It was morning. Summer slowly drifted awake from her slumber. Her joints popped as she stretched, enjoying the painful pleasure the action brought. A large yawn was forced through her being. Glancing at the clock, it showed the time was 6:43 in the morning. And then she remembered.
It was Christmas morning.
Instantly, she was awake. The thought of opening presents sent excited energy coursing through her, and she threw off the covers. Pajamas still on, she opened her door to see a small wreath hanging from the wood. There were similar ones adorning every door down the hall. Someone must have placed them there the night before, past when everyone had gone to sleep.
Adrenaline still rushing, she ran out of the room and down the hall, socks making her slide with each step. Left turn, right turn, another right, and…there! The door to the mess deck was open, and she could hear people talking inside. A wide smile on her face, she emerged into the room.
Already, at least half the crew was awake and holding mugs of hot chocolate. The rest were in similar states of dress, night shirts and long sleeping pants were basically all anyone was wearing. They smiled and greeted her when she entered, and she waved and smiled back. Casper, who was just about the only normally dressed person awake, came from the kitchen holding a steaming mug of the chocolate drink.
"Here, something to warm you up." She took it gingerly, not wanting to spill it. Taking a seat at one of the tables, she looked around at the decorations. The tree in the corner had dozens of presents underneath, overflowing beneath some of the nearby tables. They were wrapped in reds and greens, even sparkling blues and yellows. One, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it was either Penguin's or Shachi's gift, was wrapped in paper that proclaimed 'Happy Birthday!' Those words were crossed out and written above it was 'Merry Christmas' in black marker.
She was glad she'd remembered to place the gifts under the tree late the previous night, though she'd intentionally left out Law's gift. Something made her want to give it to him personally, so she'd go by his quarters later that night to give it to him.
A few others trickled into the mess deck, one by one, as they all woke up at later times. Some came yawning, others with excited smiles. They hadn't touched the presents yet, deciding to wait until everyone had arrived to open them. Summer supposed it was another tradition aboard the yellow submarine. Either way, she could wait to open presents. The hot chocolate was a welcome distraction in the meantime.
Law was one of the last ones awake, slowly shambling into the mess deck with half-lidded eyes albeit properly dressed in his usual clothes. Several men were about to ask to start, but he immediately held up his hand.
"Coffee first." Casper took the hint and disappeared inside the kitchen to start a pot. The men couldn't hide their disappointment.
He took a seat at one of the tables on the edge of the wall, whereas the rest of the crew had moved them out of the way to sit on the floor. They chatted happily, waiting for the coffee to be ready, anticipation dripping from every smile.
Summer's leg bounced up and down, anxiously awaiting Casper's return. They could hear small sounds from the kitchen, but they had no idea how long it would actually take before the cook emerged. She just couldn't sit still.
Law had his hat placed over his eyes, leaning back in the seat, giving the impression he'd already fallen back asleep. The crew knew better.
Finally, the kitchen door opened and Casper held a cup of coffee for the Captain. The scent made him sit up, and he accepted the mug with a nod. Taking a sip, he looked over to Reid. He would be in charge of distributing gifts. With a nod, Reid broke out into a wide smile.
"Alright! Let's get started!" The men cheered, shifting positions in anticipation of a gift. Grabbing from the pile, Reid pulled one gift out at a time, saying the name of the recipient and tossing it to them.
"Blake." He catch his gift, a green-wrapped rectangle-shaped thing. "Miles" He tossed another gift. "Parker. Bepo."
Each person caught the intended gift, and after several people had gotten one, Reid gestured to them to open them.
"Well, tear 'em open!" The men went to town, ripped paper and tossing the remains behind them somewhere. After the paper was gone, shouts of 'All right!' and 'Awesome!' were exclaimed. Blake held up his gift.
"I got a tool kit!" He inspected it over, pleased with the included drill bits and wrenches. Over to the side, Parker held up a…skull?
"Whoever got me the sacrificial skull, I love you forever." He announced, turning it every which way.
"Are you sure it's sacrificial?" Shachi asked a little hesitantly. Parker nodded enthusiastically.
"See the marks here and here?" He pointed to parts of the item. "They're intended for candles and oils during rituals. It's totally real, too!" Summer supposed that to anyone on a normal Christmas morning, celebrating the fact that one got a real part of the skeletal system would be a little strange. But this was the Heart Pirates. They didn't do things normal.
