#I guess I might as well tag it publicly

[thebackupsystem]

Can a guy go. One fucking day? Without seeing more shit about his source?

I’m already fucking dying I don’t need to be reminded he’s a shit person on the daily

ᴵ’ᵛᵉ ᵃˡʳ��ᵃᵈʸ ᵗᵃᵏᵉⁿ ᵗᵒ ʰᶦᵈᶦⁿᵍ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳ ᵈᵃᵈ’ˢ ʷᶦⁿᵍ ᵗᵒᵈᵃʸ

[backslashdelta]

Thanks to @cryscendo for the tag and for past tags and to everybody else who has tagged me in the past and then I haven't made a post... I appreciate every time I get tagged, I've just been kinda drowning in work lately and haven't had time to write.

BUT I'm going to share a little bit I wrote several months ago for tbosas au which has been living rent free in my head for a while - I started outlining this back in December, and will hopefully eventually get to write it all! This is more than 6 sentences because fuck the rules <3

“And there he is, Blaine Anderson himself,” Santana announces to their small group. “They can’t give him the prize, right? He already has enough handed to him, being an Anderson.” Blaine catches Sebastian’s eye for just a moment before Sebastian can turn back to the group, and he starts to walk over. “Which is ridiculous anyway, he’s district. He doesn’t even belong here but he still has everything handed to him? It makes no sense.” As Blaine walks up to the group, Santana plasters a sickeningly sweet smile across her face. “Hi, Blaine.” “Hi Santana,” Blaine greets her quickly, then looks to Sebastian. “Hey, Bastian.” Sebastian cringes a little, hates it when Blaine calls him that, like they’re the best of friends, hates that being associated with Blaine makes everyone else question his own place here, too; he doesn’t need his status being questioned, it’s hard enough fooling them all as it is without Blaine getting in the way. But Blaine knows what Sebastian’s life is, Blaine’s whole family knows, and it’s humiliating but he can’t help it, needs to stay on Blaine’s good side so that at least he’ll keep it to himself.

Going to tag @daisyishedwig @esperantoauthor @blurglesmurfklaine @kurtsascot @calsvoid @fallevs and anybody else who wants to do this! (I know some of you already got tagged but I'm double tagging you because I want to and fuck the rules <3)

[proosh]

In a previous post you said you don't talk about your 2p prussia because their fanon divergent but I really liked how they were.

The whole cool to Gilbert hot, character foil if I remember correctly was nice to hear because that's kinda just how I view the 2p's in general instead of being complete opposites!

Just wanted to see more about your 2p prussia!

<3

Ah, thank you anon for the kind words!! In case anyone missed it, I spoke about my 2P!Prussia a while ago in this post and mentioned that I didn't really like to talk about him too much because he's so fanon-divergent, and that still holds.

I find myself disagreeing with the very fandom-popular idea of 2Ps existing as polar inversions of the "original" reps because while it certainly is an easy route I... Look, no disrespect to the artists and writers who cut their teeth on establishing the fanon, but I find myself wanting more meat to sink my teeth into. The idea of nations having multiple "representations" is an existentially fascinating conceit and something that I tend to circle in my own writing.

August exists (hypothetically, in my own internal brain-canon that won't appear in fics, lmao) as an acknowledgement and ideological counterbalance to Gilbert's existence. Not an inversion or "opposite" because they Are the same entity, one way or another, but rather a representation of another slice of national identity. Putting more under the cut so this doesn't get too long <3

He started off as a Gil with his "heat" stripped away, and became his own monster from there. The same building blocks of martial authoritarianism and disciplinary efficiency but rendered into cold aristocracy rather than the broiling momentum of the upward-ascension of the Prussian soldier-class.

This is in itself an answer to the question that I've ended up wrestling with over the years: how to reconcile the Teutonic Order with the Old Prussians while acknowledging both as foundations to the state-building project. Some other artists and writers have approached it from a different direction (making Old Prussia a separate, distinct entity that was murdered by the Teutonic Knights) which is totally valid but not necessarily an interpretation I find myself ending up at.

Gilbert exists, metanarratively, as an Outsider, an unknown, a freak of nature raised up from the peasantry to duel with his betters. He should not exist and yet he continues to persist. This is a characterisation of Prussia that is historically validated, but runs counter to the characterisation of Prussia as entrenched in old hegemonic aristocrat knight-regime. Both of these things are true at the same time, but August exists to help ease the narrative-cognitive dissonance, at least in my head.

He's also just a very funny character, in my opinion, and I take a great amount of pleasure in tormenting him in various ways. He's a wretched barely-reformed fascist piece of shit, to be clear. He's operating on brainworms just as deranged but slightly more comprehensible than Gilbert's and he also does a much better job of pretending he's a normal person who can be trusted with executive authority.

He also gets to suffer while I continue to put him in increasingly stupid outfits because that really is one of the fundamental dynamics I have with him as my OC <3

Thank you anon for the question and kind words!!

[blueberrybirdsworld]

The Cat Distribution System 5/5

Summary:

When a stray kitten adopts Lando Norris, the self-proclaimed cat hater accidentally starts a soft-launch spiral with his secret girlfriend the ballerina Ariana Riverria.

Pairing : lando norris x original female character

Genre : Fluff, SMAU

Warning : none, just yeah the kitten will be different in some pictures

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

CHAPTER FIVE :

@landonorris

"She likes ballet and cats, I like girls with pink bows. Seems fair for me to fall in love of you 🤍🎀"

@oscarpiastri: okay FINE you guys are cute or whatever 🙄

@maxfewtrell: glad i don’t have to keep dodging questions anymore

@maxverstappen1: does this mean we can all talk about it now? asking for a friend

@charles_leclerc: finally. no more pretending i don’t recognize your cats 😂

@carlossainz55:

happy for you, mate. and for the cat. looks like he's running the house 🐱

@pietra: i literally screamed

@pierregasly: really glad you two are out in the open now

@arianariverria: glad you came around, glad you waited, I love you to mon coeur 🧡

@catdadconfirmed: for real they are the cutest

@f1slowburn: wait… “glad you waited”? what do you MEAN. was this enemies to lovers?? did he mess it up at first?? i need context

@ballerinaxboosted: ok now i need to know what happened before this. why did he have to wait?? WHO LEFT WHO??

@gridoftenderness: oh this is some “wrong time, right person” energy and i am SOBBING

@softlaunched: “glad you came around ” is gonna haunt me for weeks. they better give us the how we met story soon or i’m writing it myself.

@arianariverria

"And he said he hated cats 🐾"

@pietra: this might be my favorite post, you are perfect for each other ❤️

@alexandrastmleux: the perfect balance of grace and humor. you two make sense in a way that feels effortless 🫶🏻✨

@kikagomes: everything about this is so soft and real. happy for you both 🤍

@pierregasly: very glad you’ve tamed him. no one else could’ve

@maxverstappen1: finally. took you both long enough

@oscarpiastri: i was going to say something sarcastic but honestly this is sweet as hell. glad you posted it

@landonorris: well I like cats now but I love you even more 🧡

@chaoticpirouette: he’s SO GONEEEE 😭

@f1girlsunite: she pulled the man who got beat up by a kitten and turned him into boyfriend material. ICON.

@slowburnf1: "he said he hated cats" girl this is enemies-to-lovers pet edition

@balletxf1squad: i don’t think you guys understand the power of “i love you even more” from a man who used to flinch at commitment and cats 😭

@landoandariaupdates: this is the first time we’ve seen him say that out loud. publicly. fully. not a joke. not a tease. i’m emotional

@mcLarenhearts: this is what happens when you fall for someone who feels like home 🧡

📱@f1sleuths

THREAD : Lando & Ariana — how long has this actually been going on? Because “glad you waited” says a LOT.

1. okay soooo after Lando posted and Ariana replied with that, I went digging. I’m not saying I cracked their relationship timeline but I cracked their relationship timeline.

2. Remember when Ariana randomly gained like 15K followers in December? Now scroll back to Lando’s Brazil trip during winter break, 11 months ago. Guess who was also tagged in background stories ? 👀

3. Also, Pietra and Max started commenting and liking Ariana’s posts exactly 11 months ago. Kika and Alexandra followed her a week later. All the girlfriends followed her right after the Brazil trip that wre organised with some drivers and their girlfriends, where Ariana must have been too.

4. But the wildest part?

There’s an old pic floating around of Lando spotted leaving the Royal Opera House in London last December. It was Nutcracker season. Ariana danced the lead that month.

5. Which means — they’ve possibly been seeing each other before Brazil and then goes on couple holiday together with the group were she met the other drivers and girlfriends

6. But then around day 7 of the trip... Lando disappears from all group pics. No more candid tags.

Other couples still doing beach days, dinners, pool shots. Lando? Gone. And Ariana’s not in the rest of the trip either 👀

7. Which begs the question: what happened? Because right after that: Lando posts a cryptic IG story: "Sometimes space is the kindest thing you can give someone.”

Ariana goes totally radio silent. No ballet pics. No stories. No updates. No public sightings for weeks.

8. So maybe there was a shift. A fight? A misstep? Maybe she got overwhelmed. Maybe he messed something up. Maybe they both did.

But the point is — they separated, then go back together after he waited for her.

@gridromantics: this went from soft launch to literary drama. the slow burn. the waiting. i’m crying.

@f1archivegirl: so it was Nutcracker > Brazil trip with the crew > soft separation> reconciliation > the kitten > hard launch? that’s the arc???

@charliespurrlog: and don’t forget—Lando’s entire vibe changed 11 months ago. man started journaling, reading, wearing calm colors. the girlfriend effect is real.

@danielricciardoteapage: also… HE STARTED LIKING BALLET CONTENT. ON HIS PUBLIC ACCOUNT. WE HAVE SCREENSHOTS.

📱@balletxf1archive

THREAD: so can we talk about how the Brazil photos that just resurfaced basically confirm Ariana and Lando were already a full-on couple 11 months ago??? not “talking,” not “flirting”—a whole relationship.

@catdadconfirmed: they were already gone for each other. we were the ones late to the party 🥲

@mcLarenmutuals: it’s wild how Lando looks exactly like a man in love in all these pics and we STILL missed it for 11 months

@slowburnsofties: "not flirting, not a situationship — a relationship" YUP. and she meant every word when she said "glad you waited"

@gridromantics: people talk about the girlfriend effect like it’s about aesthetics but honestly? he just looked happier in Brazil

@heartonsleeveera: I know they’ve never posted an anniversary date but if they don’t celebrate it in December I’ll riot

The glow from Ariana’s phone screen was the only light in their quiet Monaco apartment. She was curled up on the couch in one of Lando’s hoodies, legs tucked under her, Charlie asleep at her feet. Lando walked out from the kitchen with two mugs of tea, pausing when he noticed the look on her face — soft, distant, maybe a little sad.

He placed the mug next to her. “You okay?”

She blinked, glanced up at him, then tilted the phone so he could see.

“Someone made another thread,” she said quietly. “About us. Brazil. The pictures.”

Lando settled beside her, his arm brushing against hers as he read over the thread. Blurry beach photos. Grainy candid shots. Theories. Timelines. A caption that said:

“They weren’t flirting. They were already each other’s.”

And then:

“Imagine loving someone that much, losing them, and still choosing them again.”

He exhaled slowly. “They’re not wrong.”

Ariana didn’t say anything for a long moment. She set her phone face-down and picked at the sleeve of the hoodie she wore. Her voice came quieter than usual.

“We almost didn’t make it.”

He looked at her, heart tightening at the truth in her words — not as regret, but remembrance. Because they had come so close to walking away.

“I know,” he said softly. “And it was my fault. I was stupid. Too proud. Too used to running when things felt hard.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t just you. I shut down. I pushed you away.”

“You had a reason to,” he said. “I should’ve shown up for you better. But I meant it, Ari — I would’ve done anything to get you back”

That made her let out a soft laugh through her nose, but there were tears in her eyes now — not the heavy kind, just the full kind. Full of everything that had been held back, then let go.

“I hoped you would,” she admitted. Her voice cracked a little. “I hoped you’d fight for me. I told myself I’d be fine either way, but I wasn’t. Not really.”

Lando leaned in, pressing his forehead gently to hers.

“I would’ve followed you to every ballet in Europe if you hadn’t picked up my calls,” he whispered. “I would’ve sat front row until you looked at me again.”

Her breath hitched — part laugh, part sob. She reached up and touched his cheek.

“You’re such a softie now,” she whispered.

He smiled. “You made me soft. And really good at apologizing.”

She kissed him, slow and quiet, like she was still processing the weight of all they’d made it through. When they pulled apart, Lando nudged her nose with his.

“We messed up,” he said, “but we didn’t give up.”

She nodded, resting her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her, fingers lacing with hers. Charlie stirred at their feet, mewed softly, then promptly rolled over and continued sleeping.

Ariana looked down at him, then back at Lando.

“You, me, and the catS,” she said with a small smile. “We turned out okay.”

He kissed the top of her head. “We turned out better than okay.”

@landonorris "Pics from our first date. The moment I knew I was falling for you. Happy 1 year, my love 🤍"

@arianariverria: How was I supposed to not fall for the boy who brought me flowers on first date? I love you too 🤍

@oscarpiastri: Okay but this is actually disgustingly sweet, I’m happy for you or whatever 🫠

@maxfewtrell: He went from cat-hater to flower-bringer in 12 months. love really is a personality shift.

@carlossainz55: One year already? Bro… you’re soft now. I like it.

@pietragoncalves: AND THE BOY KEPT SHOWING UP. proud of you two 💛

@landoinlove: who gave him the right to be this soft???? literally a flower boy now 😭

@gridgossipgirl: “the moment I knew I was falling for you”??? yeah I’m crying in the club

@charliesfavhuman: Lando: I hate cats and romance

Also Lando: posts anniversary love letter with a bouquet in frame 🧡

@carbonfiberhearts: oh so we were watching a love story and didn’t know it yet. I feel betrayed and blessed at the same time.

@balletbunfiles: he took her to see Monet on the first date??? meanwhile I’m dating men who think “romantic” is sharing their fries

@F1wagsupreme: this post just proved Ariana wasn’t a rebound or a crush. this man planned a real date with flowers and art 😭

@mclarencore: it’s giving ‘boyfriend of the year’ and I’m not even mad

@w14tears: Happy for them but also deeply unwell

@gridgirlfriendenergy: I love how everyone thought they were just flirty when this man was fully in love on date one

That morning, tucked away from the buzz of the internet, things were quieter. Softer.

Lando stood in the kitchen barefoot, while Ariana leaned against the counter next to him, half-asleep, nursing a mug of tea and wearing his hoodie that swallowed her whole.

Charlie and Aria had claimed the sunny patch of rug by the window, curled into one another like they always did.

Lando looked at Ariana, smirking as he flipped a pancake. "Rate my domestic skills. Be honest."

She blinked up at him, unimpressed. "They’re pancakes. You mixed stuff and didn’t burn them."

