Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.
Christmas Traditions
"There's only one reason why you decided to sit there, Love." A blonde man said with a wink, then offered her a rose as he continued to leer at her.
Nami shivered. A little of it was due to the freezing temperature of the outside tavern named The Witch House, the rest was due to this man's sleazy approach at enticing her.
She rubbed her arms with both hands, trying to instil a bit of warmth into her limbs as she stared up at the man in front of her. He was completely not her type, and unmistakably prettier than she was, and he seemed to be very aware of it.
"Yes. There is only one reason why we sat here." Nami began to explain, honestly. "It was the only available pair of seats." She declared through chattering teeth.
"Don't you who I am?" The man asked with and incredulous tone and expression.
Just as Nami was about explain that she really didn't care, her sister approached and offered her a large cup of mulled wine. "Excuse me." The blunette said to the man, then took a seat next to Nami.
Nami quickly took off her tangerine gloves and stuffed them into her pockets of her dark woollen coat. "Thank you." She smiled, then took the mug and nursed it for a moment to warm her hands.
"That didn't take too long." She commented, then watched the blonde walk away out of the corner of her eye. Despite the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Markets, and the sloshing of melted snow on the streets, his exasperated sigh could still be heard quite clearly over the crowd.
"Who was that?" Nojiko laughed. Her visible breath made Nami feel even colder.
"Some idiot." Nami retorted, pulling her scarf a little more snugly around her neck, then watching the steam rise from her drink before taking a sip.
She kept the mug to her lips, inhaling the warm, spiced scent of her beverage, and letting go of all her seasonal stress. With the last of their gifts purchased, she finally let it to sank in, and allowed herself enjoy the Christmas festivities.
Nami stared for a few moments at the enormous tree in the centre of the square, before casting her eyes about the markets. The Christmas tree was dripping with silver ornaments, and had tiers of oscillating white lights, with a bright star sat on its top most branch. Log cabins and huts of all shapes and sizes adorned the square. They were dressed with soft ivory fairy lights, and wore a blanket of fluffy snow, aglow with a gentle touch of yellow from the street lights above.
The sounds of the nearby traffic were drowned out by the harmonious Christmas Carollers in the distance, and laughter and banter from within the tavern. It gave the markets a welcomed air of magic, joy, and romance. Nami smiled to herself, it was strange how infectious Holiday Happiness was. Nami somehow didn't feel like she was in her home town anymore. She could have been any where.
"Bellmère would have loved this." Nojiko said when she noticed that the slice of orange flavouring Nami's drink was now holding her sisters attention.
"Hmm." Nami smiled, far too cold and exhausted from their shopping spree to comment any further.
Her mind skipped back to the fond memories she had of her childhood. They would always make their own Christmas decorations, dressing one of Bellmère's mikan trees with dried orange slices, and home made mikan pomanders filled with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It was a tradition the pair of them had continued, but it obviously never felt the same since their mother passed.
"Oh no." The blunette laughed.
"What's wrong?" Nami inquired.
"I think you have another admirer." Nojiko informed her, discretely pointing at a tall, red haired man.
"Let's go. I've had enough." Law groaned as the Christmas markets began to get busier, and busier. He never understood the fascination with them, and hadn't much enjoyed this time of year since he was a child.
"Please, Boss, we've only been here for half an hour." Shachi pleaded in a desperate tone.
Law frowned at his friend's childish reaction, rubbing his temple to will away the headache he felt was coming on. "Thirty more minutes." He sighed in defeat, shutting his eyes and instantly regretting that he had relented.
"Yes!" Shachi shouted, drawing more attention to their party. They were already getting funny looks from people as Law's three friends had all decided to wear the exact same coat.
Penguin pointed to something and then disappeared, while Shachi continued to look at, what Law considered to be, the 'tacky merchandise in the festive huts'.
There wasn't a single thing worth buying or browsing on any of the stalls, and the tipsy customers that roamed the square were becoming more boisterous, more jolly, and more annoying as time went on.
Law was cold, his neck felt stiff, and a strong ache had developed in his frontal lobe. He followed behind his friends with a sour look upon his face, counting the minutes until they could leave.
