My god... Work has a way of knowing when I have plans. I just got home... again! BLAH! Anyways, hope you enjoyed the three chapters posted on Ao3. I am back now. It's now my vacation for the next week. So :P ... Now some of you might be curious to why I'm writing about this transition. It'll explain a lot of actions in the future. I wanted my audience to know where the characters are coming. What the mindset is, essentially.
I hope everyone had a great week. Take care!
Copper orbs sprung open. Darkness filled the room. Had it all been a dream, Kuzan wondered. The feeling of physical relief still lingered but the air felt strange. An odd sensation washed over him. A sort of emptiness. One he should be used to feeling but since the admiral had met Katie, the fears begun reoccurring. Often interrupting his sleep. A depth of loneliness the man loathed.
Tension began to sneak back into his mind. Disappointment emerged. If it had been such a vivid dream, the admiral was going insane and needed to get evaluated. Bitterly each muscle began to grow rigid and the man sat up and swung his long legs over the edge of the large bed. The sudden movement startled the other occupant. Kuzan's sharp ears perked at the rustling of fabric; his head turned to look but his shoulders flinched at the delicate touch of smooth fingers.
"Hey…", a soft whisper broke the silence of the room. "You ok?" Katie's mumbling voice could barely be made out.
The man couldn't put into words the joy that reached his soul. He wasn't alone. It wasn't a dream. His fear was baseless. A ragged exhale escaped Kuzan's lungs. A large hand reached back and laid on her cheek. The young woman squirmed some with her trademark smile expressed on her lips. Clasping her own hand over his, Katie turned and kissed his palm tenderly.
"Yeah", the officer responded. "Just startled awake. I'll be back soon. Go back to sleep", the marine ordered in a gentle voice. Copper orbs watched blue hues flutter shut before the long haired brunette wormed herself under the thick covers to his side. Kuzan couldn't help but smile once he heard "warm" mumbled in sleepy tones.
The tall officer padded his way gingerly to his kitchen in the overcast duplex. The lights were off, the home was dark. With his view obscured the man had no choice but flick on the overhead light above the stove. For a brief moment, the raven haired officer's sleepy orbs had to blink in protest. Now in the dim lit area, sharp eyes narrowed on the clock that hung on the wall near the kitchen table. It was half past midnight. Surprised, Kuzan shook his head before rubbing the back of his neck. He was confident no one came to check on her or he would have known.
This meant two very disturbing things. The first, Kane was still out there. There's no doubt her grandfathers wouldn't come and boast about his capture, if they had succeeded. It would help the young woman feel safe but most importantly they get to be heroes in her eyes. The officer was lazy, not oblivious. Those two bastards worked hard for Katie's approval without really spoiling her. A fine line to walk but one they catered too just to see that smile of hers. Now he found himself no different, Kuzan thought astringently yet humorously.
It still didn't explain the other two factors. The petite female was the center of a scandal. Sakazuki wouldn't have let it go so easily since it mocked his pride as a marine. Not that the man wouldn't die by losing some to help deflate that ego of his; the admiral in red was thorough. He would have easily questioned Katie if given the chance. Aokiji wondered if Sengoku put a muzzle on that wild dog and sent him out to find her attacker or Kane.
With those thoughts out of the way, it still left Borsalino. That man would have covered all his bases before making any decisions despite orders. The officer in yellow would have acted accordingly not for the young woman's benefit but for his own. Normally Kuzan wouldn't have cared but this was someone he was growing feelings for, that much he could admit as he fixed himself some water to remedy his dry sticky throat.
The raven-haired marine scratched his head before lazily walking to his couch. Too many variables to think on, it made the man's head hurt. The sound of his heavy body falling onto the furniture reached a certain young woman's ears. Kuzan could hear her stir but soon settle down. He breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, the admiral wanted a little time to himself. It calmed the officer to know how close Katie was without her being within reach. The idea left him in a peculiar state.
Far too long, Kuzan lived his life being alone. The officer had his rank, his colleagues, but no friends. No one he could confide in. The man was at the top. A display of any sort of friendship would be considered a weakness or favoritism. Non-tolerant actions in the military which would cost him his reputation and ability to lead. The marine understood why Zephyr held his wife so dearly; he also began to respect the strong bond between Sengoku and Garp.
Kuzan laid down pulling a green blanket he had brought out earlier, over his legs. A heavy arm hung over his eyes. He wasn't particularly tired, more bored and slightly hungry. Katie had promised dinner but to no fault of her own, was quickly put to bed after their shower together. Stress had drained every ounce of the young woman's strength and it didn't help that the admiral had intimately touched her. The man wanted to go again but the officer could easily bite the urge back down.
A soft knock on the door had garnered Kuzan's attention. The man stood and adjusted his dark grey track pants as the tall officer padded over to the door. He knew who it was before touching the knob. Borsalino had finally come. A brow arched as the tall admiral in his yellow pinstripe suit spotted one topless raven-haired marine answering the door. The younger man cocked his head to the side and narrowed his visions. "Don't start", he breathed before making his way back into the open kitchen area.
"~I was wondering where Katelyn was. I wanted to check on her~", the man in yellow followed and closed the door behind him.
"At nearly one o'clock in the morning", Kuzan questioned with suspicion, his voice kept low but his tone was sharper than a razor. The admiral had good reasons to be short with his colleague. "You can't find him", the officer pointed out as his long legs swept across the kitchen and stopped before the dark grey counter top. Swiftly he removed two white coffee mugs from the overhead cupboards while ignoring Kizaru's click of the tongue.