He feigned offense. "These are artisan. You’re eating Michelin-starred flour and vibes."

"You’re lucky you’re cute," she muttered, stealing a slice of fruit from the counter.

He grinned, pulling her closer by the hip. "You like me because I adopted a kitten."

"No," she said, teasing, "I like you because the kitten adopted you. Big difference."

They both laughed.

The kettle whistled. The cats yawned. And for a moment, the world felt simple.

"Hey," he murmured, tapping her chin so she’d meet his gaze. "Thanks for being patient. For the waiting. For everything."

She smiled, leaning into his chest. "You’re worth it. Even if Charlie is still my favorite."

He kissed her hair. "I know my place."

Ariana tilted her head up, fingers curling into the collar of his shirt. "Still, I guess I could remind you who ranks second."

Lando grinned and leaned in, his lips brushing over hers. It started soft, playful. But soon her mug was set aside on the counter, and he had her perched on the edge, hands gripping his hoodie like it anchored her.

"This is unfair," she mumbled between kisses. "You’re distracting."

"So are you," he murmured, trailing his mouth along her jaw. "Wearing my hoodie like that."

She was halfway into tugging him closer when—

Mew.

They froze.

Mew.

They turned their heads slowly to the left.

Charlie sat by the rug, head tilted, big round eyes fixed on them like he’d caught his parents sneaking candy before dinner.

Lando groaned. "Oh my god. He’s judging us."

Ariana burst into laughter, covering her face. "You said he was clingy, but I didn’t think he was Catholic-school-principal levels of judgy."

Lando carefully scooped her into his arms. "Alright. To the bedroom. My son must never witness this."

She giggled against his chest. "You’re ridiculous."

"I'm respectful," he said, already heading down the hall. "Let the child nap in peace. We’ve earned this."

Charlie let out one last dramatic mew.

Ariana shouted over Lando’s shoulder to the cat, "You’ll understand when you’re older!"

The end

Thank you so much for everyone who have been following this serie Maybe I will post some bonus parts to this if I get inspo, I think it could be interesting to have a prequel story of their meeting and what happened between them in Brazil, let me know if you will like to read it and to give me your review on this story !

Taglist : @angelluv16, @httpsxnox, @anunstablefangirl, @chocolatemagazinecupcake, @mayax2o07

[nadvs]

thinking of how you probably got pregnant after rafes first championship and sooo many people are like “she saw how much he made and now she’s trapping him”

THE PAIN 😭

based on this fic

the tabloids and social media are vicious about it. while his athleticism is mainly what garners him a lot of popularity and fame, he’s also well-known simply for being so good-looking and having a “bad boy” persona to the point where girls on the internet are making jokes like “i suddenly care about basketball” so a lot of people do not like her simply because she’s with him.

rafe already has photos of her on his socials when he signs with the nba so people know he has a girlfriend. she’s tagged in them, so she starts to gets random hate comments on her socials and she makes all of the private.

when she gets pregnant, he doesn’t post it anywhere to keep things private and to avoid stress. but then one day, he’s at practice and he gets a call from her. he’s freaked out right away because she knows his training is important and she never disrupts him during it.

she tells him she was being followed by paparazzi and they’re asking if she’s pregnant and if it it’s his and if it was on purpose. he’s livid because at this point, she’s far enough along to be showing and he’s so angry at the thought of anyone stressing her out or bothering her, especially in her state. the next day, he hires personal security guards for her.

the photos come out of her with her obvious baby bump and the comments are ruthless about how she must have planned it right after he won the finals and is a gold digger. he never gives a shit what the public thinks about him or their relationship, but he gets fed up and one day, he decides he wants to post an old photo of them from their college days.

rafe is not a man of many words, at least not publicly because he doesn’t feel like he owes anyone any information, but he’s fuming.

he tries not to be impulsive about it, so he shows her what he wants to post and she blames the pregnancy hormones for tearing up when she reads it (but she knows she’d cry anyway).

the caption he wrote is: Can’t believe I have to post this, but I guess that’s where we’re at now. This is a photo of me and my girlfriend from over four years ago, before I got drafted, when I was playing college ball with no idea where my career would go. I’m a lucky man because I’m still with her and we’re expecting. She should be relaxing right now, but there are idiots hounding her and calling her things that aren’t worth repeating. You have to be lower than low to be stressing out a pregnant woman and assuming you know anything about her. She has been with me since the beginning and is the most loyal and most real person I’ve ever known. Say whatever you want about me but leave my family out of it.

she lowers his phone, a small smile on her face as she sniffles.

“maybe you should check with your publicist,” she says, touched but afraid of how it might affect his career.

“i don’t give a shit about that,” rafe tells her. “do you like it?”

she gives him her blessing to post it. she never thought that with his fame would come him having to defend her, but she loves him even more for how protective he is.

[theunsinkableship1]

CONFOUNDING FEELINGS, HANGOVER & WHIPLASH

Yesterday, the fandom was overwhelmed and overjoyed by the long-awaited interactions and photos of Luke and Nicola together.

Many who had left the ship found themselves drawn back in, unable to resist the sheer magnetism between them. Even journalists and casual observers took note, their undeniable bond, their effortless chemistry, their natural ease. It was palpable. It was REAL.

But of course, this "bundle of joy' as Mona Kosar Abdi as described couldn’t last forever in these tumultuous seas. Just as we were basking in the glow of their interactions, Nicola posted a photo with Luke, tagging him and captioning it: "That’s my buddy right there."

To that, I say, of course, Nicola, we never doubted that. Funny enough, my brain read it as “That’s my hubby right there.” But to each their own. She is truly hilarious.

And then, in a curious move, she followed on Instagram the long-presumed, now presumably publicly acknowledged girlfriend. Well well well , I thought she wouldn’t touch that with a 10 foot pole. Even more intriguing? The follow was reciprocated. Why now, after all this time? What has changed?

Given the timing, right after their highly analyzed and overwhelmingly affectionate public reunion, it could be an attempt to reinforce the "just friends" narrative they’ve been pushing lately.By following her, Nicola might be signaling that there's no bad blood, easing tensions, and discouraging further speculation.

The SAG Awards had the fandom and even casual observers buzzing about their chemistry. This move might be a way to counterbalance that a not so subtle effort to diffuse speculation before it spirals further.

Something might have changed behind the scenes. Maybe Nicola and Luke had a conversation, and this was a goodwill gesture on her part. Alternatively, it might not be about Luke at all, perhaps Nicola and the presumed girlfriend have had some form of interaction that led to this.

If Nicola and Luke are working to maintain a particular public narrative, this follow could be part of that strategy. It’s a small but significant action that makes it harder for people to claim animosity or hidden tensions.Given that Luke’s presumed girlfriend also followed back, this might have been coordinated or at least mutually understood.

The timing makes it impossible to ignore, especially when paired with the fact that Nicola had never done it before, despite all the previous speculation.

This move feels less like an organic change in dynamics and more like an attempt to frame the narrative in a specific way. It’s too perfectly timed to be purely coincidental. Whether it’s meant to provide cover, show grace, or hint at a deeper story remains to be seen. But as always with Lukola, actions speak louder than words, and their body language at the SAG Awards told a much different story than this follow does.

We can all take our best guesses, but ultimately, we are in the dark about what’s really going on.

That being said, it’s not that surprising in fact that is the narrative that Lukola has been pushing lately. Maybe it’s their truth now.

And do I believe them? Let’s just say this: Publicly, I will. Because I try to respect them as much as I can in this predicament and because I cherish their bond.

But privately? I’m a die-hard Lukola. It will take far more than this to make me stop believing in what I’ve seen, not just through the years, but especially after witnessing them together again. Maybe this is why we don’t see them together often. Because when they are? It’s a lot. It’s overwhelming, even for those just watching.

And if you don’t understand what I mean? Just look at people’s reactions when they interact. It’s not normal. It’s something so special that it transcends the screen.

Honestly, if I were one of the significant others, I would be extremely worried. Of course, we can’t know what’s truly going on in their other relationships, but from an outsider’s perspective? There is a lot to be insecure about.

And let’s be clear about one thing, I don’t know but for me were not just friends. That is a secret de Polichinelle, something that has been an open secret all along. But for whatever reason they described themselves as such lately. Ok then! Please don’t say that we are crazy, our love could be blind, but I doubt that it’s also deaf and if you don’t get what I mean maybe you shouldn’t dismiss things easily. The idea that those of us who have followed this closely, who have connected the dots, tracked the patterns, analyzed the timelines would fabricate this for our own amusement or out of delusion? That’s deeply mistaken.

Sure, some theories might sound wild, but there is a real foundation beneath it all. Far too many inconsistencies for everything to be dismissed, too much smoke for there to be no fire. Thus, the cycle continues.

If they believe what they’re saying, then so be it for now. Ultimately, I think that they know what’s best for them.

Everything will unfold in time. They must have their reasons, and I don’t doubt that.

But one thing I do believe is that for their sake, we should support their friendship. If nothing else, that has always been the solid, concrete foundation they can build upon. No matter what happens, their connection is something worth preserving, something worth protecting.

And here, in this little corner of the internet, I’m still keeping faith. I’m still willing to wait.

Because if there’s one thing these recent events have proven, it’s this: Hope is still alive.

As Nischelle Turner said: " I love a happy ending, I need a happy ending.”

Tighten our grip and stay the course. This is a long journey.

[leashybebes]

fuck it friday

okay, i guess this is happening. i'll be tagging ex-borg tommy in case you want to filter it out! also lol i'm very aware it's not friday in my timezone anymore shhh

the first fanfic i ever wrote, just for myself, was star trek. i cannot believe the first one i show the internet is a weewoo show au.

In the galley he finds Eddie, eating emergency rations and scrolling through a PADD. He tends to save up his replicator rations for an occasional blow-out, and Buck has no idea how he manages to choke the ration bars down so frequently.

"Hey," Buck says and Eddie's head jerks up. He glances over Buck's shoulder and beckons him closer.

"We have a problem."

"Yeah, I just left him in the brig."

"Not - well, okay, yeah, kinda. I got Hen to isolate his human DNA. Buck, he's Starfleet."

"Oh. Shit."

"He was lost at Wolf 359," Eddie says, and his voice is steady, but Buck knows what that means, both in the abstract, and for Eddie to talk about it. Buck was on practically the other side of the quadrant when it happened, and he didn't know any of the crew, let alone Eddie at that point. But everyone knows about The Battle of Wolf 359, when one of the pillars of the Federation was taken and turned against them, when he unleashed that single, haunting, seemingly unstoppable Borg cube on the Alpha quadrant and destroyed wave after wave of Federation vessels.

Buck always knew, vaguely, that Eddie had been there, and that it was why he left Starfleet, but it had taken years of friendship and several bottles of Romulan Ale before Buck learned the whole of it. That Chris and Eddie had narrowly escaped, making them two of only a few handfuls of survivors, but that Shannon had died when the ship they were both serving on, the USS Constance, had burned in space, one of the 11000 dead or assimilated.

"Do you think they'd want him back?"

"He's been Borg a long time," is all Eddie says, but Buck can see him thinking. He might know things. He might be useful.

"What's his name?" Buck asks.

"Lieutenant Tommy Kinard," Eddie says. "He was a pilot on the USS Firebrand."

He nudges the PADD towards Buck who takes it and looks down at the image of a man who is barely recognisable as the recently former Borg in the brig. The file shows his official Starfleet identification and so it shows a handsome, serious-faced young man with a sharp jaw and waves of dark hair. A command-gold shirt is visible across his shoulders before the image is cut off. Buck scrolls through the fairly minimal publicly available information - born on a moon near a mining base, joined Starfleet young, took to the stars.

Where he was taken and changed by a force no one even began to understand until it was too late.

"Well, shit," Buck says. "Have you told the others?"

"Not yet," Eddie says, looking through the information again. "More importantly, how do we tell him?"

[rista-senpai]

Distant hearts

pairing- Nagumo Yoichi x reader

summary: you are Takamura’s granddaughter, a well-trained assassin who never got the chance to shine. That was until one day, when The Order observed your skills and offered you a position in the association.

All new colleagues seemed happy, everyone but him. His dark coat, eyes, and hair all indicated how much he loved hiding. And how much he loved hating you, the opposite of him, who he considered had no right to be there, also, the one who hates how you make his heart skip a beat.

tags & warnings-> reader is 19, Nagumo is 27, age gap, turned into a series, office au, forbidden love, enemies to lovers, playboy x sweetheart, angst and smut, Takamura is still everyone’s nightmare except Nagumo’s, mentions of blood, reader has awfully little experience, also there might be some Shishiba x reader here and there

status: ongoing

credits: fanart by @/chachaxx_x on X

CHAPTER FOUR

Who would've guessed that being on a mission with Mr. Tease-Until-You-Snap would actually feel... kinda nice? Not in a "let's get married and retire to a cottage" way, but in the he holds your hand like he means it kind of way. Publicly, Nagumo was a dream—kissing your cheek, brushing lips against your temple, whispering something flirty into your ear just loud enough for your target to hear. His arm wrapped around your waist like he owned you.

And damn, the IT magnate you were assigned to eliminate? Head-over-heels the second he laid eyes on you. You played your part perfectly—sharp wit, that coy smile, dropping clever remarks that left him completely hooked. Even now, playing golf with the guy watching your every move like you were the prize at the end of the course, Nagumo was burning with something a whole lot hotter than jealousy.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

But neither was the way Nagumo stormed over, jaw tight, eyes locked on you like you were the problem, not the creep ogling you like a snack.

You barely had time to react before his hands were on you, "fixing" your posture from behind. His body pressed too close. His breath fanned over your neck. His hand slid over yours, guiding the club.

“What the hell are you doing, Nagumo?” you hissed, trying not to let your knees buckle under the sudden contact.

“Helping,” he murmured, voice low and laced with heat. “You weren’t focused on the right target.”

“You mean my ball?” you shot back, trying to sound unaffected, but the way he molded to your back made your brain short-circuit for a second.

He didn’t answer right away. Just leaned in closer, lips brushing your ear.

“What do you even see in that guy?”

You smirked. “God, have you seen him? He’s hot.”

Nagumo stiffened.

You could practically feel the possessiveness rolling off him like a storm.

“What I see,” he growled, “is you getting way too into this role and forgetting what we’re actually here to do.”

You lined up your shot with a little more force than necessary—maybe because his grip was a little too tight, or maybe because your heartbeat was doing somersaults. You swung.

And whack—your elbow landed right in his ribs.

“Oh, oops,” you said, turning with your most innocent smile. “Sorry, darling.”

He blinked, then snorted, shaking it off like it was nothing. “You hit like a kitten.”

You leaned in just a little, voice silky. “Keep getting in my space, and I’ll show you claws.”

He grinned—sharp, wolfish. “Is that a promise?”

“Maybe, senpai.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Huh. So you’re still calling me that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You tell me. You didn’t use it once today… or last night.”

