’t bear to rewatch: SCOY, Dark Blue Kiss (SunMork).

Also, of course, the helmet version.

About Youth 

Between Us

My School President 

Chains of Heart 

Safety first!

(source)

[mikuni14]

2022

2022 is over, what a weird and interesting year it has been for the BL world! 🤡

A lot of series, that I didn't expect anything special from turned out to be unexpectedly great for me. However, many series that I expected to be miracles turned out to be just avarage or even meh 🤷‍♀️

I haven't finished a lot of series. And to me that was the most surprising thing. Even those that I watched with some kind of interest, I just eventually... dropped or fastforwarded. Basically - after a week's break, I just didn't watch the next episode. This had rarely happened to me before 🤔 so I guess it’s a sign of something, idk (too many series? too many mediocre series that can’t keep my attention?). Anyway, I tumblr-watched many dramas, as in, I checked the gifs, read the reviews and that was enough...

So here’s my little summary:

✨Favorite, most rewatched BLs, a comfort food for my soul:

Semantic error

Oh! Boarding house

(and those started in 2022, if they maintain the same quality:

My School President, Never Let Me Go, The New Employee)

✨Very good series, but without high rewatching value:

My Secret Love

My Ride

Kabe Koji

About Youth

Eternal Yesterday (which, although subjectively ended badly, objectively kept the high quality until the end)

The above series started well, AND ended well. They just either maintained high quality from start to finish, or even their quality increased with each new episodes.

✨Shows that started well but either flopped, or clearly had no idea how to finish, or ended flat or did something really stupid in the finale that ruined the whole show for me:

Ghost Host, Ghost House - until the first half of the episode 7, it’s a 10/10 show, after that, this series doesn't exist for me, so angry with that one

The Miracle of Teddy Bear - I hate the finale SO MUCH, the rest of the episodes are 10/10, again, so angry with this one

Enchante had a chance to be a great show, what a waste..

Old Fashion Cupcake ended a bit anti-climactic, although otherwise the series is GREAT!

KinnPorsche - sort of? I mean, I LOVE Kinn and Porsche, but since the last few episodes kind of lost their focus on them, it stopped being that interesting..

✨2022 had another amazing thing, which was couples that had spectacular chemistry, or some great scenes together (quite often on shows that were otherwise weak plot-wise or simply boring for me, that I wouldn't normally watch, if not for that one couple). These definitely include:

Kevin and Pluem (GHGH) - who went beyond any scale in terms of naturalness in the relationship (which the show ignored in the end with a stupid, forced breakup)

Kinn and Porsche - forever the most beloved soft husbands, the best relationship on and off screen, Mile and Apo my beloved 💖💖💖💖

Jang Jae Young and Chu Sang Woo from Semantic Error, as well as ->

Moon Seol Won and Kim Ceol Soo from Oh! Boarding House - both couples prove, that Korea can also make a  BL, in which the guys are clearly into each other :)

Phayu and Rain from Oh! My Sunshine Night - in one show a couple I hate (sorry OhmFluke fans) and a couple that literally blew my mind

Nuea and Toh from Secret Crush - again, chemistry off the scale

Khoa and Dung with Mr. Cinderella - I love them for their naturalness and playfulness

Sky and Paitong from La Cuisine - had the same effect on me as Phayu and Rain, an unexpectedly hot couple in a very average series (their kiss in the car? woooooooow)

Dan and Yok from Not Me - my GOD but I was obsessed with them - until about the time they kissed for a first time, then their arc became so terribly stupid

Shogun and Maitoh (Why you..) - a very nice romance, Maitoh is gay from the start, which was a nice thing, also what I loved is that they ended up as a couple, I was so sure that Maitoh would end up with Shogun's rival "as a reward" for his long pinning

✨Untapped Romantic Potential - couples that could be:

Mon and Saint from Our Days

Porsche and Vegas - hehe, sorry guys but for me Vegas had more chemistry in the scenes with Porsche (or even with Kinn) than with Pete 🤷‍♀️

Kei and Yaku - they were a couple in every sense of the word - except being an actual couple

✨I can't resist writing who was the most pleasant for me to look at 😏:

Jang Jae Young (Semantic Error)

Nuea (Secret Crush)

Phayu (Oh! My Sunshine)

Kinn, Porsche and Vegas

Kei (KeixYaku)

Gun (My School President) that smile

Mork (My Ride) that dimple

Nekoyashiki (Kabe Koji) beautiful lips

Palm (Never Let Me Go) beautiful lips

Baek Eun Kyu (Tasty Florida)

✨It was also a year of some really nice kisses :) Can’t even chose which one I liked the best, but let’s say:

