Christmastime - To activate the patrol vehicle's overhead lights.*
Chapter 1: A bet
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The men's locker room was as noisy as usual. Tashigi glanced briefly at the door, dismissing the thought of knocking. During her years in the force, she realized that joking and messing around was a means to relieve the stress. Still, she refused to engage in such activities.
"All work and no fun makes you a dull person, Glasses," her partner's voice echoed in her mind.
Gosh, he's so annoying. He's bugging me even when he's not around.
She glanced at her watch.
Ten minutes to go.
Looking around, she saw that the whole precinct was buzzing with activity. People tended to go a little wild as Christmas approached. Every year she wished the mundane routine over tragic events.
"Koby," she approached the man's desk to kill the remaining minutes.
"Tashigi-san," he replied, without glancing her way. "What can I help you with?"
"Any idea what they're doing?" She pointed to the men's locker room.
"Not really."
"Will they be over soon?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. You know your partner is unpredictable," he peeked at her over his eyeglasses.
Tashigi sighed. "Yeah, he's the usual ringleader and loses track of time."
"I'm sure he'll get out on time. Roronoa-san respects you very much. You make a good team." Koby smiled, returning his attention to the computer screen.
Tashigi grimaced.
"Are you kidding me? Captain paired us up as a punishment. He enjoys watching us argue. We're his little experiment." She pressed her lips together. The anger was not as strong as before, but she was bitter.
"You're wrong, Tashigi-san. Captain knows who works well together. Look at me and Helmeppo."
"That's different. You were able to put aside your differences and didn't get demoted like us."
"I think you'll be back as a detective in no time."
"Koby, I appreciate your optimism, but two years have passed."
"Erm...Well...Two years without an incident is a good thing, right? And you two have the best teamwork."
"You became quite a comedian. The rising star of our precinct," she cracked a smile. She didn't mind his adorable attempts to cheer her up, but declaring that Roronoa and her had the best teamwork was pushing it too far.
"I don't think so..."
"Honestly, you're doing great."
Four minutes. Tashigi noted.
Koby's cheeks turned slightly pink. "Thank you for your kind words, but I still have a long path ahead of me."
"You're doing better than me when I was your age." She walked behind him, peering at what he was doing. "Rocky Port Case?"
"Yeah. The court date is coming up. I'm supposed to testify."
"That was a huge mess. But you protected a lot of people, Koby. With Trafalgar's testimony, it should be in the bag."
"Trafalgar-san is a bit… eccentric." Koby absentmindedly rubbed his chin. It looked like he hadn't shaved for a week.
"You mean unreliable?" Tashigi crossed her hands over her chest. "He probably has an ulterior motive."
Koby frowned at the screen. "Well, it can't be helped. He agreed to testify."
"Be careful, Koby." She stepped away from his desk. "I better go check in on Roronoa… make sure that he's decent and has his gun. I would prefer not to have to write up another report about him threatening a suspect."
"See you later, Tashigi-san."
Roronoa was two years younger and notorious for his unconventional methods. He didn't want a partner because he didn't need one. His one-man act couldn't be ignored for long since multiple complaints from suspects and witnesses surfaced. Despite his talent for solving cases, his reckless behavior often overshadowed his achievements, leaving a trail of paperwork for Captain.
But she wasn't a prize, either.
Tashigi knew what people said behind her back. They called her a stickler for the rules with a high-and-mighty attitude. Smoker covered up her shortcomings and put up with her rigidity for years.
He was willing to turn down a promotion to stay with her, but Tashigi couldn't allow that. Two years ago, she lost her partner and her best friend. They were still in touch, but it wasn't the same.
Roronoa's and her first case was a disaster. They lacked teamwork and competed with each other to see who would be the first to crack it. Needless to say, they were taken off the case and demoted.
The only consolation was that they would no longer be partners. However, Captain insisted they should stay together as a lesson, or face getting fired.
Roronoa handled it better than her. He took it as a minor setback and his attitude changed a bit. People still respected him.
She remained an outcast in their precinct with only a handful of people by her side.
Tashigi had some hard truths to face. The textbook justice didn't go well with the complexities of life. Rules had to be upheld, but she also had to learn to adapt and make exceptions.
That's where Roronoa came into play.
Despite their differences, she couldn't deny that he was one hell of a cop. He could switch on his 'good or bad cop' without much effort because he was good at assessing people. He also had a sixth sense for danger, and she often wondered if he was the same person that she clashed with when they were detectives.
Hah. But he's also stubborn, reckless, and has no sense of direction. His shirt is too tight, and the buttons are about to pop off due to his bulging muscles. His pants are also short, exposing his silly socks.
Tashigi chuckled.
"What's so funny?" A low voice in her ear made her jerk.
