Christmas Drabbles to the Max!
Dec. 26th, 2004 06:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dethoratsMucho One Piece Christmas drabbles, plus one Ranma 1/2 one. I haven't felt the need to write Ranma in like 3 years, so I'm out of practice, but I like it.
Title: Christmas Spirits
Pairing: Shanks/Ben
Rating: PG
Word Count: 300
“Just what are we still looking for?” Ben grumbled, trailing along behind Shanks. The captain strode ahead, setting a ground-devouring pace as he wove through the horde of last minute shoppers. The bazaar was crowded and noisy; the package-laden first mate only able to keep track of Shanks by his flag of bright red hair. The younger pirate had conned him into some last minute gift buying, deciding he needed a few extra Christmas trimmings. And he was taking outrageous advantage of Ben, piling him high with presents while carrying none himself, his missing arm the excuse.
Shanks swept his gaze anxiously over the stalls and shops lining the main road. There was only one last necessity for the holiday. Too bad he couldn’t seem to find it. Walking at an even faster clip, he hurried forward. The stores would be closing soon and he just had to get the seasonal treat before then. But he did manage to spare a smile as he heard Ben curse, turning to watch the man juggle the unwieldy stack of boxes in his arms.
“Sorry mister.” The young urchin called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the crowd.
“Whatever.” The reply was muttered, and Shanks could tell Ben was nearly ready to abandon him and the purchases to the chaos of the marketplace, Christmas spirit be damned. It was fortunate that he had finally spotted the proper sign.
“Wait here.” And he was off, fording the stream of shoppers with surprising ease. He returned some minutes later, a large grin splitting his face. Ben eyed the dark liquor bottle under his arm, noted the festive, cream-colored bottle in his hand and let out a groan.
“I should’ve known.”
“C’mon Ben. You know ya can’t celebrate Christmas without the proper sort of eggnog!”
Title: Gift Wrap
Pairing: Shanks/Ben
Rating: G
Word Count: 307
Shanks sighed in frustration, rocking back to lean against the cabin wall. He hadn’t anticipated just how difficult gift-wrapping would be with only a single arm. Sure, with a bit of patience and some unusual contortions, he could wrap flat, square objects with the assistance of his feet. But some of the other presents were simply beyond his abilities. Having been a past master at the festive art, he couldn’t bear to simply tuck everything away in bags. Besides, that wouldn’t provide any sort of barrier against the snooping prowess of his first mate.
Ben seemed to love finding his presents even more than he did actually receiving them. It was funny, the way the usually calm, mature man became excited and sneaky around Christmas. He hid behind corners, popping out to startle returning shoppers as he tried to get a look at their packages. He got his crewmates drunk and tried to weasel confessions from them. And he crept around the ship, peering into every nook and cranny. It was quite the challenge for Shanks, and he enjoyed the contest immensely. In the past, he had always been safe once the gifts were wrapped. Ben regarded them as off-limits.
This year, Shanks mused, he might not manage to give him a single surprise. He’d already considered letting one of his crew wrap them, but that left them vulnerable to Ben’s alcohol-fueled prying. And he was too smart to fall for mislabeled gifts. And then it hit him. He chuckled. It was just too perfect! He’d just let Ben wrap his own presents. The man was too suspicious to actually believe Shanks intended them for his real gifts. Yes, he’d technically know in advance, but he wouldn’t know that he knew. Plus he’d go crazy trying to find the other, non-existent presents he’d assume Shanks would have hidden. The look on his face Christmas morning was going to be priceless.
Title: Christmas Colors
Pairing: Not Telling ^^
Rating: G
Word Count: 82
The pirate king stood shoulder to shoulder with one of his oldest friends, both of them stepping back to admire their handiwork. Red and green lay against each other in the perfect combination of seasonal colors. The holiday tableau was marred only by the snoring, and perhaps by the sheer amount of empty beer bottles scattered across the deck. All in all, though, the vision of Shanks and Zoro curled around each other in sleep made for one remarkably sexy Christmas card.
