Lucci was good at acting
He was good at pretending, playing, and looping people around to dance to his will and make complete fools of every mission variable that landed in his unfortunate grasp. He could pull apart someone's mind, and place the fake persona of a man who speaks through a pigeon and came to work every day as a front. There was only the single problem that arose each time him and his partner faced with their opposite sexes. The constant need to point out her 'blatant' affections for him, his blatant 'affections' for her, that they never had to deal with when Kaku was just his teenage prodigy sidekick (she denied it, but records show she was considered a prodigy like him).
He wouldn't deny that he respects her as an agent, and enjoyed her dashing humor- she was simple, easily intractable and followed without needing the physiological rubbish. Many soldiers preserved to need exclamations, crying, or other hindrances as she stained herself with blood and bottled her sorrows. She had simple hobbies, enjoyed routine like he did and sometimes in mellow of moments, they exchanged drinks and chuckles. She's young, level headed and strong enough to join CP9, but a kind personality made her a likable person. This made the job easier to blend into and easier to ease her way into places then sneaking inside the crooks of the matter. Companionship was a perfect cover for two people to join at the same time and to live together, but had they been same sex, perhaps they wouldn't get all the giggling.
"So what I'm saying, is that instead of letting her come to you, just get out! You have to be a man about these sort of things, make a statement that you're grandkids will laugh about."Sipping his drink and looking at Paulie passively as one could be with tedious talk. The man had become dead set on getting them together, and insistent of pieces of 'relationship advice' when Kaku left the line of sight (Kaku said he did the same to her, a wistful smile that accompanied made him frown). They proved all things he's heard before, and came daily. So Break time had dissolved into 'daily inquires about something that was nonexistent.'
"I don't need any more advice, especially from you!" Hattori's feathers fluttered next to his head, and comforted him that break would be over soon. Paulie just narrowed his eyes and turned away, before straightening his back and smirking. "Our relationship is completely fine as it is, coo coo."
"Listen, you may be playing the 'shy village boy' act. I get it, you've been friends for a long time, don't want to ruin anything- but if you don't act now, she'll assume you're never interested and be heartbroken forever, both of you." A few others had joined in, nodding and shaking of heads. He blinked, the countdown in his head done and he threw the paper that had wrapped his sandwich right into Paulie's face.
"I believe, in her words to be exact, is that it's quite possible for different genders to be friends, choo." He had perhaps imitated her sassy feministic remarks, but it worked in that a few looked apologetic. On the first week of being a worker there, she had bent it into everyone's head to treat her with the respect she deserved, no fawning or using 'you're a girl' excuses took a few years off your life with Kaku's icy smile and Kalifa's sneering. Soon the 'be a man' talk dwindled into 'be a tough shipwright', and surprisingly the burley of men, especially paulie's type, were completely fine with it.
"Look, of course i understand! Me and her, we're good pals and i even sneak the meek some drinks. It's different with you two though, hell, you pack each other's lunches!" He said smugly, and Lucci looked down at the sandwich in his hands already at it's last bite.
The only reason this happened is that she had morning walks (that translated to mission duties at times, then he would join) and she stopped by the market to get groceries. She'd make a decent lunch, and set up her own for Lucci to 'pay back' as he would be up then for her to finally get ready. It was clean, easy, and came with the benefits that only energetic hands could create a sandwich neatly than tired ones. (She never complained if the meals she had were sloppy, a quick comment of 'food being the same in the end').
"I'm starting to wonder if this is Galley-La, or a gossip cafe. I'm going back to work, choo." Lucci stood up and headed over to his area of work. Better to get back to that pirate's ship than speak with bozos any more. The others were chuckling low and childish, mumbling about young love in a way that was starting to bother him.
He was good at acting, but appearing this attached to Kaku was never part of the show, and he is going to fix that before it got out of hand.
Kaku had landed on both feet, huffing and moved pass by her coworkers with a grin. The rush of wind always put her in a good mood, and considering it was part of her job, she was naturally in said grace most of the time. Walking into the courtyard again, she eased her way around supplies to the men sitting on a bench outside of the gate. The four of them had stayed at ease it seemed, eyeing up the place, and she ignored the eyes that travel alongside her body and would sneer away. Unlike most in the world, she lacked a single curve on her body. Everything was muscle, lanky limbs, and breasts that were tiny and pressed- she wouldn't have it any other way as she spoke to the brash men.
"...That would land you around the 300 ranges, if you still want to put in those cannons." She explained thoroughly about the damaged ship, looking at the faces fall on the pirates, losing their ease that translated to the 'refusal to pay evil pirate trademark laughter'. The captain, leaned forward and pursed his lips into a deep frown, and leaned on his hand.
"Maybe since you like us happy, girly, you could lower that down to a much more...agreeably notion." The man's mouth was heavily coated with peppermints, and disgusting her in the way that he believed he's being charming. The lackies next to him laughed, and poked to each other, speaking with ease (as if she wasn't there, to her added annoyance) that no woman could resist 'such charm'.
"I'm sorry sonny, but if you want anything lower, you'll have to talk to the finance department. I'm just telling you what the price will be about."
"Now, a little lady like you should know how to deal with some desk work, right?" She huffed, but merely crossed her arms and frowned.
"I'm a shipwright, not a secretary, that isn't my job. Now, I must get going if you're not planning on taking the deal." The air became silent, humor faded, and they glared, and she couldn't bare the urge to let her face morph into a toothy grin. "Little boys like you should know how to deal with money, huh?"
