#Dark King Silvers Rayleigh

[greeneyedsigma]

My favourite dynamic is Roger and Rayleigh being platonic spouses and co-parenting their adopted children; except Rayleigh actually has three children because Roger’s an enormous toddler.

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Chapter seventeen

Young!Silver Rayleigh x reader. Modern AU. NSFW for sex and violence.

*****

Imagine moving to live in a mountain chalet to escape the bustle of the big city. Your small house is situated in the middle of the woods, the closest -small-ish- town reachable by car but quite isolated, which suits you just fine. You spend most of your days writing at your laptop, reading in front of the fireplace and taking long nature walks.

Beyond the occasional hiker, some of whom knock on your door to ask directions back to the town after losing their way, the only person you meet semi-regularly is your only neighbour, owner and resident of the only other chalet in the area, only a couple miles away from yours: Silvers Rayleigh. 

You had no idea there was someone living within walkable distance of you, but the day after your arrival you heard ringing at the door, went to open thinking it was the mailman since you knew no one in town and it was too early for your friends from the city to come visit… and found yourself face to face with this tall, imposing man, neck-length blond hair and dark eyes still piercing despite the barrier of his reading glasses.

“Hello. Name’s Rayleigh, I live nearby. I saw your car pass by, and since we’re the only two people crazy and clever enough to come live in this corner of the world, I thought I’d introduce myself. You need help with moving in?”

You are favourably impressed by his friendly but direct approach, the exact opposite of what you got used to in the decades you spent living in the city; you tell him that no, you have everything under control since you brought only the essentials from your old home and you’ll be done moving everything to its new place by the end of the day, but you appreciate the offer, and are glad to meet him.

You and Rayleigh become acquainted over a cup of tea in your freshly stocked kitchen. Like you, he moved to the mountains in search of peace and quiet after decades spent living in a large city; you tell him you’re a novelist, which means you are free to work at home as long as you have your laptop with you and an internet connection, while Rayleigh is the owner of a small but successful coating business, and has left day-to-day operations to his colleagues to visit his old workshop once in a while. 

You feared Rayleigh would resent you for having come to interrupt his solitary life in the woods -not that you’re a particularly noisy person, nor the sort who listens to loud music at all hours, not to mention your chalets are two miles away from each other, but still- but he seems genuinely happy to have met you. Both well aware of the risks of living miles away from the closest urban centre, you exchange telephone numbers, to be able to call each other in case of need, and spend most of the afternoon talking. 

A quiet friendship soon blossoms between you. Rayleigh is, just like you, a lone wolf, content with his own company, but apart from the fact even the most reclusive man feels the need to exchange words with another human being once in a while, you seem able to spend time together without getting on each other’s nerves. You meet for a drink at your or his place, and Rayleigh accompanies you to explore the mountains, the experience much more engaging and pleasant than if you had gone alone with your map and compass; he’s the sort of person who knows when to talk, when to listen, and when the best thing to do is simply to remain silent, a gift you rarely found among the people of your old life, and you often spend hours talking or simply enjoying each other’s company. 

You gradually learn to know the people of the small town, salespeople you do business with and a few women your age, but you don’t feel the need to build closer relationships; Rayleigh is different, and even though you never discuss it openly, you know it’s the same for him. 

One day, months after you moved to the mountains, you visit Rayleigh’s chalet to return the drill you had borrowed to mount a few shelves on a wall -there are a few men in town who could have done it for a small price, but you decided you might as well learn to do it by yourself, and did a more than decent job- and as you sit on the sofa waiting for the tea he’s making, you notice a book on the table next to you - your first book, that you published when you were only twenty-one.

“I, err, bought it online; I was curious to read what you wrote.” Rayleigh admits, looking suddenly embarrassed as he rubs the back of his neck with his hand “Sorry, maybe I… shouldn’t have?”

“Of course not! I am flattered, like any novelist would be knowing someone has read her book. Did you, err, like it? You can tell me you didn’t, I won’t get offended, and my style was still a bit acerbic back then…”

The truth is you would have been supremely disappointed to learn Rayleigh disliked your work, or even worse was left indifferent by it, but he seems sincere in saying that he loves it, finds the story compelling and original, and your writing style elegant and engaging. “I haven’t finished it yet thought; I just finished chapter seventeen.”

Chapter seventeen, you remember perfectly even though you consigned the manuscript of that novel to your newly found agent decades ago, contains the most explicit, steamy, downright lurid sex scene you have ever written, a passionate encounter between your protagonist -a female novelist- and a mysterious man who has captivated her heart soon after their first meeting. You’re usually not the sort of writer who takes inspiration from her own life, but chapter seventeen was the exception, even though unfortunately those had been dreams -the wet sort- and fantasies rather than real events. You normally wouldn’t mind discussing it in any case, your readers are mostly adults and there’s nothing wrong with writing and reading about sex…

But then why are you blushing furiously at the thought that Rayleigh has read that particular section of your book? And it’s not either as short as some of your other chapters are, no less than twenty pages of explicit filth and intense lovemaking, three rounds of it…!

Your only consolation is that Rayleigh is blushing as well, even though he seems unable to stop smiling as he looks at you; you don’t need to be a mind-reader to realise he’s imagining you in the place of your character, and perhaps himself in that of her love interest, and that makes you feel… well, something you had thought you would never experience again as you left your youth behind you to fully enter middle-age. It’s somehow surprising; but the sort of surprise you can’t help but appreciate.

For a whole minute neither of you feels able to speak as you gaze at each other, until the sound of kettle whistling in the kitchen puts an end to a tense, and only vaguely awkward, silence. You enjoy your tea as you discuss your tastes in books, and an hour later you leave to return home, suddenly in a good, almost giddy mood. 

*

You have enjoyed your first four months in your new home, more inspired to write than you remember having been in years and enjoying long walks in nature, when suddenly that almost idyllic life you had built comes crashing down, or at least suffers a serious setback, on an apparently peaceful night of early summer.

You are sleeping soundly in your bed when a sudden noise wakes you up, followed by a drunken laugh; in a daze you reach out for your bedside lamp to switch it on, rise, peek out of the room, and observe a terrible scene: three men you have never seen before, all wearing biker jackets and heavy boots, are in your living room, drinking from the bottles in their hands -one has a baseball bat as well, another a large hunting knife hanging from his belt- and breaking your things for the simple pleasure of doing it. 

Your home, your peaceful little chalet, has been invaded; what can you do? Call the police? The closest station is at least twenty miles away, and given the state of the mountain roads it might take the agents a full hour to reach you, but you can’t let these men destroy your home! But you are alone, unharmed, and the men must have noticed your car parked outside, which means they know there is someone here…

“Who do you think lives here?” one of the men suddenly asks, as if he had just read your mind, and then another, who had spent the last minutes meticulously breaking all the framed pictures and diplomas hanging from your walls, turns swiftly, and you’re not quick enough to back away in the hallway. The men grin.

“Hello, darling.” the one who saw you first says “Hope you don’t mind if we came in. Why don’t we all have a bit of fun?”

The easiest, safest thing to do would be to barricade yourself in your bedroom, whose heavy door could withstand the onslaught, and call the police with the phone on your bedside table, but one of the men is quick to approach and, as you move away to stop him from grabbing you, he puts himself on the doorway connecting the living room to the hallway, blocking your path.

“Come on, darling… if you’re good I promise we’ll let you live…”

The five minutes that follow are the most terrifying of your life, and you seriously doubt you’ll live to tell the story, or that you’ll survive unscathed; the men, laughing and jeering, play with you like cats with a mouse, grabbing and pushing you, but finally, taking advantage of a moment of inattentiveness, you grab an empty bottle from the floor and smash it against the face of one of them. 

You run, faster than you’ve ever run in your life, you run as if you had all the demons of Hell after you, and as the threats and shouts of the men follow you. Barefoot, wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts, you reach the house door, fortunately left open after the intrusion, and pass it, disappearing into the still cold summer night.

By the time you have reached Rayleigh’s house, you’re freezing, and limping, still terrified the men could catch up with you, even though you have chosen a narrower, less easy to find path on which even their bikes, that you have seen parked in front of the house, might be unable to ride along. Sobbing quietly, shaking, you ring the bell, and your friend’s expression when he comes at the door expresses all the horror he must feel.

“Oh my God! (name), what happened to you?”

“I… I…” you stammer, and then you’re unable to say more, but you burst into tears, tears of fear and relief at the same time, reaching out for Rayleigh, who quickly takes you in his arms and accompanies you inside. 

A minute later you’re sitting on the sofa -once again there’s one of your books on the table next to it; the fourth, that Rayleigh insists on buying online even though you offered to lend or even gift him the copy of each you brought with you from your old home, in case you had to check your references writing a sequel or whether a scene you’re planning is too similar to one you already published- with a blanket on your shoulders and a water bottle in your hand.

Your sobs have calmed down enough to allow you to tell Rayleigh what happened; when you tell him that you are hurt, but not hurt, you see his large shoulders sag in relief, but your friend’s expression remains grim. “That it should happen to you.” he murmurs in the end.

“Well, we’re the only two people in a twenty mile radius, and I’m not wishing this to you…”

“You know what I mean. I… shit, this is horrible; but I promise you are safe now, and I’ll stay with you until the police come.”

Rayleigh remains where you can see him while he carries out a short but very grim, judging by his expression, conversation over the phone; then he returns to you, and says that the agents will go directly to your chalet and they will warn you once they have ascertained that it’s safe to come back.

Rayleigh gets to work to make you as comfortable as he can. His clothes don’t exactly fit you, but the night is too cold for you to remain half-naked as you are, and his heavy jumper and trousers are, if not comfortable, at least warm. The main source of pain is your poor feet, bleeding after two miles hobbling down a mountain path; you use the contents of Rayleigh’s first aid kit to clean and bandage the wounds, and then put a pair of heavy socks on. 

“I can make some tea if you want; I’m afraid we’ll have to wait for a while.” he offers then, and while already feeling guilty for all the trouble you’re causing him -it’s the middle of the night, and no matter how fond you are of each other you’re ready to bet Rayleigh would gladly return to his bed to sleep rather than playing nurse to you- a hot, calming tea is exactly what you need, since you can’t seem to stop shaking - more out of shock than cold.

“I’m sorry for all of this.” you whisper sadly as you follow him to the kitchen, unable to stand a distance of more than a few feet between you “But I couldn’t grab my phone nor my car keys, and didn’t know where else to go.”

“Are you kidding? (name), of course you did the right thing coming here. I’m… glad I can help.”

He seems so sincere, so earnest in his pure and genuine desire to support you, that whatever apology you were about to offer dies on your lips. 

You drink your tea sitting on the sofa, wrapped in your blanket, Rayleigh’s arm heavy and comforting on your shoulders, a gesture both of you would have considered inappropriate in any other circumstance but that here, and now, feels perfect, naturally offered and gratefully accepted.

“Has anything like this ever happened before?” you ask after a while, more because you can’t stand the silence than out of genuine curiosity; by this time the agents must have reached your home, but you can’t bear to think about the damages the three intruders could have caused in your chalet, that you had lovingly furnished and in which you felt at home, safe and protected, even just a few months after moving in.

“Not at all; I would have warned you otherwise. The worst I ever witnessed in a decade I have spent here was a band of campers who played loud music and poached a few buzzards in the woods, and a hunter who shot a doe and then left the carcass in the middle of the road. When I think of what could have happened to you… but you were good at defending yourself; good, and very brave.”