Nuea and Toh at the camp

Phayu and Rain on the beach

Kevin adn Pluem their fist kiss, Kevin sitting on Pluem ;)

Sky and Paitong - their one and only kiss

Kinn and Porsche - all their kisses, but especially bathroom scene kiss form ep 7, so emotional

all kisses from Semantic Error and Oh! Boarding House - there were just few of them, but all of them felt so right

Nuer and Syn at the club

✨And finally, my favorite yaoi to read:

Payback

Shutline

I probably forgot half of stuff I watched, but then again, 2022 did spoil us with a lot of BL series. I wish all of us, that 2023 will be even better in this matter and provide us with multiple new obsessions! 👨‍❤️‍👨👨‍❤️‍👨👨‍❤️‍👨💖💖💖 Here, have a cute boy as a good charm!

[7698]

[that-bl-bitch]

Good Afternoon/Evening My Lovely!

For the Drama Ask:

4. most ridiculous plot

12.  an actor/actress you want to see in a lead role

19. a pair you want to see reunite but in a different drama

Hope your day is as beautiful as you are 🌻

Hey! Good evening to you too :)

4. I hate a faen fatal storyline the most cause the majority are ridiculous and unnecessary I could probably count on one hand the ones i've actually "enjoyed" BUT the worse most ridiculous was Namnings in La Cuisine its completely all over the place and she was actually insane but the whole thing just felt like it escalated to these wild situations that just made you go "WhAt........?????.......???" So that just made it annoying to watch, her actions were just so unnecessary but I guess I get it cause her character was supposed to be really mentally ill and traumatized but...idk guys it just felt it escalated wildly for no reason

12. 100% Perth Nakhun because I love him and I think he could do it, I just think he'd do a good job as a lead role and could carry a show

19. Very very easy, Best and Chahub from check out, I've had to binge check out because I was busy when it premiered so I had to wait to watch, and listen I knew it was going to be bad going in cause I had not seen one person say anything nice about this show but you know I like to form my own opinions and what not and whether or not I liked I was already going to watch it from start to finish but this has literally been the worse experience, episodes 1-4 I wanted to die I fell on ep 2, i accidentally skipped to ep 4 and didn't realize until after cause it literally didn't effect the plot at anything at all, some scenes are so unnecessary I feel like everyone is doing the same thing over and over again, other scenes feel like they go on for way longer than they should

it has taken me a week and a half to get through 6 eps and i'm not done yet and honestly I think it's because I binged It i kinda think week to week it wouldn't have been so bad but I think back to back makes it even worse than it already is, now don't get me wrong there are SOME things I like about it, I mean there has to be cause that's the only way I'm still watching it and low-key something clicked when I was watching ep 5 I realized that this show is truly truly a soap opera, there have been some bls that people have called soap operas and I've never agreed cause soaps have this something something that I can't even describe and I've never felt like a bl has had it until check out, watching check out with the lenses of "oh I'm watching a bad soap opera" it's actually pretty enjoyable, ep 5 is the only ep I think I enjoyed majority of it (and ep 0 but that's a whole nother rant) so TLDR: Best and Chahub I think they are a good pairing but I don't think Check out is the one, but honestly with this new soap opera lens maybe I might change my mind idk talk to me after ep 12

Alrighty I really didn't mean to turn this into a check out essay but here we are, I could literally make 10 long post about check out, it's insane but anywho thanks for the ask hope you have a amazing day/night too :)💛💛

[thequeenofsastiel]

you've watched LA Cuisine, right? do you think it's good? also, do character have D/s dynamics?

I never got around to finishing it. I enjoyed it somewhat, because absolutely yes there was a D/s dynamic between Ram and Lukchup, but I stopped watching it around ep 8 to wait for the whole thing to come out, and just forgot about it. But now that you mention it, I'll probably finish it.

[geekygirl24]

Prompt from BadPennyGirl: Can I have a LA Cuisine/Gen Y crossover? Lukchub and Wayu just being adorable together?

[heretherebedork]

Hii. Fellow Pining boys lover here! Could you recommend some BL series with unrequited love and long term pining? Thank you so much, lovely.

Unrequited love I can't help much with, honestly, there's not a ton of it in BL? But there are a few. But pining, oh pining, my favorite babies. I will only be recommending ones I love.

I mean, the first is the obvious of MekBoss from My Engineer. One of my personal favorite pining dynamics of all time because I adore piners who pick friendship over love every time until there isn't a choice anymore. But yes. Definitely good pining.