"What's so bad about Christmas?" Shachi demanded, as they walked through the markets. He almost slipped in slush he was so excited.
"Nothing!" Penguin mumbled through a mustard doused bratwurst sausage that he'd stuffed into his mouth.
Law kept quiet and casually observed the wintry huts that they strolled past. They were serving food that didn't interest him in the slightest. All breads and pastries, or chocolate and fudge. Nothing he deemed edible.
"It's nice, and cold, and there's lots of polar bear merchandise." Bepo contributed as they walked past a stall selling decorations of the Arctic mammal.
"Nobody asked you!" Shachi and Penguin said in unison.
Just as Bepo began to apologise, Shachi started to speak over him. "Women are always looking for a holiday romance, Boss!"
Law glared at him for a moment, before he remembered that the opposite sex was all that Shachi or Penguin ever thought about.
"I don't need to find someone!" Law began. "Besides, why would I want to find someone at this time of year? All they'd be looking for is someone to buy them that extra Christmas gift."
"You're such a cynic." Penguin mocked.
"Speaking of women, come on Bepo!" Shachi ordered when a raven haired woman with walnut eyes caught his attention.
"Wait, why Bepo?" Penguin argued.
"I stand a better chance when he's with me." Shachi confessed as he dragged their friend away.
"Shall we get a beer?" Penguin asked, a little disappointed that Shachi had seen the dark haired woman sooner than he had.
Law nodded, then the pair of them stepped up to The Witch House.
A bitter wind picked up as the evening drew later, and Nami soon became aware of how cold her body was becoming now that the hot, spiced beverage was gone from her hands.
"I'll go and get us another drink." Nojiko laughed as she got up from her seat, briefly looking to where the red haired man was standing.
He was propped up against a beam, turned in their direction, and watching their every move.
"Don't leave me!" Nami growled lowly to her sister. Nojiko just continued to smile as she headed towards the bar, though Nami was sure she heard her laugh.
She rubbed her shoulders, then turned as far away as she could from the red haired man. Despite her obvious disinterest, he approached anyway.
"So," he began.
"I'm not interested." Nami cut him off instantly.
"You don't even know what I was going to say." The man said, seeming a little angry at her immediate dismissal.
"Whatever it was, I'm tired, and I already have company-"
"My company is better." He sneered as he sat down in Nojiko's place. "But that's not what I was gonna say." He confessed, reaching for Nami's hands that were resting on the table by her empty mug.
"Look, I said," Nami snapped, sitting up straight to back away from him.
As she tried to continue her sentence, her words caught in her throat as an arm stretched around her back, and a hand was placed on her left shoulder. Dark, bold letters could be seen on the knuckles of three fingers. D, E and A, Nami read, then noticed that the red haired man's expression darkened instantly.
"Get lost, Eustass-ya." A man ordered in a low, smoky voice next to her ear.
She quickly turned to her right to see who it was. As her head shot round, her nose lightly brushed against the cheek of the very handsome man at her side. She jumped at the contact, trying not to blush as her hand reached up to cover her nose and lips.
A pair of glistening golden irises rolled to the left to peek at her out of the corner of his eye. Nami's heart began to race the moment she saw a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, then he turned his attention back to the red haired man.
"Oh, fuck off, Trafalgar. I was here first."
"We're not in line to purchase the last of the tacky merchandise on one of those stalls. She's a person, and she told you she's not interested, so get lost." He ordered again, glaring at the man until he finally took the hint and decided to move.
The unwanted red haired man, 'Eustass-ya', shoved himself away from the table in a fit of rage, then knocked over the little wooden stool he was sitting on as he left.
"You probably didn't need my help, but that guy is an asshole, and I take pleasure in pissing him off when I can." The handsome stranger explained as he picked up the stool from the floor, and set it down properly.
"Do you mind?" He asked, pointing to the empty seat.
Nami shook her head, then glanced to see where Nojiko was, hoping she wouldn't be back just yet.
"I'm Trafalgar Law." The dark haired man informed her.