A tiny smile blossoms on your lips, his words of praise making you feel marginally better when you could have sworn nothing could. “Well, I used one of their bottles, and you know what they say, when you make your bed…”

In the end, it takes a full hour before Rayleigh receives a call from the agents, announcing that the intruders have left, and that it’s safe for you to return. Having taken his two heavier coats, one for each, Rayleigh accompanies you outside and drives you back home.

“You are safe, alright?” he murmurs ten minutes later, opening the door and offering you his hand to get out “And I’m here with you. It’s going to hurt, but you can’t start healing if you don’t look at the wounds first.” 

You nod mutely, but you find strength in those words, enough to stand the sight of your home after the invasion. The whole place has been ransacked: the furniture in the living room, the kitchen and your bedroom has been kicked and knocked over, the framed pictures on the walls and the shelves on the wall broken to pieces, the curtains on the windows and the pillows of the sofa slashed. And then, of course, there’s the stealing: your laptop, on which all your work is stored, has miraculously survived unscathed, but the intruders have taken the money you kept in the bedside table, a few of your jewels including a ring you had received as a gift from your late mother and held great sentimental value, and even, absurd but true, your microwave oven.

The police agents take your statement, that you will have to repeat tomorrow at their station; you describe the men for them, already convinced they will never be found and your things are lost forever, and in the end the agents leave you and Rayleigh alone. 

He makes it clear that he’s not leaving, and that he wouldn’t mind if you wanted to spend the night at his place, but you are not going to let those - those bastards chase you out of your own home. You put some clean clothes on, and take a blanket and a pillow to sleep on the sofa; you offer to prepare a bed for him as well, but Rayleigh refuses, and it’s then that you notice his gun, that your friend keeps stuck in his belt, until now hidden by his coat.

“I’ve got a licence; and I never had to use it since I moved here, but I’d better be safe than sorry.” he tells you, and while uneasy at having a firearm in your home, you nod, accepting his reasoning.

You sleep badly that night, and when you wake up with a start after nodding off and lift yourself up from the sofa, you see Rayleigh standing near the window of the living room as he stares outside, lost in his thoughts, the dark of the night enveloping his body; he’s standing guard, probably aware it’s highly unlikely your tormentors will come back but unwilling to take any chance. He doesn’t notice you have awoken, but knowing he’s there makes you feel better - safer, enough to place your head back on the pillow, close your eyes and succumb to exhaustion as you finally fall asleep. 

*

The next day Rayleigh has to leave for a business trip; he’s due to be away for a week, and he offers to postpone it to remain help you, or to accompany you to the town’s only B&B, so that you don’t have to sleep alone in your home, still bearing the signs of the invasion.

You refuse both offers. “There is no reason; the home alarm will be installed tomorrow, and the sooner I start cleaning up and fixing everything that’s broken, the sooner I’ll be done. I’m fine, truly.” you assure him “And if I leave, or if I get used to needing someone else's presence to feel safe, I might never be able to live here alone again.”

Clearly unsure, Rayleigh finally acquiesces, and makes you promise to call him if you need help, or just want to talk. “Take care of yourself.” he says, and then he kisses your brow, something no one has ever done since you were ten, and that fills your heart with tenderness.

You start missing him a minute after he left, but you roll up your sleeves and get to work. You have a cutting-edge home alarm installed, complete with cameras surrounding the property and a panic button, and the home door replaced with a more secure sort; you clean the chalet from top to bottom, throw away the pieces of furniture that can’t be repaired, and visit a large shop in a nearby -well, an hour drive away- shop to buy some more, and to replace all the things you can’t use anymore, including your microwave oven. 

It costs you quite a lot of money, and it’s hard work, especially for a woman alone, but every little step forward, every new shelf installed or framed picture hung, makes you feel a little better, and back in control of your own life. You don’t plan on buying a gun like Rayleigh did, but in the end your home is certainly back to its original, cosy state, and the night before his return, for the first time since the accident, you sleep soundly in your bed, at ease once again in that place you initially feared you would never feel safe in again.

Rayleigh has left by train; you check the company’s website for the schedule, and make sure to be at his door before he is, having prepared the dishes he has shown to appreciate the most in the several occasions you have dined together. He must be very tired, but his face lights up when he sees you as he gets out of his car, joy and almost relief making him even more handsome than he normally is.

“You’re here!”

“I am, hope you don’t mind. How was your trip? I brought you dinner.”

You prepared more than enough, as you often do, so you end up eating together at his place; Rayleigh tells you of the state of his business, fortunately in good health as far as both number of clients and level of profits are concerned, and is happy to learn you have made your home more secure and once again livable. 

“So… it’s everything alright?”

“I think so; I still feel insecure at times, especially when some noise wakes me up in the middle of the night, but it gets a little better every day. From now on I’ll go back on focusing on my work, and I’ll leave this nightmare behind me.”

“I’m glad to know. I…” Rayleigh rubs the back of his head with his hand, suddenly awkward for some reason you can’t decipher “I must admit, I feared you would decide to leave, to move to town, or to go back to your old place in the city.”

You admit the thought had crossed your mind, but leaving would mean giving the men who have ransacked your home and tried to hurt you the win, which is the last thing you want. You love living at the chalet, and except for this accident, which as he said was a case in a million and not a common occurrence, you never had any reason to consider moving away. You made sure to be more protected at home, and now you’ll go back to enjoy the peace and beauty of the mountains…

And then there’s him; Rayleigh, who is different from any man, any person really, you have ever met, and is a positive aspect of your new life you hadn’t expected to find. If you were to move, he’s the thing you would miss the most, and one of the main reasons why you’re determined to remain. You can’t tell him; not yet at least, not so early after realising that delicate truth yourself, but in the privacy of your heart you know it, as surely as you know your name.

Rayleigh smiles at you; his hand leaves the fork to take yours over the table, the touch delicate, almost shy, but full of significance. “I’m glad you’re here, (name).”

“I’m going nowhere.” you tell him; it’s a promise, to you both “You have my word.”

* 

“Have you made arrangements about the wood?” Rayleigh asks you one day. You’ve met in town, both of you buying groceries, and decided to get a coffee before returning home. You have noticed the way the waitress looked at both of you as she served your table -coquettish towards Rayleigh, openly resentful towards you- while he ignored her, his dark eyes focused on you with an intensity that at times is able to make you feel flustered “For the winter, I mean.”

The day is chilly at best, the mid-autumn wind making you shiver unpleasantly as you leave the cosy warmth of your home or take your clothes off to get in the shower, but you can only imagine how terribly cold it will get in the heart of winter, when snow can fall for days and water freezes inside the pipes. There is a wood shed on the back of your chalet, where you found a little timber left from the previous owner, but you have already made arrangements with a logging company to have enough to last you through the winter, delivered directly to your house.

“They’ll come next Thursday.” you explain as you enjoy the content of your cup. 

“Good. You know how to chop it, yes?”

“... sorry?”

“Chop the wood, to put it in the shed.” Rayleigh explains, smiling gently in response to your flummoxed expression “The logging company will deliver the wood to your home, but they won’t put it in your shed; they usually leave it on the front porch, and the logs are usually too big to be used, and need to be chopped.”

“Oh… I had no idea…”

“It’s fine, it’s your first winter here.”

“Can I pay the logging company’s workers to do it for me?” you ask, suddenly aware of how naive you’ve been, not considering this little matter “I’m not even sure I have an axe…”

“You can try but they usually don’t do it, for insurance reasons, not to mention they’d overcharge you. It’s alright, I’ll do it.”

“... sorry?”

“I’ll chop your wood; just call me when they are done on Thursday.”

You insist that you can’t ask him to do that, easily imagining how tiring and time-consuming the job could be, even for a strong man like Rayleigh, but he remains undeterred, and looks supremely unimpressed when you offer to pay him for it. 

“We’re neighbours, living in an isolated area; it’s normal that we help each other.” he points out gently “Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”

“Of course, but…”

“But, nothing, (name). It’s fine; if you really want to make it up to me, you can cook me dinner like you have done so many times already.”

You share a smile, and you’re about to say something when the waitress approaches. “Can I bring you guys anything else?” she asks, speaking in the plural form but openly ignoring you; you see Rayleigh tense, and suddenly his leg is pressing against yours under the table.

“No, thank you.” you answer firmly, also speaking without looking away from the man sitting in front of you “We have everything we need already.”

*

And that’s how, on the following Thursday, you find yourself with a full-blown mountain of wood spread on your driveway, and with Rayleigh, who came immediately after the logging company had left and you called him, ready to get to work. You brought him a bottle of water and a towel, and begged him to let you help him in any way you could, but he assured you he was fine and would be done before the end of the day - which, given the fact it’s barely early afternoon, could mean several hours.

“Please don’t overexert yourself. Have you eaten? Take as many breaks as you need, it’s alright if you want to finish tomorrow or any other day…”

“(name), I’m fine.” he reassures you, openly amused; his hand -which is just like him: broad and strong, the touch gentle but firm when it need be, and why are you suddenly hot, even though winter is only a few weeks away and you’ve gone outside without a coat?- is placed on your shoulder, the gesture chaste and reassuring but that for some reason is enough to make your heartbeat accelerate “I’ve done this for more than a decade every year, the last time only six days ago. I’ll be fine, and if I need to take a break I will, you have my word.”

Reassured but still vaguely embarrassed for the inconvenience you’re causing him, you leave Rayleigh to his axe and block, and return inside to get to work: your latest novel is almost ready, but during their latest call your agent has insisted you need to submit it as soon as possible, so as to have it ready for publication in time for Christmas. 

You sit in the living room, with your laptop and a cup of tea to sustain you, polishing your work and making sure even the smallest detail will satisfy your readers. You’re quite proud of this novel and usually capable of focusing on what you need to do, but today you’re unusually distracted, and the reason why you need to re-read the same line three times and to keep deleting what you just wrote because of yet another typo is not the noise of traffic out of your apartment or the loud music the lodger upstair is generously sharing with the whole complex, like when you still lived in the city…

It’s him. 

The soft thuds of the axe cutting the log and the two halves hitting the ground reach your ears; looking out of the window, you can see Rayleigh hard at work, the axe lifted above his head and then swiftly lowered for a neat cut. He’s been working for two hours without any sign of slowing down, and maybe you should insist he takes it easy, but concern is not the only impulse that leads you to abandon your work -and by now cold cup- to cross the living room, reach the house door and linger there, your shoulder resting against the jamb and your arms to your chest, to observe him closely like you would do with a really good show.

Which he really is. 

You had thought Rayleigh was attractive ever since your first meeting. Tall and imposing, he has the physique of a man who keeps fit more through an active lifestyle and working hard than going to the gym; he has broad shoulders, arms whose strength you got to admire every time he offered to bring your groceries and other heavy parcels inside, and a very pleasant to look at backside, especially when he wears a certain pair of heavy but form-fitting trousers. He has strawberry blonde hair, piercing brown eyes, and the sort of smile that makes dimples appear on his cheeks; he is without a doubt one of the handsomest men you have ever met, and no matter how sincerely you consider him a dear friend, you have grown increasingly aware of the fact the more time you spent together… and it has never been harder to keep your attraction under control than now that he’s on your front porch, naked from the waist up.

There is an unspoken elegance in the way he works, the deliberate, confident movements of his body betraying a full control of his actions; the axe he’s handling is very heavy, not to mention dangerous should its edge cut through flesh rather than wood, and Rayleigh would have any reason to be tired by now, but his stamina must be higher than you gave it credit - which is another thought your mind can’t help but linger on. 