2moons2 is good for a speedrun of pining alongside some very flirty pining and it works very, very well for both, though I suppose arguments could be made about whether or not actively flirting with someone can also be pining but, you know what, I'll make an exception.

Cherry Magic does Kurosawa's pining oh so well and it's darling. Different than Thai pining but definitely one to watching.

Lovely Writer has both pining and unrequited love by the end. Honestly, I have to recommend this one strongly because the pining is delicious, the relationship is great and the unrequited love is painful in a whole rang of ways and goes in so many directions.

About Youth just ended but I cannot help how much I recommend it for the gentleness and pining. Not the plot so much but there is very gentle pining and love and softness.

Bad Buddy is A+ in terms of how much pining truly hurts and how much it can change a person when they know they can't do anything about it and how much that love can change them too. Absolutely A+.

Cherry Blossoms After Winter is truly all about pining that turns to love without distraction. I also love it so much, it's truly traditional yaoi in every sense but done by Korea so it's super stylized.

Cutie Pie is the only show where it is entirely about pining despite them already being in a relationship. Absolutely must watch for pining fans, honestly, both main pairs are established relationship that are still pining for each other because they're in arranged marriages.

En of Love TOSSARA is more like the conclusion of a long pining arc we don't see but it absolutely has to be here because it is glorious.

My Beautiful Man is dual sided pining with agony mixed in and is my purest 11/10 BL so, yes, you should definitely watch this one.

La Cuisine is close to this so Imma stick on here because I have a super soft spot for this little pulp. Very soft, very filled with lots of gentle and soft loving that starts as pining and pining that has lasted a long time.

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry is definitely perfect for this, honestly. They do everything. You gotta watch it for

My one mediocre recommendation: My Gear and Your Gown. This one is longterm pining but it's done super mediocre and they flubbed the ending but ugh SO MUCH POTENTIAL. Enchante also falls here but the ending was even worse for me so I can't recommend that one at all.

Old Fashion Cupcake is the mature version of this, in a lot of ways, but also just an amazing show and you should definitely watch it regardless.

Plus & Minus had good pining but, again, kind of fell apart at the end. But the pining was very, very good.

Secret Crush on You is a cringefest of the deepest emotions that somehow blended longterm pining and stalking into a gorgeous love story that is also... cringe humor but with an amazing message? I love SCOY so much and I think you will too, just remember that they're taking the comedic side characters and giving them depth and heart so that's exactly what it is.

Star in My Mind is very good at the idea of longterm pining on both sides but also deep, deep communication struggles so... watch out for that? I liked it a lot but I know it went too long for a lot of people.

Tonhon Chonlatee is another comedy that I honestly really enjoyed and it's all longterm pining and an oblivious idiot and also Neo Trai in one of his best roles before The Eclipse!

We Best Love No 1 For You is exactly what anyone looking for longterm pining is looking for, honestly, it's fantastic. Fighting Mr Second is... not exactly the same thing but does have a lot of good notes and has a different longterm pining couple that is also a touch more unrequited so this might just be perfect for you?

You're My Sky also has longterm pining in the main couple and is gorgeous.

Anyway, yes there are others but most of the others are ones I wouldn't recommend because I didn't like them. So... enjoy these!

[celebelei]

I saw other people doing this so I thought I'd hop on the trend as well.

Currently watching:

KinnPorsche: I have some issues with this show (mostly regarding tone and pacing) but currently VegasPete occupies about 90% of my brain capacity at all times.

Love Mechanics: messy, dramatic and angsty. Yin and War are excellent in this.

Senpai, This Can't Be Love!: it's cute and Yanase's face is one of the most adorable things I have ever seen in my life and I want to aggressively pinch and squish his cheeks.

Even Sun: it's quite ridiculous and over the top, which is usually not my cup of tea, but I'm watching it for my boys Boun and Prem. The most tragic thing about this show is that the subtitles on Youtube are atrocious and almost incomprehensible. Don't know whether iQiyi's subtitles are as bad since the show is not available in my region.

Unforgotten Night: it's a dumpster fire but a somewhat entertaining one. I do roll my eyes and snort at it a lot, though.

Check Out: I'm an episode behind because this hasn't really grabbed me, it's been a slow start so far.

La Cuisine: I started this a few weeks ago but only got maybe 3 episodes in before I sort of forgot about it. It’s not a bad show, it’s just on the slower side and I need to be in the right head space to be able to focus. I’ll try and continue it at some point.

I also have several BLs on my watchlist that I've been meaning to get to or I'm waiting on for them to finish their run so I can binge them when I feel like it.

Non-BL: I'm not currently watching any, but I've been meaning to start the 4th season of Stranger Things and the 3rd season of The Boys. I'm also waiting on new episodes for the Korean Money Heist.