Bepo unwrapped his, holding up a headband. "It's a *hachimaki." He said with a smile, tying it around his head. The ends dangled down his back, but Bepo seemed pretty pleased with it.
After those men had opened their gifts, Reid sent another round out, this time several more than the first wave. Paper was torn, thrown to the side, where it quickly began to pile up, and they fist-pumped in happiness, shouted gleefully, etc.
"Summer." Reid called her name, to her surprise, and she had to put down her mug of hot chocolate to catch the present. It was small, wrapped in ordinary blue paper and tied together with a silver ribbon. She shook it gently and there were a few soft thumps against the box. Bursting with excitement, she ripped open the thing, seeing a shoe box on the inside.
Lifting the lid, she gasped. Inside was a fuzzy pair of slippers. But more importantly, the fronts were made to look like the faces of panda bears with small little ears poking up at the ends. She lifted them gently, a look of awe about her.
"They're adorable!" She hugged them, feeling how soft they were. A few men chuckled nearby, but Summer ignored them. Tossing the box into the pile of wrapping paper, she slipped them on and inspected them on her feet. "They're so warm!" She exclaimed.
"I hope they're the right size." Blake scratched his head, and she held up her feet in glee.
"They're perfect! Thank you!" He blushed deeply, but a certain engineer's shout brought everyone's attention away.
"Cheeseballs!" Shachi shouted, holding a gigantic barrel-shaped container of the stuff. It was about half of his height, and ridiculously large. Summer shook her head, watching as he picked the huge thing up. "Suck it, Penguin!"
"Baka, I'm the one who got it for you!"
"Oh."
Reid tossed out more gifts. Seeing his own name on one of them, Summer saw that it was hers, he placed it to the side, still giving out other's gifts. Once he'd passed them out, he picked up his own. Everyone unwrapped them at once, and Summer watched Reid's face intently, hoping he'd like his gift.
She didn't have anything to worry about, however, because as soon as he saw them he was gazing at them lovingly. "These are awesome! My old ones were getting really beat up!" Taking off the old goggles, he placed the new ones on his head, adjusting it so it fit. "It even has anti-fog mechanics, so it won't cloud up in humid environments!" He seemed pleased, which made Summer happy. She was glad she'd gotten the right thing.
Casper had been tossed a gift. He opened it slower than the others had, but still with a smile. Taking off the last of the paper, he saw it was a blade sharpener, with settings for smooth and serrated blades. "This'll be handy." He said, inspecting it every which way.
Summer glanced at the Captain, seeing him watching his men with cool eyes. She wondered why he didn't like to participate in the festivities. He hadn't said much during the whole exchange. What had happened to make him dislike Christmas? She couldn't imagine anything being that severe.
"Penguin" Reid said, tossing him a gift. Summer froze up, seeing the nicely wrapped red box with the white box on top. It was hers. The gift to Penguin.
He tore up all her hard work, exposing the thin black box underneath. Summer covered her face with her hands, not wanting to watch as he slowly removed the lid. Smile slowly disappearing, his eyes widened to the point they were the size of saucers, and he gently lifted the article of clothing up by the thumb and forefinger of each hand. It quickly drew the attention of the others.
"This is-" He stopped, gazing at the panties with wonder and awe. The red-trimmed undergarment was held up high, for all to see. The crew hollered and whistled, but Summer refused to look at the company. Thankfully, their attention was directed at Penguin and his spectacular gift, and no one thought that it could be from Summer. The engineers' faces both had turned a deep shade of red, the color of tomatoes.
"What?" Shachi asked, falling to his knees at the panties which Penguin continued to hold up. He reached out, hesitant to touch it, as if one caress would make it crumble away. The reverence with which they handled it was almost…creepy. "You've been given heaven itself, Penguin!"
"Shachi, I think I've died." The men's noses began to bleed with an intensity none of the pirates had ever seen before, and they instantly passed out.
"Hahahaha!" The company laughed, rolling on their sides with amusement. Their laughter made Summer peek behind her fingers, and unfortunately for her, she looked straight at Law. Who was conveniently watching her with a smirk. She hid behind her hands again, wishing that the Captain hadn't realized she was the one who'd given the gift. Nosy bastard.
After several hours, all the present had been opened. Bepo had gotten a nice packet of wrapped fish, which he excitedly gave to Casper to cook for him that night. Summer got a new, nicer camera so she could take pictures of their adventures. Parker had gotten a vial of blood, supposedly from a virgin, to use for rituals. After the two engineers had regained consciousness, they'd immediately run off to their room to hang the panties on the wall, a symbol to their miraculous Christmas day. Summer only hid her face again, hoping no one would ever make the connection between her and the present.