Your cheeks burned instantly, memories flooding back like a wave crashing over your sanity. That kiss. That damn kiss. It had to be for show, right? Just him flexing his acting skills—his control. That had to be it. Still, you hadn’t a clue how you were supposed to sleep next to him again tonight. Especially after how the two of you had silently avoided each other all morning… until breakfast forced you into the same space.

“Don’t just bring that up like it’s nothing…” You said, breath catching. You could feel the heat rising from your chest to your ears, and it wasn’t just the weather.

Nagumo’s eyes didn’t move off you. They were sharp—dangerous. Like a predator deciding if it was time to pounce. You needed space. Now.

“I’m gonna go get some water. It’s… hot out,” you mumbled, standing up too quickly.

He tilted his head with a smirk, voice smooth as always. “You’re on an island, sweetheart. What else did you expect?”

You stepped into the cool hallway of the complex, glass panels stretching around you, reflecting your flushed face. The sunlight danced off the floors, but you barely noticed—your thoughts already spinning.

Your fingers itched for something familiar.

You pulled out your phone.

📞 Shishiba

You hesitated. Just for a second. Then pressed it.

The line rang once. Twice. Click.

“You finally remembered me,” came his voice, low, teasing, and a little rough like he’d just woken up.

Your lips curved. “I was going to call you last night…”

“Were you?” There was amusement laced with something else. “Didn’t seem like it. I figured Nagumo was keeping you occupied.”

You leaned against the wall, lowering your voice. “It’s not like that.”

“I can still feel you on my skin, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Tell me again it’s not like that.”

Your breath hitched. You glanced around instinctively, but the hallway was empty. At least, you thought it was.

“I passed your apartment earlier,” he said softly. “Your windows were open. Felt weird seeing it empty.”

Your stomach tightened. “I miss you.”

“Then say it.”

“I miss you, senpai.”

A low groan came through the speaker. “Don’t say that shit when I can’t touch you. I can’t stop thinking about that night. About you… on your back, clawing at the sheets, begging for more.”

Your knees nearly buckled.

“Do you still taste like wine?” he asked, voice dipped in sin. “Or has Nagumo left a new flavor on your lips?”

You gasped. “Shishiba—”

From behind you, a warm hand snatched your phone.

You spun around.

Nagumo stood there, towering, deadly silent.

Your screen lit up for a second longer, just long enough for him to hear:

“Don’t forget whose name you screamed first, sweetheart.”

Click.

Call ended.

The air turned thick with tension.

Nagumo stared at your screen. Then at you.

“You weren’t just calling to check in,” he said, his voice low, dangerously calm. “You slept with him.”

You froze.

He tilted his head. “The night before we left… it was him in your bed, wasn’t it?”

Your silence was the only answer he needed.

Nagumo took a slow, deliberate step closer. His jaw clenched, eyes scanning you like he was trying to burn the truth into your skin.

“That’s why you’re running,” he whispered. “Because even now, standing here with me, you’re still thinking about how he touched you.”

His hand reached out, knuckles brushing your jaw—not soft, not rough, just enough to remind you that he was here. That he wasn’t backing off.

“Should I show you what it’s like when I make you scream, baby girl?” he asked, voice thick with challenge. “Or are you too sore from last time?”

You sucked in a breath, every nerve alight.

He leaned in, lips grazing your ear.

“Careful who you give your body to, princess,” he murmured. “Next time, I won’t just steal your phone…”

His voice dipped into something darker.

“I’ll take everything.”

Nagumo’s words hung in the air, thick with an intensity that sent a shiver down your spine. The hallway felt smaller, the space between you both charged with a kind of electricity that you didn’t know how to handle.

His hand still lingered on your jaw, and your pulse raced at the feel of his touch. You wanted to pull away—needed the distance—but something about the way he looked at you, with that mix of control and barely contained hunger, made your body betray you.

He watched you like he was savoring every reaction, every flutter in your chest. And maybe, just maybe, part of you wanted him to keep going. To push you further.

"You don't get to hide from me," he murmured, his voice low, rough. "Not now. Not after what I heard." His eyes narrowed, searching yours like he was trying to decipher something deep inside you, something you couldn’t quite put into words.

You opened your mouth to say something—anything—but nothing came out. The tension was suffocating, and you could feel the heat rising again, swirling between the two of you.

And then, just as quickly as it had started, Nagumo took a step back. His fingers left your skin, but the absence of his touch was like a physical loss.

"Get a grip," he said, his tone back to its usual cool. He didn't look away from you, though. He didn’t need to. "We're still on a mission, baby. Don't lose focus."

You clenched your fists, trying to steady your breath. Focus. Right. You were supposed to be here for one thing. One thing only.

But with him—with Nagumo—felt like everything was blurring together. The lines between the mission, the games, and whatever twisted dance you two were doing had been erased the moment he touched you.

You swallowed hard, forcing yourself to look at him.

"I’m not the one losing focus," you shot back, your voice steady despite how badly your heart was thudding. "You’re the one who can’t keep it in your pants."

Nagumo smirked, that wolfish grin returning like he had won something.

"Is that what you think?" he asked, his voice light but still laced with heat. He stepped forward again, closing the distance just enough to make your breath hitch. "I think you’re the one who’s been playing with fire all along. But if you want to pretend it's nothing, fine. Just know, I’m always watching."

Your mouth went dry as he turned, walking away with the same confident swagger, like none of this mattered to him. But his words echoed in your mind, lingering far too long.

"Next time, princess... I won’t let you run."

You watched him leave, every part of you still buzzing with that intensity, with the sting of what had just happened. And as much as you wanted to forget, as much as you needed to push everything back into that neat little box you’d shoved it into… You knew this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Taglist: @shadyyouthcloud @milabyxz @mitsurisupporter @cjafjatkstke @raspberrizzz @mimisdaydreamingbubble

[thecluelessdoctor]

Welcome to the After Falls AU (MASTERPOST!)

I've been meaning to make this for a while, but here we are! The After Falls AU OFFICIAL masterpost! I thought, if I wanna be for real and take this au seriously, I might as well make a pinned masterpost!

Intro Animatic

Summary of story;

It's been about 20 years since Dipper and Mabel's first summer in gravity falls, the both of them going on separate paths. Mabel ended up being very successful in the engineering field. It was basically arts and crafts with more math, and a bit more danger, that's all! Dipper though, found himself making his own research in gravity falls. He knows there is much more to discover than what he had found previously. Mabel's back there for nostalgia, and Dipper is there for research. How fun.

On the side of the family that ISNT pines, the parents of Ratch and Rod Elk, cousins once removed to the twins, find out there is family spending the summer in a little town away from everything, their parents don't hesitate to send them off. At first, it seems boring. But when the elk twins uncover one of the many secrets of their family, they find themselves to believe this summer to much more interesting than it seems, with many of these secrets connecting back to their summer guardians, and somehow, even farther back in the family than them.

Intro fanfiction

WIP. ao3 deleted the original fanfic, so I'm needing to find my backups and rewrite as needed.

CANON MASTERLIST:

Dipper and Mabel CURRENT designs.

Gideon and Brody gleeful design sketches

Yes Stan exists.

WIP, will be updated as we go along.

PLOT POINT CONCEPT MASTERLIST (in attempted story order)

queers

stan possession and confrontation

What have you Done

What have you done part two

A world I never could have imagined

Bill's deal concepts

Don't you know how it feels

WIP, will be updated as we go along

And that's the end!! I don't expect this au to get very big or far, but just in case I'll put some rules under the cut :3

Dos:

-fanart!! I love ya see it!! Feel free to tag me as well!!!

-adding OCs PLEASE. Have fun bro. Again, tag me akjahd

-shipping! If it's legal, I kinda don't care. No family x family though, or child x adult.

Don'ts:

-nsfw publicly! I can't stop you from drawing it, but I am a minor, and I'm guessing a good handful of my audience are minors as well.

-proshipping/comshipping. Again I can't stop you, but c'mon man :(

-no using my AU to promote hate??

-please don't glorify any of the darker subject matter in the au. This is more older audience leaning than the original show, and I want to embrace darker themes, so they will be more explicitly shown or more implied.

[abstractnaturaldisaster]

is it over now? (was it over then?)

part five

part six: with the wilt of the rose

With the success of Eddie's Steve single as his bandmates had started to call it, the label had basically told Corroded Coffin in no uncertain terms to channel that energy into the rest of their album. It wasn't that Eddie didn't like the attention his song was getting and Steve absolutely deserved it, the lying piece of shit, but it was like getting permission to write angsty music about Steve took all the fun out of it. He was fully out of inspiration of the angst variety and had taken a hard left turn into moping, feeling sorry for himself, and being one thousand percent convinced that he was going to be single for the rest of his life and die alone.

Eddie was reclining in his giant beanbag chair (his nest as Steve used to joke with him), occasionally humming lines, strumming on his guitar, and writing more and more pathetically dramatic lyrics for most of the day until he reached his limit and pulled out his phone. It wasn't like Eddie was purposefully keeping track of people in Steve's life but over the time they were together his little gaggle of gremlins wormed his way into Eddie's life too. Unfortunately when he opened his phone it was to tweets of Dustin going low key feral over Steve's new role in some indie biopic but at the same time being crazy upset that Steve would be incommunicado as Dustin so helpfully added in his tweet. The kid was such a dweeb. Eddie flicked out of twitter and opened instagram hoping that his feed would be mostly possum memes. He scrolled idly for a while seeing new tattoo ideas and of course many cute furry animals doing many silly things until suddenly he was reminded of a particular face Steve made and Eddie (although he would never admit this) searched for Steve's public profile only a little disappointed that he hadn't posted anything more recent than when the two were together.

Because Eddie may or may not be a massive masochist and can't leave well enough alone, he decides to tab over to Steve's tagged pictures to see if there is anything recent. In between several tags of Steve being unfairly good looking in whatever movie he was currently filming, Eddie was taken aback by a post that was just of Robin and Nancy. They looked a little closer than just gal pals or whatever it was the tabloids called them while speculating how they could be friends while "fighting" over Steve. So much for modern feminism.

Before Eddie got distracted enough to go through a full rant that might include a fairly long section about how Ronnie was treated differently than the rest of his bandmates, Eddie focused back on the issue at hand. Why was Nancy who he highly suspected of stealing his fucking boyfriend posing like she was getting engaged to Steve's best friend. And why did they fucking tag him it it? Robin was snarky sure but she didn't seem like that level of bitch. Eddie took a deep breath and opened the fairly lengthy caption to see:

nancywheeler Hello World! It's been a long time coming but I am so excited to publicly announce that me and Robin (@buckster) are going steady. I know I don't post a whole lot about my person life on here (seriously, the rest of the world is so much more exciting) but you've always been so supportive of my coming out and sexuality related posts as well as understanding when I needed to set a boundary between my personal life and my online persona. I've been unable to share my most recent relationship for a really long time because of the public pressure of coming out and being a "marketable asset." Steve (@sharrington) could not have been a better support during this time and took a lot of public flak to keep Robin and I safe and comfortable until we were ready to be out publicly. He always offered up his home while I was visiting and kept me company while Robin was working. I guess us bi guys have to stick together, huh? Anyways, that's all for now. And no, we aren't engaged (yet 😈)

Eddie was floored. He had spent all his time since leaving Steve's apartment feeling very holier than thou and smug about everything that happened with Steve and the success his band was experience because of it. Although if one Miss Nancy Wheeler was telling the truth (which like as a journalist Eddie thinks she has to), Steve was actually helping his platonic soulmate find love with his exgirlfriend. If Eddie hadn't already felt kind of shitty for assuming the worst about Steve, this had to take the fucking cake. Eddie was truly done for. Put a fork in him. He's the worst person ever. Fuck. He needed reinforcements.

devilededs: uhm hi friends, i think maybe i am the asshole in the whole steve situation can u come to mine?

ronnie: you saw it? i can finally give you shit about being a total drama queen?

devilededs: what do you mean? why would you not tell me if you knew it existed.

ronnie: precisely because of this vibe right now.

devilededs: okay, everyone but ronnie pls come over i need snacks and maybe some really b grade horror but you have to indulge me in my sadness.

garbear: already on the way with your emotional support jeff and frank. we'll pick up snacks.

ronnie: if you let me problem solve for you can i come for snacks? i don't think i can handle moping eddie without trying to show you its very fixable.

devilededs: YES! FIX! ME! HOW! GET OVER HERE!

Eddie flopped back into the beanbag chair and let his notebook flop out of his lap. Thankfully his friends all had keys so he could continue to rot in place until Ronnie forcibly withdrew him from his hovel.

part seven

@lololol-1234 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @zombiethingy @grtwdsmwhr @dreamercec @anne-bennett-cosplayer @strawberryyyenthusiast @mensch-anthropos-human @kal-ology @ttyrussss @kristmkris @starman-jpg @wonderland-girl143-blog @child-of-cthulhu @legalmenace87 @adealwithher @practicallybegging @lunaraquaenby @stripey82 @lexyvey @goodolefashionedloverboi @mothmamhasyourlocation @mugloversonly (if you wanna be tagged in future parts feel free to comment! happy to add people)

[dilutedconfusion]

A Moth to a Flame

Eustass Kid x F!Reader (Part 6)

Heyyy so yeah…it’s me again. This is not an old post or a repost or anything like that. I am back like a year later still obsessed with Kid and still continuing this fanfic because it’s my baby and I love it (despite some of the old chapters making me cringe a little lol). So basically what happened was college and life REALLY got in the way, but lately I’ve had more time and finally THANK THE FUCKING LORD got out of my writers block. Like seriously I was so stuck on where to go with this fanfic I rewrote certain sections a bunch of times. But here I am and I plan to try to keep this up once again. Soooo expect more from me (specifically the last chapter of Lost Star if you even remember that fic that Im soooooo close to finishing).

For your reading pleasure and because its been forever Imma give a but more in depth summary of PREVIOUS chapters before talking about this one itself.

SO SPOILERS AHEAD PLEASE GO READ THE OTHER CHAPTERS BEFORE THIS RECAP!!! This is just for returning readers who may have forgotten.

RECAP: Okay so if we remember Y/N lives on an island in the New World. Her life is boring but she tries to make it fun by both drawing constantly and being reckless (I know what a fun combo). Kid literally just got his arm blasted off about a week ago. Little to say but he’s been a bit grouchy since then and because of that him and Killer have been on the rocks. Y/N out of curiosity decides to follow the pair once they take to land on her island for supplies. Kid and Y/N chat, she does something stupid like falling right into the damn ocean, he saves her. She wakes up on his ship and is NOT doing well mentally. Kid freaks out, basically publicly bullies her but lo and behold her Dad, who may not or may be someone special, shows up at the scene of the crime. All long with the entirety of Kids crew just standing there awkwardly.