Rewatching: I'm not much of a rewatcher even though I constantly say "I should rewatch that" about my favourite shows. 😅 I did start rewatching Lovely Writer a while back but never finished that.

Upcoming BLs I'm excited about:

Love in the Air: apparently this starts airing July 9th, so tomorrow? (I jumped the gun on that, we got a trailer. The show starts on August 18th) I guess my brain wants more trashy things to watch, so who am I to resist.

War of Y: mostly because of BillySeng and ToruFirst.

Never Let Me Go: the premise seems interesting.

Between Us: my boys, my babies, I need them back in my life.

I only included upcoming shows that have a release date, there are many others that have been announced or are on their way but have no set release date yet.

[mmepastel]

Ça y est, nous avons terminé la charmante série japonaise Dans la cuisine des maiko.

Le dépaysement est total. Au début, tout semble étrange ; les rires légers mais constants des deux amies à la moindre parole, la fonction même de maiko (j’ai passé le premier épisode à me demander de quoi il s’agissait, je me suis renseignée ensuite, notamment auprès de mon fils qui en savait un rayon grâce à sa passion pour le Japon), les multiples rituels, l’importance des politesses, des codes, des prières, le mode de vie.

Ensuite, j’ai craqué pour Kiyo, la recalée des maiko (trop gauche), qui devient maikana (c’est à dire cuisinière pour le gynécée où l’on apprend l’art d’être maiko), sa passion pour les plaisirs simples, son talent pour faire plaisir aux autres, surtout en cuisinant, la beauté des images de Kyoto, la beauté des plats cuisinés.

J’ai été, au fond, tout autant charmée qu’agacée. Au bout d’un certain temps, la philosophie de Kiyo (« chérir chaque instant ») m’a parue tout aussi belle qu’inatteignable, et un peu forcée. Et une part de moi, même éblouie par le raffinement des coutumes et des interactions sociales, ne peut s’empêcher d’être un peu irritée du rôle donné aux femmes. Certes, elles choisissent de devenir maiko puis éventuellement geiko. C’est à dire qu’elles s’entraînent dur pour se parer, se coiffer, se maquiller et danser pour être ensuite employées pour des soirées ou événements dans lesquelles elles seront admirées pour la pratique de leur art. Des dames de compagnie (en tout bien tout honneur) ou des danseuses, ou un peu des deux. Il faut mettre sa main devant la bouche quand on rit, par exemple. Je suppose que ça me dépasse un peu. On est loin loin loin du féminisme… même si elles ont un certain pouvoir et un statut admiré. Au fond, qu’admire-t-on chez elles ? La capacité à faire de leur corps et de leurs mouvements une œuvre d’art ? La capacité de s’effacer au profit d’une tradition ancestrale jamais remise en cause (il n’y a guère que la maiko aguerrie qui soulève des questions) ? La capacité de mettre sa vie personnelle sous le tapis pour plaire aux hommes ? Ces questions, pour une occidentale de 2023, sont naturelles je pense.

Elles ont l’air heureuses, pour la plupart, sauf la sombre Reyko, qui détonne de façon bienvenue avec sa mélancolie maussade et son esprit désabusé. Mais peut-on croire la série sur parole ? Est-elle juste ?

Heureusement, ce qui sauve la série, c’est la solidarité et l’amitié (non dénuée de rivalités) entre les apprenties maiko. Surtout l’amitié de Surume et de Kiyo, qui survit à leurs changements de statut.

Peut-être que la série était trop longue. Neuf épisodes sur une trame aussi ténue, c’est beaucoup. En même temps, cela donne un côté documentaire qui est loin d’être inintéressant.

Une vraie curiosité en tous cas.

[gabrielokun]

[gravity-knight]

La Cuisine is over

And thank the gods

Omg what even was that last episode? There was so much. A gun. A proposal. A marriage. A new love.

I really did enjoy it in the beginning it it got more elaborate and dramatic as it went on. Every ep LukChub would cry. Mick is a beautiful crier btw. The friend group was funny and awkward. All the questions I asked myself between dialogue was asked by a character so that was funny.

All the time wasted on LukChub and Namning’s tears and outburst could’ve been used for Paitong and Sky. Ridiculous that they got together in the last episode. I was robbed!

Also Super getting a full relationship was odd.

And did they really think they could hide the pink hair under that wig for the wedding?