Law had received a medical book from Liam, who had a better knowledge of what kind of collection the man had behind his bedroom door. Summer could never understand how he could read all those things for hours on end, but hey, Law wasn't exactly an average guy. His second gift was a new set of surgical knives for the infirmary. He'd smirked in satisfaction at the sharp blades.
Casper had surprised the crew with bottles of eggnog, something Summer had never tried before. One sip had her hooked, and she'd downed the whole thing in less than two minutes. Casper shook his head, going into the back to get another for her. He warned it was her last one.
Idly, she noticed that everyone had gotten three gifts, except for her. She wondered who had been her third person, but shrugged it off. Perhaps they couldn't find anything, and she was alright with that. She'd already gotten much more than she'd ever imagined. The sentiment behind it all was enough for her.
The crew had a light lunch, and then Summer and Casper prepared for the gigantic dinner they'd have that night. There was a turkey, a ham, and of course Bepo's fish. They worked for hours, stuffing the turkey and glazing the ham with a honey-brown sugar spread. Summer was salivating the whole time, and Casper smacked her hand with his wooden spoon a few times when she tried to sneak a taste.
As it was, she had to smack his hand every time one of the fruitcakes they were making for desert came around. It was funny to see his sheepish expression every time he got caught.
Hours later, with the submarine filled with the heavenly scent of rich food, dinner was finally finished. The whole time they had to ward away hungry crewmen looking for first peaks of the food, but Summer stood guard with all her being, holding her wooden spoon weapon with skill. One look at her determination sent even the bravest of men back to their rooms.
Most of the men stayed in the mess deck and talked about the festival the night before, or about their gifts.
"I'm telling you, those flute-playing guys were the best. It reminded me of my hometown." Parker said, and Blake shook his head.
"They were pipers, not flutes." He waved it off.
"Whatever. They were definitely the best."
After she was satisfied that no one else would try to sneak in, she returned and helped Casper take out the turkey, which smelled delicious. The ham still had another hour to cook, but they would begin eating until then.
Grabbing the silverware and fancy plates, Summer exited the kitchen, only to stop when everyone was already seated. They'd pushed the tables together to make one long table. She sighed, shaking her head with a smile.
"You act like you haven't eaten for a month." She said, handing the place setting down, and they gave a chuckle. They passed them to the right, until everyone had a plate, cup, and silverware for the food.
After that, she went back inside to help Casper move all the items of food onto the table. They'd made quite a lot, and there almost wasn't enough room to fit everything along with the plates. They scooted a few more tables over, just to put pots and pans on, and everything was out at that point. Casper brought out the last item, the turkey, in a covered silver platter. Setting it in the middle, he unveiled the bird, and everyone cheered at the golden brown meat.
Law, of course sat in the middle, the rest of the crew seated around him. Naturally, Casper was the one to initiate the feast, gesturing to the food.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in." Instantly the men attacked the food like it was the only thing left to eat in the world, and slices of the turkey were gone in seconds. Summer had taken a seat further down the table, loading her plate with mashed potatoes and steaming rolls.
The turkey was quickly eaten, but Summer and Casper had known this would happen, and so they brought out the ham once it was gone. The ham was eaten in about the same short time, if not quicker, that the turkey had. The men laughed, cheered, gave toasts to each other and to ridiculous things, and it was all a very happy mood all around.
Even after the food had been eaten, they remained at the table and talked. Law, however, excused himself early on. This didn't go past Summer, and she watched him go in concern. He truly didn't like to participate during the Christmas holiday, if he could help it. She felt sadness, and pity, for the Captain. He didn't stick around long in her head, though, since several people were trying to talk to her at once. Still, he hovered at the edge of her memory all the same.
After everyone decided to retire for the night, Summer helped Casper clean up the mess of the kitchen and mess deck. The numerous dishes had to be cleaned. Tag teaming the effort made it less work and time for the both of them, and within an hour the whole kitchen was washed and spotless once more.
"Get on to bed now, lass." Casper said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Summer suppressed a yawn, trying not to appear as tired as she felt.
"Are you kidding? I could stay up all night." A second yawn caught her, and the cook chuckled.
"I can see that. Now, off you go." He turned her in the direction of the door, gently pushing her forwards. Giving a glancing smile, she hung up her apron and pushed through the door.
ns 15.158.61.13da2