Title: Ornaments
Pairing: Kasumi-centric
Rating: G
Word Count: 440
Shards of colored glass lay scattered across the clean wooden floor like stars in a cloudless winter sky. Kasumi gazed at them numbly for long moments before rousing to retrieve a broom and dustpan. How could she have let one of mother’s precious, delicate ornaments slip from her grasp? She swept up the remains, depositing them in the garbage. It had been one of the angels, a vision of white, gold, and pale blue.
Mother had three, and she always referred to them as her daughters as she hung them on the tree. Akane was the small one, all scarlet and gold, shining fiercely against the backdrop of Christmas lights. Nabiki was the regal-seeming one, dressed in royal purple. And Kasumi had been the serene angel, pure in Mary’s colors. But now her angel was gone.
She went about the business of decorating the tree slowly, carefully. It would never do to break another ornament. Finally she was finished. The tree was beautiful, twinkling in the corner of the room. But it seemed somehow incomplete. As she studied her handiwork Ranma entered the room, a package cradled to his stomach as a roaring panda chased him. The two tore around the room, kicking at one another, and Kasumi held her breath when the panda nearly tossed the boy into her tree. Finally Ranma managed to kick his father into the koi pond, taunting him before turning to the eldest Tendo sister.
“Hey Kasumi. Saw these today and thought ya might want ‘em for the tree.” He pressed a small box into her hands. “Pops is pissed ‘cause I said this one looks like him.” He pointed to the extremely chubby but strangely cute panda ornament. It did resemble Mr. Saotome, even down to the wreath in its hands that was so like the tire he sometimes played with. There were two more ornaments in the box. A dark-haired young boy sat on a sled, mouth smiling and one arm above his head in exaltation. The other was an angel. She was clad in white, with light pink wings and a softly glowing halo.
Kasumi studied them, a small smile curving her lips upward. The sledding boy resembled Ranma, both in coloring and spirit. And the angel, while it wasn’t her mother’s, was calm and cheerful, a benevolent expression rather than a holy one. She gently placed all three ornaments on the tree and stepped back. Now it looked finished, with a trio of angels, the boy on the sled, the panda, and the careworn wooden shepherd making a family in among the balls and tinsel. Mother would have been pleased.
Title: Mistletoe – Akagami Style
Pairing: Ben/Shanks
Rating: PG
Word Count: 299
The akagami pirates observed many holiday traditions, although often with their own special twists. A favored tradition involved the humble mistletoe. It had all started when Yassop joined the crew. That first Christmas, missing Bankina, he decided to continue the tradition she’d taught him. On the all-male ship, the mistletoe had initially caused much consternation and then much amusement. The crew had turned it into a challenge to trick their fellows into compromising positions, placing wagers and setting traps.
Shanks established two special prizes related to the mistletoe. The first went to the man who managed to be the last caught beneath the foliage. And the second went to the pirate who captured the captain’s lips most often. The prize for avoiding the mistletoe was a bottle of wine from Shanks’ private stash, something always worthy of savoring. No one knew what exactly the other prize entailed, because Shanks kept it a secret and Ben wasn’t telling. He always won, even on the years Shanks purposefully tried to elude him.
This year, though, he had stiff competition. The newest recruits were eager to prove themselves, even in this unusual manner. With two minutes to go before Christmas officially started, Ben was tied with Rocksta. Everyone was on deck, the celebration starting early. Booze was flowing and Shanks grinned cheekily at his first mate.
“Losin’ yer edge, aren’cha? There’s nowhere ta hang the mistletoe here on deck. Never hadda tie before.”
Ben just smiled. “Look up.” Shanks blinked, mouth gaping at the massive sprig Yassop was currently maneuvering over his head from the crow’s nest, courtesy of a fishing pole. The first mate gave him a thumb’s up, before claiming Shanks’ parted lips. Two-and-a-half minutes later, surrounded by the cheering crew, he let him up for air.
“Merry Christmas, Captain.”