So many unnecessary characters as well

To whomever finds this good luck

[absolutebl]

La Cuisine

La Cuisine Elevator Pitch

A sweet and somewhat pure show, and like the Thai desserts it features, perhaps requires too much patience for a layperson. Because of the pacing and the focus on a bad girl character, I did dock it points, but if you like stuff in the Oxygen vein, then this show is for you, and far better than most Thai BL pulps. That said, I suspect that I enjoyed it more than many would.

[cjblthoughts]

BL series available on GagaOOLala Part 1

About Youth

high school setting, friends to lovers, opposites attract, cute & fluffy

Current MDL rating: 8/10

8 episodes, Taiwanese, released in 2022

War of Y

anthology, multiple couples, work place romance, entertainment industry

Current MDL rating: 7.8/10

20 episodes, Thai, released 2022

Takara-kun &(/to) Amagi-kun

high school setting, opposites attract, secret relationship

Current MDL rating: 7.9/10

8 episodes, Japanese, released in 2022

Minato's Laundromat

age difference, high school student hitting on adult, persistent character

Current MDL rating: 7.9/10

12 episodes, Japanese, released in 2022

Unforgotten Night

mafia, one night stand, age gap, bdsm

Current MDL rating: 6.8/10

12 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

Senpai, This Can't be Love!

workplace romance, awkwardness

Current MDL rating: 7.3/10

8 episodes, Japanese, released in 2022

Love Class

university setting, senior/junior relationship, forced to work together

Current MDL rating: 7.5/10

6 episodes, South Korean, released in 2022

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss

university setting, unlucky/lucky character

Current MDL rating: 7.8/10

8 episodes, Japanese, released in 2022

Meow Ears Up!

cat hybrid, cohabitation, meet again, close sibling relationship

Current MDL rating: 7.2/10

8 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

Plus & Minus

secret crush, friends to lovers

Current MDL rating: 7.9/10

12 episodes, Taiwanese, released in 2022

A Man Who Defies the World of BL

comedy, parody, university setting

Current MDL rating: 8.1/10

4 episodes, Japanese, released in 2021

The Love of Winter

vacation romance, sweet and simple

Current MDL rating: 7.2/10

2 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

DNA Says Love You

friends to lovers, meet again, mystery

Current MDL rating: 7.8/10

12 episodes, Taiwanese, released in 2022

La Cuisine

university setting, chef/picky eater, crush

Current MDL rating: 7.1/10

13 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

My Ride

slow burn, cute romance, stragers to friends to lovers

Current MDL rating: 7.8/10

10 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

Our Days

university setting, drunk kiss, love triangle

Current MDL rating: 7.2/10

12 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

Don't Say No

friends to lovers, blackmail, obsession

Current MDL rating: 7.7/10

12 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

The Tuxedo

enemies to lovers, childhood trauma, short and sweet

Current MDL rating: 7/10 (re-edit 7.7/10)

8 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

In Your Heart

secret crush, friends to lovers

Current MDL rating: 6.4/10

8 episodes, Chinese, released in 2022

Every Moment That I Think of You

high school setting, pen pals, opposites attract

Current MDL rating: 7.3/10

2 episodes, Chinese, released in 2021

Part 2 coming soon!

[fanaticsnail]

Bachata (Dance Series)

Masterlist here.

Word Count: 3,105

Warnings: Fluff. Pure fluff, dancing, sensual dance descriptors, mention of alcohol (if you squint).

It was beta-read by the ever wonderful @sordidmusings (thank you bby grl, you are a blessing)

Song Suggestion: Stand By Me, Wake Me Up, la Isla Bonita

Your lips remained parted, eyes glossy and hyper-fixated on the movement of swaying hips, bent knees, and the biceps and forearms of your captain who effortlessly led one of the locals in a sultry dance. All his movements were in time to the beat of the drum, the fingerpicking of nylon guitar strings and the push and pull of airy piano accordion accompanying the lilt of vocals.

The atmosphere surrounding the beach-front festival on the coastal shore was loud, the crash of waves in the distance resonated within the chasms of the wooden dock where the Going Merry was harbored. Several vendors had set up temporary huts with canvas roofs atop wooden poles, selling their wares, local cuisine and fountains of exotic drinks of flavors you had never heard of before.

Although the musicians sang out their romantic souls into the air, prompting many a traveler to engage with them in dance and singing along to the tune: your eyes remained fixed on the way Luffy effortlessly spun the local girl within his arms, steadying her hips with his hands. His nose was scrunched with laughter, his grin drawn wide against his cheeks to bare his teeth in unbridled joy.

“Quartermaster?” the green-haired swordsman addressed you, “your thoughts?”

“Hmm?” you hummed in question, snapped from your entranced gaze held against your captain’s swaying body.

