Avisa's Confession and Sanji's POV

As Sanji and Avisa made their way through the town's marketplace, she did indeed see some other dancer girls. It seemed they were out and about more today as it was the peak season for their performances. It was something of a cultural thing there to have regular dances performed at the taverns. Most of the time, it wasn't meant to be a sexual thing, but some places made it more so over time. She noticed as Sanji began to gawk a bit at the ladies in their outfits. She had to admit they were all very gorgeous, but one especially caught her attention, and she couldn't resist walking over. Sanji noticed and looked confused at her before following close behind. She tapped the woman on the shoulder, and she looked confused before recognizing Avisa's disguise.

"Avie! My darling, what brings you here?"

Avisa put her finger to her lips and said, "It would be best if you didn't say my nickname so loud. I'm trying not to draw attention to myself as you can probably understand."

"Oh, yes. Of course, I forgot. The bounty. It's good to see you though. Have you given any thought to what I asked you last time I saw you?"

Avisa laughed nervously a little. "Oh, right. To be honest, I'm actually in a relationship at the moment."

It was then that her friend noticed Sanji behind her. "That guy? Oh, come on my dear. You can do better than that."

Avisa gasped. "What?! He's hot. Don't say that. You're just jealous."

"Of you having him? Not really. But of him, having you? A little, yes."

Sanji finally asked, "My love, who is this?"

"She's an old friend of mine. Her name's Natasha."

Natasha smirked as she asked, "And who is he?"

"This is Sanji. I met him on my latest adventure," Avisa replied.

Natasha looked him over a little before she said, "It's nice to meet you, Sanji. You must be very special to have conquered Avie here. She's a slippery one." She looked at Avisa and asked, "How did you two meet?"

Avisa grinned. "He met me when I was a man, and we became friends. Then, when I dressed as woman, he fell for me."

Sanji's eyes went wide. "Don't say it like that! That makes it sound like you were a man the whole time."

Natasha and Avisa both chuckled as Sanji's face turned red.

She then turned to Avisa and said, "I have to get going Avie, but it was good seeing you. I hope we can talk again before you leave. And please let me know if there's anything I can do for you. I owe you quite a few favours still and I'm anxious to repay them."

Avisa thought for a second and then said, "Actually, have you heard anything about Lord Dinero recently? Has he been around at all or is it just some of his men running things here?"

Natasha frowned. "I don't think he's been around much. But there's been rumours that he's finally found the devil fruit he was after all those years as you know. So, you never know where he might go next. I heard from one of the dance girls that he has a new apprentice that's been helping him, so he might be up to something."

Avisa nodded. "Thanks, Natasha. That's good to know."

As Natasha waved and slipped back into the crowds, Sanji looked at Avisa confused. "Who is she and why did she say all that stuff about our relationship?"

Avisa sighed. "I guess I have to tell you at some point. Come, let's sit down over there."

She led him to a bench that was in a more secluded area. She took his hand in hers as she rubbed it with her thumb and contemplated the right words to say.

Avisa let out a shaky breath before she continued, "I was honest about never having any serious romantic relationships, but she is a friend that I've known for a while, and we've often danced around the topic of dating. The last time I saw her she asked me if I would actually consider going on a date with her."

Sanji's eyes widened in surprise a little before he said, "But Natasha is a woman."

Avisa chuckled a bit. "Indeed, she is."

"So...what does that mean?" Sanji eyebrows furrowed.

She was afraid of what his reaction would be when he found out, but she finally replied, "I like both men and women. Obviously, I like you the most. But I'm attracted to both sometimes."

Sanji was quiet for a moment as he contemplated this. "Well, I can't say I like both myself, but I definitely understand your feeling towards women. That woman in particular was very beautiful."

"So, you're not mad?"

Sanji shook his head and smiled a little. "No, I'm a little surprised, but I'm not upset. As long as you're mine and I'm yours and we're loyal to each other, who we find attractive doesn't really matter."

Avisa smiled and kissed him before she said, "I'm glad. I know it doesn't really change anything between us really, but it feels good to get off my chest."

Sanji seemed to think of something suddenly as his eyes widened in realization. "Is that why you winked at Nami that one time? Do you like her?"

She blushed a little. "I think she's attractive. I did it more as a joke really, but Robin and Nami are definitely beautiful. I see them more as friends though. And yeah, that's one of the reasons why I insisted on staying in the infirmary. It would have felt a little too creepy to move to their room and watch them dress and stuff without them knowing how I felt."

Sanji smiled to himself a little and then said, "Well, we have more in common than I thought." Then he looked at her and smirked as he added, "I think it turns me on a little too. "

Avisa slapped his arm and said, "Pervert." But she smiled.

Then his face turned serious as he asked, "Does that mean that I have to be jealous when you're around attractive men and women?"

"Not any more jealous than I am when you're around attractive women. Now you get to know the feeling."

He smiled and said, "I guess that's true."

...