You can see perspiration glister on his shoulders and back as he works, and the way he stops for a moment to brush the hair away from his eyes before returning to work; from your position at the door -you are sighing, biting your lip and squeezing your thighs as you fantasise about being able to touch and caress what you are now admiring; you should probably feel embarrassed, at the mercy of your impulses like a teenager who has just discovered boys, but you don’t, no, you could even say you like it…- you can see his broad back bend and straighten, muscles rippling under his taut skin, and the way his biceps bulge with the effort of raising the axe…

“You know.” Rayleigh mentions after a while without looking up at you, amusement clear in his voice “It will last longer if you took a picture.”

You hadn’t even realised he had noticed you were there, but you’re determined not to make him see he has caught you off guard. “You’re probably right.” you answer pensively, and then, unflinchingly, you retrieve your phone from your pocket, select your camera, frame him, and take the picture.

“Perfect, thank you.” you say cheerfully, turn and walk back inside swinging your hips before Rayleigh has time to react.

The picture came out really well, but that’s not the only reason why you’re openly grinning; you are sure Rayleigh will not let the matter drop, and he in fact doesn’t.

He has joined you in the living room a minute later, still naked from the waist up even though he must have used the towel to wipe away the sweat from his body; you are face to face, his naked chest in front of you -wide shoulders, firm pectorals, a taut stomach, soft-looking blonde hair disappearing under the waistband of his trousers; God, he looks so good you might start salivating any minute- a pleasant view you shamelessly enjoy, not bothering to hide your mouth behind your hand when you lick your lips, suddenly hungry for something that is not food.

Rayleigh is smiling as he reaches out towards you; he has noticed your interest and doesn’t bother to hide how flattered he is. “Let me see the picture.”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

“Come on, (name); it’s my picture after all, and I don’t want it to be on your phone if it didn’t turn out right.”

You tell him that the picture is very flattering, so much that you were planning on asking the publishing house to use if for the cover of your new novel, but Rayleigh is not deterred; he tries to take the phone from your hand as you retreat deeper into the room, until the base of your back is pressing against the edge of the table top, and his hands rest on it at the sides of your hips, effectively caging you.

Your heart is pounding; you try swallowing and you manage - barely. Without a word you surrender your phone in Rayleigh possession, and he observes the picture after turning on the screen. “Not bad.” he decides, and grins as he places the phone safely on the table. 

“So; the cover of your next novel, was it? I should feel flattered.”

“I'm sure my readers would love it, but I think I changed my mind; I want to keep that picture for myself, rather than sharing it.”

“I see. I could let you do a whole photoshoot if you'd like…”

You grin; Rayleigh smiles, and a moment later his hand, warm and strong and delicate, has cupped your cheek. 

“Tell me I can.” he murmurs; his voice, low and soft, and the arousal behind it, is enough to make you shiver “(name), please, tell me I can or I don't know what I'll do…”

It’s like taking a deep breath after having held it for a lifetime. “Of course.” you murmur, offering him your mouth, and a moment later the space separating you has disappeared.

Kissing Rayleigh is everything you had hoped for and more; soft and intense, passionate but unhurried, as if he wanted to take his time savouring it - savouring you, and the taste of your lips. You hear him moan softly when your tongue finds his, deepening the kiss, and a moment later you’re running your fingers through his hair, feeling his heart pound against your chest; you can feel Rayleigh’s hands running up and down your sides, gently moulding the shape of your body, and when you finally part, both breathless, a look is enough to make it clear you want the same thing.

Rayleigh grabs you by the hips to effortlessly pick you up and place you on the table. You quickly circle his hips with your legs, closing the space between you; your arms snake around his neck as he still holds you in place, but a moment later your hands descend down his chest, exploring flesh and skin, so deliciously masculine and warm under your touch, and you can feel a rumbling of pleasure under your palms.

“Am I of your liking?”

“You most certainly are; especially if we were not to limit ourselves to kissing.” you point out; it’s quite a bold declaration, especially if shared between a couple that has been so for less than two minutes, but Rayleigh has the power to make you feel safe, at ease, even if just from the embarrassment of discovering you want different things.

That, and the fact that you can feel his erection pressing against your thigh.

“Are you sure?” Rayleigh’s gaze meets yours as he takes your face in his hands, torn between the desire of hearing you confirm yours and the fear of making you uncomfortable “I don’t mind, I… I want you so much, but we have all the time, I don’t want to ruin…”

“We’re ruining nothing; and I want you too, more than you can imagine. I just need to feel you, Rayleigh; whatever happens from tomorrow onward, I have never been as sure of something as I am of this.”

The handsome man in front of you raises an eyebrow. “From tomorrow onward?”

“Yes, because I want to spend the rest of the day making love to you.” you explain placidly, arching your hips to press yourself against his turgor, and Rayleigh whines.

“Woman, you are killing me…”

You have no intention of causing him any more discomfort, and you prove it by lifting your arms, allowing Rayleigh to free you from your sweater, long-sleeved shirt, and tank top, all in one. You should feel cold, almost completely naked from the waist up, but the way he is looking at you is enough to fill your belly with warmth. 

You kiss some more, touching each other and panting as the desire between you grows; Rayleigh’s hand runs up and down your clothed leg, his mouth smiling against yours as he feels you arch your hips as you search for a modicum of friction, the pressure between your legs mounting to unbearable levels. 

“Down, girl…”

“I can’t… Rayleigh, please…”

He grins, leaving your lips to bite gently at the column of your neck. “I like the way you say my name.” he murmurs “And don’t worry, I’ll take care of you in a minute.”

You help him unclasp your bra, and a moment later you’re lying on the table, moaning as Rayleigh, bent over you, kisses and licks your breasts. You run your fingers through his hair, and a moment later he has captured your right nipple in his mouth, sucking with just enough force to mix pleasure and pain, and rather than moaning, you are screaming -Rayyleeeiiiggghh- and in a murmur he tells you to go on, and you’re so beautiful and hot, and he’s waited for almost a year to hear you scream his name.

One of Rayleigh’s arms is resting on the table next to your head, supporting him. He lowers his free hand between your legs, cupping your core; despite the heavy trousers you are wearing you can feel his thumb finger pad against your clit, gentle but merciless as he rubs and caresses and stimulates, and then suddenly something snaps inside of you and a tide sweeps you away, and your scream is no longer a name, or a word, but a simple, raw declaration of love and passion.

Rayleigh’s hand carries you through your orgasm, drawing every last drop of pleasure from your body until your head falls back on the table; you are wheezing, and while you thought you were past embarrassment you can’t help but blush when your gaze meets his.

“Don’t look at me like that! I haven’t had sex in a decade…”

“Then we’ll spend the next one doing it.” he decides; he kisses you, sweet and passionate. “Let me bring you to bed.”

“No.”

“No…?”

“No.” you repeat, smiling as you rest your forehead against his “I want to do it on the rug.”

The living room’s rug is one of the few pieces of furniture you brought with you from the city, soft and heavy, the red and black wool perfect for lying in front of the fireplace with a book, and also, you discover today, to make love on.

Rayleigh picks you up before you have time to react to carry and then gently depose you on the rug. “Comfortable?” he asks softly, and when you nod he smiles, stands, and starts stripping. 

The sight of his naked legs, like the rest of his body made strong and taut by a lifetime of work, is enough to make you bite your lip, but then you sit up, and Rayleigh turns back to you, the turgor inside his black briefs is at the same height of your eyes, and suddenly you can’t quite remember how to breathe.

You rest your hands on his hips. “May I?” you ask, looking up at him, and having received a nod of permission you slowly, cautiously finish undressing him, and then there’s nothing you can do but stare, open-mouthed, and Rayleigh groans, as if having to physically stop himself from filling your open cavern with his organ. 

“Darling, please…” he begins, and then doesn’t finish, because you have taken his erection -lovely, absolutely perfect, long and big and veiny, erect against his belly, the base surrounded by soft blonde hair and the tip already leaking pre-cum- in your hand, pumping it hard enough to force a litany of swear words from Rayleigh’s mouth, and you must not be the only one who hasn’t done it in a while, because it takes him only a few minutes after you have swallowed him to murmur that you need to stop, because no matter how much he’s enjoying your ministrations -oh God yes, yes darling, just like this, don’t st-oh God your teeth…!- he wants more, for your first time. 

He lets you take off your shoes and socks by yourself, and then he’s kneeling above you, opening your trousers; he kisses your belly, then the apex of your thigh, and then further and further down as he slips your trousers down your legs, and finally all you are wearing are black panties, which is not the sexiest, nor the newest, pair you own, but Rayleigh doesn’t seem to mind, so you don’t either.

You kiss some more as his hand slips under the cotton. “You are so wet.” he murmurs, and you can feel him once more, the clever movement of his fingers pushing you to the brink for the second time; you arch your hips against him, but a moment later he has retracted his hand, and laughs when he hears you whine “Patience, my darling; I promise it’ll be worth the wait.”

It is, a thousand times worth it, but nevertheless you are almost crying with need when Rayleigh frees you from your panties, remains a moment still to admire you, and then takes you in his arms once more, you legs intertwined, an arm bent under your head as a pillow, your hands caressing his back as his slips between your bodies, and a moment later you can feel his tip pressing against your folds.

“I’ve wanted you since the first day I met you.” he murmurs; your faces are close enough you are almost sharing breath, and it’s never been like this for you, the perfect intimacy of this moment almost bringing tears to your eyes “I’ve always been content on my own, and then one day you were there, offering me tea even though you were in the middle of a move, and coming to me after you had to run from your home. God… you are so beautiful.”

You smile, heart bursting with happiness, but at the same time you’re frustrated, because you’re not good with words, at least when you have to speak them out loud rather than typing them to be published, and there’s a reason why most of your books have always been devoid of romance. Talking about feelings is hard, and scary; and while being with Rayleigh has always had the gift of making you feel safe, you are not sure you can actually express what you already know in your heart.

You decide to try.

“I…”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“But I want to; I… I never thought I could feel this way; especially not at this age.” you murmur “To be honest, I had lost hope I could; that I could meet someone I can be myself with, without fear. But I did; I found you, Rayleigh, and for this I will be grateful forever.”

It’s pretty inadequate as far as affection declarations are concerned, but Rayleigh looks happy; he kisses you once more, arching his body above yours, and then he starts to push, slow, deliberate movements as he grins, well aware of the effect he’s having on you.

“You’re so tight.” he moans in your ear, and you wish you could point out that the reason is your long period of celibacy as much as his size, but you can’t, because it would be a complete lie and because at the moment you wouldn’t be able to talk even if your life were at stake. 

Rayleigh is gentle at first, making sure you’re comfortable and he’s not hurting you more than you’d appreciate, but then something changes; he holds you in his arms as he shifts, kneeling on the rug and then moving, his pace quickening, his muscles tense and his groans and cries filling the air, and he’s so hard, so big and strong and masculine and in control, and he’s looking at you, his dark eyes fixed on your squirming, panting form. He looks at you as if you were the realisation of all his dreams, and despite the delicious friction filling you belly with fire you’re taking his body as if you had done it a million times already, as if you were made for it and for him and he for you; you grab his biceps hard enough to sink your nails in his flesh and

“More.” you growl, and Rayleigh grins, and obeys, giving you his all as he makes sure you forget any other man who has ever touched you, and any other partner you have ever loved. 

*

Leaving Rayleigh at the end of your lovemaking is the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but the day is too cold to remain naked and exposed, so you regretfully stand, separating your body from his and giggling when Rayleigh takes your hand to pull you to him once more and steal a kiss from your lips. 

“Where are you going? Stay here, I’m not done with you yet…”

“I’m glad to hear it; I just need to fetch a blanket, I’ll be back in a minute.”

