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"Seriously Pen? (Y/n)'s a god at poker. I've never seen her lose. Her luck is out of this world. How would you manage this?"
Penguin paced back and forth in Shachi's room, not even looking at his friend as he kept his pace and tried finding some way to help himself in his predicament.
"There must be something. I'm not above cheating if it means I finally get to kiss her. I mean, come on! She was basically asking me to beat her at poker. Right? She wasn't just messing with me, was she?"
Shachi groaned and leaned back in his bed, the magazine next to him long forgotten as he and Penguin tried figuring out what had happened the night before.
They had been playing poker like they often did to pass time between islands. It was very rare that they played for money. Typically it was to see who did what chores or stayed up for night watch. When (Y/n) had first joined, Shachi had suggested strip poker, but that got him in trouble with (Y/n) AND their overprotective captain. It wasn't his fault! She was a really pretty girl!
Penguin had lost at another game of Blackjack and tossed his cards down in amazement as (Y/n) won for the fourteenth round in a row.
"How do you do this?! You have no sleeves, you aren't sitting on cards, and Shachi is dealing! How in the world do you keep winning? Shouldn't I have won at least once?" She only giggled and hid behind her cards. Penguin felt his annoyance disappear as he looked at the shy girl before him. Though a god at poker, she never acted arrogant or mean. She just accepted it and moved on. Penguin wished for that level of nonchalance.
"I'm really sorry Penguin. I don't know how I win. Maybe Shachi is cheating for me to get back at you for the soap incident." Penguin turned to glare at his best friend who held his hands up in defense.
"Come on Pen! I would never do that to you! And the soap wasn't your fault. I just hope the hair dye fades soon."
They sat in silence for a second when (Y/n) finally stood up and stretched. Both boys had to look away, though that didn't stop them from stealing glances as her tank top rode up a bit.
"Here's a bet," She said with a yawn, covering her mouth as she looked around. "You find a way to beat me and I'll give you a kiss. Maybe with the right motivation, you won't fail this time."
Though it was teasing, Penguin had that moment on repeat in his brain. God, he would do anything to kiss her. He'd wanted to since she showed up on the ship!
Not that Captain would let him, since Law had made it very clear that they were not to be their normal pervy selves. She was so pretty though. With her (h/l), (h/c) hair that fell so perfectly and those (e/c) eyes that anyone could get lost in.
At first, they thought that even their captain had been drawn in by her natural charm, but he was just very protective of his crew and wanted her to be as happy and comfortable as the others were. And if that meant threatening the rest of his crew to treat her no different than another male crew mate, Law would do it. He would do it with that creepy grin, too. They loved him, but that grin...
Penguin shuddered at just the thought before shaking his head and getting back to the task at hand.
"Seriously though, that was a little out of left field from her. Maybe she really does like you, Pen. She would've never said that to anyone else."
That was what sparked something in his brain and Penguin grabbed Shachi's shirt to pull him close and tell him the plan.
The next night Penguin put his plan to action and knocked on (Y/n)'s door to ask her for another round of poker.
"Oh? You look like you've got it all figured out. Excited you might get a reward for winning?" Penguin rubbed the back of his head and was thankful his hat covered his face because he wasn't sure he'd be able to hide the dark blush otherwise. She was too much!
"I just think I can finally win." He said with a smile. With how his hat was tilted, he missed seeing the blush that settled on her cheeks. She pressed a hand to her face and pushed Penguin out of her room. She knew he wasn't catching on to her way of... flirting, but that didn't mean she couldn't dream.
Six hands in and Penguin sat at the table, defeated. He had his face buried in his hands and was shaking from the continuous defeats.
"If we played for money, you would be broke, Pen." Shachi said with a laugh as he dealt out the next hand of cards. Penguin had given up on the whole 'card counting' thing. He had tried numerous times and thought he would get it the next time but somehow he always managed to mess it up!
What he didn't know was Shachi was actually helping (Y/n) out too. She was not a skilled poker player and her luck was terrible. So Shachi cheated every card game for her, to lead up to the moment they were about to have. He was helping both of his friends out without giving away they both had feelings for each other. He was going to get an earful later, but it would be worth it because he was the only one who saw how they looked at each other.
"Come on, Pen. One last round. I think you'll get it this time." Shachi smiled at (Y/n), knowing very well that Penguin was too busy sulking to notice. She smiled back and the game began.
Penguin was so stoked. He had a great hand! This was it! He was finally going to win! But then he looked at how she smiled at her cards and figured that once again, he'd lose and he'd never get to kiss her. He got a little bummed out by the thought.
So when she tossed down her cards and it only came to 17 while he had 20, he wasn't even smiling, just pure shock written on his face. He won? Like, actually won. There was no way that he could even comprehend it.
Law, having walked into the room to check on his crew, leaned over (Y/n)'s hand and saw the card sitting on her lap. It was an Ace. With the face card, she would've won. But, instead, she finally let Penguin win and Law felt a soft smile curve his lips. Of course she did.
Penguin looked at Shachi, then Law, then finally (Y/n). His expression was so pure that she couldn't help but laugh. Law ruffled her hair and walked on out of the room, knowing she cheated on purpose. Must've been because of the bet she made with him. When he suggested it, he didn't think she would actually do it!
Shachi stood up and stretched, his back popping as he moved on after Law.
"Captain, wait! I need to talk to you really quick!"
The two at the 'poker table' watched them walk out and silence came over them. (Y/n) had gotten them this far, but was far too shy to actually make the first move. Penguin wasn't sure if she was joking or not with original bet so he sat in silence, debating if he should just go for it or not.
In his mental debate, he was too busy looking away from (Y/n) and didn't realize she could see his struggle and finally gained courage, like Law had told her to do from the very start.
She moved quietly to sitting next to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Still not fully paying attention, Penguin turned his head to look at her and was caught off guard when he felt her lips press against his.
She pulled back quicker than he would've liked but his brain was practically fried as he stared at her in disbelief. She giggled, seeing the red covering his face. Though she was sure she looked the same, it made her feel more confident.
"It looks like you won." She said quietly before standing and walking towards the door.
Before she left, she looked over her shoulder. "Good job, Pen. Hope you liked your reward." Then walked out, closing the door behind her. She was being cheeky, which was not normal for her, but Penguin found it cute and shot up from his seat to chase after her.
After all, he wanted more of his reward!