#bee gift

Renge sighed at the two boys as they descended into an argument. 

"Alright," she said loudly, spotted white tail whipping behind her with agitation. "If I agree to do this, will the two of you stop fighting?" 

"Deal!" they said in union, straightening up, then they both flew out the door with a laugh. The woman sighed again before deciding on cleaning up the kitchen while she waited for the boys to return. 

The spotted leopard zoan, chef of the Roger Pirates barely had time to put away some spare dishes before they burst through the door again, Shanks holding a pumpkin in each arm, while Buggy struggled to carry just one.  

“You gotta lay out newspaper!” Shanks said casually as they put the pumpkins down.

Quickly the three worked together to cover most of a long table and laid out the supplies. Renge eyed the knifes with trepidation but she didn’t say anything. Even if they were both young, these boys had been pirates for a long time. They were sure to know their way around a blade easily enough.

“Okay so now we cut out the top—”

“Why do you always get to give the orders? Lemme explain!” Buggy broke in, grabbing up a knife and scowling at Shanks who shrugged easily. Pacified he turned to Renge. “You cut a hole in the top, like this…”

The three pirates cut off the top simultaneously. Renge’s cut was smoother than the boys, a chef's touch. Buggy pouted but carried on. “Then you grasp the top and pull it out, then we scoop out all the guts!”

Quickly the smell of pumpkin permeated the room as the two boys dove into their pumpkins, large spoons at the ready. Renge watched as they dumped the inners on the table, pumpkin seeds and slimy entrails spilled over the newspaper and made it soggy.

“What do you do with the seeds?” she asked.

“Whatcha mean?” Buggy replied.

Shanks glanced up. “We don’t do anything with ‘em, just throw them away.”

Indignant, her ears twitched and she flicked long black hair back with a clawed hand. “Well that’s such a waste! Let’s cook them.”

Two pairs of eyes stared at her. “Cook them?” Shanks repeated.

“You guys haven’t had pumpkin seeds before?” They both shook their heads. Perhaps the way they moved together would have amused her any other time, but today she huffed. “You’re about to try something new then.”

Roger peeked his head into the kitchen, the smell of something good luring him in. Rayleigh hovered over his shoulder, arms folded.

“I told you not to bother them Roger,” Ray chided before Roger threw the door wide.

“What’s going on in here?! Thought you were carving pumpkins not dissecting them.”

“Captain!” Shanks and Buggy said together, before Buggy glared and started shoving at Shanks’ face.

“Stop copying what I’m sayin’—”

Shanks’ face didn’t change, a bright smile stretched wide across it. “Come see what we made! Renge’s makin’ pumpkin pie!”

“Pumpkin pie!” Roger crowed with delight as he heard Rayleigh sigh behind him. “Now that sounds delicious. What, so no pumpkins?” He took a seat at a newspaper covered table, the pages still wet with leftover guts but no sign of the three pumpkins that he had seen the boys running past with earlier. 

“The boys hadn’t had pumpkin seeds before,” Renge explained, tilting her cheek up to receive a quick peck from Rayleigh. “And then I happened to mention pumpkin pie and well…”

“You gotta try some!” Buggy demanded, shaking a bag of seeds at the older men.

Roger laughed. “Indeed I do! Bring it here!” Gesturing at the bag, Buggy eagerly shoved it into his large palm.

“Pie’ll be out soon,” Renge commented idly.

“You need any help with plates?” Rayleigh asked and she nodded gratefully, a small smile on her lips.

The five of them ended up seated together, telling stories and some members splattering crumbs across the table when they broke in with something, their mouth still full.

Renge watched it all sandwiched between Roger and Rayleigh, their bodies warm and happy at her sides. Watching Roger tease Shanks and Buggy who argued with him, eyebrows pinched together she couldn’t help but feel complete contentment.

During lunch Robin had airily informed Muriel that she would be busy for the rest of the day and she would let the younger woman know when she was free.

Muriel missed her girlfriend but didn’t argue. She didn’t want to come across as annoying or anything like that. Leaning heavily against the railing outside of the kitchen, listening to the sound of Sanji preparing lunch, she sighed.

When will Robin be doneeee? she whined in the safety of her own thoughts.

“Muriel,” Robin’s seductive voice whispered into her ear and Muriel straightened with a yelp.

She felt the peculiar sensation of the woman’s lips giggling, pulling the skin on her neck and instinctively she turned, even though she knew she wouldn’t find Robin standing there.

“I’m sorry,” Robin’s voice continued, sounding amused and not at all sorry. “Did I frighten you?”

