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“Captain! Are you sure you don't want to join us?” Shachi had called out, once again, to the Polar Tang’s grouchy leader. The heart pirate crew knew what to expect from Law, they have known him for years after all, but sometimes there were still these little quirks that would trip them up.
For one, their captain was always protective towards them. Yet, at the same time he always kept his distance. A dark eye always drifting towards their forms, as if to make sure they weren't getting into trouble. Like how a father watched after his children.
“No. I don't want to join.” Law’s voice was gruff as usual. Most likely caused by so many days without sleeping, or maybe one too many cups of coffee. The Heart Pirates love their captain, but some of his habits were concerning to say the least.
“I bet you want some hot chocolate at least! Come on Captain, we already got you a cup!” Penguin had finally bounded over from who knows where, sporting two cups of steaming coco that smelled absolutely delectable. They must have picked it up at the last island.
“I don't need it.” This time, their captain didn't even spare them a glance. He was much too busy with the riveting task of staring off into the horizon, looking out for any unwanted ships that may cross their path.
“Well that's not the holiday spirit.” Shachi could hear a joke coming up from Penguin, waiting in anticipation for the next words to pop out of his mouth. “One would think you were the grinch, you know? With that little heart of yours and all.” A few snickers resounded across the Polar Tang. It was the type of energy that they were used to. Always joking and teasing one another until the air filled with laughter. Law just rolled his eyes.
“If you would like, we could always compare hearts. See if mine is as small as you claim.” The smirk plastered on his face meant only one thing, business. Law wasn't going to just stand by and allow the crew to tease him, not without his own chance to pick on them.
Penguin’s face instantly paled, gripping the mugs in his grasp like a lifeline. Shachi had to admit, watching the man shake like a leaf was pretty entertaining at least.
“N-No, that's o-ok!” Yup, shaking like a leaf. Even the captain found it funny, as he let out a low resounding chuckle that shook the crew to their bones. It was rare to see Law laugh, but that didn't always make it a good thing.
“Alright. Though now you have me curious.” Once again, Law chuckled, slowly making his way towards Penguin. His dark eyes held a glint within them that could only spell trouble, and he made sure the others could see perfectly what was going on in that head of his.
It didn't take any time at all before Penguin and Law were face to face, staring one another down as the smaller male continued to shake. The rest of the crew watched on with intrigue.
“Now that I think about it. I would like a cup of hot chocolate. Thank you.” Before anyone could say a word in response, Law took the mug from Penguin’s grasp, taking a sip as he promptly turned on his heels and made his way back into the depths of the polar tang. The crew left behind with their jaws dropped and disbelief written on their faces.
“Holy crap. Is the captain going to kill me?” Bepo only gave Penguin a sympathetic pat to his shoulder before deciding to get back to his work. It was all the words needed, as the man’s face magically became paler than it already was. If was just a little frightened before then he was definitely terrified now.
“It's fine, Penguin. You know the captain. He likes to mess around from time to time.” That wasn't entirely untrue, even though Law had a weird way of showing his humorous side.
“Y-Yeah, I guess so.” Slowly but surely the man’s face was regaining some color to it. Hues of pinks across his cheeks that gave him a merry feel. Maybe Shachi felt that way because Christmas was nearly approaching? Either way it was nice to see that Penguin wasn't going to keel over from fear.
“Come on, let's finish decorating.” Those words were all that was needed to kick Shachi back into gear. A box of rainbow lights at his feet and a bundle of mistletoe tucked within his pocket waiting to be hung up. The Polar Tang still had a long way to go before it was Christmas ready and none of the crew wanted to waste a single second!
“Right! Let's start with the lights!”