"Nami." She smiled. She wasn't really sure what was going on tonight, but she didn't mind having his attention.
"Is Eustass-ya still looking?" He asked with an amused smile.
Nami quickly flicked her eyes in the direction that he had stormed away in. " Yes." She laughed. "If he could fire daggers out of his eyes, then I think you'd be dead a thousand over." She joked, earning her a gorgeous expression, and a very amused chuckle from her new companion.
"Boss, what do you want?" She heard someone shout.
Law looked up, towards the direction of the bar. "Do you want a drink?" He asked Nami.
She did want another drink, especially with him, but she also wanted to test how eager he was. "Thanks, but my sister is at the bar getting me one."
"Does that mean you can't have two? Penguin is paying afterall." He said, tipping his head to the side, and flashing an irresistible smirk.
"Mulled wine then, please."
Law turned in the direction of his friend, "Two mulled wines." he said, the continued to stare towards the bar for a moment.
Nami turned to see what he was looking at. "Is that your friend in the hat?" She asked when she saw Nojiko openly flirting with someone.
"Yea. It looks like he's gotten lucky." Law joked.
"That's my sister." Nami informed him, watching his reaction carefully.
"Then, it's lucky for me too, that they've met." Law smiled as he got up from the table, and said "Hang on." Then disappeared amongst the crown.
Seconds later Nojiko returned to their table and set a mug down in front of her. "Nami, this is Penguin." Her sister said, pointing to the man standing next to her.
Nami looked at him as she reached for her warm drinks. She couldn't help but smile at the blush that dusted his cheeks. "Hi." She said, earning her a nervous nod in reply.
"Where's Law gone?" He asked, then proceeded to cast his eyes around the courtyard in search of his friend.
"He said 'hang on'," Nami began, but didn't bother to finish her sentence as the man in question returned with two stools.
He set one down next to the empty stool, so Penguin and Nojiko could sit together, then placed the other next to Nami, and quickly sat down.
Once introductions, and a general ten minute group chat were out of the way, he turned to Nami and asked "Are you out for the evening?"
"No." Nami replied, much to his disappointment. "We did our Christmas shopping before, left it in the boot of Nojiko's car, then just came for a couple of drinks before we head home." She said, swilling the last of her drink around the bottom of her mug.
"We can stay for a few more though,"Nojiko said, her voice turning to a growl as she continued. "Right Nami?" She practically ordered, giving her a gentle kick in the shin to get her to agree.
She had no problem with staying out, besides the cold. Law seemed an interesting enough man, and was certainly good looking. "We can have a couple more." She agreed, trying not to seem too eager.
"Good." Law smiled, then wrapped his arm over her shoulder so they were in the same position as when they met. "I know I almost accidentally had one already," Law started, "but can I kiss you, Nami-ya?"
"You're forward." She answered through a breath of laughter, and disbelief.
Law smiled, raising his eyebrows in acceptance of her statement. "I think getting rid of Eustass-ya should have earned me a kiss, but besides that, it is tradition." He said, leaning a little closer to her to whisper the latter part of his sentence in her ear.
"How is that tradition?" She asked, slightly confused.
"Well, getting rid of an asshole wouldn't necessarily get me a kiss. But we are sitting under the mistletoe." He smirked.
Nami's breath caught in her throat and she slowly lifted her head to see two ivory berries and a sprig of green hanging from the rafter, right above them.
Law's hand slid from her shoulder to gently force her gaze towards him. "Well?"
Nami didn't really need to think about it. He was gorgeous, and it was tradition afterall. She leant forward and softly sealed her lips to his. Thought their kiss was brief, she tried to ignore the ice cold tip of his nose against her cheek, and just concentrate on the warmth of his lips against hers.
'That won't be the last.' Nami thought to herself when she saw Law's smile as she broke away. His smile grew slightly as a familiar voice raged in the background in disapproval.
"I'll get you another drink." Law said, then got up to go to the bar.
He turned his gaze back to their table as he waited in line. 'Is there a chance Shachi and Penguin were right about Christmas', Law thought to himself.
Reviews are always welcome, and appreciated :)
12th Dec 2014