Summary: Y/N finally has some semblance of dignity and stands up for herself. Kid doesn’t like that, but guess what? He actually sorta realizes what a little freak he was being. Kid and Killer finally talk about it instead dodging the issue for the millionth time which means some big emotional trouble for the lads. Y/N realizes she misplaced something, something rather important. Killer starts to scheme and may or may not totally ship it. But all the while Y/N’s worst nightmare is looming closer.

Warnings: Mentions of blood, Killer being freaky lol

Word Count: Like 10-11k I think, this shit huge

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Tags: @st4rfevrr @archangelshavethetardis @likeeliterallywtf-archived @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @thesnailus @shamblespirate @gabi-moureira @ferretsqueen @karmadglory @dreamistsblog

(Also I realize again it’s been HELLA LONG since I last posted. But I still tagged the people who wanted to be tagged, but if you would not like to be tagged anymore no problem just ask! I get it lol)

Seeing you up on that boat was odd for him. Odd in the way one might find a chess piece in a checkers box. Or a tree on the world’s smallest island in the middle of the ocean. Not impossible, surely, but that thought didn’t stop him from remembering something he hadn’t thought about in years.

His saliva turned to acid and his throat the barrel of a gun. Throwing out scorching breaths that had him kneeled over in pain.

You were young. Short enough to get fully engulfed by the putrid man that was holding you. His mask was void of any emotion yet he could nearly see that sadistic smile. Your hair a mess of blood as you struggled against his large arms.

Your father caught a spare glance of you that night before everything changed. One reflective bright glare of fire in your eyes and tears so full of life and emotion. If that moment was a painting it would be praised. But his life wasn’t one he wanted to be documented. Not anymore. Not with this shame.

Because only a bastard like him could have a doomed child like you.

“Y/N tell me what’s going on.”

Before he could let himself sink into the past he needed to realize you weren’t pleading for your life. Not clawing or caked in blood. His eyes catched the shining gleam of sweat on your brow. The way your eye bags sunk a little lower and your hair seemed out of control. But it was the bandages on your hands that worried him the most. You weren’t standing up fully, as if hunkered over in shame. Face red with an emotion he couldn’t quite make out.

Is that…fear or embarrassment?

Before you could speak, your mouth already hanging open to reply, the redhead cut you off. “Dad?!” Kid leered between you and this supposed man that was your father. Looking down at your hand on his forearm in disgust before ripping it away and quickly walking up to the edge of the banister. Your cheeks flushed up an even brighter red, swallowing down the solid rock that was seemingly in your throat to follow after him. Kid stood there giving the man a speculative snarl as he spoke to you. “This man is your father? Did he come here to save his helpless little baby?”

You glared at him almost instantly. Smacking a hand into his right arm which nearly sent smoke to spew out of his ears. “Don’t talk to me like that!”

She…smacked him? Your father was trying to piece the scenario together. One that made sense with both your injuries, blushed face, and the fact that you hadn’t come home last night. He was expecting to see you screaming for his help if you were injured.

I mean clearly these men hurt her right?

Kid didn’t have a moment to retaliate against your slap because in an instant he heard rocketing steps in the air. His eyes met your fathers as he watched him skywalk up onto the deck. The crowd of Kid pirates below briskly put down their supplies and drew their weapons. The faint clang of guns getting loaded and swords being unsheathed causing him no alarm. As the slightly gray haired man landed you in front of you, you felt a wave of relief. With Killer promptly getting his blades out and ready, Kid stayed still. Sizing up the man with an unblinking glare as he turned towards him.

With all the weapons pointed at your father you couldn’t help but make haste. Stepping in between the space between your father and Kid. “Everyone chill out! I’m being serious, put down your weapons, everything is fine!”

Seeing you red and yelling like that sent a little smile to Kids lips. Eyes flickering to your palm now facing him as if that would do anything to stop him. “Don’t tell my crew what to do, brat.”

Your father took a bounding step forward. His heavy boot slamming against the deck authoritatively. “Don’t talk to my daughter like that! Y/N what happened here? Why are you injured and with these idiots?”

Before you could even speak, mouth hung open and head turned back towards your father you were cut off yet again. “Idiots? That’s big talk coming from a short man.”

Kids voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to you as he spoke up. “Kid shut up! You’re making things worse.”

Kid didn’t like that. Well that was to be expected but he couldn’t handle anymore of this outright disobedience against him. You were a pest and he needed you to know that. “You’re telling me to shut up? Little miss I can’t fucking do anything for myself and need my daddy to come save me. Yeah right. Step aside. If this old geezer wants a fight he’s getting it.”

With Kids attitude the crew started to murmur from below. Some left standing clutching their weapons, others climbing up the side onto the deck. Pacing sideways to take up the space behind Kid and beside Killer. But what people didn’t notice, simply because they couldn’t with the man’s face covered in a mask, was Killer squinting his eyes at the old man in confusion.

It wasn’t like him to draw his weapon and not be completely enthralled in what was happening. That was required of him simply for the fact that him and the surrounding crew could die in a moment of hesitation like that. But here he was, ears almost ringing softly as the world around him became muffled. That girl and Kid just blurry visages yelling at each other back and forth like always. The crews murmuring and yells egging on the situation from beside him. The only thing perfectly set in his view was this old man, standing there silently, watching over the scene more confused than afraid.

Where do I know this guy from? I…swear I’ve seen him before.

Killer couldn’t quite put his thumb on it and Kid, along with everyone else, wasn’t paying enough attention.

They are watching their favorite soap opera, “Dad Meets His Daughter’s Angry Deranged Boy-toy.”

Without any hesitation seeing as Killer was so unfocused he giggled softly at that. Which of course made the whole crew go completely silent instantaneously.

“Did you just…laugh?” Kid, who in the middle of berating the old man, pivoted his anger towards his next victim. Craning his neck at a visibly painful angle to stare back at Killer.

Killer once again thanked himself for wearing a mask 24/7 cause without it they would’ve seen the blood red tinted all over his tanned cheeks. He left out a awkward little cough, glancing at you and your father who seemed to be giving each other confused looks and shoulder shrugs.

I don't whats weirder, them hearing my laugh or everyones reaction to it.

“No. Of course not.” He said, muscles tightening up once again so he looked a little more ready to fight. His arms at his sides as his blades tipped limply towards the floor.

“Are you making fun of me over there? Is this funny to you?” Kid asked clearly trying to find yet his third victim of unused testosterone and throw it head first at somebody.

I swear I need to buy him a stress toy. The ones where the little eyes pop out so he can get the full experience.

“I mean it’s a little funny, yeah. You yelled at a helpless girl for no reason and almost made her fall off the boat. And now you’re picking a fight with an old man whose main concern should be cataracts, not fighting.” Killer said matter of factly. The crew behind him both laughed a little at Killer’s blatant throw whilst others softly agreed with him.

“Yeah why in the hell are you fighting these people Kid? We don’t even know who the hell they are.” Jaguar, one of the taller crew members, rumbled out. The rest of the crew nodded their heads in response as they stared at Kid expectantly.

Hip, who had been the one to bandage you up late last night stood quietly. Considering the fact that Kid profusely asked her not to mention what had happened and he barely even told her anything, she was in no rush to explain anything to the crew. Keeping her arms folded and her lips tight.

Otherwise the rest of the crew had no idea how this girl had even managed to get on the boat in the first place or why she was wearing their spare clothes.

“Wait, isn’t that the girl from yesterday UK? The one that was on the docks.” Bubblegum piped up, softly elbowing the man next to him as he stared at you.

“Hmmmm…yeah I think so now that you mention it. She looks a little more ugly than before though.” He mumbled, but with ears like yours of course you heard. Your frown deepened as you looked back at him in shock.

“Says the guy who’s built like a fucking onion!” You stepped away from Kid and your Dad, pointing a finger at the man in the crowd.

“Hey don’t call me an onion with your mummy looking ass!” UK roared back, the rest of the crew clamoring with him as their weapons now pointed at you instead of the old man.

“Don’t you dare talk to my daughter like that!” The old man yelled, grabbing you by the shoulders forcing you to take a step behind him like always. You struggled a bit, smacking your fathers hand away but getting pushed back regardless. You tried to pay no mind to him, focusing your attention on the crew in front of you. Considering what just happened earlier with Kid you couldn’t take any more blows to your ego like that.

“Oh now you’re gonna shoot me because I called one guy an onion. What are you a bunch of babies? All of ya’ll like to pretend like you’re some big balled bastards but fucking start squawking like birds the second you meet someone who won’t let you shit on them!”

What once was an uproar became a full yelling contest, the once quiet peaceful boat of the early morning now splitting anyone’s ear who happened to be close by.

At this point, Kid was just standing there in shock. He was angry, sure, but now that it wasn’t all focused on him and his personal beef that made absolutely no sense, he was starting to see how things…may have gotten out of hand.

This isn’t my fault, she deserves this. This random old guy deserves this and I-

He looked back at Killer, who was now just standing there silent at the front of the angry mob, mask trained on the redhead.

Oh I know what he’s thinking. Probably a big fat I told you so and that I let this get out of hand and that I was being completely irrational and how I need to be resting in bed sucking on my thumb like a child.

Kid just grimaced more, the loud yells between you and his crew less ramping up his anger and more just making his head thump in pain. All that tiredness from this morning coming back and but of course his stupid stump throbbing.

He felt the veins on his forehead grow, beating rhythmically on his forehead before he finally couldn’t take it anymore. “EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

And thankfully the ship went silent yet again. Everyone’s eyes snapping towards the red head, but of course the silence didn’t last long.

“Captain this damn broad and geezer need to learn a lesson!”

“Yeah her and that old geezer shouldn’t even be here! They need to pay for even stepping onto the Victoria!”

”I don’t wanna be here, your stupid Captain asked me to leave and then wouldn’t let me! I don’t know you if guys realize this but your Captain is a fucking hormonanlly imbalanced idiot!” You yelled back, looking at the crew once more. There was no way you were going to take the blame for what had happened. If it was up to you, you would’ve been gone already.

“What the fuck did you just call our Captain?” The crew somehow said in unison. If they were pissed before then they were ready to go to war now. Stomping closer to the girl as a herd and weaving around Killer who still stood silently in place staring at Kid.

Kids eyes fluttered around spastically. If he wasn’t suddenly tired he would’ve joined the fight with you calling him ‘hormonally imbalanced’ and all. But with Killers demanding stare on him and this strange sense of shame and even a bit of embarrassment in his gut for what he had done, he really just wanted this over with.

So instead he chose the most agreeable option since his crew would fight to the death for him and you seemed to finally have your balls back with all the yelling. He quickly without thinking too much stomped over to you, slipping behind the old man and grabbing you by the back of your shirt. You hadn’t even noticed him considering you were far to focused on the angry mob to be fair. But one moment you were standing, in the next you were being slid backwards, sending your feet out from under you. You managed to catch yourself from falling but you’re feet kept sliding across the deck with quick speed.

“Hey what the hell? Let go of me!” You tried to spin around and took strong steps on the ground to keep you planted. But you couldn’t move with his grip on your shirt keeping you in place. Eventually he came to a stop, pinning you against the banister with your back to him so he could let go of you. You tried to kick back into him, but he was using his knee and stabbing you right in the spine to keep you in place.

Oh not again. I’m not babying out this time.

“What is with you and pinning me against this stupid banister? I swear to god I'll turn your fucking nutsack into a coin purse you horrid man shaped piece of shit!”

Surprisingly that little comment made him snort. Biting back a laugh and smiling down at her as he craned her head to look at him. “Wow, look who got her bite back. You’d like that wouldn’t you?” He whispered demeaningly. But just when you were about to slip free you felt him slip something in your pocket which immediately sparked out these purple little lines of electricity. It made your skin tingle and before you knew it he let up, removing his knee and taking a step back from you.

“Fucking hell what did you-“

One moment you were standing on the deck and the next you were swung violently 20 feet in the air. In these kind of moments, when you had a crowd watching you really didn’t want to seem like such a wuss. But hanging loosely like a limp cat by your side pocket really did bring out the worse of you.

“OH MY SWEET FUCK PUT ME DOWN!” You tried to grab onto the item in your pocket but the second you tried you got flung violently towards the island at incredible speeds.

Kid, who’s one good hand was still sparkling purple, suddenly stopped. Looking over at the old man who was being held up by the angry crew with a grin on his face.

“Go fetch.”

__________

“How long until we get there?” A woman asked, her voice interested yet pointedly annoyed as if she was just asking the question to bother the stewardess beside her.

“By nightfall according to the captain madam.” The stewardess stood beside her with a straight back. Eyes lingering anywhere else but the woman beside her. The woman sat upon a red velvet chair carried in just for her. Gold tassel accents threaded in its edges that matched the dangling drips of finely threaded gold hanging from her glasses.

If the stewardess wasn’t pointedly uncomfortable she would’ve marveled at the delicate jewelry all along the aging woman. Noticing the fine lines in her face filled with makeup. Bright colors adorning her eyes in the attempt to make her look slightly more welcoming. ”Well they should make haste if they know what’s good for them. Keeping me cooped up in this…” the woman motioned her hands around the large room of the boat, “pigs den! I mean seriously, you’d think they’d provide something a bit more lavish.”

“Well with the short notice this was the closest available ship to make your request madam. I apologize for the lack of amenities.” The stewardess replied, keeping her tone even despite the obvious hatred towards her ship.

I didn’t become a marine to have my very own ship be compared to a pigs den.

“It doesn’t matter, I shouldn’t have had to wait for this disgusting ship to arrive in the first place. I’m on a over decade long mission that those supposed marines should be well informed on. But look! With the death of that horrid man we finally get a chance and yet suddenly all their efforts go to reforming those mindless countries.”

The stewardess stayed quiet. Watching over the woman as she sighed and leaned further back into her chair. A tilted frown on her painted lips. The tips of her sharp heels prodded into the side of her footrest ribs. The footrests face becoming more contorted in pain.

Always obedient. Always silent.

The stewardess thought, again trying to conceal her animosity as she made the effort to refill the woman’s drink once again despite it still being half full. Whatever she could do to stop her nagging she would. Not a single pillow out of place, nor lack of attentiveness showed.

__________

The meeting room, which was also called the observatory, was near the upper deck of the Victoria. The room was circular in shape and had big windows looking out towards the sea. Light blue walls made the room bright and airy. But they were mostly covered by all the hanging picture frames and memorabilia the crew had collected over the years. They kept their most precious items in this room along with maps, treasure chests, and rare artifacts. The room was the most well kept out of all of them though it still had that messy touch of scattered papers and left open books on almost every surface. At the center of the room was a light table surrounded by four lush dark blue chairs, the meeting place for Kids most trusted.

“What the hell was that?” Killer said, after hastily dragging Kid back inside the ship and into their observatory. The rest of the crew had thankfully gone back to work as Kid had ordered. There repetitive sounding footsteps as they hauled boxes from the dock to the lower hull close by. But of course once that girl and her father had disappeared Kid had tried to go grumbling off someplace else. Completely disregarding the confused faces among his crew.