“You’ve been staring at him long enough,” Nami giggled at you, leaning back to recline against the wooden log behind her, “surely you have a bit of a hypothesis.”

You furrowed your brow, looking between the remaining companions you’d found yourself serving with on the Going Merry. Nami had a playful shimmer falling in her eyes, Zoro quenched his thirst by draining the remainder of his brown-stained beer bottle, while Sanji was making his way back from collecting the evening meal for the crew by bartering with the vendors.

Usopp and Luffy opted to join in the festival celebrations by swaying with the locals to the beat of the drum. Both men began surprising the crew with how effortlessly they danced to the tunes produced by the band, but Luffy was exceptionally surprising everyone by the way he almost had an air of sultry seduction in his movements. As soon as you witnessed the first effortless and tasteful gyration of his hips, your breath caught in your throat and a warm flush weaseled its way from your chest to tint your cheeks with its presence.

“On the dancing?” you asked again, Zoro chuckling at your thoughts.

“Alright, let’s backtrack then,” the swordsman rolled his eyes with a chuckled scoff, “look at him.”

“Oh she’s been looking at him enough, Zoro,” Nami scrunched up her nose, her tone light and teasing. You scrunched up your own nose in light mockery at her jest, prompting her to release a laugh into the night air.

“Looking at who?” the blonde chef asked as he placed the food down on the stretched canvas mat on the sandy floor in front of you all.

“Alright Sanji, non-biased opinion,” Nami said, leaning forward to sit herself closer to the food in front of her, “our captain. Where do you think he learnt how to dance like that? Look – no, really Sanji – look.”

The chef rolled his eyes and lulled his head over to look at the captain of the Going Merry. Luffy spun his dance partner to face her torso away from him, her back pressed flush against his bare chest as he ghosted his fingertips over her vertical forearms held upwards. His lips traced the back of her neck, his eyes fluttered closed as he swayed his hips against the beat, with his brows furrowed in passionate concentration.

“O-oh,” Sanji stuttered, his eyes widening with a downturned smile rising within his fluster.

“I know, right?” Nami loudly whispered in her hushed enthusiasm.

“I can honestly say: I have no idea,” the blonde nodded his head in confirming his words more-so to himself than to the group, “he doesn’t give off that kind of energy at all.”

The music concluded, the captain breaking away from his dance partner, and giving her a clap on the shoulder as a gesture of encouragement and joy at the time they spent together.

“Oi, Luffy, Usopp!” Zoro called to the two crewmen, “grub’s up, come and get it!”

Your captain’s face snapped over towards the crew; his eyes first meeting with yours. A large grin drew itself against his cheeks once more as he found Usopp and they stampeded together towards the canvas mat.

“You guys, the sand- the sand,” Nami aggressively shooed the two rapidly approaching men, their feet kicking up the coarse grains of sand dangerously close to the food placed on the floor. You giggled at them, looking to your captain and patting the unoccupied space beside you in a gesture for him to sit down.

Usopp claimed the vacant space next to Nami, taking a portion of the local cuisine for himself as he did so. Luffy, smiling at your gesture, immediately plopped himself down ungracefully. He playfully nudged your shoulder with the top of his head, giving you a small smile, his curls feeling soft against your exposed skin as his hat remained fastened to his back via the drawstring. You laughed, reaching your palm and fingertips to brush some of the strands away from his forehead to reveal his hazelnut-coloured eyes to you. You shook your head, scrunching your nose and playfully nudged him away from you.

Your role aboard the Going Merry was the Quartermaster: an aid in the navigation and smooth sailing amongst the waves, while being the secondary loyal soldier behind the first-mate. Luffy, upon finding you in a tavern off the shore of Shells-Town, immediately was taken with your skills and ease in breaking up a tavern brawl. Two rival pirate crews had stumbled into the family-run tavern and began immediately meddling in the affairs of one another’s business. The boiling point flashing like water to scorching oil within the halls of your favorite tavern: foreheads touching, guns withdrawn, fists flying and the breaking of brown, glass bottles. You threw yourself into the crowd, opting to disarm and do no harm, dancing effortlessly within the heat of the battle and incapacitating those who opted to remain fighting. It took little to no time to stop the fight, your skills drilled into you at the hands of many a brawling instructor and mentor throughout your childhood.

After the fight had finished, a brown-haired captain adorning a straw hat with a red ribbon approached you, telling you straight out, “Pack your bags, I need you on my ship,” to which you shrugged with a simple “aye, Sir”.

