Prompt: Hanging out with friends


As much as the men of the Karyū may have grumbled and complained about Marina's policies, they did respect her. They respected her in a different way than their captain, because they could still play around with the more easy-going man. Few could joke with the first officer and live to tell the tale.

Marina found that amusing. Her favorites were the ones who realized she had a sense of humor and loved to battle with playful insults. "Alright," she snapped, pointing at her favorites. "So what are we going to do about the new recruits?"

She'd downed a few martinis and was now seated across her captain's lap. Of course, no one was allowed to have relationships with their coworkers on the ship, and public displays of affection were especially out. But they were on a supply run at the moment and had taken a break in a bar with only a small gathering of the crew, so it wasn't technically breaking rules.

Zero had one arm around her middle and one hand raising a glass of bourbon to his lips. Of course, she was keeping track of the number he drank just in case. He paused as she spoke, raising a curios brow. "Are you talking about a hazing?"

"Not hazing," she smiled playfully. "More like a prank."

"God, it's been years since we had and initiation," Unabara muttered, lost in thought. "Do you remember yours, Captain?"

Zero preferred not to.

"Well we can't make it too bad," Rai grinned. "Don't want to scare 'em off."

"Make them clean the whole ship with toothbrushes," Grenadier mused.

Marina quickly shook her head. "Not good enough."

Zero was growing concerned. They really didn't need to scare off a batch of new recruits. He'd already gotten to like some of them.

Marina knocked back the rest of her martini, a thought jumping to mind as she did. "We should butter the showers," she decided. "And have them all go to shower, and when they turn on the water…" Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Then we can say that none of the loyal crew would have done something so childish and blame it on them. They'll have to clean it up."

"And this is why I try to stay on your good side," Zero muttered, leaning his forehead against her shoulder.

She lightly smacked his cheek. "Keep it up, Captain. Now how much butter do we have stocked up? I hope you're ready to coat those showers."

"Yes, ma'am," he snickered.