He finally lets you go -make it half a minute, I miss you already- and remains lying on your rug, naked like the day he was born, looking at you as you cross the room, swinging your hips a little more than you normally do. You walk quickly towards your bedroom, and after a moment of indecision you retrieve a heavy quilt from the wardrobe; you bought it only a week ago despite its high price, in anticipation of the cold winter, and you couldn’t imagine a better occasion to inaugurate it. You also take both of your pillows.

Rayleigh has not remained idle while you were away; he is now kneeling in front of the fireplace, perfectly at ease in his nudity -and who wouldn’t be, with a body like his?!- as he uses the little wood you had found in the shed behind the house and brought inside to kindle a fire. He looks up at you, smiling as he rubs his hands to wipe the soot away, as the light of the flames bathes his face; he’s handsome enough to make your heart tremble. 

“Hope you don’t mind; we’ll be warmer.”

“I don’t; after all I have enough chopped wood to last me through the winter.”

You both laugh as you return to the rug, and quickly arrange a comfortable bedding with the quilt and the pillows. “Are you tired? Do you want something to eat, or to drink?”

Rayleigh shakes his head, looking at you fondly. “Maybe later. Now come here, the only thing I have an appetite for is you.”   

You happily snuggle together under the quilt, unbothered by the perspiration permeating both of your bodies; you kiss for a while, hungry hands moving on warm skin, satisfied but not yet sated. Out of the house night is falling, but neither notices; it’s not like you had something to do, or somewhere to be, more important than this and here, with each other, discovering a future neither had dared to hope could be in the plans.

“So.” you murmur in the end, resting your cheek on his shoulder as your hand plays with the soft hair of his chest; Rayleigh seems to appreciate, given the way he’s literally purring, a low rumble of pleasure that reminds you of the content growl of a tiger “It seems like we’re having a chapter seventeen of our own.”

It may seem too obscure a reference, since Rayleigh has by now read several of your books, and who knows how many others, but he immediately understands what you mean; he smiles, vaguely unsure, as he brushes his fingers against your cheek. “Maybe.” he concedes “It’s been a very enjoyable chapter, even more than the one you wrote, and it can be so again. But…”

“But?”

“But, I would also be happy if this could be our chapter thirty-one.”

Chapter thirty-one is the one, in the book you’re both referencing, where your novelist protagonist and her love interest, the no longer mysterious man, confess their feelings to each other and decide to pursue a relationship. You’ve never been particularly interested in romance and your novel was not exactly a love story, but you’re pretty proud of how you had built up the relationship between the two characters, a love that doesn’t magically solve all of their problems -rather, it creates a few more!- with the two not falling suddenly in love at first sight or, worse, after having sex, but building a relationship based on trust and respect, learning to compromise and taking care of each other.

You were young when you wrote that novel, too young perhaps to know what love was, but you thought, and you kept on thinking, that perhaps one day you would find a relationship like that as well. And who knows, maybe you can, now, if you only had the courage of…

“Sorry, maybe it was corny… what I meant to say is…”

“I know.” you reassure him, turning in Rayleigh’s embrace to look him in the eyes; his hands raise to cradle your hips, the hold possessive and still hungry, but there is tenderness in his eyes, and a smile you can’t help but returning as you caress his hair “And I’d like that.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am; really, really sure. How could I not, given everything we have shared ever since we met? I mean, I haven’t had a relationship worthy of the name in more than a decade, I don’t even remember what it means to have a partner, but…”

“We’ll remember together.” Rayleigh reassures you; he kisses your brow and then, as if remembering suddenly that he can, your mouth “Now come here; I want to hold you for a while before the next round.”

Happy, you settle in your lover’s arms, his solid body warming you better than any heavy blanket ever could, and enjoy the feeling of his heartbeat under your cheek as Rayleigh holds you in his arms, tight, as if never intending to let go.

[marduksstuff]

✮⋆˙

[eclown4hire]

assortment of sillies!

[bastardlotus]

rayleigh @ the straw hats:

[mrteaspill]

Drew some M(itosis)preg AU Doodles at Uni!!

(Imagine this is a timeline where Garp didnt know he can 'give birth')

Sengoku & Tsuru: Please, don't hold your baby like that Garp.

Tsuru wants to make sure Garp feels how she and Sengoku felt around him (Garp always drives them crazy, so now its their turn for payback)(little did they know, that exact baby is gonna cause so much trouble for the world)

Quick father-son nap /(>×<)\

To Rayleighs dismay, in a decade and half, hes tasked with raising not one, but TWO babies lol.

He also got it wrong about Garp. Garp didnt pull noone, he only gave birth🤷‍♂️

Just the sons being adorable😙✨️

[moonydustx]

how they would react to F!Reader saying she's pregnant but with Shanks, Rayleigh and Law?

Oi oi! Turu bem? Vou deixar até o comecinho da resposta em português porque sim hahahahah primeiro, obrigada pelo pedido e segundo, eu acho que me empolguei escrevendo de novo, sou inimiga do resumo. O do Ray acho que pode ter ficado um pouco confuso porque tentei usar as duas eras (como pode ele ser tãão saborosíssimo toda vez que aparece, af). Mas é isso, obrigadão e espero que goste <3

And here’s the translation of the day: Hey Hey! How are you? I'll even leave the beginning of the answer in portuguese because yes hahahahah (for those who don't understand PT-BR, I discovered that the requester is brazilian like me) firstly, thank you for the request and secondly, I think I got carried away writing again. I think Ray's might have been a little confusing because I tried to use both eras (how can he be so delicious every time he appears, haha). But that's it, thank you and I hope you like it <3

Oh, and hello @badlandsx! I'm tagging you here because I saw your request about Law, but don't worry, I'll soon write the other part that you also requested. Thank you <3

requests open | one piece masterlist (other pregnancy stories are here)

Warnings are place individually in each story.

Rayleigh

Warnings: mentions of new and old Ray, like I said I love them both. Buggy and Shanks kids are one of my favorite things about Roger's era, so we have them here. Mention to F!Reader being an herbalist. Brief not-so-canonical mention of Sabaody's arc.

Acid temperament, answers on the tip of the tongue, a captivating smile. Rayleigh didn't have much of an option but to fall in love at first sight when you two bumped into each other in a random bar on a random island. It didn't matter anymore when he managed to convince you to be part of the crew. Your knowledge of herbs and medicines was just an excuse he used to get the captain to accept - and Roger knew Silvers Rayleigh enough to know it was just a pretext for you to get on board.

It didn't take long for the glances exchanged and toasts proposed to turn into hidden moments at Oro Jackson, kisses stolen when others weren't looking, that turned into a golden ring around your finger. Now, such moments had turned into a new life being generated in you.

"You should stay less agitated for now, please." Crocus asked. You had come up with a lame excuse for him to stay on the ship with you while the others had disembarked. "By my reckoning, these are still the first few months, it's the most sensitive period. Any more aggressive activity can bring risks."

"You will die?" Buggy's squeaky voice caught the two of you's attention. When you found the spot where the boy was hiding, you saw Shanks cover his companion's mouth.

"Nothing like that, come here." you leaned on the counter, calling out to the two who soon stopped in front of you. "How much of our conversation did you hear?"

"That you don't really know what to do, and that you need to be less agitated and that you're sensitive." Shanks took the lead, listing, Buggy came further behind, eyes attentive to your every movement.

The two boys already saw you almost as a motherly figure, always trying to hide and lean on you whenever they got into trouble, of course they would be scared to hear such loose information.

"I'll trust you two, but I want you both to keep your mouth shut." you bent down to his level. "I'm pregnant, but it's too early for anyone to know, okay?"

"Pregnant?" they both screamed and you covered their mouths. Further behind you, Crocus was deliberately laughing at the two boys' reactions. "Does that mean it's the baby that's hurting you?" Buggy completed.

"No one was hurt." the doctor took the lead, explaining to both of them. "A pregnant woman requires more care and is also more sensitive. Well, you knowing this can be of great help."

"What do you mean by that?" Just like you, the boys seemed to have doubt written all over their faces.

"Someone here loves to get into trouble, until Rayleigh finds out and can keep an eye on you, you two are responsible for it. No fights, no crazy adventures, no almost anything." the man laughed when he saw your indignant expression.

"I promise to keep her and the baby safe." Shanks puffed out his chest, taking pride in what he had said.

"What? I promise more than him." Buggy grumbled.

"As long as you both promise to keep quiet, that's fine with me."

When the two youngest saluted, you knew you were screwed.

It was difficult to disguise such a situation when in the following days the two of them became your shadow. The only time you could see yourself alone was going to the bathroom. If you went to your little corner to work, one of the two would be sitting next to you, following everything you explained to them - since they were there, they would learn something. In day-to-day tasks, one of them always set out to do his part. Rayleigh was already finding their little movement strange, but he knew how attached you were to both of them, so it wasn't something that bothered him.

"I'm going to take advantage of the fact that it's our last day here and I'm going to go down to the village, I need to get some materials." you announced. "Does anyone need anything?"

"Everything's fine here." Gaban warned and one by one, the other companions agreed.

"Wait!" a panting Buggy ran across the boat. "I'll go with you."

"Get out you fool, I'll go." Shanks shouted from the other side.

"Come on, the three of you, what do you think?" you suggested, before his little fight escalated.

"You two don't think you're stealing much of my wife's attention, do you?" Rayleigh proposed, seeing the two swallow hard and deny it. "Alright, enjoy the little walk."

It was supposed to be a quick visit to the island, if the boys didn't decide to start trouble with one of the sellers, you got in the middle and now you were lying on your ass on the floor - in the pushing and shoving, there ended up being a push for you while arguing with the seller . Before you could calm the boys down, you saw them running towards the ship, shit.

Rayleigh's attention was stolen when he saw the two crew members rushing into the Oro Jackson. Buggy burst into tears and insults directed at his friend, while Shanks seemed to be looking for someone specific. You, however, were not with them. It didn't take much to connect the facts.

"Where is she?" He approached the kids, completely ignoring them. "What happened?"

"A tragedy." Buggy, dramatically, started crying even more.

"You idiot! We can't tell them anything." Shanks poked Buggy, who immediately retaliated with a push.

"Crocus said we should keep an eye on her and now she's fallen and is going to die!"

"She fell?" Rayleigh was already impatient with their drama, unable to find any connection in their grumbling. "Explain this properly."

"It was just a fall, nothing big." the redhead tried to alleviate the situation.

"Boys, it was just a fall, she's definitely gotten herself into bigger trouble." Roger laughed, watching the two boys pushing each other.

"I don't want to know. Where's Crocus?" Buggy grumbled, ignoring the captain's own laughter and his friend's false calm temperament.

"What kind of fall was that for you two to be so worried about?" Rayleigh held out his hands, pushing the two boys apart by their foreheads.

"This idiot went looking for a fight." Shanks tried to reach the clown, stopped by the first mate's hand.

"And this idiot who doesn't know how to keep his tongue in his mouth." Buggy fought back, only hitting the air.

"First she said we were supposed to be quiet."

"You knock down a pregnant woman and I'm the one who has to stay quiet!" The words that came out of Buggy were able to provoke silence among the other pirates. "Shit!"

"She's going to kill us man."

"Where is she?" Crocus appeared, stopping in front of the boys and an astonished Rayleigh. "How did she fall? What's all that crying, Buggy?"

"Is she the pregnant woman?" Rayleigh asked in a much calmer tone than usual.

The hands were now no longer used to separate the boys, they just hung beside his body. Seeing the two kids swallow hard and look at each other, Rayleigh no longer needed any more answers.

