I do not own One Piece.

Prompt: Spit
Length: 1337

A Spit in the Wrong Direction

The stack of papers wobbled precariously in her grasp, the thin white sheets rising to just above Tashigi's chin. Her eyes darted between her stack, to make sure it wouldn't topple, and the floor, to make sure there weren't any obstacles in her way.

As she rounded a corner, she caught sight of a pair of polished black shoes. She came to an abrupt halt but the person the shoes were attached to continued moving and slammed directly into her. The papers flew from her hands and scattered in all directions. Tashigi windmilled her arms, trying to catch her balance, but that was something she had never been very good at, and she fell backwards. She gave a grunt when her backside collided with the hard, tiled floor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

A hand grabbed Tashigi by the back of her shirt and yanked her to her feet. Furious black eyes seemed to pierce directly through her. Tashigi tried to straighten, but it was difficult when he had a fistful of her purple fabric.

"My apologies, Captain Ueno!"

"Look at the mess you made, you stupid girl," he snarled.

"I'll clean it up right away," said Tashigi quickly.

"If you can't see your own hand in front of your face, wear your damn glasses," Ueno continued scathingly, as if Tashigi hadn't spoken. "Is your memory so poor that you forget where they are?"

A cluster of Marine officers were gathering, some stepping gingerly around the strewn documents, others standing directly on them. They were snickering at her and Tashigi felt humiliation and anger rise in her gut, burning into her throat.

"Answer me!"

She swallowed it back. "No, sir," she said calmly. "I did not forget where I placed my glasses."

"Then there are no excuses for running into me, are there?" sneered Ueno. "Clean this crap up."

He thrust Tashigi to the floor and she shot out her hands, catching herself. Clenching her jaw, she promptly got back to her feet and assumed a straight-backed stance. "With all due respect, Captain Ueno, you ran into me," she said evenly.

His hand slammed her back against the wall. "How dare you?" Ueno raged. "How dare you lie so blatantly to your superior? You need to be taught some manners, you insolent brat."

Tashigi barely processed the hacking sound he made before something warm and wet splattered against the right side of her face. She froze, her eyes crossing slightly to stare at the glob of spit lodged against her nose.

"Who do you answer to?" Ueno demanded.

"Captain Smoker," said Tashigi numbly.

Sinister satisfaction flashed across Ueno's expression. Smoker's reputation was well-known and well-feared. "We're going to see him immediately. Move!"

He shoved her shoulder and Tashigi obediently started walking down the corridor. The urge to cry struck her hard, welling in the back of her throat, but she fought the emotions back. The humiliation and anger made a hot, sticky sensation in her stomach. She raised a hand to wipe away the spit, but Ueno swatted it down.

"Leave it."

Tashigi let her stinging fingers hang by her side. Words wrapped in barbed wire clung to her tongue. They stopped in front of Smoker's office and Ueno rapped once on the firmly closed door.

"Come in," said Smoker gruffly.

Ueno marched Tashigi into the room. Smoker's gaze flicked upwards—and the lazy annoyance at the interruption immediately morphed into cold rage.

"What happened?"

"Your subordinate had the audacity to run into me and then claim it was my fault," said Ueno indigently. "She could stand to remember her place."

Smoker's eyes were on Tashigi. "What's on your face?" he asked quietly.

"He spit at me," said Tashigi. "He won't let me wipe it off."

The pencil in Smoker's hand snapped into jagged pieces as his fist clenched. He slowly stood up, fury radiating off him, his eyes boring holes into Ueno. "Wait outside, Tashigi," commanded Smoker.

He pressed something into her hand—a cloth. Tashigi gripped it with gratitude. "Yes, Smoker-san," she said softly.

She slipped around Ueno and the door clicked behind her. Ueno was disgusted. "Smoker-san? No wonder she doesn't have any respect for authority. She—"

Smoker's fist grabbed the front of Ueno's shirt. He slammed his fellow captain against the wall, his eyes blazing. "If you think that girl has no respect for her superiors, you don't know crap."

"What are you doing?" Ueno yelled.

"You've got a thick skull, so I need to drive the point home. Tashigi is mine to discipline. Not yours. If you have a problem with her, you see me."

"Didn't you hear me?" demanded Ueno. "She's a liar."

"Tashigi is blind as a bat, clumsy as hell, and damn clueless, but she's not a liar."

"Are you saying I'm—?"

"Yes," snarled Smoker. "You asshole. I've seen the way you treat your own subordinates. Always changing your words, changing your stories, so you have a reason to punish them to your whims. If you ever spit on Tashigi again, I'll knock your freaking teeth in. Do you understand me?"

The grip had tightened so much that Ueno's collar was cutting into his throat. "Yes!" he rasped.

"Get the hell out!"

Smoker kicked open the door and threw Ueno bodily out of his office. One sweeping glance of the corridor told him that Tashigi was not where she was meant to be. Cursing under his breath, he stepped over Ueno's dazed body and stormed down the hall.

Considering he was the one who sent Tashigi out with a pile of paperwork, he figured he knew where the girl had disappeared to. Sure enough, she was stooped on the floor, gathering the documents into her arms.

"Tashigi."

The eighteen-year-old quickly stood up, cradling an armful of sheets against her chest. "Captain Smoker."

"I told you wait outside," snapped Smoker.

"Well, you didn't specifically say outside your office," murmured Tashigi. "I thought I ought to come take care of this."

Smoker let out a slow breath of white smoke. "Wise ass."

"I'm sorry for all of this."

"Don't apologize," said Smoker gruffly. "Wasn't your fault."

"Some of them have footprints on them," said Tashigi, her brow pinched with frustration.

"Footprints?"

"I had an audience," Tashigi muttered.

Smoker's teeth bit into his cigar. "Don't worry about it. They're just going to end up stuffed in some filing cabinet."

He knelt down and started to gather the remaining papers. Tashigi joined him, neatly gathering the sheets in piles. "Would you like to know what happened?" she asked hesitantly.

"He ran into you, and was a dick about it," said Smoker. "That sound about right?"

"Yes," said Tashigi, unable to hold back a smile. "Thank you, Smoker-san. But I hope you didn't do anything that'll get you in trouble."

"That's not something you need to concern yourself with," said Smoker sternly.

Tashigi bit her lip. "I did talk back to him."

"You spoke the truth," corrected Smoker. "Which I expect you to do, so long as you keep the attitude at bay. Even if it was your fault, he does not have the right to discipline you. So the next time someone else tries, and I don't give a damn how high up the ladder they are, you tell me immediately. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!"

Warmth flooded through Tashigi, chasing away the lingering shreds of embarrassment. The lack of marks on her skin, and the way her eyes shone, allowed the agitation to ease from Smoker's shoulders. "And what did I say about addressing me as Smoker-san?" he asked pointedly.

Tashigi blushed. "Not to do so in front of Marines we're not familiar with. Sorry, sir."

Smoker gave a grunt and straightened, the papers finally all accounted for. Tashigi extended her free arm but he waved it off and started down the hall. Tashigi quickly fell into step beside him and Smoker said, with a lilt of teasing, "I told you to make two trips."