Title: Christmas Spirits
Pairing: Shanks/Ben
Rating: PG
Word Count: 300
“Just what are we still looking for?” Ben grumbled, trailing along behind Shanks. The captain strode ahead, setting a ground-devouring pace as he wove through the horde of last minute shoppers. The bazaar was crowded and noisy; the package-laden first mate only able to keep track of Shanks by his flag of bright red hair. The younger pirate had conned him into some last minute gift buying, deciding he needed a few extra Christmas trimmings. And he was taking outrageous advantage of Ben, piling him high with presents while carrying none himself, his missing arm the excuse.
Shanks swept his gaze anxiously over the stalls and shops lining the main road. There was only one last necessity for the holiday. Too bad he couldn’t seem to find it. Walking at an even faster clip, he hurried forward. The stores would be closing soon and he just had to get the seasonal treat before then. But he did manage to spare a smile as he heard Ben curse, turning to watch the man juggle the unwieldy stack of boxes in his arms.
“Sorry mister.” The young urchin called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the crowd.
“Whatever.” The reply was muttered, and Shanks could tell Ben was nearly ready to abandon him and the purchases to the chaos of the marketplace, Christmas spirit be damned. It was fortunate that he had finally spotted the proper sign.
“Wait here.” And he was off, fording the stream of shoppers with surprising ease. He returned some minutes later, a large grin splitting his face. Ben eyed the dark liquor bottle under his arm, noted the festive, cream-colored bottle in his hand and let out a groan.
“I should’ve known.”
“C’mon Ben. You know ya can’t celebrate Christmas without the proper sort of eggnog!”
Title: Gift Wrap
Pairing: Shanks/Ben
Rating: G
Word Count: 307
Shanks sighed in frustration, rocking back to lean against the cabin wall. He hadn’t anticipated just how difficult gift-wrapping would be with only a single arm. Sure, with a bit of patience and some unusual contortions, he could wrap flat, square objects with the assistance of his feet. But some of the other presents were simply beyond his abilities. Having been a past master at the festive art, he couldn’t bear to simply tuck everything away in bags. Besides, that wouldn’t provide any sort of barrier against the snooping prowess of his first mate.
Ben seemed to love finding his presents even more than he did actually receiving them. It was funny, the way the usually calm, mature man became excited and sneaky around Christmas. He hid behind corners, popping out to startle returning shoppers as he tried to get a look at their packages. He got his crewmates drunk and tried to weasel confessions from them. And he crept around the ship, peering into every nook and cranny. It was quite the challenge for Shanks, and he enjoyed the contest immensely. In the past, he had always been safe once the gifts were wrapped. Ben regarded them as off-limits.
This year, Shanks mused, he might not manage to give him a single surprise. He’d already considered letting one of his crew wrap them, but that left them vulnerable to Ben’s alcohol-fueled prying. And he was too smart to fall for mislabeled gifts. And then it hit him. He chuckled. It was just too perfect! He’d just let Ben wrap his own presents. The man was too suspicious to actually believe Shanks intended them for his real gifts. Yes, he’d technically know in advance, but he wouldn’t know that he knew. Plus he’d go crazy trying to find the other, non-existent presents he’d assume Shanks would have hidden. The look on his face Christmas morning was going to be priceless.
Title: Christmas Colors
Pairing: Not Telling ^^
Rating: G
Word Count: 82
The pirate king stood shoulder to shoulder with one of his oldest friends, both of them stepping back to admire their handiwork. Red and green lay against each other in the perfect combination of seasonal colors. The holiday tableau was marred only by the snoring, and perhaps by the sheer amount of empty beer bottles scattered across the deck. All in all, though, the vision of Shanks and Zoro curled around each other in sleep made for one remarkably sexy Christmas card.
Title: Ornaments
Pairing: Kasumi-centric
Rating: G
Word Count: 440
Shards of colored glass lay scattered across the clean wooden floor like stars in a cloudless winter sky. Kasumi gazed at them numbly for long moments before rousing to retrieve a broom and dustpan. How could she have let one of mother’s precious, delicate ornaments slip from her grasp? She swept up the remains, depositing them in the garbage. It had been one of the angels, a vision of white, gold, and pale blue.