"Rayleigh, Crocus go to her, now." Even with Roger's orders, Rayleigh was already heading in the direction of leaving the boat, not worrying about who would follow him.

Upon entering the village, it didn't take many steps for them to find you - only then did Rayleigh notice the doctor's presence. What was strange was finding you still lying on the floor, your elbows propped up to keep your face up while you were still arguing with the man in front of you. You didn't look hurt, you just looked mad at the man.

"It was just some herbs!" you shouted, excited.

"You idiot! If it was just some herbs, you should pay." the man shouted back.

Before you could respond, a body appeared in front of you and you didn't need much to recognize that it was your husband.

"What is happening?" his patient voice asked, looking at you over his shoulder. "I see that you seem to have problems with my wife."

"You see, she allowed two boys to steal herbs from my store."

"That is true?" he turned to you, finding a wry smile. Your permissiveness with the boys would still kill him. "How much does she owe you?"

The man spoke and almost as if predicting the problem, Crocus threw some coins to Rayleigh, who handed them to the man. A few seconds later, they were both around you.

"Did you get hurt?" the doctor asked, seeing your eyes dart from his to your husband's. "Buggy accidentally told him that little secret."

"Shit." your grumble was low, in a way you avoided looking at Rayleigh. "Maybe I spent my money buying some sweets for the three of us, but I needed those herbs too." you list, feeling your face burn with guilt and shame.

"Do you feel any pain?" Rayleigh asked, his voice almost forcing you to face him. Without finding words, you just denied it. "Great. Let's go back to the ship."

Crocus supported you by the waist and as soon as you stood up, you bitterly regretted having denied the question your husband had asked. The excruciating pain that shot up from your foot made you scream and fall forward, being held by Rayleigh.

"I was wrong, so wrong, what the hell." you grumbled, taking your aching foot off the ground. "It fucking hurts, it really hurts, Ray, do something." your teary eyes searched for his, who looked attentively in your direction.

"First I need you to calm down, sweetheart." he asked, wrapping his arm around you and providing even more support. "Crocus, what do we have?"

"Let me see." he bent down again, finding a swollen ankle. "It could just be a sprain or it could be broken, let's go back and that way I can see calmly."

"Go ahead, I'll take her."

The doctor took a few steps away and the two of you remained there for a few seconds, until Rayleigh took you in his arms and took you back to the ship. You knew he wanted to tell you something, but you also knew that that wasn't the appropriate place.

Before you could receive the necessary medical attention, you needed to calm both boys down. Maybe the explanation you and Crocus gave the two of them earlier had been too much for them to think that a little fight would bring you down. Rayleigh ushered them both out and closed the door behind him.

"When were you thinking of telling me?" he asked, still distant.

"To be honest, I still don't know." a light laugh escaped your lips. "They both found out by accident, hearing me talk to Crocus."

"I still can't believe those little idiots found out before me." his expression softened as he approached you.

"Are you mad at me?" His hands circled your waist, pulling you to the middle of the bed.

He gently created space for himself between your legs, taking care to place your bandaged ankle to the side. The fierce kisses this time were replaced by some caresses along your lap, some quick kisses on your lips.

"Furious?" His smile floated to your forehead, turning into a small kiss. "I just found out that the woman I love most is about to bear me a child. How can I be furious with such good news?"

His mouth once again met yours and despite the softness in which your tongues tangled, the gentle touch of his hand sliding down your side - curious fingers floating over the fabric on your belly - before your dress found a different path than your body, a small external noise caught the attention of both of you.

"Sure." Rayleigh pulled away just enough, allowing you to still feel his breath against yours. "You know it's Roger who's waiting, don't you?"

"Yeah." you laughed, seeing him groan as he let go of you.

"And that he's about to come out screaming with joy" he asked again and you nodded, trying to adjust yourself in bed and hide any evidence of what was about to happen.

Rayleigh barely opened the wooden door and Roger followed by other companions entered, a smile from ear to ear.

"A child!" He pulled you from the bed, hugging you tightly. "Another crewmate for us! This is incredible, get ready today we're going to drink, we're going to celebrate."

"Oi! She can't drink." Rayleigh pointed out and saw Roger let go of you a little and then hug you tightly again.

"Then let's eat, eat a lot. I'm going to order an incredible feast!"

If before your concern was to escape the needy and attentive claws of Buggy and Shanks, now the two boys seemed to have found company. Your other companions - being practically led by Rayleigh made you feel adorable all the time. Even with your hormones screaming at the top of your skin, even with all the strange desires and the constant need to be attached to your husband, everyone seemed to be ready and happy to see you pregnant. Rayleigh felt proud and a little overprotective of you, no wonder, since you had already returned to the boat covered in blood that didn't belong to you just because someone had tried to rob you or when you almost convinced Roger to loot a village because you wanted cakes from a bakery that was closed when you docked. You still preferred to stick to your herbs, but that didn't mean you were harmless.

Little Arthur came into the world calmly and quickly, as if everything was meticulously planned for him to arrive on that peaceful afternoon. Even though you were still uncomfortable and tired after giving birth, you couldn't contain your laughter when you saw the two youngest members of the crew fighting over who would pick up the little one first. Knowing the affection and care attached to you, you proudly allowed the two of you to carry the title of little Arth's uncles - provoking yet another argument over who was the favorite.

The bonds between you and Rayleigh became even tighter after the birth of Arth and, shortly after, little Dalia. A few years after the gang broke up and Roger was executed and on that day, you and your husband stepped back from the role of parents and allowed yourselves to cry on each other's shoulders. The tears of pain at the loss of Roger soon turned to missing your eldest son, a fruit doesn't fall far from the tree and of course, Arth never let you two tell him everything you knew, he would find a crew so that together they could find the One Piece.

The door to your house opened and you saw a familiar face enter. A mother knows very well what each child's traits could bring and when you saw an almost identical copy of Rayleigh rush through the door, you knew it was your boy back. He had finally found a crew - one that carried a straw hat familiar to the one you knew.

"What?" the voice of his companions shouted in unison as Rayleigh properly introduced the two of you.

"You mean you know everything?" Usopp turned to Arth, who just shook his head. "Oh, that's a lot of information at once."

"We never told him anything." you explained, holding your third child in your arms, a girl who had just turned four years old.

"You said your parents were pirates, but you never specified which ones." Luffy pointed out, his mouth full of food.

"My parents already had their time, now they have other priorities." Arth took little Lure from you, the girl's laugh echoed throughout the room. "Just like this little one here."

"You only have these two children?" Nami asked, interested in the difference between you and Rayleigh to the white-haired child.

"In fact, only Dalia and Arth were born to me. Ray saved our little Lure from being sold to those damn nobles. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to save her family, but we took it upon ourselves to take care of her."

"And Dalia is also a pirate?"

"Not for now, but she's on an island with some of our friends, training." you simply informed, seeing that Arth had understood the message.

That same day, you saw your son disappear before your eyes, into the hands of the tyrant Kuma. Luffy looked desolate and you followed suit, both screams echoing through the damp Sabaody forest. Only when Rayleigh managed to drag you back home did you understand that your boy would be far away, safer and according to Kuma himself, with someone you both would trust with your eyes closed.

Almost two years have passed since Rayleigh took on a mission and left you alone on the island, taking care of what was left behind.

"Father?" Lure's voice caught your attention. At the door, Rayleigh crouched down, waiting for the white-haired girl to jump towards him.

"My sweetie you are so huge!" he let the girl hang onto him, filling the top of her head with kisses. "If I took a little longer, you'd be bigger than me."

"I missed you so much." she clung to Rayleigh, who was walking towards you. "Mommy too."

"I bet she felt it too." With one of his free hands, he circled your waist, lightly kissing your lips. "I hope two of my favorite girls are okay."

"Dad, did you know that Uncle Duval asked Mom to stay with him?" The girl laughed at the little gossip told, earning a reprimanding look from you, even if it was a joke.

"Uncle Duval, hm? I'll have a little talk with him." Rayleigh placed her on the floor, yet the girl remained there beside you, paying attention to everything.

"Just a friend of the Straw Hats, we took care of Sunny while you were gone. I even tried to start the plating, but I'd rather focus on my teas." You explained, allowing yourself to hug him completely. "How are things over there?"

"By things, do you talk about our Dalia?"

"Perhaps." the passive tone in your voice became even calmer when your face was buried in his chest. "I miss my little girl."

"She promised to come soon and she's doing great, she's been one of Kikyo's right-hand men. She's so strong, you'll be proud." he felt you nod against his skin, the distance of two years seemed too far for a quick hug to satisfy. "Want to know about Arth?"

"Have you heard from him?"

"Is little brother Arth coming?" Lure clung to Rayleigh's leg, watching her father. Even without the blood connection, the black king found it comical to say the least how similar you two had become.

"Not yet, my dear. And I haven't heard from him exactly, but rather where he is." Rayleigh began to explain, meeting your curious eyes. "I only received a small note."

He took it out and handed you the small crumpled paper. The tranquility that had been missing for two years invaded you as you read each word.

I hope this reaches you and your wife, Rayleigh-san. Knowing her, I believe she is distraught over Arth's disappearance. He has been training with me and I promise that I will keep that old promise to keep him safe. No clumsy clowns this time.

Shanks.

Shanks

warnings: F!Reader and Shanks don't have a fixed relationship at the beginning of the story, F!Reader has a restaurant. Maybe wrong use of haki, brief spicier section and brief mentions of childbirth. Shanks is an adorable girl dad here. Emony, in some language that I don't remember, is a name related to treasure.

"When are you going to go to sea with me?"

That question had already been repeated countless times every day that Shanks decided to stop at your restaurant. He always made up a little excuse that his crew was hungry and that no other place in that city would be able to fulfill his orders. He repeated every time you served dishes wearing the apron he said made you look amazing, every time he convinced you to stop working for a bit and share a dish with him, every time he was on top of you. you on the bed, as you asked for more and more.

However, every time the answer was the same.

"Give me a good reason red-haired, one other than me ending up in your bed, and I will."

You had already lost track of the times he did this, that he asked and you refused, that you shared hours together and the next morning he left you to return a few months later. This time however, it was difficult to lose track of time, as with each passing day, you discovered a change in your body. It started with irritability, then the aching body, nausea and finally, the positive test on your hand and your shocked family right behind you.

The whole city already knew that you were the redhead's favorite person and at that point, no one dared to mess with you or insinuate anything. Knowing how quickly rumors could spread, you chose to keep it a secret until it became impossible. The secret only lasted four months before his jolly roger appears on the horizon. Already knowing the routine he used to have on the island, you prepared yourself to soon find him entering the door.

"Finally, my favorite cook." his voice hit you before you even saw him. "Long time no see you."

"Yeah, it's been a while." out of habit, you allowed his hand to hug your waist, but you tried not to tighten yourself too much in his embrace.

"Everything is fine?" he asked, noticing your more distant behavior.

"Yeah, it's just been a busy day. What can I get you guys?"

"What's good on the menu today?" Lucky Roux asked, his typical piece of meat at hand had already reached its end.

"A fish stew, we also have some pies. Did you bring any new recipes for me?" You reached out to him.

Since the first time you met the red-haired pirates, you and him had gotten along well and the little deal was that he would always bring new recipes and in return, he was the only one who didn't pay at your family's restaurant.

"Spicy noodles and oysters with honey." he stretched out the two papers in his hand. "Two recipes, two dishes."

"Okay, you win. Anyone else want some stew?" the men piled in, affirming yes. Before you could leave, you felt Shanks' hand grab yours.

"Wait a second." a chill passed through your body as his eyes analyzed you. "You look different, I don't know. It's like you're even more beautiful."