"Oh my, let me get this straight… You want to check on her during the late-night hours because for some outlandish reason you're concerned for her or… Is it because you can't find him and want to see if she might know anything?" The admiral with curly hair began setting up the coffee machine as he suspiciously questioned Borsalino's actions; mostly drilling in the idea that a criminal had seemingly escaped even an admiral's manhunt. There was a third reason, the marine was sure of. He was actually quite relieved to have come from the couch and not the bedroom, if that was the case.
The officer in yellow gingerly stepped in before taking off his shoes. It didn't take much for him to shed his pinstriped blazer before taking a seat at the kitchen table. His dark midnight orbs caught the sight of a messy blanket on the couch. Taking a light breath, it seemed Sengoku's worries were unfounded. Yes, he was guilty of spying for the old man; his fleet-admiral worried over the idea that his granddaughter of twenty-three years of age was alone with one forty-four year old admiral. After spotting how close the two had become over the two to three weeks she had arrived, Kizaru had his own concerns and volunteered to make a visit. He was sure Kuzan caught on and that's why he had been short with him before walking through the door.
"I know you didn't just add an extra scoop of grounds to get a stronger flavor", a female's voice broke through the brief silence. Sleepy half open blue orbs peered at the two in the home before delicate fingers rubbed them open. A hearty yawn followed. "Silly… You can ruin the flavor. Out… Shoo-shoo", Katie waved the topless admiral away. A smirk played on Aokiji's lips. He knew he was in for a much-needed treat. The man really didn't want to deal with his marine colleague but seemed he wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon.
"~Oh-ho… Katie dear… What are you wearing~", Borsalino asked with his usual casual smile. An elbow had rested on the round oak table while a large palm cupped his chin. His eyes deviously gazed towards the tiny female.
"Huh?" The brunette looked down at herself. She gave a loud chuckle. "Grandpa Garp's old marine t-shirt", Katie announced proudly. The white fabric practically went below the knees and had the young woman nearly swimming. It was almost as big as an oversized dress. "This one is awesome. No matter how many times I wash it, still smells like doughnuts", she added. "I think he wore it while trying to break the world record when he was younger."
The sleepy woman gave the admiral an answer he wasn't expecting. The marine generally assumed the old man would have all those tiresome things thrown away, not handed them down to his granddaughter. Kizaru also presumed the aged marine shirt belonged to Kuzan. It seemed nothing was going on and oddly he felt some relief. There was not only an enormous age difference but it would have felt strange. He had known his friend for almost twenty-five years. Longer than Katelyn had been alive. The older officer didn't want to touch on the idea that he was in love with her mother which added more complexity to the situation.
Boraslino missed sharp copper orbs staring at him while his midnight eyes watched Katie. The only one oblivious to the happenings in the home was the female whose rear had been pointing upward while raiding Aokiji's fridge. He had simple things but much of it was left overs. It was a bit of a relief to see so many different types of food; the brunette sprung an idea of what to make into action.
"I can make quite a lot with this… You know… You eat out too much", the female admonished. "But everything here has a base. Is that chicken or fish stock", the brunette questioned as she stood to her full height and gazed over her shoulder at Kuzan who sat across from Kizaru.
"Chicken… I tried to make curry not long ago", the topless marine answered back. The admiral winced at the burned memory.
"Great! Then I can make a sort of gumbo", she added before grabbing the left-over ingredients.
"Is it the same one your mother used to make", Borsalino questioned with genuine curiosity. His intent wasn't to point out that he was already familiar with Katie's family or to focus on the difference in age but to merely question how good the food was going to taste.
"Sorry… No. That takes hours", the brunette shot back as she rummaged through the lower cupboards to find the place Kuzan hid his pots. "This is more of a workman's version. Still flavorful… ~Oh~", the female sang. "I found whiskey. I'll be using less than a shot to add to the sausages to get a smoky flavor. The three whole chicken breasts can be diced with some peppers, seared with the stock, then added with the tomatoes and onions. While that sets, I can start reheating the rice before adding it. It smells like jasmine, which the natural sweetness will bring out the spice from the peppers."
Both officers wore overshadowed blank expressions. Aokiji didn't realize he had such a treasure trove of goodies that could make such a delectable meal. Though the man was impressed that she managed to find his hidden stash of alcohol so swiftly. When he was in a good mood, he drank Jerez; when the man was in a foul mood and just merely wanted to forget the day, the whiskey along with rum was nursed.
The other marine's expression extended from memories of her mother making several meals similar. One particular memory surfaced when it was just he and Sakazuki monitoring the calls coming in one night. It was their duty to ensure anyone radioing for backup would receive it or simply reporting in disasters. Maybe to even record arrests. Not a glorious job but it was needing to be done. Much of the information was classified and one needed to be a vice-admiral to handle it.
The night skeleton crew usually consisted of two officers and six den-den mushi operators. The two had been in the head office waiting for reports, lazily he might add. Neither of them could leave and neither of them had brought food, assuming the other would have brought something. Upon their discovery, the two prepared for a long miserable night. Then popped in this little curious woman to check on them. Both knew she wasn't supposed to be there but they didn't care. Angela had her ways of sneaking around anyways. He guessed it was due to her size and oddly it helped that night. Both men were miserably hungry upon her discovery then the little woman disappeared quietly just as quickly as she had visited.
Curiously, the two marine's interests had been peaked and roughly twenty minutes later this short petite brunette appeared again with two large heaping dishes of steaming fried rice. To this day, Kizaru can still taste the delicious flavors of the dinner she threw together. He and Sakazuki were floored to discover the break room's leftovers had become their wholesome meal. It seemed she had passed on that same skill and the officer was interested to find out if it held the same quality.