Mother had three, and she always referred to them as her daughters as she hung them on the tree. Akane was the small one, all scarlet and gold, shining fiercely against the backdrop of Christmas lights. Nabiki was the regal-seeming one, dressed in royal purple. And Kasumi had been the serene angel, pure in Mary’s colors. But now her angel was gone.
She went about the business of decorating the tree slowly, carefully. It would never do to break another ornament. Finally she was finished. The tree was beautiful, twinkling in the corner of the room. But it seemed somehow incomplete. As she studied her handiwork Ranma entered the room, a package cradled to his stomach as a roaring panda chased him. The two tore around the room, kicking at one another, and Kasumi held her breath when the panda nearly tossed the boy into her tree. Finally Ranma managed to kick his father into the koi pond, taunting him before turning to the eldest Tendo sister.
“Hey Kasumi. Saw these today and thought ya might want ‘em for the tree.” He pressed a small box into her hands. “Pops is pissed ‘cause I said this one looks like him.” He pointed to the extremely chubby but strangely cute panda ornament. It did resemble Mr. Saotome, even down to the wreath in its hands that was so like the tire he sometimes played with. There were two more ornaments in the box. A dark-haired young boy sat on a sled, mouth smiling and one arm above his head in exaltation. The other was an angel. She was clad in white, with light pink wings and a softly glowing halo.
Kasumi studied them, a small smile curving her lips upward. The sledding boy resembled Ranma, both in coloring and spirit. And the angel, while it wasn’t her mother’s, was calm and cheerful, a benevolent expression rather than a holy one. She gently placed all three ornaments on the tree and stepped back. Now it looked finished, with a trio of angels, the boy on the sled, the panda, and the careworn wooden shepherd making a family in among the balls and tinsel. Mother would have been pleased.
Title: Mistletoe – Akagami Style
Pairing: Ben/Shanks
Rating: PG
Word Count: 299
The akagami pirates observed many holiday traditions, although often with their own special twists. A favored tradition involved the humble mistletoe. It had all started when Yassop joined the crew. That first Christmas, missing Bankina, he decided to continue the tradition she’d taught him. On the all-male ship, the mistletoe had initially caused much consternation and then much amusement. The crew had turned it into a challenge to trick their fellows into compromising positions, placing wagers and setting traps.
Shanks established two special prizes related to the mistletoe. The first went to the man who managed to be the last caught beneath the foliage. And the second went to the pirate who captured the captain’s lips most often. The prize for avoiding the mistletoe was a bottle of wine from Shanks’ private stash, something always worthy of savoring. No one knew what exactly the other prize entailed, because Shanks kept it a secret and Ben wasn’t telling. He always won, even on the years Shanks purposefully tried to elude him.
This year, though, he had stiff competition. The newest recruits were eager to prove themselves, even in this unusual manner. With two minutes to go before Christmas officially started, Ben was tied with Rocksta. Everyone was on deck, the celebration starting early. Booze was flowing and Shanks grinned cheekily at his first mate.
“Losin’ yer edge, aren’cha? There’s nowhere ta hang the mistletoe here on deck. Never hadda tie before.”
Ben just smiled. “Look up.” Shanks blinked, mouth gaping at the massive sprig Yassop was currently maneuvering over his head from the crow’s nest, courtesy of a fishing pole. The first mate gave him a thumb’s up, before claiming Shanks’ parted lips. Two-and-a-half minutes later, surrounded by the cheering crew, he let him up for air.
“Merry Christmas, Captain.”
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Just a hitchhiker, passing through
Date: 2006-12-27 06:00 am (UTC)Oh my gosh, I LOVE THESE. The Ranma is full of sweet fuzzies, and the OP drabbles are... XD My _god_. I adore Shanks and Ben beyond reason, and Ben is sneakier than he gets credit for. Not his fault- he's on a ship full of sneaky, noisy, insane people to take attention away from him.
The two parts that almost killed me were Shanks's realization that he could get Ben to wrap Ben's presents and drive him nuts trying to find the "real" gifts, and Ben enlisting Yasopp in winning the mistletoe competition.
...would a tie have been a threesome? X3