"You fucking Grandma!" He whipped his club around to smack into her, but she quickly jumped up, laughing as she notice that others had gathered around, the other carpenters just rolling their eyes and giving the pirates glares. She rushed back to the ground, and swept a clean kick into the one of them into another of the thugs.
"Oi! Kaku, watch out-" She could barely hear till she felt a hand grip her entire torso, the air knocked out of her as she was jerked up by
when did they have a half giant with them?
"Ha! Knew you'd come! Kill that bitch already!" The pirates cheered and sagged about, and she rolled her eyes. This is cringeworthy by itself, and she spotted the top hat some ways away in the crowd, making a blush prickle her neck. She'd rather not appear so weak in front of Lucci, nor feed the rumor mill with something silly like him saving her from nasty pirates. She gripped the fingers around her, and yanked at them, prying them off, and jumping away from the giant pirate. She turned around with a smirk, but
"Lucci?" The pirate had already been knocked down, unconscious and the other about being chased away with an earnest by the other shipwrights who had been watching amusingly. The man was silent, as usual, but his demeanor radiated irritation, but not at spiteful at anyone (she's spent far too much time with him to know the difference). It's probably from her getting handled, or because she hadn't been simple and gotten the fight over with quickly. She mused with an apologetic smile to him and only glanced to see a group of civilians were watching them with giggles. Most times she found the sight charmingly sweet, but with Lucci's enamor as it was, not the best time to be dealing with his seething angry.
"All of these silly rumors are worse than they should be." He talked casually, or hattori did, and Kaku took a moment to understand what he meant wasn't the pirates. She knew how nitpick worthy that most of the gossip can be when presented with them, but here it felt light hearted and merely an eagerness that she found endearing and annoying. At least here it was mindless confection yet at Cipher Pole such relationship nitpick could be used against you (or worst Fukuro spread it faster).
"they're not that bad. Worst I've heard is that we're having an affair." She teased lightly, brushing off excess dirt that managed to appear on her hat, and he, to her shock, furrowed his eyebrows. The whispers around them intensified and she understood that with full heart. His face hadn't moved much in public since they've gotten there, his patience and control fantastic, but she barely had time to process what he said afterwards.
"Let's get married. Just get it over with. Next Saturday, after work. I'll set an appointment." She gaped at him, feeling her face drain, and the voices chattering around them went silent. This was rather….sudden, and a hint of strange. Lucci was rather insensitive to what people said, always ignored the comments he didn't find interesting from noncombatants. To make it even worse, his hands reached forward and tangled one hand into her own and her face heating up and, oh boy, is it hotter here this morning wow that sun sure is relenting. (it was even more unnervingly funny that her hand was bigger than his, and rather smooth haha oh boy).
soon enough she noticed that she hadn't said anything to respond yet even though he was still looking at her.
"...We never dated." she offered weakly, and shook her head, to get rid of the red on her face. There must be a reason for this, something like a diversion, perhaps a suspicion on their cover. His face returned to a neutral look, and Hattori saluting as he would in a silly manner.
"We live together, and we've know each other since childhood, choo choo!" She bit her lips, and looked to the side. the scary thing about this, was that it was true and...This was ridiculous, and it reminded her of her foolish junior years with her distracting crush, so she just sighed and nodded with a squeeze of their fingers.
"Sure, but I might be a bit. I have to get some work turned in then."
"SHE SAID YES!?" She wouldn't admit that perhaps her cheeks heated up again as the others around them had cheered, cried, and were all around shock. She felt like doing the same, but for not positive reasons. Lucci kept holding her hand.
"So was there- is there even a- what reason!-"
She felt flustered and angry, her features were ruffled and was pressing the door shut after passing yet another person congratulating them.
After returning to work, it became a goldmine of congratulations, their friends proud of them getting 'past their shyness', and it was reluctantly left to Paulie for planning a 'respectful wedding ceremony' no matter how much she sputtered against it. Even Iceburg had caught wind to drop by and tell them that they could have a week off on their wedding day (which they had politely declined). Kalifa had raised an eyebrow, but shrugged in response when Lucci gave her a pointed look that said something Kaku hadn't caught. She had spent the rest of the day huddle into her tracksuit, mumbling away to any snickering bystanders in their neighborhood when they walked home together. (Lucci was rubbing the burn in by holding her hand and she had dug her nails into his hand more than once).
"I was tired of the rumors. Besides, it won't change anything." She sighed, rubbing her forehead, and turned away to stalk into the kitchen. She might have made it a point to put the pot on the stove a bit too harsh, but she let her hands go to autopilot in fixing dinner.
There was a reason for this, something more than being annoyed by rumors or even the snide remarks of coworkers that would find themselves tucked into their daily lives. Sure, it did lower her standards but surely this must be humiliating for him too. She paused for a second, and looked pause to the man who was seated inside of the living room with a look that didn't say another to her but being otherwise bored. Maybe he was bored- he had a weird sense of humor, maybe he was adding another knife to twist in the backstab soon to come.
Of course, she wouldn't want that- weddings have never been proven in her experience to be anything less of a farce on this scale, so obviously it was. it was
it was strange
"I'll be back." He had stood up again, and she looked at him irritatedly. They had just gotten back, and she was making something under the hour to cook, and wanted to go blow off some steam with her nightly trainings.
"Be quick." She barely got the words out before he shut the door, leaving her alone with a boiling pot, and the uncharacteristic feeling of wanting to give Rob Lucci a good reason to avoid her shigans.