A Million Reasons to Smile

Day 2

Jenna woke up to the smell of something...sweet.

She yawned and sat up, stretching her arms as she did. "Good morning, babe." A sleepy voice greeted her.

Looking over to the lazy figure on the bed beside her, she smiled groggily and stroked his freckled cheek with her knuckles.

"Good morning, Commander~" She giggled.

Ace smirked.

Oh how he loved it when she called him that. If it weren't for the fact that he was so tired right now, he would have just tackled her down the bed and have his way with her.

Jenna took notice of this and looked him over curiously. "Ace, why do you look so tired?" She asked. "Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

The second division commander sighed in annoyance.

Yes, he did get some sleep last night. But it was because of a certain intruder that woke him up at four in the morning, making him so tired and sluggish.

"Are you sick?" Jenna asked. She placed her palm on his forehead, but he didn't seem to have a temperature out of normal.

She frowned a bit worriedly and got out of bed. "I'll go get you some water." She told him before leaving the room.

Opening the door, she saw the messages from yesterday all collaged into one big poster out in the hall.

She never did find out who wrote those, but she didn't care. It was nice enough to know that someone took their time to make those for her, although it seemed a bit strange since everyone in the crew denied making them.

She shook away the thoughts for now. Sooner or later, she'll find out who made those, but for now, she needed to get a glass of water.

Making her way towards the kitchen, the sweet scent grew stronger within each step.

She poked her head in the room and saw Thatch staring at a plate full of pancakes.

"Hey, Otosan!" She greeted the older male.

Jenna loved Thatch. Not in a romantic way, mind you, but more as a father figure. He was always so sweet and nice to her, it made her adore the man.

"Morning, Jen! Look at what we have here." He said, nodding to the small note placed next to the plate.

She walked over and took it. It was a small message, saying:

'I hope you have an appetite for pancakes, Jenna!

P.S. These pancakes are for Jenna. Anyone who isn't Jenna, go away. Don't touch the pancakes.

P.S.S. That means you, Ace.'

She held back a laugh from the last part. "Well I do like pancakes." She said. "Thank you very much, mysterious stranger."

Giggling, she tore a piece off and placed it in her mouth. Then she grabbed the bottle of syrup beside the plate and squirted some inside.

"Who do you think did it?" Thatch asked.

Jenna shrugged. "Beats me."

-Flashback-

Thatch was walking around the Moby early that morning. He was thirsty and wanted to get something to drink, but his reasons of going to the kitchen changed when he smelled something cooking.

Quietly and cautiously, he made his way to the kitchen and peeked inside.

A rather petite girl was at the stove, trying to flip a pancake.

"Damn it!" She hissed quietly as she had flipped too hard.

Thatch entered, glancing up at the piece of breakfast sticking to the wooden ceiling. "Mind if I help?" He chuckled.

The girl blinked and looked over. Upon seeing the fourth division commander, she smiled brightly.

"Heya, Thatch!" She beamed.

Said man smiled at her and walked over to inspect the mess. The counter was covered in flour and he could see egg yolks dripping off the edges.

"May I know why you decided to cook breakfast at three in the morning, Jewel?" He snickered. "Also, why not cook in your own ship?"

The nekogirl pouted, batting her eyelashes at him. "Hey, come on, I flew all the way here so I could surprise sis!"

"Ahhh..." Thatch nodded in understanding. "So it was you who made that painting on the deck?" She nodded rapidly, "Awesome, right?"

"Very. Though it caught everyone in surprise, not just your sister." He smiled, grabbed an apron and took the whisk. "Now... Let's make some pancakes, eh?"

-End of Flashback-

Jenna took a glass and filled it with water, silently wondering who it was that did this.

She took the plate of pancakes with her as she walked out the door.

It was kind of exciting not knowing who this person was. She smirked,

"Whoever you are... I'm gonna find you."