In your travels with the young captain, you were immediately taken with his innocence and fearlessness to be anything other than what he is: a simple man with the charm and charisma he needs to lead a crew, but also with the mischievousness and playfulness that comes with his inexperience. His heart is intensely displayed on his wrists, his desire to serve and protect those in need was admirable. You would follow him to the ends of the earth, with nothing to add than a simple: “aye, Sir.”

Friendship, proximity, and sleepless nights by each other’s side had a small whisper of emotion beginning to form within the very central point of your heart. The longer you remained with him, the more this feeling began to burn within you. You put it all down to the need to serve your captain well or perhaps a small crush if anything else. Choosing not to engage with such childish emotions, you smothered the feelings as soon as they began.

But there was something about the way his hips were swaying tonight. Something about the way his eyes sparkled, his nose scrunched and his lips drew out to reveal his playful grin under the glittering stars around the festivities that held you hostage to your unquenchable emotions.

“Nice meat!” Luffy’s voice cut through your inner monologue, prompting you to shake your head and blink slowly away your enchantment, “you had any yet-? -You haven’t had any yet! Here, have some!”

Your captain thrust an empty paper plate into your hands before piling a mountain of food atop the plate; it bending beneath the weight of the variety of items.

“Captain, slow down!” you giggled, shooing his hand holding tongs with the dangle of cooked meat waving from the end, “I’m not going to be able to get through all this, but thank you for thinking of me.”

“Anything for my Quartermaster,” he shot you a small wink, “gotta make sure you’re taken care of, you know?”

Your eyes fluttered rapidly in a flustered blink. You shook your head once more and furrowed your brows at his comments. He looked down at your plate, gesturing with his hands for you to begin eating.

“Whatever you don’t eat, I will,” he shrugged, leaning back in his place beside you and looking up at you with eyes full of adoration and appreciation.

“Thanks Luffy, I trust that you will,” you giggled, placing the plate down on the ground and tucking your hair behind your ears and away from your mouth. He smiled up with his broadening grin as the rest of the crew continued to eat the delicacies this area graced you with.

You felt his gaze continue to hold to you as you continued to dine with the other straw-hats, then pouring drinks from the large jug for one another and laughing to a tale Usopp was recollecting. He sat up briefly, noticing some strands of your hair began to fall back in front of your face and immediately reached up to tuck the locks behind your ear with his thumb and index finger. A warmth drew itself upwards to your cheeks at this unrestrained gesture, but you did not shy away from his affection.  

Sitting in silence, Zoro continued to hold his intense gaze in unwavering focus against your interaction and dynamic with the captain. His left brow arched at the subtle touches, lingering on your flushed face before looking to the mischievous expression your captain currently was adorning.

“Hey Cap’n,” Zoro smirked up, collecting a beer bottle from beside him, “why don’t you and the Quartermaster have a little dance after dinner? She hasn’t had one all night.”

Your eyes widened at Zoro, a scowl falling to your lips in wordless reprimand. Zoro’s smirk broadened with his left brow arching upwards to taunt you further. Before you managed to get a word out to chastise him further, Luffy spoke up to interrupt your thoughts.

“Sounds good to me!” he exclaimed with joy, “how about it, Quartermaster? Dance with your captain?”

Words fell halted in your throat, the breath you were going to use to speak them caught behind your parted lips. You snapped your gaze back to your captain, snickers from your crew began to whisper in hisses behind their clenched teeth.

“I-I don’t think I could-,” you began, watching your captain as he eagerly rose to his feet and extended his hand out towards you.

“-You’ll be fine,” he smiled, collecting your hand from beside you, “let’s go, music’s starting again.”

“Aye, Sir,” you nodded, allowing him to pull you to rise to your own feet.

You turned your head back to your crew as Luffy began leading you towards the open fire, closer to the vicinity of the music. Zoro’s smirk-like grin was plastered openly on his lips, shooting a small wink towards you at your unsettlement. Nami gave you a small wave, wordlessly uttering to you: “learn why he dances like that.”

You inhaled sharply through your nose with eyes scolding your crew before being twirled within the arms of your captain to meet his hazelnut orbs.

“Just relax, okay?” he scrunched his nose up while pressing his forehead against yours, eyes twinkling with mischief, “I know what I’m doing, let me lead you.”

A small squeak found its way to your throat, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. He chuckled, taking both of your hands within his and began to effortlessly sway with you.

Crossing your arms upwards, he spun you to face away from him; rocking you within his arms briefly before experimentally intertwining his limbs with your own. He twirled you once again to face him, collecting your right hand within his left and placing his right hand wrapped completely around your shoulders beneath your left arm. He held you close in a tight and flush embrace, exaggerating his hips outwards and leading your feet to the beat and rhythm of the music.

