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The fluorescent hum of the supermarket lights didn’t flatter anyone, but Chief looked like she was on a paid vacation. She gripped the cart handle with both hands, humming some tune under her breath, following Nightingale down the aisles like a shadow.
“It’s just groceries,” Nightingale had told her at the door.
“Groceries are important,” Chief had replied solemnly “Without food, there is no morale. Without morale, there is no leadership. Besides, it’s quality time, adjutant”
Nightingale only shook her head, but she hadn’t stopped her from tagging along.
The first few aisles went smoothly. Rice, oil, bread, tea. Nightingale compared labels carefully, efficient but unhurried. Chief trailed after her, occasionally steering the cart around children darting through the aisles, occasionally leaning over to sneak a glance at Nightingale’s list like it was top secret.
Then came the snack aisle.
Chief's hand shot out, snatched two bags of chips and a chocolate bar with confidence, she turned with a satisfied smile, already lowering them toward the cart
“No,” Nightingale said, not even glancing up from her list.
Chief froze. “...No?”
“You still have unopened snacks at home. And half a drawer of cup noodles at the office”
Chief blinked, baffled “But these are different snacks, they are... necessary for the flourishing of the soul”
“One,” Nightingale said firmly, finally lifting her gaze to meet hers, level but not unkind. “Pick one”
Chief’s mouth opened, then closed. She tried bargaining. “What if I promise to behave?”
“No”
“...What if I share with you?”
“No”
“Okay, but imagine me, starving, at two in the morning—”
“One,” Nightingale repeated.
Defeated, Chief sulked her way into picking a single bag of chips. She dropped it into the cart without flair, her grin gone.
After that, she went quiet.
Not her usual quiet, the one filled with thoughtful hums and small talks. This was heavier, sulky. She pushed the cart in silence, eyes focused on nothing, lips pressed thin. When Nightingale asked if she’d rather get brown rice or white, she only shrugged. When she asked about tea leaves, Chief said, “Whichever” in a flat tone
Nightingale’s brow furrowed, though she said nothing
By the time they checked out, Chief still hadn’t recovered. She carried the bags to the car without a word, set them carefully in the trunk, and slid into the driver’s seat with the same strange, subdued air.
The drive began in silence. Usually, Chief would hum along to the radio or make some inane comment about people-watching in the parking lot. Tonight, she just drove, hands steady on the wheel, eyes fixed on the road ahead.
Nightingale watched her in the glow of the dashboard lights. The sulkiness was almost childish, but it tugged at her chest all the same.
“...Stop at the next store,” she said suddenly.
Chief blinked, glancing over “Did we forget something?”
“Just pull over”
A few minutes later, they pulled into the lot of another grocery store. Chief frowned, confused, as Nightingale unbuckled.
“I’ll be right back,” she said.
“Huh...? I'm not going with you?”
“Stay here”
Chief stayed. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, restless, watching through the windshield as Nightingale disappeared inside. What could she have possibly forgotten? Hadn’t they gotten everything?
Ten minutes later, the answer appeared in Nightingale’s hands.
She slid back into the passenger seat, placed a paper bag squarely on Chief’s lap, and buckled herself in without looking at her.
Chief peeked inside. Snacks, chocolate, cup noodles.
Her eyes went wide. “..You...”
“You were unbearable when sulking,” Nightingale said simply, eyes forward. Her ears were faintly pink. “I’d rather avoid that next time”
For a moment, Chief only stared. Then slowly, her grin bloomed, wide and bright and unstoppable. She leaned across the console, planting a loud, smacking kiss against Nightingale’s cheek
“Best adjutant ever,” she declared.
Nightingale stiffened, caught between a scowl and something softer. “...Drive”
Chief pulled back, still grinning, still clutching the bag like a prize. “Yes, ma’am. Right after I secure my victory snack”
With one hand, she unwrapped the chocolate bar and steered with the other. Beside her, Nightingale sighed and leaned back in her seat
Yet, when Chief reached over and slipped a square of chocolate into her hand without a word, Nightingale didn’t refuse it.
And Chief, heart swelling, decided sulking was a very effective strategy after all.