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It was cold. So, so cold. One thing the Polar Tang was known for was being absolutely frigid at lower levels. The metal interior did nothing to kindle warmth and the waves of heat that were found in the engine room stayed put, hardly leaking past the hall leading to it. Normally the cold was staved off by moving bodies and thick boiler suits assigned to the crew by their captain, but every now and then that usual chill hit a depth that was too much to stand even buried under layers of blankets.
Tonight was one such night. Edeth laid in bed, shivering and silently cursing Law for the tundra-like conditions currently laid thick over the vessel. She knew it wasn’t his fault entirely; they’d needed to dive to this depth to escape their pursuers that refused to give up so easily. As Edeth and Ichiban were finding, Marines were not ones to stop chasing so soon, especially with an admiral on board. They’d gotten away, but the crew was exhausted that night and several just collapsed into their beds, leaving the Tang at a low depth just in case.
‘What an absolute pain in the ass.’ Edeth grumbled in her head. She breathed on her fingers in the darkness of the women’s quarters and tried to suppress another chill lodged deep in her core. ‘It’s so cold. Too cold even for me. What does Captain think I am, a polar bear?’
She imagined Bepo was probably having the greatest sleep of his life. The poor Mink absolutely hated the heat so for him, this must be a rare moment of bliss. Unlike him however, she was sure Ichiban was turning into a living popsicle. Her best friend had zero tolerance for the cold and with tonight being so close to what could only be described as absolute zero, Edeth was surprised she hadn’t come to crawl into bed with her.
‘I can’t take this anymore.’ Edeth thought as another fierce cold chill shot through her.
On quiet feet soft as mouse’s pitter patterings, the normally lively woman got out of bed, wrapping herself in her covers and sliding on her slippers. Three pairs of socks was not gunna cut it for the floor that felt like nothing more than a sheet of ice beneath her feet.
The room was still and silent. She couldn’t see very well in the darkness of the sleeping quarters confines, but she could already hear the light snores from Ikkaku and saw the little lump in Ichiban’s bed…or anyway what she assumed was a lump. Both of them were in a deep sleep and Edeth was careful not to wake them as she treaded lightly to the door, creeping it open just enough to slip through and seal back shut behind her.
The hall was still lit, even if just barely, as usual and she tiptoed down its length with confidence, knowing exactly where she wanted to be. It had been about two months since the two new crew mates had arrived on the Tang and while Law was still getting a full feel of trust for them, the two had already won over the whole crew. Edeth and Ichiban had already made fast friends with Ikkaku, the only other woman on the crew that really understood the need to talk about cute boys (namely Shachi, Penguin, and Law, though Zoro and Sanji had come up a few times) and other feminine issues. Jean Bart was certainly the most calm of them all, right next to Law. He would often listen to Edeth and Ichiban prattle on for ages with a patient ear and tired smile, understanding very little of the randomness they would speak, but not wanting to disturb their flow either. As for the rest of the crew, they were a bit slower to warm up. Clione and Uni were both quite cold until Ichiban managed to win them over with her funny jokes and random bursts of energy and Hakugan was eventually brought around by Edeth after she pestered him for days about his mask, talking about someone else she knew that loved masks and how cool he was. Bepo took no time at all to accept the two in, the little praises and compliments they dappled him with quickly earning them his favor although he was scolded by Shachi and Penguin for being so quick to trust. He promptly apologized.
Above all though, Shachi and Penguin were the most suspicious of the two women aside from Law, that is until they sat down and explained to them the truth of how they arrived. Bepo, knowing how quick he was to apologize and panic, was kept in the dark as well as their captain and though the two men were loath to keep secrets from Law, they agreed to at least keep silent until the girls were ready to tell the whole story on their own.
The truth was, both Ichiban and Edeth were not from that world. Their world was something vastly different from where they were now. There were cars that ran on gasoline, a little flat Den Den Mushis called cell phones. Communication was far simpler with a thing called the internet and people could travel easier too by flying through the air. In their world, pirates were no longer a big threat; in fact they hardly existed at all since weapons had become far too advanced for any average person to acquire and use in ocean battles. In their world, the government was the most powerfulest thing; corrupt and usually unjust, the people had no strength to rise up against those giants.
To Shachi and Penguin, there was just simply too much detail for it to be a story and it certainly fit well with the idea that they had no idea what was going on in this world. There were too many little things that just seemed off about Edeth and Ichiban, like the way they talked and the things they knew that they shouldn’t and things they didn’t know that they should. But to find out there were no pirates, not even a One Piece aside from the story that was printed out in their world like a comic. Well to the two men, it simply sounded like some bizarre hell and when said so, Edeth and Ichiban couldn’t have agreed more.
But with the truth now shared among the four, Shachi and Penguin both were finally won over in the end. Penguin and Ichiban became quick friends, the latter dragging the former around while she plotted pranks and little jokes to play on the rest of the crew. Much to Penguin’s dismay, he was often the one scolded for them which would then turn into him scolding Ichiban until she gave him her sweet little smile and mischievous laugh that had him sighing in exasperation. The truth was, having someone like her on the crew was a nice change of pace and he saw a bit of his own reflection in her; a deeper thinker that had to keep her best friend in line.