“Just a bit,” Muriel confirmed a bit breathless, heart hammering away in her chest. “Is everything all right?”

Robin hummed, seemingly pleased. “Oh yes. Would you be a dear and come to the library?”

Muriel didn’t get the chance to answer before the lips vanished, sending flower petals floating away on the wind as she hurried to the library, excitement now coursing through her. 

She opened the door slowly and peeked inside with a timid, “Robin?” before Muriel gasped, stepping fully into the room. The library’s window curtains had been drawn, leaving the room dark, lit only by numerous black candles over every available surface. A small round table with two chairs sat in the middle of the room, filled with a modest meal. The door swung closed behind her and Muriel turned to see Robin smiling at the shorter woman. 

Blue eyes framed in a black mask made Muriel blink in confusion before she pulled back enough to notice Robin was dressed in a well-pressed suit with a long cape that draped onto the ground. When Robin smiled her canines were sharper than Muriel had ever seen before. Fangs. A shiver slid down her spine. 

“R-Robin?” 

“Good, you made it.” A warm hand placed on her hip gently led her to the table. A chair was pulled out and Robin waited patiently for Muriel to sit before pushing her in and going around to sit on the opposite side.

“What’s all this?” Muriel finally managed to find her voice enough to ask. Robin grinned, a glass of red wine dangling from her fingertips. She looked stunning, seated across from her bathed in the glow of so many candles, looking elegant and deadly.

“You haven’t experienced a Halloween, no? I wanted to give you one.” Robin took a small sip, bright eyes never leaving Muriel’s face. “I’m certain the crew will do something the day of, provided we don’t run into any… issues.”

It was a few days before Halloween. Muriel shifted before Robin gestured at the plate in front of her and she hurriedly picked up her fork. “That’s very kind of you. Are you not going to eat?” Muriel asked. The plate in front of Robin was empty.

Robin tilted her head, lips widening enough for one fang to catch the light. “Oh don’t worry, I plan on eating later.” Then she winked and Muriel blushed hard enough she was sure it was visible even in the low light of the room. “I have some pumpkins for us to carve before that though—”

“A pumpkin!?” Muriel interrupted before hurriedly shoving a bite into her mouth. “Why didn’t you say so!” she spoke around her full mouth before belatedly realizing that was rude. Robin merely covered her mouth and giggled lowly.

Muriel ate quickly and before long they cleared off the table and covered it with two pumpkins. Bouncing on her feet, Muriel watched with barely suppressed excitement as Robin slowly laid out the tools.

“Isn’t it dangerous to have so many candles in a library?” she asked, for lack of anything else to do. Robin pressed a solitary finger against her lips.

“It’s our little secret. Promise not to tell Nami?” she asked, eyes half-lidded. The blue of them was always striking but surrounded by the black of the mask they stood out even more. Muriel nodded back and Robin withdrew her finger. “Now, the trick is to cut out from the bottom.” Turning one pumpkin to the side she gestured.

“The bottom?” Muriel frowned. “I thought you did it from the top?”

Robin nodded. “Most people do, but they last longer if the stem is attached. Ready?” She held out a knife, handle pointed towards Muriel who took it carefully.

In the end, two pumpkins sat amidst a mess of sticky inners and pumpkin seeds, flames flickering within them. One was covered in eyes, the cuts a little jagged and uneven. The other was a silhouetted bat shape, surrounded by smaller ones that were only partially cut into the pumpkin, but not completely through, making them glow a subtle orange with the light.

“Oh dear,” Robin said propping her cheek in a hand, while she wrapped the other around her elbow. “Mine looks so messy compared to yours.”

“I like it! It’s very you.” Muriel was the ship's artist and although she loved Robin's drawings they were pretty scribbly at times. 

Robin sighed. “I wanted to add some flowers or at least some petals but it didn’t work out.”  

Muriel kissed the other woman’s cheek. “Do you mind if I…?”

“Not at all,” Robin confirmed her unasked question.

Quickly Muriel stepped away and got to work. It didn’t take long before she was finished and felt Robin’s arms wrap around her waist, hooking her chin on Muriel’s shoulder after she straightened. “It’s perfect,” Robin said with delight.

“I’m glad!” Muriel said, giving one of Robin’s hands a squeeze. “This has been a perfect date, thank you.”

“Glad you enjoyed it.”

The two women stared at the two pumpkins silently. The eyes now had flower petals weaving through them, the same way the bats were on the other pumpkin. A subtle, barely there glow.