Someday
Being a Captain doesn't always mean heart wrenching hard choices. Sometimes you just marry people.
The weather was perfect, bright stunning blue sky, calm waves, not too hot, not too cold. Just a gentle breeze. Coby looked up at the sky with a smile, blocking out the afternoon sun with a hand. He glanced back down, looking out in front of him.
His crew stood in neat rows with an evenly spaced gap down the middle. Everyone was in their formal wear, himself included. He could smell food coming from the Mess Hall. Everything was almost ready. Coby would be lying if he wasn't a little nervous. Speeches were always a bit nerve wracking, especially the one he was about to give. He reached into his coat and glanced at his pocket watch. Just about time.
He looked back up at the sudden quieting of the crowd. A smile pulled at his cheeks as Lieutenant Kelmer Goro stepped into the walkway between the crowd. He looked nervous. He'd put in effort into taming his wild green hair, and it was obvious he'd asked someone what corsage to wear, and how.
Slowly, he approached, joined by Ensign Sanchez. They approached until they stood on Coby's left. He grinned at them both. Kelmer was a little pale, but his best man grinned brightly back. A few minutes later, the crowd went silent and then she appeared. Lieutenant Andry Chrisjen, dressed in a stunning white dress, her pastel orange hair in an elaborate bun piled atop her head, flowers held in her hands. Coby grinned softly as she smiled shyly at them, approaching with soft steps. Her maid of honor, Lieutenant Gibson followed behind her, tossing flower petals into the air.
Kelmer stared, his mouth open and Coby almost laughed. The women approached and came to a stop on Coby's right. Andry and Kelmer turned to look at eachother and warmth bloomed in Coby's chest. He took a breath, looked out at the crowd, all of them men under his command.
He looked back at the couple as they took each other's hands, and he began. "We're gathered here today to celebrate the union of Lieutenant Kelmer Goro and Lieutenant Andry Chrisjen…"
"1...2...3!" Andry tossed her bouquet in the air behind her, a group of people making an excited scrabble for it. Coby was chatting with a few other officers when he saw something falling through the air towards him out of the corner of his eye. With lightning quick reflexes honed from thousands of hours of training, he grabbed the falling object without a thought. His men cheered as he turned bright red, looking down at the bouquet of flowers now in his grasp. "You're next Captain!" someone called, followed by laughter. Coby rolled his eyes but smiled gently.
Laughter rang out, echoing over the ocean, the crew partying and dancing. The weather had held, the stars twinkling bright above them. Coby leaned against the railing, watching his crew, a flute of champagne in his hand. Coby loved weddings. The smiles, the dancing, the joy in the air. It was a nice change of pace from chasing down pirates and thugs, saving people from sinking ships, deploying to war ravaged islands. As much as he enjoyed the thrill of a good fight, of standing tall for his principles, of representing what the Navy could really be, his favorite responsibility was the small act of bringing two people together.
"That was a good speech you gave, Coby," came a voice from his left. Coby raised his hand in greeting as Helmeppo approached. "I just hope they," he gestured at the newlyweds dancing in the middle of the deck, "enjoyed it," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sure they did, you're good at this kind of stuff." Helmeppo grinned. Coby smiled sheepishly. "So you caught the bouquet, got anybody in mind?" Helmeppo stretched his arms above his head and leaned back against the railing next to him. "N-not really, n-no," Coby flushed bright red and Helmeppo laughed at him. They were quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying the music, the gentle night breeze.
"You think you'll ever get married Coby?" came Helmeppo's voice softly. There was a sort of melancholy to it. In their line of work, lots of good men and women never got that chance. The world was a dangerous place, and felt like it got more dangerous every year, something coming to a head in the horizon, bigger than any of them.
Coby watched the couple spinning slowly together in the center of the deck. He'd thought about it. It probably wouldn't be that different from this. Maybe on a beach, at night with a big bonfire. Garp would be there, some of his soldiers, Tashigi-chan from G-5, maybe Hina-san, and if they were there, they'd drag Vice Admiral Smoker along with them. And it wouldn't be his wedding without Helmeppo.
But the whole time, he'd be hoping someone else would show up. And he probably would. It would be in the middle of the after party, his big grin and straw hat bursting in with a joyous shout, the rest of his crew behind him. He'd probably eat more food than Coby could believe possible.
And maybe by then, there wouldn't be a scramble to capture him, instead the rest of the party guests would just roll their eyes. Maybe Smoker would just drink himself into an alcohol induced stupor instead of tackling him to the ground. Maybe Garp would just grin and whack him on the head, instead of look at him with regret and anguish. Hopefully by then, whatever was coming would have blown over. Maybe, just maybe, Luffy would be untouchable, the King of the Pirates.
"Someday," Coby whispered, a smile on his lips.
Notes:
Happy birthday Coby!
I'm working on a pretty intense fic right now and it was nice to write something a little more hopeful in these times. Also, Coby is a precious baby.
Would love any kind of feedback, fluffier stuff is actually hard for me to write!
Thank you for reading, and I can be found on twitter at buggyisbest