She turned to see the man in question.
"One minute late." Tashigi cleared her throat.
"A minute, and you're already patronizing me, Four-Eyes. This is gonna be a long night," he muttered.
"Well, if you weren't so busy flexing in the mirror, maybe you wouldn't have kept me waiting," she retorted.
Roronoa grinned. "Alright, alright. I'll try to keep up with your impeccable punctuality from now on," he mocked, following her as they headed towards their vehicle.
"Can I drive?"
"Absolutely not." She slid straight into the driver's seat.
"C'mon, Four-eyes. Where's your Christmas spirit?"
"It's here, just not for you."
"Then, let's make a bet."
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "What exactly? If it goes against the policy of the—"
"Jesus woman, can you stop thinking about the rules for one second?" He rolled his eyes.
"Somebody has to since you don't care," she said through gritted teeth.
"Serves me right for tryin' to lift the mood." He grumbled and fastened his seat belt.
Tashigi sighed heavily. "Fine. What is it?"
"You'll let me drive for a week if there's no incident," he proposed without hesitation. By now, they had mastered the art of manipulating each other.
"If it's nothing major, three days."
"Four."
"Deal."
Tashigi thought that accepting a losing bet was in the spirit of Christmas.
"And if you lose?" She played along.
"Hm, I dunno. What do you want?"
"Where do I start? Get a haircut, a bigger uniform, stop picking your nose, and eating like a pig—"
"One damn thing! You suck all the fun out of things."
"I can have fun, just not on duty and not with you."
"Yeah, I bet you're hit at parties. You probably talk about your katana collection."
"Hey, you have one too!"
"I don't talk to people about my swords!"
"You didn't know their names until I told you!"
"So what? Want a star?"
"That's called gratitude. Learn it."
"Just tell me what you want."
"Fine. You need to wear an ugly Christmas sweater around the guys and after work. For a week."
"No way."
"The bet is off, then."
"Make it four days!"
"Okay, four days."
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A few tedious hours passed by. There was nothing major—just a few traffic violations and two noise disturbance calls. Tashigi was starting to regret her generosity. The last time he drove, they ended up on the other end of the town because Roronoa knew "shortcuts."
"I don't have an ugly Christmas sweater," Roronoa mumbled, yawning.
It's not like you will need it, jerk.
She kept her poker face.
"I'll provide you with one as a Christmas gift."
"You love it, don't you?"
"Christmas? Yeah. Even when the work is hectic, I always put up a tree and decorate it."
"I never decorated a tree." Roronoa blurted out.
"What?" She turned to face him. "You never decorated a Christmas tree?"
"Nope. Don't look at me like that."
"I just… You must have had a rough childhood."
"Stop jumping to conclusions. I don't need your pity."
"Know what? Let's change the bet a bit; instead of wearing a sweater, you have to put up a tree in your place and decorate it. It needs to stay up until the end of the year. I'll check."
He mulled over her words.
"If you wanted to come to my place so badly, you could have just said so." His grin was wide and unsettling.
"Nice try. It won't work on me; I know you're a slob, remember?"
"You don't know anything. My place is clean."
"I guess I'll just have to see it myself then."
Although she trained her facial expression, her heart did an irritating flip. Did she casually invite herself to a guy's place?
"Fine."
His demeanor suddenly shifted. He was eying her with a rare seriousness and intensity as if he had something important to say.
Was he trying to intimidate her?
Nearly laughing, she brushed off the thought, attributing it to the slow night and her active imagination.
He stared at her still, his eyes glinting with something she couldn't decipher. She felt a sudden rush of uncertainty.
"No wonder you're still single." He said it all of a sudden.
Tashigi's brows furrowed. "Where did that come from?"
"No need to get defensive."
"I'm not—" She sighed. "Whatever, Roronoa. You know that in our line of work, dates come last. Relationships are a distraction."
"Bullshit."
"Oh yeah? And when was the last time you went on a date?"
"A few nights ago."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"A couple of nights ago, we were here, patrolling." She adjusted her eyeglasses. "And we didn't go on a date last time I checked."
"Crap. I meant— Ouch!"
Tashigi punched him hard in the upper arm.
"Truth, Roronoa."
"You're so violent. No wonder guys run away from you." Roronoa rubbed his arm, pretending to pout.
"Don't make me punch you in the crotch."
"Unit 5, we have a 10-76 at 611 East Blue Street." The voice of a dispatcher squawked over the radio.
A 10-76 call meant a prowler.
Tashigi raised the radio to her mouth. "This is unit 5. Ten-four."
"Maybe you'll win our bet," Roronoa said.
I'd rather lose, Tashigi thought to herself as she stepped on the gas.
