[Honestly? Sanji half-expects to get slapped, or yelled at, and he would have allowed for either of those reactions, payment for upsetting someone he cares about. And he has to wonder if it even matters, him being loyal when he's gonna die back home and this is... all he's got left, right?
He smiles back at her, not having the heart to tell her that she's got feelings for a... very sad man. And right now, he doesn't know how to be anything else.]
That I can do.
[...]
I know it might not seem like it, but I... never wanted to hurt you.
[The thing is, of all the ways this has happened to her before, this is probably the best version. Her relationship wasn't called a pile of feces, the relationship wasn't built off of a lie and then pushed to a breaking point-
It's... fine. She'll be sad about it later. But god, he's not making it easy to not be sad about it now.
Her eyes are tearing up and she's starting to sniffle. Maybe there actually is something wrong with her?]
You know... that's usually something guys just say- but with you I actually believe it. [Somehow it only makes her feel worse.
Distantly she realizes there's something very funny about believing a pirate, but she's far too wrapped up in her own self-loathing to acknowledge it.]
[Nooo no tears, he cannot stand a lady's tears, especially when he's the cause. His expression turns distraught, then guilty, hands fidgeting unhappily at his sides.]
... Can I give you a hug?
[Is that... going too far? Is that going to make things worse?]
Why wouldn't I be? You deserve good things in your life, Rebecca-chan!
[Which... damn, probably seems like such a shitty thing to say in lieu of shooting her down, but it's what Sanji believes. That her life has been so hard is nothing short of a tragedy]
Every guy should be nice to you! If they're not, then they're not worth shit. [Make it the standard, girl, not the exception.]
[No, that sounds wrong. All of that sounds wrong. She doesn't deserve it! Nothing she's ever done has made her worthy of deserving nice things. Her track record has been disastrous. Sanji's the fourth guy to turn her down.
It's way too hard to speak now. One of the worst parts of emotional crying. Instead she just pulls him into a hug, burying her face into his shirt, sobbing. She's not doing well here, is she? But she'll take whatever silver of comfort she can find.]
[His mouth open like he means to speak, to offer something else, even if it can't be what she'd want, but the hug bids him quiet. He should... be happy, right, knowing he can offer this, small consolation that it is.
So despite how his expression feels heavy, Sanji wraps his arms around her shoulders and smiles sadly down at the woman crying into his shirt, a hand smoothed down her back.
There aren't enough apologies in the world for this, but somehow, he thinks they'd only make it worse. So for now he'll just stand quiet and give her a shoulder to sob on.]
[It's the little things. The things she hasn't gotten or didn't deserve- or at least felt like she didn't deserve. Comfort from Sanji is somehow in the middle of bittersweet and something she wants to cling onto forever.
At least he cares enough to let her do this. None of the other guys she's ever liked had. They all just ran at the end.
It's better. Even if she tells herself that, it still hurts.
The quiet is better than hearing him try to apologize. What's it for? His feelings? She doesn't want to know who the other person is. Every time she likes somebody there's always somebody else.
She stays until she's cried out all her feelings. In the end, she weakly pulls away.]
Sorry, I'm-- [being dramatic. Logically this isn't the end of the world. Emotionally though...]
[By this point his shirt is probably soaked through but Sanji doesn't mind or care, just seeming a little relieved when her sobbing ceases and she finally steps back. He'll drop his hand, though one comes up to rub at the nape of his neck.]
Oi, you don't need to apologize.
[He knows what it feels like to have your heart broken! Not... for quite the same reasons as Rebecca might guess, but Sanji knows what heartache feels, in his own way. Even if you're not dead, can't help but wonder if it'd be a kinder fate.]
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He smiles back at her, not having the heart to tell her that she's got feelings for a... very sad man. And right now, he doesn't know how to be anything else.]
That I can do.
[...]
I know it might not seem like it, but I... never wanted to hurt you.
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It's... fine. She'll be sad about it later. But god, he's not making it easy to not be sad about it now.
Her eyes are tearing up and she's starting to sniffle. Maybe there actually is something wrong with her?]
You know... that's usually something guys just say- but with you I actually believe it. [Somehow it only makes her feel worse.
Distantly she realizes there's something very funny about believing a pirate, but she's far too wrapped up in her own self-loathing to acknowledge it.]
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... Can I give you a hug?
[Is that... going too far? Is that going to make things worse?]
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Are you ready for me to cry a lot more? You're just- You're so nice to me. [Does she deserve it? She definitely doesn't think so.]
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[Which... damn, probably seems like such a shitty thing to say in lieu of shooting her down, but it's what Sanji believes. That her life has been so hard is nothing short of a tragedy]
Every guy should be nice to you! If they're not, then they're not worth shit. [Make it the standard, girl, not the exception.]
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It's way too hard to speak now. One of the worst parts of emotional crying. Instead she just pulls him into a hug, burying her face into his shirt, sobbing. She's not doing well here, is she? But she'll take whatever silver of comfort she can find.]
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So despite how his expression feels heavy, Sanji wraps his arms around her shoulders and smiles sadly down at the woman crying into his shirt, a hand smoothed down her back.
There aren't enough apologies in the world for this, but somehow, he thinks they'd only make it worse. So for now he'll just stand quiet and give her a shoulder to sob on.]
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At least he cares enough to let her do this. None of the other guys she's ever liked had. They all just ran at the end.
It's better. Even if she tells herself that, it still hurts.
The quiet is better than hearing him try to apologize. What's it for? His feelings? She doesn't want to know who the other person is. Every time she likes somebody there's always somebody else.
She stays until she's cried out all her feelings. In the end, she weakly pulls away.]
Sorry, I'm-- [being dramatic. Logically this isn't the end of the world. Emotionally though...]
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Oi, you don't need to apologize.
[He knows what it feels like to have your heart broken! Not... for quite the same reasons as Rebecca might guess, but Sanji knows what heartache feels, in his own way. Even if you're not dead, can't help but wonder if it'd be a kinder fate.]
You... feel a little better?
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... A little. I kind of feel... emotionally hungover.
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I'd offer you a drink but you should probably get some water down at some point...
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Yeah. I just lost... like half my weight in tears? Um... I'm not really feeling drinks right this second.
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[...]
Do you want me to... give you some space from here on out?
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???
She's been friends with him for way longer than she realized she had a crush. If he pulled away now...]
No, don't do that. You're- You're still one of the people I trust here. I don't want to lose that.
... Maybe just for tomorrow?
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Oh thank the seas, then. Sanji visibly relaxes when she tells him he just needs to sod off for a day instead of... forever.
He would've given her all the space in the world if she'd asked it; it just would've hurt a lot.]
Alright, just tomorrow.
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I'll be there whenever you need me. I have um... some other things to get to.
[With that she'll turn and hurry away.]