"Don't give me those cheap lines, redhead." you warned in your playful tone. "A stew for you too?"

"The day I deny this could rip my other arm off."

Like the other times they appeared there, Shanks and the others stayed almost the entire day. Much of the food at that point had already been replaced by drinks, which forced you to practically dodge the glasses that were offered to you.

The restaurant was already empty, even your brothers who used to help you had already left, leaving you alone with the leftover dishes and tables to organize for the next day.

"It doesn't seem very gentlemanly to me to leave a lady alone." Again, just like that afternoon, you saw Shanks enter the door, ignoring the "closed" sign.

"You don't need to worry about me, I'll sort it out in a few minutes." You gave your best smile, seeing that he wasn't convinced.

"Then I can help you solve something else."

Not giving you much room to deny it or to at least try to address the issue that was hovering between the two of you, Shanks revoked his right over your mouth. Amidst the scattered tables and trying to turn off the light in the room so as not to attract so much attention, you went unnoticed by his hands taking off your apron and immediately undoing the buttons on your t-shirt. When the piece became a small puddle of fabric on the floor next to your apron and Shanks slid his hand down your torso, you realized that he had indeed noticed.

"What is that?" his voice was low, even though there were just the two of you there.

"I think you're smarter than that, redhead." you tried to alleviate the situation, seeing that it had been in vain.

"It's mine?" His eyes met yours, his serious expression made chills run up your body. Shanks was adorable, one of the kindest people you'd ever served at your restaurant, but he was still a pirate. "Hey, look at me, is it mine?"

"What do you think?" you responded immediately, seeing him take a few steps back. "I found out a few weeks after you left here last time, so far it's been easy to hide with dresses and aprons, but it looks like it won't last long."

"So it's mine?" he insisted, making you huff in frustration.

"The last time you came here, I remember you making me scream a few times that I was yours. I am a woman of my word, there is no one else who is the father of this baby but you."

His expression soon contorted from something serious to a slight smile that turned into a loud laugh. His hand found your face, stroking it with some delicacy.

"You told me you needed a good reason to leave with me." he started, seeing you already look disbelieved. "And no, I don't want you just in my bed. I want you by my side, forever. I want you to leave with me so I can make you my wife. To make you the mother of all my children." his hand reached down and caressed the bump on your belly. "This explains so much."

"So much, tomato head?" You let your hand rest on top of his, enjoying the affection.

"Your bad mood when you saw my face or you refusing to drink with me." He approached, pressing his face to yours. "You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

"Shanks…"

"Please say yes."

He used that entire night to convince you to go on board with him and the next morning to help you pack your bags and head to his ship. When the other companions saw your face, they were in disbelief for a while until the true reason for your presence was explained, to everyone's delight.

For a moment, it was too much information for your head, learning a little about the life of a pirate, understanding what Shanks was like as a captain and the changes in your body seemed too much for you. It wasn't surprising that you had practically hijacked the ship's kitchen all to yourself and it was very common to find you in the early hours of the morning, up to something.

"What's the recipe for today, mummy?" Shanks appeared, his face still crumpled indicating that he had just woken up from a good sleep.

"A cake, that's all." you just responded, feeling him press himself behind you and slide his hand over your big eight-month-old belly.

"And what's the name of the cake?" He leaned over your shoulder, still caressing you. "Is it "I'm worried about my baby's future." or "The baby woke me up by kicking me in the ribs"?

"How do you know that?" you laughed, taking some of the still raw dough for him to taste.

"Delicious." he muttered before he could follow up on any thoughts. "Daddy's Haki. I always know what's going on with my baby."

"Oh, of course." you laughed and immediately felt the same pain that had gotten you out of bed a few hours ago and had been recurring in the last few moments. You knew what it was, you just wanted to enjoy the time you still had with your baby inside.

"Honey?" Shanks asked as he saw you lean your body against his and groan in pain. "My love, what is it?"

"Didn't daddy's haki help you this time?" you tried to laugh but the pain hit you again. Before you could continue your sequence of laments, you felt your dress and as a result of the proximity, Shanks got wet.

"No, it didn't help, it's happening now, isn't it? Hongo!" he started screaming, trying to pick you up.

"Shanks, what if…" your eyes moistened with anxiety and accumulated tears. "What if I'm a terrible mother? What if nothing works? What if I can't bring our baby into the world?"

"There's no what if." he pointed out, gently pulling your chin. "Look at me, we're going to bring our first child into the world and everything will be fine. Come on, it's time to meet our baby."

Emony was born after long hours of labor. The small tuft of red hair was identical to Shanks's and her cry was celebrated by the entire ship who had woken up with your screams of pain and with Shanks running back and forth behind Hongo.

The girl was a little copy of her father, from her red hair to her attitude, which made you constantly laugh - after all, at the age of five she had already declared that she was going after One Piece alone when you two gave her a little scolding for her coming out of hiding during a fight you were involved in. You should also anticipate that the girl's strength would be derived from her father and not hers. A break on an island meant having the two of you spotted by enemy pirates while you were taking a walk with little Emony. After trying to escape and fight, you both ended up surrendering, you were on your knees, a gun against your head and little Emony was lifted by the collar of her dress.

"My daddy is going to finish you off, your shit" she declared, trying to kick the man, completely in vain.

"Will he really do that?" the man teased her, seeing the girl become even more nervous. "I'll be waiting for."

"You know this is his territory, what do you want on this island?" you asked and felt the gun being pressed even more against your head.

"Take it away from my mommy!!" Emony screamed and you felt something different in the air.

The man who was pointing the gun at you fell, fainted, as did the other men who accompanied the pirate. Their captain let out a loud laugh, pressing his hand even tighter against Emony's dress.

"Haki? At such a young age?"

"Mommy!" the girl jolted towards you, seeing you get up and walk towards her.

"I suggest you take your rotten hands off my daughter." Shanks' voice came from behind the man.

By dodging a little, you can see the crew approaching. Benn was already pointing a gun, almost glued to the head of the tyrant who had his hands on your little Emony.

"This here?" he shook the girl dismissively, turning to face Shanks. "You know, lately the navy has been investing a lot of money in Yonko's children." the man threatened, a stupid smile adorning his lips. "What's your offer for the brat?"

"Lucky, Yassop?" Shanks just signed. "You guys take my girls inside."

Without waiting for the man to respond, the redhead punched him in the face and before Emony could reach the ground, Lucky caught her. The two of you were taken inside a small store, where some vendors offered water and a place to calm down.

"Where are my girls?" Shanks' voice reached the two of you, but your daughter ran to him, hugging her father's legs, who picked her up. "Are you hurt, my little one?"

"No daddy." she smiled, victoriously. "You see, I'm ready to be a pirate." the joy in her voice brought some peace of mind to both of you.

"I thought you were already a pirate." Benn, who accompanied Shanks, commented and got the girl's response by sticking her tongue out at him.

"I'm going to be the greatest pirate! Just like dad." she replied, shaking herself off Shanks' lap. "Come on Uncle Benn, I bet I beat you."

"Bet? Let's see." The first mate let the girl hit him a few times, laughing at her effort.

"And you, love, were you hurt?" Shanks stood next to you, holding your shaking hand.

"I just got scared. Shanks, she…"

"I felt it. That's how I knew she was in danger." he replied before the question even left your thoughts. "She's barely trained and can already do this? She's really going to be a great pirate."

"Babe…" your warning tone made it clear that this was not the time for him to encourage such ideas.

"Imagine, she's a captain? Our daughter has a big future. In fact, we know who she takes after." the man boasted, earning a shove in response. "I think she needs companions."

"She can arrange it over time."

"Or we can help." the mischievous tone was already almost inert to the way he spoke to you. "Just a few more babies, a first mate, a cook." He started to list, seeing you deny it. "But you look so beautiful pregnant."

"Forget it Shanks."

"Daddy, mummy!" Emony's voice drew you both in. You watched the girl pose as victorious, on top of a Benn Beckman, Lucky, Yasopp and Limejuice piled on the floor, pretending to be defeated. "I won!"

"Now I challenge you, my little fire hair." Shanks joined in the game, going over to the girl.

Maybe some brothers for Emony would be nice - and maybe Shanks would have given you a good reason to accompany him every time you saw him love your little daughter.

Law

Part 2 here

warnings: angst, more angst, arguments with a fluff and happy ending. I mean, do I really need to inform you that our boy is going to freak out about the possibility of amber lead in his baby? Perhaps not very common uses of his DF, Law freaks out for a while, but then becomes the best dad in the world (we saw so little of Law with Lammy, but I bet he was an amazing brother and that he would be such a great girl's dad). And of course, Rosi comes from Rosinante. This text here is huge, sorry.

Being subordinate and companion to a captain who happened to be a doctor was one of the most practical things in your life. Did you catch the flu? He would solve it. Were you injured in battle? Just call the captain.

This meant not having any problems, especially after you decided to start dating. Law became even more attentive to every detail of your health, which made you realize that you didn't have much time to deal with the situation in your hands - more precisely, the situation in your womb.

The tests remained hidden in Ikkaku's drawer, with her being his only confidant at that moment. You wanted to know how many months it was, to be able to share such news, but you knew that as soon as Law found out, he would freak out and that's why you were avoiding him.

Avoiding, in the past verb, after all, he had already noticed something wrong between the two of you. Two knocks on your bedroom door startled you and your roommate.

"Hey." he looked dejected when the door opened, his attention automatically turned to Ikkaku. "Mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?"

"Of course captain." a pious look came from her towards you, before the woman disappeared from your field of vision.

Law, not knowing what to say, sat next to you. As you tried to grab his hand, you felt him move away. Damn it.

"How long have you known?" his cold tone dictated that he was probably not happy at all with the news.

"How do you know?" you answered his question with another, trying to buy time before the approaching storm.

"Today marks two months since you haven't asked me for help with any colic or complained about being sinking in a red river." he laughed, even though he didn't look happy. "By my reckoning, it's also been two months since that day in the kitchen."

Of course, the day in the kitchen. You and Law were always careful, even if you already used your contraceptive method, you preferred to use other types of protection. Except when you arrived at Polar Tang drunk and alone, which resulted in a unprotected sex session on the shared kitchen table.

"Quite a recipe we made." You tried to make fun of him.

"What do we do?" For the first time at that moment, you saw Law's eyes actually find you, worried and afraid.

"What do we do?" you repeated. "I'm pregnant Law, I don't know if there's much to do other than wait for the baby to be born."

"You know what worries me." his harsh response cut through any kind of excitement you held back. "You know very well what will happen to this child."

"What can happen." you corrected him.

"Would you rather risk waiting the nine months, giving birth and seeing your child die some time later? Sounds like a great idea to me." Cynicism echoed in his words just as your two voices were already much louder, taking your hatred to levels you didn't yet know.

"Would you rather I have an abortion and then spend the rest of my life wondering what if my baby had been born healthy?" his silence was the answer you needed at that moment. "You know what? Leave me on the next island, I'd rather take a risk and have my baby happy than have to abort it or even worse, my baby has to live with a parent who hates its existence."

"You don't understand what this could entail." He stood up too, trying to put something that looked like sense into your head. "You stay here until this is resolved."

"This has already been resolved and you don't need to have any involvement in my baby's life." you were sure the entire submarine was already listening to that argument between the two of you. "Get out of here, Law."

"But…"

"Get out of here!" you screamed even louder, seeing the man give up and leave. It only took a few seconds for Ikkaku to appear and allow you to cry for hours on her shoulder.

