Work Text:
If there was one thing Smoker had perfected, then it was the art of smoking and showering at the same time. It helped him feel somewhat awake in the morning, the cold water and the smoke filling his lungs reviving his tired spirits. By no means was he in the mood for the annual Navy Summer Festival today, but he made a promise and he was a man that always stood by his word.
Smoker didn’t bother to eat a proper breakfast, just a big mug of coffee and a slice of stale toast with jam that had been sitting in his fridge for as long as he joined the Marines presumably. He also blissfully ignored the voice of Tashigi ringing in the back of his head, constantly reminding him to make healthier food choices, as if he didn’t find her stress eating tons of sweets at least three nights a week.
He sighed and flipped through his closet, deciding on a simple blue shirt that immediately made him feel trapped and black fitting pants to match the dark apron he needed for today.
Smoker put on his cap and lit another pair of cigars while he huffed about how he didn’t get paid enough to do this – but on the other hand neither did his subordinates and even those fools deserved a day off to spend time with their friends and family. He stepped outside and made his way to the Navy base where the summer festival preparations were almost finished. Volunteers were hanging up the last few garlands while others ran and stumbled from one stall to the other, scattering various tools everywhere.
The ice cream stand was just like he remembered it from last year – small but colorful, big buckets of different flavors waiting to be scooped, a tower of stacked up ice cream cones leaning dangerously towards him. Smoker grumbled and went about fixing it up, counting the change and putting up the huge parasol next to the stand. Not a single cloud hung in the bright blue sky, making it the perfect ice cream weather.
Shortly after, the sound of laughing children marked the opening of the summer festival and the first families strolled around the various stalls, charmed by the bright signs and heavenly smells coming from every direction. Smoker tied his apron and got to work.
It was somehow satisfying, stacking ice cream scoop on ice cream scoop until it became hard to balance, and the sight of children's sparkling eyes even put a half smile on his otherwise stoic face. He didn’t take their pocket money, instead he simply added another scoop for free and told them to enjoy their treat.
The sight of the kids’ faces lighting up reminded him of when he was a young boy, his fist clenched around a silver coin while he pressed his nose against the shop window of the local ice cream parlor. Smoker was just happy to give something back and hoped the cold sweetness would make a happy memory for them.
The wave of nostalgia rushing over him was interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Hina will take the usual, if you don’t mind, Smoker-kun.”
As much as the whole fuss of the summer festival irritated him, he’d rather skip this annual event and go back to hunting pirates, his shoulders relaxed and his gaze softened at the sight of Hina and Tashigi stopping by. He gave them extra sprinkles and didn’t rip them off like he did with the other marines, clearly a sign that the two women had a soft spot in his heart – though he would never say that out loud.
Smoker gave Hina a light for her cigarette and for a brief second he was reminded of the time when they were young apprentices together, hiding from their higher ups, sharing a pack of cigarettes on the rooftop rather than sitting through dry theory. He sent the pair away huffing when Hina started teasing him about his work attire and Tashigi started showering him with compliments about him wearing a shirt for the first time ever since they began working together.
Smoker grumbled as he could still hear their laughter from several stands away, but still he hoped they would stop by again later that day – after all, those two were his closest confidants and friends. Meanwhile, more friendly faces stopped by for a chat…
“Ahh… remember when we used to run the ice cream stall back in the day, Sengoku?”
“Garp. You ate it all yourself within half an hour and we had to scrub the whole base for a month straight as punishment. Of course I remember.”
The old men were wearing colorful patterned shirts and had their arms full of everything the surrounding food stalls had to offer, happily munching piece by piece. They honestly looked like they were having the time of their lives. Smoker tried to imagine himself at their age and wondered if history would just repeat itself, making it inevitable that he’d also end up as a chill old man with a collection of funky shirts. He kept a straight face when Garp patted his shoulder with a strength that could knock out a normal human being, and scooped them both a cone of ice cream they somehow managed to balance on top of all their other loot.
As the day came to an end and the sun set in the horizon, Smoker treated himself to some ice cream as well (and took a mental note to get a proper dinner on his way home). Today wasn’t that bad, though he would never admit it. It was a nice break from the usual stress his job came with, and who knows? If everything went downhill, maybe he could settle down and live a quiet life as the owner of his own ice cream shop. However… seeing his idiots from G-5 running by, swooning at top of their voices over Tashigi and causing chaos with every step they took – someone had to keep an eye on them.
Smoker took off his apron and hung it over the ice cream stand, taking a deep puff of his cigars as he faced the sunset.
Until next year.