After their trip to the market, Sanji and Avisa had joined her family and the crew for supper. Her family offered to let them spend the night and make up some makeshift beds in their home, so after the meal the crew was busy getting ready for bed. Avisa decided to take this opportunity to talk to her grandmother in private. She went out to the back garden to find her grandmother sitting on a wooden bench and sipping tea while looking up at the stars. There was a cool breeze on the night air and the sound of cicadas mixed with the distant sound of the ocean. She could smell the lavender that she planted the last time she was home, and she took a long breath of it before she sat down next to her grandmother and said, "What are you out here thinking about?"

SANJI'S POV:

Sanji saw Avisa leave the house and wanted to talk to her privately so he started to make his way towards her in hopes he could find her outside. Really, he wanted to kiss her and maybe convince her to have sex with him under the stars too. The idea had always been a romantic fantasy of his and he had a feeling Avisa might be horny enough to agree. He had never really met a woman as horny as Avisa. He was sure he had maybe, but they weren't always horny for him, and that was a big distinction.

He also wanted to ask her more about this Lord Dinero guy. There seemed to be a lot more to him than he originally thought. Sanji was usually pretty good at reading women generally and felt that Avisa hadn't told him something. He wasn't sure if it had to do with Lord Dinero or with something else though. She had still surprised him with her confession today, and he'd been deceived for a while about her being a man, so he was having to fight his suspicions about her head on. He felt like he should just ask her and see if she seemed like she was answering honestly.

He smiled a bit to himself as he thought of Avisa's confession today. He'd noticed when the ladies on the ship were in bikinis, she seemed to watch them strangely. When he thought Avisa was Alexei it had bothered the hell out of him. He had been biased to suspect Alexei of ill intentions since the moment he met the gunslinger, and had been extra careful to watch Alexei around the crew. Even when he did trust Alexei more after the tea incident, he was still suspicious of his new friend a bit. He figured Alexei was hiding something. And fuck, was he right.

It had confused him a bit to know how to behave around Avisa when her secret got out, especially after she went back to dressing femininely. Sanji thought about that first day when he had seen her in that outfit. Her breasts in that green shirt had given him an almost instant erection that she thankfully never noticed but embarrassed him a little because he had so recently thought of this person in an entirely different way.

He had eventually defaulted into mostly the same way he treated other women, but there was a depth there built on a friendship that wasn't just based on attraction. Sure, he had a good friendship with Nami and Robin, but he had built a bit of a barrier in a way with his excessively flirtatious behaviour. He hadn't minded it that much since they were still good friends, but when Avisa told him she still wanted to be friends, he had to think more on how he could keep the friendship he had with her even when he knew he was super attracted to her. Eventually, he realized she was a bit of a flirt too and didn't seem to mind his behaviour as long as he was also being a real friend and opening up.

When he talked to her about family and her dreams, he felt a longing that he couldn't quite shake, and it bothered him a bit. He had been surprised, especially at the feelings he had when she talked about children being a treasure and she told him he had a good heart. She had such a loving soul that seemed almost too pure for the world she lived in. He wished greatly that it could be the case that all fathers were good and treated their children like treasures. He was sure he'd be an entirely different person if that were the case. But he also felt that because of his past and how it had broken him in so many ways that it would truly be hard to be a good father. He figured since she had a good father and family, she was naïve enough not to know any different perhaps. But he still found comfort in her ideals and her loving nature. He had soon grown interested in getting to know her deeper.

It was the night on the deck that really surprised him. Her opening up to him had set them in a new direction. He had never felt such longing for someone in his life as when he stood on that deck and comforted her. It had taken all his effort to not kiss her just then. He knew it wasn't the right time when she was afraid for her family's life and feeling guilty over her father's death, but he wanted so much to close the distance and be closer to her. When she asked him to join her in her room, he was worried that he might mess things up and create an irreparable distance between them, so he was careful to be as respectful of her space as possible and not take advantage of her emotional state.

Then he woke up the next morning and felt his boner against her and nearly lost it. He was sure he messed things up then. But then she had reacted so differently than he expected, and he felt that longing again. He couldn't ignore it any longer and he had told her to ask him to stop if she wanted him to, but he was so glad that she didn't. She was everything. She was fast becoming his closest friend, his lover, and his newest dream. They both still had their own dreams that they would chase as individuals. He knew this was the case with the crew too. They all had separate goals, but they pursued them together. Their friendships weren't merely based on shared interest, but on ideals and loyalty. And he felt that way about Avisa too. He wanted to chase dreams with her together for as long as they lived. The thought scared him but made him happy too. He truly felt like fate had brought them together for a reason and looked forward to what came next.

"But do you love him?"

Suddenly, he heard Avisa's grandmother ask her a question and he froze. He felt bad for eavesdropping but soon realized they were probably talking about him, and he became curious.

"No, grandma, I don't feel that way about him."

What the fuck is she talking about?

Sanji felt the world spin as a familiar pain in his chest became unbearable. His stomach became queasy. It was the same old story. Rejection. All over again.