And speaking of Edeth, she had become quite the little menace on the Polar Tang. While Ichiban would usually play a prank or two on the crew and have her nose stuffed into a book or (badly) sneaking glances at Law, Edeth had found a new favorite pastime. Two new favorite pastimes, in fact. The first was teasing and pranking Law at every turn and corner. She was completely insatiable; seeing the bewildered and dumbfounded expressions on Law’s face every time she managed to pull one over on him left her in the highest amount of elation and a fit of giggles that nearly had her falling over from lack of air supply. The best moment was when she’d spawned doves out of his hat at the breakfast table, feathers flying everywhere and a few landing in his coffee as the downy fluff made him sneeze and tumble backwards out of his chair in shock when one of the doves got a little aggressive with his earrings. It had earned her an entire day of cleaning duty with one arm held hostage in his office until she finished, but the utter bafflement on his face and surprised shout that had escaped him had been all too worth it in the end.
Edeth’s other favorite activity was simply spending time with Shachi. She didn’t care what they were doing. If he had engine cleaning duty, she’d suffer in the heat with him. If they made port and he was sent into a town or city to procure supplies, she was there at his side in an instant. She would come listen to music with him left on tone dials and she would curl up next to him and look over magazines and comics he’d picked out from various islands. Every moment spent with the redhead was another minute of joy to her and yet the man was still absolutely oblivious to the deep crush she’d formed and the way she’d look at him when he wasn’t watching. Shachi, out of every Heart pirate aboard the Tang, brought her the most comfort without even knowing.
A comfort that she was determined to get now that the cold of the vessel was eating away at her very bones. Edeth stopped in front of the door that led to Shachi and Penguin's cabin and pushed the door open delicately. It was nearly pitch black in here, the ocean depths seen through the porthole helping nothing at all for visibility. Thankfully, Edeth was well aware which bed held the sleeping redhead and had walked the route enough times to make it without stumbling too badly in the dark.
“Shachi?” Edeth whispered, doing her best not to wake up Penguin on the other side of the room. She sat on the edge of the bed and poked gently at his cheek. “Shachiiiii?”
Shachi grumbled and flicked one bleary eye open, confusion settling into the glowing amber that stared back at her. “Edeth?” He yawned and went to sit up. “Is it time to get up already?”
Edeth shook her head. “No, it’s just really cold. Can I sleep with you?”
Normally the redhead would have turned the same color as his hair from a question like that, but he was too lost in the dregs of sleep to really compute the question to that extent. “Uh huh.” He mumbled and lifted the blankets, inviting her inside.
Eager to escape the cold and cozy up to the man that made her heart race, she tossed her own blanket over them and then crawled into bed. Oh Shachi was so warm ; the man must run incredibly hot in his sleep and it was bliss against her goose bumped skin.
“You’re freezing.” Shachi hummed, his voice raspy from sleep. “Mm come here then.”
His low voice rumbled in his chest that he pressed against her, pulling her in close. Shachi was still half asleep and seemed to be functioning far more mechanically than anything, his hands moving over her curves as one hand slid under the pillow and the other hand came to rest on her ass. Edeth’s face flushed with color while Shachi buried his face into her neck and breathed out a pleasant sigh, sleep gripping his head and dragging him back down into its depths almost immediately after. Deep, slow breaths dappled across her skin and peace settled in around them, the firm beating of his heart felt through his tank top against her chest. Warm and cozy, Edeth started dozing off right away. Now that she was no longer kept awake by the cold, she realized just how exhausted she really was.
She was unsure how long had passed when she was startled back awake by the covers being lifted. Turning slightly in confusion, Edeth looked up to see an equally perplexed Penguin starting down with glowing jade green eyes. The vague light from them was just barely enough to show the frown on his face in the dark.
“Oh… Sorry, I didn’t know you were here.” Penguin mumbled and rubbed one of his eyes sleepily. “I’ll head back to bed.”
‘He must have come to cozy in with Shachi. It must be really cold if it’s even too much for Penguin.’ Edeth thought and turned, grabbing the hem of his sweatpants before he could shuffle away. She pulled him back and yawned. “Shut up. Just come here.”
Penguin hesitated, but the cold under his bare feet was demanding a decision and he obliged Edeth’s demand. Climbing into bed, Penguin pulled the covers snug over all three of them and trapped the shared heat inside as he pressed in behind her. It was a snug fit; the bed wasn’t huge, but it was just big enough to fit all of them and with the Tang’s temperatures dipping as low as it was, none of them really wanted much more space.
Another soft, sleepy sigh sounded from behind Edeth as Penguin got comfortable, sleep demanding them both back with more aggression than expected. Her eyes fluttered closed again and she breathed in the scent of shampoo in Shachi’s hair, the man at her front having not even stirred from the voices and extra body piling into his bed. Behind her, Penguin’s hand wrapped around her front to rest on her stomach and, riddled with sleep and barely conscious brain functions, he brushed his lips against the back of her neck in a candied goodnight kiss before nuzzling his face into her soft hair. Despite having feelings for Shachi, having Penguin’s firm build pressed up behind her and the kiss that she was sure meant nothing was making her cheeks blush and heart race. It was something she was much too tired to think deeply on and would have to be saved for tomorrow. A snug warmth and happiness, but more than that, the two men made her feel safe . Safe and secure, with Shachi curled up into her front and Penguin spooned snuggly around her back.
Edeth had never fallen asleep so fast nor enjoyed a more peaceful rest than the one she did that night.