“What do you mean what was that for? I did my job and got rid of her.” Kid stepped into the room, turning back around to stare at Killer as he closed the door. Knowing damn well he didn’t want anyone to hear what was going on.

Killer finally faced towards him, arms crossed over his chest as he stood there, just as demanding looking as he was back on the deck. “That’s not what I mean Kid I meant why did you get up on her like that? I told you I could handle it and you brushed me off like I wasn’t even there.”

“Well if you’d get the shit out of your ears you would’ve heard me say I didn’t need any help.” Kid rolled his eyes at him, almost unconsciously about to cross his arms before he realized he couldn’t. Which of course just made him even more pissed at having to deal with this.

“But we both agreed-”

“Agreed on what? That you think I couldn’t handle it.”

“Kid I need you to stop being a dick for just a minute and listen to me.” This was starting to get to Killer. Scratch that it had been getting to Killer for the past week. But right now it just felt like that cherry on top of an already steaming shit pie. He couldn’t let it go on any longer, he needed to talk about it now. There was no way he was letting something like that happen again.

“I don’t-”

“Kid.” Killer instantaneously cut him off. Quickly taking his hands and grabbing the back of his mask to slip it off. A big puff of his blonde hair and bangs swooped down over his face covering his eyes partly. But he brushed him down a bit to get rid of the hat hair. Holding his helmet at this side as he stared at Kid, his face so serious it could cut glass.

This quickly shut Kid up seeing his first mate like that. Along with the fact that he finally got to see the purple lines underneath the blondes eyes confirming just how tired he was.

“Okay, thank you.” Killer finally started, “What you did earlier was weird okay. You pushed her to the edge of the ship just because you wanted some kind of thank you? I thought you didn’t care about that and wanted her to leave first and foremost?”

“Well you saw the way she was acting. She was being ungrateful and practically about to pass out just from being near us. She was talking about my ship like it had her at gunpoint.” Kid knew he was complaining like a child, but he also knew he was right. She was acting weird the whole time and Killer saw that.

And yet she says I’m the hormonally imbalanced one.

“I don’t know what was wrong with her but you knew she was hurt. We both did. She literally just wanted answers and too leave yet you made a big deal out of it. I get it, she’s a bitch but we both know that wasn’t worth the trouble. Provoking her and her goddamn father like that.”

“You ask me to relax and the minute I find something fun to do you get angry at me.” Kid scoffed, still not willing to cough up the fact that he was starting to feel embarrassed by it too. Since in Kids mind he was just going to pretend like everything he did made sense, it was the easiest way out of this to him.

“What do you mean fun? I know you like proving asshole marines wrong and messing with them but that was just some girl.”

“Quit questioning me, it already happened and we’ll never see her or her father again so what does it matter?”

Classic Kid deflection. ‘It already happened so let’s not talk about it because talking about my feelings is not going to happen.’

Killer sighed, feeling a bout of rage start to bubble in him. “You brushed me off. God, everything you did out there was ridiculous. You went from wanting her gone to practically begging her to stay just so you could have something to yell at. The whole crew nearly started a fight on deck because you were being so unreasonable!”

Shit I didn’t mean to yell. Fuck. Killer knew not to raise his voice at Kid. But with how tired and just overall done with this he felt, there was no stopping it. Biting his tongue he watched how Kid’s face turned from annoyed at talking about it, to annoyed at him in particular. His dark rimmed eyes peering at him.

“Are you telling me I can’t pick fights when I want to? Seriously Killer? And the crew had every right to get angry. She was being a bitch, and her so-called father was just protecting her like the little baby she is. I didn’t instigate that, if anything you should’ve been the one to tell them to back off whilst I was dealing with them!” Kid took a step closer to Killer. Tilting his head slightly and throwing his hand up in the air. Killer of course couldn’t back down, not now after everything. Kid needed to be stopped.

“Well I thought you didn’t want my help. Why the hell would I try to fix your sloppy problems when you acted like I wasn’t even there. We’re a team Kid! We’ve always been a team and I’ve spent my whole life making sure you don’t blow a gasket over stupid shit. But for some reason this time my words aren’t enough? A random girl is the thing that makes you crack?!”

Kids eyes went wide when Killer yelled once again. He never did that. He always used that calm voice of his to settle Kid down. But here he was, just as broken as the man in front of him.

“It’s not like that! It’s not that I wasn’t listening to you, I just didn’t want you controlling me. You’ve been 10 feet up my ass all week, I need to be able to do what I want. I am the Captain aren’t I?!” He wanted Killer to say yes. To put down whatever this was and just let him be. There was no way he was going to stand here and let him talk to him like that. Even if subconsciously he knew he was getting a taste of his medicine.

“Well I’ve been 10 feet up your ass cause you lost your fucking arm Kid! Your literal fucking arm that was once attached your body on your left side if you can’t remember. Or are you so lost that I need to draw you a diagram as to what that means?” Killer flung his hand up in the air. Stepping closer to the red head as his eyes narrowed down on him in anger.

Why is he being like this? What the fuck? Kid almost didn’t know how to respond. Killer had teased him all his life but not like this. Not ever seriously. But here he was, zoned in dead on his face with a look that basically spelled out hatred. If Kid wasn’t so angry, he would’ve immediately been hurt.

“Yeah I for sure as hell need a diagram for the fucking lack of arm that I can feel throb every time you talk to me! Has it ever occurred to you that this isn’t helping? That you getting in the way for even the tiniest of things is a nuisance?!”

“Oh don’t you say that Kid. For all I’ve done for you, for the shit I went through last night and today. Or matter of fact when I saved you from bleeding to death when your arm got shot off.” Killer rubbed his eyes quickly, trying to hold himself back from saying something stupid. But it was on the tip of his tongue and no matter how much he swallowed it down, it dared him to yell it out. So he looked him dead in the eye, and took a step forward, breaching the space between them.

“I have to be like this Kid because if I wasn’t you and your incapable ass would be dead already!”

And that was the sentence that broke the camel’s back. That split the sea in half or caused Pompeii to rupture and kill thousands. But Kid wasn’t about to kill thousands, he didn’t even want to kill the one man in front of him. But it sure as hell took the strength of those thousands to keep him from punching Killer straight in the jaw.

“You did not just say that. Killer, do you seriously think everything I am and all my strength comes from you? That I’d be nothing without you huh? Do you really think that lowly of me? Huh?! DO YOU?!” Kid couldn’t handle it, pressing his pointer finger roughly into the other man’s chest. He was nearly screaming that last part, which meant if the crew hadn’t heard them arguing before, they definitely heard it now.

This immediately caused Killer to panic. He was angry, annoyed, and down right hostile but what he said was wrong. And even though he knew Kid would take it the wrong way, he still had said it. “That’s not what I meant Kid! You’re taking my words and twisting them. I know you can-"

“Shut the fuck up! Matter of fact, get out of here! Get the hell off my ship! If you don’t think that I can handle being by myself then fine. Let’s see how much I need some controlling, nagging, and useless asshole like you!”

The second those words slipped out of Kids mouth he felt the life drain from his whole body. As if somebody has slipped inside him and tore off a piece of soul. Dragging it away as Killer took a step back.

Kid’s mouth hung open to say something, anything, but his fear of looking stupid caused by his horrifically sized ego made him stop. There was no way he was going to back on what he just said. It would make him look like a fool and even more worrisome than that it would prove that he really was off his rocker. That he really was letting his emotions control him and the one person who was perfect at keeping Kid in check, was for some reason staying completely silent.

This silence grew heavy, as if the literal weight of a mountain hung on Kids shoulders. And that feeling only got worse. A crumbling rupture of an earthquake with each and every step Killer made, until eventually he had turned around and completely left the room. That’s when Kid really felt it crack, the fault line splitting completely. Swallowing up the land that held his heart and soul. Lava covered the ground with a searing splash across his cheeks. Fist clenched as it got pinned in place in the soil. There was no reaching for that door to chase after him. No movement at all. But that mountain shook and crumbled inside him. What once was one conjoined land became two separate solitary islands in just a few moments.

The space between them bigger than ever.

__________

After some point you couldn’t handle it anymore. Usually your room was comfortable. A nice place to relax and do whatever you wanted when you pleased. But right now it was a hiding place. Just another hole, box, or carved out corner in a wall for you to hide in. You stared up at the ceiling on your bed, body aches thankfully gone after you downed a gallon of water and some medicine. Along with your parents tag team nagging at you as you changed your bandages. There was no right way to explain to them what had happened so you said it in roundabout ways. Trying to avoid it all together despite how guilty you felt. Until of course your father gave you that look. That piercing look he had given you since you were a child that said tell me the truth as if lying would damn you straight to hell. So you did. You told them about the jetty, the drowning, how those pirates ‘saved’ you, and how you ended up arguing with those men on that ship.

Little to say they were mad, but more then that they were completely and utterly worried. “You can’t…you can’t keep doing things like this. I swear Y/N its like you want to get hurt.” Your mother pleaded out, arms folded across her chest as she stood there with a frown.

“I’m not trying to get hurt and I didn’t mean to fall into the water or whatever happened.”

“Well what did you think would happened when you go walking out there during a storm? You’re not an idiot. I know you’re not an idiot but you keep being so reckless.” Your father, who always had some semblance of faith in you if not regarding all the insistent worrying they both loved to throw up on you, seemed to be taking this slightly better than you imagined. Well frankly anytime the word ‘drowning’ was even uttered near your family it felt uncomfortable for a large sum of reasons the three of you never wanted to talk about ever again. And thats how these kinds of things went, you’d fuck up, say your sorry, they let it slide but little did they tell you that the leash around you was going to get a little bit tighter. You were older now, hopefully straying away from that leash but you knew it was always going to be there because you simply were put on this earth to be something to worry over.

Maybe Kid was right. I am just a baby.

“I know and I’m sorry, okay. I won’t go out there again. I’ll be careful.” You tried to look at both of them as you spoke but your eyes kept fluttering downwards. The floor a much safer place to look at then the disappointment surrounding you.

“Look…I know you’re taking his death hard. We all are. But for you to be acting out and making such horrible decisions like this is putting your life at risk. Who knows? Those men could have just taken you from us and you wouldn’t be here right now. You’d be on a ship of all things.” Your mother looked at you solemnly. She knew about your fear of being on boats. She knew how much you had loved him. Which only made you feel more and more ashamed of everything.

Fucking hell I am stupid. I’ve been trying to ride any high I can get and I just…keep falling back down. What’s wrong with me?

Which led you to where you are now. Your father going silent, your mother wishing you’d let her in. But you’d walked away, shut and locked the door to escape them. You didn’t need a constant reminder of how strange you were. You had already dealt with that your whole life yet here you were dealing with it again.

Your hands traced the bandage on your side. Felt your clothes thankfully changed into something not belonging to those idiots pressed softly against your skin. You were comfortable, yet miserable.

Sounds a lot like my life.

You chewed your lips, trying hard to remember what had happened last night. How you had even gotten there. How in the world those pirates ended up saving you.

I…remember the bar and talking to him. I remember leaving to go home I think. I must’ve ended up going to the beach but why in the hell did I fall in? I’ve never fallen in before, I’m always careful. Unless someone…pushed me in?

That thought made you brows furrow. Why in the world would they have pushed me in, just to save me? Actually why in the world were they over there? You can barely see the jetty from the docks. And it’s just forest around there so there’s no reason to head that way.

You rubbed your eyes, groaning softly in annoyance. Okay well maybe they were meeting someone up over there? But I know everyone who comes in and out of this island. You can’t not know that since the dock is right there. Maybe…there’s some pirate treasure hidden over there? No way in hell, I’ve lived here way too long to not have come across some stupid treasure. Well maybe…they followed me? But Kid was basically begging for me to leave him alone and…Killer seemed more interested in literally anything else but me. I mean I guess he stared at me when their ship first showed up but that’s about it. And why did Kid seem so annoyed when I asked him if he saved me? I mean seriously does he hate me that much that he can’t even take credit for it? Despite me being on his literal ship??

All of these thoughts were really starting to get to you. Jumbling around in your head as you smacked yourself across the forehead wishing you didn’t have seemingly a small case of amnesia. You sat up with a grunt, scooting your ass over to the end of the bed near its left post. Without even paying attention you reached out to grab you satchel, which you always left hanging there in the same exact spot. Except this time you didn’t feel it there. Feeling nothing but smooth cold wood instead of fabric. You did a double take, blinking your eyes as if you were hallucinating before in fact realizing it was there.

“What the-”

Then it hit you like a bag of bricks.

My bag. My stuff. My FUCKING SKETCHBOOK.

You knew you had lost your clothes, seeing as you came home not wearing them. But your bag had completely left your mind. You basically forgot the damn thing existed for the past 6 hours since you woke up. Which meant two things.

It’s either crying for help at the bottom of the sea bed or its….

The second part made your skin crawl.

Oh no. I can’t. I can’t go back there, they will actually try to kill me this time.

When you had first seen that beautiful boat it mesmerized you, but standing on it was a different story and the people on it were even worse.

Maybe if I ask nicely? Or like…pay them? Fucking hell I didn’t even look for it when I woke up.

But you weren’t about to just give that bag up. You needed that sketchbook. It was the damn thing that he had made for you when you were little. You’ve been binding more pages to it ever since because you thought it made your art better. It had everything in it.

Okay…let’s think rationally. I could try to dive for it and grab it. It’s in a waterproof bag so I should be fine. But then you remembered your wounds, which meant of course diving wasn’t an option. Second plan…get someone else to dive and look for it. Fucking who the hell would want to do that? It’s definitely not going to float to shore, that book weighs a ton and it probably got sucked in deeper.

You looked up at the ceiling, thinking heavily in the same way you always did. Okay then I guess if its going to be somewhere I can actually grab it myself…it’s going to be there. Which means I’m going to have to ask myself.

The thought of asking one of your parents to do it grazed across your mind but you halted that thought immediately. I’m the one who got myself into this mess, I’m going to be the one to clean it up.

You quickly shot up. Rushing over to your closet and throwing it open. You kept an extra wad of emergency cash hidden in a small box on the top shelf. Slipping down and coughing up the extra dust that came down with it you opened her up. Sitting on the floor to count bills and at least try to save some of it.

There’s no way I’m giving them all of this. Maybe just a little, like 50…no to low maybe 100? Fucking hell their pirates they are going to be greedy.

So unwillingly you split it into fours and took one fourth of the pile. Shoving it into your pocket and standing up to head out. But before you could reach the door you realized something.

There’s no way they are going to let me out. I’m injured so they don’t want that getting worse nor do they want me near that ship.

You stared at the door for a moment, feeling some guilt come over you. Well it won’t take me too long. I’ll just try and be back right away. Go to the ship, hand them the cash, and go straight home. No biggie. Not a problem.

You knew bad things could happen, like the whole crew still hating your guts and not accepting your money. But you were on your terms now. You didn’t have to get on the boat if you didn’t want to, nor did you have to come unprepared.