Anyone looking from the outside could see that you two were in pain. Law had become a shadow of the captain he was, only having small appearances to issue orders or to follow you - even without saying many words - every time you approached an island, fearing that you would leave the crew. Even though the two of you didn't talk anymore, you knew that his disappearance was related to studying everything he could about the disease that ravaged his country and was also present in him.

In the two months that had passed, Law had stopped being your boyfriend and practically become your doctor. Without exchanging many words, you only met when he decided to do some examination on you. To break the mood, you always took one of your friends along. The little information you had about Law came from Bepo, Shachi or Penguin, the only ones who were still able to invade his room and talk to him. Like that afternoon, when they insisted that you convince him to leave the room and have dinner with all his companions.

"Law?" two knocks on the door accompanied your voice. His tired look hit you immediately.

"How can I help you?"

"I wanted you to come have dinner with us." you tried to appeal to what you want. Many times, before pregnancy, that had worked.

"I am a little busy."

"I can bring something here." You suggested, approaching him. On the table, you saw accumulated papers, the vast majority of which titles were not related to Amber Lead.

"No need to worry, I'm fine." he simply replied, seeing that you were reading the papers on his desk. "I found some new studies."

"Law, I told you that you don't need to worry about that right now, we don't know yet…"

"When would you rather I worry?" the cynicism was once again there in his voice and he knew how much you hated it. "When you die on the table because for some reason this shit got to you? Or when I watch our baby die?"

"Now is he our baby?" you used the same resource as him. "From what I remember, I had made it very clear that I didn't want you to be involved in this."

"But it's my obligation."

"Your obligation as a father? I think you lost that right when you made it very clear that I had to take my baby away." you started to walk away from his desk. "Or your obligation as captain? As a boyfriend that isn't, I don't know what it's like to have a boyfriend for a good few months."

"I was busy, trying to find a cure for you two."

"We're both not sick." you sounded offended by what he had proposed. "But keep it up, sink into your books, don't worry when I disappear from this fucking submarine."

You left slamming the door, stressed. The looks that reached you seemed full of pity and concern. You only managed to get as far as the kitchen before a pang hit your head and stomach. Being supported by your colleagues, the only request you made was that no one tell Law about it. You wouldn't give him reason in his incessant search for something he didn't yet know.

Alleviating your worries, the diagnosis arrived quickly: just a spike in high blood pressure. A few hours of rest and an IV should do the trick. When you saw Bepo murmur an apology, you knew exactly what he was going to do and so did your friends, as little by little they left you alone. You remained turned away, even though you heard the door open. Something in the air had changed, it was as if you immediately felt more tense and prepared for another argument.

"Babe, can we talk?" Law's voice sounded much lower than normal, definitely attracting your attention. His affectionate way of calling you was an easy way to make you fall for his words. You turned around, facing him and started to adjust yourself to sit on the stretcher. "No, please, stay still there."

"I'm just going to sit down." You did so, your movement being followed to the millimeter by his eyes. "Just to be clear, I don't want to fight."

"I didn't come here for that reason." he approached, hesitating with every step he took. "Actually, I know you didn't want me to come here for any reason."

"I just don't want to have to hear from my doctor that I'd better have given up on the idea." you turned around, allowing your legs to dangle. "I understand your concerns Law and I would be lying if I said I haven't been terrified of the idea since I saw the first positive test."

"I know." He finally stopped a short distance away, but he still didn't touch you. "I… I-I, damn, why is it so hard?"

"Just let the words come, don't think about them." you suggested, figuring it was just pride keeping you from apologizing for all the previous argument.

"I-I feel like shit." a sigh came out along with the words. "You're right, as a boyfriend I've been terrible, as a doctor then, just look at the fact that you're in a hospital bed and the last person to be informed is me." his fists clenched and then loosened, his tattooed hands rubbed against his face, perhaps in an attempt to get the words out of him.

"Law?" your heart broke when you heard a sniffle come from him, it was the last gesture you expected after everything, it was difficult to connect the information like this.

"I can't lose you and I know it doesn't seem like it, I know I've been a terrible person, but I love this child. I can't lose this too." For the first time after so long together, you saw tears run down your loved one's face. His hands stuck to his hat, pulling in a failed attempt to hide his face. "I can't stop regretting saying that to you, what if our baby hates me for it? What if our baby knows that for a moment, even a small moment, I didn't want him or her to exist."

"My love?" You extended your hand, being accepted by him. Law fit between your legs and buried his face in your neck, even with the muffled sound, you only heard his murmurs and sobs.

"I'm sorry, please. For yelling and being an idiot." he asked, still not letting go of you. "I just can't deal with the thought of losing either of you."

"My dear, look at me." his irises remained almost hidden by the tears that accumulated at his waterline. Your hands dried his face and you didn't know how you weren't crying together. "We still don't know if our child will have amber lead disease, we don't know the scope of your fruit in the cure."

"What should we do in the meantime?"

"As I told you, wait. Make the best of this little time we have until the baby is born." you suggested while your hands traced caresses on his face. "And I just want, I need, my boyfriend back. I don't know how far I can go without you by my side."

"I promise to get better, I promise to take care of you." he replied, taking a deep breath and composing himself. With his hands rubbing his face, Law looked much more centered. "What happened today? When Bepo called me, he just told me it was a blood pressure problem and that you were resting."

"I said I want my boyfriend." you insisted with a smile on your face and saw a small ghost of what would be a smile on Law too.

Law first checked the serum that was being applied to you and then took off the hat he was wearing, placing it on your hair. With his face millimeters away from yours, he placed a quick kiss on your lips, followed by one more and another, until finally you gave way to him. The skin of his face was still damp against your face and your fingers caressed his scalp, the gesture he loved so much and god, how he had missed it. When Law pulled away, you almost pulled him back. Two months were too long apart - even under the same roof.

"I missed you so much." You confessed, not wanting to let go of his hand.

"I missed you too my love, I'm sorry for being such an idiot for so long." He sank against your skin again, this time stealing a few kisses along the way. "What do you think we make up for lost time?"

"That sounds interesting to me."

"No, no sex." he cut you off as soon as he saw you smile mischievously. "Room."

You were back in his room, now lying on the soft bed with gray sheets. Along with the two of you, only the serum and support tied to your skin had come. Law adjusted himself, sitting with his back against the wall and adjusting your body to be against his skin. You saw from the corner of your eye his hand go towards you and retreat, ignoring any complaint he would make, you pulled it back and placed it flat against your belly.

"I don't think you can feel it yet, but I've already started to feel some small movements. In fact, I thought I had stomach gas, until Ikkaku and I found a book explaining that it was the baby." You explained and looking over your shoulder, you could see bright gray eyes staring at you. "Right now, from what I feel, the baby is here." you slid his hand away, stopping next to your side.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked, using his other arm to hug you even tighter. You nodded and saw him smile at the likely thought that crossed his mind before the words came out. "The other day, I accidentally spied on you in your room. I think you had just gotten out of the shower and were in front of the mirror."

"Oh no Law, I don't believe it." you laughed, already knowing what day it was.

"I think you spent about fifteen minutes posing in front of the mirror, caressing our child in your womb. God, you looked so beautiful, so radiant." he allowed himself to almost melt against the wall behind him. "I'm sorry I wasted so much time, so much stuff."

"Can I tell you something too? I actually need to update you on a few things." you asked and felt his face move against your skin, nodding. "Did you know that our baby is already just like you? I can't even see a piece of bread before I'm ready to spill my stomach."

That night, the two of you spent a lot of time there. You telling him about the little news that Law had missed in the time you didn't talk and him explaining little curiosities to you, things that seemed incredible to him because they were happening in the body of the woman he loved and he didn't have the courage to tell you before.

In the fifth month - now with a new version of Law, one much more adept at the idea of ​​being a father and much more attached to you. You were dragged by him to a small room, finding Ikkaku, Shachi and Penguin sitting at the table waiting for you.

"What is that?" You sat down in the chair that Law arranged for you, he soon took the place next to you.

"You said you didn't want me as a doctor, so if you want and you have time to think about it, they will be your doctor."

"And you?" your voice was almost cornered, trying to connect the pieces of the situation that was presented. "Aren't you going to be at the birth?"

"I'll be there all the time and any problem, I'll take care of it. But I want to be there for you, for our baby. Instead of scalpels and speculums, I just want to hold your hand." Law chuckled as he saw your little pout that you made start to tremble. "Sound like a good idea to you?"

"T-This is in-amazing." despite Law seeing you get emotional, the loudest crying came from the other side of the table.

"Man, that was beautiful." Shachi was struggling, leaning on Penguin.

"It's so good that you guys are back."

"Idiots." the woman commented, turning to you. "Come on, tell me everything you expect from the birth of our little baby."

After spending the remaining months buried in books next to him, this time looking for good information and not just a cure for an illness, you learned that the stretcher was not a good place to give birth and that sensations were an important part of the process, in other words, goodbye Ope Ope no Mi's anesthesia powers. Law seemed to want to make up for the distance by always staying close to you and always reminding you how special you were to him, like when you looked adorable when the jumpsuit stopped fitting around your belly or when you and Bepo joined in complaining about the heat.

With the help of your own nature, the chosen doctors and Law behind you in that hot tub, your girl arrived into the world quickly and much less painfully than you thought. In the first few hours, little Rosi didn't let go of you and only when the water around the bathtub became cold did Law manage to take his focus off the little baby to take you two to a more cozy place.

In the early days, Law's hands seemed tied to Rosi. When the girl with eyes as gray as her father's wasn't on his lap, Law was following you like a shadow to ensure the health of both of you. Sometimes looking sideways, you could see Law observing every inch of the girl, in a constant search for signs of the cursed disease that had once taken his family from him. He would never allow that to happen to his little girl.

The worry lasted for years and there was never a sign of the disease or any other illness. Before, if everyone at Polar Tang had a strict health care schedule, with the arrival of the girl, attention redoubled.

Rosi was like seeing a mini-version of Law walking around, especially because of the copy of his hat that he had gotten for her. All the love that Law took to give you and her, when it was just a fetus inside you, the doctor seemed to make up for it with the girl, there wasn't something she wanted or asked for that he wasn't ready to do.

Rosi seemed to love accompanying her father in laboratories and studies, this seemed to change when she was once injured in an attack, in fact Rosi lost her balance with the Polar Tang speeding into the sea and ended up getting a cut on her forehead, patched by Ikkaku since Law was busy fending off enemies. That had been enough trauma for little Rosi to not want to know more about medical things.

"Please, my sweetie, it's just a small remedy." you tried to pull the girl out of the closet.

"No, no, no." she grumbled. The little gray eyes full of water. "It's going to hurt a lot."

"It won't hurt, my love." you insisted, seeing her deny it.

"My princess?" Law bent down, reaching her height. "Come on, this is to make you okay."

"Daddy, it's going to hurt a lot, I don't want it." she grumbled even more, knowing that Law was much easier to convince.

"Doesn't your throat hurt too?" he asked and the little girl nodded. "I promise it won't hurt anymore."

"But what about the injection?"

"Daddy also promises it won't hurt at all." he reaffirmed and saw the girl come out of hiding, heading straight into his arms. "Babe, she's a little feverish." he murmured to you, almost despair forming on his face.

"Law, it's just a cold." you warned him, following him as your daughter rested against his shoulder. You knew that when it came to Rosi's health, Law was the most concerned of all.

"Daddy, it's because I was lying on the ice with Bepo." the girl confessed the information, adjusting herself to reach Law's field of vision. "I'm just a little sick, that's it." she created a small space between her fingers.