Your eyes were wide and frantically looking everywhere else, breath hitching as he led you in the movements with such poise and ease. Meeting your eyes with the taunting and teasing gaze of the green-haired swordsman, you began to fall out of time to Luffy’s movements and stumble a little. You watched the swordsman’s chest tremble as a laugh fell from his lips at your stumble.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Luffy’s voice called to you, drawing your face up with his left hand weaving itself away from your right, “what’s the matter, are you okay?”

Your breath caught in your throat as he reached his hand up to touch your cheek tenderly. He continued swaying the both of you to the music while his eyes searched yours for the source of your unease.

“I-I just,” you began, your own eyes fluttering its concentration between his, “I’m a bit self-conscious dancing like this. It’s a bit-, uh-…”

He nodded with his brows furrowed, leading you with his verbal tone; “-a bit…?”

You clenched your teeth with a small grimace, “-a bit out of the ordinary? A bit unusual to be dancing like this?”

“Oh!” he nodded, returning his broad smile to his lips. He released your cheek from his left hand and again sought out your right to claim, “you don’t have to be self-conscious. As I said, I know what I’m doing. And if the attention bothers you so much, keep your eyes on me!”

The flush returned to your cheeks, the warmth threatening to tint its way to cover the entirety of your face as he confidently wove your right knee between his legs and swung his hips to the beat. You released a shaken breath from your lips, closing your eyes to bring your focus away from the Straw-Hat crew and their teasing gaze. Reopening your eyes, you met with the warm smile of your captain.

“There you go!” he complimented you while tracing small and indistinct lines on your spine, “‘atta girl!”

Internally, you were screaming. Your captain’s praise was nothing foreign to you, especially when in the heat of combat. Within the proximity he currently held with you, dancing you provocatively within the romantic atmosphere, this praise felt especially outlandish. Shaking your head to rid your mind of the fog his verbal praise rose within you, you kept your eyes fixed on him. His eyes softened as he began to hum along to the melody, twirling you away from him. Although his twirls moved your body far from his, he would always bring you back to hold you securely within his arms with his hips almost flush against your own.

As the dance continued on, you began to get more confident in your movements and trust for him to always support and lead you through it. He would sweep you into long-arched dips, circling around his body before having you snap back up to fall within his grip. All laughs and smiles drew upwards against your cheeks, a laugh or two flinging from your chests in glee to the music.

“How do you know how to dance like this?” you breathily asked him while he again twirled you to face away from him.

He released your hands from his grasp as he slowly ghosted them over your ribs, dragging them to rest on your hips. With closed eyes, he brought his lips up to your exposed neck and whispered against your skin: “Shanks taught me.”

Your glazed eyes opened widely, a small “oh” parting from you in surprise. You had heard many tales about Red-Haired Shanks and his crew of seasoned pirates from your captain. It should come as no surprise to you that he had shared more knowledge than the influence of a life of piracy onto your captain, but apparently the charm that comes with sensual dancing.

“When you were a child?” you asked him, lulling your head over as he continued to hold his lips a hair’s length away from your skin. He hummed in confirmation, the vibration prompting your pores to spring upwards over your neck and forearms.

“And the knowledge wasn’t lost to you over the years?” you quizzed him. His hands shifted you within his arms, turning you to face him again.

“I practiced with my brothers,” he chuckled, placing his forehead against your own, “my biggest brother would play guitar sometimes. I’d make my other one dance with me to the music.”

Before you could ask Luffy any further questions on the matter, the music concluded and your captain released you from his arms and cheered loudly to praise the musicians for their song. You trailed your gaze from the raven curls atop your captain’s head down over his sun-kissed skin to hold your lashes half-lidded as they sought out his eyes once more. He was so handsome, you knew that much was certain. All the time you spent together aboard the Merry had you drawing yourself closer to him, but now; you were completely smitten.

His joyful and lilted praise drew itself to a close, him turning to meet your eyes once more with his warm eyes. He reached his left hand down to collect yours within his comforting grip.

“Did you want another dance?” he asked hopefully, before he tore away his gaze to seek out a vendor’s stand behind him, “or we could get a drink? I could go for another one of those juice-things, I think.”

You giggled, reaching up your left hand to caress his smooth cheek. His skin ignited beneath your touch, glowing alongside the smoldering embers of the beach-front fire.

“As long as I'm with you, I’ll follow you anywhere,” you answered whimsically, prompting him to reach his forehead down to touch against your own. His nose scrunched up once more, his lips drawing out to a large smile as he answered you.

“Okay, great! Juice first,” he confirmed, nodding against your head, “then more dancing.”

“Aye, Sir.”