So knelt down by your bed, patting your hand around on the warm carpet before you felt the cold and hard metal fill up your hands. It was a pistol your Dad had given you for protection. And despite how unsafe and risky of a person you seemed, you were still a better shot than anyone else on this island.

So you shoved it into the back of your pants, keeping the safety on like always before slipping on a black jacket to cover it up. Then quietly you opened the latch on your window and slipped out into the evening air.

__________

Killer was well…Killer and that meant two things. The first being that he was a soldier of massacre as they called him. The name being right on the nose for exactly what he was capable of and willing to do. The second thing, or the more unlikely thing for people to realize, was he was a softy. He knew that everyone was, even Kid which he so often made fun of at the worst and best of times. But Kid hid it well and to the untrained eye would never notice it if it went unchecked. But Killer, well Killer had problems hiding it. He didn’t just wear this mask because it made him look cool or for the fact that he had some unscrupulous feelings about what he looked and sounded like. He also knew that in the face of danger, sometimes his face could give it away how he felt. That any time his Captain had been hurt or someone on the crew was out of his reach his face contorted into this horrifically sad frown. One that made him look weak despite being anything but. It made sense for him, as the calm more rational half of his Captain to be unreadable as to never give anything away.

But today he realized something strange, like as if the sky wasn’t blue or grass wasn’t green. He realized maybe Kid didn’t view him as much of a half as he did himself. That this connection they’ve had since childhood wasn’t as strong as it once was or maybe it was always like this and he’d never notice. Too lost in the battle, blood, and happiness his crew brought him.

These thoughts were strong as he walked but no one would have noticed. He wasn’t going to slump over or cry out in pity as he walked through the town. He was inconspicuously sad, showing exactly what he wanted to show at all times. So when he went to the bar for a drink, the same one he had been to the previous night, no one noticed. Even when the bartender questioned him about the absence of his friend, he simply said “He’s busy right now. Ya know…pirate stuff. Just here to relax is all,” and that was that.

He’d been drinking slowly and calmly as he watched the world go by outside the window. Sitting at the barstools at the front of the house since a booth would only make him feel more empty.

He hadn’t spent the whole day there. He had nowhere else to go for what seemed like forever so at first he took a walk to let off some steam. Punched a tree or two when no one was around and finally settled here for the past few hours. Reading through old newspapers and patiently waiting for the moment he could go back home. He supposed he looked suspicious at this point, seeing as he could feel the bartender’s eyes on him more often then he liked. But he hoped it wouldn’t take too long now, the sun slowly starting to go down and darkness unfurling like a blanket in front of him.

Maybe I’ll stay at a motel. Go back and talk to him in the morning. I’ll take it all back and amount what he said to me to just be some funny little accident. We’ll laugh about something stupid like this eventually, we always have.

He had said the same thing to himself all day. That this was just another rare hiccup in their relationship. Nothing to worry about, nothing to cry over. They’ve always been together from the start, something as simple as this wouldn’t change anything.

If only we never met that girl. It would’ve never gotten that bad. He could have relaxed, I wouldn’t have had to worry. Everything was just too much at the wrong time and he was making it worse.

He took a sip out of his drink through the bendy straw, swirling it in his mouth for a moment before swallowing hard. His fists reflexively clenched through the anger.

Why did some random woman just bring out the worst in him? He’s never been like that before. If anyone bothers him like those Strawhats or Heart pirates he swipes it off eventually. Not wanting to waste his time on people that just get in the way. But it’s almost like he wanted her to be in his way and getting angry at her for being there to begin with. Maybe…he just wanted someone to let his frustrations out on rather than me or the crew? But he saved her from drowning, the one thing that could kill him easily. God and the way he looked at her last night on that cot, I can’t remember the last time he looked at a woman like that-

He cut himself off mid thought, realizing something rather strange finally piece together.

Kid isn’t a man of words, he’s a man of action, so why talk to the woman you want gone when you can just get rid of her? Which means he wanted her there. He didn’t want her to leave but once everyone else got involved he couldn’t be selfish anymore.

He didn’t want me getting in the way in the first place which is why he brushed me off.

…

Oh my god he’s in love with a lunatic.

As if some otherworldly power had been listening in on his thoughts he saw you walk by the window. Not super close thankfully but he spotted you across the other side of the street, walking rather fast with your hood up. The streetlights had come on but the sun was still barely peeking through, providing him just enough light to see you instantly.

Not again.

He wanted to immediately panic. Maybe his subconscious was starting to correlate you and the worst possible things happening to him. But as he watched you walk he made the rational decision not to freak out.

She lives here, this is her town. Of course she can walk around it, which is not unusual.

But what was unusual was the speed at which you were going, before he knew it you were out of view of the large window in front of him and he could’ve sworn your face looked very…serious. As if something had happened he wasn’t aware of.

Or something was about to happen. This road leads right to the docks. She’s walking fast. She looks serious. Fucking hell its nighttime and she’s injured she should be resting.

Killer nearly smacked himself on the head for that last bit. Am I seriously telling yet another injured person they should be resting? Am I going insane or is my secret calling to be a nurse because I swear to fucking god its not.

Without even really thinking about it he slung out some cash, slapped it on the table and instantly headed out the door. The bartender tried to give him a friendly goodbye from behind the bar but before she could even manage that, the door had swung shut.

He spotted you immediately down the long winding road. Picking up the pace and using his long legs to try and catch up to you.

This looks creepy doesn’t it. A big man following some girl. And oh lord she’s going to freak out when she spots me.

He had no other way to make this seem evenly slightly normal. He didn’t even know if you’d want to talk to him. But this felt important, or moreover he needed some context about a lot of things and you were the only one who’d provide that currently.

Right when he was about to shout to grab your attention you turned around and looked at him from afar, slowing down to a stop but not saying anything until he proceeded a bit closer.

“So this is how you murder people huh? Walk up to them causally like you wanna talk about fresh baked pies and not murder.” You spoke out, eyes narrowing on the man as you craned your neck to look at him from behind you.

Killer, who was not at all expecting you to be so calm about this did his best to walk forward with a sense of purpose. His voice even and calm as he spoke. “I’m not here to murder you. I just want to talk.”

“You don’t seem like that talking type.” You mumbled, your hand almost itching to grab out your gun but you paused, staying still despite the bit of alarm he caused you.

Maybe this is a good thing. A slightly freaky thing considering he's walking up to me but a good thing. I can get him to grab my stuff and avoid the ship all together.

“Well sometimes I like to make exceptions. Keep em guessing.” Killer stepped up closer to your side, causing you to finally turn your body a bit more towards him. He didn't seem torn with anger nor did his body look tense. Which of course just meant he was leading you into a false sense of security.

I really need to stop being so paranoid.

“Well aren’t you funny. Fine. I’ll talk to you but you gotta help me with something. Deal?” You tilted your head at him, keeping your hands shoved in your pockets.

“What is this something you speak of?”

You rose an eyebrow at that, finding the way he was talking to be far too controlled then usual.

Well I guess I barely know the guy but if he's really apart of that crew then he clearly doesn't have the lingo down.

“I left some…of my stuff on your ship and since your Captain physically threw me off I have to go retrieve it.” It was almost physically painful to mention the whole him catapulting you into the air thing. Lips turning into a hard line of uncomfortableness.

If Killer did notice your obvious distress over the situation, he sure as hell didn't let that on. “Sounds fair enough. Lets walk and talk then shall we?” Killer causally motioned his hand down the road. Politely ready to walk with you in step as if thats what he wanted to do all along.

Does he want me to go back there?

“What do you even want to talk about?” You mentioned back, turning with him in stride as the two of you started to walk together. You kept your pace a little slower then before, trying to discern his motives before you walked into what could be a trap.

I mean what could this guy even ask me thats so concerning? He clearly knows nothing about me because if he did I would have a lot more problems then just some nosy guy.

“You and Kid.”

What the-

“Me and Kid? I barely like to be mentioned in the same sentence as him. Why in the world would I talk to you about that?" You truly hadn't a single clue why he would care about that. Even thinking about him made your skin burn red with some sort of embarrassment hatred hybrid.

Unless he thinks something happened. I mean Kid was acting like a madman but thats just how is always is I'm assuming. Unless...I'm wrong?

"Just let me ask some questions, you want your stuff back don't you?" The way Killer said that instantly ticked you off. Hard-balling him beside you with a huff knowing that he damn well loved having some leverage over you.

Well at least this means I don't gotta pay anyone anything.

"Goddamn it, fine. If you couldn't already tell he provided me with the most embarrassingly horrific event of my life. So if you’re wondering if I still care about the whole town pillaging thing anymore then guess what, I don’t. He can try to burn the whole place down if he wants. A kind of guy like him couldn’t even make a dent in a tin can.” You spat out, looking ahead at the road.

“You don’t think he’s strong?” Killer replied as if you were stupid or blind, maybe even a mix of both.

Theres no way she can actually thing that. Matter of fact I know thats a lie.

“Of course I know he's strong, I may have been having a panic attack but I was still completely lucid asshole." You cocked your head to the side to look at him. But by Killers continued silence you could tell he wanted a bit more explanation then that, so you huffed out and continued.

"But he’s an idiot. He gets angry at absolutely nothing and it gets in the way of everything. He even yelled at his crew to stop and they didn’t even listen earlier. I’ve been around long enough to know that means something.” You talked with your hands motioning in the air. Clearly more intertwined in your thoughts about Kid then you realized. Which didn't come as a surprise but what Killer pegged as strange was why you of all people would care about Kid’s own crew listening to him.

Does she expect something better of him then? Some sort of pre-perceived idea of what leading should look like?

“Well the only reason they didn’t listen is because you were bad mouthing him. They really love him as their captain. Not listening to his orders just to save his reputation.” He thought that would clear the air a little bit, but by the way you rolled your eyes at him it only seemed like he had made it sound worse.

"If you always follow your emotions instead of orders, people are bound to get killed. You can't just push rationality aside because someone pissed you off." Your voice came out clear and unbothered as if those very words were written on your hand so you'd remember. Reciting old doctrine or some sort of moral code that Killer had no idea why you of all people would care so much about.

She...cares about rational decisions? This girl made the most ludicrous decision not even 24 hours ago.

"But when it comes to you being rational, all sense of life perseverance goes out the window."

Those simple words hit you over the head like a frying pan. Corners of your mouth digging into your jaw as you frowned at the man.

"Oh shut up, you know that was a mistake. I've done dangerous stuff all my life so its not like I begged and pleaded to fall in."

At least I'm assuming, I don't actually remember-

"I'm talking about making the wrong decision because you want to do something, selfish or not. If you know you can't handle it or that it'll turn out horribly if you try, then why even do it? Its stupid and it puts more people then just you at risk." You knew you were 100% percent right on this and nothing was going to change that. What confused you though was how Killer had seemingly never thought about it like that before, or at least from what you could tell since you could barely get a read on the guy.

"This coming from experience?" Killer simple said, as if peering into your very being beside you. You had expected retaliation or some form of agreement yet this was just another weird shot at knowing something obscure and irrelevant about you. And just like last time, this also made you glow red.

"No of course not! I just...I'm not stupid okay? You can think whatever you want about me really, I truly do not care but I know what I'm talking about. Kid seems like the kinda guy who thinks he can do anything but he's just going to end up getting hurt. God...I bet thats why he lost that arm of his. Doing something without thinking it through and just-"

"You sure you hate the guy? You seem far to concerned about what has happened to him." Killer had watched your tone change slightly as you rambled on about how wrong he was about this being a personal experience.

Yeah right-

And how you seemingly...cared about Kid? Is that what that was?

Which made you blink twice, realizing how you sounded before you composed yourself once again. "Of course I do. Having rightful judgments isn't me being all goggly eyed, I just pick up on things. Like how back on the deck you didn't do or say anything when things got out of hand. Which means you either don't care about Kid and will let him feel the pain of his mistakes or you don't like fighting over things you find meaningless."

Ahh beautiful sweet deflection. Her and Kid should write a book on it together.

"Both are wrong. I do care and I didn't think it was entirely meaningless, at least not to Kid or the crew." Killer surprisingly didn't call out her deflection, considering being honest might make her trust him more and clearly the girl was permanently too paranoid to do that easily.

"But clearly if you didn't step in to help, then you wanted Kid to deal with it. Which makes you lazy or like I said before, you wanted him to fix his own mess. Make him deal with it because maybe you're getting tired of dealing with him." You pointed your finger up at the man next to you like a nerd. A weird little sadistic smile on your lips as you finally managed a good jab at his inner psyche. Which he didn't take to well, but again she couldn't tell.

"Yeah. Sure." Saying so little definitely looked guilty, but saying much more would've been far worse. So he landed on sarcasm, which perfectly titled your defense into the unsure pile.

"What? Did I hit the nail on the head with that one? Or are you the only one allowed to pick people apart in this conversation hmmm?" You did that weird little evil smile up at him again. Leaning closer to him as you walked.

Kids right, she is a brat.

Killer sighed slightly, knowing damn well he did not want to fight you on this, he had bigger fish to fry. "Yep, you guessed correctly. You've been enough of a headache for me so its my turn to pick you apart. What did Kid say to you at the bar last night?"

"This whole deflecting this is getting kinda funny ya know." You rasped, visibly deflating next to him slightly and loosing that smugness you held earlier.

Is she getting paid to be this expressive or is being extra just natural? Hell, at least I can read her well.

"And you know whats going to be even funnier?" He said back, which caught you short puppy eyed expression of curiosity back in an instant. "The sad look on your face when I don't go grab your stuff for you. A real knee slapper really."

While Killer tried held back a laugh at the instant regret on your face, you smacked his arm. It threw him off a little when you touched him but he couldn't help himself but actually chuckle this time. You genuinely went from curious to pissed in a matter of milliseconds.

She's a pain but at least she fun to mess with.

"I swear to god I should've known you'd be just as annoying as he was. Why do you want to know about that anyways? It was barely a 5 minute conversation and he basically just bragged the whole time." You said with that same huff of annoyance out for the six millionth time.

“About what exactly?” Killer of course already knew half of the story, but he needed to see how you felt about everything if this was going to work.

”You seriously wanna know? Isn't there more important highly invasive questions you could be asking? Like how big my boobs are and when I cried last.” You motion your hands towards your boobs as if to mock him, which of course was both strange and yet again very funny.

He smiled behind his mask for a moment before cooking up and throwing back something equally humiliating. “Is that what you wanted to talk about all along? Because I can guess both of those pretty easily if you wanted to know. Or should I go get Kid for the tit size testing since he clearly knows his way around your body?"

If Killer had ever seen you red before, well that was just an eighth of what was happening right now.

"HUH?" It almost took you a second to even process what was just said and when it did it only got worse. Your hands flailing in the air as you spoke like you were swatting away impure thoughts.