"That's great, my love." He placed the girl sitting on the stretcher. "It means it'll only take that long for you to get better." he repeated the gesture she had made with her fingers. "Ready?" he saw her deny it, laughing. "Do you want mommy to hold your hand?"

"Yes!" She reached out her little hand to you. "Mommy, what is this?"

"It's dad's way of taking care of us." You tried to sum it up the best way. Maybe she was too young to understand how akuma no mis works.

"Ready? First take a deep breath…" Law imitated, holding the air for a while and making her laugh when she saw him puffed up. "And now…" he applied the injection to her arm. He knew it hadn't hurt at all, but the girl automatically started to pout. "My little princess, what happened? Did it hurt?"

"No." she said, her voice breaking. You both had to laugh when you saw her asking you to hold her without even moving the arm that Law had given the injection to.

"My love, what do you think…" Law bent down to look into her eyes as he spoke. "We can go to the kitchen and steal…"

"Bepo!" the girl stretched her arm towards the bear that appeared in the field of vision. "I want to be with Bepo."

"With Bepo?" Law pretended to be frustrated.

"He's warm and I'm cold." you passed the girl to Bepo, who was her favorite company. Law insisted that it was because the mental age was identical, but you always laughed at the accusations while the bear grumbled.

"What do you say we read a little?" Bepo suggested, letting Rosi climb onto his shoulder.

The two of you accompanied him to the living room, giving Bepo information about the girl being feverish. It only took a few words from the bear who started reading one of her favorite stories for Rosi to fall asleep. Law carefully took his daughter from him and started walking alongside you to the girl's room.

"I can't believe she chose to go with him."

"Well, you had just given her an injection, she harbored some resentment." you joked and saw him frown. "Maybe the next one will like us more than a huge, cuddly bear."

"Next, huh?" he spoke in a low tone, not wanting to wake the girl in his arms.

"Exactly. Or have you forgotten about the ten minutes hiding in your living room when Ikkaku was having a girls' night out with Rosi?" You saw his expression light up, a smile that you hadn't seen the first time you had this kind of conversation and that was one of your favorite things in the world.

"How long, is a month half?" he tried to hold back his louder, surprised voice.

"Yes, I took the test last week." you watched him open the door and place little Rosi on the pink bed. Before you could return to the subject, you felt him take you in his arms and lift you up, filling your face with kisses.

"I love you so much, I love you both." he put you down. "To be more exact, the three of you."

[cosmosnout]

They definitely explored each other’s bodies

[whoishotteranimepolls]

"Who's Hotter?" One Piece Fandom Wars

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

Imagine taking Rayleigh and Shakky out on a date

This is part 2 of this post

Rayleigh: so you want to take us out on a pretend date to spite your first mate and captain for bullying you?

Reader: I know how it sounds, but I figured it'd be a good way to get back at them.

Shakky: While I'm all for helping you get revenge, I don't understand your logic.

You: well, Rayleigh is Shanks's father figure.

Rayleigh: That's not how I'd put it, but I suppose I'm the closest thing he's got.

You: And while I know you two have an open relationship, I thought fucking my captain's father figure would be crossing a line.

Shakky: probably a wise move.

You: And I wanted you to go on a fake date with you, Shakky because Benn has had a crush on you for years, but has been too nervous to ask you out on a date.

Rayleigh: so a date, with both of us, would be two birds with one stone.

Shakky: Oh, I know about his little crush, his poker face is terrible

You: I know, right? I saw him in here earlier, looking at you, he was about as subtle as a sea train.

Rayleigh: *turns to his wife,* What do you think?

Shakky: I dunno.

You: I'll pay for dinner.

Shakky: Deal.

Rayleigh: Pick us up at six thirty tonight.

That night during dinner

Rayleigh: *drinking straight from the wine bottle you ordered*, So how's the brat supposed to know you took us on a date?

You: Well, he planned on dining here at seven, so by the time our food arrives, he should be here. But you know him, he's not good at sticking to plans. If he doesn't come, we could take a picture as a backup plan.

Shakky: Sounds like a plan, in the meantime, we should have a proper date.

Rayleigh: yes, tell us about yourself.

An hour later

You: And Shanks, buck ass naked, slips on the wet rocks, falls, and smacks against the surface of the water!

Shanks: (y/n)?

You: *looks over to notice Shanks and his inner circle gawking at you*

Rayleigh: hey sport

Shanks: what's going on here?

Shakky: what does it look like? We're having a date with this little cutie. *wraps her arms around you and rests her head on your shoulder, giving a pointed smirk at Benn*

Rayleigh: *puts his arm around both you and Shakky and pulls you into his side,* They were just telling us about your skinny sipping mishap on Koala Island.

Shanks: No

You: yep

Benn: *glaring daggers at you,* You little shit, how long has this been going on?

You: Not long, this is the first date.

Shanks: Is this because of what we said two weeks ago?

You: a little

Shanks: *pouts,* We were just teasing.

Shakky: You're interrupting our date, it's quite rude.

Shanks: Fine, enjoy your evening.

Later

Shanks: *alone, passed out drunk on his table*

Rayleigh: *sighs* this boy I swear.

Shakky: Want to ditch him with our tab?

You: Yeah, but we're not gonna leave him without the cash, *pulls out his wallet and puts the Berry you brought along inside before sliding it back into his pocket*

The next day on the Red Force

You: *walks onto the ship only for everyone to stare at you*

Benn: You have some explaining to do.

Shanks: *bursts out of his cabin,* Did you fuck them?

You: no, I thought that'd be crossing a line.

Shanks: then where did you stay last night?

You: In their guest room, I helped Shakky open this morning because Rayleigh had wandered off after our date... Look, it wasn't a real date, Boss, I was upfront with them about my intentions.

Shanks: We didn't bully you.

You: It certainly felt like it to me, and when I voiced that hurt, you didn't apologize, and basically told me to stop sulking. So I wanted you to know how it felt, so I asked Rayleigh and Shakky to help me get back at you for bullying me.

Shanks: I see, *reflects on his behavior for a moment* I'm sorry we teased you, it was supposed to be a joke but ended up hurting your feelings.

You: Apology accepted.

Shanks: Now, please never date any of my former crew mates from my time with Roger.

You: I promise I won't knowingly date any of them.

Shanks: I don't like the way you phrased that, but fine, I guess.

Benn: Now that that's done, tell me how in the hell you got Shakky to go on a date with you.

You: Again, it was a fake date, but I simply asked.

Benn: I was afraid you were gonna say that.

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[onlydcherry]

No way Roger gave shanks both of his hat’s while he sent buggy on lookout

[greeneyedsigma]

Posted this one-shot yesterday

Featuring Fem! Rayleigh x Roger as the pairing, as a last meeting before Roger’s execution. It turned out very bittersweet, but I honestly love it

[kacievvbbbb]

honestly you would think Rayleigh gave birth to shanks the way they are just exactly the same person right down to their alcoholism, penchant for scheming love of sandals and other generally horrible fashion items.

In a world where Mihawk meets Shanks first, he later goes to challenge old man Rayleigh and it all starts to click into place. like "oh you're the reason I'm stuck with that" point to Shanks wearing an outfit a pattern blind person put togther.

[gizamalblythe]

yorki and brook are 1st gen gay pirates, roger and rayleigh are 2nd gen, mihawk and shanks are 3rd gen and zoro and luffy are 4th gen

[ideas-4-stories]

Roger: "Okay, what does A stand for?" Baby Buggy: "Arson." Roger: "Aw, you're so good. Okay! B! What does B stand for?" Baby Buggy: "Barson." Gaban: *laughter* Rayleigh, snickers: "Roger, Roger stop it..." Roger: "Wait, Wait, What stands for C?" Baby Buggy: "Commit arson." Sunbell: "Oooo, that's a good one" *Many of the Roger Pirates that are in there, nods in agreement, as Rayleigh covers up his chuckles with a sigh and Gaban still laughing his ass off* Taro: "Okay, So what's D!" Baby Buggy: "Don't come near me, I'm going to commit arson." Gaban: *more laughter* Roger: *Dying of laugher* Rayleigh: *Trying to contain his giggles*

[alexa-fika]

UR WRITING AMAZING MATEE

Pls do more of Rayleigh and shakky those story u posted heal my childhood, they r like the type of parents I wish I had.

Thank you so much for ur work and ofc u don’t gotta do this if u don’t wanna or don’t do requests but thanks have a good one :)

Special Treasure (Rayleigh x gn!child!reader x Shakky)

A/N: YALL I HAVE COME BACK WITH A COOK AM I WRONG OR AM I RIGHT?? Toothroting, cavity inducing heart stopping cuteness ahead

Dividers by @/saradika

“Reader, where were you? Rayleigh questions as he sees his grandchild coming into the bar on top of Millo, their usual Smiledon Companion covered in dirt and grass, his wife in front of him preparing drinks, glancing at the child questioningly

“Outside!”

Rayleigh smiled softly as he approached the child, kneeling down slightly to meet them. Grabbing them from the large feline and putting them on their hip

“What were you doing outside?”

“Causing trouble, I bet?” pipes in Shakky

“We were exploring.”

“Mm, of course,” Rayleigh raises his brow at his wife, who nods along knowingly.

“Exploring, eh?” The white-haired man asks with a sly smirk

“Where were you exploring?”

They stay silent, playing with their grandfathers hair, trying to evade their gaze as they shrug

“Hm,” Rayleigh muttered

He then raises his eyebrows.

“You think I'm going to get mad?” his voice was light yet stern

“Yeah,” they say, hiding their face into their neck and continuing to play with his hair

Rayleigh chuckles, rubbing their head with one hand as he speaks to them.

“Well, I'm not...I know how it is. Being young and curious.”

“But you should never go off without telling someone where you're going.."

“But I went with Millo!” They exclaim, pulling their head out and gesturing at the large feline

“I mean a proper person,” Rayleigh chuckles,

“Millo, doesn’t count”

The toothed cat lets out a small indignant yowl at his comment, Reader reacting similarly with an offended gasp

Rayleigh scoffed at the cat's reaction, finding it amusing.

“There, there, Millo, you'll live.” Shakky Laughs.

“You're lucky you're adorable, isn't that right?” he said, looking at the cat.

“You're being mean to Millo Grandpa!”

“Now, Now both of you know I didn’t mean it like that,” Rayleigh says with a frown,

“but you need to understand it makes your gramps and gran worry, alright? You're our treasure, you know?”

“Im sorry,”

Shakky smiles, opening her arms for Rayleigh to pass them to her, he smiles obliging her silent request

“Come here” she says taking a hold of them

“We’re not mad, As we said, you are really important, and we simply worry, there are dangerous and gross people not far from here.”

“I just wanted to explore a little, but I didn’t mean to go far. “

Rayleigh scoffs and pulls the child into his arms, planting several kisses upon their cheek,

“It's fine... Just let me know next time where you are exploring; I know you're more than capable on your own, but still, I'd like to have an idea of where to look for you."

“Oke”

“Now that we got that out of the way, what were you doing that got you covered in dirt?”

They shuffle in their grandmother's arms, digging something from their small backpack

“I was getting you guys flowers!” They exclaim, pulling said plants out and handing two roughly arrays of flowers

Rayleigh’s face breaks out into a smile,

“For Us, you brought us flowers?”

They nod excitedly handing them the mix-match bouquet of flowers

The elderly couple exchange a look before embracing the child, who is now buried within the confines of their affection.

What do we think? Originally I thought it was missing something but I re-read it and I really like it, what are our thoughts? Im going to try the Dokusha reader for a test run, btw it’s about a certain lazy ice lord 👀. Im editing it right now maybe even a second part today if yall like it?

Taglist:

@imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05