In the morning, she studied her bruised neck in the mirror. She gritted her teeth, closing her locker with more force than necessary and punching it. She wasn't cut out for this, was she? Sure, accidents happen, sometimes even the best of the best freeze or make a mistake. But what she did was just plain stupid. She should be thanking her lucky stars that she's still breathing.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Looking at her shaking hands, she felt as pitiful as ever. The self-pity was cut short when her co-workers started rolling in for the morning shift. She quickly took her bag and exited the back door to avoid questions. They will know soon enough what happened.
Who would have thought that Roronoa would try to cover my stupidity? I can't believe it.
Captain wasn't buying it though, and was enraged. They both got three days off.
They were trained to approach the suspect's house as silently as possible, in case the subject decided to ambush the officers arriving with gunfire.
Which they did.
They split up, with Roronoa going to the front door and her to the back to inspect the perimeter.
There were no signs of anything, the lights were off and it was quiet. She could hear Roronoa addressing the dispatcher to confirm the address. In the meantime, Tashigi inspected the windows and saw that one on the ground floor was opened.
That's when shots were fired.
In a moment of panic, Tashigi rushed into the house through the window, with her gun readied. The house was dark and she was immediately tackled to the ground.
"A woman? This's my lucky night!" The man roared, laughing maniacally, as he sniffed at her cheek. "What a stupid bitch."
Tashigi attempted to break free, but she felt the muzzle at her temple.
"Don't move, bitch. I killed your partner 'n' now imma do you too."
There was a clicking sound as the hammer hit the empty chamber. He pulled the trigger again and again, getting angrier with each failure.
Tashigi didn't hesitate, headbutting him. The warm liquid coated her face as she struggled to get him off her and reach her gun. She didn't give herself the luxury to think about the words the man had spoken.
"Y broke m' nose!"
Tashigi crawled in the darkness, feeling the floor to find her gun.
The man furiously threw himself at her his hands closing around her throat. She let out a pathetic gurgle as she struggled to breathe, her eyes streaming. Her fingers found what she was desperately searching and with the last atom of strength, she hit him on the head with the butt of her gun.
At that moment a blinding light flooded the room, and she quickly got on her feet, aiming at the figure whining on the floor.
She almost collapsed out of relief when Roronoa walked in alive and almost unharmed, cuffing the perpetrator.
She'll never forget the sorrowful look he gave her. It was humiliating.
Degrading.
What was he trying to pull with that report? Why didn't he write it the way things happened? He was the one who followed the protocol, she wasn't, and she nearly died for her foolishness.
But she also had this strange urge to thank him. Maybe even cry a bit.
"You all right?" Roronoa asked as she walked out through the back entrance.
"Yeah. You didn't have to wait on me."
He didn't say anything, matching her pace.
"How's your arm?"
"The bullet only grazed me." His fingers closed around the straps of her bag.
"What are you doing?"
"Let's eat. I'm starving." He took it from her, casually slinging it across his back.
Words of objection filled her mind, but she stayed silent.
"Fine."
"I'm driving."
"I don't see why not. It's your car."
"Don't nag about directions."
"I won't, as long as we get there before I die of starvation."
"I won't let you die." There was a sobering gravity to his words. Tashigi halted.
"You didn't have to stick your neck out for me, Roronoa. I don't deserve it."
"We're partners."
She paused, feeling a lump in her throat.
"Still, that doesn't mean—"
"Wanna come over tonight?"
"Uh… What?"
"Since we have some days off, I figured you wanted to do it."
"Excuse me?"
"The tree? You won the bet."
"Oh."
"Miss by-the-book cop has a dirty mind?" He grinned.
"Stop it. I'm not in the mood."
"You seem to be in the mood for something— Ouch!"
She pinched his healthy arm.
"I'm leaving. Give me back my bag."
He held it out of her reach.
"Sorry."
She hoped she didn't allow surprise to show on her face. "What for?"
"I should have backed you up sooner."
"Roronoa, the fault is mine. You did the right thing by calling the backup and not going in blindly. You were under fire, and you had to prioritize your safety. Unlike the moron who rolled in through the window and nearly got butchered."
He touched her upper arm. Tashigi lost her train of thought.
"Because you were trying to protect me," Roronoa interrupted.
"I… That's not the protocol. I should be fired."
He took her hand in his, and she didn't say a word finding it oddly comforting.
"You learned your lesson, right?"
"Huh? You mean don't be an idiot? Yeah, I got that covered."
"Not that."
"What then?"
Women don't have a place in the police? They are weaker? More emotional?
"No matter what, I'll have your back."
"I... I'll have your back too."
"I know."
He pulled her in the direction of his car, she hoped.
Was it okay to let him in? To let her guard down?
"So… my place, tonight?" He tugged at her hand to get her attention.
"S-Sure."