"Why in the hell would he know anything about me?! Let alone something like that. Jesus christ, clearly you two have explored each others bodies but leave me the fuck out it."

If Killer wasn't good at this whole hiding emotions things he would've busted out laughing at that. Feeling a soft snort come out of his nose before he started up again.

"Me and Kid? Now why in the world would you be thinking about that? Unless...you wanna join in of course." His words were silky smooth and seductive, leaning closer to you now just like you did to him earlier.

At this point you were a damn stop sign or a swatch of paint kind of red. The whole Kid thing was already bad enough but now it was just too much. The top of your head to bottom of your feet shuddering.

"Okay! I get it! Your a male prostitute and a pirate! What an eclectic resume you must have but I did not pay for these services so either step back or Imma start screaming." You put up your hands defensively and started to veer away from the man as you too walked. Keeping an awkward amount of space between the two of you.

"Hey don't be like that." He said, trying to sound sad but if anything being called a male prostitute was a new one that tickled his funny bone in the right places.

"Or what? Personally I think yelling about the whole male prostitute thing so the rest of the street hears it is a better idea." You motioned your hands around the street, which was mostly empty but houses and stores still lined the sides of both of them.

"Word of mouth is a good advertisement technique." Killer nodded his head and place his hand on his chin to agree with himself. Which made your jaw nearly snap in half and fall to the floor.

"I'm really starting to think your serious." You mumbled out, slowing down to a stop finally since the docks were getting rather close at this point. Killer stopped along with you, still keeping the distance.

"You wanna know what I think?"

You opened your mouth to saying something but he immediately cut you off.

"Never mind. I don't really care if you want to know or not. Because something has been scratching at me this whole time and it has something to do with you and Kid."

"First off, I don't want to know what you think. Secondly, the whole me and Kid thing was so early this morning. Stay with the trends buddy 'cause I'm all about getting my stuff back, which includes not interacting with that idiot if I can manage."

Killer eyed you curiously looking for any holes in your words or body language. You seemed decent about bouncing back from things like this Killer had noticed. Your emotions strong but after a bit you could guide the handle. But right now he was hoping you slip up if even for just a moment.

"So you don't want to see him at all? Or maybe even ask me some questions about him? Maybe how he lost his arm or why he was so angry with you?" He wanted to peak your curiosity and he could tell part of you was giving in. The way your eyes widened slightly and that same puppy eyed look came back.

"No of course not. Even if I did why would I trust you to tell me anything? Either your a freaky little sadistic asshole like Kid or you have some sort of personal gain."

Well I guess shes right about one of those things, to bad she'll never guess why.

“Well you don’t know the whole story so I have my reasons.” He crossed his arms and left her hanging with that little statement. Just forcing her to finally ask him a question and give into that oh so potent curious nature.

“And what would the whole story be huh?" You narrowed your eyes at him. Matching his body language and folding your arms just the same.

“Hmmm probably the part about him saving you by himself. By the way, don’t tell him I told you that.” He said that as if it was the lightest most innocent thing to just causally mention. Which left you doubling over the second you got your bearings.

“Why would I ever tell him anything-wait what? He saved me? He’s the one who did it?” You eyes had nearly widened to saucers and even if Killer was a blind man he could've seen the obvious excitement on your face. Taking a step closer to him like a bait to a fish.

“Yep. Came back to the ship completely soaked with you on his shoulder. Which is rather strange considering how the sea can kill him and all." This matter of factly air was perfect for you, saying just enough to drag you in deeper. An image of you laid upon one of his shoulders making you unconsciously blush.

“I know how Devil fruits work dumbass I’m not stupid. But why in the hell would he do that then? And again I talked to him like twice before that and both times were horrible.” You snapped back, feigning disinterest. Right now on the inside you didn't know exactly how to feel, which was making your stomach turn and your knees wobbly.

Probably just the injuries. I'm feeling weak and most likely have an concussion this is to be suspected.

“Maybe to you they were but not to him. He complained to me about you.” Killer tapped his foot on the ground for a moment, watching over you as you crept closer.

“He most certainly complains about everyone so don’t try to fool me blondie” You rolled your eyes at that, scoffing at the man. Killer tell you were right on the edge, about to fall into his little plan. He just needed you to stop doubting him for just a second.

I need to go deeper. Make her feel special.

“Well yeah you’re right but this was different. He said you looked at him like you understood him.” Though he didn't really understand what Kid himself meant by that, its not like he was lying. Just restating the truth in a way that left her up to speculation.

And speculate you did.

Like I understood him? Was that like...two second moment so special to him he just had to go tell his friend?

“And so what if I do? A girl can’t have some empathy once in a while?” You lied to your feelings out loud, feeling more and more like something else was going on that maybe you'd been overlooking.

“Not when it comes to the guy you supposedly hate.” Killer didn't want to come out right and say it. He knew you'd just get pissed and brush it off. So put a lot of weight on the word supposedly as he spoke. Though he almost knew for a fact now that he was right.

Supposedly huh? Something thats generally assumed but...not always right. But how could I be wrong about something I'm so...assured of? Your eyes flickered to something far less confident then before, but like always you rebounded. Pushing back harder trying to press him for real answers.

“Is this how men work? You’re nice to them for more then two seconds and suddenly I must just be begging to suck your dick. Cause if thats what you think then please politely stop talking next to me." You paused for only a second eyes going wide and a small fake gasp coming out of you.

"Oh wait that was too nice you might get the wrong idea. I meant step off fuck face or I’ll snap your jaw in half.” You nearly growled out, upper lip twitching into a snarl.

Killer quirked a smile at that. “Wow you really are meant for him. That’s just the kind of thing Kid would like.”

You raised an eyebrow, that same unsureness now swirling around in you like a tide pool. It was weird hearing this from the guys own best friend. And though you would scold yourself later for letting him affect you like this and getting curious, right now you couldn't help yourself but ask yet again.

“What thing?”

And right then Killer knew he had you by the hook. Just reeling you in slow and methodically.

“You being mean. Or listening to him. Either one.”

“You telling me he’s some kind of masochist?”

Killer again, nearly snorted at that.

“Well duh. I mean why else did he keep you on his boat for so long? Especially since it took him about two seconds to actually get rid of you.”

Fucking hell...that kind of a good point. No no no no no this can't be happening.

You swallowed hard, eyes flickering all over the place as you worked it out in your head. Trying to find just one reason why that wouldn't make sense, yet you were coming up short.

“You’re saying he wanted me there, fighting with him?” Those words just slipping past your tongue sounded wrong.

“I think so.”

You went silent for a moment. Which was rare for you because you never had any troubles keeping up the flow of conversation. You'd always say some joke or brush whatever it was off. You had learned that at a young age. Completely disregard every insult or badly chosen word as if it meant nothing. But here you were, settling in it with silence. Which only made you panic more and nearly fumble all over yourself.

“Your just g-getting weird ideas. I don’t care how long you’ve known the guy but telling me that is 100% just a ploy to fuck with me. So if that’s what you wanted out of this conversation you should’ve taken a better approach.” You tried to sound confident. Pointing a finger at the man across from you as if to blame this all on him.

But he's not talking about his own feelings or reasons. He's talking about how the other more horrible to deal with of the pair feels.

“Well Kids been going through a lot lately, hasn’t made him the best person and I think you’re partially to blame for that.” Killer mumbled, cocking his head at you. Which snapped you out of it ever so slightly because what in the fuck did he mean by that?

“How are his actions my fault?!” You placed a hand on your chest and cocked your head right back. Though Killer really couldn't blame you because even he didn't fully agree with what he had said.

“Because he likes you. And if I know anything about Kid he gets real strange when he likes someone.”

Again with his stupid matter of factly voice. I swear I'm going to rip is beard hairs out and feed them to him.

"I still don’t believe anything you’re saying! So you can drop that act wise guy. You don't know shit about anything so you know what? Goodbye. I can do this by myself." You turn abruptly and started heading back towards the dock with a quickened pace. The sounds of Killers heels clicking along right behind you.

“I just think that it would be better for the both of us if we went a little bit harder on the guy.” He said, trying to hide the almost pleading tone in his voice.

Fucking hell Im loosing her.

“Huh? How in the world would being meaner help? I get it he’s a masochist but I’m not trying to make the little freak spurt in his pants.” You spat back at him, trying to keep you brain on target instead of wandering off into whatever nightmare this man was trying to convince you of.

“No I’m just saying that if you push him harder I know he wouldn’t do anything that would actually hurt you. And if you think I’m wrong you should try it. It’ll prove my point.”Killer stayed looking over at you as you walked, though you had completely stopped looking at him. Brows furrowed and grimace as strong as ever.

“I’m not going to poke the bear. It’s way too much effort dealing with him.”

“Don’t lie to me, I know you love dealing with him or at least people like him. Which is why you followed us to that bar in the first place. You like being in the line of danger.”

You finally looked at him again which let Killer know he hit a soft spot with that one.

I mean she's gotta know herself pretty well. Theres no way she can runaway from that one when its true.

“Ughhh...fine, think whatever you wanna think. You can try to psychoanalyze me all you want but you don’t even know me. And how does this even benefit you anyways? You’re basically begging me to pester the guy for no real reasons."

“Cause I think he’ll be better off with you.”

Rather than me being the one to pester him.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“We’ll, aren’t you just turning into the nosy one now huh?”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed at that. Keeping your eyes ahead as you two walked closer and closer to the ship. The sun fully set at the moon hung about half way up in the sky.

Was Killer doing this for partially selfish reasons? Maybe…wait no scratch that, its a solid yes.

This isn’t manipulation...if I’m right anyways. And he would never actually hurt her. No. Never. Which is clearly the worst case scenario. I guess other than her hurting him.

He looked over at you for a moment beside him. Eyes gliding up and down before landing back down on your grouchy yet slightly red looking face.

There’s no way that could ever happen. Not in a million years. And if she did genuinely want to hurt him it wouldn’t be THAT bad. I mean look at her, she’s a little chaotic and snappy. Maybe a tad bit obsessive…and incident prone.

Oh what the hell am I thinking this is like sending two flaming rockets to slam right into each other.

Something bad is bound to happen even if it means I get Kid back and relying on me. He’ll be so beat up from the fall damage of whatever this crazy person next to me is thinking, that he’ll fall right back into the pattern of complaining to me like always. But I know its worth it even if I am a manipulative asshole. I mean what other choice do I have! I was planning on just talking to the guy but now I know neither of us are being reasonable with the way I reacted earlier.

He looked at you for a second again, not particularly liking you but still feeing guilty nonetheless. He could tell by the way your eyebrows stayed permanently furrowed that what he said had gotten to you. Which just meant it was only a matter of time before you and Kid crossed paths again on this dot of an island.

She’s the one that pulled us apart with that fight. Maybe she can be the one to put us back together.

Lost in his thoughts he didn’t even entirely notice you had stopped walking suddenly. Finding the spot next to him where you were now vacant.

“Y/N?” He called, turning around to see you a couple feet back frozen in place. Eyes wide as you stared out in front of you. It was almost a little eerie, your lips parted and your eyes seemingly unblinking. “Hey you good?”

“Marines.”

“Huh?” He hadn’t heard you the first time. Your voice coming out in a whisper. Stepping closer to you he slowly trailed to where your eyes were locked onto. Turning around and looking out at the ocean. At first he didn’t see it, thinking you were crazy for a moment. But the tip of something broke through the fog that had settled across the ocean. The tip of a rather large navy ship heading straight for the docks.

Oh no.

I wrote this low key worried ya’ll would forget all the correlations from the previous chapters but whateva. That’s my fault anyways lol. I feel like its becoming a lot more apparent whatever the hell is going on, but there’s going to be so much more. Actually I’ll even give ya’ll a hint, ya know that sketchbook Y/N freaks out about? THAT THING IS SUPER FUCKING IMPORTANT. Yes her dumb little book is extremely relevant who would’ve guessed? (Me. I would’ve). I feel like I need to get you guys excited again for this fanfic so hopefully this chapter was juicy enough. Lots and lots of mysteries and all that. Kisses and hugs cause I’ve missed ya’ll. Hope you’re doing good!!!!!

(P.S. Y/N canonically has a blicky now you should be so scared)

[fuckyeahfightlock]

A sweet and funny (if predictable, and in a few places clunky) Christmas rom com was my holiday viewing today!

After a couple of weeks of flirty texting and overnight phone calls, Los Angeles writer Natalie impulsively flies to Lake Placid, NY to surprise Josh, the guy she recently clicked with on a dating app.

Well of course, Josh--whose photos were this guy:

--is actually this guy:

Through a series of silly mix-ups and only-in-a-rom-com scenarios, Natalie stays with Josh and his family (goober parents and sassy grandma, and later got-it-all-together younger brother and his wife) and agrees that if Josh helps her win over Tag (the guy from the photos, his elementary school bestie), she will pretend to be his girlfriend.

His favourite Christmas movie is Love, Actually; hers is Die Hard. She blogs for Soash Media (ha!) about her history of terrible dates; he makes man-candles with scents like Lawnmower in his parent's basement. What a mismatched pair, in a fake relationship, sharing a bedroom (but not a bed--she makes him sleep on the floor in his basement bedroom even though, judging by the first floor, the house probably has five bedrooms.), what on earth will happen?!

Klutzy flirting, pretending to be That Girl on dates, secretly getting stoned, family caroling and tree trimming, food allergies, an actually incredibly cute, updated duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside," and eventually even a fake marriage proposal. All the best holiday rom-com stuff.

In the end our leads find themselves cornered by their lies, found out, and publicly embarrassed--Tag feels Natalie's done to him exactly what Josh did to her, and Josh's family learns she's only been pretending to be his girl. Natalie bails, leaving behind only the ring and a note.

Well, I'll tell you.

The title of this movie is, inexplicably, Love Hard. Could there be a worse title for a Christmas movie about a woman who has been catfished? I mean. "Catfished at Christmas" is right. there.! It barely relates to her "Die Hard is the best Christmas movie" spiel (Die Hard, Love Hard. . .I mean. I guess? But it still sucks?)

(I had my finger on the FF button in case it was cringe but it really is cute)

Except for the terrible title, this is pretty much a perfect Christmas rom-com. Do recommend, might even watch again someday. It's on Netflick.

[mitskissecondborndaughter]

new intro post ! except its mostly the same as before but … yeah

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･: ˚₊‧꒰ა ♱ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚:°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･

⟢ my name is Emi ! (Em, Emilita)

⟢ my older blog was @/mitskisfirstborndaughter but it was deactivated :(

⟢ i’m 18 ! (26/01)

⟢ I don’t care much about gender; I’m a girl but you can really just address me or perceive me however u want, idgaf

⟢ I use she/he/they pronouns to refer to myself, but once again, you can refer to me however u want, i don’t care !!

⟢ first year psychology student !

⟢ I’m argentinian! I’ll make sure that everyone knows I am because I am really annoying abt it

⟢ I speak spanish (native) and english (second language)

↳ if I make any grammar mistakes in english PLEASE cut me some slack, the language is weird. but also feel free to correct me on them!

