home for the holidays
Wrote it up on my commute to school. I randomly felt the need to sexually harass Smoker.
Hina the Black Cage had always been a constant presence aboard their ship during the holiday season. Even before they set sail on the Grand Line and eventually, to the New World, that silently smirking woman had made a point to visit Smoker.
But members of Smoker's crew didn't see, or rather, couldn't see why she did this. When asked, Tashigi had merely said the Captain enjoyed visiting her old classmates. Smoker had simply tolerated the woman's whims.
For good reason too.
From what they had gleaned from Hina's crew, that beautiful woman had a temper.
Still, members of both crews saw things differently. Their commanding officers probably had something going on, not that either member of this supposed love affair gave any indication.
In fact, there were times when they acted like they hated one another with a passion. Their fights were frequent yet short-lived. It didn't matter how far away they were from each other. It seemed as long as one lived, the other would be irritated.
It was almost humiliating to witness their feuding. Two pillars of Marine justice squabbling relentlessly like two toddlers in the playground. It had gone on for so long, no one even bothered to keep track who was winning. But it probably wasn't Smoker. Hina, in particular, acted with great malicious intent at times.
Yet Smoker wore her atrocious 'reconciliation sweaters' (itchy and ugly as sin) with ill grace during the holidays. Hina would smile and bring along Smoker's favourite brand of cigars. They'd make nice… well, their definition of nice for a little while. And then their fighting would recommence shortly after New Years.
But something was different this year. There hadn't been even one fight throughout all of the Captain's week long stay. Not even bickering. And there was a conspicuous lack of garish sweaters too. This was their quietest holiday to date. Was something wrong?
Something was going to go wrong. Both crews suspected this and waited on baited breath to see just who would break this unsettling peace. (Almost everyone bet Hina, but that was only because her childish streak when Smoker was involved had become notorious).
But when it came time to leave, it wasn't malice glinting in Hina's eyes when the Captain sidled past their stern Vice Admiral and smacked the man swiftly across the rear.
The man almost swallowed his cigars. But it definitely wasn't anger that coloured the cheeks of their hard as nails Vice Admiral a dusky pink when his old classmate leaned up and purred something indiscernable into his ear.
Hina slipped past with a smug easy swivel in her hips. Those that were present were silent, too shocked to even act - save for one new recruit from Hina's faction. As Hina passed her, she snapped to attention.
"Permission to snicker, ma'am?"
The Captain didn't even stop to answer. "Granted."
"H-Hina!"