⟢ I don’t mind tags / asks / anything of the sort !! I’m a bit awkward but I like interacting w people! (as for DMs, I’d rather only get DMs from mutuals / ppl i follow, but I don’t mind them either way!)

⟢ this time around I’ll try to tag my posts to keep my blog a bit more organized.

↳ text posts are tagged as #demented rambling (until I come up w something better😭)

↳ my art is tagged as (you wont guess it)… #my art!! like I did on my previous blog!!! groundbreaking..

↳ posts about music are tagged as #em being totally normal about music (im so fucking creative)

↳ that one kind of post that i KNOW will peak at like 3 notes but i post anyway because its my blog and i do what i want will be tagged as #self indulgent posting. expect maybe a Not Insane TMI or just things that dont have a target audience that exists other than. like. myself and maybe 3 other people in the planet

⟢ I don’t think I really post anything that warrants an age restriction, but I’d prefer keeping the blog 15+ for my own comfort ^_^ (current mutuals / mutuals from my old acc are ok though!!!)

⟢ i am cringe. and i am loud about it. sorry in advance

⟢ I don’t have separate blogs, so i might mix fandom stuff or just random text posts. While I mostly do post about MCR i will post about other things as well!

⟢ I mostly will post in english but I might OCASIONALLY post in spanish too (if u ever want a translation of a post I made or even someone else’s feel free to ask, I’ll be glad to help!!)

⟢ I suffer from a few mental health issues I won’t disclose; I don’t feel comfortable discussing them online publicly and I’ll likely never post vents here, so rather take this as a request to please be patient, as my social skills might be a little flawed, thank you!!! ^_^

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ DNI / DNF .ᐟ .ᐟ

I think it’s insane I have to clarify this but there are assholes out there so. LGBTQPHOBIC IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM, RACISTS, ABLEISTS, N*ZIS, MISOGYNISTS, REPUBLICANS, TERFS, PROSHIPPERS (especially waycest shippers. if i catch any of yall here its on sight), TRUMP SUPPORTERS, ELON MUSK SUPPORTERS, MILEI SUPPORTERS (i swear to god), AI USERS, CONSERVATIVES, MAPS, kids under 13, pro ana/gore/sh/nsfw accounts (please please don’t make me see that. ty)

↳(and as an artist myself if i catch anyone disrespecting artists or their work whether it is by reposting without credits, posting AI art or anything like that, i can and WILL shame you)

(I don’t know if I missed anything but honestly i know these don’t do anything, so either way i just kinda.. block ppl)

⟢ im very VERY annoying abt my interests … expect a lot a LOTTTT of rambling abt stuff

⟢ SHOWS/MOVIES I LIKE: arcane. nana, gokinjo monogatari, sex and the city, howl’s moving castle (and honestly all ghibli movies), death note, kamisama kiss, ouran high school host club, lovely complex, madoka magica, kaiba (2008), fruits basket, hellsing ultimate, monster (naoki urasawa)

⟢ BOOKS/MANGA (mostly manga😭): junji ito’s work (so far I’ve read tomie, black paradox, sensor, uzumaki and theres more but i forgot), paradise kiss, kitchen princess, no longer human (dazai osamu), toilet bound hanako kun

⟢ VIDEOGAMES I LIKE: silent hill (1, 2, 3, 4), yume nikki, resident evil (4, 5, 6), sally face, fran bow, alice madness returns (MY BELOVED😭<3), agatha knife, I have no mouth and I must scream, metal gear solid 2, roblox (i literally only play dress to impress. im not a real gamer im a dress up warrior idgaf)

⟢ OTHER INTERESTS!!: drawing, painting, writing poetry (i have a side account where i’ve posted all my poems, you can ask for it in dms but i can assure you they’re ass), i love LOVE LOVEEE FASHION SO MUCH, i like art in general a lot!!, psychology, collecting trinkets (dont think they count as trinkets, but i also love littlest pet shops!!!), music (this one gets a whole entire separate section)

⟢ FAVORITE ARTISTS: mitski (who would’ve guessed …), my chemical romance, pierce the veil, hole, jack off jill, solya, rob zombie, allie x, jazmin bean, chappell roan, korn, lady gaga, miranda!, dazey and the scouts, björk

⟢ OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: sleeping with sirens, panic! at the disco, paramore, siouxsie and the banshees, the cure, soda stereo, gustavo cerati, pinkpantheress, red velvet, POiSON GiRL FRiEND, bikini kill, limp bizkit, le tigre, babes in toyland, ca7riel & paco amoroso, aespa, linkin park, SHINee, head automatica, lea jaffe, enon, yves, ARTMS, akira yamaoka, jun togawa, kalafina, nastyona

⟢ SEEN LIVE: mitski (2022), miranda! (2023, 2024), pierce the veil (2024), hozier (2024), limp bizkit (2024), seeing ptv 12/12/25, seeing linkin park 31/10/25 !!!!!

⟢ FAVORITE ALBUMS (not in order):

three cheers for sweet revenge (MCR) (my beloved forever) ❀ lush (mitski) (also my beloved forever) ❀ a fever you can’t sweat out (P!ATD) ❀ Por cesárea (Dillom) ❀ Pretty. Odd. (P!ATD) ❀ live through this (hole) ❀ selfish machines (PTV) ❀ clear hearts grey flowers (JOJ) ❀ the fame monster (lady gaga) ❀ hellbilly deluxe (rob zombie) ❀ jewel box EP (solya) ❀ pretty on the inside (hole) ❀ girl with no face (allie x) ❀ a flair for the dramatic (PTV) ❀ collide with the sky (PTV) ❀ misadventures (PTV) ❀ this is why (paramore) ❀ i brought you my bullets you brought me your love (MCR) ❀ bocanada (gustavo cerati) ❀

❀ pinterest

❀ spotify

❀ spotistats / stats.fm

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･: ˚₊‧꒰ა ♱ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚:°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･

thank you for taking the time to read this!!<3 have a great day!!

last updated: 30/04/25 [DDMMYY]

[hemaris]

Hi there. Hope it's okay to ask, but where do you watch Baby Assassins? And do you watch it with english subs? Me and my friends are agonizing here waiting for more episodes :/

HI! i hope you don't mind me answering this publicly, but i've seen a few people wonder about this in the tags/have had people ask me about it and i want more people to watch this show because i love it <3

for watching the official release, your best bet is TVer (a japanese streaming platform). episodes are uploaded for free, but you're gonna need a VPN and use the desktop version of the site - the mobile version will redirect you to their app, and even with my vpn active i can't download the app or circumvent the redirection. on desktop it'll will let you stream without any trouble. it's gonna ask you for a japanese zipcode on your first visit but you can just grab one from google maps.

as for subs - unfortunately no official subs are currently available. TVer will verrrry occasionally release engsubs for shows (or at least they used to) but so far they haven't for baby assassins and i kinda doubt they're going to. my personal solution mainly works for ppl who have too much time on their hands :') i use both google translate and samsung's interpreter app to just kinda... run through episodes one sentence at a time lmaoooooo

there's probably some slightly less legal ways of watching too, though tread carefully when you go looking for them. i haven't seen it pop up on any of the bigger reuploading sites - i know kisskh will take drama requests via fb and they might add it if they get enought requests? unsure of how that works.

chances are they'll sell streaming rights to an international streaming platform after the drama stops airing on TV Tokyo - once again unsure of how this works, but since amazon prime has the first 2 movies as well as A Janitor (same cinematic universe) i'd guess that's where the drama and the 3rd movie are gonna end up as well.

in the meantime, for anyone else reading this who HASN'T watched the drama yet, go watch the first episooooode on youtube because the network seeing there's international interest can never hurt :)

[frikatilhi]

Saw your tag "feels like bojere bitches are in the minority" and I wonder if BoJere era is ... over?

I've been having some sort of feelings since reading the transcript of the Urheilucast podcast yesterday. Jere said that last year was hard because he had to be Käärijä all the time and no one was interested in Jere /or something like that.

I always felt like Bojan was his safe place where he could be Jere. Be himself. But he didn't even acknowledge that or mention Bojan. I'm happy for Jere to have new boyfriends and to get spanked to his heart's content but...

I feel like a traitor for saying this: is this the BoJere divorce?

What can we BoJere girlies (gn) hope for on 3rd March now?

Oh dear, this feels a bit above my pay grade maybe but I guess I have brought this on myself?

First of all, that was not my tag but someone's reblog, but sure, bojere girlies are probably the minority nowadays, but also, isn't that pretty natural? And also probably not a big deal? And does it matter? The whole point of the support group is that there are few of us left, our crops are dying, we are in a desert watching some sad tumbleweeds rolling around and clinging to each other, endlessly rehashing past events... *cue single tear*

I didn't think anything of Jere not mentioning Bojan in the podcast? That was really not the topic? Both of them have said multiple times that Bojan really helped Jere out in Liverpool. Also Jere probably has many people he can be just Jere around, and he didn't mention any of them either, not his family or closest friends, so I'm not sure why he would have gone out of his way to mention Bojan here.

It is very natural that we are not getting much content nowadays, nor do I think we are entitled to it. They have stated that they keep in touch and are important to each other. It doesn't mean that they are going to showcase their every interaction for our entertainment? It doesn't mean "divorce", it means... nothing at all? Because we can't really make any assumptions about them? They might even have talked about not making a big deal out of themselves publicly anymore, who knows?

As for March, it might very well be that we don't get any content then. But that was what I said before Nordic Tour as well, so we'll see, maybe it'll be another insane three days that sustains us for months to come? Point is, it's up to them and not seeing anything publicly doesn't really mean that they are not friends.

I don't know if I make any sense, and I don't mean to dunk on you, but I don't think it's that deep? We're all just trying to have a little fun and maybe make some friends in the process.

[officeobject]

Another one of those vents (that are technically related to the Hellaverse community - mostly positive this time, actually):

Okay, so like, remember the vent that mentioned Doodler16's full Doodler16 username way too much? Well, I think maybe that - OR billions of other things, that could've gotten be blocked - and I was venting, then deleted the vent section thing, because he had actually requested me not to talk about him on my account because he thinks people care enough to scroll through my many posts, click "read more" on every conversation, until one finds the one with us and then conclude it's him because he talked about the DMs - and by the way, note to everyone reading this, but PLEASE don't ever phrase it that way, it makes it seem way less normal and casual than it is - like, we're literally just talking - I use "the DMs", to complain to an acquaintence about things - my point is that I'm not gonna post my thoughts about him, but I do have a vent place, if I ever end up needing it (shout-out to that vent place - y'all are welcome to use it, by the way), and yeah I'd be willing to talk about it - the point is that he's gone from my life now, and probably not reading this right now knowing it's about him while having my account memorized and searched up and not admitting to himself that he's not over me - like, come on, that's never the case, right? Oh and also he forgot to block me on Discord, so I just blocked him both places (he also didn't make a Xanderweb account, through which he could find my other social media or contact me by - rookie mistake if one is dedicated to my presence). And sure, it's not like he'll be reading this at like 2 AM on his phone knowing he's got work in the morning, but again, I ain't gonna publicly tell my opinion of him, but speaking of things I'll do, I forgot to post the chart of that brain-type, and it was kind of an awkward idea to post it here anyway, because sure, it's not like he browses my account weekly or MORE, but I still worry who might, but now I guess I CAN (but of course I gotta update it just a bit)! It of course won't be with the Hellaverse critic tags.

Second thing on the schedule, I confessed to a squish in the morning, and they must've forgotten, because they didn't comment on it, but they DID speak to me in a positive way about something, so I of course info-dumped ... also mentioned that I confessed to a squish but did NOT tell them that I was directly talking about them, to their face - SPEAKING OF TALKING DIRECTLY ABOUT SOMEONE TO SOMEONE'S FACE, I wanted to continue joking with this other squish (I had forgotten I had already confessed to someone today I guess, as it was no longer morning), and this other squish is my Hellaverse critical squish, and I considered confessing, so I just confessed, and then they didn't reply and just posted like usual, and it's kinda awkward to talk about them, but also it might be good that they don't answer about that specifically, because I fear their potential answers are probably worse, than just comedic silence (they probably don't give a shit) - I of course also said that to the first squish I confessed to. Also, I'm taking Cursor Construction requests.

Anyways, my (physical) health is coming back to normal, and I actually forgot that I don't have my emotional support 30 year old for a while, so yeah. I might post more Hellaverse stuff, and shit, I'm a little late to actually writing down, that:

I think the person who accused me of liking Doodler16 was actually friends with this one person who I blocked anyway along with the friend, instead of that Discord person - could be friends with both, but probably heard it from the other, and, by the way, it's a fecking shitty thing to be telling who other people's squishes are, in case I haven't made that clear - like, what, is it because it's "just a squish"? I know I revealed it in a comments section, but AGAIN, those who care enough to search, will know, and squishes are still very personal and all, AND I EXPLICITLY TOLD THEM NOT TO TELL ANYONE. Also, it's kinda awkward if my squish is reading this too - I mean it's just a vent, so I have no idea why ANYONE would read it - but, like, yeah they have my permission to reveal it's them, especially since I might never, but also, I kinda doubt they would, because again, who cares? The squish-speculation stuff by the way, was something for fun, and for those who don't basically fecking hate me or tell their friends who my squish might be - to be honest, they might've said it, because they thought it was Doodler16, and because, again, I said my squish had no life, publicly ... and as a reminder (which comes with my mandatory smile and stifled laughter), I somehow knew better than them, that Doodler16, WOULD NOT mind/care, about such a joke, so if it was Doodler16, then mew.

I do hope that my squish has forgotten or not read the things I posted when I thought they either knew it was them, wouldn't find it creepy, wouldn't care, or that I wouldn't confess - though to be honest, again, I don't think they DO care, and those posts are NORMAL compared to my thoughts ... but regardless, things are maybe back to normal, venting about them is awkward (and if you think I suddenly had stopped - yes I did suddenly stop, though I HAVE vented without tagging this community, or in my usual vent place - I've been using it a lot since that weird hunger thing started), I take Cursor Constructor requests, and Imma post more Hellaverse or as usual, and also, BRAIN-TYPE CHART AVAILABLE ON MY TUMBLR! And again, I'm not deleting Discord ... but it's not like I'd have to, because it's not like anyone would try to find me, right? OH AND I GOT MY FIRST ANTI-CRITIC HELLAVERSE FAN! So, like, I thought I wouldn't get more successful, BUT I DID 😎. Folks against Boyfriends slander (if that one person counts), against FNAF salt (had one that DEFINATELY counts, AND against Hellaverse criticism #MadeIt !

By the way, song parody collab option thing open: https://www.tumblr.com/officeobject/780659020348506112/it-could-be-fun-to-collab-with-a-hellaverse-critic?source=share

Edit: Shit, accidentally posted this without the divider thing ... oh well, it's as usual!